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Daniel

Let me start from the beginning. When I was in 8th grade, my class visited the high school for a tour and to get to know our future schoolmates. After my group was done, we were just hanging out in the gym talking to some people that we knew. There was this boy there with dirty blond hair and gray-blue eyes. He was cute, alright, but not like "Oh My God" or anything. Yet, I found myself unable to take my eyes off him. He didn't say a word the whole time we were there. After we left, I found out from a friend that his name was Daniel. For the next couple weeks, when I was walking around town on my paper route, I would imagine what it would be like to see him again. I imagined that he would become my friend. I couldn't stop thinking about him!
When school started in the fall, I fell back in with my friends (who were mostly upperclassmen) and began hanging out with a few new people. Our group was expanding! One of the people I was now seeing a lot of was none other than Daniel. I wish I could tell you that we hit it off really great from the start and everyone thought we would be perfect for each other. But that is not how it happened. If fact, at first, he couldn't stand me. Anyone who knew me then could tell you that I was no stranger rejection and was developing the idea that if someone, no matter how wonderful I thought they were yesterday, is going to diss me when they don't even know me, fuck them! They are not worth my time! But, very uncharacteristically, I didn't feel hurt by Daniel. The idea to write him off as just another guy didn't even cross my mind. I continued to flirt with him, and, more importantly I think, be his friend.
I can tell you that a couple months into the year, we were pretty good friends. I talked to him more than I talked to anyone else, including my boyfriend (more about him later). When ever one of us was sad or upset, the other was the only one who could make it right. I still have an IM conversation from those days, in which he signed off with "I'll miss my favorite girl." I told him that I loved him, and for once I didn't add "as a friend", and for once, he said it back. I can remember the magic that I could literally feel unfolding when I was with him. He invited me to go bowling with his family once, and I'm pretty sure his mom fell in love with me right there. It was a good time, (even though I hate bowling). It was strange. With him, there was no inhibitions. I said things to him that I wouldn't tell my boyfriend. I could be myself around Daniel, my boyfriend would say I was stupid. Now that I'm on the subject of him, let me tell you about Schaefer.
Brian Schaefer was a pudgy, fun-loving senior. He was friends with my best friend's brother, which is how we met. I mean, I knew who he was before, we just didn't talk to each other ever. Anyway, we started going out and then the problems started. He seemed embarrassed about me, and he wasn't all that nice, either. He would tell me that I should do this or that like this other chick we knew. He told me he wasn't taking me to his prom because I was too young and I would ruin it for him. To make it simple, he was an ASSHOLE to me when we were dating. And that's another thing. I wouldn't even call it dating, because he always found excuses not to be out in public with me. Yet the one time that we did go to a movie, he told all his friends that I was all over him. YA FREAKIN RIGHT!!! So anyway, every time that he would make me sad, guess who was there to make me smile. Daniel.
The two of us got so close that Schaefer accused me of cheating. I wasn't (or was I?) but I'm pretty sure he didn't care if I was or not. It was just a convenient excuse to break it off. I felt like shit for all of an hour, and then I was over it. I can remember going to school the next day and my friend remarked "Hey, now you're back on the market!" Daniel was standing right there when she said that, and you can guess what I was thinking.
Well, this friend, I found out later, had a crush on Daniel. I had always suspected this, but wasn't sure. In an attempt to be a good friend, I told him that he should ask her out. He said he would not. Then, he said it would be funny if he asked me out right in front of her. I smiled, and secretly hoped he would. He didn't, but a couple days later when he was walking me to class, he kissed me on the cheek. No one knew why I was so happy for the rest of the day!
I remember when I told my friends that I liked Daniel. They were like "WHY??" He was a nice guy and all, but to them, he wasn't boyfriend material. But to me, he was. To everyone else, he came off as anti-social and a little psychotic. But I knew him as he really was. He was the sweetest, most considerate, caring guy I had ever met. I knew that what I felt for other guys was insignificant now. I was head over heels in love with Daniel.
On April 2nd, 2001, we were standing around after school talking. After a little nervous hesitation, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Of course, I said yes, and after a quick goodbye kiss, he went out to his car, and I ran up to the library to tell Christina.
Since then, we have had lots of great times, a handful of bad times, and a couple that were horrible. But we have gotten through everything together. As I said before, you can't judge love by how much you fight. It's much more important to find a way to settle your differences, respect each other's feelings and opinions, and come together to find a solution you both can live with. There is no doubt in my mind, that right now, Daniel is the one Fate has set aside for me. Only time will tell whether or not we will spend eternity together, but my heart tells me that we will.

