Rosie the Who?

Yes, I'm alive. Yes, I know it's been a very long time. What can I say? College takes up quite a bit of time. I can't believe I'm already done with my first semester of sophomore year. College really does go quickly.
That being said, being in college seems to trigger some sort of marital/maternal instinct in a lot of people. People seem to think that they have to meet their spouse in college. If they don't meet said spouse, then they will become that character in every romantic comedy about the hot mess main character that just can't seem to get their life together. Sidebar: this character usually ends up with some really attractive person, so whose the real winner here? Anyway, I live with three other girls, and I experience this almost daily. Don't get me wrong I love my roommates, but sometimes I feel like I should put them in a mental institution, although I'm sure they feel the same way about me a majority of the time. That's beside the point though, what I realize almost everyday is how different my ambitions are from those of my roommates. For example, Sam wants to be a dentist. But what seems more important to her is being a wife and mother. Don't get me wrong being a wife and mother is a perfectly honorable ambition, but what scares me is the timeline in which Sam wants to accomplish all this. She wants to get married before her last year of dental school. but before she gets married she wants to be engaged for a year, and also have been dating for approximately 1.5-2 years. Oh, and she also has the names picked out for the three children she wants to have. (Two boys and a girl, in case you were wondering). Now if my math is correct Sam would have to meet her would-be husband in the next year. My other roommates have similar, although not as meticulously planned out, timelines for themselves. If I asked them all the question "Where do you see yourself in five years?" their first words would all be the same, they would all begin their answer with "married with children". I mean besides being a super boring answer, am I the only one who thinks that getting married and having kids shouldn't be a person's sole purpose or goal in life? Whatever happened to women in the work place? To women having as much influence in the world as men? Does no one remember Rosie the Riveter? I for one believe that having a career is more important than having children or being married. Whenever a girl tells me that "they were put on this earth to be a mother" all I can think is "really? That's it? That's all you were meant to do with your life? That's just sad." Maybe that's me being cynical and whatnot, but it's what I believe. If college has taught me anything, it's that my ambitions are very different than those of most of the people around me. I can't stand it when I feel like people settle or sacrifice their happiness just to check another thing off their timeline. When you really think about it, what dictates the timeline or lives follow? Yes, you can plan all you want. You can say you're going to be married by 25 and start a family by 27 but what happens when you turn 24 and you're single? Are you going to settle for the next person that comes along? What if that person isn't "the one"? Do you tell yourself over and over again that you love this person and are happy with them until you convince yourself that you really are in love with this person and want to spend the rest of your life with them? Maybe that's the reason why so many couples are getting divorced. They get married under the ruse of love, when in reality they are desperately trying to follow their self-made timeline, then after a few years and a few kids, they realize that they really don't love their spouse. People make it seem like there's no worse fate than being alone or unmarried. But what's worse, being married to a person you don't love, or being "alone" and able to decide your own fate? I think that the moment people decide to follow their timeline instead of following their heart is the moment they decide to possibly sacrifice their happiness. Making these timelines for ourselves is completely pointless. We can plan all we want, but the world has it's own way of going about things, and the universe does not give one once of gravity to your plans. The universe has bigger things to worry about. The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition. So work hard and let life take you where it may. Ive found that some of the best things in my life came about from deviating from the timeline. These timelines may come from tradition, but screw that. So far tradition hasn't really gotten us anywhere.

So I'll leave the meticulous planning to my roommates and anyone else who wants bother with it. As for me, I have goals and ambitions, but if I've learned anything by now, it's that all I can do is work hard stay focused. And I'm not knocking people who want to get married and have kids. I'm sure that's a goal for many people, not just women. But for me, I want more. I always have. As for what "more" looks like, I'm not sure.

So please, think about what you really want out of your life. But if I may ask one thing of you, let it be that you have the courage to pursue and seek out a life that will make you (and I really do mean you in the most selfish way possible) happy. Be that person at the annual Christmas party who everyone wants to talk to because your life is more interesting than theirs. Be the person who traveled the world or wrote the novel or researched the cure for some disease. Don't be the boring person in the corner showing off the pictures of their child on the soccer team that no one wants to look at but are too polite to say anything about it.

The universe may have it's own plans, but we as people have the power to dictate our own lives. Make your own decisions, start your own newer, cooler, better traditions. You can never go wrong if you follow your heart.

Here's to the future,
Leah

Things That Anger Me

I make it a point not to use the word "hate." I think it's an awful word that's led to some really horrible and devastating things, and I don't really think that you can really and truly hate anything. Do you have any idea how all-consuming hating something is? Hate means you are more than willing to physically hurt someone, that you would enjoy watching someone suffer. So it really bothers me when someone says "I really hate my teacher" or "I hate it when my phone dies" or some other crap like that because no, you don't hate those things. Sure, your teacher may be a hardass and yes, it is annoying when your phone dies, but those things are nowhere near being worthy of hate. Nothing should be. Using the word "hate" simply means you're too lazy to think of an accurate descriptor.
Hate leads to riots and violence and innocent people dying. Have you seen what's happening in Libya? That's hate. Your teacher docking you points because you slacked off on an assignment is them doing their job. They should not in any way be hated for that. So it's a real pet peeve of mine when people use the word "hate," because it's not just a word, it's an action and a mindset. Hate is meant to put people down and deny them their basic rights. And there are far too many instances of hate that go on everyday.
Which leads me to the inspiration for this post, which I found while procrastinating on Tumblr.

Let me just say that I like Anderson Cooper. You can always tell how dangerous of a situation he is in based on what he is wearing. Normal day? Suit and tie. Somewhat dangerous situation? Casual button down and khakis. In the field covering a fire fight? Child size white t-shirt, because everyone knows that tiny t-shirts will protect you against stray bullets.

Anyway, I love that Anderson Cooper has the gall to say that to this awful woman. And in my opinion, he's right. And I really admire him for standing up for gay people. Anti-gay people really bother me. I really do not understand what is wrong about being gay. yeah it might be considered strange or weird, but there is nothing wrong with loving someone of the same gender. What I find most appalling about this situation is that a pastor of all people, someone who is supposed to be supportive and a voice of God or whatever is advocating, and even arguing for the death of millions of people by saying that "gays and lesbians should "die out." I mean, how horrific of a person must he be to think something like that? The thought that people like that pastor, and like the woman in this clip exist kind of makes me not want to get out of bed in the morning.
The arguments people use for being anti-gay are so stupid and so archaic that I can barely stand it.
For example, people  really think the Bible is a good reference for being anti-gay? Well in the Bible God killed thousands of people, including innocent children. He also told Abraham that if he wanted to keep his covenant, he had to murder his son. And don't even try to use the argument that God saved Isaac at the last minute-- no good or true God would ever ask one of his followers to harm their child. That's just messed up. Sidebar: Can we please stop using the "God" argument in politics? It does not matter if God is on the side of a candidate or not. I don't know if you've noticed, but neither God, nor Jesus, has ever endorsed a candidate and I don't think they will any time soon. The other thing people bring up in arguing against allowing gay marriage is the "sanctity of marriage."The sanctity of marriage? Yeah, I don't really think that ever existed. "Sanctity" means to be holy or sacred, and call me crazy but I don't think waking up next to the same people for 20 years or being listed as the first emergency contact counts as being sacred. Important? Yes. Sacred? No. You think that cute two day marriage Britney Spears had really upheld the sanctity of marriage? Or what about divorce? Does that uphold the sanctity of marriage. Other people say it's wrong to be gay. No it's not. It's wrong to dislike someone or think less of them, or even think that they are going to hell, without even knowing a single thing about them.
The way I see it, gay people should be allowed to do anything straight people can do, include getting married. (Further, why are we so focused on being gay or straight? Can't we just be people?)
So what if gay couples want to get married? Let them! If they want to subject themselves to the same monotonous love life that straight couples are always complaining about, who are we to stop them?
For me, legalizing gay marriage would have two consequences.

