This is It: Freshman Year Ends

Well, friends, this is it.  I'm leaving Sioux City for the summer in just a couple hours.  I'm not going to make this a long post, because I think the last one was sufficient.
First of all, I would just like to thank those of you who have been reading my blog faithfully all year.  Your enthusiasm and encouragement is what makes blogging fun.  I would also like to thank everyone who made this year a crazy awesome adventure for me--my roommate, my best friend, my boyfriend, neighbors, professors, lunch ladies, and everyone else who has been there for me every single day here in Sioux City.  It's been a wild ride, and I know that this year was just the beginning.
Lastly, I would like to thank my friends and family back home, who have been cheering me on long distance since the day I decided I was going to school in Sioux City.  I'm absolutely sure that none of this would have been possible without you.  And know that, even though I love life here, my heart will always be right back home with you.  I'll always come home to the 651.

So this concludes my freshman year of college!  Woohoo!  Didn't it fly by?!  I have to say that this was a million times better than my freshman year of high school, so I'd say I'm off to a great start for college.  I'm sure the adventures will only get bigger and better next year.
Speaking of next year, I will be continuing to document my time in Sioux City on a different blog starting in August.  I've got big plans for this blog, so let's hope that I actually follow through.  The reason that I'm moving my blog is because WordPress will allow you to follow my posts via email, so you'll know right away when I put something new up.  So go ahead and sign up to follow it now, but know that I obviously won't be posting anything until I come back to school in the fall.

Until next year...stay shiny, Sioux City.  :)

[To God be the glory.]

A Lot to Learn

As of right now, I have one final and less than a week left here in Sioux City.  Can you believe it?!  I'm a day away from being done with my first year of college.  That's crazy!!!  Part of me still can't believe I already graduated from high school, so this is kind of a big deal.  Anyway, I suppose now would be a good time to reflect on the past nine months that I've spent here.  As I'm sure you know by now, I've had some pretty fun times here in Sioux City this year.  But you can read all about those in my previous posts. So let me make you a bullet-pointed list of the things that aren't quite so obvious, but still super important.

What I've Learned in my Freshman Year of College

• I have an accent.  I won't even try to deny it anymore.  Yes, I am that person who says "ohhh ya" and "you betcha" on a regular basis.  Iowans will always make fun of me for it, but I suppose that comes with the territory.
• Sleep is for old people.  No offense, Granny.  I love you a lot.  But I also recognize that sleep is extremely inconvenient in college!  Last semester, I tried to go to bed at 10:00 every night.  Naturally, that did not work out so well.  All the action happens in the middle of the night!  Someday, when I'm settled into a nice little house in suburbia with my husband and 2.5 children, I'll sleep eight hours a night.  Just not today.  :)
• I do not need pop to survive.  Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to publicly announce that I have been pop-free since July of 2011.  Don't get me wrong: I love pop.  Pepsi, Coke, just about anything.  But there got to be a point over the summer when I realized that the amount of pop (leftover from my grad party) I was drinking probably wasn't healthy.  And so I spontaneously quit cold turkey.  Now, knowing that pop was going to be available to me every single day in the cafeteria here in Sioux City, I didn't think I would be able to keep this up in college.  But guess what?  I DID!!!  And guess what else?  I feel awesome.  I really don't even miss it that much anymore.  I'm also a big fan of flavored water now.
• Location doesn't matter.  What I mean is this: wherever you go, your experience isn't based on the place you're at.  It's all about the people you meet.  I've met some amazing people in Sioux City this year that I know I'll be lifelong friends with.  Sure, this isn't the most glamourous town in the world.  But the people here are absolutely spectacular.  And that, my friends, is awesome.

I'm sure I've learned a lot of other things this year, but those are probably the most important.  So that's it for today!  Stay tuned for my final post of freshman year.  Until then, shine on.  :)

Second Semester Soundtrack

Alright, friends.  As we're about to kick off the final week of my freshman year of college, it is with great excitement that I present to you my second semester soundtrack.  I've spent the past few months figuring out exactly which five songs will always remind me the most of this semester of college.  And so, without further ado, let's get this show on the road.  Here they are, in order.

5. Indian Outlaw by Tim McGraw

Released in 1994, this was one of Tim's early hits.  It's #5 on my list because, as I'm sure you all know by now, I'm going to see Tim (and Kenny Chesney) in concert in July.  So I've made a playlist of Tim and Kenny music, and that's pretty much all I listen to every single day of my life.  One day when I was walking to lunch with my best bud, I started singing this song to her.
I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby, she's a Chippewa
She's one of a kind.
She proceeded to tell me that I am not an Indian outlaw.  In fact, I'm not even Native American.  So now, naturally, I sing this at her regularly, just because it's so funny.  So watch the video.  You won't regret it.

4. We Are Golden by MIKA

Ok, some of you might regret watching this one.  It's basically a guy dancing around in a diaper-looking thing the entire video.  You've been warned.
I had a two-week phase this semester of listening to nothing but this song.  Literally.  So of course it's on my list.  Despite the video being a little odd (because, well, that's what MIKA is), it's a really catchy song.  I love it because it reminds me that I need to make the most of my last year of being a teenager.  Some of the lyrics are a little bit cryptic, but I have my favorite line:
Like a magpie, I live for glitter, not you.
Magpies absolutely love to collect shiny things to put in their nests.  That's just what they do.  So this line is all about doing what you love and not letting anyone (friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, parent, professor--anyone) get in the way of that.  And I think that's awesome.  Magpies, I salute you.

3. Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

Sometime last month, my roommate got me hooked on this song.  Since then, I've heard it played over and over again EVERYWHERE.  I'm telling you, this song is contagious.  It will get stuck in your head and never leave.  Now, I'm not hating on Call Me Maybe.  I really do think it's a good song.  But if I may, let me just do a minor lyrical analysis.
Before you came into my life,
I missed you so bad.
I missed you so bad.
I missed you so, so bad.
Before you came into my life,
I missed you so bad.
And you should know that.
I missed you so, so bad.
Wait.  You missed me before you even met me?!  How is that possible?  Have you been stalking me?!?!
It's hard to look right
At you, baby
But here's my number
So call me, maybe.
It's hard to look at me??  Well that's rude.  I mean, yeah, I haven't showered yet today, but I didn't think I was so unattractive that it's hard to look at me.  So why are you giving me your number if my appearance is so unbearable?  I think I'll pass on calling you, thank you very much.

2. Domino by Jessie J

This is yet another song that my roommate got me hooked on.  (I hope you're noticing a trend.)  I can't even count how many days we got ready in the morning to Jessie J belting it out.  I'm not gonna lie...I am absolutely in love with this song.  It's so fun and fresh and it just has a life-is-awesome-and-I-know-it kind of vibe.  I'm also a big fan of her bedazzled lips in this video.  I love them so much that one day, I tried to bedazzle my own lips.  My roommate laughed so hard she could barely breathe.  It was a lovely photo shoot, and those pictures will never be seen by public eyes.

1. What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction

If you've never heard of One Direction, you should probably Google them.  Like...now.
You see, my roommate has a minor obsession with these guys.  And when I say minor, I mean major.  Extremely major.
Baby, you light up my world like nobody else.
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed.
The way you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell
You don't know, oh, oh
You don't know you're beautiful!
If only you saw what I can see
You'd understand why I want you so desperately.
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know, oh, oh
You don't know you're beautiful!
Oh, oh, that's what makes you beautiful!
Well, One Direction, after hearing you sing that at me 5 million times over the past few months, even if I didn't know it before, I can honestly say that I do know I'm beautiful.  But I'm sure you're going to continue telling me that I don't because that's what you're best at: running around on the beach and making every single female under the age of 20 drool over you while you remind them that they don't know they're beautiful.  But hey, I'm not hating, because it's certainly working for you.  You're young, you're successful, and you've won our hearts.  Even mine.  :)

So there you go.  That's my second semester in a nutshell!  Stay tuned for more of my final thoughts as I wrap up my freshman year.

Penny For My Thoughts?

Friends, I've been on a blogging high today.  I had to write a blog post (on a school-based blog) about a reading that I did for my Honors class, just as I do every week.  Usually, the readings we do are boring and (in my opinion) irrelevant to my life.  But this week, our mentor picked the topic.  And you know what?  I'm quite pleased!  Finally I got to read and write about something that I actually care about.
And let me tell you, I'm pretty sure I wrote a really solid post about this topic.  So of course I have to share it with you!  So without further ado, here's the brilliant post I wrote for Honors today.  :)

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The Penny is on its Death Bed and I Think I'll be Fine

First off, a million thanks go out to Jacque for choosing a topic that's actually interesting and relevant to our lives!  The American penny has lost most of its value over the years.  Actually, according to this YouTube video, it costs 1.7 cents just to make a penny.  Much of America is convinced that it's time to lay our old friend to rest.

I'm feeling a cause-and-effect vibe today, so bear with me as I crank out a bullet-pointed list to explain how I feel about the death of the penny.

What Will Happen if We Get Rid of the Penny

• Our wallets will weigh a lot less.  Once we finally ditch those little things, we'll be left with a few nickels, dimes and quarters.  I am not opposed to this idea at all.  Less pennies in my wallet=less weight=more room for me to put other random stuff in my purse.
• The old ladies and foreigners who like to give exact change will lose their math skills.  Sorry, Granny, but you were taking forever to dig out all that change anyway.  The line will move much faster now, so we can all get on with the rest of our lives.
• My dad's collection of pressed pennies will slowly come to an end.  The die-hard collectors are few and far between, but they're out there.  Perhaps some sort of therapy will be necessary.
• Everyone will forget about Abraham Lincoln.  No one will forget about Abraham Lincoln, unless they didn't even know who he was in the first place.  Let's think about this for a minute.  This guy is, arguably, the most famous president in American history.  Aside from the fact that his face will always be on the $5 bill (which extreme penny-lovers seem to ignore), I'm pretty sure getting rid of the penny would not erase him from textbooks, official historical documents, and oh yeah...the Internet.  Also, eliminating a piece of currency does not simply make an entire society forget about a major historical figure.  So that argument is dead.
• People won't make as many wishes at public fountains.  Without pennies to throw in there, we'll have to resort to nickels and dimes.  But knowing how frugal many people are these days, I would imagine that most moms won't be giving out coins to their kids as freely anymore.  I guess we'll just have to rely on eyelashes, wishbones and shooting stars.  Oh well.

Friends, the penny is on its death bed.  And I think we'll all be just fine.

