Things I've Accomplished

I've decided to make this a 3 part series. Two posts ago, I talked about personal goals for the year and last time I talked about long term dreams, but as I approach the end of this semester, I decided why not talk about what I have accomplished so far? I'm only 21, and don't have a lot of "big" victories  (and actually lots of failures) but sometimes little victories add up to a lot. Here are some things:

1. Making the dean's list three times/getting in the honors program. I know that sometimes I stress way too much about my schoolwork, but it always feels good to be recognized for hard work.

2. Teaching kids how to swim across the pool or jump off the diving board. This was the best part about my job as a lifeguard. It wasn't just teaching them a valuable survival skill, but giving them confidence in themselves and that's a great thing.

3. Being bullied most of my life and coming out stronger and wiser. From elementary school to freshman year of college, it never really changed. Some people will always try to push you down in order to feel bigger. I know that this has made me not only a stronger person, but a more empathetic friend.

4. My senior yearbook. I know this sounds completely silly, but it is the thing I was most proud of in high school. I worked during lunches, after school, and during many study halls to put together that book. Although it's a trivial thing, it was the first time I really became a leader for a group of people and most of all, I had a lot of fun doing it.

5. Being an ear for those who need one. I know some of you won't believe this one, since I am prone to interrupting people in a conversation, but before my friend Moriah passed away, she used to call me and talk for hours. I remember car rides, dinners, and walks around the lake with her in which I never got a word in, but I think that sometimes that's what everyone needs and I really hope I was able to help her through hard times in her life just by answering the phone or taking time out of my day to meet her for dinner.

6. Overcoming socializing anxiety (to some extent). I have always hated making conversation with strangers. But in the past few years, I have forced myself out of my comfort zone a lot more. As a tour guide, I have built relationships with prospective students in very short periods of time. I have joined groups and activities where I didn't know anyone there and ended up making new friends. I actually met two of my best friends just by joining a game on my floor last year with strangers.

And to end, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes by the great Ralph Waldo Emerson: "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

I Made a Bucket List

So, my last post about 21 things to do when I'm 21 went over pretty well. I got lots of comments on it and my friends have been holding me to it whenever I veer off. On that note, I thought I'd do something similar this week. This is a bucket list of more tangible things I want to do with my life. These won't happen this year and I expect it to change, but I've always wanted to make one of these. I was actually saving it for a later date, but there have been signs pointing to now. There is a bucket list bulletin board on my floor and I keep looking at the Bucket List DVD on my shelf and I had a friend suggest it last week. So here goes: I am finally making a bucket list.

1. Adopt a pet from an animal shelter.

2. Be conversational in Spanish.

3. Get a Master's Degree.

 

4. Get a tattoo.

5. Go hiking in a rainforest.

6. Learn to dance-It doesn't matter if it's salsa or swing or just not embarrassing myself at a club.

 

7. Go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

8. Own a home.

9. Go paragliding.

 

10. Publish something-whether it be a work of fiction, an article for a magazine, a review, a cookbook, or a travel book.

11. Go snorkeling/scuba diving.

12. See the ball drop in Times Square.

 

 13. Swim beneath a waterfall.

14. See at least 3 of the Seven New Wonders of the World.

15. Watch an Olympic event live.

16. Write a biography of someone.


17. Visit all 50 States-I'm up to 34 as of now.

21 Things to Do While I'm 21

So it' my 21st birthday today. Yay! So I thought I'd blog about 21 goals for this year. Here they are:

1. Be more optimistic. "Realist" is my word for pessimistic most of the time. I need to look at things on the bright side more often.

2. Forgive. I don't think it does any good to hold on to bad feelings. It only hurts yourself.

3. Go all out for Halloween. It's the only day I still get to play dress up. Enjoy it.

4. Indulge in good food. I know I can't eat junk all the time, but there is nothing wrong with enjoying food when I can. And who set the acceptable times for certain foods? I can eat a sandwich for breakfast if I fee like it.

 5. Go somewhere I've never been. Whether it's as small as a new restaurant or as big as another country. If I can, I want to try it.

