HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

My birthday was earlier this week! That's right! My birthday! Not to mention, it was my first birthday in Illinois. I initially expected to spend my celebration of birth alone in my apartment watching movies and being bored, but my new friends here saw to it that I enjoyed every moment of my big day! By the end of the night, I was crying tears of joy simply because they all cared so much about this new stranger from Virginia. (There aren't many Virginians around  here.) 

If you're curious, here's how my birthday turned out. I woke up bright and early after getting a birthday phone call from one of my sisters. After talking with her for a little while, I decided to stay awake and get dressed for the day. It came as such a surprise that one of my cherished Oberlin friends contacted me from Europe only a few moments later. He wished me a happy birthday and told me that I'd be receiving a postcard in the mail really soon. Since I hadn't spoken to him since mid-January, the simple gesture helped me to be a bit more optimistic about my birthday. 

It just so happened that a new friend of mine joined me for lunch. I ate a tasty stir-fry meal with rice, broccoli, carrots, pineapples, green beans, a dozen other yummy foods. Shortly after lunch, I went to work, which was also surprisingly fun. Every since the summer of my ninth grade year in high school, I have been so blessed to work at the most wonderful places with the most fun-loving people. Spending the day at work on my birthday wasn't any different. Actually, being with my co-workers ended up being one of the highlights of my day. Once our work was complete, many of us went to sing karaoke as a way of celebrating my birthday and bonding outside of the office. I can proudly say that I have no voice today after performing, encouraging others, and singing for nearly three hours. Three songs were dedicated to me - the birthday girl - even from complete strangers. I ended up singing Respect by Aretha Franklin and Ain't No Mountain High Enough. All in all, we had so much fun that we may make karaoke night a summertime tradition, but only time will tell. 

Presenting My Oreo Song‼‼

After viewing the results of my recent poll, I decided to place my song on Youtube. There are quite a few surprises in the final video. It just goes to show that Niga Higa and GloZell are two of my favorite people on YouTube.

Hopefully, you all will enjoy watching the video just as much as I liked making it‼‼‼‼

Milk Jug Update - 09/05/11: 
For those who may like to know, the company that packages this brand of milk in my area recently changed the location of the expiration date! I no longer have to worry about rubbing the date off and wondering which date the milk will actually expire!

A Blog Post Inside of A Blog Post

If you have visited my blog before this morning, then you've probably noticed quite a few changes. In other words, I've become addicted to widgets‼ It seems like there's a widget for everything. It's pretty exciting for blogger like myself. Here are a few of my favorite additions:

• A poll for all of my visitors
• I personally think everyone should be apart of this big decision that I have to make - putting my Oreo song on Youtube.
• A lovely bookshelf widget
• Please don't forget to leave me book recommendations‼‼
• A couple of Twitter widgets
• Yes, I've rejoined Twitter. Now that summer is in full swing, I have a bit more time on my hands. Leisure reading and social networking are two fun ways for me to spend my free time. Well, those things as well as catching up with friends and family... Wait a minute, that's social networking too, isn't it? In any event, if you're worried that everything I do revolves around reading words on a page or screen, fear not‼‼ With the other free time that I have I also sleep, cook, jog, and socialize with the wonderful new friends that I've made here. A great example is the neighborhood ice cream social that I went to the other day. It was surprisingly pleasant‼ Initially, I thought that the event would be rained out, but it wasn't, which was fantastic. While at the social I had the chance to meet many of my neighbors, none of which I had known beforehand. I just thought I'd share that... Now, back to the topic of discussion. If you have a Twitter, then you should most certainly follow me, especially if you were one of my followers four scores and ten years ago.

P.S. I love lists‼

A Whole New World of Articles!

For the past few days, I've been reading books, watching tutorials, and browsing articles way into the wee hours of the morning. The various articles that I've been reading tonight have been so intriguing, that I've decided to share them all. Here's a short list of all of the tabs that I have open in my browser at this very second:

• It's certified: These firms empower women 
• This list is definitely going in one of my Word documents. It's very informative‼
• Studying for Bar Exam? Despair May Stalk You
• I really liked the end of this article and the storytelling element of his writing style.
• YouTube - Karen Clark Sheard Couldn't Tell It pt. 1 
• Amazingly, I can listen to music and read at the same time without getting distracted by her magnificent voice. 
• Lawyer's Motion Objects to Opponents Use of Possessives 
• The opening line of this article is beyond words‼‼‼
• The comments provided underneath the article only put the icing on the cake. 
• How the iPad Can Increase Lawyers' Productivity 
• I love the irony in the placement of this article directly after the aforementioned article‼
• Also, does this mean that I need an iPad? I've never used one before, and I probably shouldn't get too far behind with technological advancements, right?
• Blogger.com
• That's right. I have a tab open for this site as well. How else would I be typing all of this information?

