10 Things that happened to me today.

1. My brother totalled his brand new Infiniti G35 Coupe. It was a thing of beauty, too. I felt bad for him.
2. My roommate brought home some people in the wee hours of the morning. (2 girls, 1 guy) One of which was puking her brains out. Literally.
3. I wrote a letter to my neighbor (we have a shared wall) who doesn't know what it means to have respect for neighbors and not blast her rap music and she placed it on top of our trash can. I laughed. Next time it'll be the po-lice. Biatch!
4. A friend of "ours" is MIA. He hasn't logged in to his myspace account since December 23rd and his best friend (with whom he is usually attached at the hip) hasn't heard from him since then either. I hope he's alright.
5. I bought a new camera today. I did tons of research before trodding to the store with my top two choices in hand. When I got home, I looked it up - $30 less online from the same store. I'll gather my refund tomorrow.
6. My mother is making a quilt for me. Full of all of my high school band and guard t-shirts. I got to see the pieces of it today. It's going to look fab.
7. I got a phone call in the middle of a movie. I silenced it. A few seconds later a text came through saying "Call me!!!".... so I did. There wasn't an emergency.
8. I got a mani/pedi today. It was refreshing.
9. I talked to a few people I hadn't talked to in a while today. I think i've decided what i'm going to do for New Year's. Being that it's tomorrow night and all...
10. I slept until 1. Hmm.

Rude-ness

So... tonight, I had a drink with my roommate. (not going to even TRY to create a pseudonym for him) We went to a local bar-place and had some chips and a beer or so. Some of his co-workers (from the restaurant he works at down the street) happened to come in. He told the server to take care of their first round on him. Not a big deal. We didn't even talk with them.

As we were leaving, we walked past them and he patted both of them on the shoulder and said "I hope you have a good night" and then walked away. I made [the mistake of] a comment about it and said "well, that was rude" because he didn't introduce me.

From where I come from (normal America), you introduce people you're with to people you run in to as a courtesy. It's just the polite thing to do and a great way of networking, etc. Maybe that's just the southern in me - or maybe it's the corporate world in me. Who knows?

We launched into this HUGE blown up conversation about being rude - that he didn't think it was necessary to introduce me and he didn't think I should have said anything about it and blah blah. Then he told me that it hurt his feelings when I picked on him about anything (something about my personality that I can't fix).

My jokes are in jest - no harm, no foul. I'll make fun of your shoes even if I like them secretly. I'm not really making fun of you - I just have nothing else to say and that's what comes to mind.

He made me fully aware this evening that he's "sensitive" and I should be careful what I say to him.

Haha. Right.

All in all, I've come to the conclusion that the city I live in, as wonderful as it may be, is just one big fucked up place. Yep. That's right. Psycho people everywhere.

Maybe I'm just having a bad day.

Getting rid of 2007

This year hasn't been the greatest. In fact, I've been comparing it to my "worst year ever" which was 2003. I lost my best friend and cousin, bought a new car (my dream car) and 5 days later it was wrecked, was in the hospital for a week and a half with pneumonia, broke up with my boyfriend of over a year and a half, and the list just keeps going.

2007 has proven to be just as bad, if not, worse. I won't go into the small details - as they really don't matter. All I can do is hope for a better 2008.

I can hope and dream all I want... but it's up to me to make it happen. To hang out at all the right places, to see and do everything I want, and to find good people to spend it with.

Here goes.

C'est la vie!

[Disclaimer: The majority of 2007 was AMAZING - trips to over 13 cities, most new to me - along with having fun with really close friends. The "shitty" part I'm referring to is the last few months - just as 2003 was]

10 Things you might find on a trip to a Pro-Basketball game.

1. A marta po-lice officer exercised his "authority" and asked me to "pull further into the parking spot". There was maybe 8 inches between my car and the car in front of me. I pulled forward an inch and asked him if it was ok. He said it was.
2. A man of "hispanic" origin was on the marta train with Heather and I. He felt the need to belt out his "mexi-music" on certain verses.
3. Upon arrival at the arena for the game, we realized we were the minority.
4. The nuts they sell are sugar-coated and fattening.
5. The guy sitting next to me got "wild and crazy" and purchased a double-shot of Jack and coke.
6. He was also wearing "womanizer" shoes complete with spikes on the toe. Creepy.
7. If you sit on the mascot's lap and ask for a "Dancer" for Christmas - he'll pull one out of his wagon for you. Even if you're only 7.
8. This dancer will be dressed in a Santa Suit you'd find on the pages of a Fredrick's of Hollywood catalog.
9. Tall men. :)
10. Hot guys at the bar and grill up the street. Tables, and tables of them.

