tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45327674009647685792011-04-21T21:16:54.124-04:00A less-than-heartwarming coming-of-age story about a twenty-something...gone blogosphere!.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-49044786129175933152009-03-27T17:33:00.004-04:002009-03-27T17:34:08.365-04:00

I'll be back to check those of you that I follow, but, I think I might be moving over to Wordpress. Life over there is a little bit cuter/it's easy to be cute there! Phase: Next's next phase begins here!Please, my few, few followers...don't leave me! 

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-21927776066214260512009-03-27T10:23:00.003-04:002009-03-27T10:51:10.617-04:00

This new and fantastic layout is courtesy of a great little blog template designer named Gisele! In even truly more wonderful fashion (even more wonderful than an adorable free layout) she helped me out a lot with the file unzipping and all that. I sent her a few widget questions, so those should be back and up and running, too! All in a matter of time, and you don't have to look at my stupid

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-78892139866304161412009-03-20T01:27:00.005-04:002009-03-20T01:48:46.776-04:00

So, I was just reading about bridesmaid etiquette. I found a blog blasting a poor bridesmaid who had to travel to the wedding and all other wedding stuff, in addition to the necessary gifts and the dress, who didn't go to the bridal shower because of the travel expenses. This weekend, I am attending my first bridal shower in my first experience being a bridesmaid. I bought a very expensive gift,

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-29590666155876157772009-03-19T00:37:00.002-04:002009-03-19T01:07:38.898-04:00

I'm horribly dehydrated and headache-y because of the combination of last night's green beer and then getting totally ripped off at the National Zoo vending machine and getting fruit punch instead of water, the lower half of my body is screaming at me for doing nothing but laying down and resting my legs that backtracked block after block, and my eyes are burning from construction dust and

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-10616461765033256412009-03-17T12:15:00.005-04:002009-03-17T13:30:49.710-04:00

In honor of March's 20-Something Bloggers Blog Carnival, and St. Patrick's Day, I am going to tell you why it isn't easy being green, and Irish, in America. Hello. I'm Irish. Okay, I'll be real. I'm French-Canadian (Quebecois?!?), Italian, Irish, Scottish, English, and Polish. But. I'm Irish, man, and it's really hard to be Irish. I'm not kidding. Being Irish in these United States is a life-long

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-30981772500313176432009-03-16T20:29:00.006-04:002009-03-17T02:23:05.063-04:00

I woke up to this and a number of dedicated facebook statuses this morning. RIP Mr. Cooper, and countless reactions similar to my own - Really? FALLSTON'S Mr. Cooper? I sort of sat at the computer screen blankly, a few tears on my face, things like this are such a shock. I never actually had Mr. Cooper, but he was a part of the dynamic team that made up the Fallston High School English faculty. I

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-23170329455628346522009-03-12T10:31:00.005-04:002009-03-12T10:53:47.669-04:00

 This should never be a complaint. Ever. My neighbors keep their trash outside of their garage, which usually causes issues because when the wind blows their trash sometimes gets in my yard. I have never had a huge issue with this before. Once, I found a milk jug while taking the recycling out the night before, so I just put it in my bin. Another time, there was a cup from McDonald's. No big

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-733444465767903892009-03-11T13:40:00.005-04:002009-03-11T14:10:46.658-04:00

The people who know me in real life know that I truly only have one goal - to overthrow the ETS and establish a system for judging education that is not a standardized test. For those of you who do not suffer test anxiety and argue that it's the only way are probably not as familiar with the ETS, or the Educational Testing Service, as I am. ETS is actually a non-profit organization that claims to

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-24870775644184879952009-03-07T11:21:00.002-05:002009-03-07T11:36:47.057-05:00

Yesterday was markedly the first beautiful day of the almost-spring season. These temperatures and things are always quite obvious even if you aren't outside. Something happens to Shepherdstown when warm weather finally graces us with its presence, and it's truly wonderful. The morning started with smoothies and a walk through town with Jessica and a grilled cheese sandwich at the Carriage House.

