Saturday, August 31, 2013

One more year!

School starts on Tuesday and as long as I pass everything (cross your fingers for me!) this will be my final year!! I have a pretty tough course load with 5 classes and a lab the first semester and my senior thesis and 2 classes my second semester.

So my first semester is going to be the real challenge. On top of two pretty tough history classes, I have Statistics and Linguistics. Now, even though this are intro level classes, they are very math orientated. I am not math orientated. So as you can imagine, I am stressed out about it. But it will be fine. I have to remember that I have to ask for help when I need it, and it won't be that bad. I don't need to ace these classes I just need to pass them.

And then there are my history classes. I have a 300 level history class on the Social History of Britain and a 400 level which is Topics in British History. I'm really hoping that having the two classes together will balance each other and one will help the other. What is also nice, is that they are both taught by the same professor. I've had this prof before and didn't do terribly well in that class, but that might be because I didn't connect with the subject matter as much. So hopefully I connect more with these ones.

I also have a 300 level anthropology class with is Space and Place. Not sure how interesting I'll find it but I might be surprised. And I really like the professor, so that is bound to help!

So I just hope that this semester goes well, and hopefully the second one will as well. My only hope is that I can get the grades I'm hoping for because I really hope to get the best grades possible so that I can get into graduate school in the UK.

And of course I want this last year to go well because at the end of it all, I have the best graduation present a girl can ask for! 3 weeks in Europe with my mom!! Part of the reason for the trip is to check out a few of the graduate programs I'm looking at in Belfast and around London. But the other part of it is that I have never been to Europe!! I've never really been outside of the North America, with the exception of a Caribbean cruise for my brothers wedding. My mom has been to the UK and my dad has been all over Europe!! Lucky ducks! And I am sooo excited about this trip! I have already started buying things that I need, like travel adapters, and packing cubes. I have even started making a list of what I want to pack and things I still need to buy. Yes, I am that freakishly prepared!!


So, please cross your fingers for me... pray... whatever will help!! Lol

Welcome to Christie's Mad Mad World - YouTube Version

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Sonia Kashuk Haul!

So if you can't tell by now, one of my favorite places to shop is Target. And one of the lines that Target carries is a make up line by Sonia Kashuk and I have been buying a lot of it as of late, so I thought I would share some of the things I have bought and enjoy! 


So the first thing I bought was 2 different nail polish colours. The first one is Grey Matter. It is a really beautiful deep grey/purple colour and will be really nice in the fall!


$4.79



The second colour is called Fatigued. It is a really pretty mossy green colour and it accents Grey Matter really nicely!

Both colours cover really well and two coats was enough to get the job done.

Now, the one thing I will share is that Fatigued was on clearance so if you think you might like it - get to Target now!!

$1.49



This line also has amazing brushes and brush sets, including travel sizes. Even though I don't do a huge amount of traveling (at least right now), travel brushes are great for just throwing in your bag for touch ups on the go, or having in your locker or gym bag.

So the first one that I wanted to get was the travel lash curler. There is nothing more annoying then when your lashes get all crazy and this one is nice because it folds up so it takes up less space and it works really well. Very happy!!








                                                                                                                                    $9.99







I also got a set of travel brushes. What I loved about this set was the hard case so if you do throw it into a bag or your purse you don't have to worry about the brushes getting smooshed and wrecked.

It covers all the basic brushes that you need and they are a really good quality as well. I also liked that you can take the bottom of the lip brush of and it becomes a cap to keep it nice and protected.

The set includes: a powder brush, a foundation brush, lash/brow comb, as well as lip, shadow, smudge, liner and a crease brush.

$20.99






I decided to pick up a second set of small travel brushes as well. These ones are just in a small canvas case with a mirror inside. This set is just a set of eye make up brushes.




Included in this set: a shadow brush, smudge brush, liner, blending brush and a crease brush.

                                                                                                           $11.99




And the last item I picked up is this fabulous bag! It's called the Completely Organized Cosmetic Case. Now this is why it is my favourite item that I bought from Sonia.

I have an obsession with keeping my purse's and bags organized. I get so annoyed when I have to dig around to find something I need, so I try to keep smaller items such as lip balms and gum (and everything else that ends up in the bottom of your purse) in small make up bags. But this is my ideal bag! Where other bogs are just one large open space, this one actually has pockets all over it including a zipper section in the front. I love that!!
I have a purse organizer for my smaller purses (which I will show you when I get around to doing a What's in my purse blog) but this is perfect for my larger bags - which is the size I use most often! I am soooooooo happy with this purchase!

