over-educated, underdressed, and around the bend

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2011-12-18T14:26:00.001-06:00

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Shoes: A Love/Hate Story

2010-01-13T16:50:00.004-06:00

i am not most women. i enjoy endless sex and the city marathons, trashy gossip and a big bottle of wine. however, i have an arch nemesis. her name? shoes.

(Alexander McQueen's 2010 collection portrays my view in an all new light....shudder.)

ever since i was a child i hated shoe shopping. i think this is due to wearing corrective shoes for my pigeon-toed feet when i was 2. those things were red, bulky and simply awful. i kicked my mom in the face with those gems while she was tying them onto my feet. whenever it was time to go shoe shopping i would throw fits. the older i got, the less tantrums i threw. now i just wait until the last minute to buy them. i guess this is more of a personal thing, being judged for what is on my foot or the size of my foot (7, thankyouverymuch.) there is just so much torment whenever i have to buy a new pair, i try not to bother with it.

right now i am in a different situation: i need shoes for my pending nuptials. not only do i need a pair for the event, i need a pair to even get fitted for my dress. in order to have a fuss-free alteration i need to have my shoes on so the dress fitter can see how tall (or short) i will be that given day so she can take it up a bit. this presents a dilemma bigger than buying a gown; i must buy shoes.

i had a few options: store, catalog or online. obviously i was not going to go with a catalog. the only ones i receive these days come from victoria's secret. trust me, they are not in the business of wedding shoes. this only left for going online or visiting a store. these options just overwhelm me. which shoe do i choose? which ones go decently with the dress? are these going to crimp my toes or spread my feet out like a duck? is $180 a justifiable price for these awesome kate spade shoes? do these look too demure? do these look too skanky? too many questions to bother with! i just want a pair of shoes....only ones that look decent. i have spent a month and a half looking for shoes but no luck yet.

shoes serve a wonderful purpose. they're functional, decorative and protect your feet from god knows what is lying on the ground. i just do not like shopping for those damned things!

new year, new me

2010-01-11T00:46:00.003-06:00

just two days ago, it occured to me that we are in a new year.

this is a fact that i should have realized the week before. i spent my new year celebration with gavin and my closest friends in the country, playing dirty scrabble and shooting off fireworks. we had a magnificient time just enjoying life together. the riverhouse, everett's family escape, has become a tradition for us. this tradition started a year earlier as a bon voyage for my old roommate robert. it was not as fun as we were hoping: i felt down for a great part of the evening (due to not having a job prospect and that good ol' "oh shit" moment of being an adult), too many uninvited guests and drama all around. this year, however, was the exact opposite. there was a solid army of five friends, one that was added this past year. we joked about how awful of a time we all had the year before and look forward onto personal fortunes and fun. in this next year alone, there will be weddings, a graduation, a school transfer, beginnings of careers...

...for a lack of better terms, this is all known as goodness.

while i do not believe in new year's resolutions i believe in self-betterment. little achievements that can simply help one become anew. after much careful consideration i have come up with the following:

- be more active: people usually say "lose weight" or "go to the gym more." i think of those as mindless tasks that fall to the wayside as soon as they pass a mcdonald's on the way to getting their gym membership. it seems more of a chore and less of an escape. i have a wedding in six (!) months and would like to look more vibrant and healthy. while losing a few pounds would be nice, i don't want that to be my end-all-be-all goal. as long as i don't sit on my ass eating ice cream during a "keeping up with the kardashians" marathon, i'll be fine. we got a wii fit for christmas, there is a treadmill in the front room, i have plenty of time before and after work...why not do something?

-get the career ball moving: last year i was in an awful rut. i lost my job right before thanksgiving and moped about for nearly three months. i ended up getting a job but it is not an ideal one. i have made the initial steps in becoming a teacher. it is a scary thing, picking up a new career just after i honed in on one. all i know is that this is my calling. i enjoy working with children, helping them learn something new and exciting about english, social studies or math. i just want to get into the classroom soon instead of just dreaming about it. it can happen!

-pursue knitting: two months ago i picked up a knitting loom and felt god tapping my shoulder. actually, i didn't have a spiritual epiphany. it can be more of a "i think i really like this" sort of feeling. after one week of working at the needle i made a scarf. now i have some needles and two balls of yarn....but no ambition. this is something that has happened before: photography, jiu jit su, cooking, blogging (har har.) do i want to turn into a fad-a-holic? not really. this is why i strive to make a few things and learn more about the basics. i have a wonderful resource not far from me: my aunt. unfortunately her and my uncle are moving out of the state in a few months. i need to jump on the ball of yarn before all hope is lost.

