A Bland Life

The whole point of this list is to see what you have and haven't done. I stole this from someone else's blog. The ones in bold are the ones that I have done. I have actually lived a pretty tame life. This list reminds me of the list that I made for myself last year of things I would like to accomplish before I die. Maybe I'll post it one day. Oh. . . and this morning, Boy Wonder went out of town for business. He'll be gone until Friday night. Then, he'll leave again on Monday, be back the following Thursday, leave that Sunday, and be back the following Friday. That's a lot of travel time and I'm going to miss him so much. Thank goodness for phone sex.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the snake river
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read “The Iliad”
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Breaking up is hard to do

Maybe it's just me, but I think if two people break up or divorce, they should just stay that way. Especially if you have kids. Shockingly enough, not everyone believes in this philosophy. Not my parents. But my parents are far from normal anyway. Apparently, my parents are doing the big nasty again. Yeah, I'll give you a minute to recover from the shock. I know it took me a while. I'm pretty sure my dad is just using her for the sex since he still has his other girlfriend on the side. He did have another one, but he dumped her because she was doing drugs. That's the kind of women my dad hangs out with. I guess even he has his limits. I'm pretty sure he's got a fourth one somewhere too. And now my mom's staying with him! It's supposed to be temporary (it's a long story), but she will probably insinuate herself into his life. I do not have enough money to buy all his girlfriends Christmas presents. I'm thinking of doing an anti-parent trap thing to try to split them up. . . any ideas?

Okay, I know I promised all of my faithful blog readers (like all 5 of them) that I wouldn't complain and gripe about my sister's drama anymore. For the most part, I have kept to that, except for the day when she met Boy Wonder and went crazy. But that was personal. I will still hold to that. My sister is still nuts, but I am sick of everyone else griping and complaining about her. I work with my grandmother and every day, it's the same old crap. I don't know why she bothers to complain or why she bothers to hope for anything, but I wish they would all shut up already! Seriously, I don't care how my sister is ruining her life this week. As long as she isn't taking me down with her, I'm good. I have a theory. I think that they all like to focus on my sister and her stupid, pathetic life because it takes away the focus from their own stupid, pathetic (and boring) lives. They wouldn't know what to do with themselves if my sister weren't causing problems. That's just the family counselor in me talking.

The Noble Idiot

I've decided I'm going to stop telling people what I want to do with my life. Every time I tell people I want to counsel sex offenders, I get one of two responses: either I am doing some great, noble thing or I am an idiot who is wasting my time. Frankly, I don't think I am either of those things. I don't consider myself noble as I am just doing what needs to be done and if I thought I was wasting my time, well then. . . let's just say that's a LOT of student loan money wasted. I also get the inevitable questions: Why are you doing it? Do you really think they can change? Actually, I am doing it just so I can have this very conversation. No, I don't think they can change. I just think it's cool to spend the rest of my life convincing everyone else that I do. Ha. Joke's on them. From now on, maybe I'll tell people I've decided to join the circus. It would certainly attract less attention.

On a happier note, Boy Wonder and I celebrated three beautiful months together on Thursday. Aren't we just so cute that it makes you want to throw up a little? It is three months people. . . I mean, come on. . . that's 25% of an entire year! We didn't really do anything special. I had Spanish class til 8:30, then headed to his place. He had bought dinner and had it ready for me. It was my favorite dish at "our" restaurant: shrimp wrapped in bacon stuffed with cheese and peppers. I know what you're thinking. What better way to celebrate our love than with 4000 calories? I couldn't agree more. He also bought me a bottle of wine. How sweet. I know he just wants to get me drunk. He should know by now that he doesn't have to buy an entire bottle. One glass will do the trick. It's been a good 3 months though. I love him so much. And having a boyfriend didn't effect my grades too much since I did get an A on the class that just ended this week. Excellent.

Phobias

Maury Povich sucks. I mean, his show has no entertainment value at all. Every time I see a commercial for his show, it's about a baby that's 500 pounds and the mother can't do anything about it (he's 2: he eats vegetables or he doesn't eat) or they have the women who have given five different men paternity tests and still don't know who the father is (note to all stupid sluts: please go to the nearest condom aisle of Wal-Mart immediately. we don't need any more of your kind). The latest episode of Maury actually involved phobias. Not just any phobia either. . . pickles. Seriously, pickles? The way this woman talked, it sounded like a skit straight from SNL because it was so freaking hilarious. Pickles have ruined her life and she has always been teased because of this phobia. In the studio, they bring out a huge platter of pickles and she starts (no lie) running and screaming throughout the studio while they are following her with the pickles. And I thought my phobia of escalators was weird. At least I don't run screaming every time I see one. Could you imagine the looks I would get at the mall?