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-37824700174062625942009-03-03T20:06:00.004-05:002009-03-03T20:26:22.939-05:00

I'm in the process of making life over here at Phase: Next a little cooler looking. A make over in anticipation of spring, if you will. The current header, I am aware, is a giant picture of yours truly. I don't want to lose my groove, and it probably will resize, but, just scroll down if you don't want to look at anything so ghastly huge. Even better...give me some tips on what to do! I've only

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-24129577960495301182009-02-27T11:43:00.006-05:002009-02-27T12:02:30.567-05:00

Right, well, I've been sitting here multi-tasking. Read: watching "What Not To Wear," pulling an eight month old cat off of my curtains, drinking coffee, and reading Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I realized I never shared my tale of last Friday with you all, and that it's probably way over due, but that what I thought of writing about today definitely wouldn't make sense unless you

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-3949372102333172772009-02-25T13:21:00.002-05:002009-02-25T13:48:31.735-05:00

If we live to see our anniversary (tomorrow), I'll let you know how that goes as well. Before I begin, let me briefly discuss how wonderful of a girlfriend I am. Wednesday is my "day off," in this sense of the word, "day off" means the day when I don't have classes, but get caught up on the pile of work that has somehow amassed since Monday. It's also my day to sleep in a re-charge, since I

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-87375843242586487302009-02-22T01:44:00.004-05:002009-02-22T02:13:10.736-05:00

Home is a lot of things. Home is where the heart is, where you lay your head down at night, where your morning paper is delivered, where you're comfortable to walk around in undies and a huge tee-shirt, where you go after a long day to find a comfortable couch and television remote to take your brain away. For the past 22 years, home has been wherever those people on that raft drinking Red Stripe

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-38183234979018737712009-02-18T14:01:00.002-05:002009-02-18T14:14:46.079-05:00

My first attempt at a vlog. Go easy on me. Also, take notice of the song that plays after "All You Need is Love," it might tie in to yesterday. 

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-15892318106346712102009-02-17T01:40:00.002-05:002009-02-17T01:56:07.581-05:00

My school doesn't observe President's Day. This could be for a number of reasons...perhaps the past and current president of my university has always been bitter that the day didn't honor them. I'm pretty sure the day doesn't apply to all presidents ever, just the guys that hang out in the White House. They could just feel like Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the very beginning of the semester is

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-28539325554518756742009-02-15T17:25:00.002-05:002009-02-15T17:43:54.049-05:00

First, the good. The Vagina Monologues went off without a hitch. People made comments that we put on the best performance of the show they had seen at Shepherd, which is truly an honor. There has been an incredible amount of talent in the show in Shepherdstown in the past few years, I'm so proud to be among them. People told me I made mother's cry with my piece, my own mother told me I really

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-78936339650925829222009-02-12T10:57:00.005-05:002009-02-12T11:30:29.386-05:00

It is unexpectedly cold today because of some crazy wind that blew trash all over my neighborhood and I swear almost destroyed the classroom I was in this morning at 8:00. I'm not kidding. It's super-crazy blowy out. I was upstairs watching a very tall, very skinny tree whip around all over the place. It's going down. I came downstairs because I started to get nervous that I was suddenly going to

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-57982947028083870082009-02-10T10:19:00.004-05:002009-02-10T11:11:39.892-05:00

Now that I have your attention, prepare yourself for what has been happening since I tried, and failed, to seduce a Genius at the Tyson's Corner Apple Store. Computer is doing great, by the way. Let's see, Saturday it was lovely out and I came out of my shell of British, Women's, and Young Adult literature to actually go to a party. Party was good, epic, even. I either forgot or didn't care that

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-13108866280484273692009-02-07T13:13:00.002-05:002009-02-07T13:31:56.952-05:00

Last night, save a total of $5 in tolls, crazy unnecessary traffic, and a GPS that told me my destination was the intersection near Tyson's Corner, was a moderate success. I was there about a half hour early, because Google Maps and my GPS had a miscommunication and I didn't turn on avoid toll roads on my way down. I stopped at the Starbucks and quickly made it to the Apple Store. That mall gives

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-161864610839118352009-02-06T12:15:00.006-05:002009-02-06T12:44:42.535-05:00

My beloved MacBook (Compy for short) has been shedding plastic edging for a while now. I just found out that my AppleCare protection plan is still good right as a large bit of plastic edging peeled off. So I bit the bullet and made a Genius Bar appointment for this evening. One problem: the closest Apple Store is in Tyson's Corner. Which is...McLean, Va...which is...Northern Virginia. I lived in

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-68868028844183528962009-02-02T20:09:00.002-05:002009-02-02T20:40:49.405-05:00

