That Time When Parents Actually Parented

So, do I have a story for you this week. 

It occurs around 2 p.m. or so. It's a slow Monday afternoon. Corey and I are working café, but since nobody has shown up in a while, we're sitting at a table and talking. (And I'm working on my novel.) 

Suddenly, Corey leaps to her feet and starts sprinting towards the door, screaming, "STOP! STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP!'

I hear a bang, and then I jump up and start running after her, too.

There are three black kids punching the stuffing out of each other. Two of them are holding one of them down, and they're just going at it. I'm terrified that somebody's going to die, right there on the floor. (The bang? Someone had thrown one of the others into the giant metal rolly door.)

Corey screams at them to stop again, and one of them rushes out the door. The other one is slow to get off of the boy on the floor, but once he does, he runs out the door, too. 

The third one stands up shakily.

"Are you okay?" she asks him. He nods, and then he also runs out the door.

We follow them out.

All three are now sitting at a table with two women. Corey asks, "Ma'am, are these your sons?"

They both nod, so she continues.

"Um, they were fighting just inside the door here. I just wanted to make sure that they weren't hurt."

"They were fighting? Thanks for letting me know." And she kinda waves us off, so we go inside and sit down again, thinking that'd be the end of it.

Not ten minutes later, the two ladies are dragging the kids inside by their ears. Literally dragging them. The first lady drags up her kid and stands him in front of us. We stand up. 

"They have something they want to tell you," she says.

The kid starts fidgeting, mumbling and looking at his mother, at the table, at the floor... So his mother grabs his chin and makes him look at us. "You're not apologizing to the floor, to the table, or to me. You're apologizing to these nice young ladies. Now say you're sorry, and what you're sorry for!"

The kid proceeds to apologize for fighting and causing a disturbance. The other two do the same (after also getting a lecture from the first mother to stop looking at the floor and look at the girls!), and Corey says, "As long as they're not hurt..." because we really don't know what to say. Thank you? 

The mother says, "It's not all right. Thank you for letting us know. They're all fine, but they're not gonna be fine when we get home. Have a great day, ladies."

So they drag the kids out of TreeTop. I've never seen such terrified children. 

These mothers knew how to raise nice, polite young men, and then they went outside to talk, leaving the kids to play inside. So the kids proceeded to try and kill each other. That's why I think the mothers were so upset - they had raised the kids to be polite, and they were behaving like a bunch of thugs.

Nothing exciting happens for the rest of the day, and we hope that nothing like that ever happens again. It was terrifying.

And Then There Were Twelve

I'm probably not the greatest person to talk about this, considering that I haven't even watched Season Three of the Doctor Who reboot, but I think I want to weigh in on this.

If you haven't heard yet, the twelfth doctor was announced yesterday on BBC. (I was able to watch it live. I then spent nearly four hours watching recaps of the old doctors.)

Everything on the Doctor Who Facebook page was in absolute chaos. You had the people who were vehemently opposed to the choice, and then you had the people who wanted to see what he would do with the role.

I think he's going to be a sassy doctor. We always need more sass in BBC shows. 

The people who were arguing against him hated his age, hated the way he had played on other shows, hated the fact that he'd already played a (very, very, very minor) character on Doctor Who, and just didn't like his looks. (Honestly, I think they hated him because they can't write softcore fanfiction about the Doctor and his companion, or the Doctor and them. Because then it'd be pedaphilia.) 

The people who enjoyed this choice liked the fact that he was an older doctor (he's the same age as the First Doctor), they loved the acting choice (he's apparently been a great actor in other things), and they just loved him in general.

These two factions are at an all-out war.

I'd like to add in my own little rant about this.

Give the man a chance. You know nothing about how he's going to act as the Doctor. You don't know how he's going to be. It's a horrible thing to judge someone by their looks alone. So what if he's a little older? Some of the older doctors were some of the best. Just because he's older doesn't mean he's going to be terrible.

However, he's still not ginger.

When?

When am I allowed to just...give up?

Allow me to explain.

My nightmares about Charlie are getting more and more frequent, and they're also getting more intense. Of course, they're not nightmares when I'm dreaming - they're a wonderful paradise, full of love and hope, everything that we had before he wrote me that letter. It's only when I wake up that they transform into nightmares, because I know how he feels about me in real life.

Not to mention the fact that I keep having meltdowns whenever i'm in the shower. I'll be shaving or something, and then I'll remember Charlie or something along those lines, and I'll just start bawling. 

I have tally-marks on my bathroom mirror, to keep track of how many times this has happened.

Seventy-one times since May 28th.

I know that's not normal.

I know I'm not normal. I mean, the man broke my heart. Stepped on it and smooshed it into little bitty pieces. He apparently never meant any of the things that he told me (I could go on and on about that point, but I'm not going to, because it's too painful.) 