I Just Couldn't Stay Away

Following is an excert from my friend's blog:

I was driving home from watertown today, and I drive by this tree with a miniture horse or donkey or something tied up to it. I think to myself, what a pretty bunny. Then a few seconds later I figure out my mistake and start laughing insanely...
                                  http://www.drunkenmonkee.blogspot.com

 
I just had to show this, and then tell you of my own incident(s). Once, at a friend's farm, I saw a little, fluffy, white cat. I got all excited and squeeky (as I sometimes do) and exclaimed "Miniature sheep!!"   Another time (just yesterday, actually). I was driving along (drive, drive, drive) and suddenly I saw a little brown rabbit run across the road. "DEER!!" my mind screamed at me as I instinctively went for the brake petal.

How, oh how, did I pass Biology?

Ta Ta For Now

Well, folks, tomorow is the last day of Physics, and with my computer at home utterly useless, I am afraid that I will not be posting again until the end of August, when I get moved into my dorm. I really hope there are actually people out there reading this, who will actually care...

(looks around a bit)

Well anyways, I might accidently sneak another post before then, but otherwise, see you in August! (or September)

7 Minutes and 59 Seconds Ago

If the sun were to suddenly vaporize, we would not know it for 8 minutes. So how do we know that it didn't already happen? If everything suddenly gets very dark, you know why...

You Know You're From A Small Town When...

1. You can name everyone you graduated with.
2. You know what 4-H is.
3. You ever went to parties at a pasture, barn, or in the middle of a dirt road.
4. You used to drag "main."
5. You said the 'f' word and your parents knew within the hour.
6. You schedule parties around the schedule of different police officers, since you know which ones would bust you and which ones wouldn't - same goes with the game warden.
7. You ever went cow-tipping or snipe hunting.
8. School gets canceled for state sporting events.
9. You could never buy cigarettes because all the store clerks knew how old you were and if you were old enough, they would still tell your folks.
10. When you did find someone old enough and brave enough to buy cigarettes, you still had to go out to the country and drive back roads to smoke them.
11. You were ever in the Homecoming parade.
12. You have ever gone home for Homecoming.
13. It was cool to date someone from the neighboring town.
14. You had senior skip day.
15. The whole school went to the same party after graduation.
16. You don't give directions by street names or references (turn by Nelson's house, go two      blocks to the Anderson's turn left and it's four houses left of the football field).
17. The golf course had only 9 holes
18. You can't help but date a friend's ex-girlfriend.
19. Your car stays filthy because of the dirt roads, and you will never own a dark vehicle for this reason.
20. You think kids that ride skateboards are weird.
21. The town next to you is considered "trashy" or "snooty" but is actually just like your town.
22. Getting paid minimum wage is considered a great job.
23. You refer to anyone with a house newer than 1980 as "rich" people.
24. The people in the city dress funny, then you pick up on the trend a few years later.
25. You bragged to your friends because you got pipes on your truck for your birthday.
26. Anyone you want can be found at either the Dairy Queen or the feed store.
28. You see at least one friend a week driving a tractor through town.
29. Football coaches suggest that you haul hay for the summer to get stronger.
30. Directions are given using "the" stop light as a reference
31. The city council meets at the coffee shop.
32. Your letter jacket was worn after your 19th birthday.
33. You have ever taken a trailer or dog to school on a daily basis.
34. Weekend excitement involves a trip to the grocery store.
35. Even the ugly people enter beauty contests.
36. You decide to walk somewhere for exercise and 5 people pull over and ask if you need a ride. 37. Your teachers call you by your older siblings names.
38. Your teachers remember when they taught your parents.
39. You can charge at all the local stores.
40. The closest McDonald's is 45 miles away.
41. So is the closest mall.
42. It is normal to see an old man riding through town on a riding lawn mower.
43. You don't use your turn signals because everyone knows where you're going.
44. You greet every dog you see by name, and they wag their tails.
45. The largest business in town sells farm machinery. 
46. You laugh your ass off reading this because you know they're all true.

