Food Food Food

One of the toughest things about working in a office is when there are random office parties! My department celebrates all birthdays, so every month there is cake. Sometimes a couple times in a month! Then some days there's pizza, or candy, and just random chocolates and other forms of delicious food! I can't escape!

Today, we are celebrating two birthdays, so thankfully there is only one cake this month! I swear my office is trying to get me fat! They are always saying things to me like, "Oh Mary, have a cupcake, you're so skinny you can have it!" Okay, I love the compliment of being called skinny, but my body doesn't look like this naturally. My body looks like this because I DON'T eat those things all the time. Everyone's body is different, and mine definitely cannot handle eating all this delicious, but junky, foods every day. I have many friends who can eat whatever they want all the time and not gain a pound. Me, on the other hand, cannot do that. On top of that, I am only 5' 2", so if I was to gain 5 pounds, it would show on me more than it would on a woman who is 5' 9". So in other words, I have to be careful with what I eat.

I am not, however, a health freak at all. I try to eat as healthy as I can, but I think that it is a little too stressful to be counting calories, or reading every label because you are trying to keep track of every little thing going into your body. I would rather just eat in moderation, and exercise as much as possible. I can't make it to the gym all the time, and especially during the summer right now I am busier than ever, but I think as long as I make it there as much as possible, I am in good shape.

I do, though, think I need to work a little harder. See, with summer comes BBQs, and get togethers, besides salad, there are not too many healthy choices. I am a lover of food. I cannot go to a BBQ and not stuff my face. Basically, I have no will power. I guess I would rather just workout a little harder the next day than not eat and enjoy myself with friends and family. I am just not overly concerned with my weight. I know that I am at a healthy weight, and I am happy with the way I look. I know that once I become older my metabolism will change and I will eventually have to be very cautious with my food choices, so I am really just trying to enjoy it now while I can!

Speaking of food, it is time for me to go on my lunch break now, in which I will try to eat a nice big salad seeing as I will be having dessert today! I am apologizing to my stomach and insides in advance! ;)

What's The Buzz?

I like to keep current about what's going on in the world. In the morning when I am getting ready for work, I like to watch the local news channel for things such as weather updates and other breaking news stories in the local area. During the day, I like to hear about what's going on around the world and such, but I don't just want to look at the popular places like nbc.com, foxnews.com, or cnn.com. Those places I just mentioned obviously do tell you what's happening and many serious breaking news stories are reported there, but I have to say, if you are looking for some entertainment news, but you also want to get some "real" news at the same time, check out buzzfeed.com.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/

Now, I really like buzzfeed because during the day when I am bored or at work, I'm looking for something funny, and every day there are brand new stories and articles on this website and most of them are pretty entertaining. Like today, the top story on the website is about Soprano's actor James Gandolfini, who just recently passed last night. That is hard news, but if you scroll down to the other stories, there's funny, gross, and even disturbing stories. For instance, I literally saw a video on this website this morning of a giant yellow snake opening a door. What?! I already hated snakes with a passion and now I discovered today that the damn things can open doors. No thank you! Not too comforting.

While Buzzfeed has many hilarious and sometimes totally weird articles, they also turn back the clock and post articles about history. Today, there is an article on the website that has 20 black and white pictures from American life throughout the 20th century, and it's really powerful. There's stories like that every day that are entertaining, but at the same time teach you something you may not have known before. Some journalists or other writers out there may not see buzzfeed.com as a website that is very professional, but I think they are. They realize that people want to know the serious issues that are going on around the world, but at the same time there are so many other stories and interesting things going on in the world that, while they may not have to do with war, drugs, and the economy, they still hold importance in every day life whether we even know it or not.

To me, Buzzfeed is a great place to go to learn about what is going on in the world, without getting depressed over it. When you turn on the news right now, you don't need me to tell you that most of those stories are sad, and negative. Buzzfeed is going to give you news that you can smile at, and honestly, some of the stories on this website will even restore your faith in humanity. If you read this post, all I ask is that you check out this website. I came across this website by chance a few months ago, and now I check it every day. I have made this website part of my day and one of the main sources where I find out what's going on out there. And I have to say, I don't think you are going to regret checking out this site, because there is something there for everyone.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/

Tales From The Office

I ranted earlier this morning about my blog, but I am in a funny mood, so I thought I would share with you some of the every day, typical things that I have experienced in the office. For any of you who work in a office, maybe you can relate to this!

