If I had an IQ higher than 42...

I would be packing right now.

I got the go ahead from my boss today to start moving into my room assignment for the year. I plan on being completely moved over there by the end of the week, despite the fact that I will be gone tomorrow and Thursday. I just really, really hate moving and I like to put it off as long as possible. Actually, it's not the moving, it's the packing and unpacking that I hate. It takes too much time and energy. Time and energy that I don't have.

It all started when I started college. Going to school out of state, I felt like I needed more than I actually did. I am always worried that I am going to need something random that I haven't used in forever so I pack it. Do I end up needing it? Nope. So packing a pair of shoes that I haven't worn in 3 years that probably don't fit ends up being a waste of space. 

Also, because I hate packing so much, I tend to put it off until the last possible minute. When I moved down to Chicago, I didn't start packing until 11 PM the night before we left. We left at 5 AM, I wasn't in a happy mood driving down there. This time is not going to be any different. My boss told me that it's better that I move in sooner rather than later, but there is not a huge hurry. I decided that I want to be moved in by Friday (I had to set my own deadline, otherwise it would never get done) which means that I am not going to start packing until Thursday night at the earliest. I didn't unpack a lot of my stuff though, so hopefully it won't be too bad.

It's going to be a long week. Luckily I have quite a few things to look forward to :)

Breaking News from River Falls, WI

Today a friend and I took a spontaneous trip to Maurices. A dangerous place for me to go because I always spend way more money than I should or have for that matter. I was searching the store for great deals (a fabulous sale, double punches when you use your card, and cute clothes) that I couldn't pass up. There were a lot of clothes that I wanted to buy, but I restrained myself for once. 

Even though I did restrain myself, there were a few items I couldn't pass up- one being a dress. Yes, I bought a dress. Now, this is unusual because I don't normally buy, much less wear, dresses unless I absolutely have to. This dress was gorgeous though and- now, I don't say this often- it looked great on me. It is long, flowy, and pretty. I really love it and can't wait to wear it.

Once I get a picture with it on, I will post it. For now, we will now send you back to your regularly scheduled programming. 

50 Random Thoughts that You Probably Don't Care About

I am kind of bored and homework doesn't seem all that appealing right now, so I decided to compile a list of 50, yes 50, things about me or that pass through my mind on a fairly regular basis. I am not doing this because I like talking about myself (well, that's not the biggest reason anyway) but more so because I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could come up with a 50 things about me that are semi-interesting. If you bore easily, I suggest you stop now. This post is probably going to be rather dull.

50) I don't feel like I watch a lot of TV, but I know I do. I try really hard not to start watching a new show because I get addicted to it easily. Then I hear my friends talking about how amazing the show is and I start watching. 

49) I will forever and always love Hanson. Yes, Hanson. If I died right now, I would die a happy woman because I saw them live for the first time last year. 

48) For whatever reason I have always had this strange feeling that I was going to die young. I don't have any desire to die, but I just get a weird feeling that it's going to happen. It's not something I am scared of. In fact, I am oddly okay with it.

47) I hate crying in front of people. When I am alone, I will blubber like an idiot. If I am around others though, I try to hold it in. Some people probably think that I don't have a soul because of it.

46) I never had a strong desire to rebel against my parents. It never made any sense to me. Maybe it's because my parents weren't very strict in the first place.

45) I am really excited to have a family, but have absolutely no desire to start one anytime soon. I want at least 3 kids.

44) The 3 people I am closest to in this world are my grandma, grandpa, and granny. I would be totally lost and a completely different person without them in my life.

43) My Granny's favorite story to tell is from when I was about 3-years-old. She was asking me about a movie I saw and asked me what theatre I went to. I replied, "at a theatre near you". We were on the bus and she said she nearly peed herself laughing.

42) I have had 3 majors in college. I am going to get my undergrad degree in communicative disorders, but I have no ambition to go into that field. I want to go into student affairs.

41) Because I want to go into student affairs, I have a pretty limited choice of grad schools, which means that I have to live somewhere away from home and that idea both excites me and scares the shit out of me.

