200th Post Spectacular? Maybe not so spectacular

I was going to call this post "Don't Hit on Me" for pretty obvious reasons, but then I noticed that it's my 200th post, so I thought I should at least acknowledge that.  I've been blogging for almost a year now, and I never intend to stop.  It's good for me to be able to vent and express my emotions and actually deal with the things I'm feeling instead of just keeping everything bottled up inside.

I have been hit on 2 times today, which is weird.  Normally, if I get hit on, which doesn't happen very often, it's when I'm wearing a short skirt or short shorts.  But today I was wearing jeans, not even skinny jeans and a long sleeve shirt with a tanktop over it.  The first time I got hit on today was when I was on the bus with my new roommate.  Sidenote, I got officially approved to live there now and I'm moving in on the 1st.  This guy on the bus who looked old enough to be either one of our fathers and creepy enough to have a pedo-van and promise children free candy, moved to sit across the aisle from us after we got on.  My new roommate (S) and and I were talking to one another and then Old Creepy Dude (OCD, funny how that worked out) said "Excuse me, has anyone ever told you girls you're really pretty?"  We just said thank you and continued our conversation and ignored OCD.  How are you supposed to answer that anyway, just say yes?  Because people have said I'm pretty, and I'm sure people have told S she's pretty, because she's freaking gorgeous.  He got off the bus while mumbling something about wanting to get our numbers. Dream on, OCD.

After I got off the bus, I went to Jimmy John's to get a delicious sandwich.  Then I left and walked about 10 blocks up to where I'm staying right now.  I was about two blocks away and this random guy came up to me while I was waiting for the walk light and asked me how long my sandwich was.  I said I didn't know and attempted to ignore him.  Then he said he thinks it's 12 inches long and asked if he could have a bite, while trying to hold my hand.  A few things are wrong with that: First, I was holding a sandwich in my hand so hand-holding was impossible. Second, I'm a germaphobe and don't want strangers touching me. Third, he made it sound like some sort of euphemism, which would only have really made sense if he was a girl and I was a guy.  Thankfully, the walk light came on and I crossed the street and left him on the other side saying something, which I ignored.

I really am totally flattered when guys compliment me, if they aren't creepy and/or old.  The guy at the cash register at Radio Shack yesterday was really cute and he told me he liked my earrings.  I loved that. It made my day.  Now that I know that guy works there, I need an excuse to go to Radio Shack more often, but that would be spending money, which I can't be doing. Sadface.  I am really way too boy crazy.  Anyway, there are ways to talk to girls without hitting on them.  If you're a guy and you're reading this blog, listen up.  Well, I'm not really talking, so open up your eyeballs, increase your screen brightness if necessary, and prepare for the inside scoop.

The majority of girls do not like being hit on.  I don't know any who do, but seeing the way some girls dress, it seems like they must like it.  First rule, which I would think is pretty obvious, is don't try to flirt with girls if you're either creepy or old enough to be their father.  If you are creepy, what are you even doing reading my blog? Get out of here.  Second rule, be respectful.  Don't tell a girl she has a nice butt or boobs.  Just don't.  Third rule, when complimenting a girl, it's easier to not potentially come off as creepy if you compliment something that isn't a part of her.  By this I mean, compliment something that can be removed.  I'm not saying you should tell a girl, "Hey I like your shirt. Take it off."  That would break the second rule.  What I mean is that it's generally safer to tell a girl you like her shirt/dress/skirt/hat/shoes/earrings/necklace/bracelet/dinosaur costume, etc. than to tell a girl you like her eyes/lips/legs, etc.  A second thing that needs to be addressed for this rule is the sort of adjective you use when complimenting something.  If you like a girl or think she's pretty or whatever and want to sort of let on that you like her/think she's pretty and maybe you'd like to go on a date sometime, you do not want to make her wonder if you're gay.  Adjectives that should be avoided when complimenting a girl include cute, adorable, and darling.  Cute is borderline.  It's okay to say to a girl that she looks really cute in that dress, but saying that it's a really cute dress may make her question your sexuality.  Some girls might like being called adorable, but not me.  To me, kittens and puppies and babies can be adorable, but if you call me adorable, I feel like you're saying I'm young.  After spending my entire life having everyone think I'm younger than I am, I don't want people reminding me that I look like I'm in high school (although I must admit it comes in handy when you can ride the bus for 75 cents instead of $2.25).  So I guess that's not really the guideline for talking to all girls, more like the guideline for talking to me.  Anyway, I hope you feel enlightened. This has been the 200th post.  I'll see you in the future for the 201st post.  Until then, don't creep out women, and stay classy.

