Snow Day! (or week)

I should be writing my paper right now... oh well.

So on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving there was a blizzard warning or something, and travel was strongly discouraged. So I packed my bags Monday and hurried on my way. Luckily, we beat the storm. Apparently, everything shut down in Utah and Idaho. They closed down campus and everything. Ironically, from what I hear Utah really didn't see much snow. Well, in case you were wondering, this is not the case for Idaho. Not only is it freezing, but it is snowy as well. When I first got here on Monday night, the roads were covered. We had to drive super slowly. It has only gotten worse as the week passed. Today there is a lot of wind, so the snow is drifting on to the roads. I have only left the house twice this weekend, once for an emergency trip to Walmart on Thanksgiving, and once for church. Oh, I guess there was one other time when I took Emma to cheer practice. But I got the car stuck that time and the police/some girl's dad had to help push me out. Oh, and we went to town once to have dinner with our family. But that is it.

The moral of the story is there is a lot of snow here. Like three feet or something. It isn't just the pansy rumored snow like in Utah. It is legitimate. Also, the roads are closed again today, so I'm probably just never going to come back to school. I'm just going to finish out my semester via email.

Falling

The red and orange leaves all saunter down
around my head, all falling to their grave
on cold cement where they will soon all drown
and grind to dust under some body's soles.

The frost begins to creep, and suffocate
all grass and trees and even freckled noses.
The leaves will soon be soggy. It’s their fate
to lie and rot in beds that once held roses.

How is it that while today stares at me,
I’m self consumed; obsessed with long ago.
Last fall I thought forever we would be,
But our hearts chilled with the new winter snow.


At first it seemed forever we would share-
But falling leaves foreshadow branches bare.

26ThingsYouMayOrMayNotKnowAboutMaryChristineCarlisle.

It is official, I am copying Becca’s blog from now on. :)Hope you don’t mind Boo*!

1. I’m obsessed with flossing my teeth. It is one of my favorite activities.
2. I have had 34 roommates: Aimee, Jordan, Teresa, Sharee, Camile, Ashla, Emmilie, Kinsy, Laura, Jennifer, Greta, Marie, Maddi, Jazlyn, Katelyn, Natalie, Alison, Crystal, Stephanie, Heather, Christine, Chelsea, Rachel, Sarah, Sarah, Ressa, Kalyn, Alyssa, Margaret, Hannah, Emma, CJ, Ashley, Sara. (I’ve moved every six months for the past three years.)
3. Even though I’m an English major, I’m still the world’s worst speller.
4. I have always loved my name. Usually when I played house when I was little, I would refuse to have a fake name. The only times I made exceptions were for Crystal, or Princess Rose Pedals.
5. My first boyfriend was Jacob. My mom babysat him. We kissed one day, and then broke up at school when he told all my friends about it. I was M.A.D.
6. I don’t understand how people can “forget” to eat a meal. This has NEVER happened to me.
7. My biggest fears in life are 1. getting hit by a bicycle. 2. waking up and discovering that I am brunette.
8. I can’t sleep in. I try and try but the latest I ever sleep is until 9:30 AM. I also can’t stay up past 10:00 PM without losing all my social norms.
9. My favorite place in the whole world is the beach. Any beach. California, Oregon, Florida, you name it. I just love the ocean- its enormity, its smell, its sound.
10. Emma said that she found out the real reason why I was named Mary. She said my parents first dog was named Molly, and Molly got hit by a car and died before I was born. Emma said my mom said I was named after Molly, their real first child.
12. More than anything, I love my family, and my Savior.
13. I’m not tough when it comes to pain. Even thinking about blood makes me queasy. This month I got my very first jammed finger, which was a big deal.
14. I constantly doodle in class to stay awake. Class everyday at 1:00 PM wasn’t actually the best idea..
15. Next semester I have to take accounting AND Economics. It has been four years since I have taken anything close to a math class.
16. I usually can’t have painted fingernails because of my obsessive compulsive streak. If one finger chips, chances are I will obsess over all my nails until I have chipped all the polish off.
17. When I was younger, I would spy on my sista Becca, who had a secret rock star voice that she would only use when she thought she was alone. Like...when she was on the toilet or something. I would beg and beg her to sing with it all the time, but she wouldn’t.
18. We never had a boy barbie growing up, which ruined our fun- until I was quite resourceful. I asked Becca if she wanted a boy barbie. Of course she said yes. So I took her prettiest barbie and cut off all the hair when she wasn’t around making Teresa the new Ken. She still hasn’t forgiven me.
19. My favorite animal is an extinct animal. But when I’m old, I’ll probably get a watch dog to scare away the neighbors and carolers.
20. My favorite holiday is Christmas. I have been listening to Christmas music secretly since September.
21. Benny and I used to pretend that we were twins even though we are 8 years apart. I think it may have started when he got his glasses, as a ploy to get him to think it was cool since I had glasses too. But let’s face it, I was his favorite sister.
22. One time Emma tried to get me to do her cheer conditioning work out, and I almost cried. She is one tough mamma. I prefer the relaxing practice of yoga.
23. I’m super stoked to be a mom someday.
24. I don’t have a competitive bone in my body. (maybe just one but it is like an inactive volcano- who knows if it will ever flare up) Sometimes I cheat in card games.
25. I love spicy food, but I have the stomach of a 90 year old woman so I can’t handle it. This is depressing to me.
26. Best fact of all: I hate celery.

