Ramblings of a Thirty-Something

The last time I posted on this blog, we were waiting for the seventh season of Game of Thrones to start . The last time I posted on this blog, I was working on a master’s degree at ISU. The last time I posted on this blog, I was still a twenty-something. Yep, had to change the name of the blog. And the last time I posted on this blog, this blog had become something I never wanted it to:   a burden. It felt like something I had to do rather than wanted to do. So I stopped writing. Really, of any kind, for a good ten months. Maybe longer. I’m not going to get philosophical and try to dig some deep-rooted meaning as to why. This is what I look like in my head when I'm writing... I was burnt out. I had no more ideas. I felt like I wasn’t growing as a writer. I kept writing the same-old, same-old posts about hobbits and Jane Austen and Christmas songs. So I quit. And then this summer, I realized something. I like writing about hobbits and Jane Auste...

So right now, I'm rather upset about something. I really wanted to do some kind of vague, passive-aggressive blog post/Facebook post/series of tweets/watch The Hobbit  until my anger vanished. But I decided to be above all that and instead post about something I've been super excited about recently. And that something is Cinderella. Honest to goodness, if you haven't seen this movie yet, drop everything and go. Right now. I'm not kidding. You can finish reading this later. Everything about this movie is wonderful and perfect and charming...especially the prince. Boy howdy, is he charming!  I mean, look at those eyes...and that smile. Dear Richard Madden never smiled like that when he was Robb Stark (granted, Robb Stark never really had much to smile about). Random fun fact about our lovely Prince Kit. He had a bit of the male-version of the Princess Leia problem (being too...large for his costume and having to be...restrained in a certain way). Maybe you don...

There's been a long thought process a-runnin' through my brain as I thought up and prepared to write this blog post. It started with one awful night of sleep, continued with a revelation, and ended with a song. But I think I'm going to tell the story out of order because that's what will make the most sense to me. And sometimes I just want to be selfish, so here goes. When I was in middle school, my dad discovered how to download music from the internet, and the song in the above video is one of the songs he downloaded. He's a child of the 60s, and even though he's the least hippie-like person I know, I grew up listening to all that psychedelic music from his youth. This song by Mama Cass of the Mamas and the Papas took on special meaning for me when I was an awkward, gawky teenager. The lyrics are beautiful and really spoke to me. As every middle schooler knows, you never really feel like you fit in--ever. I think that's something everyone can identify ...

Okay, I know I've been unusually  bad at this. I mean, I realize that, in general, I make a pretty terrible blogger. Seriously, some of the things I post about? It's a wonder anyone even clicked on this link (and maybe no one did...maybe the only reason I get any views is because I go back to reread and check to see if anyone viewed it). BUT I have been exceptionally bad at blogging lately. And when I say lately, what I'm really saying is that I haven't posted since September. Yeah, I know. That's ridiculous. It's a good thing I'm not getting paid to do this... Blogging is just like anything else, I've found. Once you get out of the habit, it's hard to get back into the swing of things. So I finally sat down and thought of something to blog about, I thought, "Why not change everything?" You might notice that the background on the screen behind these words is different. You might not notice that. You might notice that I changed my profil...

I'm not good with words. If you've read my blog before and are thinking, "What the heck is she talking about? She's great with words! I wish I could be as good with words as she is!", I thank you for your devotion and will clarify in a moment. If you've read my blog before and are thinking, "Yep. It's about time she realized that. Man, this has gone on long enough," then why are you reading this post? If you've never read my blog before, I shall continue with the clarification. I'm not good with words in the moment.  Being a socially awkward person in general, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Give me an hour and paper or a computer, and I can write something that will adequately express my feelings in a succinct and thoughtful manner. Ask me to say something in the moment, and you'll get a mess. Either I'll say something completely confusing or I'll try too hard to be funny and we'll all be uncomfort...

I had to steal a line from Ann-Margret, but her opening track to the 1960s film version of Bye Bye Birdie adequately describes how I feel at the moment. In seventeen days, I will be done performing and rehearsing and singing and dancing. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. I'm already feeling crestfallen about the whole thing (a character in the book I'm reading described herself as such, so I thought I'd steal from her, too). I mean, this has been my life for the past month and a half. I've woken up every morning either excited about rehearsal or unsure what to do because I didn't have rehearsal. I've fallen asleep to the tunes of A Healthy Normal American Boy, Baby Talk to Me, and A Lot of Livin' To Do more times than I can count. I've spent countless hours thinking about scenes and practicing dance moves and singing songs in the shower or car or while washing dishes. And I've made such great friends! As the eldest member...

