B for Beautiful Bloggers

This is long, long, long overdue, and I offer my deepest apologies to both Christine and Shana for taking so long to acknowledge this wonderful award they’ve bestowed upon me. The fantabulous and wonderful Christine (formerly of Raised Queer; now enjoying her new digs at Rat Faced Girl) and Shana (of Fumbling Towards Normalcy) have both passed along the Beautiful Blogger Award to me! It’s such an honor that two of my most favoritest* bloggers, and two of the awesomest* chicks I know, think I am worthy of such an award. Thanks, lovely ladies!!

* Not real words; I know.

(For the record, I do not think this is in any way related to the fact that these ladies were the winners of my chocolate giveaway awhile back. Even though chocolate is a proven aphrodisiac, I don’t think it made them fall so madly in love with my blog or me that they had no choice but to pass this award along to me. On the off chance that the chocolate was, in fact, the motivation behind honoring me in such a way, let’s just keep it to ourselves. Okay, ladies?)

The rules are that I have to tell you seven things about myself and pass this along to seven bloggers. Since I’ve done the “things” lists not once, not twice, but three times, this is a challenge, but I’m going to try to come up with seven interesting (or at least hopefully semi-interesting) things:

1. I am obsessed with lip balm. My favorite is Burt’s Bees, because I like the cool, tingling sensation of the peppermint oil. However, I also use EOS, Dr. Bronner’s, and Crazy Rumors. I have lip balm everywhere, always within easy reach: a few in my purse, one that sits on my computer keyboard at work, one on the nightstand next to the bed, and one on the end table next to “my end” of the couch. I apply lip balm every morning before I head out the door, every night right before I go to bed, and countless times throughout the day. I get anxious and hyper-focused on the dryness of my lips if I cannot find lip balm to remedy the situation. (I know; it sounds like an illness.)

NOTE: This is not an advertisement. I did not get compensated in any way to mention these brands. They're simply some of my favorites.

2. Gerbera Daisies are my most favorite flower. They are just so bright, happy, and fun! I really regret listening so much to my florist and carrying a white bouquet of flowers on my wedding day (to avoid anything detracting from the dress) instead of a big, fun, bright bouquet of Gerbera Daisies.

3. If I would’ve stayed with, and eventually married, my high school boyfriend, I’d be a preacher’s wife now. (Seriously. I would. He told me he would’ve married me.) First loves are called first loves for a reason, and I’m glad any romantic feelings I had for him, or dreams for a life together, died the day I broke up with him. To imagine myself as a preacher’s wife is hysterical. MusicMan roared with laughter after he met high school ex-boyfriend for the first time and I later explained that he’s a preacher now. Apparently my husband can’t imagine me as a preacher’s wife either, and I am not the slightest bit offended by that.

4. I like pizza. A lot. Well, good pizza anyway; none of that chain stuff like Pizza Hut or Domino’s or Papa John’s (though I’ll eat those if I’m absolutely desperate). One of my favorite topping combinations is pepperoni, mushroom, and sauerkraut. Sadly, not too many places around here include sauerkraut as an option anymore.

5. I really, really, really want another tattoo. I have plans to get a memorial tattoo for my sister, but I haven’t completely solidified what I want yet, so that will have to wait. For now, I present pictures of the tattoo on my right ankle/foot. I adore it! And that age old argument that the anti-tattoo crowd likes to use, “Will you still love it/will it still be appropriate when you’re old and wrinkly?” is rendered obsolete, because: (1) YES! I WILL! and (2) I will probably knit even more when I’m old and wrinkly, because I’ll have more free time. (SO THERE!)

 6. I hate talking on the phone. I’m not entirely sure why this is, or when it started for that matter, but sometimes I absolutely just dread the thought of carrying on a phone conversation. I talk on the phone at work, because it’s part of my job and I have to do it, but I try to avoid personal phone calls at all costs. Texting and emailing works just great for me.

7. I need blankets, or some kind of covering, in order to fall asleep. Even in the middle of summer, when it’s hot and sticky outside, I at least have to be covered with the bed sheet in order to fall asleep. I might stick my foot out from under the covers, if I’m feeling warm, but the rest of my body needs to be covered. If I have a blanket, I can fall asleep most anywhere. There are always blankets on my couch, and I cuddle up with them even in the middle of summer (having central air encourages blanket usage), which results in lots of couch napping.

I’m passing this award along to the following beautiful bloggers:

Yankee Girl @ Adventures of a Yankee Girl

Lora @ fever

Vic @ Freckles and Fudge

JMJE @ Making Stuff is Fun

Linda @ Crone and Bear It

KLZ @ Taming Insanity

Andrea @ Crazy With A Side of Awesome Sauce

Make sure you go and visit these bloggers and their wonderful blogs, because they’re all awesome and supremely entertaining! And definitely go visit Christine and Shana, the lovely ladies who passed this award to me, because they are seriously the coolest. I would have passed the award right back to them, but I was afraid that would blow up the internet the same way that a circular cell reference seems to blow up an Excel spreadsheet. (I know; that was like the nerdiest, most obscure reference.)

(And to the bloggers I’ve named above, if awards aren’t your thing, that’s cool. In other words, don’t stress about passing this along if you don’t want to.)

C for Chaos!

Before I jump into today’s post, two things:

1. I’ve implemented the Disqus commenting system. I like the idea of being able to reply to your comments in a threaded format. I’ll be able to stay more on top of replying to your comments if I can reply to them on the fly. Sometimes, I get too far behind on reading and replying to emails, and then I feel absolutely awful about ignoring your comments for so long. What do you think of Disqus? Would you be a sad, sad reader if I no longer replied to your comments via email? All honest thoughts and opinions are welcome; you won’t hurt my feelings.
2. I’m far beyond ecstatic that, not only did I survive the summer of hell, but I also managed to maintain my 4.0 GPA!!!!!! Official grades were finally posted, and I got an “A” in Lifetime Fitness, an “A” in Sociology, and an “A” in English, and I passed the Public Speaking competency!!! (Competencies are only graded on a pass/fail basis and don’t play into GPA; I’m still awaiting the grade level equivalent form, and am of course hoping for an “A.”) I worked so freakin’ hard this summer, and I’m really thrilled that it paid off. I’ve officially completed a year of school, so I have a year left before transferring to the bachelor’s program. I’ve worked hard in all of my classes, but for the first time, I really feel as though I earned these “A’s.” Though I’m typically quite modest, I have to say that I’m really, really, ridiculously good looking* proud of myself right now.