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So there you have it!  Proof that I don't save all my brilliance for this blog.  ;)

Stay tuned for the coming series of my final posts of freshman year.  Until then, cheers!

Life is Not a Musical.

I regularly tell my best friend here in Sioux City that life is not a musical.  You see, she often bursts into song at the most inconvenient times.  Not only is her timing undesirable, but she prides herself on singing each lyric about half a second after the artist sings it.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love this girl.  I'd probably go insane without her.  But that's ironic, because she drives me absolutely crazy with her singing sometimes!  She's a really great singer--quite a bit better than me, anyway--but sometimes her timing is off. And she knows that.  So don't worry, I'm not offending her by writing this post.  :)
So basically, "Life is not a musical!" has become one of my catchphrases.  Unfortunately, I sometimes contradict myself when I belt out whatever tune is stuck in my head while walking to the cafeteria.  I don't mean to serenade everyone on campus.  Sometimes I don't even notice that I'm doing it!  I blame all the catchy songs and lyrics that get engraved into my brain on a weekly basis.  Just to give you a taste of the random songs that have been running through my head lately, here are a few videos of what I've been singing lately.

Kenny Chesney-You Save Me

As many of you already know, I'm going to see Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw in concert this summer.  So it's only fitting that I would have a Kenny song stuck in my head this week.

Taylor Swift-Ours

If you've known me for even just a few days, you probably know that I'm a huge t.swift fan.  I'm sure I'm extremely biased, but I think this song is absolutely adorable.  There was one day last week that I sang the entire song on the walk from the cafeteria back to my dorm.  You're welcome, world.

Shrek the Musical-I Know It's Today

I realize that this one probably seems a bit out of place after the last two, but hey.  I can't control the songs that are running through my mind.  This song is about Princess Fiona waiting day after day for her knight in shining armor to come rescue her from the tower.  Listen to the lyrics, because they're pretty funny, and I wouldn't hesitate to say that this just about sums up my personality.  :)

High School Musical 2-What Time Is It?

Alright, before you judge me for openly singing a song from a High School Musical movie (the worst of the trilogy, at that), let's all just admit that almost everyone under the age of 21 had an HSM phase at some point in their life.  I am no exception.  So whenever someone asks me, "What time is it?" my automatic answer is to sing, "Summertime!"  You can't blame me.  This really is a catchy tune.  It also features the infinitely handsome Zac Efron, as well as Corbin Bleu wearing a custom t-shirt that, naturally, says "I majored in vacation."

And after re-watching that High School Musical video, I'm starting to wonder if, perhaps, life really is a musical.  But even if it is, I'm going to continue telling my best bud otherwise, so as to avoid the spontaneous dancing that will inevitably follow the singing.  Sorry, my friends, but this is not Grease.  :)

Shout-out to my best college friend.  Keep using your beautiful voice to sing, and remember that a) life is not a musical and b) my life would suck without you.

The Beauty of a Bonfire

Last night, I got to experience my first bonfire of 2012.  And you know what?  I had a blast!  I went with my Bible study group to one of our adult leaders' house.  After enjoying plenty of hot dogs, pasta salad and strawberries, we went outside and spent a couple hours around the fire.  I told a couple of my girlfriends there that it felt like we were on some kind of northern retreat.  It felt great to just sit outside and enjoy good friends, conversation, and the beauty of this early April evening.
Actually, as I'm writing this, I'm looking back at all the pictures I took of the evening and smiling.  It really was a great night!  Here's why.

What I Learned at the Bonfire :)

• If you can successfully roast six marshmallows on one stick at the same time, you are officially a bonfire champ.
• 'Mallow = cute nickname for a marshmallow.
• If you're really deep in conversation with some of your best friends, you won't even notice that it got completely dark while you were talking until you get up to leave and realize that you can't see anything around you.
• After 19 years of living, I'm pretty aware of and content with the fact that the fire is, in fact, going to feel like it's melting my face.  And it's completely worth it.
• You feel really cool when you get back to your dorm at night and smell like bonfire.  Well, I felt cool, anyway.  
• Only your true friends will sit outside and freeze with you for two hours just to answer your burning (that's an unfortunate pun...) questions about some of life's biggest controversies.  

And that's all I've got for today!  Shout-out to all my lovely ladies.  I hope you're reading this.  :)

Might as Well Jump!

Alright, I know Doodle Jump isn't quite the newest trend in apps.  But I have to admit, it's my current go-to game.  Whenever I'm lying in bed, waiting for the toaster or just killing a minute or two before I leave for class, you can be sure I'm playing Doodle Jump on my iPod.
Why, you might ask, is a simple game so addicting?  I've thought about it, and I've come to the conclusion that playing Doodle Jump is like taking a vacation.  Really!  Hear me out on this one.  I've even got pictures to help me make my point.  So here we go!

This is the genuine original Doodle Jump.  For those of you who aren't familiar with it, all you're supposed to do is get that little yellow guy, called the Doodler, up as high as you can by letting him bounce off the green planks.  Don't trust the brown ones, though.  You'll fall right through them and die.

But this is just the beginning!  Doodle Jump has nine other themes, and that's where the vacation part comes in.  I'll show you just a few of the themes to make my point.  :)

Craving a cruise?  Let's go scuba diving!  The Doodler is geared up and even blows bubbles.  How awesome is that?!  You'll pass starfish, crabs and other sea creatures.  Enjoy their company, but don't bump into them.  They'll kill you.