1. Gay people will get married
2. The economy will benefit enormously

And that's it. No apocalypse, no fiery vengeance from above or whatever. Just gay people who love each other getting married. And hey, they will pay to rent a church or a venue and pay a caterer and buy flowers from a florist and do all those things that "normal" couples do. Just look at New York, gay marriage was legalized there and the state of New York made 259 million dollars. Yes, I did just say 259 MILLION dollars. Can you image what other states could do with that money? A lot. That's the answer to that question.

And don't even get me started on the raising children aspect of gay marriages, because that's a whole other topic, but I will leave you will two thoughts.

Gay people don't produce gay children, straight people do.

Simba was essentially raised by two men, and he turned out just fine. Think about it.

I realize this post got a little more serious than my past ones, but I couldn't help it. The nerve of Anderson Cooper inspired me.

So please, be tolerant, be nice, and don't use the word "hate."

Leah

P.S- I now have the strong urge to watch "The Lion King".....

Taylor Freaking Swift

So I just spent roughly 4 minutes of my life watching the video for "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," and believe me, it was not time well spent. I kept thinking "I should be studying right now" or "this is so stupid why am I still watching this" and my favorite "what am I doing with my life?" Yes, watching a Taylor Swift music video made me question my own personal pursuits. But I still couldn't look away.
Watching that video left me a lot of questions though. Where does she find these guys do date and then dump? And what is she doing that makes all these guys dump her? And honestly, if Taylor Swift, who is arguably one of the prettier people in the world, can't maintain a boyfriend then there is probably no hope whatsoever for the rest of us. My guess is that even though she is gorgeous, she has got some issues. Someone once told me that there is a direct relationship between how attractive a person is and how crazy they are. So while Ms. Swift may appear to be the sweetest country belle around, she's probably knitting matching monogrammed sweaters while planning the wedding two weeks into a relationship. I can't help but feel like she is one of those girls who wants every day she dates to be "the one" or whatever and they will fall madly in love and it will look exactly like one of her music videos. The ones about love, that is.
I mean seriously, the girl has had more storybook romances than Disneyland, which is not only not fair, but is also impossible. Hence the need to go around burning pictures and being incredibly passive aggressive while also brazenly cutting her exes down to size. I will give her that, she has got some nerve to write so many songs about her exes. I think though, that this will back fire on her, if it hasn't already. She will begin to only date guys that want a song written about them. As in they will lead her on, date her for a bit, dump her unceremoniously, then get a song written about them. And then they will be able to brag about it to all their friends. Yeah some people not not like them, but those people are 15 year old girls. The other way this will begin to back fire is that Taylor Swift will simply become undateable. Sure, she will always be beautiful, but soon enough guys will just not want to put about with her and her clinginess, and just won't think it's worth it if they are only going to get a song written about them. So my advice to Ms. Swift would be to calm it down on the boy-bashing songs. If she keeps writing these songs, no one is going to want to date her, and then she won't have any more songs to write, then she will be out of a job. And that's when people start collecting cats. Maybe she could write the jingles for the meow mix commercials. But if you ask me, that's a bit of a step down from selling out arenas and world tours.
But in all honestly, everyone has listened to a Taylor Swift song and been able to relate to it completely, that's why she's so popular. She can never get married though, she would run out of things/guys to write about.
So here's to Taylor Swift, and more importantly, the guys who have dumped her. Without those jerks, we wouldn't have her.

Leah

P.S- Bonjour France! I love your food. And pretty much everything about you.
P.P.S- Can't forget about Malaysia. Although I have to say, seeing you guys in the audience was a little surprising, but I'm very glad to have you. Come back soon, and tell your friends.

Dating in College

Let me just start this out with the admission that I am not like most girls, trust me on this. I have never had a real boyfriend, never been "taken home to meet the parents" and have never introduced any guy to my parents. Hell, the only boys I really spent time with this summer were my horses. This admission doesn't bother me all that much, although it sets me apart from a lot of the girls I go to school with who think their weekend is a bust if they didn't hook up with anyone. Yeah, don't let the Jesuit Catholic thing fool you. College girls, for the most part, are college girls. Anyway, given this information about me I still find that people generally come to me for relationship advice. Why? I have no idea. Do I look like a relationship expert? For example, one of my suit mates recently broke up with her boyfriend of two years, and has embarked on a new conquest. Side note: my suit mate is one of the nicest people I know. She's pretty quiet, but the moment she told me "when it comes to boys, I like them dark," was the moment I knew she's got a little bit of a dark side. But every time something happens with Ramon she comes into my room to ask what she should text him back or to give me the details of her latest conversation with him. Every time this happens I just look at her like "why are you asking me this? Who do you think I am, Cosmo?" and I just answer her in the most logical way I can think of. Is that it? Do people think I'm great at relationships or whatever because their minds are so clouded with love/lust that they can't think straight? The world may never know. But in my time as a relationship guide, I have found that there are several kinds of couples.

1. The Forevers

You know the couple, the people that met the first week of college at the ice cream social and haven't looked back since. One of my closest friends went through this. But with a twist, she met her "soul mate" while dating his room mate...just a little awkward. Anyway, for weeks I had to hear about wonderful and great her new boyfriend was and about how amazing it was that they had matching freckles on their hands and what they want to name their kids and on and on it went until I was seriously considering throwing myself off the closest lofted bed to end my suffering. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally happy for my friend and am glad she's found someone, but come on, I just don't think it's possible to know that you want to marry someone when you're 19. Not only that, but when you're a freshman in college. Who knows where your life will take you? What if you get jobs in different cities? Does one person have to sacrifice an amazing opportunity just to be with the other person? Smells like future resentment to me. My apprehension with the "forever" couples is that if you get married right after college, then you basically only know your life with the other person, and what if being with that other person limits your perspective? You know it's true too, that's why every movie about couples and love has that couple that's been together forever that resents each other because that's just it, they've been together forever and are tired of each other. I'm sure the idea of spending your life with someone seems appealing to many, but it scares the hell out of me. But maybe that's because I can barely commit to a sweater or e-mailing someone back, let alone being legally bonded to someone 'til death do us part. 

2. The Clingers

The couple that wants to be the forever couple, but at hopelessly incompatible. Maybe they met at a sports game where the prissy girl who hates sports wanted to meet a cute baseball player. Or maybe they met while they were both pre-med or pre-law and one is trying to be a gold digger who is now a management major. Whatever the reason, there are those couples who just stick around too long, who get too comfortable and don't want to change their routine. The thing about these couples though, is that they usually hate each other. They are usually so different that the only thing that brought them together was the feeling of "I can be anyone I want to be in college!" which is true to a certain extent in the sense that your high school reputation may be forgotten, but it doesn't mean that you can totally reinvent yourself. We are who we are. So clingers, get yourself together and get the courage to not be in a bad relationship anymore, you're better than that(usually). 

3. The Lingerers

Very similar to the clingers, but with an added element of baseness. These couples are just waiting for the other one to break up with them so they don't have to seem like the bad guy, but at the same time they are seeing people on the side. It's pretty awkward really. Is it really that hard to break up with someone? Once again, man up and save some face. You've only got one, you know. 

