Whoa.

Umm...how can my last post be September 5th??? Hasn't it only been a couple of weeks since I've last posted?? Apparently not. A lot has happened in my little world since we last spoke - so much that I have to actually organize what I am going to say so it does not come out in some rambling, run-on paragraph. In the meantime, I was tagged about a month ago by my friend Becky and am just now getting around to it. Enjoy, and I PROMISE I'll be back soon. :)

The Rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

My Six Things:

1. I have 30% hearing loss in my left ear. When I was a child, I got a really bad ear infection that resulted in a ruptured ear drum. Thus, the hearing loss. I never noticed it as a child, and my parents never made a huge issue of it. In fact, no one outside my family knew until I went to college. One day, my roommate Crissy asked me why I turned my head to the right when I was watching tv. Apparently I did face towards the right of the tv to compensate for not being able to hear as well on my left side. I never knew I did that. Kudos to Crissy. :)

2. I was abusive to my younger brother when we were kids. Well, perhaps abusive is the wrong word. "Torturous" might be better. :) I was three years older and hated him when we were children, since he took the attention off of me. I colored his head with Magic Markers, dragged him down the hallway by his foot, told him that PBJ sandwiches had onions in them (he HATES onions) and generally made his life a living hell for a few years. The best is when we played Barbies and GI Joes. We made a pact to play Barbies for an hour then switch to GI Joes for an hour, to be fair. However, only one of us could tell time (guess which one). We would play Barbies for the full hour, then switch to GI Joes...for about 15 minutes. Then it was back to Barbies! Hee, I was fun.

3. I am a sweet, mild-mannered, very easy to get along with gal...until I get behind the wheel of a car. I have a touch of road rage at times, I'll admit. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to drive. I mean, seriously, 55 in the left lane?? Stopping on an on-ramp to wait for the perfect spot to merge?? Come on. These and other offenses are often followed by yelling and fist-waving coming from my car. With a couple of more serious offenses, I have considered following said stupidity home or getting out of my car to have a few choice words with the stupid. I have resisted the temptation thus far, although usually a member of my family has to listen to me rant for a few miles in order for me to calm down. I have not resorted to throwing live animals. Do not worry.

4. I am addicted to Milano cookies. Seriously. I bought a package after a particularly grueling day at work and opened them up while I was talking with my roommate on the couch. Twenty minutes later they were All. Gone. The entire package. And honestly? I still kinda wanted some more.

5. Not only do I fold my underwear, but they are in stacks in my drawer according to type or cut. Who does that??

6. When I stretch out the toes of my left foot, my third and fourth toes don't move and continue to touch each other. My fourth toe just will not move. I broke that toe several years ago when I walked into the corner of my bed (we won't go there) and ever since then, try as I might, it stays firmly attached to my third toe.

I tag YOU.

I have nothing new to say.

Actually, that's not true. I have a lot to say, but I'm not ready to say any of it. So I'm deferring to the parroted list instead. Enjoy!

10 years ago...

September, 1998. I had just started my senior year in high school. I had applied to Texas A&M, the only university I wanted to attend. My parents pushed me to apply elsewhere, but since A&M is where I wanted to go, and I knew I'd get in (thank you top 10%), I figured what was the point? I drove a '04 Hyundai Excel, was drum major and all-around awesomeness in the band :) and life was just about perfect.


5 years ago...

September 2003. I had just graduated college the previous May, having no idea what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew is that I wanted to stay with my friends in College Station, so I ended up working a crappy bank teller job making just over minimum wage. I did, however, have the best time with my roommates, Andrea and Caitlin. I owe so much to you two. It was a scary time, trying to become an adult but having no idea the direction my life was headed, but I handled it the best I could.

5 months ago...

April 2008. Trying to survive my way through TAKS season. Spring is always a hard time for me, socially and job-wise. I spend all my time at school, and if I'm not there, I'm thinking about things I need to do when I get there.