Apparently, the 25 things about me fad hopped on over to Blogger all the way from Facebook. I was tagged by the lovely insomniaclolita and I'm up to the challenge, because I'm not up to much else creative blog-wise. So here goes. (I'll try to spare anyone who is also a Facebook friend the monotony and switch it up a bit from my Facebook response) 1. When I was a kid Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-56079635605291863692009-01-28T19:04:00.003-05:002009-01-28T19:20:20.591-05:00

It's been a snowy, icy, cold mess the past few days here in the Eastern Panhandle of Wild, Wonderful West Virginia. I headed to school yesterday, only to find that my little Cobalt and the snow do not have a good relationship. I didn't want to be that asshole who only lives a mile from campus and doesn't show in bad weather, though. So I slip-n-slid all the way into town, into a parking spot and

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-77538558618256866442009-01-24T02:39:00.004-05:002009-01-24T03:11:25.446-05:00

I just got home from DC. Frank Warren of PostSecret gave a lecture at George Washington University that was open to the public. My roommate and I went down. Words to not describe. Well, they do, actually. I think the ride back from Shady Grove station included the words, innocent, emotional, amazing, inspiring, funny, sweet and incredible to describe Frank's talk. If you aren't familiar, you

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-91754221590759289552009-01-21T11:56:00.003-05:002009-01-21T12:14:50.302-05:00

I got a new president yesterday. I didn't go to DC or brave the cold for my cause. I did that in Manassas and, the way I see it, there were probably three people for the one spot I took up in Manassas that didn't get to hear him talk on Election Eve, it was a public service. That and, there was classwork involved and I was given the chance to watch the events with a friend who typically defines

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-37414493571232644112009-01-19T11:52:00.006-05:002009-01-19T12:25:59.543-05:00

I was raised a half-hour outside of Baltimore. My parents and I bought seasons tickets when we moved to Maryland because, in our family, we love football and didn't know anyone when we moved. Win or lose, I love the Ravens. (It's easier when they win). This fact as also automatically programmed me to hate, loathe, despise the Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially when they destroy one of my players.

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-55221786069749303312009-01-15T20:07:00.005-05:002009-01-15T20:53:21.416-05:00

I just finished and successful attempt at my mother's home-made macaroni and cheese recipe. Probably the only one of her recipes I was scared to attempt, because it involves making a white sauce. My patience and attention span resembles that of the middle schoolers I teach on most occasions, so something that involves whisking until it boils really isn't high on my fun things to do list. I was

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-18589707811155543512009-01-14T11:48:00.006-05:002009-01-14T12:06:31.431-05:00

Last week, I joined the 20-Something Blogger community (soyoushouldbemyfriendthereifyouaren'talready!) and was very excited. "Hooray!" I thought to myself, "A new chance to blog more, find new bloggers and help people find me!" So, what do I do? Neglect my few readers for about a week because of the stress excitement of starting classes and getting back to school. So, that's what this entry is

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-57392025767531607522009-01-07T20:09:00.005-05:002009-01-07T23:52:33.651-05:00

I'm feeling a little better since my first post of today, and felt really inspired to wrap up 2008 in terms of popular culture. These are the top 10 moments I feel really captured and molded my 2008. Enjoy.10. Paris Hilton runs for president. When the McCain camp was running ads revolving around the celebrity factor of his opponent, Paris Hilton released her response. She filmed an excellent

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-3179801148766562492009-01-07T17:59:00.002-05:002009-01-07T18:42:27.222-05:00

This is what I have spent the past half-hour doing. Watching animals either ride, stalk or be mercilessly teased by any number of Roombas or other robotic vacuum cleaners. Clearly, I need to start doing something productive with my life before that half-hour of robot-riding critters turns into hours, or days. This trip to Rhode Island is really starting to catch up with me. My drive up was fun,

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-39960077275571853862009-01-06T10:54:00.003-05:002009-01-06T11:39:25.341-05:00

I vlogged on the way up here, but, naturally, I forgot my USB cable for my camera  so if I'm not too embarrassed by it, I'll put that up here when I get home. My first solo long distance road trip was successful, I think. I assume that the success of a road trip lies in actually getting there so, that part worked out pretty well, I'd say. I hit about two hours of traffic in Pennsylvania. There

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-29855867920750666062008-12-30T22:36:00.003-05:002008-12-30T23:30:46.849-05:00

I know there's no way I'll be able to write tomorrow. My train leaves Providence (God-willing) at 9:01 and should arrive in DC around 4. I'm hoping to get out of the city as fast as I possibly can before people start pouring into the district to celebrate the New Year in our nation's capitol. The only thing I have working for me right now is the fact that I'll be escaping DC when everyone else is