And the best part is the price... Get ready for it....
$4.49!!!

WHAT?! Such a good price for such a great bag! I think I'm going to get another one for my mom, and maybe a third one for me because it might be the best money I ever spend twice!


Sunday, August 25, 2013

15 Facts About Me!

I thought I'd do this blog so that all you get to know a little more about me!

1) I have one sibling - an older brother who is married, and they have my little sweetie pie niece.

2) I love rain!! Thunder storms are the best thing in the world!

3) I HATE onions. I hate the smell of them, the taste of them. Just seeing them makes me angry!!

4) I also hate pickles.

5) My dream job would be one where I get to sleep all day and make money.

6) I love the smell of puppy breath. I don't know why, but I just love it!!

7) I hate public speaking! In some cases, I'm totally fine, but whenever I have to give a presentation in front of a class, I usually end up balling and having a panic attack. It's delightful (*eye roll*)

8) My favorite color is purple.

9) Even though I'm a fully functioning 29 year old, I still love Disney movies! Go The Little Mermaid!!

10) I love pigs and collect anything and everything with pigs on it. I even have a pig bra!

11) I'm really close with my family, and count my mom as one of my closest friends.

12) I have far too many purses and shoes!! I have huge containers full of both and even after going through and donating the ones I don't use or wear, I still have tons!! I really shouldn't buy more (yeah... right...)

13) I have an addiction to lip balms. I always have at least two with me everywhere I go and I can't stand being without it!

14) I am the least tech savvy person alive. It's so confusing and I get frustrated really quickly when it doesn't work or it does not work the way I think it should.

15) And lastly, as you can all tell, I'm a horrible speller. And I'm also bad at checking my work and making sure that what I want to say, is what was actually said!! But hopefully, this blog will improve on that!!

So there are 15 facts about me!! There are plenty more to share, so expect more posts!!
And as always, feel free to leave comments below if there is anything you relate to, or if you have some blog post ideas that you would like to see!!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Hilary's going away dinner

So last night I went out for dinner with my friend Hilary. She had a tea at her house last weekend, but unfortunately my puppy got sick that day and just wanted mommy snuggles, so I missed the tea and another friends BBQ. Don't worry, puppy is fine now! Back to her crazy self!

But Hilary and I decided to head out for dinner to say good bye since she is moving to the coast in a few days to go to University there. So we met up at Boston Pizza (which is my all time favorite place to eat - it's an actual addiction at this point) for a catch up. Now, Hil was a chef in a previous incarnation so she's a foodie, where I am a super picky eater, so I'm thankful to have friends who put up with me and my eating habits.








So for appetizers, she ordered a spinach salad and I ordered bandera bread which I then covered in Parmesan cheese!! So good!









So we munched on that and got caught up on life since we have last seen each other. She and I have been friends since high school, but we have had periods of time where we haven't seen each other so catching up is always a long process!


So after our nummie appetizers, are main course arrived.







So Hil had perogy pizza and I had steak with fries. And now the conversation turned to her first year at University and my last year!! We were both so excited to be starting this phase of life and there was lots to talk about as you can imagine!









And after dinner, we headed to the mall to Sephora where Hil needed to pick up a few things and I needed nothing, but that never stops me! I recently bought a dual ended lipstick from Sephora by a Canadian company called Bite. The lipsticks are really good quality and a nice creamy texture so I thought I would check out what other colors they had. I didn't end up buying a new lipstick, but I did find a lip butter called "Super Fruit Lip Butter - Acai" Its amazing! My lips feel really moist and lush without feeling sticky or caked. And even though it's acai, there isn't really a taste or flavor, so I don't spend all day chewing my lips. I highly recommend this lip butter if your like me and addicted to lip balms!

Bite Lip Butter $20





Thursday, August 22, 2013

Just a little one today...

So as school is getting closer and closer, I ran a few last minuet errands yesterday. So I'm just going to share a couple of the little treats I bought myself and I promise that tomorrow there will be a bigger, better blog post!

So the first thing that I bought was a new pen at the Disney Store (which is one of my favorite places to shop!). The Little Mermaid is going to be re-released on Blu-ray and DVD in about a month, so they have a new collection of Ariel merchandise!! Ariel is my favorite Disney princess so naturally I had to have the Ariel pen.

