Day 204: Throwback to my online course

First of all, Merry Christmas.

Now, my real reason for posting is out of amusement. Somehow, I think via a demonstration of interest after receiving a plea from the Mizzou Mafia list serv, I ended up on Current magazine's reporter email list. I occasionally get emails with story deadlines, ideas, etc. from editors there and usually delete them. A while ago, I got an email plea for an interview from a reporter writing a story about online courses and degrees. Being the gracious person I am (or maybe it was because I was procrastinating on writing a Spanish paper) I responded and offered myself up as a source for the story... after all, I did take my lovely online course this past summer. Well, to make a long story short, today I performed my periodic Google Name Check (aka I Googled my name to see what exactly prospective employers/long lost loves/etc. find if and when they Google me) and I came across the lovely article that I completely forgot about. I didn't read the whole thing - just the parts where I'm quoted, but from what I saw the reporter did a good job. Reading the story from the other side (source rather than reporter) I am pleased to be represented fairly and accurately, and with some lovely quotes. Although, I do suppose my being "offended" by someone receiving an MU journalism degree online is a bit of an overstatement. I must have been dramatic in my email interview.

Day 196: Free T-shirt? No thanks.

Graduation nostalgia aside (I will touch on that at a later date), if there is one thing I have learned today, it is this: I have way too many t-shirts. I probably own enough t-shirts to clothe a small Missouri town of size smalls. While washing seven loads of laundry today (okay, so I haven't done laundry in over a month), I noted that my t-shirts all fit into six handy categories:

1) ZTA
2) Mizzou spirit
3) Campus events
4) Blood drives
5) High school cross country
5) Shows I've seen
6) Shows I've been in

I can barely think of one t-shirt I own that does not fit into one of the above categories. How inane. Someone please stop me the next time I want to participate in something for a free t-shirt.

Day 121: Self-induced insanity

This summer while I worked my first full-time, 9 - 5:30 job (well, internship) I reminisced about how wonderful it was to be in school and have breaks between classes and time to go to the gym at 3 in the afternoon, and days when I could sleep in till 10. I thought about how easy the college life is compared to the sitting-at-a-desk-seven-hours-a-day life. I must have been delusional, or something. How did I not remember the fact that my college life is like a 24/7 working life... I never get a break. Well, that's not entirely true... I do take time to myself and time to relax, but usually not without some project or assignment hanging over my head. While working, I came home at 5:30 and could do whatever I wanted for the rest of the evening. Now I come home and squeeze in reading, interviews, assignments and job applications between meetings on campus and study groups. It's really quite insane, because I always can be doing MORE.

Now, I do love college. A lot. But when it comes down to it, this lifestyle isn't all it's cracked up to be. It has it's extremely wonderful aspects (living with four best friends, Thursday nights downtown with only one hour of class on Fridays, a dress code so minimal that I've gone to class wearing Peter's basketball shorts and the shirt I slept in, abundant opportunities to grow as a journalist, student, Christian, friend and human being) but it also wears you down. My mind is so overloaded at any given time. It's like having a constant flow of tasks from seven different sources: convergence capstone class, infographics staff class, two spanish classes, Dance Marathon, job search process and wedding planning. (On a personal note, Peter and I are engaged!) I know most students have far less on their plate, and I could too. But I can't really. It's just who I am. I suppose should probably stop complaining about it and just enjoy my last semester of self-induced insanity.

Day 104: Sneaky seasons

Missouri weather can be such an adventure. Every morning when you open your door you get something new. Fall has abruptly made it's presence known these past few days. Yesterday I got my first sunburn in a very long time, but shivered as I talked to El Pete in my driveway as the sun sunk away. Tomorrow's high is 86, but today my toes are cold as I sit indian style at my desk.

I'm sure God will toss us some nice days in late October, as a parting gift before winter takes control, or maybe to make up for a freaky snowfall early in the month. I love my snowy Chicago Christmases, but Missouri weather is just so much more exciting than weather up north. In Chicago we know what to expect in September (mild cold), October (getting colder) and November through March (varying degrees of freezing). Here, though, tokens of summer can pop up anytime through December, and no weather is more permanent than a week or two.

There's something to be said of a Missourian's innate flexibility when it comes to weather.

Day 94: I am the future

Oh, dear blog, I'm singing the never-ending ode of apology that is a strong theme in every journal I've kept for the past ~14 years (yes, I have notebooks upon notebooks of my life in words - from mispellings and undeveloped cursive to typed and printed Blurty entries pasted in a book). Sorry for neglecting you for a month.

My 21st year is coming along nicely, although I've had a subconscious string of stress hanging around my neck for the past few weeks. Every once in a while it pulls in a little closer and tries to suck the air out of me. Today I was running mile time trials on the indoor track (still too hot and humid to run outside in the middle of the day) and I just about ran out of breath. It wasn't from the aerobic activity. It was from a mysterious nervousness. What do I have to be nervous about? Not a whole lot. This week has been a breeze - Monday off and my two Spanish classes cancelled for the week - so I really have no stress.

