I'm baaaack...

[Maniacal laughter]

Sara gets home from Poland and Sweden on Friday! :D I'm so excited. She's only been gone for three weeks, but it will be a joyous occasion. We're going to celebrate by going rock climbing, where I hope she falls in love with the sport and then wants to be my new climbing partner, that way I can have just one friend who enjoys climbing. Just one. That's all I'm asking.

More importantly, we're going to celebrate by starting up Burger Rating Adventures take 2!
10 points to Deliciousness.
5 points to Freshness.
5 points to Juiciness.
5 points to Top-Notchness.
     (This is where things like greasiness will come in.)

It will be fantastic. Maybe we'll actually invest in some little notebooks we can rate with. :) yay!

And we'll eventually get back around to all the ones we've already tried, but we're starting with ones we haven't yet. Pete's Diner or Kitchen or something or Cherry Creek something is what we'll be trying next.

I would walk 500 miles.

Everyone remember this song? And this post?


I suppose this story actually starts quite a while ago. I think I was on facebook or something, and I came across some lovely lady's blog. It's called Can You Stay for Dinner. I thought it was incredibly interesting and fascinating. If you don't want to go through and read it, you don't have to. To sum up: it's a girl's blog who has struggled with her weight her entire life. She weighed like 250 lbs or something, and then she decided to change her life and she lost 130 lbs. It was largely done by realizing she likes running, and so she did that and ate healthier. She moved to Italy for a semester or year or something and didn't try restricting herself food-wise, but if there was ever anywhere she wanted to go, she walked there. Anywhere at all, she would walk.

Anyway, after a while, running stopped being fun for her. She was down to this nice weight, and she felt like if she stopped running, she'd gain all 130 lbs back, so she forced herself to run to the point that she wasn't happy anymore. Then she realized that she'd rather be happy and gain 5, 10, 15 lbs than be unhappy and thin. So she stopped running, (she might have still gone on walks every night, I can't recall) and she didn't actually gain any weight back at all. Sweet deal.

Then, I had this friend in high school who had some medical problems, and her doctors switched her from one birth control to another to another and yet another. So she gained a ton of weight, something like 60 lbs. Yet while I was in China, she lost 40 lbs of it, and has lost the last 15/20 lbs since, all just by going on walks with this kid she babysits. It's amazing! I was particularly impressed with her, because when I got back from China, I probably weighed the most I ever have in my life.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, I was reading through some old blogs, and I found the 4 sub-goals I made! I seriously completely forgot about them like two weeks after I wrote that blog. Which is sad, because I think they were good goals. I'll have to write them down somewhere that I can see them more often. Then sometime last week, I bought 500 Miles on my phone and I was listening to it on repeat.

Probably part of the reason I really like the Can You Stay for Dinner story and my friend's story is because I'm incredibly lazy. It's an art, really. I know I should be better, but I'm pretty happy with my life, and I'm not interested in changing a lot. It's probably best if I try to become less lazy, but I've tried to deny my laziness, and I've made the plans countless times to do P90X and eat 100% healthy and blah blah blah, and it's never worked out. I've made it work for about a month at a time, and then it all goes downhill. So instead of denying my laziness, I'm embracing it. :)

Since I started working at the rec center, I've tried to go in and "run" on the elliptical (the lazy man's workout. Seriously. You don't even have to lift up your feet) for an hour 3ish times a week. Once school started up, I would read my psych textbook at the same time. I've been alright with that. Not awesome, but better than I've ever been with any exercise program before. The reason I'd ever not go in is because it feels super ridiculous to drive 7.5 miles away to use an incredible amount of electricity for an hour, and then drive 7.5 miles back. I mean, why? Why drive somewhere and use my gas to workout for an hour on a machine, then drive back? I should just run to the rec center and call that good!

But I never would do that. I tried running back in November. It went like this: I left the house, ran down the street and to the other side of the elementary school, then turned around and came home. Haha. It was like that status update on facebook. "I went running today, but had to go home after two minutes because I forgot something. I forgot I'm fat and lazy and can't run for more than two minutes." Basically that was my exact experience. It was hilarious. And sad. At the same time.

