Enjoy this precious corgi literally flopping into the water :)
Friday, October 15, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
All By Myself
It was my last day in Moline, IL, a day where I had to fully entertain myself on my own, and stay busy because there was no Motel 6 for me to go back to. So, I chose to do activities on my own that I have never done before. These activities were exciting and empowering. I felt as if I could conquer the world that day.
The first thing I did was grabbed a bite to eat and drink at Panera. I watched people for about an hour and judged the people of Moline once again.
After Panera, I decided to go to a movie I had been wanting to see, Going the Distance. This movie has Drew Barrymore in it who I loooove, so I knew it'd be good. Going into the movie, I thought I might be an emotional mess, since I was moving away from home and leaving a relationship due to long distance. I sucked it up and went anyways. I walked inside the theater, told the clerk I'd like one ticket to the movie and she said, "Just one?" in a semi-snotty way. Of course I had to repeat it and there were people behind me in line so I probably looked like a lone loser, but whatever, I got over it. I was really nervous to head into the theater and find a seat while everyone watched me. I enter the theater and it's complete silence. "Ok..." I thought, this is unusual. I turned the corner and BAM, not one soul in the theater. I didn't know if this was a good or a bad thing. Good: I was able to choose where I wanted to sit without being judged. Bad: someone would walk into the theater and see one lonely loser sitting by herself. Ten minutes passed and not one person came into the theater. Perfect, there I was in a theater completely alone. I laughed out loud at the movie, cried out loud, and even kept my phone on, booyah. I loved the movie even though a few things were too parallel to my own life. Definitely a movie I'll be buying.
So, the movie ended, I grabbed some lunch at a deli, and still had time to spare before I had to leave. Next thought, "I should go to the zoo and see the animals!" Perfect, I found directions and off I was to conquer a zoo all by myself. I bought my ticket to the zoo and walked around quickly. I must say, going to a zoo is a little scary by yourself. You're face to face with a lion or a jaguar and they're staring right at you and you're staring right at it. No one is around if this animal tries to break free and attack. This experience gave me a bit of an adrenaline rush. I saw lions roaring, animals sleeping, and even saw giraffes galloping (amazing).
I refused to go on the Australian walk since I could see through the fence and there were emus wandering around freely inside. No thanks, I don't want to be walking on a path with an emu next to me. The zoo was a cute little zoo and I was so happy afterward.
My day ended with a drive to Chicago. I definitely recommend trying something new by yourself. You'll feel empowered and like you've done something worthwhile.
I suggest listening to this song before you go to the zoo. It'll get you really in the mood.
Enjoy and happy days.
The first thing I did was grabbed a bite to eat and drink at Panera. I watched people for about an hour and judged the people of Moline once again.
After Panera, I decided to go to a movie I had been wanting to see, Going the Distance. This movie has Drew Barrymore in it who I loooove, so I knew it'd be good. Going into the movie, I thought I might be an emotional mess, since I was moving away from home and leaving a relationship due to long distance. I sucked it up and went anyways. I walked inside the theater, told the clerk I'd like one ticket to the movie and she said, "Just one?" in a semi-snotty way. Of course I had to repeat it and there were people behind me in line so I probably looked like a lone loser, but whatever, I got over it. I was really nervous to head into the theater and find a seat while everyone watched me. I enter the theater and it's complete silence. "Ok..." I thought, this is unusual. I turned the corner and BAM, not one soul in the theater. I didn't know if this was a good or a bad thing. Good: I was able to choose where I wanted to sit without being judged. Bad: someone would walk into the theater and see one lonely loser sitting by herself. Ten minutes passed and not one person came into the theater. Perfect, there I was in a theater completely alone. I laughed out loud at the movie, cried out loud, and even kept my phone on, booyah. I loved the movie even though a few things were too parallel to my own life. Definitely a movie I'll be buying.
So, the movie ended, I grabbed some lunch at a deli, and still had time to spare before I had to leave. Next thought, "I should go to the zoo and see the animals!" Perfect, I found directions and off I was to conquer a zoo all by myself. I bought my ticket to the zoo and walked around quickly. I must say, going to a zoo is a little scary by yourself. You're face to face with a lion or a jaguar and they're staring right at you and you're staring right at it. No one is around if this animal tries to break free and attack. This experience gave me a bit of an adrenaline rush. I saw lions roaring, animals sleeping, and even saw giraffes galloping (amazing).
 |
| Scary Lion |
 |
| Giraffe that really liked me. |
 |
| Monkey |
 |
| Proof I was there. |
My day ended with a drive to Chicago. I definitely recommend trying something new by yourself. You'll feel empowered and like you've done something worthwhile.