Oh wait - I'm supposed to start looking for a job. This thin necklace of stress will remain firmly strung around my neck until I find that job.

This week's hobby has been browsing job sites. It seems like all the media jobs out there are in advertising. I tried to tell my two ad major roommates that there are hundreds of jobs out there for them, but they didn't believe me. They tried to tell me that there are hundreds of jobs out there for me, Miss Media Convergence, but I didn't believe them. We're fun like that.

I came across this SPJ blog today. It's really not very interesting or entertaining, but there's one line that cheered me up: "There is no better way to say it: Convergence is the future. J-students who learn it are bankable. Those who don't will be left behind."

So I'm bankable. I'm the future, according to this guy, and pretty much everyone in the industry. I like to agree with everyone who says that, and I do know it's true, but it just seems so easy to say and far more difficult to demonstrate. I have such a varied skill set. I can write. I can edit. I can shoot and edit video. I can record and edit audio. I can photograph. I can design websites. I can design infographics. I can make interactive presentations. What don't I know how to do? Not a whole lot.

What am I really, really good at though? In what medium do I have more than five clips? Basically none. I can do so much, but what newspaper wants to hire someone who has a little bit of experience doing everything? I know if given the chance I can hone any one of my skills into an expertise - there is absolutely no doubt in my mind about that - but will that get me a job? Let's just say I'm hoping this whole convergence obsession will at least get me in the door so I can prove that although I currently may be a "jack of all trades and master of none," when given the correct opportunity I am flexible and talented enough to master whatever trades are necessecary. Hmm... this is sounding more and more like a cover letter... I should remember this...

Day 60: Blame game or headline game?

Today's morning news show talk: "Minneapolis bridge tragedy: Who's to blame?"

That's always the question. Who's to blame? Maybe if we blame someone it won't happen again. Or maybe it will make the tragedy make more sense. Maybe it will explain it.

Casting blame won't change the fact that it happened. In my opinion the blame game is just another headline - something else to perpetuate the story and keep it fresh. There's really only one way to explain any tragedy that occurs: sin. It's plain and simple, yet very difficult for many people to understand.

On a lighter note, I just glanced over at CNN and was confused when I read the bottom headline, "SEARCH RESUMES FOR MORE VICTIMS OF BRIDGE COLLAPSE." I read it as "rèsumès," as in pieces of paper listing accomplishments and experience (I know the accents are funky but I don't know how to do them the right way on this dang PC) rather than "resumes," as in starts up again. This is definitely telling of how much I have been thinking of my impending job search.

Day 58: A late HP review

I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Monday night. In case there is anyone out there slower than I was in reading the book, this post has SPOILERS.

The formula - I'm not sure if it's just that I'm no longer 12 years old or what, but this book made me realize how not good of a writer J.K. is. I mean, yeah she held my interest for the most part, but the entire book was formulaic; this must have been the easiest one for her to write. It was just a big puzzle and she gave us one piece at a time. But of course none of the pieces were really extraordinary, because it's a magical world so literally anything can happen. The repetition got to me: They make a new discovery, then they get attacked by Death Eaters or Voldemort, then Harry wakes up somewhere unknown and someone has saved him and they explain how they saved him. There wasn't any true suspense during their wanderings in the woods, because I knew no matter what happened, somehow Hermione or Ron or someone would do something miraculous and save the day. The amount of pure luck they encountered was ridiculous too, and sort of made the story less engaging. (Oh my gosh, Dean Thomas and Griphook just so happen to end up in the forest right where Harry is. Oh wow, Dumbledore's bro sees Harry and pulls him into the pub at exactly the right time. Not very believable, but of course things like that happen for Harry Potter.)

A fitting end - I think the book as a part of a whole was a fitting ending to the series, with the right amount of closure (revisiting old people and places, reliving memories, tying up all the loose ends), but as a book in itself, it was a huge letdown to me. Now, I will attribute a lot of that to the fact that I am now a college-educated woman and not a 7th grader like I was when I first met Harry Potter (crazy, I know), but it kind of dissapoints me on the whole.

Did Ginny intend on having sex with Harry? From all other clues in the book, I do not think they had sex or intended to in Ginny's bedroom. She didn't need to do that to show her devotion or love; remember they had barely looked at each other in a long time, and Harry had broken up with HER, not vice versa, so a kiss was a pretty bold and meaningful move in the first place. It doesn't seem to me that they are the type that would do that anyway, judging that Ron and Hermione would blush just saying each other's names, and Harry would blush just looking at Ginny.

Sexual tension between Bellatrix and Voldemort - I don't think Voldemort is capable of any sort of sexual desire. Even if he was, he would never make himself vulnerable like that. I do think Bellatrix had sexual fantasies about him though, as evidenced by her passionate moans and whatnot in one of the ending scenes.

