Summer's Trade

I'm staying up past midnight doing homework and studying, despite the fact that I have a violin lesson and work tomorrow.

Why?

Because I have an AP class and an Algebra II test tomorrow, and don't fancy the idea of failing.

Why?

Because I want to get into college and get my Ph.D.

Why?

So that I can be a university professor.

Why?

So I can get some soon-to-be-meaningless pieces of green paper that I can trade for material goods.

Why?

Less than three,

~ Summer

The Ironies of Life: A post, by Sayuri

Sorry for the writing delay! After our rather interesting cross country move, I moved back into the dorms at my school and have been getting accustomed to the ideas of scheduling, homework, dietary changes, AND fun time management. Today, as I have homework still to do, I will keep this post brief and reflective. This is the irony of my life as of today......

        Educational Psych teacher: ".....................and I want you to make a blog about ________ (w/e the topic is going to be"
        My immediate thought: "But I don't WANT to write a blog! Why should I do this?!?!?!?!?"...next thought..."wait a sec....I already DO write a blog....but NOT for school....rawr." Yeah....ironically I don't mind writing in the Daily Dust (remind us to share how the blog got its name some time) but the idea of blogging for an education psychology class is unappealing, to say the least.

That's all for now folks!
          ~Sayuri~

PS I am taking a Japanese course this semester! Just thought I'd share that tidbit of information.

Summer's Facade

I know you.

You whip out your i-pod and listen to LMFAO or Lady Gaga. Maybe you actually like quality music.

However, I doubt you like musical theatre.

Don't try to deny it...

I know you.

That's why I'm taking this opportunity to link you to some of my favorite songs.

It's not at all because I'm lazy and have a huge paper due tomorrow.

Nope. This is definitely for your educational value.

1. Spring Awakening: All That's Known

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJnwd-FsE4c&feature=related

I'll be honest with you. I don't care for this musical. Actually, it annoys me. Come on... a musical about sex? It seems like they were trying too hard to be edgy and modern. In any case, I do like this song. It's not life changing or anything, but I do like it.

2. Billy Elliot: Electricity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1Q08xO7Zsg

Oh my goodness. I love this musical. I love this song. I love Liam Mower. This morning my mom told me that if I save up enough money we might be able to see it in the spring... oh my goodness. My life would be made.

3. Next to Normal: Light

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp_IFg-mjyM

This is one of my absolute FAVORITE musicals of all time, which is saying something. Given, I've never actually seen it performed... to be perfectly honest, all I know about it is what I've heard on youtube. Nevertheless, I'm in love with it. It was so hard to choose a song to put here, because I love all of them... I chose this one because it's so powerful. Of course it's powerful... apparently, it's the final song. Final songs are ALWAYS epic!

4. Les Miserables: One Day More

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IddP8AAIGTQ

This IS my absolute favorite musical of all time. I don't even know where to begin, so I just won't. All I can say is that if you don't love it, you don't have a soul. FACT.

5. Chess: Someone Else's Story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUUAK-fLFYU

Oh, what I would give to be able to sing this song... let alone like Lea Salgona. Seriously, this is one of the few songs I would actually love to sing. but alas...

6. Jekyll and Hyde: Facade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09VXUGeMRmE

I've always loved this song. It's so epic... definitely one of my favorites from this musical. I also love their epic top hats.

7. Rent: Seasons of Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwJayC5sDIM&feature=fvst

I'm sorry... I know everyone loves this song. but come on... it's brilliant! Probably the best in the show anyway.

8. Dreamgirls: And I Am Telling You, I'm Not Going

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3lTXB4t2so

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a recording of the original cast. Oh well. It's such a powerful song! I've been singing it since I was tiny... sadly, not exactly the same as Jennifer Hudson.

9. Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1yih-p6uiw

Yes, another too-well-known song. Sometimes songs are well-known for a reason. Also, Elaine Paige is one of my favorite singers of all time. She's amazing in any role I've seen her play. Genius! Also, she is NOT dressed to the nines. That dress was a very, very bad idea.

10. Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WCwGM_Yusk

I bet you didn't know Glen Close could sing!

These songs were in no particular order, and they may not even be my favorite musical theatre songs of all time. However, they were the first ten that came to mind.

