Spring Break Day Eleven: The End of Break

I want to go back to school, but man, I really love sleeping in and doing nothing.  I did not realize how much I enjoyed it until now, when it's time to put the nose back to the grindstone.

I'm really going to miss break.

But I am happy to go back.  My writing gets so stagnant when I don't have anything to shake up my week.  If I had a job, it would be different because work always provides inspiration.  Since I don't, though, a lot of my ideas come while I'm at school.  And school gives my brain that extra push.  By doing homework and participating in class, I'm stimulating my mind which in turns stimulates my writing.

So it's a good thing.

Again, though, I am seriously going to miss sleeping in.  Daylight savings has not been kind to me.  I am exhausted already and the week is just starting.  Not fun, peeps, not fun.

Tomorrow is so many things.  The first day back to school after break.  The "Ides of March".  The day of the Jeopardy! test.

I'm actually really excited for that last one.  Even if I don't make it past the online test, at least I can say I tried.  Plus, it's going to be a lot of fun.  As I've stated before on here, I'm a huge Jeopardy! fan. 

Do I know enough trivial information?  No idea.  But I'm still excited anyway.  Nothing is going to ruin my day tomorrow.

My day today was actually pretty good too, except for being tired.  I went to the library and loaded myself up with reading material.  I'm very excited.  Granted, it's been a while since I've been able to actually finish anything.  It's being busy with school and life; it puts a serious kink in the reading world.  But I plan on making time this go.

One of the books that came in is called "The Book of Awesome".  It is amazing.  If you have never read it, I highly recommend you go pick up a copy and start reading.  It's great.

And on that note, I'm going to leave you so that I can enjoy the rest of my last day of break.

~Meaghan

Spring Break Day Ten: Battle of the Scale

I hit that moment this morning when I realized: a good chunk of the weight I've lost in the past month and a half has come back.

This is what break does to me, guys.  I sit around, unmotivated (and completely happy about it too, actually) to really do anything.  I eat.  I write.  I eat some more.  I read.  I munch a snack.  I make some knitted projects.

And on and on.

I mean, break is great.

But break also means that I've gained back weight.  I guess I'm going back to running the stairs at school.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  Goodness knows I should be doing that anyway.  I've become too dependent on the elevator this semester....

Oh well.  It was worth it.  Especially the doing nothing part.  I love that part.

Only one day left.  Then it's back to school.  Oddly enough, I'm back to having weird feelings about it.  Maybe it's because I'm not sleeping well.  It's not the classes I'm worried about.  It's the social end. 

But really, I should be fine as long as I have a book with me.  I feel like Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  "With her nose stuck in a book, she really is a funny girl..."  Yeah. 

Interesting, random trivia here: I actually can navigate my way almost anywhere while reading.  It's not something I recommend (I've almost tripped over completely flat surfaces multiple times while doing it, but then again, I trip when I don't read and walk), but it's kind of a cool thing to do.  People leave you alone.  Or they look at you like you're a complete odd ball.

I never did get a new phone.  I went to Best Buy and looked at their phones.  In the end, I decided that since the plan I'm on (my parents' plan) is going to be renewed in like three months, I'll just suffer through it and then get the free upgrade phone. 

I just couldn't spend the money for something I realized I could get for free if I waited.  Further proof that I am my father's daughter.

I hope you guys are all having a great Sunday.  I have to go finish blocking a scarf that I made this week.

Until we meet again.

~Meaghan

Spring Break Day Nine: Saturday Already?

I am totally ready for school to start again, but can you believe it's already Saturday?

It's like I've suddenly realized all the things that I have to do in the next week.  I have to give a presentation in Creative Writing on Thursday.  I have to be prepared to pick a topic for English on Tuesday.  I'm taking the Jeopardy online quiz on Tuesday.  I'm dog sitting Friday through Sunday.

And we're all losing an hour of sleep.  I'm not really ok with that.  Ugh.

But it's going to be good.

Today I knitted and worked on my chapter for Creative Writing.

I plan on doing more of the same tomorrow.  Then Monday it's all back to the grindstone.

I'm exhausted.  I'll talk to you guys later.

~Meaghan

Spring Break Day Eight: Red Hair

My hair is now cut nicely (always a nice feeling) and is red.  I haven't done red before, prefering to stay to the violets and dark browns.  I must say, it's nice.  I feel sassy.

Bring it on, school.  Bring it on with your professors, presentations, and oblivious boys.  I can handle it.

I'm also going to get a new phone tonight.  Very happy about that. 

Kate and I hung out today as well.  We went shopping, had lunch, and basically proved how awesome we were rocking out in the car.

