Dear Diary

Last night I wrote a post that, upon re-reading it this morning, I realized had no business being up on the internet.  A blog should not be a diary.

DON'T Let Them Eat Cake

In my office, it is ALWAYS someone's birthday. Or someone is retiring.  Or someone got another degree, or got married, or had a baby.  There is ALWAYS a reason to party and ALWAYS a reason to eat cake and ice cream.  All of the newer people complain that they have gained weight since working here.  Macon County's obesity rate is almost 30% and this is reflected almost everywhere you go, be that to the office, the library, or the grocery store.  A very small number participated in the fitness challenge a few months ago, but no one turns down cake.  Elevators take our cake-eating butts up and down the measly four flights of stairs and the parking spots closest to the building are coveted by all.  Why can't we celebrate birthdays with watermelon and popcorn (NOT the movie theater butter kind)?  I can't lie, I always eat the cake, but at least I turned down the ice cream.

Side note: Government offices are behind the times in everything from fashion to computer software.  The PAPER!  Paper files filling entire offices and storerooms, paper print outs of every meetings' agendas and minutes, etc.  My vision of the future includes a tablet for every attorney and a smooth, updated programs for clerks and support staff to keep updated.  Yes, the system might crash, but it is not difficult to find a reliable place to back-up the system.  What if the building burns down with all the files?  It will be harder to back up all of those paper files!

UPDATE:  I decided that obesity rates would be an interesting addition to the community profile data.  I have found a wonderful site on the CDC website where you can see interactive maps of obesity by state and county for every state in the United States.  Macon County is a bright spot in the middle of Illinois. The only county in the state with an obesity rate of 29.7+.  Go Macon County! We're Number One!!!

Spirits Lurking Everywhere

Kindred Spirits, that is.  Today I spoke with a woman in my office- a very experience and intelligent attorney- with whom I agreed with at almost every turn.  We spoke, initially, about child support.  However, once business was finished, there was an off-hand comment made about politics.  Of course, I couldn't let that one lie once it was thrown out.  We touched on everything from the "debt" to the grant process and my future run for political office.  Getting to know someone who shares the same dreams and ideals as you is so rejuvenating.  It's like a fresh log placed on the fire within.  Right now, with my nose in my books instead of on the grindstone, my fire had started to weaken.  I manage to find so many people like I met today.  It restores my faith in humanity after sitting in this office where murder, assault, rape and so many other heinous crimes are discussed so casually.

I KHAN Do It!

The quantitative reasoning section of the GRE is just math, mainly algebra and geometry and data analysis.  Easy stuff, right?  Well its not as easy as I thought it would be, since the last math class I had was statistics in my first semester of college, almost five years ago now.  Yea, I remember that there IS such a thing as the quadratic formula and I remember that there IS an equation for the slope of a line, but NO, I couldn't have told you how to figure it out.

In my quest to re-learn the math I have forgotten over the years, I remembered a TED Talk I had seen on the Khan Academy.  Number one, if you dont' know what TED Talks are, get on there and look around- incredibly innovative ideas on ALL kinds of topics, from clean water to education and wireless electricity to economics.  Number two, if you don't know what Khan Academy is, get on there and look around!

Khan Academy is a learning site where the creator, Salman Khan, teaches through YouTube videos.  For example, I needed to learn the quadratic formula.  Khan academy is wonderful for learning math.  In his videos, he takes you step by step through the problems.  I am not sure how well this works when you are learning something for the first time, since I was relearning what I had learned in high school.  However, some teachers are using sites like Khan Academy to improve classroom productivity.  Students' "homework" becomes watching these videos and doing some practice problems online.  When they get back to the classroom, the teacher spends their time and energy in helping the students with what would usually be their homework.  Teachers basically become tutors.  This saves classroom time, and frustration at home.  I can't remember how many times my brother brought home homework that he didn't understand, and neither did my parents.  Even for students whose teachers don't use Khan Academy, the site is free and open to all.

I'm in love with Khan Academy.  If you create a login (you can connect using your Google account or Facebook account), you can earn points for every practice question you answer, and you can earn badges for  getting a certain number of points, or for watching so many minutes of video.  Anything you can turn in to a game or competition, I'm in.  I love to earn points for learning!  And I LOVE doing math.  My bedroom floor was littered with scratch paper as I tore through the practice questions.  The quantitative reasoning section is my favorite part of the GRE and hopefully I can get a score to prove as much.