6. Keep reading. (I won't have a problem with this one, but I know I never want to stop.)

7. Laugh as much as possible. (even though I hate my laugh, I swear it makes me feel better)

8. Learn to love myself a little more. I am always picking on something about myself. I'm not perfect. No one is.

9. Listen to those around me. Everyone needs to be heard. And I'm not a genius. I can use help.

10. Pamper myself. A pedicure, massage, or haircut is never a waste if it makes me feel better.

11. Remember to be a kid. 21 does not mean I'm "all grown up." Sometimes the swings at the park, blowing bubbles, water balloon fights, or an episode of Spongebob is the best remedy for a bad day.

12. Sing as loud as I want to the radio. Even if it embarrasses the crap out of my brother.

13. Stand up for someone. I have found throughout my life that the silent observer can be just as bad as the bully herself. So I don't want to be afraid to speak up to help. Even if I don't really know the person.

14. Stay up late. I love pancakes in the middle of the night or a movie marathon that lasts for hours. Sleep is very important, but sometimes it can wait. Might as well use that time while I'm young and still can.

15. Take a road trip. Even if it's just for an afternoon.


16. Tell the people I love how much they mean to me. You never know how long you have to say it.

17. Take more pictures/videos. I have some nice cameras, but I always forget to capture the moment.

18. Try my luck. Buy a lottery ticket or gamble once. Never done either and maybe it's a risk worth taking once.

19. Vote. It's important to be an active member of the community I live it.

20. Take some risks. Say things even if I don't know how others will react. Be bold. 

21. Keep writing this blog. I can't be a writer if I don't keep writing.

Becoming Someone Else

Most of my writing is at least loosely based on someone or something I know well. I have found that it makes the stories seem more realistic. My first stories in elementary school were about my own life and some of best work in college has been the same. But now my fiction writing teacher is pushing me out of my comfort zone. All weekend so far, I have been trying to write a story with characters and circumstances absolutely foreign to me. Actually, right now I am having writers' block but I don't want to stop writing so I'm blogging until I can come back to it.
In some ways I am frustrated about this assignment because I think I have found my forte and shouldn't have to change, but in all reality, I've always wanted to write as another person. Like so many kids of my generation, I dreamed of being the next J. K. Rowling. She never went to a school for wizards or fought the Dark Lord, but readers fully believe that her characters did. I even read a news story last semester that fans of Sherlock Holmes constantly send letters to him as if he were real. That's so amazing. So, since I know this blog is not super thoughtful or exciting, I'll share an exercise I worked on this week in order to try out becoming someone else. Thanks to everyone that keeps reading my blogs. It means a lot :)

I had my first beer in the 4^th grade.

            My father had been working cows all day. He plopped down on the brown recliner in the living room and dust filled the room. I wasn’t sure if it was from his shirt or the chair, which probably hadn’t been cleaned since mom was around.

“Could you hand me a beer, Kels?” he asked.

            I paused for a moment, hoping he would say something more. I adored that gravelly voice when he wasn’t hollering about my God-damned whining. Then, I scurried off the couch and opened the fridge. And there they were. Two cans of Bud Lite sitting side by side on the top shelf. Without hesitating, I grabbed one in each fist and carried them into the living room. I handed the first one to him and carried the next to my place on the couch.

            He didn’t say a word. He didn’t even look up from the rerun of Walker, Texas Ranger on the old television set when I handed him the beer. I waited for him to pull on the tab of his can and then I pulled too. A long hiss filled the space between us. He tilted the can up and starting chugging. I saw some drip down onto his beard. I began to mimic his style and let the beer run down my throat. I wasn’t awfully good. I remember grimacing for the first few gulps. Then I looked up and Dad was staring at me. He was silent for a few moments and then he chuckled. We spent many nights after that bonding over beers in that dusty room with cowboys on the TV.

How Lucky Am I?

So I obviously haven't posted for quite a while. It wasn't writer's block, I kept thinking about writing, but kept getting busy and forgetting to post. I was planning on doing a "lucky" post for St. Patrick's Day and even though it's a little late I think I will still do it because I have a lot to be thankful for lately. So here it is: How Lucky Am I?

1. I got into the teacher's program at UNL. Hooray!

2. The morning after I got into the program, I work up to these...

 

...and this....

