Opps, I Think I Did It Again!

Forgive me I have not been blogging. Not because I do not love you all, but I have been a bit busy. I finally found a job! YAY!
But I honestly feel bad for not writing... sorry... more to come soon promise!

Give Me Just Once Inch I Swear That Is All I Need.

So I finally have employment! YAY!
I start orientation today at Victoria's Secret. I am so excited to finally not have to worry so much about money. I suck at being cheap or managing a budget. Do you have any idea how hard it is to go from paying for meals for your friends or a movie ticket if someone is short on cash, to not being able to do any of those things?

I hope this first day goes well. It is going to be weird being a productive member of society again. My biggest fear, the semi-annual sales and the day after Thanksgiving. Everyone goes to VS on black Friday for a tote bag. I don't think I have it in me to handle that, but lets hope I do. It is going to be upsetting to miss my shopping holiday for the first time in 8 years. :0(

And A Little Bit Of Chicken Fry, And Cold Beer On A Friday Night...

The last I checked Florida was a part of the south. We were part of the confederate states, and were one of the last states to integrate schools, so we were bunched together with the other southern states in that regard. If you go to northern Florida, all you hear is deep southern accents.

SO WHY IS SOUTH FLORIDA NOT CONSIDERED SOUTHERN!!!

Not everyone down here has a mom that knows the perfect country fried stake recipe. We do not have accents and most people hate country music. Heck, I have had to explain to people what fired pickles are!

I understand this is all due to the massive amounts of immigrants down here, but it still upsets me. We are southern, love it or hate it, geologically that is what we are. Southern culture is fun and full of interesting things that the rest of the country just does not get. And no I am not talking about inbreeding.

The south has some amazing music, and some fun traditions. Like coming out parties, swimming in swimming holes, farming, Southern culture is bound by patriotism and religion. I still have never eaten frog legs or other southern foods but I can honestly say this strange culture that people live out every day only a few miles north of us is one that I think would be fun to explore.

So as Paula Deen, pictures here, would say... get out an explore your southerness ya'll.

Some Day You Might Care And I Wont Be There...

Message Delayed

Some recipients won't get your message right away, but they will soon.

I sent a message to one of my friends on Facebook today and the above is what the message said on top of the page. It made me laugh because, well... come on without sounding emo this is a huge metaphor!

Not everyone is everyone is going to understand what you are trying to tell them right away, but one day they will.

I need to add more to this, but the words just are not coming out just yet..

How Things Add Up...

It is so funny how I always make a to-do list at the start of every weekend, and there is always more to add by Sunday. I remember the good old days when today was the day of rest. I officially cannot wait until I can sit in bed, watch movies and eat all day. Those had to be the best days of my life.

Sounds weird I know, but there is nothing better than doing nothing. Not thinking about school or work. Just relaxing and not feeling guilty after. We have made it to this place where we cannot relax or not have anything to do without feeling as if we are not paying our dues to society. There is no shame in doing nothing. There is nothing fun about stress.

Song is overplayed, but it fits.

All I Wanna Do...

I now think that finding a job is the hardest thing ever!
I got a call back this week though... wish me luck.

No really start wishing.

We'll All Stay Skinny Cause We Just Wont Eat!

So today was column research day. Which in my case means going to sports bars. I am telling you journalism is the best major to have!
I still have one more place to go tomorrow and I am done. Now I am trying to think of where to hang out next week. Coffee shops, beach theme, sport theme?

So many choices.

Have You Forgotten?

It is so funny, today is 9/11 and I guess seven years after that horrid day is enough time for people to think of this day as just another cynical holiday. Let's get one thing straight, there is NOTHING rebellious or "cool" about denouncing the importance of today. Innocent people, hard working people from every background died or lost loved ones on this day. Remember how we were all one country in the days following 9/11? Have we forgotten that too?