First Attempt

Competition for high grades seriously limits the quality of learning at all levels of education.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

Sports motivate kids to work hard and dedicate their time, patience and energy in order to excel.  Many of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that motivate youth to succeed in sports, should play a role in education.  Competition for high grades is an academic motivation to study harder, ask questions and to go above and beyond the usual expectations.  The best athletes don't simply go home after practice- they practice on their own, attend sports camps and play for fun on the side.  Likewise, the best students don't relax at home after school-  they get tutoring where needed, spend hours on projects and are inclined to academic past-times such as reading, writing, or playing games such as sudoku or scrabble.  Not everyone can play in the championship game, and not everyone deserves an A.  However, even second string deserves a chance to play, and everyone deserves a quality education.  Competitive grading works well for students with natural ability and strong intrinsic motivation for success in education, but this policy may leave behind many of the students who need the most help.

Competition for grades is an extrinsic motivator that taps into the intrinsic need to succeed.  As a straight-A student, I NEED to get that A.  Because this drive to succeed, I would do anything necessary to get it.  I would spend hours making a presentation polished and perfect.  Not only did I want to do well, I wanted to have the highest GPA, the highest ACT score and the most decorations at graduation.  Although this did not happen, that spirit of competition forced me to delve deep in to my school work where more than a little learning took place.  

Unfortunately, some students struggle more than others.  No matter how much extra time is put in, nor how many questions asked, some students are not able to reach the top level.  This spirit of competition may actually discourage them when they see others around them succeeding where they are not.  For this reason, there should be a limited number of grades available.  It is difficult to objectively say who deserves the limited number of As - should it be the student who works incredibly hard, but doesn't quite grasp the concept or the student who easy understands, but never goes out of his/her way to learn more?  This is not to say that all students like the former deserve As, or than none of the latter deserve them.  

Some of the most difficult teachers are those who only give out 3 As per semester.  In my experience, these are also the teachers who work the hardest to help those who WANT those As.  This does not mean that competitive grading works for all students, nor for all teachers.  This is a policy that could not be implemented as a standard which all teachers must follow, however, it works well for certain students and certain teachers willing to go above and beyond for the students.

I have presented my response honestly with no changes after the initial 30 minutes I was given.  At least my integrity will remain in tact, if not my self-delusion of intelligence.  

I could already critique myself as I was while writing it.  Don't talk about yourself so much.  You shouldn't write in an essay that you are a straight-A student, especially if the essay isn't very good!!! Too much time setting up the introduction with the crazy sports analogy, not enough time developing your two main points.  Also, the two main points contradict each other.

Jeeze louise!  This timed essay thing is stressful!  But I believe I would give myself a 4.  It is adequate for the limited amount of time given.  I believe I followed the task adequately.  The support for my first point was mainly based on my own experiences.  I am not sure this is necessarily a weakness of the essay.  The support for my second point is somewhat weak.  In my own experience with matters of education, competition for grades hardly seems like the most important topic, but this was the task assigned to me.

1400 or Bust

GRE GRE GRE GRE GRE. 

My mind needs to keep on this track for the next month and two days.  Thank goodness for Cassie Steele, who gave me a great tip this weekend.  She suggested I try Nummber2.com.  This is a free site that gives really easy and detailed explanations of the types of questions you are likely to run in to on the exam.  I have already started to work on some of the math and sentence completion questions.  I had no idea I was so bad at arithmetic!  I only scored in the 55 percentile.  The great thing is, it gives you more practice questions and it will track your improvements.  I did a little better with the sentence completion (76 percentile), but I'd like to get both scores above the 85 percentile.

As far as the analytical reasoning portion of the test, I may be "up a creek without a paddle" to use a cliche that is not allowed on the exam, or "screwed" which is slang, therefore also not advisable.  There are two essays: an issue analysis and an argument analysis.  You have 30 minutes for each section.  I can't even finish this blog post in 30 minutes, let alone write a concise, well thought out, well organized essay with evidence and support to back up my opinions.  I could possibly carry out this task in say, two hours.

In undergrad, I never put myself under pressure to write a paper.  I was always very good about time management because I know that I do not write well under pressure.  I am usually a meticulous writer, painstakingly choosing words that accurately depict the message I'm trying to convey.  I LOVE Microsoft Word.  I love spell check.  I love shift+F7 which allows me to browse the list of synonyms to help me vary my sentences. 

