Coke, Fries and a Cheeseburger

Being snowed in does have its benefits: no school, Lost marathons on Hulu and sleeping late.

There is always one thing you wish you could have but you can't cause you're snowed in. Mine was a Big Mac, fries and a Dr. Pepper from McDonald's.

It was all I could think about for 3 days. I was a re-occuring thought that just taunted me from inside my head. I could smell the delicious fries and taste the sweet Dr. Pepper, and I couldn't do anything about it. I was stuck. Stuck inside my house. Without the artery clogging goodness.

Something else that happens when it snows that I'm not too fond of: You can't go anywhere. I can not want to go anywhere for days and days. Then it snows, and I'm itching to get out of the house.

I know what it is...It is because I'm not suppose to leave. It's dangerous to drive in the snow in Arkansas. Because winter weather is so rare, people act totally stupid on the road. Driving in the snow and ice is not an Arkansan's strong point.

So as of Thursday night, I have been restricted to the confinment of my house, which would usually be ok. But I just wanted to get out and get a Big Mac...and I had to wait until today. 3 whole days to dream of the tasty Number 1 with cheese and sauce only.

Mt and I left the house for the first time in one of our own cars. The roads were a lot better, still slushy but drivable. People were out and about in full force (probably because they were tired for being stuck inside just like me).

We drove straight to McDonald's. It almost seemed like we couldn't get home fast enough. But let me tell you, that Big Mac was the best Big Mac I've ever eaten. Not even kidding. SO good. It was like a dream come true, even though I've had my fair share of Big Macs in my day. :)

So yeah, it is not really in line with the healthy foods and the exercise kick, but I'm only human. Sometimes a McDonald's run is needed to keep you motivated. Yes, I ate it. And it was great. Will I regret it tomorrow? Probably so...especially when Bob is kicking my butt with early morning cardio.

A Letter about the Weather

Dear Winter Weather,

While usually I would love an excuse to get out of school for a whole day, I have a favor to ask. Please please please snow and/or ice all night long and into the wee hours of the morning. Just enough for the big dogs on campus to close the university...and then STOP!

Sincerely,
ashten
a.k.a. lover of snow days/hater of actual snow

************************************************************************

Yeah Yeah. So what? I don't really like snow. I know it is pretty and white and whatever. But it is freakin' cold. I don't really like the cold...and since snow and ice fall into the cold category I'm not really a fan.

Do I want to wake up to icy roads and snow covered roofs? Yes. Do I want to check the campus Web site and see that class was cancelled? Of course. Do I want to be confined to my houes for 3 days because the roads are so icy that I can't drive anywhere? Not so much.

So yes, let it snow. But just stop so I can still do other stuff. I like to have options on my days off...especially days that are suppose to be school days. So snow all you want to sky....but just give me a break so I can go rent a movie and get stuff to make a yummy pot of soup!!!

People shouldn't rush you on the bread aisle

For 21 years I have not had to worry about what I eat or drink. Then, I had the most look forward to birthday (21st birthday), and my pants decided not to fit anymore. Lets just say I slowly drank my way to a new pants size....and my eating habits weren't that hot either.

I'm not saying I drank all day everyday of all the weekends, but if I wanted to enjoy a beverage of my choice, I would. And now it has come to bite me in the booty, lower abs and thighs.

Like I said in a previous blog post, I have started a workout routine that is totally kicking my butt. But along with that, I have started to eat healthy. Well healthy foods sometimes don't cut it. Every now and then a girl just needs a pint of ice cream and a spoon....ok. Don't judge.

My roommate (for privacy purposes, lets call her MT) got the "Eat This, Not That" books for Christmas. Well I picked one up the other day and started flipping through the pages. Guess what? Every single thing I love to eat is a NOT THAT. I tell you what...it makes for a crappy day to find out all of your favorite foods are bad for you.

MT, being the newly developed health nut that she is, has asked for us not to eat things with large amounts of butter and/or sugar. Butter and sugar? Well that is stupid. I love butter and sugar. Those two items alone can make cardboard appetizing.