I Got a Place to Live!

Pardon me while I do a few cartwheels.  The place I applied to live at yesterday is letting me live there.  It's on the lower end of my budget and there's a pool.  I'm really excited.

Today I bought 9 pairs of socks, since I only had one pair left, thanks to one very hungry dryer eating one of my socks every time I do laundry.  Then I went to the park and hacky sacked for two hours, barefoot.  A lot of people told me that I'm really good.  After that, I saw some people set up a slackline, so I asked if I could try.  It's so much harder than you might think.  It's really tough just to stand on it to start with.  My record is walking one step.  One of the guys was really cute.  I didn't even ask for his number or anything, although I did consider it.  I thought you were supposed to outgrow boy craziness.  They had only been slacklining for four days and the cute guy was really good at it.  And he could do backflips.

Then I went to the grocery store and got a mango popsicle.  It was delicious, so delicious that when I finished eating it, I tipped it up to drink the melted part and ended up spilling it all over my face, neck, and in my shirt.  I am so clumsy sometimes.

Yesterday, I received my new glasses in the mail.  They're great.  They fit perfectly and got the prescription correct and everything.  I also received my first book cover design assignment yesterday.  I have 10 days to design three unique concepts.  It's not the sort of book that I would read, some sort of silly romance thing.

And I emailed the guy who bought my DS.  I'll let you know what he says.

Boys, Boys, Boys

First of all, welcome to my newest follower, Ellen Lloyd.  Thanks for following me.  I followed you back.  I really enjoy your blog.

This is the tale of my day yesterday.  In the morning I went to church and haung out at the house for a while.  Then I met a guy at Starbucks and sold him my Nintendo DS at 6:00.  He paid me $100 for the DS and 14 games, so I'm not broke anymore, which is pretty great.  He was around my age, attractive, funny, and very charismatic.  I kind of want to ask him if he wants to hang out sometime.  So that was pretty great.  Then on the way back, this random guy was like "Hey, didn't you walk past here a while ago?"  I said yes, and then he asked if I would be coming by again. I said no, and then he asked if he could walk me.  I said I guess so, so we walked and talked and he told me he liked my earrings and then he asked how old I am.  I told him I'm 19 and he said he thought I looked older.  That was the first time in my life someone has thought I looked older than I am.  Usually they think I'm up to 3 years younger than I am.  He asked for my email address after asking if I'm busy this week. I told him I'm hopefully moving, so yes.  Then he asked if I'm doing anything this weekend, which I'm not.  I told him I'm probably not doing anything this weekend, but I don't really date guys that much older than me.  He's only five years older than me, but I haven't had a whole lot of experience dating, so I just want to stick to guys 2 years older or a year younger.  So he asked if I'd like to hang out just as friends and I said sure.

Then I got home and my roommates had a party for one of their friends who is going away to med school this week.  I didn't really know anyone so I did a lot of awkward standing around, but I did meet two designers, one graphic and one fashion, so that was pretty cool.

Today I'm checking out a place that is on the lower end of my budget and there's a pool. I'm determined to like it.

I'm still debating about asking the guy who bought my DS to hang out. Any opinions?  There's also this guy at my church who I really like, if I ever get the nerve to ask him to hang out.

Photo Manipulations

I've been doing them today.  So far, I made this.

Then I made this.

And then I turned that into this.

I like how it turned out.