I hope you appreciate musical theatre a bit more now.

I equally hope that you now think of Chess as something more than "One Night In Bangkok". Seriously. That song isn't even all that good.

Less than three,

~ Summer

p.s. This song is the story of my life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7LHT0t2Uro Seriously. Sometimes it scares me how much I can relate to this character...

Potentially vs. Realistically

Roommate: “So, this kid’s school assignment is to find the difference between realistically and potentially. He asks his dad and he’s like ‘Dad, what’s the difference between realistically and potentially?’ and the dad replies ‘ask your mom and your sister if they would have sex with the mail man for a million dollars.’ Well, the son comes back and tells him ‘they both said yes.’ Then his dad says, ‘well, potentially we are sitting on two million dollars. But realistically we are just living with two whores.”

I’ve been taught education increases political efficacy. After one week of college, I have less faith in the government than before.

My first thought: perhaps the statistic doesn’t apply to Political Science majors. The most likely answer, however, is that it doesn’t apply to me. I’m paranoid, skeptical, and I am unsure as to why I declared a major to begin with (besides my favorite excuse—‘declaring a major will be fun!’) I feel my peers are more of the ‘I’m going to change the world!’ types.

In the vulgar roommate-speak I use when communicating at home, “Salamski, poli sci is mind f***cking me. And it’s not even a good f*** at that.”

My Comparative Politics textbook begins with stating that we are taught an idealized version of history. I understand that the history I have been taught is biased, but now I wonder to what degree the facts have been skewed.

My biggest question: are we exceptional? What does our liberal democracy have that the 37 others don’t?

I’m a bit disappointed in myself for actively wishing we were better.

I wish I hadn’t mindlessly believed everything I was ever taught. Then again, now that I think about it, how do I know I’m not being brainwashed by this institution as well.

Potentially, I would’ve made a better philosopher; Realistically, I’m just a bitter poli sci major.

A butterfly,

Reg

Summer's Sass

I love my job. I love my customers. But sometimes, things can get a little awkward...

Me: How's your day going so far?
Customer: Hahahahahahahaha!
Me: O...kay...

Seriously. How is a person supposed to respond to that?! Honestly, people...

In any case, school started for me a few days ago. That's right, my senior year has begun! Thinking back to my first years of awkward confusion, I couldn't be happier to finally be in the class that is thought to be "cool". Seriously. It is SO nice to be able to look down on my French 1 classmates without knowing they were my peers. However, I know that there are some perfectly nice underclassmen who are genuinely confused about how to ,get through this hell school. For these students, I have come up with three fool-proof ways to survive.

1. Be Tactless

If something comes to mind, say it. Scratch that; YELL it. Yelling random phrases will get people to notice you and, by default, like you. That's right. In high school, we praise the kids who say the stupidest things at the worst times. It's awesome.

2. Be Rude

Sass the teacher. Sass your classmates. Sarcasm is your best friend. Haven't you heard? Being rude is funny.

and finally, my personal favorite...

3. Be Quiet

If someone asks a question, just assume they're not talking to you. Ignore them until they say your name. If they have to work to talk to you, then they'll probably stop trying. While this won't get you any friends, it will also save you from talking to any overtly tactless or rude people. Trust me. This option will save your life.

There you are, folks.

Now all you entering freshmen can walk around campus with confidence, knowing that you can handle the next four years of hell school (also known as "high school").

Trust me...

It'll be bombastic.

Less than three,

~ Summer

WATCH: ~SAYURI~

click here!

A Quick Note from Reg on Collard Greens

“What about collard greens?”

“What?”

“Collard greens.”

“I don’t know what that is, so I’m guessing not.”

“You’re tellin’ me you ain’t ever heard of collard greens?”

“What is a collard green?”

“It grows out of the ground, you know, like a weed.”

“Can I smoke it?”

This was my conversation over dinner last night—real Southern food. Interestingly enough, I had never heard of most of the foods my friend mentioned. I have been informed I will never be a Southerner until I have real southern food.

I also need to learn when it’s appropriate to say “y’all.”

When will I ever learn how to be Southern?

Your butterfly,

reg

p.s.