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-91294942702325359192008-12-29T18:02:00.005-05:002008-12-29T18:23:21.612-05:00

I arrived safely in Rhode Island about 45 minutes ago, I'd say. It's been a horribly long day, but lucky for you that makes for a slightly punchier me! My alarm went off at 5. Five-o-clock. AM. In the morning. I had to leave by six in the morning. Ante Meridiem if you will. The sun wasn't out, but when I hit 270 towards DC, I was surprised at the number of cars that were there, driving into the

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-54143813044116118082008-12-27T19:15:00.003-05:002008-12-27T20:57:29.567-05:00

As of this morning, I have so much reflecting to do - but I think I'll do my best to focus on the good things that came of this Christmas, rather than the bad, because this year was honestly the best Christmas I've had with my family in a really long time. It was warm, cozy and not over the top, gift wise. It was as close to perfect as you can get. Even the boyfriend's family part went much

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-28686807181790467842008-12-24T10:45:00.005-05:002008-12-24T11:17:45.345-05:00

It's Christmas Eve. There is no way I have enough time to write, but my coffee is still warm and tasting of sweet, sweet gingerbread CoffeeMate and it truly is the season of giving - regardless of how much time I have. My parents arrived safely yesterday. George H.W. and Barbara were wisked away in a government motorcade on the runway yesterday, so my father couldn't risk getting arrested by the

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-77424387726635677092008-12-23T14:14:00.004-05:002008-12-23T14:29:40.310-05:00

Since my family moved to Texas, you wouldn't believe how many times I've been asked the question: "Have they ever met the Bush family?!" Honestly? That's like asking someone who lives in California if they've ever met Brangelina or TomKat. I always respond the same way. Texas is a big state and the Bush family is just one family there and even though my parents do live in Houston, no, they have

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-35761621624739729502008-12-20T18:07:00.003-05:002008-12-20T18:24:39.277-05:00

Today's adventure not only comes to you from New York, but it also comes to you from my dad's Dell lap top. I apologize in advance for any formatting that comes off looking less than anal-retentive neat or random spacing between words, I'm having an incredibly difficult time with this.It's not that I didn't travel without my lap top, no no, I would never do that. Apparently, classy New York hotel

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-81679211626088058152008-12-18T21:28:00.006-05:002008-12-20T18:00:02.533-05:00

Wednesday, I substituted. Please, hold the eye rolls. I had your traditional high school English fare, apathetic eleventh graders who would rather yell at each other about name brand sweat pants than do worksheets covering exciting topics like parallelism, tone and vocabulary. In my rush to leave (I assumed there would be a two-hour delay since "all the other counties were doing it"...but we

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-58622283325888413662008-12-15T11:16:00.004-05:002008-12-15T11:41:04.272-05:00

I suppose my snobby tendencies finally got the best of me last week. I have been trying to fight it for so long, because, honestly, there are a lot of great people in the world who don't need college in order to be great. I tried to tell myself I was just a poor, helpless victim of the economy and my first degree has a poor market, anyway. (You know, journalists get laid...off...) I couldn't do

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-23833637137631258782008-12-10T22:37:00.004-05:002008-12-10T22:58:31.274-05:00

This week, I've had two really excellent substituting experiences. The first day of this week was my first time in a high school classroom, and as usual, I was assigned an English class. Only one class was really terribly, and I forgot how mean high schoolers can be and spent the majority of the screening of "The Crucible" yelling. The rest of the day was great, and my ninth graders were

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-40763279484523124942008-12-04T18:51:00.004-05:002008-12-04T19:20:02.029-05:00

As I was fishing Marley out of what seemed to be her thousandth attempt to summit the Christmas tree, I threatened to take her 99 cent stocking back to Target, or fill it with citrus-scented coal instead of catnip and salmon goodies. This made me think of my own Christmas list this year. This also made me realize exactly how incredibly nerdy I really am. The top of this year's list is the newest

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-9490740987411054922008-12-01T16:56:00.002-05:002008-12-01T17:26:56.863-05:00

Chicago - Round Two. Same Panera, different table. (Ok, one table over. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit)I was getting settled in my seat on the Amtrak commuter bus from Houston to Longview, innocently listening to some Christmas tunes, when what to my wondering eyes should appear but, CREEPER! He waved at me with his creepy little sparkle in his eye that said, "I knew you would be on this

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-7509922020661762632008-11-30T11:40:00.003-05:002008-11-30T11:59:28.269-05:00