-take even better care of my finances: this was my goal last year; my credit score is looking much better these days. when i started college i only had a credit card, which multiplied into four. i didn't take good care of three of them and had to close all. this, with my student loans on hand, have turned into a mess. i had to do something about it. this has been an improvement that i am proud of. all i can do is better at this point.

-be a better wife/daughter/sister/co-worker/friend/person: the last, but most important, one on the list. this is one of those vague ones that you have to ask yourself "how can i be a better person?" i believe that we are all called to be good to one another (i.e., golden rule.) it's the actions that are the harder part. one way that i can make this happen is being more available. too often i get wrapped up in my own thing and forget to wish a "happy birthday" or even talk to people. i think about all the friendships that have been lost and the ones that i want to keep or improve upon. why spend my time thinking instead of actually doing? i think that the end goal, improved relationships, can be achieved with both hard work and dedication.

i feel that 2010 will not be as dismal as the year before. while i had some excitement and fun (an engagement, a job, good times) i think that this next year will kick the ass of 2009.

here's to a new year of life and happiness!

(over) one year later

2009-09-23T12:06:00.003-05:00

the tragedy of my little car wreck did not stop me from blog-a-logging, but instead, the mix and shuffle of life getting in the way of simple pleasures. so much has changed in the past year but i think it is all for the better.

first, i got a job with the museum...and lost it two months later due to the economy. now i understand how one can love and hate a job so much at the same time. this was also a blessing in disguise; with the three months i was without said job i took the time to regroup and figure out the "what nows?" in my life. sure, some would say that to think about that question just three months after graduating college is just too soon. i just think it was a divine intervention of sorts.

back when i was in high school i always considered becoming a teacher. seeing my own teachers go on so carefully about their own love for the subject at hand sent shock waves down my spine. just to think that they spent years in school studying the same thing just to share it with me seemed like a gift...the gift of knowledge. oftentimes, i would be one of their favorites. this was not just because i would complete all the assignments ahead of time but because i craved knowledge. i remember telling my junior year english teacher that i wish that staying in school could be a life-long career. she said that it is called being an educator. this is the likely answer a teacher would tell you, but what came next surprised me.

"however, you don't want to be a teacher. it's too much work and i can see you do something much, much better."

when she told me this i felt my spirits drop. how could my teacher, someone who has molded my mind over the past school year, try to dissuade me from chasing the same dream. this had me question my choice in college majors once i wrote english and communications on my college applications. of course, i dropped the first major within the first quarter of college. i thought that chasing the money signs would be a better bet than just becoming a dowdy teacher. come four years later, i changed my mind.

whenever i was at work for my first out-of-school job, i noticed that a spark was lacking. i would go in every morning with this empty smile. everything seemed so happy on the outside...but on the inside i was aching for more. don't get me wrong, i learned a lot of skills that would help me in future jobs. aside from getting a paycheck every two weeks, i just did not feel the job working out well for me.

two days before thanksgiving my boss pulled the plug right before my third month of work. even though it was at the most inconvenient of times, i think it was for the best. i started to think about what i truly wanted to do. my career is going to be with me for the next 40 years so i needed to make the most of it. i started looking into programs, getting back into school, etcetera. what i ended up with is enrolling in an alternative certification program. this would allow me to take the first steps to becoming a teacher while having a normal job. right now i am closing in on my curriculum and getting ready to look for a year-long internship as a elementary school teacher. i cannot wait to start and continue my dream.

this situation ended up being my rescue from the pitfalls of a lousy 40 years. i find it funny how life ends up working out for the better, even in the worst of circumstances.

THE WRECK!!

2008-09-08T08:43:00.002-05:00

last night i annihilated my little car. here is a copy-and-pasted entry since i am too lazy to write it all up again (i was updating some friends about the incident. ):

i'm all fine, minus the two bruises/minor heat burns i got from the airbag deployment. thanks girls for all the thoughts!

it was pretty crazy and happened so quickly. i was on my way to gavin's house (in a bit of a hurry to watch the VMAs; accounting for the wreck) and was going about 40 in a 35. the truck in front of my braked and my car, which doesn't have the best brakes in the world, got caught up in his undercarriage while i tried to stop. airbag burst, with the powder flying everywhere, and i got out in an "OMG OMG OMG" sort of mess.

