In the Wee Hours

I apologize for the frequent changes to the layout and presentation of this blog. For some reason, I can’t decide how I want it to look. I think this is the result of WordPress having so many choices for me. Hopefully, I will make up my mind soon, and there won’t be a jolt each time you all check in. Thanks!

I’ve been using Proactiv for three years now, and most people who know me well have heard me praise it to the point where they should just put me on TV. But for the last few months, it has simply stopped working. My skin has gotten so bad that I prefer not going out in public. I don’t have the kind of acne that makes me look like burn victim or anything; it’s just persistent and ugly-looking. It looks as if I don’t wash my face at all when I religiously wash it twice a day. Finally, after looking at myself in the mirror this morning, I decided I’d had enough. I went down to the Sephora at the mall and picked up the Murad Acne Complex, which is basically the Proactiv rival. I almost felt like I was cheating on someone. The worst past about the whole experience, though, was how perfect all of the Sephora salesladies looked. I felt humiliated walking in with my diseased looking face. I broke out in a sweat all over, but the woman who helped me was really nice. She even told me I could return everything if it didn’t work. I just hope that it does…I’m tired of hiding out in my apartment all day.

Just wanted to share this video. I love it too much to keep it to myself.

I think I can understand why Americans moved from the country to the city 100 years ago. I’ve been living in a suburban town for the past three years, and I can feel the meager amount of sophistication I acquired during my years living in the city practically seeping out of my pores. In this retail-obsessed town, the only thing that matters is the mall. Of course, I visit this mall about once a week myself, but no one here does anything else. The last time I visited a museum was over a year ago, and my boyfriend and I had to drive through an hour of traffic to get there. Here, all we do when we go out is shop. We go to Target, Fred Meyer, Safeway…it’s the only reason we have for leaving the house. I think it’s time to return to the city.

I’m feeling awful right now. I have IBS, but I haven’t had a flare up in months, probably because I’ve improved my diet and I’ve been less stressed. But today, through a combination of what I ate (chips and jalapeno cheese dip) and my lack of sleep is causing some sort of surge in mucus production in my bowels. The result is a horrible, sick feeling that will not go away. I can go between cold sweats and feeling like I’m going to throw up, to feeling OK, but with a dull ache in my belly.

What bothers me is that there is really nothing that my doctor can do for me. She’s tried giving me different pills, but nothing works better than over-the-counter stuff, and nothing can stop the sickness from coming in the first place.

…my favorite season of the year: fall. For the past few weeks here in the Seattle area, we’ve had nothing but sunshine and dry weather, many peoples’ idea of paradise. But for me, all I can think about it how dry my skin is, how hot I am, and how irritatingly bright the sun is. The god-like meteorologists on TV are finally calling for rain tomorrow and a major drop in temperatures. I am at my happiest curled up in a soft sweater coat on the couch, listening to the rain. I love watching the wind whip the trees around and seeing flashes on lightning in the sky. Most people believe that in Seattle, it rains all year, but it doesn’t. We’ve barely had any rain in the last few months, and I’m feeling dreadfully deprived. I think my body can tell that it’s coming because I’ve been craving hot tea instead of cold sodas and I went out a bought a new sweater yesterday morning. Now, just give me a good, rippin’ wind storm, and I’ll be happy as a clam!

If I were I poet, I would compose an ode to its wonderfulness. But since I’m a simple blogger, I would just like to proclaim how much I love chicken! I just picked up a Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken from Fred Meyer, and it’s divine! I cut off a portion of breast meat and ate it with just a bit of yellow mustard…there’s nothing better. If I could, I would eat it every day.

When I decided to go back to school last year, I found myself working harder than I ever have before. Of course, with a boyfriend who is a fanatic about getting straight A’s, it was easy to find the motivation. I was able to get straight A’s almost every quarter, and made the honor roll each time. My parents were proud of me, but more importantly, I was proud of myself. I felt that finally I could be successful in college, that I had found the right formula.

