Life is not fair. But it is still good.

Today I had to take Rutherford to get checked out, the malfunction indicator light went on a few days ago so I figured something was wrong. After waiting an hour and a half doing my homework for after spring break I got some news. Nothing was wrong with him. NOTHING. Basically I spent 100 dollars to have them turn off a light. Thanks. I was annoyed. It a) shouldn't have cost that much b) taken that long and c) the light shouldn't have come on in the first place. Crappy.

Alas I have decided that I need shrug if off. WHY? Because overall, life is good. I got a head start on my homework. I am done with midterms. I am going to Florida in a day to play amazing golf courses. I am allowed to wear jeans or sweatpants if I want to. I have enough (too much) food to eat.

See? Life is good. It might not always be fair. But looking at that list I just made I think it is safe to say that if life was fair it would suck more.

So Close!

Spring Break is so close! I can barely handle it!

I went to health services today and they told me I could have gastritis. So I am on my way to an ulcer. haha The causes are taking too many pain pills and drinking alcohol. Not that I do that... my case could be due to stress or bacteria... although I was told to stay away from ibuprofen and alcohol. She also told me not to have spicy foods and caffeine. TOTALLY bummed me out. Even more so because me and the girls are going out to chipotle. yippee.

Anyway my friend took this picture of my hometown!

What does an ulcer feel like?

Seriously though, should I consult web MD? Because every time I eat I get a really bad stomach ache in the same spot. It feels like the left side of my stomach is burning. I'm too young to die!

whhhaaaaa!

call the wambulance.

Ok so web MD says that an ulcer would be pain between my belly button an my breast bone... my pain is to the left of that... so I am ulcer free?

I just want to lay down....

Alas I have a philosophy test tomorrow... plus a conditioning assessment and lots of reading homework for my other classes... gah.

"The Other Conquest"

Remember the days when the could only show you PG-13 movies in school? I'm beginning to miss those days. Tonight for one of my favorite classes we had to watch a movie on our own time about the Spanish conquest of Mexico. I thought it would be really interesting. Parts of it were... other parts I think will give me nightmares.

The following took place in this movie

-Human sacrifice... they showed everything.

-a yucky battle... not too bad, just a few too many limp/bloody bodies

-rape

-public lashing

-forced conversion

-decapitation

-incest (seriously they showed everything....)

-resulting pregnancy from afore mentioned incest

-suicide

-general craziness

-cave wanderings

-obsession with the Virgin Mary

WHAT? I mean, really, I gained very little from this film. And I am not really sure what we will be discussing in class...

President's Ball

Ladies and Gentlemen, we survived President's ball! 9 hours of exciting bus rides, dancing, eating, drinking and pictures. P-ball, as we like to call it on the hill, is a dance for the student body and a "chance for the college community to come together" or at least that's what President Jack said at the beginning.

Basically we danced a lot and got sweaty. My feet hurt today but that just tells me that I was a dancing machine last night! Also I consider last night a success because I DID NOT fall down the stairs and make a total fool out of myself like last year. WIN!

CREEPING.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

Being of Irish ancestry I am a big fan of this magical little holiday. PLUS I actually know what Saint Patrick did. SO HA! The myth is that he expelled all the snakes from the Island of Ireland.... which is probably false... but hey, they have to have a few miracles in order to be canonized and I'd say thats a pretty good miracle to have on your list of miracles (heck I don't even have a list of miracles, unless you count that A I got in bio). Young Patrick was captured by Irish pagans and then somehow found himself returned to the continent. Then HE CAME BACK to Ireland and spread the word of God and christianized that nation. Thus becoming the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish do celebrate this day but not in the same way Americans do. They don't really get drunk off of green beer or parade around in green clothing. I think they go to church.

... yay Ireland.

Back to the title. I am in the library, although I finished my homework hours ago. I saw my friend P in some bio/nature class walking around campus. It appears that they were looking at trees... at least they were gesturing at the trees a lot. Being the creep that I am I decide to text P. "LOOK AT ALL THE TREEEEES" clever am I not? Its fun to watch him grab his phone and then look around in a somewhat paranoid way.... Gotcha.

ok ok so my life is a little dull if I have to get myentertainment from being the campus creep. society be damned! I will creep away and enjoy it.

By the way...

Turns out I promised a goal list in my first blog. Totally spaced that one eh?