If you're more of the explorer type, take a jungle safari through the rainforest!  Notice that the Doodler is in full safari getup, and it actually is raining.  I wouldn't hesitate to say that this is the most exotic of all the themes. 

Ok, I promise this is the last one.  But look at the Doodler...he's in outer space!!!  Dressed like an astronaut, he's literally jumping through the Milky Way.  This is the perfect vacation for when you really need to get away, because you're completely leaving planet Earth.  

I'd give more examples, but I have to get packing.  I'm leaving to go home for Easter break in three hours...and nothing is packed.  So I'll see you when I get back to Sioux City!  Until then...go ahead, jump.  :)

Never a Dull Moment: Kansas City

If any of you out there actually expect a new post from me at least once a week, I apologize.  I've been waiting to blog about my trip to Kansas City, and now I finally have time to do so!  So here it goes.

On Friday afternoon, I left for Kansas City, Missouri, with 21 other students and two faculty members.  We could only stay until early Sunday morning, but we sure did pack a lot into the time we spent there!  This is what our trip looked like:

Friday
3:51 PM: Two white, unmarked vans pull out of my school's parking lot.  In the back seat of one of them sit my roommate, our friend and me.  It's Kansas City or bust.
5:30ish: We stop at a rest area.  This is the only reason I will remove my headphones from my ears during a road trip.
8:30: We arrive at the hotel we made reservations at.  Unfortunately, the hotel forgot to save enough rooms for us, so we had to relocate to its sister hotel down the street.  Luckily, there was room for us there, so we didn't have to sleep in the vans.
9:00ish: We're finally allowed to get out of the van, set up in the hotel dining room, eat some pizza, and start a game of Apples to Apples.  Sleep follows soon after.

Saturday
8:15 AM: My alarm goes off so I can get up and go to breakfast.  I neglect to wake up my roommate, who later questions my motives.  My bad.
9:30: We hop in the vans and head off to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.  There we see The Thinker, the world's four largest badminton birdies (my personal favorite), and more than enough nudity.
12:15 PM: We sit in the outdoor part of of the museum and enjoy Kansas City's best barbecue.  This is a beautiful moment for a carnivore like myself, but more of a side-salad-and-bread moment for my vegetarian roommate.
2:00: We arrive at the World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial.  After walking through the first half of the war, my friend and I decide that the second half is probably not any more cheerful, so we head off to the tower of the Liberty Memorial.  We make it to the top.  Mission accomplished.
4:45: We finally make it to Grinders, our dinner destination.  Here I find the best Philly cheesesteak west of the Mississipi...and a pink toilet.  I'm not sure which fascinates me more.
6:56: We arrive at Legends, which is by far the coolest outlet mall I've ever seen.  Sadly, we only have 24 minutes to shop.  Good thing I'm a professional power shopper.
7:45: This is the beginning of the show we are seeing at a comedy club in Legends.  I am not pleased with the acts, but hey.  When in Rome, right?
10:00ish: After a long, tiring day, we are back at the hotel.  Do we go to bed?
11:30ish:  No, we do not go to bed!  Since my friend (and hotel roommate) is from Kansas City, her awesome mom stops by the hotel to bring us two shopping bags full of snacks.  Instead of sleeping, we play with Twizzlers and make jokes that would not be funny, or even comprehensive, if we weren't so incredibly tired.

Sunday
7:00 AM: All 24 of us are in the vans.  Adios, Kansas City.  You've been a lovely little break from reality.  :)

If that doesn't give you enough of a taste of what my weekend in Kansas City was like, check out these pictures from my trip.

The Thinker.  Apparently there are several "original" versions of this guy,
so it's probably not as big of a deal as I though it was.  Oh well.

One of the four giant birdies that graced the art museum's
lawn.  My high school gym teacher would be proud of me, not
only for taking this picture, but for remembering that back in the
olden days, birdies used to be called "shuttlecocks."

The Liberty Memorial.  You bet I climbed to the top of that thing!
(Ok, technically, I took an elevator.  But hey.  It was a long ride.)

The pink toilet at Grinders.
"No, I'm definitely not taking my camera to the
bathroom or anything..."

Shout-out to my best friends back home.  I'll see you soon.  :)

Don't Kiss me...I'm Not Irish.

I've never been quite sure what to do with St. Patrick's Day.  It's always been a very awkward holiday for me.  First of all, I'm not even sure if it should be a real holiday.  By origin, it's the feast day of St. Patrick, and having grown up at multiple Catholic schools, I appreciate that.  But man, we really go all out for this guy, don't we?  People all over Sioux City (and the rest of the country, for that matter) will deck themselves out in green, make lousy attempts to say "Kiss me, I'm Irish!" with Irish accents, and hit up local bars (where they will continue to work on those Irish accents...hopelessly).
Now, I have to admit, while the idea of these festivities seems a little bit loco (I might as well use my Spanish major for something, right?), it does sound pretty fun.  Unfortunately, after years of wondering how, exactly, I should celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I've come to the conclusion that I'm at a major disadvantage.  Here's why.