It's been a while since I've done a movie review, but I just watched Stardust, and it easily gets 5 out of 5 stars, which is quite appropriate.  It is definitely going on my favorite movies list.  It's got action, adventure, transvestite pirates, witches, comedy, ghosts, and romance.  If you like Princess Bride or Inkheart or Spirited Away or The Neverending Story, I highly recommend it.  But really, if you're breathing, I highly recommend it.

I'm Sorry, What?

I received an email this morning saying that they got my hardship withdrawal from my classes and wanted to know if I still want to keep my grade for my ESS 305 class, Geology of National Parks.  I was a little bit surprised by this question, since I didn't attend my classes for about a month, and also didn't take my finals.  We had a big final project for that class that I did not do either.  All I did for that class was show up except for the last month and do my weekly park summaries.  So I went to check my grades and found that I received a 2.9 in that class.  I failed the other two, as expected, but a 2.9?  Yes, I'll keep it.  That's like a B.  And that was the class that gave me the most confusion too.  Whatever, free grade.  I have no idea if credit transfers to art school, but at least I can feel like there was a point to all my hard work for all but the last month of Spring Quarter.

I won the lottery

I received an email this morning in my spam folder.  I opened it like I do with spam so I can click the unsubscribe button if there is one. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had won the lottery.  The British Powerball, to be precise.  Funny, I had thought that you needed to be British and actually buy a lottery ticket, but this 2 million pounds that I won proves otherwise.  Well, I'm rich now, so I guess I can stop trying to find a job.  I'm a millionaire, what do I need a job for?  2 million pounds is close to 4 million U.S. dollars. (Don't worry guys, I don't really think I won the lottery.)

In other news, feeding the homeless gives you a serious case of the warm fuzzies.  Two nights ago, some of my roommates and some of their friends and I made a bunch of turkey sandwiches and no-bake cookies and bagged them up along with fruit and Goldfish crackers and took to the streets in search of homeless people.  We managed to give away all of the food and we even gave one guy the big box we had been carrying it in.  This one guy was so grateful he gave my roommate a bracelet he had found.  Guess what guys, homeless people are people too.  They have feelings and their feelings get hurt when people treat them like they're radioactive aliens or something.  For the most part, they're really nice too.  True, some of them are crazy, and I wouldn't advocate talking to those ones.  If, however, you don't have any plans for a Friday night, I encourage you to make some sandwiches and give them to homeless people and talk to them.  The majority of them are really interesting and some are even hilarious, just like other people, because they are people just like you and me.  The best part of the night was when this lady and this guy played us a song on musical saw and guitar, respectively.  Sidenote: A musical saw is the single most beautiful and haunting thing in the entire universe.  Anyway, this woman was barefoot, and she asked if we happened to have any shoes.  I replied that I actually had two pairs that were too big for me.  She said, "They wouldn't happen to be size 10, would they?" That was the exact size that they were. One pair was size 10 and the other size 10.5.  So I went to the house and got them, as well as a pair of socks, and the size 10.5 ones fit her perfectly.  She was so happy, and it made me happy too.  Quite easily, one of the best experiences of my entire life.

And now, for the last thing that I wanted to share.  I never really cooked much.  I can make macaroni and cheese or hamburgers or ramen, but that's pretty much the limit of my cooking experience.  So last night, I decided to make myself dinner. I went to Safeway and got the ingredients and came back. I found out that there is a very good reason to buy boneless chicken.  Removing the bones from chicken is hard. I found myself wondering how in the world serial killers dismember their victims, since human bones are way bigger than chicken bones.  Anyway, after 20 minutes or so, I had deboned one chicken thigh and cut it into thirds.  Next, I crushed up some snack crackers.  I used vegetable flavored crackers, but you could probably use just about any kind.  Cheese flavored may be a bit weird, but if you're feeling adventurous, then go for it.  I dumped my homemade bread crumbs in one bowl, then cracked an egg and stirred it thoroughly in another.  I dipped all three chicken pieces into the egg and then the bread crumbs, then put them all in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil.  After that, I cooked some spaghetti noodles and then put garlic alfredo sauce on them, out of a jar.  Then I put everything on a plate and ate it.  It was actually really delicious.  So I guess I can cook.  It's good to know.  The best part is that I couldn't finish it all, so I have leftovers.

photo evidence

Want some?