I also have the same type of pen but from there Cinderella collection, and don't let the Disney Store thing fool you... These are really good quality pens and you can buy a new ink cartridge for them when it runs out at Staples. I highly recommend them!!

$14.99








Also from the Disney Store, and from the Ariel collection, was this phone case! It's really slim on my phone and is soooo cute!!

$22.99








 And the last of my little treasures are two bracelets from Target. The first one says BREATHE and the second one says FIERCE.

I loved these because they are adjustable for my little munchkin wrists and I just really liked the messages. If you know me, or if you're reading my blogs and are starting to get to know me, you'll know that breathing is something that I really need to do more of! That and relax, but I didn't see one that said relax. And fierce is just something I strive to be!

$7.99 each





So those are just a few little treats for myself before classes start again. There also won't be very many hauls or things like that since I will be saving as much as possible for my trip to Europe next summer!




Monday, August 19, 2013

SOOO MANY UPDATES!! (Well maybe not that many...)

I promise later this week I will have some more exciting posts, but I just wanted to give a few quick updates!

So first  - The technology situation will hopefully be taken care of shortly. I have decided to bit the bullet and get a Macbook Air. So hopefully it will last and be wonderful for many years to come since I have a big year this year and hopefully Grad school after that. It also has certain advantages like video editing software so hopefully I can FINALLY get some videos on my YouTube channel. But I will keep you posted on those developments!

Second - The spiders did not learn their lesson!! They went higher then simply my porch railing and hid in the overhang above my front door. I was sort of ok with that as long as I could see them cowering in fear and I knew where they were. But yesterday after work, they began to come out and no. Just no. So I tried to kill them with WD-40 which only seemed to give them more energy. They did not run and hide, they began to plot. I could see it. So I went and got a walking stick that is a little over a meter long and has a big rubber end which is perfect for smooshing spiders and attacked first!! I think one was mortally wounded, the other disappeared, so that makes me nervous. I only hope that it has figured out that living on my house isn't worth it, and goes and lives somewhere else! GROSS GROSS GROSS!!

Third - School starts in just two short weeks!! So excited!! I have all of my supplies ready to go! And I just can't wait! I'm already thinking about what I'm going to wear the first day... Stay tuned!


Thursday, August 15, 2013

Yesterday was NOT the day before...

Where the day before yesterday, I had a day of happy little moments... yesterday was a day of minor set backs. It started out well enough. I slept in and had a relaxing start to my day.

Then, I had to call the student loan people. It was frustrating because I had to navigate soooo many menus and options and then was put on hold (which is fine as I'm sure there were many students calling), but then the lovely hold music cut out so I wasn't even sure I was on hold anymore and after 10 minuets of that, I gave up. So instead of having to talk to them, I had to get to my school to pick up the paper work and do this the old fashion way! And instead of mailing the paperwork - I'm going to try to drop it off in person so that should hopefully speed up the process. So that's adding steps that I didn't want to have to add...

And I'm still stressed out about the lack of working technology. Although the laptop I am currently using is fine for doing my posts here or being on Facebook, it is useless for trying to get anything on YouTube and even just write a word document, so I'll have to deal with that sometime soon. But I should have until the middle of September (I hope). I doubt I'll have to do any major writing assignments before then. And maybe learning more about technology wouldn't help either. If I learn about these things, maybe they'll stop crapping out on me!

My day was topped off by difficult, personal events (sorry I won't go into detail about this part...) and that just added to my stress tremendously! But today is a new day, and hopefully it will be a better day then yesterday!!

Thanks for listening... well reading. XoxO

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

A day of small personal victories!

Yesterday was one of those days where I had a number of tiny little wins in my life. I work for a large retailer, and even though I was hired to do something completely different, I now work in the warehouse. Now if you know me, you'll know that I am not someone who you would think would enjoy a very physical, dirty job like working in a warehouse... and yet I really do!!

So my first little win yesterday involved a piece of equipment called a Wave Stacker (I think). It's this crazy thing that you can ride on and move heavy boxes and things around and it also lifts you so that you could put things up on high shelves. Now, although I am not afraid of heights, I do have a paralyzing fear of falling to my death! I do find being up that high (it would be about 15 feet up), the Wave moves slightly which just scares the beejeebers out of me! But yesterday, I had to use it twice, once to get really high up with some boxes and things and the other time to go not so high but I had to get down and insanely big and awkward box. Both times, I went up, did what i had to do and got down without have a meltdown or even a mild panic. I wasn't completely comfortable, but I could get it done!! I was pretty proud of myself!!