5 things on my to do list tomorrow...

1. Sleep in without my alarm, thank goodness
2. Pick up my prescription
3. Grade papers
4. Do laundry
5. SMU football game with the family

5 things people don't know about me...

1. I own an NSYNC dvd of one of their concerts. Crissy and I used to actually sit and watch it for hours at a time.
2. I know 98% of the Friends episodes by heart. Maybe 99%.
3.When I was young, I colored on my little brother's head with markers.
4. Since my mom is a teacher, I used to think that everyone had the summer off, and my dad just had a really special job, since he didn't get a vacation like that.
5. I was 3 1/2 weeks late when I was born, which means I was HUGE. I ran out of room in my mom's stomach, so my feet were extremely pigeon-toed when I was a child, from being squished. I had to wear braces on my legs at night for a looooong time to correct the issue, and I'm still not convinced that it's corrected today.

5 bad habits...

1. I twirl my hair, especially when I'm nervous.
2. I have Really. Bad. Road. Rage. Just ask Alida, or my brother.
3. Expecting everyone to be as organized and on-time as I am.
4. Impatience...you would think that would have been cured the first year of teaching middle school. But no. No it hasn't been.
5. Thinking less of myself than I should.

5 places I've lived...

1. Fort Worth, TX
2. Aledo, TX
3. College Station, TX
4. Bryan, TX
5. Mansfield, TX

Tag 5 people...

You're it.

The Meme of Finished Sentences

Enjoy. :)

1. My uncle once: pointed a gun at my other uncle, who happened to be holding me at the time. So essentially, he pointed a gun at me. Yeah, my family's cool like that.

2. Never in my life: have I watched The Terminator movies. My friend was appalled when he found this out. I personally don't see what the big deal is.

3. When I was five: I skipped a grade in school because I was bored in the class I was in and getting into trouble. This is why I am younger than everyone I know.

4. High school was: a long time ago. I had fun, and there are times when I'm nostalgic about certain things, like band trips and football games, but I'm glad it's over.

5. I will never forget: where I was on 9/11, as I'm sure you won't either. I had just woken up, about 8:45, and had gone out to the kitchen to get some breakfast. My roommate, Crissy, was sitting on the couch watching the news. She looked up at me and said, "You're not going to believe this." At the time, they still thought that perhaps the building had been bombed instead of planed. Together we watched the second plane hit the tower, and then watched the two towers fall. I had a class later that day, and as I was riding the bus, it struck me how silent everyone was. There was no talking on the bus whatsoever. I will never forget.

6. Once I met: Yao Ming. The Chinese President came to talk at the Bush Library when I was a senior, and I got to go with the OPS team from MSC OPAS for security purposes. Yao Ming had traveled up from Houston, and I got to meet him after the speech. He is HUGE. I came to his belly button. Seriously.

7. There’s this girl I know: who moved across the country and didn't know anyone. She's pretty awesome. As are all my girls.

8. Once, at a bar: I threw up IN the bar. In front of people. It was my 23rd birthday, I hadn't eaten that much during the day, and we only had about an hour and a half to celebrate. I downed 3 amaretto sours and 2 beers in an hour and then proceeded to throw up next to our table. It's a good thing I was friends with the owner.

9. By noon, I’m usually: dying for lunch. During school I eat breakfast on my way to school, around 6:30, so by noon my stomach is craving more nourishment.

10. Last night: I watched The Notebook, even though it's torture for me. My grandma has Alzheimer's, which is much like the dementia that Ali suffers from in the movie, and I'm unable to watch her struggle. So I fast forward through the present-time parts of the movie and only watch the scenes from the book Noah reads. It's better for me that way.

11. If only I had: my debts paid off. I'd be a much happier girl.

12. Next time I go to church: will be Sunday.

13. What worries me most: never paying off my bills.

14. When I turn my head left I see: my patio door and the TV.

15. When I turn my head right I see: my over packed August calendar.

16. You know I’m lying when: see, here's the thing: I lie really really well. Seriously. I can look you right in the eye and lie, and you'd never know. This is why I never do it. It would be much too easy. So to finish the sentence: you'd never know when I was lying.