Kathie at Just a Happy Housewife tagged me for the “Daily Scoop of Chaos” award. If you haven’t visited Kathie’s blog yet, you really should. She’s wonderfully entertaining and she loves helping animals. To accept this award, I have to answer the questions below and pass it on to eight bloggers. Here we go!

What is your signature color?

Hot Pink/Magenta/Bright Pink. I just love how bright, fun, and happy the color seems to be.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
One of the most recent I can remember is when I saw my brother’s friend’s wife, who I hadn’t seen in quite some time, at my sister’s funeral and I congratulated her on being pregnant. Which she wasn’t. And I didn’t just congratulate her. Nope. I patted her tummy too. (I know! I’m squirming right now just remembering it.)

In my defense, I could swear that I had heard that she was pregnant, I was emotionally exhausted and not thinking straight, and the puffy winter jacket she was wearing added to the illusion that she was in fact pregnant. I was absolutely mortified when she kindly informed me that she wasn’t pregnant. She’s one of the sweetest, most innocent, nicest girls I know, and she handled it with grace. I apologized profusely, of course, and vowed to never again congratulate anyone on being pregnant unless (a) they told me right to my face that they were or (b) they were actually in labor. I still cringe whenever I think of this.

Would you ever get anything pierced other than your ears. If so, what?
I used to want to get my belly button pierced, but I always said I’d wait until my belly was small enough to show off. There’s no sign that that’s going to happen anytime soon, since my belly seems to have gone in the opposite direction, and I think I’m getting too old to be showing my midriff anyway. Oh wells…

Are you a social butterfly or a homebody?
It really depends on my mood. I guess I’m mostly a homebody. However, I do like to go out for dinner with MusicMan and friends, and MusicMan and I do occasionally like to host gatherings and entertain at home.

Are you done having babies or do you want more?

I haven’t started having babies, and I probably never will. (Were I to have kids, I’d be a perpetual Mombie—I don't "do" constant stress and lack of sleep very well at all, and no one wants that; trust me.)

Are you loyal to your hairstylist or do you try every salon in town?

I’m not particularly loyal to a certain hairstylist, but I am loyal to the salon I visit.

How many times have you moved in your life?

Too many to count! But, since moving away from my parents’ home at the age of 22, I’ve moved six times in my adult life.

If you could plan your vacation with just you and your love where would it be?
San Francisco!!! I’ve been twice for business trips, and spent a little time on one of the trips exploring the bay area, and I absolutely fell in love. MusicMan, a huge Grateful Dead fan, has always wanted to go, and I’ve always wanted to go back. We hope to plan a vacation there sometime after I’ve finished school.

I tag all of you, my lovely readers! If you want to play along, please do, but make sure to come back and let me know that you did. Hope you all have a great weekend!!

* I don’t think I’m really, really, ridiculously good looking, but I think you’re awesome if you know what movie that’s from.

I for I'm Back!

I have been an awful blogger lately, lovely reader, and I apologize for that. I’m thinking of putting myself on a blogging schedule for consistency sake and to allocate specific time for me to write, so hopefully my blogging consistency will improve. We’ll see how that works out.

Duluth was great! The weather was crap—windy, rainy, and cold—but we still managed to have a good time. We felt as though we got to reconnect and relax a little bit, which is always good. We spent the majority of Saturday afternoon/early evening cuddling and napping, which was absolutely awesome and just what we needed! I also got a little homework done, and Music Man had a good time at the gig.

I have a couple awards to claim, which is always exciting! (For me at least; maybe not so much for you.)

Aladdinsane at She Don't Make False Claims bestowed the Beautiful Blogger award on me almost two weeks ago. I apologize, girly, for not getting to this sooner! Thank you so much for the honor!!

I’m supposed to tell you seven things about myself, and then I’m supposed to nominate 15 bloggers that I recently started following and enjoying. First, the seven things:

1.     I am obsessed with chewing gum, specifically sugarless gum. I fall for all of the gum company’s gimmicky tricks. If a new gum is out, and it’s not some sort of berry flavor (because, ewwwwww, fake berry tastes weird and gross), I just have to buy it and try it. I am a gum marketer’s dream. (Also, when I get sick of chewing a piece of gum, eight times out of ten I’ll swallow it. I don’t buy the “it takes seven years to pass” nonsense.)

2.     My dogs eat healthier than I do. We spend an obscene amount of money feeding our dogs a healthy raw diet, but we eat lots of take out and cheap, processed crap. I know I need to do something about my horrible diet (or lack thereof), and I keep saying that I want to try to eat healthier, but I never follow through. I have a seemingly endless supply of excuses. I buy all natural and organic soaps, shampoos, and other personal care products to take care of the outside of my body; I need to start doing the same for the inside as well.

3.     Downtime is very important to me, and when I don’t get it for a while (i.e. a couple weeks ago), I get anxious and crabby. I start to resent and get pissed off at the people around me for demanding my time, which I then feel bad about. Sometimes I feel like I get a little too overwhelmed with life a little too easily. When this happens, I just find people to be exhausting, and I try to hide away from the world as much as possible until my soul feels restored.

4.     I get really irritated when I go out to dinner with someone (or multiple people), and as we’re waiting for the server to come take our order, the person (people) I’m with asks me what I’m going to order. It annoys me to no end! Why do you need to know what I’m ordering?! You’ll find out in a few minutes when I order, so how ‘bout we let it be a surprise?! If I’m out with people I’m not close to or don’t know well (i.e. a work lunch), I get really anxious waiting and wondering if I’m going to be asked what I’ll be ordering. It’s totally irrational how crazy this makes me, but it is seriously one of my biggest pet peeves.

