Just real quickly...

I want to alert you all to the fact that I am, in fact, still alive. I know this saddens some of you who were hoping to inherit my awesome movie collection and my newly acquired lava lamp, but alas, I still want and need those.

However, this hiatus will still last a little bit longer. I have a midterm to take today, another one on Wednesday, a paper to write before Tuesday, a document to code Thursday, papers to grade on Friday and a wedding to attend on Saturday.

Sunday, however, is going to be a good day :)

And actually Saturday will be really good too. I'm quite excited. Stanley's cousin Rachel is getting married and they are one of the coolest couples I know, so I'm sure marriage will just escalate said awesomeness.

Alrighty, off to pay attention to class. We are not discussing Mormons in political history. Woohoo!

Toodles!

-Jillian

In case you couldn't tell...

It's midterm. There's no way I'm going to be able to keep up with this blogging thing and still be a productive human. So. I'm putting a hold on it.

Just thought I'd let you all know...

-Jillian

Days 9 & 10

I'm totally failing at this blogging thing. Sorry folks. I'll try harder :)

Day 9 - Something you're proud of in the last few days:

I'm just proud of the last few days in general. I've worked my last Sunday shift at Macaroni Grill (and getting free sushi from it too, might I add), written a quiz, got my WomanStats stuff figured out, scheduled this next week, taken a midterm (that I don't think I failed), went to all my classes where I mostly paid attention, gone running, broken down my schedule for midterms and graded 40 some odd papers while helping students on their next assignment.

I guess overall, I'm just proud that I'm getting my stuff together and being a productive human. And as a reward, tonight I get to go to Brick Oven with my roommates (and Stanley) for a birthday dinner and just get to relax and not worry about school. That is, if I get all the papers graded and sent out, of course :)

Day 10 - Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad

Ha! This one's fun. When I'm happy I listen to a playlist called "you make me smile" It has some awesome songs on it. It has songs like "Soul Sister," "Teenage Dream," and "You Make Me Smile." It also has a lot of Ingrid Michaelson and Sarah Barielles.

When I'm sad I tend to listen to Brandi Carlile. Love her music.

Bored: I'm not sure. I honestly don't know if I ever am bored or if it's just the feeling of being obligated to do something when I'd much rather be doing something else. If that's the case, then I listen to symphony music. It helps me focus on what I need to be doing at the time.

Hyped: I love this one!!! Mostly because I have a certain song I listen to when I want to feel like a BA, which is usually when I go take a test. I walk into the testing center with Mamba's, carrots, and my water bottle and have "Uprising" by Muse blasting my ears. If that doesn't do it for me I'll usually listen to "Breaking Dishes" by Rhianna or "Supermassive Black Hole" also by Muse. But very rarely does "Uprising" not get me going.

Mad: I'm not sure what I listen to when I'm mad. When that happens I usually want to talk to someone about it so I'm no longer mad or so the person can understand why they made me mad can then cower, tell me how right I am, and beg for my forgiveness (this last thing? Yeah, almost never happens. I think it's because of who I'm dating...). The point is, music does not usually play a part in my life when I'm mad.

So yes, there's a small snippet of my music habits. I hope you all enjoyed :)

Toodles!

-Jillian

Days 6, 7, and 8

This weekend sort of got away from me. I spent Friday night up in Salt Lake and spent all Saturday having fun with the boyfriend going to the symphony, watching movies, and playing at the DI and Toys 'R Us. I can't imagine anyone else I'd be able to do such a diverse amount of things with where we both truly enjoy them, and not just because we're doing them with each other. Though that always seems to make it better.

But, because of that, I'm a little behind on this blogging thing, so here we go:

Day 6: Favorite superhero and why

I think my favorite superhero has to be Batman. Because while Superman and Spiderman and all the other superheroes are cool (okay, Spiderman not so much) Batman is awesome because he's a real person. Like, actually human. He wasn't genetically modified or imported from some other planet. He was a man who felt the need to change things and had the resources to do so. Which makes him awesome.

Day 7: A picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you:

These are some of my favorite people in the whole wide world. I put this picture because of what the life changing experience this picture represents as well. These are my Jackson girls. We spent one amazing, tumultuous, life-altering summer together and have managed to keep in touch and stay friends in the years following. They are the ones I know I can call whenever I need anything who, no matter how busy we are, will always be there no matter how long it's been since we've talked or seen each other. They are all amazing, beautiful, talented, driven, intelligent, loving women who have blessed my life in so so so many ways.

This one is more obvious. No matter how things turn out with this kid, he has done a lot to shape my life during a very influential period. He makes me think about and experience things that I never would have otherwise. Plus he's wonderful and makes me laugh like no one else. He makes me want to be a better person while taking me the way I am.