Another part of my job involves driving a big 3 ton box truck (that's what I call it for lack of its actual description). You don't need a special license or anything, it's not a semi truck. Although there are many people that work in the backroom or warehouse, there are only three people who can drive the truck, and I'm one of them!! Which I'm proud of all on it's own because I'm the only female driver (and I get the funniest looks from people driving past, or other truck drivers from other companies)! But the reason I had a small victory yesterday is I've only been driving solo for a week, and only had one and a half lessons really, and yesterday was the first day where I felt completely comfortable driving it, and loading and unloading the truck.

I know it doesn't seem like much, but sometimes the small victories are the most satisfying for me. I get a little burst of pride and I actually think I get more excited when something small happens (like when I reversed the truck and parked it perfectly the first time I drove it - my trainer must of thought I was a nut job, but I was proud of myself!) but the small victories make the larger ones that much easier!!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Spider Update

Well, it appears that the spiders have left the building! At least for now...

I am sooooo thankful, because I was not looking forward to having to get closer to them then necessary. We also had a big thunderstorm last night, which I'm sure has helped keep the bastards at bay. Hopefully when I get home tonight they will still be gone!!

Wish me luck!!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Christie, The Great Gross Spider Killer - Part Two

They never learn!! I come home from work tonight and there are not 1, not 2 but 3 huge, gross spiders!! Even bigger then the last one!! They mock me now...

But I went and got my boiling hot water and threw it at the little jerks!! I know I knocked two off of the porch but I'm not sure about the third. But I'm telling you right now, if I go out there tomorrow morning and those little bastards have set up shop again, it's game time!! It'll be on like donkey kong! They are messing with the wrong damn girl I tells ya!

*SIGH* But for now, I go to bed. I'll update tomorrow on the funeral plans for the little 8 legged spawn.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Confessional: My Eating Disorder

So when I decided that I was going to start a blog and a YouTube channel (which is still pending), I really wanted to share the mundane parts of my life (because I find other peoples regular life interesting) and the less mundane parts of my life. So, as you can tell by the title of this blog, this is one about something less mundane.

*I should start out by saying that all of this blog is based on personal experience and things that I have learned through the treatment process. I have not studied this extensively in school, and am not an expert on the subject of eating disorders.*

Some basic information -
The two major eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by the restriction of food intake, and bulimia is characterized by binge and purge cycles. Another major factor to consider in the discussion of eating disorders is a disorder known as Body Dismorphic Disorder. BDD is a disorder where an individual sees their body in a dramatically unrealistic way, for example, some who is 90pounds considering themselves overweight.

The important distinction for me is that although I had an eating disorder, I did not and do not have an issue with BDD. I have a pretty realistic view on my body, which isn't perfect, but it ain't that bad! What is at the base of my issues with food is a need for control. I really struggle with feeling out of control and when things do not go as I planned or hoped, I struggle with feeling helpless.

It is that feeling that prompted my eating disorder, which was mainly anorexia. When I couldn't control a situation, or just felt out of control in general, I could restrict what I was eating and how much I was eating and that feeling would help calm and relax me. I felt as though restricting my food intact was restoring some balance and eventually, once the feeling of helplessness had gone and I felt better, my eating habits would become healthier again. I think because my eating disorder was more of a control mechanism, and was something I suffered from in waves, I never lost dramatic amounts of weight.

I remember beginning to restrict my diet at around 10 years old. What I can't remember was if there was any specific event that sparked it, or how I got the idea to restrict my diet. This continued to be my go to coping mechanism until I was about 19. This is when I finally told my parents about how I felt and how I was dealing with it. Together we found an amazing cognitive behavioral therapist who helped me work through the "why" of what i was doing and helped to find some better ways of dealing with stressful situations. 

It has been 10 years since I told my parents and sought help for my anorexia. And although I have not had an issue since then, it is still something that I struggle with. Whenever I feel myself becoming stressed out, overwhelmed and out of control, my mind still wants to restrict in order to regain a sense of control. I now know however that I need to talk about what is happening with my family and friends and with their help, work out the situation in a different way.