• Oh, working in an office. It really is such a dangerous job. You know, you have so many opportunities to stub your foot on the corner of a filing cabinet. Let's not even touch on the subject of paper cuts. Who would have thought that putting a piece of paper into an envelope and sealing it could cause an injury with soo much blood! ;)
• Hello, yes? Person in the cubicle five rows over from me? Yes, the entire office can hear you loud and clear talking on the phone to one of your clients. You are literally louder than the person right next to me. Also, you may or may not have blown out the ear drum of the person you were on the phone with.
• And you, Mr. Car Sale's Man? Is that your name? When I ask you how your day is, you don't need to talk to me like I am one of your clients. You don't need to convince me that today is a perfect day for a walk, or how I should open up the windows in my house on this beautiful day. Trust me, I know, and every time I look out the window I am reminded of it... so thanks for stating the obvious.
• If this one person coughs ONE MORE TIME, I will lose it. I will. Every 2 minutes. I have documentation of this from using my phone's stop watch. How about this, DRINK SOME WATER.
• This next one is an unwritten rule for women's bathrooms. I know bathrooms are set up differently but here is the situation of the bathroom at my work. there are 4 stalls all next to each other. It is a secret unwritten rule of womanhood than when someone is in one of the stalls, don't go in the stall right next to them. Choose the next one over so that there is plenty of space between you two. I feel very uncomfortable when I know I am the only one in the bathroom, and you waltz in and take the stall right next to me, when you have two more stalls to choose from that are farther away. Unless you don't have any other option of stalls to choose from, don't be weird!!
• They should be giving out free gum at the door when you walk in. Enough with the coffee breath people. Seriously. I worked at Dunkin Donuts for 3 years and I still don't like coffee, so no, I don't reallty get a high off of smelling your old coffee breath. Tic Tac anyone?
• How about that awkward moment when you have to walk by someone. You see each other walking at each other. Mentally you are preparing for what you have to do. Say hi? Wave? Smile? WHAT? WHAT DO I DO???? Personally, I always smile and sometimes say hi, which still feels awkward. Immediately upon walking past them, I think of about 3 other things I could have done better than just smiling, and possibly saying hello.
• Whenever I wear a pencil skirt, I know I am subjecting myself to a day of torture. Men, I hope you don't know what I am talking about. Literally, the second I put on that skirt I am in for a day of walking blunders. Getting into a car is more difficult, walking up and downstairs, making any sort of large stride while walking is not possible. WHO INVENTED THESE THINGS?

These are just some of the typical office blunders I can think of. I am sure during my lunch today I will think of more, and in that case, I will be adding more to this as I think of them! Beware of office blunders!

Hear Me Out

So, since I have started up this blog I have had many viewers and it's growing every day. I love it! I love that people check out my blog and come back for more. I even like it when anonymous people e-mail, or comment on the blog posts to tell me what they think. Key word here... anonymous. The whole reason I started this blog in the first place was so that I could write whatever I am feeling and have people enjoy it, and that has definitely happened. However, I have had people I know personally start to text me telling me they liked my post, or what they thought of it, and I don't like it.

I don't want to know who reads my blog, when they read it, what they think of my post, or how much they agree with me.

I don't mind an anonymous fellow blogger sending me a professional e-mail and having a discussion about blog topics there, but that is it. If I have people I know texting me about my blog, I will just be forced to move my blog to a place where it will be private. Which I don't want to do. I want to be able to keep everything right here, but having people I actually know texting me about my blog has started to kill it for me. How could this be? Let me explain. When I open up a blank page and start writing, I don't want to write differently or censor certain things because I know certain people are looking at my blog. If I have people texting me or whatever telling me they read a certain blog post, then the next time I write, that person is just stuck in my head, and then it actually hinders my writing. This blog is like a diary to me, the only difference is I am sharing it with the world. That being said, I know that people I know are going to stumble across it, but please, just enjoy the blog, don't text me or call me to comment on a post I made.

I do, however, accept e-mails from people who are anonymous and wish to talk about a blog post, and I also accept people leaving comments on a post.

I really didn't want to make this a blog post today, because I like to write about stories and what not, but I just had to say this now, because it has already started to hinder my thought process when I try to write. Thank you everyone =)

What Grinds/Greases My Gears

Normally when I make post, it's usually a story, or an opinion about something, but I decided it would be cool to change things up. If this idea goes well with all you viewers, then maybe I can try to make it a once a week post. I call it, What Grinds My Gears, and What Greases My Gears. When I was on my high school newspaper team, we used to do this in each edition, and it was actually really fun to write, and people who read the paper seemed to like it too!

What Grinds My Gears, are things that are annoying to me in some way. What Greases My Gears are things that make me happy in some way. So here it goes!