First, sorry. I've been busy. And this blog post will explain why. Second, if you think I'm about to post about finding my one true love with whom I shall have a lifetime of happiness, I am sorry to say you will be very disappointed. This is about another type of love I've found...a type of love I've rediscovered. I love performing. I always have. I've loved being in choir and chorus and band and pep band and music club and quartets and trios and duets and solos...I love it all. Yes, I'm insanely nervous before I start. Yes, I question my sanity ever second up until the music starts or I get my cue. But what I have always loved most of all is acting. I'm not a stellar actress. But I can carry a tune, and I'm very good at not being myself. I love doing accents (which comes in handy). I was in every musical my school put on from sixth grade (two westward expansion themed shows followed by The Bard is Back! , where I portrayed a "stage mom...

When I started this post, I had a specific image in my head I wanted to find. So I went to my dear friend Google. You see, there's that timeless old television/movie quote that is constantly reused which perfectly fits with what I wanted to write about...but no one on the internet can agree on its origins...so here it is from Friends:    (In my head, I'm pretty sure I saw a cartoon character flying through the sky, screaming "I regret nothing!" But instead we get Chandler and Joey, which works, too.)  Regrets. We try to avoid having them, but we all undoubtedly live with them. Some are small and easily avoided the second time around, like, "Man, I regret ordering that egg sandwich from that cafe that one time." Others are much bigger and less open for change, like, "I really regret getting my degree in finance--I should have gone into education!" ;) I'm happy to say that in my life, I have very few regrets so far. See, when I tr...

Let me be the first to say--I loooove Pinterest! Has there been a better website invented? I hardly think so. I'm on Pinterest more than Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram combined. I actually am currently on both this blog page and Pinterest. I love that we live in a world where we can share creativity and our interests with people across the planet. It really is a fantastic thing. I follow boards of people I've never met, and I have people following me who are also complete strangers. Sure, that could sound creepy, but all those people know is I have a strange addiction to nerdy stuff and wedding things...no pictures or personal information gets exchanged, unlike on Facebook or even Twitter. Oh, and have you seen that awesome new choice to "Explore Interests"??? I love that! It takes things you've pinned about and suggests other pins like them...basically like searching but without having to type anything into the search bar. Try it--it's fun. Now ...

Since this winter has decided to linger on and on and continue bringing us disgusting weather (even though normally, I love winter and would not be complaining...but come on, already!), most people have started turning their minds toward Spring Break. Where can I go to get away from this? My biggest problem is the same that many people are having--money. There is one other problem:  companionship. I need to save my money so I can pay for those lovely student loans and my beautiful car. I also am limited with companionship, as most people I know are either already going places or also trying to save money and might be on a tighter budget than I am. Thus, I am stuck trolling the internet to find something to do that would allow me to get away for a few days. Even just a long weekend would be lovely. Problem? Most places I want to go/would be warm enough are quite a drive or not exactly cheap. Most of me wants to go someplace warm where I can lay outside and read all day (which do...

I may haven mentioned before that I do not care for the movie When Harry Met Sally , but just to reiterate, I don't like it. There's just something about it that I can't stand. But the one thing I did take away from it was the high/low maintenance comment Harry makes to Sally. About how there are two types of women--high maintenance and low maintenance--and that Sally is the worst kind:  she is high maintenance but thinks she's low maintenance. This definition intrigued me, and thus, is the only thing I liked about that movie. I hate how people constantly make judgements about high and low maintenance. I could have phrased this in the way it was in my head--where I use the stereotype about how guys think girls are high maintenance. But I didn't, so moving on with life. I think it is so funny when people call someone else high maintenance and make it seem negative. Sure, it absolutely can be, but I think being "high maintenance" is just code for knowing w...

I love the Olympics--of course, I don't know many people who don't. I once wrote in a post that I never see Americans uniting over something non-tragic; well, scratch that! We certainly unite over the Olympics, as do most countries. We love our athletes (surely the commercials show you that). But I love watching the Olympics, especially the Winter Games. Don't get me wrong--I love the summer games. I just feel so much less guilty when I sit on the couch and watch all-day coverage in the winter when it isn't nice enough to go outside. In 2012, I didn't get to watch most of the Olympics, as I was on vacation (better planning next time), but I've watched a lot of the Sochi Games. I've been able to teach my students about the Olympics, from the history of the competition to the culture of the countries participating. As I said, I love the national unity that stems from the Olympics. I also love getting to see other athletic greats performing from across the wo...