4. The Haters

You know that couple, the one who, when the other isn't around, constantly bitch and moan about what stupid/awful thing the other person did recently. These couples are usually made up of a douchebag guy and a girl who likes "bad boys." I think this is the couple I despise the most, because the girl is clearly trying to "change" the guy and the guy just knows that he can copy a poem off the internet, tell her he's sorry and that she's beautiful and "the only girl for me" and then everything will be forgotten. I'm pretty sure relationships like this happen because of romantic comedies, romance novels, and "Twilight", because every girl wants to be the girl that tames the bad boy/recluse/supernatural being. Think about it, who doesn't want to be that person that gets the guy/girl that no one else can get? It's why girls love movies like "Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast", because they are that special quality that makes a super handsome and rich guy finally want to change his ways. The thing about that though, is that things like that don't happen. The rich guys are pimply nerds who would do anything for a pretty girl to cough on them, and the handsome guys are the jerks who treat girls like dirt. So girls, if you're dating a loser in college, dump him immediately, and for good this time. Don't listen to any of that "I'll change I swear" crap. And if you're a jerk reading this, you probably don't know you're a jerk because you think the way you act can be classified as "swag" or some other complete nonsense. You are also cordially invited to never read this blog again. 

If you belong in any of these categories, it may be time to reevaluate your relationship, and probably your life. What's wrong with being single? I've been single my entire life and I'm no worse off for it. I don't have any of those "trust issues" girls are always going on about. And I've never had to have a picture burning session(I'm talking to you, Taylor Swift). Coincidentally, every one of these couples may be accompanied by a Taylor Swift song, because she is the voice of our passive aggressive/bi-polar/somewhat psychotic generation. 

I hope this rather lengthy post has made up for my lack of posts lately. I guess I had more to say than I thought I did. 

So here's to "the ones that got away,"

Leah

P.S- Nice to see you again, Russia

P.P.S-I would like to extend a warm welcome to Australia, making their first appearance on my blog audience listing. Hey, did you guys actually like Steve Irwin, or was he kind of annoying, like he's your Kim Kardashian? 

Too soon? 

I have brillant friends

Those moments where you think "wow I'm glad I know this person" is probably one of the best feelings ever. Really it should go right up there on the list next to waking up on a rainy day and being able to enjoy the sound of the rain on your window while you fall back asleep, or when a stranger gives you a compliment. I had one of those moments recently. I was talking to a good friend of mine about starting school again, and my general disdain for tacky freshman, when she provided me with this brilliant idea:

Believe me I know it sounds morbid, but
come on, how can you not laugh?

Anyone who has been anything older than a college freshman knows exactly what I'm talking about. And freshman, let this be a lesson to you-- do not wear a lanyard, you look like what you are trying desperately not to look like. 

I know I've been absent for far too long, but fear not, being back at college has already given me plenty of material. 

So here's to great friends who make you laugh when you need it most. 

Leah

Holy Batman, Batman

I finally saw "The Dark Knight Rises" last night. I don't consider myself a film expert or whatever, but wow that's a good movie. Just...wow.
Side note: who eats hotdogs in a movie theater? Honestly.
Anyway I really wish that Christopher Nolan would make 39 more Batman movies. I would definitely watch them, who wouldn't? Anyway, I've also decided that if this whole college thing doesn't work out, I'll just become Catwoman. That would be a cool job. You know, besides the whole constantly running from the police and whatnot. But come on, you get to steal from greedy people, wear a cool outfit, and hang out/fight crime with Batman. And for the record, I would never sell out Batman to Bane, Christian Bale is too pretty to be treated like that. Shame on you, Catwoman. Oh, and double shame on Miranda Tate. She has got some serious Daddy issues. She could have lived happily ever after with Bruce Wayne, but nnooo should just HAD to destroy Gotham instead. It has got to be a lot of work to hold a grudge for that long.
I get that Wayne Manor is super old and fancy and whatnot, but seriously Bruce, would a nice throw pillow or couch you could actually sit on kill you? Put a little life in that place, it's a house, it's not a mausoleum. I think Bruce Wayne would be a lot happier if he got a dog. Everyone knows that dogs make people happy, and if anyone needs a little happiness in their life, it's Bruce Wayne.
Jonathan. Gordan. Levitt. That is all. Except that if he's Robin, doesn't he need Batman?
If I was Alfred, I would be so pissed at Bruce. And come one Bruce, be nicer to Alfred! He raised you!  How could he not tell Alfred that he fixed the auto-pilot? That's just mean. And wouldn't he at least want to talk to Bruce in Florence? Not even to ask him how he's doing? That just seems a little unrealistic to me. I was going to be so mad if Batman/Bruce Wayne died. That would have been....so awful.

All in all though, "The Dark Knight Rises" is a great movie. If you haven't seen it, go see it. Although I pretty much just ruined it...oops.

So here's to Bruce Wayne(and Christian Bale), making all other men look like fat, lazy, dishonorable slobs since 2005. And to all the girls that immediately dumped their awful boyfriends after seeing Batman.

Leah

P.S- nice to see you again, Russia. How are things going with Vladdy?

Hasn't Colorado been through enough this summer?

I was going to write a different post, but it just didn't feel right in light of what's happened in Colorado. There's honestly nothing I could say to make it better. It's baffling to me that someone could want to inflict so much pain on a group of people they do not know. All those people wanted was to go see a move, a movie about a superhero. When really that theater needed a real hero to save them from something they did not know was going to happen. It's completely frightening and deeply saddening to think that this phenomenon of mass shootings has become a part of our lives. It seems like no one is safe anymore, even in a crowd.
I really hope that someone figures out how to put a stop to all this. I guess Alfred was right, some men truly just want to watch the world burn.
God speed,
Leah

Well hey there.....

I know I have betrayed all 3.4 of my readers with my complete and total lack of blogging lately. But hey, I've been busy. It's hard too write when I'm not in school, constantly trying to procrastinate. Also, being witty and hilarious is slightly taxing.
There's too much to write a blog post about everything, so here's a condensed list.
"What I've done so far on my summer vacation"-pictures included
1. Slept. A lot.
2. Thanked baby Jesus at least twice that I no longer have to climb up and down a ladder every time I want to get in or out of bed.
3. Baked a lot of, well, baked goods. Cookies, cake, bread. Seriously I'm like the weird lady down the street who bakes for literally no good reason. This is also putting my parents at risk of developing diabetes. Maybe I should stop baking....
4. Riden/showed a lot. Basically an excuse to show off pictures of my boys. And yes, my horses are my boys.
Cooper

Langley

Riding has, so far, taken me to exotic places such as Mason City, Roscoe, Des Moines, and Long Lake. The destinations may not be that exciting, but what happens there certainly is.
5. Working out/running. Lakes, lake shore, neighborhoods. Yeah, I'll run around them. And in case you were wondering, shin splints suck. Working out at a gym has also given me a lot of material for another blog post. Stay tuned for that little piece of heaven.
6. Spent fourth of July in Lutsen. I sailed,

I ate at the happiest place on earth

And discovered some really creepy "art"

Small towns, such as Lutsen, are the greatest.
7. Read a lot of books. Mind you, not very intellectually stimulating books. Well, except for "Anna Karenina". That is some serious stuff. Russians do not mess around.
8. Ran into some people from high school. And avoided them at all costs. Weirdly enough, I saw one of these people in Lutsen. Rather awkward. More on this later.
9. Got a twitter. YES I KNOW I'M SORRY!! Just think of it as a mini blog. I'm not cheating on you I swear! But I only have 3 followers, so clearly it's not a big deal. Yet

Basically, it's been a pretty good summer. And it's not even over yet.

So tell all your friends that I'm still alive. And to the Russians: please stop trying to kill yourselves by jump off various things, it's scary.

Very much alive,
Leah

Broken bones

Whoops, I guess I didn't keep my promise to blog more often....