The epilogue - Sooooo cheesy it made me want to gag. But of course it was the one part I cried at because I ALWAYS cry at epilogues, no matter what. Revisiting characters years later just is a tearjerker for me. I even cried at the epilogue at the end of "Sandlot 2." Embarrassing. But despite that, the dialogue at the end was so bad. I'm glad I found out how they all ended up and how the cycle continues (I love the thought of Harry's parents' generation and Harry's generation and his kids' generation all going through similar experiences at Hogwarts and in life), but man oh man! Too much cheese... where are the nachos...

Predictions - I was pretty certain Harry wouldn't actually die. I predicted the whole "he can love and sacrifice himself and voldemort can't" thing once I got closer to his sacrifice. As for the Harry as a horcrux thing, I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a big surprise, but it wasn't. I had a hunch Snape was good once I saw him in the shrieking shack with You Know Who. It was suspicious how little he was mentioned throughout the bulk of the novel. I also had a hunch that Neville would be the one to kill Nagini, especially after Harry told him to (duh).

Creative detail that I really liked - The trace on Voldemort's name and how you couldn't say it was a great addition, in my opinion.

Lupin? In the beginning I suspected Lupin of being a Death Eater. He has always been really supsicious in my mind. I feel like Teddy is the new Harry, with no parents and Harry as his godfather (by the way, why do they have godfathers when they have no god in the wizard world?).

Saddest death - Well, Dobby's was the most emotional for Harry, and therefore for most readers I would suspect, but of course it is awful to think of a beloved Weasley dead, especially when the narrative said, "His last laugh was still etched on his face..." That was a truly great and terrible line.

Sorry for the somewhat cynical review of the book. Harry Potter was my favorite book when I read it for the first time in December of 1998, and it has been a very engaging series for me since then. I love how I and so many others can open one of J.K. Rowling's books and be immersed in a fantastic world that is so well-developed and understood among fans. Now, however, as a 21-year-old and a Christian, I am wary of how cultish the series has become among some people. Coupled with that is the godless, morbid view of death J.K. Rowling has and perpetuates in her last few books. While I am able to separate her ideas from reality, I fear that most children cannot and this fantasy world will ultimately hurt them in the real world. More to come on that.

Day 57: Clark County Class of '02 by the numbers

This past weekend I traveled to Kahoka, Mo., Peter's hometown of about 2,000, for his 5-year high school reunion and county fair.

At one point during the small reunion (out of a class of 67, only about 15 people showed up) the girl who organized it went through a list of everyone in the class and read updates she had gathered about them. Wow. Just, wow. In a surprising, sad, ridiculous way. Here's the (estimated) stats:

Marriages: 15
Divorces: 4
Double divorces: 1 (yes, a 23-year-old has been divorced twice)
Jailed classmates: Currently 2; a guy showed up who had previously been in jail though
Kids: 40? Maybe? There were a lot, that's all I know. Most did not include a marriage. Some had as many as three kids. And some raise kids from their husband/boyfriend's previous escapades too.
Flying J employees: 2 or 3; yes, there were several people who did not come to the reunion who worked at the Flying J gas station about 2 miles away.
Classmates who drove the 195 miles to the reunion on a motorcycle and possibly carried their 2-year-old with them: 1

Now, my class is two years younger than Peter's, but our current stats include one engagement and one baby, as far as I know. That's out of 308 classmates. Two different worlds.

Day 52: My norm of homogany

I'm in a social psychology class online through Mizzou this summer. I'm so glad i'm taking it online. It's cake and actually kind of fun discussing the topics with classmates on our discussion board. This weeks topic is a good one: interpersonal relationships aka LOVE. The talk was about what we find desirable in a mate and what we think of pick up lines. Here are my thoughts (edited for readability):

For me physical attractiveness isn't as much measured by natural looks, but by how the person puts himself together and acts. I don't really notice if someone is unattractive as long as they groom themselves and have an attractive personality. It's also not uncommon that a really hot guy will become almost physically ugly in my mind if I get to know him and realize he is a jerk. And vice versa - an awkward-looking guy who is sweet and funny will seem more physically attractive after I get to know him.

I definitely see elements of the norm of homogany in my relationship style. Although I've dated different types of guys, they all have had many characteristics in common with me -- usually race, education, age and socioeconomic status. I would venture to say that none of those traits are super important to me, but they are just the type of people I have been most exposed to through school and social activities. There are two characteristics that are very important to me though: level of intellect and religion.

Level of intellect is the less important of the two, although I have trouble trusting someone who I think is less intelligent than I am and I do find it very desirable to be intellectually challenged in general. But Peter has helped me to realize that religion is a very important part of a serious relationship for some people. When we first started dating we had a conversation where he said he could never marry a non-Christian. I was a little taken aback by it and argued, "but what if the person you fall in love with happens to be Muslim? You can't deny true love!" He said it wouldn't matter; it just wouldn't work. At the time, I didn't fully understand why that was so important. Since my transition from Catholic to Christian -- only now do I understand what a big difference there is -- I know exactly where he was coming from when he said that.