OK so here it goes

1. Lose Weight, be fit and happy with my body

-Point of interest, I gave up calling myself fat or complaining about my looks for lent, I really need a better body image!

2. Get a 3.5 gpa simple enough but I still need to study a lot (and consequently not spend so much time on the internet.

3. Go to nationals, and PLAY, not just be the sweaty and dehydrated extra team member.

4. Slowly give up coffee. So far I have been coffee free for almost a week.

5. Get enough sleep and stay healthy, nobody likes a sicky.

6. Write a card or letter at least once a week.

7. Read a book every month for fun.

8. Call my family members more than once a week.

Sounds good to me!

We've got a JUMPER!

An unfortunate event just happened to me. I was just minding my own, munching on cashews (good fat?) in the the library (yes I live here) when a tasty cashew that I had just grabbed and planned to eat leapt from my finger tips. It danced across my computer key, down the side of the desk and fell behind the heater. Come to think of it, the heater sucks, I am always freezing in the library. Knowledge can't keep you warm. I couldn't help but think, "what a lively little devil, evading the vacuum that is my stomach!"

While we are on the topic, (not really but I will force this topic upon you) can I just say that I do not understand the concept of "good fat." I looked up the nutritional value (because that's what I do these days...) in cashews and supposedly they are pretty healthy. But they kept referring to the cashews having "good fat." WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN? Ok so I've just been eating a pound of cashews and gained 40 pounds. My friends say "you've gotten fat" do I just reply, "yeah but its the good kind" ? Because that makes sense....

OH WHAT?!

Today was going to be a really good day. My slacker conditioning coach (technically should be professor but that sounds ridiculous) cancelled class this morning so I got to sleep in! Unfortunately I got up at 8:57. I had class at 9. I immediately fell out of bed in shock and pulled on some sweat pants. Ran out the door to the gym. My weight training coach barely noticed me jogging up to the track to do laps. Oops!

After a boring rendition of Great Philosophers and a enlightening but slightly disappointing US. Government and politics (I got an 86 on my last exam). I hurried to my room and found a diamond in my email inbox. Email topic "class cancelled today" the professor mentioned something about being sorry and last minute but WHO CARES?! Class was cancelled! YIPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

No worries. I sufficiently wasted my time writing thank-you notes (but alas I ran out of stamps). BUT I looked up who our Supreme Court justices were, just to be informed, and then I looked up their salaries (they make about $220,200). THEN I got curious about other political figure salaries. President Obama is raking in a nice $400,000 for the REST OF HIS LIFE at least. No wonder he pushed the health care bill, he'll be sitting pretty when we all paying via taxes for obese people's tummy tucks. Thanks Barack.

Whoa. Digress Much?

I am happy HAPPY happy that I didn't have to go to TWO classes today. I might just go frolic in the puddles.

PS. WHO IS EXCITED FOR SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!?!?! (I finally get to go to the bar!)

Research Proposal: ALL SYSTEMS GO!

Hey kids!

I finally chose a research topic! (who cares if it is VERY similar to a research paper I wrote last year...) European settlement here I come! -via history duh.

I think you (being the random internet browser that just happened to stumble upon my blog) fail to see the importance of this crucial step in my procrastination. Not only do I have a topic, (no thesis as of yet) but I have books! 9 glorious secondary sources to assist me in research. The great thing about college is they let you check out 50 books! In high school they only allowed us to check out 3 books. 3!? can you believe that sort of tyranny? Yay college!

ahem. I need to type of these sources real quick, come up with a question/thesis, and then annotate the sources. Easy as pie. Lets go get some COFFEE!!!!!

ok we have a slight glitch (thats an awesome word, glitch) in the system. The coffee stand was not open. They closed an hour early. Bastards. Now I am stuck munching on reese's puffs and water. Not together, obviously, that would be gross.

Alrighty. I've got my working pants on and I gotta go get some research underway! huzzah!

Coincidence?

Today is a big day here on the hill. Most importantly it is E's 21st birthday but we also got our housing assignment for next year! Yay for seniors living on campus! haha

This housing assignment is extra special. K, my other best friend is a senior and will be graduating this spring. She is off to law school to do financial and corporate law, (she's wicked smart!). She lives in 206 southwest. Our housing assignment for next year is 206 southwest! CRAZY! I mean, seriously, that's weird. We even joked about it on saturday night, saying that they should leave us notes if we got their room. AND NOW THEY ACTUALLY CAN!