Day 8: Short term goals for this month and why

Okay, this is hard because I really want to turn this into a to-do list, but I will refrain, because no one wants to see that. So this is what I hope to accomplish by the beginning of March - so in 28 days:

Survive Midterms - meaning don't get anything below an 83%

Keep up with my TA work:

Keep up with other readings

Start running again

Not fall behind in assignments

So yes, those seem very general, but that's about as far ahead I can think right now.

Alrighty, I have succeeded in making this up to date! Gold Star!!

Toodles!

-Jillian

A picture of a place you've been

In case you can't tell, I'm having a hard time picking just one. I've been to lots of places, whether it be Museums, campus, or my boyfriends house, and they all have their special place in my heart and memory. However, I figured I'd include some of the place I've actually traveled to that other people might recognize:

This picture was taken in Guilin, China, on a boat on the Yellow River. For those of you who may not know (or were not there) I traveled to 4 different cities in China in 2007 - Guilin, along the southern coast, Lijang, up near the Himalayan Mountain range, Shanghai, and Beijing. We went with the Eastern Oregon University choir and it was an amazing week and a half. I climbed the Great Wall, vomited in an elevator, saw amazing acrobats, ate skewed yak meet, and met some amazing people.

This is a picture of where I spent 3 of the last 4 summers. While this picture is actually in Grand Teton National Park, it's beauty is indicative of what you see in Yellowstone as well. This was actually taken up along the Jenny Lake Trail which was and still is one of my favorite places in the park. I've shared it with some of the most special people in my life.

This was taken this last summer in Moab. Logan, Lou, Hillary, Stanley and I were playing in Goblin Valley when Stanley and I decided to stop and grab a peanut and butter sandwich. Logan took the opportunity to grab a snapshot of the two of us perched on one of the huge sandstone structures. It makes me happy.

A habit you wish you didn't have

This is a hard one for me. At first I couldn't think of a habit I wish I didn't have because to me a habit is chewing your nails or picking wedgies in public or an awkward face twitch. And while I do have some odd habits I wouldn't say I wish I didn't have them.

However, there are some very serious traits I wish I didn't have. For instance, I have this really bad...I'll use the word habit here...of getting lost inside my own head, especially when I have a lot to do. I get really caught up in my never ending to-do list or thinking about some of the problems in my life or how tired and/or unfulfilled I am. And what's funny is none of these are really legitimate problems. I almost create the problem in my own mind and then get tangled up in it to the point I'm paralyzed and unproductive.

I feel like it's obvious as to why I wish I didn't have this habit and therefore this post needs no more expounding. However, I will state that I'm currently attempting to overcome this flaw, though with varied success.

I'll be back tomorrow!

-Jillian

A picture of you as a child

Okay, I'm was super excited for this day mostly because I adore this picture. This was taken in upstate New York where my family and I used to spend our summers.

For those of you who may not know (or may not guess) this smiling, adorable blonde is my older sister Jessica. We're only 18 months a part, which sometimes caused friction between the two of us. Plus, as you can probably see from the picture as well, we are pretty different, and not only in appearance. We spent most of our childhood and teenage years bickering and fighting, but then in High School we became friends. Our family had moved to a new town and with that came a new school. I spent a majority of the first year refusing to acclimate and the only reason I survived was because of Jessy. She helped me socialize and created a network of friends I could be a part of so I wouldn't feel completely alienated, making sure I was included in everything she was. When she graduated the next year I had come into my own in high school, mostly because she gave me the support and ability to do so.

Now she is married, has two beautiful children and is still one of the most inspiring women I know. Her husband is overseas with the National Guard and she's raising her babes with so much patience and love, all the while handing that incredible hardships with diligence. And amazingly, she manages to do so with the same sweet smile she has in this picture taken 15 years ago.

The meaning behind my blog name...

This one isn't too hard. Despite the fact I started this blog back in my Junior year of high school its purpose has always been exactly what it says: it's where my brain relieves whatever it's been holding inside of it, in no particular order. It's where my thoughts can flow freely from my fingers. Some people have art and crafts blogs or travel blogs or school blogs, but mine has never really had a theme, hence the word "random" in there.

As I've moved away from home it's become a tool to let my family and friends back home know exactly what I'm up to and why I'm so ridiculously hard to get a hold of sometimes. It's also nice because I don't have to call all my family and friends individually to tell them the same stories - they can just read them on here.

That being said, now that I've done the challenge for the day, I would like to say that I am very tired and have to write a midterm right now. However, I really do love being a TA.

I also fell down the stairs yesterday and it hurt more than normal. How do I have that comparison to normal, you may ask? Probably because I fall down the stairs to my bedroom once or twice a month. You'd think I'd be more careful by now, but I think the carpet's just out to get me. But last night I sliced open my toe, hyper-extended my elbow a little bit and fell on my butt, which is making it a little difficult to walk today.

In other news, it is February 1. If I can make it through this month I will be very, very pleased as things are looking up in March and April. Then I have a month and a half of spring classes before

COSTA RICA!!!

I am so excited for this. Like, SO excited!

Toodles!

-Jillian