Well, there you have it.

26ThingsYouMayOrMayNotKnowAboutMaryChristineCarlisle.

Movember

November is the best month of the year. A guilty pleasure of mine just happens to be men with mustaches. I don’t necessarily find them attractive or flattering, but they make me smile. :) Men all over campus are growing (or trying to grow) creeper-staches and I feel like a kid in a candy shop. Best month ever!!

ps. Movember is official, with a website and everything. It is a movement to raise men's cancer awareness. So be aware...

Burned Out

The Urban dictionary defines burned out as "What occurs when you overwork yourself into a state of limited mental acuity, depleted emotions, and strength completely drained from your body."

This is happening.

What a bloody day.

Today, I am 93% sure that I will never (attempt) to donate blood again. I am a menace to the Red Cross community.

I still remember the first time I tried to give blood, three years ago. I was sent home right after the finger prick that time. I scored too low on the iron whatchamacallit test.

A year later, I tried again. I made sure to take my multi-vitamin for a month before the exciting blood wagon came to town. This time was a success! But it really wasn't what I would call "a good time". I don't like seeing my blood, or anyone else's, and I considered the whole experience caused me more anxiety than I saved lives. They also didn't really want my blood, they took it quite grudgingly because I had had aspirin the day before.

Today, (two years later), I decided to brave the bloody fields once more- aspirin free, and fully loaded with iron. I figured that I would support my roommate, CJ, who works for the Red Cross as a phlebotomist and let her stick me. Also, I wanted an excuse to eat cookies- I went on a whim really. The gentleman who started the whole screening process was quite kind, I've never been so tempted to slip someone my number before. I passed the whole finger stick part, he asked me my name and my gender about 50 times, and he took my pulse. Apparently it was a little high, 86 whatever that means. He asked if I was nervous today, to which I responded, "Well duh! You just pricked my finger." Doesn't having one's finger stabbed usually make one's heart beat a little faster?

Moving on. I past the questionnaire about my previous "experiences". The only question I answered "yes" to was for being outside of the United States in the past 12 months. The kind girl who did the follow up questions asked me the funniest questions. I told her I had been in England, Ireland, and Paris. She asked if I flew into these countries. I said, "I flew into London, and Ireland." She said, "Oh, London is in France, right?" LOI (Laugh On the Inside).

Fast forward to the blood part. CJ did a good job in getting my vain. Everything started off well, I was going pretty fast. But then the machine started to beep, and my blood slowed way down. Three different people came and looked at my arm to see if they could make my blood come out faster. Eventually they just had to call it quits. My blood was a waste. My sore arm is a waste. Apparently my blood clotted. I probably didn't drink enough water today. You might ask why I consider this a problem for the Red Cross, and not a personal offense. Well, because I didn't drink enough today, and because my blood didn't want to come out, CJ gets a mark on her record. And not a good mark, a bad one. Clearly, it will be better for me to withdraw from the attempt to save lives with my own blood. Perhaps I shall stick to helping the elderly cross the street, and writing nice notes to people who are frowning. I'm sorry CJ! ps. I wouldn't be mad if you gave that nice finger sticking boy my number.

Disclaimer: I was slightly light-heade and out of it when I wrote this. Hence the length, and the rambling on and on.

I forgot to tell you...

I decided what to do! I decided a few weeks ago what direction I really want to take academically and professionally. I promise this time is the real deal.

Drum roll...................................................

English Major (hasn't changed), with a minor in Business Management.

There you have it! Kind of anti-climactic, but I feel good about it. I still want to be a certified librarian, and I feel this is the best way to prepare. So next semester I'm taking Econ 110, Accounting 200, and a special class to prep for grad school.

The other part of the plan is to find an internship for this summer. Not just any internship, a wicked cool one, preferably out of state.