I am super excited to have new roommates. I will be living with A who is also from Montana. I will share and apartment with H and E, both amazing girls! No more M, chewing her gum obnoxiously :)

Basically I am SUPER EXCITED!

I could skip for joy!

Poor Time Management.

On Saturday I turned 21! Its a big deal here. I no longer have to worry about drinking violations! Whoot!

As I was contemplating my new age today in an extremely hungover state, I realized something. Inow have to act like an adult for the majority of my public life. Egad, that made me want to vomit. Either that or the mass amount of alcohol I legally consumed last night. But still it is an unpleasant thought, responsibility? maturity?

Anyway I comforted myself with the knowledge that I am a fairly well organized person. I never lose my keys or phone. I pay my bills on time (thanks to online transfers). My closet is color coordinated. I usually get my homework done on time, or at least do all the reading. UNITL NOW. Crisis stuck when I found out that I totally and completely forgot about my major research proposal that is due at the end of this week. There are multiple problems with this discovery. 1. I have to choose a topic. Not only that, but I have to choose a topic where I can find ample amounts of usable sources. 2. I have to find lots of sources, not just secondary sources, but primary sources. 3. I do not know how to find primary sources. (I understand them and can analyze the daylights out of them, but I cannot FIND them all my lonesome. 4. I have to actually look into the sources I want to use because with this research proposal due on Friday is also due an annotated bibliography. Oi. 5. My brain synapses are a little slow due to Saturday's festivities. 6. Tomorrow is E's birthday and Thursday is Saint Patrick's day, the universe is laughing at me.

Well there you have it. I am totally organized yet woefully incapable of proper time management. This post is also proof of that because instead of working on afore mentioned research proposal I am on the internet.

Laugh A Little

I don't care who you are or what you are all about but this is FUNNY. I'd even go as far as to say its HILARIOUS!

Donate Today!

I feel pretty darn good about myself right now. Ahem, ignore that earlier post where I bitched about philosophy. I donated blood this afternoon (plus I went to chapel yesterday!) karma is going to repay me big time! Donating blood can be a bit of a hassle because they ask you personal questions about your travels and sex life (I could save a lot of time by just saying I am still in possession of the big V) but trust me it is so worth it! We've all seen those dramatic ER shows on tv where they go through 5 pints of blood just to get someone into an OR. Blood is needed all the time! It only hurts a little bit, like someone poking you in the arm for 10 minutes. And if you are not a fan of needles... well you suck and should get over that irrational fear. People are in need of your blood!

My blood type is B+. So I am being positive! (get it?! ha.) Visit your local red cross today and see if you are eligible. YAY! (take the small victories in life!) DONATE.

Props to Clara Barton for starting the American Red Cross!

Blah Blah Blah

You know who was/is annoying? Rene Descartes. Yeah, I get that he may be seen as brilliant for saying "I think therefore I am" but lets be real a toddler could have come to that conclusion. I am taking a course called Great Philosophers. So far we have covered Socrates via Plato and Mr. Descartes. I have one person to blame for this hiccup in class registration. Douche Bag. okay okay, that's not really his name, but for awhile that's what the chums and I called him. I posted on my facebook status asking what class to take Great Philosophers or some poli-sci class. He told me that I NEEDED to take this class and that it would be so enlightening. Why I took his advice I have No idea. I don't even like being in the same room as the guy and I took his advice. I am an idiot. Of course I cannot drop because I am taking some health classes that don't add up to a full schedule, dropping a class would make me ineligible for golf. So here I am stuck reading this God awful french philosophy. Why does this guy have to question EVERYTHING. Do I really exist? Does god exist? Does this hangnail I've suddenly gotten really hurt as much as I think it does? Why do cows moo instead of meow? Why has my brain turned to mush? etc.

Last class my professor called on me. I had been studying for a Government test.... so I had not idea what the question was. I spoke up the first couple days so my professor thought I was smart or something. But the other day I just stared at him and said "I don't know" in a way I am pretty sure made my entire class of freshman think I was a bit sloooow. Solid. Then again the kid who sits next to me spends the entire class hour on his ipad or texting his girlfriend (they have hit a rough patch).

One thing is for sure... this class is an even bigger waste than all my other classes that will not land me a job upon graduation. Sometimes life is just nifty.

