Buck tagged me on Facebook for this, but I don't really do notes or bulletins on there, so I'll post it here. And I tag everyone who reads this! Except Brian, unless you wanna do it again...
Sorry in advance for any typos, I'm doing this at work and can't proofread it.
25 Random Facts About Allison
1. I can't open bananas. Which is a shame, because they're quite possibly my favorite fruit. I have to ask someone to peel it for me, or use a knife or, if I'm at work, an exacto blade.
2. Once milk gets that crust around the lid, I can't drink it without gagging. I always imagine some fell into the milk, and I almost "chew" every bite to test it. Not enjoyable. I also start avoiding it a day or two before the "Best By:" date on the jug. Better safe than sorry.
3. I obsessively make To Do lists. At least one a day, even if it's always the same stuff on each list. I write down every little thing "Go to class. Cut toenails." so I have more to mark off. Once I make these lists, I look at how long they are and stress out.
4. I'm a night owl. I love staying up til 3 or 4 am, if possible. I hate mornings. I take magnesium to help me feel more rested when I wake up, but it's still a struggle to climb out of bed, no matter what excitement the day holds.
5. I love organization and alphabetization. My favorite part about moving is getting to organize all my cupboards and closets. Not to mention re-alphabetizing my massive CD and book collections. I pack them in a very disorganized way just so I have more work to do later. I love all of this so much that my mom said her graduation gift to me will be to let me alphabetize her bookshelves. This excites me. I've been after her for years to let me.
6. I'm the only person I know (besides my dad) to have the same cell phone number and provider the entire time they've had a cell phone. I've only gone through three phones in over four years, too. I have Sprint and I love them so much I have an Internet card through them, too. They love me so much that they don't bill me each December, my anniversary month.
7. I only have one credit card and one debit card. I pay my bills way before they're due, in full. If I let a bill go until a few days before it's due, I freak out.
8. I buy all my textbooks on Half.com. This semester, new books would have been $300. I got them for $150. Appropriately named website, no? When I sell them back (except the ones I want to keep) on Half.com, I always make more than I spent, even though I list them at the lowest price possible to just get rid of them. Go figure.
9. I never show that I don't know where I'm going. I always walk like I know my destination. This must make me look like a dumbass in campus buildings, since a lot are squares. I come in looking for room 101, see 123 to my left, and just go that way, even though it's the long way around, instead of stop for a minute and glance to see which way the numbers are going. A pride issue? Reluctance to seem vulnerable in any way? Stupidity? You pick.
10. The longest crush I've ever had on someone who wasn't a celebrity lasted for over two years. Kinda ridiculous.
11. I usually feel like I'm about 15-17. Not mentally, I'm smart. Emotionally, maybe? Plus I'm really awkward, like a gawky, socially under-developed teenager. I just can't believe that I'm a 23-yr old woman, who's supposed to have it all together and be grown up and on the right track.
12. I'd rather curl up with a book or blank notebook all weekend than go run errands or be social.
13. I'm the youngest person at my job, the only one who wears jeans every day except Casual Friday, and easily the most immature.
14. Technically, it only took me five years of college to actually graduate, and that's for two degrees. (AAS in Graphic Arts, BA in English). Sure, some of the people from my graduating class already have Masters and "real" jobs, but eff em, I'm having fun!
15. I've enjoyed all of my college education except for my first year, and that's only because I didn't know what I wanted to do, I was in the wrong program. I probably should have taken two years off after high school...
16. When I was 19, I "toured" with a band, meaning we ate at Waffle House, IHOP, and the likes at 2am after every show. They would tease me about asking for cream with my coffee. On my To Do lists from back then (yes I've kept them, shuddup), for several weeks "Learn to drink coffee black" is number one. I did it. I still do it. Now I can drink any kind of coffee, and I love them all.
17. On a calendar on my desk at work, I keep a tally each day for how many cups of coffee I drink, how many glasses of water, and how many times I go to the bathroom. I like trying to figure out a pattern. Keeps me busy.
18. Even though I love to write, and it's my major and what I applied to grad school for, I've only written nine stories, and have only had four of them (soon to be five) workshopped. Some others are just exercises from old classes: character profiles, five minute exercises. The rest remain unfinished: Word documents of only a perfect sentence or descriptive paragraph I want to use in something, eight pages of a story going nowhere. It's my goal to work on a lot of these this summer, weed out the crap, and get some more stories under my belt.
19. I'm just now taking my fourth workshop, but I already feel like I've grown a lot, both in my own writing, and critiquing others. Still, I'm pretty scared I'm not ready for the grad school environment. Even if I get accepted, I don't think my writing will be up to par of others, and I imagine grad-level workshops are really intense - more than I'm ready for.
20. I've been driving for eight years now, and have had my own car for almost six, and never had a wreck until recently. I had two wrecks less than a year apart. In one, I hit a car who was turning on my light (technically not my fault) and they ran without exchanging insurance information - Mexicans. In the second, the girl hit me, and though the car was insured, she wasn't actually on the insurance, we found out much later. Oddly, she was also Mexican... Is it just me getting older?? I'm a more cautious driver than I was as a teenager, I don't get it.