One night I'm cooking supper, and MT comes in the kitchen and says something similar to this: Hey, next time you make asparagus can we maybe use olive oil and not a whole stick of butter.

I tell you that was a sad day for me. I guess it does defeat the purpose of eating the vegetable if it is soaked in a hot butter bath. Now don't go and blame MT for me being hungry and missing out on buttery and sugary delights...she is just trying to keep us alive until we are 150. ;)

After about 2 months, I began to adjust to the new no-butter-no-sugars (in mass quanities) lifestyle.

So here is something funny. I went grocery shopping today. First, why is the bread aisle always so congested? It always seems like a very specific dance is going on there...and if you don't know the right moves, you will be mowed over by more experienced buggy pushers.

Anyway...back to the story. I'm on the always congested bread aisle, and I find myself in a dilemma. I couldn't remember what kind of bread I'm not suppose to buy. I couldn't remember what "Eat This, Not That" said about bread.

So what do I do? I start checking labels on the back of the bread for sugar and sodium content. Yes, I am now one of those people that you hate on the bread aisle. I stood there for as long as I could stand the people giving me death stares and the people accidentially (but purposefully) bumping my buggy and the people reaching around me to the All-American Wonder white bread. I wanted to say: Hey! Just give me a minute. I'm trying to find healthy, 100% whole wheat bread that won't clog my arteries in the long run.

I know eating healthy and exercising is good for you. It's just that no one ever told me it was going to be this difficult. I have been doing good for the most part, but I still sneak in some oldies-but-goodies from time to time. I've got Oreos and Rice Krispie Treats stashed for those bad days...and those days when baby carrots just won't cut it.

22nd Birthday Extravaganza

Those of you who know me know how much I love celebrating birthdays. I love celebrating friends birthdays. I like buying gifts and making cakes and throwing surprise parties. It truly brings me joy to make someone's birthday extra special.

Now that you have an overview of my love for birthdays, I can tell you something. My 22nd birthday is closing in fast. It is less than 2 weeks away...which is really exciting. So I'm having a dilemma. I need to find a super cool place to eat on my special day of birth.

I want to go to a place where dressing up isn't frowned upon. I have some really cute dresses, and I don't really get to wear them anywhere. I also want to eat foods I don't eat everyday. I just don't know where I should go.

I just want a small group of friends to celebrate with me, but I want the food to be amazing. So if you have any ideas as to where I should go my special birthday dinner, just leave me a comment. I love suggestions. Basically think off the beaten path...I'm not really scared to try different food. Mundane food is not acceptable on this oh so special evening that will be my birthday day.

Working Out Is for the Birds

One of my New Year's resolutions was to start working out three days a week. I don't have class until noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays so it seems only logical for those days to be my workout days.

Let me just say...I am not the type that likes to work out. I never have been, probably never will be. But when your pants start to not fit something has to be done.

So I have started to work out. My roommate got the Biggest Loser Cardio Max workout video with the trainer Bob from the tv show Biggest Loser. Let me just say...Bob looks amazing, but everyone else on that video not so much.

It is comforting to me that all of the people on the video are bigger and actually breaking a sweat. I know that sounds terrible for me to say, but it is just good to know that I am not the only one breaking a sweat and hating Bob because they sweat and hate Bob, too.

For the past 3 or so weeks, I have been working out with Bob in my living room. It is a 30 minute workout: 5 minute warm-up, 20 minute cardio workout and 5 minute yoga cool down. Let me be real honest: At first, I hated it. I hated Bob. I hated the pretend jump rope exercise. I hated the sweating. Most of all, I hated the sore muscles and pain after the fact.

Now, three weeks later, I am beginning to understand Bob and all he is doing for my body. Bathing suit season is nearing, and I don't want everyone to know that I enjoy a beverage of my choice whenever I want one.

I can already tell a big difference in my breathing. I can do more and not be as tired. My muscles are not really sore anymore, and Bob and I can stay on the same page....or more importantly I can actually keep up with Bob. I'm starting to like the sweat and the workout. Maybe one day I will become a marathon runner....but lets be honest...probably not.