Why I Can't Celebrate St. Patrick's Day Like a Normal Person

1. My high school's main color was green.  So I can't truthfully say that I don't own any green clothing.  But in all honesty...I'm not going to wear an old, gross t-shirt that says "Homecoming 2010: In it to Win it!" unless I'm going for a jog or changing a tire or milking a cow or something. Thus, I am lacking in green for this emerald-coated day.  Strike one!
2. Not only do I have a terrible Irish accent (the only accent I really shine at is an Indian one, oddly enough), but I'm not even Irish.  I'm 25% Italian, and the rest of me comes from a bunch of other random places in Europe...but NOT Ireland.  So if anyone tries to plant one on me today, too bad for them!!!  They'll have to wait until tomorrow.  Don't kiss me...I'm not Irish.
3. I'm sure hanging out at a bar tonight would be absolutely a blast.  You don't even have to be Irish there!  The bartender doesn't judge.  However, you do have to be at least 21 (in America, anyway), and that is where I fall just two years short.  So instead, I'll probably stay on campus tonight and drink some tea.  I don't like green tea, though, so even my warm beverage won't be festive.  How unfortunate.

So there you have it.  March 17th is just destined to be weird for me.  While everyone else is embracing their inner leprechauns, I'll be sitting here, making faces at my fish.
So if you plan on going out and celebrating St. Patrick's Day tonight, enjoy it!  This day only comes once a year (luckily for me), so make the most of it.  And if you have the time, raise your glass to the lonely people all over the world who are unable to join in the festivities today.
But mostly to me.  :)

Warmer Days :)

Ok.  I don't want to be one of those cliché people who like to talk about the weather.  But...that's what I'm going to do.
Friends, it's the middle of March and it's 80 degrees and sunny!  Welcome to Iowa.  After spending spring break at a hockey rink, I definitely can't complain about this weather.  I just went on a walk wearing a t-shirt and shorts!  In all honesty, I don't miss winter one bit.
I think my fish are even excited about the sunshine.  They keep looking out the window and doing this fish-like dance move.  I think that means they want me to take them on a walk.  So if anyone has a spare fish leash or two, let me know.  


In other news, we are in the homestretch here!  I only have one quarter left of my freshman year of college.  Isn't that exciting?!  It's not that I don't love being here, because I really do.  But isn't it crazy how fast time flies?  It seems like just yesterday, I was graduating from preschool!  Alright, maybe not quite that far back.  But I have to admit, 8th grade doesn't seem like it was that long ago.  Yeah, time definitely is flying.  I don't know about you, but I'm going to make the most of the rest of this year.  Life is too short to be taken seriously, anyway.  :)


Shout-out to my best friend, who turned 19 on Saturday, and is quite possibly the coolest nerd I know.  ;)

Spring Cleaning

It's almost spring break here in Sioux City!  And while most of my friends are getting excited, I'm just getting frantic.  And not without reason!  Let's think this out logically.  I have to pack up and move out of my dorm room for the summer right after commencement on May 12th.  Before then, I'm only going home for spring break and Easter.  And, realistically, I have a lot more stuff in my room than I brought here in August.  There's no way I'm going to be able to fit it all in my parents' van in May.  So clearly, I have to start bringing things home now!  Too bad I just realized this...oh...today.  Can you say frantic?  I think so.

Thinking that I probably had a bunch of stuff to bring home sitting in my desk drawers, I decided to clean them out first.  I ended up almost finding more trash than real things that I could take home, but it was a fun adventure nonetheless.  What did I find in my drawers?  Let me tell you!

• A lot of stickers, given to me by my roommate on my birthday, which was almost three months ago.
• EVERYTHING that I was given during orientation week, including random coupons, Command strips...and my room assignment.  Why did I find it necessary to keep that?!  Isn't it obvious what room I live in?  Apparently brand-new-freshman-me thought I might forget where my room was and have to rifle through my desk drawer--in my room--to figure it out.
• A featherless feather duster thing that my mom thought I would need.  Sorry, Mom.  Apparently dorm rooms don't acquire dust.
• My class schedule from first semester.  In fact, I found two of those.  Note that I've already recycled my second semester schedule.
• Several empty notebooks that I thought I would easily fill up with all my rigorous college courses. Little did I know!

If I learned one thing from this endeavor, it's that I can pack light and get rid of most of the pointless paperwork I'm given at the beginning of the year.  Maybe if I do that, I won't have to panic and start tearing apart my room before spring break next year!  Good thing I've got three more shots at this.  ;)

In other news, two of my fishies, John and Paul, will be journeying home with me on our 6-hour road trip tomorrow!  Not only will this be their first time venturing out of Sioux City, but they'll be the very first pets to ever live with my family, even for just a week.  I'll probably keep them on my lap for a large portion of the ride.  Fingers crossed that they don't get carsick!

And now I'm off to pack up more of my room!  Have a great week, and I'll see you back in Sioux City after my lovely spring break in the 651.  

Wherever the Sun Shines

Bad days.  We all have them.  And, if you've got luck like mine, you've had a series of one bad day after another.  These days don't last forever, but they're definitely not enjoyable.  For example, let me share with you a few of the unfortunate things that made my week not so lovely.

• I had to take three history quizzes in four days.
• The Internet has been failing at random and extremely inconvenient times.
• The snow has returned.  Not only are the streets and sidewalks disgusting, but the sun is not shining.
• Wednesday was National Let's-All-Be-Abnormally-Mean Day.  But no one informed me in advance.
• My split ends are nasty.  I really need a haircut.

