She's Backkk!

Whaddup, blogspot.


She's back.


The last time I blogged was in February. Yikes. SO much has happened in  my life since then that I am both happy and sad about. After pulling all-nighters for the past 2 weeks, this girl is officially done with her second year of college. THANK THE LORD. I would celebrate being a "Junior" but I've worked ahead in my credits and I was technically a Junior this past semester. However, I am celebrating the end of 6 stressful classes, the end of a 20-page Thesis on the "Shifting Perception of Women at Shippensburg University," and an 18-page paper on "The Role and Function of the International Criminal Court." Shots all around! Ariana is back in the 'Grove.

Speaking of shots, I believe substantial damage has been done to my liver the past 2 months of school. (If you care to Facebook creep, just look up Scranton Parade Day, Date Party and Beer Olympics.) Again, may I reiterate?
She's backkk.
;)

This has definitely been a "growing up" year. Some relationships ended, but lots of new friendships were made and strengthened. I've come to realize how much I dread change. I hate becoming so close with people who are graduating. Actually, I love becoming close with them but I am an emotional mess at the thought that they are entering the real world, starting their careers across the country . . . leaving me behind. :( To the class of 2011-- I love you all and I wish you the best in everything you do. <3 Don't forget about me, Ship, our crazy nights & unforgettable times. You will be missed more than you know.

On a lighter note, I leave for Europe in 10 days. Until then, I plan on sleeping til the afternoon, roadtripping with my best friend, tanning unhealthily (because we KNOW that I'll lose that color abroad), and make some spur-of-the-moment bad decisions. Hopefully you won't see me on the news while I'm abroad. Of course, I'll need to cause havoc ONE night away (...gotta keep the tradition going, right Ab?) but hopefully I'll blog my well-behaved adventures while I'm overseas.

It's summer, kids. Let's live it up.
Here's to the end of a chapter in our lives & onto a new beginning.

Cheers.

Food for Thought:

"We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets." - Marilyn Monroe

Whaddupppp, what's happening

Well, I would apologize for not blogging for almost a month...however, no one really reads this, so I feel no immediate need to explain what has kept me from this site.

But in case you were wondering what I've been up to...meh. The usual. A few papers here and there, as I try to master MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian format. (And I'd just like to insert here how absolutely ridiculous the last format is.) I'm still making that money as a tutor, which I'm learning to like more and more. Some days, when I have great appointments and I see that "A-ha!" moment students have...well, it kind of makes me want to become a teacher or mentor. But then I remember that my mother is a teacher. And then I remember how I promised myself I would not turn into a clone of my mother, no matter how much I love her. And then I also remember I am just a History B.A. major and that if I were to contemplate switching to B.S.Ed, I'd have to take a ridiculous amount of useless classes like Economics and Math, which has nothing to do with history.

Therefore, I am quite content with where I am right now.

In other news, this recent weather has gotten my hyped for Spring. My favorite time of the year! (You should all take this time to record that my birthday is in May and yes, it's a big deal.) However, it is only February 18th and snow and rain are in the forecast for this coming week. I would have loved to rant about those crazy kids wearing shorts and flip-flops all over campus this week, and trust me, I intended to-- until I decided to wear shorts and flip-flops today. Peer pressure? Maybe. But this 60 degree weather was too great to pass up. However, I am worried because as I am typing this, I'm seeing leaves and small animals flying by my window with this horrible wind. (And I sort of forgot my coat and proper shoe attire at school. Oops.)

I have attempted to follow my "let's not bitch" blog, and I'd say I've done pretty decent so far. Sure, a couple fun rants here and there but I'm proud of myself. Slowly but surely, I'm making a change. Are you?

Things I'm Obsessed with This Week:

1.) The Bachelor - Yes, it's one of the most fake shows on the planet and I had no desire to watch it but, long story short, I was bored and watched all the available episodes on Hulu. I'm addicted. Watch this season. If you're male and reading this, you're probably scoffing and thinking "yeah, right" but if it makes you feel any better, a select group of individuals in my life (all macho football-playing heterosexuals) gather to watch this weekly. Now, I won't name names, and I always thought it was ridiculous & made fun of my best friend for going to watch it with them... but I take it allllllll back.