5.     I’m not a warm weather vacation kind of gal, and not for the reason you might think. I truly don’t give a damn about putting on a swimming suit; if people don’t like what I look like, they don’t have to look. I just hate being hot, because being hot usually means being sweaty and sticky, which makes me feel nasty and dirty (and not in a good way). I’m not going to pay money to go on a fancy trip just to be uncomfortable the whole time. This is why I also hate summertime in Minnesota. Sure, the sun is nice, but the heat and humidity can be downright brutal.

6.     I can’t stand when grown adults use words like “nummy” and “icky.” I don’t know why. “Yummy” is fine, but there’s something about “nummy” that really grinds my gears. It’s not rational; I know.

7.     I love bubble (or boba) tea. There’s a place about a one block walk through the skyway from my work called the Tea Garden that gets lots and lots of my money. A thirst quenching fruit iced tea (or tea slush) with tapioca pearls can just make my day. Their sea salt latte (which does not have bubbles and is hot) is also incredible.

Now, for the nominees…

My Life As Jane – She’s witty, funny, and sometimes uses drawings she’s made in Paintbrush to illustrate her posts, which greatly increases the hilarity factor.

Proud 2 B Purple – Squashy’s girl is a childfree (well, mommy to furry “kids”) adult student just like me! Her posts are refreshingly real—very open and honest.

Fumbling Towards Normalcy – I love the name of Shana’s blog. Don’t we all feel, at one time or another, as though we’re fumbling towards normalcy? I know I do!

Anything Fits A Naked Man – Another fantastic blog name. Her blog is always beautifully written and I like that topics vary from funny, to heartwarming, to thought provoking, and everything in between.

Green Monkey Tales – Shannon loves writing and it shows. Like me, she has suffered unimaginable heartbreak, and her tales of her healing process and learning how to live a “new normal” (as I call it) are incredibly moving and inspiring.

I know I only did a third of the required 15, but I’m really feeling a little lazy and a lot brain dead today, and no one ever follows the rules completely anyway.

The second award I received comes from Kathie at Just a Happy Housewife

Isn’t it fantastic?!? Thanks so much, Kathie!! I agree with Kathie; every blog needs a little bling, and I’m super thrilled that she blinged my blog by passing this award to me. I like Kathie’s style:

           

“The only rule for this award is that if you accept it, please don't keep it to yourself.  Please pass this along to others and share the bling!”

This award is just for fun and to say thank you!  Thank you for entertaining, teaching, inspiring and supporting me.  Thank you for all that you contribute to the blogosphere!

I love when the rules are easy! I’m passing this one along to all of the blogs I’ve listed above and:

She Don't Make False Claims

Raised Queer

The End of the Rainbow: Life After Bankruptcy

The World As I See It

Making Stuff is fun

South of Sheridan

The Fabulous Bitch

After 'I Do'

Bloggin 2 Noggin

Dawning

just sayin'

The thoughts & travels of Rachel Cotterill

Take Me The Way I Am

Kathie said it better than I probably would have. Thank you all for inspiring, teaching, sharing, with, entertaining, and supporting me!! I’m turning comments off on this post so that you can go visit the wonderful bloggers I’ve listed above. As always, if awards aren't your thing, that's totally cool; just know that I enjoy your blog!!

P.S. I’m getting an A in Geology! I have the second highest score in the whole class. I’m gonna spend the weekend studying hard for the final quiz, which is on Monday, so that I’ll cement that A as my final grade. I am beyond excited that Monday is the last Geology class!

P.P.S.  I’ve created a buttons page. You can see it up above (*points to the top of the page*); it’s the one titled “My People!” If you have my button posted on your blog and I’ve somehow missed posting yours, please let me know!

G for Guest

Hello, lovely reader! I'm guest posting over at Out of the Extraordinary today. It's not like the usual stuff you find over here. I'm talking about god and faith, so it's a little deeper than you might be used to. Please go over and check it out, and while you're there, spend a little time checking out Janet's blog too. I love the concept of her blog; she writes about finding the extraordinary in everyday life. I think we all could learn a lot from doing that more often.

Thanks so much, Janet, for hosting me on your blog today!

B for BON (Blogger Of Note)

This is a most auspicious and exciting day, lovely reader! The wonderful Pam and Sandy, founders of WOW (or Words of Wisdom), have chosen me as today’s Blogger of Note (or BON)!! You might remember the post I did a while back where I expressed my excitement over WOW and my views on “Bloggyland.” I am thrilled to report that WOW seems to be catching on! The community is growing every single day, which shows that people wanted this community and want to see it grow!

For those who might have missed out on my previous post, WOW focuses on “blogs of substance;” this concept is explained in WOW’s “What is a Blogger of Note” post. The basic idea is that WOW wants to put the blog back in blogging. They focus on bloggers who write posts that contain good content: posts that make people want to join in on the conversation, that make readers laugh, think, cry, and want to comment. The blogger doesn’t have to be incredibly profound; they just need to focus more on writing and sharing their thoughts than branding themselves or wooing sponsors (i.e. making money).

For my regular readers, the fact that I am today’s BON should tell you a little bit about what WOW is looking for. Writing. Plain and simple. Writing. That’s all I do here. I’m not profound (usually). I do not have any groundbreaking, Earth shattering advice or knowledge to impose upon you. I’m not special or extraordinary in any way. I’m simply here to share my life, my thoughts, and my experiences with you, lovely reader.

For those who are new, whether visiting from WOW or elsewhere, welcome to my little home on the internet! I am excited to have you here, and hope you enjoy the time you spend wandering around my little blog. I will warn you in advance that I tend to be verbose. I just can’t help it; I like writing, and words, and giving every single little detail when I tell a story.

My “About Me” page sums me up pretty nicely, but I will give you a short introduction anyway. I have been blogging here at “A” for Effort (“B” for Blog) for a little over six months now. Last summer, I decided to return to school to make a career change from the corporate world—specifically finance—to social work. This blog documents my journey as a thirty-something adult student, starting college all over from the beginning (it’s a long story). I also post about my life, my thoughts on random subjects, and my family (which includes the hubster, whom I refer to as Music Man here, and my “kids,” Wiggly and Bug).

Sandy and Pam asked me to pick out three of my favorite/best posts for you to enjoy, lovely reader. What a task that was! You see; I am my own worst critic, and as such, think most of my writing is complete garbage. I’ve always had a hard time accepting compliments. (Self-esteem issues? Me?! NO WAY!) I am consistently amazed that there are those of you out there who not only come back here repeatedly to read what I’ve written, but also leave wonderful, genuine comments.

