While I was at work on Saturday one of my old high school teachers came in. When I had his class, I sluffed A LOT. In fact, it's kind of well known that out of the 60 days in the trimester, I only went 8 times. He knew about it, but I did all the work and still received a good grade in his class. So when he came in to work the other day, we started chatting. For the purposes of this narrative I shall call him "Coach."
Me: Hey, Coach! How are you?
Coach: I'm good! How are you doing?
Me: I'm pretty good, thanks.
Coach: Ya know, I hate to rub it in, but I see you're still working at McDonald's, even though you worked there in high school. I guess your skipping class really caught up with you, didn't it? Not as successful as you thought you'd be.
Me: ....I'm 2 semesters away from graduating with my bachelors. I work here because it's paid for my schooling so far, it's incredibly flexible, and I work with some of my best friends. And I'm going into teaching and hope to be a teacher whose class my students actually want to attend...unlike some teachers I had.
Coach: stutters and walks away with a very red face.
Yes, I still work at McDonald's. However, for the above listed reasons, I actually really love my job. I'm also up for a pretty large scholarship award from the McDonald's corporation, and my store owner has given me fantastic references that have helped me get other jobs when I've been away.
I get a lot of crap from people about still working there. But it's a job on the pathway to my career, and I feel like I've been pretty successful in life so far.
So, no. I don't mind working at McDonald's. I actually am thankful for it and love it.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Am I Pitbull?
Last night I conducted a VERY formal and scientific study in which I texted approximately 20 people the question, "On a scale from 1-10 with 1 being an adorable puppy and 10 being a Tourette's-inflicted Steven Hawking-Hitler mashup, how easy am I to get along with?" The average response was 3. So I guess that's what? A cute pitbull? Pitbull himself? I'm asking cause I don't know.
The point is that I think I'm a pretty chill person to get along with. I don't really fight with people. I don't give a single crap what you do with your life as long as you're not being a jerk to someone else.
I like taking jokes too far, making up ridiculously far out what-if situations, and Costa Vida. I like learning, reading, Grey's Anatomy, and telling narrative stories that are exaggerated. I feel like if we can agree on at least one of these things, we can be friends.
So, people. GET OVER YOURSELVES. Stop taking everything so seriously. Stop getting angry about things you can't control. Stop freaking out about other people's actions when they don't concern or affect you. Just be friends with people. It'll be okay, guys.
This is my soapbox for this evening.
Also, here is my favorite facebook status of today, courtesy of Cat Gardner:
When someone asks you "what would Jesus do?" remind them that freaking out and flipping tables is a viable option.
That is all.
The point is that I think I'm a pretty chill person to get along with. I don't really fight with people. I don't give a single crap what you do with your life as long as you're not being a jerk to someone else.
I like taking jokes too far, making up ridiculously far out what-if situations, and Costa Vida. I like learning, reading, Grey's Anatomy, and telling narrative stories that are exaggerated. I feel like if we can agree on at least one of these things, we can be friends.
So, people. GET OVER YOURSELVES. Stop taking everything so seriously. Stop getting angry about things you can't control. Stop freaking out about other people's actions when they don't concern or affect you. Just be friends with people. It'll be okay, guys.
This is my soapbox for this evening.
Also, here is my favorite facebook status of today, courtesy of Cat Gardner:
When someone asks you "what would Jesus do?" remind them that freaking out and flipping tables is a viable option.
That is all.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Awesome and Awkward
I've seen people on a few blogs doing "Awesome and Awkward" posts, and I feel as if that sums up most of my life pretty accurately. So I thought I'd try one out. Here's my list of awesome and awkward things for this week.
Awesome:
-Getting accepted into the teaching program.
-An offer to potentially move to Virginia for the summer.
-Skyping Dan and Jaxson :)
-Chloe and I eating chips and salsa until we burst. "If you're not getting salsa all over your boobs you're not living your life correctly."
-Chloe and I going to Beehive and talking about people we hate for 2 hours and talking about the pros and cons of a fishbowl drink vs. a regular size drink. Only one of is an alcoholic (Chloe).