My religion is such a huge part of my life that it would be impossible for me to be happy married to someone who doesn't share it with me. It defines my values, behavior, opinions and basically everything about me and it would be utterly contradictory for me to be with someone who doesn't share or understand those things. Imagine raising kids with someone with different values than yours -- it would be a constant battle and the kids would just end up confused. Even without kids in the picture, I share an understanding with other Christians that I don't with non-Christians, and that understanding is essential for me in a relationship. I would imagine that anyone who is deeply religious, Christian or not, would share my feelings. Someone very passionate about their political or moral views would relate too. I have friends who are not religious, and we still have great friendships even though we differ in a lot of ways, but my partner for life needs to stand beside me and behind me on that which is most important to me.

As for pick up lines... if they aren't meant as a joke then they're usually pretty sad. For instance:
Guy I just met: Have we met before?
Me: I don't think so... where would we have met?
Guy: What high school did you go to?
Me: Benet.
Guy: I went to St. Viator. I swear you look so familiar! Did you ever go to basketball games in high school? We played you.
Me: Um... a few.
Guy: I know! I bet I saw you at a game and noticed how hot you are and checked you out.
Me: (Speechless. Does he actually expect me to believe that? If so, does he think I would appreciate being "checked out" at a high school basketball game and then remembered several years later?)

Day 50: I should drink coffee every day... maybe

There was free specialty coffee (from a brand new coffee maker) and donuts today at work. I was all set on not delving into the candy drawer today, but then of course I had to have a donut.

I also had a delicious Milky Way latte (yes, they have awesome drinks like that). Now, I usually try to stay away from caffeine (except in chocolate of course). It makes me feel different. In a bad way. I usually burn my tongue on hot coffee. Espresso makes me wide-eyed and jittery. It dehydrates me (I'm obsessed with drinking water). Overall, I just know it's a bad habit.

But today... well, today the caffeine had all of those effects, plus the bonus I never think I need but apparently do: energy. I was so totally on top of things. I didn't take my lunch break until 2:00, and although earlier in the morning I was itching to read Harry Potter (and the Deathly Hallows, of course) for that hour, while heading down to the Weatherbird Cafe for lunch all I wanted to do was go for a long run.

Imagine that! A craving for a run right when I can't go on one. But it was fine, I thought, because I still had HP and all the deaths and hallows (that's not a spoiler... I'm only on page 200) to look forward to during lunch. And of course right after work I will hit the dusty trail and run for a nice 30 minutes, I said to myself.

But of course now that I'm almost off work, I am only craving another donut and another dose of Harry Potter. Why can my cravings for runs not come at times when I actually can act on them? Today it's because of that demon called caffeine. It's positive effects have worn off and now I remember why I don't drink it in the first place.

What CNN does that your local TV news doesn't:

Uses camera shots that include pans, zooms, fades, freeze frames, slow motion, animated jump shots and other shenanigans. And they label every frickin story as "DEVELOPING STORY" or "BREAKING NEWS." They also repeat the same footage multiple times within a story (it's as redundant as the structure of that sentence). That's misleading.

There's something nice and sincere about your local TV news. It may seem amateur in comparison to big, bold CNN and their "developing stories," but it shows life as it really is - with still camera shots and no fades or spinning screen transitions or footage repeated multiple times so it seems more impactful. As much as I laugh at local news, it's somewhat comforting.

Day 46: Bigotry

I realized the other day how much it drives me crazy when people call Christians - or anyone for that matter - bigots. It's a cheap shot really. It's like saying, "I don't know why you believe what you do and I can't even justify learning why, so therefore I am assuming you are acting on pure hate when you speak out against something." It's so ignorant.

Then I looked up Merriam-Webster's definition of bigot: a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance.


The word obstinate means "perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion." Now, this reveals that there is something inherently biased about using the word bigot. If a person "obstinately" adheres to their own opinions, then that implies that their opinion is wrong and they are stubbornly refusing to listen to "reason."

Calling someone a bigot is a cheap shot because it implies that they are holding on to false and unreasonable beliefs. Everyone has a reason for believing what they do. Just because you can't see, understand or agree with someone's beliefs does not mean they are unreasonable.

I see the word bigot pop up most often in the debate about homosexuality. Many people are trigger-happy when it comes to using the word on Christians who do not support homosexuality. They are so quick to call Christians intolerant that they end up the intolerant ones themselves, unwilling to understand or tolerate the Christian perspective (which is not unreasonable at all - just different). Christians have very real reasons for not supporting or accepting homosexuality. To say they "obstinately" stick to their opinions is false.

That brings me to another point. Tolerance is marketed as such a virtue, but I think intolerance is more admirable. If you have conviction in your beliefs, then why would you tolerate, and therefore validate, contradictory beliefs? Would it be virtuous for someone to tolerate and accept their best friend's drug abuse even though they know it's wrong? Not at all. Was English antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce intolerant when he crusaded to end slavery? You bet he was. If you truly disagree with something, you shouldn't have to tolerate it. I'm not encouraging hate, but you should never accept something as right when you know it's wrong.

