Busy busy these past few weeks. You’d think taking a nine hour semester would be easy and leave you  with lots of free time, but you’d be wrong. Last semester was dedicated to the long stream of homework; this semester is dedicated to many meetings and errands.

Granted, I do have my weekends back, which has been great. I’ve been painting on a regular basis again, and writing about what I want to when I feel like it. The book is still under revision – I had to make myself step away from it for a while so I could look at it more objectively. Still hoping to release it by Spring Break at the latest. I am trying to figure out CreateSpace so I can have printed copies as well as e-books.

I’ve been pretty involved with the public library this past year, which I love. I’m part of a class that teaches a creative writing club to elementary-middle school aged kids every week. I’m the student assistant this semester, which accounts for a lot of my meetings and errands. It’s a lot of fun and I love my kid partner. I’ve also been asked to run an activity for the older kids’ writing group this Friday. Still trying to figure out what I want to do, but it will most likely end up being some sort of awesome writing game.

Senoiritis has hit me hard. There’s one class in particular where I’m completely unmotivated because I’m taking it in hopes of gaining some extra skills rather than to satisfy my degree requirements. The class itself is very tedious right now and all I can do is sit there thinking “I don’t need this to graduate. I could just leave.” All I think about lately is finding a job and a new place and getting out of here. I spend at least an hour every day going through job ads. I just signed my graduation application form today. I’m incredibly paranoid – my mind keeps telling me that they’ll reject it and tell me I need more classes or something, and that I have to stay longer. I don’t want that. I’ve already agreed to sublease my apartment, so as of June I am gone. Boone and Appstate have been great overall and I’ve met a lot of amazing friends, but they won’t stay and neither will I. I’ve reached that point where I’m ready to move on and start something new. And get a puppy.

So that’s been the jist of my past few weeks. I hope everyone is enjoying 2012 so far. I’ll try to get a more interesting post up later 🙂

It’s been a very busy and possibly life-changing month 🙂

I originally wanted this to be the title of my blog. I had it all planned out. There was nothing I could write about that I couldn’t somehow link back to the fact that we are due for a zombie apocalypse. School stuff? I need to drop out because zombies are coming. Recipes? You know the person who can make anything taste good will be valuable once the apocalypse hits. Artwork? We all need some culture in our lives before we’re running for them. Should I rename my blog?

Anyway, let’s get serious here for a moment: Almost anyone in our generation has this  little thought (/wish) in the back of their minds that tells them zombies are coming. And that fascinates me. I honestly think there’s something to it. Why do we secretly want this to happen? Let’s explore…

1. The environment. We’re pretty much destroying it. Stuff will survive, but we will not. Unless some changes are made.

2. Politics. In the US, but all over the world to. Congress is a bunch of babies, on both sides. Political campaigns are centered around sticking it to the other side instead of addressing actual issues, and don’t get me started on all the issues.

3. My favorite soapbox: We’re disinfecting too much. Lysol must be trying to kill us. The truth is, being exposed to the scary stuff builds immunities. You know the .01% that isn’t being killed? That’s the strongest stuff. And now all it has to breed with is the other .01% from across the street, resulting in even stronger, more resistant stuff. Everyone’s so worried about the next big disease, which is ironic because we’re being extremely helpful in its production.

4. The economy. That is all.

So that’s the basics of my social theory, but really I think it all comes down to the innate fear of disease, and we’re due for an outbreak of something nasty. Remember how everyone flipped over swine flu? Yeah, that’s why. Researchers are actually running scenarios of a zombie outbreak – how it would function, spread, etc. and the general idea is that it will be a disease that affects the brain somehow. The research is helping with the studies of actual problems, which is awesome. I may look for some sources later to back myself up, but just do a search for this stuff and I’m sure you’ll find it.

What I can back up is that the CDC posted an actual survival guide for the zombie apocalypse that got so many hits they had to shut down the website temporarily when it was first released. It was the smartest thing the CDC has ever done, in my opinion. Will there be a zombie outbreak? Probably not. But people read the article anyway, and now they have basic survival knowledge for an actual disaster. Fooled you, America!

So there’s all the stuff you didn’t care about, now on to the fun part: My plan.

I actually have several, which I think is a good thing. My favorite is joining up with my friends and becoming nomads/gypsies. The zombies can’t corner us if we’re mobile. I’ve got scenarios for staying in Boone, staying in the mountains, and even going to the coast to become pirates (can zombies swim?) A few people have said they’d come get me and let me join their group. I think it’s because I can cook. Better start practicing those recipes, folks.

I should be writing my story right now, but the rain stopped and the weather is getting pretty and that makes my mind wander.

Today is freshmen move-in day at App. I can remember mine so clearly, it doesn’t seem right that it was almost five years ago. In all honesty I picked this university on a whim. I was miserable at the end of high school and couldn’t see how life would ever be good. College was just the next step- something I had to do. I knew I wanted to get away, but that was about it. A lot of people told me I’d do well up here so I applied, literally on the last day they were still accepting applications. When I took the tour up here there was something about the mountains that made me feel good about myself again, so when I got in I immediately enrolled. Moving in was crazy and the dorms turned out to be a nightmare, but I made a few friends and was content with that.

Now I’m a 5th year senior and will be graduating in about 8 months. That blows my mind. I have no idea what I’ll be doing this time next year, and that’s a little terrifying for me. I like to know what’s happening next. College, like I said, was the next step, but now there aren’t anymore steps. I could do pretty much anything I wanted. I could do nothing at all. I hope I don’t end up doing nothing at all.

I want a puppy. That puts a few steps in place: Job, new apartment that allows puppies, puppy. Even having that makes me feel better.

Good morning, Internet. I don’t know why I’m up this early during my last week I can really sleep in -.-

I keep trying to decide which recipe I’ll put up next- probably one of my go-to’s. I have several of those that I don’t even really need a recipe for anymore that I use when I want X but don’t want to work too hard to get it.

I started cleaning yesterday! My closet is almost organized and I threw out a TON of old papers, most of them from my freshman year that I never bothered sorting through after I moved out of the dorms. I know, I’m a hoarder. It’s neat what you find when you finally clean out stuff, though. I found some old poems I wrote and concluded that I should never be allowed to write poetry again. I also found some oil pastels I need to use and like 50 pens.

What I didn’t find was my passport, which is why I cleaned out my closet in the first place. It’s at my parents’ house in my room, I’m positive, and I’ve told them this many many times but they don’t believe me and insist I keep looking. IF we find it in time and IF the dates work out, my mom and I are going to Japan this year! My uncle is in the navy and has been stationed there with my aunt and cousins for the past few years, so we’d get free boarding which is the only way we could ever swing this trip. I’m in no way looking forward to the plane ride over there, but I still hope everything works out so we can go. After this year they’re moving to Italy. I’m sorta jealous but maybe we’ll get to go there too! Living in a military family would drive me crazy, I think. Especially marrying into one. It’s been sort of hard on my mom’s family since my aunt has literally been on the other side of the planet for the past few years and crazy stuff has been happening over here. I do not envy military wives, but I have loads of respect for them.