You Know You're From South Dakota When...

1. During a storm you check the cattle before you check the kids.
2. You are related to more than half the town.
3. You can tell the difference between a horse and a cow from a distance.
4. Your car breaks down outside of town and news of it reaches back to town before you do.
5. You don't put too much effort into hairstyles due to wind and weather.
6. Your quarterback is hurt and you're hoping it's the first thing on the 6 o'clock news.
7. There's a tornado warning and the whole town is outside watching for it.
8. The local gas station sells live bait.
9. You don't buy all your vegetables at the grocery store.
10.You go to the State Fair for your family vacation.
11. You get up at 5:30 a.m. and go down to the coffee shop.
12. You're on a first name basis with the county sheriff.
13. When little smokies are something you serve on special occasions.
14. You go to the river because it's almost like going to the ocean.
15. You have the number of the Co-op on speed dial.
16. All your radio preset buttons are country.
17. Using the elevator involved a corn truck.
18. Your mayor is also your garbage hauler, barber, and insurance salesman.
19. You know you should listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.
20. You are walking knee-deep in snow.
21. You call the wrong number and talk to the person for an hour anyway.
22. Your excuse for getting out of school is that the cows got out.
23. You talk with a friend about some big event you are going to attend, and by the end of the conversation you've decided you're both too broke to go.
24. You know cow pies aren't made of beef.
25. Your early morning prayer covers rain, cattle and pigs.
26. You wake up when it's dark and go to bed when it's still light.
27. You consider a romantic evening driving through Hardees and renting a hunting instructional video.
28. You want to buy manure.
29. You listen to "Paul Harvey" every day at noon.
30. You can tell it's a farmer working late in his field and not a UFO.
31. Your nearest neighbor is in the next area code.
32. You leave your snow tires on year-round.
33. You know the difference between field corn and sweet corn when they are still on the stalk.
34. You know the code names for everyone on the CB.
35. You pick up all the free stuff at the State Fair.
36. You'll skip your cousin's funeral for the first day of deer season.
37. You can eat an ear of corn with no utensils in under 20 seconds.
38. You don't clean up the dog's mess because it's just fertilizer.
39. You wear your irrigation boots to church.
40. You know enough to get your driving done early on Sundays before the Sunday drivers come out.
41. It takes 30 seconds to reach your destination and it's clear across town.
42. You can tell the smell of a skunk and the smell of a feed lot apart.
43. The meaning of true love is that you'll ride in the tractor with him.
44. You consider a building a mall if it's bigger than the local Wal-Mart

MTV

Why is it even called Music Television when there is rarely any music on it. It's mostly just game shows, reality shows, and hundreds of people in swimsuits on the beach watching a couple other people talk. I don't get it...But I guess its kinda like on the radio when they have to interrupt the music to tell us faithful listeners (who are about to change the station in like 0.2 seconds) that their station has "stopless music".

YAY!!

Friday night, or rather Saturday morning, my friend from Cali called me. I hadn't heard from him in like a year! He is awesome, man. He always makes me smile. My friends out here would totally love him. I was so happy to hear from him. Scared the shit out of me when he called 'cuz I had no clue who it was at first. After I figured it out, though, I was stoked. We talked for a bit, I got his new number, he made a few random comments, and then he had to go. I hope that we will be able to stay in touch a little better now. And in closing, I shall leave you with some of Sam's last words before we hung up.

"Get me a raccoon, some peanut butter, and a spatula, and meet me in the closet." 
                                                    -Sam

Former Self

I saw this question on a forum once while watching a friend surf the net, and just had to include it. Please feel free to answer this question under the "comment" section for this post. You will have to click "post anonymously" but please include your name at the end.

If you could talk to your former self, what age would you visit, and what advise or hope for the future would you give?


Elementary Years

DON'T be friends with Tanya. She may be your best friend for 5 years but in the end her and her mom fuck you over big time.