"Collard greens are various loose-leafed cultivars of Brassica oleracea (Acephala Group), the same species that produces cabbage and broccoli. The plant is grown for its large, dark-colored, edible leaves and as a garden ornamental, mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the Southern United States, many parts of Africa, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, southern Croatia, Spain and in Kashmir. They are classified in the same cultivar group as kale and spring greens, to which they are closely similar genetically. The name collard is a shortened form of the word colewort ("cabbage plant")."--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collard_greens

A new post after a LOONNNGGGG break..........an explanation by Sayuri

Add together two flat tires, two hospital visits, one complete breakdown, and throwing out half of the stuff we own & what do you have?

Summer's Essay

Yo!

So, my take-over-the-blog plan failed...

it wasn't even epic.

Also!

I am much too exhausted, busy, and just plain overwhelmed right now to post anything creative.

Therefore, you're getting the first three paragraphs of my AP Language Arts essay.

Yes, there are more paragraphs, sadly enough.

However, as it's mostly boring stuff that I've posted about already, I won't post the whole thing.

I guess I figured I would see if I could get any feedback from Reg or Sayuri, as they've taken the class before.

Thanks, girls!

Prompt: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

Since before I can remember, I’ve been drawn to it. My parents tell me the connection was almost magnetic. I’ll never know why, but for some reason it’s a part of me. At just four years old, I would walk over to the beat up, un-tuned piano hidden in the hall. Without any encouragement, I would diligently attempt to pick out tunes on an instrument I knew nothing about. It didn’t matter. It seems that no matter the circumstances, music was meant to be a fixed part of my life. I was determined to make music in any way possible without knowing why. This is passion in its purest form.

Growing up, I was involved in a myriad of activities. Eager to learn anything and everything, I took a variety of classes ranging from ballet to sign language. Flitting from one activity to another, I was perfectly happy to learn just a smidgen of something so that I could move on to the next. The only thing I didn’t fly away from was piano. No matter what play or soccer team I was involved in at the time, I always went to my piano lessons each week. It never seemed to be in question; my parents would ask me if I wanted to continue swim or Spanish lessons, but never piano. It was almost assumed that I would continue music. Why not? With every lesson, I came home with a greater understanding of music. I began to not only master the basics of piano, but of music in general. As soon as I learned the names of each note, I began to recognize music in everything. The microwave’s beep tone was “B”. Hitting a pen’s cap against the counter created a “C”. The more I noticed music, the more I noticed that I no longer needed the help of piano keys to create music. Music was no longer transferred from my brain to my fingers; it began to travel throughout my entire being before reaching my fingers. Before long, I was completely consumed by it.

Looking back on those first years of music, I’m amazed at how much true power music has. I’ve grown up from a kid whose attention span allowed no more than a year of any one activity to a kid whose entire life revolves around music. My activities outside of school consist of the local youth symphony, personal violin lessons, and any paid music jobs I have time to take. In the summer, I go to music camp. In my free time, I compose my own pieces. When I’m sitting quietly in class, my fingers are practicing that particularly difficult run in my most recent violin piece. For as long as I can remember, there’s never been a time when I haven’t had a song stuck in my head. I have no idea what true silence sounds like, and I’m not interested in learning. I want nothing more than to live a life full of music in every form possible.

I'll be shocked if you actually read that entire thing.

Less than three,

~ Summer

Reg begs forgiveness

Hello there. Please forgive me for my absence. I've been doing lame college orientation things, such as:

Getting airbrush tattoos and free stuff.

Stepping off of a top bunk in a dorm (like it was the bottom bunk)

Pulling a door clearly marked "Push"

Checking out every eligible man in sight.

Eating pizza.

And getting horribly, horribly lost.


Your butterfly,
Reg

Also, I'm having a very difficult time making sense of my thoughts, but I'm nearly certain I'll have to ask for forgiveness at least once more this week. So preemptively:

I'm sorry.

The Daily Summer

It appears that Regette and Sayuri are too busy to post these days.

You know what that means?

PARTY TIME!

That's right.  Now that I've successfully "persuaded" them to leave the Daily Dust, I'm left to run it myself.

This comes with its own unique set of changes, starting with the title.

"The Daily Dust"? More like the Daily Summer! No, no, I think I'll call it...  "The past and future are irrelevant.  What's relevant now is Summer and Summer means PARTY TIME!" Long name, amazing results.