What Grinds My Gears:

• When I put in my contacts in, and there in a tiny piece of dirt inside that makes my eye feel like it's been stabbed 5 times (For anyone with contacts, you can relate)
• When the salad bar at work uses old wilted lettace
• When cars go 10 miles under the speed limit
• When my USB cords break after about 2 weeks of getting them

• When I'm at the gym and someone takes the last bench and uses the bench to put their weights on and doesnt even use the bench to sit
• When someone says how they "bet all the members of Radical Something smoke weed" (that is false by the way. Only one of the band members do)
• Putting on jeans right after they have been dried
• Getting in my car when it's 114 degrees (Hello suffocation)
• When customers at the Casino complain about our high prices (Welcome to the beach)
• Animal print
• When someone doesn't text me back
• Drunk idiots
• New speed bumps on the road my office is on
• Sitting down all day
• The fact that Cosmo magazines cost so much

What Greases My Gears:

• A warm chocolate chip cookie
• The feeling after a workout
• Jumping in the ocean
• Eating fried dough from Blink's
• Walking into work at the Casino Ballroom
• Ice cold water
• Ending the day a little tanner than before
• A well made bed
• Air conditioning
• Good morning text messages
• Getting paid
• A full battery on my phone
• When a song comes on that is perfect for the mood I'm in
• Wearing my favorite romper
• Ice Cream Tuesday at work
• Bonfires

Well, there you have it! These are some of the things this week that have grinded, and greased my gears! Until next time! ;)

Social Media Kind Of Life

Happy Monday! I normally don't say those kinds of things, but since I have been sitting here at work trying to send a fax to someone for like the 5th time and it still won't go through, I figured maybe I should try to stay a little positive about the day.

I had a busy weekend, but not very eventful. Although, when I was hanging out with a group of people, somewhere between all the food and small talk, there was a conversation that came up that kind of got me thinking. Somehow the topic of Myspace came up. It was brought up in a joking way and after a couple comments that conversation died and we were on to a new topic. Most people I know never had any type of social media account until Facebook, and they never even really knew what Myspace was, let alone have an account, so it's kind of weird when I talk to some people about Myspace because not many of my friends really relate to it. 

Myspace getting brought up the other day made me think about how my life has been shaped around social media. For those of you who do not know already, I am currently 20 years old. Are you ready for this? I created a Myspace account when I was 13 years old. That means since the year 2005 I have been on social media. That is almost 10 years, which translates to almost half of my life. Initially, taking in this realization I was kind of in awe, because I am part of the generation where our teen years were spent on the internet. Then I got to thinking, if my generation has essentially spent half of their life thus far on social media, does that mean the generation of children right now are growing up on social media? The answer is yes, and I'm not really sure how to take that because I see the good and bad from it.

I'm not going to lie, at 13 years old I probably shouldn't have been on Myspace. After all, I did have to lie about my age to even create the account to begin with. I don't want to say that Myspace made me be more mature than I had to be at 13 years old, but at the same time I was being exposed to adult language and adult ways of thinking. As much as I had "learned" from Myspace as a young teenager, it never made me a different person or made me act like I was 20 years old. In fact, it was a place where I could write my thoughts and opinions, and as a result inspiring me to create a blog someday, like right now. 

Many adults at the time would say that a child had no place in an online world like that, but if they spent a few days in a junior high and heard what kids talked about on a average day, they would see that unfortunetly there's no way a kid can be protected from it. They are either going to hear it from social media, or they are going to hear it from kids at school. I am not a parent, so I can't pass judgement at them for wanting to protect their kids from "adult content", but what I do know is that they have to be realistic. Kids nowadays are talking about this stuff because it's a different world. Even if your child doesn't have a Facebook account or some other social media account, their friends and classmates do, and those kids will talk about it and what's on it, so at the end of the day, they are still being exposed to it on some level. 

On the bright side, I have seen a change in the past 7 years as social media has become a part of almost everyone's lives. When I was 13 and on Myspace, it was before Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, and before parents and other adults were on it. Before parents and older people were on social media, they really didn't accept it, and I could see that in the way parents were so strict on my friends about it. Now, however, there is a very different attitude towards it. I see parents who have kids around the age of 11 and 12 not making it a big deal that their kids have social media accounts, and I think that is a tremendous step forward.

I have to say that for the most part I am pro social media, and I guess that's true based on what I have talked about so far in this post. While I think social media has so many beneficial aspects to it, I do worry about the future of kids. I feel sorry for them because they do most of their communication through texting or through social media and I fear that they will not have good comunnication skills when they are face to face with someone. I think my generation is kind of on the boarderline regarding this because we weren't exposed to social media our entire lives. Those kids growing up right now though, social media is all they are going to know, and it is a little sad to think about. We are all living in a social media kind of life, and I am very interested to see how the future will shape kids growing up today.