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: the innocence of childhood.

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: Viola from Twelfth Night. We had to make these videos in senior English, our group chose that particular comedy, and I was chosen to play Viola. I loved it. Our video was not so good, partly because we shot it all in one day, but mostly because we were seniors and just didn't care.

19. By this time next year: I'll be much closer to my master's degree, and hopefully I'll be in a different phase of my life.

20. A better name for me would be: Sophia. No reason, I just like the name.

21. I have a hard time understanding: close-minded people. Believing that there is only ONE way to do anything is super arrogant, to my way of thinking.

22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: be a lot older, seeing as how I've already decided to go back to school for my master's degree.

23. You know I like you if: my friends know about you.

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: the person or people who are giving me the award. Very polite, Becky.

25. Take my advice, never: try to clean around a burner with a paper towel while the burner is on. This is how fires begin.

26. My ideal breakfast is: a cheese and onion omelet. YUM.

27. A song I love but do not have is: Near to You by A Fine Frenzy. LOVE it.

28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: ignore the monstrosity that is the new football stadium. It really is just hideous.

29. Why won’t people: get out of the left lane if they are going slower than the flow of traffic?? This is the cause of much road rage for me.

30. If you spend a night at my house: you'll have to talk loudly if you want to wake me up. I wear earplugs to bed. When I first lived on my own, every little noise scared me to death, so I started wearing earplugs so I could sleep at all. Now, I've gotten so used to them that I cannot sleep without them.

31. I’d stop my wedding for: almost nothing. It'd have to be pretty serious (ie natural disaster (HUGE natural disaster) or heart attack) for me to stop my wedding.

32. The world could do without: wasps. They serve no purpose but to frighten and intimidate, and they resemble the aliens on Independence Day.

33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: do the dishes.

34. My favourite blonde(s) is/are: Justin Timberlake. YUM.

35. Paper clips are more useful than: wasps. And crickets.

36. If I do anything well it’s: reading. And organizing.

37. I can’t help but: read. It's a sickness really. Last week, I succumbed and got a library card. I am opposed to library cards because I like to own my books, but it's just too expensive. So I caved.

38. I usually cry: at everything. Anything that you can possibly think of to cry at, I do. I cry when the OnStar commercials come on the radio and you hear the panicked voices of the car crash victims. It's ridiculous, really.

39. My advice to my child/nephew/niece: You can do anything you want to do. Just try.

40. And by the way: I love to write blogs like this. Takes out all the work for me. :)

Have you ever gone through a time...

...when you question everything about your life? Then you'll recognize where I am, right about now. I don't really know why yet, and I don't have a whole lot of words on the subject, but I'm doing a lot of questioning right now. If I ever find the answers, I will explain in more detail. Promise.

In other news...

I got an A in my first graduate class!! Granted, it was an intro class, and I believe that about 90% of the class received A's, but still. I have a 4.0 for the first time in my college career, and I'm reveling, baby. AND I passed my high school math certification test on the FIRST TRY. Just about unheard of with this bad boy. I seriously know people that took the test five times before they passed. Five times of taking a 90-question, 5 hour mother of a test. Oh, and paying $85 each time to take said monster. I am so happy I passed the first time around.

I traveled with the lovely Amy last weekend to visit my pseudo-nephew, Ian Caleb Hartl. I call him my pseudo because I'm really not related to either of his parents, but I might as well be. So he's my nephew. He is 15 days old and 7 lbs. of complete preciousness. He hardly ever cried and was always in the greatest mood. And Oh. My. Gosh. The kid can EAT. All the time he would eat. It was hilarious. But we were all glad of the eating, and the pooping that inevitably followed, since he had some issues with that when he first came home. So eat away, Ian!! Just give your mom a little down time now and again.