Today is not about whether or not you agree with the current wars. Or if you think that it was in inside job. It is not about Obama or McCain. It is not about politics what so ever! Today is about remembering those who gave their lives on that day. Today is about remembering the feeling of unity that was within all of us on that way.

I think it is easy for people to put down a day like 9/11 because they see it a symbol for that they do not like about the current wars or president. This is wrong because, well I have never said this before but, it is sort of not American to look down on this day. A part of being patriotic is being able to recognize important days in your countries history and to come together with those who agree or do not agree with your views. Today is about being an American, which all of us are. No matter what your nationality, on 9/11 everyone around the world became an American in spirit. They all felt our pain. The world cried with us. The world prayed for us.

When I think of this day and reflect back on seven years ago my mind goes to one image, the people. Watching people walk around New York with photos of family members, hoping that someone had seen their loved ones. Seeing people covered in dust and jumping out of buildings. I think of the fire fighters, paramedics and police men running in while everyone was running out. I see normal people standing in awe on the streets watching that was going on. I have the image of a nation being shocked and brought together at the same time running through my head. How can this is trivialized?

How anyone can all this day of unity some Hallmark holiday, as some of the people I know have, is beyond me.

As always I leave you with a song. But today I am leaving a tribute to those brave men and women who are out their on the front lines fighting for our freedom.


Where Were You On September 11, 2001, By Alan Jackson:

Have You Forgotten by Darryl Worley


Only in America by Brooks and Dunn



Do not forget about all of the people who passed away on this day and the men and women who have gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do not forget about the hero's because they have not forgotten about you and they have not forgotten what they are fighting for.

Never Forget

A Young Boy Two Hands On The Wheel...

Remember the first time you drove a car? The feeling of the car under you and knowing you were in control of it all. The way you wanted to drive everywhere as soon as you got behind the wheel of the car.

I forgot it too. After years of being stuck in traffic and driving to school or work everyday, the joy of driving is no where near where it was the first time. It was not until yesterday when my little brother got his license e that I realized how much fun it is.

Oh how I miss it!
There really is no better feeling than that.
Ah forget it, let Alan Jackson tell it...



It is so funny how much we take those little things that made us happy when we were younger for granted over time. Driving, used to be fun. Getting your first bank account was amazing. Oh God, you should have seen me when I got my first job. I thought Starbucks was the best company in the world, still do in many ways.

All of those first are so exciting.

Maybe I am being sappy, but we need to reflect back on those things a little more. Watching him get excited about driving, getting nervous before the test, the excitement, all of that came back to me while I watched him.

I was reliving it with him, all of my firsts.


In fact, when I got my first car, which I named Stone Phillips after the news anchor. (PHOTOED ON THE LEFT) my parents surprised me with it. I was babysitting and my dad called me and told me to come outside and to hurry. I came out and saw Stone sitting there in the street. After I took it in for a second, I screamed! Even on of my neighbors came out to see if anything happened. It was love at first sight!

Up until the day I crashed it, and even now, I have never loved a car that much. After my crash I got my current car, named Brain Williams, after the anchor. Even though Brian is newer and has a CD player, unlike Stone, I would still pick it over Williams.

I had all my firsts with Stone, or Stoney as I called it. My first time driving to school alone, going to pick up my friends to see a movie, paying for gas! It is like Alan Jackson said, it is a piece of my childhood that will never be forgotten.

I cannot replace those memories with any car! I wish my brother the best of times when he lives through all of his firsts. Heck, I wish that on all new drivers.

Just Drive Safe!

Making Memories Of Us...

I used to have a Dell laptop. In fact, it was my first laptop.
I loved that thing up until the day it stopped charging and I got my Gateway.
At the moment my Gateway is broken and we just got the Dell to work again.

I am sitting here typing on the Dell and it feels odd. I do not know how to say it but I just keep thinking back to that Sex and the City when Carrie got her new computer. The new one was fresh, had no last memories of papers once written on it. Going back to an old computer is like reliving all of the good times that were once had with it.