the guy was pretty chill throught the whole situation. his truck only had undercarriage damage while my whole front end was destroyed. i should have taken pics but failed to. i called gavin all blubbery and then called the police. the police were nice and no tickets were issued (HUGE relief, even though the cop said he should have given me one but didn't. guess the crying and misery of a 22 year old destroying her first car on a clean record gave him the benefit of a doubt.) gavin rushed over and held me, reminding me that everything will work out for the better even if i am carless again. i'm glad that he was there to keep me all at bay. he is very dependable, especially in a moment such as this. (ladies, if your boy rushes to the scene to make sure you don't run off in a fit of tears, he is a keeper.)

my little chariot got towed off since it was not in driveable condition. i couldn't even open the passenger door to get my junk out of the glovebox so had to go through the driver door. i'm expecting an insurance call this week after the claims have been filed and hopefully i'll get a little money (if any) for the car to go toward another car. it is good thing that i just got a new job and just began my grace period for the student loans. big plus for having a birthday this week, which means any of that money is going toward the new car. i'm slowly getting my transportation arrangements set up for work and it is all turning out well.

i'm quite disappointed that i was in such a friggin hurry to see the VMAs and got into a wreck. no awards show is so important to not be very precautious about my surroundings. lesson learned.

that's the story and i'm sticking to it. i'm on the car hunt today and will hopefully have one real soon. it's a pain that this had to happen two days before work starts. did i mess up someone's karma to get this? i don't know; hopefully this is purely coincidental.

haunted (town)house

2008-08-22T17:36:00.006-05:00

after all of the graduation hoopla (see last post if you've been living under a rock lately), i am finally settling into the townhome. a few weeks ago robert, one of my good friends, needed to find two people to take over the rooms his current roommates were vacating in august. seeing as how i needed somewhere to live after graduation and did not favor the thought of moving back to mom's house, i obliged to the idea.

spacious bedroom? check. locality to just about everything? check. demons haunting the place? check.

okay, maybe our place is not so haunted. it's one of those 1970's structured townhomes you might find in various parts of houston (memorial, alief, etc.) so its bound to have a fair share of minor problems. first, carpet replacement. my new room had what appeared to be a kool-aid man homicide dead center in the room. also, the dog has marked her territory...all over the landing near the second floor. the carpet was replaced a few days ago so no more frightening spots exist in my bedroom anymore. i can rest in peace knowing that a certain red pitcher will not bust in and exclaim "OHHH YEAH!" while i'm asleep. he knows what's good for him.

another situation we ran into was electricity problems. the electrician came by to fix our A/C connection. soon afterward, funhouse madness ensued. it all started after the electrician left when i noticed that my bedroom lights were flickering. not to mention, my iHome kept making strange noises and was all lit up. the problem? i did not even touch my iHome. i went to the bathroom to notice that my lights were extremely dimmer than usual and kept flickering. i asked robert if he noticed anything and he told me that his computer would shut down if my bedroom and bath lights AND his bathroom lights were even own. this smaal problem also caused my George Foreman grill to short out (i just got it three weeks ago as a graduation present. so long to knocking out fat) and the kitchen fan to no longer work. thankfully this was fixed and we have no problems with the electricity as of now.

after all of this, i still love my new little place. it needs some work here and there but it is manageable.

bigger than myself

2008-08-12T00:03:00.003-05:00

a few mornings ago i officially finished college. after slaving over enchiladas and a presentation over the quince until the wee hour of 3.30 am i knocked out my multicultural lit class. i also found out that i aced my internship course and shared the news of a potential offer with the museum i have worked at this summer with my advisor. it also helps that i moved off campus and received my cap and gown a week ago.

i walked away and wanted to perform an elaborate dance to display my excitement and joy to the world around me. the thought of finally being done and stepping into another frame of life seemed so enthralling, so wonderful.

but, as that episode of saved by the bell when jessie spano becomes addicted to caffeine pills, i went from so excited to so scared.

i want to know what's next: career? marriage? family? retirement? it has been rushing through my mind all day since all my spare time has been divided between unpacking boxes and dwelling on the fact that i am closing a stage of my life.

i think that this is one of those milestone moments that you see in a movie. while life is rushing around yours begins to slow down, as if to accentuate the ever-so present mood and feelings. tomorrow morning is going to change my life forever. not only my life will be changed but all those around me will too. for as long as i could remember i held the family torch: first woman on dad's side and first person ever on my mom's side. it's quite the rush - and pressure, might i add - to have this privilege.

however, i handled it quite decently. i switched majors five times, gone through many organizations, friends, hairstyles, but have made it thus far. i'm making a mark tomorrow, one that will help set up a framework for the rest of my years to come.

sounds daunting at first, but it's not too bad. i'm just glad to have made what seemed so impossible september 2004 possible now. cheers!