And I still love him. I love him so much that it physically hurts. Because when I told him i loved him, I actually meant it. He told me that he loved me, and that I was worth waiting for. I told him that I loved him, and that I would wait for him.

And my brain can't handle this.

I can't handle the lack of communication. I sent him a very long email (it took me 2.5 hours to write, actually), explaining everything, explaining why it hurt me so much, why I just can't believe it, why I want to talk to him. 

I haven't heard back yet.

My birthday is in eight days. 

All I want is for him to talk to me on my birthday. (Or around my birthday.) Last year, he was here, and he did whatever I wanted. (We kissed on the bridge in my neighborhood. We got honked at several times. And there was a meteor shower every night he was here. Not to mention that he was so gentle and understanding and just...full of passion whenever we were alone together.)

Now I'm going to be spending my birthday alone.

All I want to do is talk to him. Please; that's all I'm asking. Talk to him without any interruptions or excuses.

All he's done is lie to me whenever I ask him a question.

I want a straight answer. And the only way to get that is to talk to him face-to-face, on Skype.

I'm just ready to give up. Not on him. I'll never give up on him.

I'm ready to give up on everything else. I want to sleep and just never wake up. Some days I wonder if I could drown in the shower. Life just isn't fun any more. And I know that some of that's my fault, but everything seems so gray and bleary. It's a neverending stream of work, home, internet, sleep. Work, home, internet, sleep. It's so boring. Occasionally, I'll go out with a friend or two. But they always find an excuse to go home early, even though I smile and pretend like nothing's wrong whenever I'm with them.

I'm tired.

I'm just done.

Half-contemplating sending an email with the title, "This email...it's my note. That's what people do, right? Leave a note?"

And the message would be, "I'm just done. Done with everything. Friends, love, life. Nothing's worth anything any more. Goodbye, Charlie."

And see what happens. But I know what would happen. He'd just ignore me. Like he always does.

It really, really hurts. I gave so much to him, and I thought he gave the same back to me. We used to go back and forth over who loved who more. And he always said that I had no idea how much he loved me. (His last letter? "I love you more than you could ever imagine.") Looks like all of that was a lie, too.

Because I love you more, Charles Smith.

And it's causing me physical pain. And it's slowly costing me my sanity.

Sorry about the depressed rant. It's been a long five months since Charlie left. And a long three months since he told me he was done with me, even though he'd been sending his love to me while he was away. I just can't take it any more. I want everything to end. The sooner the better.

Packing for College: Your Desk

So, your room's going to have a desk in it, right? I'm assuming it's going to, at least, because EVERY COLLEGE STUDENT NEEDS A DESK. Heck, if I'd had a desk in high school, I might've actually gotten some work done! (I kid; I ended up as Valedictorian.)

Anyways, here's the deal: Your desk is your territory. 

If you keep your desk nice and neat, then you'll be able to find things (while possibly going into some kind of over-extended seizure or whatnot from the OCDness). 

If you keep your desk messy, you won't ever use it as a desk - it'll become the place to pile all your crap until it overflows and you decide you need to clean it up.

If you keep your desk in use, then you're going to get the most out of it. I'm serious. If you use your desk every time you have to study or do homework (instead of curling up on the futon or on your bed), then you're going to have some great study habits, and you may even keep your desk organized at the same time!

Let's go over what you need for your desk:

1. A desk lamp.
This is pretty much a no-brainer. The lighting in most dorm rooms absolutely sucks, so bringing a little desk lamp will certainly help! If you're straining your eyes, then you're going to get a headache, and then you're not going to want to study. 

My desk lamp has a little organizer-thingy on the base. I put my paperclips, pushpins, and pens there so that they're always handy.

2. Post-It Notes
These things are pretty much lifesavers. Think of something on the spot and need to write it down? Jot it on a post-it and stick it to the wall above your desk! There's no way you can forget this now!

3. Pens & Pencils
Again, another no-brainer. I like to keep several types of pens on my desk. I have gel-pens and I have ballpoint pens. I have the pens that I got for free (the school events and the SGA all give out pens!), I have the pens that I actually bought, and I have the pens that I found in the hallway.

If you're careful, you should never have to buy a pen while you're in college.

Pencils are another story. You're going to need pencils to take all your tests (it's up to you whether you want to write your essays in ink, or if you want to take notes in ink; I use pencils for everything but my essays and turn-in assignments), because most tests are on scantrons nowadays. None of these aforementioned events give out pencils. (It's stupid.) Bring your own pencils! Mechanical, non-mechanical, it doesn't matter! I like using PaperMate Mechanical Pencils (the big ones with the twist-up eraser) because it's easy to get the lead in and out, and you don't have to worry about running out of eraser. Plus, I can mix and match the colors!