2.) StumbleUpon.com - We all know I love procrastination. (Well, I guess you could call it a love-hate kinda thing.) And this website has made this process SO much better. I'm finding the best websites; hysterical blogs to GREAT vegan recipes. Create an account if you haven't already, it's free.

3.) Twitter - Now, those who know me are aware of my Twitter addiction but this week, it just keeps getting better. My sorority sisters were able to talk to Rob Kardashian just by tweeting him and Justin Bieber has been retweeting all of his fans. In fact, Guiliana Rancic responded to me before & it just about made my day. I love this site. Now, hurry up and make an account so I have more people to tweet!

4.) Justin Bieber - I would have written an entire blog entry about this precious little singer. However, you would have probably stopped reading immediately. His new movie just came out in 3D and bless his heart, he's been visiting fans in theaters ever since. I'm not going to become a cougar and prey on this 16 year old sensation, but I think his songs are cute, catchy, and think people (generally males) give him too much grief. Wait until he's legal to start hating on him. Okay? Great.

5.) HTC Incredible Phone - My new cellular device. And yes...this is phone #14. Cheaper than the iPhone and yes, it's on the Android system, but it's doing me wonders. I've never had a touch screen before in my life...or the internet! But I love finding new things to do on it everyday and I'm glad I haven't gotten into the iPhone frenzy. 

If you really cared to read all of this, God love ya. I know it was long. I'll try to become more regular with my postings...maybe.

Oh, and Food for Thought:

"You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you've lost them forever."
-Wayne Dyer 

Updates

Updates on my life?

My lovely roommates and I have just started the p90x workout series. That's right...P90X and Tony Horton! We just completed our 2nd day of workout hell, and as I type this, we are sweating in pain together. God love 'em.

Taking 6 classes this semester. Easiest class? World Geography and Cultural Anthropology. Hardest? The other 4. Chemistry; Theory & Practice of History; History of High and Late Middle Ages; and International Law/Org.

Pray for me? Thanks.

Now, I know I usually don't have time for television...but since break, there are some shows I just have to watch or Hulu. Here's a list.

5 Shows I'm obsessed with right now:

1.) Pretty Little Liars. NOT as good as the books, and the episodes are far from what happens in the series, but I am obsessed. Keep it coming.

2.) GREEK. The last season :(  Beaver, you make my heart melt, you little teacher, you.

3.) Jersey Shore. --- I know, I just wrote that. But I'm actually, for once, watching this season. And I find it hilarious. Annoying and trashy, definitely.

4.) Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Possibly my favorite group of housewives...and that's saying something, seeing as how I've been obsessed with almost EVERY season (minus Atlanta). My favorite girls? Adrienne Maloof and Lisa Vanderpump. And Giggy!

5.) V. Starting up again, and maybe I only like it because the main character used to be "Juliet" on Lost...but I can't wait for this season and the creepy alien outsiders.

Food for Thought:

You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. you will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. -Albert Camus

Cravings

5 Random Songs I'm Craving

1.) "Misery" by Maroon 5 -- I've been obsessed with this. Adam Levine has a voice like no other. The Gardiner Sisters do a cute cover of it on youtube.com, too.
2.) "Losing Sleep" by Charlotte Sometimes -- One of those songs that just gets stuck in your head. And yes, I will randomly screech this song throughout the day to myself.
3.) "My Sweet Song" by Toby Lightman -- A bit of a throwback but I love her voice and it's been the perfect song to listen to while watching the snow fall.
4.) "Grenade" by Bruno Mars -- Yes, it's getting overplayed but I can't stop listening to these lyrics & I actually enjoy his music video on VH1
5.) "Right Girl (Acoustic Version)" by The Maine -- Overplayed, maybe, but I play this all the time in my car; easy listening

Top 10 Tired

For a girl who woke up 3 hours ago, boredom has sure set in quickly. And with the snow storm in our midst, it seems like leaving the house is not an option. Which brings me to this post. I'm going to make some "Top 10" lists. 