Ps Rene wasn't exactly a hotty by anyone's standards.

Practice Makes Perfect

Its that time of year again, when I am beginning to get golf withdrawals. I need to see some green fairways soon!

It is true here at GAC we have an amazing golf simulator and a top notch green but that just doesn't cut it. Half the reason I play golf is because of the time spent outside. Yeah sometimes it rains or snows or gets really windy. But hey, I'd rather be dealing with that than having to be inside a stuffy classroom.

Anyway, tonight was one of the nights we had indoor golf practice. Aka most boring two hours of my life. Gah. I spent the entire time just talking to my teammates. Not to mention avoiding a certain someone on the boys team. Let's just say that was a drunken oopsie.

... Yeah so basically we just hit balls into a net or try to chip to a bucket. Riveting.

Can't wait for spring break!

weekend

I know you were all wondering, and yes I did have a fabulous weekend. My lovely friend and roommate E invited all us girls to the beautiful city of Duluth. The biggest freshwater lake in north america is looking fine!

We had too much fun (and no alcohol involved! who knew?)Friday night we went to s Scottish and Irish heritage festival. E danced the sword dance with her talented father and then did an irish jig with her sister and dance instructor. The talent never ends with this girl. Bagpipes are AWESOME, they make me glow with Scottish and Irish pride. -member of the McMillan clan right here!-

E's mom played the tenor drums in a bagpipe band too, and twirling drumsticks never looked so effortless. Seriously, that is some mad skill right there.

Of course we ended that evening with some mexican food and giggles. Saturday we devoted to homework done at the mall. A and C got their P-ball dresses. Mine just needs to arrive in the mail and we should be good to go!

Saturday night we hit up Pizza Luce and then saw the Black Swan. Man is that an effed up movie or what? K and I freaked out the entire time. Then we came to the conclusion that that's what happens when you don't eat. So really the moral of the story is to eat all the carbs you want!

In other serious news there were two attacks on campus, friday and sunday nights. Its really scary to think about because we always had thought that our campus was so safe (I mean come on, its in the middle of nowhere). I am not too worried though, a) because I am super tough and no one would want to mess with me, b) they have upped security A TON I see a security guard every 5 minutes now and c) I basically go between my dorm and the student center and thats it.... so I am rarely outside :(

Anyway, my thoughts go out to the victims and I hope the assailant is caught soon!

I found the cutest thing on stumbleupon. PUPPIES. or rather, just one puppy. Adorable is it not?

Feeling Low?

GO SHOPPING!

I must say, the shopping here on the hill sucks, unless you want to buy a bunch of over priced college sweatshirts, (i have too many of those... but I love 'em!) Anyway neighboring town isn't too great either. They have wet seal, target, charlotte ruesse, and a few other places. What's a girl to do?

BEHOLD: The internet (brought to you by Al Gore)

Ok ok, so I suck at shopping in real life and I have little to no sense of style (right now I am wearing sweatpants and an under-armor shirt... classy, but I am going to to be in the library all day so its ok) I basically wear whatever my friends, roommates or sister dress me in. Usually I am not the biggest fan of shopping, mostly because I hate spending money (like stamps, mail should be free!) But my sister, mom and best friends LOVE to shop. So I've warmed up to the activity. Instead of just making a list for toothpaste, gum and socks and then leaving the store with just those items, I am now able to browse around and maybe buy (gasp) something that wasn't on my list. Anyway, without having to leave the comfort of my study cubby, I can take a study break and looks at some lovely buyable items.

For cheap wardrobe necessities I look no further than Forever 21. Cute and cheap and trust me you will wear that sweater out! American Apparel has some good stuff too, but it requires more sifting.

Although I am in college and have few opportunities to wear fancy cocktail dresses or sundresses (seeing as its -2) I still love ModCloth and all the funky things they have to offer. Never fails to make me feel better!

Here's the dress I got myself for my 21st

For sports and stuff I look at nike and adidas.

Things I LOVE

I love many things... but some more than others

1. Lists (hence this little gem you get to enjoy)

2. Stationary, and writing cards just for fun

3. Cupcakes. All kinds, but my favorite is a good rich chocolate with yummy cream cheese frosting.

4. golf/tennis skirts. My collection is getting extensive, so many cute colors! and so comfy!