4. Some Kind of Organizer
I have this little set of drawers that I got from Wal-Mart. I put my pencils/pens in the bottom drawer, my post-its and erasers in the second, and various odds and ends (such as tape and extra staples) in the top drawer. 

It allows me to keep everything on my desk while keeping it all tidy at the same time. Makes sense, right?

5. A Wireless Printer
I have an amazing printer. It's wireless, and it's got HP ePrint capabilities. That means I can also print things from my Android phone and iPad. (It's all in the available app.) It's an amazing quality, and we got it on sale from Best Buy for only $50. (It's normally $120.)

Plus, it works with both Macs & PCs. (LIFESAVER.)

6. Extra Power Cords
You're going to want at least two surge protectors. Most dorm rooms don't have very many outlets. (Mine only has three - one beneath my desk, one beneath my roomie's desk, and one beside the bathroom door.) 

Plus, if you ever go home, you're going to want duplicates of most of the power cords you use on a daily basis. Extra computer charger, extra phone cord, etc. I recently went out and bought another cord for my computer -- and since I have a Mac, that's $87 I spent (after tax) to make things easier on myself.

7. A Little Fan
I got a fan at Wal-Mart for about $5. It's small and purple, and it fits neatly on my desk. I can't sleep at night without a fan, so this is the absolutely perfect size! Plus, it helps keep my bed a little cooler at night. (Sometimes it gets hot at night, especially if the AC isn't working too well.)

***

I'm sure there are a TON of other things that you think would fit perfectly on your desk, but make sure that you know the dimensions of your desk so that you're not trying to cram a ton of stuff onto a little bitty space. 

What other things would you recommend for desks? Do you have any questions about what I've listed? Talk to me in the comments!

August Resolutions

Again, we're linking up with Kelli over at She Learns As She Goes to bring you our monthly resolutions!

Put $300 in Savings

I'm only saying $300 this month because I only have four weeks to get a paycheck this month, plus I'm going to be going to college and having to buy textbooks and whatnot later on this month. If I'm able to save $75 a week, that'd be fantastic. If not...Well, I hope to at least get pretty close!

Get All My College Stuff Organized

This may or may not be a hard one. At the moment, all my college stuff is sitting in the office. At some point this month, though, I'm going to have to go through all of it and see what I'll be taking to college and what I'll be leaving behind. Otherwise, it's just going to sit there, and by the time move-in day comes around, I'm going to be running around like a psychopath of some sort, attempting to figure out where everything is. 

I also need to figure out what clothes I'm going to take with me, as well as what books I'm going to take. I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have to read, but taking The Complete Sherlock Holmes and Gone With the Wind just seems like a good idea.

Go Through My Clothes

I probably have a lot of things in my closet that I can't wear any more. I need to go through them and pull out the things that I either don't wear or can't wear, and put them in the office so mom can put them in a sack to be donated. I have a TON of t-shirts, and I'm sure I could go about three months without wearing the same one twice. I don't have a lot of pants, however, so maybe it balances out? Maybe? I'm not quite sure.

I do have to make sure that I do this this month, though, because I'm not going to have time once college starts. Once August 26th rolls around, my weekends are going to be filled with work and studying.

Finish 1+ Seasons of Doctor Who

It's been a while since I've watched Doctor Who. I stopped watching it after "Doomsday," because I literally couldn't handle the feels. That was back in March. (Bad idea, actually.) I'm itching to get back into it, and I want to be able to finish the seasons on Netflix before the next season comes out - I mean, the 50th Anniversary program in November. BECAUSE SERIOUSLY. DOCTOR WHO. AND DAVID TENNANT'S COMING BACK.

I even made my own little TARDIS!

You can find the printable version of this here. I printed mine out on cardstock so it would be stiffer and wouldn't collapse as easy. It's a bit difficult to get the light on the top (my dad had to do it), so I would recommend having an X-ACTO knife handy. Or some kind of little blade to do the slits. (It's a bit difficult.)

Read Four Books

I was able to blow this out of the water last month (well, actually, I at least doubled it...), so hopefully I'm able to do the same this month! I have the rest of the Septimus Heap series on my reading list, along with The Enchantress, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, and Gone With the Wind. Not too sure if I'll be able to finish the last two...

***

What are your resolutions for this month? Have any tips for mine? (Do you think I went a bit easy this month?)

Have a great month, y'all, and I can't wait to see what your resolutions are!

July Report Card

Well, July went by fast. Let's see how this month stacks up...

Put $300 into Savings

July 2: Earned: $138.58. Saved: $75.00.
July 9: Earned: $163.38. Saved: $75.00.
July 16: Earned: $195.16. Saved: $100.00.
July 23: Earned: $xxx.xx. Saved: $75.00
July 31: Earned: $159.87. Saved: $75.00

Total Saved: $400. This may only be because I had five weeks to work with this month instead of four, like usual.

