Walking in a Winterless Wonderland

And a fall-less wonderland, as well.

For those of you who live in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the like, you understand what I'm saying.

For those of you who live in other parts of America or the world, let me explain.

We have very odd weather here.

It starts warming up in February.

No lie. 

It starts cooling off in October or November.

We basically have no winter.

I'm 21, and I've seen snow once in my life.

It was around Valentine's Day, and I was babysitting about 20-30 minutes away from my house. The kids' grandmother called and asked if we'd noticed the snow.

I got insanely excited -- 17 years old and it was snowing! Woo hoo!

I was really nervous about driving back into town, because I'd never seen snow, and now I had to drive in it? 

The kids' grandfather followed me into town, which was really nice, but then after running around in the snow like a three year old (which my dad described as "typical college kid behavior"), he wanted me to drive around with him.

I was really afraid of just going 'round town for fun, but it actually wasn't that bad, because no one else here knows how to drive in snow, so no one else was about.

Also, in my biology book, the author mentioned a compound - I think some sort of salty stuff - and called it a "deicer". Well, in my limited knowledge of ice and snow, I first assumed it was a fancy French word for something and pronounced "deh-eye-see-yer".

Um, no, it's "de-icer". A thing that melts ice.

Oh.

Well.

Okay.
This also explains why - when test driving a car - I looked in the dash thing-y (the word escapes me at the moment) and saw this really weird looking object.
It looked like a toothless comb.
I showed it to my dad like "What is this thing??"
He laughed and told me to guess.
Apparently it was an ice scraper.
Oh.

I lied. And also, I wish mermaids were real.

Okay, so that hiatus?

Consider it ended.

And also, I really wish mermaids were real.

I mean . . . like a lot.

Think about it: you go to the beach, you're out there swimming and minding your own business, when something swims by.

You think "Oh sweet Jesus, it's a shark!"

But no.

It's not a shark.

It's a mermaid who 1) either wants to play with you, or 2) wants to mesmerize you with the voice of a siren and pull you under and eat you.

I mean, how cool is that?

A Throwback

So last night my dad and I went to see Jurassic Park in 3D.

They did a pretty good job of it, I think.

But it was funny, because I'd forgotten just how 90's it was. 

The clothes, the hair, the giant huge loud clunky computers. 

Afterwards, we sat in the credits and tried to remember how old it was.

I thought it was a year or two older than me.

Nope.

1993.

A year younger.

Ouch.

I've just really been having throwbacks lately.

You know what I found on Youtube the other day?

Entire episodes of Legends of the Hidden Temple.

I loved that show.

Loved it.

And you know what app I got not too long ago?

A Tamagotchi app.

Oh yes.

I had one of those.

I actually still have it, but as I recall, those things were pretty needy, so I don't really have time for one right now, given all the stuff I've got going on.

After the movie last night, my dad and I went to Cheeburger Cheeburger, and they were playing 50's music.

And it was then and there I decided that I want to listen to some songs of Chubby Checker.

That'll be Summer Project #3.

"Come Unto Me"

I just need to post this, both because I need it right now, and I'm sure there are others who could too.

(Failed?) Attempts at Philosophy: Exile

I don't know how I got to thinking about this, but exile is a pretty stupid idea, isn't it?
Say somebody murders (not kills like in self-defense, but actually murders) somebody else.
Pick your method: poisoning, shooting, stabbing, strangulation, what have you -- the victim's dead either way.
So, the government is essentially saying this:

We should kill you because you killed someone else, but we're not going to kill you.
We're going to kick you out of our country, so now you're somebody else's problem.
But if you ever come back, we're going to kill you.

. . . Um . . . isn't that what you should have done in the first place?
Anyhoo . . . I guess this is what happens when you watch and listen to a lot of political stuff and have no school work to preoccupy your brain . . .

Homemade Cash Back Rewards Program (and other money saving tips)

We'd all like more of this, yeah?
Well, I know that being a commuting college student who works part-time can mean a really, really tight budget.
I'm seeing all these commercials for "cash back rewards programs", but those are all for credit cards, something most of us really don't want to become entangled in.
So what's a girl to do?
I've given this more thought than I could afford to and came to this realization: most full-time students work more hours during the summer than during the actual school year.
This means that we're generally making money over the summer to last us during the "drought" so to speak.
So, how do we make sure that we're saving enough for the important things like textbooks, car insurance, and rent?

First, the homemade cash back rewards program.

I'll admit it: this is more or less a result of my laziness and unwillingness to carry around change, but hey, it works.
Make all planned purchases in cash.
This means groceries, makeup, clothes, and other things that you'd typically put on a shopping list.
Here's how the cash back works: take the change* you've gotten back from the purchase and stash it away for later. This can be a Black Friday fund, a rainy day fund, an emergency fund (which is probably the wisest, especially if you're living off your own means).
*(When I say "change", I mean the actual coins, but it's up to you what you stash away -- it can be anything less than a $5, less than a $20, whatever works for you in your current situation.)