Looking To The Future

Truthfully, this is probably going to be my last post until Sunday or Monday. Even though the weekends are meant for relaxation, they always seem to be the busiest part of the week for me. Working two jobs, (one full time and one part time) is very exhausting and basically everything that I don't have time to get done during the week has to get done on the weekends. Thinking about my upcoming busy weekend, it kind of makes me realize that I am definitely not a kid anymore. I remember like, back in high school and even last summer, when I had different jobs, I was able to hangout on the beach all day, and work some shifts at night. I had it so good. I slept in most days, hungout, got all my stuff done, and then would work at night. Since I have an internship that is Monday thru Friday during the day, I have to prioritize my time better, and truly be an adult.

I've had to be an adult for a while now but I really don't mind it. Honestly, I like it. I don't like being lazy. It's extremely hard for me to just sit and not do anything, because I guess in my mind I always feel like there's more to be done. Running errands, cleaning, making phone calls, etc. etc.

The only time it really gets hard is when a lot of my friends and people my age have so much more freedom to just do whatever. They get to go to all these cool places over the summer, or just like chill at home and not really do all that much. Maybe they have a summer job for some extra cash, but that money can just be spent on whatever, because they have parents that help them. Don't get me wrong I am NOT COMPLAINING, because I know that all the hard work I'm putting in right now is giving me an advantage over everyone else. The struggle makes me stronger, wiser, smarter, and it teaches me how to be more independent and support myself without anyone else's help. I actually feel really good knowing that I pay for everything on my own. I am very independent and no matter what happens, I am always OK.

I'm excited for what the future brings for me because I know that it is all uphill from here. Now that I am older and have a "big girl job", I have been more confident in the fact that I can support myself better financially and it's a really good feeling. I have two years of college left, and I am working really hard at securing a full time job in my field by the time I graduate. If all goes as planned I hope to have my own place on the NH seacoast. I was born and raised there, and even though I went to college a few hours away from home, it has just made me realize how much I want to stay there and have a family there someday. You read that correctly, I am going to be a towny. I grew up in such a great area, and the people in the area are just so nice. I feel that I got a great base growing up here, and I can't think of anywhere else I want my future children to grow up. Of course I am not in a rush to have a family, but I think it's important to always plan for the future because then that way you aren't stuck or caught off guard when all of a sudden that day comes.

I am going to end this post with a quote.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." -Will Rogers.

I always loved this quote because it kind of reminds me to always be working towards getting to where you want to be. I am naturally always on the move trying to get things done, or getting internships, or just bettering myself in some way. I don't want a summer to go by where I am not making the most money I can make at a job that is teaching me so many skills I will use in the professional world someday. This quote reminds me to ALWAYS KEEP MOVING. Sometimes people tell me to JUST HAVE FUN NOW, and DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE. Of course it is important to have fun, and I do have a lot of fun, but if having fun is all you care about, you may find yourself at a stand still because while you were having "so much fun", life kept going. I have fun in moderation, because everything is good in moderation. :)

My Take On The Abercrombie Situation

I guess I am a little late commenting on this subject, but people still keep bringing it up and I have to say something about it. I don't understand why people have to have so much beef with Abercrombie & Fitch. They are a business just like any other business out there in the world, and they have the freedom to sell what they want, just like any other company. I am not just an outsider looking in, because I have worked for the company since 2010 and I am telling you right now, they are a great company to work for.

First of all, just applying for a job with the company you get to CHOOSE when your interview is, which most companies don't. Then once you get offered a job there, you get to make your own hours. In the computer system, you can actually block out certain days in the week or block out certain times in a particular day that you cannot work, and the manager of the store can't schedule you for those times. I have worked for other companies where you will tell them you can't work a specific day, and they still put you on to work that day. At A&F, if you block out that day/time, then you are not going to work it. A&F is one of the most flexible jobs ever. You can literally work as many, or as little hours as you want. During "floor sets" which happens a few times a year when the whole store gets updated, you have the opportunity for tons of hours, even over time, which many companies out there will not give their employees. A&F is all over the country and the world, so when someone needs to move away for school, or other reasons, you can easily transfer to another store, and that whole process happens right over the phone within minutes.

I just gave you numerous reasons why working for the company is so great, and a lot of those reasons centered around the fact that the company gives their employees CHOICES and FREEDOM. A company like A&F that believes in freedom and letting their employees have power also translates into their company philosophy, of having the FREEDOM TO SELL WHAT THEY WANT. Just like a restaurant can choose to not serve a customer, or sell apple pie instead of key lime pie, A&F can sell smaller clothes and not bigger clothes if they so choose.