It wasn't until last week when I was listening to 500 Miles on repeat (though no road trip; I was just sitting on my bed) that I realized a new goal! This will replace goal #3. Because I now realize I'm so lazy that I will never do P90X. Or if I do, it is not in the foreseeable future. (Speaking of, if anyone wants to borrow my copy indefinitely, I'd be happy to let someone get some use out of it. They really are good exercises.) What if I walked 500 miles. Right? I mean, right? I downloaded an app that will track how many miles I walk/run/bike/hike/whatever and how fast I do it, and it keeps track of personal goals for me. So I haven't set a date for when I want to walk 500 miles by, but I have the goal. Maybe by the end of the summer? I don't know. I'm trying to pick something reasonable. End of the year?

So my 4 goals, with slight tweaks, are now:
1- Eat things that make me feel good. I truly believe that eating out is not always the worst thing for you. I love eating at Five Guys and Chick Fil A and Chipotle because I never feel like I killed my soul and body after eating there. (I don't get the same impression from Wendy's or Taco Bell or Good Times, though.) And I do like to cook occasionally, but I can cook crap that's not really good for me as well. So there's a balance, and I don't believe it's as cut and dry as "fast food" or "homecooked." And I think I have to trust how I feel after I eat something to determine if it was a good choice or not.
2- Drink enough water everyday. Yes. Nothing new to report here. Same concept, just reiterated because, as mentioned before, I completely forgot about all these 4 goals about 2 weeks after posting this blog before.
3- Walk 500 miles.
4- Go to sleep at a consistent time every night. This one changed for a couple reasons. I've been going to Old Chicago every Thursday, and last night for instance, I didn't leave until 1 in the morning. I didn't get home until 1:30. I didn't go to bed until 2:15. I wasn't up all night on my computer or anything, but I just straight up don't get home early enough for this to be a good rule, especially with school being over and me not having to wake up at 5:30 anymore. And secondly, I want to start writing this summer. I've been reading a lot more since school ended (yesterday, ha), and if I want to start actually writing this amazing book that I've got planned out in my head, maybe I'll want to be on the computer writing until 10, 11, midnight. And I think that's fine. As long as I'm consistently going to bed and waking up throughout the week, and not selling my soul to facebook in the process, I think it's ok for me to write later in the night/evening or read my books on my phone. Since summer just started, I'm not sure what time it is that I'll be going to bed, but I'll figure it out.

The end. Any thoughts? Advice? Warnings? Stories?

I'm a Hacker (the game).

Time to make your own music album cover!

1- Go to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) and choose "Random article" from the menu on the left. The first random wikipedia artilce you get is the name of your band.

2- Go to http://quotationspage.com/ and select "Random Quotes" from the menu on the left. The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3- Go to flickr (http://www.flickr.com/explore) and change the time frame to include the last 7 days. The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover. (If you have a problem with getting one from flickr, try http://pintrist.com/categories/ and a general category and pick the third picture.)

4-Use photophoe or microsoft "paint" (already on all windows computers under Start; All Programs; Accessories) or a similar program to put it all together.

5- Post the finished album cover with these instructions.

Don't really wanna make it tough. I just wanna tell you that I've had enough.

It's time to get married, guys!

Don't I look so excited? His name is Fransisco Edwardo Rodriguez III. (I didn't spell that name, btw. A friend came up with it... I mean Fred's parents did.) 

We call him Fred for short. He's a hottie.

Why is this happening? Why am I getting "married"? Clearly I'm jealous of Audrey, that's why.

No, for reals. I just seem to have a problem with only attracting incredibly creepy guys. Here's some examples:

1- I used to work with this guy at Target. I used to think he was attractive, but then he got a girlfriend, right? Off limits. Which is fine, I later found out the one thing we had in common (books) was actually fake. He only told me he liked reading so we'd have something in common. And on top of that, he easily gained 50 lbs. No judgement, you know, it happens. But if the only thing that he had going for him was that I thought he was hot, and he also liked to read, and both of those things died... Ha. Anyway, he's currently been in this same steady relationship for 3, 3 and a half years. Yet he constantly texts me, hitting on me, asking for "naked cuddles." Um, is everything ok with you and Ali? "Things are on and off between us." Ah. Well, no, that's not happening. You have a girlfriend. "No, it's ok. They're friendly naked cuddles." Mm. Yeah, it's extra not happening, now.

2- There's a really old guy-- we're talking like 75 years old-- who's hitting on me at work. Here's a conversation we had, while I was cleaning a spin bike next to the one he was working out on. I look up to see him staring at me.

"Yes?"

"Nothing, I'm just watching your cleaning technique."

Uh. "Is... it a good technique?"

"Oh yes, it's really good. Very enticing." What. No, just. Don't. What?