After that, I made a bunch of oatmeal raisin cookies, probably about 3 dozen.  I never imagined I would share a recipe on my blog, much less one I came up with.  I feel like I need a chef hat now or something.

Did I tell you guys that I dyed my hair black? Because I did.

Really not a fan of that camera, going back
to my old one which didn't take blurry pictures

Facebook

I deleted mine.  I should of probably mentioned that I was planning to before I added you today, so sorry about that, person who knows who he is.  The people who I really want to stay in contact with have my phone number or my skype or my yahoo im thing, so they can still keep in touch with me.  Facebook used to seem like a good idea for me back when I was first headed off to college and whatnot so I could keep in touch with my family and my friends from back home.  Well, the one friend from back home I'm still in touch with has my phone number.  And seriously, my family should care enough to be able to pick up the phone and call me every once in a while.  My parents do that and they email me.  Only one of my three aunts on my dad's side of the family even has my phone number.  That's how much they really don't care.  Only one of them ever posted on my Facebook wall anyway.  What it all comes down to is that Facebook has become a good excuse for me not to talk to people and for them not to talk to me. Sure, it's easy to pretend that you care, maybe post something like have a good day on a family member's wall or whatever, but if you really care you'll take the time to call and talk to them for five minutes.  It's really not hard to do.  So this was basically sort of a huge rant, but anyway my Facebook is now gone.  Only two of you who read this were my friends on Facebook, so you guys probably won't be too affected by this.  But since this blog is a place for me to talk about my feelings first and foremost, that's what this post is all about.  And while I'm at it, I am so tired of reading about people's drama and passive-aggressiveness so that was another reason behind my Facebook removal/deletion/deactivation.

Good+Bad=Neutral

It was a nice day today, so I went to the park and hacky sacked.  A cute guy came over and joined me for a while.  Then he left and I hacky for a little longer by myself.  Then I laid down in the grass and read my book.  Then about 6 guys showed up and started playing frisbee pretty close to me. I ignored them and read my book.  After I stood up when I was going to leave, I realized that my ankle hurts really bad for some strange reason.  At least I only live half a block away.  I limped home.  I still have crutches from my leg paralysis type nonsense, so it's okay.  It really hurts though :(

And on a completely different note, why do people always say that they're not ax murderers when they're trying to convince you they're safe to be around? Ax murder isn't the most common kind of murder.  And I feel like that provides a loophole to other murderers.  Like a strangler can say, "Don't worry, I'm not an ax murderer" and that's true but you really should worry because he's a strangler.  And then when he's attacking you and about to strangle you, you're like, "You lied to me.  You said you weren't a murderer."  And then he says, "I never lied. I said I'm not an ax murderer and I'm not."

Why Can't Money Grow on Trees?

I really really really really really really really want a drum set.  Unfortunately, I can't justify buying it when I'll be struggling to pay rent even without buying it.  Maybe my friend will let me play his new drums if I ask really nicely.

Also, I got a new follower. Hi Joseph Mandanat. You can find him here.  I follow his blog, so it must be good, right? (false arrogance) But his blog is pretty great. You really should check it out.
One more thing, I managed to sell my Nintendo DS and all my games for $75. And also found a place to stay in July and August.  It's a really nice house and the rent is super cheap, so it's awesome.  Thank you Craigslist.

So Much Good News

Before I begin, I'd like to welcome my newest follower, Jiff0777.  Thanks for following me and I'll try to keep you entertained.  If you have a blog, let me know so I can link to it.

Life is so good right now that I don't even know where to start.  I guess I'll do this in list form.

1. I got a place to stay, at least through the end of June, and possibly through August.
2. I got a job! And it's like a real grownup job! I'm a book cover designer for a book publishing company.  I signed a contract and everything.  That happened yesterday and it is so exciting.  You guys, I'm a real designer now!