Here, in no particular order, are some posts that I feel are a fairly good representation of my writing style and the kinds of things you’ll find on my blog:

Meet my “kids,” in S for Smart Puppies. (Note: Cute picture alert!!)

I for Idiot (M for Moron): Apparently I is one. Will give you a little insight into why I’ve decided to pursue a different career. (Warning: Some “adult language” is used. Viewer discretion advised.)

In E for Examining Differences, I expound on the differences between adult students (i.e. me) and some of my younger classmates. (Snark Alert!!)

Please take as much time as you’d like exploring my blog archive. Then, if you haven’t done it yet, please do go check out WOW. You will not be disappointed!

Thanks again to Pam and Sandy for honoring me as a Blogger of Note! If you’re visiting from WOW, thanks so much for stopping by! I do hope you enjoyed your visit and that you’ll come back again. To my lovely loyal readers: thanks again for stopping by and for being you; I heart each and every one of you!

B for Blogging & W for WOW

I am so so so so so excited, lovely reader, to tell you about a brilliant new blogging community that’s been started by the fabulous Pam at Pam’s Perspective and the sensational Sandy at It’s a Jungle Out There. It’s called Words of Wisdom, or WOW for short, and its purpose is to unite “bloggers of substance.”

Who are “bloggers of substance?” you might ask. I’ll tell you. They’re bloggers who focus on content; writing blogs that are thought-provoking, encourage conversation, challenge your mind, stir emotions, and maybe even make you laugh once in a while. The goal of WOW is to unite these bloggers so that these like-minded individuals can find one another and support each other’s blogs. I am excited to watch this community grow, and am eager to meet more bloggy friends who are more like me.

Lovely reader, if you’re looking to connect with bloggers who want to put the blogging back in blogs, go visit WOW.


I’ve been blogging for about five months now. Well, here at least…I did the whole myspace blog thing for quite a while, and I did a few posts on another blog I’d setup, but this is where I’ve settled in as a blogger; my little home on the internet, if you will. In that amount of time, my readership has grown, thanks in large part to SITS. I’ve found some brilliant blogs and bloggers though SITS, and am very fortunate that other brilliant bloggers found me.

The concept of SITS is wonderful, and I’m pleased to have gotten some great followers as a result of participating in the community, but I don't really get all that much blog support anymore. Lately, all I really get from SITS is the occasional commenter who stops by to point me to their own blog rather than to read mine. I’m sorry, but that’s just a waste of my time. If you can’t stay long enough to read even one post that I’ve written and to make some sort of meaningful comment beyond, “Stopping by from SITS. Nice blog!” (tell me what’s nice about it, for example), then clearly I will not waste my time visiting your blog.

Look; I know my posts tend to lean towards the lengthy side, and I know that’s not for everyone. But, if you’re going to take the time to comment, you really should read at least part of what you’re commenting on. It just seems trite and meaningless, and leaves me feeling a little used, when all you have to say is, “Hi! Now, come visit my blog.”

Through visiting blog after blog that I’ve found on SITS, I’ve noticed some trends in blogging that I just can’t get on board with. At the risk of alienating some readers, I will summarize them below.


The “mommy blog”
You’ve probably heard it before, “Don’t mess with the mommy bloggers!” I recently read/heard, “Mommy bloggers are taking over the world!” If you’re a mommy blogger, you see that as “girl power,” strength in numbers, and a call to arms, which is great for you. Since I’m not, nor will I ever be, a mommy blogger, it's a scary thought and really just irritates the crap outta me.

I’ve figured out that the majority of bloggers out there are mommy bloggers, so they are, in fact, taking over the world. I just wish they could leave some small part of it for the rest of us. I used to make it a goal to visit as many bloggers doing SITS roll call as I could. I don’t do that so much anymore, because almost all I’m finding is mommy bloggers, and that’s just not what I’m interested in.

Don’t get me wrong, lovely reader; I don’t hate moms. Well, okay, I hate bad moms. (If you’re a mom, and reading this blog, and I’ve read and commented on your blog, you are not a bad mom. I try not to associate with bad moms, because they just make me want to punch things.) However, I don’t understand why one would want to define themselves only as a mom and nothing more. I know that having kids kinda takes over your life, and that it’s hard work, and blah, blah, blah; however, I don’t understand why one would completely give up her identity to her children. I don’t need it explained to me either; it’s not a concept I’m interested in understanding.

What I’m trying to get at is that I don’t much care for, or about, mommy blogs. If I want to see cute pictures of kids or hear stories about the super funny things they do, I’ll talk to my sister, my mom, or my cousin; I know their kids and like their kids and care about the things their kids do. I know that being a mom is a hard, often thankless, job. I don’t care to read about just how hard and thankless it is, especially over, and over, and over, and over again. Many mommy bloggers seem to forget that they chose motherhood. As a result, you only get to bitch so often about how hard and thankless it is, okay? I don’t want to hear about it, so I’m just not going to read it.

I have met some cool moms, some of whom I'd consider friends, who are bloggers and many other things: wives, daughters, friends; and funny, witty, intelligent women. These fabulous women understand that they, and their lives, are more than playing the role of mommy. Thus, I can relate to them on other levels, and when/if they occasionally choose to write about their kid(s), the stories are usually interesting and/or funny and/or make me really really really glad that I’m not a mom and will never be a mom. (To humans, at least; I love being a dog mom, and that’s also sometimes very hard and very thankless.)

Advertising, Sponsors, and Giveaways
I started my blog as a way to document my journey through school as an adult student. I thought maybe there were a few people out there who might be interested in how I approach the whole experience, or maybe I could encourage someone who’s thinking of going back to school, or perhaps I could answer questions an adult might have about returning to school.

Eventually, I evolved to writing about my life as well. It was scary at first; opening myself up in such a personal way. However, the feedback I received was fantastic and supportive, and encouraged me to continue blogging.

I write for me, and I write to write.