-Reading and watching everything I can find about Tina Fey and fangirling over her by myself.
Awkward:
-Tripping up the stairs on the bus and loudly yelling "Jesus!" in front of a girl holding her scriptures on her lap.
-Timing a pregnancy test for a friend in a Walmart bathroom, all while said friend talked loudly about spawning a child, oblivious to the fact that there were other people in the bathroom.
-Spending 15 minutes uncomfortably driving around Clock Tower Plaza with above-mentioned friend looking for the Planned Parenthood.
-Almost hitting a darkly-clothed pedestrian in a cross-walk and Chloe thinking a cop was flipping a U-turn to come follow us.
-Subsequently parking in a stranger's driveway with our lights off for five minutes to evade capture.
-Having a man on the bus with his stomach hanging 8 inches over his pants stand directly in front of me.
-Driving home with Chloe after Chili's avoiding sharp turns and abrupt stops so we don't blow chunks.
-Sitting in my car reading in the middle of a field while waiting for a tow truck after I went off the road.
-Getting pulled over by douchebag cop for going around a corner "too cautiously."
-My visiting teachers coming to my work in the middle of lunch rush to deliver brownies and a card. They asked for Kathryn. It was uncomfortable.
I feel like I could write an individual blog post about every single item above, but I have neither the time nor motivation. Maybe the Wal-mart bathroom one at a later date, because it's pretty effing hilarious.
What I'm getting at is that life is pretty great lately, even though the "awkward" situations far outweigh the "awesome." :)
Awesome:
-Getting accepted into the teaching program.
-An offer to potentially move to Virginia for the summer.
-Skyping Dan and Jaxson :)
-Chloe and I eating chips and salsa until we burst. "If you're not getting salsa all over your boobs you're not living your life correctly."
-Chloe and I going to Beehive and talking about people we hate for 2 hours and talking about the pros and cons of a fishbowl drink vs. a regular size drink. Only one of is an alcoholic (Chloe).
-Reading and watching everything I can find about Tina Fey and fangirling over her by myself.
Awkward:
-Tripping up the stairs on the bus and loudly yelling "Jesus!" in front of a girl holding her scriptures on her lap.
-Timing a pregnancy test for a friend in a Walmart bathroom, all while said friend talked loudly about spawning a child, oblivious to the fact that there were other people in the bathroom.
-Spending 15 minutes uncomfortably driving around Clock Tower Plaza with above-mentioned friend looking for the Planned Parenthood.
-Almost hitting a darkly-clothed pedestrian in a cross-walk and Chloe thinking a cop was flipping a U-turn to come follow us.
-Subsequently parking in a stranger's driveway with our lights off for five minutes to evade capture.
-Having a man on the bus with his stomach hanging 8 inches over his pants stand directly in front of me.
-Driving home with Chloe after Chili's avoiding sharp turns and abrupt stops so we don't blow chunks.
-Sitting in my car reading in the middle of a field while waiting for a tow truck after I went off the road.
-Getting pulled over by douchebag cop for going around a corner "too cautiously."
-My visiting teachers coming to my work in the middle of lunch rush to deliver brownies and a card. They asked for Kathryn. It was uncomfortable.
I feel like I could write an individual blog post about every single item above, but I have neither the time nor motivation. Maybe the Wal-mart bathroom one at a later date, because it's pretty effing hilarious.
What I'm getting at is that life is pretty great lately, even though the "awkward" situations far outweigh the "awesome." :)
Friday, February 22, 2013
Non-numeric Equations
Equation part 1: Except for a couple of years of late high-school and early college exploration, I have been blonde for most of my life. I was born blonde, and was a towheaded child until my senior year. I went dark for three years, and am back to being fairly light-haired again.
Equation part 2: I am slightly neurotic in that I have to have things in a certain place and looking a certain way. I like my belongings to be neat and in a particular order. Anyone who has seen my closet, bookshelf, planner, or pencil bag can attest to this. It's normal.