And then, the only other person back there (some lady walking on the treadmill) "That's inappropriate."

Haha. Inappropriate indeed. I had to tell my boss about him. He actually was enough of a creeper that one of my coworkers told my boss about him, too, without me even asking. So we're dealing with it, don't worry.

3- On Fridays, I've been covering a weird shift that has me helping close down the rec center, and then sticking around for a couple hours to create a barrier between the gymnastics class that's going on, and the Kid's Nite Out program that runs. It's not bad, but I'm stuck standing in this one confined area for an hour and a half, and that leaves me subject to people like KNO Creeper. First time we met, I was standing there and smiled briefly at him. Now, I'm going to hold that this wasn't my fault, I smile at tons of people like that, and they don't automatically think I love them.

Anyway, he just keeps coming over to talk to me, and eventually my boss comes down to help me set up for my parent tot climbing class the next day (I have duct tape bracelets that I need to tape to the wall for my kids to climb up and get), and he just stops by occasionally to watch me climb. Um. Cool. He doesn't even say anything to Melissa, my boss. He just watches me then walks away.

As I'm leaving I run into him.

Me- "Oh. Hey. Well, see you around, have a good night."

KNOC- "You're leaving?"

Me- "Yeah, my shift's over. See you."

KNOC- "What's your name?"

Me- Well that was awfully forward. "Bridget."

Funny thing, a couple weeks later, I'm standing at the fitness desk before the rec center closed, cutting out some stickers for class the next day, and he comes up to me.

"Hey!"

"Oh, hi."

"It's Katie, right?"

I look up at him. "No, it's not." I laugh and continue cutting my stickers.

He's standing there, awkward. "Uh. Don't tell me don't tell me..." haha.

Even after that he's still hitting on me awkwardly.

4- There's a guy at church who, although we don't actually live in the same state or talk ever, I occasionally get texts from him saying just really random things. He'll say things that are vaguely normal like, "How's school going?" but then he'll also say things like, "I think you're really pretty and awesome. Like Po's first dream sequence in Kung Fu Panda." Um. Alright, then.

On facebook, I had a profile picture that he messaged me about because he didn't want to comment on and sound pretentious. He said, "I kindly ask that you stop being so attractive, it's quite intimidating." Hm. You know, we're not friends. He likes me because he thinks I'm way smarter than I actually am, and because I once bore my testimony and started it by talking about how I was reading Ender's Game last night.

He once texted me completely out of the blue to point out my initials spell BRO, and he thinks that's cool. I'm not really sure why he was thinking about me to the extend that he realized what my initials spell, but we're not close friends at all, and I'm not ok with this train of thought.

5- Last summer, there was an investigator at church who had a thing for me. After a total of maybe 6 texts between the two of us, he started telling me all about his depression and life problems and did that obnoxious thing where I'd tell him that people loved him and try to make him feel better, and he'd just deny it. Ok, then you're right, you're a terrible person with nothing to live for. My mistake.

6- And this isn't a new problem. I've had this problem for at least 7 years. My first (and only) boyfriend was also quite the creeper. He constantly threw suicide threats in my face. He was one of those kids that always listened to MCR and other really emo bands. He cut, and in some roundabout way would tell me it was my fault. I kept trying to fix him for a solid year and half, and now I have no sympathy for attention whores like him. Which made my experience with Creeper Number 5 short lived.

Some of these guys are clearly more creepy than others. It's not just them, there's more. And these aren't the complete stories, but I don't want to keep going. I'll never stop typing if I try to tell all my creepy guy problems.

But all that said, I'm done haha. I'm not playing this game anymore. I was kinda hoping that all the creepers in the world would just sorta sense that I have three intimidating big brothers, but that's not really working for me, so I'll have to start introducing people to Fred. Hopefully it deters them.

Colorado's with me.

I am perfectly ok with the fact that it's snowing in May. It's just one of those things to help remind me that I'm not alone, you know?

It was sunny and warm yesterday, as it usually is in April. And now, today, it snowed alllll day.

Colorado doesn't know what it's doing. It's been snowing on and off for the past month, interspersed with warm, normal spring weather. Colorado can't make up it's mind either.

More power to you, Colorado. You keep doing your thing. No one can define you, they don't know your life. They don't know where you've been. Be whatever you want to be. If you want to be Alaska, no one can stop you. You find your passion and pursue it, even if that means creating a giant glacier right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.