Honey, put that away. Nobody wants to see it.

Last night I experienced my first trip to a club. It really was everything I imagined. And much, much more. Take any high school dance scenario, cut the dresses shorter, add alcohol and allow high-out-of-their-minds older men to enter and presto, you've entered a hip club.

Don't get me wrong, it's great to be a sexy young girl. But when I see body parts that I did not intend to see, something isn't right. Maybe I'm naive or maybe I just don't get it. I feel like a club should allow you to have fun and dance the night away, not wear something you would have fit into when you were five years old and shake everything in a way that blatantly says you're asking for it. In my opinion, go to a strip club. Really.

And having that said, there really were not any guys in the entire place that were worth impressing. I have never seen more sketchballs in my entire life all congregated in one room. They literally stood in a giant circle around the dance floor, drinks in hand, visually raping every girl.

I did enjoy myself, but without a drink in hand or a barrier between me and the creeps it got a little old pretty fast.

20 Things I've Accomplished Since Turning 20: #2

So this definitely isn't anything award-worthy. But as it was a first for me, I found it pretty exciting. Just a week ago I got an e-mail from Amazon. That's pretty normal... I get them on a regular basis, advertisements for new items that I might like to buy. This particular e-mail, though, was different. This e-mail was an announcement telling me that I a textbook that I had posted had just sold!

Yes, I can hear you rolling your eyes at me. But I've never sold anything online before! So I went through all of the steps of packaging, shipping, tracking and confirming the book and today I received the payment. SO cool.

Please Whistle Elsewhere

So first, I must apologize yet again for my lack to follow through with my promise to be more consistent about writing on a regular basis, but this time there is good reason! (Perhaps this blog will turn into a long list of excuses...)

Due to my lack of internet... gasp... I have not been able to do my faithful duty of writing. I suppose that I could have made the 10 second walk to the "WiFi" area a little sooner, but I was quite busy, sprawling on a chair in the sun, forming tan lines and reading as much as I possibly could.

Onward to today's topic. While gaining internet access, signing into my e-mail and Facebook accounts and catching up on everything that I've chosen to avoid for the past week, I endured the most awful whistling. Starting out, it was not quite bad. However, after you hear a not-so-musical-man whistle the same 15 second portion of Seal's Kiss from a Rose, it starts to get just a little bit old.

After about a minute, I glanced up from my laptop to see just who was whistling to himself. He took no notice of my annoyance after a second glance another minute later. After three minutes, it was as if he was intentionally trying to make anyone in a mile radius glare at him in disgust. Which I did. And so I therefore [silently] say, "Please whistle elsewhere!"

As a side note, happy Friday the 13th.

A financial and social survival guide for college freshmen

I'm going to be a published writer in a newsletter for my job! Super neat-o. Here's the article I wrote:

As the summer comes to a close many of us are thinking about the start of another school year. Whether as a student, teacher or parent we are all anticipating school in some way. The 2010-2011 school year will surely bring changes and new experiences for everyone heading back to classes, especially for new college students. Making the switch from high school to college can be one of the most unnerving and exciting transitions.

Here is some advice for adapting to a new social environment as well as some tips for making and managing money while away at school!

Many colleges and universities have campus or local job fairs within the first couple weeks after students arrive for the fall semester. It is important to be aware of this and take advantage of what is available to you. Make sure to attend and apply for jobs that interest you. If you are living on campus, having a job on campus is convenient because you can easily schedule hours between classes and you don’t need to have access to a car in order to get to your job.

If your job—on or off campus—offers direct deposit, sign up! With this in place your paychecks will be going directly into your account to start saving instead of into your pocket where you’ll be more tempted to spend them. Keep track of money in your account and the cash you carry around with you. Be aware when you’re getting low on cash or near overdrawing with your debit card so that you can avoid getting hit with overdraft fees as well. Spending a few dollars here and there, buying coffee on your way to class and pizza or calzones with your friends at 2 a.m. may not seem like a lot, but these little splurges add up.

While you are handling your income and spending, adjusting to a new social environment is just as important at college. Skipping early morning classes and sleeping the day away is tempting, but it is important not to get lazy just because mom or dad isn’t there to wake you up in the morning. If you aren’t a morning person, you’ll learn very quickly that you don’t want to take an 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. class so make your schedule so that you can get to class without any trouble.

The “freshman 15” is a phrase we all cringe to hear, but with a little self discipline it is easy to avoid gaining the pounds. College parties, dining halls and dorm room snacks have the potential to bring your calorie intake to an entirely different level. But by eating normally and working in some exercise every day you’ll be able to keep that extra fifteen pounds away!

Also, don’t get caught up playing video games alone or with your roommate in your dorm. Get out and meet people in your hall, join clubs, go to concerts and explore the campus and the area. Being involved will keep you busy and will lead the way for all sorts of opportunities. Enjoy everything that your school has to offer and you will get the most out of your college experience.

On being a shameful slacker and perfectionist

So despite my attempts to be on top of this blog and write two or three times a week, I have already fallen into a semi-slump. Avoiding blogger for about half a month has proved me a slacker and has produced nothing but thoughts of blogs. My skewed perfectionist approach has let me down once again. It's shameful, I know.

Blog and potential blog readers: I apologize. New blogs are on their way, making the journey from sparks in my brain, through my fingers and magically appearing on your internet screen.