Missing you.

I still find it difficult to come to terms that you've been gone for six months now. It's been half of a year; 181 days that I haven't been able to call you or see you or tell you how my life has been going or ask you how yours has been. Is your back still bothering you? Are you free for a movie on Friday? Do you have plans to play Bridge with your friends tomorrow? Do you want to come over for dinner and see how I've done the place up?

But I can't ask you any of these things. I couldn't ask you to attend my graduation ceremony from the University you basically put me through, loan free. I couldn't ask you what you wanted for your 81st birthday. I couldn't ask you how your trip to Europe went. I couldn't ask you if your surgery went well.  I couldn't ask how you were feeling after being released from the hospital.

Because you never left.

All I could say to you was "Happy Valentine's Day." And all I could ask you was if your food was okay, or if the book you were reading was any good. And all I could tell you was that everyone was telling me to take care of dad if and when you passed. And all you could ask me in response was, "Well, then who is going to take care of you?"

Hearing about the death of a loved one is terrible. Experiencing the death of a VERY CLOSE loved one (practically a parent) is even worse. But watching that close, loved one die right in front of you is unbearable. Knowing that if I had waited for someone to come get me from Columbia to bring me back to Rock Hill because I was too hysterical, that you would've been gone by the time I arrived is unforgivable.

But none of this matters when it comes down to it. You never wasted any time in your life doing something that made you anything less than happy. You showered me with so much love. You were one of my best friends, and you were all mine. Not many children get the privilege of have a grandparent all to themselves. Although I can wait to see you again, I look forward to when we are reunited. I love you and miss you so much, grandma.

Quick *basic* grammar lesson because I seriously can't.

We all make mistakes here and there when we are typing things out. I do it all the time, I'm sure. But here are some very obvious things that REALLY irk me that people should know better with. THEY SHOULD KNOW BETTER. THEY JUST SHOULD.

1) Know the difference between "your" and "you're." "Your" is possessive; "you're" is a contraction for "you are." I know some people say "your" for both because they're lazy. Well stop it. Stop.

2) Know the difference between "their," "they're," and "there." "Their" is possessive; "they're" is a contraction of "they are;" "there" is a place. This cannot be dismissed with the "lazy" excuse. So, again, STOP.

3) "To" and "too." I won't mention "two" because I don't see people mistaking this one too often. "Too" means also or to emphasize excess when paired with words such as "much" or "many." Figure out the difference, or stop being lazy and type out the extra "o" when needed. It's one letter, people.

4) It's should'VE (as in should HAVE), not should OF. GOOD MOTHER OF GOD.

5) YOU DO NOT SLAP AN APOSTROPHE ON TO A WORD YOU WANT TO PLURALIZE. YOU SLAP IT THERE WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE SOMETHING POSSESSIVE. OR ONTO A CONTRACTION. UGH.

6) You are "a part" of something and "apart" from something.

7) Phonetic rules overrule grammar rules.

I'll probably end up posting a Part II at some point. But this'll do...for now.

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People You Will Encounter at a University Campus

No matter how large or small your school is, you're bound to come across some of these people whilst visiting/walking across a university campus.

1. The Obstacle

     These are the people who, no matter how populated the main routes are, will stand directly in the middle of a crowd of mobile individuals to either talk to someone, text, or perform some other purposeless task that could have just as easily been done on the side of the walk way. You know, OUT of the entire student body's path.

2. The Turtle
     This type of person is probably worse than the obstacle. These are the people who walk slower than the average student, thus creating a road-block and giving you no way around them, no matter how late you are to your next class/meeting. You're stuck walking behind that person for at least three minutes. 

3. The Sloth

     These are the people who, even though they have arms and legs that work perfectly well, feel the need to take the elevator to the second floor of an eight story plus building. Or people who rush to get on the elevator when there is someone in a wheel chair or in crutches who obviously NEED to use the elevator. 

4. The Know-it-All

     This one is self explanatory. This is the person in your class that is answering every question before you get the chance to raise your hand. The person who intercepts before the professor can finish their sentence. The person who whispers back to you that what the professor just said is incorrect, and that this equation should be done this way, or this word should be pronounced that way. 

5. The Promoter

     These are the people who are obnoxiously shouting that they're handing out/selling some kind of clothing/pastry/beverage/brochure for their fraternity/sorority/club/organization. Repeatedly. Avoid eye contact, and pick up your pace. 

6. The Sedated

     This is the kid that in at least one of your classes is sitting in the far back corner, asleep. 

7. The Line-Jumper

     This one is also pretty self-explanatory. People, this ain't no Cici's Pizza. I don't care if your friend was in line before you, get to the back of the fucking line. 

I'm sure I'll think of more in the future. 

Favorite Ghibli/Miyazaki Films

Everyone has heard of Ghibli Films and/or Hayao Miyazaki, and before you say that you haven't, think Spirited Away. Or Ponyo. I own the majority of the films that Miyazaki has worked on (97% sure they're bootleg copies; no care. They work, I am okay with this) and I thought I'd share which ones are my absolute favorites. The majority are Miyazaki films.

I'll start with the three runner-ups before getting into the top five.

3rd Runner Up: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 

     You can click on the link to read about the plot. When I first started watching this movie, I really didn't think I would like it so much. The world the story was set in was a bit boring, but the actual story and action was fantastic. You could feel Nausicaä's attachment to the Valley of the Wind and her people, as well as her desperation for peace and harmony.

2nd Runner Up: My Neighbor Totoro 

     I had to make this a runner-up because although the movie was cute and it did have some deeper aspects to it, the movie itself was strange. Had I watched this when I was younger I'm sure I would have fallen in love with the movie and wanted a Totoro for myself. I guess this was the most difficult film to find something to relate to, thus keeping me detached. 