All in all, a great way to spend a tax refund.

Another day of break down.  School is looming.  I'm ready.

~Meaghan

Spring Break Day Seven: Skipping Day Six

Yeah.  Day six was good, but I was so tired yesterday that it just did not happen.  So you guys get two days for the price of one.

(No need to thank me, you know you wanted to hear about two days in a single post anyway...)

So yesterday I went for ice cream with one of my friends from school.  It was a pleasant change of pace.  We walked around an outdoor mall and went into all the stores, smelling candles and playing with make-up. 

Honestly, sometimes a girl just needs some time with her gal pals.  It's something that I never realize I need until I'm doing it and then it clicks.  Down time to talk about school, family, life, boys, etc.  So much fun.

Today my mom, sister, and I went to the museum.  That's always fun.  They have some really cool exhibits, like one on minerals found in Colorado and one on dinosaurs.  Gotta love it.

It wears you out, though.  They keep the place so warm that it's hard for me to focus past two exhibits.

I've decided that I'm going to make a cardigan.  I've not knitted clothing before outside of socks and hats, so it's going to be a new project for me.  I've gotten part of my tax refund back, so I figure the government can buy me chunky yarn for it.

That's another thing.  My phone is a piece of crap.  Yesterday it died and had to be taken apart and put back together.  Today I realized that I can't hear it ring - it doesn't ring or vibrate when someone calls me.  I went into the sound settings to adjust the ring tone, and the phone turned itself off.  It did that five times to me between last night and today.

So I'm going to go over to Best Buy and see if I can buy a better phone.  Maybe one that will last longer and will be what I want instead of one that keeps falling apart.  Seriously.  This one and the one before it both keep falling apart.  It's really annoying.

I think that about sums it up.  My sister and I are going out tomorrow and then I'm getting my hair re-colored.  It's going to be fun.  I'm very excited.

Spring Break is nearly over.  I'm both excited and sad about it.  We shall see how school goes the rest of the semester.  I'm hoping for good things.

Until we meet again.

~Meaghan

Spring Break, Day Five: The Realization of Homework.

I woke up at four this morning and all I could think was "Crap, I have homework."

Awful timing for realizing that, too.  You know how it is, dear readers.  Everything seems bigger, scarier, and more like a crisis at four in the morning.  Granted, it never is as big or as scary or a crisis, but your mind doesn't know that at the groggily early hours before dawn.

So now I have a choice.

I can face my homework and get it done before break is over, leaving me the rest of the week to waste time.

Or  I can put it off until the weekend.

I think I'm going to compromise and get part of it done today, then push the rest off until later.  It's still procrastinating.  It's just a more...productive...way of doing it.

I feel like break is starting to drag anyway.  I mean, I love being on break as much as the next person.  But school was my flavor packet that shook up the raman of my week.  (You know it's bad when I'm coming up with odd metaphors.) 

But, fun things are going to abound this week.  I'm going out with a friend tomorrow for ice cream.  I'm going to the museum with my family on Thursday (after I survive a doctor's appointment - yay for yearly check ups...).  I'm getting my hair colored and cut on Friday.  And I might be going out with another friend on Saturday.

So it's going to be a good rest of the week.  I just have to let myself enjoy relaxing.

And getting that homework done.  Very important there.

And hey, I got part of my tax refund back today.  Life is good.

Enjoy your Tuesday, dear readers.

~Meaghan

Spring Break Day Four: Snow and a Challenge

Eww, snow. 

Granted, it's Colorado, so it's kind of expected, but still.  This is Spring Break, folks, not winter.  Emphasis on the SPRING part, please.

Anyway, what are you going to do, right?  Just go with it.  That's the plan. 

And breath.  Cause it's important.

So on Facebook (I'm not ashamed of social networking, you guys are more than welcome to look me up) there's this thirty day challenge thing.  Each day, you pick a different song to answer a different question/statement/thing.  I'm intrigued to see how music affects my life (because I know it plays a huge role in everything for me), so I've decided to do it.

I thought it would be fun to do it on here as well.  That way you guys at home can play along as well.  Plus, you don't have discussions about it on Facebook, but here I can talk (or rather, type) your ears off about each song I pick.

I'm excited.