I love to shop at American Eagle Outfitters, except whenever I try on pants there, they are always way too long on me. I am only 5' 2", and my legs are pretty short which makes finding pants that are the right length for me, very very hard. I really want to be able to buy pants from American Eagle because they have a nice cut to them and I love the brand, but they just don't make pants that are short enough for me. Yeah, I complain about it to my friends, because it's a total bummer that I have to shop elsewhere for my pants, but you don't see me taking action against the company for it. If they don't want to cater towards girls who have short legs like me, THEN THEY DON'T HAVE TO.

Torrid is a store in the mall close to my house. Every time I walk by the store, I always see that they have great items in there and I would love to go inside and even take a look. The only problem is, Torrid is a plus size store, and they don't make clothes there small enough for me. I actually really like some of the clothes they sell there, but I can't shop there because my frame is too small for any of the clothes there. I can easily complain to the company about how they need to make smaller clothes so that I can shop there, but Torrid is a business and they have the freedom to sell whatever they want, and if they don't want to sell clothes small enough for me to fit into, THEN THEY DON'T HAVE TO.

It really gets me heated that people are getting so mad at the A&F CEO for saying how he only wants certain groups of people shopping at his company. He has the freedom to say that, because A&F is his company. People get mad at A&F for not selling clothes big enough, yet they don't get mad at Torrid for not selling clothes small enough. For some reason people are so damn sensitive now a days. CHILL OUT. You know, there are only about a million clothing companies out there in the world, and just because ONE COMPANY doesn't sell clothes that fit you correctly, you have to go after them? Please, everyone just needs to take a chill pill. You have a problem with A&F, good, shop somewhere else. If you think making a buzz about how much A&F apparently sucks, you aren't going to hurt their business. A&F is an INTERNATIONAL COMPANY. The USA is pretty much the only country in the world that has such a high percentage of overweight people, hence, the USA is the only country in the world where people have trouble fitting into their clothes. Everywhere else in the world people are shopping there, and in the USA, the people who can fit into the clothes are still shopping there. Yeah, people probably hate the CEO of A&F, but that isn't going to stop them from shopping there to get their back to school styles.

Chillin' With A Plain White T

Have you ever met a celebrity? If you have, did you sit with them and just have a normal conversation? I don't mean talking about their career or traveling around the world or anything like that; I mean just hangout with them for a moment in time and see a glimpse of what they are really like? I have, and I didn't even know I was talking to a celebrity at the time.

A few years back after I had started working at the Casino, the Plain White T's were performing in July. I remember being really excited about the show because they have quite a few popular songs that have been on the radio and their name is really out there. For some reason even though I knew their music, I really didn't know what they looked like. I mean, I was a fan of the music but I never really took the time to learn about the band members.

Before the show that night I was prepping and getting ready for the show. I remember it was a really hot day and inside the building it was just so hot. I had to take some empty boxes outside out back and I was relieved because I desperately needed fresh air. When I went outside and discarded the boxes I decided to sit down on the back stairs for a couple minutes so that I could cool off. The back stairs is also the area where the tour buses are and where the bands were hanging out. I don't know why I never put two and two together that I was basically hanging out in the area where the Plain White T's were but I guess at the time I was just tired, and possibly a little out of it.

So I'm sitting there, staring out at the parking lot when I see a figure sit next to me on the other side of the stairs. I kind of look over at the corner of my eye and I didn't recognize the person so I kept on looking straight ahead. A few seconds later the guy goes, "Wow, I can't believe I've never been to New Hampshire before, this area is great!" I just looked at him for a second and smiled. (Damn, why was I so unfriendly)

Another few seconds go by before he talks again. "Sooo, are you from around here?" Honestly at the time I don't know why but i just wasn't feeling talkative and now this random stranger is asking me questions like this!?

So I responded, "Yeah, I work here I'm just getting some fresh air before I have to go back inside and get to work." Smooth Mary, real smooth.

Then the guy goes, "Yeah, I'm with the band, gotta get back to work soon too. But hey, what's fun to do around here? Some buddies and I were thinking of going out around here or something maybe you know some places?" Okay, this guy is nice. So I started telling him about some cool places in the area and then he started mentioned some places around the country he's been to and he was actually a really interesting guy. We talked for a few more minutes before I had to go back inside and he had to get back to work with the band.

A couple hours later when the concert had started, the opening band, Mae, had just finished performing and Plain White T's were up next. I was all excited to finally see them up on stage and live in person! The crowd was going crazy! The guitarists and drummer go on first and then all of a sudden the lead singer emerges and MY JAW JUST DROPPED IN THAT INSTANT. The second I saw him step on stage I was in shock. The lead singer of Plain White T's was the guy I was sitting and talking to on the back stairs a couple hours earlier. OMG. How could I not know who this guy was? Did I really have an entire conversation with this guy and not know that he is a huge celebrity who travels the world and is the lead singer of a band?! Yeah, that happened. I met this guy and I didn't get an autograph, or picture, or anything! Ugh!