Well, I hope that you enjoyed taking a peak into my nightly adventures. Each adventure is different. Last night, I read a few chapters of a Debbie Macomber book and a few passages of scripture before going to sleep. It's just so very refreshing to read. I guess as time goes on, my reading will focus more on legal matters. So, it's probably fantastic that I'm already getting interested in such things already.

For those of you who would like recommendations for fiction or non-fiction books, let me know‼ I've read some great things over the course of the past few months.

Enjoy your slumber, everyone‼‼‼‼‼

What Do You Think?

A few friends of mine said that I should record and release my Oreo song to the world on Youtube‼ Have you heard my Oreo song before? What do you think I should do? 

Please answer using the poll located on the right‼‼

FRUITS AND VEGGIES‼

Growing up, I didn't like most fruits and vegetables. When I say most, I don't mean a little over half either. I didn't like about 70% of all fruits and vegetables‼ Really‼‼ I had my first real salad as a freshman in college and my first strawberry just last week‼ (Although the list of foods below may make it appear as though I ate plenty of fruits and vegetables prior to college, do not be deceived.  After all, potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes aren't the most healthy vegetables on Earth and they're still on the list.) So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I'd like to present a list revolving around my fruit and veggie expansion‼

Bananas, cauliflower, plums, coconut, eggplant and a variety of other fruits and veggies will one day make their way onto this list as well. For now, I'd only like to reflect on how far I've come...

Have you eaten a healthy portion fruits and veggies today?

The Good, The Bad, and The Best

What a day I've had! Let's see.... today I've been chipper, extremely sad, overburdened, overjoyed, overwhelmed, super Southern (if such an adjective exists), confused, annoyed, hopeless, satisfied, hurried, prayerful, worried, embarrassed, giggly, talkative, scared, determined, helpful, etc... I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Overall, the good outweighed the bad. Today was a fantastic day, although it didn't start out that way. 

My job hunt went terribly today. I guess you could say that it was so bad, that I don't even want to talk about, let alone blog about it. Speaking of jobs, another thing that really upset me today was my visit to an institution that shall remain nameless (simply because I think that's good etiquette). I wanted to open up an account near campus today so that could set up direct deposit in the near future. That didn't go so well. After wasting about thirty minutes, six branches of a tree, and quite a bit of ink, I left the building in the same state that I arrived in - without any type of account set up here. My day quickly turned around though.

A new friend of mine - that I randomly met last week - invited me to eat dinner with her and her friends tonight. I accepted my invitation and was asked to bring delicious bread for dipping! Once I made my way to the correct address and stepped through the threshold, I knew from that moment on that I was going to have a great evening. A wave of spices in the form of a tasty aroma floated in my direction! The entire first floor must have smelled so rich and savory! One of my new friend's friends was in the kitchen stirring a pot of southern stew flavored with Mexican pork. He turned around, waved me inside and the evening of laughter, stories and deliciousness began. Long story short, I intended to eat dinner with only three new friends, but I ended up making six more my the time I left! The best part of this story is that I'll get to enjoy their company again tomorrow! We have an entire schedule of things all mapped out, but I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

Words of Encouragement: Many of my days remind me of the phrase used to describe the month of March - they come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. Whenever you feel like your day can't get any worse, do your best to stay positive. Your day can most certainly get worse, but it can also become a whole lot better, especially if you work toward making it a better day. Could you imagine what would have happened if I would my invitation to dinner tonight simply because I was in a bad mood? 

When life give you lemons, grab a little sugar, a few quarts of water and mix up a pitcher of lemonade! Make the best of what may seem like the worse, and remember, someone would love to have your bad days!

It Feels Like Christmas!!!!!!!

Don't let the title fool you‼ It is about 93℉ outdoors right now. So how else could it possibly feel like Christmas? Well, the answer is simple. I'm unpacking‼‼‼

I've gone about one full week without many of my belongings. The only thing that I brought with me when I came to Illinois was one suitcase and a small carry-on bag. Yup, that's it‼ I haven't cooked in over a week because I didn't have any cookware. I didn't have any of my hair supplies, so my hair has been pretty dull and dry. I haven't been able to wear a different pair of shoes, because there was no space for extra shoes in my one piece of luggage. So, today feels like Christmas‼ Every time I open a box another surprise is lurking behind the walls of tape. 