So here's the list to get everyone started:

Day 1 - Your favorite song
Day 2 - Your least favorite song

Day 3 - A song that makes you happy

Day 4 - A song that makes you sad

Day 5 - A song that reminds you of someone

Day 6 - A song that reminds you of somewhere

Day 7 - A song that reminds you of a certain event

Day 8 - A song you know all the words to

Day 9 - A song you can dance to

Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep

Day 11 - A song from your favorite band

Day 12 - A song from a band you hate

Day 13 - A song that is a guilty pleasure

Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love

Day 15 - A song that describes you

Day 16 - A song you used to love but now hate

Day 17 - A song you hear often on the radio

Day 18 - A song you wish you heard on the radio

Day 19 - A song from your favorite album

Day 20 - A song you listen to when you're angry

Day 21 - A song you listen to when you're happy

Day 22 - A song you listen to when you're sad

Day 23 - A song you want to play at your wedding

Day 24 - A song you want to play at your funeral

Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh

Day 26 - A song that you can play on an instrument

Day 27 - A song that you wish you could play

Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty

Day 29 - A song from your childhood

Day 30 - Your favorite song at this time last year

Pretty straight forward there.  I think it's going to be an interesting experience.

I've decided that for the music challenge, I will do a different post.  So for thirty days, there will be two updates a day: one for regular blogging, and one for the music challenge.  They will be labled accordingly.

In other news, I'm knitting a fish.  He looks a bit like a Franken-Fish.  I'm going to call him Fred.  I'm not sure why, but that's his name.  And he's confused.  Again, I don't know why, but my sister and I have decided he's Fred the Confused (Franken) Fish.

It's a fun world, the world of stuffed toys.  Lol.

My novel is still progressing nicely.  I hope to have a rough draft finished by the end of the year.  I'm procrastinating at answering emails, so if you have emailed me, I apologize.  It will be coming.  Also, because I am on break, I probably do not make a lot of sense.  Giving you a heads up.

Alright, this has been day four.

Until tomorrow (or the music challenge post, actually),

~Meaghan

Spring Break Day Three: Car Ride!

I love taking long car rides.  Especially if someone else is driving.  I love looking out the window, watching the scenary pass by.  Plus car rides always induce stories, laughter, and fitful naps.

Today, that's what we did.  My mom, my sister, and I went for a car ride.  It was awesome.  Even though we knew where we were most of the time, it felt like an adventure.

I love spending time with my loved ones, and I love car rides.  It was perfect.

I think it might storm.  It certainly looks like it could.  Feels like it too.  I'm holding out for rain, but the weather people are saying we should be prepped for snow.  That's the one thing about living in Colorado - it very rarely rains when you feel like it should.

I'm working on revising a chapter for my young adult novel.  I feel like this story has so much potential.  The characters are very dear to me.  The only thing is that the story is turning out to be a lot more complex than I was originally thinking it would be.  I like it.  I like the new developements and the twists along the way.

I just hope I can do it justice.

I'm thinking that even though I'm on break, I should probably be working on my psych paper.  I just don't feel that motivated.  Maybe I'll save it as a back up plan for if I'm bored out of my mind later this week.

My neighbor made it home.  The dog is doing well.  It all works out for the best.

I feel like this is a good afternoon for doing nothing.  Maybe that's what I'll do the rest of the day.

I hope you guys are all having a great day and that you enjoy your weekend! (Or what's left of it...)

~Meaghan

Spring Break, Day Two: Exciting News

Yeah, I've decided my whole spring break is going to be delineated out like this.  I think I can find something interesting each day of break.  We're going to find out.

Anyway, my exciting news.

I'm going to be a published author.

No, it's not the writing contest I entered (I'm still waiting to hear about it), but it's still awesome.  I'm going to have a poem I wrote published in the school literary magazine.  It gets distributed all over the school and in some places through out the community as well.

I'm very excited.

I actually did a happy dance when I found out this morning.

This goes to show that I am on the right track.  Another block has fallen smoothly into place.  It's fun and I like it.

As for the rest of my day, it's been going pretty well.  My lung and shoulder still hurt, but there's not really a whole lot I can do about that, and let's be honest.  I'd rather have the uncomfortable feeling than the other problems it could have been.  I'm dog sitting.  That's about it.

I'm actually going to be published somewhere.  It's still sinking in...

Enjoy your weekend, folks.

~Meaghan

Spring Break Day One: In the ER...

Today did not go how I planned it to go at all.

It started off ok.  Kate and I went to try to make up the bowling we missed on Monday.  But the people put us next to a senior league who made it very clear they hated us for being young and on a league.  It was so discouraging.

So we left, deciding to finish our bowling on Monday after league. 

And that is where the real trouble began.

On Wed, I had woken up with pain in the right side of my chest all the way from my shoulder down.  Every time I took a breath, laughed, whatever, it hurt.  Bad.  I figured I had pulled something somewhere along the way and didn't think anything of it.

Sleeping Wed night and Thursday night was a nightmare.  I couldn't roll onto it; breathing was still painful.