40) The earliest memory I have is being in church with my Granny playing with my toys. I don't know why I held onto that memory

39) I have always wanted to learn to yodel, but I have heard that it's really difficult.

38) My first actual job was working at a pharmacy. I like to tell people that I sold drugs

37) I'm not really like either of my parents. I have my dad's dumb, weird sense of humor and that's about it, really.

36) When I am stressed or overwhelmed, I love taking long, hot showers. They seem to calm me down

35) I grew up having cats as pets. I have always wanted a dog though. 

34) In a period of 8 months, I went through 3 Razr cell phones. They suck.

33) I try hard to be good with money, but I am way too impulsive for my own good and it's gotten me into trouble more than a few times.

32) I lived in Chicago for about 6 months and then I realized that I wanted to be closer to home.

31) I have the best job in the world. I have seen things that I never thought I would and met people that have had a tremendous and positive impact on my life.

29) I hate dead baby jokes. They make me want to cry.

28) The Wizard of Oz will always put me in a good mood.

27) If I could sleep all day, I would. Alas, I have a little thing called class and a job that prevents me from doing so.

26) I am trying this new thing where I eat healthier. It's really difficult to do with the food they serve in our cafeteria. 

25) My idea of a fun night is just chilling with friends. Every once in awhile I have this urge to get plastered, but I would rather not spend the money. Sometimes I go to watch other people get wasted. That's always fun.

24) I hate scary movies. It takes me forever to get to sleep after I watch one.

23) My current favorite read is a book called The Shack. It's a pretty difficult read and it's taken me a long time to read because of that.

22) A lot of people think that I have a lot of patience. On the contrary, I don't with everyone. I usually have more patience with kids and my residents than with anyone else.

21) Most people can't stand vomit, blood, or anything else like that. I, surprisingly, have a strong stomach for that stuff.

20) I can't stand seeing needles being poked into skin. I don't know why, but it gives me the chills.

19) When I go home, I stay up all night watching Nick at Night. It makes me feel old that now they are playing shows from my childhood.

18) Nothing makes me happier than putting a smile on someone else's face.

17) I think I am pretty good at accepting things that I can't change. It makes me a lot happier by doing that. 

16) I am a pretty big optimist. Most people can see that as a fault, but I am a realist and I know that bad things happen. I try to see the good in situations though.

15) I hate Shia LaBeouf

14) I also hate Rachel Ray

13) I can out burp a lot of guys I know. That grosses some people out. Oh well.

12) My favorite weather is sweatshirt weather. My favorite sweatshirt to wear is my Hanson one.

11) My favorite time of the year is when hockey and baseball overlap

10) I used to microwave ice cream and then eat it with a fork

9) Unlimited texting was the best investment I ever made

8) I really want a tattoo, but my fear of needles is keeping me from that.

7) I hate when people mix up homonyms. It's not that difficult to distinguish "its" from "it's". 

6) I also dislike poor grammar in general, especially with college students. Go watch some School House Rocks and get it right.

5) That being said, I love editing papers. I became the go to person for that last year. It was so much fun, even if the boys liked to wait until the last possible minute to ask me.

4) My least favorite part of my job is the confrontation. It sucks, but I am a lot better at it than I was when I started.

3) I am so glad that I am out of middle school and high school. I have seen middle schoolers and high schoolers today and it scares me for our future.

2) For being in a job that requires organization, I am definitely not.

1) Online shopping is my guilty pleasure

"We Have Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself"

What a bunch of crap, Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I have come to the realization over the past few years that I have the most irrational fears of anyone I know. I can't pinpoint the cause of most of them. Really the only explanation is that I have completely lost my mind and should be committed to some kind of asylum. Since I will never be caught, I sit here writing this meaningless blog that a total of 2 people will probably read. It's difficult for me to dwindle my list down to only a few, but for your sake (and to a lesser extent, mine), I have done just that.