Day 42: Should a 12-year-old be tried as an adult?

For the past three weeks or so, I've been blogging in the Talk of the Day blog on STLtoday.com. It doesn't take a whole lot of creativity, but I always take the time to research hot news topics in order to stir up discussion. Sometimes it works really well and extremely heated debates boil up. Last week I asked the question, "Should a 12-year-old be tried as an adult?" and got a record 81 comments in the blog. I'm posting the blog entry below, followed by my favorite comment of the insane conversation that followed:

"Last week we discussed the heinous crimes committed by youngsters. Now it’s time to think about the repurcussions.

If the 12-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing Alexus Purtty is tried as an adult, he will become the youngest suspect in the St. Louis area to stand trial as an adult for murder. The court will decide Sept. 17 if this will happen. They will take several things into account:

Kathryn Herman, assistant city juvenile court administrator, said the law requires a review of 10 factors, including viciousness of a crime, the suspect’s record and home life, and his or her age.

A 2003 Associated Press story challenges whether young teenagers should be tried as adults. It discusses a study on the cognitive abilities of kids to understand court proceedings:

Subjects were given intelligence tests and asked to respond to several hypothetical legal situations, such as whether to confess to a police officer. The results found that one-third of those 11 to 13 and one-fifth of those 14 or 15 could not understand the proceedings or help lawyers defend them. The study recommends that states reconsider the minimum age for juveniles to be tried as adults or to develop a system for evaluating young defendants’ competence.

How do you think courts should try and punish children in murder cases? Is a 12-year-old competent enough to stand trial as an adult?"

Below is the most controversial comment (it raised a flurry of responses in agreement and quite a few in utter disagreement). Looking beyond any perceived racism, I tend to agree with the commenter. It's insane how many people think it was society's/his parents'/the government's/the police's fault that he murdered this girl. My honest opinion is that the law follows the rule of CRIME and PUNISHMENT. If you commit a crime, you must be punished for it. It's really irrelevant whether you feel bad about it or not. And there's no reason this crime should be erased from his record at age 21. He murdered. He should be tried the same way as any other murderer. Here's the #1 most replied to comment:

That this black thug could so easily take the life of a young girl and have people like yourselves defending him goes a long way towards explaining how we got to this point in our country, and why there is no going back.

I guess the absurdities that are accepted in the black culture have finally just become acceptable to everyone else as well - meaning that you all probably think that this murderer is just a “baby,” and that he isn’t responsible for his horrific actions because he’s just a “disadvantaged youth,” and that this black girl’s life didn’t matter because, hey, “She jus’ a FEE-male.” Ironically, this poor girl, in her willingness to actually confront the black thug in the first place, when she suspected him of trespassing at her house, demonstrated self-respect, bravery, a belief in fairness, and concern for her family - qualities which are not only admirable, but which are in complete contradiction to traditional black female behavior. And how very sad, but typical, that her own mother, even in the wake of her death, refuses to exhibit any of these qualities, as evidenced by the fact that she had no trouble getting on TV, not shedding a tear, and blaming the PO-leece, the city, etc. - everyone, of course, but that black male who murdered her daughter.

But hey, it’s good to know that you all are so concerned for this murdering “baby.” Because, after all, once all of these “babies” have taken over our country, I’m sure they’ll reciprocate your decency, and sensitivity, and tolerance, and generosity.
Comment by Carrie K. — July 11, 2007 @ 11:59 pm

Day 39: Disaster cliches

The most valuable part of my internship this summer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is working with some very experienced journalists. Harry Levins is my 65-year-old coworker and journalist extrarordinaire. He has been in the business for two of my lifetimes and I always enjoy getting little bits of wisdom from him. He's a word man.

Today's lesson: cliche natural disaster verbs in ledes

Hurricanes lash.
Fires sweep.
Floodwaters pour over.
Tornadoes touch down.
Earthquakes shake (and sometimes rattle).
Typhoons pound.
and my favorite... Buses plunge.

The solution? Lead with the number of deaths and amount of destruction. That's what people care about. We know what a hurricane does in general, so give us some specifics up front. Thanks, Harry!

Day 38: Fridge raider

I forgot to rant about this yesterday, so I'm doing you the pleasure of ranting about it now.

Someone stole my container of Dannon Light 'n Fit yogurt out of the fridge at work. I couldn't believe it when I went to retrieve my lunch. It was gone!

This isn't leftover pizza in the weekend kitchen of the ZTA house, people!

Needless to say, I was quite disappointed and only had half a lunch.

Day 37: A booky summer

Why is it that I'm reading everything EXCEPT the one book that is really important?

