Here it goes again

Hey ladies!

Soooo... There's this thing that I'm doing. I do it a lot. It's quite a bit of fun sometimes but other times it make me very stressed. I do this thing far too often and I am, in fact, doing it right now...

Procrastinating.

Yup, the neverending battle of distraction continues and I'm fighting it hardcore. Am I being successful? Not really, as evidence by this post.

However, as unproductive as this may seem so far I do actually have a question to ask.

Where are our pants?

It's a month into the winter semester and I haven't heard anything about them. Are they still traveling? Or is Michele still hording them? Either way, I want to hear about them and I want them to travel again and have adventures so let's make that happen!

Reading week is coming up. I'm excited. Know why?

I'm not going to be doing any reading :P

Much love,

Dina

Denim dilemma

Hey ladies,

I haven't posted in a while and I'm early for my class, as usual, so I thought I'd give you a little shout out.

HEY LADIES!!!!!

This morning I split open another pair of jeans! My second time this term when I have never before in my life split open a pair of jeans! I couldn't believe it! I was beginning to question whether my hind end had exceeded its regular proportions but then I realized...

I'd started this year of shopping by turning down the opportunity to shop for half-priced jeans at the GAP which I NEVER DO!! I think my current denim dilemma is due to karmic retribution from this uncharacteristic action.

Yes, the shopping year starts on Boxing Day and I can't believe I did that either.

Lecture has started so I must go but have a lovely day ladies (and hopefully you will not split your pants open in the course of the day like me).

Much love,

Dina

Three whole catfish wrapped separately.

Yesterday I got a package from my family. The letter included with it reads as follows:


Random stuff to sent to Dawn,
- camp hoodie found beside bed
- knitting needles found in cupboard under bed
- socks found in A&J's drawer. (my sisters)
- Sugar shot from Anne's date at Red Lobster
-Cheque from the government
- Will from your great-grandmother - kind of fun & sad to read, check out the date, March 93 - Pre A&J !
- Potatoes - 2packages - because you love them
- gravy - so you can make yorkshire pudding
- balloons - bought for a science experiement at school, knew you would like the extras
- duct tape because it misses you and wants to be made into something fun and useful!


Love, us :) 




So ya, the kind of stuff I usually get from my family. They're insane. 


Reading the will was very interesting. Seven people are listed by name:
my grandmother
her brother
my mom
my aunt
two of my great grandma's neices
me


at 2 years old I had apparently already wormed my way into her heart. She said I was supposed to get her china dolls. Well, as you guys know, I have quite the collection of china dolls - she started buying them for me for Christmas when I was 9,but her will was written LONG BEFORE THAT. 


It's just kind of neat that she always had that special plan for me. It makes me feel really loved. 


Also - ten hundred nerd points to whoever understands the title reference. ( but I'll probably link you up eventually) 

The Three (or Four)

Evening ladies,

...You know how this works! I don't really think an explanation is necessary. I didn't think I was going to do this tonight but here goes anyway...

1. Natalie PortmanAnd when I say Natalie Portman, I definitely mean before Black Swan was a thing and she was all "edgy". I mean V for Vendetta Natalie Portman and Star Wars Natalie Portman but mostly V for Vendetta Natalie Portman because... Yes... Just yes...

2. Olivia Wilde

So I was really upset when I found out that Doctor Thirteen wouldn't be back in this season of House because she could've given me a physical any day... (Oh god, the cheese...but it's true...)

3. Robert Downey Jr

Have you seen this man give an interview? If not you should because some of the things he says... I have no words. I feel like sex with him is one of the single dirtiest things a person could ever experience because he'll do anything (enuciate: an-y-thing)... and that's insanely hot.

Bradley Cooper
This guy is incredibly gorgeous but also incredibly modest about his looks so it's hard to find definitive examples of his absolute appeal in picture form but, again, check out an interview where he speaks French and suddenly I'm wondering where my pants went...

Well ladies, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did because I enjoyed it... a lot.

Much love,

Dina

Warm Fuzzies and Funnies on the Phone

Hey ladies!

I've been back at school for a week and already it feels like I never left. Pretty sad. I wish I could have had more time to spend with you while we were all home but such is life and on to other things.

One thing that is nice about being away from home is that you get to phone home. [The last sentence was NOT an E.T. reference.] When I say "phone home" I actually mean with a phone, not Skype. As wonderful as Skype is, I still really enjoy an old fashioned phone call and tonight I had one with my parents which was brilliant in both warm fuzzies and humour. The warm fuzzies being that, even though it's only been a week, I missed them already and the humour being the general workings of our family. In particular there were two humourous moments I wanted to share with you.