So today, my mom and sister decided it was time for me to go to Urgent Care to see what was going on.  After leaving the bowling alley, we headed over.

An hour and a half plus several X-Rays later, the lady at Urgent Care told me I had to go to the ER.  Her thinking was that it was probably blood clots in my lungs due to my birth control pills.

We went, grabbed my dad, and went to the hospital.  There I spent the remainder of my day up until a few hours ago being prodded, poked, and questioned.  I wore a gown, had a CT scan with iodine (the weirdest sensation, I tell you), and ultra sound. 

The two fears were that a.) I had blood clots or b.) my gall bladder bit the dust.

The happy news?  It wasn't either.  The doctor I saw was happy to tell me that I had inflammation along my right lung and that it should go away on it's own within a week.  In other words, I got to go home.

So it was a crazy busy day.  Not at all how I wanted to spend it.  My poor family was stressed out beyond stressed.  My arms are crazy sore from blood work and stuff.  And I have a cool band that has my name and DOB on it.

I'm exhausted.  I don't know if this made sense, and I don't know if I care.

The only thing I know?  I'm really happy to be home.

What a way to kick of spring break, huh?

~Meaghan

I Yelled at a Goose Today.

Yeah.  You totally read that right.

I - a rational, intelligent young woman of twenty - yelled at a goose today.

Several geese, actually.

The school campus is flooded with them.  They spy on us, the humans.  They drop their little "presents" wherever they want.  And they think they own the place.  As one of my friends today so eloquently put it: "The geese have it coming."

I went to McDonald's to grab lunch with one of my friends today because it was such a nice day and I wanted off campus for a while.  Walking back, these geese crossed in front of us, staring us down.  One of them hissed.

I did something I am both embarrassed and kind of pleased about.

I gave the goose a piece of my mind.

"What?!" I practically shouted.  "What do you want, goose?? Huh?  What did I do to you??"

The goose looked at me, looked at my lunch in a bag, and proceeded to cross the sidewalk to feast upon the yellowing grass on the other side.

"That's what I thought," I mumbled.  My friend was in stitches.

So then my other friend, the one who made the comment about the geese asking for it, and I went outside after I took a midterm.  We both had time to kill before our next class and it was still beautiful, so it made sense. 

On our way in, I had another stare down with a different goose.  It backed down first.  I felt awesome.

I think this only ties in epicness with me nearly getting hit by a bicyclist on Tuesday.  (I was crossing the road, he wasn't paying attention.  An extra half a second and it would've been baaad...)

Thank God for break.  No geese, no boys, little homework, and lots of sleeping in.  No tests, no teachers, no in-class group work, no cafeteria food.

I'm a little excited about this, can you tell?

And now, I'm off to enjoy dinner.

~Meaghan

Middle of the Week.

I'm re-writing my English paper.  I realized I did the assignment totally wrong.  I thought it would be painful to re-write it, but it's actually not.  I'm a lot happier with what's coming out now than with what I initally wrote.  And it looks like I'm actually going to make the page requirement.

Spring break is around the corner.  It's exciting.  The weather is warm, my attention span is shot, and I'm ready to do nothing for a whole week.

Although, I'll probably get caught up on homework over break.  Maybe try to get ahead.  That would be nice, lol.

I'm re-writing part of my cricket story, too.  Still not loving it, but I like it better than I did.  At least I'll have something to turn in tomorrow.  That's always the goal: even if it's bad, it's better to turn it in and at least try rather than give up altogether.

I feel like I want to do something today, but I'm not sure what.  Maybe I'll go for a bike ride or a walk.  It's really nice outside so I feel like I should take advantage of it.

I woke up feeling really hopeful today.  I don't have a clue as to what is going to happen, but I really do feel like I'm finally on the path God wants me to be on.  It's encouraging.  I feel like good things are going to befall me the rest of the semester.  It makes me feel optimistic.

Tonight, my guilty pleasure show is on: America's Next Top Model.  Normally I'm really into shows like CSI and Bones.  But I love Tyra Banks and America's Next Top Model.  Sometimes when I'm in an aisle at the grocery store by myself, I practice my model walk.  It's silly, but the show makes me realize how beautiful we all are, inside and out.

Maybe that's why I have such a preoccupation with Beauty and the Beast.  She, Beauty (or Belle, etc.), is this really strong heroine who sees things and people for what and who they are.  She doesn't take crap from anyone, doesn't wait around for a prince to come save her from her life, and won't change who she is for anyone.  She's smart, funny, and well read.

The Beast (I don't know if he has a name in any of the versions) is this horribly selfish person who learns from Beauty and begins to grow as a character.  She can see beyond his awful shell; likewise, he respects her for who she is and doesn't ask her to give up who she is.