You really should brush your hair once in awhile, and go to the bathroom when you need to. Trust me, right now, you are a freak.

Steal more than one sea-shell

2+3 is NOT 6. You KNOW that!!!!

Kissing girls is NOT permitted in Kindergarten (though it makes a funny story).

People DO change. Trust me. (Except Tucker.)

Don't believe Jessica Olson when she says she wants to play with you. Its just a lame trick to make you look retarded. Also, don't believe her when she says she can't play because she has too much homework. Second grader's don't get homework.

 
Middle School Years

You really do dress retarded, just so you know.

Don't tell Clinton that you like him.

Believe it or not, Katie will end up being one of your best friends in High School, and you even become the Godmother of her son.

Don't be too bummed about the whole singing thing not working out. Getting famous would have interfered with the rest of your life way too much.

You are NOT going to marry Howie Dorough from the Backstreet Boys, and trust me, one day you will be OK with that.

Don't tell anyone at school how old Kenny is.

Don't even trip when you fight with Crystal. You guys are way too tight to split up for good. In fact, you end up being college roomates.

Even though they hate you now, Tyler and Roy end up being two of your good friends senior year.

 
High School Years

Daniel is TOTALLY worth it

Schaefer is totally NOT. He isn't boyfriend material. Know this and move on.

See Middle School entry about Crystal.

You won't get a car until Graduation, so don't bother getting your hopes up.

Take another science class.

Mr. Koisti does get cute.

Don't feel so threatened by Rachelle. She's nice.

Enjoy your time with Terry while you can. Peter is telling the truth (at least half-way).

You're NOT pregnant.

Neither is Bonnie.

Ten Years From Now

Here is a question for you to think about. Go ahead and submit your answer under the "comment" section of this post. You will have to choose "post anonymously" but please include your name at the end. Here's your question.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

July 23, 2014

In May of 2008, I graduated from Northern University in Aberdeen. I then married my High School sweetheart, Daniel Burch. We have lived in Lake Norden for 6 years now. Over the years, we have acquired 2 vehicles, a snowmobile, a fourwheeler, 4 pets, and 3 kids. Daniel drives a black Silverado to work at Davisco 5 days a week. I take my little blue neon to the school where I am a second-grade teacher. While we are at work, the kids stay next door at grandma and grandpa's house. Daniel's chocolate lab that he has had since he was 17 also stays there in the dog pen out back. When one, or both, of us is home, we love to be outside with the kids. Damian, age 5, has his very own little Silverado to drive around the yard. He chases his little sister Candace around in it. She doesn't get to drive much, but when she does, she likes to take my Yorkshire terrier puppy for rides. We also have a newborn, Cameron. He's barely a month old. We also have two house cats. The house itself is very nice. It used to belong to Daniel's grandma. There is a fireplace and a flatscreen TV in the living room, and in the backyard there's a 4 foot pool. In the basement there is a gameroom, with a pool table, a dart board, and an air hockey table. Life is good, and we couldn't be happier.

Awesome Website!!

I was looking for quotes to put on my msn profile when I stumbled accross this site. There are so many great ones on there! Check it out!

http://www.seapix.com/Slapshots/index.htm

Maybe Physics Doesn't Suck

Today we are learning about Einstien's theories. He's a lot more interesting than Galileo! According to various theories, the following things are true:

The faster you travel, the slower you age.
 
For example, if you were hired to travel on a spaceship at 80% the speed of light, during the time that your biological clock would tick away 20 years, your twin back on Earth would have aged 33.3 years!!

Massive objects warp space.
 
Say you were in space and you wanted to go from point A to point B, and it was going to take you 10 years to make the trip. Now, no one wants to waste ten years of their life, so what's to do? Simply borrow a planet or some other large object from a nearby solar system and stick it in between the two points and boom, space becomes warped and you no longer have as far to go! Of course, if you don't have a planet handy, remember that E=MC^2. Just shoot a huge amount of energy in place of the planet and the same result occurs. Neato!!

The faster you travel, the shorter things appear.

When you drive on the interstate, the lines in the center of the road appear from the point of view of a driver to be about two meters. If you were to measure, however, they are actually much longer, at 9 meters!

