Anitclimactic.

To expound upon my post from Wednesday regarding my social awkwardness......

Last night I was at my middle nephew Mitchell's wrestling meet. While there, I saw one of my favorite teachers from highschool, Mrs. McQuiston. I hadn't seen or spoken to her since my Freshman year of college, when at the last minute I decided to apply for a scholarship and needed a letter of recommendation (with which she happily provided me). At one point, Mrs. McQuiston was talking to someone near where I was sitting in the bleachers (I could have reached out and touched her arm if I wanted to), yet I completely chickened out of saying hello to her.

Why, I have no idea.

Not only was I an excellent student in Mrs. McQuiston's English class my Junior year, I went on to be her student helper. She wrote an entire two pages in my Senior memory book. She also used to visit me in the evenings where I worked at Dress Barn after graduation when she would take her daughter to The Little Gym, which was in the same plaza. And of course, she wrote me that glowing letter of recommendation my Freshman year of college (which yes, she let me read). So you see, I had absolutely no reason to be nervous about saying hello (other than the fact that I'm - well - me).

At the end of the wrestling meet, Mrs. McQuiston walked by where I was sitting once again, and this time I was determined to say hello. I got up from my seat, and the conversation went something like this.

Me: Hi!
Mrs. McQ: Hey! It's been awhile.
Me: Yeah....
Mrs. McQ: So what have you been up to?
Me: Not much. I work at IUPUI in a laboratory now.
Mrs. McQ: That doesn't surprise me. Do you have a brother wrestling tonight?
Me: No, my nephew wrestles for Eastwood.
Mrs. McQ: Ah....

And that was the extent of the conversation.

I wonder if she truly recognized me and remembered who I was, or if she was just bluffing.

A Social Butterfly I Am Not.

Today for lunch one of my coworkers and I decided to go to the Campus Center to eat and do a little shopping. After eating at Mamma Leone's (well, I ate at Mamma Leone's - my coworker decided to get sushi instead), we went to Barnes & Noble. Now, the Barnes & Noble in the Campus Center is not the same size as a standard Barnes & Noble, but it does have a fairly decent selection. With this in mind, I decided to look for the book Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt, which I have sporadically searched for since it was released in September 2008 (and have obviously been unable to find). I am a huge fan of chick lit, and while this particular book falls under that category, it has religious undertones, so it is found in the Christian fiction section of the bookstore.

When I got to the appropriate section of the bookstore, there was a girl sitting in the isle looking at a book. I didn't think anything of it, and went on the search for Miracle Girls. Before I knew what was happening, the girl began speaking to me, causing me to promptly break out in a sweat. She asked me about the book I was searching for, which of course I could only tell her the title and author, having completely forgotten what the book was about (what can I say, I have a never-ending list of books I want to read). She then asked me if I was a student and a part of any campus ministry, and I told her I had graduated from college but worked on campus.

At this point, I had been unable to find Miracle Girls, so the girl suggested a different book and found it on the shelf, handing it to me and giving me a description of the plot. I skimmed the inside cover of the book, and then thanked the girl and said I would keep the book in mind. Feeling sufficiently awkward (and not to mention needing to get back to work), I excused myself, but not before asking the girl's name and telling her it was nice to meet her (I do have at least some manners - and her name was Caroline, in case you were wondering).

Immediately afterwards, I began thinking about my 30 Before 30 List, specifically number 27 - Hold a conversation with a stranger. I think I need to develop certain criteria for this particular item, because I am always turning to Brent (or in this case, my coworker) and asking, "Does that count as holding a conversation with a stranger?" Thus far, the answer I have received has always been a resounding "No." So I have to ask, what exactly should completing this particular item on my list entail?

It really is a shame I am so awkward in social situations, because if I hadn't been so nervous and shy, I could have been on my way to completing another item on my list as well, number 30 - Make a new friend (one not connected to someone I already know). All I would have had to say is, "It was really nice meeting you Caroline and I would love to continue this conversation, but I have to get back to work. How about we exchange email addresses?" I mean, Caroline seemed like an extremely nice person. How hard would it have been to say that?

Damn my tendency to flee as quickly as possible in the opposite direction of anything remotely social.

Shit List.

Doing what I do best at work (that would be procrastinating), I just found the most hilarious item on the website perpetual kid. I present to you the Shit List.

The description on the website reads:

"While everybody claims to have a shit list, there's never been a way to turn the metaphor into reality - until now. Bring the power of organization to your grudges, and find psychological well-being through the mere act of writing grievances down.

You know you have one - now do something about it!"

Other similarly funny lists include the Obscenely Important Memo, Things You Do That Really Piss Me Off, and Things You Must Do To Make Me Happy.

Firsts.

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Two days before Junior prom I found out my boyfriend had been cheating on me, so my friend Guy saved the day and was my prom date.

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? When you're young and naive, I don't think you are capable of knowing and understanding what love really is. If you asked me do I still talk to the first person I said "I love you" to, the answer is no.

3. What was your FIRST job? My first job was as a receptionist for the hair salon Great Clips.

4. What was your FIRST car? I bought my first car when I was 18-years-old, on December 23, 1998. It was a 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier RS. I drove it almost ten years, until nine months ago when I finally bought a new car on May 22, 2008.

5. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? Brent.

6. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? Brent.

7. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Mrs. Ritchie at W.D. Richards Elementary School.

8. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? When I was 15-years-old and a Sophomore in highschool, I went with my friend Candace and her parents to Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

9. Who was your FIRST best friend and do you still talk to them? My first best friend was my cousin Ryan. I would certainly hope we still talk, considering we are family!

10. Where was your FIRST sleep over? I don't remember my first sleep over, but I am assuming it was at my cousin Ryan's house.

11. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? Brent.

12. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? I was a flower girl in my Aunt Jean's wedding.

13. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? I woke up and got out of bed, duh.

14. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Mannheim Steamroller.

15. FIRST tattoo? I don't have any tattoos.

16. FIRST piercing? My first and only piercing is my ears.

17. FIRST foreign country you've been to? Canada is the first and only foreign country I have been to.

18. FIRST movie you remember seeing? Ghostbusters.

19. When was your FIRST detention? I never had detention in school.

20. What was the FIRST state you lived in? Indiana is the only state in which I have lived.

21. Who was your FIRST roommate? My first roommate was my friend Jaci (Guy's sister).

Whoop-Whoop (the titles of these things just keep getting better and better).

Here are the rules - post this list on your profile, replacing my answers with yours.

Tag 25 people to do the same thing.

If I tagged YOU, it's because I want to know more about YOU!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I have the same middle name as an aunt on my father's side.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Sunday.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, when I take the time to write neatly.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Ham (especially with Colby-Jack cheese).

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? None that I am aware of.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, on my good days.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? See answer to question five.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, although I probably shouldn't.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No, not even if you paid me to do it.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Lucky Charms (I absolutely loved Total Vanilla Yogurt, but sadly not enough other people did and it was discontinued).

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, the shoes I wear every day do not have laces.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Mint chocolate chip (preferably the brand Homemade).

13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Genuineness.

14. RED OR PINK? I don't really care for either color, but if I HAD to choose, I would choose red.

15. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I dislike several things at the moment, but one thing in particular is that I am overly sensitive.

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I miss several people at any given moment.

17. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? Naturally.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Dark blue jeans and black Skechers tennis shoes.

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? I am sitting at my desk at work, so I am not listening to anything at the moment (other than the sound of my and other people's typing).

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple.

21. FAVORITE SMELL(S)? The smell of the air before a storm.

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My sister.

23. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes, of course! We have known each other since kindergarten.

24. FAVORITE SPORT(S) TO WATCH? Hockey.

25. EYE COLOR? Hazel.

26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.

27. FAVORITE FOOD? Cheese.

28. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.

29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? 13 Ghosts (yes, I realize the irony considering my answer to the previous question).

30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? A black turtle neck underneath a purple sweater.

31. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer.

32. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs (research has shown, after all, that people need 12 hugs a day for good emotional health).

33. DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS? Yes, one brother and one sister, both older.

34. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Tory (I know how much she loves when I put her on the spot like this). I love you Tory! :-)

35. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? In my general experience, most people tend to not respond to these things.

36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster.

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Little Miss Stubborn.

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Buffalo Sabres versus Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game.

39. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? Laughter (especially a child's laughter).

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither.

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? None that I can think of, unless you count being able to cheer Tory up and make her laugh when she is in a bad mood.

43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Columbus, IN.

44. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyone's!


Yes, it is a slow day in the lab and I am trying to fill my time with anything other than actual work. I am a stellar employee, I know.

My Nephew, the Wrestler.

My oldest nephew Charlie began wrestling in the seventh grade. As a freshman he made the varsity wrestling squad at his school, and this year he is once again wrestling varsity. While Charlie has done exceptionally well from the very beginning, anyone who knows him also knows there hardly seems to be a time when he is not sustaining or recovering from one injury or another. This past Saturday at Regionals was no different.

Regionals is do or die time for wrestlers. A wrestler has to place fourth or better at Regionals to advance to Semi-State, not to mention the first match is a must win in order to not be eliminated. On the other hand, once a wrestler has won his first match the pressure is off, because even if he loses all of his remaining matches, the worst he will place is fourth.

Charlie started out the day having his head taped to prevent the huge scab on his forehead from bleeding, and having his left elbow wrapped because he hyperextended it during practice earlier in the week. Least to say, it was already looking like it was going to be a tough day. In the first round, Charlie faced off against Elwood, and after being up 6-0, pinned his opponent. The second round was a rematch three times over for Charlie, pitting him against Cathedral. Each time Charlie had faced the Cathedral wrestler previously in the season, he lost by a small margin. We were hoping this would be Charlie's opportunity to get the proverbial monkey off his back, but alas, it was not to be. In the third and final round, Charlie found himself up against Hamilton Heights. All seemed to be going fairly well even though Charlie was down by two points at the end of the first period. The second period was about to begin when suddenly the coaches for both teams were on the mat checking out Charlie, and before I realized what was going on, Charlie's coaches called for a
forfeit and that was the end of the match.

It turned out that in an attempt to escape from the hold of the Hamilton Heights wrestler at the end of the first period, Charlie got his bell rung pretty badly when the back right side of his head slammed into the mat. Charlie was dazed for quite a while afterwards, but it appeared he was going to be okay. *cue foreboding music* At practice on Monday, the team trainer was not comfortable clearing Charlie to wrestle at Semi-State this coming Saturday, so she made an appointment for him to be evaluated at Methodist Sports Medicine on Tuesday. To cut to the chase, the results of Tuesday's evaluation were not good. Charlie was diagnosed with a major concussion, ending his wrestling season effective immediately. It goes without saying that Charlie is extremely upset, especially since his season ended prematurely last year after he injured his ankle at the MIC Championship.

Hopefully next season will go better.

My Life Soundtrack.

I was actually tagged for this one by Liam at Liam's alternate reality, so here goes (although he tagged me on Facebook and not Blogger).

My Life Soundtrack

So here's how it works....
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For the first question, type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button TWICE.
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool....just type it in man!
7. Tag 10 people, and they have to do it too.

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

Opening Credits:
Pink - Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)

Waking Up:
Garbage - Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go)

First Day at School:
t.A.T.u. - Perfect Enemy

Falling in Love:
Three Days Grace - Get Out Alive

Losing Virginity:
Godsmack - Bad Religion

Fight Song:
Godsmack - Voodoo

Breaking Up:
Def Leppard - When Love & Hate Collide

Prom:
Garbage - Medication

Life:
Three Days Grace - Gone Forever

Mental Breakdown:
Evanescence - Call Me When You're Sober

Driving:
Soulja Boy - Crank That (Travis Barker Remix)

Flashback:
Linkin Park - Shadow of the Day

Getting Back Together:
Savage Garden - I Want You

Wedding:
Garbage - I Think I'm Paranoid

Birth of Child:
Animotion - Obsession (12" Remix)

Final Battle:
New Kids on the Block - Never Gonna Fall in Love Again

Death Scene:
Stabbing Westward - What Do I Have To Do?

I was somewhat disappointed with completing this exercise, because having to hit the next button TWICE, I had to skip over a lot of good songs. :-D Not to mention, I had to write down multiple songs by the same artists, which with my perfectionist personality was hard for me to do, especially when I had to write down two Godsmack songs in a row (I wanted each song to be by a different artist, so the depth of my music library would be more accurately represented). Of course, there are a few songs I am thankful didn't come up. All in all though, I think most of the songs are fairly fitting. :-)

One Word.

There seems to be a lot of these going around Facebook lately. Although I wasn't tagged for this one, I decided to do it anyway because I thought it was interesting and a challenge.

Type only ONE word answers.

It's harder than you think!! Here is what you are supposed to do....and please don't spoil the fun....copy and paste the following into your own note, then type in your answers and tag a bunch of people - including me.

Where is your cell phone.........................desk

Your hair.................................................wavy
Your mother............................................neatnik
Your father..............................................workaholic
Your favorite thing....................................hockey
Your dream last night................................work
Your favorite drink...................................chai
Your dream/goal.......................................enlightenment
The room you are in..................................office
Your fear..................................................failure
Where do you want to be in 6 years..........settled
Muffins.....................................................pumpkin
One of your wish list items.........................CHI
Where you grew up...................................Columbus
The last thing you did.................................bottles
What are you wearing................................jeans
Your TV...................................................small
Your pets..................................................fluffy
Your computer..........................................nonexistent
Your life....................................................clusterfuck
Your mood...............................................excited
Missing someone......................................many
Your car..................................................Focus
Favorite store...........................................bookstore
Your summer............................................birthday
Your favorite color...................................purple
When is the last time you laughed..............awhile
Last time you cried...................................Monday
Someone who emails me..........................Candace
Favorite food...........................................cheese
Where I would rather be right now...........mountains
Someone who I think will do this..............Tory

Murphy Strikes Again.

Yesterday as I was driving from my first job to my second job, I was on the highway when it started to snow pretty heavily. This in and of itself didn't bother me, and I continued on my way as I normally would (albeit reducing my speed to account for the slower moving traffic). Suddenly and without warning, a car in the right hand lane kicked up a piece of metal debris that was in the middle of the lane, throwing it across the highway and into - you guessed it - the front end of my car. Between the heavy traffic, decreased visibility, and suddenness of what happened, there was nothing I could do. Naturally, no sooner had this occurred and I began having a conniption fit, the snow abruptly stopped, the sun was shining, and traffic cleared.

As for saying in my post yesterday that I am thankful I'm not living the same day over and over again, a la the movie Groundhog Day? Well, one of these days, I am going to have to learn to keep my mouth shut - because that is exactly what I would like to do with yesterday. If I had left work a minute later or a minute earlier....If I had been driving a little slower or a little faster....If I had been driving in a different lane on the highway....If I had taken a different route to my second job....If only I hadn't recently bought a new car, and I was still driving my much dented and rusted Cavalier (which I would rather still be driving, by the way, except every time I turned around it needed another repair, and it was not worth the money)....If, if, if....

I know it's just a car, and it shouldn't be a big deal. While I am admittedly a perfectionist, I am by far not a materialistic person; it just makes me ill to still owe over $13,000 on something that is now damaged. Although, technically the car was already damaged, because someone put a huge scratch in the rear bumper while I was parked in the parking lot at my second job (before I even had a chance to get the car plated, no less). It took me forever and a day to get over the sick feeling I got every time I looked at the scratch in my rear bumper. I can only imagine how long it will take me to get over this.

It's Groundhog Day!

First D.J.: Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's coooold out there today.
Second D.J.: It's coooold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?
First D.J.: Not hardly. And you know, you can expect hazardous travel later today with that, you know, that, uh, that blizzard thing.
Second D.J.: [mockingly] That blizzard - thing. That blizzard - thing. Oh, well, here's the report! The National Weather Service is calling for a "big blizzard thing!"
First D.J.: Yessss, they are. But you know, there's another reason why today is especially exciting.
Second D.J.: Especially cold!
First D.J.: Especially cold, okay, but the big question on everybody's lips...
Second D.J.: - On their chapped lips...
First D.J.: - On their chapped lips, right: Do ya think Phil is gonna come out and see his shadow?
Second D.J.: Punxsutawney Phil!
First D.J.: Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's
[in unison]
First D.J.: GROUNDHOG DAY!
Second D.J.: GROUNDHOG DAY!


From the Official Site of the Punxsuatawney Groundhog Club:

Hear Ye Hear Ye

On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2009

Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators

Awoke to the call of President Bill Cooper

And greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths

After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers,

Phil proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time

And a bright sky above me

Showed my shadow beside me.

So 6 more weeks of winter it will be.

Apparently, I have been waiting almost two weeks for this day. So naturally, when I woke up this morning, I completely forgot about the fact that today is Groundhog's Day.

Go figure.

At least I can be thankful that I'm not living the same day over and over again.