Equation part 3: I tend to put myself in situations where I get stressed. I take too many credits and try to work too many hours a week virtually every semester of my life. Around midterms and finals, the stress starts to take a physical toll. Namely, I get cankers on my tongue and my hair falls out. I know. Super attractive. Come at me boys.
Equation part 4: Last year around Christmas I decided to redecorate my room. I now have a lovely black and white damask bedspread THAT SHOWS EVERY SINGLE FEATHER, PIECE OF LINT, OR SHED HAIR POSSIBLE. Particularly those towheaded hairs that fall out when I'm stressed.
Solution: In order to combat this problem, I have invested in a tool that awes me every time I use it: the lint roller. Go ahead, make fun. I could seriously write a love letter to the lint roller for all the times it's made my room look clean. Lint rollers are a girl's best friend.
Equation part 2: I am slightly neurotic in that I have to have things in a certain place and looking a certain way. I like my belongings to be neat and in a particular order. Anyone who has seen my closet, bookshelf, planner, or pencil bag can attest to this. It's normal.
Equation part 3: I tend to put myself in situations where I get stressed. I take too many credits and try to work too many hours a week virtually every semester of my life. Around midterms and finals, the stress starts to take a physical toll. Namely, I get cankers on my tongue and my hair falls out. I know. Super attractive. Come at me boys.
Equation part 4: Last year around Christmas I decided to redecorate my room. I now have a lovely black and white damask bedspread THAT SHOWS EVERY SINGLE FEATHER, PIECE OF LINT, OR SHED HAIR POSSIBLE. Particularly those towheaded hairs that fall out when I'm stressed.
Solution: In order to combat this problem, I have invested in a tool that awes me every time I use it: the lint roller. Go ahead, make fun. I could seriously write a love letter to the lint roller for all the times it's made my room look clean. Lint rollers are a girl's best friend.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
sitting in the dark, twiddling my thumbs
So here I am, sitting in the library.
I was making awesome progress on a particularly tough paper I've been writing when the library plunged into blackness. Since I can't actually read the book I'm trying to quote from, I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to blog.
Two things:
1) I am terrified of the dark. I hate it. I sleep with a light on most nights. I will not walk outside in the dark. My mind instantly just goes into overload and starts thinking of all of these terrible things coming out of of the darkness and murdering me. I even get panicked going from my front door to my car when it's dark outside.
2) While I am terrified of the dark and this is a somewhat sucky situation, I am REALLY glad that I have a laptop that I was working on instead of a school computer. I would have been furious if everything I've been working on got lost.
In other news, I've decided to participate in lent this year. Not because I have any sort of religious affiliation that makes me participate in it, but because I think it's kind of a good idea. It's always a good idea to do a self check and make sure you're still in control of things and life is going how you want.
Thus, I'm giving up alcohol, caffeine/soda, and fast food.
Alcohol will be a piece of cake. I've already gone through that time of my life when drinking was way fun and was all I ever wanted to do. Over it. I probably only drink once a month nowadays, if that. So this one won't be too hard.
Fast food won't be hard either, it's really just a matter of planning my days better. Since I work at McDonald's, I'll just have to get up slightly earlier to pack a lunch.
The real challenge here will be caffeine. I've been a regular coffee drinker for a while and a diet coke addict for a lot longer. Like...the amount of diet coke I go through in a day is embarrassing and ridiculous. So just to prove to myself that I can, I'm going without.
We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you updated :)
I was making awesome progress on a particularly tough paper I've been writing when the library plunged into blackness. Since I can't actually read the book I'm trying to quote from, I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to blog.
Two things:
1) I am terrified of the dark. I hate it. I sleep with a light on most nights. I will not walk outside in the dark. My mind instantly just goes into overload and starts thinking of all of these terrible things coming out of of the darkness and murdering me. I even get panicked going from my front door to my car when it's dark outside.
2) While I am terrified of the dark and this is a somewhat sucky situation, I am REALLY glad that I have a laptop that I was working on instead of a school computer. I would have been furious if everything I've been working on got lost.
In other news, I've decided to participate in lent this year. Not because I have any sort of religious affiliation that makes me participate in it, but because I think it's kind of a good idea. It's always a good idea to do a self check and make sure you're still in control of things and life is going how you want.