I think today marks the end of my first grown-up holiday. I'll be leaving on a northbound bus to a northbound train today around 1:00. As a matter of fact, I should be packing currently, but figured I would give this Thanksgiving a bit more thought before I am banished to a train of either screaming children already high on holiday sweets or creepy people who want to be my friend. My parents only

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-40773525555174263672008-11-27T13:28:00.002-05:002008-11-27T13:37:36.321-05:00

I was going to carry over a note I put on Facebook last night. One that told everyone how incredibly thankful I am for them this year and every year on Thanksgiving, but I'm feeling so inspired because of the attached video (I'm not kidding) I decided to do a different one. So, be thankful. It's Thanksgiving. When the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade started this morning, so did my favorite season

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-88979032142202426222008-11-25T18:57:00.005-05:002008-11-25T20:18:20.137-05:00

I write this on a shaking train with my magnification at around 150% because, anything less, and I can't see because the tray my poor little shaken MacBook is on has fallen victim to the bumpy tracks of the American mid-to-south west. The Allegheny Mountains are curvy and terrifying in their own regard, but the quality of smoothness really starts to decline after Chicago. We've been bouncing and

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-26763144367232018442008-11-24T11:39:00.002-05:002008-11-24T11:58:53.791-05:00

The first leg of my trip on the train adventure was quite successful, despite almost missing it to begin with. I'd never been to the Martinsburg train station before, and it's just as creepy as you would expect it to be. Also, there is no one in the station to tell you that the train outside is, indeed, your train. So, assistant conductor lady is hanging out of the train going by (ten minutes

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-8080983952572229912008-11-22T01:51:00.002-05:002008-11-22T02:21:51.348-05:00

My capers in the past week have included 7th and 6th grade English classes, post-anesthesia Marley and everything in between. (Let it go on the record that my reference of 'capers' directly ties to Matt on VH1's "The Pick-Up Artist") I'm not entirely sure to begin, so I'll start with the most unrelated to the rest of what this blog might contain, first. I had my dear little Marley fixed on

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-43082637566750189322008-11-17T01:53:00.003-05:002008-11-17T02:09:34.168-05:00

Tonight my manager addressed me as "creative mind." That title couldn't possibly be farther from the truth right now. I've been down in the dumps-y all week and unable to finish anything worth merit, but I figured I'd give it a late night college try. Monday the TV dude came. Well, a new TV dude...not the previously mentioned Dish Network Creeper. He told me that the aforementioned creeper

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-17502501710260215532008-11-10T21:44:00.002-05:002008-11-10T22:14:11.280-05:00

For the past two days, I've been pretty down in the dumps. Basically because of a combination of being stuck at this job and totally impatient for school to start again (my element), irritation with change (not of the political variety) and over all restlessness and an ill-stimulated brain. A friend of mine came to the rescue with the most incredible viral video to hit my Safari screen...PUPPY

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-65307399793070703962008-11-09T00:33:00.006-05:002008-11-09T01:00:31.101-05:00

Will someone please, please tell me the appeal of these adorable little drinks, with their adorable little colors, fruity flavors and fabulous glasses? Please, someone, so I can justify how much goes out of my wallet and behind a bar whenever my girl friends and I go to the 3 Onions.  It, honestly, is probably because when the bartender hands me my tab at the end of the evening, the item name

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-74866515593580646782008-11-06T11:00:00.005-05:002008-11-06T16:41:15.593-05:00

In case you've been living under a rock, Barack Obama is the new president-elect of the United States of America. He is our first African-American president and stepping into too many problems for anyone who is reasonably sane to want to take in. But you know what? I voted for him. I was in Manassas, Va. with 90,000 of my closest friends. I lost my voice screaming like a little fan girl and

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-21872234713629579482008-11-04T09:49:00.006-05:002008-11-04T10:05:07.322-05:00

See these people? These are my friends (I'm the doofy looking one holding the sign). We made a trek to Manassas, Va. last night for Obama's last rally of his campaign. It was a rough road and my poor little vocal chords are paying for it today, but I'm so glad we were crazy enough to attempt this. Basically, we set out around 4:00, because Brian (tall guy in the back) used to live in Manassas and

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-49403487236481579112008-10-30T15:49:00.008-04:002008-10-30T16:22:19.471-04:00

You read that right. My friends, Kelly and Andrew, as well as my boyfriend, John, decided a good afternoon activity after a delicious lunch at the Blue Moon and coffee at the Lost Dog would be to watch M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening."I'm not a big fan of scary movies. I can handle the occasional psychological thriller, but Mr. Shyamalan has reduced me to hiding in my favorite chair with my

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-5947744328923531112008-10-28T19:11:00.002-04:002008-10-28T19:38:55.398-04:00

Be nice to your retail associates. Treat them with respect, not like they are stupid. They are not your maids and are sometimes (usually) multi tasking. There are many times at work when I am the only associate on the floor. My managers are usually in the back with our stock or taking care of administrative things. It's frustrating when people just starting talking at me. Not acknowledging me

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-38969265234692613302008-10-21T09:25:00.002-04:002008-10-21T09:41:32.692-04:00

Before I start, my mind was just put at ease. I heard a rumor not too long ago that Shepherdstown doesn't really recycle. That the waste management sends out recycling bins to give off the illusion of recycling, but that the truck takes the items to the same dump as my Thursday trash pick up. I have good news, though. I just saw the recycling truck and it was definitely one of those jobs that

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-28413174667180183932008-10-16T21:11:00.006-04:002008-10-16T23:09:29.213-04:00

The NaBloPoMo theme for October is vote, and I just watched the last presidential debate (thanks, DVR), so...now a rant. Many states' voter registration deadlines have already passed, but you can find out here when your deadline is coming up, and the other laws regarding your state and how to make a change this November. Lucky you, Connecticut, you have until November 3 to register to vote, so no

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-84721343881752466782008-10-15T23:29:00.001-04:002008-10-16T01:56:17.137-04:00

While at work today, I needed things to think about, and actually found some sort of inspiration in a friend of mine who is going through a bit of a rough spot currently. So, I'm writing about it. She gave me permission, no worries. Two friends of mine recently ended a pretty long term relationship. Along with the troubles that accompany any ended relationship, my friend is also now thinking

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-4978893674943287272008-10-14T23:37:00.003-04:002008-10-16T01:55:32.736-04:00

The Good: Wing night at Tony's...$4.50 pitchers and great friendsTalking to the HR woman for Washington County Public Schools and learning I can start subbing as soon as my screening clears (in two weeks!) Telling my manager at LHBP that I'll need to limit my hours there when I start subbingMy kitty attacking my boyfriend's lap top caseMy boyfriend in generalThe Bad:Our district manager came in

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-44930495075530799952008-10-13T22:32:00.003-04:002008-10-13T22:51:49.025-04:00

So sorry I've been in a slump these past few days. The retail world has gotten to me quicker than I expected. I feel like the whole world is belittling me or doing things just to make me feel like a moron, which I don't like. And, will someone please explain the international appeal of Hagerstown, Md.? I have had more non-English speaking customers and customers visiting from other countries in

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-58748980091768202742008-10-12T23:26:00.002-04:002008-10-12T23:33:41.954-04:00

The reason for two posts like this in a row will be explained in the section headed...'The Ugly.' The Good: Family being here, getting a bike and hanging beautiful pictures in my houseJohn being understanding with how tired I've been recentlyThe glorious, glorious invention of DVRThe second lesson in church today (Philippians 4:1-9)The hymn we always sing for a baptism (Hymn #490 'I want to walk

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-84907187329400091102008-10-11T23:05:00.002-04:002008-10-11T23:17:52.318-04:00

The Good: Sunshine driving into work with good music to sing along toCustomers that tell me 'I Love You' after I help them find great brasHanging out with Becca for many hoursMy parents and aunt and uncle being in townMarleyWhen my boyfriend makes my bed in the morningBlueberry yogurtThe Bad: Miscommunications at workKitty cuts from curious kittensRude customersThe Ugly:All the ridiculous terms

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-8662391299147116372008-10-10T17:46:00.003-04:002008-10-10T17:58:27.755-04:00

Recently, my hair has been feeling icky. After getting it cut a few weeks ago and deciding to grow out my natural color, I've been more obsessed with it than usual. Last night, at work, a woman pulled me aside and told me I had a wonderful haircut and was lucky for it. This made me even more obsessed with it. While cleaning this morning, it felt more and more greasy until I couldn't stand it

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-72668941077150353372008-10-09T23:03:00.006-04:002008-10-09T23:26:46.342-04:00

I'm exhausted from working all week and distracted by The Daily Show, so here's a quick rundown on the good, the bad and the ugly of my day. The Good: Waking up to a kitty who sat with me and purred as I tried to wake upHanging out with Jillian and discussing the possibility of her moving inPutting down the sunroof and singing (belting) "American Pie" all the way to workBarack Obama's book Dreams

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-7029028803910761582008-10-08T21:20:00.004-04:002008-10-08T23:21:54.442-04:00

First and foremost...MEET MARLEY! This fluffy, black bundle of joy is the newest addition to my house. She came yesterday after some friends contacted me over the weekend and told me the couldn't keep her. She's quite sweet when she isn't tearing down spring rod curtains quite well behaved. I'm trying out this Pet Organics No Scratch! spray to see if that will change her mind about the curtains.