I hate to admit it, but those events, on top of a couple others that really aren't even worthy of this blog, had been putting me in a pretty bad mood.  So I thought to myself, "Self, how can you blog about your spectacular life when you're not even feeling remotely spectacular?"  And then it hit me like one of those "could've had a V8" moments.  All these little things don't even compare to the awesome things that I have to look forward to!  So I started thinking of all those things.  Now, it's not that I don't love living in Sioux City.  I really do.  But it's pretty gloomy here right now, so I've got some shinier places on my mind.  For instance...

• The Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw Concert on July 8th in the Twin Cities.
• Merida, Mexico, where I'm going for a whole semester my junior year.
• St. Louis, where some of my favorite cousins live!
• London.  I have no plans to go there any time in the near future, but it seems like an absolutely fabulous place!  Maybe someday.
• My friend's pool, which I will (hopefully) spend quite a bit of time at over the summer.  We'll get tan, and our friend from China will do everything in her power to stay as pale as possible.
• Any place where the sun is shining.  :)

It's true: bad days really don't last forever.  So let's get our thoughts somewhere brighter, somewhere warmer, somewhere happier.  Wherever the sun shines.

Oh!  And here's the song that inspired this post and my positive thinking.  Kenny fans, enjoy.  :)

Ciao, Football!

Is it just me, or is football season over?  Oh wait...yes it is!  Now, I'm not a hater.  I respect everyone's interests, and I don't mind if you enjoy watching football.  Feel free to spend your time however you like.  But the sport has never really appealed to me.  Not only am I not at all interested in playing it, but I don't even understand it.  So, as you can imagine, I'm very excited that the rest of the country has moved on past football season and can start focusing on, well, pretty much anything else.
But if you're like some people I know, you may have issues trying to come up with topics of conversation that don't involve football.  Have no fear, though!  I've come up with a brilliant bullet-pointed list for you.  You're welcome.  :)

Things to Talk About that Don't Involve Football

• Baseball.  Preferably the Minnesota Twins.
• The Queen of England.
• The life and times of your goldfish: John, Paul and George.
• How awesome it is that Betty White is still alive and kickin' (and sassy as ever) at age 90.
• Corn.
• The difference between crocodiles and alligators.
• Washed up child stars.
• Italian government.
• Halloween costumes for dogs.
• How unfortunate it is that people who were born on February 29th only get to celebrate their birthday once every four years.
• More corn.

You can really add anything you want to this list, just as long as it doesn't involve football in any way, shape or form.

And that's all I've got for today.  Have a spectacular week, and stay shiny.  :)

Every Semester has its Soundtrack.

Happy Valentine's Day, readers!  I'm not one of those people who's totally into all the mushy-gushy stuff this day has to offer.  But I'm also not one of those people who posts depressing statuses about how terrible it is being single today, either.  To me, I guess, today is just...Tuesday.
That being said, I'd like to do something now that I've been wanting to do for a long time.  In fact, I probably should've done this towards the end of first semester.  But hey, better late than never, right?
So as my Valentine's Day gift to everyone who faithfully reads my blog, I'd like to share with you the top five songs that will forever remind me of the first semester of my freshman year of college.  I should point out that all the songs you're about to see are songs that were constantly playing in the bathroom in my hall last semester.  So without further ado...

Top 5 Songs that will Always Remind Me of First Semester


5. Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5

I had heard this song before I came to Sioux City, but it never got stuck in my head every other day until I heard it every two hours in my dorm.  If you've never seen this video, don't expect it to be very "normal."  Consider yourself warned.

4. Good Life by OneRepublic

The first time I heard this song in my hall bathroom, I felt like I could really relate to it!  Basically, the lyrics talk about a guy who ends up in a foreign city he's never been to.  All his friends wonder where the heck he is while he's living the "good life"  in this spectacular city.  If only he were talking about Sioux City, not London, this could be my anthem.

3. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People

I have to admit, I didn't realize what this song was about until, well, just a couple weeks ago.  When you figure it out, I wouldn't advise advocating the message to young children.  Or anyone, for that matter.  Nevertheless, I'm sure my neighbors heard me humming this tune on a regular basis.  

2. Hello by Martin Solveig and Dragonette

I had never heard of Martin Solveig or Dragonette before I heard this song.  In fact, I didn't know who sang this until I searched for it on YouTube to put in this post!  But it's definitely a catchy song, thus making it easy to get stuck in my head and forever remind me of semester one of college.

1. You and I by Lady Gaga

WARNING: This is a typical Lady Gaga video.  It's very strange.  That being said, I absolutely love this song.  I'm a big Gaga fan (there's a giant poster of her hanging above my desk), and I think the lyrics and story to this song are brilliant.  Feel free to disagree, just keep it to yourself, please.

Well, that's about it!  Perhaps I've inspired a new playlist for you...or not.  Either way, have a great day, my dear friends.  Spread the love.  :)

Meanwhile in the Cornfields...

Back by popular demand: the beloved bullet-pointed list!
Just kidding.  This was not demanded by anyone of the popular (or unpopular, for that matter) persuasion.  But there's no better way to recap my highly thrilling week, right?