I highly recommend Bob and the Biggest Loser cardio max workout to all of you interested in getting in shape. My goal was not to be buff and ripped with muscle, but to be tone and fit. I tell you...I'm getting there. Tone and fit here I come.

Bags of White Tees

Why doesn't Hanes make bags of plain white t-shirts for girls? Since when does everything girls wear have to be fitted and tight? Sometimes we just want to put on a t-shirt that doesn't touch us or pants that bag in the butt. I mean we just want to be comfortable.

Why do you think so many women buy clothes out of the men's section? I guess it finally caught someone's attention because they came up with boyfriend jeans that look worn and are baggier than any other brand of women's jeans.

I was in Wal-Mart the other day, and I had to buy a bag of men's Hanes white t-shirts because they don't make those for girls. I don't really care that I had to buy in the men's section, but I just think they should make packs of loose t-shirts for girls.

To the people at Hanes: Just make us some shirts. It's not that hard. Make them just like the men's except put packs in the women's section. Don't make them tight and fitted. Just normal. Normal plain white t-shirts in a bag. Is that too much to ask? No, I don't think it is. The women of America would really appreciate the gesture.

Women want bags of Hanes loose white t-shirts, too. We like to be comfortable, too. So just put some bags in the women's section. Ok. Thanks.

Journalist turned Market Researcher

I knew there was a reason I named this blog "It's Always Something" because there is always something happening to me. Today was an exceptional day in the happenings of my life. Once you hear this story you will sit there shaking your head saying "Man, it sucks to be her".

So today was the first day of my business management class, which I thought was Personnel/Human Resource Management. So I get to class early with my make-shift lunch of pita chips and Sobe Life Water, and strategically choose my seat in the middle of the room. I sit down, and start reading today's issue of the USA Today.

At 2 p.m. the professor walks in, pulls up the powerpoint slides, and starts his lecture. I take little notice in the fact that the first slide on the powerpoint said Managing People and Work. The professor continue to talk about himself, and he has us introduce ourselves to the class.

I stand up, say my name, major and one interesting fact. He's looking through his roster, flipping the pages, and then looks up at me with a strange look. ***This should have been my first red flag*** He said I don't have you my roster, so he asks for my name again. And when he has expelled all of the effort he could on the dilemma, he said we will talk about it after class.

After the introductions, he dives head first into his lecture on "Managing People and Work". Did I mention that the class is from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.? So I sit through the first half of the lecture (about an hour and a half), and then he lets us take a short break.

Me being the overachiever that I am decide I am going to figure out what is up with roster during this 15 minute break. So I go over to talk to him, and he is talking to this other girl whose name was also not on the roster. And I overhear him say something about Human Resource Management starting in March. ****This should have been my second red flag****

We start talking about the situation, and it turns out that the same teacher teaches both Managing People and Work AND Personnel/Human Resource Management. AND both classes are each 8 week classes. The class I was originally registered for was Personnel/Human Resource Management, which doesn't start until March 8.

But the professor was really nice about it, and he told me that I could just stay in Managing People and Work and drop Human Resource Management. So I say ok since I've already sat through half of the first class, and I will be done with it in March. I'm thinking "YEAH. I've got it made."

As it gets closer to time to go, the professor passes out the syllabus. He explains what is expected of us, the quality of work he wants to see, and all of the projects. As I'm looking at the syllabus, I notice the pre-req's for the class...NONE of which I had had. ***This was my third red flag.***

After class is over, I've been assigned a group of the team project and given all of my contact information to that group, I find the teacher and express my concerns about the pre-reqs. He says it should be fine and that he wanted me to go up stairs to enroll in the right class, Managing People and Work.

So we go upstairs, explain the situation to the department secretary, and she tells us that probably can't be in the class because I don't have the pre-reqs. Then, the professor tells me that the pre-req for Personnel/Human Resource Management is Managing People and Work.

Now ain't that just dandy. I can't take either. Well I proceed to plead my case, saying that it was on my sheet as a class option for me to take and that I need 3 more hours in the College of Business to graduate in May.

I guess was I convincing enough because they let me go talk to another guy, one of the higher-ups, to see if I could stay in the class without the pre-reqs. So I talk to this man, explain my situation, tell him all of the marketing and management classes that I've had and stand strong with the fact that my Marketing electives sheet told me I could take the class. He asks for my name, and then leaves me in his office to wait.