MY BUSINESS CARDS‼ Oh, how I've missed these‼ Job hunting without a small stack of business cards was not the most pleasant. MY BACHELOR'S DEGREE‼ I only got to see my degree for about an hour before placing it in an old, stuffy box. Surely, such an expensive and meaningful document didn't deserve such negligence. It's finally able to breath. THE BOOK THAT I WAS READING‼ I wondered what happened to that Debbie Macomber book that I was reading. I love her books‼ All of them‼ Of course I haven't read them all, but I have read at least two dozens of her novels. It almost unbelievable that I went without her books this long. They're usually the only thing that keep me company when I go out on dinner dates... by myself. Tonight when I get a bite to eat, I don't have to sit at a table alone sending text messages to fill the void. I can read‼‼‼ It's great to be able to have almost everything that I need right at my fingertips now. 

A big, heart-filled thank you to everyone that helped me move‼ It was definitely a team effort‼ From the people that helped me pack, to the lovely, wonderful, amazing people that shipped me everything, to the two new friends of mine who helped me pick up my packages - THANK YOU‼‼‼‼ Your help will not go unnoticed and your kindness will not be taken for granted‼

So Exactly What Are You Doing Right Now?

That seems to be the magic question for me now-a-days‼ Graduating from one college and immediately moving to another college twelve hours later isn't exactly something that students do regularly; so I can understand why some of my friends and family members may be a bit perplexed. Hopefully, this post will shed a bit of light into those gray areas.

I am pretty sure that surviving my first year of law school will be no easy task‼ Completing my first year of law school while balancing grades, a part-time job, and participation in a few organizations will prove to be even more difficult. That being said, when I was trying to decide what to do this summer, I knew that I didn't want to do something that would be strenuous or stressful in any respect. I am pleased to announce that my plan is working‼ I've been fairly relaxed for the past week.

I have two jobs here on campus doing things that I love to do - meeting new people and communicating with constituents via the telephone. When I'm not at work, I'm able to continue to do things that I love - explore the neighboring cities, watch films on Netflix, and sleep‼ Being able to take unexpected naps in the middle of the day is one of many blessing that this summer has offered me‼

In a way, I'm kind of hibernating right now. For the remainder of the summer I hope to conserve my energy and brain power as I recuperate from the past four years of intense essay writing, sleepless nights, and final exams. By orientation I should be refreshed, well-rested, and ready to take another step closer to the real world.

My Inner Alarm Clock

Friday . . . 7:25a.m.

Saturday . . . 6:54a.m.

Sunday . . . 7:57a.m.

Monday . . . 7:38a.m.

Tuesday . . . 7:14a.m.

Every since I moved last week, I have not been able to sleep past eight o' clock in the morning, and it's not for lack of trying. Last night I went to sleep at about 3:30a.m. in hopes of waking up a little later this morning. That didn't work either‼

I have yet to figure out what has caused the appearance of my new inner alarm clock. At first I thought that it may be as a result of moving to a new time zone. However, I only moved one time zone over, and before relocating I most certainly was not waking up before 9:00a.m. every morning. An older friend of mine said that at a certain age, the body creates it's own "work clock." So, although I don't have a job that requires me to wake up this early, one day I will and my body knows that all on it's own. Consequently, it will become habit for my body to wake up without an alarm. I guess I could believe that. My mother has never used an alarm clock for as long as I can remember, and she's always on time for work.

Does the body simply revert to it's own sleep schedule at a certain age? Could it be the change in time zone? What do you think?

What's In A Subtitle?

Next City? Next Goal? Next Step?

Does such a subtitle have the potential to accurately describe the current road upon which I traverse? In simplest terms, yes, it does‼

To begin with, I am in a brand new city‼‼ Coming to Illinois has been a wonderful, yet occasionally difficult experience, e.g., my constant inability to make phone calls in my apartment. Luckily, I've already encountered some equally wonderful people here who have been able to help me with my transition. I haven't even been here a week, and I know that I'll be able to comfortably call this place home soon enough.

So about that next goal. I actually did have a goal in mind when I added those words to the subtitle of my blog. Generally speaking, my next goal is to obtain a Juris Doctor degree within the next three years. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, maybe not, but when considering other extremely arduous circumstances through which I preserved; this next goal seems much more feasible to say the least. 

Now how could I possibly explain that next step? I guess that next step can be best described as more of a series of small steps. Matter of fact, it may even correspond more closely to a dance, seeing as many of those steps will not continue along a linear path. They will be more like a dance or a performance. Just like in every performance, once the final steps have been made and the curtain has been pulled, life still goes on, but something has changed. That performance is over. Once it is over, a new focus with new steps and a new routine will emerge. You could say that now I'm taking my own steps, creating my own dance and getting ready to give my curtain call in only a few short years. Once the crowd stops applauding for me at my next commencement ceremony, I'll be One Step Closer... to the Real World.