Because I really want to be open about this, please feel free to leave comments or questions below! 

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

HAUL BLOG!!

I'm getting ready for school and have found tons of little goodies!! So, of course I thought I'd blog about them!!






I bought these at Fort Edmonton Park with my mom! They are both perfect for my locker essentials kit. The blue coin purse will be the home for some spare change as suggested in the comments of my locker essentials blog! Great idea Caron! And the green one is perfect for my USB cords because it zips closed!













Also for my locker kit - a sleep mask. For those between class cat naps! It was $1 in the One Spot at Target.












I hate having water bottles at school, but I found these cute tumblers instead so that I can water or another cold beverage. The Wonder Woman and Mason Jar tumblers are from Target and the Angry Mickey Mouse tumbler from the Disney Store!
I just prefer having something like this with a straw because I find it less disruptive to take a drink during note taking, and they are easier to clean in my opinion.







At Target I found this great overnight bag! It's huge, canvas and has a removable strap so that you can carry it across your body or over your shoulder! You can't tell in the pic, but it's grey and navy, but they have other patterns if you don't like this one. It was $29.99!







 Also from Target, this cute canvas backpack! I know I have my wicked Coach tote for school, and that will likely be what I use most often, but this was so cute and for days when I don't have that much to bring, this would be nice!

I also liked it for my trip to Europe with my mom next summer. Having a larger backpack will be great for the airport and when we are getting on and off trains - I figure the less to have to carry or have on my shoulders, the better!











I also really liked that the interior zipper is a little lower down in the back, so that would be a safe place to keep my passport and money. There are also two pockets of a cell phone and other what not's. It was also $29.99.












I found this notebook at Walmart and I loved it because its a gnome! What can I say, I love to take notes with my gnomey! Get it?! Gnomey! Like homie, but he's a gnome...

Anyways...













Also from Walmart, this 32GB flash drive was on sale for $12.99 which is a sweet deal for that many GB's. I probably won't use this for school because I have so many 8GB and a 16GB one that I typically use but this will come in handy for backing up important photos and videos off of my laptop!












And last thing from Walmart was a pack of pens that were on sale for $3, a pack with two Papermate white out tapes ($4.76) and a cute floral pencil case ($3.97) that has a front pocket which would be good for my USB or my school id if I'm going into an exam. Sooo cute!!










The last part of my haul is from Michael's. I'm going through a bit of a Hello Kitty phase right now and I found this Hello Kitty scrapbook journal. This one is specific to traveling and i thought I would be cute for Europe next summer (hopefully I still like Hello Kitty then...). I comes with a pen, that is pen on one end and a glue stick at the other. There are tons of cute pages on the inside and if your interested on seeing the inside let me know in the comments and I'll post some photos of that! ($19.99)


Also found some cute Hello Kitty Book Bands (basically the same as the file band idea that I have in my school supplies blog around my binder. Again, I thought that would be nice to keep my larger text books closed while in my bag. (Clearance for $2.49.)
I also got some Keepsake Pockets for my scrapbook to use for any little loose trinkets or ticket stubs I don't want to glue in. (Clearance for $2.49)
And last, I bought a pack of 70 Sticky Flags. Just thought they would be handy for school or my Daytimer ($4.99)

Adventures with Mom!

Monday, my mom and I went on an adventure to Fort Edmonton Park!

It had been awhile since either one of us had been, and it was pretty different from what I remember as a kid. But I love going to Fort Edmonton and other "living history" museums. It's just so much fun to see it come alive around you, and many of the interpreters take their jobs very seriously! There was also an event going on that I think was called "Earn your Keep" day... But they might have called it something else. The idea was, you would do chores or other work that would be common for the era and earn Fort Bucks that you could redeem to try different foods, or earn rides in the mid way. It was pretty fun to watch all the kids running around hauling fire wood (with alot of help from mom and dad) or washing socks and delivering mail.

 Mom and I mostly enjoyed the beautiful day outside. We walked around the midway, and watching sat at the beautiful carousel with its hard carved horses and ornaments. (Sorry, the picture didn't turn out very well...) I was tempted to take a spin on the ferries wheel, but decided to wait until we were going to leave, and by then the park was pretty busy and there was a long line. But I guess that's just a good reason to go back! We then roamed up the themed streets. The park has added a theater since I was small and although we didn't to in to see what was playing (I think it was a history of Edmonton), it was very cool to see it there!









