Sick

Last Saturday night I had a tickle in my throat. Didn't think much about it and just had some extra tea to make it go away. Sunday came and the tickle became more irritating but still manageable and I could still talk just fine. I kept drinking more tea and had some Ricola just thinking that it would go away by the morning. Well it didn't.
Monday morning came and I was a mime, minus the face paint, the French hat, gloves and stripped shirt. Because it wasn't bad enough that I was 'sick' on a school day, I was also having a bad case of the Mondays. By that, I mean the medicine I took tasted really icky (it didn't even have the suggested flavor that it was supposed to taste like on the box), I spilled some tea on myself that I took with me to my CJSA office hours, I dropped my mug (luckily it was closed), when I made another cup of tea, the tag fell of and to the bottom (pretty sure I drank it) and I barely made it through half of my 2hour 40min class (luckily I have a friend in that class that will send me the notes). Now I know these 'problems' aren't a big deal and normally I wouldn't really care, but when you -or in this case me- are already feeling sick, every little think just piles on the bad experience. 
To top off this great sick period, I was still have to write a Reasons Statement for my Grad School application and actually apply by tomorrow. Hopefully I am better if not 100% in the morning because I have too much to do and don't want to go see the doctor here on campus. If (no when) I do finish the Reasons Statement and applying and if I don't feel sick tomorrow night, I think I will take a night off. Please don't let me be sick tomorrow!

Smart Asses

Here's the short background: I am part of an organization on campus here at UW-Milwaukee called Criminal Justice Student Association or CJSA. Last semester we had 4 officers like we are supposed to except our president, Evan, got a job in Tennessee starting in a few days so he moved down there a while ago and is getting all situated. Leaving us with 3 officers. This is Ashley's, our vice president's, last semester and apparently needs to focus on school work and finding a job, which is fine, except she left us with very little knowledge of her post and we are down to 2. Mike, the other officer, and myself are now in charge which is great because we get a long. The problem is we need to find 2 officers to replace the 2 that ditched us sooner than later so they can get acquainted with us and how we do things. Oh, the other 'problem' is that this is Mike's and my first year doing this so we were basically thrown in the water and said hope you can swim.
The problem comes with the 2 new officer positions. So far we received 3 emails with applications, two by Juniors so they have one more year left and one by a Senior who is staying here for grad school (reminds me that I really do need to get working on my own application for grad school, but I digress). The two Juniors seem nice and laid back which is what we like, yet still able to do tasks. The Senior is a smart ass. For the application we ask them to explain why they want to be an officer and what they can bring to our organization if they become one, so about two paragraphs. This guy wrote 4 long paragraphs telling us of all of his jobs in the field (UWM PD, WI State Fair PD, University Legal Clinic, and working at the Milwaukee County District Attorney) but failed to say why he wanted the position. It's great that he has done all of those things and the contacts that he has could help the CJSA but the way he worded things in those paragraphs made him sound like a smart ass. Instead of using 'many' he used 'plethora'. He said, and I quote, 'I wish to become a CJSA officer in order to fulfill its potential of becoming a first-rate student organization at a world renowned institution of higher education'. That doesn't answer our question as to why he wants to be an officer. Lastly he says, 'I hope I can lend myself to the CJSA and build a successful and effective organization for all' as if we are just starting off (which we aren't). 
The bottom point of this post is, when you are asked a question, answer it. Don't beat around the bush telling us what you have done no matter how impressive it might seem or use thesaurus-ed words. Answer the question and then expand that answer if it is called for.

Best Friends

When you are a kid, you have a group of friends that you did everything with. You knew their home numbers by heart and new exactly how long it took to get to their house for your play dates. But everyone had that one friend that was extra special to you. That is your best friend. My best friend is Laura. We tell each other everything from how our day was to what we want to do in the future. I even tell her more stuff than I tell my sister and we are close. We've been best friends ever since the 5th grade when we went on a field trip and we each wanted to be paired up with two different people but were stuck together. On the bus ride there we despised each other, on the ride back, we were inseparable. Middle school came and we were still close having some classes together but not many. Then high school hit and we were forced to go to different schools. We each had new groups of friends but always found time to hang out just the two of us, talking about the past, our present and out future (we always dreamed of owning an island in the Bahamas). In college now, we are still separated going to different schools almost 4 hours away. While we are separated physically, we have never been closer mentally. We call each other weekly and send constant emails to each other telling about our days. Today, she proved again why I love her. She sent me a video, as she usually does, about Tough Mudder and told me that she was going to do it. Her memory isn't always the best and when I said I was doing it too on the same day, it brightened her and my day enormously. We are now planning to train for it together over the summer (as it is in September) and will encourage each other through the obstacles, all 26 of them. We might be two totally different people, but we really are two peas in a pod. So thank you Laura for always being there for me and showing that even after 12 years of knowing each other, we still have a long way to go.