Attention Deficit Disorder

After having (quite) a few people accuse me of having ADD, I decided to go ahead and take a test to find out. Here is the address of the (5 PAGE) test I took:
http://www.oneaddplace.com/addcheck.htm

Basically, what you do is rate each of 78 items as 0-4. 0 means it never sounds like you, and 4 means it very frequently does. If you have 20 or more items scored 3 or higher, it is a good indication that you have ADD.

I had 34.

There is also 3 questions which are necessary for diagnosis.

I got a 4 on all 3.
 
Hmmmm...this really gives me something to think about. Man, this is serious. Hey, did you know that a pregnant goldfish is called a twit. HAHA. You're a twit. I wonder if twits have twats...eeewww....naughty...

Different Kinds of People

I have met several kinds of people over the years. The "do-ers", who are probably about my favorite kind, are always doing something. They are motivated.  If they want something, they work toward it. In contrast are the "waiters". They sit around waiting for something to happen. If things aren't the way they like them, they feel sorry for themselves and wonder why God hates them. Then there are those who are stoned/drunk 90% of the time and don't know, or care, what's going on. The next kind are "all about you". They do everything in their power to make everyone else happy, at the risk of making themselves miserable. This type of person gets taken advantage of way too much.
 
The last type gets their own paragraph. Let me explain why. This blog is not for me to make random observations. No, no. This is for me to rant. AND HERE I GO!! 
 
A girl that I know was in the school play a few years ago. I will say that she was a very good actress. SO WERE MANY OTHER GIRLS. We had decided on two or three other girls that we thought were at the top, and those were the ones she saw as her competition. Losing to one of them would be no problem. Of course she would be disappointed, but it would be fine. After all, they had more acting experience and more charisma on the set. When the night came, however, she lost to someone we had not even considered. The reason she was not on our list was not at all because she was bad, because she wasn't, but because she was a newcomer, and the role did not require all that much acting. Anyway, as I said, losing to one of those considered would have been no problem for my friend. However, the fact that she lost to someone who she felt maybe didn't deserve it as much as some of the others was a slap in her face. By the end of the week, this was her:
 
"Mrs Director KNEW I deserved that award, but you know, if she gave it to Julie or someone then I would admit my defeat on get on with my life, but no, she had to give it to someone who didn't deserve it so that I would realize that she only wasn't giving it to me because she's mad at me for getting her in trouble two years ago. That is so immature. I KNOW that's why she did it. She really needs to get over that. I deserved it. She is such a witch!"
 
Now, being her best friend at the time, I sat there and listened. I mean, I tried convincing her that her idea was ridiculous. Mrs Director would not do something like that to "prove a point" or whatever she was supposedly doing. That would be retarded. If she didn't think the winner deserved it, she wouldn't have given it to her. Evidently, my friend did not realize that she was not the only one who lost. So then, I wonder, what did the other 10 girls do to piss the director off? DUH. They didn't win either, so there must be a reason, eh?? NO. Only one person can win, damnit.  And if she thought, let's just say, Julie, was the best, she would not make her lose and give someone horrible the pride of winning in an attempt to get back at someone for some trivial episode that happened two years before. The whole idea was preposterous. However, when she gets an idea in her head, there's no getting it out. I suppose in some ways that is a good thing, but it can be irritating as fuck. In fact, she was still sore about it the next year, and had some sort of squabble with the winner and another girl, because she was so sure that they were trying to get her in trouble. I don't even remember what the whole thing was about. I honestly don't know if that is due to memory loss or if I just stopped listening. For all I know, the girls she was fighting with might not have even known what it was about.

My ex-friend is the kind of person who thinks that everything is all about her. Everything everyone does or says in some was is directly related to her existence. Let me relay another episode:
 
While sitting in the library with her mother, Mrs Itzall Aboutme was passed by her ex-boyfriend's new chick and her mom. When Itzall's mom alerted her to the fact that Newgirlfriend was there, Itzall looked over to see Newgirlfriend's mom holding her daughter from behind, giving her a hug. Now it's BEYOND OBVIOUS that the hug Newgirlfriend received from her mother was to console her after the horrors of walking by Oldgirlfriend. I mean, mothers don't just hug their daughters for the hell of it. RIGHT??(note the sarcasm). See what I mean. Even something as innocent as that just HAD to have something to do with her.
 