Along with this change, I believe I'll change the content of this blog...

None of this whimsical, existentialist crap.  No! I'm thinking of something much more substantial...

as most of my popular posts were lists, here's a list for you!

Reasons Why Summer Is Awesome

1. She's average height, eliminating any "you sure are short" or "man, you're tall!" comments.
2. She's blonde, allowing her to defy any dumb blonde stereotypes.
3. She knows how to make not only coffee, but a wide variety of espresso drinks.
4. She doesn't take bullshit from anyone.
5. She has a large nose, heightening her sense of smell.
6. She has a patented "why would I want anything to do with you?" expression that drives most idiots away.
7. She's an existentialist, giving her the ability to talk her way out of anything.  ("Give me your purse!" "This isn't my purse." "What? You stole it?" "No, I didn't.  Technically, this purse isn't anyone's.  Possession is a concept drilled into us from birth.  Basically, you can never truly own anything because..." "Okay, okay, fine! Keep your stupid purse! Whatever it takes to make you shut up.")
8. She knows how to shoot various firearms, her favorite being the six-shooter.
9. She jaywalks.  Oh snap.  Such a lawbreaker.
10. She's basically the most awesome person ever.  Seriously, name one un-awesome thing about her! It's impossible.

Daily Dust? You just got owned.

Welcome to the PFAI.WRNSSMPT!

Greater than colon capital "d",

Summer

Summer's Bubbles

At my birthday party last night, Honey, CR and I were hanging out in the hotel's hot tub pondering what could possibly make it better.

Honey: I always think that at times like these some hot guys should come in and be like "hey, mind if we join you?" but it never happens.

Me: Yeah! Hot, tall british guys.

*old man walks in*

Old man: Hey, mind if I turn on the bubbles?

*awkward silence*

Things never go the way they should.

Less than three,

~ Summer

p.s. Thank you Honey and CR for making my birthday so amazing! I love you girls~

Things Reg's done today vs. Things Reg's Googled

Things I’ve googled today:

things to blog about

ninernet

walking directions from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to JM Keynes DR

sagacity

epic rap battles of history shakespeare vs. dr.suess

fiordland

how to make homemade marshmellows

thegloss

dev

Bones

Things I've done today:

eat

look presentable

sleep

walk to Target

walk to Harris Teeter

stare at the ceiling moodily

cook

Well, I think Google just pwned me.

Your Butterfly,

Reg

Summer's Walk

I've walked past spiders.

I've walked through haunted houses.

I've walked alone on off-the-map country roads at night.

I've walked through the underwater shark tunnel thing at sea world.

I've walked through the school library during chess club meeting.

None of the above, however, are quite as creepy as walking through the motion-activated talking baby doll aisle.

Seriously.

Whoever invented those must've been seriously disturbed.

Apparently, the inventor wants us to be disturbed as well.

It's working.

Less than three,

~ Summer

Who knew? Reg sure didn't.

“In 1814 we took a little trip
along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
to fight the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.” –The Battle of New Orleans, as sung by my roommate

Every time my roommate begins to sing, I cringe—usually because he chooses children’s songs that I happen to know all the words to. Today’s selection: “Do your ears hang low” and “Battle of New Orleans.”(I actually didn’t know the title of the second piece, due to having always called it “In 1814.”)

I know “Battle of New Orleans” because my gram sang it to me as a child. What I didn’t know was its origin, until I googled it (just prior to writing this post—I am that bored.)  I had realized after 4 or so years of U.S. History, that the song was about Andrew Jackson and the end of the War of 1812 (trivia: they fought  the Battle of New Orleans after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, so it was completely unnecessary)

The song was written in the 1940s and is based upon a well known fiddle tune. The tune became very popular in the U.S. during the 1960s and achieved marginal success globally (the lyrics were changed from “British” to “Rebels” in these versions.)

Mostly, I have fond memories of the song due to this verse:

“We fired our cannon till the barrel melted down.
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind
and when we touched the powder off, the gator blew his mind.”

Now that I think about it, I’m unsure if I will teach my children a song about killing British soldiers with alligators. Though admittedly, it’s the only reason I remember anything about the War of 1812.

