Happy New Year!

It's the last day of 2013! And I'm already in my pyjamas... But hey, let's still celebrate by summing some things up. I did this last year too, but things change.

2013 IS ALMOST OVER, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
Stayed single almost the whole year? The whole year, in fact.
Were involved in something you'll never forget? I went to Disneyland, it was pretty unforgettable.
Tripped over a coffee table? Oh probably
Came close to losing your life? Not that I can remember. I'm sure that would have been the unforgettable part...
Saw one of your favorite bands/artists live? I saw my favourite author...
Did something you regret? Nothing big, maybe a few tiny things that I've already forgotten.
2013: Friends and Enemies
Did you meet any new friends this year? I met a few new people at college and work.
Did you hate anyone? I would rather keep them nameless... 
Did you lose any friends? I think I've drifted away from some friends...
2013: Your BIRTHDAY!
Did you have a cake? Of course. And it was ice cream.
Did you get any presents? Quite a few, which I posted in my last post.
Did you get what you wished for last year? A few things, yes, and a few surprises.
2013: All about YOU
Did you change at all this year? I'm sure I did. I feel like I've become more responsible.
Did you change your style? Not really. Other than wearing my work uniform for the majority of the week...
Were you in school? Not as much as I had expected. I wasn't too organized in that way...
Did you get good grades? I got a B+ in my last class, and some pretty decent grades in my spring classes from earlier this year.
Did you drive? Yes, and I'm getting better. I started on a hill yesterday... After having my L for nearly two years...
Did you own a car? I don't think I'll own a car for a long time.
Did anyone close to you give birth? My co-worker did, and her baby is adorable!
Did you go on any vacations? Disneyland!
Would you change anything about yourself now? I would like myself to be a little more organized...
Did you dye your hair? Surprisingly, no. I normally dye it at least once a year.
2013: Wrap UP:
Was 2013 a good year? I think it was actually better than average
Do you think 2014 will top 2013? It's possible.
Best thing that happened in 2013? I got a job at Starbucks, and before I've been there for even a year, I'm being offered the assistant manager spot.
IN THE YEAR 2013 I CONFESS THAT I…
Kissed in the snow? Nope
in the parking lot? at the beach ? in secret ? Nope nope nope.
Had your heart broken? Nope
Painted a picture? Nope
Wrote a poem? Quite a few, actually, and not all for class. I'm rather proud of myself.
Ran a mile? Hell no.
Visited a foreign country? Does America count?
Cut in a line of waiting people? I really hope not...
Told someone you were busy when you weren't? Possibly...
Cooked a disastrous meal? I wouldn't be surprised.
Lied about how old you were? The closest would be people assuming I'm older than I am.
Cried yourself to sleep? Hmm, I don't think so.
IN 2013 I….
Broke a promise? I certainly hope not
Lied? Maybe a few white lies...
Disappointed someone close? Again, I hope not.
Hid a secret? My Co-worker's girlfriend bought him concert tickets for Christmas and asked me to give him the day off work, but keep it secret. That's the only one I can think of.
Pretended to be happy? Maybe a few times when I've been very stressed at work.
Slept under the stars? That sounds cold...
Met someone who changed your life? Not that I can think of.
Changed your outlook on life? Hmm, maybe a bit, can't say what it's been changed to.
Sat home all day doing nothing? ...Okay, yeah.
Lost something expensive? One of my rings is on the verge of breaking, but it's not lost...
Learned something new about yourself? I'm capable of taking on challenges and responsibilities
Tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it? There are a few alcoholic drink that are pretty good.
Made a change in your life? I got a new job that pays well and gives me a lot of hours, and I got accepted into two universities.
Found out who your true friends were? I've always known.
Met great people? At college and work.
Stayed up til sunrise? I've been awake before sunrise...
Cried over the silliest thing? Not really, at least nothing I can think of.
Had friends who were drifting away from you? It's sad to say, but yes.
Spent most of your money on food? That pretty much sums up my whole year...
Gotten sick? Not as much as usual.
Liked more than 5 people at the same time? Like as a crush or like as a friend? Nay to the former and Yay to the latter.
Became closer with a lot of people? I like to think so.

Presents!

I completely forgot what day it was yesterday... Okay, that's not true. I knew it was Thursday, but it didn't click that I had to write a blog post. I'm still on vacation mode.

Speaking of which, I just got back from my holiday vacation! I had a whole five days off of work! It was glorious. When I went back, I was in a great mood. Now my legs are really store and I'm getting a little grumpy. But anyway, presents! They're kind of scattered around my room and I'm being lazy, so I don't want to gather them up to take pictures. You'll have to take my word that they're all pretty. This list is no order except whatever I can think of first.