Awesome Day

Yesterday I had an awesome day. It started out rough as I had to get up early for my morning class but I woke up before the alarm rang in annoyingly so that was a plus. I had yogurt with granola and a cup of tea for breakfast which tasted really good and then off to class with another cup of tea. 
On my way to my class, Criminal Justice, I ran into this guy

Who always tries to hand out pamphlets to help stop animal cruelty with pictures of pigs and chickens in line to be slaughtered. The real thing about him that is funny is the way he says "Help stop animal CRUELty?" with his voice going up and down. 

I arrived in my class early and there was only one other person there who was reading Harry Potter, which I spotted from several rows back without even passing her and we had a long talk about how totally awesome Harry Potter is and she has a remote control wand for her TV and another one that turns on a candle. 

During class which was easy I got a phone call and didn't answer it, because for one, I was in class and two, it was a restricted call so I thought it was a telemarketer or something. 

On the way to my German class (after lunch) I remembered the message the 'restricted' person left and listened to it. Turned out to be from the Milwaukee ATF about a speaker coming out to speak to a club I belong to, the Criminal Justice Student Association (CJSA). (Side note that makes it so much funnier: I emailed the ATF thinking that would be easier on their part. They sent back an email with a phone number that turned out to be to headquarters in DC. The guy that answered headed me in the right direction finally ending up in the Milwaukee office.)

During German class (where I am learning old German Script) I was the only one who recognized the short hand by putting a line over an 'm' or 'n' to symbolize doubling that letter. Professor said good job to me. That class ended early so I had plenty of time to go and change for kick boxing which kicked my butt and felt so good. 

After kick boxing, came home and showered and then made a perfect egg (the yolk all runny and the white really soft). Ended the night with some reading of Hell House by Richard Matheson which got significantly better after the first 100 pages. 

Hopefully today will be awesome too!

Why I Write

Everyone has their own reasons for writing. Some have a story in them so they write a book. Some write a blog because they are really passionate about a certain topic. I, I write to be heard. I thought about this for a few months and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It started off with a little bubble in my head while I was writing my third book (the first one that I will publish later this month hopefully). I asked myself why and that was what I came up with. Yes, I do have several other book ideas brewing inside of me, growing darker by the hour, but the real reason I write, is to be heard. 
Normally when I am speaking to someone, they will cut me off, and normally (not going to lie) I let them. It is frustrating but I do. Well, no one can cut me off when I'm writing. When I'm writing, I'm in a world all my own. The characters become friends telling me about their days as I they lead me on their adventure. This blog is mainly to clear my head (and I thank you for reading and helping me stay sane). My head is full of lots of information, some more relevant than other. I like sharing my experiences with you and I hope you enjoy reading them just as much. So thank you. Thank you all that have read my blog and will read my posts in the future and hopefully my novels. I write to be heard, so thank you for listening.

Why?

Some people have asked me why? Why did I do the Polar Bear Plunge? Why did I do a half marathon last year? Why are you going to do a marathon this year? Why are you going to do the Dirty Girl Mud Race? Why are you going to do the Tough Mudder? My answer: to discover myself. 
Without pushing myself to the limit, whether it be cold, distance or obstacles, how will I know, really know, what I am capable of. Before the half marathon last year with my mom, I thought it would be crazy to go 13.1 miles and that I would be crawling the last five miles home on my hands and knees, puffing out of breath. In reality, I was fine. A little tired (but who wouldn't be) but I was fine (and in less time than our goal!). We kept the same pace up and down the long and winding hills and after long we made it to the half way point. Not only was it fun accomplishing a half marathon, in which more people won't do than will, but I discovered that once I set my mind to it, I really can do anything. 
This year I am psyched to discover myself in new ways and push my limit on what I can and can't do even further. As for now, it is time to hit the gym and do some training, as with all things, "The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment." (unknown)

The Day The Music Died

A long long time ago (back in the 50's), there was this man named Buddy Holy. Buddy Holly was one of the first musicians to write all of his own songs; this was not appreciated by many because the majority of the audience does not care who wrote the songs, they just cared that they can listen to the final product. Buddy Holly also did experiments in the recording studio which led to new techniques that are used today, such as echo effects and close miking, or the use of several microphones instead of just one which hung from the ceiling.  
The Day the Music Died Day, today, commemorates the death of singers Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. These three Rock singers died in an airplane crash on February 3, 1959. They were at the height of their career and popularity. These three were among the top of the 1950's generation's music idols. Those who grew up in the fifties mourned the premature deaths of their music idols. Memorials and remembrances occurred for years. Today, there are many websites memorializing their deaths, and detailing the events before and after the tragedy, but the most famous is the song by Don McLean: Bye Bye Miss American Pie. This song, one of the longest of it's time at a record eight and a half minutes mourns their deaths, relating them to The Father (Holly), Son (Big Bopper), and Holy Ghost (Valens). 
Buddy Holly did a lot in his short cut life to revitalize the music industry. Who knows what he could have done and where our music would be today if his life was not cut short by that plane crash. 
So I assign you this: go listen to some Buddy Holly, maybe you like Not Fade Away, or Everyday, maybe you would prefer Holly Hop or That'll Be The Day is more your thing. Please listen to this music and think about how incredible it was for him to revolutionize music as we know it today.