Here he is, sleeping in his daddy's arms.

Here's my baby, just chillin' on the ottoman.

Have a great week!!!

I have a confession.

Seriously. I think I have a weight I need to get off my chest. HUGE confession. I'm only going to share it with you. Ready?

I think I have an addiction problem.

It's weird...I don't really think I have an issue when I'm in the middle of a binge. I always think, "Linds, you can handle this. No problem." But it always ends the same: waking up in the morning, can't remember what I did the night before, can't really even remember my own name. Spending all of my paycheck to score the good stuff, just to be back on the street in less than a week, trying to make the deal. Scary stuff. This happened again last night, which would be the third night in a row. This has lead me to believe that I need to take that shaky first step and admit I have a problem.

I, Linds, am addicted to books.

ADDICTED.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Why is it scary to be addicted to books?? Isn't reading a *good* thing?? For normal people without the addiction, yes, reading is considered a pleasant pasttime, even a hobby. For me? Scary obsession is the only phrase that comes to mind.

I don't just read books. I devour them. I spend sleepless nights with my books, quickly turning page after page, so anxious to figure out what happens. The last three Harry Potter books? Stayed up all night long to finish. I'm talking 5 am, 6 am, people. And for two of those books, I had to work the next day. Did that give me pause? No, sir. I'm hardcore.

I cannot use the library. I must OWN my books. Hardback, paperback, it doesn't matter. They have to belong to me. I tried to use the library when I was younger. I ended up with major fines, simply because I Would. Not. Turn. Them. In. I currently own over 200 books, stuffed into three bookcases. I try to organize them alphabetically, and by genre (yes, I am slightly OCD), but I have run out of room on my bookshelves, so now I stuff. And I just bought four more tonight. Four. I also keep a running calendar of when books by my favorite authors are coming out. For instance, there is one coming out next Tuesday, and then of course, Breaking Dawn on Aug. 2. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I feel so sorry for you.

Tuesday are my favorite day of the week - it's when new books come out. EVERY week.

At any given moment, I can be reading up to three books at a time, depending on how captivated I am by the story. If I'm into a book, like can't-put-it-down, reading-it-on-the-toilet-cause-it's-just-that-good into it, then I'll stop all of my other books I'm currently reading and focus all of my attention on just that one. If there is a book, however, that is not *that* great, just ok, I'll read it along with a couple others, just to keep my options open. I'm also a re-reader. My mother can't stand it. If I don't have a new book waiting when I finish the last one (which is rare), I'll pull out one of my old ones. Yes, I know what happens in those books. Some of them I can quote. They are just SO good. I can't help myself. Many of my books I have re-read up to 4 or 5 times, a couple more than that.

I blame my parents. They are the ones that just *had* to read to me when I was a child. And, if I recall correctly, they are the ones who insisted I have nap time, which did not necessarily consist of a nap. If I wasn't tired, I could read - I just had to stay on my bed and have a quiet hour. Oh, if they only knew then what that hour a day would turn me into as an adult - an addicted, quivering mess with no self-control whatsoever as soon as she steps foot in a bookstore. You should have known, Mom and Dad.

Thanks for listening and getting this off my chest. You have no idea how much this helped.

:)

Umm...

Yeah, there were bullets in my post when I was writing it. I don't know where they have gone. Please don't think that I just wrote sentences with no order at all. I was trained by the Sam. They have simply disappeared. Forgive me.

I know, I know.

It's been awhile since my last post. I am aware of this. Specifically, it has been a month and 10 days. Forgive me, life has been CRAZY. Since writing about all of the crazy in paragraph form would take about 14 paragraphs to write, I'm going for the bulleted version instead.