I suggest listening to this song before you go to the zoo. It'll get you really in the mood.
Enjoy and happy days.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Lovin' the Motel 6
I've never stayed at a Motel 6 and never really thought I would. My time has been interesting. Here's a little sample of what you get at a Motel 6.
Amenities include:
I purposely set my alarm to wake up when room service knocks on the door. I'm sitting alone in the room and can hear the maid in every room surrounding mine. "Why isn't she knocking on my door?" I think to myself. So, finally I get the nerve to feel "bitchy" and hang the, "maid please ASAP" sign on my door and sit back down in the chair. I hear a knock, answer, and it's the maid! I sit in the chair as I watch her clean the room. I try to make small talk and soon find out she's from Centerville. I tell her how I used to go to Centerville for Pancake Day and her eyes lit up! She was so excited and told me she already requested her day off because her kids love it. I refrained from telling her that my main reason for going was to laugh at the people (she was probably one of them at some point). So, we keep chatting and I'm probably looking like a stuck-up snob as I watch her run from side to side of the king bed making sure the sheets are tight and on right, and she leaves to get her vacuum. I tell her there's no need to vacuum but she does anyway and in doing so she finds a Mike 'N Ike on the floor. Stops, picks it up, holds it up, looks at me, and goes, "Mike 'N Ike?" I tell her she's right and she puts it in her pocket!!! What?!? How about we throw it away. I just hope that she later threw it away instead of eating it for a snack later. She then tells me of new candy and how there is now a strawberry Laffy Taffy (I swear there has always been a strawberry one). So, eventually our friendship came to an end and I was once again alone in the Motel 6.
P.S. I later killed a spider in the sink. Gross.
Amenities include:
- TV
- Phone
- Lamp
- Desk
- Free coffee until 10am
- Internet (my life saver for the week)
- Room service maid from Centerville, IA
- Alarm clock
- Microwave
- Fridge
- Baby shampoo, conditioner, and lotion bottles (ugh)
- Other items fancy people might want, but I'll survive without.
I purposely set my alarm to wake up when room service knocks on the door. I'm sitting alone in the room and can hear the maid in every room surrounding mine. "Why isn't she knocking on my door?" I think to myself. So, finally I get the nerve to feel "bitchy" and hang the, "maid please ASAP" sign on my door and sit back down in the chair. I hear a knock, answer, and it's the maid! I sit in the chair as I watch her clean the room. I try to make small talk and soon find out she's from Centerville. I tell her how I used to go to Centerville for Pancake Day and her eyes lit up! She was so excited and told me she already requested her day off because her kids love it. I refrained from telling her that my main reason for going was to laugh at the people (she was probably one of them at some point). So, we keep chatting and I'm probably looking like a stuck-up snob as I watch her run from side to side of the king bed making sure the sheets are tight and on right, and she leaves to get her vacuum. I tell her there's no need to vacuum but she does anyway and in doing so she finds a Mike 'N Ike on the floor. Stops, picks it up, holds it up, looks at me, and goes, "Mike 'N Ike?" I tell her she's right and she puts it in her pocket!!! What?!? How about we throw it away. I just hope that she later threw it away instead of eating it for a snack later. She then tells me of new candy and how there is now a strawberry Laffy Taffy (I swear there has always been a strawberry one). So, eventually our friendship came to an end and I was once again alone in the Motel 6.
P.S. I later killed a spider in the sink. Gross.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Chez Moi
Here are some lovely pictures of my new "home".
 |
| Bottom Floor: landlord lives upstairs. |
 |
| My Bedroom: one door is a closet and the other is to a sun room. |
 |
| My Bedroom: small and precious |
 |
| Dining Room: my favorite room so far |
 |
| Living Room: still needs bright pillows and other sources of color. |
 |
| Looking down into part of Niagara Falls |
 |
| Small part of Niagara Falls |
Silly Little Mistakes
Nothing is better than waking up and thinking it's going to be a great day. Am I right? Too bad I set my expectations a little (ok, quite a bit) higher than my outcomes that day.
Mistake #1: Going for a walk to relieve stress.
Song: Joe Purdy-Can't Get It Right Today
Mistake #1: Going for a walk to relieve stress.