I hate Daniel Powter

I hate Daniel Powter. He is a freaking loser with a piece of crap song that is more overrated than the show it has been featured on. I'm not even going to mention the show's name because it's so stupid and because I don't want to give it or the song any more mentions than it already gets. I think that his song will go down as one of the worst "One Hit Wonders" of this decade. The radio stations seem to enjoy shoving his song down our collective throats. If they think that song makes you feel better when you are having a bad day, they are mistaken. I'm having a bad day and I just want to throw my computer speakers out the damn window every time I hear the song. But I need my computer to work, so I just mute my internet radio station. Stupid Daniel Powter. I hate him even more than I hate Martha Stewart. Stupid bitch.

Biltmore

This weekend, Boy Wonder and I had our first weekend overnight adventure together. Very big step. We drove to North Carolina and saw the Biltmore house. It was a magnificent castle. It's huge with about 250 rooms. Some of the rooms were nice, but some of them were just ugly. Seriously, who was their decorator? Boy Wonder tried to defend them and said that the decor did date back to the 1800's. Frankly, I don't think that's any excuse for bad taste. I loved their library. It was enormous and the Vanderbilts had about 23,000 books that they had collected. I would have loved to have lived in that house. The gardens were pretty, though not all of the flowers were still in bloom. We went to a winery, where we were able to taste some of the wines. I warned Boy Wonder that I was a lightweight and I don't think he believed me. I probably had the equivalent of about two glasses of wine and I got a little loopy. I was definitely buzzed. On the way up to North Carolina, we took the scenic route and traveled up the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was filled with so many long, winding roads and about a million scenic overlooks. The views were wonderful and the leaves were at their peak bloom. I liked that Boy Wonder kept saying, "foliage." I never realized what a sexy word that was until he kept saying it. Totally hot. Good times were had by all. The fact that we did not kill each other was a plus. Actually, we didn't get sick of each other at all. I guess miracles can happen. I have pictures, but blogger is not letting me upload them at the moment. Later, I promise.

Good day

I got it! I got it! In case you are wondering, I'm referring to my internship counseling sex offenders. Woo-hoo! Starting in January, their healthcare will be in my hands. I am so incredibly excited. And a little bit nervous, I must admit. Oh, and I also found out my grade for my Family Counseling class so far. It includes the midterm grade and the online discussion questions that we've been doing. I have a 99 in the class. So unless I totally screw up on the papers and final exam, I should get an A+. But dammit, why couldn't my average be a 100? See, that's what happens when you get a boyfriend. Your grades go straight to hell.

Survey

ARE YOU:
1. A Cuddler? Definitely. I like to be held.

2. A morning person? No way.

3. Are you a perfectionist? Sometimes, I can be. About certain things.

4. An only child? Nope. I have one sister. But I'd rather be an only child.

5. Catholic: Ha. Hardly

6. In your pajamas? Nope. And it's really none of your business what I'm wearing.

7. Currently suffering from a broken heart? Nope. It was broken a year ago, but now it's all better.

8. Okay styling other people's hair? Not really. I'm no good at it.

9. Left handed? Nope.

10. Addicted to MySpace? Uh, no.

11. Shy around the opposite gender? Nope.

12. Loud? Yes

DO YOU:

12. Bite your nails? Yes.

13. Get paranoid at times? Yes, sometimes I'm too paranoid.

14. Currently regret something that you have said/done? All the time.

15. Curse frequently when you get mad? Yes

16. Enjoy country music? Only when I'm sad and depressed. But occasionally, if I'm happy I may listen to one or two specific country CD's. So basically, you can tell my mood by what CD is in my CD player.

17. Enjoy jazz music? Eh, not really.

18. Enjoy smoothies? Yes, so good.

19. Enjoy talking on the phone? Yes, if I'm talking to someone I like.

20. Have a lot to learn? It's always good to learn something new.

21. Have a pet? No.

22. Have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" person? I used to, but not anymore. Now I have fallen for the right person.

23. Have all your grandparents died? No, both my grandmothers are alive.

24. Have at least one sibling? Yes.

25. Have been told that you are smart? Yes.

26. Have had a broken bone? Nope

27. Have Caller I.D. on your phone? Yes

HAVE YOU:

28. Changed a diaper? Yes.
29. Changed a lot over the past year? I think so.
30. Had friends who have never seen your natural hair color? No. And I don't really dye my hair anymore.
31. Had surgery? Yes
32. Killed anyone? Never.
33. Had your haircut within the last week? Three weeks ago.