As you may (or may not) know, I started taking violin lessons this summer. I've always admired the sound of the instrument and enjoyed watching it played. It is a fascinating piece of musicality that I wanted to learn more about. And so, two years ago, I went on eBay and bought a violin from China for $50. Is it a great violin? No. Is it a good violin? Uh...maybe passable is a better word. But after sitting through a youth symphony concert thinking about how I could easily do what they are doing out there (hahaha), I went ahead and spent the money. And then it sat in my room for two years. I had no idea where to start! I needed to find someone to give me lessons, but I had no idea of how to go about that. My siblings even bought me a violin bow for Christmas one year to make up for the broken one mine came with...but I still couldn't play it. This summer, I decided to figure out something. Even if I only took one lesson to get me started, I was going to play my violin, one ...

Sorry, I've been absent for a while. Blame the weather, blame my schedule, blame laziness...any one of the three would be good choices. However, I am excited about this post, which should leave my readers thinking one of two things:  either it's about something completely random, or it's about Tolkien. If you chose the second, you would be in the subgroup called "correct." Awhile ago, my dear friend send this Pin to me on Pinterest. I love it when someone knows you so well that they see you in random things. Meagan knew I would love this Pin, partly because she has been my best friend for 15.5 years, and in those years, I have dragged her to see both parts of The Hobbit movie, as well as made her sit through countless discussions on the Lord of the Rings movies. And partly because she knew this Pin sums up my singleness: And the sad part is this is completely true. So many girls blame Disney movies for why they can't find a guy--the falling in love in...

I can't decide if it is more fun having snow days as a teacher or as a student. When I was a kid, it was always great to play outside in the snow and watch cartoons all day and eat a fun lunch like hot dogs and macaroni and cheese...boy, those were the days! Now I'm a teacher, and snow days are a little different. Sure, it will kinda stink to have to go to school in June, but honestly, my heater doesn't work half the time, so it doesn't bother me too much. I love being at home in winter--I hate having to bundle up and leave my warm, comfortable house. And the nice thing about June days is that the sun is still high in the sky when you get home from school, unlike some winter days when I have lots to do and have to stay late. There is still plenty of time to do things outside! But I still love snow days...and here's why! 1. Sleeping in! These days, that means like 7:30, but it is still nice to not have to wake up before the sun...especially since it is winter and I a...

As I sit writing this post, the wind is howling outside, whipping about puffs of snow, making roads impassable and limiting visibility. It seems a fitting time to comment on the entire season of winter, especially now that we are entering its middle third. Some people love winter; some people hate it. I would say I am mostly the former and only a little of the latter--it isn't my favorite season, but neither do I dread its coming. This season, like most, has its upsides and its downsides. I suppose, just as with everything, it is better to start out with the negatives and then end on a positive note. Just to prevent too much rambling, I am limiting myself to three of each. Here goes... Three Reasons I do not like Winter 1. The ice Goodness mercy-me in heaven, do I hate ice! I hate ice you can see and ice you can't. I'm not even overly fond of ice in my drinks. One good slip-and-fall is all it takes for me to instantly wish for summer breezes and sunshine. 2. The...

Most every woman and girl that I know (and probably quite a lot that I don't) has likely at some point in their life wanted to be a Disney princess. I mean, between the beautiful dresses, the handsome princes, the animal companions, and the amazing adventures, how could you not want to be a Disney princess? Sure, sure, stereotypes are evident and certain ideologies might be advanced, but honestly, who didn't want Jasmine's hair--or her pet tiger? Well, the other day, I was cleaning my room. Deep cleaning...going through drawers and boxes, trying to get ride of things that I don't need anymore. I sat there, shuffling through junk and trash and dinglehoppers, gadgets and gizmos aplenty, whosits and whatsits and thingamabobs, when I realized something:  I am exactly like Ariel! I keep everything ...and if you don't believe me, you're welcome to come look through my boxes in the barn and attic. Then it hit me:  I am a Disney princess...sort of. I share qual...