"Ayo/ I'm tired of using technology"

I'm typing this on my brother-in- law's iPad. I can already say the full keyboard isn't that easy and contractions are about to get eliminated from this post. But still... I will probably be fighting the urge to purchase in a few months.

I am sort of a hypocrite. I will denounce something only to own it a few months later. When the iPhone first came out, I was so sick of the commercials ALL THE TIME. But sure enough, I got one three months after it came out.

I thought the same thing about UGG boots only to get a pair from my sister's friend when I was freezing and desperate for warmth. While I still think UGG boots are not attractive, they are comfortable. In the words of michael Ian black: it's like sticking your foot into a sheep's butt.

Also skinny jeans; why would anyone want that? Aren't jeans supposed to be comfy not constricting. Then I got a pair of boots I wanted to tuck my jeans into (another fad I initially scoffed at) and the bootcut just wasn't cutting it. Hence my purchasing of two pairs that I now long and perhaps wore with ballet flats today when I originally resolved to only wear them with the boots. Oops.

I'm sure there are million other examples but those are the three off the top of my head.

Okay the typing got bit easier. So we might be adding the ipad to the list.. Christmas is coming up. Wink wink.

"Callin like a collector/ Sorry I cannot answer... And you're not gonna reach my telephone"

Sometimes I realize I am way too dependent on technology... especially my iPhone or just cell phones in general. I especially realize this when I need to tell one of my nieces something and my first thought is "Oh I'll just text them". Yeah, 8 year olds don't have cell phones. But that doesn't mean I don't have this thought once a week: Oh, I should ask SD if I can borrow her American Girl books when I talk to my class about indians next week. Oh it's a 8:30, she's probably asleep. Well I can just text. Wait, she doesn't have a cell phone. Oh well. I can just email her..... Nope. Can't do that either. Ugh. Why can't she just be fifteen already?!

Just kidding, I don't want her to be fifteen. But I do wish she was easier to get in touch with.

"You were all by yourself/ Staring up at a dark grey sky/ ... The moment I saw you cry"

"Sometimes I just get tears in my eyes when people cry in movies." -My seven year old niece MG. Me too, MG, me too. She said this extremely teary-eyed (/apologetic) during Ramona and Beezus. Not going lie--I had only been watching for the last thirty minutes of the movie and I was quite choked up myself.

I'm like MG. If anyone cries in any situation, I get rather choked up. I don't know when I became this way that I tear up during a freaking Johnson & Johnson commercial (They are pledging to their unborn/newborn babies!! It's precious!), but it can get rather embarrassing in public situations like movie theaters.

The movies that without a doubt can make me tear up are:

-The Blind Side. During the scene where Micheal Oher was collecting half-eaten bags of popcorn in the gym, my sister turned to me and said "This is the saddest movie I have ever seen" and we were only like 35 minutes in.

-Remember the Titans. Four words: Left side, strong side. SOB.

-We are Marshall. This wins the award for making me break down in the first ten minutes. Congrats for the additional twenty sobs. And it was Matthew Freaking Mcconaughey! Matthew Fox, sure, but Mcconaughey. I'm such a wuss.

Hmm... I'm seeing a pattern here. Football brings out the tears. Ironic since it's such a manly sport.

But in non-sport related movies:

-Up. Another one where I lost it ten minutes in thanks to the marriage sequence. I also blame this on Michael Giacchino's score. He's also the reason why I cried during more episodes of LOST than I care to admit (75).

- A Walk to Remember and The Notebook. But Nicholas Sparks can make me sob merely through his words so movies derived from his novels shouldn't come as a surprise.

- Titanic. The original tear jerker. Well I'll surely never let go, Jack.

- Marley and Me. Holy crap. You knew the movie wasn't going to (spoiler alert) end well. I mean you saw it coming from a mile away and I still broke down every single time Marley got sick and when the inevitable happened. I also read the book after seeing the movie and cried like a baby too. Really anytime Jennifer Aniston cries. I don't know what it is about her, but I feel for her.

Oh and apparently we can add Ramona and Beezus to the list. Well the last thirty minutes at least.

"And you'll think you've gone as far/ As you will ever get"

OH! I figured out a way to up my "perfect crime" theory. Refresher: I always worry about leaving my laptop unattended in places in Panera or Starbucks. So sometimes I either rush really fast or I ask a respectable-looking person to watch it for me. But I always worry that the "respectable person" is the one who is going to steal it. Seriously, perfect crime. Or so I thought...

If you were going to be deceitful and a bad person who steals other people's laptops, here is a way to gain a little more trust than just looking respectable and friendly: Wear scrubs. I mean, who doesn't trust a doctor? A doctor who is on their lunch break eating a sandwich with those gentle, healing hands as they possibly fret over trying to come up with a way to save Susie while they sip on a sweet tea.

The only reason I came up with this idea is because I just asked a doctor to watch my stuff. But obvs, he didn't steal it since I am typing this up on my laptop. Cause he is a real doctor and is making the big bucks and doesn't need to steal my five year old laptop for a quick buck.

"Oh oh I want some more/ Oh oh what are you waiting for"

Oh heeeeeey Panera. I almost forgot what you looked like on the inside. Yep, since SO is done, it's back to trying to find a job. I've gotten to the point where I am just sending a resume to any company where I feel like I am "somewhat" qualified. I mean I have no experience, I have no skills, gotta do what you gotta do. And also, let's do an Observations/Thoughts since it's been awhile! Here we go (Fun fact: I always say this in Natalie Portman's southern drawl from Where the Heart Is. Bonus points if you know from which scene)!

-The best part was a job posting yesterday where you had to call a number and listen to a five minutes message from the president which basically said "I'm awesome and started this company when I was 18 and now I'm even more awesome. I believe you get what you put out so if you're not awesome, don't work here cause we only accept awesomeness." Frankly, the guy sounded like a d-bag but if I worked with him and he liked me, I'd probably like him. Yep, I'm shallow and wishy-washy with my opinions. So I spent all this time crafting a cover letter and hitting the points he mentioned in the message about his expected criteria. And so I finally hit send and I immediately get a message back. Oookay. "Due to the large volume of interest in this position, we are conducting group interviews Wednesday MARCH 24th" aka: the day BEFORE I sent the email. Awesome. You'd think Mr. Awesome would have thought to change the message or something. Oh well, he sounded like a d-bag anyway.

-So I searched for copy editor just now and "What?! A copy editor is needed in Atlanta. ONLY FIVE MILES FROM MY HOUSE?! I can totally do this. It for an outdoor magazine. I mean, I can try to fake that. I mean I ran on the IM fields occasionally in college. I sit outside and watch my nieces play. Sometimes. * continues reading * Oh I must be an expert in fishing and hunting. Yep, can't fake that. Moving on."

-And then, there was a position for a proofreader. My thought process: "Oh I totally correct people's grammar all the time (at least in my head). This was made for me! * continues reading* Must have a great understanding of html coding, and other technical talk that I can't even remember and repeat for the sake of this blog post." Soooo... no.

-All this "upload your resume and we will grab information and inset it into the application" technology doesn't work. I'd rather it be blank since I just have to go back through and correct everything.

-I have also really discovered I use Twitter to complain. I went to the post office earlier today: Someone in line did not smell good. As I was assessing the people in line, the untidiest looking man who I believe to be the culprit made eye contact and looked me up and down. Ew.

-Then I went shopping and got locked in the dressing room. And apparently the door locks/ gets stuck a lot because the employees were like "Oh it locked. AGAIN. Guess you are sleeping in the store tonight. hahahaha" They didn't tell me they were doing anything to remedy the situation and I was pulling on the door so hard the frame was popping out of the ground. Finally I got let out. I also complained about this incident on twitter.

-Since the weather has been nicer, I am inclined to drive with my window down. There has been construction all along the road lining my neighborhood since I would say June if not before. And these construction workers apparently feel obligated to live up to the stereotype of whistling, cat-calling, etc at young girls driving by with their windows open. I do NOT enjoy this. And therefore, complained about it on Twitter.

-Panera is crawling with high school students and it's only 2:30. Must have been a half day. Oh to be so young and naive. And think you are way cooler than you are. But hey, I used to be one of those so what can you do? But now I'm an unemployed college grad so I AM cooler than you.

-Chocolate chip bagel was DELICIOUS.

-I HATE these salary questions. I am a recent college graduate. I only worked summer jobs before so I feel stupid typing in "well I only made this much an hour". Then it's like how much do you expect to make? Dude, I don't care! I just need to support myself. But I don't want to sound greedy but then I don't want to lowball it. Annoying. So I just pick the lowest option and hope I sound humble and that I won't be taken advantage of.

-I enjoy so much when these sites give a progress bar. This current one does not. Boo.

-I do not enjoy when these sites send you a million emails when you submit a resume, submit a cover letter, submit your application. Just compile it all into one so my poor little inbox doesn't almost explode.

-This will mean nothing to any of you besides former roommate AW (and I don't even think she reads this). AW is sometimes confused and sometimes cheers for Florida basketball (when Georgia isn't playing) cause she used to be a FL fan before she reformed her ways and saw the light. So there was this guy, I wanna say his name was John, who made fun of her cheering for FL, we saw this guy ALL the time so we started calling him Florida Fan, even to his face (hence why I am unsure of his actual name) even though he did not cheer for Florida. So this was years ago but we would still see him every now and then in the last months of college. So then I thought I saw him at the Starbucks I frequent once I moved to Atlanta. Several times. If nothing else, it's his look-a-like. And now I'm at Panera and not even the one really close to the Starbucks and he's here! I wonder if he recognizes me. That was a lot of background for a very worthless story.

-Ultimate coincidence: he is sitting with a man wearing a Florida Gators hat and shirt. So you know, I automatically don't like him.

-But (possibly fake) Florida Fan brings me to this thought: I always just want to ask the professional people sitting around me if they are hiring anyone. I mean that's how Heidi got her job at Bolthouse; she met him in a bar (there's a little Hills trivia for you). I'm look respectable and job searching in Panera on a Friday afternoon. I'm a good person! Hire me! It could happen!

-Why does this $300/day for being an extra pop up in EVERY SINGLE job search. And not just once but like fifteen times. I don't want to do that. Why isn't this on a talent/ modeling/ acting site? Although they do film The Vampire Diaries in Atlanta.... maybe it's for them! Maybe I should look into this. Oh Ian Somerhalder. I just googled his name to make sure I spelled it right (I'm all about the quality) and I think it's so funny how "Ian Somerhalder girlfriend" is the second most popular search as it always is with all these boys. Because tons of celebs date and marry girls who googled them on the internet. If only....

-OneRepublic's sophomore album "Waking Up" is FANTASTIC. Oh UnoRepublic. I love you. Never go away.

-I also am listening to several songs from American Idol (that's right. I watch it. I'm not (that) embarrassed) thanks to a handy video2mp3 converting site. My favorites you ask? Casey James and Lee Dewyze. I can get on board with Siobhan and Crystal and Big Mike. I have the most Casey songs but I always enjoy Lee. There's my opinion. I know you were dying to know.

-Some of these requirements are ridiculous. "Must have 10 years previous experience" "Must be able to lift 20 pounds".... to be an administrative assistant? Seriously? No wonder this job posting is still around.

-Oh yeah, months later and I STILL can't log into Monster. I finally made a new account using my UGAmail address.

- It was dumb of me to put my "Job Search" tab RIGHT next to my "LOST" tab. I always start to click the LOST and have to move over. Even subconsciously, I just want to read what other people said about the Richard episode and all the little things that I missed. So tempting. Must. Fight. Urge.

-The couple next to me are talking very animatedly-- lots of waving arms and hunching over to emphasize a point and gesturing. It's very distracting.

-The man got up and he is wearing very bright blue pants. Prompting me to look at how bright his pants are. And it may have looked like I was checking out his booty. But seriously, they were freakishly neon.

-I truly love the iTunes Free Single of the Week. It's how I found out about Owl City's Fireflies, Lady Antebellum's Love Don't Live Here Anymore, and Asher Roth's I Love College. Unfortunately they have been sucking lately. Then they gave us a good one with Neon Trees' Animal and now it's back to sucking. Too bad. Here's to crossing fingers for next Tuesday!

-I have seen several girls with purple purses today. So brilliant. Goes with so many colors. I am jealous.

-I really love epic music. Like songs that are used in the trailers for movies like Lord of the Rings and, hate to say it, New Moon. And The Lovely Bones trailer had some epic music I was able to track down thanks to sites dedicated to figuring stuff like this out. I am currently listening to it and I sort of want to go partake in battle or beat someone up or something. Well not really but sorta.

-The worker keeps cleaning the tables around me, but my table was empty when I got here and it is very sticky. Maybe it was before his shift started.

-A job posting I think I could do is taking FOREVER to load. Oh what to do, what to do?

-Oh no. After refreshing and reloading the page is blank. Figures.

Alright, I'm cold. It's four and I tried. Time to call it quits.

"I'm like a bird/ I'll only fly away/ I don't know where my soul is/ I don't know where my home is'

Twenty-five out of twenty-eight chapters done for the second round of editing. I have never been so sick of myself in my life. Reading words I wrote, characters I created, little lines I thought were so cute and witty--- I hate it all. And it's not even like I can simply skim over it. I have to actually read it for little mistakes like "begin" when it should really be "being". Ugggggh. But apparently you are supposed to really hate and lose faith and never want to look at the book again for a few months before sending it out. So that's good news cause I am totally there.

I basically spent my entire weekend at Starbucks editing. I would start off so enthusiastically: "Oh I am starting on chapter 6. I can probably make it to chapter 20 in a few hours and call it a night." ...Two hours pass... "Oh no, I'm only on chapter 8. How did I waste two hours on two stinking chapters. Okay let's try to make it at least to chapter 15." ... Two more hours pass... "Chapter 12 is done? Okay, all finished for today."

But I mean really, it is 359 pages and 111,043 words. TOO. MUCH.

Do you enjoy little stories about my stupidity when it comes to editing? Well here come some!

- Leaving off the "-n't" completely changes the sentence. Obvious? Yes. But I know what I am trying to say but sometimes I don't read what I've actually written. I've made this mistake at least twice in crucial sentences.

- I have a lot of "gripping" in the book. Seats, chairs, podiums, tables, banisters. But I guess that makes sense since my characters don't breathe properly. They need all the help they can get.

- ERRONEOUS COMMAS. Seriously, I use them like they are going out of style and I found them on super clearance with an additional fifty percent off. I have to stop.

- There are only so many ways to say someone wraps/ curls/ slung their arm around your waist or shoulders. And I pretty much just listed the three ways to do it.

- Luckily in my Advanced Composition class (a fancy way of saying non-fiction writing) we talked about editing and how to get the most punch out of a single sentence by omitting unnecessary words (even though we students argued that we put in the fluff to meet the teacher's ridiculous page/word length requirement). But this has come in handy while editing especially in terms of possession and the word "of". Why say "the edge of the table" when you can just say "the table's edge"? Sure it only saves me two words but multiply that by 1,000 and this thing is probably 2,000 words shorter than it could have been.

- And thank you B'Way in AP English for teaching me not to split the infinitive. See? I even did it just now: "not to split" instead of "to not split".

- "Just" is still a problem. But I've just accepted it by this point. And no I did not purposely use it just then. Or then. I'll stop now.

- Definitely found a few spots where I used my sibling's real name instead of their character name. Most certainly will be doing a search of each person's name before this whole thing is done. So pretty much in three hours.

- Two of my favorite words I like to use: Nonetheless and albeit. Don't know why I love 'em but I do and always have.

- I have overused the word "surprised" and its synonyms. Apparently my characters are easily impressed (well, that or dumb).

- And the absolute worst part of editing: I have the scenes so clearly imagined in my head. I know what I need to say, I know what I need to get across. So I will be editing and find a word that I don't care for. So I think for a minute before coming up with an awesome new amazing word. So I delete and replace the stinky word with the new word. I give myself a mental pat on the back and continue on my way. Only to skip down three lines and... oh... I already used the perfect word here. So that's why it seemed so perfect. And it's back to square one.

And seriously, people watching at Starbucks never disappoints. Yesterday the terrible twosome reappeared with their mom and her much younger boyfriend/fiance who felt the need to make out in the middle of the place. Classy. I also found out the satanic children's names and am fighting the urge to change my brother's name in the book since it is the same as one of the little demons. Here were the highlights from our encounter:

1. The older boy came in and yelled, no, make that screamed, at one of the workers that he needed a cup of water. George the Worker held up a finger (not the one I would have chosen) and said "One minute, I'm with a customer". Well the kid kept screaming until finally someone else got him the cup. Which he promptly took to a table and wrenched the lid off and spilled, I'd say, 1/4 of its contents on the table and floor, stuck his straw with the paper still on it into the cup, and ripped off the now wet paper and threw it on the ground. It was at this point that I actually gave the children, yes children, dirty looks. They were behaving horribly and I was appalled.

2. The younger boy was eating a brownie or a cupcake or something and dropped it on the ground. The older brother stepped on it with his shoe and mushed it onto the floor, refusing to lift his foot. The little boy still ate it when it was finally relinquished two minutes later (he also spent these two minutes spinning in circles directly next to me yet again).

3. I did see the mom's boyfriend/ fiance throw the kid down in a chair outside and grab his face and scream at him for sliding across the hood of the mom's convertible. But it was probably more so for doing potential damage to the car as opposed to actually disciplining the little hellion.

Fortunately, the kids weren't there today (Just for the record, the first time I wrote that sentence, I forgot the "-n't". I have a problem). But I did get to encounter this:

Yeah, that's a parrot (that talks and scratches its master's head with his beak) in the middle of Starbucks. Does this not violate some type of health code? My best friend in high school was terrified of birds. It's a relatively common fear. I sort of wanted to see someone freak out. One lady kept her distance while clutching her chest but that was the best I got.

There was also a high school aged looking girl (named Haven, I saw it on her notebook) who sat down with what I assumed was her dad at the table next to me. Haven kept turning around and looking over her shoulder in my direction. There is no way to make some feel more self conscious than doing this 50 times in 10 minutes. You can think I'm exaggerating but I happened to look at the seconds on my clock right when it was a new minute and I thought, hey just for kicks, let's count how many times in 60 seconds she looks over. I didn't pick a particularly active minute just to prove a point. It was a completely random minute. How many times in sixty seconds? FOUR TIMES. Multiply that by the 30 minutes she was sitting near me and I actually fought the urge to ask her to switch seats with her dad so she would at the very least stop glancing over her shoulder and could just look straight ahead and out the window. At first I thought she was just trying to see the parrot since the man did go outside but then I guess she was just waiting on her math tutor to get there. Haven, staring is rude but so is blogging about strangers so who I am to talk?

Oh and way to get your act together Atlanta. BEAUTIFUL weather this weekend. Hard to believe there was snow on the ground a week ago. Let's keep it in the sixties this week, please!

"When all you've got to keep is strong/ Move along, move along like I know you do"

Round one of editing: Done! And what does that mean exactly? Wellll, I knew going into it there were certain chapters where I was going to have to increase the description and detailing because I sort of slacked on it in the beginning. And there was a certain aspect were I needed more examples of it, so I had to write it. So I've now increased the final page count to 356 (ten page increase) and the word count is 109, 643. Do you know how insane that word count is? I think that once you go over 100,000 it can't even show it in the little box anymore. I broke Microsoft Word!

Speaking of Microsoft Word: They need to release a hip, updated, down-with-today's-lingo version. I ran spell and grammar check for the first time today and it seriously took forty-five minutes. And more often than not I was hitting "ignore" as opposed to taking one of their suggestions. Words that should be included and not get the squiggly red line of death:

-iPod, earbuds, and playlists. Yes, iTunes does play a role in the book. :)

-Woah, Geez, and "oh my gosh". For some reason "oh my gosh" gets the green grammar squiggle. Not sure why.

-homegirl, douchebag, skank. Terms of endearment? Nah.

-Lip gloss. No hyphen necessary.

-No space necesssary in "Coldplay" or "gameday"

- Text, texted, texting. Oh geez, the red is freaking out on here too. THEY ARE WORDS. Text messaging is a main form of communication today, just accept it Microsoft.

Also, I heard on What Not to Wear or maybe my sister told me after hearing it herself that purple is a color that compliments virtually every skin tone. Some of my friends (I'm looking at you HW and NV) have some of the cutest dresses I have ever seen. The color of previously mentioned dresses? Purple! So apparently, I've remembered this fact in my subconscious because anytime I've mentioned a skirt, dress, top, nailpolish on any of the female characters, what has the color been? Purple. And I feel like I'm now overcompensating on overusing purple and now it's almost been completely eradicated. I wish I could be cool and "a producer on LOST-like" and have it so that the colors are symbolic of the mood or represent an action but, I'm not that cool.

Literature also plays a role in the book and I really wanted to be cool like they are on LOST and have the books mentioned mirror themes in the book. But since I'm sort of not 100 percent sure what my "theme" is, I couldn't really accomplish that. Maybe in the next one, if there is a next one.

Also, a little vent time: I really don't care for parents who treat Starbucks like it is a playground for their kids. There are no clowns, animatronic mice or happy meals here, so please leave. This one lady, I've seen her around before and I'm sorry but she has always seemed a little strange to me. Anyway, she comes in today, by herself, and then starts talking to this other woman. A good five minutes later, her children who had apparently been playing outside unsupervised came waltzing in. They had little toy guns and were shooting people and running back and forth down the pathway in the restaurant. There is another woman who frequents Starbucks and has a cane so she has trouble walking (she gets the VIP treatment from the employees) and one little boy crashed right into her, causing her to be off balanced. Any apology from him or the mother? Nope. She is too busy yapping at the table in the complete back of the store. One little boy stood about three inches away from my table and spun in circles for two minutes straight, obstructing the path through the restaurant. It was at this point that I seriously contemplated getting out my phone and taking a picture and tweeting it. I wouldn't have even been discreet. If he (or his mother) saw me I would have said "Yeah, I'm sharing with the world what a little brat you/your kid is. You should be embarrassed." And the little boys were playing outside, again unsupervised, where there are cars and potential kidnappers. One kid was climbing onto the newspaper stand and pretending to shoot his little brother. These kids were only 4 and 6 for the record by my guesstimate. So then the four year old came in and told his mom he was thirsty and she gave him her debit card and told him to get it himself. Are you serious? A four year old? And then this sweet grandmother lady was there with her two grandkids (who were perfectly behaved) and the boys are running around and she said to the barista "I don't know who they are with" because she too was befuddled by the complete lack of parenting and supervision by their supposed mother. I seriously think you should have to pass a test or take a class or something in order to become certified to be a parent. It was truly appalling. And I have no problem with children. I have seven nieces. I've worked at a day camp. I babysit. There was even a precious little girl yesterday at Starbucks, toddling around and picking up bags of coffee and putting it back. She was precious with her little curls and light up pink sneakers. These little hellions today though, they were an entirely different story.

Oh I also apparently have a "Attention Creepy Old Men: PLEASE Talk to Me!" sign on my forehead that I am unaware of. Well this man wasn't creepy but he came up to me the other day and started telling me how he has owned several different Macs and apparently one like my iBook but it had a seam on the keyboard so he sent it back to the store. Are you confused? I was too so I just nodded my head along until he had to leave after a few minutes. Another old man raced up to me and asked if I was on the internet. I said no and that you have to pay to use it and he corrected me by saying you need a card and then just walked off. It was strange. Oh and there is a man who makes me think of Ralph Lauren and he is super nice when we have to share the outlet. I like him.

And seriously some of the conversations you overhear when your iPod is switching to the next song are unbelievable. There was a lady with a crystal hanging over a map or diagram of some sort and yelling on her phone with a client who had apparently lost someone and was very upset. Why she chose to do her line of work in the middle of a corporate company like Starbucks and not out in nature is beyond me. She also asked Mr. Fake-Ralph-Lauren if he had ever lost someone. Maybe I left out the part where Ralph Lauren is at least 65 if not 75. He answered his parents and she replied "I just knew it". Thank you Captain Obvious. Cause a 70 year old is still going to have his parents around. And they talked some mumbo-jumbo for a few minutes. And then I heard the tail of a story where she said when she turns 60 later this year she is going to get a tattoo on her butt that says "I Love Steve" cause she made a bet with herself when she was 40. She was a whackadoodle.

"These are my confessions/ I just wanna live when I'm alive"

So I'm hitting the point in the book where I KNOW what is going on. Shouldn't I always know what is going on, you ask? Yes, yes I should. But I don't. Pretty much making it up as I go along. But this part right now, this is part that I've known for a long, long time. Maybe not so much when I initially came up with the book but rather at some point in college when the book "grew up". Yep. So that means I spent over four hours at Starbucks today writing. I was rather unaware of how much time passed and my only indication was my growling stomach since I hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was almost five. But since I was there for several hours, I got a few items for an Observations/Thoughts list. It's been a while since we've had one of those. So here we go!

-This guy has been sitting next to me in the other comfy chair studying for a while. Well actually he was sitting at a table and then moved to the comfy chair. I think he is going to regret his decision to switch seats because instead of studying he has been sleeping for the past thirty minutes. Not exactly the best advertising for Starbucks, buddy.

-There have been several people today chatting on their bluetooths (blueteeth?). It's been years since they have been introduced and I still think people look ridiculous talking on one. You look sort of insane to anyone who can't see the other side of your head.

-Also, it is one of my number one pet peeves when people have long conversations on their phone in places like Starbucks. Or more so people who come to the establishment to do business on the phone. It's just obnoxious and I don't get why people do it. It's not like they are quiet places: espresso machines + groups of people chatting + loud XM radio overhead = You talking extra loud and me getting extra annoyed.

-So there is this man I have seen here twice and I keep debating if I know him. When I was standing in line for the bathroom during a Georgia tailgate this past football season, I struck up a conversation with the man in front of me since we stood there for twenty minutes. We got onto the topic of me finding a job and he asked what I was interested in and I told him. He actually suggested two places in Atlanta for me and told me one of his friends was the CEO at the company. He told me to tell him Mr. G sent him. Well, I don't one hundred percent remember what Mr. G looked like, so I don't want to strike up a conversation with him. But every time I see him, I sit and debate about whether or not to try and say Mr. G sort of loudly and see if he responds. Maybe next time.

-It's a super slow day today in Starbucks. It's like no one is here and not many people coming in and out. Strange cause you'd think colder days would send people in search of a warm delicious drink and yummy treat. But maybe no one wants to brace the cold to get inside. Even the drive-thru looked like it was lacking.

-I haven't sen Mike-Or-James (I know I confirmed it's Michael but he will always be MoJ to me) for like two months. I think since Thanksgiving even. This makes me sad. It's pretty much the B crew today, and I'm not impressed.

-Okay, this girl has been on the phone, I'm not exaggerating for ten minutes giving her friend directions. "What street are you on?" "What are you near?" "Wait which direction are you coming from?" "You see the Publix? No, it's not IN the Publix shopping center, it's across the street." Seriously? Not to mention, the girl never repeated the name of a street on the phone so the girl receiving directions must have no idea what road she is on.
-I'm hungry and I want to go home but I am going to stick around just to see how stupid this girl looks in real life.
-She has arrived. And I'm not kidding I started smelling some vodka when she walked in. Now it's all making sense
-She is rocking the brown and black color combination. This is supposedly no longer a sin in the fashion world, but I'm not buying it. So I'm judging her.
-She and the girl she met up with are now signing to each other randomly. This makes me think they are talking about other people here. I hope I'm not one of them. But then again, they made this blog post so who am I to talk?

-Okay, this is cheating cause it didn't happen today but two other SB stories:
-Right before Christmas I am pretty sure I witnessed a couple having an affair. This man came in and sat down and was acting all jittery and his eyes were darting around. And then this girl walked in and he stood up to greet her. There was this weird hesitation between the two of them and I thought "Oh gosh, they are going through a break up or a divorce and are meeting up for the first time or something." They just sent out a weird vibe.

-Then I noticed the girl was wearing some skanky boots. And so they have their weird pause and then all of the sudden it is make out central in the middle of the store. I mean he pressing himself up against her, grabbing her head, it is awkward. Like I caught the eye of the guy next to me and we both were like "get a room". There was lipstick all over the guy's mouth afterwards.

-So then they sit down and start talking. I'm nosy and intrigued so I turned down the volume of my iPod. I had also since noticed the man had on a ring, she did not. And he asked how someone was doing and she answered and he said something like "Wow, I haven't seen her in forever!" making it seem like this wasn't some married couple that had been apart for the weekend or something.

-So they sit and chat for a few minutes and then bolted out of Starbucks, hand in hand. I wanted to yell out "I'm judging you" as they left but I resisted. This was also in the wake of the Tiger Woods drama and the 13 girls coming forward so I also wanted to yell out "Tiger got caught, you can too". Honestly, I don't think infidelity is a joke. It was just such a bizarre thing to witness.

-On a lighter note, my sister has been living in Seattle for the past year and half and she said how different the cultural aspects/manners are there. She said for the first time ever, a man got up and held open the door for her while she was leaving with her bulky stroller. Totally different than the south. And it was funny she said that cause that very day I had three friendly interactions with several nice southern gentlemen:
1. A man had just sat down in the chair I was headed for. I asked him if he would mind if I scooted in behind him and plugged in my laptop. He then offered to just switch seats. This is the third time this has happened. Yeah, accommodating Southerners!
2. I caught the eye of another man who sat down in the empty seat next to me. He asked "How are you doing today young lady?" as he sat down. I replied, "Good. How are you?" but I had my iPod on and he said something along the lines of "Oh just trying to survive. But I think I'll manage." So I said "I sure hope so." I slightly fear that isn't what he said at all and therefore what I said made no sense and he thinks I'm rude for not taking off my iPod but nothing I can do about it now!
3. A couple got up from the big table and I decided to call it quits. Two guys decided to move to the larger table since it has more space just as I started packing up my stuff. One of the guys turned to me and asked if I was planning on moving to the table and he started to sit back down. He sounded very concerned. I said no and that I was on my way out and they could have it. He was going to give up the table for me! Aw! Southerners FTW!

