hello again

So.  Basically.  Ever since the "25 things about me" hit facebook, I've been claiming I invented it back in 2005... it just never took.  I even went as far as to write 32 things.  You see?  I'm 7 things better than the plagiarist who put it on facebook.

Today, after digging up my list from 2005 (which is still probably 95% true), I read over the million posts on this blog site that I so faithfully posted to from March 14, 2005-September 19, 2006.  I had a great time.  I loved it.  That time period was apparently a crazy year and a half.  Since more time has past since I last posted than the entire duration of my blog, I'm thinking a lot has probably happened in the almost 2.5 years since my blog abandonment.

I can tell you why I tossed you aside, blog.

First, my computer died in May of 2006, and I spent the next year borrowing my dad's 'puter (his name, not mine) until he stole it back in May 2007.  I didn't buy a new computer of my own until May 2008, so basically, I claim that I became more and more computer and technologically retarded from May 2006-May 2008.   I honestly believe this though.  My new computer is really just a glorified web browsing tool.

Also, Mr. Blog, I abandoned you because I didn't have Daniel Fain yet (well I had him but not like I do now).  Once I got Daniel Fain, I told him all the silly things I posted to you.  I literally call Daniel Fain for everything.  "Hey, I just bought a chicken biscuit at work because I only had a $20 bill, and I wanted change for the vending machines." "Hey, I left my thermos at home." (yes I carry a thermos to work) "Hey, I just spilled soup on my pants." Poor Daniel Fain...

And I guess really, Blog, I left you because life settled down.  When we last discussed, I had just turned 21, I was single, and I was finishing up my college career at the #1 party school in the nation (according to the Princeton Review, circa 2002).  To catch you up, this is what has happened since September 19, 2006:

*I finished my master's degree in industrial engineering from Clemson University in May 2007.  It was easy peasy.

*I started my first big girl job on June 4, 2007 as an industrial engineer (go figure) at Michelin.  We are struggling at Michelin right now.  Please buy luxury tires!  Oh no, they're too expensive?  Eh, I don't own any either.

*I bought a townhouse near work in October 2007.

*Daniel Fain and I adopted a rat terrier named Tuesday in February 2008.

*Daniel Fain and I got engaged June 7, 2008.

And that is it, really.  I'm going to try to update this every once in a while.  It's kind of nice to have something to look back on, no?

let me paint you a picture

Three customers stand at the front of a line of several students at a campus Chick-fil-a at 12pm in the following order: guy, girlfriend, boyfriend. The employees at Chick-fil-a can only finish one type of product at a type (apparently): chicken sandwiches (with or without pickle), waffle fries, and chicken nuggets (sold in packs of 8 and 12). Since these three items are highest in demand, students often wait in line until their product of choice has been served. Students desiring a product that does not meet the criteria of the customers in front of them in line are welcome to proceed to the front of the line and obtain their food. So here is what happened on this particular day. Guy wanted a meal that consisted of a 12 pack of nuggets and waffle fries. The items available at this time were chicken sandwiches and 8 packs of nuggets. Frustrated at how long it was taking to produce 12 packs of nuggets, Guy decides he will forget about the last four nuggets and goes ahead and grabs an 8 pack of nuggets. Unfortunately, waffle fries are not available at this time, so he has to wait regardless of the fact that his nugget needs have been satisfied. As he is waiting, a 12 pack of nuggets enters the serving area which is exactly what Girlfriend has been waiting on ever since she suggested going to Chick-fil-a to Boyfriend. She grabs the 12 pack as quick as Boyfriend says, "Isn't that guy waiting on a 12 pack?" You see, Boyfriend has just guilted Girlfriend into turning her nuggets over to Antsy-Pants Guy by making it public information that he wanted 12 nuggets and not 8. If Girlfriend does not give Guy the 12 pack, she thenceforth would be know as the Chick-fil-a bitch so naturally, she gives the 12 pack to Guy. Guy returns his 8 pack to the serving area at which point Boyfriend snatches 8 pack and runs off. Girlfriend is then forced to wait 8 additional minutes for the next round of nuggets. Here are the flaws I see in this story:

1) The moment Guy grabbed the 8 pack of nuggets is the moment Guy FORFEITED his right to 12 nuggets.
2) Boyfriend is selfish. Boyfriend knew that Guy would take the 12 pack therefore relinquishing his ownership of the 8 pack which is what Boyfriend had been waiting for.
3) Boyfriend is inconsiderate. As soon as the 8 pack became fairgame, Boyfriend should have turned to Girlfriend and said, "Would you like the 8 pack?" If Girlfriend had said no, Boyfriend should have said, "If you want to go ahead and grab the 8 pack, I'll wait on the 12 pack and bring it to you and you can make the $1 up to me later."
4) Chick-fil-a had three employees working. Instead of having all three employees working on one item at a time, Chick-fil-a should have one employee working on one item each during peak hours. Come on guys, I got a degree in this.

daniel fain's pale skin

I think Daniel Fain's pale skin is bleaching my purple towels. I've had these towels for almost 9 months and have been using the same detergent and fabric softener for over three years. All the sudden I got bleach stains on these towels, and I really never get bleach stains on anything unless you know, I use bleach. There's no other explanation than Daniel Fain's pale, lifeless skin.

Man, I'm going to be in so much trouble when he reads this...

added pressure

I feel like there's a little bit of added pressure these days since now this is blog is linked through my facebook "notes". Whatever those are. I have to dig deep to find wit and insight so that everyone reading this will feel like they will have wasted just as much time as I have when I wrote it.

There's added pressure everywhere though. No more undergrad. I'm taking 2 more classes than what is recommended. Having a masters will probably lead to more pressure to perform better in the real world. Then there's the ever present: 1209 peer pressure.

Oddly enough, the aspect of my life where I feel the least pressure right now is where I almost used to feel the most pressure. Being single was full of--Does he, doesn't he/Would he be good for me/Does he seriously wear briefs/Where am I waking up and who are these people/Is it awkward/Does he have baggage/Is he going to cramp my style/What if I get too drunk tonight and make out with someone and completely, horribly, regret it/Who's going to make sure I don't end up busting my teeth in a drunk stupor. In relationships, I'm used to--Am I entertaining enough/Is he settling/Is he going to run away when he meets my crazy ass friends/Am I someone he respects/Is he secretly hooking up with one of my friends/What's going to break us up/Am I ignoring him by accident at a party/When is he going to realize that I'm retardedly lazy. At this point, as many people are finding out, I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that I am with someone who is the best for me than I've ever been with. I tried to avoid it for so long. My experiences in the last two years of my college career left a bad taste in my mouth. I swore never to let anyone else in who could potentially ruin me the way I had been ruined. I committed to not committing. I pushed people away who could've been good for me. One stuck around to deal with all my bullshit. The drunken phone calls that ranged from noon til 3am, the stupid decisions I constantly made that only hurt me more, the evident baggage, the constant declaration of my singledom despite how you treated me. It's the first time I've never had these random ridiculous questions running through my head at any given time. Things are good. I guess we'll see where it goes.

Again with the theme of always breaking even.

bowling

I bowl at 4mph.