1st Runner-Up: Princess Mononoke 

     I really did love this movie, but it's not one I could re-watch over and over again a lot as opposed to the top five listed below.  Princess Mononoke took a little too long to warm up to Ashitaka (for my liking, mind you) and that made me anxious. Everything else about this film is brilliant. Ashitaka is a great main character with a lot of respectable attributes, and Princess Mononoke is just a freaking badass in general. I mean, she was raised by freaking wolves. Doesn't get more badass than that.

Now on to the top five favorites!

#5 The Secret World of Arrietty 

     I think one of the main things that drew me to this film was the fact that the main character was very similar to one of my favorite characters when I was younger: Thumbelina. Except Arrietty had a lot more of an independent personality. I love the relationship between her and Sho. It wasn't a growing romance, but rather a growing fondness for one another.

#4 Ponyo

    I absolutely adore Ponyo. This film was so light-hearted and adventure-filled it was hard for me to dislike it, honestly. It had young romance in it, and everything was just so...pure. The illustrations for this film were fantastic as well. I loved the way the ocean was illustrated. Great.

#3 Whisper Of The Heart

    I didn't think I would like this film as much as I did. This is exactly the kind of story I am a sucker for: young, blooming romance. The main character is uncertain with what she wants to do with her life, and the story follows her journey of finding our main male character, and how he is intertwined with her future. She pushes him away in the beginning, just like a lot of my favorite female protagonists, and just...man. The kind of romance I wish I had, but realize it would be creepy if it happened in real life.

#2 Spirited Away

    When I tried watching this when I was younger, I didn't like it. Actually, I thought I hated it. This film gave me such a weird emotion that I couldn't quite put my finger on, and I just didn't enjoy it at all. Anytime it came on TV, I'd flip channels to find ANYTHING else to watch. But after watching it again sometime in the past year, I REALLY enjoyed it. I love Chihiro (or Sen) and Haku's friendship/relationship. I love how crazy everything is in this world. I was sad at the ending because I didn't want it to end, and I wanted more closure (or at least a sequel).

#1 Howl's Moving Castle 

    This film...I can't even. This movie was my favorite I think because Howl's character was just the right amount of caring, mysterious, conceited; he was just the whole deal. Someone I would ideally fall in love with. And Sophie is such a sweet, caring girl who thinks of others so much before herself. This film had a great plot, a lot of adventure, a lot of confusing aspects (which is normal with Ghibli films haha) and a GREAT happy ending that I was a complete sap for. The only part that confused me was when Sophie randomly turned back to her normal age (she was sleeping in one scene, and then another scene she was looking for Howl in his weird tunnel). I was just confused as to what triggered the change. BUT, great movie. So great. So. Great.

BONUS FILM!

 Grave of the Fireflies

    I couldn't add this film to my list of favorites because I felt like it deserved its own category. Although this is one of my FAVORITE Ghibli films, it is also probably one of the saddest films I have ever seen (no, not one of the saddest Ghibli films specifically, but one of the saddest films EVER). Gosh, this film was sad from beginning to end. I had high hopes for this film, and it definitely met my expectations, but God...I have never, EVER bawled my eyes out so much. Even though it's an animated film, the story is very real, I swear if I didn't know better I would've thought it was non-fiction. It was beautifully done. I recommend this one the most out of all of the Ghibli films, despite how tragic the story is from beginning to end.


Sorry these descriptions weren't so great, I guess you'll just have to watch the films to know what I'm talking about! I highly recommend all of the films I've listed above. 

From Anonymous, to Anonymous

Names have been replaced with "anonymous."

"Good morning.

It's Sunday the 18th and I was just sitting around drinking coffee. Almost made it to early church this morning but chickened out AGAIN. I'll call anonymous this week to see if I can hook up with them next Sunday and work back into it slowly I suppose. The house is empty without you in it good or bad, and I wanted you to know that in spite of my attempts at moving on, I know I'll never really be able to. I wonder if anyone really does? Maybe if there is a genuine hatred or outright animosity that would make it easier-such is not the case with us. I miss you every day no matter what I do. Some days are much better than others. They say that time heals all and 'just give it time.' I think all that time does is allow you to build scar tissue so you become more numb. I don't want to be numb. I want tinker bell to wave her magic wand and shower us with everything that would make all the fragments of our lives fall together like one of the puzzles anonymous puts together. Maybe they will, but jigsaws take a long time to finish. I'm not looking for sympathy. I just wanted you to know that I meant what I said when I told you that you have a piece of my heart that no one else will ever hold like you do. It's a big piece. Why we couldn't just fall together is a mystery to me- but I know it's me and not you. I think about you often, and have many regrets. I feel that there will never be a real closure, and maybe that's a good thing because I don't think that closure is what I'm looking for at this point.

Just needed to say this- adios."

I feel like I read this out of a book. This was an email written by someone very close to me; it makes me wish that I was their tinker bell.

“I believe in morality, which is doing right regardless of what I’m told, not religion, which is doing what I am told regardless of what is right.”

Honestly, I think everyone is entitled to their own opinions. And since the whole "keep your opinions to yourself" motto has never really worked, I figured I'd add to the ongoing debate.

There has been a lot of hype VERY recently about Chic-Fil-A and their support against same-sex marriage. What a lot of people don't realize is that they've been against same-sex marriage for a long time. People are just now starting to take notice.

I am going to do my best to keep religion (Christianity) out of this, because quite frankly I don't know enough about it or the Bible to have a solid argument. Plus, I don't care to discuss a book that has so many different interpretations to those who are close-minded.