I will be taking this test on the computer, which is a definite advantage.  I have terrible handwriting, especially when I'm trying to write quickly.  I was able to almost completely give up handwriting when I purchased a netbook that was easily transportable.  My three-pound computer fit handily into my book bag and left space for my coffee cup on my desk.  Even now, when I take minutes at meetings, I prefer to bring my netbook along instead of wasting trees and whatever ink is made out of. 

The word processor for the GRE does have some basic essential functions such as cut/paste and undo.  The problem will be, not spelling and grammar- because you are allowed some minor mistakes- but sentence variation.  I tend to repeat myself.  HOWEVER is my favorite word.  THEREFORE, I need to use shift+F7 to learn some new transitions.

I am a bit curious to see what kind of score I'm able to earn.  Issue analysis is pretty much a hobby of mine, only I do this through conversation rather than by writing.  I LEARN by talking.  I am generally an audio learner, but this also applies to hearing my own thoughts.  I find it difficult to remember my own thoughts when I'm simply thinking them.  This is usually very annoying for everyone around me during test taking.  I mutter the questions out loud to myself and work out problems under my breath.  I always wished there were more oral exams in college.  Life is more of an oral exam.

For a bit of practice, I may start writing my 30 minute essays here and having my friends critique them.  Especially Pat.  Pat would not feel bad about ripping apart my silly 30 minutes essays.

What I Read = How I Feel

Goodness knows I can't get enough politics.  I watch Rachel Maddow religiously.  I read news stories online and whenever I get a hold of one, I'll read a newspaper -- a real live newspaper!  I picked up Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman at the library and a friend gave me What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank.  I didn't finish either of them before deciding I MUST put them down.

I agree with many things that they are saying, yes.  However, I get the most reading done in bed.  This means I wake up cranky from having fallen asleep to Thomas Frank's blatant sarcasm and disdain. Or I would wake up worried, yet optimistic from dreaming of our Hot, Crowded world and all of the work it would take to change the trajectory our nation and our planet is on. 

Of course, I can't always read Winnie-the-Pooh before bed.  ALTHOUGH the next book on my reading list IS The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.  Just having read the first 4 pages of the introduction, I can already tell this book will leave me feeling relaxed and happy in the morning.

Side Note:  While searching for a picture for The Tao of Pooh, I ran in to this delightful blog: The Broke and the Bookish.  I shall visit again.  I also like the concept and maybe, considering how much I love to read, I will add a bit of this to my blog.  I also hope to turn this blog in to a crafter's blog too, but I haven't been reading or crafting fast enough to do either!

Although I should not be spending my free time reading, blogging, crafting and puzzling, but instead I should be studying diligently for the GRE.  However, I just started reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.  I needed a new series to get in to now that Harry Potter is completely over and done.  These books are pretty dang long, so they better deliver.  I should guess that, at the rate I usually read books, it will take me 3-8 months to read A Game of Thrones, depending on its level of awesomeness, the number of books I read on the side, and the amount of studying I actually end up doing.  Also, I think "level of awesomeness" will be my rating system from now on.

The Things I Own

Due to the fruit flies gathering around my week's worth of dishes piled high in my tiny kitchen sink, I decided I should finally wash a few of the dishes.  As I was scrubbing my new second hand knife, I started to think about its life before I purchased it.  Who owned it before?  Did they leave it in the sink for days on end, as I had done on its first entrance to my collection?  Why did they give this knife up if it, obviously, still cuts things?  They loved the knife enough to pass it on to a new life, but not enough to keep it in their own stash.

Then I thought about the books I've bought at various second hand shops.  How many owners have they had?  Am I the first one to actually READ the book?  How did its previous owners treat it?  Did they carry it around lovingly in their purse, or in their stack of books they carry from class to class?  Did they make their friends read it before sending it on to find a new owner?  Did it sit on someone's shelf for years without a thought after its first reading?

What about my new shorts?  They are so cute.  I can't imagine why someone would give them away.  I wonder if their previous owner just out grew them, or she lost weight and no longer needed her fat pants.  Maybe she never found anything to match them.  Or maybe she had a really bad experience while wearing those shorts and couldn't bear to wear them anymore.

What about the many puzzles, none of the pieces missing, some still in unopened boxes.  I have found so many new games in perfect condition with all of their pieces.  All of the movies that someone purchased at full price, I was able to pick up for $2 (less than the late fees I usually pay on the FREE movies I rent from the library).

