Sittin, Waitin, Wishin...

I'm back on the sticky keyboard again. My brother eats in here so much there is all sorts of grossness stuck in the keys. nasty.

ANYWAY. Yesterday the aunt and uncle and cousin from PA were here, and we went to DC to the museum of American History. I wasn't dreading it or anything because my mom and dad had been a few years ago before they closed it to remodel it and said it was pretty cool, and i knew that they had the ruby slippers and the gowns of all the first ladies etc. So i was kinda like "okay at least it's not the portrait gallery or something" (i absolutely HATE that place) and willingly went along. I did drag the boyfriend with me, i needed an ally or it would've been totally terrible. PLUS he made me sit through learning how to solve a rubiks cube (which i successfully did BTW) and this was totally payback because i know he hates museums.

So we get there and it is PACKED, because everyone else in VA/MD has family visiting and is taking them into DC to visit various museums. And i don't do crowds and stupid people and just... yea. So we walk through some random exhibits that weren't that interesting. And then we split up and the girls go see the first ladies exhibit and the americana/ruby slippers exhibit and the boys head off to the military history exhibit. I was really disappointed in the first ladies exhibit because i KNEW they had all these gowns and were supposedly redoing the exhibit, only it wasn't as big as i expected and they only had like prolly 12 gowns. They had other accessories and china and stuff but i was really bummed cuz i was expecting this sweeping exhibit with a gown from almost every presidency. Also, they weren't in chronological order? Or any order at all for that matter, it was super weird. The americana exhibit wasn't that cool either. Saw the ruby slippers, kermit the frog, oscar the grouch, and some other things but that exhibit was really small too. I'm assuming they have more stuff, but they need to put it out!
Overall, i was very dissapointed in the whole museum because i was expecting a lot of artifacts but they didn't seem to have a lot of stuff. There were a lot of pictures and videos etc. but that's not what i wanna see! i want to see actual things on the subject of the exhibit! I SUPPOSE they're still in the process of redoing it, and intend to add more to all the exhibits (because the ones i saw were quite small) but the museum is HUGE!! You probably couldn't see everything you wanted to in one day. If you're thinking about going, i suggest you go when people are back at work/school so it's not so crowded, and maybe even postpone your visit till they add more stuff.

SO we get back from DC and it was all gravy and i had a relatively good time. But the family fun is not over! We THEN had to hop in the car and drive down to Orange, Virginia (yes that is a real place) to visit the grandparents and have dinner. I drove. And 95 was pure hell, bumper to bumper essentially the entire way. And then when we FINALLY got there, my grandma hadn't even cooked! They ordered BBQ! Now i love bbq and everything, but i was REALLY hoping for some grandma cooking, at least dessert or something.
NADA.
So i sat around and watched football and skyped with my aunt/uncle/little cousin out in Seattle. And then sat in the car for another hour and half to come home. It was great....

TOday i slept in (yay!) and went to the nail salon and watched The Shining. Tomorrow i'm FINALLY getting my haircut and hanging out with colin for a photo shoot and don't have to work! And am doing laundry, so that i have clothes to wear to New Jersey. ANOTHER family experience i'm not looking forward to...

i was GOING to head over to the BFs house but it appears that right now that's not a good idea so i think i'm gonna get back to coloring my giant poster/mural of pirates of the Caribbean that tricia got me for christmas. Lataaaaa

Mele Kalikimaka

FYI that ^ means "merry christmas" in Hawaiian. On a side note i love love and miss hawaii, and would seriously consider moving back there. Probably not permanently, but at least for awhile.

I'm currently sitting downstairs (NOT on my laptop!) awaiting the arrival of my aunt and uncle from PA, and for the boy to get here. Hopefully he comes before they do so i can prepare him. Typing on a real keyboard is kinda weird right now, also the space bar and letter "a" are sticking. But i digress....

Christmas was splendid. I baked cookies and pies and they turned out pretty tasty. I received some much needed things, such as an external hard drive. I also got a SLANKET!!!! and a bunch of sweaters, a super cute pair of dunks, and some other random things. Everyone liked the gifts i
got them which is good, i always kinda worry about it. My brother has worn the shirt i got him 2 days in a row now. I'd say that's pretty awesome. It's some swedish band or something. Vikings?

Today i worked a half day even though i wasn't really scheduled to because my dad "suggested" that i go in, and he also left his phone at home. And i need money. And it was a half day anyway so it wasn't bad. Then came home, changed, went to tricia's house for a brunch thing where i ate all her moms good food and talked about dance team memories with her and our former coach. It was great. She got me these pirate coloring MURALS and i can't wait to color them. I've left all my supplies at school but i think i might hijack my mom's markers just to color one of them.

Overall my break so far has been pretty alright. Tomorrow we're going to DC to go to the American History museum, then down to visit the GPs in Orange Virginia for dinner (...yay...)
i have all next week off, and am FINALLY getting my haircut on monday. which is great because it looks absolutely TERRIBLE right now.

That's really it. I'll prolly have lot's of adventures to share after tomorrow. Gonna be great....

The Vegans at Shafer

nataliedee.com

I GOT AN A!!!!

I GOT AN A IN ENGLISH 200!! WHICH MEANS I GOT AN A ON THAT GIANT PAPER!!!!!



i am so excited. all my hard work actually paid off. this made a rough day at work so much better.

GPA for this semester: 3.375 (not deans list, sigh....)
Cumulative GPA: 3.089 (up from a 2.5!)


WAAAAHHHOOOOOOO!!!!

HOLIDAY FAMILY FUN

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

hahahaa

Watch This. ESPECIALLY if you're a man.

The first time we hear about Bush in awhile, and it's about shoes being thrown at him

Once Upon a Time,

there was a girl, who at 5:38 am on the morning she was going home for the holidays had not yet come close to being finished packing. As she looked at the garbage bag along with a suitcase and duffle bag full of clothes with despair, she decided a blog post would be a smashing idea.
After all, sleep deprivation had been a sort of routine lately.
However, as she lay in her bed with her ears ringing, she realized that she was, in fact, tired. And rightfully so. Finals had been a rough 2 weeks, and sleep had been hard to come by. Luckily, caffeine and other things had NOT.
And so, on her 20th birthday which also happened to be the day of her last final, AND a day in which she stayed in the library until 6am, she decided that she needed a freaking break.
With the birthday activities relatively low-key due to finals etc, she went shopping, had a drink or two, and simply hung out with her friends.
One friend, brought over The Desperate Housewives all 4 seasons on DVD. And since the girl had only JUST started watching the show this season, catching up was a must. And so began 2 lovely days of sleeping and sitting around watching the wives, with not a care in the world as to which chapters to read or papers to write or making sure to be on time for class.
And it was glorious.

She also got her nails done and had an awkward encounter at the nail salon, but that is a story for another day.
And tonight (er rather, last night?) she went dancing with her friends. And didn't have to ward of any skeezy guys or worry about waking up with a hangover when her father picked her up (again).
And it was glorious.
She should, however, started packing a long time ago.....

Today

i am 20 years old.

and taking my last exam.


happy birthday to me!! i'm halfway to 40!! Quarter life crisis anyone??

Prop 8: The Musical

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Seriously

nataliedee.com

The ultimate showdown

Take THAT chuck norris!!

Myth: Busted

i decided to do something related to what i'm currently studying. i'm tired of hearing people talk about stuff they don't know anything about, including "manipulating the system". With that, i give you some facts to make you think about our priorities as a country. If you are going to talk about "welfare" (which doesn't technically exist) and how the system is being manipulated, please educate yourself first.

Facts about Poverty, "Welfare", and Homelessness:

- 75% of homeless people have a job

- The largest single group "on welfare" is children -- about one in every four children under the age of 18 receives welfare benefits. America has the greatest level of child poverty anywhere in the industrialized world

- Programs under the Department of Social Services are: TANF, Food Stamps, and Medicaid

- In order to apply for benefits from D.S.S. you must have: all of your childrens' (and your own) Birth Certificates, Immunization records, and fill out various packets of paperwork. How many of you have a copy of your birth certificate and immunization records on hand?

- If you have a felony, you cannot recieve benefits

- TANF (Temporary Aid for Needy Families) provides benefits for a maximum of 2 years, starting when you first receive benefits.

- In order to be eligible for TANF, you MUST have a job. If you cannot for some reason have a job (ex. a 77 year old grandmother with 4 kids to raise) you must do volunteer work in place of a job.

- The only way Department of Social Services communicates is by mail. So if you don't have an address, tough shit.

- Welfare accounts for 1% of the federal budget, and about 2% of the state budget.

- The majority of women on welfare are white

- Families living on welfare live FAR below the poverty line. On TANF you recieve the following amount of assistance per month based on the number of kids:
:: 1 kid: $254
:: More than one: $320
:: 4 or more: a little over $400

- Homelessness can be defined as any person that doesn't have a permanent place to return to after being hospitalized, institutionalized, or living somewhere where you're not on the lease. This INCLUDES temporarily staying with family/friends until you move into your own place. IF YOU ARE LIVING THERE, AND NOT ON THE LEASE, THAN YOU ARE CONSIDERED HOMELESS.

- There is not a SINGLE location in the United States where housing is affordable on minimum wage ($6.15/hour).


And no, this is not shit i looked up on the internet. This is REAL shit from social work class. Legit. Educate yourself before you go preaching about something. Thanks.

A Prayer

Dear Lord,

i know i haven't been the best person, but i've tried my hardest and i ask you, if you have ANY mercy that you will help me in this time of need. NOW would be the time to prove that you are, in fact, real. Please give me the strength and focus to get through these next 2 weeks. That i may finish my paper and that it may be good. And that i may also do well on all my exams. And that i may also not become too unpleasant, and get at least a little bit of sleep and not totally lose my mind. PLEASE help me in these final hours.

i also pray that the person who was in that accident on friday is alright, and that you are with him and his family in such a terrible time.

i dunno if you read blogs God, but i hope this one makes it up there because i need all the help i can get.

Amen.