Honda made me smile...

Ah... where to begin?

I drove a 1999 Honda Accord for quite some time (3 years, actually... my longest track record for driving one car!) until the transmission was shot and I had to get a new one.

LOOOONNNNGGGG story short, the transmission failed about three hours after I took it to get an oil change. Smell fishy? Yep. That's what I thought, too. So, I took it to get diagnostics at another dealership and decided to buy a new car (LOVE my new car!) the same day.

Months later, after the anger subsided, my grandfather and I approached the Service Manager at Honda and explained the situation to him. He offered some assistance from Honda (thank God!) and told me he'd tell me how much once he got the car there and was able to check it out.

So... final word came back yesterday... and they're going to provide the parts, all I have to do is pay for the labor. That's only about 700 bucks total. (instead of $3000 for the whole job) Needless to say, I'm one happy camper. Now I can sell that car and lower my new car payments. Isn't life lovely!?!

Oh yes. Honda DEFINITELY made me smile :)

Congratulations... you're a Vegan?

You don't always get what you bargained for... especially when it comes to reading about diets and your food.

I picked up this book last week entitled "Skinny Bitch." Included, there were healthy eating habits, what "ingredients" are good and bad, and what generally to look out for when you're choosing food. I figured it'd be a nice little health-conscious book because I'd never really been taught the good foods and bad foods, I've just always eaten slightly on the healthier side.

Starting the book was easy. I agreed mostly with what they said... Don't drink soda's (especially not Diet sodas - because of all the chemicals in sugar substitutes)... Don't smoke... Limit Alcohol... Exercise... Eat lots of fruits and vegetables... You know, the normal stuff.

Then I get to the chapter about meat. I got COMPLETELY and UTTERLY grossed out. They talked about the unsanitary slaughterhouses, the way animals were raised, byproducts of these animals... and the like.

After that very horrible chapter (which I skimmed mostly through)... it merely said "Congratulations... you're a vegan" I was so pissed off. I have never, ever, been persuaded to be that way - and frankly don't want to make the lifestyle choice to become a vegan.

But there's just one problem... I'm completely grossed out. I had to take a trip to Whole Foods for lunch today - because the very thought of putting cheese, chicken, beef, or anything BUT vegetables and fruit into my mouth... was completely repulsing.

Congratulations, Skinny Bitch writers. You've accomplished your mission. Fuck.

Decisions for a changing plan

Oh... how hard it is to change your mind...

I told Sam I wouldn't mind living in a "cold" place. If he were sitting next to me, he'd surely feel my forehead to see what had gotten in to me. But he wasn't, so I got a text saying "ummm you've been acting very strange lately. What do you mean you wouldn't mind living in the cold??"

He says this because I so adamantly am against the cold. In every shape and form. He isn't aware that I was in New York recently and might have changed my mind about it.

This new-found acceptance of the cold weather has led me to a search for a new city. Chicago came up first on the list... then DC... and New York followed suit shortly after. The cost of living, alone, is exponentially higher.

You see, I've decided that I just can't do it anymore. Not here, anyway. School, along with work, and all these other pressures of life are burning me out. Quickly.

After a lengthy conversation with Trent and weighing my options, I have come to the conclusion that I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing for the next few years. I can finish school in one solid year - and do it at a school that doesn't constantly screw you over. Who would have ever thought that?!

We'll see where it all goes.

As for my plans to not travel as much next year, I've already got two flights booked... one to Orlando the first week in January, and one to New Orleans the first week in February. Looks like I'm not meant to be tied here!