I will say one thing though. There are so many Christian gays out there, and for them to be shunned by the majority of churches and "super" (aka Nazi) Christians because of their sexuality is disgusting.

My main point here is, who would willingly choose to be gay?

Think about it. Who would choose to go out of their way and force themselves to like the same sex just so they could be criticized for it later on? I can't explain WHY I am attracted to males, I just am. There is something physical that causes me to gravitate towards them, a force I can't explain. Homosexuality isn't a disease, it's a sexual orientation (and honestly, in my opinion, I'm beginning to think it's hereditary, but that's a topic for later on). Just like I can't explain WHY I am attracted to the opposite sex, I assume it is the same thing for people who are attracted to the same sex.

If my (future) husband is in the hospital, if I want to see him I am allowed because I am family. Gays do not have this privilege due to the fact that they cannot get married, and in an emergency situation, only family members are permitted to visit. If I was gay and in a relationship with my partner for longer than the average marriage lasts (because let's be honest, not very many do) I should have the right to see her.

I define myself loosely as the term "Christian" simply because I do believe in God for my own personal experiences and reasons, but I do not think that if God one day showed Himself to us that he would say "I created you, but no, you can't have the same rights as others because I must have messed you up somewhere along the way."

If Chic-Fil-A wants to support anti-same-sex marriage, they are entitled to that. Just like I am entitled to support an organization that is pro-same-sex marriage. 

Red Bowl Rules Pt. III

These are the continued rules that I wrote up while at work. Please abide by these rules if you ever come into Red Bowl, otherwise all employees will secretly hate you.

#33 If you prefer a booth/bar booth/anything but the party room, PLEASE speak up before we bring you to a table.

 #34 If you are sat at a table as opposed to a booth, please do not pout/sigh/give me a wretched look and refer to rule 33.

 #35 If you make a reservation, especially for a party of eight or more, PLEASE either actually show up, give us a notice that you're going to be late, or call us to let us know you're canceling/rescheduling. Don't just not show up.

 #36 Do not lie telling us you have a reservation. We know when you are lying, and it won't help you in the future.

 #37 We don't have buzzers. If you're waiting to be seated, please stay somewhat tuned in for your name. I have a very loud, commanding voice, and when you're sitting right next to the hostess stand and don't stand up after I've called your name three+ times, it's not me, it's you.

 #38 Tips work like this: 25% or above = you thought you were given excellent service. 20% = above average, received good service but are perhaps on a budget. 15% = average. Maybe your service wasn't the best, or you're a poor college student who really needs to save (shouldn't be eating out in the first place anyway, get back to ramen). 10% = Either you're stingy, don't know how to tip, or just received below average service. No tip = don't come back.

 #39 Don't talk back to Simon. You'll regret it 110%.

 #40 Please try to scoot your chairs in as much as you can while seated and when you leave. The more your chair is out, the more difficult it becomes to seat other customers.

 #41 Don't bring previous trash in from your car/purse/whatever and put it in our trash cans/leave it on the table for us to throw away. We're not your personal dump.

 #41.5 ESPECIALLY don't bring in those little flossers and leave them on the table. That's just disgusting. Throw that shit away yourself.

#42 Please don't take the pages out of our drink menus and switch them out to be funny. It's not funny.

#43 Chopsticks are NOT drum sticks. Jeesh.

 #44 For the love of God do not TOUCH and/or PLAY ON THE FOUNTAIN. It's not a playground, it's a nice piece of art.

 #45 It's an Asian restaurant. When I point in a general direction of the restaurant to tell you to speak to the manager, use your logic to determine if it's the black guy or the asian guy talking to each other.

#46 Do NOT let your kids run around the restaurant unattended. I won't tell you how to parent your children, but letting them cause a ruckus is just unacceptable.

#47 If your child is continually screaming/crying/being loud, please take them outside until they've calmed down. The fountain is a nice relaxation area (not to be confused with a play ground; refer to rule 44)

#48 I can tell how sloppy of a eater you are by how much food is on the table/floor after you've left. Unless you're a child, try to keep your food on your plate.

Red Bowl Rules. Part II.

These are the continued rules that I wrote up while at work. Please abide by these rules if you ever come into Red Bowl, otherwise all employees will secretly hate you.

#22 Don't come up to us ten minutes after we tell you it'll be a 25 minute wait asking where you are on the list. We hate you.

#23 When making a reservation or telling the hostesses how many people are in your party, don't tell us you have a kid unless they need a booster or a high chair. We don't have kids menus.

#23.5 DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN STEAL, EAT, DROOL ON, OR BREAK THE CRAYONS WE GIVE TO THEM. By the end of the week all we have is poop brown or diarrhea brown. Or black. Or white.

#24 Don't put the sushi menus inside of the regular dinner menus. I know you think you're helping with our job, but you're not. If we wanted the sushi menus inside of the dinner menus, we would have put them there in the first place.

#25 When we are trying to sit a table or put a highchair around the table, and there is obviously no room for you to pass, PLEASE WAIT PATIENTLY. Don't waddle like a penguin trying to find a way to walk around me.

#26 I know that it's usually polite to respond with "You're Welcome" when someone says thank you. But typically hostesses like to hear a "thank you" in return rather than a "you're welcome."

#27 If I ask if you want to wait for a table or sit at the bar or sushi bar, or if you'd like an egg roll or spring roll, or if you'd like fried rice or white rice, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE UP YOUR MIND. PROMPTLY.

#28 Please stop talking on the phone or texting when you come up to the hostess stand. Let us seat you, then you may continue.

#29 If you see someone you know, PLEASE don't stop to talk to them until AFTER we have shown you to your table. Otherwise we have to stand there and wait until you're done talking. Waste. Of. Time.