Sappy attachments to objects aside I am upset at my self for one thing when it comes to using this Dell. I deleted a bunch of my old photos on here! I was so excited to see them and like the "smart" person I am, they are all now gone.

Oh Joy!

Football!

It is officially the best time of year.
Football season has once again started, and so has my tradition of spending my Sunday afternoons on the coach watching games. I do not know if it is wrong of me to tell every employer I have ever had that I cannot work on Sunday because of religious reasons, when it is really because I do not want to miss a game is wrong or not, but I do it anyway.

There is something about the first Sunday of the regular season that is exciting. During the off season I almost forget how much fun it is to check your fantasy team after every play, talk about the game all week and eat like a pig while watching the game.

WELCOME BACK FOOTBALL!
I MISSED YOU!


PS. Once, again the Dolphins lost today, making it 260 something days since their last win. GO PHINS! But at least we gave Bret Frave a nice scare at the end of the game. That has to be worth something.

And They Call It Puppy Love?

* Photo on the top is of the dog I cheated with, his name is Cookie. The one at the bottom is of Karma.

I love that every time I come home my dog Karma has to smell me. If I had been "cheating" on her by petting another dog, she knows. And she gets really jealous! To the point where she will run away and not play with me. She gets so upset that she will sniff me for hours on end, I guess she is just trying to get the full scent of the other dog.

So I am going to be the first to admit it. I cheat on my dog sometimes with other dogs, and I am okay with it, because I know if she ever sees a nice human and I am not around well, we all know she will let him or her rub her belly.

I find it funny that dogs just know when you are cheating on them. They get hurt by it and they do not know how to react. I love that Karma cares that much, because lets face it having a dog is like having an over protective mother, only smaller and hairier.

She stay up until 3 a.m. waiting for me to come home some nights, she does not complain when I stay up late studying. She will just sit next to me and let me rub behind her ears. She will wake up early when I feel like going on our walk early, and she will always forgive me when I do all of these things.

I guess asking me not to cheat on her is not really asking for a lot.

Oh well.


This is Karma, not a good video. but it's all her.

Like The Wind When It Blew Me Into The Hurricane!

There is a hurricane.
It is a category 4. Why am I not scared?
When I came back from Canada, Fay about to hit Florida. Lucky for me I did not have cable in my room for two days so I missed all of the coverage. In return I could have cared less about the storm. I don't even know what category it was.
Now that Ike is about to hit us, I have made up my mind not to care.
I want to stay safe but there is no point in tracking its every move. In fact is annoying!

Hope it doesn't hit but my day is not going to be wasted tracking a storm that I have no control over. That and let's face it, there is nothing worse than standing in line for 45 minutes for gas like I did yesterday because I was on E for some storm.

I am not going to lie though, the best part of any storm is watching the reporters when they are on the scene. They try so hard to make rain and wind exciting. Does the reporter need to stand outside to make the point that hurricanes are dangerous?
Both these videos are powerful, only difference is that the one with the reporter makes you wonder why they put him out there.

They must hate this guy for making him stand out during the storm. Poor guy cannot even stand while the anchors are nice and dry inside, and are taking without a care. My concern is that, is coverage of a storm worth the safety of a reporter and his or her camera man or women?

Here I Am Once Again I'm Falling To Pieces

Okay I am jobless.
Like one of the 6.1% of Americans right now I do not have employment and it is killing me!
It is 1:30 in the morning and I am freaking out about it. I have amazing parents who pay for my stuff but come on, I hate acting like I am 12 and asking for money.
I miss going out!
I miss using my debt card and feeling good about it.
I miss it all.
I have filled out 30 something applications in the past 2 weeks and no call backs, if this is the strong economy they speak of then I do not want to see a weak one. If this is life under an old system then bring on the change.