1) Assassin's Creed: Black Flag for Wii U
2) Olive green scarf
3) two pairs of touch screen friendly gloves (Those seem to be popular this year)
4) Several pairs of socks (I love socks)
5) $50 gift card to Chapters (Already mostly spent...)
6) A spiced apple scented candle.
7) A Legend of Zelda calender (I'll probably take a picture of this later, since it's so cool)
8) A set of nail polish (I'm actually cutting back on my collection, but these colours are beautiful, so I'll keep them)
9) A black lace bracelet
10) A Dance of Dragons (fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series)
11) Numerous smaller things as stocking stuffers

And I know that there are a few things that I'm forgetting about, but I'll try to post them if I remember. I might even take pictures and post them at some point. But you know, I say things like that all the time. Just be happy that most of the time I remember to even post something...

Merry Christmas!

First thing you should know is that my dad's side of the family is Swedish, so we celebrate Christmas on the 24th, rather than the 25th. I actually didn't realize for a very long time that Christmas was considered by most people to be on the 25th. So movies really confused me. I didn't understand why everyone waited until the morning to open presents. I thought it was only for stockings. Then I grew up and got a brain. And despite being twenty now, I still like to gloat to my friends that I get my presents a day early. They claim that they like the excitement, but I know they're all jealous. (joking, of course... maybe)

And since tomorrow is the 24th, I will be fairly busy with Christmas stuff. It's nearly midnight now anyway, so I feel justified in posting now. So, for any other European/Scandinavian/ 24th celebrators, Merry Christmas! For everyone who celebrates it on the 25th, Merry Early Christmas! For anyone that celebrates something else, Happy Holidays! I hope you get to spend the rest of this season with family and friends.

Updates on tomorrow night will arrive either Wednesday night or Thursday morning. I'll be working a lot once I get back from Christmas with my family, and hopefully will get the assistant manager training soon, so I might be a bit more busy. Not to mention I'll be going to school for a class in January, with at least a two hour commute, though I really need to test it out before classes start.

Doctor Who review Part Two

I posted a review on Doctor Who after watching the first season. Now that I've (almost) finished watching the series (starting with the ninth Doctor), I feel like my thoughts have changed on it.

First I have to say that I absolutely hate the idea of time travel. It messes with my head and there are so many things wrong with it. No fancy words or plausible scientific theories can fix this. Despite this, I love Doctor Who. I have to kind of ignore all the paradoxes that they just skip over and poorly explain. I just tell myself that it's only a show, and that I have to suspend my sense of disbelief. Which really shouldn't be too hard for me, but I like things to make sense and to have reason.

Something else that annoys me is the complete change between the Tenth and the Eleventh Doctors. I liked the transition between the Ninth and the Tenth because it kept the history and the characters from the Ninth, and even brought back old companions even when new ones were present. With the Eleventh Doctor, he seemed completely new, with not just a new body and personality, but with a whole new life. It's as if he doesn't remember anyone from his past lives. I don't understand why he had to say good bye to them all. I loved having the old companions and friends coming back every once in a while.

However, I still loved the Eleventh Doctor and his companions. It was refreshing to see someone who wasn't smitten with the Doctor, nor an annoying stubborn female who thinks that she can boss everyone around. I have to admit, I have not finished with the seventh season, because Netflix doesn't have it and I'm fed up with risking the life of my computer on some risky online site with a million popups and potential viruses. So I'm not sure if I like Claira as a companion, but from what I've seen she seems really good.

And on that topic, I've changed my mind about Rose. I think she's been the only companion that stuck with the Doctor because of the Doctor, not for the adventure and time travel. She still has the annoying overly clingy moments, but it's better than Donna Noble.

And it's getting late and I have to work tomorrow, so I'll leave it here. I will definitely keep watching Doctor Who, though like everything, it has its flaws.

One More Week!

It's one more week until Christmas! I'm twenty now, and I still find myself getting giddy thinking of it. Especially since I get a few days off work to go see family. And speaking of work, time for some updates!

By the end of this year, on the 31st to be exact, I will be tested and hopefully receive my proper certification to be able to train new people on drinks. Once I'm done with that, I'll be trained to be assistant manager! No more maybes, all we need to do is find a Starbucks that isn't too busy and will be willing to train me. My current manager had to go pretty far and cross a toll bring five days in one week to get her training. I'm not sure how extensive my training will be, or if I'll have to go to the same place as her. Since I don't have a car and will have to be bussing, I hope they'll take pity on me and find somewhere closer to home that won't require me to pay a toll.

So that's that. Look forward to a review on Thursday... If I remember. I was actually going to do it today, but then I only remembered after typing all of this up...

I Am Now a Happy Camper (Mostly)

So Monday I was having a tough day but today I'm feeling much better. My laptop is still acting a little funny, but the pop up that kept telling me to back up my computer is gone, so I think I managed to get rid of it. And honestly, I can't even remember what else I was annoyed about.  That's the good thing about having a short attention span...

First off, I got off fairly early from work, though later than expected. Although I had to work an extra half hour, then stayed another half hour, I feel accomplished, because I was taught how to make a work schedule on the computer. It's small, but it's another step closer to being able to be assistant manager. Of course, the computer decided to undo my last save, so I had to re-print the schedule out once I noticed the change...

It started raining today though, so almost all the snow is now slush, and the bus ride home was pretty miserable. I did get some amusement out of the middle school kids. I looked over at one point to see that one of them had written #YOLO on one of the windows... I am truly concerned for this generation. Let's just hope they grow out of things like that.

When I got home I found an e-mail that could have destroyed or heightened my mood. It was the results of the essay I handed in for my class, which I know was far from my best work. When I opened it, I received 82% (B+, I think), and a comment that said it was well written and interesting. I burst out laughing and just had to shake my head. I now have more confidence for my final grade, not that I was too worried to begin with.

I Am Not a Happy Camper

Rant time! Because this has been one of the worst days this year. I am seriously on the verge of swearing my head off because of my computer. Everyone should know by now that I do not have good luck with electronics. It's a love hate relationship. I love my computer, but it does everything in it's power to spite me. Let's do a brief recap of my day.

1) Last night I was using a site that my friend suggested to me to watch online episodes of Doctor Who, since Netflix doesn't have the whole seventh season. This is when I started having trouble. It was basically a list of sites to try, but a lot of them redirected me to one, which was asking for my credit card for a 'free' account. I kept searching and found two that seemed to work. This morning, however, I turned my laptop on to get a pop up asking me to do a backup. I've never had this before and knew it was a virus, so I just closed it. Later, while opening up a new tab on Google Chrome, I found out that instead of Google, it was Bing. I did everything to get rid of it. Seriously, I have been working on it for hours. I've been to half a dozen sites and forums with people who have the same problem, but either their solutions don't work, or their solutions are to abandon Chrome and use Safari or Mozilla. The problem is, Mozilla is also messed up.

2) After abandoning my laptop for a while to go eat dinner and do some Christmas shopping, I came home and prepared to wrap my uncle's present. Only to find that the woman didn't give me a gift receipt. After a specifically asked for one. The idiocy of some people baffles me.

3) So after fighting with my computer for another couple hours, I took another break to get myself an orange. I opened the box, only to find four rotten oranges that I'm almost certain had not been rotten when I bought them. It was disgusting.

4) And to top it all off, earlier in the day my mom was having troubles with my dad's ipad and getting it to sync with the computer. The ipad has never been synced before, and we have a brand new computer with Windows 8, so obviously it was going to be trouble. I downloaded itunes, expecting that to work, as it should. And of course it didn't. It didn't recognize that there was an Ipad plugged in, and neither did the computer recognize it for at least five minutes.


I don't understand modern technology. I thought everything was supposed to be getting easier, more user friendly. But I'm beginning to see that the old DOS computers, the ones with the black screen that you have to type your request into, were much easier. Everything now is riddled with viruses and convoluted solutions. Not to mention I'll probably have to pay over a hundred dollars to get everything cleaned up, plus another outrageous amount of money for a firewall that'll only last a year before it starts giving me popups to remind me to renew it.

If anyone knows of any way to fix any of my computer problems, please speak up. My head is actually beginning to hurt because of how frustrated and angry I am.

I'mma Astronaut

"You are an astronaut. Describe your perfect day."

Dear Diary,

Best. Day. Ever! I'm writing this entry from space. From SPACE! I know, right? The ride up was amazing. Kind of bumpy, like a roller coaster, but it was fun. Everyone else gave me crazy looks when I raised my hands and started laughing. Jeeze, they really need to loosen up. Now that we're up here, I'm having so much fun. I got someone to film me 'swimming' in air. It was hilarious. I posted it on Facebook and got a ton of likes. Oh, and the view! Who knew that the Earth has phases, just like the moon. And the sky is so dark, all the time. It's like permanent night. But it's day. I think. Oh it's too confusing. I'm going to go eat food out of the air then do some gymnastics. I can't wait for tomorrow! I'll never get tired of this! Never ever ever!

((Note: Yes, it is supposed to sound stupid and fun. I'm not actually that ditzy.))

Don't Worry

Time for another poem! This isn't from the book, just something I came up with last night. It's still in the first draft stage, so there are a couple stanzas not finished, and I feel like there is a lot more I want to add.

Don’t worry about me.

Don’t try to see my future,

or tell me what will happen.

Don’t tell me I chose wrong.

And most certainly don’t give me that look.

The one you always try to hide,

but shows all your doubt.

Because I have it all under control.

I don’t know what will happen.

All I can do is hope

that my plans work in my favour.

And if I get lost

I will shift my direction

and keep going.

I can open a bookstore café

in a sleepy old town.

I will greet each customer by name

and spend more time talking

than it takes to drink a coffee.

I can start a magazine

for the average person.

No hidden meanings or convoluted messages.

No high standards or special degrees.

No philosophy or phycology.

Just stories on happy for enjoyment.

I can be a teacher

to pass on my knowledge of words.

You may see it as a failure, a last resort

but five succeeding students are better

than one successful me.

I can be an editor

to just read what I love

and help others to love what I read.

I can be a critic,

if I just steel my heart

and stop loving these words too much.

I can be so much more than you expect,

because I can read, and I can write.

So please, don’t worry that I chose wrong.

My path of life is not a path at all,

but a wide open prairie,

and the only obstacle

is the reach of my vision.