So it's Thanksgiving break...

And alas I am back in Eugene. Again. And I actually don't mean that in a bad way, what I mean is that I was actually here last weekend (Saturday night) because I went and saw Sheldon theatre's "Romeo and Juliet." But I was too lazy to blog when I was here that night soooo I didn't. And it was a super quick trip so I didn't really see the point.

Anyway, now I am legitimately back in Eugene for Thanksgiving break. I got here late yesterday evening, and I have to say, from the moment I have been back everything has just been really strange. Okay, not strange but just...not normal. I kind of expected to have that feeling though. I have literally been living in a bubble in Seattle, a bubble of just me, my SU friends, SU classes, and Seattle-like activities, and getting out of that bubble was just this huuuuuge reminder that there's life outside of Seattle. That sounds really bad but whatever. It's just, going to college, you kind of create this own little world for yourself, and once you get so immersed into that world you sort of forget that there are other worlds consisting of other people.

For example, I went and visited my old high school today (Sheldon). Well not really, I just saw a couple of my favorite teachers. I didn't really have time to go see everyone; I'm saving that for winter break ;). As soon as I walked onto the campus, I immediately felt like I never left. I never graduated, moved on, went to college, anything. I was just a regular old senior again going to class. Okay this totally contradicted the point I was trying to make with this, but whatever. The point I was TRYING to make was: that going back to Sheldon today opened my eyes, and as rediculous as that sounds, I now realize that there is....wait for it...life outside of Seattle! What. A. Concept. And people actually like function and like do regular daily life things and stuff. Yeah.

What was nice about this visit though was that I got to talk to my favorite teacher Mrs. Alderman for like an hour. For those of you who know me, you know that in the past year I have confided in her a lot with pretty much everything in my life, and honestly it has been super weird not just having her around for the past couple of months. We talked mostly about like college and stuff, but it was still nice, because I have missed her a lottt. Pretty much within the time we talked she managed to give me advice on just about everything I am doing, as well as you know, find something to laugh at me for. I keep trying to convince her to move to Seattle and come teach at my school, but uhh that has yet to happen. haha.

I think I'm going to end this post with that note because there isn't really anything else that I have the energy to talk about right now...and I just don't think this post will flow correctly if I change the subject this abruptly. I will certainly keep you updated with this Eugenian weekend though. Hopefully, if I can waddle out of bed on Friday post-Thanksgiving dinner. Haaaaaa.

See ya!

~Erin :)

Paper or Plastic

This is a poem that was written last year by one of my good friends Eleanor O'Campo. She recently put it up on Facebook and then told me to go and read it, and I thought it was fantastic. So many girls nowadays are falling into eating disorders and becoming obsessive over how they look, and it really is scary. I admit that I don't always practice this, but everyone should love their bodies. Smaller-framed, larger-framed, tall, short, etc. Love who you are, and don't let the downward spiral of the modern-day appearance bring you down too. Enjoy your own style, and don't try to be someone that you're not. Life is wayyyy to short for that!!

:)

Paper or Plastic
Every shopper's eventual dilemma
Between the cashier's mandatory friendliness
And the handing over of the credit card
How would you prefer to kill the planet today,
Shall we cut down the forests or drill up the deserts?
You have roughly half a second to decide

If you are a mother, of course
You reflexively opt for paper
As though struck with a pink rubber hammer
Lest the daughter you remember best, raised from
A chubby baby with a halo of curls
Suffocate on what she thought was just a game
Realize that the fluid being ladled down her
throat
Is tar, not honey
Alcohol, not milk

Today I will be plastic
I am hollow
It's cheaper if you don't put anything inside
I am being tested to see if I am durable enough
for use
First they took a miniature guillotine and
cut my breasts off
Now everyone knows I am empty
Then they whittled the top layer of my
face off with a nail file so they
could paint a new one
But my hair got full of plastic shavings
So they had to replace my head

-Eleanor O'Campo

~Erin :)

DEAR WORLD!!!!

RUSSELL AIVAZIAN IS THE COOLEST PERSON EVER!!!! LIKE EVER EVER EVER!!!!!

Seriously, if you do not know him your life sucks. And you will die sad and alone.

Happy now, Russell?

~Erin :)

A Prayer

"God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
The courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.

God, grant us the...
Serenity to accept things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference.
Patience for the things that take time,
Appreciation for all that we have, and
Tolerance for those with different struggles.
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the
Ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other and the
Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is hopeless."

~Serenity Prayer

I just needed to hear this today.

~Erin :)

Midterms ending = Erin gets a life? And votes?

Oh hey everybody. Yeah you read the title right, I DID actually vote, allllll the way from Washington. GO KITZHABER! Even though you're losing I still believe in you! And Oregon, y'all suck for voting no on Measure 74, just saying.

But yeah, the whole Erin gets a life thing, is going alright. I think up until Monday of this week, I have consistantly had a paper to write, or at least outline and then think about for the next five hours. It has been super stressful lately, and I was honestly sooo glad when this Monday rolled around. In addition to papers due (btw...I got an A on the latest Humanities paper I received back[!!!!]), I had a German midterm that day, so yeah again I cannot stress enough how happy I was for it to be over.

Halloween was alright, to be totally honest. I have never really been one to go out and drink and party, (and not to mention I had a shit-ton of homework and studying to do), so my night mostly consisted of dressing up as Mickey Mouse and drinking smoothies and hanging out with my friends. Some of us were going to go for a scary movie, but that just ended in a hallway massage train. Don't ask.

OH! I don't think I have mentioned on here either that I got a job! Two and a half weeks ago! haha. This is yet another piece of proof that I fail at blogging. Oh well. But yeah I work for Jumpstart, which is an AmeriCorps program through SU. Basically I work within a preschool (in my case, Tiny Tots Preschool) Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-4pm with a group of around three kids and help/teach them to read, write, and play with them. I am one of three Corps Members in my group that goes to Tiny Tots in that timeslot, and we have a Team Leader who teaches the class as a whole. Part of my job as well is also getting together with my team leader and corps members and planning lessons for class. I am really excited for this because it fits in really well with my schedule, and I love kids. So it works out great :). I have been going through twice weekly trainings for the past two and a half weeks, and today was the last one. Next Tuesday will be my first day in the classroom, but only for observation/orientation. The 16th is my actual first day teaching. Ah! Soooo excited! Here's hoping my kids aren't little terrors...

Welp, that's about it for now. I will be sure to update again soon, I PROMISE.

<3

~Erin :)

Mixed Emotions (Dear You Three)

Dear You Three,

"The friendships you make in college will be those that stay with you forever."

I have heard that saying many a time in the past  few years of my life, and up until now, it honestly really bothered me. I felt as though people were basically telling me that the friendships I had already made [in high school] were not good enough, that they were inadequate. But now I think I understand it a lot more; after being here at SU for the past month, I have met some really wonderful people whom I hope will stay in my life for many years to come. Everyone here is so easy to get along with, and I love that all of us want nothing more than to just chill with our friends and be happy and carefree. After all, isn't that the point of college?

But, despite all of that, I can't shake the feeling that I am losing the three most important relationships in my life, and those three are you. It's funny how at each stage in your life you get the feeling that "this is all I need to be happy, I have everyone in my life that I need." But then college happens, or moving happens, and then those people who you were completely happy with and used to having in your life are not there anymore. And that can hurt. A lot. Especially when, and I can say that I am partially responsible for this, not very many of us make an effort to really talk anymore. Or well, we do but it's not really in a way that one would like. Like, it's the occasional "Hello, how are you?" or, "Oh I'm doing really well," or "I miss you..." but you know that's never really enough. It scares me that I only talk to you three maybe three times a week now, if that, because I have had enough failed relationships to know that eventually three days a week will turn into two, then one, then five times a month, and so on. That REALLY scares me, because there was a point where you three were my rocks, and I couldn't live without you. I don't want to have to now.

I know that I haven't been the best communicator either, but you have to believe me when I say that I am trying. I am trying. I just want you to tell me the same, because I love you.

Long story short, sometimes I wish I could just go back to the way things used to be.

<3 <3

~Erin :)

Anatomy of a blog...and some pictures...

Okay so you know how when you keep a blog, you're supposed to keep it updated? Yeah I seem to be doing a good job of that, I think. But there always seems to come a point where I can't figure out what to write about anymore, and I have HIT THAT POINT! Gahhh. And it's been like what, 9-10 entries? Fail. It's just that I feel like I should have something suuuuper exciting to tell you all, but I literally have nothing. Or well, I have stuff, but it's mostly like "Hey! I went to school! I hung out with friends! I procrastinated and made up extravagant excuses not to go to the gym! Yayyy!"

So for now, I am just going to post pictures for your viewing pleasure.

:)

Nichole and myself.

Kelsey and me...this basically describes our relationship.

As does this...but better.

This was actually a really awkward picture to ask them to take...yeah.

Friends! Nichole, Haya, and Nick.

Arielle the roomie and Crew junkie, Kendra, and myself.

Laughter makes the world go 'round :)

Adventures on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Everyone should read My Immortal. Then this will make sense. Okay, not everyone, but everyone with an innapropriate sense of humor.......

Friends + mail = :)?

The end!

P.S. Stay hydrated.

~Erin :)