Politics aside, at the end of the day the world becomes about people like me who are freaking out about payment, I don't care if you are a pitt bull with lipstick, a war vet, brought up in an ethnic family or if you take a train home from work. I DON'T CARE!
I care about what you are going to do to make me be able to pay for gas, get food and live like a normal 19-year-old.
Forget politics I want change.
Both presidential candidates — Senators Barack Obama and John McCain — said through spokesmen that they would favor an economic stimulus package from Congress this fall. "

FORGET THAT!
I WANT NOW! These guys are not president yet, why cant the guy in office do anything?

"

Just A Small Town Girl...

She comes out in a short shirt and tight cloths, way not to play up the sexiness governor. Is this how all "hockey moms" dress in Alaska?
Oh and no I am not being rude, there is a women wearing a pin saying:Hottest VP! Don't tell me they don't see her as a sex icon.

Mistake number one she made though, she calls it I-RACK!
IT IS E-ROCK! GET IT RIGHT!
I do feel for her that her son is going to Iraq. I feel for war military ones, because I am a member of one. Being a women, I think that she speaks about her family different than a man would, she does it with more passion.

I admire she reached out to families with special needs children. I admire that she cares about the topic because it is an important one, and one that needs to be addressed more. I still do not understand why they keep passing the baby along from person to person. She is trying to play up the family values, which I guess she needs right now. But I do not understand why she is playing up the small town, don't they normally vote Republican anyway. She is not making her self more likable. By the way, why is it wrong for the Democrats to question the Republicans for Palin's experince but the other way around is a sin?

"A small town major is like a community organizer only you have actual respobiablities," nice jab. "Talks One Way in Srantin And One Way In San Fran," as if that choice of city was by chance. Nice job making it seem that all dems are gay, more right wing calls.

"Some in the media consider..." croward boos... "here is a little news flash for those reopters and comminiters I am not going to Washington to seek their good opinon I am going to Washington to help the people of this good country."

EXTRA EXTRA PALIN HATE THE MEDIA AND FROM THAT QUOTE SHE IS GOING TO BE CLOSED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!

"When I stood up to the speical interest groups and lobbiest... true reform is so hard to achieve but with the support of the people of Alaska we shoock things up and but government back on the side of the people," not a bad quote.

I do admire that she got rid of her jet when she came into office, along with her chef and other things but Carter got rid of the presidents yhatt, and gets no credit... weird no?

She says she has saved the state half a billion in vetos, I want to know on what, I am checking it out and will get back to you soon.

"I fought to bring out private sector project and we began nearly 40 billion dollar pipeline to lead America to engergy independence..." Her overall view on the oil was not bad, even what she said about Russia was okay.
On enegery she said, "the fact that drilling wont stop all of our problems doesnt mean we cant do anything at all." She said we need to drill more and look at other engery, eh... not buying it because she wants to use nuclear.

She makes fun of Obama for not using the word victory in the war, well I am sorry Mrs. Palin... IF WE WON WHY ARE MY TROOPS NOT HOME!
WHY IS IT WRONG IF HE WANTS TO FINALLY OPEN TALKS WITH IRAQ AND IF WE ARE A DEMOCRACY SPREADING FREEDOM WE SHOULD READ EVERY ONE THEIR RIGHTS. WE SHOULD SHOW TERROIST THE BEAUTY OF OUR SYSTEM!

"There are those who use change to promote their careers and those like John McCain who use their careers to promote change." *nice one liner.

If McCain is a leader not looking for a fight... he is doing a great job with attack ads.

"Only one man who has truly fought for you..." okay that is nice, but is it Obama's fault that he was too young to fight in Nom? Does not mean he does not love America.

"Join our cause and help America elect a great man as president of the United States."

YES... AND THAT MAN IS OBAMA!


I love how is she trying to paint a reformist image, when a "private attorney is authorized to spend $95,000 of state money to defend her against accusations of abuse of power and that Palin sought pork-barrel projects for her city and state, contrary to her reformist image."
*That's not change that is more the same!

Is No One Seeing The Elephant In The Room...