Ticks: These disease-ridden arachnids have always scared me. They are the reason that I don't like camping and avoid wooded areas whenever possible (that and I have a fear of being kidnapped. More on that later though). A few days ago was the first time in my entire life that I have ever had a tick on me and it's safe to say that I went into panic mode. They don't just crawl on you either. No, that would be too easy. They latch on you and suck the life out of you. It gives me the chills just thinking about it.

Costume Characters: I really have no idea where this fear comes from, I just know that I don't like them. Oddly enough, I did very well in Disney World. Maybe it's because we didn't stop and get pictures with a lot of them, but the ones that we did see didn't bother me. I loathe our school mascot. It's incredibly creepy. My school also does this promo for events on campus that involves someone dressing up as a gorilla. You can imagine how well that goes. The Underwater Adventures at Mall of America has a mascot that I run away from all the time. I swear, one time that thing chased me. They give me the creeps.

The Easter Bunny: Yes, I realize that the Easter Bunny is a costume character as well, but he (or she) freaks me out so much that it deserves its own spot. I remember when the fear really set in. I was shopping during the Easter season one day and, of course, there was an opportunity to get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. I didn't get within 10 feet of the thing before I ran away. My freshman year, there was a band that played and the drummer dressed as the Easter bunny. I hate that band solely for that reason.

Being Kidnapped: Ever since I was little, this was a big fear of mine. When I was about 7 years old, I was at home and my grandma called. She had heard on her police scanner that there was a blue van that was trying to pick up kids in our neighborhood. At least I am pretty sure that's what she said. I didn't trust anyone in a blue van after that and I generally started not trusting people either. Especially people that drove something that looks like this.

This all explain so much that it's scary

Channing Tatum got married. My life is over!

Disclaimer: the title of this post has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the post, but I just said it out loud and I couldn't think of a more clever title.

I recently ordered and iPod Touch. Something I am very excited about and I can't wait to use it. I feel that my life will feel a little more complete with it. Thank you, materialism. I decided to track the package online because I wanted to see when it's supposed to arrive. 

What follows is quite possibly the most confusing and illogical thing I have ever seen in my life. Proceed with caution and don't say that I didn't warn you.

I'll Take Basic Geography for $200, Alex

I am currently taking a summer class called Postcolonial Literature and Film. I know, sounds exciting right? Not even a little bit. We basically learn about colonialism in various countries through discussion, movies, and different forms of writing (like the title of the course didn't give that one). As boring as it is, I have learned a lot in the class and I actually do like it more than I let on. Although somedays going to class is like pulling teeth and I wish my professor would just stop talking and stay on topic for a change.

Last week in class we talked about Ireland. We watched the movie, The Wind That Shakes the Barley (which is now added to the list of one of my favorite movies that most people have never seen). It took place right before the Irish Civil War, so the British were still in Ireland. It showed the IRA trying to get the British out of Ireland and the effects of the division of the Irish on the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Obviously after the movie we discussed it. My professor started using the terms "British" and "English" interchangeably and it apparently confused some of my classmates. One girl raised her hand and asked what the difference was between the two. It ended up being about a 15 minute discussion about the difference between the Great Britain and England. I'm not sure about you, but I feel that a college student should know the difference. It's kind of like the rule that all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are not squares; the English are British, but not all British are English. She actually considered bringing up a map to show people England in relation to the Britain.

Am I insane to think that college students should know the difference? I feel that the number of people in my class that didn't know says that I am.

Just in case you wanted to make sure you heard right...

My cousin's boyfriend took the following picture in an elevator. I am not sure where. I am sure that it made me laugh for a good 15 minutes. At least.

Roscoe Jenkins- Master Chef 2

Since my staff isn't being fed by the school this week, it was my turn to cook dinner. I opted to make BBQ chicken because I have had a craving for it for a long time. The recipe (sort of) is below. I didn't take pictures of the entire process because I needed to charge my camera batteries. I did take a picture of the final product though. It turned out pretty damn good. Seriously, someone give me a medal.