Second, save money online.

This is a lifesaver for those of us that buy and rent textbooks and such online: Ebates. I know it sounds like a scam, but it's not; I signed up and have already gotten a "big fat check".
This is how Ebates works: you go to their site and search for the store you want to shop at, say Chegg.

You'll see that Chegg has a 4.5% cash back value; this varies per store.
All you have to do is click "Shop Now", and you'll be rerouted to that site. Shop as you would normally, and a percentage of your price will be put back in your pocket!
Ebates also has coupon codes for sites, so those are worth looking into as well. (RetailMeNot also has coupon codes. Very handy indeed.)

Third, be smart when shopping for textbooks.

Of course it's easier to just check Amazon and Half.com for textbooks, but I've found that those aren't always the cheapest places to get them.
Here are some other sites you'll want to check as well:
AbeBooks
Bookrenter
Chegg
Ecampus
Textbooks.com
Also, when you're planning to buy books, get them as early as you can. Most people sell their books at the end of the semester, which means there will be a large supply, usually lowering the cost. This also means that if you're planning to sell, wait until a week or two before school begins; those who have procrastinated will be hunting the books down and most will already be sold out.
If you're planning to rent, you'll learn that some sites offer books for a "semester", while others simply offer 60, 90, and 125 day periods. Calculate how long you'll need the book (fall semesters generally end the first week of December while spring semesters typically last until the first week of May), and rent the book as early as possible to keep your cost down.

Fourth, take advantage of gift cards.

When somebody gives you a gift card, it's usually the best gift ever.
But what if you don't like the restaurant, or there is no store around you to use it in?
Simple: sell the card or trade it.
How?
Plastic Jungle.
You can sell unwanted gift cards and buy discounted gift cards to places you actually like. This is also a great way to save even more money on sales, too.

Fifth, spend some time budgeting.

I know it's a pain, but it really comes in handy. Whether it's making an Excel Worksheet, keeping a ledger, using Mint, or what have you, it's a good skill to learn. Here's what my Worksheet looks like:

All I do is enter my income and my formulas do the rest for me.

10% is taken out for a tithe.

The tithe plus any other immediate bills (textbooks, loans from parents) is subtracted from the net income to give me my subtotal.

Now, my car insurance is taken out monthly from my savings account at Bank #1, so that's pretty much all I use that account for. 60% of the subtotal is deposited there.

At Bank #2, my savings is (theoretically) untouched (read: emergencies) and my checking is primarily for gas, as I commute to school instead of live on campus. 25% of my subtotal is deposited into checking for gas, and the remaining 15% percent is put in savings. 

Obviously, this can be tailored to what you think is best for your specific situation.

Also, if you want this Worksheet, just email me and I'll get it sent to you.

And finally, be open to making money on the side.

This can include blogging / being sponsored, making things to sell on Etsy, babysitting, self-publishing stories, pretty much whatever! Just don't get too caught up in the income part of it (Proverbs 31: 10-31).

If you have any other tips for how you save money or work your budget, leave a comment below!

700 Calories

I've been trying to lose weight for years. I lose some, then gain some, then lose some more . . . yeah, there's nothing steady about it.
This summer I've lost 10-15 pounds.
As a reward, my mom bought me a betta fish. (You know, the one I almost boiled alive?)
It was really funny, because I picked the fish over a month or two of them paying my car insurance.
And I'm 20.
But anyways, my parents got me a bike for my birthday.
I was so happy.
It's been years since I had a bike.
It's weird though; it's more work now to ride it than it was when I was like, 12.
Oh well.
I've been trying to alternate between biking and walking during the week, and today was one of my walking days.
I use the MapMyRide app on my Blackberry to track how far I go and how long it takes when I ride my bike and when I walk.
(On that note, if you're going to use it while biking, come to a complete stop before stopping the app . . . took an Olympic-worthy tumble learning that lesson.)
I was listening to music today, so I was willing to go a bit farther and faster than I usually would. That, and it was only like, 85-90 degrees this morning instead of 95-100 like it's been lately. Still pretty muggy, though.
Anyhow, I usually go about 3.5-4 miles . . . I looked down on the way back and saw that I had already gone almost 4 miles -- and I was just now turning around!
I ended up going 6.51 miles. It took me about an hour and 15 minutes to do that, but I was pretty proud of myself.
I burned over 675 calories . . . Yay!
Not like I eat a whole lot anyways, but still.
But I did have a Birthday Cake Shake from Zaxby's yesterday.
I might have maybe burned that off . . .