LAST PERSON WHO:
1. Slept in the bed beside you? Boy Wonder, my wonderful boyfriend.
2. Saw you cry?: That would probably be Boy Wonder, too.
3. Went to the movies with you? Um, are you seeing a pattern here? Boy Wonder.
4. You went to the mall with?: Seth, my best friend in the world
5. You went to dinner with? Boy Wonder.
6. You talked to on the phone? Boy Wonder.
7. Said 'I love you' to you and meant it? Boy Wonder. duh
8. Broke your heart? damn ex-boyfriend, Robert. I hope he dies a slow, painful death.
9. Made you laugh? Boy Wonder, of course

WOULD YOU RATHER?
1. Pierce your nose or tongue? probably my nose. I think that might be kind of cool
2. Be serious or be funny? depends on the situation, but most of the time, funny.
3. Drink whole or skim milk? skim.
4. Die in a fire or drown? fire
5. Spend time with your parents or enemies? Ha. is this a trick question? if you're talking about my mom, then I would rather spend time with my enemies. But if you're talking about my dad, then I guess I would rather spend time with him.

Okay, I'd like pretty much anyone who reads my blog to do this one. Luke, that means you.

Grown up stuff and sporty stuff

This week, I had my interview with the place that I hope to be doing my practicum at. Yikes. I am kind of terrified at doing this. Can you imagine? Someone's healthcare will be in my hands? But I'm excited, too because I will finally be doing what I want to be doing. I interviewed at a place called the Highland Institute of Behavioral Change. They counsel sex offenders. Yes, that is what I want to do. And no, I'm not going to explain my reasons behind my decision anymore. It's too much. All I'm going to say is they need help just as much as the next person. Anyway, the woman who interviewed me seemed to like me. She liked the fact that I did seek out this type of population and that I seemed to want to do this after graduation. She also liked the fact that I had experience doing rape crisis and working at a battered women's shelter. She said that this would probably give me a different perspective that I could offer the clients. Talking to her did make me get even more excited about doing this. I'm starting to look forward to it. It'll be great. They have to interview someone else for the same position. They would like to have us both, but she said that she wasn't sure if she would have enough work for us both. I should hear something by the middle of this week. Wish me luck. If I don't get this, I'll have to interview somewhere else and I'll probably end up doing something I don't want to do. So we'll see.

Thursday, I went to my very first hockey game. I've always wanted to go to one and Boy Wonder had bought us tickets several weeks ago. I would just like to say that I am totally hooked on the game now. It was awesome watching the men wrestle each other over this little black puck. It's just a fun game to watch live. There is so much energy. The Atlanta Thrashers actually lost in overtime (it was tied for a while), but it was still a good game. They played well. I do like some sports, but I hate watching them on TV. It's so boring. Yesterday, Boy Wonder and I went to Alabama to watch an Auburn football game (he went to school there). Football isn't my favorite sport, but watching it live is fun. There was a lot of passion at that game as well. Auburn pretty much got their asses kicked and the fans were getting a little mad about it, to say the least. I can understand why because it did seem like they just weren't trying. But some fans were just getting really mad. And it was only a game after all. There was this one guy sitting in front of us and he was cussing at the players and trying to tell them how to play. It was funny. I forgot about the fact that we'd be sitting in the sun for several hours and I was wearing a tank top. I do have a little bit of a sunburn today. Can you believe it? A sunburn in October. Craziness. Boy Wonder and I had fun on our road trip to Alabama and he showed me a couple of the places he lived when he was in college. The campus was really pretty. He would have shown me around campus more, but game day was nuts. Over 87,000 people were in the stands.

Yes, I am a nerd

Tonight, I watched ESPN. No, I did not develop a sudden love of all things sport-related. I was watching the 2006 National Scrabble Championship. I had no idea that such a thing existed until my dear, sweet boyfriend (who knows of my love of this game) called to tell me that it was on. Can I just say that it was damn exciting? I was feeling the pressure and I wasn't even in it. But hey, the winner did receive a $25,000 prize. Can you believe they reward people with that much money for being a champion Scrabble player? I love the game of Scrabble and I consider myself a fairly formidable opponent. . . when I'm playing with average players. I have a feeling that if I went up against these people, I would get my ass handed to me on a silver platter. If I ever came up with a 100-point word, it would be pure good luck. I'm just saying that watching this tournament had me on the edge of my seat. The fact that I got so excited by this game may make me a nerd, but I really don't care. I'm comfortable with that.