Stay tuned for more rants about Itzall.

Summer Vacation

Summer vacation. The LAST summer vacation before my friends and I go our separate ways. It's sad, really. We should be out having a blast, staying up late every night, doing things we will remember for the rest of our lives, and taking lots of pictures ( you know me). But so far, it seems like I haven't done anything. The whole staying up late thing will have to wait 'till Physics is over, but really, will anything change then? I mean, Tyler is my best friend, and I have seen him TWICE all freaking summer. Debbie is long gone to Washington, talked to Patti once, but can't see myself doing anything with her without Debbie. I see Katie enough, but we don't DO anything. I haven't even been baby-sitting lately.
 
OK. Here is my pledge to myself:  I am going to try my hardest to make each day worth remembering. That reminds me of a quote I read once:
 
Every day should be the best day of your life. If it's not, you should try to make it be.
 
That's what I'm gonna do! Anyone gonna help me??

Advise Column

Advise seems to be everywhere. Friends, family, and complete strangers have plenty to say whenever you have a problem (or even when you don't). Isn't it odd that many of us have plenty to offer when someone else has a problem, but when it's us in need of a solution, we never have one. Anyway, here is my advise to anyone who needs it. Take it or don't. It doesn't matter. I will say this, though. Over the years, I have heard many things, and while they sound optimistic, there isn't a lot to them. EX 1: "practice makes perfect" But wait...I thought "Nobody is perfect". EX 2: "Quit while you're ahead." Well that's funny...I thought "quitters never win and winners never quit." Hmmm...Contradictory statements. You know why that is, don't you? Because then, no matter which side of the fence the apple falls on, you're covered. How helpful.

Now to the advise that I endorse. I have only heard two good, solid pieces of advise in my life. I will now share them with you.

Everything is OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end

I tell you what, I LIVE BY THIS. Starting in like, January, I had some major problems goin on in my life. I'm not compelled to fill you in on the details, but maybe in another post. Anyway, since then, I have had a lot of times that I just thought everything was as bad as it could possibly be. Everything was in complete turmoil, I didn't know what I could do to sort things out. Everything I thought of was either too hard to do or had so many down-sides that I didn't know how much good it would really do. It seemed like the whole world was crashing down around me and there was nothing I could do to save it, or myself. During those times, I had to keep reminding myself that Fate has a reason for everything she does, and that God has a plan for me. If something is meant to work out in the end, it will. No matter what you do to fuck it up, if it is meant to be, it will happen. If it's not meant to be, no matter how hard you try to hold on, it will always slip out of your hands. Sure, you might feel like shit for a long time, but ultimately, things will get better. It may take weeks, months, or years. But everything will get sorted out, and you will look back on that time, remember how horrible it felt, and be so glad that you stuck it out and came out so well.

If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it will be yours forever. If not, it was never meant to be.

The first time I ever read this was on a small plaque that my dad has in his den. I didn't think about it a lot, being only 4 years old, but I never forgot it. Now, at 18, I understand what it means. My boyfriend and I got along great for 2 years. But then, things started to fall apart. We kept fighting over then same things, and quite frequently. If you've ever heard the song "Burn" by Usher, you know how I was feeling. I loved him, I really did, but things just weren't working out, and no matter how much it hurt, I know that I had to let the relationship go now, because staying together would end up hurting more in the end. So we took a break. Both of us were going through a lot of extreme emotions and I felt like a complete bitch. On the other hand, I knew that I needed this, to see what would happen, how I would feel. After awhile, I began to see how much I had been taking for granted the most wonderful person I ever met. Rather than see him as exceptional, I instead expected all guys to live up to the standard he had set. And they didn't. And I realized that I loved him with everything I had. I swallowed my pride and told him how I felt. He acted like he didn't care that I came back, but I know he did. And I try now to prove to him that my love is true, and that I didn't just come back because I knew he would let me. We never want to go through a time like that again, and we have worked out our problems, as well as learned a better way to deal with new ones that may come up. When I dropped the bomb about splitting up, he told me that he believed in his heart that I was the one for him, no matter what I thought. I think I always knew he was right, I just needed to prove it.