#30 If we tell you it's a 15 to 20 minute wait, don't leave to go to another restaurant. By the time you drive to the next restaurant, you could have already been seated at Red Bowl. Waste of gas.

#31 Respond to us when we say "Thank you, have a good afternoon/night." Don't just ignore us. It's rude.

#32 Don't look at the hostess(es), then turn to the cashier and tell her "table for two." You OBVIOUSLY know that we are the ones who will be seating you. Y u do dat?

Red Bowl Rules.

These are rules that I and my previous co-worker Kaitlyn wrote up while at work. Please abide by these rules if you ever come into Red Bowl, otherwise all employees will secretly hate you.

#1 Yelling at me will not make me seat you faster. I can only ESTIMATE how long it will take for people to leave. Calm down.

#2 Looking at me for extended amounts of time but not saying a word makes you a chicken. Man up. I thought you were cute, too.

#3 Don't let your kid lick the glass after you just watched me clean it. If the windex shrinks his brain, I am not liable.

#4 Ming says don't call in with reservations for two. They are a waste of her time. Ha.

#5 Two messy children + a $60 check + great service and smiles = $3 tip. No, that is not how it works. Don't come back.

#6 Don't be super nice to me because you think I get some awesome discount that I will share. Because I don't. And I won't.

#7 When I ask for your name, it's not because I want to go to the movies with you, old man. I need it if you want a table.

#8 Just because I wear a name tag, it doesn't mean we are on a first name basis.

#9 Dear friends - The servers tell me if you are a terrible tipper...and I judge you.

#10 If you don't know Chinese don't expect to have a conversation with the chefs. Simon and Ming = translators.

#11 No, we do not have steaks and hamburgers. In case you didn't notice the sign, this is an ASIAN BISTRO.

#12 No, we do not do half orders. Complaining to Simon won't do anything, and neither will eating your soup poutily.

#13 If you're obviously older than us, don't call the hostesses "ma'am." We are too young for that. Just say please and thanks.

#14 Sometimes you just need to stop talking. Things get more awkward. I wish I could rewind and stuff my mouth with sushi.

#15 People who make rules for the employee discounts no longer applying to any sushi orders shall feel my wrath.

#16 Ming's words of wisdom while talking about someone who fake laughed: "I only like truth not fake." Always keep it real.

# 17 For the last time, NO, we are NOT a buffet. This isn't Amber, people. Red Bowl is clean, and classy. Oh, and better than Amber.

#18 Do NOT put your hands on the glass doors. PLEASE. That goes for you AND your kids.

#19 Don't look around the restaurant, notice that we have no booths available, and then continue to ask "Do you have a booth?"

#20 No talking what-so-ever. Unless Simon is in the kitchen. (Simon if you're reading this PLEASE DON'T HATE ME ^_^)

#21 Never, EVER let Steigen drink anything but water while on the clock. Otherwise, you shall feel her wrath.

My trip to the British Isles.

So many of you have asked how my trip went. And with a combination of the story being WAY to long to explain over text, and the fact that I don't like having to keep repeating myself, I thought I would write a nice 'ole blog for you curious cats out there.

CAUTION: This is going to be a lengthy blog. So pull up a chair, grab some popcorn, and enjoy.

First off, just a few tips for when traveling that I learned from this trip:

1) Always know what you're getting into before you go on a trip. ESPECIALLY a trip with a guided tour.

2) If you like to go at a fast pace, do not travel with any large group of old people. They will slow you down.

3) If you're rooming with someone who snores, make sure you bring sleeping medicine and earplugs. Even then, they probably won't work.

4) Wash your hands, take a shit ton of vitamins, bring any and every kind of medicine you own, and heck, buy one of those stupid doctor masks everyone wore during the swine flu crisis. If even one person is sick, it WILL get to the rest of the group.

5) Just fyi for those who didn't know, Duty Free is only tax free when you're leaving the country. I found that out the hard way.

Those are my five main tips I guess. But now, onto the great story that is my trip to the British Isles.

To start, I'm going to be completely honest. I was already skeptical about traveling with this group, because I KNEW it was going to be a lot of old people who were going to slow down my desired pace. But, hell, it was FOUR COUNTRIES we were visiting. And it was a super gracious gift from my grandma. No way in hell I was going to pass up such a great opportunity. So, I braced myself as I rode up with the YMCA'S Silver Fox retirement group to the Charlotte-Douglas airport.

When we arrived, everything seemed to be going smoothly. We checked our bags and headed over to our gate. While waiting for our flight, I grabbed a couple of bites to eat. I walked around. Shopped around. Read my books. Etc. As it got closer and closer to our departure time, the sky outside gradually got darker and darker. Seemed clear, or so we thought. We soon found out that our flight was delayed from 6:20 to 7 something. Our connecting flight to London from Atlanta wasn't until 10:50, so we figured we had plenty of time. Our flight got pushed back even more, to 8 something. At this point, we are freaking out a little. Then, our flight got pushed back even MORE. At this point, Jimmy (head of the group) called the airport in Atlanta to see if there was any way to hold the plane for us.

There wasn't. We had lost our flight from Atlanta to London. Which meant one of two things: we simply lost an entire day of our trip, or we were't going on the trip at all. I'm sure you can guess which of the two happened. Jimmy, after making phone calls for like, three hours straight, got us a flight to New York the next day, and then a flight to London after a 12 hour layover. Which means...yup. We slept in Charlotte-Douglas that night. One of the most uncomfortable nights of sleep ever. Plus, during all of this worry and panic, there was a HUGE storm outside, tornado warnings all around, and the power went out in the airport three times. THREE TIMES. It takes A LOT for the power to go out IN AN AIRPORT.