consumption junction

2008-04-11T13:29:00.004-05:00

this afternoon, while hardly paying attention in my international relations class (as you can tell that i am experiencing senioritis of he highest degree) i decided to check out the news when i noticed this article about students who visited a brothel for their american consumption and culture course.

i woudn't even think about visiting brothels as a way that us americans utilize the consumption habit. as of recently, light has been brought on the age old practice of prostitution. it still seems as a barbaric concept, not only because of the fact that it is illegal in all states except for nevada, but also because women sell themselves for entertainment. however, don't we all buy into things just for the sheer fun of it?

the idea of consumption in america usually align with our $4 cups of coffee and $500 smart phones that we simply cannot get enough of. it's also in the clothings stores filled to the brim with the fashionable goods that will see the donation bin at goodwill six months later. more and more, we dedicate paychecks to the disposable joys of life. even people that "go green" jump right onto the bandwagon and replace all their old items just to become more friendly to the environment. it is an oxymoron to create even greater carbon footprints from the ones that we are trying to break away from.

our cycle of hoarding up whatever we can in order to live better lives has got to die down. i don't think that we can completely stop but i think that we can improve on these habits. need new clothes: go to a secondhand shop. want to upgrade your ipod to the newest model: rock the one you have until it gives you the screen of death. by doing these simple things we can create a better life for ourselves.

too many "honest" attempts later...

2008-03-10T13:04:00.003-05:00

This afternoon while in international relations (yes, I am in class. I stopped paying attention because we're way off-topic) I decided to browse around facebook and I saw an ad for endless.com. In case you are not online shopping savvy, it's a shoe website. I saw some cute heels and decided to look around some more. All of the sudden I came across this gem of a heel:For only $65.95 you, too, can own some stripper heels. I had a good laugh looking at the wide array of "platforms" on this site.

Graduation countdown is underway, with only 158 days to go until I chunk a deuce to HBU as I receive my $90,000 sheet of paper. The new quarter just started and i'm feeling it already. My schedule consists of this:

Intro to Political Science: MWF 9:30-11 am

This class has a pretty good mix of people. There's a friend here and there but there are also some weirdos in the class. One guy will tell every person "Good morning" as they enter through the doors. I like when people are considerate but to tell every one that and creep them out? Not so much, especialy after I woke up only 20 minutes ago. He should be lucky that I didn't threaten his life or gonads by now.

International Relations: MWF 12:30-2 pm

Basically all we really talk about is other systems of government in different nations, such as the European Union. The only downside: this one girl who gets on her uneducated soapbox every day. I'm certain that she is not a political science major but not all of us are preachy. We share but do not use every class session as an opportunity to tell everyone how Iraq got fucked because now the Sunnis and Shiites are fighting. I guess someone forgot to tell her that the above state has been going on for ages, not just recently.

Lame. But I have some allies in this class including a sister and some of my other poli sci buddies who I have had class with since Summer 2007. Also, Dr. Bordelon teaches this class (as well as the above one), which makes the classes more fun. How can you go without hearing his greate dislike for the Eagles?

Empirical: MW 2-3 pm

Another class with Dr. Colbert! Did you know that HBU has a professor that looks like Stephen Colbert? You know now.
Dr. Hammons is a pretty funny prof but he give nearly impossible work. This class is about the statistical language of political science, the REAL science in the subject. So far, so good. Sure, I'm going to spend alot of time in the computer lab this quarter doing the projects that are associated with the class but I can pull an A in this one. After all, these are my final 3 classes in poli sci so I need A's.

I also have an internship at an Episcopal church in the Medical Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I started two weeks ago and I'm enjoying it. Not only am I considered real staff, i also have the joy to work on an iMac G5 surrounded by a countless number of rubber duckies. My boss has a collection that has been growing since he started there a few years ago. My job mainly entails printing many orders of services and folding said orders. I also design things and make sure we don't misspell names on baby baptism certificates. Tis fun.

So that is what is happening right now. I'm no longer at The Collegian due to having too much work on my plate. It's all good though, especially because I can spend my Saturdays shopping with mom. I also got a car, which is a cute little beast. I'm good, and I hope you are too. Stay tuned for regular updates.