Moment #1

Mom: [general enquiries about my eating habits and] ...you have lots of vegetables, don't you?
Me: Yeah, I've got loads of veggies that you gave me to bring here.
Mom: So you haven't been grocery shopping?
Me: No, I've got loads of food. I'm usually pretty well stocked and you gave me a lot!
Mom: [very serious voice] Now Dina, I've been meaning to talk to you about something I saw in your cupboard...
Me: ??
Mom: I saw that you had some Chef Boyardee in there-
Me: IT'S NOT MINE!!
Mom: -and that's not very Italian of you.
Me: I SWEAR IT'S NOT MINE! IT WAS MY ROOMMATE! IT'S HERS AND SHE LEFT IT THERE! I WOULD NEVER!!
Mom: Oh good. I thought something was wrong.

I love this so much because 1) it's totally about Italian pasta issues which are such an integrated part of my life and will never leave, 2) my mom would be seriously concerned if I had started slipping out of my Italian pasta issues, and 3) I reacted like she'd found a stash of drugs or something equally incriminating instead of inappropriate canned food.

Moment #2

[My parents were trying to get a hold of me earlier today because we've talked about getting me a larger bed and they found me one today.]
Dad: [Things about other beds and furniture in the store.]
Me: I know it's not going to happen now but someday, when I live in a giant mansion, I'd love to have a ginormous old fashioned four-poster bed.
Dad: They had one there! I picked out a four-poster for you originally but mom said no.
Me: ORLY?
Dad: Yeah, I told her that'd be great for you. I said that you could tie people up in there with your silk scarves.
Me: [thinking: Entirely too close to my own thoughts, entirely too close, too close] *laughs awkwardly* Great minds think alike...
Dad: *laughs*

I seriously love my parents.

Well ladies, that's all from me tonight. Much love to all of you,

Dina

A year in review

Hey ladies,

I haven’t been on here in a while and I realize that I owe you a few posts. Here is one of them!

2011. What was it like?

Well, it started in a rather similar manner to this year if I recall correctly, with me feeling exceedingly under the weather. Then I had a rather disgusting throat infection which lead to me wear my largest and most comfortable track pants and sweater when all of you lovely ladies came over for a Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition marathon on January 1st. I loved that. I mean, honestly, LOTR (with all of its geeky amazingness and actor hotness) and three best friends who I am comfortable enough with to allow them to see me at my shitiest and those same friends being so lovely as to still come and see me when I was all disgusting and who were also equally enthused about the geekery and hotness. I’m not sure that life gets a whole lot better than that, even with the sickness in the equation, so the start of 2011 was definitely good.

Entirely too shortly after the awesomeness that was January 1^st I had to return to school city and go to school. January 2011, in general and excluding the first day, was rather a shit month. I was living with people who, over the course of that month, made their dislike for me painfully clear and dealing with a lot of stress concerning the possible solutions to this problem. I’m very much a person of solid roots; I like to find a place to be and stay there. Looking for a new place to live, with the added stress of the financial strain inherent in this solution and that of missing hours of work in order to search for this new place, almost drove me over the edge at points but I got through it and officially came to own my very own house for the first time in my life (far earlier in said life than I’d originally thought).

Funnily enough, I know I wrote the single longest post on the blog about moving into my new house sometime in early February but it seems to be missing... THE HELL?! Where did it go?!

February 2011 was a month of learning a lot. Learning things about shovelling gravel driveways, about paying bills, about furnaces and water softeners, about the places that spiders like to hide, about how to construct furniture, about how much can really fit in the back of a car, about installing blinds and towel racks and numerous other things, and about how it is possible for a steak to be so good you experience orgasmic bliss. Would I say that I’m an expert at any of these things now? Heck no, but I certainly know a lot more than I did and that’s something.

Now let’s try a harder sort of honesty. Although my surface life was looking pretty good at this point, the rest of that semester of school was not a good time for me. I experienced the most anxiety I’ve ever felt about school and it was terrifying at times. It was all I could do to sit through my classes some days and my exams were nightmares. I was feeling a lot of pressure to do well and experiencing a complete lack of faith that I was capable of it. My whole experience of those two months is very dark and frustrated by the fact that confiding any worries provoked a “You’ll do well because you’re you and you always do well” sort of response. Not the most comforting of words for someone who feels like they’ve turned inside out. What if I wasn’t that person anymore? What would happen if I couldn’t do it? What would happen if the constant of my great academic performance turned on its head like so many other ideas I’d had about my life up until that point? I didn’t know.

I’ve always had a rather large fear of failure. The attitude expressed to me by so many people I find admirable that it’s perfectly okay to fail at something because it can lead to you trying other things that are so much more successful is one that, no matter how are I try to adopt, I still haven’t managed to believe entirely. If I said that I still don’t experience some of the same feelings of anxiety from that last semester I’d be lying but I have come a bit farther into accepting that anything worth doing carries with it a risk defeat and that the risk, and even the experience of the consequence, is worth the chance at something great. I’m not very far along on that but I’m edging my way closer in my very cautious Slytherin manner.

There were certainly some high points that came in all of that drama, including seeing my very first a cappella concert at my school (which was absolutely fabulous), the extremely cool psychology of evil course, several Tuesday movies, the joy of an English class without reading, and C&D madness and giggles with Emily.