Anyways.

After an overnight stay at Charlotte Douglas and a 12+ hour layover in NYC, we finally boarded our plane, followed by an eight hour flight to London. We didn't have assigned seats on this flight, so we were able to sit anywhere we want. (I always grab an isle seat so I can get up and down easily.) I found an isle seat next to this really quite scary looking person. I sat down next to him, and glanced over. He was looking down towards the window, obviously trying to avoid any kind of eye contact or conversation. BUT MY FRIENDS, NOT ALL HOPE WAS LOST. One of my grandma's friends, Missy, kindly asked if we could switch seats. My seat had a little bit more leg room than hers, but she still had an isle seat. I immediately said yes, not only because of the person I was sitting next to, but because of the person she was sitting next to. She was sitting next to a really good-looking guy who she acquainted me with. His name was John, and he was 28. He was visiting Utah for some kind of math conference. I have to say, it was the best flight I've ever been on. We joked around, attempted to speak each others accents (I tried a British accent and he tried an American one), talked about our hobbies, where we've been, etc. At the end of the flight, you could tell our goodbye was too short. I still to this day regret not getting his Facebook info.

ANYWAY. Back to the reality of the trip that quickly popped my dream bubble.

Once we arrived in London, we got our bags and immediately had to get on a bus, only to DRIVE another six hours to our first hotel (since we missed our first actual day in London) with only one stop on the way. We got to our hotel just in time for me to shower before the welcome drink and dinner.

By the way, did I mention I was LEGAL OVER THERE? ALL FOUR COUNTRIES, BITCHES.

For the welcome drink they didn't even card me, but I didn't care. I drank this drink called WKD (pronounced "Wicked" which I didn't find out until we got to freaking Ireland, the 3rd country we visited -.-) and it tasted basically like a fizzy blue Popsicle with 4% vodka. It was delicious, and it was basically what I had almost the entire trip, aside from the small shot glass of Guinness I had in Ireland.

I'm not going to do a day-by-day of every country, by the way. I'm just going along with significant happenings. Such as the first official day of my trip. You see, the tour director gave us seating assignments. Each day you move up three seats from where you were sitting on one side, and on the other side you move three seats back. That way everyone had a chance to sit at the front of the bus for better picture taking. Well, I don't know if I've mentioned this yet, but I get carsick VERY easily, so I kindly asked the tour director if I could sit at the front of the bus. The first day I tried to sit at the front, and this couple that was with our group kind of bitched me out. Not the couple, just the husband. I was very polite and tried to tell the husband that I got carsick easily and needed to sit at the front. He replied with "Well I get carsick too! This isn't right" blah blah blah and then pretty much tattled on me to the tour director. I'm assuming he thought I was going to get an attitude, so I moved back a row so that I didn't cause problems, and I got to sit in the second row for the rest of the trip. Take that, ya douche.

Going from country to country I saw a lot of rolling plains. Lots of cows, lots of sheep. After we were done with England, we went to Scotland where we visited one of the two castles that inspired JK Rowling with her Harry Potter series. After the castle, me and the other two granddaughters on the trip were able to find H&M and the Swatch store (the two stores we were desperately waiting to go to) right next to each other. H&M was disappointing, but the swatch store on the other hand, was not. That is until I owned the zebra print watch I'd purchased for only a day until the zebra print started wearing off. NO BIG DEAL, JUST ABOUT A 55 DOLLAR WATCH.

Anyway. About that castle we visited? I pretty much skimmed the entire landscape. I wasn't interested so much in the architecture as much as I was in the accents and culture. BUT, what I DID find fascinating in this castle was this group of french boys. One in particular. He was Asian. A french Asian. I'm pretty sure I was the only one who was so amazed by this, does that make me racist? He was one of the biggest contradictions I'd ever seen, aside from the Scotch-Korean guy in that Starburst commercial.

MOVING ON. The last good thing that happened in Scotland was visiting someone's farm for a full three course dinner. We had cream of vegetable soup as the appetizer, lamb as the main course, and then this macaroon sort of desert. It was all so very delicious. During the course of this dining experience there was a lot of singing and beating of a Scottish drum? Irish drum? I don't know, but it was intense. Then our giant group was split up into two sides, and we each had to memorize a chorus to a song and whichever team was better got a prize. The team I was on was totally loud and upbeat, we even jumped out of our chairs at one point, while the other team sat down the entire time and was totally unimpressive. Can you guess which team won the prize? NOT OURS, DARN IT. The prize ended up being a sample bottle of Irish Whiskey though, which was awarded to the leader of the other team. I didn't feel so defeated after all.

I'm totally lying. I was pissed our team didn't win.

ON TO IRELAND! We had to take a faerie to and from Ireland, about three hours long each way. I get car sick easily, and I also get sea sick easily. But I made it out alright. I've got to say, Ireland was probably my least favorite country to visit. It didn't have anything to do with the actual country, but the fact that I knew I was in a country that was basically a large island. That made me feel stranded. Does that make me weird? I assume so. Ireland was pretty much the only country that we had a leisurely day to shop and do whatever we wanted. Know what I did on that day? I found a piercing parlor, and was SUPER CLOSE to getting my nose pierced. The only reason I didn't was because the air pressure from the flights back home probably would've made my piercing swell to the point of exploding all over my face. That'd be a cool story to tell. NOT.

On one of our last days going from Ireland to Wales, I realize that I'm beginning to not feel so well. I knew there was a sickness going around the bus, so I'd been popping vitamin pills like I was a complete addict. But they were no match for the viral infection I received. Luckily I brought my Mucinex and Ban Lan Gen tea with me, and took these remedies as well as my daily vitamins. I slept as much as I possibly could, and honestly the sickness stopped quicker than it would have had I not brought the mucinex and tea. Also, the flights home were so much more smooth than the flights coming to London. We had no delays, no missed flights, nothing. All flights were in order and on time.