21. With each job I've had (only six, counting babysitting), my salary has gone up. With each apartment I've lived in, the rent has gone up. Makes sense, right? Til now. I know I have the inside benefit of renting a relative's house, but this is the biggest place I've lived (since my parents' house) and the cheapest.
22. I'm an Honors student, have been since I applied to the university, was in Honor Societies in middle school, high school, and both colleges, yet I'm not graduating with Honors. Blame my stupid advisor for not telling me how I could. Why the hell else am I taking honors courses each semester?!
23. I like my job a whole bunch. I like what I do, I like where I sit, I like the people I work with. The times I don't like it are those days when I'm such a crank, nothing would make me happy. Still, I think once I quit my job, I will love Christmas again.
24. Cheerios and Rice Krispies are my favorite cereals. Plain ones. I don't like sugar or chocolate or flavors added. I can add banana myself, if I want anything extra, thank you very much. (Well, I can't really add it myself - I have to have someone open it, haha #1.)
25. I have the bare minimum phone plan, or at least the smallest one I could get when I signed up. 300 minutes and unlimited texting. I rarely use even half of my minutes. The only person who really calls me is my mom. The only number I call is the weather, while I'm still under the covers in bed. Texting, I use at least 3000 a month. I'd rather write than talk, apparently.
And a bonus 26! Apparently it is .02th of a mile to walk to and from the bathroom! Sez my handy dandy new pedometer! How exciting. I think I'll walk to the copy room and the break room just for the fun of it.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Wicked Bona
Wednesday I went over to Student Services to sign paperwork to be a volunteer notetaker. My morning classes are (thankfully) in buildings right next to each other, but the SS office is on the other side of campus. Being lazy, Since it was cold, I scurried back across the street to my car and drove to a lot right near the building I needed. It's a visitor lot, meaning each space has a parking meter. I knew I'd only be five minutes, so I figured it'd be fine to park there.
You know where this is going, right? You've got it all figured out. I got held up, and got back to my car just as the campus cop was sticking a big whopping ticket under my windshield wiper, is that what you're thinking? Well you're WRONG!
I'm a good person. I was going to pay to park. I hid my parking pass so I'd really look like a visitor, then reached into my glovebox. I keep a little dish of change in there so it's not scattered all over my car. Unfortunately, I've been raiding it for drive-thru change and laundry room quarters, so it was pretty empty. But it wasn't penniless. Get it? PENNY-less? Yup, all that was in there was a handful of pennies.
"Well," I thought, "pennies have got to be worth something." They're not. But I still stood in front of that meter feeding in five pennies, hoping that would register as five cents, same as a nickel, and give me two and a half minutes. No go. I figured, at least I looked like I was buying time. If a cop drove by, they'd see that and not even LOOK at the meter. Plus, the car to my left had a ticket. If they had already gotten a ticket, I figured it'd be a bit before the lot was policed again. And hey, good intentions, right? If I had change, I would have paid!
I rush to the office and have to wait to sign the papers. Then the woman has to go do this. Then I have to do this. By the time I leave the office, there's a little corn kernel of worry that I'm going to have a ticket waiting for me. I start to get angry. I'm in there seven minutes, tops, and I get a ticket? I'm in there doing something good for someone, for once, and I get a ticket?! I'm furious as I run across the street to the lot.
No ticket.
I buckle myself back in and hear the rest of the pennies in my pocket, so I pull them out to put them back in the glovebox. As I'm dumping them in, what do I see?
A dime. Seven minutes of parking time.
... I just thought it was a funny, typical-Allison story.
The best part? I get home and check my email, and the girl DROPPED THE CLASS! If I had gotten a ticket, I'd be on a rampage. Now I have to take the blasted notebook BACK. Instead of going through the same thing, I'm just going to drop it by when I'm already on that corner of campus. But really, geez, you try to be a good person...
You know where this is going, right? You've got it all figured out. I got held up, and got back to my car just as the campus cop was sticking a big whopping ticket under my windshield wiper, is that what you're thinking? Well you're WRONG!
I'm a good person. I was going to pay to park. I hid my parking pass so I'd really look like a visitor, then reached into my glovebox. I keep a little dish of change in there so it's not scattered all over my car. Unfortunately, I've been raiding it for drive-thru change and laundry room quarters, so it was pretty empty. But it wasn't penniless. Get it? PENNY-less? Yup, all that was in there was a handful of pennies.
"Well," I thought, "pennies have got to be worth something." They're not. But I still stood in front of that meter feeding in five pennies, hoping that would register as five cents, same as a nickel, and give me two and a half minutes. No go. I figured, at least I looked like I was buying time. If a cop drove by, they'd see that and not even LOOK at the meter. Plus, the car to my left had a ticket. If they had already gotten a ticket, I figured it'd be a bit before the lot was policed again. And hey, good intentions, right? If I had change, I would have paid!
