Black Friday Chaos

I've attempted shopping before, but the madness and complete chaos was a huge deterrent. But this year, my brother, Dearest, and I geared up and hit the stores at 4:30am. Target was our main goal, but Dearest and I explored a bit more. Well, 6 malls in two days more... :D The sales were crazy, people were running, and stores were trashed. (I walked into Bath and Body Works and I am SO thankful I'm not working Black Friday this year. The poor employees...) But over all, Dearest and I saved at least 50% on everything. Needless to say, we did a ton of shopping. :) Doesnt he look handsome?

A "College" Education?

The end of the quarter is coming up and that means finals. Final papers, final exams, final projects. I went to meet with my TA this afternoon to discuss my final paper. I'm not sure what roles TAs at other schools play, but at my school (the school shall remain nameless to protect the guilty), the TA's have more power than the Professors. All exams and papers are graded by TAs according to their standards, which vary all the time. It's seems like it's not about content, but more how they feel a college paper should read. And it bugs me that I'm paying for a college education, but I'm basically being taught by almost grad students. Sometimes they seem more interested in their own studies than provide time to really be a TA. Sadly some of the professors arent much different. A lot of them are there to do research, so they dont take an interest in teaching. :( It's quite disappointing. Note to all you looking at 4-yrs- go for a place that's less about research and more about the students. You'll get more out of your education.

Dearest & I

Dearest and I met when we both worked at a movie theatre back in our home town. I started working there a few months before he did, but we both began training as Assistant Managers at the same time. Our paths rarely crossed (I was working nights because of school and commuting, so he had the a.m. shift) until March-ish of 2007 when I nixed the school and began working full-time. What began as friends, grew to better friends, had a "funky" start, and brought us where we are today. We started dating and moved here together all around the same time. Our decision to take that next step was actually made over a series of phone calls while I was in Italy. (The $150+ phone bill was worth it.) We're on our second apartment; this one is less of a cookie-cutter mass-housing mold and more of a home, albeit a small home. This wont be our last apartment either as we plan to move to _____ in two years or so.

Dearest recently decided to go back to school (yay) to become an engineer (ugh), which means a lot of classes. He's going to the community college down here and plans to transfer in about two years. We don't know where, so I've left it as a _____. I'm really excited that he's gone back to school; I know it'll help him achieve his career goal of "making robots." I can already warn you that a lot of my woes will stem from this. Particularly the fact that I'll be done with school 4 years before he will, meaning my aka our life will be put on slow-motion. More on that later. Still, I'm enjoying our life together.

*note: I call him Dearest because my Wise Cousin alerted me to the creepy availability the internet provides. Thanks!

My Dossier

A little more about myself:
I have 39 weeks (that's 3 quarters plus 3 weeks of this current quarter) left of college. Can you tell that I'm anxious to finish? Truth be told, I've always struggled with school and at one point I dropped out. "But your parents are paying! School is important, you need a college education!" I've heard all the reasons, but college is for some and it's not for others. Luckily I wised up (all the credit should go to my parents and Dearest) and decided to go back. I still dislike it, but it's getting more and more interesting. Currently I'm taking a Script Analysis class (I'm a Film major) that I really enjoy, mostly due to my love of writing. I've even gone out on a limb and applied for a Screenwriting seminar where I'd write a full-length script. Always my worst critic and afraid of rejection, I wasn't going to apply, but it's a way of challenging myself. Hopefully I'll get in! :)

I'm a photography junkie! My trusty Canon Elph is with me at all times and I've got pictures of just about everything. As my dad once said, "I don't need to bring a camera on vacation. I can just look at your (refering to me, my brother, and my mom) pictures as a slideshow and relive the trip. Second for second!" It's true, I have TONS of pictures. I try to put them into scrapbooks, but sadly a lot get trapped in cyberspace. I love crafts, mostly sewing purses (I rarely buy them) and making other odds and ends. Most recently I made a poinsetta wreath out of ribbon for Christmas! I enjoy decorating the house (more of that homemaker in me), but my love for polka dots sometimes takes over... Hence my blog's polka dot background! I try to keep it to a minimum, but it's pretty apparent when you look at our apartment.

I'm an easy going person, I don't like arguments or picking a fight. I respect your views and I hope you respect mine. I seem pretty reserved, but if you get to know me better, I'll talk your ear off. :) Friends and family are very important to me and I love to hang out with people. I'm just a little social butterfly! I'm not really sure what else to say, but if you've got questions, I've got an answer! Or at least an attempt at one. ;)

How it all began...

It all began 20 some odd years ago when my mom and dad-- okay, okay, I wont take you through that. ;) I suppose my "domesticity" began pretty early when my mom taught me how to sew (1 point for the house wife), and then when I learned to cook (make that 2 points), and then when I became an experienced babysitter (3 points), and then when I moved out and had to do everything myself. But I think the full transformation happened when I moved in with my bf, we'll call him Dearest, about a year and a half ago. He's a wonderful guy, but he can't cook... Seriously... If you're still not on board with me, he screwed up scrambled eggs... But bless his heart for trying. And bless my stomach for being able to handle it. ;) Its the gesture that counts. Anyway, he may not be able to cook (we're working on it), but he makes up for it with everything else. It may seem exhausting to do all the cooking (and most of the housework), but Dearest lets me know how thankful he is everyday. :) Maybe that's why I dont mind it...