- I woke up and lounged around all day with nothing to do but think about my future life. Of course these thoughts stressed me out a bit, so I decided to go for a walk to jam out and relieve some stress. I had been walking/running every day that week around this little pond area. It's not too long, but long enough to enjoy the day and some of my favorite songs on my ipod. Every day I always thought about the wildlife there and the chances of seeing a snake. So, it's my last day in MN for the week and it's my last walk. I had yet to see a snake. Of course, on a day where my confidence is high and fears are low, I see a snake. Yup, a big ol' garter snake (20 in.) decided to slither off the path right in front of me. I had just finished sprinting so I was definitely out of breath and had no energy to sprint past. I stopped (my heart did too), gasped, put my hand on my chest, and said something (I was in shock) as I carefully/quickly walked around it's nasty, skinny, long tail. Ugh, what a nightmare. If any person walking behind or in front of me would have seen me, I'm sure that I looked like I had just seen a dead body. This snake prevented me from walking around the pond twice, jerk.
- After my walk I thought it'd be nice to go to the grocery store and pick up something for lunch and maybe some type of liquor to drink during the exciting ISU vs. Iowa game. Wrong. I go to the grocery store, buy the food and then head to the liquor store. I spend forever in the liquor store trying to decide what I'm thirsty for. The clerk even noticed my struggle (I probably looked like a minor) and asked if I needed "help" finding something. I ask some dumb question and just grab something and head to the register. There I am buying some margarita stuff, and some wine coolers for a delicious whiskey/wine cooler drink. I hand the clerk my card and he says right away, "It says it's declined". Ok, wait, what?!? (I KNOW my account is overflowing with funds...especially since I'm unemployed right now). He repeats it to me and I'm super confused as to what was going on, not to mention how embarrassed I was. There I was, in a liquor store, looking like a minor, and having a card denied. I'm sure he thought I was an alcoholic who spends all her money on booze. Great, this day could only get better, right? Wrong.
- Ok, I make it home from the walk, the liquor store, and now I'm ready to relax and cheer on my ISU Cyclones in the biggest game of the year for any ISU or Hawkeye fan. I sit down, drink in hand, and I'm immediately embarrassed by the team's performance. Iowa scores a touchdown within the first 4 minutes (something like that) of the game. Great, ok, ISU's turn. Welp, forced to turn the ball over right away and then we let Iowa score another touchdown right away. I was so embarrassed because when it comes to my Cyclones, I get a little hopeful, some would say cocky, and I do some fun trash talking. Well, this year was the most embarrassing by far. When we went to our first commercial break, the Cyclones were in the negatives for yardage in the game and the Hawks were over 100 yards. Needless to say I was depressed the rest of the night and did nothing but lay on the couch. Wah.
Song: Joe Purdy-Can't Get It Right Today
No Surprise Here.
My most recent "home away from home" was more like a house than a home. I stayed a week by myself up in Minnesota in a house with no curtains, or blinds, or anything to shield the inside from the outside. Of course this situation is a nightmare for any scared-ee cat, especially someone like myself.
The house has no upstairs. There is simply a, "man-cave," in the basement. Ergo, everything I do in that house takes part in the basement (except sleeping, there is a bed upstairs). So, one night I'm alone in the basement finishing up Season 1 of Parenthood (new love) and having a few drinks because I had a stressful day. I completed my "getting ready for bed" routine by checking some of my favorite websites and seeing if anyone was online for a late night chat. Woah!! I have never felt so popular in my life. I was Skyping with my soon-to-be boss, some old friends, video chatting, and being completely overwhelmed/distracted from the darkness upstairs. Thanks friends :)
Then, all of a sudden I hear a loud thud and immediately freeze, mute the TV, and stop breathing. I was sure someone was upstairs and had just broken in. I was speechless and called Jared who didn't answer until I texted telling him what's up. He called back and talked me into going upstairs to check it out and even wanted me to ask, "Hello? Who's here?" (No, I'm not going to ask if anyone is upstairs so they can attack me, so I ignored that suggestion)
I forgot to mention that during my whole stay at this house alone I had a hammer on the nightstand by the bed incase anyone decided to pull a quick one on me. So, I proceeded upstairs (butcher knife in hand) to check out the situation. I turned on every light in the place and found nothing out of place. I returned downstairs, heart still racing, and shut everything down so that I could run back upstairs to go to sleep and get the night over with. As I laid down in bed, I looked outside (on edge as usual) and searched for any sign of movement. I then noticed a fridge in the driveway on it's side. Yup, sure enough it was a stinkin' (literally) fridge that had tipped over in the driveway and scared the beeswax out of me.