I rush to the office and have to wait to sign the papers. Then the woman has to go do this. Then I have to do this. By the time I leave the office, there's a little corn kernel of worry that I'm going to have a ticket waiting for me. I start to get angry. I'm in there seven minutes, tops, and I get a ticket? I'm in there doing something good for someone, for once, and I get a ticket?! I'm furious as I run across the street to the lot.
No ticket.
I buckle myself back in and hear the rest of the pennies in my pocket, so I pull them out to put them back in the glovebox. As I'm dumping them in, what do I see?
A dime. Seven minutes of parking time.
... I just thought it was a funny, typical-Allison story.
The best part? I get home and check my email, and the girl DROPPED THE CLASS! If I had gotten a ticket, I'd be on a rampage. Now I have to take the blasted notebook BACK. Instead of going through the same thing, I'm just going to drop it by when I'm already on that corner of campus. But really, geez, you try to be a good person...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Downtown Owl
Downtown Owl was my first Klosterman read, but definitely not my last. He has a few books of essays out, I think, since he got his start as a journalist. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs always caught my eye at the bookstore based on the bold title, but I never picked it up. That will change now.
I love when authors try different styles, or totally twist the ending in a way you'd never expect. This book was told from the point-of-view of three different narrators, though every once in awhile, a secondary character would have their own short chapter. I really like that idea - I think a couple narrators would work with this next story I'm attempting, so I'm going to rip him off and try that myself. As for the ending... As I was reading the story, I honestly had no clue what would happen. I didn't know why the story was being told (not to say I didn't enjoy it, regardless!) and I didn't really know how the three narrators fit together. I didn't read a chapter and then say OOOOH, I know what's going to happen. He's going to twist it like this, and then this will happen. I genuinely had no clue, even at the climax. That, I think, is super powerful. How amazing to have your reader totally in the dark, clueless about what will happen, but loving the story you're telling? Impressive work! I recommend this book to, uh, ANYONE who likes fiction.
One of my favorite passages follows. I love when authors get down something you've felt forever, and put it in these perfect words and you stop and say YES. THAT is what I've been feeling all this time.
EDIT: I posted a review at LibraryThing.com. You can read it, and other people's reviews of it here.
I've read three books so far this month! Not too productive, but a long holiday weekend is fast approaching! Tonight I start a brief nonfiction stint: Five-Finger Discount by Helene Stapinski, Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent, and Remembering Ray by William L. Stull.
I love when authors try different styles, or totally twist the ending in a way you'd never expect. This book was told from the point-of-view of three different narrators, though every once in awhile, a secondary character would have their own short chapter. I really like that idea - I think a couple narrators would work with this next story I'm attempting, so I'm going to rip him off and try that myself. As for the ending... As I was reading the story, I honestly had no clue what would happen. I didn't know why the story was being told (not to say I didn't enjoy it, regardless!) and I didn't really know how the three narrators fit together. I didn't read a chapter and then say OOOOH, I know what's going to happen. He's going to twist it like this, and then this will happen. I genuinely had no clue, even at the climax. That, I think, is super powerful. How amazing to have your reader totally in the dark, clueless about what will happen, but loving the story you're telling? Impressive work! I recommend this book to, uh, ANYONE who likes fiction.
One of my favorite passages follows. I love when authors get down something you've felt forever, and put it in these perfect words and you stop and say YES. THAT is what I've been feeling all this time.
Sometimes you think, Hey, maybe there's something else out there. But there really isn't. This is what being alive feels like, you know? The place doesn't matter. You just live.
EDIT: I posted a review at LibraryThing.com. You can read it, and other people's reviews of it here.
I've read three books so far this month! Not too productive, but a long holiday weekend is fast approaching! Tonight I start a brief nonfiction stint: Five-Finger Discount by Helene Stapinski, Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent, and Remembering Ray by William L. Stull.
Monday, January 5, 2009
caffeinated heart
I am really, truly dying for a venti cup of Starbucks coffee. I can't remember the last time I went to Starbucks. Back in December. Back before Christmas. Back too long ago. How I miss thee, Starbucks!
The worst part is, I now realize how stupid it is to spend five bucks on a cup of coffee. No matter how delicious it may be, it's idiotic, and I should limit myself to one every two weeks when the semester's back in session. ...maybe once a week.
No, want to know what the worst part REALLY is? My coworker has a venti cup on her desk right now, and she's not drinking it! I haven't heard a single slurp! Blasphemy! The second she gets up to check the copier, I'm taking a drink. I'll do it!
The worst part is, I now realize how stupid it is to spend five bucks on a cup of coffee. No matter how delicious it may be, it's idiotic, and I should limit myself to one every two weeks when the semester's back in session. ...maybe once a week.
No, want to know what the worst part REALLY is? My coworker has a venti cup on her desk right now, and she's not drinking it! I haven't heard a single slurp! Blasphemy! The second she gets up to check the copier, I'm taking a drink. I'll do it!
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