Graduation, Japanese Food, Rant

Hey....So, I know I haven't been writing real posts in a while.  So, I thought I'd pop back in to update everyone on how things are going.  First, 31 Days of Halloween is a bust.  I tried, but I've just got too much going on to keep up with a creative post every day.  So, um...I apologize in advance to anyone who was looking forward to that.  It's over for the year.

I've not been posting much because life has not been that exciting.  I mean, I'm enjoying it, but it's not really something you post on your blog about, you know what I mean?  But, I do have a few big things to announce.  In August, I got my MLIS, so I am officially a librarian (in educational status only).  In job title, I'm still doing the same thing I was doing before.  BUT...there have been some postings in my area, so I'm applying for jobs and will keep y'all posted if something comes up.  Right now, though, I've not heard anything.

In other news, there is a guy I'm somewhat interested in.  He comes to a lot of my library programming, so I see him at least once a month.  Sometimes more.  And he's super sweet, my  parents have met him and they like him (although I don't know if he knows those are my parents....).  Yeah, so I finally sent him a friend request on Facebook.  And we've talked a bit.  But, mostly, I'm the one initiating everything.  So, I can't really say that he's interested in me.  But, he's cute, sweet, a hard-worker, and he's Catholic.  So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Let's just hope that he also loves anime and we'll be good to go.

But, in all seriousness, I'm not really sure that he's interested.  Conversations fizzle out pretty fast, and he never starts them.  Doesn't sound too interested to me.  But, that's okay.  I'm not head-over-heels myself, either. 

Since I'm now out of school (and still single) I've been picking up new hobbies.  One of which is Asian cooking (mostly Japanese).  I can make onigiri (rice balls) easily enough, and have started rolling my own sushi using canned tuna.  But, my latest trip to the Asian market brought back a box of sweet rice flour and some Adzuki beans.  That's right--I'm making sweet red bean mochi!

Finally, I just want to have a little rant against one of my Facebook friends.  This is a girl I went to school with, but we don't really talk anymore.  I probably should just unfriend her, but for some reason, I've stayed in touch.  Anyways, long story short, her boyfriend broke up with her.  It happens.  It's hard.  I get it.  But, all of her posts lately have been about how terrible he is (because he broke up with her) and how hard her life is now (because he broke up with her), and how strong she clearly is (because she's taking this breakup so much in stride), and how she is SUCH a good person (because she would do ANYTHING for people, but they won't do anything for her).

Okay, so I'm going to break this down piece by piece here....

1.) Your boyfriend dumped you.  This happens to people all the time.  It's sad.  It's frustrating, and I'm sure you wish you were still with him.  But, how does that make him a bad person?  I know I wouldn't want to be with someone who didn't want to be with me.  Don't make him the bad guy for wanting something different in life.  It's not as though he cheated on you.

2.) You were dumped, but that's not the end of the world.  Your life does not suck.  You don't need to post about how you are so lonely and always drinking wine.  That doesn't sound healthy.  Go out with your friends.  Get a hobby.  Do SOMETHING instead of moping around like this, and looking for crumbs of affection from your Facebook fan-base.

3.) You're not being strong if you have to keep posting about how strong you are.  Strong people don't talk about how strong they are (at least not without prompting).  They just live their lives and show you they can handle themselves.

4.) She is NOT the kind of person who would do anything for people.  We used to be friends, and while she expected the world of me, she let me down time and time again, to the point where we stopped talking.  That's why I'm wondering why I'm still Facebook friends with her.

End rant.

I hope y'all are doing well.  I'll try to post more to keep you in the loop.  Goodnight, and sleep well! 

Adventure Time Rant

Are any of you Adventure Time fans?  If you are, please let me know....I just started watching a few months back, and I really want to rant about the last episode I watched....So many feelings right now!

Blargh

I can't wait for this week to be over.  Or, more specifically, I can't wait until my Wednesday 5-6:15 class is over, and I don't have to stress about this presentation about Irish author Benedict Kiely anymore.  Going along with that, when class is over, my professor has offered to take us all out to dinner at a local Irish pub, and one of the grad students is buying us all beer.  I can't wait to sit back with a deliciously dark Guinness! 

I try--as a rule--to avoid drinking when I'm stressed out, but I would kill for a nice glass of wine or shot of vodka right now....just something to help me relax.  And I don't even know why I'm so stressed out!

Maybe it's because I just got back from Thanksgiving break, and I already have a ton of work?  Like 3+ papers, a one-act play, and two short story revisions?  Or maybe it's because I had finally decided I was going to take a year off before grad school, and now, on the suggestion of one of my writing buddies, I'm off on a mad scramble to fill out applications for a MA in Creative Writing program?  Or, if that's not what's bothering me, perhaps it's the fact that I'm majorly crushing (against my will!) on a creep who keeps trying to seduce me, even though he has a girlfriend?  I tell him that I just want to be friends, but he keeps coming on to me.  And it's seriously starting to piss me off.  Maybe I'm stressed because I graduate in just over a semester?  Or because I still don't quite know what I want to do with my life?  Do I want to be a writer or a librarian?  What the hell am I doing?

Why do I always attract creeps?  I don't even want a boyfriend....I really don't want to be in a relationship right now, but I certainly wouldn't mind a few pleasant dates with someone who's not a player, a creep, or a weasel (this current guy happens to be all three).

I think I'm going to curl up in bed with To Kill a Mockingbird, and read until I fall asleep.....that is, once I finish all this homework, first.

That was a LOT of rambling and stressing out.  So, here's a cute picture of a hedgehog to make y'all feel better :)

Do You Kindle/E-Book/etc.?

Perhaps I'm the only one, but doesn't it bother you that more and more people are reading books online or on their iPods, Kindles, iPhones, iPads, laptops, and e-readers? And that less and less people are reading actual books?? I've often considered the allure of the kindle, the e-reader...buy one online, and your cost of books plummets. Its cheaper, its smaller, and you can carry around about a gazillion books on it. Everyone is doing it...you can even get a game for the Nintendo DS that contains about 200 books.

Although I've considered it, I can't succumb to it. There is no way a battery operated piece of plastic, metal, and wires could replace the wonder that is a book. There is nothing more wonderful than opening up a book, inhaling deeply, and just savoring that musty smell of old tomes, or the fresh smell of paper and ink in new ones. Also, books don't run on batteries, so they don't need to be charged. Plus, each book is an individual. There really is something wonderful about a book. Please, don't boycott the book for the fancy digital stuff. A book won't break on you, a book doesn't need a warranty, and a book will probably be around when all of us are dead and gone...unless we give up on them now. It doesn't need stuff loaded onto it, and its a perfect gift to give without breaking the bank. Consider this: if books have been working just fine for us for centuries...why should we change that now?

If you like your Kindle/iPhone/iPad/iPod/e-reader, etc., I'm not telling you to get rid of it, not at all! I'm just saying to please keep the book in mind. Its a wonderful thing and should be cared for, cherished, and most of all respected and enjoyed.

Second Life Rant

Merrr....This is really frustrating...I went on Second Life for the first time in a few months, and to my chagrin, learned that they've changed everything around! I loved how Second Life used to look, from the notification boxes to the log in screens, and EVERYTHING is different! I hate it! >:(