Now you know something completely useless too.

Your butterfly,

Reg

Summer's Card

A common thought process among customers: "Hmm... the lights are off, the 'open' sign is off, the door is locked, the 'hours' sign clearly implies that I arrived after closing, and the employee is putting everything away. I'd better tap on the door and look annoyedly at the girl to see if they're still open."

Yeah.

I bet they were really popular in high school.

Speaking of high school, my final year of said torture begins in about a week.

Can I get a "hooray"?

No?

That's okay, I'll say it myself.

Hooray!

Now, you may be wondering "Summer, you hate public school more than Roger Chillingworth hates Arthur Dimmesdale. Why on earth are you excited for it to start?"

Well, fool, I can answer that question with one word: revenge.

The rules of Reg's apartment, and a few things she's learned from Charlotte

My thoughts are not very cohesive today, so I give you two lists.

The first is the agreed-upon rules of the Salamski-Reg household. The second is what I’ve observed from a week in Charlotte (I wish it could be what I’ve learned through actual interactions with people, but no one talks to me besides the neighbor.)Enjoy.

RULES:

1.       Rinse yo’ dishes ho.

2.       If you eat/cook, you clean yo’ own mess.

3.       If you want to talk to the pretty neighbor, bake her something first

4.       If it doesn’t need to be on/plugged in, it’s not (that’s what she said.)

5.       The best place to pick up ho’s is in your mind, not in the hallway.

Golden Rule: If you bring a ho’, yo’ roommate must know.

What I’ve observed in Charlotte.

Cross walks are suggestions, as are stop signs.

We wear t-shirts and athletic shorts

The weather report lies. Whenever it says there won’t be a thunderstorm, there will be.

Walking around with a male roommate is not conducive for picking up men.

Southern accents aren’t mandatory

The three main food groups are sweet tea, biscuits, and chicken.

Sometimes strangers greet each other. This is not weird.

Summer's Reality

I live neither here nor there, but I am not homeless. My home lies within the comfort of my own mind and the comfort of my friends and family. Therefore, I am always home.

---

I started to write a post but it was taking too long, so I'll leave you with a bit of a conversation with my madre prompted by the fact that I'll be spending 5 straight hours with my father tomorrow.

Madre: Well, he'll love spending time with you.

Me: I hope so! I'm not a very interesting person.

Madre: You are when you want to be. You have interesting points of view.

Me: ... should I give him an existentialist lecture?

Madre: Sure, but he'll argue with you. He believes A is A. He believes in the realities of things.

Me: I can believe in reality. Existentialism isn't only about questioning reality. Well, I guess it is to some people... Existentialism can't be truly defined. Well, I guess nothing can be truly defined.

Madre: *laughs* Yes it can... There! That's exactly what he'll argue with you about!

---

You know, any time I say something like "nothing can be truly defined" she just laughs as if I'm saying "apples are pears when we're not looking."

Then again...

How would we know they aren't?

Less than three,

~ Summer

p.s. I know apples don't randomly change form when we're not looking. It's just fun to think about!

A question of interest--Reg's a domestic goddess

“Just as soon as we notice that someone has to force himself to pay attention when dealing and talking with us, we have a valid demonstration that he does not love us or that he does not love us anymore.”—Friedrich Nietzsche

It was hypothesized in an Anthropology book—one which I’m too lazy to quote right now—that women, during conversation, take on a submissive role when speaking to men because of traditional cultural values taught to us during childhood. I suppose this could be true; often I find myself being the one asking questions to continue a conversation, agreeing instead of arguing to make the conversation more pleasant, and murmuring “mmhmmm” to imply I’m listening intently when in actuality I don’t care. I agree that it could be a submissive role, but it could be that I’m just being polite.

Summer's Perfect Pant

I had a bit of a sad conversation with my driving instructor today...

Him: Have you always been in this school district?
Me: Technically I suppose, seeing as how I was home schooled until high school.
Him: Really? What's it like to be home schooled? I always imagined it as staying isolated and hardly ever leaving the house.
Me: Yeah, I get that a lot. No, I was involved in a lot of programs and spent a lot of time with my friends.
Him: Oh, that's good. Do you get negatively stereotyped when you tell kids you were home schooled?
Me: Well, I try not to tell anybody...
Him: Oh, I see. What would you say is the most positive thing about going to public school?
Me: ... umm... the most positive thing? Huh, I know there's a reason I go there...