Yesterday one of my best friends broke three bones in her wrist. Ouch. Needless to say, her misfortune reminded me of when I broke my wrist. It's a little weird actually, we both broke our left wrists when we fell off our bay mares, but Elizabeth definitely hurt her wrist more. Although I managed to sprain my ankle at the same time that I broke my wrist. When I fell I thought I had broken my ankle, since that hurt more than my wrist. But since I pretty much hit the ground face first, I was more concerned with the fact that my  mouth was full of arena dirt. And yes, I do realize that I am one of the most elegant and classy people alive. Generally I'm pretty against going to the emergency room, I've always taken the view that if some ice and tylenol helps you feel better than the ER just isn't necessary. On this occasion however, I decided that since I could barely walk or move the fingers on my left hand, that the ER might just be a good idea. Little did I know that the next 24 hours would be quite interesting.
When I got home and informed my Dad that we needed to make a trip to the ER, the next thing I asked him to do was to ask him to zip up my sweatshirt, because by that point I didn't have any function in my left hand. Never have I ever felt more like an infant than having my Dad zip my sweatshirt up. So we get to ER, check in, and they immediately take my blood pressure and whatnot, so at this point I thought that this whole thing would be over quickly. Oh how naive I was. After that they sit me back down and I must have waited for 2 or 3 hours before they actually called me back. And it's not like they were attending to people left and right, there was barely anyone going back into the actual hospital. I contemplated faking chest pains to see if that would move things along at all, but decided that I might get in trouble. When I finally did get to go and have X-rays taken my wrist was really swollen and my ankle hurt so bad that I could barely walk, but the oh-so considerate nurse just kept walking down the hallway in front of me, occasionally looking back at me like "Hurry up gimp I've got work to do." So after the X-rays were taken they put my in one of those stalls and a bed and a curtain. And, of course, they made me put on one of those backless gowns, even though what they had to deal with was not even remotely covered by said backless gown.
By this point I was very annoyed, tired, and shamefully enough, slightly emotional. What made this whole situation even worse was that there was a deranged lady screaming "I DON'T WANT THEM PUTTING ANY TUBES IN ME TO KEEP ME ALIVE!!!" a few beds down. This did very little to reassure me that hospitals are a place of healing. So while the very nice murse(male nurse) was putting a splint of my arm that went form my fingertips to my shoulder, I kept berating him with inane questions about how long it would take to heal. He couldn't tell me anything, but instead asked what happened. So I had to tell the story for about the 34th time. It was at this point that they decided to give me some pain meds. I think they were really trying to get me to calm down, but the pain meds just made me more loopy, so when the doctor finally got there I was getting to be quite a handful. I'm not talking yelling or breaking stuff, but I was really anxious to get out of there so I was really insistent on getting some answers. I couldn't count the number of times the doctor asked "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?", because I'm sure he thought I was crazy at that point and was just looking for an excuse to validate my behavior. But no, I was not acting that way because I hit my head, I was just being my lovely, graceful self. 
We finally left the ER at about 11:30 with me in a giant splint, sling and ankle brace and headed home, but not before we hit the Walgreens prescription drive-thru. Classy stuff right there. I'll leave the actual cast stories for later, I figure this is enough crazy for one post.

Also, am I the only one who is disappointed that real-life doctors don't look the doctors on Grey's Anatomy? It would make the waiting much more bearable.
Leah

Walmart and Hotels

That's right, you get a special combo post.
I'm back in Nebraska, Gretna specifically,  for the weekend, and am staying in the oh-so luxurious Holiday Inn. I think what really pushes this hotel over the top in terms of grandeur is it's incredibly close vicinity to Walmart. And everyone knows that Walmart is the epitome of class and taste. Also, there's a giant RV stationed in the parking lot of this hotel. I don't know why, but nothing quite says "I watch NASCAR and have 56 cousins" quite like a giant RV.
There's something about staying in a hotel that makes someone compartmentalize your life. Mini soap, mini shampoo, mini conditioner, mini lotion, mini closet, pint-size towels. What is it with the mini craze? So after struggling to get enough shampoo out of the tiny little bottle and spending ten minutes trying desperately to lather the tiny soap I'm expected to dry myself off with a towel the size of a kleenex(interestingly enough, hotel towels usually have about the same amount of absorbency as a kleenex). After you've completely soaked a few "towels" and turn on the TV, all you can manage to find is ABC family, which is, of course, playing yet another showing of a Lindsay Lohan movie. And even after going through all the channels several times and finding nothing but awful gameshows and the Home Shopping Network, you finally settle on the Lindsay Lohan movie you've seen 94 times before. The other thing about hotels is the continental breakfast. People go nuts for a "free" breakfast. This morning when I walked into the breakfast area and was confronted by the usual suspects. First, I was nearly tackled by some kids already on their first sugar rush of the day, having eaten all the cinnamon rolls and syrup they could get their hands on. Next there came the mothers trying to coral said kids, but to no avail. Then of course there are the complacent dads, who are trying to ignore the fact that they have children, and grandpa types who scowl endlessly at the loud kids while trying to watch the news. Really all a person can hope for is to survive the breakfast area and get out unscathed with a muffin.

On this trip I have found myself with quite a bit of free time, so naturally I have wondered over to Walmart to occupy myself. I honestly believe that Walmart is a detrimental organization, but in a pinch, it will provide some good entertainment. I suppose that's the reason why PeopleofWalmart.com came about. Anyway, while wondering around the place I noticed several things.
1. Do not buy fish from Walmart, for they look as though they have infected with the plague. They all look so sad and depressed. I kid you not, I saw a goldfish hanging out with its body at a 90 degree angle to the bottom of the tank, but it wasn't moving at all. I'm no fish expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not natural. The fish that were moving though, looked like they were trying to make a break for it. I wish them well.
2. The exercise equipment is very dusty. Judging by physiques of the majority of the other people at Walmart, this doesn't surprise me. Who goes to Walmart to buy a treadmill? Apparently no one. But really, could none of the many Walmart employees that seem to be standing around dust those poor treadmills?
3. Speaking of physiques, it seems that in order to be admitted into Walmart your shirt must either lack sleeves, be so short that it exposes quite a bit of stomach action. It is also encouraged that your shirt be camouflage, or embellished with the face of your favorite NASCAR driver, or maybe have a seemingly clever saying on it such as "I do all my own stunts" or something equally inane. As for pants, those are completely optional. Your shirt may even double as a sort of half-skirt if you wish. Really, let your inner stylist out.
I'm sure I've motivated you to rush over to the nearest Walmart and see these wonders for yourself.

It appears as though there is a Latin/Spanish music party going on outside my ground floor window(serial killer alert!), so I think I'll go hang out with them next to the giant RV,
Leah

The Avengers

The Avengers may also be known as "4 guys and a girl we had to include to make it look like we aren't all-out sexists"

Two days ago I saw "The Avengers", and ever since then I find myself being mad that I do not have super human powers, a super cool/futuristic suit, cool gadgets, or a hammer that only I can lift. Also, if I could have the hair of Thor I would die happy. Honestly, the man has the best hair. It's never frizzy or tangled, and is always perfect. Any woman would kill to have Thor's hair. As you can tell, I am very jealous of every Avenger. Except maybe the Hulk. It would be super awkward to wake up in random places, naked, and not remember what I did to end up in said random place. You would think Mark Rufalo would think ahead and maybe pack a pair of pants and a shirt so he could avoid the awkwardness, but I guess no one would take the Hulk seriously if he was wearing a fanny pack, even if he was killing aliens. But I guess he is a super genius, so maybe that partially makes up for it.
At any point did Tony Stark think about switching out his suit for a new one? I've got to believe that he has multiple suits, and he could have helped himself out by switching suits. I can forgive him for this though, as he is the sassiest of the Avengers, and I can appreciate that. I also noticed that there were only about 2.8 seconds worth of film that featured Captain America wearing the hoodie part of his costume. Honestly, that costume shouldn't have a hood. There's no need. Too high of a risk of messing up his hair I think.Clint Barton/Hawkeye is the Legolas of the Avengers, minus the amazing hair. Does every action/epic movie require that a male character has to have great hair? Anyway, I guess he's got the exploding arrows and gadgets that Legolas didn't have. Did the Black Widow never get too hot in that outfit? You would think that she would come up with something a little more breathable.
I thought the movie was really good, but I have one problem with it. After effectively destroying New York City while saving humanity, couldn't the Avengers have stuck around a little longer to help clean up? I mean come on, they totally could have at least cleared some debris or picked up some alien corpses on their way out, but no, super heroes were never taught to clean up after themselves. But no, they just had to rush off to wherever they go when they're done saving Earth.
I don't know why The Avengers couldn't stick around, I guess they had stuff to do or whatever, what I do know if that there is going to be a sequel. And probably several spinoffs, so get excited for that.
If there are any super heroes or future Tony Starks out there, call me.
Leah