My (Mis)Adventure in the Realm of Cuisine

This summer, my mom, sister, and brother went on a mission trip to Ukraine.
That left me and my dad home alone.

Um, no, really, it wasn't exactly like that.

The two main issues were laundry - which I can do - and cooking, which I can also do.

Here's the problem with cooking, though:

I really like food.

Japanese food . . .

Mexican food . . .

American food . . .

Italian food . . .

You name it, chances are I might like it.

We had tacos some nights. Went fine.

We had stir-fry. Perfect.

We had spaghetti with alfredo dipping sauce like Olive Garden's . . . Um . . . PROBLEM.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize my error in its entirety until about . . . oh, I don't know, four days ago.

So, soon after they left, I started looking for recipes online.

That's dangerous, just sayin'.

I looked in my mom's bookmarks first, and I saw she had bookmarked Olive Garden's recipe for their alfredo sauce.

I was shocked.

Why had she never made this before; we love their alfredo sauce!

I decided to rectify this "wrong" and set out to make it.

My dad and I thought it turned out pretty good. It was, well, white, and Olive Garden's isn't, but I figured they probably used butter in the restaurant version, even though there was none called for in the recipe I saw.

It tasted almost exactly the same, though, so we just forgot about it.

A few days ago, we went to Olive Garden and me and my mom inspected the dipping sauce.

Then she asked me a question.

"Did you use egg whites or egg yolks?"

"Egg whites."

"Em . . . are you sure that's what you were supposed to use?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I printed it out and was looking at it the whole time."

"That's just weird, because usually you use egg yolks in sauces."

We sorta forgot about that . . .

. . . Until a few days later.

My mom was looking for a recipe and chanced upon the alfredo sauce.

"Hey Sis?"

"Yeah?"

"Um . . . that alfredo sauce?"

"Uh-huh?"

"It calls for egg yolks . . ."

. . . Oops . . .

However!

This calls for a second shot!

The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel ~ My Thoughts

Last Friday, the lastest Batman movie hit theaters.

Last Saturday, me, my brother, and my dad went to go see it.

Not in IMAX - they were sold out - but that was okay: we had a pretty big screen. Besides, maybe the Hobbit will be in IMAX . . . ?

So, first, the movie itself: EPIC.

I LOVED IT.

Definitely gonna have to have a Batman marathon someday after the DKR hits shelves.

I'd give it a 9.5/10.

(The missing .5 is for a personal preference, nothing huge.)

Now . . . onto the more important topic . . .

The Man of Steel . . .

Meh.

I'm not a Superman kind of gal.

Sorry Caroline.

Haha, nope!

I love Batman.

I love Young Justice.

I love Thor (and Loki.)

I love Captain America.

I love Iron Man.

I love the Avengers (read: Coulson).

But I just really can't get into Supes, even though I did watch the entire Animated Series last year.

What really got me, though, was the music they used for the trailer.

Oh. My. Gosh.

This is where I have to interject something about myself.

I am a complete soundtrack nerd. 

I have over a hundred of them, and I can generally identify the movie they came from within the first thirty seconds.

So, picture this.

I'm sitting the theater, yeah?

Watching previews, right?

All of a sudden, I hear really, really familiar music . . .

And some mournful woman singing (or maybe a choir boy).

I say to myself, "I've heard this before".

Not FIVE seconds later, it hits me: it's from Lord of the Rings.

Lord of the Rings.

DID YOU HEAR ME?!

I SAID LORD OF THE RINGS!

WHO ON EARTH USES MUSIC FROM LORD OF THE RINGS FOR A SUPERMAN TRAILER?!

You know what I think?

I think the person responsible for finding music for that trailer totally dropped the ball and picked the first thing he could find!

I mean . . . really?

*sigh.*

A Loooooooooooooong Day

Well, I got my work out today . . . at work.
I was asked to come in an hour early to install some blinds.
The instructions said it would take 15 minutes.
Remember that. That's important.
I told my boss it would probably take about half an hour.
. . .
Right . . .
So, the instructions were very poorly written . . . I was given two different types of screws and they never said which screws were for what, so I had to take an educated guess. I think I was right . . .
Anyhow, I had to drill holes before putting in the screws, and I followed the directions which said to use a 1/16 bit. That seemed to be way too small, but only after we forced about five screws into the holes.
Once we got the holder-thingys up, we tried getting the actual blinds in.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh my goshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
These kinds of blinds are cut to your specific needs in Lowe's. Apparently my boss asked for 62". She got 62 3/4".
Doesn't sound like much, but when you're trying to slide a metal box into a fixed space . . . IT MATTERS.
So she says that somebody needs to go back to Lowe's and have it recut. I'm the only one not really needed at the office, so I volunteered. She was fine with it until we remembered my car's still in the shop. She then decided I could use hers, but then she was like "Hey, no, wait, you had that really bad accident a while ago!"
(It was actually three years ago, but I understand her reluctance.)
She made me promise to be very careful and then gave me the keys.
Hahaha, POWER!!!
So, I go to Lowe's and just as I pull up . . . it starts raining.
Great.
I end up lugging this huge, heavy thing into Lowe's, holding it for like half an hour while somebody else's blinds are being cut (which is totally fine; they were there first) and I finally get it cut.
I go back to work and TA-DA! it slides right in.
PRAISE. THE LORD.
So, once the blinds are up, I tried to lower them.
And tried.
And tried . . .
After 20 minutes of messing with it (including taking it down again), we finally got it working.
This whole process took like three and a half HOURS.
Fifteen minutes . . .
Pfft, yeah, right!