That’s why I’m absolutely baffled that there are people out there who’ve managed to turn their blogs into businesses, and many others who are trying to follow in their footsteps. Many of the “do’s” and “don’ts” of blogging involve commentary on how to draw advertisers and sponsors to your blogs. Giveaways are apparently a good way to draw traffic to your blog; perhaps helping to increase the number of followers one has. You just won’t find that stuff here.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll tell you that I would absolutely review a product that I’ve wanted to try. Were a company to contact me with some cool thing that could be helpful to adult students, something fun to have or use, or something to possibly improve my life, I would gladly accept the product and write a review for it. That’s as far as I’m willing to go though, and I most certainly will not seek out these types of opportunities.

I don’t have any delusions that I am really the next big thing; I'm not just waiting to finally be discovered. I’m a relatively simple, thirty-something woman who happens to enjoy writing.

Social Media Overload
I don’t understand why bloggers simply “must” have Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts tied to their blogs. It’s enough for me to just maintain this blog. I can’t imagine having to update a Facebook page and Tweeting (is that even right?) as well. I would seriously run out of ideas for blog posts if I were throwing out every single idea that crosses my mind as soon as I have it! If you have a blog, a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter account, kudos to you for being able to balance all of that!

I understand that social media is yet another tool to draw traffic to your blog, but I’ll pass. I know my limits, and I don’t want my blog to become a chore, so I’ll maintain the status quo.

Popularity Contest
Speaking of drawing traffic and increasing followers, some of Bloggyland is a little too high-schoolish for my tastes. There are some really competitive, really cliquey people out there. There are also some really big egos. I hated the high school bullshit when I was in high school, so I most certainly won’t take part now. Also, I have enough drama in my life. I don’t need to seek it out in the form of blog wars or narcissistic rants.

Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy followers and comments just as much as the next person; I think it's awesome, and I'm really flattered, that there are people who enjoy reading what I write. I also love feedback, good or bad (though bad gets a better reaction if it’s respectful and/or constructive). I appreciate every single one of you who has taken the time to read and thoughtfully comment on my posts. I hope I show you how much I love and appreciate you when I respond to your comments and visit your blogs.

I also hope, lovely reader, that if my head ever started to get too big or my ego evolved into a nightmare of epic proportions, that you'd smack me kick me throat punch me right back into reality. That's just not who I am, and it's not who I ever want to be. No one likes a vain, narcissistic, braggart.

If you genuinely enjoy reading what I write so much that you decide to follow me, that is incredibly cool and means a lot to me. If, however, you’re following me in an attempt to get me to follow you back so that you can watch your empire grow, you will be sadly disappointed.

I follow blogs that I find interesting. Period! If I like the writing style and attitude of the blogger, and can relate to them in some way, I will follow their blog. I visit the blog of every single blogger who comments here (as long as I can find the blog and the comment was meaningful), and if I like what I see, I’ll follow or subscribe to the RSS feed. If I’m just not interested in the blog, or don't feel a connection with the blogger, I’ll try to leave a thoughtful comment; then, I’ll be on my way.

It’s not personal!

I wouldn’t want you to force yourself to follow me simply because I follow your blog. Life's too short for that kind of tit for tat! I want you here, reading my posts, because you want to be; not because you feel forced to by some arbitrary Bloggyland rules. I don’t take it personally if a blogger chooses not to follow me back, partially because I don’t check to see if they do (Who has time to keep track of that?!), but also because that’s just the way the world works. If everyone loved and appreciated everyone else the same way that everyone else loved and appreciated them (did ya follow that?), we wouldn’t have racism, classism, sexism, hate crimes, etc.

I seek out and spend time reading blogs that challenge my thinking, give me insight into who the blogger is, make me laugh, have good content, educate me, encourage conversation, and restore my faith in humanity.

THAT is why I’m so incredibly happy and excited about WOW.

W for WOW!

Wow, dear reader, I have over 40 followers of my little blog! Thanks, you guys! I’m seriously humbled and amazed. I am also honored to report that I’ve received another blog award. This one is badass! It’s the Master of Karate and Friendship award, and you can see it in all of its awesomeness below:

(Honestly; who comes up with these things?!? This is one of the funniest awards I’ve ever seen—it’s absolutely brilliant! Isn’t it glorious, dear reader?!)

My sincerest thanks goes to, Anything Fits a Naked Man! I’m so flattered and really appreciate you thinking of me! If that name isn’t enough to intrigue you, dear reader, then let me encourage you to read about a really cool gig that Ms. Anything recently started. The way she calmly and cooly handled a recent injustice is impressive; I wouldn't have been able to be as nice or forgiving. Ms. Anything’s blog is very well written, and she tells a great story. You simply must go see her.

As always, there are rules: I have to list six things I "master."  This is hard; off the top of my head, I totally can’t think of six things I’d consider myself to be a master of. I’ll give it my best shot:

1. Knitting. Because of school, illness, and other obligations, I haven’t gotten much of a chance to knit lately. But, even after a long break, I’m able to take up the needles and yarn and start right back up where I left off.

2. Entertaining my husband. Get your mind outta the gutter, dear reader. I didn’t mean it that way. (Not that I’m knocking my bedroom abilities. And, not to brag or anything, but when I asked Music Man for ideas on things I’m “master” of, he mentioned some naked time activities. I know, I know, that was totally TMI.) Music Man seems to think I’m one of the funniest women around. He particularly enjoys my “road rage.” He thinks it’s hilarious that I seem to develop a case of tourette's syndrome when I get behind the wheel of my car. When I scream things like, “Nice driving, douchebag!” or “Put down the cell phone and concentrate on going the speed limit you stupid twat waffle." Music Man laughs and says, "God, I love you. This is why I married you!" Apparently I threaten to stab people in the neck with a knitting needle so often that Music Man saw fit to warn me when I got the Beetle that the inspiration pod (that little vase thing on the dashboard) is not for holding knitting needles. (Lest you worry that I’m a road-rage-aholic, let me assure you, dear reader, that yelling ridiculous things and making empty threats is the extent to which I show my rage.)

3. Acting. When Music Man and I first started dating, we’d sometimes rent movies on the weekends. Since watching movies was one of the only things my previous boyfriend had wanted to do, I had seen a lot of movies. By contrast, Music Man barely watched movies before he met me. On one trip to the video store, I got sick of always saying, “I’ve seen that” to all of the movies Music Man wanted to see. I decided that, no matter what, I’d pretend I hadn’t seen the next movie he picked up.