Thus, I'm giving up alcohol, caffeine/soda, and fast food.
Alcohol will be a piece of cake. I've already gone through that time of my life when drinking was way fun and was all I ever wanted to do. Over it. I probably only drink once a month nowadays, if that. So this one won't be too hard.
Fast food won't be hard either, it's really just a matter of planning my days better. Since I work at McDonald's, I'll just have to get up slightly earlier to pack a lunch.
The real challenge here will be caffeine. I've been a regular coffee drinker for a while and a diet coke addict for a lot longer. Like...the amount of diet coke I go through in a day is embarrassing and ridiculous. So just to prove to myself that I can, I'm going without.
We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you updated :)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
I suck at driving
Saturday morning I was supposed to work at 4 am. My alarm went off at 3:20 and I sprang out of bed. (Sprang is totally the right word because I am the greatest, happiest morning person you'll ever meet). So I sprang out of bed, got ready for work, and left my house at 3:40.
If you've never been to my house, we are on the top of a very steep hill, and all roads leading up to my neighborhood require you to go up a steep hill. At the bottom of the steepest (but most convenient) hill, if you don't stay on the road you'll have a problem. You can either go careening down into the canyon, hit a massive oak tree, or plow into a concrete wall. So I'm driving down the road and I start to slip a little bit. "No big deal," thought I, "I'll just go really slow." I get to the end of the street and am still slipping, so I decide to turn around and go down one of the other, not-quite-as-steep hills.
As I'm turning around my car begins to go into death spirals, also known as 360 degree turns. I'm doing death spirals down this very steep hill and am FREAKING OUT. My hands on the wheel aren't doing anything, so I reach over and pull my seatbelt on. I come to a stop (practically in someone's front yard) in the middle of the hill. I turned my hazards on, called my papa, and just sat and took deep breaths.
While I was waiting for my dad to come save me, a car came around the corner and went up the hill. They clearly had superior tires and four wheel drive. One of the guys got out of his car and slid down the hill to mine. My first thought was "What on earth are these people doing out at quarter to four?!" Then I thought, "Wait. That's what I did my entire freshman year and I'm not a sketchy person. It'll be fine." He asked if I was okay, then asked if he could help. I explained that I didn't really know how to get down without dying.
He tried to push me out, but I just kept sliding sideways down the hill. Finally he said, "Look. I know I'm a stranger, but I'm really good at driving in the winter. Do you want me to drive your car down to the bottom?" Temporarily forgetting that my dad was on his way, I said yes. So he drove to the bottom of one of the hills. However, at the bottom of that hill IS ANOTHER HILL. I got to the car and he asked if I would be okay to go down the second, not-as-steep hill. I said probably, but he must have been dubious. He suggested that he could drive me to work and his friend who was waiting at the top of the hill could follow us and pick him up from work. Here was my thought process:
"Well. I'm either going to die in a car accident on the way to work this morning or get ax murdered by this stranger. If I get ax murdered my friends will have a really cool thing to talk about for a long time. I'll let him drive me."
I agreed to his chivalrous proposal and he drove me the rest of the way to work. Didn't even mention axes.
So, random guy who lives on Summit Drive, thank you very much for driving me to work and not taking my life in the process!!
People can be great. :)
If you've never been to my house, we are on the top of a very steep hill, and all roads leading up to my neighborhood require you to go up a steep hill. At the bottom of the steepest (but most convenient) hill, if you don't stay on the road you'll have a problem. You can either go careening down into the canyon, hit a massive oak tree, or plow into a concrete wall. So I'm driving down the road and I start to slip a little bit. "No big deal," thought I, "I'll just go really slow." I get to the end of the street and am still slipping, so I decide to turn around and go down one of the other, not-quite-as-steep hills.
As I'm turning around my car begins to go into death spirals, also known as 360 degree turns. I'm doing death spirals down this very steep hill and am FREAKING OUT. My hands on the wheel aren't doing anything, so I reach over and pull my seatbelt on. I come to a stop (practically in someone's front yard) in the middle of the hill. I turned my hazards on, called my papa, and just sat and took deep breaths.