Yes, I am still alive

Apologies for the lack of posts as of late. I finished school a few days ago, after going through "hell week" as it is usually called, otherwise known as finals. No matter how much you try to prepare for finals, you always end up staying up way too late and being nearly asleep during the final you stayed up all night studying for. One night, after walking back from the library in a thunderstorm at 2 in the morning, my friend and I found ourselves watching New Girl at three in the morning while eating nutella and animal crackers. That's the other thing about finals, you are on a strict diet of junk food and other various unhealthy food. You wouldn't normally eat stale girl scout cookies and chocolate for breakfast, but during finals that's a balanced meal. Heard of the freshmen fifteen? Well now there's the finals five. Especially end of the year finals, when you're also trying to get rid of the rest of the food in your dorm. It's dangerous.
 It's weird to think that I'm done with my freshman year of college. It went by so quickly it's hard to remember everything, except that time I embarrassed myself in front of some very attractive soccer players. I remember that perfectly.
I promise I will post more consistently, but right now I need to go unpack. When did I get so much stuff? I swear it grew and multiplied during the ride home.
I have to say though, I do enjoy not having to wear shoes in the shower.
Leah

Random Observations

1. When did the use of grammar become an attractive trait rather than an assumed skill?
I'll admit it, I find that when someone knows the proper use of your, you're or to, too, and two, I automatically find them to be more intelligent. And every time I see a FaceBook update with grammar errors or bad spelling I immediately start to think that the person that posted said status is an idiot. And yes, I realize that you may view that as harsh or whatever, but there's such thing as proofreading...Anyway I find it really sad that proper grammar has indeed become an indication of basic intelligence, rather than an intrinsic skill. Maybe I'll organize a fun run titled "5k for grammar ignoramuses" and get one of those big publishers clearing house checks to present to the winner at the end. But first, they will have to pass a basic grammar test. Or better yet, I'll pair with Zoolander and make the "school for people who can't grammar good".

2. Women who draw on their eyebrows make a serious decision about the mood they want to be in for the rest of the day.
Be careful with all that power. I'm looking at you, Ru Paul.

3. Calculus sucks.
Who do mathematicians come up with integrals and derivatives and all this other stuff that is really not applicable to anything, and then force us to learn it? I'm a business student, not a math student. I highly doubt I'm going to need to know how to take the second derivative of a function. It also doesn't help that my calc professor is one of the weirdest people I think I've ever come into contact with. He has a a pretty crazy beard. Like ZZ Top caliber beard. But he is also bald, so this adds to the drama of the beard. He wears cowboy boots everyday, paired with semi-dress pants and seer-sucker button down shirts. You can imagine how off putting this is. He does not look like someone who teaches calculus, but who makes furniture out in the woods and doesn't believe in the internet. Along with his appearance, he also loudly enunciates certain vowels of words. So he will be going along in a lecture and all of a sudden "as you can see-AAHH, the DERivative is very simPLE and then all you have to DOOO plug in you'RE x AND y VALUes."
It's quite disturbing really.

I hope the rest of you will have a better day than I'm currently having,
Leah

Not so "dead" week

It's the week before finals here at Creighton, and for some unknown reason, it's been dubbed "dead week". At any normal institute of higher learner this week would consist of more office hours and review sessions, but very little class so that students are able to review for their finals and ask any questions of teachers. Seems logical, right? Well here at Creighton they decide to still have the normal class schedules, but many professors also choose to have many tests and papers on this week, just to make it extra stressful. Our "dead" week is like most peoples' finals week. Really what happens is that people get through dead week and spend the weekend calculating the minimum score they need to get on their finals in order to pass or get a B or whatever. For some people finals week is a marathon of slacking off and sleeping. But for the majority of us, it's a week of no sleep, eating every last bit of food that's left in our dorms, and procrastinating to the point of ending up in the weird part of YouTube. Don't act like you've never been to that part of YouTube, everyone has.
The other pain of getting to the end of the year is having to pack up and move out. I remember touring Creighton and thinking "how the hell am I going to fit anything in those tiny rooms?!" and now I look around and think "how the hell did I fit all this crap in here?" It's baffling really, a feat of science. Soon my dorm will be crawling with parents. Moms yelling at their sons about not doing laundry or cleaning their rooms or generally having any sort of hygiene at all. Daughters making their dads dismantle futons and closet organizers and carry boxes and boxes of clothes down several flights of stairs. There will be cursing, and yelling, and maybe some crying, but it all leads to summer. And that is totally worth it.

I guess that means I could throw away my printed out schedule from first semester,
Leah

The weird people that sit next to me at the library

I know I need to be writing my paper write now, but this is way too important to not talk about. The last two nights I've been in the library studying and writing my paper, and the last two nights I've managed to sit near some really weird people. Last night, the guy at the table over from me was the loudest mouth breather EVER. I swear, it was like he trying to exhale as loudly as he possibly could. It sounded like he was really frustrated with something, you know like when you're thinking about something and you kind of hold your breath, then let it out and it's pretty loud. Yeah, he was doing that, but in an extra obnoxious way because somehow he managed to make noise while he was inhaling as well. Who does that?? Anyway I kept looking at him hoping that he would get the hint and stop doing it, but no. And he caught me looking once and then wouldn't stop looking at me while he was exhaling. Long story short, I moved immediately.

And tonight, I have the class act who broke out a tin of chewing tobacco at the table next to me. He brought a fresh spot cup and everything. And he's washing that down with some rockstar. What a refined gentleman. Seriously though, who still thinks chewing tobacco is cool...? I google imaged "side effects of chewing tobacco". DO NOT DO THIS. Unless you like looking at gross things, just know that there are things that cannot be unseen. Chewing tobacco has got to be one of the grossest things anyone could do. Ugh.

Why me?

Leah

The Waiting Game

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, been pretty bogged down in homework and such. I'm currently in the middle of trying to finish my research paper. Remember? The one I wrote about that I couldn't bring myself to do? Well now I kind of have to do it...

Of course I thought it would be productive to let my brain have a little rest and write a much needed post. The topic of today's discussion: roommate shenanigans. Thankfully my roommate is generally a lovely person who doesn't wake me up when I'm sleeping, play obnoxious music, or has people over all the time, but she does have her quirks. For example, I think she thinks it's my job to take out the recycling. I know the bin is on my side of the room, but she puts stuff in there, so it's not my full responsibility. I take it out all the time, mostly because it gets full within about 5 days of me emptying it. It mostly gets full with plastic bottles(naturally), but most of these bottles are hers(I know this because I don't drink Vitamin Water). Every once and a while I get tired of being the only one to take out the recycling and decide to just leave it and see how long it takes until Christy takes it out. Well, it's been about 2 days, and the recycling bin is about as full as its ever been. Bottles are place precariously atop the piles of other bottles. I mean seriously, how can you see that and not just take the stupid thing out?? Who knows, maybe this will last until the end of the year....