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-30606867925855757392008-10-07T22:22:00.002-04:002008-10-07T22:37:48.372-04:00

It's October, which means it is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. I became painfully aware of this today at work when a lady came in who was looking for a soft bra since she recently had breast cancer surgery. I was devastated when I couldn't find her size in the one she liked, but she ended up finding one that suited her. This woman's outlook on her entire situation was wonderful, I couldn't

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-21438562750352763302008-10-06T23:45:00.001-04:002008-10-07T00:36:39.126-04:00

I like driving. I wish I could do it more often. I miss the days of $1.80 gas (remember when we were terrified gas would peak at $2.00 a gallon?) where I could drive around aimlessly in the small town where I grew up without my wallet taking a major beating afterwards. My car is private and has always been a confessional of sorts for me. I can think thoughts, or speak them out loud there and no

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-15254603870789924162008-10-05T20:43:00.006-04:002008-10-05T20:58:41.504-04:00

The girl in the photo with me has been one of my best friends here since I pledged to Sigma Alpha Iota in the spring of my freshman year. She is my big sister in my fraternity, but more importantly, an overall amazing person. Today she performed her senior clarinet recital. It was, in one word, amazing. It completely inspired me to start playing my clarinet again. I haven't played since last

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-88380722704417431322008-10-04T23:05:00.001-04:002008-10-05T01:10:33.275-04:00

Today was my first "real" Saturday at the outlets. It was pretty terrible. For most of the time, it was just my manager and I running around helping people. We got slammed for a good two hours, which I was shocked to see. I was yelled at (I think) for not speaking Spanish and three other ladies decided to tell me how to do my job when I was flustered behind the register. We didn't get out until

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-43477052867551514282008-10-03T20:32:00.002-04:002008-10-03T21:09:18.106-04:00

Today was a big day for my little house in West Virginia. I woke up early to make pancakes for John and Jessica and I while we waited for the creepy installation technician from Dish Network to come and make my TV come to life. It was all-in-all a very strange experience, as our technician seemed to feel more comfortable in my house than I did while he was here. He grabbed a big ladder and

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-87800381970913477762008-10-02T23:54:00.003-04:002008-10-03T00:00:45.018-04:00

I have a few minutes to get this in to count it towards NaBloPoMo. I'll come out and say it: Palin did not do as terrible a job as I expected her to do. While, I still can't say I support her or that I think she is qualified to be second in command, she didn't crash and burn, and did much better than she had in a recent interview with Katie Couric. For someone who is admittedly not comfortable

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-75562262107759448042008-10-01T22:24:00.005-04:002008-10-01T22:43:20.293-04:00

I had my hair cut last Thursday, back on my old stomping grounds and saw an ex-boyfriend, his wife and his wife's baby bump. This isn't a good representation of the haircut, but it's Wednesday and I'm home alone playing Scrabble and drinking lemonade on my red living room couch. Two weeks into my outlet job and I'm already itching to be back in class. The economic disaster of last week has really

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-49561889801724308002008-09-24T17:11:00.002-04:002008-09-24T17:41:19.384-04:00

Three days into it, and I dropped the NaBloPoMo ball because of a lot of friend-related drama at Tony's last night. That's a poor excuse for just about anything, but it's the only excuse I have.The houses across the street from my are finished being built. Now they're just waiting for someone to pull the blue plastic from the windows and go through them with some touch up paint and extra nails

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-7879318697691296792008-09-22T11:34:00.005-04:002008-09-22T11:57:26.566-04:00

Well, today's post was supposed to be reserved for a few heart-warming paragraphs about some of my feelings about blogging and the great internationality of the whole thing. Some things my reader euthymic pointed out in a comment to me a few days ago. However, things changed when I had a very vivid dream about none other than the First Amendment to the Constitution. Oh, how proud my Media Law