So far this summer I've read/listened to:
1. Boys Life by Robert McCammon
2. Because She Can by Birdie something or other
3. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
4. The Calling by someone unknown and unexciting
5. Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor

I am currently reading/listening to:
6. The Frog King by Adam Davies
7. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R. Tolkien

A week from Friday I will begin:
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

I'm really a reading machine. Well, three of them have been on CD, but it's the same thing. But I KNOW the Bible is the only book I need to read. It's the one book that matters. The one I could truly benefit from, and can't live without. But somehow I just can't stick myself to it.

I can though. There's no reason not to. If I dedicate 1/4 as much time to the Bible as I have been to the ridiculous and not even very interesting "Frog King" then I'll be doing myself wonders.

Day 36: Life with love

Life with Love is wonderful. Blissful. Incredible. Fulfulible. And so much FUN!

This past week was spent with true Love. Five nights with him. He came Tuesday night and stayed till Sunday. The only downside was that I had to work on Thursday and Friday. But, let me tell you, work is fine when you're coming home to Love.

I asked him on day six of our bliss if he was sick of me yet. The answer? Of course not.

Good. I wasn't sick of him either.

Day 35: Bright lights

I've been back for a week now, but let me backtrack and write about Vegas.

O.
M.
G.
It was unreal. I didn't really have a clear picture of what I expected it to be like, but Vegas definitely exceeded whatever smoky image was in my head. Mom, Amanda, Mrs. Jacobs and I stayed at the Paris, where the inside feels like outside on a partly cloudy French day and the outside feels like you're at the Eiffel Tower except in the middle of the desert (yes, 100+ degree heat).

Speaking of Eiffel Tower, I ate probably one of the nicest meals of my life in the Eiffel Tower restaurant, which is about a quarter of the way up in the tower. A host in a cocktail dress greeted us at the elevator and after we told her we'd never been there before she said, "Oh. Well, you're in for a treat!" Truer words have never been spoken by a restaurant hostess. We sat in a horseshoe shaped booth with a view of the Bellagio water show out the window. The waiter put my napkin in my lap for me and recommended a glass of the best wine I've ever tasted (note to self: Pino Noir).

We saw Cirque de Solei: LOVE. Wow. Just, wow. It was set to remixed, insane Beatles music and it blew my mind. Humans can do THAT with their bodies?? Preposterous! They were like human jumping beans popping up and down on stage, throwing themselves against walls and climbing, twisting, flying, flipping, skating, gyrating.... just doing the most unimaginable things. So funky and fresh.

Overall Amanda and I got carded about 294,930 times. It's okay though. I'm legal and proud.

Our first day in Vegay we were wandering around the Bellagio feeling thoroughly amazed, yet out of place, and I decided, what the heck, I'm shootin' some craps. I had just learned how on the plane ride there thanks to a handy tutorial Mom printed out before we left. While I was losing $5 chip after $5 chip, behind me Mom, Mrs. Jacobs and Amanda could not contain their giggles and whispers. "WHAT?!" I hissed. "We'll tell you later, just keep playing." I couldn't wait till later. I ditched my game.

There was a $100 chip - yes, a single chip worth one hundred dollars - laying on the floor about two feet away from them. What a terrible, wonderful situation to be in. What do you do? Do you pick it up? Do you ask the person standing next to it (a 7-foot tall black guy with crazy white pants and a golf hat on) if it's theirs? Do you ignore it? Tell a casino worker? Step on it then sneakily pick it up? Drop a $5 chip next to it and "accidentally" grab them both? What a conondrum!

In the end, Mrs. Jacobs was honest. She tapped the basketball-player-like guy on the back and informed him he must have dropped it. "Oh," he said nonchalantly. "You can have it?" he offered, holding the chip out to Mrs. J. Was this some sort of joke? She just stared at him, and he said, "Well if I this wins, it's yours," and proceeds to place it as a bet on the 12. The TWELVE! Practically the worst odds on the whole table. Jeez! Less than two seconds later our $100 chip was gone. Lost. In an instant. He shrugged.

Rich bastard. She should've taken it when he offered.

Day 23: I'm going to Vegas, baby!

Yes, I am. Tomorrow right after work (if I can make it to the airport on time... unless I leave work early, I have 50 minutes to drive there from downtown, park in the Economy Lot (it's amazing and only $5 a day), take the shuttle to the airport, check my bags and board. All this in rush hour traffic.) I leave for Chicago, then early Friday morn it's off to Sin City. What a horrible name for a city. I'm really not sure how to pack for a Vegas adventure, so I kind of just threw a bunch of cute tops and a variety of skirts/bermudas/pants in my suitcase and I'm hoping my outfits will all come together somehow. We're only there for three days so I'm sure I'll have plenty (except for that one thing I never wear and didn't think to pack but for some reason really want to wear in Vegas).