This got me thinking.

My school hardly ever has more than one attractive guy at a time, and he's always taken.

My school is small, so by sitting quietly in the back not talking to anyone I'm not disappearing into the crowd... I'm making myself appear to be a loner freak.

My school has bad draining, so it floods in the winter.

My school has a Harry Potter club, surf club, and international club (besides the fact that we have no diversity whatsoever).

My school is full of white, privileged kids who's parent buy them a car on their birthday and pay for their college while kids like me serve them their lattes.

Honestly, the only reason I still go there is to be with my friends (which completely makes up for all the negative points above).

This brings me to the next number on the list.

17. Ask your audience a question. What do they think about Topic X?

My question is...

If your best friend became the leader of the most powerful gang and you didn't know until you read it in the papers, what would you do?

Less than three,

~ Summer

p.s. Personally, I'd be pissed that they didn't tell me themselves. I mean really, is it that hard to make a phone call? Even a text saying "im gang leeder nao lulz" would suffice...

What is Reg going to do with her life?

I thought when I was accepted to a University that people would stop asking me what I was going to do with my life. I was wrong.

Now I’m asked specifically what I’m going to do with my life. The conversations are eerily similar, and all go about like this:

Summer's Insult

Today a very gentleman-ly skater boy came into the shop. We made the typical small-talk while I made his drink. After a while, though, I started to wonder "is he trying to hit on me?" After he left, I checked my looks in the mirror. "Yep," I decided. "I would hit on me."

Anyways, back to the list!

16. Comment on the state of the industry. What's going well and what isn't going well?

Since this prompt doesn't specify which industry I'm supposed to comment on the state of, I'm going to choose the music industry.

The popular music industry, to be exact.

What's going well? Well, it seems that they're making an incredible amount of money.

What isn't going well? Well, it seems that there's no quality music involved.

Well, that crazy Californian's done gone and joined glee--Reg's rant on choir

After Vocal Jazz Ensemble, I was done with choir. I would never take another music class, or join another choral ensemble—or so I thought. Yet as I stared at the giant void in my schedule between anthropology and philosophy, my resolve began to waver.

Choir was my safety net for the past 7 years. When I didn’t know the school, or the people, I always knew what to do in choir. I knew what’s expected of me.  I have trouble in new situations unless I have a detailed, step-by-step procedure telling me what to do (preferably written down because I never trust what I hear) and choir kept me a litter saner; it made it easier to pretend I was normal.

Now that I’m approximately 3,000 miles away from everything I know and love, I need something to be normal. I need to know someone other than my roommate (also imported from the golden state) and the sweet, gorgeous neighbor (who my roommate is obsessed with baking for.) Being an alto automatically places me in a group—it gives me friends so I can somewhat fit in on campus— and gives me the opportunity to not be just the strange, well-dressed girl from California that lives across the street from school and glares at everyone.

I guess it’s back to dissing sopranos and hitting on pingüinos.

Your butterfly,

Regette

P.S. I miss the poppies—not quite the color of gold, but if gold were liquid and could raise a cream.

Summer's Funk

It seems that I have been out-posted by Reg.

I'm blaming the squirrels that live in her computer. I knew they had it out for me...

In any case, I should post. To be perfectly honest, I've been in a funk lately... I'm not sure why, but I've been acting like a typical teenager.

It's quite annoying.

Therefore, I've decided to save myself from becoming a useless slob that does nothing but eat junk and watch TV all day by creating a list.

A bucket list, if you will.

See, this is my senior year; the last year before I become responsible for myself.

Scary shit, huh?

It's not so much that I'm dreading graduation; it's more that I regret all I've done up til now.

By "all I've done up til now" I mean nothing.

Anyways, back to the list.

I decided that by creating a list of things I want to accomplish this year I'll prevent a depressing graduation. So... here it is. The first draft, anyway.

Life lessons from an application--Reg is unemployed

Lately I’ve been applying to as many jobs as possible because I am terrified that I will spend more than I have saved (I’ve been in North Carolina since Saturday evening.)

