through the years...

Cheer memories

I went to a cheer competition in Dallas this weekend to support my old gym's teams that were competing. I did competitive cheer for 9 years and loved it, but at the end of my senior year I decided I was burnt out and did not want to cheer in college. In high school I was gone almost every weekend competing and I knew that I didn't want to do that in college. Watching all my friends compete was bitter sweet, I missed it but I didn't have the time or energy to do it again. The video below is my team my sophomore year of high school. We were in the International Open Coed division and competed against 18 different countries. We placed 2nd by 1 point. Watch this, then try to tell me cheerleading isn't a sport...

don't worry it's harmless!

Last night before my formal my group of friends and I went to eat at a nice Italian restaurant near campus. We were all dressed up and excited for the formal. We sat down and ordered drinks while we gazed at the menu trying to decide what we wanted to eat. Our waiter brought bread to the table and then proceeded to take our order. I grabbed a piece of bread started eating in and then a bug crawled out of it. So of course I was freaking out and wanted to gag. The manager and waiter walked over to my side of table while my date squished the bug. He looked very calm like it was not big deal. The manager said, "Oh, don't worry those bugs are completely harmless. This has been happening all day." I just stared out him, puzzled by his reaction. My concern really wasn't that the bug was going to hurt me, it is the sanitary condition of the food that I am now questioning. This has been happening all day? Ummmm gross, maybe you should call an exterminator? Just a thought. The rest my food was very good, but I was hesitant to eat it fearing another critter would crawl out. Word to the wise, make sure you clearly examine your food before you eat it, because apparently this happens less rarely than most assume.

a little thing that drives me crazy is....

People talking at the library. Who doesn't absolutely despise those people? Forcing myself to post up in Fondren Library and attempting to memorize way too much information is already hard enough for me to do. When I know I need to get a lot of work done (more than I could ever get done at my apartment) I overpack my book bag, grab a snack and an energy drink and head to Fondren. When I get there I have to walk around each floor to scope out a nice quiet spot with a big table to study. Slowly I get settled plugging in my laptop charger, (I learned that this was a necessity after many trips backs to my dorm freshman year.) pulling out my books and grabbing a highlighter. After the necessary 15-20 minutes of facebook surfing and online shopping, I close down my internet browser and crack open my textbook. Just as I start to focus and get into the material I'm reading, I hear the table behind me chatting it up about what happened last night a M-Street Bar. Are you kidding me? Really? There are two floors in Fondren library that are designated as quiet floors and two that are discussion floors. Why are you on the quiet floor if you intend to talk the whole time? This is definitely one of my biggest pet peeves. I don't want to be at the library either. I would much rather be chatting it up with my friends about what happened last night, but I can't because I have a test over 6 chapters tomorrow.At first I don't say anything, because one that's awkward and two hopefully someone else around me will say something first, but after 5 minutes of the loudest whispering known to man kind I turn around and give them the death stare hoping they will catch the hint. Of course they go right back to talking the second I turn around. Eventually I have to be the bitch that says be quiet I'm trying to study, it's annoying but necessary. If you want to talk GO HOME, don't share the latest gossip and drama in the quiet zone. Please and thank you.

Something my mind map says about me...

When I first got the assignment to draw a mind map I immediately freaked out. "I have no idea how to do this; mine is going to look like a 2nd grader did it; I'm definitely going to fail this assignment." All of these thoughts were running through my head as I glanced over the grading rubric. I tried not to think about it for a few days, because of how much I was dreading doing it. I finally began my project on a very icy day in Dallas. I was thankful to have all of the extra time, because I knew I was going to need it. I took a deep breath and started writing, hoping that my mind map wouldn't look too awful. Surprisingly as I kept drawing, it kept looking better and better. My mind map showed me that I really do have more creativity then I give myself credit. The thought of messing up was making me feel overwhelmed and helpless. Once I stopped worrying about what would happen if I messed up, I was able to create a mind map that I was actually very proud of. Once I was finished with my map, I took a step back to admire my hard work. My mind map shows that I love using a wide variety of colors and that I pay attention to detail. I really do believe this assignment showed me that I can be creative all I have to do is relax and start writing.

What did that dream tell me?

We all dream. Some of us dream very vividly and others just remember random bits and pieces. I have had some wacky dreams that caused me to wake up puzzled and have a WTF moment. It is a common assumption that most dreams are not literal, but rather are metaphoric of something that is currently going on in our head. I read about dreams in one of my psychology classes and found out many interesting things that I did not know. Dreams make you heart race increase and cause a spike in adrenaline. Another interesting fact that I learned is that you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping. I really like this fact, because sometimes a dream can be your escape from dealing with a very difficult issue in your life. The opposite can also be said. Sometimes an issue or person you have been avoiding shows up in your dream night after night and despite your best attempts, it won't go away. This happened to me recently. One of my friends and I got into a fight about a month ago and I have not talk to her since. It has been really hard and stressful, because we were very close. I am a very stubborn and strong willed person which I believe helps me succeed in many case, but occasionally can keep me from logically thinking about a situation. I refused to back down and try to make amends, because in my heart I honestly felt like I had done nothing wrong. I had a dream about a week ago that was about this fight. In the dream it had been over a year and we still had not worked things out. Each of us would avoid the other at all possible costs, but this made it hard because we have all of the same friends. This dream was very literal, because this past month this is what I have done. After having this dream I decided that I didn't want to spend the next two and a half year on this small college campus avoiding someone I used to be best friends with. I decided to text her and ask if we could have a truce and meet for lunch and try to work things out. If anything I am hoping we can move on from this argument and at least be civil with one another. We are meeting tomorrow to talk and hopefully resolve our issues. This dream told me to stop being immature and work things out. I'm hoping this is the right thing to do and that tomorrow goes well.