Below are some recent greeting cards. Consider it the start of my portfolio. Right now I don't have much of a repertoire to show for the Ali Arts line of card creations because although I've been hand making all my cards since about junior year of high school, well, I've given all the cards away gosh darnit. I make them on a need basis, meaning when it's someone's birthday or a holiday, I make a card. Then I give it to them. Complex, I know. So from now on I'm going to photograph my cards before I send them so I can have some sort of portfolio in case I ever want to go into business (a mini-dream I've always had). Disclaimer: The photo quality of these is absolutely atrocious since I have mine shaft lighting in my room and camera flashes don't do the cards justice.

Day 21: Sweat

I have a new lead on what my illness is, although I hope it's not right: lactose intolerance. I seem to feel worse after eating cereal, cheese, ice cream (probably too much ice cream) and yogurt. Just now I ate some yogurt and immediately had a little surge of a sick feeling. Maybe I should lay off the dairy for a bit and see what happens? I seriously doubt I'm lactose intolerant, but, eh, you never know.

Well today I sweat more than I think I ever have before. I ran my usual 30 minute route, although I must have had a quicker pace today than Saturday becuase it got me a bit farther. Anyway, it was so hot and muggy out, I was literally soaked in sweat. My shirt was dripping, my face was dripping, even my legs - like, shins - had sweat pouring off them. This was even worse than Saturday's high noon run. I was happy, however, that I saw one person sweating more than I was.

Well, it's my 21st day of being 21. Kind of monumentous. Not. But still worth mentioning. I leave for the bright lights of Vegas in four days and I am not sure what to expect, but I've heard it's unlike anything else. Should be a good time to bond with Madre too. A good time to win big too - cha ching!

Some creations

I had a very free evening today so I put my creative side to work and made some "shellery." These are wire neclaces made from shells/rocks found in the Gulf of Mexico off Marco Island. I'm hoping to improve upon my designs and somehow find a way to market and sell them.





I also made a couple cards using wire and decorative paper. The glue is still drying on them but I'll post pics when they're ready.

Day 20: What's wrong with me? Anything?

I have never in the least bit thought of myself as a hypochondriac. Peter, however, has recently diagnosed me as one. I think it is a bit of an unfair diagnosis, as it is only based on one or two circumstances, but I guess I must admit that this past week I've been a little over-the-top with Internet diagnoses of all my bodily problems. I've had stomach problems all week and have run the gamot with ideas about what is wrong with me. At first I thought PMS. Then appendicitis. Then IBS. Now I'm thinking it's some sort of bug or virus that is messing with my intestines and abdominal region. But how does one know for sure? And how does one go about seeking treatment if it is only discomfort that is being suffered? Just wait till I have kids... lately I've become more and more of a worrier, but gosh I might just go crazy when I have more than just myself to freak out about.

Day 18: Bloggedy blog

Today was such a bag of slack. I accomplished my immediate goals and absolutely nothing more at work. Well, actually, I accomplished quite a bit more, but nothing work-related. After the Pete sent me and some friends a fairly well-researched and interesting political ramble about how much he hates John Edwards, I convinced him to start a blog (read: I started a blog for him). So they day went by fairly quickly as we emailed back and forth details about the blog and I got it up and running. But my goodness, the blogger and google marriage sure likes to mess with you. I guess I somehow created a new gmail account with the username "BigPete_02@hotmail.com." Um... I don't know how you can have two @something.coms in one email address, but apparently that's what blogger did.

Either way, Peter has a talent for writing controversial and opinionated things. He will be a great blogger because he has the dedication, focus and, most of all, passion to let his opinions be known (at least about important things like religion and politics). He will kick my blog's ass, but that's okay.

Anyway, it's Friday (whoop whoop!) and I have basically nothing to do. I should go for a run. I want to. It might be too late and I might use that as an excuse not too. Then I would feel bad. I also should get my sociology homework out of the way (yes, online summer course... not difficult, just have to remember to do the work). It's too bad I have such a limited number of friends in this damn city.

Day 16: Sweat and books

I got off my lazy bum to go running today. Thank goodness. If my goal is to run a marathon (or, who am I kidding, a half marathon) sometime in the near future I probably need to get back in shape. While for the past two years my definite running prime has been in the coldest of winter months, I am actually getting used to this St. Louis evening heat. It's not a big pain factor anymore. On my 30 min. jaunt through Forest Park I had some interesting encounters, including but not limited to:

- Man running while talking on cell phone (Honestly, probably a difficult feat. I'm not sure whether I should shake my head with disdain for how cell-obsessed our society is or nod in approval for how good he must be at controlling his breathing)
- Rude driver who hesitated when he and I approached a small crosswalk at the same time, then seeing that I slowed down (duh, so I won't get flattened) just decided to drive through. I actually had to fully stop running even though I'm pretty sure cross walk means I have the right-of-way.
- Creepy man in bus stop booth (not just creepy-looking but actually creepy. When I ran by he tapped his friend on the shoulder with a big, excited smile and pointed at me to gawk. Sick.)

I ended my run at the library to get a library card and some books on CD. My sweaty, sweaty self disbanded a small group of people from the books on CD section just by standing there and radiating my stench. I wasn't too embarrassed. Kinda cool.

