One of Those Days

Occasionally in life there are days that are fine, but there is something inside of your head that makes a fine day or even a good day in the real world feel like the worst day, or another bad day in a series of days like that.

Days such as these are harder to handle than a truly bad day, when people ask how your day is what are you supposed to respond, "Really, there's nothing to complain about, but today has just been a bad day for me for no good reason"?

I think, at times, we are all faced with this dilemma.

My advice?  (Mostly advice to myself...)

1. Listen to some truly wonderful music
2. Try to forget about the problems
3. In the event 2 doesn't work, figure out what it is that is bothering you and GET OVER IT.
4. Repeat 3...until you're really over it.

Probably needless to say, sometimes I'm really bad at this.  Then I just listen to "One of Those Days" by Joy Williams and...get over it.  Eat some ice cream.  Then, proceed with a smile because things are really not bad, it just seems worse than it is sometimes.  Life is grand.

NEVER Again

Black Friday.

It started out with a late night trip to the store to get a movie and video game my brother desperately wants for Christmas and some tights for one of my sisters (I won't say if any of these were actually found, as that would ruin the Christmas surprise for them.)

So that took an hour or two going to a couple of different stores to ensure all the bases were covered.  Then it was back to the good old house to say goodnight.

Except we just decided to just stay up...I mean, it was already almost 2:30, so why not just stay up chatting until 4:00 or so, then hit some of the 5:00 sales?

Bad idea.  Longest lines EVER, and there wasn't anything that was a super great deal, sure, I got a pair of pants and a shirt, but really?  Not worth it, let's be honest.

Also, did you know that McDonald's only serves breakfast at 4:00 am?  Madness.

Overall, Black Friday was an interesting experience, and probably something you have to do at least once in your life just to say you did, and to know what all the crazy people are doing every year the day after Thanksgiving.

It just wasn't worth staying up all night long (I might do it sometime again in the future, who knows, but I learned a lot from this time--don't stay up all night, don't go to a store you've never been to before, don't go to the late and early sales...you get the idea.)

The things we do for a good deal...

Adorable

Recently, I've been spending a lot of time in the library.  A lot of time.  Yesterday alone I spent 6 hours, and today I'm entering my 5th hour as I compose this.

Naturally, music is a requirement of the lonely hours of studying dry texts that are the woe of every college student.  (Okay, so some of the textbooks are interesting, but I have one or two that put me to sleep without fail.)

Yesterday, one of my roommates and I were at the library together for the long hours, and she discovered a new song that she shared with me that I love.  It's Here Come Those Eyes by Chris Rice.

Basically, it's the most adorable song I've heard in a long time.  It has sweet lyrics and I have to love the music as well.  (Seriously, go listen to it.)

Here Come Those Eyes is just so adorable.  It's kind of the ideal of how a guy should think about a girl he adores.  I just love it.  (My roommate was the one to say it had adorable lyrics first, which led me to actually pay attention to them.)

I could have a new favorite-list song.  Oh, it just came on (after Lucky, the other most adorable song in the world) and it's still just as adorable.

Procrastination is a SIN

There are some weeks when you just don't feel like doing any homework and for some reason can't concentrate on ANYTHING you try to get done.  That is, you can't concentrate until a roommate or two ask you to go to the library and study late one evening.

Then everything gets done that needs to be done tonight, and there is a feeling of accomplishment lingering in the air that hasn't been there for a week or more.  Confidence restored, you continue on and feel the assurance that, yes, you can finish college and not fail and everything will be all right.

Writing your own obituary for a class also puts into perspective what your priorities should be when you list "procrastination" as the cause of death and realize that, if you really did die soon, that would indeed be the reason.

Homework continues on when the college student feels close to death.  Stay on top of it and there may be a chance for survival. You're halfway to the light at the end of the semester tunnel. So...KEEP GOING AND DON'T PROCRASTINATE.  EVER.

If only I would take my own advice.  Life would be so much simpler.  *sigh*  Someday I hope I get a clue.  Like tomorrow would be nice.

Ode to Chips

Oh chips, how you tempt me,
how your junk-foody goodness
tantalizes my tastebuds
and causes my stomach to growl
whether it be Pringles
or Lays
or a good old tortilla
chips are my weakness
on this long September day.

This post was inspired by Hanna: I don't want to be on Broadway, I just want to stay home and eat chips.

100

This post marks #100.  That's kind of weird to me, but oh well, that's what's up.

Lately I've been listening to some new music, some suggested and some found whilst looking for a good rendition of You Are My Sunshine to listen to.  

My two favorites right now are Sara Gazarek, who has a great version of You Are My Sunshine as an interesting Blackbird/Bye Bye Blackbird combination, which I also love, along with a bunch of other great songs, but those are the two I just listened to and thus they come readily to mind.  

My other favorite was recommended by my friend who probably has the best taste in music out of anyone in the world.  She recommended that I check out April Smith and the Great Picture Show, specifically the album Songs for a Sinking Ship.  I love every song I've heard, but I particularly love Movie Loves a Screen and I absolutely love love Colors.  

So listen to some great music, check out a few new artists, and if you haven't heard Sara Gazarek or April Smith, go listen now!  You'll wonder how you ever lived before.  (Or maybe you'll just roll your eyes and think I'm nuts, which is also valid).

Don't forget to laugh sometimes, too, along with listening to some good music.  Laughter is the best.

Responsibly Riley

As some of you may know, I am the best procrastinator you'll ever know.  (I refer to my exceptional procrastination abilities in the world of academics, mostly).  I procrastinate all the time, even though I know from MANY experiences that it's a bad idea.  (Staying up until 3 am finishing AP Bio homework Sophomore year, spending hours daily for a month studying for AP American to pass the test, leaving math homework to the last possible second--AKA 2 minutes before the bell rang for class--the list could go on and on, to my utter embarrassment).

Well, it seems that I have turned over a new leaf AT LAST.  I have spent the weekend and this lovely Monday studying for a couple hours a day and getting the homework and textbook reading under control.  Today, I have come to the point that, without staying up late (I got 8 full hours of sleep last night) and without skipping out on activities (I went to 3 social events over the weekend and watched a movie with my roommates) I am a full chapter ahead in 3 of my textbooks (with the longest chapters) than the class discussions.

Maybe it's silly, maybe it's a little (or a lot) retarded that it's taken me, oh, 18 years to get to this point of maturity and responsibility, but I am so proud of myself that I've gotten here.  I intend to keep up the habit of not procrastinating and conquer the rest of my personal flaws as I can.

In other, slightly related, news, I am also working on conquering all my irrational fears.  These include, but are not limited to:

• Driving through the canyon alone in the dark (it has been a major fear for years, and I actually had to do it last weekend to get home, but I'm still afraid of it)
• Donating blood (I hate shots, I hate IVs, and the idea of willingly submitting myself to the withdrawal of blood is terrifying, but I know that it benefits the world at large and I should do it.  Still terrified)

There could be more to come on the irrational fears.  Maybe someday I'll completely get over my fear of the dark (but as long as my roommate tells me scary stories and I watch Criminal Minds, The X-Files, and The Twilight Zone, I don't think that will happen.