And Lord knows I've found some CRAZY decorative pieces.  I always wonder who bought these in the first place.  How much did they pay for them full price?  Did they buy it as a novelty, like I have, or did it fit in to some collection?  Did they chuckle at it like I did when I found it hidden in a stack of frames?

But I am not crazy, I don't think.....

UPDATE:  Here is a post I put together with some tips for thrifting.

Addicted to Cute

OMG I LOVE CUTE THINGS.

#1.  Slow Loris Being Tickled.  This Wins.  Hands down.  I've been watching it over and over all morning.

#2.  CuteOverload

#3.  Cute Roulette

#4.  Cute Things Falling Asleep

#5.  Things that make you go ahhh

I'm pretty much OBSESSED with everything and all things cute.  You should waste time on all of these sites.  Do it.  Right now.

Wobbly Bits

Not having worked out in approximately two months, I keep thinking I'll be horrified every time I glance in a mirror.  My arms arms jiggle even more than usual, my tummy is quite a bit rounder and my thighs are pure fluff.

I kind of like it.

I feel full and a bit voluptuous -- like a nude in an old painting.  I fill out my clothes a little better.  I'm generally soft and fluffy.  I love it.  AND I love that there is no one to make me feel guilty about it.  None of my girl friends are obsessed with being skinny and so many of my male friends always talk about how much they like girls with curves.  I'm fat and happy.

Of course, I don't believe that I am actually fat.  I would not let myself get too far beyond this.  I want to be healthy and I should exercise a little more just for the sake of my energy and my mood. Yoga, running and riding my bike are all things I can and should do a few times a week.

This isn't an "I learned how to love myself" kind of blog.  I didn't learn to love myself.  I have plenty of other things to pick on. I just like being fluffy.

Budgets and Scorecards

#1  I am taking the GRE (new revised test) on August 20.  The studying will commence right after this post.  I would like a decent score to prove to myself that I am an intelligent, worthwhile person.

Today, Doris was studying for the LSAT and unknowingly distracted me from the real studying I should have done (reading comprehension) by introducing me to logic games.  I LEARNED that I LOVE LOGIC GAMES.  I WANNA DO LOGIC GAMES ALL DAY EVERY DAY.  However, I'm not taking the LSAT and August 20 is quickly approaching. 

It is my goal to study a little bit every day and at least a few hours on the weekends.  I'm going to be honest with myself, though -- YEA RIGHT!  I'll probably study a few times a week and for an hour on Sundays.  I've never been good at studying.  Most college studying consisted of re-reading some of my notes the night before the exam and then going for ice cream instead. 

#2  I'm broke.  Since making new friends, getting back in touch with old friends and keeping in touch with as many college friends as possible, I've spent a TON of money in the past 2 months.  AND I've spent quite a bit on my car and gas to go see everyone I know and love.  When I first arrived in beautiful Decatur, I put myself on a strict budget and managed to save $100 at the end of each month.  Since May, when I stopped using my fancy excel spreadsheet, saving my receipts and clipping coupons, I've managed to deplete my savings by $600.  I have an equal amount waiting for me, but in order to avoid dipping in to that stash any further, I can only spend $130 between this moment and August 5. 

Almost one whole month on $130 (groceries excluded as I have other sources for that budget).  This $130 includes one month of gas, one month of parking and laundry quarters, one month of NOT eating out, one months of NO bar tabs, one month of thrifting (heaven knows I can't stay away) and one month of general living which could possibly include medicines, car repairs and other accidentals.

Can I do it?  Again, I'm going to be honest -- I don't believe so.  I was raised as a good American cog in the economic system.  I'm a natural born consumer.  I spent $35 on clothes this weekend alone (granted they were all thrift or clearance).  I bought six puzzles and another book.  I already own more puzzles than I have time to do and more books than I can read in five years' time.  I haven't learned anything on this home front today.  I wish I could say that I've found the secret to living a simple life, free from the concerns of consumerism and want.  It still makes me happy to buy coffees and ice cream and shoes and books and craft supplies and make-up and purses and ugly decorations and coffee cups and other assorted items that fit on this never ending list.

The only thing I can say in my favor is that I am a master thrifter and extreme bargain hunter.  I hate paying full price for something.  My Grandpa James (mama's papa) used to always make us guess how LITTLE he spent on his shoes.  I am always so proud to tell people "I paid a dollar for this" or "I bought this on sale for 75% off and it perfectly matches these shoes I bought for $4!"  This extreme bargain hunting often leads to stock piling, or what others may call "hoarding."  Thank goodness I have a huge attic!!!