It is both empowering and beautiful.

(I think I know what I'm watching over break...)

Ahh.  I need to go finish my papers.  Yay for the middle of the week, right?

Enjoy your day, dear readers.

~Meaghan

The Sunday Edition.

I've always been confused about Sunday.  Technically, it is the start of a new week.  But so many people consider Monday the start of the week (because of work, school, etc.) that as a kid I was always left wondering. 

So is Sunday the start of the week or the end of the week?  Technically it's the start of the week and the end of the weekend.  But I still loathe Monday - the day when I realize that my homework is due in less than a twenty-four hour period, so I better get cracking - so I'm going to consider Monday the start of the week.

What are you going to do about that, calendar people?

My sister has caught another virus.  We're thinking it's a cold, but you can't be sure.  She felt like she was running a fever earlier.  I'm being a bit paranoid: extra hand sanitizer, keeping a safe distance, etc.  A lot of people have laughed at me for that, but I really don't want to repeat last semester.

Last semester, I was sick all but about two weeks around Halloween.  (I was well when I went to see Rocky Horror; I got sick half a week later.)  Being sick is not fun.  I've already had a cold this semester.  I have no intentions of staying in bed again.

So I hope she gets better soon, both for her sake and for my own.

Still have that English paper to get done.  At this point, I'm drawing it out for all it's worth.  I know it will only take me about an hour to finish.  I know that I know what I'm arguing about and how to prove my points.  I know that even though I hate citing my sources, I can do the citions without trouble.

I just do not feel like doing it.

I think it's because spring break is around the corner.  I mean, I have one more week of classes and then I get a week off.  It is going to be really nice.  I'm going to color my hair again, sleep until nine every morning (that's about as late as I get, lol), and homework is going to be done in advance so I can skate through the semester.

I am hoping that this week is good where school is concerned.  I'm going to keep my head up, hope for the best, and expect the unexpected.  Prayer and hope and breathing.

Now, I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my weekend.  I suggest you guys do the same.

Until we meet again,

~Meaghan

Sometimes Rough Mornings...

...mean absolutely nothing.

I was running late this morning.  My alarm is slow by about five minutes and I forgot to compensate for that plus snoozing when I set it last night.  I raced through the shower, raced through putting my make-up on, and tried to race through swallowing my heartburn pill.  (I didn't do so great today; I have trouble swallowing pills, so it's hit or miss.  I'm getting better, but the more of a hurry I'm in or the more stressed out I am, the harder it is to do.  So yeah...)

In the process of running what felt like late in my mind, I sliced my index finger of my left hand with my thumbnail.  The only bandage choices?  The Princess and the Frog or Hello Kitty.  (I'm rocking the Princess one; it's surprisingly hard to type with...)

But I calmed down once I was in the car.  My dad and I had a good talk as I took him to work.  The whole way to school, I worked on focusing on what I need to do, how to do it, and getting myself centered.  Basically, I prayed.  Because honestly, that is sometimes the only thing that works for me.

I made it to school with twenty minutes to spare.  I ate a cinnamon danish for breakfast in the car before going in to class.  My first class went better than expected.  The homework got pushed off till Thursday (yay!) and we got the choice of working in pairs or by ourselves (another yay!) for the in class stuff. 

Psychology was good.  We have to write a paper about where we are and what we're doing with our lives.  It's a question that I hate when people ask me about because really, at age 20, I don't know where I want to go just yet.  But it shouldn't be that hard to write anyway.  The lecture was interesting, but I'm not entirely sure I remember what it was about.  That might not be a good thing...

My writing instructor liked my idea for my portfolio piece.  She also likes the poem I wrote last week enough that she asked permission to share it with the class on Thursday. =D I like how it turned out, as well.

Public speaking was good.  We're getting ready to give another speech.  This time it's informative; I don't know what I'm going to do mine on, but I have all of Spring Break to work it out.

Lunch was good too.  I caved and bought a sandwhich against my better judgement.  Going up to the second floor student area, there were actually places to sit.  As in empty tables, guys.  It was amazing.  I sat at a table, ate my sandwhich and planned out my writing proposal. 

And I took initative in other areas over lunch.  Did we talk?  No.  He did homework and I read.  But I got a smile out of it, the first smile I've been allowed to witness from him.  It was incredible; his whole face seemed to light up.  I'll take it.

I also saw a fellow classmate from last fall, two bald eagles, and was able to drive home with the windows down.  All in all, a great day.

This goes to show, my dear readers, that you can not judge your day by how your morning starts. 

Until we meet again,

~Meaghan