Needless to say, I was still scared the entire night and rest of the week. Now, my alone time has moved to a Motel 6 in Illinois...can't say it's much better, but my time of being homeless and alone is almost to an end :)
Song: There Goes the Fear-Doves
The house has no upstairs. There is simply a, "man-cave," in the basement. Ergo, everything I do in that house takes part in the basement (except sleeping, there is a bed upstairs). So, one night I'm alone in the basement finishing up Season 1 of Parenthood (new love) and having a few drinks because I had a stressful day. I completed my "getting ready for bed" routine by checking some of my favorite websites and seeing if anyone was online for a late night chat. Woah!! I have never felt so popular in my life. I was Skyping with my soon-to-be boss, some old friends, video chatting, and being completely overwhelmed/distracted from the darkness upstairs. Thanks friends :)
Then, all of a sudden I hear a loud thud and immediately freeze, mute the TV, and stop breathing. I was sure someone was upstairs and had just broken in. I was speechless and called Jared who didn't answer until I texted telling him what's up. He called back and talked me into going upstairs to check it out and even wanted me to ask, "Hello? Who's here?" (No, I'm not going to ask if anyone is upstairs so they can attack me, so I ignored that suggestion)
I forgot to mention that during my whole stay at this house alone I had a hammer on the nightstand by the bed incase anyone decided to pull a quick one on me. So, I proceeded upstairs (butcher knife in hand) to check out the situation. I turned on every light in the place and found nothing out of place. I returned downstairs, heart still racing, and shut everything down so that I could run back upstairs to go to sleep and get the night over with. As I laid down in bed, I looked outside (on edge as usual) and searched for any sign of movement. I then noticed a fridge in the driveway on it's side. Yup, sure enough it was a stinkin' (literally) fridge that had tipped over in the driveway and scared the beeswax out of me.
Needless to say, I was still scared the entire night and rest of the week. Now, my alone time has moved to a Motel 6 in Illinois...can't say it's much better, but my time of being homeless and alone is almost to an end :)
Song: There Goes the Fear-Doves
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Let's try this again.
I know it's been awhile since my last post. A lot has changed in my life and I'm excited to start sharing new stories and adventures with everyone.
I've accepted an Americorps job in Buffalo, NY where I will be tutoring/mentoring 3rd graders in an inner-city school. One weekend out of every month and during the summer months I'll get to take the kids to a summer camp located on Lake Erie. This job is perfect for me. I love summer camp and I'm really excited to start working with kids again.
The transition has been hard. I've left everyone I care about behind and will truly, madly, deeply (Savage Garden song) miss all of you. My past years in the Sioux and in Ames have made me who I am today. You all have taught me to be strong and have pushed me to follow my dreams of moving away. I have no idea where I'd be today if it wasn't for friends and family like you. I can only hope that I will meet new people who are almost as cool as those I've left behind. I said "almost" because I don't know if it can get much better than what I've been blessed with in the past. So, with that said, I want to give a HUGE "Thank you" to everyone who pushed me through the hard times and encouraged me to keep trying. Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! I love you all.
Feel free to call me as I will do the same to all of you. I know I'll have fun on my new adventure, but I know I'll be stressed out to the max, homesick, and completely lost at times. This blog isn't a "goodbye" but instead a "see ya later" because I know that one day we'll meet up again.
My song of the day: Joshua Radin's "Friend Like You"
I've accepted an Americorps job in Buffalo, NY where I will be tutoring/mentoring 3rd graders in an inner-city school. One weekend out of every month and during the summer months I'll get to take the kids to a summer camp located on Lake Erie. This job is perfect for me. I love summer camp and I'm really excited to start working with kids again.
The transition has been hard. I've left everyone I care about behind and will truly, madly, deeply (Savage Garden song) miss all of you. My past years in the Sioux and in Ames have made me who I am today. You all have taught me to be strong and have pushed me to follow my dreams of moving away. I have no idea where I'd be today if it wasn't for friends and family like you. I can only hope that I will meet new people who are almost as cool as those I've left behind. I said "almost" because I don't know if it can get much better than what I've been blessed with in the past. So, with that said, I want to give a HUGE "Thank you" to everyone who pushed me through the hard times and encouraged me to keep trying. Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! I love you all.
Feel free to call me as I will do the same to all of you. I know I'll have fun on my new adventure, but I know I'll be stressed out to the max, homesick, and completely lost at times. This blog isn't a "goodbye" but instead a "see ya later" because I know that one day we'll meet up again.
My song of the day: Joshua Radin's "Friend Like You"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)