A Dream Come True

I was listening to my Disney Pandora station while washing dishes -- okay, and I'm still listening.   I used to think I related to Disney Princess and one day I'd play one at Disney World.  However, I found out you have to be tall, beautiful and graceful to do so!  NEVERMIND! 

The song "Belle" came on and I know every word, of course. The line I always related to most was "I want so much more than they've got planned."  I imagine this meaning that I will travel the world and change the lives of everyone I come in to contact and I'll be world renown for my goodness and the good works I do.  Tonight I realized that what Belle meant by that was... to marry a handsome prince and live happily ever after.

As a little girl, you believe in happily ever after.  It happens to every leading lady!  Everyone finds their prince!  But after they win the prince, the movie ends.  You so rarely see what happens next.  Yea, I've had what I considered movie-love.  But then the movie ended and life went on.  Sleeping Beauty was never cheated on!  Belle didn't have to choose between a career and a family (not that I've had to choose either).  Cinderella didn't have to deal with mental illness and family issues.  You never even see them "grow apart" and "move in different directions" or have "irreconcilable differences."

Apart from the happily ever after fallacy, Disney also encourages girls to pursue men, not careers.  The newest classically styled movie, The Princess and the Frog, does encourage girls to reach for their career dreams.  However, this princess also gets her prince. 

I found this Second City series that gives advice from Belle, Ariel and Snow White.  There were also a bunch of videos dubbing popular movie audio over Disney characters.  This basically proves my point about Disney movies and Love movies in general: all the same formula, none realistic.  This is coming from a total sucker for formulaic love movies.

But we all know there are flaws in Disney movies.  The racism, sexism and stereotype is blatant but the catchy tunes always reel me in!  I will always sing Disney songs and watch Hercules and Aladdin over and over again, but I'm gonna be mad about it!!!

Ellie Lou Eeze

My cat has some sort of eczema or other allergic reaction.  $76 later, she has had a shot that is supposedly going to cure her.  In the mean time, she has been acting crazy.  I keep finding her in weird places....like my sink.  And she refuses to bathe herself anywhere except my bed -- while I'm in it.  Eloise is adorable and she makes me laugh so I shouldn't say mean things about her.  She had a rash around her neck and it was bothering her.  That is my explanation for her recent behavior.

In other news, we had a very pleasant vet office experience.  We went to the Animal Clinic of Decatur, which is approximately 5 blocks from my apartment (Ellie didn't want to walk there, though).  Ellie shed all over me as we listened to a parrot in the other room saying "Hallo? Hallo?."  Ellie weighs 7.5 pounds (he said she looked bigger than that, but its just because she's fluffy!).  Hopefully she stops costing me so much money!!!

A Witch Worth Reading About

I thought when I graduated, I would have unlimited time to read books and do crafts.  This was true for a month or two.  But life moves quickly and once I started making friends and getting involved in the community, it has been difficult to find time to immerse myself in someone else's fictional life.


Last week I started readin The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho.  Unfortunately, I kept having to put it down, but not by choice.  This was one of the most engrossing stories I've read since graduation (another is The Red Tent by Anita Diamant).  This book touched on many themes that I am struggling with in my own life.

The story of Sherine Khalil, who calls herself Athena, is told through the eyes of those who knew her best and were a significant part of her journey.  On her search for meaning, Athena learns to connect with "The Great Mother" (Mother Earth) through ritual dance.  Athena struggles against traditions in her attempt to bring knowledge to the world.


One of the themes I connected with immediately was this struggle against tradition.  In my work and my life, I have questioned "the way its done."  The message Athena brings is embraced by many she touches, but she also sees a brutal backlash which threatens her work, her life and the safety of her family.  The institutions and powers that be (i.e. the Church), feeling threatened, use the media to bring her down.  They distort her message and tell blatant lies about her intentions and rituals.