(My best friend made me do it.)

So here we go. My first Top 10 list of the new year.

Top 10 Things That Make Me Tired

1.) Rain

2.) Staring at the computer screen for too long

3.) Reading books. That small print sucks.

4.) Waking up from a nap, realizing you have nothing better to & then proceeding to lay unmoving for the next hour. All is does it make me want to go back to sleep. Which, indeed, I proceed to do.

5.) Watching movies with no humor. (Insert any drama or macho-gun-muscle movie here).

6.) Hearing my dogs snore. (People-- not so much.)

7.) Driving for long periods of time, where all you see is black pavement and you begin to race any car, just to have something to do.

8.) Listening to classical music. And some country music, for that matter. Anything that sounds depressing, whines about a lost love and whiskey, or has string quartets.

9.) Cold weather; no one wants to be cold, so the logical thing is to wrap oneself up in fuzzy blankets, essentially starting the sleeping process. Which is why I both hate, and love, the cold.

10.) Solitude. Leave me alone for too long, without any human contact, and sure enough you'll find a dozer on the couch.

Alright, that went over well. Now onto my random rant of the day: I do not understand why people keep using "SMH" in both blogs, Facebook statuses, and Tweets. Yes, I understand that it means "Shake My Head" but why must you insert it in the most random of places? Like "Oh, my favorite team lost. Smh." or "Smh, you're funny!" Imagery is a great literary device but this "Smmmmuh"-ing business is something I don't understand. Explain it to me? Thanks.

Food for Thought?

I have a simple philosophy: Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. Scratch where it itches. -Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Oh, and Food for Thought

At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, it's usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we've chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them. The people that are still with you at the end of the day, those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need.

- Grey's Anatomy

Stop

People can change. They just don’t because it’s easier not to. We’re always waiting for our lives to begin, like figuring we’ll be someone else someday. But what are we waiting for? All we have is now. Don’t run from this.

- One Tree Hill

This entry is about stopping. To stop being a slug throughout life. To stop wishing a better guy would come along to replace the one you're pining after. To stop picking fights with "best friends" about the stupid things; who saw who over break, who they're dating, etc. To stop bitching about those people from high school you don't like and to stop bitching about those who you could care less about. To stop whining about your job because the hours and pay suck and to stop whining because this isn't the ideal job you pictured for yourself 3 years ago. To stop throwing yourself a pity party because you wanted bigger, better things for yourself. Just stop. Because things are not going to change unless you make them.

I'm the first one to complain. I whine. I bitch, I make my opinions heard. And as a New Year's resolution, I'm going to try to cut back. At least, I'm going to try to cut back on complaining about the useless things. I'm not going to rant about old friends who 1.) I don't care about and 2.) don't care about me. I'm not going to pick a fight with people on Facebook or Twitter, just because I feel like being an annoyance. I'm not going to snub people in public on purpose, just because we're not friends; I'm going to be a civilized component in society. I'm going to remind myself of those who truly matter and have always mattered and surround myself with those who will bring me up, not bring me down.

School is starting again and we are all going back to our old cliques and lifestyles. We're going to wake up, wish we were back asleep, slowly get ready and moan about the morning. We're going to class, where we're going to complain about how hard the syllabus is and how demanding life is becoming. We're going to whine about the poor food choices on campus or in our rooms and sulk. We are going to blame the internet for distracting us from our homework and bitch about staying up late to complete assignments. 

Seriously. Stop.

The challenge-- my challenge: start out small. Try going one day without whining about school. A few comments here and there about the work load are excusable, but try to stop the large scale bitching. Try to go a day without wishing things were completely different, whether that be school life, love life, family life, etc.

One day.

Can you do it?

I'll keep you posted.

Food for Thought

We're all susceptible to it, the dread and anxiety of not knowing what's coming. It's pointless in the end, because all the worrying and the making of plans for things that could or could not happen, it only makes things worse. So walk your dog or take a nap. Just whatever you do, stop worrying. Because the only cure for paranoia is to be here, just as you are.

- Grey's Anatomy