A (Crafty) Lesson Learned . . .

So, I have this shop on Etsy.
And I've been experimenting with different projects.
Well, I haven't taken art in years, but I remember that I can't paint.
I always get way too caught up in the details and don't spend enough time on the big picture.
Well, I decided to give it another shot: I'm making a plaque for this girly that I babysit. 
It's got Psalm 27:1 on it with "Lord" and "light" in pink glow in the dark.
I briefly considered buying a stencil sheet for the lettering, but was all like, "Eh, people love my handwriting; I can totally freehand this!"
Ha.
Again, I say ha. 
NOPE.
I mean, I freehanded(?) it okay, but it looks a bit childish. I suppose that's okay, as it is for a child's room, but . . . I dunno, I had higher hopes for it.
Oh well.
Next time, I'm getting the stencils.
. . .
Ha, who do I think I'm kidding?
No I won't.

Good things happen at school?

Indeed they do.
Whilst wandering around "town" today, and decided to drop by my college campus.
I was curious to see if they were building a new parking lot, because the parking situation is - in a word - deplorable. 
They were so excited about the number of freshman coming in when I was a freshman. Parking then was okay. Not great, but okay.
The next fall, me and a classmate walked into the cafeteria and were like "Whoa, where'd all these people come from?!" They must've all been freshmen, and that's when I noticed the parking lots became a bit more . . . "cozy".
This year, if they have as many freshman as they think they will, the parking is going to be an absolute headache.
I mean, I've had morning classes the past two years, so it's not that bad, but God forbid you go off campus for lunch . . . something I'm not apt to do this semester as "lunch" will be non-existent for me on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but that's for another post.
Anyhoo, I go by there, and they are building a parking lot . . . right where the soccer field used to be.
Not sure where my friends are going to practice now, but I suppose they've got that figured out.
So while I'm there, I see my friend's car. I pull up beside it to take a picture of it and play stalker with her, but she's in it. 
Bother.
So we chat for a while, and end up going to Old Navy and being weird and getting stalked by one of the employees. Okay, we weren't really being stalked, but he was behind us a lot.
So yes, long story short, good things do happen at school.

Seriously, America?

Have there not been enough America's Funniest Home Videos made that people know not to try this stuff anymore???

I think it all boils down to this:

Path to the Final

You walk into class on the first day like this:

"Whoa, all these people are in my class?"

As the semester goes on, those people dwindle . . . 

And at the final you're like:

"WHERE DID ALL OF YOU COME FROM?!"

And then you're like . . .

Seven Overdue Random Thoughts

(I've already said it was "overdue"; you're not getting any more than that.)

1: Whilst learning about the history of the English language - which is far more convoluted than it ought to be, by the way - we talked about the Norman Conquest in 1066. It's the reason for a lot of things, but what really jumped out at me was this: I think it's the most cheeky, audacious, and boldest things the French have done to date. (No offense.)

2: It's quite warm today. About 80F. In February. That is messed up. Summer's gonna be killer.

3: I really want to make a wax-seal-stamper thing-y. Saw how to do it on Pinterest.

4: I can't wait for Series 3 of BBC's Sherlock. Best. Show. Ever.

5: I want to be teleported to Friday. Mostly because I don't want to give a presentation and take two midterms. Yeah.

6: I should probably get back to studying . . . oh, look, a birdy! Nevermind . . .

7: Follow me on Tumblr. Because I tumble a lot.

First day of school!

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo . . .

Today was the first day of school!

I worked full time this summer, and realized that it's going to be very strange to not be working all the time . . . Yes, it will be very strange indeed . . .

Anyhoo, the day went by really well! I just wish I'd known I didn't have to bring that 20 pound Shakespeare anthology to class . . . everything would have been much lighter.

I met with two other friends for lunch, and that was fun! (If one of you is reading this, we're on for next week!) Luckily, there is somebody I know in all of my classes, except for perhaps the one I have once a week.

But whatever.

I'm just grateful I was able to go back this year. I just pray that I do well! XD