So many wise, intelligent, forward-thinking would-be leaders are brought down before they are able to achieve their "mission," as Athena refers to it.  The world is stuck in the traditions of capitalism and an idealized 1950s mentality which threatens to destroy the very planet which sustains us.  In June 2010, I attended the US Social Forum where I was part of a movement to advance progressive ideas here in the United States and abroad.  Thousands of people flooded the streets of Detroit, Michigan in a peaceful march and attended workshops for one week.  There was no national media coverage of the event.  Missing white children, Tea Party bloggers and the latest political sex scandal filled the airwaves instead.  The winds of change may be blowing, but we are locked up inside our air-conditioned suburban homes and cannot feel the refreshing breeze.  Athena is called "a woman of the twenty-second century living in the twenty-first."  I can relate to this feeling, but I believe that I am a woman of the twenty-first century.  I believe we live when we are meant to live.  There is a purpose for me to be here at this time.  I hope that purpose is to bring people out from their ivory towers and their glass houses and in to their communities.  That is my "mission" and I know I will not survive to see it fulfilled.  But I, with like-minded friends and strangers, will continue.

US Social Forum Opening March 2010, Detroit, MI.

Another theme in The Witch of Portobello is Love.  Coelho's depiction of love is quite different than our usual vision of love.  In Athena's final interaction with another central character, she explains that "Love is not a habit, a commitment, or a debt.  It isn't what romantic songs tell us it is-- love simply is." I tried to analyze this quote to show that I understand, but this is not an academic paper.  I understand this quote because I have suffered through a habit believing it to be love, I've tried to force a commitment from someone I love and I have loved purely because I was loved.  I understand because I've lived our incorrect perceptions of what love is supposed to be.

But I will admit, I love love.  I drop "I love you" like its "pass the salt."   Love is one of the driving forces of my life.  I don't need to look for love because I am surrounded by it.  Love flows like a river from my lips and my hands and my heart -- sometimes the water is high and the current is strong, sometimes a dry spell slows the waters, but the water always flows.  One thing I'VE LEARNED is that there is always more love.  Love is not a sum-zero game.  You do not replace those who you used to love with those who you love now.  The river may change directions, a new tributary flows in, a new stream may branch off from the main river, but my river, hopefully, will continue to flow.

 ALLLL RIGHT!  Enough with the sap and the metaphors.  Time to start a new book.  I will pass this one on to as many people as I can find to read it because its lessons should be shared with all those willing to listen.

GirlTalkin' and Dubsteppin'

I used to be nearly morally opposed to club music.  In college, I tried my best to avoid dance-y clubs full of drunken students grinding on each other.  But, I'VE LEARNED to LOVE party music.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.  What a bunch of hippies! <3

This past 4th of July weekend, my favorite Pat Schacherer took me to 80/35 Music Festival.  Some of my favorite bands of the day were Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and The Generationals.

This was only zoomed in LITTLE!

 The big headliner was Girl Talk.  SO FUN.  SOOOO FUN.  We started off pretty far back in the crowd because PAT made us late.  I had tons of fun just diving through the crowd every time a little path would open up.  Pat followed me as I wove through the drunken, dancing mob to get us closer and closer to the action.  By the end we were close enough for me to get some pretty sweet pics.  I could only afford the time to look through a few so far.... There are many.

Confetti!

Hot Sun + Girl Talk + Dubstep = Happy + Exhausted

AFTER the Girl Talk show, we stuck around for the DJ at one of the free stages.  My neck was sore for two days after the hour long Dubstep show.  I had no idea I was so in to dubstep.  This may start a new phase of my life if I can find someone to take me to some shows...... Just sayin.

Pat-a-tat slurpin' down some Fresh Squeezed Lemonade at 80/35.

The rest of the weekend was filled with more shenanigans and many scabble games.  I spent more money than I make in a week and more than half of my monthly allowance after rent.  Having fun isn't always great for my wallet.  I understand why I have to live like this, but as a young 20-something, I want to be able to blow my money on bar tabs and dinners out.  On ice creams and coffees and slices of pie.  I want to buy cute new clothes and homemade crafts at the farmer's market.  I did do a bit of this, but I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse for the extra lattes.  However, I'm not sorry for the $40 for the festival or the equal number of dollars spent bar hopping in downtown Des Moines.  I followed the advice of the VISTA trainers in Los Angeles this past April: Pay for experiences, not things.  Even those lattes were part of the experience.

But now it is back to my real life.  Back to analyzing data for the Macon County Juvenile Justice Council.  Back to reading books with 12-year-olds and teaching the girls how to crochet rugs.  Back to being poor and riding my bike to work to save 70 cents on parking and the more on gas.  Back to sleeping in my twin bed with my only my kitty to talk to me.  Back to Decatur for some more "Only in Decatur" moments.