Oh the RNC!
There is nothing better.
Anyone else laugh when they saw good ol' Rudy talking behind a New York Skyline back drop.
By the way, if you hear this man speak, he knows NOTHING about foreign policy. NEWS FLASH: RUSSIA DID NOT BREAK ANY INTERNATIONAL LAW WHEN GEORGIA ATTACKED IT!
He should not be making fun of Obamas "300 foreign policy advisers" were not there to tell you that. And when did the Democrats become the party of no religion?

STOP WITH THE CHEAP SHOTS!

You Smile Like A Saint... But You Curse Like A Sailor

So how about them republicans?
I honestly do not see it to be that big of a deal that Sarah Palin's daughter is having a baby. This happens a lot to families and it does make them seem more normal. What it shows me though is how horrid McCain's judgment was to pick her.


When running for president, don't you think you would pick a vice president who, oh I don't know, knows what the job entitles! And has more international experince, and can put the moral values that she believes in on to her kids. If I am not wrong, the republicans are supposed to be the party that teaches students not to have sex before marriage, so what happens when the same people who preach this cannot practice it?

Okay, maybe I do have an issue with it. I think it is just funny that they "knew" she was having a baby and did not check it out. I want to know how come she is not even defending that she is the mother of her youngest child to dismiss the rumors that it is her daughthers child. This women has been in our lives for what four days and I already do not trust her. They could at least get a good PR on them and have the daughter not hold the baby at the convention. Smart move people, nice damage control.

It is like my friend Alexa said today, did she watch Juno and think to herself, hey I live in Alaska I should do that!

I think that Sarah Palin is the worst choice for McCain and if you think otherwise, ask yourself who you are kidding with that comment.There are so many good republicans out there right now, Charlie Christ, Sonny Perdue, John Cornyn would have all been good choices.

There is nothing wrong with having two white men on a ticket, and to pick a minority just to pick one is wrong and goes against what this democracy stands for.

I cannot wait to see how the rest of this season comes out. Who needs soap operas when you have republicans and democrats?

I'm Out Here On The Front Lines, So Sleep In Peace Tonight...

So I am reading some articles about the military from the New York Times and I come across this one called, After the Battle, Fighting the Bottle at Home. Now anyone who knows anyone in the military knows that generally when they come back from well, anywhere they drink a lot more. But even more so when they come back from war.

I think when my cousin Mike came home from his first tour of Iraq he drank at least a 12- pack and then everyone else's beers! So it did not come as a shock to me when I read that most of our men and women who come back from war resort to drinking and to using drugs to deal with their post traumatic stress disorder instead of getting help. According to the article one in five soldiers come back from war with mental illness of some sorts. This is really heartbreaking to think about.

What I find odd about this all is that there really is no reason for the drinking and drug use other than pride really.
"In part, this dynamic is rooted in the warrior code. Trained to be tough and ignore their fear, many combat veterans are reluctant to acknowledge psychic wounds. Or they worry that getting help will damage their careers. And so, like Mr. Klecker, they treat themselves with the liquor bottle or illegal drugs."

I understand what a part of being in the military is having the "right stuff." I know it is a sin to talk about dying on the battle field, or problems that come from being in war, but come on! We need to make it okay for soldiers to come home and get help. We need to make them see that we realize that they went through a lot when at battle and that while we may not understand what it is like to be at war, we want to help. Men have been coming back from battle for years, the difference is that before they have had week long boat rides to recover from the realities of wars. They have not been in a war zone one day, worried about getting killed, wishing to come home and then to come home and have flash backs.

Isn't a part of having the "right stuff" is to be strong enough to ask for help?

I have heard so many stories of soldiers who come back from war that become violent, who freak out when they see a car on the side of the road, who do not trust anyone because they cannot mentally come back from the war zone.

From Walter Reed to service men and women drinking too much and using drugs, we need to take better care of out vets!

American Solider by Toby Keith: