I'm Breaking Things and I'm Losing Things...

This song has been on my mind ALL day.  When I got home from school studying last night I put my Blackberry down somewhere and couldn't find it.  I was just about to tell my bestie in S. Korea via Facebook to call me, when I found it on the couch.  Then this morning, I woke up, checked some emails, and put my phone down.  When I went to check the time later, it was gone.  I looked and looked and never found it, and just ended up going to school.  Because it's on silent, calling didn't do much good, so most of my lunch break was spent looking.  It would have been easier to find but my bed is covered in laundry.  I'm not a neat person.    I'm not filthy but not neat.  After doing laundry the clothes generally sit in the dryer until I need it again, then get dumped on the bed until I have time to fold them.  I haven't had much time lately.  The last 2 or 3 weeks have been hectic for me.  Maybe this weekend I can start getting my life back together.  Can't wait until Thanksgiving so that I can SLOW DOWN.

The Minutes Feel Like Hours... the Hours Feel Like Days

Corinne Bailey Rae - Trouble Sleeping

This song says a LOT.

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me...

It's been a while, but it has happened again.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, IT.  What is it you ask? I have a new Facebook stalker! *Insert dorky smile and spirit fingers*  You're nobody until you have had a Facebook stalker (not really), and now I am on number two- and who knows, there maybe be more.  Facebook stalker number one knows who she is, and may or may not regret her stalking.  It always gives me a funny story to tell.

Now there's number two.  I have no idea who this person is, other than the fact that they are a school mate.  That being said, this person could be spending their time studying, making note cards, catching up on rest, participating in the wonderful clubs and organizations we have here, or so much more.  But instead, they are watching me.  Well maybe not, but they are paying more attention to me than anyone.

Here's the story.  Large animal anatomy.  Cover alls.  Boots.  I felt like I wanted a picture so I had a friend snap one on my Blackberry.  That was January.  Here it is almost January again and I hear something about a picture on my Facebook page angering some folks.  Turns out, there were some things in the background that weren't supposed to be posted.  (We have rules about pictures.  No pictures of client-owned animals, pictures of dissections, etc.)  Well guess what?  In almost a year, no one who has seen that picture, including myself ( I had it as a background on my laptop off and on a few times) even noticed this forbidden thing.  But then one day someone did.  Probably hit that trusty right-click button, saved it, and emailed or printed it.  Who knows.  Now this isn't some lewd photograph, no one is in any type of compromising positions.  So I edited my picture and reposted it, because I like it.  It tells part of the story of my first year in veterinary school and I want to show it.

I do kind of wonder, however, if maybe we should be looking for a boyfriend/girlfriend/both for this person who had so much time on their hands that they noticed something in the corner of a picture that no one else noticed.  I'm quite tempted to delete everyone but a few select folks from school from my Facebook friends list after this... but then I guess Mr. or Ms. or Mrs. Stalker would be bored.  And I DO believe in community service- give the haters (and the stalkers) something to do with their time!

With that being said, I do think that I am pretty fucking awesome.  And quite frankly, if I was someone else, I'd stalk me too.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Only a few months left in October, but I had to remember to write about domestic violence awareness.  This is something I have never had to deal with personally.  I have heard reports of women I know who have been affected by this issue and my heart goes out to them.  I've looked back on a couple of my own relationships, and seen that some things the guys did were borderline controlling.  What if they had escalated? Would I be strong enough to leave? Would I call the police?  Or would I accept his apology and believe that he wouldn't do it again?  I hope I'd have the strength to leave.

One day a couple of weeks ago we walked out of class and saw some strange figures in our lobby.  As we got closer you could tell they were cut-outs.  I had no idea what they were going to be.  Maybe an advertisement for the food drive we are having in which we compete against the university of Alabama? Nope.  It was for Domestid Violence Awareness month.  I actually had no idea that October was so aware.  Breast cancer and domestic violence.  I was kind of excited because this is definitely an important issue, and I'm glad that it is being brought to people's attention. Each of these has the story of a woman who lost her life to domestic violence. 

If you or someone you know needs help check out The Domestic Violence Awareness Project.

Apartment Etiquette for Dummies

 So when I lived in my first apartment, I didn't have any issues with the neighbors.  (Unless you count the old man in the wheelchair who used to flirt with me.  Imagine that old dirty man voice saying "you shole look good" as you are walking to your car in a skirt on the way to church. Eww.)  Been at this complex a little over a year and I want to leave.  These people don't understand the small things that one must take into consideration when living in an apartment.  Apparently no one realizes that most of what they do affects their neighbors because of the close quarters.  So here is a list of things that people should and shouldn't do when living in an apartment setting.