Why I Hate My Job

When I first applied to Beverly Healthcare in Lake Norden, I was not contacted for an interview. The second time, I was brought in for dietary aid, but did not hear back. The third time was the charm. I was handed a lime green uniform and a name badge that read "under 18". My goal was to keep my housekeeping job until that sticker could be removed. At first, I was an asset to the housekeeping department. The supervisor was freakin out because there was a short supply of workers in that department (yet this is partially her fault since she WOULDN'T HIRE ANYBODY) and she was grateful for all the days I came in to work. She considered me to be a fast learner, and loved how moldable my mind was. Everything went just great for awhile. But then, she continued to treat me like a newbie after I had been there for 6 months (longer than anyone else working under her at that point in time). She was treating me like a child, telling me things umpteen times, following me around, having other facility members check up on me every half hour or so. Worst of all was that she would get on my case about the same stupid thing every day after I worked:

THE UNIT DINING ROOM FLOOR

The Special Care Unit is a section of the facility reserved for those who need extra care/babysitting. Several have lost touch with reality and a few have lost touch with various limbs of their bodies. These unfortunate souls will spend every hour of everyday locked up here until they die. The entrance to The Unit is protected by a code, which requires routine changing whenever a certain resident figures it out. To avoid cabin fever, residents are allowed outside anytime, day or night, rain or shine, to sit in a swing and stare at an 8 foot privacy fence, if they'd like. As a precaution, the fence was been equipped with an infra-red beam that would trigger an alarm if anyone attempted to climb over. Witnessing this just might be worth getting fired for disabling the beam.

The floor in The Unit's dining room sees 3 meals per day, plus snacks. My shift ends at about 1 o'clock PM. As you know, the floor is not self cleaning or dirt repelling. If it was, I wouldn't have to clean it at all. But my boss must think so, because the next weekend, I arrive to find a note, just for me, reading something like this:

Note From Boss (condensed version)

"The dining room floor in the unit needs to be swept and mopped DAILY. This has not been getting done. The floor looked horrible this morning. As your boss, if cleaning is not done properly, it reflects badly on me. Make sure that you are sweeping and mopping the floor in the dining room after the residents finish eating."

OK, well...I know I cleaned it, so...whatever...not gonna worry about it.

The following weekend I am greeted with another note, much like the first. This continues for about a month, at which point I write her a reply, expressing my concern for her lack of understanding about the whole "clean things can and do get dirty again" thing. I also called in reinforcements. I asked the laundry ladies to please look at the floor when they go back there, and they agreed. When they talked to me later, they reported that it looked great. I don't know if my plan of action had anything to do with it, but the issue of the floor was dropped.

NEW ISSUES

Unfair Treatment

A coworker of mine commonly leaves an hour before her shift is up. When I work, I finish my duties, then leave maybe 15 minutes early. I know, I could always take after the CNAs and chat it up with everyone I see before punching out, but I figure that the company need not pay me to do nothing, and so I will do my visiting on my own time, not theirs. DAMN WAS I WRONG!! She threatedned to write me up for that one!! Go figure...

Going Home Sick

It's flu season, and every entrance holds a notice asking those who have been exposed to the illness to please not enter the facility until they are feeling better. The safety of the residents is the number one concern. So, I go to work and get dizzy, throw up, and nearly pass out in the break room. The laundry lady suggests that I go home, get some rest, and get feeling better. Not wanting to ruffle any feathers, I calls my boss. While boss lady is upset, she gives only a short list of instructions I must follow before leaving. Upon finishing the requested duties, I head home to the comfort of my bed and some quality time with the sandman.
After returning to work the following weekend, do I get a "glad your feeling better". OF COURSE NOT!!!!! Boss lady waltzes over to me and goes "So, I hear laundry had to do some housekeeping last weekend"
Uhh...I told you I was going home.
"That doesn't mean that *name* has to do your responsibilities. She has enough of her own."
I realize that. She was training a new girl besides.
"Then why did you tell her to finish your job?"
I didn't. I know she was busy, and I wouldn't think of adding to her workload. I finish what you told me to and left.
"Well, she did everything else for you after you left."
Well that was nice of her but she didn't have to. It was her choice.
"Well, she was pretty upset about it and expressed her concerns to me"
She's the one who suggested I leave in the first place!
"Well I don't want to here about anything like this happening again."