I thought that it seemed a tad bit boring to just use regular BBQ sauce. I was planning on making homemade BBQ sauce and asked my friend for her recipe. I wasn't sure how it was going to work with oven baked chicken, so I decided to go a different route. I got a bottle of honey BBQ sauce and a can of pineapple (the can I got had only fresh pineapple juice and it wasn't in syrup). I put some of the BBQ sauce into a mixing bowl and added the juice from the can of pineapple. I mixed that together, put it on the chicken and baked the chicken for about an  hour. After that hour, I took the pieces of pineapple and put them on top of the chicken and baked it for another 15-20 minutes. 

As a side dish, I made quinoa. I haven't had quinoa in a really long time and wanted to make it and thought this was a great time to do. You can do almost anything with quinoa. I love it! I toasted the quinoa and then cooked it in chicken stock. I mixed that together with chopped onion and garlic, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and salt. I had a little bit too much onion and I forgot that I didn't like raw onion so it wasn't my favorite thing ever, but it was decent. And quinoa is one of the best foods (if not the best food you can eat) so it was a winning situation no matter what.

Of course, you can't have dinner without a vegetable. I just made corn from a bag and added butter, salt and pepper to it. Nothing fancy :) 

Here is the complete meal:

From Culinary Attempts

I Don't Get It*

There are several things in this world that I don't understand. Some of them are because I have a fairly simple mind. Some of them are because I like things that are straight forward with very little ambiguity. And some of them don't have a reason, I just don't get them. I have complied a list of the top five and it's almost certain that there will be at least one more top five list of the same thing.

5) The Jonas Brothers

I have never seen what the big deal is with these guys. Some people call my a hypocrite because when I was younger I was obsessed with The Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Hanson (still am). To those people I say this: The Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Hanson were actually cute, had good songs, and could sing. The first two didn't play their own instruments, but Hanson sure did and they are 100 times better than The Jonas Brothers ever will be. It's probably my obsession with Hanson that also makes me hate the Jonas Brothers even more. A lot of people compare Hanson and The Jonas Brothers; the only thing these two bands have in common is that the band members are brothers. People made fun of Hanson's hair, but pretty sure the Jonas Brothers have worse hair. I am also convinced that the middle one (I think it's the middle one) is an illegitimate child. He looks nothing like the other two.

4) Curling

I love Canada and Canadians. They are fabulous neighbors and I would chose Canada over say, North Korea or Afghanistan; however, I don't seem to understand why it is so popular with the Canucks. I understand that it's a lot of strategy and physics, which is probably why I don't like it all that much. It gained a little more of a following after the 2006 Winter Olympics, but I did not become one of those followers. I don't have much else to say other than I don't get it and it bores me to tears.

3) Zebra Print Clothing

It gives me a headache. That's all I really have to say about that.

2) "Complicated" Relationships on Facebook

I guess I don't understand how a relationship can be complicated in the first place (this is where the simple mind comes in). To me, you are either in a relationship or you're not; there is no in between. What baffles me even more about it is that people actually set their relationship status to "complicated" on facebook. Last I checked, a relationship was a personal thing. People just do that for attention and it irritates me. Please stop.

1) Mean People

Maybe it's because I grew up going to Catholic school for 13 years or maybe it's because I was born with a golden heart, but I can't stand people being mean to each other. There is enough bad stuff going on in the world and when people are mean to one another, it just makes things worse.  People need to learn to deal with their problems and not take out their insecurities on other people. Being mean to others just makes you looks like a jackass and instills fear in people. Is putting fear into people really how people want to go about life? That makes for one lonely life. Just saying. It would make the world a much better, happier place if we could all do that. Not saying that I am never mean. It happens and I would lie if I said I was perfect, but it's something that I acknowledge and I try really hard not to be mean to people. 

*The title of this blog refers to something I hear from my boss quite often. Don't get me wrong. I adore my boss, she is fabulous and really is actually smart. It just makes me laugh and would probably make my co-workers laugh if they read this. The rest of you probably don't care.