While I was waiting for my dad to come save me, a car came around the corner and went up the hill. They clearly had superior tires and four wheel drive. One of the guys got out of his car and slid down the hill to mine. My first thought was "What on earth are these people doing out at quarter to four?!" Then I thought, "Wait. That's what I did my entire freshman year and I'm not a sketchy person. It'll be fine." He asked if I was okay, then asked if he could help. I explained that I didn't really know how to get down without dying.
He tried to push me out, but I just kept sliding sideways down the hill. Finally he said, "Look. I know I'm a stranger, but I'm really good at driving in the winter. Do you want me to drive your car down to the bottom?" Temporarily forgetting that my dad was on his way, I said yes. So he drove to the bottom of one of the hills. However, at the bottom of that hill IS ANOTHER HILL. I got to the car and he asked if I would be okay to go down the second, not-as-steep hill. I said probably, but he must have been dubious. He suggested that he could drive me to work and his friend who was waiting at the top of the hill could follow us and pick him up from work. Here was my thought process:
"Well. I'm either going to die in a car accident on the way to work this morning or get ax murdered by this stranger. If I get ax murdered my friends will have a really cool thing to talk about for a long time. I'll let him drive me."
I agreed to his chivalrous proposal and he drove me the rest of the way to work. Didn't even mention axes.
So, random guy who lives on Summit Drive, thank you very much for driving me to work and not taking my life in the process!!
People can be great. :)
Monday, January 21, 2013
"Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings, and emotions"-Will Smith, as quoted by Kim West :)
This idea has been on my mind a lot frequently. I try to be a good friend. I try really hard. If I consider you a good friend, I'll do as much as I can to help you out. And I'm tired of that not being reciprocated.
Don't get me wrong; it's not like I have some tally chart for each of my friends that says who owes more favors and what not. I don't. But when it gets so completely unbalanced, it gets wearying.
Thus, I'm stepping up my New Year's Resolution. I originally said something along the lines of "stop letting people you don't care about make you mad." But I think I'm ready for a route that's stepped up a little bit. I'm tired of being walked over. I'm tired of doing thing I hate doing to make another person happy. I'm definitely tired of feeling guilty on those occasions that I do turn those people down.
I'm also tired of associating with people who have no motivation or drive. We quickly run out of things to talk about when our lives are going in such opposite directions. I'm meeting all of these incredible people in the English program and I feel like I can't get close with them because I can't have too many good friends, or I can't give my new friends and my old friends equal time.
So. I'm done. :) I'm going to live for what makes me happy. If I can help someone out on the way, that's fantastic. I'm sure I'll be able to. However, I'm no longer going to sacrifice my feelings and my peace of mind to do so.
Call me selfish. Don't care. I think it's a necessary change that's been a long time coming.
This idea has been on my mind a lot frequently. I try to be a good friend. I try really hard. If I consider you a good friend, I'll do as much as I can to help you out. And I'm tired of that not being reciprocated.
Don't get me wrong; it's not like I have some tally chart for each of my friends that says who owes more favors and what not. I don't. But when it gets so completely unbalanced, it gets wearying.
Thus, I'm stepping up my New Year's Resolution. I originally said something along the lines of "stop letting people you don't care about make you mad." But I think I'm ready for a route that's stepped up a little bit. I'm tired of being walked over. I'm tired of doing thing I hate doing to make another person happy. I'm definitely tired of feeling guilty on those occasions that I do turn those people down.
I'm also tired of associating with people who have no motivation or drive. We quickly run out of things to talk about when our lives are going in such opposite directions. I'm meeting all of these incredible people in the English program and I feel like I can't get close with them because I can't have too many good friends, or I can't give my new friends and my old friends equal time.
So. I'm done. :) I'm going to live for what makes me happy. If I can help someone out on the way, that's fantastic. I'm sure I'll be able to. However, I'm no longer going to sacrifice my feelings and my peace of mind to do so.
Call me selfish. Don't care. I think it's a necessary change that's been a long time coming.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)