In other news, my roommate also cut off all of her hair. 18 inches, to be precise. She said she "needed a change", which is perfectly normal, but damn, 18 inches all at once?? She's brave I'll give her that. I'm still not quite used to her new hair yet though, and I've found that when I walk into my room and see her with her newly shortened hair, I think "Dear God why is there a strange boy in my room???!", and proceed to have a mini heart attack thinking said boy is going to turn around and stab me before I realize that no, that is not a strange boy, that is my roommate. I guess the new haircut keeps me on my toes.

Well, I better get back to that paper that makes up 40% of my final grade....

Leah

The Wonder that is Post Secret

If you're not reading PostSecret, you really should be. Seriously, I give you permission to stop reading this blog and go look up Post Secret. I promise you won't regret it.

The way PostSecret works is that people make a postcard, write their secret on it, and send it in to this guy, Frank Warren, who puts them on PostSecret.com. Part of what makes PostSecret so great is the art that often gets displayed on the postcards, they often don't look like postcards, they are often so personal that they look more like mini pieces of a person's mind.

I discovered PostSecret a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. The vast range of emotions that you will experience while reading the secrets is truly astounding. Sadness, intrigue, pity, regret, relief, happiness, surprise, sympathy. Those are only one tiny fraction of words to describe the secrets that people send in. Often times one secret holds many emotions.

Those are just a few of the emotions displayed in the secrets from this Sunday's edition. I think what I love most about PostSecret is the community it's created. People come together to read the secrets every Sunday, and I think most people can relate to a lot of them. Some more than others obviously, but for the people that send in their secrets, I think it's a relief to have shared your secret in a way that does not hurt those directly around you. It must be quite freeing actually. Also, I think people love PostSecret because there's a chance that someone will have the same secret they have, and in sharing a secret, they may not feel so alone. I've found that I've discovered things about myself by reading the secrets about others. Sometimes I realize I have a secret or feeling that I didn't want to acknowledge outwardly before I read that someone else made into a postcard.

Below I have listed a few secrets from the latest post, one loving, one funny(and mostly true), and one incredibly shocking and scary, and one of triumph and redemption.

Please, go to PostSecret and discover for yourself the wonder of PostSecret. I promise it will change the way you look at things.

Leah

"There are two kinds of secrets: those we keep from others, and those we keep from ourselves"

-Frank Warren

Registration is the thing I love to hate

For anyone whose gone through college, or the stress of registering for classes, I'm sure you can relate to my pain. You would think that colleges and universities would have found a fair and efficient way to register people in a way that allows people into the classes they need for their major, but apparently this is far too difficult for anyone to achieve, as I have most effectively been screwed over by this system. I had registered for classes on Tuesday and went back in to look at my schedule today to look it over, only to find that all the classes I had previously registered for had somehow been cleared from my schedule. I don't know how this happened, but I am now only in one class, and can't get into any other classes because all the classes are full. So tomorrow I'm going to have to put on my stern face and go "talk" to whoever I need to talk to so I can actually be considered a full time student next fall. It won't really matter what anyone says to me about this either, because I'm going to stay mad about it. Even if I get the schedule I want, this should have never happened in the first place. You know, Creighton, I'm paying you a lot of money to take these classes, so why are you making it so hard to register?? Honestly, it's like they're taunting me.

Very uncool Creighton.

Leah

The After-Vacation Slump

I'm currently in my Rhetoric and Composition class, and my professor is talking about a ten page research paper that I was supposed to have most of the way done by now. It's a ten page research paper, and I have maybe two good pages, the rest is just random ramblings on the subject that don't really go anywhere. I know that at some point I'm really going to have to sit down and really work on it, which I know I will do because this paper is 40% of my final grade, but I just can't bring myself to do that right now. You may be saying, "well just get yourself in gear and write the stupid thing!", and believe me, I've said that to myself many times, but my mind just will not get back into school mode. This happens to me after coming back to school after being home for any amount of time. This post-break slump is really quite dangerous, as I cannot concentrate for more than 5 minutes and frequently put off homework and other required things. It's bad, it really is.

For me, this slump of being extremely lazy usually lasts a couple of days, the I suddenly realize that I need to stop watching weird videos on YouTube and get back to work because, oh yeah, I'm at college to get an education and a degree. There's usually quite a bit of panicking and self-cursing when this moment finally happens, as I begin to realize exactly how much work I've put off that I now have to complete in a short amount of time. Especially now that I only have about 3 weeks until the end of the year, now is not the time to really slack off and take my time.

Moments of clarity, though very helpful and extremely necessary, usually make me realize just how much I don't know yet.

Leah

P.S- Sorry for the heavy dose of reality, I'm sure you were hoping for something a little more whimsical.

What up, Russia?

After checking my blog stats, I have found that I'm getting a a large number of page views from Russia. So I thank you, the people of Russia, for taking a break from drinking Vodka and walking around St. Petersburg Square to read my little blog. Mind you, the only experience I have with Russia is the book "Crime and Punishment", which is of course a great novel about personal morals and the grey area between right and wrong, but I'm going to go ahead and assume, for everyone's sake, that not everyone in Russia goes around killing the elderly and generally being nasty and mean to each other. I'd also like to congratulate Russia on the election of their new Prime Minister, are you happy to have Putin back or no? Or is it you, Vladimir, whose reading this blog for advice on the young adult demographic? A word of advice, try not to look like you're about to blow up the world, being a scary-looking guy doesn't help your odds with any demographic. Let me know if you need anymore advice, Vlady. I got you.

To Russia with love,

Leah

Easter Break

Here's a tip, if you're in need of a break between Spring Break and Summer, and you're finding that high school just doesn't provide you with this luxury, then attend a Catholic college. See, Catholics think Easter is a big deal, and I never really felt the same way until now. Because now, because I go to a Catholic university, I get not one, but two days off for Easter. It's a glorious thing. I don't exactly know why we need two days off for Easter, Friday for Good Friday I guess, but why Monday? So we can all have an extra day to worship the resurrection of Christ? More likely, I think they give us Monday off because they realize that people will celebrate the end of lent a bit too much and will need Monday to recover/repent for their end of lent celebration sins.

I love being home from college. It's one of the best things about college, because you realize how good you had it in high school. Meals are not prepared in large vats and served by people who clearly hate their job, you don't have to wait in line for said mass-produced food, you don't have to pay for laundry or use a key to get into your room, and you know for certain that you have your room to yourself, that your roommate won't come in at any given moment. I also appreciate that there's a door I can actually close while in the shower, and that I don't have to use a shower caddy to cart my shampoo and conditioner back and forth. Another great thing about private bathroom is that I don't have to witness people leaving the bathroom without washing their hands after using the toilet(seriously, I have seen many people do this, didn't your parents teach you to wash your hands??). Also, my dogs are are here, and they are always happy to see me walk into a room, my roommate on the other hand, doesn't not give me the same happy and enthusiastic response. I think that's one thing people miss most about their home while they are away at college, their dogs. Admit it, you miss your parents, but you seriously miss your dog.

Perhaps the greatest thing about being home, for me at least, is the quiet. I'm one of those people who likes some quiet now and then, and I find that silence is very hard to come by in a college dorm. Everyone slams their door when they leave their room, has loud Skype sessions in the hallway at two in the morning, and are obnoxious pretty much all the time. It also doesn't help that I live above the rowdiest boys floor, which routinely has Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers tournaments until three or four in the morning, quite loudly, I might add. Don't get me wrong, I think Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers are some of the greatest games ever made, but I don't want to hear you screaming at someone else to "suck it" because you beat them around Yoshi Valley at three in the morning.

So all in all, I love being home from college. Good food, my own bathroom, and no obnoxious video game tournaments to keep me up at night.

Now don't get too crazy on Sunday after lent, I don't want you to get a candy/alcohol/Facebook/swearing hangover.

Leah

P.S- Did you know that people actually give up Lent or religion for Lent? Well, now you know.