(I'm serious this time...)

the hamster that fell off the wheel

2008-01-08T14:54:00.000-06:00

after making an honest attempt nearly two months ago, i am trying my hand at this again. after all, this is a new year and one goal should be "write in blog." this goal is sandwiched between "drink less caffeine" and "go to sleep earlier," both of which are currently failing. i need the caffeine to wake up after getting 5 hours of sleep. hopefully i can keep one more consistent.

as of late, i have indulged into the evil workings of tv on dvd. because of the writer's strike i have nothing else to look at when i'm watching my daily hour of tv. as much as it pains me i have found some solutions:

dvds
play outside
running (yes, i'm back in my daily groove!)
catching up on sleep

i wrote a spiffy column about the strike here but it does not justify why i should only limit myself to this junk. sure, the occasional relaity show is nice but not necessary. now i am stuck on the hinges on whether or not heidi and lauren will ever be friends or will scott baio learn how to change a diaper. this is living proof that i, too, am a sucker for this madness.

forgive me if i make no sense, i'll try to come up with something better to talk about next time.

chills and thrills

2007-11-07T01:52:00.000-06:00

there is only one reason why i've been so negligent lately, which so happens to be school. normally i would write at least every other day but i don't like to rush someone through the routine and monotonous details of my day. i should be in bed at this moment, catching up on the sleep that i have lost in the past couple of days. instead i'm writing this and listening to the most recent episode of this american life.

so what is going on? a lot, i tell you. for starters i sucked in my gut and participated in panhellenic recruitment on campus. it was an intense weekend but i am proud to say that i am now a sister of alpha chi omega! we're having so much fun, from hanging out at meetings to lunch dates to an interesting retreat in hill country. i can say that i, a city girl, survived just fine without electricity and fussed very little.

every two months or so i change job titles at the collegian. i started as a writer only one year ago and have climbed up the food chain since. last friday, i got an offer for becoming the entertainment editor for the remainder of the year. my job is now more self-explanatory: play with press kits i receive, attend movies i'm invited to pre-screen, and find awesome sudoku puzzles to place on my pages.

(i also get a column, which is even sweeter than the fore mentioned. wow, i have arrived.)

two weeks ago i celebrated month 8 with gavin. for those who don't know who i'm talking about, he is the boy. gavin is simply terrific and always finds a way to make me laugh. i got off work early tonight so we spent the evening watching family guy and then showing jenn (the roommate) N64 kid. more jolly good times will come soon: gavin is meeting my dad's side of the family at a reunion on saturday. wish us luck!

finally, i went to deviantart just a few minutes ago to check things out and saw this:
this is from my visit to DC this past may. while it was great seeing all the things that fabricate our heritage, i still thought that the Metro was the best thing about my trip. i spent 3 out of my 5 days there on the metro, learning the lines and taking pictures like this one.

it gives me chills down my spine. not bad ones, just good ones. the photo emotes exactly how i feel.

gosh, i can't wait to go back...

time crunched

2007-09-27T16:48:00.000-05:00

in the past few weeks, i have embraced the concept of free time. prior to this year my free time equaled excess time. i spent my jobless days napping at 3 pm or browsing about little shops for a new pair of earrings. the days of conspicuous consumption (of my excess time) have since ended. i have since exchanged afternoon naps for class. my shopping has amounted to checking up the status for fancy eBay items such as this awesome dress while at work. the rest of the time i am either doing countess class assignments or working on the precious gem known as the collegian. as i near graduation, i have this to ask: TIME, where has you gone?

enough of my lamenting, let's talk about The Office. due to last-minute scheduling conflicts, i was afraid that i would miss the first episode. thankfully i will not miss out on all the fun, especially my precious jim halpert. i found an i ♥ jim mug for $1 (among other office goodies and my awesome new bed set) at target yesterday. i'm going to christen my new mug with yummy alaskan coffee while watching the new episode.

for all you office fiends, here is a clip:

suffering to be polite

2007-09-11T01:41:00.000-05:00

it was eventful, so don't think i wouldn't proceed.

lately i have been faced with a challenge: to be nicer to others. it does not help that i act semi-rude and sarcastic to those i love, even more sarcastic to those i barely know, and horrendous to those i cannot stand.

i'm trying my hardest, but even then i fall short. i pass by people that, for the life of me, i cannot stand. it's easier to act snobbish, for they already act the same toward myself. however, isn't that what being kind to others is all about?

when i was younger i was semi-bullied by a girl named katura. we went to church together and she would taunt me: she hated the way i sang, made fun of my smile and kicked me off a merry-go-round. i put up with it for so long, but over time all my buttons were pressed. i ended up screaming at her, asking her "why?" why did she treat me in a manner no one else did. i understood that we were both different but she obviously couldn't. it was a watershed moment and we became friends after the incident.

there are days where i just want to scream the same question to those i have strife with, the people that don't know me but are so eager to criticize me. then again, i don't need to bother asking "why." i'm honestly too wrapped up in my own day to day life to question dislikes and curt attitudes.

besides, i'm secure in which they lack: real confidence.