When we arrived back in Rock Hill, it was literally in the knick of time, because right after everyone had gathered their bags and we were headed outside to the bus, we saw huge lightning bolts across the sky and heard loud thunder claps shortly after. I can manage having delayed flights going to our destination, but having problems when you're trying to return home? Oh, I would've cried if I'd been stuck for even another hour.

All in all, a worth wile tripe. I was able to get my dad some Irish Whiskey, and I got my mom a really beautiful Waterford Crystal sunflower. I'm pretty sure I hit all of the main points. If not, I can always come back and add more. :3

My Uncle.

I'd thought about writing a blog about my thoughts about my uncle and his death, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. So, here it goes.

Honestly, I didn't know my uncle as well as I'd like to think I did. I saw him a little more than occasionally, meaning on holidays and randomly when my dad would decide to make steak dinners. It's funny, though. Because even though we didn't hang out so often, my uncle Lars knew the perfect gifts to give to me on holidays and birthdays. On my birthday he gave me a picture with the five elements of Feng Shui in the original Kanji characters. I'm a freak about anything Asian, so the fact that he knew I would like it shows something.

It's saddening to think that some people I have met who were friends with him probably knew him better than I did. (Seriously, no offense to anyone I've met. I appreciate you all and I KNOW you loved my uncle, and you love my dad as well as Jeanne-Marie, and I can't thank you enough for loving them when I'm not there.) I know nieces and nephews aren't SUPPOSED to know everything about their uncles and aunts, though. My uncle loved me, and I loved him. Because blood is thick.

Even so, it kills me the most for not getting to know him because it was the same situation when my grandpa died. My grandpa died in 2001 (I believe) from Leukemia, and I've always regretted not getting to know him. And it's the same thing with my uncle Lars. It's worse because we knew he had cancer for a while before he died, and I didn't utilize all of the time I could have to see him more. Everyone has regrets, and that will always be one of mine.

I'm sad he's gone. I'm sad I didn't know him better. But I am mostly saddened for everyone around me. Especially my grandma and my dad. Especially especially my dad. My grandma was ready for the suffering to stop, and though my dad knew it was coming, he wasn't ready to let go of his (literal) life-long best friend. My uncle died on my grandma's birthday (isn't that some shit?) so that wasn't so convenient, but in a way, his death was a gift to himself as it was to her. He's in a better place, and she can take comfort in that fact. I'm sure my dad realizes this too, but I guess it's hard to actually wrap your brain around the fact that someone is gone.

Which brings me to my next point. My dad has a regret worse than mine.

A long time ago whenever Lars went to the doctor the first time for his problems, the doctor misdiagnosed him, telling him it was simply his hemorrhages. So he left it be, for a very, very long time. By the time his body had gotten worse, he went back to the doctor to find that he had stage 4/5 colon cancer. The doctors removed the large tumor with most of the cancer in it, but by that time it was already too late. There were spots of the cancer in other parts of his body. We went to different doctors after that, we even brought him up to Duke. But you know that when Duke can't do much for you, there isn't much you can do except wait. So, Lars did. He waited. He took chemotherapy for quite a while, but eventually he figured there was no point if he was going to be waiting either way.

My dad will always regret not getting a second opinion. Always. I think we will all have that thought haunting the back of our minds for the rest of our lives. The best I could tell my dad was that everything happens for a reason. There must've been a reason we didn't think to get a second opinion. Lars was a great man, and he deserved to go to heaven when he did. He's on to greater and higher things. Who would want to stay on this cruddy earth? He's with his father and grandparents now, and he's looking down on us hoping we will soon push through this tragedy.

My dad also told me that he was hoping for some kind of sign that Lars is around. Jeanne-Marie told him that she waited for signs like that with her family members (who also died of cancer) and that it just wasn't going to happen. I followed her statement with the fact that if Lars DID give him some kind of sign, he would be a ghost. He would be a lingering soul who hadn't gone to heaven, still searching for his purpose. I told my father he didn't WANT a sign from Lars. Eventually when time has passed and numbed our hearts it will be more comforting to understand this.

Bottom line: we all loved you, Lars. And you WILL be missed, every day.

PS, now that he's up in heaven, I always imagine him watching over me all the time, and I feel like he's judging my actions. I'd better spruce up! ;D

Biggest disappointment in a while. But not really.

So, I'm taking a fencing class this semester. Yes, it's totally fun, regardless of how bad I actually suck at the sport. I'm one of the three girls in the entire class, the rest of the class are males. (Note, this is a class of around 20 people.) So even though I suck, I still feel like a total badass for being a girl taking fencing.

ANYWAYS. To the point.

SO there's this guy in my fencing class. I won't say his name, and if he reads this then it is NOT going to be good. BUT! He's kind of cute. And it's SO obvious that we flirt (or so I thought). Like, SUPER obvious (or so I thought). It's not just flirting because we are flirtatious people (or so I thought) but it seemed like actual interest flirting (OR. SO. I. THOUGHT.).

This I was excited for. (NOT ANYMORE)

So recently, I added him on Facebook, thinking perhaps this would open a door to more communication. Maybe he would ask for my number. Or maybe we could just be better friends. WRONG-O. I added him, and not only did I find out he'd been in a relationship for over two years, but he is engaged.

Engaged.

Engaged....

ENGAGED!?! WHAT THE HECK! ENGAGED?!?!! LIKE, GOING TO MARRY SOMEONE ENGAGED!? FIANCÉE SOON TO BE HUSBAND AND WIFE ENGAGED???????