It's a lot easier to save $75 than I thought it was. This is going to be a very easy resolution to keep. Maybe I can continue doing $300 a month instead of $200. (At least during the summer, May, June, July, and part of August. Maybe December. It all depends on my work schedule, after all.)

Grade: A+

Keep My Room Clean

My room is...decent. I did have to go through and do a clean-up the other day, but for right now, it's all right. I still have a really messy corner, though - the corner where I plug in all my electronics. I sit them on top of my trunk. Unfortunately, that's where I also pile a lot of crap. So I've got to sit down and sift through that next month, and see what I need to throw away and what I need to reorganize.

Grade: B-

Read Four Books

I'm working my way through the books! So far, I've completed:
The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott
The Magician, by Michael Scott
The Sorceress, by Michael Scott
The Necromancer, by Michael Scott
The Warlock, by Michael Scott
Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynn Truss
Magyk, by Angie Sage
Flyte, by Angie Sage

And I'm working on reading:
The Complete Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

But I managed to read eight books this month! I really don't know where I found the time to do so, but I'm not complaining!

Grade: A+

WALK

The only walking I've been doing is pacing at work and walking the mall with my sister. I've really got to pick up on this. I'm probably just going to scratch this off of my resolutions list, because I know I'll never get it done.

Grade: F

Write!

I've been writing on receipt paper whenever I work café, because it's usually a slow day when I work. I haven't just been able to sit down and write, even though I know I really should be doing that. I guess I'm procrastinating again, because I think I might be stuck in another "writer's block" rut. How do I have them talk when they're traveling? Am I putting in too many extraneous details? What's going on?

Grade: C

Graphics...?

I've reopened my review site on Neopets, but I haven't done anything graphic-related. In hindsight, this was a very bad resolution to put up. I knew I wouldn't do anything graphic-related, but apparently, I didn't care. 

Grade: F

***

Overall Grade: C+

I promise, next month's resolutions will be much better. I did well this month (even though I failed two resolutions), but I know I can do better next time.

Come back tomorrow to check in with me as I tell you what I want to accomplish in August!

Books I Read in July

Time for another posting of the books that I've read this month! I was able to read a lot this month (more than usual, because I wasn't scheduled so much this month), so let's get started!

This is one of my new favorite series. It may not have the quality of the Harry Potter series or the Septimus Heap series, but it's got its own epic battles. It's a blisteringly fast-paced book, and it has tons of historical characters in it. Everyone from Machiavelli to Billy the Kid romp around in this modern-day tale, and it's something that everyone should read at least once. Apparently, all of us can do magic...although not all of us realize it.

This is the second book in the Nicholas Flamel series, and it's just as entertaining as the first. The villains are more fleshed out, and we get to see more and more historical characters join in the fun. Ares and Machiavelli are key components of this story (for Evil, of course), and Joan of Arc makes an appearance for the good guys. Certainly entertaining, and certainly a great continuation of the first book.

The third book in the Nicholas Flamel series. This is named after Pernelle Flamel, Nicholas's wife. We finally get to see more of her in this book, while still adding layers upon layers of historical figures and mythological figures to the action.

Now we move on to the darker side of the series - one of the twins is starting to pull away from the good guys to join the side of EVIL. The Necromancer is named after John Dee, the main bad guy in the series. And boy, are things starting to get heated...

People are sent back in time, there's a storm brewing, and the twins of legend are fighting with each other. Named after Ares, the Warlock, this book takes us deep into the past so that we can save the future. Hel and Odin team up, Machiavelli decides to turn oath-breaker, and things are starting to get fun.

Call me a nerd if you must, but this really was one of the most entertaining books I've ever read on grammar. Of course, it's probably the ONLY book I've ever read (willingly) on grammar, but it was still entertaining all the same. If you need a bit more education on some things, Mrs. Truss will gladly whip you into shape. It's going to become a favorite of mine, I believe.

This may be the absolute greatest book I've read this month. It's called William Shakespeare's Star Wars. It is FANTASTIC. It's awesome to see the way the author's taken some of the most quotable lines from A New Hope and rewritten them in Elizabethan English, in iambic pentameter. Lines such as "Will someone move this walking carpet?" and "Luke! You've turned off your targeting computer!" live on. If you've got $15 to spare, then go buy this. Otherwise, rent it from your local library. (I know you'll go and buy it when you've finished the first act.)

The other books that I read this month aren't finished. The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Magyk, and Gone With the Wind will probably make their appearance on next month's book list.

What's the best book you read this month? Want to give me some suggestions? Do you want me to tell you a bit more about what I read? Comment below!