I have amazing friends. :D



3. I got to spend 2 weekends visiting my extended family in Columbus and celebrating a new cousin's baptism. I've learned how lucky it is to have so many people who not only love me, but who I can love back.


4. My parents drove over 2 hours to have dinner with me....and my mom made brownies!

5. My resident director randomly gave me cereal! Haha

6. I spent spring break shopping in Colorado with my mom and then at an concert with my sister. It was more amazing than any beach vacation, I promise. 


So thanks to everyone for making my last month so wonderful. I am so LUCKY to have all of you in my life. :)

Being Pretty

If you have a Pinterest account or a Tumblr account, you will probably agree that there isn't a day you log onto your account and don't find some new exercise plan or fitness motivation or healthy recipe. I think it's a fair bet to say that most girls my age would choose beauty over intelligence if given the choice. My professors are always lecturing me on how our society is becoming more technologically dependent and we need to be able to communicate online. While that is true, this lack of face-to-face interaction hasn't seemed to lower our obsession with appearance. Success does depend on looks, whether we like it or not and being unattractive can be a huge hindrance. Actually, the television show playing on my TV right now is about a woman who is in fear of losing her beauty with age.

 I've been reading a lot of books recently. My insomnia causes more reading, not the other way around like you'd imagine. The two most recent books I read were The Hate List by Jennifer Brown and Every Day by David Levithan.  The Hate List is the story of a girl who's boyfriend initiated a school shooting and the reaction of returning to school. Every Day was about someone who doesn't have a physical body but takes over the body of another person, a different person every day. But even in two books that on the surface have nothing to do with beauty really are all about appearance at the core.

In Every Day, the main character can not find love because of lack of an appearance. The girl the narrator starts a relationship with shows more or less affection depending on the body the narrator is in. In The Hate List, one of the characters gets hit in the face by a ricocheted bullet and becomes disformed. Even though everyone has been through a traumatic event, she is the only one that can't seem to cope because she has lost her status and, in that, her identity.

As Brown said, "Being pretty isn't everything, but sometimes being ugly is."

Oscar Predictions

So, the awards season is coming to its finale. I thought the SAG awards were great this year and Tina Fey and Amy Pohler did a fantastic job at hosting the Golden Globes. So I wanted to put out my Oscar predictions before Sunday. I want to say that I just checked the Huffington Post and and NY Times predictions, and some of mine seem to be way off, but I changed nothing. I will stick to these.

Best Picture: I'm going on a very very long shot for this and picking Life of Pi. Argo is on an winning streak and will probably go again, but the Oscars can surprise you. And Life of Pi has the most nominations this year.

Leading Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis. This one's a no-brainer. The academy loves him. Truthfully, though, my stand out pick would be Bradley Cooper because I think he was better than Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook and isn't getting half as much attention.

Leading Actress: I'm going to go with Jessica Chastain. Once again, going with the streak would be Jennifer Lawrence, but I'm a rebel. Plus, Chastain has been nominated before and Lawrence is a newbie. If I could pick, though, it would be Naomi Watts who was phenomenal in The Impossible.

Supporting Actor: I'm going with Robert De Niro. I really liked Alan Arkin, but I don't think he has a chance.

Supporting Actress: Once, again a no-brainer: Anne Hathaway. I haven't seen Les Miserables, but my sister said Hathaway made her cry, so I'll take that as a good sign.

Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph. Truthfully, I wasn't blown away by any of the nominees here, but this was the best in my opinion.

Director: David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook. I'm just tired of Stephen Spielberg and Ang Lee getting so much attention and Russell is the only other one with a chance.


All Other Categories: Cinematography-Skyfall/ Costume Design-Anna Karenina/ Documentary-Searching for Sugar Man/ Documentary Short-Mondays at Racine/Film Editing-Zero Dark Thirty/Foreign Language Film-Amour/Makeup and Hairstyling-The Hobbit/ Original Score-Skyfall/Original Song-Skyfall/Production Design-Anna Karenina (even though it should be The Hobbit)/Animated Short-Paperman/Live Action Short-Curfew/Sound Editing-Zero Dark Thirty/Sound Mixing-Les Miserables/Visual Effects-Life of Pi/Adapted Screenplay-Silver Lining Playbook/Original Screenplay-Zero Dark Thirty