I am sorry sir, but if you are going to be engaged then you need to control your flirtatious habits and just not talk to me. You are in your early twenties and engaged. You are not fully grown yet. You should have shed your flirtatious ways by now if you're ready to make a huge commitment.

At first I took the engagement for (translation: desperately hoping for) one of those silly best friend relationship/engagements/marriages. Ones that aren't legit. You know, the kind where you're like, "Oh let's be married on Facebook tehehehehehe and see if people believe us teheheheheheeh~~~~."

Nope.

After doing some further Facebook stalking I realized that he had pictures of him and his [nngh] fiancée posted way back in 2008, and they looked very happy and lovey-dovey. And don't get me wrong, I am happy for him.

But don't flirt with me. Or the other two girls in the fencing class. Flirt with your FIANCÉE, DAMNIT.

I received an award almost two months ago!

I didn't even realize it, but fellow blogger She Looks Like a Haddock gave me a "Life is Good" award on February 1st, 2011. Thank you so much! I also give the reward back to her, because all of her posts are freaking hilarious. I will post the response questions at the end.

I haven't blogged in so long. I've been busy with school and work and Facebook and whatnot. I also haven't been able to keep up with my 365 project, which is a HUGE disappointment. I recently sold my Canon Rebel Xsi, and I just purchased a Canon Rebel T1i that should be arriving in the mail in two weeks tops.

I'll cut to a chase and tell you a funny joke that I heard from my friend O'Shay.

Ahem.

"So these two guys walk into a bar. The first guy says, 'I'd like some H2O, please.' And the bartender gives him the drink. The second guy says, 'I'd like some H2O, too.' The bar tender gave him the drink, and he died."

The joke is better when it's spoken aloud. H2O is water, obviously. But H2O2 is Hydrogen Peroxide, which can kill you.

Here's another joke!

Ahem.

"There are three guys. The first two walk into a bar. The third one ducks."

HA! That's a knee slapper right there......I didn't get it the first time I was told that joke.

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing this? If you aren't anonymous, do you wish you started out anonymously, so that you could be anonymous now?

I don't blog anonymously. Sometimes I wish I had started out anonymously, sometimes it's more fun that way. But I'm glad I stuck with writing as myself and not some anonymous creeper on the internet.


2. Describe an incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

I refuse to walk back from my car by myself when I am at USC. I always need my friends Logan or Will to walk me back, because I always get back late at night, and it's dark and scary in Columbia at night.

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

What kind of question is this? I see myself.

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Frozen Lemonade from Panera Bread.


5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

I nap. I watch TV. But mostly I take pictures.

6. Is there something that you still want to accomplish in your life?

Finish college, get a great job, move somewhere more interesting, get married, have ONE child, have a husky, so many things in so little time.


7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person, or always ditching?

I was definitely the shy person. I still am. Anytime the teacher calls on me to answer a question, even if I know the answer my face will turn beat red.


8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what would you see?

I don't know what poignant is. Pass.


9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog, or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people and events?

I am not uncomfortable writing about myself, but normally I prefer to write about things that happen to me, and if they happen to involved other people, then so be it.


10. If you had the choice to sit down and read a book or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

Sit down and read a book. I hate talking on the phone.

My dad is funny.

Seriously. When he drinks he starts shouting in German, it's hilarious.

But what is REALLY funny is when I talk about how I have my mom's nose, and not his. He completely flips out. Everything else on my face is almost identical to his : same eyes, same mouth, same facial structure, etc. But he CAN NOT, WILL NOT, and SHALL NOT admit that I have my mother's nose. He has a very straight nose, with no bridge, and it's pretty much even. My nose, like my mom's, has a defined bridge towards the top, perfect for glasses to sit on. It also gets narrower towards the top as well.

No. My dad simply will not have it. He will get my step mom to look at the both of us in profile multiple times, and the answer is the same every time, "No, she doesn't have your nose, Steig." And my dad replies, "NO STINKIN' WAY! SCHEIßE!" ("scheiße: means "shit" in German, for those who didn't know.)

:D

Dreams.

This is such a common subject, but what are the craziest dreams you've ever had that you remember?

I've had so many. Dreams, nightmares, night terrors, etc. Dreams where I wished they weren't dreams. Dreams I wish I hadn't dreamed. Dreams that were foreshadows of things that happened in the near future. Dreams about people I didn't even think about until I dreamed about it. And so on and so forth.

Most commonly I have dreams that end in me jolting awake from my sleep because I tripped on something or stepped off a ledge and was about to fall. Those just plain suck.

One night a long time ago I had a night terror. I can't even remember what the dream was about, but I remember dreaming that I was vomiting (I'm sure you wanted to know that), and even though it was a dream I actually FELT like I was getting sick. (This is really bad because I have emetophobia: fear of vomiting). All I remember aside from that was falling (as mentioned earlier) and I jolted awake, sweating pools of sweat and crying as if I were about to face a painful death. I didn't even want to go back to sleep regardless of the fact that it was still dark outside.

This next dream in particular was really weird. I just remember one night dreaming that I was about to go to work. I got in my car, and it wouldn't start because the battery was dead. The next morning (I'm awake at this point) I was about to leave for my lunch shift at Red Bowl, and when I tried to start the car, guess what? You guessed it. The battery was dead. I'd accidentally left my car charger plugged in and it sucked up the rest of my battery's life.