1) Is there an apartment below you? Stop stomping around like an elephant in an aerobics class.
The guy above me is HOT.  Very hot. He's a younger guy, and I assume an undergraduate at Auburn.  But he is SO noisy.  For a while there every weekend he played the same song over... and over... and over.  Then he would watch the same loud action movie with explosion scenes. Well when he wasn't making that kind of noise, he was stomping around.  He hasn't been making noise by playing his music, but he walks so heavily. It's 3 am and I hear "boom boom boom" above me as he walks around his bed room.  You would swear this guy weighed 500lbs.  I know part of it is probably that the apartments need better insulation, but it doesn't stop the loud walking from keeping me up at night.  Someone should teach this kid how to tip toe.



2) Don't let your visitors take the "premium" parking spots.
It doesn't happen often, but occasionally I have to park much further away then I'd like.  If I'm just coming and going it isn't as big of a deal, but if I'm carrying groceries, or my 8lb pathology textbook, I'd like to be closer to my door.  Maybe your guest doesn't want to lug their suitcase from a further spot either, but they don't pay rent here.  They should be courteous and not take the premium spaces.

3) Don't let your dog sit on your patio/balcony and bark at passersby. 
I finally got this situation resolved by going to the office.  But a lady who lives above the apartment next to me lets her dog out on the balcony often.  Well this little eskimo dog barks at everything.  Dogs? He barks at them.  People? He barks at them.  Cats? He barks at them.  The wind? He barks at it.  Get my point? Well on weekends she'd let him go out on the balcony as early as 6:30 am and 5:30 weekdays.  Being a vet student I need every bit of sleep I can get.  That means that I get up in just enough time to get myself showered and dressed and the animals walked and fed.  I'll just tell you now that at 5:30 am on weekdays I'm just rolling over, and on weekends? I'm probably not awake enough to roll over.  Who wants to hear a dog barking at 6:30 on a Saturday? No one.  Plus he's got one of those yippy yappy little barks that echoes all too well.

4) Scoop your poop!
This is probably my NUMBER ONE pet peeve.  I have definitely gone to the office and told on a specific person who I've seen not picking up her dog's poop.  It's the lady with the eskimo dog from #3.  She's not the only one though.  Besides the health hazards involved in not picking up your animals waste (Check this out.), it is a rule.  And it's not some frivolous rule.  Who wants to step in dog shit while trying to walk their pets, heading to their car or even just strolling around the complex grounds? And what about all of the kids who play outside?  I'd hope that all the animals here are up-to-date on their deworming schedules, but considering that many of the parasites our pets can be infected with can be transmitted to humans, this is important.

5) Walk, don't run!
Not only could you fall and hurt yourself, but running up and down the stairs is VERY disturbing to your neighbors.  Especially when the fat chicks upstairs do it.  It sounds like a hippo stampede, it scares my cat, makes my dogs try to figure out what exactly was happening and it makes me think it's thundering outside.  I bet if I coated the steps with some baby oil you'd walk.

6) Spank your kids. 
Okay, maybe not.  But maybe.  There is a cute little boy here who is so sweet, but he's also kind of bad.  He doesn't listen, talks back, screams.  When I'm taking my very important Friday afternoon nap, or studying, I don't wanna hear that shit.  At the very least teach him to only yell at you indoors and that when he's on his scooter, bike, or skateboard it is rude to run into the doors of your neighbors.

7) Argue INSIDE. 
I don't get a lot of this here but I can count at least three separate occasions where an upstairs neighbor was arguing with a boyfriend.  One is a younger girl, whose ex-boyfriend came banging on her door.  I can understand not wanting to let him in, but y'all could go argue somewhere else please.  Or you could have just not answered the door and called the police.  Or why not argue through text messages like everyone else.  Then, just a week or so ago, another lady upstairs was arguing.  This one was pretty bad.  (I recorded it on my phone if I can get it uploaded I'll add it to my post).  But with my door closed I could hear every word clearly.  They were cursing and fussing like there was no tomorrow.  Just the fact that you can hear them pretty well on a recording made from my blackberry behind a closed front door speaks volumes about their volume.  It's ridiculous.

8) Leave me alone.
This one probably speaks to my anti-social tendencies.  But a couple of my neighbors always want to talk to me.  I don't ever want to talk to them.  I am fine with being cordial and saying "hi, how are you?" but that's about it.  I told "Crazy Mary" my name on several occasions, only to have her call me Kelly repeatedly.  Kelly and Alexis do not sound similar at all.  Another neighbor also tries to stop me to talk.  I don't want to talk to you people! I want to get my groceries in, walk my dog, or get my books out of the car and get into the house for my pre-study nap time.  I am not living here to make friends.  Let's speak and keep it moving.

In the grand scheme of things, people should realize that just like they pay rent here, so do those of us around them, and we deserve some peace and respect some times.

Willow Smith- Whip my Hair

All I can say is that the Smith family is definitely doing it big!  Fine husband, sexy wife, kids that are adorable.  And talent runs through their blood streams.  The song is awesome.  The video is awesome.  It's all upbeat, positive and age-appropriate.  She is going to be big.