Unfortunately, it was one of the worst movies of all time. Music Man happily rented “The Village,” while I died a little inside. I apparently put on quite the believable performance, because he truly thought I’d never seen the movie. It was months later that I finally admitted the truth to him. To this day, he is amazed that I liked him so much that I watched such a horribly bad movie a second time just for him. We both wish I had pretended not to see a much better movie.

I am also the queen of looking busy while actually doing nothing (or almost nothing) at all. I’ve mastered this skill at my boring, soul-sucking job. My boss is consistently fooled, because despite my best attempts to get him to give me more work (including the obvious technique of just asking him for it), I still spend the majority of my days wishing I had more to do.

4. Napping. Sometimes I think I could nap all day. If I have a blanket and a cozy place to sit/lay, I’m all set. The blanket is key, even if the temperature is warm; I need to feel covered up. I nap in the late morning/early afternoon on most Saturdays. Music Man and I will be watching TV, and all of a sudden I’m out like a light.

5. Spelling and Grammar. I know I probably make my fair share of mistakes, but I’m a whiz at spelling and grammar. My husband and my BFF consider me their human dictionary.

6. Procrastination. I have procrastinating down to a science. I can always justify neglecting homework and any other thing (i.e. housework) I don’t particularly want to do. This definitely isn’t a skill I’d encourage mastering, because it almost always causes stress (and sometimes crying and hissy fits). Thankfully, I work very well under pressure.

Ok, now to pass this award on to six others. If this award is a repeat for you, or if awards aren’t your thing, feel free to completely ignore it. I promise that I won't be the least bit offended!  Here are my choices:

Christine @ Raised Queer

Doesn’t that blog title intrigue you just a tiny little bit? You will remember Christine from my recent Awards post. I’m not presenting this award to Christine simply to pay her back; she is incredibly deserving of it. Christine is absolutely fantastic! I adore her and her blog, and I am truly glad to have “met” her out here in Bloggyland. She’s witty, intelligent, and funny, and you need to go check out her blog. I recommend her post on ridin' dirty; it’s fantastically funny.

Margaret

You’ll also remember Margaret from my previous Awards post. Again, I’m not just paying her back; she deserves this award. Margaret is another good bloggy friend. She is one tough cookie! She wrote a very personal post a while back, sharing information about one of her biggest struggles. It was a brave and honest post to write. (Margaret, if you’d like me to take that link down, or link to another post, please let me know.)

Alyssa @ Bloggin 2 Noggin cracks me up! Alyssa writes about her husband, her daughter, and anything else on her mind. She strikes a fine balance between wildly entertaining and very down to Earth. Alyssa’s husband is a doctor, and her post about an experience he had at work will have you squirming and laughing at the same time.

The Fabulous Bitch truly is fabulous. She isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. I love her honest, unapologetic style. Her Story for Every Picture series is beautiful, artistic, and poetic. You will not regret checkin’ out her blog.

Jo @ The End of the Rainbow writes very candidly about her life after bankruptcy. In the short time I’ve been following her, I’ve ascertained that she is an incredible woman with a beautiful soul. Her recent post on humanity is good food for thought, and shows that in addition to being a beautiful person, she’s raising a magnificent son.

Jenny Mac @ Let's Have A Cocktail writes about life, parenting, news, and whatever else comes to mind. Her recent childhood memory had me chuckling, and brought back memories of my own. Despite the fact that she has many, many followers and gets lots of comments on her blog posts, she has always personally responded to any comment I’ve left for her, which I think is awfully nice.

Dear reader, you simply must check out all of these brilliant bloggers. I know you'll love them, and they are all deserving of your attention!

B for Back to School

Before I jump into this post, I wanted to extend a warm thank you to all of the SITS Welcomnistas who’ve visited my blog lately. The extra comments and attention have been so fun, and I appreciate the warm welcome!

For those of you who may not know, SITS (or The Secret is in the Sauce) is a group of, and for, blogging women dedicated to showing bloggy love through visiting and commenting on blogs. It’s a great way to find new blogs to read and to meet new bloggers. In addition to providing this great community, the SITS girls, Tiffany and Heather, provide great blogging tips each Saturday.

In the short time that I’ve been a regular SITS visitor, I’ve found lots of really cool blogs and some really awesome bloggers; some of whom are such kindred spirits that I consider them to be friends. If you haven’t already, you should totally go check out SITS (click the fabulous button over to the right).

Soooo, March is here, which means I’ll be starting classes again soon. My Geology class starts March 15, to be exact, and while I’m not thrilled about taking Geology, I am excited to get back into school mode. And, actually, that whole not being thrilled thing is an extreme understatement. I hate that I have to take a stupid class about rocks. I’m actually quite pissy about it.

The course description is as follows: Studies the nature, properties, and processes that shape and alter the Earth. Analysis and study of the nature and character of materials composing the Earth; and processes that have formed, altered, and transformed the Earth's surface. To me, this all sounds about as fun as a trip to the emergency room. I know that it’s a necessary evil, but I’m still pissy. My calming mantra, “it’s only eight weeks,” is helping me to remember that I’ll get through this. I’m just really hoping those eight weeks go by very, very quickly.

Due to my unplanned extended break, I’ve gotten really complacent about school. I had grand plans to finish up my public speaking competency before this class started in order to be ahead of the game work wise, and that just hasn’t happened. Why? Well, quite simply, I got lazy.

I enjoyed having nothing to do most weekends. I enjoyed having no deadlines to meet or homework to worry about. I reveled in my new found free time and settled comfortably into my laziness. I will miss my spur of the moment weekend naps and spontaneous dinners out with Music Man, but I am eager to hop back on the learning train to graduation town. (Cheesy, I know. I honestly don’t know where that came from. I think I was temporarily channeling some kind of skeevy motivational speaker or something.)

I’m half a semester behind now, so I’ll need to figure out how to get caught up, which I think I’ll do by taking an extra class next semester. That won’t make for a terribly fun summer, but I really want to get caught up. I want to be done with the associate’s degree ASAP so that I can move on to the social work curriculum and bachelor’s degree.