Now at WSU for the first time, it’s not going so well. I’m finding myself overwhelmed with the amount of work, even though I’m only taking one extra class. I try to do my best without having to do homework 24 hours a day…I don’t think that’s worth it. I had to do an assignment the other day in my International Politics class in which I had to research a current event through a news article and link it to the main concepts in the two chapters we were supposed to have read. The unit was about analyzing politics and the history of politics. I found an article about the controversy over allowing Mexican trucks into the U.S., and it seemed to tie in nicely with the concept of an intermestic issue, that is a combination of international and domestic issues. I did the assignment and thought that I had done a good job. But, when checking in with my classes today, I found that my professor only have me 3/5, and in her email she said she couldn’t even see evidence that I had done the reading! I am astounded that she would accuse me of that! This isn’t the first time she has given me a bad grade, and now with this new one, I’m feeling more and more like giving up. I was able to make a pretty good living before I went back to school, but finishing my degree was important to me, so I gave that up. I’m trying really hard to keep my goals in mind, but it’s difficult right now.

I just let out a cleansing breath. Not every professor is going to appreciate my work, of course…I have to remember that. I’ll put in extra effort next time, and do a really good job on my essay exam this week. Then, I guess, we’ll see.

Without going into some long, complicated, and ultimately boring post all about me, I thought I would simply make a few lists about myself, which will give you some insight into who I am.

Things I am passionate about:

My family…I am very close to my parents and my two brothers. I also have an amazing sister-in-law and an adorable nephew.

Literature…I love to read! I’m majoring in Humanities at Washington State University, with my major concentration in English. I love the classics, like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, and also contemporary murder and horror stories, like those by John Sandford and the great partnership of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I am a member of a great online book club, The Book Club Forum, and I am one of the contributors of our review blog here on WordPress, BCF - The Reviews. I also have my own book review blog, Bookworm’s Oasis. All of these can be accessed through the Blogroll section.

My boyfriend…I have been with my boyfriend for over 9 years now. Although we have no plans to get married, I’m very happy with him, and proud of all he’s accomplished.

TV…this probably sounds strange to you all. But there are a few TV shows out there that I am passionate about. The first is Midsomer Murders, which is a murder mystery show from the U.K. It is based on the books by Caroline Graham, and is much more intellectual, funny, and civilized than our overly gritty cop shows here in America. I also love America’s Next Top Model (this is hugely embarrassing for me) because it allows me to indulge my fashionista side, the side that loves to collect designer handbags and shoes.

Yes, fashion…I have worked for various designer shops, including J.Crew, Sunglass Hut (where I was a store manager) and Coach. I have also read fashion magazines since I was 12 years old, and have cultivated an appreciation for fashion as art. I admire people like Coco Chanel and Christian Dior for their taste and artistic vision. Even though I don’t have a fashion model’s body (I actually have boobs, and big ones at that), I do enjoy dressing myself in fashionable clothing. I think that wearing nice clothes can give someone confidence that they may not normally have. It’s also pretty!

Interior Decorating…my style is fairly eclectic, from Bohemian to English cottage style. My mother inspired this interest in me through the decorating magazines and books she has collected forever. I even took a correspondence course in Interior Decorating and earned a career diploma, which is completely useless, but it was fun! I also collect books on decorating and love to read them on a rainy day and dream about my perfect home.

Some Favorites:

Books: The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Stand, The Book of the Dead, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, And the Band Played On, The Relic, Jurassic Park, David Copperfield

Authors: J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen King, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, John Sandford, Charles Dickens, Amy Tan

Movies: Finding Neverland, Sleepy Hollow, Signs, Gosford Park, Factory Girl, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Agnes of God, Notes on a Scandal, Run Lola Run, Rebecca

Music: I come from a very musical family, which has shaped my tastes somewhat, but in other ways, I am very independent from them. My favorite kinds of music are classical and rock, and I appreciate some hip-hop. My favorite composers are Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Vivaldi, and Bach. My favorite bands are Linkin Park, Def Leppard, Green Day, Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Smashing Pumpkins.

My favorite food is pizza.

So, there’s a little bit about me. I apologize for the length, and thank you for getting this far. I hope that you feel like you know me a bit better now, and will go on to read my blog posts with more interest.

This is the first post on my brand new blog! How excited are all of you? For this blog, I intend to let my mind just spew into cyberspace, and damn the consequences. If you’d like to visit my book review blog, click here. For now, let me take a few minutes to get acquainted with WordPress, and I’ll be back to say more!