Shortly after, she proceeded to bitch me out for getting sick in the first place. " I don't have you work very often, but when I do, you go home sick. I need to be able to depend on you. Even if you feel like crap, you need to tough it out and finish your shift. Your job needs to be done and no one else is going to do it for you."
So...you want me to come to work sick, go in everyone's rooms, and contaminate the air so they get sick and die?
Knowing she was beat, all she could do was sigh.

My Time Is Up

Last Sunday my boss was there as manager on duty. Yay. I hardly ever see her these days so I took this opportunity to tell her that my last day of work would be August 22nd. Well she takes me to be a child, mumbling nonsensically just to hear my self talk, and didn't listen very closely. I asked her what forms I needed to fill out to make this officail, and she says "What day did you say you were leaving?" So I tell her again. Then she gets all chapped and starts freakin out on me because she will have to change the scheduel now. I gave her over a month's notice. It's not my problem if she makes the scheduels 4 months in advance. I followed company policy (which says two weeks notice) and then some. The stupidest thing that just gets me was when she gave me this dumbfounded look and said "I didn't know about this". Well no fuck, stupid....I just told you!!! ARGH.

Now That The Formalities Are Over

Still summer time...got about a month and a half left before school starts. I shouldn't really say that, because right now (this very minute) I'm sitting here trying not to get caught by my physics professor. Why the hell am I taking physics, you may ask. GOOD FREAKING QUESTION!! But I do have an answer, and it's a good one. In order to become a Regent Scholar (and get FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS) I needed to aquire one more science credit, so here I am, in a little room with a bunch of computers and no human contact for 4 hours a day. Technically, since I'm using the V-Tel system, there are a handful (about 5) others around the state that I'm electronically connected to, but they don't count. I REALLY HATE PHYSICS and as I mentioned...short attention span. By about 9 o'clock I'm surfing the web, drawing pictures, downloading mp3s...
Three more weeks and I am OUT OF HERE!! Just as most folk are mourning the swift passing of summer vacation, I will be jumping for joy at the idea of staying up late, sleeping in, and repeating as desired (or until August 28). I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing for my month of freedom, but I do know that Bible School is on the list. I volunteered last year, and I feel like such a good sameritan saying this, but it was really rewarding. I'm not normally one for voluneering (not because I'm greedy, but because I have this terrible "people problem". I'll explain later) but interacting with all those kids in an atmosphere where they are compelled to behave was awesome. I know a lot more of the kids now, too, and I'm sure that I will feel like a proud mother as I oogle over the art projects they construct, dripping with glue and leaving a trail of glitter all over the church.
As much as I hate to say this, I'd best be getting back to paying attention. If I don't get a C then two months was wasted for nothing. Laterz!

Well Well Well, What Do We Have Here??

Hey yo, wassup? This is like the thrid blog I have had, and hopefully it will last a bit longer (short attention span, you know). I have confidence in this one, seeing as to how the first two were mainly manefested from complete boredem, but this one serves a higher purpose.

~THE PURPOSE~

After 4 years of high school, my best friend Christina and I have made the decision to pack our bags, gather our sheep, and head off to college. I can't speak for her but to me, change is scary shit! Moving to a "city" I've never been to, where I know NO ONE, is bad enough. But to change from the friendly small town high school setting that I was just becoming familiar with to this big college setting with professors and dorms and all that...I'm freakin out! But nothing is ever as scary as you think it will be, and I'm sure that by mid-October all that will seem as normal as Sparky's random animal noises.

That's another thing. It took me 'til Senior Year to acquire my group of friends, and now that it's over and we are splitting up, this is a way for them to see what I have been up to. A few of them also have blogs, which I will be reading regularly. For more on my life at college, feel free to visit the site Christina and I will be running for the next four years at SITE ADDRESS.