I do?

Valentines Day.....is it a romantic day to celebrate the one you love or is it a ploy to make consumers feel obligated to buy a present for their significant other and take them to a nice dinner? Depending on who you ask the answer may be very different. I for one am not an advocate for Valentines Day. Why you make ask? Because I work at a nice restaurant. Every year about a month before our phone lines become flooded with boyfriends, husbands, and fiances calling to make a reservation to celebrate their relationship. Each man on the phone feels the need to tell me their life story: how long they have been together, what he is getting her for Valentines Day, and what kind of flower he is having delivered. The first 10-15 calls I get I think it is sweet how hard they are trying and I don't mind offering suggestions. By the 300th call I really could care less of your wife prefers carnations over roses. Last year we had 1,400 reservations.....all in one day!!!! It is absolute chaos having that many people in one small place. It is fun to see see all of the flowers being brought in all day to be placed on the table prior to the couple arriving. I have seen many engagements that take place on this day. Each one is very special. The man usually comes in a week or so before the night to plan exactly how he will ask her. You can see the nerves in his eyes and hope he has that she will say yes. It is pretty amusing to watch the woman's face as he pops the question. You can tell if she was expecting it to happen or if it was a total surprise. Valentines Day can be a very special memory in a couples life or a cliche that involves a hallmark card, but either way it is still a very busy day for me at work.

Texas Weather is bipolar!

In one of my previous posts I wrote about the many snow days that my school was having. It is very unusual to hear someone utter the words "snow day" in Texas, especially 4 days in a row. A mixture of the snow and ice lead to a city wide panic for all of the southerners that had never experienced such an event. Southerners were not the only ones complaining about the unusual weather. Many of my classmates from up north put their two cents in about the situation. A common phrase I heard was, "the reason I chose SMU was because it was in Texas and Texas doesn't get cold weather." Oh but they were so wrong. Unfortunately for my classmates they did not realize Texas weather is extremely bipolar. They saw this first hand this week when temperatures had a 55 degree difference in a less than one week. Weather forecasts show Dallas to be nothing but 70 degrees and sunny. Don't put away your winter clothes now friends, I wouldn't be surprised if we headed back into an Arctic chill in a few weeks. I know it's frustrating, I know it doesn't make sense but all I can say is "sorry, welcome to Texas!" :)

Spring Break Blues

So I decided today I was going to start getting back into shape and start eating healthy. I went to the gym and attempted to run. At first I was thinking, "this is that bad, I can bounce back into running." After all of 5 minutes I was thinking very different thoughts. I began panting as my heart rate quickly rose and sweat started beating down my temples. My legs started having slight spasms probably because they were confused why I was doing such rigorous physical activity after not doing any for months.

Why may you ask am I torturing myself like this? Two words...spring break. A very fun vacation that usually involves a tiny bikini. So to save myself from public embarrassment I have decided to whip myself into shape in a few short weeks. 

As I am running on the treadmill trying to keep a positive attitude and keep myself motivated, I look over at the 40 year old woman running 2 treadmills away from me. Not only is she in much better shape than me, but she is sprinting on the treadmill making it look like she is effortlessly gliding across the rotating track.

People like this make me so mad, well envious I should say. Even at my peak of physical shape I have never enjoyed exercising and I have most certainly not looked like she did on a treadmill! I guess my only hope is to suck it up and try to work hard these next few weeks so that I can enjoy my vacation and feel confident on the beach.

Snow Day #3?

I thought I would love having a snow day. No class, no responsibilities, the perfect mini vacation. But these past few days have been less than pleasant. The roads are so icy and I, being from the south, have absolutely no clue how to drive without skidding across the ice. I've spent the past few days cooped up in my house watching the hours slowly go by. On snow day #2 I tried to venture out and about to get food and see some of my friends. 

Driving across ice was terrifying. I slowly crawled across the pavement at 20 mph attempting to avoid spinning out. When I finally got to the restaurant I was meeting friends out I scooted across the sheets of ice hoping my shoes wouldn't slip from under me. Unfortunately in front of Penne Pomodoro I wiped out on the slanted parking lot pavement bruising me knee pretty badly.  This is slightly less fun then I thought our snow day would be. So SMU has decided to open class tomorrow even though road conditions haven't improved? Really, who that this was a good idea? This is a disaster waiting to happen. Students and faculty are going to be forced to make the trek to class and pray they don't slip down the boulevard. It's kind of ridiculous that SMU is the only school in Dallas that has class tomorrow. Smart move administration. Next week we will all be hobbling bitterly around campus still bruised from this non-snow day. Better grab some ice skates mustangs, because tomorrow it will be the only way to get around campus. 


XOXO1026