What a Crazy Life!

Last week I was completely out of commission! I think I had a sinus infection. Starting Wednesday night I felt a horrible headache and woke up Thursday in a state of true illness. All I wanted was to sleep and blow my nose. Usually my mother is the first I call in this situation, but I felt so bad I couldn't even call her! Because I am so low on funds, I just HAD to work Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Friday was so bad at work my eyes were watering and I had to blow my nose (and then of course wash my hands) every time I walked back into the kitchen!
Since Monday I've been studying and working on an income stream project on Reba McEntire. Did you know she not only has a hit TV show but also has her own clothing line? She has money coming in from so many streams I thought she would be easy to report on, that isn't the case so far. The project is due next week and I haven't found ANYTHING. I e-mail my professor for help, so hopefully things will be looking up.
Besides all this, I really haven't had much of a life. I'm trying to find another job that pays more and I'm working hard at school...That's it! Boring right? I haven't really gone out since I haven't been feeling well and I haven't wanted to spend the money. But my friends from home are busy!
1. Joey won 3rd place in a karaoke contest last weekend.
2. Jessi quit her job after two months of working in the North Carolina School system
3. Amy is getting ready for Grad school
4. Kateri's mom was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery yesterday where they removed everything but the kitchen sink!
5. Katie is still working on finding herself and her inspiration
6. Lauren is busy planning her wedding for the weekend after Thanksgiving
7. Erin's boyfriend Brian of nine years finally proposed!
8. Colleen's boyfriend since our sophomore year in college also proposed.
9. Tim bought a new car, won an ipod, and won concert tickets all in one day!

With all my friends either married, engaged, or "taken" you'd think I'd start to get a little restless, but actually for the first time I can remember, I really DON'T want to be in a relationship of ANY kind. The men in Tennessee have not impressed me so far and I don't feel a need to be distracted by them. I have been struggling with something though. In a little less than three weeks I'll be going home for the first time. I'm very excited about seeing everyone, but I think I'm more nervous than anything else. I'm nervous because this experience has already changed me DRAMATICALLY and I fear I'm not the same person I was when I left them. I also...Well I don't feel I've accomplished enough yet. A part of me doesn't want to come home until I've accomplished...MORE! Gotten a better job, finished the first semester and knowing I can go on into my program. This is such a different feeling than coming home from Towson University. I have so much more to prove!
I took an online test the other day to see if I showed signs of anxiety disorder. I am constantly nervous about money, grades, and my future. Of course the test said I should schedule an appointment and speak to a counselor. I guess it is the best thing for me since I'm making myself sick every other week just by worrying. I think I'm honestly had this headache for two weeks straight. Time off doesn't relax me because I just think about what coming up and whether I'm ready for it or not. SO I'm guessing I won't be able to relax until December 17th when my finals are over.

Last Day of Fall Break

Today I woke up around 11:00 am and stayed in bed until a little after noon. I was reading my Harry Potter book that I just can't seem to have time to finish. For the rest of the day I MUST clean my apartment. I've been "straightening-up" for about a month but haven't actually cleaned in forever! I know that sounds bad, but when I have free time I either read for school, veg out in front of the TV or just sleep. So I have started my clean sweep. I have finished the bathroom and took out all the trash, and now here I am stalling again! :o) Writing in my blog just seems so much more interesting than doing dishes and cleaning the floor!

How long has it been since you did a full top to bottom cleaning?

Sweet Home Alabama

For my Fall Break Weekend I ended up in Alabama. Random right? I wanted to go some where so I could actually have some kind of a vacation. This was a very informational trip. It showed me some of the difference between how a northerner is raised and how people from the south are brought up. For example, southern schools often don't even offer soccer or lacrosse in their curriculums, but everybody sure knows how to play football.
Thursday evening a friend invited me to come to Decatur Alabama to watch a football game. He is a high school coach with a team that is now 8-0. I had no idea what I was getting into. The undefeated Red Raiders were playing the Hazel Green Trojans on enemy territory. As I pulled up to the field house I was already amazed at the size of the HIGH SCHOOL stadium. This was an away game, but the Decatur stands were full of ecstatic high schoolers and a huge marching band. I say huge, only because at my high school we didn't have a football team let alone a marching band. This was a scene right out of the movie "Friday Night Lights." Boys are raised on football here and it is a serious part of their lives. The whole damn town goes to every game and knows the stats of every player on the field and in the marching band.
I sat right behind the students of Decatur High school, which was a mistake. I got in the middle of a mosh pit and had to crawl out and up the bleachers for safety. To my right was the marching band and I was having flash backs from my days as a color guard when I had a 50/50 chance of catching the flag I threw. I honestly had an awesome time with the people in the stands and I was so proud to watch my friend on the side line coaching. :o)

Friday nights in the south are for High School football, but Saturdays are for college ball. I learned this weekend that I'm supposed to think the auburn Tigers are the best college team. Don't ask me anything else about them...Cause I'm still learning too. I spent ALL of Saturday watching college football. Alabama over ole Miss 13 to 10, USC defeated Notre Dame 34 to 31(which everyone I was with was really upset about), Florida State loses to Virginia 26 to 21, and Auburn was victorious over Arkansas 34 to 17. By the time football was over and the guys could leave their couches, I was ready to talk to a girl about make-up, nail polish, toothpaste or....God anything but Football!
Good news is, we hung out with some great people and I learned a few things from my southern friends.
1. You can say the meanest thing about someone, but if you add "bless her heart" after it, it's OK.
2. People in the south don't give two shits about NFL.
3. Southern men WILL NOT let you open a door.
4. There is a difference between southern people and country folks.
5. You should never wear open toed shoes to a bar in the south. I believe I have a broke middle toe due to the fact that gravity makes it hard for drunk men to hold a full bottle of beer.
I also just want to say how thankful I am that I met Tera and her sister Tiffany. They introduced me to Coach Freeman and they are the reason I had a fall break at all!

B Student and Fall Break

I have now had a test in every class and it is obvious that I am a solid B student.
Mass Media - 87%
Survey of Recording Industry - 87%
Audio for Media - 87%
History of Recording Industry - 85%
I'm hoping that now that I know how each teacher tests, I will know how to study and become an A student.

Friday starts our Fall break. I don't really know what to do with this time off! Tera is going home for the weekend so I guess I could work at the restaurant, but I would also like to have a few days of rest. I have been fighting off a cold for the last week and though I have been winning, the extra rest would be good for me. Maybe I could finally finish my Harry Potter book and read a few chapters for school. I only wish I had talked to my two best friends from home earlier, they were thinking of taking a trip this weekend because there was a really cheap flight offered by Southwest, but of course by the time I talked to them...The rates changed. :o( It sure would have been nice to see them.

Thoughts that Empower my Spirit

A Little Education

I'd like to start a new trend here on the Nashville Bound blog, I'd like to teach a little country music appreciation! I want to start with my all time favorite singer, Martina McBride. There is a full biography on this site that tracks her string of number one hits. From her second album released in 1992, The Way that I Am, she finally received her first number one hit "My Baby Loves Me" This is a fun fast tempo song that talks about how her man loves her just the way she is. Also on this album, she released her first "women's power" song (as I like to call them). "Independence Day" wasn't a number one track, but it did introduce a way for women to speak about spousal abuse through song. She continued to speak for strong women with the release of her forth album "Evolution" in 1997. My all-time favorite song is on this CD, it's "A Broken Wing." It too speaks about a women who has been abused and finally leaves her husband. Her music isn't all depressing, On this album she also has "Happy Girl."
This song is an upbeat cute song talking about how she used to be shy and stayed away
from a crowd but now is happy and loves to smile. It's a fun girlie song.
In 1999, she released her Emotion album, which she and Paul Worley produced under
BMG Entertainment on the RCA label. Now that I'm in school and learning about production, I really look up to Martina for getting involved in her creative work. Since she isn't involved in the writing of her songs, and neither would I, this is an equally fulfilling way to be involved in the marketable work.
She has released at least four more complete albums after the few I have mentioned and is still going strong with her new album, "Timeless." This too was produced by McBride and is unlike any album she has recorded, celebrating her place in a genre she holds dear while reminiscing and paying homage to the songs where her journey began. It is an entire album dedicated to some of the most revered country classics of our time.
Some of the other reasons Martina is my personal favorite, is her wonderful and giving spirit. She is married and has, I think, three daughters. She is a TINY women but has the power of a gospel singer in a traditional Baptist church. Every time I have ever seen her perform, she was flawless! Never out of breath or flat on one note! She is the perfect role model for any artist to strive to be compared to.
I want to end today's lesson with a bit of lyrics from "It's My Time" released in the Emotions CD.

There's a time to stand and the time is now or never

A time to fly, a time to let go forever

A time to grow and a time to discover

Life is precious, every second

You've wasted mine, and it's my time!

Fate or Coincidence?

When I was in the 5th grade, my family joined a new parish and enrolled me into their CCD program. The program is a religion class for students who attend public school. It was in that program that I met John Manderville. At that time he was a short, chubby blonde boy who followed me around every where I went. It was obvious that he had a crush on me, and things remained that way all through middle school. Something happened to him in high school though. That little chubby boy grew into his body, his voice lower and then I was chasing after him! In high school we went back and forth. When I liked him, he was interested in other girls and when he liked me I wanted to stay friends. As fate would have it, we went to the same college and our dorm rooms were in the same building only one floor apart! We hung out quite a few times, but never got around to dating. This is a picture of us in my dorm room freshmen year.
He graduated a year before me and got a good job with a pharmaceutical company. About two years ago we tried to meet up when we where both home for Christmas, but I decided to stay at home and spend time with my mother. I hadn't spoken to him since then, until today. I was at lunch with Katie and Tera doing some last minute studying for our History of Recording Industry test today, and I got a call from a Maryland number. It was John! He told me that he was in New York with only a year and a half left in medical school as well as being an officer in the Army. He apparently joined the Army when I got out of college to earn money for medical school. So, after a quick summary of our lives, he asked when he could see me. I said I wasn't planning on coming home until November and then for Christmas. Then he asked when my next break from school was, and as fate would have it, it's next weekend. I have from Friday to Tuesday off and I already requested off work three of those nights (just in case there was something fun to do). He asked if I would come up to visit. So I ask you, is this fate or coincidence? Should I go to New York or take my chances that he will still be single and interested in December?

My Pet Peeves

I know we all have them, but I think my list of pet peeves is getting longer and longer!
1). I hate when you are in a crowded mall, or sidewalk and can't seem to get around all the people who choose to walk at a snail's pace.
2). I hate when people slurp! MommaK used to hit me every time I slurped at the table, and I have to restrain myself from doing it to others.
3). I hate when I'm in class trying my best to listen to the teacher who is talking at a record pace, and people near me decide to carry a conversation! My attention immediately goes to what they are saying and I return to the lecture not understand at all what has been said.
4). I hate when people click their pens, tap their nails,or squeak their chair! I guess any sound that is soft, and almost undetectable and repetitive drives me nuts.
5). I hate when people sniffle and refuse to solve the problem with a Kleenex! Instead they constantly suck the snot back up into their bodies.
6). I hate going into WalMart! There are so many people, so much clutter, and too many things that make a "Beeping" sounds!
7).I hate when people make plans and then either cancel at the last minute, or even worse, never answer their phone. If you have to cancel, be a grown up and CALL! Last night I had plans to practice Guitar with Tim because tomorrow night I was going to play guitar while Tera sang at an open mic. Tim had offered I use his guitar since it is an amplified acoustic and would be easier to pick up than my acoustic. I was supposed to call when I got off work and he would come over and let me practice. Well, while I was at work I got a message from some friends we met last week asking if I wanted to hang out. When I got off work I called both Tim and my new friends and I never heard from either! If you are tired and have decided to stay in, just call!
8). I hate when people only talk about themselves and make no effort to ask how you are. I have a "friend" in Maryland that has been going to school and waiting tables for a few years now. Unfortunately there isn't much more going on in his life, but when we talk we don't talk about how I'm adjusting to a COMPLETELY different life, no we talk about waiting tables and how much he works out!!!!
9). I hate when men behave differently around a girl like me and a girl like... Jessica Simpson. There is a really sweet cute girl named Emily that started working around the same time I did so she doesn't know our manager any more than I do. But, the little asshole manager, picks on me for EVERYTHING and never says anything but nice things to her! Like today, he went around and harshly told every employee that they must come to work 15 minutes early. Emily and I pulled up at the same time, which happened to be 10 minutes early, and walked in together. But when he spoke to Emily, he kindly asked her to try to make it early to work just in case we are busy and could use the help. Don't men realize that women talk to each other about...Almost everything? So if he really thinks she sees him as the sweet guy he is only to her...He is an idiot!
10).I hate finding a new doctor, hairstylist, vet, gym, dry cleaner, and bank! I have had so many bad experiences with bad hair cuts and I finally found a great one in Baltimore 9 months before I moved. Now I'm down here and scared to trust anyone else!
11).I hate when women agree with men just to get their attention. And for that matter, I hate when people in general just abandon their core feelings and beliefs to go along with a crowd. I was in Survey of Recording Industry today and we were talking about how country music is the least downloaded music to Ipods. The teacher asked those who liked country music to raise their hands and comment on the matter. I was the first and most proud, but there were at least seven other people who confessed to liking country music. When the discussion got a little stereotypical and some-what harsh, I was the only one who still defended my preferred entertainment genre. I know this isn't like defending a religion or anything, but the same push-over mentality applies.
12). I hate my slow dial-up internet service. I just wish I had the money to spend on high speed!
13). I hate when you tell people where you go to school and they say, "do you know such in such?" Like I know everyone in a school with over 20,000 students attending it!
14). I think the one thing I HATE more than anything is people that are constantly talking about how they want a better life but make no effort to change their status. How do you expect your life to go in any other direction if you never turn the sterling wheel?
I think I had better stop because I see that this list could really go on FOREVER. What are some of your pet peeves?

Laughing is Contagious

One of my all-time favorite things to do is laugh! Laughter is very important in my life. I base the quality of friends as well as boyfriends on whether or not they can make me laugh. If a really cute guy isn't funny, I want NOTHING to do with him. It also works out the other way. If an unemployed, going-no-where, guy has a great sense of humor, I'm attracted! The latter is the more dangerous case. I love a man with laugh lines by his eyes because I know he got them from a life time of smiles.
Friends are the same way. I am drawn to sarcastic women, probably because my two sister are that way and they are my BEST friends. I do miss my friends from Maryland. I miss how well they know me and how they can cheer me up with just a look, or a funny comment about some other girl! Looking at this picture of Amy and Katie, I am reminded of thousands of smiles and how hard I have worked for my smile lines.