There are beautiful gardens planted all over the park, some with flowers at some of the more affluent city homes and vegetable gardens at the homesteads. There is also a crop growing in one the fields (I'm not sure what kind of crop it is) and I hope that means that Fort Edmonton still hosts a Harvest Festival in the fall. I remember going to that growing up! I also have vague memories of actually being at the family farms during harvest time (I am a grand daughter to 2 farming families!) 


This garden was particularly beautiful!















We had lunch in a luncheonette beneath the Masons lodge which was really good! Basic, but good! And of course we went authentic with glass coke bottles!

I also picked up some treats at the bakery! I had a yummy chocolate chip cookie, maple fudge and a chocolate fudge brownie with no nuts!





One of the highlights for me was seeing the beautiful horses they have at the Fort! There was one in particular that was just gorgeous (and he knew it, because he was kind of a jerk)
                                I have never see a mane like that on a horse!! Sooo beautiful!

We didn't actually head all the way to the actual Fort area, since we couldn't imagine that it has changed all that much, but we did finish off the day with a ride on the steam train! I love train travel!

All and all, it was a great day spent with mom!








Here's some more pics I took. Sorry, I was enjoying the day so much, I didn't take many, but I'll do better next adventure I promise!! I'll also take notes so that I remember more details, but it was just such a beautiful day! I also bought a few cute things but I'll include those in my haul blog that will be posted soon!



Monday, August 5, 2013

Christie, The Great, Gross Spider Killer

I live out in the country and one of the downfalls of that is spiders. I HATE SPIDERS!!

Now, I know spiders exist, and they are important to the ecosystem and blah blah blah... But they are gross!! I was coming home last night and right there in the corner of my porch is this huge brown spider in a huge gross web! *shiver* I think I hate the brown ones even more then I hate big black ones, because the brown ones are far more blendy and camouflaged. So because I don't want to get anywhere near that thing, I side step into my house and get a nice big bowl of hot water...

Now, I know I'm going to get comments about how I shouldn't have killed it, but I'm sorry! Big gross spiders are allowed to exist in the world, just now where I can see them, and least of all, where they can jump out and attack me!!

So I threw the hot water at it, and it's web broke and the spider fell. He tried to hide, but I grabbed a walking stick smooshed him. I hope this acts as a warning to all the other jerk spiders out there that are thinking about setting up shop on my porch. Ya'll are safer under it, and there will be more bugs for you eat there too!!

Christie 1 - Spider 0

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Mental Preparation


So as I enter my final, blissful year of University, I can't help but reflect on on what the last 5 have brought me. Knowledge, wisdom, personal growth and debt!! Lots and lots of debt.

My original plan was to take a year off, one year. I was going to work full time and gain some life experience, save some money. And hopefully during that time, I would figure out what I wanted to do with my life! I did manage to figure out what I didn't want to do...

1 year off turned into 6 years. I worked in retail for those 6 years, and eventually was promoted up the chain of command to manager. And what I realized it that I didn't want to be a manager. Now, do not get me wrong - there was nothing wrong with the job. I loved my co-workers, my staff, the company. But I just didn't enjoy being a manager. Some people are so amazingly suited to it and I am not one of those people. So that promoted a visit to University.

Once there, I received some great advice about a potential career choice - Museum Curator - and from there I thought I would try a spring class. A spring class (at least in Alberta) is a condensed class that is 3 hours a day, Monday though Friday, for three weeks. That went well, so I did a summer class (same time frame) and that went well too. So, with 2 weeks to spare, I registered for full time classes starting in September '08. And from there I have not looked back!! 

Now, as I have said, this will be my 6th year of University. My plan was going to be doing my BA in 5 years as opposed to the usual 4, but as you've read above - time lines are not a sticking point for me. But if I could give any freshmen who are reading this, or even if you're going into your second or third year - GET YOUR DEGREE DONE IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME!! If you're doing a four year degree, try to do it in four years. You sort of hit a wall after that, at least I did. But don't rush it either. If you're not a strong student, then it might be better to do fewer classes a semester, but stay focused on getting your degree done! But I haven't looked back and I'm glad things have happened the way that they did. I have met some great friends and I have had some amazing professors who have supported, and encouraged me!