The applications to larger companies all have a section of questions much like an online personality survey that an 11-year-old girl posted on Quizilla. I suspect these questions to be a psychological evaluation, probably because I’m paranoid (and thus need to be evaluated psychologically.)

The questions range from the appropriate—“How would your previous supervisor rate your performance?”—to the ridiculous.  For example, “Do you like listening to strangers talk about themselves for extended lengths of time?”  And “Do you feel like others have caused the difficulties in your life?”

The first question I find ridiculous because most people don’t want to hear their customer’s life-story in the check-out line. I know there will be one person with a sunny disposition that answers that question, “yes! That’s like, so ME!” but I believe that many people will agree with my answer.  Yet I still lied when asked, “Do you think people are mostly honest?” and “When given the opportunity, will most people steal?”

 The second is too vague—are they saying I caused all the problems in my life? The application also asked if I felt satisfied with my life so far, if my parents were proud of me, and if I had any major regrets. I would much rather go to an interview and have to speak with an actual human than have my personality ascertained by an online quiz.

For me, this is a surprising revelation. I, Reg, would rather talk to a person face-to-face than conduct all of my business through a computer. I’m finding things go more smoothly when I can glare at whoever I need something from.

I’m kidding. I try to be nice and bake cookies when I need something.

I baked you cookies. Now I need answers

Your butterfly,

Reg

Neighbor stalking- Reg's new favorite game.

This morning I opened my refrigerator and made myself an egg sandwich with food I had bought.

That was when I was like WTF? because I realized I owned the fridge too.

Hold on a second...

Sorry, I heard the neighbor open the door and had to stare at her through the peep-hole.

Why?

Well, there are so many people around it's difficult to resist the urge to run to the door. Having never lived in an apartment complex before, I suppose I could compare it to living at a mediocre hotel.

Right now I'm watching my TV. I paid 9 dollars for it.

My TV.

I'm trying not to over think this but I'm a bit terrified and overwhelmed.

But no worries, Reg always has a game plan.

What is the plan now?

Find a man with a pick-up truck and convince the room mate to date a woman who does dishes.

Good Plan.

I should fill out more Job applications. I've only completed three so far today.

Your butterfly,
Reg

Summer's Americano

I had a bit of a flip-out moment at work yesterday... the guy that worked the shift before me had left me with no brewed coffee whatsoever. "Oh well," I thought to myself "nobody orders coffee in the afternoon anyway. I'll just make some now and nobody will know the difference! Unfortunately, while I was brewing some coffee...

Customer: I hear you have the best coffee in town!

Me: @#^&i%&*%$^%%&i^! Err... I mean... did they say anything about our americanos? 'cause those are incredible!

In any case, I'm back to the list.

15. Review a product. What are its benefits and its drawbacks? What sets it apart? Would you recommend it?

The product I would like to review today is the pencil.

That's right, the pencil.

It's hottest thing in technology! Everyone has one! The pencil is perfectly portable and fits into almost any container. You can even stick it behind your ear for a failed artist look! The pencil writes on basically everything and even has an eraser (think of it as a backspace or a delete button) to correct those inevitable mistakes! The best part is that it doesn't even require any batteries! That's right, folks; batteries are NOT included because they're totally unecessary! This little treasure recharges by being placed into a pencil sharpener (batteries required). Also, pencils come in all shapes, patterns, colors, and sizes! So put that iPad down and pick up a pencil today! You'll never feel better about a purchase!

Less than three,

~ Summer

A beginner's guide to CA

I wish someone had made me a list of important things to know about NC, so I made a list about California. This list is not comprehensive and will not represent every Californian.

I felt like putting a disclaimer because I can never trust what I write at midnight on an airplane during a thunderstorm.

Dear God,

Dear God,

Who am I?

They ask who I am.

I used to know.

How much of me do I give up, to allow life to grow?

I wallow in my sorrows, I fight back numerous tears

all to protect a fragile thing, that will be worth the rest of my years.

I don't feel like I'm giving anything up, for all I'm getting why should I?

yet I wonder who I'll be, at the end of this journey's ride.

I don't want to compromise morals; I don't want to abandon my dreams,

Mostly I want to live an eternity; him...and me.