At first I was so mad because I realized that I had totally just treated this guy like he was any other guy, and I wasn't even that friendly at all. But then, I realized, he probably really liked that. Being a celebrity he always has girls all over him trying to talk to him, get pictures, beg him for autographs and all sorts of stuff. I was the total opposite. He probably enjoyed being able to talk to someone who had no idea who he was. I realized that I had made a celebrity feel like a normal guy for just a moment in time, and that actually made me feel good. I don't have proof that I met him, all I have is the memory. What I do know is, while Tom, the lead singer, is mobbed by millions of people every year, he will always remember me as the regular girl who treated him like a normal guy. (Even if I didn't know it) ;)

What I'm Made Of

Have you ever wondered what you are? When you are talking to someone and they ask, "What are you"?... what do you say? Do you even know? Or if you do have an answer, how can you be sure that it is correct? I've been told by both sides of my family what I am made of, and up until the past year I never questioned it.It's kind of funny, my whole life I've been told I am Italian, French, and Native American, but oddly enough when people try to guess what I am, almost every case people guess that I am SPANISH.

If I go by what both sides of my family say, I am 50% Italian from my dad's side, 43.5% French and 6.5% Native American from my mom's side.

First of all, let me tell you what I have been told what I am based on what my family has told me. My dad's side of the family all claim they are 100% Italian. Okay, well this is the 21st century, and considering these claims are based on stories that their ancestors have told them for decades and decades, I personally find it VERY hard to believe that at some point or another there wasn't someone in my family who had a baby with another person who wasn't Italian. I am probably going to get a lot of crap about this from my family but look at it this way. If a woman in my family got married to another Italian man, and at some point during the marriage she strayed and got pregnant from some different man, WHO WAS NOT ITALIAN, do you really think she is going to tell her husband and family that she not only cheated on her husband but is also having a baby that is not Italian? Yeah, didn't think so. She is going to say that the baby is her husbands, and then everyone is going to believe that the baby is 100% Italian, when in fact that baby is only 50%. That baby is going to grow up thinking it is 100% Italian, then is going to marry someone who is 100% Italian, and have kids who are supposedly 100% Italian when in reality they are only 75%. Generations go by like this. Stuff like this happened all the time back then because life was more conservative like that. So yeah, when my dad's side of the family tells me that they are 100% Italian, I'm taking it with a grain of salt.

I am not just picking on my dad's side. My mom's side of the family claims we are just French and Native American. Apparently my grandfather's side of the family is all 100% French. Now, like the hypothetical situation I mentioned above, this may not be totally true, even if they don't know it. My grandmother's side was apparently French with some Native American in there. If you have seen any of my mom's side of the family, it is undeniable that Native American is in our blood, but just how much, that is the question.

I am proud of every nationality I carry in my blood. I like being French and Italian, but I am most proud of being Native American.The past couple of years I have talked to a few family members about genealogy, and I have expressed how even though I love the stories, and I totally respect what I am, I really want to know EXACTLY what I am. I have gotten mixed reviews, but for the most part very supportive reactions. I want to take a genealogy test that will tell me exactly what percentages I am. My family knows that once I take this test it is going to reveal a lot of information about my family, and in doing so it may reveal that they are not exactly what they have thought they were their entire life. How am I going to take this test? Here's the link:

https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/

I plan on taking this test before the end of the summer, seeing that it is $200.00, I need to wait to see how my finances will work out. The link here is the homepage to the website, and if you click on it you can explore the geno project and learn more about what the test covers and how it works. It is not a matter of IF I will do this test, because I AM going to. It is time that I learn what I am made of, because maybe for generations stories were enough for people, but stories aren't always accurate, and science is. If you have ever really wondered what you are made of, I encourage you to look into the geno project. There are many DNA tests out there similar to this one, but from my research this test from National Geographic has the best results from a larger pool of data!

Lying Is A Dangerous Game

So. I have read many books in my day, and I have watched many T.V. shows. I know they are just movies and stories and it's not real life, but if there is anything I have learned from those stories is that lying NEVER works out in the end. Just take a minute and think about some of the movies you have seen. In a lot of them, one person lies to another person about something for whatever reason, and before the end of the movie the person lied to finds out somehow, and then there's a big problem. What happens next is there is mistrust, and usually some big dramatic scene where the person lied to walks out. The only thing that ends up fixing it is the person who lied has to swallow their pride and tell the complete truth, in the hopes that they will be forgiven.

Now, here is where movies are just not realistic; in order to create happy endings in these stories, there needs to be forgiveness and in many cases the lying that happens not only gets forgiven but it gets forgotten. Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry but life does NOT work that way. In movies they make it seem like lying isn't as big of a deal as it actually is because in the end everything works itself out. NO! No no no no no no no. If you are one of those people who believe that you may as well just stop reading this post because what I am about to talk about is not going to make it through your skull.

I can admit that I make a lot of mistakes. In fact, I make tons of mistakes all the time, BUT I OWN UP TO THEM. I have a big mouth and well, there's no filter with it. What is the result you may ask? TRUTH. I speak the truth. I can't lie and don't know how to lie. If I actually tried to, I would be so dreadful at it that it would just make me look bad. I just choose not to lie.... period. And I'm serious. There is absolutely no point whatsoever to lie. Think about a time where you have lied to someone. Once you say that lie, you have to keep covering it up whenever that situation/topic gets brought up. Now what you have done is create more work for yourself because you have to remember what your "new" story is. Why would you want to stress yourself out over trying to figure out how your going to change a story to not get yourself in trouble or protect someone's feelings?

There are many reasons why people feel the need to lie, and I understand that, but honestly, in almost every case, the truth comes out and the person who lied usually ends up saying "FML" to themselves (or literally outloud) because they put themselves in a worse position than they did if they had just said the truth to begin with.

Listen here, I am a full time college student who has a billion things going on and I have 10,000 things to do and remember at all times. My brain never has a day off. I don't have time or energy to lie. Do you know how awesome it feels to not have to worry about what I say around people because I haven't lied to anyone? It feels really good. I don't know how people do it honestly. If your hanging out with a group of people and you start to tell a story and then realize mid story you can't say certain things because you lied to someone in the room about that exact story, dude, your in trouble. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL THAT WAY AND RISK GETTING CAUGHT.

Honestly people it's really quite simple.... If you don't want someone finding out about something you said or did, then DON'T SAY OR DO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. Now, is that so hard to do? You obviously are lying to that person to spare their feelings or not get yourself in trouble, so here's a thought, how about you just don't do or say that thing in the first place, and then you don't have to lie about it. IMAGINE THAT! The fact is, just too many people think it's okay to lie and I don't think people realize that just being honest and upfront about things in the first place is better than getting caught. Don't let that person find out you were lying, just tell them straight up. Though it may get you in trouble or hurt their feelings, if you make a mistake, OWN UP TO IT.

Boating Life

So this weekend I took a little break from blogging, because, well, I basically took a break from everything. I am sure many of you reading my blog are not from New Hampshire, but if you ever find yourself in the area, take the time and go to Hampton Beach, NH. There are so many things to do in New Hampshire. You know, a lot of people think that New Hampshire really doesn't have a lot to offer, but we do. New Hampshire is one of the few states where there are the mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches, farms, and heavily wooded areas. Where I live in NH, I am only 1 hour away from ski mountains, 45 minutes from every major beach on the coast of Maine, NH and MA, I'm less than an hour from Boston, and am also near tons of lakes. My state is THE place to be if you are the outdoorsy type. The one thing I really enjoy though, is the boating life.

My family has a boat and we keep it in the marina near my house. I have had the opportunity to learn so much about boating and I love it. My mom just recently got her boating license and it's been so cool watching her learn the ropes and it's inspired me to learn too. I just got the book for it and I'm currently studying to get my boating license. Hopefully, I will have my boating license in just a few short months! Or at least by the end of the summer! I've discovered that being out on the open water is something I really enjoy, and I don't mind the hard work it takes. I've been telling some friends about how someday I want to get my own boat and really put my skills to the test. I get a lot of raised eyebrows because I'm a girl who is doing something that is really male dominated. I know girls who have their boating licenses, but mostly just so they can ride jet skis on a lake.

I think it's cool though. I want to be able to show my friends a good time and I will feel so proud of myself if I am able to do that using the skills I am working really hard at perfecting. Also, I think people don't realize how many females actually are into boating. There are actually a lot of women down in my marina who are into boating just like me. It's really awesome being surrounded by women who also share the same hobby as me now. It makes me feel good that I have plenty of people there who are helping me learn how to be successful at this. Some of them are older, and a couple are my age, but regardless of their age I still feel like they are going to be my life long friends, and in a different way than any other friends I have ever had.

I encourage all you women to do what you love, even if it is male dominated. I feel like sometimes girls shy away from doing things they really like because they are afraid of being judged by boys. I can easily just tell you that you need to be more confident in what you do and not care about what boys think, but I know that it isn't that easy. I've been in that situation where I haven't done something because I was afraid that people, like guys, would think I was being too boyish or not feminine enough. Want to know what I think though? I think that if you are a girl and you are confident and doing what you love, that right guy is going to think that whatever you do is sexy, even if that means you are doing dirty work on a boat!

