Bad Day

Wow... I bet you guys are getting sick of my ranting posts. Sorry about that...

But we went out for dinner tonight. Because my day sucked.

Classes went well, but I found out a member of my E-board was not returning for this quarter.

It's the best thing for her, but it puts a little more on my plate than I'm comfortable with.

Then I lost my wallet.

It just fell out of my jacket pocket when I was walking to lunch. I spent 20 minutes retracing my steps from where I knew I had it to where I realized I didn't have it.

No good. I called my bank and spent 10 minutes of my lunch break on the phone with them, cancelling that card and getting them to send me a new one.

Turns out a lovely professor in the College of Science had picked it up and was in his office for me to retrieve my wallet.

Which is wonderful. I realize that I am extremely blessed that someone returned it to me with all of the contents still inside, but the amount of stress it caused me was not instantaneously taken away.

I still have limited access to my funds until I recieve the new card from my bank... not the best situation to be in when I have to order books.

Luckily, I have amazing parents who will let me order books with their credit cards until my mess gets straightened out.

I get through my last lab of the day and come straight home. Worked out. Code Boyfriend and I have started a new 30 day challenge a couple days early in order to avoid having one over Christmas.

But more on that later.

I then got into a fight with a very good friend, and was told I was bad at running my club.

And no matter how bad today was, I will get out of bed and do it again tomorrow.

Chicago O'Hare Airport Review

I am now safe and sound in Colorado for Thanksgiving.. and I am exhausted.

Code Boyfriend and I flew from Rochester to Chicago O'Hare, then to Denver. Very long day for someone who hates flying.

But we did land both flights ahead of schedule and made it to Chicago by lunchtime, which is a very fine place to be in the Chicago area.

Both Code Boyfriend and I got deep dish for lunch.

While not the best food I'd ever eaten, it was far better than the usual McDonald's and Burger King fair I eat at the airport. Fast too, while Code Boyfriend and I had a 2 hour break, you could grab this pizza to go in under 5 minutes. 

This place was incredibly good for airport food. We ate in Terminal C, but we walked through Terminal B and there were several places I would have wanted to try had they been closer to our gate.

There is a lot of walking at this airport. But there is a Starbucks every 12 feet, so it wasn't so bad. While the airport was busy, I never felt boxed in, very important for an anxious flyer.

All in all, I'd say Chicago O'Hare is a great place to fly through. I much a layover here than in Atlanta.

They also got extra points for having a Brachiosaurus in the middle of Terminal B. It was kind of awesome.

Week Ten Needs to End

It is the end of Week 10. And I did nothing exciting today.

I got up, took an extremely hard test.

Went to a lecture.

Came home.

Watched How I Met Your Mother in yoga pants.

Then I went to the Hooks and Needles meeting.

We have a problem with one of the guys who has joined the clubs. He's recently showed up at one of my members other club meetings... That's no good when you are super creepy.

So my life got way more complicated... But it was the last meeting of the quarter.

Next quarter we are painting a mural, having our winter sale, knitting a sweater for our college's mascot, and preparing for Imagine RIT.

Last year, our club yarn bombed a wall.

This year we are adding too it... I think sometimes I take on too much. But how do you say no to things you enjoy doing? I love Hooks and Needles and I am so excited to be a TA for the Tissue Culture class.

I think I'll just need to get used to being tired.

You Can't See an Elephant in the Dark

Spring Break is almost over now and I feel like I haven't stopped moving since I left my apartment in Rochester last Friday.

I'm talking insane amounts of travel people! BF and I drove to Phili, then flew to Pheonix, AZ, where we met my parent.

Then Flagstaff -- where we met up with many of my old friends from before I transferred away from NAU (Northern Arizona University for those who don't know). 

 Plus we saw the Grand Canyon...

All in 2 days. Then we drove down to Tuscon, to meet up with some of my parents old friends and my extended family. Poor BF. He spent the whole time we were in Tuscon being left out of conversations because he wasn't in Tuscon 20 years ago.

 Luckily he got to spend these long car rides watching me make knit roses for the people we are seeing. This is some of them in the door to the car. I'll have a tutorial for them up soon.


BF survived the scrutiny of many family members of mine during this trip, much thanks to the help of a wonderful frosty beverage called an Eegee. Eegee's are a magical substance, like a fruit based Icee, but a bit thicker. 

 

BF had never had one before, but after going from a chilly Rochester March to a 85 degree Tuscon spring, he has been converted.

If you haven't noticed the title of this blog, it happens to be a quote from my dear Aunt Paula. This woman is amazing. After she turned 50, she spent 5 years in Botswana, Africa with the Peace Core, fulfilling a life-long dream she had. When talking to her about her travels, she said something so sincerly it was adorable, but it is a quote that continually helps me with my anxiety.


"You can't see an elephant in the dark."

So everytime I'm worried about something, panicking about something I believe no one else can see, I turn on the light to see if it is really an elephant. 

Maybe that makes me a little nuts, but so is my Aunt Paula, and she's the happiest person I know. Maybe accepting your little bits of crazy that allows you to be happy.


All I know, is that you can't see an elephant in the dark.

The Week Before Finals Week

So, it's here. Week 10.  And I am handling it beautifully.

On the quarter system, we don't get this strange "Reading Week" some school are so fond of.. No, no, no. We go straight from a week of exams and practicals into a week of finals. It seems a little repetitive.

So now, for my movie recommendation.

I had a very terrible day, you know the kinds, where you shatter something all over the kitchen floor while making breakfast (I selected a lovely glass crock pot lid) and then spend the next 8 hours working on things that are 20% of your grade in some class.

After this kind of day, everyone should sit down and watch When Harry Met Sally

This movie is funny and romantic. Classic in all of the best ways. And I have found that I can watch it in all sorts of moods. Bad ones, happy ones, when I'm heart-broken, and when I'm anxious.

I have to try very hard to stay calm during high stress times in my life. The week before Finals Week counts as a time I need to work on staying calm, so I'd be popping Xanax every 2 hours like clockwork.

So I knit, I take baths, and from time to time, I watch When Harry Met Sally.

Anxiety and Coffee

If anyone out there actually keeps up with this blog, you may have noticed a name change. 


I have gotten rather attached to my little internet soap box and decided that it was time to change this into something I can update as I feel, as well as something I can keep adding content to well after I graduate.


I will still post the hack recipes that I develop, but I want a little room to spread out.

Want an explaination of the new name?

 I have 2 very large vices, anxiety and coffee. One feeds the others addiction. I have some anxiety issues that I am currently working thought (seriously, does breathing work for everyone else? Sometimes its just not possible to control) and this constant state of panic and worry keeps me up at night. Which is why I am writing this in the dark, in the middle of the night.


Hence my coffee addiction. Sorry kids, if you want me to do that standing/walking/talking thing everyone else seems to be so fond of, I'm going to need some caffeine.


So this is me knitting, cooking, and ranting my way though college and life with coffee and anxiety.