Last night, I had an amazing dream. It was a dream that made me want to write this blog. Now that I'm writing about it almost 12 hours after I had it, I won't be able to give a lot of details. But I just remember someone granting me the ability to breath underwater, and I swam into the depths of a bathtub at my grandparents home, and I swam very deep into this bathtub. And towards the bottom (which was a lot deeper than any normal bathtub) there was this giant glowing ball. It was a beautiful purpley-pink color, and I broke through the exterior of this globe into some kind of magical world. I wanted to stay, but I remember having to come back up to the real world because we were having some kind of family reunion. At one point I went back and someone was trying to destroy my newly discovered "Atlantis," one of my former babysitters actually, and I remember the soft purpley-pink glow being gone and me not being able to break through the exterior into the world, as well as losing my ability to breath underwater. At the very end of my dream, I had just saved it and burst through the exterior back into the world, and I woke up.

I was so disappointed. I wanted to stay in this dream forever and ever.

Various nicknames acquired over the years.

After living for nearly 18.5 years, I've acquired several nicknames, be it through school, jobs, or just because my friends wanted to call me something other than plain old "Steigen" regardless of the fact that it isn't plain or old to begin with.

Here are the ones I can think of off the top of my head:

Ste (Bia)

Steigg (Jasmine)

Steiggy (Jessica, Meagan, Alex)

Stiego (Carowinds)

Steigenator (most common)

E Dong (Jes)

Sexy S**** (Jes, and no, the second isn't a cuss word)

Even Steigen (Neb)

Scuba Steig (Neb)

Steiglitz (Hugo Stiglitz from Inglorious Basterds)

Wrench Girl (Karen and Paige)

Steigasarus Rex (old Xbox Live gamertag)

Steigalicious (Neb)

Steigelz (Neb)

Steigelbear (Haleycakes)

The Steig (Top Gear)

Dr. Steigenheimer (inventor of the atomic bomb)

Stelgen (Riverside)

The names in parentheses are either the person who gave me the name or the reference to the name.

Another day at Red Bowl.

So, I was working a regular Friday morning lunch shift at Red Bowl yesterday, and an older couple, probably in their sixties, comes in to eat lunch. I sat them down at the booth that is located right behind the hostess stand. After doing so, I gave them their menus, and went back to my stand.

While I'm looking around the restaurant right after seating these people, I realize the woman unzipping her jacket. Okay, normal. NOT. As she starts zipping lower and lower, I realize this woman has nothing but a blue laced bra underneath her jacket.

I panic. Do I tell her that she doesn't have a shirt on? Does she REALIZE she doesn't have a shirt on? Does her husband notice? Has anyone else noticed? Did she purposely unzip her jacket well aware of the fact that she didn't have a shirt on DESPITE the fact that it is COMPLETELY inappropriate to dine in your undergarments?

Before I had time to clear my head of all of these thoughts, the woman, who has completely unzipped her jacket and is about to remove it, realizes the fact that she doesn't have a shirt on, and says to her prospective husband "Oh, I forgot that I don't have a shirt on underneath my jacket. That's embarrassing. I hope no one else saw that" in the calmest, most unphased voice ever. She zipped her jacket back up to the top, and went on her merry way.

Thank God I didn't have to tell her. Remember when you don't have shirts on under your jackets, kids, to avoid disasters like this.

I am so lucky.

I am so thankful for my roommate, Jes.

Not only do we have an amazing story of how we met and became roommates, but because of how everything has played out, there's no way that it couldn't have been fate that brought us together.

Long story short, we both lived in Brazil and went to the same school, simply at different times. I went to this school during my 7th and 8th grade years, while Jes attended this school during her 11th grade year.

One day during my senior year I was just Facebook lurking (as usual) and I stumbled upon Jes' profile and realized that we had a lot of friends in common from Brazil, and that she lived in Lexington, so I decided to add her. Lucky for me, she accepted. Much later on, when it was getting closer to the end of my first semester of senior year, I was telling a mutual friend of ours, Maiane, about how I was going to USC for International Business and Chinese. Jes saw this and decided to message me, asking if I had a roommate yet and if I'd be interested.

Of course I said yes.

After that I found out that Jes was actually cousins with two people I had classes with when I lived in Brazil four years ago, and that we had a lot more in common than we thought.

Now we're roommates, and I couldn't be happier. Even though I plan on switching my major, Jes and I still constantly help each other out as much as we can on assignments. Good thing for us, I'm good at English, and she is good at math, so we are able to help each other in fields that the other isn't as strong in. Anytime something is bothering us, there is never the feeling of hostility or being unable to talk about our thoughts. If there's a problem, the only way to fix it is by talking it out. I can honestly say that she has become one of my best friends. She pushes me to do well because she wants to see me achieve everything I put my mind to to the best of my ability, and I couldn't thank her enough.

I hope that others are able to get as lucky as I did when receiving a roommate. This is for you, Jes. My roomie, my friend, my S*** M*** M*** ;]

What doesn't make sense?

You spend 13 years in free, public, elementary, middle, and high schools. You go to these schools five days a week for eight hours straight. You get a small half hour lunch break in the middle. You get a small two week vacation for Christmas, and a mere two months for Summer break.

You're basically put in school for 40 hours during the week, half of which isn't even spent productively. Then you receive a small break for all of the wasted time, then it's back to the ole' grind. And, again, this is all free.

What doesn't make sense, is when you go to college, you spend a minimum of $5,000 (depending on where you go, for me it's $10,000) a semester to go to school, spend probably a total of 2-4 hours actually spent IN CLASS a day, you get more than a mere half hour for a lunch break, you receive not only an entire MONTH for Christmas Break and THREE MONTHS for Summer break, but you also receive a four-day weekend called "Fall break" at some point in October/November.

Doesn't make sense. You spend more time in public school for free, while you spend less time in college for (insert amount here).

Currently listening to: Neunundneunzig Luftballons by Nena