all work, no play

Every once in a while, I use a drill at work. It's kind of fun. I prefer the actual sewing of the booklets, but the drill comes in handy when people congregate around the sink and chat about the placement of the recycle bins. The loud drill sends them back to work.

Life as a grad student is getting more and more complicated. Thus, this is short. I must read for class.

First Day of School

My mom stayed at home with me until I started first grade. She treated me as her sidekick. She took me everywhere with her and probably shared too much about the family finances, etc. with me, her little girl. Example, as a first grader, I was deeply concerned with the prospect of paying for college. Taking out loans didn't make sense. If I didn't have money, there was simply no way to pay for college.

Lucky for me, I didn't turn into a complete worrywart. Instead, I became a cute little girl in bright neon pants. My mom and my aunt picked out this outfit for me to wear on my first day of school EVER. I had stayed home for kindergarten. Thus, first grade with Mrs. Corona was my first experience with public school.

My sister, Shelli, also had to wear the neon clothes that year. She didn't like them much. I LOVED them. That outfit is probably what turned me on to my love of really intense colors. I need color to survive, thus the variety of colored objects found throughout my apartment.

I was a shy kid back in first grade. I had a crush on a boy in my class and would never speak up about it. My parents convinced me that liking boys should not be a priority, so instead of talking to the boys or telling my friends about my crushes, I lived with all my feelings inside. That's just no good on a little girl. No wonder I'm so confused in relationships.

Today was my first day as a full-time grad student. I have some pretty cool classes and an incredibly full schedule. Sometimes I wish I could be like the shy girl in the bright neon pants in the picture. But I can't. I'll just have to keep being the crazy girl with black and green glasses trudging through life in Eugene.

Chillin' at the Beach

Stress isn't fun. To keep stress away, we often need to get away and experience a change of scenery. Today, my two bosses and and I left work early and headed to the beach. It was nice. I hadn't planned on going to the beach, but the spontaneous trip made the day-before-school-starts a fabulous day.
My friend (and boss) Brenda decided to play Baywatch while we were walking. She kept running in slow motion and tried to get Audrey and I to join in. I finally did and during my fifteen seconds as a baywatch girl, my hat flew off and my coat started to float away. It was crazy!

I still think I might want to live on the coast when I'm a "real" adult. Okay, I know I'm an adult now, but I feel as if going back to school has taken away some of the adult responsibility. I'll get there. Three more terms of classes, an internship, and a huge project and it'll be time for me to settle down!

Sand relaxes people. Walking in it usually causes people to slow down a bit. The desk sand boxes in offices help people calm down after stressful meetings. Sand is just awesome. And there is a lot of it at the beach.

"You've got to take the bull by the teeth."
--Samuel Goldwyn--

My dad is a take charge kind of guy. He's very direct and honest, sometimes making waves and hurting feelings as he moves. I like to be direct as well. But my life gets difficult when I try to tell people things without hurting their feelings. If I seem to be saying something, it's probably true. I don't like to fake feelings, but I also HATE hurting other peoples' feelings. This can leave me in a tough spot. Is it best to hurt someone's feelings with my honesty or should I continue to get annoyed by a person's inability to get my subtle message?

Hmph.

Christmas dreams in late September

It's getting close to Christmas. I know, I know. Technically, Halloween comes first, but in Sharece's world, Halloween is just the opener before Christmas season really begins.

To start out my "Holidays," I put up the three Halloween decorations I own. I also got a head start on my Christmas card/letter list. That's right, I already have begun writing addresses on my Christmas cards. It's exciting and fun. I won't write the letter until after Halloween. (I hope.) I've been itching to write my Christmas letter for weeks, but I feel that things are sure to get exciting in October. If nothing else, I need to at least start classes before jumping into my Christmas letter.

I'm contemplating watching a Christmas movie tonight, but I could also watch some more Grey's or the BBC mini-series, The Pallisers. Oh, decisions.

Happy (early) Holidays, folks!

Little Miss Chatterbox

A few years ago, I bought the small book, Little Miss Chatterbox. My mom and sister thought it was the funniest thing ever. Why would they think this was so hilarious? Well, it was because they thought of me as a Little Miss Chatterbox.

It's true, I suppose. I like to talk. Today, when taking the bus to Gateway Mall, I actually talked to TWO fellow passengers. This isn't normal for me. Often I try to appear disinterested, but today I felt incredibly chatty. It was nice.

Finding this Little Miss Chatterbox at Target today made me incredibly happy. I'm considering buying it for myself. I mean, seriously, I have a cabbage patch doll on my bed. This cute pink thing would fit right in!

I suppose I should quit being chatty blogger now. Thanks for reading!

the Rumor Weed

A few weeks ago, I went to spend time with an old friend. We made soap together. But in the time when we weren't making soap, we hung out with her kids. They were so cute and adorable. The older kid told me about the rumor weed. They talked about the rumor weed at Vacation Bible School this summer. The rumor weed is the worst weed. It chokes people and hurts everyone.

I talk a lot. I'm not always sure what I talk about, but I know that I talk a lot. I hope that I'm not just a rumor spreader. I don't want to be like Michael Scott on a recent episode of The Office. I think I'm better than that.