The weird/awkward/funny/confusing/ridiculous things people say to me

I've always felt like I'm the kind of person people don't tell frivolous things to, but I guess I was wrong. Log that in the book of things I've learned at college. So without further adieu, the first installment of the "weird/awkward/funny/confusing/ridiculous things people say to me".

1. "It doesn't look like you had any trouble with the freshman fifteen!"

I'm a CUStar, which basically means I'm a tour guide. Yes, I walk backwards(only sometimes!) and wear the dorky, non-fitting polos, but I like it because people ask me the weirdest questions and say some weird stuff. Like the mom of the young man I gave a tour to two weeks ago. We walked into the dining hall and I was explaining the various meal plans when the Mom went, somewhat jokingly, "Oh, so I guess this is where you gain the freshman fifteen". I know she meant it as a joke or side comment, but then she followed that with "Well, it doesn't look like you were affected by the freshman fifteen!". And that's when things got a little weird. I mean it's true, the freshman fifteen didn't affect me, or anyone I know for that matter. I think this mom just had a classic case of word vomit. It was just one of those thoughts that somehow slipped past her "don't say this out loud" filter and her mind couldn't reel in fast enough before she spoke it. So to that lovely mother from two weeks ago: Thank you for the compliment(I think), and keep working on that filter.

2. "What qualities do you look for in a spouse? What would you name your children?"

Both of these questions were attendance questions posed in by my philosophy. Now normally these questions would be a little weird outside of a classroom setting, but it gets even more awkward when you're in a classroom, and the class is taught by a Jesuit priest. Most people didn't think these questions were weird, but come on, how is it not weird for a guy who can neither get married, nor have kids, to ask a bunch of 18 and 19 year olds what they think their future life will look like. Is he trying to live vicariously through us...? I just think it's ridiculous for people so young to be thinking seriously about this kind of stuff. I find my philosophy professor to be pretty ridiculous, and to be somewhat offensive as well, but that's a story for another time.

3. "peanut butter dipping station"

This, believe it or not, was said by my philosophy professor. I find that he says a lot of odd things. I don't really remember what we were talking about, but I do remember that he, the professor, was deliberately trying to make a sexual innuendo. Pretty creepy coming from a portly guy in his 50s who has vowed to be celibate...

Have you enjoyed the first edition of "the weird/awkward/funny/confusing/ridiculous things people say to me"? I'm sure you will now start to notice all the odd things people say to you now. Seriously though, if you really think about it, it's amazing what people will say out loud.

Leah

College 2

I know, I know, my most uncreative title yet. But seriously, what else would I call it? Anyway, I have more college observations/survival tips. Ready to take notes?

1. Most girls absolutely live for theme parties. It's like their drug, and fraternity and sorority date parties are their fix. It's an epidemic. Dr. Phil should do a special on it. The trashier and more demeaning the theme the better. Golf pros and tennis hos, CEOs and secretary hos, playboys and playgirls, and unfortunately, the list goes on and on. And of course, there are the staples: neon, 80s, and celebrity couples. But of course everyone shows up as Britney Spears during her head-shaving phase accompanied by Kevin Federline. I do not understand why people get so excited about these parties. Every time one comes around everyone runs out to the dollar store or goodwill to buy hideous clothes that they will never wear again. Oh, so you're really going to wear that cutoff jean jacket with the rhinestone heart on the back of it after the party tonight? Yeah I didn't think so. Said jacket would, of course, be worn for a white trash theme, and would probably be completed with some American flag shorts. It doesn't matter who throws the party either. Osama Bin Laden could be hosting a theme party, and girls would still go. Any excuse to put on their leggings, workout leotard, and sequin scrunchie, and every girl is there.

Don't take this dislike of theme parties as a dislike of parties all together, though. I'm perfectly willing to go to parties and hang out or whatever, but please, for the love of all that is holy, do not make me wear a neon pink trucker hat in the process. That's just offensive to truckers, really.

2. If you're in a long distance relationship when you start college, you will most likely not be in that relationship for very much longer. I can't tell you the amount of people I met during welcome week who adamantly stated that they had a boyfriend/girlfriend back home or at whatever school. When asked about said significant other every person would get this far-off look on their face like they were 80 years old thinking back to their "glory days". The thing is though, 95% of the people who try to make a long distance relationship during college work, especially during freshman year, will break up with their boyfriend/girlfriend before Thanksgiving. This break up usually happens after allegations of cheating or suspicious Facebook pictures resulting in a tearful phone call and lots of crying in the showers, and no one wants to see that. During my time at Creighton only one of my friends has managed to stay together with her boyfriend. But they fly back and forth to see each about every other weekend, so I don't think that exactly counts as a long distance relationship, it's more like an interim relationship. And whenever he is here she always seems to be yelling at him for something, so I don't know. Relationships often mystify me, maybe because I've seen a lot of bad ones and very few good ones.

Seriously, be glad if you come to college single. No one needs that pressure, and you'll probably end up saving yourself the heartache. For those people that make it work and don't cheat on each other, I commend you. Long distance relationships are not easy(like I would know, but whatever) and if you can pull it off and be happy, then good for you. But college is the time to try to figure out who you are, and I feel like a lot of people still define who they are by who they are romantically attached to, and I just don't think that's healthy.

3. Continuing on the relationship trend....for those who come to college single, many of them will believe that they are going to marry the first boyfriend or girlfriend they have in college. Just like the break up of long distance couples, I've seen this happen time and time again. It's even happened to one of my best friends. The hours I've spent listening to her go on and on about how perfect he is and how they each want four kids, but first they want to travel and have good jobs and they want a traditional church wedding. I could go on, believe me, I could go on for hours, but I don't want to put you through that, as I'm sure it would make you want to harm yourself, as I wanted to do just to get out of those conversations. Don't get me wrong, I love my friend, but during the first two weeks of them dating, all we would talk about was how great her boyfriend was. Didn't matter if I had something I wanted to talk about, whatever I said would just lead right back to more boyfriend talk. Eventually I'd heard so much of her talking about her boyfriend that I started to do this impression of her gushing about her boyfriend. It's not mean or anything, her boyfriend even thinks it's funny. Someone even asked me to do my impression of her at a party recently.

My point is, I don't understand how people can put so much pressure on themselves with their relationships. You're not even old enough to drink legally, so why are you already planning your wedding? Sure, a lot of people meet their husband or wife in college, but a lot more people don't, and personally, I don't think that college is the ideal place to find a spouse.

--More on all this a little later, I should probably go to sleep...

Leah

College

Creative title, right? If you've read my "about me" section you would know that I am a college student, and attend Creighton University. Creighton is a Jesuit Catholic school with the academics to match their Jesuit Catholic mission, "to develop the whole person. Mind, body, and soul". I've found this "message" to be rather common though, as most schools want you to feel like you are getting more than an academic education. And for the most part you are, but sometimes I think colleges try to sell the whole "best 4 years of your life thing".

Side note: If college is the best four years of my life, than what do I look forward to after college? Mediocrity? No thank you.

Anyway I feel like I've not only learned a lot in my time at college, but have also encountered some strange situations, which I will now share.

1. You will be friends with the same types of people you were friends with in high school. Let's get real, there are only about three months between the time people graduate high school to the time they start college, no one changes that quickly. The popular girls with be friends with the popular girls, the athletes will hang out with the athletes, and as always, the thespians will always hang out with other thespians. It's simple human nature; we go with what we know. Herd instinct. It's where we are most comfortable. Not that I feel like this has limited my friend-making possibilities at all, but for all those people who tell you "college is different than high school", on many levels, they are wrong. At the same time though, I know I will be friends with a lot of the people I've met here for a really long time, so I don't really care what the popular girls, athletes, and thespians are doing. It's frankly none of my business.