Obviously this guy is not very smart because he goes next door to talk the professor of the class that I just sat through even though I wasn't enrolled in it, and started asking him questions about me. The guy just met me 3 hours ago. What is he suppose to say? I tried my best to hear what they were saying, and I heard him say something to the effect of "She seems like a bright girl..." and he said that because he has no idea what kind of person I'm like. I could be a crazy insano for all he knows.

But anyway...move on. The professor comes to get me, and he starts explaining that I will be doing a directed study. A 3 hour directed study. A 3 hour directed study in marketing. Tell me where that sounds a little off. I'm a journalism major, and yet I am going to doing research in a field that I hate. It's going to be great. JUST GREAT.

He said that I will be helping him do some research on individual personalities and comparing my research to other areas. I mean what was I suppose to do? I couldn't say no. I need the hours to graduate on time, and I can't take either of the courses he teaches because I don't have the pre-reqs.

So here I am. Yesterday a learning journalist, and today a journalist who is also a market researcher....or I should say a individual personality researcher who specializes in the field of management. Welcome to my life.

The Stress and Broken Yolk

You know how I know it's going to be a bad day? I'm making breakfast, which usually consists of a fried egg and some type of bread like toast or a biscuit, and as I go to flip my egg the yolk breaks all in the pan. Really gives me rage...and who likes and egg without yolk?? Nobody.

It is the first week of class and already I feel the stress of school. I feel like this semester will be full of some kind of all consuming mind eating stress. So yes I will graduate, but my brain will be the consistency of jello.

I wish I could be one of those people who didn't worry about anything. The type of person who can just let everything go, and it all just works out in their favor. But, unfortunately, I am not that lucky.

I worry about everything, or at least it seems that way to me. I worry about homwork, grades, applying to grad school, getting a job, etc. It's a never ending process, this worrying thing. I wish I could just stop some days.

I was sitting in class this morning, and my professor said part of doing good in the class was trying stuff and failing at it. He lives by this rule: Fail early, Fail often.

What the crap? I've spent my whole life working toward success, and now I have to try to fail. I know, I know. He is not really telling us to actually fail. He just wants us to take risks in his class. (He is very non-traditional when it comes to his teaching methods, which is refreshing).

So here I am. It's been 3 days into the semester, and I already stressed out. Maybe it will get better, but let's be honest....It will probably just get worse. What can I say? I'm a realist.

The First One.

I've been having this reoccuring feeling to start a blog. I wasn't sure what it would be about, but I just kept having the thought that it is something I should do. So today...I started blogging.

I have decided that for me to be successful at this I need to have some sort of purpose or identity that people can relate to. So this blog is about my day-to-day life, all the good and the bad that my daily self comes in contact with. It may not always be the most exciting thing to read each day, but at least I'm trying....so here it goes...the first one.

As I've grown up, I have began to notice that life is not always what it seems it would be. Things happen that you can't understand. People come in and out of your life. Things change. It's always something...

My college graduation is looming...5 more months to be percise. I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself. School has been my comfort zone for most of my life. I've alway been good at school. As dorky as it sounds, I actually like learning new things. I like the challenges of college...It's what I know. I feel safe in my little comfort zone.

I don't know if the real world is going to be as forgiving. I want to be succesful in life. I want to work hard in a job I love and in an organization I care about. But it is just so scary. I'm about to make a huge life change, and I'm scared to death. How does one go about getting an entry level position? When is it time to start applying for jobs? What does one need to do to be successful?

Questions like those boggle my brain every single day. I had my first breakdown today on the phone with my mom. She has always been the one I go to when I can't quite figure it out on my own.

Guess what? My mother had little to no advice for me in the job area...although she did give me a very encouraging your-life-will-be-fine-and-you-will-find-the-perfect-job speech. She made me feel a little better, but I still have all the same questions I had before.

I'm sure I'll get everything figured out, and I have 5 months to prepare myself for what is to come. It's scary, but I am ready....just got to get all my questions answered first.