Highlights, Lowlights and Mood Lighting of My Week

• On Monday evening, I went to to dinner at my Spanish professor's house with the seven other students in my class.  To my pleasant surprise, it was actually a lot of fun!  Because let's be honest: semi-formal dinners generally have major potential to be insanely boring.  (I would define this dinner as semi-formal because both of my forks [yes, there were, in fact, two forks] were placed to the left of my plate.  And I'm not even left-handed.)  But no!  This dinner was full of delicious food, class bonding and a lot of laughter.  The most exciting part of the evening, however, was when my friend put out the flames on a napkin that mysteriously caught on fire.  Later that night, her status said:

"Successfully averted the conflagration of my Spanish teacher's house."

 Yes, yes she did.

• I'd like to say that something crazy and exotic happened on Tuesday, but the most exciting thing was that I didn't have any classes!  Is that even worth a bullet point?  Probably not.  But oh well.
• On Wednesday, my band was given some pretty discouraging news.  Long story short, the school's administration has cancelled the search for a new director, leaving our band director-less for next year.   The entire music department is now up in arms and hoping to peacefully bring to the administration's attention just how badly this decision is going to affect us.
  But on a lighter note, Wednesday also brought a new position of leadership for me!  Sort of unexpectedly, I was "elected" to my school's honors council.  I went to my first meeting Wednesday night, and I enjoyed it quite a bit!  We're currently working on planning our trip to Kansas City next month.  So basically, you can be expecting a post about my exotic weekend in Missouri in about a month and a half!
• Since Valentine's Day is on Tuesday, this week has been my school's "Week of Love."  So on Thursday, we had a knock-off brand of Build-a-Bear come and grace us with its presence!  I built a pink monkey and named her Maya.  She's really the ugliest stuffed monkey I've ever seen, but I suppose it's what's on the inside that counts.

This is Maya the Monkey.  She's not the most attractive monkey out there.  But she's stuffed with love!

• Today I bought a caramel hot chocolate from the campus café.  Nothing more eventful than that has happened!  But I suppose the night is still young.

So there you have it!  It's been a good week.  No complaints.  Well, except for that whole up-in-arms-about-the-lack-of-musical-director situation.  But other than that, I'm a happy camper.

Frostbitten :)

When I went downstairs to toast a bagel before class this morning, I looked out the window, only to find every single treetop sparkling white.  It hadn't snowed.  (I figure we'll probably get a huge blizzard in May or something.  That's the price we'll pay for such warm weather in February.)  The trees were covered in frost!  It was really beautiful.  So what did I do?  I took pictures, just for you.

These are a few of the trees right outside my building.

Check that out!  You can see a whole bunch of shimmering trees in the background.

Now that we've all admired how pretty the trees are, let's take a look at a few things in this last picture, shall we?  First, have a look at the speed limit sign.  That's a whopping 25 miles per hour.  However, most people who drive down this street are going much faster than 25.  More like...45.  But hey, why not?

Now let's check out those apartments in the background.  I've been in there once, and they're nice!  I'd love to live there someday.  However, they probably cost quite a bit more than the little box of a room I'm living in now.  So I think we'll stick with the dorms for a while.  :)

Finally, notice the jungle gym right in the middle of this picture.  Nothing spectacular, but it's a decent playground.  In fact, I have a great view of it from my window!  Now, there are two types of people who hang out at this jungle gym: small children with their parents, and sketchy teenagers.  I prefer the small children, quite honestly.  

The frost on the trees is long gone by this time of day, but it was lovely while it lasted.  I'm hoping it'll stay this warm here in Sioux City so I won't have to break out my winter coat again.  The weatherman always seems to be predicting snow, but we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it.  

More than Just a Slice

Happy February, my dear readers!  Before I start, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who follows this blog religiously.  Thanks for checking back regularly.  I try to make this as entertaining as possible to keep you smiling, so I hope I'm not failing too badly at that!  I was also recently checking my stats for this blog, and I realized that I've had 35 page views from Russia.  Yup, you read that right.  Russia.  As far as I can remember, I don't know anyone from Russia.  So I checked out all the sites that my blog's traffic comes from, and what do you know!  One of them is a Russian news site that (supposedly) advertises my blog.  While I find this a little bit creepy and unnecessary, I'm flattered that they're interested in my life!  Thanks, Russian readers!

And now let's get back to the main point of this post.
So the other night, my Granny told me that I'm an "analyzer."  What does that even mean?  I asked her what I analyze.  Her answer was less than satisfactory, so I'm still completely confused as to what being an "analyzer" actually entails.  But, in an attempt to live up to this new title I've been given, I'm going to analyze some song lyrics.

Slice by Five for Fighting is a song that frequently pops up on a couple different playlists on my iPod.  If you're not familiar with this song, or you just haven't heard it in a while, check it out.

If your computer is going crazy and won't let you see this video, click here to watch it directly on YouTube.  Or if you're in a quiet zone (like a library or a nursery), you can read the lyrics here.

So this song is basically about music and how it brings people together and creates a soundtrack to our lives.  At least that's what I get from it.  (If I'm wrong, don't tell me.)  But I'd like to analyze a few of the lyrics and discuss how they relate to my life.  So here we go!

How Slice Applies to My Life

"There was a time a long, long time ago
Chevys and levees played on the radio.
No cell phones, just 20,000 lights
Swaying on a Saturday night, alright."