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-34249183022761876312008-09-21T23:31:00.003-04:002008-09-21T23:49:46.632-04:00

I supposed I only have a half an hour to write this, for it to count as a daily post for NaBloPoMo...so here goes. Everything that made me happy about my Sunday that I noticed in a little under a half hour. I sing in my church choir. I supposed you could consider today my premier performance in the official Trinity Episcopal Church robes, but I am always the congregation member singing slightly

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-15404757719942967052008-09-20T14:44:00.004-04:002008-09-21T23:49:03.805-04:00

Here I am. Stomach down on my fluffy white carpet, my favorite position to write, in my favorite dress. It's a beautiful 65 degrees in Shepherdstown, all of the windows in my house are open letting bug sounds in (I don't mind them when they're outside...). It seems like the construction has stopped for the day. It's nice and quiet (save some rumblings from my neighbor's kids running up and down

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-10468241061517257462008-09-19T11:38:00.007-04:002008-09-19T12:08:27.800-04:00

In the week since I last posted, I have entered the workforce. My new job at the outlet mall isn't really as bad as I anticipated, in fact, I think I might even like it. I have never really had any sort of part-time job that I can safely say I actually like, but this job is slightly beyond the dummy movements of the fast food industry or the pain of hostessing. I get to make small talk with

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-91899066247985852002008-09-12T10:30:00.001-04:002008-09-12T10:47:54.314-04:00

I've been moderately settled for the past week or so. At least as settled as I can be. Since my parents moved to Texas and got rid of a whole mess of furniture, I had to start from scratch with the whole moving thing. We looked at the price difference, and when it all came down to it, it was cheaper to go new rather than ship the few possessions I have 1500 miles north. We went on vacation, John

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-48465675691372382142008-08-03T12:01:00.000-04:002008-08-03T12:25:13.934-04:00

It isn't that I haven't had anything to say this summer...quite the contrary, I've had a lot to say, and I've said it to people, to my journal and in my head as I battle terrible Texas drivers. I just haven't felt inclined to blog...I haven't really felt inclined to anything. To say this summer has been a total waste and completely useless, though, would be saying a boldfaced lie. Being alone in

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-1498365182413758932008-05-29T22:15:00.000-04:002008-05-29T22:26:54.312-04:00

After 1,443 miles of highways and local roads we pulled into The Woodlands, a master plan community in Montgomery County, Texas that will be my new home base while I finish with whatever comes next. It's nice. All of the houses are settled together and look the same, and you don't have to drive far in the hot Texas sun to find something to do indoors for the brave or outdoors for those who fear

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-79126522899883446502008-05-27T22:21:00.000-04:002008-05-27T23:40:32.699-04:00

The promised update from the road every day was thwarted by bad weather in Memphis that knocked out our hotel's wireless connection, but we're alive and well on the Texas side of Texarkana, right on the border of, you guessed it...Texas and Arkansas. My thoughts from the drive across Tennessee and the drive through Arkansas, however, are similar, so a combined blog shouldn't hurt you too much.

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-30117190081295122962008-05-25T23:57:00.000-04:002008-05-26T00:07:10.917-04:00

We just arrived at our hotel in Bristol. I'm quite pleased with the time we made, only stopped twice. The first stop was at a Wendy's/Sheetz/Krispy Kreme all in one building and the second a random Roanoke gas station so I could get a coffee, only to see a sign for a Starbucks at the very next exit. Whoever told me Salem, Va. is a small town with nothing lied times a thousand. I learned to stop

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-30353178367042555532008-05-24T23:30:00.000-04:002008-05-24T23:45:13.555-04:00

I have no clue what this is, but John bought him for me at the flea market on 340 and I love it. Today was a beautiful last day, despite not sleeping. We met Gordon and Jessica for donuts at the bakery and went yard sale-ing with them for furniture for their new place. I found a new Laughing Buddha to add to my collection, a red mid-sized one to add to my little family of figurines and this glass

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532767400964768579.post-16223078890320793672008-05-24T04:05:00.000-04:002008-05-24T04:22:08.649-04:00

Here I am, officially the day before the big trip south. Wide awake, unable to change the fact that I'm wide awake, opening up the age-old monster of blogging, with full intents to keep it open this time around, like always. Well, like always in that I'm wide awake, not like always in that it's the day before the big trip south, but...you know. Today ranks high on one of my days in Shepherdstown

.bethany.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04391791971098276215noreply@blogger.com0