-Also, I can't listen to Glee in public. I mouth the words, I dance around in my seat, I get taken over by the music. People probably think I'm insane. (See post's title. The best mash-up)

Aaaaaand that's all folks!

"Christmas children live in a Christmas daydream/ Waiting for the magic to unfold"

Last family post today, I swear. But note I said today, not forever. :)

Last Thursday evening I went to my nieces SD and MG's Christmas program at their school. I heard the program the year before was about two hours long so I was not looking forward to going. But I had already skipped MG's Thanksgiving program so I felt like I had to go. I mean it was good (as good as these things can be) and at the very least I got a blog post out of it so here are my thoughts:

The principal. Now I am sure she is a nice lady but I really wanted her to be quiet and sit down so we could get the show on the road. Plus her little speech was filled with cliches and I mean I use them too but not all in one sentence. And she was also mispronouncing words. And I don't mean names in the Bible with thirteen consonants but regular, average, every day words. Maybe she was just nervous but the amount of time she spent with the mic in her hand, I don't think so. Sorry, that was judgmental.

There was this one girl in the front row of the center and she was just distracting. She was in maybe the fourth or fifth grade, wearing this pink sweater, and she was just moving around, awkwardly bopping to the music. You could try to argue she was overtaken by the music but she wasn't moving in time with the music at all. In fact, she was extremely off and it was distracting.

But man some of those kids could sing! It actually made me hate myself a little because I have no singing talent in comparison to some of those kids in like the second grade.

Oh and smart move who ever staged the nativity scene in the center of the stage and had half of the kids sit on chairs or stools and therefore blocking 45% of the other kids on stage. Glad the parents of those nine kids got a good look the entire time, and the parents of like twenty-five other kids missed out on filming opportunities during their kids' single one minute long song.

Now I'm not a parent and maybe I'll be the same way but you just have to laugh at some of them. Especially when you look around the room at all these video camera displays that are zoomed really close in on their kid, but their kid is just standing there, staring off into space, or picking their nose. Really? You aren't going to film the kid singing a solo or reciting a bible verse but your kid just standing there? At the very least film the whole stage.

This one little girl, she was probably in the first or second grade, was dressed to the nines. Sparkly outfit, bows in her hair, and I think she had on quite a bit of makeup since I could make out her features from the third row from the back. But she sang her little line in the song and as she is walking back to her spot (in the middle of a song) her family broke out into whoops and hollers and then it all made sense why she was so dressed up. I wouldn't be surprised if she has been featured on a season of Toddlers and Tiaras.

We were required to stand and sing carols while the classes changed on the stage. I did not enjoy being forced to engage in the christmas program. But this old man behind me, boy oh boy could he sing! It was like he took it upon himself to carry the slack of everyone else like me who refused to do anything beyond mouthing the words.

And I have good things to say about it too: The 7th and 8th grade did a nice little rendition of "Silent Night" (at least I think that is what it was. I don't remember and I didn't receive a program upon arrival so my memory will just have to do). And I remember thinking "Man there is one girl up there who can really sing!" And they had probably eight or ten kids do little mini solos and some of them sounded really good but none were this great voice I was hearing in the background. I kept wondering why they didn't give that girl a solo and so I made it my mission to figure out which one it was. After several minutes I realized it was the adult piano player chiming in. I felt so cheated.

They did a cute little number of the twelve days of christmas. And got creative like when it was "four calling birds" they had a girl yapping on a cell phone with a feather boa. Little things like that, it was cute. And the kid giving out all of the stuff to his "true love" totally reminded me of my friend AW and was probably like him when he was eleven. It was a little mindtrippy.

Oh they also used a real baby for baby Jesus in the nativity scene. "Jesus" was pretty upset towards the end. She was crying a lot. And the angel definitely wasn't supporting her neck when lifting her out of the manager. I cringed and I bet her mom did too.

And of course my nieces did a great job. As did family friend LRT, a fellow kindergartner in MG's class. SD knew all of the motions to "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and she has memorized a long, and I mean LONG, Christmas Bible verse so I don't know why she wasn't chosen to recite a line. I might have to place some calls tomorrow. And niece MG did a great job ringing the "magenta not purple" bell whenever her teacher held up a sign telling her to do so. Oh and they both looked adorable in their dresses and tights and cute shoes. And it was only a little longer than an hour so a win for everybody!

"I feel stupid/ But it's something that comes and goes"

These are two very dumb thoughts that I have every once in a while and I've also made them into little brain teasers for you! Enjoy (my stupidity)!

1. In middle and high school, I wrote in a journal pretty regularly. My logic was that if I died in high school then one day, my daughter would be able to read the stuff that I hadn't told her since I was, you know, no longer living. But don't worry, this isn't confession time: I don't have a daughter. So see if you can figure out my seriously flawed logic in the reasoning for my journal writing.

(Answer: If I died in high school, how could I have a daughter? Not possible! I actually only had this thought once but I cracked up once I realized that it was in fact impossible. At least I can laugh at myself... sometimes.)

2. I'd say at least twice a month I'll be driving in my car and I'll run through a checklist in my head. Do I have my wallet? Check. Cell phone? Check. And then I completely panic, Oh my gosh! I don't know where my keys are! I left them somewhere. Again, see if you can figure out my extremely poor reasoning.

(Answer: I am driving my car. Meaning the keys are in the ignition and therefore not lost. Doh!)

"Say what you need to say/ Say what you need to say"

I've been volunteering at an elementary school in downtown Atlanta once a week and reading to the kindergartners or first graders. I was signing up for dates yesterday and I hate going on Mondays so I opted for December 4th. Then I signed up for the 8th, and finally the 15th. 4, 8, 15. If you're a LOST fan like myself, you probably know what I'm trying to say. 16, 23, 42. I hope this doesn't mean I'm going to have bad luck like Hurley.