At almost every concert nowadays, when the band starts to play a slow song, the entire crowd whips out their cell phones and iPods and waves them in the air, lighting up the arena.  It wasn't always that way, though, my young friends!  Instead of phones, people used to use lighters.  What can I say?  Times have changed.  Other than the fact that glowing screens are much less of a fire hazard than thousands of little flames, cell phones and iPods are just way more popular and trendy to have on your person at all times.  But if you still want to go the classic route and wave your lighter in the air at the next concert you attend, fear not.  There's an app for that.

"Have you read my blog today?
300 million little USAs.
Your doorstep is just a click away,
We'll get together one of these days."

I'm going to break this stanza down line by line.  "Have you read my blog today?"  This is a pleasant way of putting the way I plug my blog on a daily basis.  It's usually something more like, "Do you read my blog???  It's at tasteofsiouxcity.blogspot.com!!!  You should read it!  You'd love it!  It's all about SIOUX CITY!!!  Did you want me to post the link on your wall?"  You know you're an avid plug-machine when you start telling your fish to read your blog.
"300 million little USAs."  I'd like to think that there are 300 million people all over the United States reading my blog.  But alas, the lyrics to my version of this song would be "5 USAs and 2 Russias."  (Clearly I have a huge fan base.)  Not only does that not rhyme, but it's too many syllables to fit in there.  I guess that's why Five for Fighting used the original lyrics.

"Your doorstep is just a click away, we'll get together one of these days."   

I'm always telling my friends back home that we should really get together when I'm in town.  Unfortunately, that's usually as far as it gets.  We rave about how we're dying to see each other, but then we never do.  Welcome to the wonderful world of Facebook.

Ok, I realize this is getting long, so I'll just analyze one more line.  :)

"How can you be as nice as me and not from the same slice as me?"

I like to think I'm Minnesota nice.  Everyone at home is!  But coming to Sioux City has made me realize that lots of Iowans are equally as nice.  They don't have a cool title for it, but they really are genuine.  How is this possible?  They're not from Minnesota!  This is one question that I have a feeling I will never find an answer to.

I would also like to point out that Five for Fighting (which is actually just one guy, not five) gets its name from a hockey penalty.  Take that, Iowa!  Hockey is a big deal.

And that'll do it for my analyzing.  I hope my Granny is pleased!
Being someone who thinks that less is more, I apologize for the insane length of this post.  I'll try to make the next one shorter and include a bullet-pointed list.

Shout-out to my brother.  Happy 17th.  :)

Here Comes the Sun

Friends, family and random creepers: My weather app says that it's a solid 64 degrees here in Sioux City right now.  The sun is shining and the squirrels are running around campus.  My roommate just left for class wearing shorts.  The snow is almost melted, and it's an absolutely beautiful January day here in Sioux City.

And you know what's really adding to the beauty?  My three new fishies!  My roommate and I saved them after one of our RAs held goldfish races as a building function.  These are my first pets ever...can you imagine how exciting this is?!
The two fish that jumped out of the water and scared us when we first got them live on my desk, thanks to my roommate.  The chill one lives on her desk.  Go figure.  :)

This is John.  He lives on my desk.

                                                   

Paul also lives on my desk.  I had to put a Kleenex box between him and
John so they wouldn't make mean faces at each other.

George lives on my roommate's desk.  He's pretty chill.  Kind of like a hippie.

Of course John, Paul and George just wouldn't be complete without Ringo.  He lives down the hall with our neighbor!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles live on.  :)

I never realized how much work it is to take care of fish!  Aside from actually remembering to feed them twice a day, we have to change their water a lot.  And when you have to clean three bowls every time you change the water, it gets to be a pretty big event.  I feel like my roommate and I have three little, orange, aquatic kids.  But I'm not complaining!  These kids don't talk back.

Check back often for more updates on my happy, shiny life.  :)

Life is a Show :)

Happy Friday, my dear readers!

So I recently told you that I'm taking a class called C&C.  This isn't just your ordinary composition class, though!  The theme is "Reality Bites Back," which means that everything we learn and write about involves reality TV.  Needless to say, I've been analyzing every reality show I've been watching lately.  This isn't a problem for me, though, because I'm kind of a reality TV junkie.
I've also been starting to think that my life is a lot like a reality show.  Every morning when I wake up with my roommate and head off to my first class, I feel like I'm a designer on Project Runway making my way over to the workroom for the day.  And sometimes when I'm just chilling in my hall, talking to a neighbor or two, it feels a lot like an episode of Big Brother.  Let's not forget that the entire concept of a stereotypical Minnesotan blindly moving to Iowa is great material for a TLC show in and of itself.  Yeah, that's right.  My life is a reality show.  :)

In other news, today is National Chocolate Cake Day.  In honor of this holiday, I left a chocolate cupcake on my neighbor's desk while she was out of the room!  That's how we celebrate here in the Cornfields of Opportunity.

That's really about all I have to say for this post.  But I have been thinking a little bit about some changes I'm going to make to this blog for next year.  Not to get ahead of myself, but if I actually follow through with some of these brilliant ideas, we're all in for an awesome time.  (In other words, keep coming back and reading my semi-weekly rants, and tell all your friends.)

For those of you who are young enough to appreciate Canadian teen drama shows,  click here to listen to the song that inspired the title of this post.

Finally, shout-out to my good friend back home who just celebrated her sweet 16 yesterday.  :)