Exams, exams, exams, oh my!

My first big ol' exam in PA school is in the morning. Wish me luck friends! It's Pharmacology! Send lots of drug thoughts my way! Wahooo!

Maybe one day I'll make an actual entry on here? Maybe...!

:D

Happy Feast Day!

Today is the feast day of our beloved patron, St. Thomas Aquinas! So let us be thankful for St. Thomas and for Dominicans all over the world who make it their mission to educate and be educated! And if anyone is near AQ, don't forget there's cake in AB!

C'mon people. ALL TOGETHER NOW!

So. Since no one else that we have invited to write in the blog *CoughBeccaNoraNicoleKeithCough* has decided it is worth their precious time or precious energy to make a post about their life, I have decided to BORE you all into action by updating you on how all of my new vows are going.

For example, here is a list of what I did that was (1) productive and (2) creative every day since I made the initial post about it, which was exactly one week ago.

Thursday, Jan 20: I made dinner with Laura which is both productive AND creative. I also went with Laura to "TV night" with her Law School friends, at her friend Chris's apartment, therefore making an effort to make more friends. I also wore real clothes to said event, taking care of that self-made promise.

Friday, Jan 21: Had the stomach flu Thursday night...so...I vomited all night into the morning...which was neither productive nor creative, but hey, I HAD THE FRICKEN STOMACH FLU OK? ... I also did not wear clothes this day. So. what.

I productively and creatively slept.

Saturday, Jan 22: I was still recovering. BUT I found time to go to the nearest Mall - Beachwood Place [which, by the way, is ridiculously high-end. All designer stores and such. Good thing, or I would go there more often and spend invisible money that I don't have.] - and fill out an application for Victoria's Secret, because I am probably transferring there [productive], and I got dressed up [creative?] and went to a party hosted by Verb's board president.

The party was awesome. It was at this nice house in a nice area, it was catered, and there was a real valet service at the door to park our cars because it was literally a blizzard outside.

Did I mention there was a valet service?

Too bad my stomach still hurt and I couldn't really eat any of the fancy shmancy food... :/

I also cleaned my apartment a bit, because Stephanie was coming over. She went to the mall and the party with me. OoOoO and THAT counts as making a bigger effort to be friends with Verb people. Booya.

Sunday, Jan 23: I spent all day (a) cleaning my room, bathroom...anywhere that I was sick and left things lying about. (b) learning the parts of Bolero I missed in rehearsal on Friday off a Verb video (c) figuring out how to install and work my new external disc drive [because my internal disc drive is broken.] and (d) planning out the two classes I sometimes teach on Mondays, including music.

A word about this: the first class I teach on Mondays is teen contemporary ballet, so I start with a ballet barre. But I realized on Sunday that I did not have ballet class music...so I decided to be awesome and creative and pick out non-classical songs from my itunes that are the right tempos for the different barre combinations. I used music by Andrew Bird, Cake, Regina Spektor, Muse, and Kings of Leon, to name a few.

The music was, of course, underappreciated by the teenage punks I was teaching. They were like, ooo who is cakkee? Isn't that like, a food?

And I was like DO PUSHUPS BECAUSE YOUR MUSICAL TASTE IS AWFUL.

True story.

Monday, Jan 24: I taught from 6:30-9:30, as previously discussed. Then I came home and skyped with my man for a second, and then I probably watched some Dexter. And went to bed. And I didn't wear real clothes for one second of it. But rules do not apply, because I worked all night. [But teaching dance is still pretty productive and creative, I'd say.]

Tuesday, Jan 25: I went to Wing Night with Laura and her law school buds at The Winking Lizard. [No, seriously, the lizard winks.] I ate 10 delicious wings, and only paid $3.77 after tax. That is totally productive. And I think I also put pictures on my computer from my camera; oh so creative.

Wednesday, Jan 26: Today, I did so many productive things! You will be so proud of me. As soon as I got home from rehearsal, I put all my laundry in the washing machines conveniently located down the outdoor back steps [*_*].

Then, while the clothes were a-washin, I made small note cards out of paper and copied ingredients down for different recipes I want to try [all in Laura's handy dandy Betty Crocker Cooking Basics Cookbook] so that next time I go to Whole Foods to spend some me time and pick up some groceries, I can just grab one or two of these ingredient cards and buy the fixins to make some yum yums! Genius.

Also, I showered. [Necessary? Yes. Productive? ALSO YES.] Then, I got dressed.

In real clothes.

Because I next took a little Winter stroll down Coventry and hung two Verb promotional posters for our upcoming show on February 11th at the Breen Center in Cleveland; one poster at the coffee shop around the corner [Phoenix Coffee] and one at this amazing restaurant Tommy's, which, incidentally, has the best best best milkshakes on the planet.

[My own creation: house-made natural Peanut Butter and Black Raspberry chip yogurt milkshake. Inspired by Harry Potter. Serious YUM.]

But wait, there's more!

I stopped at this fabulous record store on my walk home, and bought four reproduced vintage posters.

Bad Kara!