Day 14: ID scanners, organs and street signs

It's a damn good thing I'm finally 21, because this weekend at the Lake (The Horny Toad to be exact) I got carded four times in one bar! Two of those times my ID was scanned and one of the bouncers scanning scanned my ID three times. Crap on a stick- I know I look young, but come on. I would have either been swimming home or escorted by a water cop had I tried my fake there in my pre-21 days. Oh the joys of legality. I already feel like a good samaritan after passing on my 21-year-old curly brown hair and distict smile to a 20-year-old head of curly brown hair and disturbingly identical distinct smile. She acted like I gave her my kidney when I passed it along to her. 'Twas cute.

Speaking of kidneys, I regretfully did not sign up to be an organ donor when I got my license renewed. I wanted to, but the DMV man suggested I check with my parents first, and the easily-persuaded me agreed. Let's just hope my organs stay working inside me until I officially register myself.

Speaking of the DMV - in Granite City, Ill., that is (had to cross the river into Illinois to renew my license) - all the street signs in that freakin' town are torn down! I had to drive around for quite a few minutes using my dog-like sense of perception to sniff out the DMV. Mapquest does not help if there are no signs.

Ha ha da xiao. Not.

Day 11: Fridays are supposed to fly

I woke up this morning with the exciting fact that it's FRIDAY on my mind. The past several Fridays have been get-out-of-town days. Literally. I'm a traveling woman. After work today (I plan on taking a 30 minute lunch so I can jet out at 5) I'm driving down to the Land of Summer. That is, Lake of the Ozarks.

Only problem: this is the slowest day ever! I have basically nothing to do. I've been eating Hershey's kisses out of the candy drawer just to pass the time. That's bad news.

One big thing (besides Nate's lake twafirst tonight) that I have keeping me in the game today is my reunion with Pedro tomorrow. Aww. Last night was rocky though. Man, we were ready to argue about anything. We hardcore argued about what snack I should bring to Sunday school (he wanted cookies, I wanted guacamole or Chinese salad). It was so heated he ended up giving me the silent treatment before I hung up on him. Ridiculous. Later in the night I started talking about technology and the world's obsession with being connected at all times (like with the iPhone) and we got into a big argument about whether constant text messaging is prevelent in our generation. That was just the opening act, the headliner was about who started the argument and why we were arguing and what each of us was trying to say and God only knows what else. Now it was his turn to hang up on me. Undeservedly, of course. (ring... ring... "I really hope to God we just got disconnected and that wasn't you trying to HANG UP on me!") We made up and said our I love you's before going to bed, but geez louise... talk about a serious power struggle over whose opinion and actions were right. Breathe.

Day 9: "Days are getting shorter..."

I have spent exactly four weeks in the full-time working world now. I was so ready for it before I began. I was ready for meetings, lunch out with coworkers and intellectual conversation about "where journalism is heading." I was ready for cutting-edge technology, deadlines and breaking news. A few of those expectations were correct, but what I wasn't prepared for was how long the days are, how much time is spent sitting at a computer and how lost in menial tasks I become each day. Did I mention how long the days are? Wow, they seem like eternities.

Today was better though. It seemed slightly shorter than usual. It's already 4:30. I have one hour left. Maybe it was the nourishment of my chai latte (delicious) this morning or my fascination with research on the Hill Italian neighborhood this afternoon that kept me busy. Maybe my audio editing late morning gave me enough variety to keep my eyes off the clock. Maybe the absence of my boss and his daily, "So... what'rya working on?" drill made me more at ease. Or maybe, just maybe, I'm getting used to the working world.

Do I want to get used to this 9-5:30 computer-sitting routine? I mean, yeah, it will make the summer a lot easier. But do I want my life to be this? Heck no! Maybe I should have gone into physical therapy or teaching or basket-weaving. Or just something more interactive and creative. I guess this is supposed to be creative. Maybe I'm just in the wrong department. I bet that's it.

On a more fun note, tonight is my official fourth 21st birthday celebration. Yes, that means I've had three celebrations in the past week and I'm still going strong. First was on my birthday (last Tues., June 5) in Columbia with school friends. Second was on Saturday in Naperville with friends friends. Third was on Sunday in Naperville with family. And tonight is in St. Louis with coworkers. I have one more celebration with my mom in Las Vegas at the end of June. I really know how to keep the party going (for a whole month) apparently.

Day 8: Exploring

Well, I am jumping into this blog a week late, meaning a week after I turned 21. Is it good blog etiquette to introduce yourself in the first post? Or is that a sign of a "n00b" (as my little brother would say)? I'm exploring in the world of adulthood. That's about all there is to know about me right now. And I'm attempting a picture-a-day project this year of my life (simply taking a photo of myself every day) but I already missed a few. Whoops. Once I get that up and running I'll post a link to the project. It's pretty narcissistic, I know. I'm intending it to be more like a journal though.