And through it all, my family. I'm pretty lucky in the family department. Both my parents are amazingly supportive, and are great with everything from lending a supportive shoulder to sob on when I'm stressed about an exam, or a fresh set of eyes to proof read a paper (which would come in handy as I blog - my spelling and grammar always suffer during the summer). I always get the encouragement and cheerleading I need!! Love you all!


AS A SIDE NOTE:
I am very curious about what kind of things you, my readers, would like from my blog! I have a few ideas of my own (and they are NOT all school related, I promise). But feel free to leave a comment below about what you're curious about, or would like to see, and I'll see what I can do!! 




Saturday, August 3, 2013

Essential Locker Supplies

I thought I would do a post about my locker essentials kit. Mine is perhaps a little obsessive, but I'm a believer that if you have it, you'll likely never need it! Plus it's always a good idea to at least have a few things that you use on a regular basis in your locker, and that saves you from having it hanging around in your purse or school bag taking up space and adding extra weight!!

So this is my kit:







  I keep two different kits in my locker. One for personal products and the other for school supplies. I'm first going to show you my personal kit (which is packed!)




This is the brand 'REALLY USEFUL BOX' and it's the 1.7 

  I like to keep a deodorant in case I hit the gym, or more likely am just in a rush in the morning and forget to put it on before I leave the house! It's just a travel size one that you can find at any drug store. There are also Almay oil free make up eraser sticks, which a q-tips filled with make up remover that is safe to use around your eyes. You just snap one end and the cleanser saturates the other tip and you can fix any mascara boo boo's or other smudges. For the same reason, I have Clean and Clear oil absorbing sheets and Olay wet cleansing cloths. Depending on how long my day is, I love to wash my make up off and just enjoy a nice clean face! And even though I always have them in my purse, I keep tissues and a lip balm as well. I have a tiny lip balm addiction. I always have about 4 with me.




 I have also discovered that it is a good idea to keep a few first aid items in my locker. You can track these down at most schools in various offices or at campus stores, but this way you are guaranteed to have something on hand.

I especially like to keep blister band aids in my locker. I don't know why but at some point during the school year, I seem to think that it would be a good idea to break in new shoes, which almost always results in a blister! I also have band aids in various sizes and designs, some of which have a antibiotic in them. Regardless, I also have Polysporin on hand. I like the one specifically labeled Polysporin Kids because it is a non-stinging formula and has a pain reliever. I'm a baby and I know it! Last but not least, hand sanitizer. Schools are breeding grounds for colds and flu's and they seem to attack right around midterms and finals so protect yourself!!









Because I'm a baby, I have my Hello Kitty pill case with some Advil and Aleve. These are for personal use and I recommend being careful when giving out any sort of painkiller to anybody else!















Some feminine products. Enough said...













Some other essentials are hand lotion, nail file(s), a Tide to Go pen, small hair brush, hair elastics and butterfly clips, and because I wear glasses (I'm not a fan of contacts - I don't like touching my eyes, plus I just like the way I look with glasses!), I like to have glasses cleaner, a cloth and a little tool to tighten them up if need be. I have several pairs of glasses with the same prescription, but my favorite pair are pretty old. I think I've had them since I was about 15, so they need a little love every once and a while.








My second kit is the school supplies! This is also a 'Really Useful Box' and it's a 0.9 liter pencil box.

















So in here I keep the obvious pens, white out tape, pencils and an eraser. Sometimes my pencil case does not always make it back into my school bag, or I forget it somewhere, so it's a good idea to have back ups handy so I you don't have to bum off of friends. This is especially true if you're me, and am kind of a pen snob!










Highlighters! My favorite ones are the Sharpie Gel highlighters. They don't smear like some other gel highlighters do and because they are gel. they don't bleed through the paper and look messy!

I also like the Staedtler triplus textsurfer. These ones are super thin and perfect for highlighting in textbooks or underlining notes.











Also kept it here are: a hole punch, stapler and staples, scissors, and a spare USB drive. Again, most of these things can be found somewhere on campus, such as the library, but I like to have them handy to save me the running around, or again, hoping a friend has them!













And last but not least, post it notes and reinforcements!! Nothing is worse then having a page of notes you've just madly written, be ripped out of your binder! And post its are just an organizational essential!!














And the last thing I keep in my locker is a charger with USB cables for both my iPhone and iPod!
There is nothing worse then trying to kill time, or text message a friend between classes about meeting up for coffee or a notes exchange and your battery is dead!