Music To My Ears

I have been asked a bunch of times what is so appealing to me about bands like Sublime, Radical Something, Jack Johnson and others like them. Okay, first of all, what is there not to like? But seriously, I actually have reasons and history behind why I listen to the music I listen to. I could give you the short story and just tell you that I stumbled upon some Jack Johnson songs back in the day, but that would be leaving out vital information about why the music means so much to me. So here it goes:

When I was in the 8th grade, I had a young science teacher. He was definitely fresh out of college and considering he was our only male teacher that year, yes a lot of us girls thought he was cute. (Which now that I think about it that is pretty creepy because he definitely creeped on a lot of us) Anyway, he wanted to be the "fun" teacher so before every class, he would have music playing as we walked in. What kind of music? JACK JOHNSON. My science teacher was a huge Jack Johnson fan and wanted to share his music with all of us. Some days he would play one of Jack's music videos on the T.V. in the room, and if there wasn't a music video for a song, he would just play the song.

I had never heard of Jack Johnson before this point, and I fell in love with the music right away. His voice was simply music to my ears; always so soothing. I literally never skipped that class. Even if I was feeling sick I still went to that class because I was excited which Jack Johnson song my teacher was going to play that day. I also liked it when my teacher would talk about how he discovered Jack Johnson, and shared memories from when he went to one of Jack's concerts out west. I realized that year that I wanted to go to those kinds of concerts, I wanted to find more music like Jack Johnson, and even more, I wanted to meet Jack one day.

The summer before going into high school I started to really search for music and discovered not only great new music that none of my friends listened to, but I also learned a lot about life in other parts of the country, like California, Hawaii, and some islands in the Caribbean. I was a girl in junior high, trying to figure out who I was, and I kind of found myself in the music. Which I know sounds like totally weird, but it's true. I really discovered my true style.

The music also inspired me to apply for a job at Hollister Co. Of course I really liked the clothes too, but come on, how could I not want to work in an environment where I can listen to really chill music, and see Huntington Beach, CA at all hours of the day? That company was my way of being able to live the life I feel like I belonged in. I have to thank Hollister, if I didn't work there, I may not have discovered Radical Something. One of their songs, "California" was on our playlist one summer and catapulted me in to listening to more bands like them. After going to their concert, and also working at a small concert venue, I realized what makes their concerts so awesome.

I would never want these bands to become big enough to where they are selling out stadiums and arenas because the concerts aren't as intimate. Why do you think Jack Johnson never plays in big places? To an even more extreme, why do you think he only plays in Hawaii and the west coast? Because that is where the heart of the music comes from, and with this genre of music you need to keep it real. Honestly I'm glad that not a lot of people like this genre, because everything that becomes mainstream gets tainted. The last thing I want is the music that made me who I am today be soiled by constant media, and have it be listened to by millions of people who don't even understand the meaning of it.

Well, there's my rant for the day. Also, I was really inspired to write about this topic right now because like I have proclaimed in my blog a couple days ago, I am now a "pencil-pusher".. so naturally I need distractions from work. ;)

Oh, and can we just talk about how cute Jack is??? Of course he's not single though! :(

Change of Direction

I can't quite explain how I got to this point in my life, but ladies and gentlemen... I have officially become a pencil-pusher. :( For those of you who may not know what this "pencil-pusher" reference is, basically, I sit at a desk for about 8 hours a day, staring a computer and filling out paperwork.. which will then be uploaded onto a computer.

My whole life I have bounced between so many different career options. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a dancer. Then when I was 8 years old and found out I have Hashimotos Hypothyroidism, then I wanted to become an Endocrinologist. Then in high school, I decided I wanted to be a Spanish teacher because I was able to pick up the language to quickly. My freshman year of high school I went on a field hockey tour through Europe, and all of a sudden I wanted to work for the Travel Channel and travel around the world and uncover the world's hidden gems.

I can tell you all right now that I have changed my mind about 100 times about what I want to do for a career. I was watching Oprah one day back in high school where a guest speaker said, "Figure out what you love to do, then find a way to get paid for it." Hmmm, sounds simple enough... oh wait, I change my mind about what I love about every 60 seconds. Honestly, it's not that I stop liking what I am doing, or become bored of it, but when I start to think about it more as a career, it either won't pay me enough to even have a halfway decent standard of living, or the reality of making it a career takes the whole fun out of it.

In conclusion, I am going to be a junior Business major at UMass Amherst this fall and I am more confused now than I was when I was 6 years old. Go figure. If there is one thing I do know though, after this internship is over, I am not going to be applying for any more office jobs. I need something that is a taddddd more exciting.

So, if you have any ideas of how I can make a change of direction as far as my career goes, please contact me! Not that I am sounding desperate now or anything... ;)

Ciao!