• School is out. (I know. Duh. It's June.) The last few weeks of class I was trying desperately to pack up my room to move across the building (for no good reason, mind you, but that's a whole other post), while still trying to teach my students some semblance of math. But it's over, my kids passed and are headed to high school, and everything in my room has been packed and moved. I hope.
• Cheer camp has come and gone. Thank goodness for the gone part. Oh my word, this was the most stressful camp ever. Now, keep in mind this is only one of two cheer camps I have ever been to in my life, but this one definitely comes out on top as far as stress levels go. Examples of the mishaps that occured while at camp: twisted knee, burned finger, 2 lost dorm keys, the lock getting changed on mine and Amanda's room for no apparent reason, broken wrist, and three girls getting stuck in the dorm elevator. The last four things on that list happened the last day we were at camp. ALL OF THEM. Within a four hour period. Sheesh.
• Grad school has begun. The first day, when I received my syllabus from my professor, I almost hyperventilated. Seriously. This class is 3 weeks long, consisting of 3 Friday classes and 3 Saturday classes, and these were the requirements: an interview with a counselor in the field in which we are interested, then a 6-8 page paper on said interview; a 45-minute group presentation on a chapter from the book which we were not covering in class but yet which the professor feels we need to be knowledgeable about; a literature review, 7-10 pages, over a counseling topic of our choice (mine is bullying - I deal with it on a daily basis, I may as well know more about it); a final test covering the first 9 chapters in our book. In three weeks. Hyperventilation. But it really has worked out fine. The interview and said paper is finished and turned in, the presentation is Friday, and the paper and the final are due Saturday. Cross your fingers, I might actually get an A.
• I ventured to Seattle for 5 days in the midst of all the crazy. Probably the most fun trip I've had out there yet. It was so so nice for me to see the life that my girl Alida has begun to build for herself. She is so much more comfortable, knowledgeable, and any other -able you can think of in terms of living out there. It was awesome to get to know her friends and put faces to the names she's been spouting for the past 6 months. She surprised me with tickets to Avenue Q as a Happy Grad School present!!! I was so excited...and surprised. She and her friends kept waiting for me to catch onto the fact that we were going, but you know me. Too trusting. Alida told me we were going to see this one-man show that her roommate was producing, so I believed her. Silly me. We went up to the theater that had a HUGE Avenue Q banner running down the side. Lindsey: "Oh, this must be the same theater that Avenue Q is being held in. How fun!" Clueless. They hand me my ticket, which has the words "Avenue Q" printed in the middle of it. Lindsey: "Oh, this man's name above Avenue Q must be the one-man show we're going to see. They just must be advertising for Avenue Q a lot!" Still nothing. We walk inside, past the lady in an Avenue Q t-shirt, handing out Avenue Q programs. Lindsey: "There must be a showing of Avenue Q in the main theater! Which theater is Angel's play in?" I am an idiot. It wasn't until we actually walked into the main theater and I was handed one of the aformentioned Avenue Q programs that it clicked. I stopped dead, stared at Alida, and yelled, "What are we seeing?!?!", causing an entire row of other playgoers to laugh hysterically at the Texas girl who is obviously clueless. Awesome. It was everything I'd hoped for, and more. As was the trip.
• I came back from Seattle last Wednesday, just in time for my dad to break his leg on Thursday. It's really not as bad as it sounds, although there's really no other way to say it. He slipped on some mud at a job site he was looking at and rolled his ankle underneath his foot (I'm still not sure exactly how this happened, and he obviously is in no position to show me at the present time). He has broken his fibula, which is the back bone in your calf. It is not the weight-bearing bone (the tibula - I've learned so much from this), thank goodness, since then he would have probably had to have had surgery, but it is still uber-painful. He is on crutches and a "cast" right now (I use this term loosely, since it is really just a glorified splint) with strict orders not to put any weight on it whatsoever. Lucky for him, it's his right leg - so he can't drive. My mom has been driving him around since Thursday, and it's my turn this week. Yay.

I think that's the extent of the crazy. Oh yes, and in the middle of all of this, I'm trying to have some semblence of a life. It has it's moments. But that's another day.