I’m not tremendously worried about being a little behind where I planned to be on the public speaking competency. The requirements for completion are pretty simple: I have to write an outline for a ten minute persuasive speech, which I have to give on evaluation day (sometime in April…I should probably look it up). The speech is extemporaneous, meaning only limited use of note cards is allowed, and the evaluator expects to see visual aids supporting the main points of the speech.

I’m still working on figuring out which textbook I need to refer to in order to correctly outline my speech, but other than that, I’m not worried. I don’t mind public speaking, and though I hate persuasive speeches (just as much as I hate writing argumentative essays), I do have ideas for topics. There are many subjects that I feel pretty passionate about, so I should have no trouble with a ten minute speech. In fact, I think the trouble will lie in keeping the speech to ten minutes.

Speaking of competencies, I finally received the final evaluation form for the interpersonal communications competency that I completed way back in December. I knew I’d passed, but I’ve been eagerly awaiting the letter grade equivalent, which, I’m happy to report, is an ‘A’! I’m excited and relieved, but at the same time, I’m disappointed in myself.

I did a piss poor job on the paper. I didn’t cite any of my sources; not a single one. I’m so incredibly embarrassed, and I’m disgusted with myself. Since I was taking English at the same time as working on the competency, I knew all about the requirements for citing sources. I cited sources like a champ in all of my English papers, and took pride in the instructor’s comments on my perfect sources cited page and fantastic internal citations. I don’t know how I completely spaced that out on the interpersonal communications paper!

I suspect it might have something to do with deciding at the last minute that my paper was crap, which resulted in me staying up until 3 a.m. the day it was due to rewrite the whole thing.

According to all of the evaluation materials that I finally got back, I got an ‘A’ for thoroughly demonstrating my superior knowledge of interpersonal communications theory and practice. That’s awesome, and I am very pleased; however, I’m still beating myself up over my dumb mistake on the paper, and I probably will for a while. It’s the price I pay for being a perfectionist and an overachiever, which no matter how hard I’ve tried, I cannot break myself of.

I mean, I almost want to email a revised paper with correctly cited sources to the evaluator along with a note saying, “I’m really not a complete idiot. I know how to cite sources, and I know that I screwed up by not including any internal citations in the paper. Attached is the paper the way it should’ve been handed in. I’m sorry you had to waste so much time writing citation reminders in the margins of every single page of my paper. I suck!!”

I know I probably sound like a raving lunatic right now. I got an ‘A’ for crying out loud! I know I should just STFU, but I’m really really really disappointed in myself. I have a habit of being my own worst critic, and I can be quite harsh. I will eventually get over it and move on, but for now, I wallow…

Random Thought: I absolutely loathe the phrase “brain fart.” So much so that I actually cringed just typing it. I don’t know who came up with it, or why, but it has become so commonplace that it’s even used in professional settings. I think it’s a ridiculous and disgusting phrase, and I’m so tired of hearing and reading it. Maybe it’s because I don’t think farts (or poop for that matter) are funny; in fact, I think they’re vile. At any point, I can’t stand hearing it or reading it, and I most definitely don’t say it.

I would offer the following alternatives in lieu of “brain fart”: memory lapse, brain hiccup, temporary stupidity, or brain spasm. I’m sure there are plenty of alternatives out there that would more appropriately, and less disgustingly, communicate the same thing that this irksome phrase does. And, I just traumatized myself by typing it twice in order to accurately portray to you, dear reader, just how much I abhor the phrase; as though this is a groundbreaking fact you absolutely positively needed to know.

A for Award!

I am so surprised and super excited to report that I have received not one, but two blog awards. I haven’t been blogging very long, and I don’t have a tremendously large following or readership, so I never would’ve expected this. I don’t have a speech prepared or anything! Instead of fumbling around thanking god and my mother, who really have nothing at all to do with this, I’ll just move on to explaining the awards and passing them on.

The first award I received was from Margaret. In the short time I’ve “known” her, I’ve discovered that she’s a tough chick; life has dealt its fair share of blows to her—probably over the fair share actually—and she doesn’t let it get her down. She’s a kindred spirit. When you’re done here, hop on over to check out Margaret.

(As in read her blog. Don’t go over there acting all weird, leering at her and stuff; that’s the kind of behavior that gets people arrested. Also, I don’t want you weirding Margaret out and then blaming me. She’s a nice girl, and she doesn’t deserve to be harassed; even if you are just doing it with your eyes. I know, dear reader, that I really don’t have to tell you any of this, because if you read my blog, you have good taste and good manners and totally understand what I was saying in the first place. Now I feel silly, and yet, I am not hitting the delete key. No, sir; this random little brain dump is here to stay. It’s been a long day, so let’s just jump right past this little digression, shall we?)

The award I received from Margaret is called the Sunshine Award.

The rules for the award are as follows:

1. Put the logo within my blog or on my post
2. Pass the award onto 12 fellow bloggers
3. Link the nominees within my post
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog
5. Share the love and link to the person whom you received this award from

12 fellow bloggers seems like a lot. Because I am a break the rules kinda girl (notice I said rules not laws. I am a good, law-abiding citizen in most aspects.), and I’m lazy and have seen this award already on many of the blogs I subscribe to, I am going to risk upsetting the karmic balance of bloggyland and am just going to pass the award on to the following wonderful bloggers who are all worthy of your visits (ya know, after you finish up here):

Dawn @ Dawning

Paloma @ The Coffee Shop

Sandy @ It's A Jungle Out There...

Shell @ Things I Can’t Say

Yankee Girl @ Adventures of a Yankee Girl

Jessika @ Secret Pie Shoppe

There; I did 6. I've met half of the requirement, which is good enough for me! Congratulations, award winners! Some of you might have already received this, so if you don’t want to pass it on yet again, that’s understandable. The award is yours to do whatever you’d like with.

The second award I received is the Beautiful Blogger award. You can see it below. Isn’t it lovely?