5. Birthdays, I love my own but I also love helping other people celebrate theirs! (also random celebrations for no reason are fun too, everybody loves a party)

6. Green grass, I love just frolicking around in the summer time

7. Looking at pictures from the night before, so fun... plus it helps us remember things that we may have er... forgot.

8. Hot Chocolate with whipped cream, mmmm so good in these cold minnesota days. Plus if you ask for a little mint in it, omg you are in for a treat!

9. Getting mail and packages! My parents send some really random stuff in my packages, but my sister sends the best stuff, she sends stationary, treats, gum, and magazines. Pretty much she is the best.

10. Root beer floats. Probably my second favorite treat! perfect for the hot summer day.

I have lots more but that's all I have right now, let's hear your favorites!

College Diet.

Yeah. It happened. Freshman 15 hit me like a school bus. I vowed to eat right my sophomore and Junior years. I work out everyday. I eat vegetables more now than I did with my mom barking at me every night at the dinner table. Alas, what does the cafeteria do to me... soft serve ice cream and... wait for it.... hot fudge and caramel sauce. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I suddenly believe that I cannot do my homework if I do not have sufficient sugar intake. OMG that 5 minutes it took to my eat my bowl of ice cream is HEAVEN. egad. I will never fit into that dress. I vow to never eat another sweet or fattening thing again! perma-diet!

4 hours later in the library me and the cronies decide we want chips and salsa. The caf is out of salsa. So we opt for some yummy onion dip. Obesity be damned!

cheers!

Books and Reading

We all know Oprah tells America what to read. Indeed I have unknowing read the books on her list (alas I am no longer original!) But lets face it, Oprah, being the billionaire that she is, probably has minions who majored in English going about reading books and then telling her what to read. I highly doubt that Oprah would willingly open The Sound and the Fury. I admit it would be a pretty sweet job just to curl up in Pj's read a few books and then phone Oprah and tell her what to read next. Pillars of the Earth was another one on her list, its a LONG book. Not to mention it gets really old when everything keeps going wrong for the characters. Ken Follett is totally following Kurt Vonnegut's advice.

Anyway... as it turns out Oprah really doesn't have much to do with what I was going to write about in the first place. Since I LOVE to read, and during the semester never seem to be able to read for pleasure I have made a new goal, ding ding ding! (add it to the list! {list of goals soon to follow this post}). Read a book a month. Although I didn't notify you (who are we kidding, no one reads this blog) about my February book, I'll just tell you what I read. Harry Potter 1-5 during my week at home. But I don't want to count those because I read them before the semester started. What I did read was Counting Coup by Larry Colton. It's about a women's basketball team in Hardin MT and how Native American Indians (in this case Crow Indians) play basketball and all the hardships they face on a daily basis. Being a fan of basketball and native american relations this is one of my favorite books! Depressing and real it will capture your heart (and then break it). My next book is going to be extremely similar. Again about basketball and Montana. Blind Your Ponies by Stanley G. West is my March book. The author is coming to my town this month and I figure I can go hear him speak (fingers crossed!). My sister just gave a great review of it in her blog, "sealed with a kiss."

discoveries

I just added a couple random pictures... awesome. But confusing.... Ronald Reagan, I'm a big fan of his. Three Crowns, well you figure that one out. And the picture of downtown... just enjoy.

Libraries.

Ok so I am in the Library again. Seeing as I don't have class on Tuesdays or Thursdays... where else would I go? My room is boring... and is not appropriate for studying. The courtyard is too loud and, like the cafeteria, temps me into eating WAY more than I should. No, the library is my perfect haven. 3rd floor is dedicated to silence and besides the clicking of my typing that is the only sound up here. I have a lovely view of our snow covered chapel (except it makes me feel guilty for not going yet this semester, oops) and the sun keeps me awake. ALSO I have positioned myself so that I am feet from the history section, how awesome is that (dewey decimal system rocks!) Main floor is where you can find your friends, take a study break and talk or giggle endlessly about our weekend adventures. I've only been in the basement once... to search among the old periodicals and as I remember it smelled like an old catholic church. The basement offers a great place to do group work or research without being distracted.

I LOVE LIBRARIES!

Is it no wonder that I want to spend my career in the library?

So next time you have a morning to waste, get a latte and venture to your (public library) and soak up some knowledge via literature.

Well folks I have to go work on some 'Age of Conquest" paper. Hernando Cortes is calling me!