2. You will get locked out of your room at least once. It's like the cosmos reminding you to bring your keys with you everywhere. Just pray that when this happens to you, you are fully clothed. I did not have this luxury. I had just returned from the shower, and naturally, was only clad in a towel. When I realized my door was locked, I had to go down to the front desk to ask for the spare key, then proceed to ride up the elevator with four guys. Yeah. That was a tad awkward. The irony of this was that when I left my room to take a shower my door was unlocked and my roommate was in the room. Turns out she left and locked the door, not realizing that I was in the shower and did not have my keys. Which leads me to my next point...

3. You are going to have roommate issues. I don't care if you're best friends and you decided to room together. Also, do not live with your best friend, living together will most likely cause you to not be best friends when the semester/school year is over. Trust me on this. Do yourselves a favor and do random roommates. Now, random roommates also come with their pitfalls. My roommate is rather unobservant, as evidenced by her locking me out while I was in the shower. She once locked me out while I was in the kitchen right across the hall. I've stopped trying to understand her reasoning, because honestly I don't know if there is any. Roommate issues are an integral part of college, and I think they do a lot to teach you about yourself. You may learn you have an annoying habit or below average hygiene practices, and if you learn these things from your roommate, then I think he/she has done you a favor. If you end up being best friends with your roommate, then please realize how lucky you are, and don't take it for granted.

4. Boys are no different in college than they are in high school. Again, there is only about a three month span of time between high school graduation and the start of college. Boys are not going to morph into mature men in that time span, sorry to crush any of your dreams. They are still just primitive creatures who really only want food, sleep, and beer. And sure, there's a lot of girl chasing involved for college boys, but they don't really seem to care about what they say or do comes across to another person. I once walked out into the neutral zone of an all boys floor and a guy made steady eye contact with me and said "I called dibs on you." And by "dibs" he meant that he had told all the other guys that they could not flirt with me. Seriously. How do I know this? Because "dibs" is a part of the sixth floor rules. If a guy calls dibs on a girl, she's his until further notice. No stealing of another guy's girl. By the way, I've spent very little time on that floor since. Sure, some college guys have girlfriends, but that segment of the population is slim. The population that are actually nice to their girlfriends is, unfortunately, even smaller. Someone once told me that "college boys are sssooo much better than high school boys!". I've learned that this is a flat out lie. I don't know what kind of guys she was meeting, but it appears as those she is a student at one of those colleges in a movie, you know where all the guys are super good looking and are always playing various sports sans a shirt. And of course, they are all very courteous and charming and want to be doctors or whatever. I'm sorry to crush your dreams for a second time in one post, but these colleges do not exist. Boys are boys. Simple as that. And if you're lucky enough to meet a guy who treats you right and does not call dibs on you, be sure to keep him around.

There's much more that I've learned in college, but I figure I will all this earth -shattering information sink in a little before I dole out anymore of my college knowledge.

Did you notice the rhyme there?

Leah

Well...Now What?

I've been grappling with how to continue with this blog all day. I've gone back and forth between different topics, and I think that each topic will be, and needs to be discussed at some point. But as of right now, I'm stumped. The kind of stumped you get when an authority figure asks you for some kind of simple fact about yourself, such as your birthday, and your mind goes completely blank. Of course you know your birthday, but when forced to recite it to someone, you suddenly question yourself. It has occurred to me that writing a blog must have been much easier if I had started when I was younger, therefore the chronology of things would have been easier to deal with. I have not lived a long life by any means, but I feel like I've lived a decently full life so far, and I just don't know where to start frankly. Do you really want to hear about my childhood? My awkward middle school years? God knows I don't want to relive those years. In my mind, grades 6-9 are like a blur of bad outfits, the emergence of acne, and the realization that the same girl I was friends with in elementary school was now only interested in boys. Boys. They ruin everything don't they? Middle school was when liking boys officially became a thing. Far more important than anything else was who like who and all the drama and nonsense that comes with it. I can remember being approached by an Abercrombie & Fitch clad girl who had just applied a fresh coat of lip smackers lip gloss and the conversation went something like this:

Popular girl: "So-and-so said that so-and-so thinks you're cute?"

Me:"uuuhhhhh, what...?"

Popular girl: "Do you like him?"

Me:"I guess so, he's nice"

Popular girl: "No, I mean do you like him like him??"

Me:"......."

I soon discerned that the emphasis on the word "like" equated to whether or not I wanted to be corralled into the same general area as said boy and be forced to talk to him while the people who orchestrated the whole thing looked on and giggled manically. The two people at the center of attention would barely be able to speak to each though, on account of sheer embarrassment. Come to think of it, that experience reads something like a gladiator scene from ancient Rome, two opponents thrown into the ring, while only the crowd gets enjoyment out of it. At least those gladiators had training and what not, awkward middle school kids with hormone levels higher than the Empire State Building have no defense against the perils of beginning to notice the opposite gender.

Did I go too far in comparing bloody gladiator fights to middle school girl-boy interactions? Oh well, one thing you will learn about me(if you keep reading this blog), is that I often make comparisons, and say things, that are really out there.

Are you intrigued yet? I think a far better question though, is are you not entertained??

And admit it, you totally envied those expensive Abercrombie & Fitch clothes all the other girls had in middle school. Aren't you glad we are past that stage in our lives?

Well I guess it wasn't that hard to find something to write about after all...

Leah

Wait...what?

I'm sure the very small amount of people that have read the title of this blog have wondered, "What the hell is a Leanderthal?". Well wonder no more, as I am here to tell you. It's a creative little name my lovely sister came up with. At first I was a little offended, but I thought about it and decided I really like it. As a "young adult"(I hate that term, it sounds like an awful clothing department in JCPenny) in college, I often find myself grappling with questions of how to proceed into the future. Thoughts such as "should I take business law or intro to business analytics next semester?", "which macroeconomics professor is the best/easiest?", "if I go to the people-currently-saving-the-world meeting, discover there's no food and leave right away, does that make me an awful person?", "What am I going to major in????", and my personal favorite "DEAR GOD WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE??!". But I've found that only time will reveal the answer to the questions constantly careening through my mind. So, like the Neanderthal, I will eventually learn to use tools, walk more upright, maybe become less hairy, and maybe, just maybe, I'll become a highly functioning member of society. I mean, isn't that why I'm going to college?

But seriously, I never cease to be amazed to look back at where or what I thought I would be a year or two ago and see just how far off I was. Hell, last week I thought I would be a different person than the one I am today. My point is, the Neanderthal didn't know he was evolving until he saw a monkey who looked remarkably similar to him, and too often I don't realize how much my perspectives and goals change until I'm reminded of what they used to be.

So here's to evolving, nature moving us forcefully forward while we wallow in our own thoughts.

Now go and discover fire,

Leah

P.S- as much as some people hate the idea of changing and not being able to do anything about it, can we all agree that evolution did us all a favor by getting rid of human tails?

Just Beginning

I started this blog because a good friend of mine suggested it. I've always been a fan of putting pen to paper, as I think people spend far too much time in front of computers and on their phones in the first place, but hey, if I can make the internet a better place, and a place worth spending more time on your computer, then why not?

Mostly I feel like this blog will be a place where I can stay connected to people, to tell stories of my daily life that I find interesting or amusing. Who knows, there may even be a comment or two about current social events. Never fear though, this will not turn into one of those crazy political blogs that goes way over the top. I know this will not happen, because I have a particular distaste of those types of blogs, and for those types of people. Or maybe if I'm bored in class and want to look like I'm doing something, I will write a blog post. What a good student I am. Anyway, I hope anyone that happens upon this blog will enjoy it, I do not expect to be famous, but if I end up getting millions of followers and they turn my blog into a movie(I'd be fine an HBO miniseries or Lifetime TV movie), then I wouldn't object to that.

Until later,

Leah