Also, if you're an Obama fan, you might want to stop reading right now:

I was playing "Loaded Questions" with my family last night and my sister AE asked the question "If you could control someone else's mind, who would it be?" And my mom, sister MR, brother-in-law BR, and myself ALL put Obama. So AE got a freebie since she didn't have to match who said what. But it was pretty hilarious. And what are the chances? Especially since my mom said she almost put me and my sister MR jokingly said she almost put her husband.

P.S. No Survivor Recap this week since it was a recap show. Sure they showed some new stuff but nothing groundbreaking. And 2) I'm not gonna do the Amazing Race anymore. I tried, it's just too long of a show for me to do a short recap. But I am cheering for the Globetrotters!

"Who says I can't be free/ From all of the things that I used to be/ Rewrite my history/ Who says I can't be free"

Observations/Thoughts while writing at Starbucks:

(This had to be posted afterwards since SB doesn't offer free wi-fi. I'm pretty sure it's because if they did, they would be able to take over the world. But I just jotted stuff down in a Word document and transfered it so it's still legit)

-Starbucks is so wonderful on a rainy day. I usually like to write outside and take advantage of the last few days of nice temperatures (even though, who knows with this climate? I remember wearing a dress, flip flops, and only a light sweater a few days before Christmas last year) but sitting inside sometimes can be nice.

-Starbucks only has one outlet. ONE. Well technically there is another one (you know, one with FOUR plugs) over near the merchandise but there isn't a table near that one. Smart design plan there Starbucks. And the outlet is currently being used by a man. That's fine, I can wait my turn. That or I will be leaving in hour when my battery runs out. Let's hope it's the former.

-Alright, this isn't okay, the man isn't even using his computer (it's closed) and he is sorting out change. Seriously?

-Sweet! The man left and I grabbed the table. The outlet is mine, all mine. But see I still have guilty conscience and anytime a person who has a laptop comes in, I feel guilty. Why? I should be able to use it just as much as any other person but I still feel bad using it. Starbucks should just spring for a surge protector so five people can use it at once. You make millions, you can afford a $15 surge protector.

-There are two men sitting near me who look like my Uncle S. And no, they do not appear to be related.

-One of the guys is shaking hands with like every person that walks in here. He is also sitting in a group of four or five people. Is this some local celebrity I don't know about? Some politician or something? And I've seen him here before. I need to crack this case.

-I don't understand why restaurants can't adjust the temperature inside according to the temperature outside. It's raining, that equals a bit colder. Let's not have the AC blasting. I'm even wearing a long sleeved shirt (I anticipate the cold) and I am still cold. It is October after all.

-Oh! A guy just walked in who is a shorter version of Stephen Merchant. It's all in the glasses. And something about the hair too. Maybe a knock off Ricky Gervais will be meeting him here! That would be totally awesome.

-No such luck on the Ricky lookalike. Bummer. I would have had to take a picture or something though if that had happened.

-Words I use too much: Just (still), Sort of, and Kind of. Apparently my characters are meek. They need to be definite.

-How is it the thesaurus can generate a list of words but it can't differentiate between the different variations? Always such false hope (well momentarily) when I click on "tendencies" only to have to it suggest "tendency". Can't you just add "s"s to all of the other suggestions for tendency, Microsoft Word and save me a couple of mouse clicks?

-Aw. I asked a nice old man to watch my computer and when I came back he said "I never took my eyes off of it" and I almost believe him because he was turned at a weird angle in his chair. So nice. We need more people like him in this world.

-OH! A guy just walked in who looks like Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum (country band for those who don't know).

-Well now he just looks like one of the TA from my entomology class last semester.

-Clearly, I like playing the "doesn't he look like...." game.

-Loud people are obnoxious. There is a group of three people sitting here being so loud it is actually ridiculous. Like if they leave before me, I will gladly start a slow clap as they walk out the door because other people have to be annoyed too.

-They are BURSTING into laughter on average, every 45 seconds.

-Oh great, now the most obnoxious lady has begun clapping along with her boisterous laugh every thirteen seconds.

-This is what I don't understand about loud people: Is it because you are not self aware? Or is it because you want everyone in a fifty foot radius to know just how much fun you are having and how cool you and your friends are? Cause I remember reading in a magazine (seriously, it was probably Teen or Teen People or something involving the word "Teen") that if you want other people to be interested you should talk quietly in such public settings. For example if the guy you like is sitting nearby, don't throw your head back in exaggerated laughter every five seconds and screech and yell. People don't like the obvious. People like to eavesdrop. So if you are being quiet, they are like "Oh I can eavesdrop on what these interesting looking people are saying". When you are loud, people stop caring and just want you to SHUT UP!

-I don't think I can adequately describe just how loud these people are being. I keep wanting to turn up my iPod but the loud iPod in conjunction with how loud they are being, is hurting my ears. Plus, my sister MR just went to the doctor and apparently has "some slight hearing loss" due to her days of rocking out at concerts and listening to her iPod. I've listened to mine practically every day for the last four years so I am screwed. So now I am terrified of having the music too loud.

-One of the women is pregnant, I mean extremely pregnant. And she has a Victoria Secret bag sitting next to her. Seriously? What could you possibly have in there? On second thought, I don't want to guess.

-I have now noticed that the place has cleared out because of these people. THAT'S how loud they are being. I can leave whenever I want, I just feel sorry for the workers who have to be here because these people look pretty comfy.

-Aw Mike-Or-James isn't here today. Who is Mike-or-James you ask? Well, I frequent this Starbucks quite a bit. And there is one guy who works here (I actually think he is the manager) and I see him frequently. It's gotten to the face recognition point and we make small talk. Well I actually think he thinks I am someone else because this is the conversation we had a few weeks ago.

MoJ: Hey, how's it going? So do you have lots of schoolwork to do today?

Me: Well, actually I graduated from UGA in May. I'm trying to find a job now.