Know who else is lovely? Christine from Raised Queer. She’s the lovely lady who bestowed this award on me, and you should really go visit her blog; she has a nice mix of some very funny and some thought-provoking posts for your reading enjoyment. In the short time that she’s been my bloggy friend, I’ve discovered that we are very like-minded. In fact, I think she might be my long lost twin sister. (I always knew I was adopted!) So, really, after you’re done here, go visit Christine. Seriously. You will not regret it.

The rules for this award are that I have to tell you 7 interesting things about myself and pass it along to 7 other bloggers. Good thing I didn’t do the required 12 above, because I’d almost have run out of bloggers to pass this award along to!

I’m going to pass this award along to:

1. Mochatrina @ Ah…Me So Hongry!
2. WhisperingWriter @ Airing My Dirty Laundry
3. Emma @ Divorced Before 30
4. Inspired Dreamer @ Out of the Extraordinary
5. The Local Cook
6. Maya @ Straightjackets Are Slimming
7. Vivianne @ Vivianne’s Vista

Congratulations, award winners! If any of you have received this award already, then you should be proud that you are so super duper that you’re receiving it again. If you don’t want to redo all the work of passing it along, that is totally your choice; whatever you decide to do with it is fine with me.

Because I've already done a Seven Random Things post, I really struggled to come up with 7 new interesting things. Hopefully you find these things somewhat interesting:

1. I originally started this blog to track my journey as an adult student, but it has morphed into stories of my life as well. This is partially because I had to drop a class, so I don’t have any school stuff to write about at the moment. I’ve thought about changing the title, but because I seem to say “A for effort” a lot, and because I try to do my best at every single thing I do, the title is still fitting. I often worry that my blog posts are a little too verbose for some, and as such, many people probably visit my blog, see a super long post, and decide they just don’t want to invest that much time. I try to figure out ways to shorten my stories, but I guess I just have a lot to say. I like letters that form words that form sentences that form paragraphs too much to try to limit myself. I am very thankful to those of you who have chosen to read this blog and who stick with me through the longer posts.

2. I am somewhat shy in real life. Because of this, I’m often perceived as being a bitch. Sometimes this bothers me and other times I really don’t care, because the truth is I just have a really hard time opening up to new people.

3. I am a major procrastinator. I work very well under pressure; I don’t know if this is a result of my procrastination or if it’s the reason for it. At any point, I often put things off until the last minute and then find myself filled with anxiety, stressing to get everything done on time. Every single time I’m hurrying through something I’ve procrastinated on, I tell myself that it’s the last time I’ll do this to myself, but it never is.

4. I sometimes narrate my life as though I am a character in a book. For example, “As she walked to her car after a long day at work, Elle thought about how happy she was that the day was over. She was eager to get home to her husband and her dogs.” Of course it is only in my head that this happens, and it usually makes me realize that my life is damn boring.

5. I have a major sweet tooth. After a full meal, dinner especially, I need something sweet. I give into this “need” far too often. Sometimes after eating too much sweet, I need salty, which creates a vicious, vicious cycle. Some of my clothes seem to have an attitude problem after I’ve over indulged in sweets, so I try to be more disciplined. Inevitably though a craving will hit, and I will give in.

6. I hate cooking. I don’t know why, but I do. I love baking, on the other hand, which doesn’t help with number 5 at all. There’s something about the precision needed to measure out the ingredients and the order required to successfully carry out the steps of the recipe that really appeals to me.

7. I had a surreal moment on Valentine's Day. Music Man had a gig yesterday afternoon; his band was participating in battle of the jug bands at a downtown bar. Since it was a Sunday afternoon, and Valentine’s Day, I went with. I spotted a man in the very large crowd who looked familiar to me. I knew him. I didn’t know how, and I didn’t know exactly who he was, but I knew that I knew him. I asked Music Man if he recognized the guy, and he didn’t. I remarked that he kinda looked like my sister’s murderer’s defense attorney, but I knew he wasn’t. I figured this thought was just in my mind because the newspaper reporter who’d covered the criminal trial was playing with Music Man’s band.

At one point, the man and I made eye contact, and while I tried not to stare after that, I did keep stealing glances at the man. The man seemed to recognize me, or at least seemed to realize that I recognized him and was trying to figure out how I knew him. He seemed as though he was trying to make his way through the crowd towards me just as Music Man and I walked away in order for him to get ready to play. I was relieved, because I didn’t know if the man was coming to help fill in the blank for me or if he was coming to say, “Hey, weirdo, quit staring at me!” Music Man’s band played, and I stood alone in the crowd watching, temporarily forgetting about the man.

When Music Man’s band was finished playing, we decided to leave; we had plans to go home and cook a delicious meal together to celebrate Valentine’s Day. As we were walking out of the bar, I saw the man again. Our eyes met, and the way he looked at me jogged my memory: I’m standing at a podium pouring my heart out, and Music Man puts his arm around me as I began to cry. I grabbed Music Man’s arm and exclaimed, “He’s the JUDGE!” Shocked, Music Man looked at the man and then looked back at me and confirmed my suspicions.

This was the man I saw in a courtroom every single day for a week, the man I poured my heart out to a little over a year ago as I read my victim impact statement at the murderer’s sentencing, but just to make sure I wasn’t completely crazy, I had Music Man ask the newspaper reporter (who was walking behind him) if that was the judge who’d presided over the criminal trial of my sister’s murderer. The reporter confirmed that I was correct.

I was overwhelmed with emotion. I briefly contemplated going to say something to the judge. I wanted to thank him, to tell him how much he’d changed my life by giving us peace and closure. I wanted to tell him how much the words he’d said to the murderer at sentencing had meant to me—how powerful what he said was. I wanted him to know that I remembered him, that he had an impact on my life, and that I’d always remember him. I knew that if I were to try to say any of those things, I would end up crying. I didn’t want that, for him or for me. He was a normal citizen today, just enjoying some good local music. So, I quickly smiled and nodded, and turned towards the door to leave. I think he knew what I was thinking; at least I hope he did.

That’s it! 7 things that you hopefully found somewhat interesting.

Thank you so much, Christine and Margaret, for the acknowledgment! You’ve made me giddy with excitement, and I’m glad to have met and made a connection with both of you. Now, dear reader, I do hope you’ll go and check out Christine and Margaret’s blogs and some of the blogs I passed the awards along to. They’re all worth a read.