BUT only one is for me! [Bob Marley and George Harrison concert poster. I couldn't resist. It's George Harrison. And Bob Marley. It is taking up the remaining 1 square foot of wall space left in my VERY colorful, decorated room. I have no idea what will happen when I buy more. They will just have to go in the kitchen.] Two of the posters are birthday presents, one is a present for my dad. Because he's awesome, and because he loves zombies.

When I got home I watched a fabulous episode of a fabulous show, Psyche, with my fabulous roommate, while editing many fabulous pictures from a fabulous Holiday season [creative]. And then I skyped with my fabulous boyfriend on my fabulous computer.

And NOW, ladies and gentlemen, I am posting on this fabulous blog.

Which brings me to the point of this whole bit of shenanegans: if you don't want to be annoyed by my next rambling post about productive and creative enterprises in Cleveland, then you all-and you know who you are-had better get your asses in gear and follow suit in the blog-posting department.

That is all.

New Hobbies, New Wind

I've decided that this next chunk of time in Cleveland [right now, that is] I will make a larger effort to do several important things. Because, hey, if I have to spend the night alone and without a night job...maybe I should consider doing something productive with that time.

This is what I have decided:

1) I will put REAL clothes on every night. Even if it's just for a little while, and even if it's just for the benefit of saying to myself, "well Kara, if you did have to go somewhere, you would look presentable. Down right cute, even, you dashing dresser you." And let's face it, normal people do not put on pajamas at 5:30 pm. Unless they are a) sick b) pathetic c) poor and can't afford any clothes except pajamas.

2) I will actually hang all of the pictures and posters that I STILL have laying around the place from August. [Side note: I hung 4 pictures today and 5 yesterday. PROPS TO ME.]

3) I will clean things when they are dirty instead of thinking, hmm....that thing is dirty. Gross. And then walking away. [Small victory: Today I bought an empty plastic spray bottle, filled it with mostly water and a bit of bleach, and sprayed the shit out of the plastic shower curtain and the moldy cracks in the bathtub. It already looks better. YAY.] {double side note: I think I may have a slight but progressing obsession with the bleach spray concoction. I keep finding new things that look "dirty" to spray it on. Help.}

4) I will do something productive and sometime creative each night that I am not working. These things could be the same thing (see below). For example: today, I took myself on a date to Whole Foods. [Yes, Whole Foods counts as a date. 1-my boyfriend is not here to take me on dates so I have to take myself and 2-Whole Foods is wonderful and makes me feel safe and happy. Like a good date should. More to come on this subject later.] Also, today I hung pictures, as I previously stated. So, to recap, I did something productive: grocery shopping, and something creative: decorating.

I also colored.

5) I will cook more. Cooking something delicious will count as productive AND creative. Double frickin whammy. Booya.

6) I will make more friends. I need to a) hang out with Laura's friends and be a friend leech more often. b) Make better friends with the other company members. c) somehow find friends elsewhere? ... suggestions?

7) Possibly get a night job, since I am not teaching regularly...today I took preliminary steps toward working at the Victoria's Secret by my apartment. I will do my best to work this retail job in both cities...and also to try and keep my soul intact.

Seven is enough for now.

:D

Goodnight! xoxo

THIS JUST IN: I took the liberty of changing the look of the blog. I hope you like it! Feel free to change it if you have better ideas :D

The worst night of my life

So I'm starting to feel the effects of working full-time for zero pay. I created some fliers advertising my services as a baby sitter and placed them around the lovely town of Caro. Last week, I got a call from a mother who had seen my flier and was wondering if I could babysit her FIVE kids. This really should have tipped me off, but I figured, "Hey. I need the money. It can't be that bad." Please read the list below to discover how wrong I was.

1. The kids were 13, 12, 9, 7, and 5
2. The 9-year-old has been diagnosed with ADD, Bi-Polar disorder, and emotional and behavioral issues (ummmmmm....yeah)
3. The kids were constantly telling each other and me to shut up
4. They hit each other and threw huge fits every time they didn't get exactly what they wanted
5. Every time I tried to enforce anything, the 12-year-old would call her mom and get different instructions than what I had received, essentially eliminating the need for me to be there
6. The house was really dirty and unfinished
7. I had to drag the kids screaming and flailing into the bathroom to take their showers
8. When I made the 9-year-old take a shower, he just stood in the shower punching the walls as hard as he could
9. Their german shepherd kept trying to bite me (lawsuit?)
10. The parents were 2 and 1/2 hours late, with no explanation or apology
11. They only paid me $45.00!!!!!!!!!

I politely, but firmly told them at the end of the night that I would never babysit for them again. I think I'll just stick with being poor for a while.

All in favor...

OH HAI

It's been a while.

brb I have to poop.

...

ok.

back.

So I think we should start using this blog again. Perhaps it would be prudent to consider inviting others, although I would like to retract all my previous statements about inviting Kyle.

We could keep this blog between the three of us, or we could invite all our other good friends from Aquinas who are scattered around the country now.

It's something to think about.

I miss you both, regardless, and I think this was ALWAYS a good idea, and it was just...a forgotten good idea. And now it's remembered. So let's put it to use.

All in favor?