MoJ: Wow! Really? I can't believe you've already graduated! That's crazy.

Me: ..... Yeah, I know.

I'm really thinking, oooookay. Cause I've only lived here for a year so you've only known me for a year and the majority of that year I was in Athens so it's not like he's known me for a year let alone not during the four years I actually was in school. *gasps for air* That was a run on sentence. I'm just saying, I think he thinks I'm someone else.

-Plus I don't even know his name. I just call him Mike-or-James in my head because, well, he looks like a Mike or a James to me.

-But Mike-Or-James will occasionally upgrade my drink for free so if he thinks I'm someone else, I will continue to play along in this little game.

-Listening to songs from Glee. I just love that show. I'm excited for tonight's episode. And Matthew Morrison is my new crush. He is adorable. And the boy can sing! Gold Digger anyone? Not me, his version of the song. Though I bet he is making serious bank off of that show now.

-I heard they are thinking about doing a musical tour when it ends this summer. My birthday IS in May, just for future reference.

-My new fear about my computer is that the keyboard is going to break. I don't know, something about the keys just feels... off. Please don't break. I'm going to tell myself that I am having irrational fears as my life work continues to grow longer and longer on this computer.

-Ew. I just glanced out the window and there is a HUGE spider in a very intricately woven web outside. It's like a real live Halloween decoration. And it completely grosses me out.

-Okay chapter ten is done, the people are beyond obnoxious now, and the spider is seriously creeping me out. Time to call it a day.

"Okay part two/ Now clear the house"

Random observations/thoughts while job hunting at Panera:

-I got an outlet spot: Prime real estate. I've determined there are four outlets in Panera. Three near the front and one near the back. I feel bad hogging it the whole time but my battery seriously lasts for an hour (even on the better energy savings setting). I know I'm gonna be here for while so I gotta snag it while I can.

-A guy just sat down at the table across from my table. We are facing each other due to the positioning of our laptops. I anticipate lots of accidental eye contact will ensue since we are all of two yards apart (He is cute so I don't mind too much).

-Eye Contact Final Count: 2

-Since said boy was cute and he may have been the guy that I asked to watch my computer last week, I tried really hard to stare solely at my screen. Too bad, I thought that game would be more fun. Next time, next time.

-The lady sitting near me is reading Jodi Picoult's latest book "Handle With Care". I'm a big fan of the Jod-ster but that book was a disappointment. It was like "My Sister's Keeper" but... not as good. I almost want to ask her if she has read other books by Picoult and if she's enjoying this one.

-I asked her to watch my computer while I went to the restroom and almost asked her if she was liking the book when I came back after saying thanks but I chickened out. I don't want her to think I'm weird.

-I'm listening to my "Recently Added" playlist on my iPod. This includes the latest album from The Avett Brothers (I love it. Or should I say I and love and it? hahaha), the new single from OneRepublic, and lots of songs from the show Glee. The playlist has truly become the highlight of the job search. At least if I am about to cry I can bop my head along with the mashup of Halo and Walking on Sunshine from the Glee girls.

-I always have Gmail opened in another tab or window. At the moment, the three contacts/ friends that are "active" (green light) form AT&T when you glance down at the first letters of their names. I enjoy this.

(Sidenote: I always want the lights to form a stoplight looking pattern (Red, yellow, green). I always think I am about to discover a way that yes, it will work if I make myself "Busy" and therefore red, but because they always bump "idle/yellow" people to the bottom, it will never happen. Simple concept right? Well I always somehow trick myself into thinking "Yes, it can work!" and I get so excited but then I quickly remember that no, it's not possible because of aforementioned "green will always be above yellow" issue and I get sad.)

-I think I broke Monster.com. Every time I try to enter my email and password it says there is an error. I thought maybe I forgot my password so I tried to change it. Monster.com did not enjoy this. I'll give you a little break Monster and come back tomorrow.

-I am liking this LinkedIn website. Probably because it doesn't involve any actual job searching immediately, just making connections and filling out your profile. But like I said in the previous Job Post Rant Post, this is a website that actually breaks it down into nice categories. Industry: "Writing and Editing". YES. Simple right? But seriously none of the other websites have that as an option. Thank you LinkedIn, thank you. Also thank you to those who have already linked me. Majority are family members or family members of said family members. But thanks nonetheless. :)

-Picoult Lady is gone. And now sitting in her seat is a guy who walked in and I thought I recognized him from orientation freshmen year. So while pondering if it was in fact "Matt G-something" I accidentally made eye contact and after he got his food and sat down at the table right near me even though the restaurant is essentially empty. Sorry guy, false recognition. It wasn't a come hither look. Enjoy your bread bowl!

-iTunes receipts are always such a letdown. "Oh I have a new email! From a potential employer? New family pictures? Athens Blur Newsletter? Another person Linking me?! Oh... no. Just Apple letting me know I paid them $1.29 for the Glee song I purchased last week."

-Question: Can you get refills of coffee at Panera? I saw one guy doing it and my cup is low. But that's not very fair cause then wouldn't every one just get the small cup and keep filling it up and save .60 cents instead of getting the huge cup? This logic has prevented me from trying.

-So on LinkedIn, it will tell you how much progress you've made in filling out your profile. It also tells you the percentage you will get if you do something, like adding a picture. I wanted to get a bigger percentage so I was perusing my iPhoto library and family members' picasa websites to find a decent one. Right as I was flipping through "Annie's Graduation" on my sister's picasa account, the Panera girl asked if I needed anything and had clearly been standing by my table for a couple of seconds (iPod is on so I am unaware). She saw me flip through like ten pictures of myself, she probably thinks I'm really vain: sitting in Panera and flipping through pictures of myself. It's so I can find a job! I swear!

-It is freaking cold in Panera. I swear I am always sitting directly under a vent no matter where I sit in the restaurant. Aggravating.

-I'm predicting back problems in my future. I'm always hunched over my computer these days either writing or searching these career websites. My back is burning. Maybe that's reason enough to call it a day.

-I have also learned blogging while job searching makes it immensely more fun. I shall keep this in mind for future excursions. Like tomorrow....