After the semester ended there was also some seriously good times. P-Prom year 2! I love it so much that our group of friends does this. We are classy b****es! Yes, we are. It’s so great that we can all get together and do something so awesome together. This is especially true when it’s full of moments like improper pretentious eyebrows when wine tasting, newly discovered theme songs and outrageous games of King’s Cup. I seem to remember being told I was a very good hand-holder at the end of that night, too, so I suppose that’s a good compliment to have as well.

Another experience that was uniquely 2011 was that of the end of Harry Potter. I think we’ve all already talked about that but it was amazing in so many ways. Seeing so many of my school friends also lined up in huge lines because we’re amazingly cool nerds made me beyond happy and sharing that moment with them and you ladies was phenomenal. Tears were shed, squees were squealed, happiness flowed. Reading from Beedle the Bard to put you ladies to sleep and then waking up to find our faces on the front page of the local paper... All was well on those days. :P

In August I was finally employed! Hurray! This decision lead to the decision to work through the coming semester of school which I had never done before. I think it worked out fairly well and by December I had made enough money to pay for my tuition for this semester. The lack of free weekends was definitely something I felt strongly towards the end of the semester but all in all, I think it worked out fairly well.

This past semester had some strange and wonderful moments. Mostly notably, I went on my first official date ever and it was everything I could dream it would be. There was also a notable double date which involved a lot of squeaking and rumbling laughter and hand-holding and fantastic music which was fantastic! :P

This past semester also had a lot of learning in it, much like February, because I had to negotiate a house without running water and a rather bizarre and exhausting experience of trying to change my internet access.

This semester ended with a load of happiness as I was allowed to go home for the holiday and spend some much needed relaxation time with my family and with you ladies (who I consider my extended family). My Christmas was fantastically nerdy. My sushi cravings were satisfied. My slash appetite well appeased by Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows which I saw with Dawn (I’m listening to the soundtrack now and loving it). I’m so glad I had the time to do all this and get some much needed sleep as this new year and new semester are looking like a lot of work already.

Here’s to a fantastic year passed and a fantastic year to come!

Much love ladies,

Dina

P.S. (This is one post I owed you. Look out for my Guilt-Free Three in the near future.)

300!!

This is Trouser Trek!!!!!!

Haha, so we hit the 300 marker (this post is the 300th) as is now customary I will update our stat rundown!  The more posts we have the more approximate the numbers since it takes for ever to go back and recount things, so I put a margin of error disclaimer on this one, though it shouldn't be too horrible!  But without further ado, here we go!

Total Posts: 300!

Month with the Most Posts: April 2011 with 37

Total Views: 16022

Valerie has 37% of all posts with 111. (46 of the last 100)
Dina is responsible for 27.66% with 83 posts. (24 of the last 100)
Dawn has posted 68 times which is 22.66% of all posts. (24 of the last 100)
Michele has posted 27 times accounting for 9% of posts. (4 of the last 100)

Malcolm posted 1 time using Dawn's account.
There are 2 posts which are letters, posted not by the original writer.
Dawn hacked Michele's Macbook and made 1 post with her account.

Posts with the Most Page Views

"Wanted: Sonic Screwdriver" by Valerie with 240

"Twas the Night Before Christmas"  by Dina with 201

"I was nommingly nomming some nommy noms" by Dawn with 180

"HP5 - Because it Couldn't be Missed" by Dina with155

"A short story" by Dina with 86

Posts with the Most Comments Belong to:

Dina, 26 on "Yesterday Discussed Today"
Michele, 20 on "SQUEE!!!"
Dina, 18 on "Insiphonating dark chocolate with Mr.PokerFace"
Valerie, 14 on "Pride and Personality" and "Wanted: Sonic Screwdriver"
Dawn, 13 on "Pants Folding"/ Dina 13 on "A Knight in Shining Armour"

A skewed look at what we post about based on labels we put on posts.  I say skewed because not all posts are labelled and not all posts that do have labels regarding EVERYTHING in that post.  But here you are:

Awesome - 11 posts

Christmas -8 posts

Darren Criss - 8 posts

Dreams - 8 posts

Essays - 11 posts

Exams - 14 posts

Family - 20 posts

Fanfiction - 8 posts

Food - 17 posts

Friends - 68 posts

Geekery- 23 posts

Harry Potter - 29 posts

History - 15 posts

Housing - 12 posts

Midterms - 8 posts

MUN - 15 posts

Music - 16 posts

Nerves - 8 posts

Pants - 49 posts

Psychology - 11 posts

Roommates - 11 posts

School - 15 posts

Squee - 12 posts

The Ginger - 9 posts

Work - 12 posts

Writing - 11 posts

 (And yes, 8 was the minimum number of posts to make it onto this list)

There we have it!!

Love you all ladies, may we have many more adventures both together and apart to write about, as well as random dribbles and mundane updates to share.

The Blog Hog