Where in the world...

...is Whitney?

These are the days I wish my name was Carmen Sandiego. Just for the sole purpose of using it as a catchy title. I guess it wouldn't be so bad also having a theme song but I think I'm getting off track.

The purpose of this posting is to update all my wonderful readers with my whereabouts. I took a lovely/lengthy hiatus from blogging because I thought if I waited long enough I'd actually have something to update the world with...like a job. But alas, here I am a few months down the road and still jobless so you are getting an update on where I've moved myself to.

So, where am I? I am in Austin, Tx and apparently also in what feels like Hell for multiple reasons. Let me break them down for you:

1) the steady temperature here is 105+ degrees.

--I really wish I was joking but I'm not. I could wake up at 5 am, turn on my car (because that's all how we tell how hot it is), and read triple digits. I could also repeat this when the sun goes down circa 10pm and it would be the same deal.--

2) I'm poor

--like, literally. so poor that I now have an allowance that I get from my parents that covers everything from the grocery store, eating out, drinking, shopping, to anything/everything else. I urge all of you to try to live on $50 a week...go ahead, try.--

3) I ran out of makeup today so now I'm not only poor but I am now poor and ugly...can it get ANY worse, people?

--if you know me you know my makeup and you also know that $50 won't cut it. guess I won't be eating/drinking/living for two weeks. Which is actually fine because I shouldn't go out in public without my warpaint on--

Now, I don't want to seem ungrateful because all in all I have it much better than 85% of the population. I don't pay rent (thank youuuu seester), I still get an allowance (thank youuu mom and dad), and even though I'm miserable I get to live another day healthy as can be.

Other than Austin feeling like Hell it actually is great. Great food, great people, great times. When I first got here (three months ago to the day) I made a list of the things I wanted to do. I don't think many of you are going to be surprised when you hear that the list was 99.9% full of places to eat. Here is where I learned a big lesson...

--When moving to a new place you do NOT need to eat at all the places you've put on your list within the first month. You have MOVED to this place and those places you want to eat at aren't going anywhere and neither are you. So for the sake of your skinny jeans PACE YOURSELF!--

That being said Austin is great for eating. It is also great for making friends because everyone is so nice. I haven't met one person that didn't want me to join their posse. Now, that seems like bragging but it's the truth. I'm sure being as cool as I am hasn't hurt in the friendmaking department but the point here is that everyone accepts you for who you are not knowing you and will instantly invite you somewhere and be yo fran which is real nice when you are real lonely.

Now that I have given you an update on where I am and what I am not doing with my life I am going to go continue to not do what I do. But, I will leave you with a preview of posts to come with their titles: Long Distance Friendships and How to Live on 50 dolla.

--love.whit--

It's game day in athens.

Because I had an internship that revolved around game day during football season I missed out on a lot of the great things that Athens has to offer on game day. The tailgating, the friends, the seats to watch the game, I can say that this fall I missed all of those things....not to mention that I had to dress like a lezbo in a polo, shorts, and sneaks but that's neither here nor there. Now that fall has passed and football season is gone it is time to pay attention to basketball.

I'm not going to lie, mainly because I'm not a liar, but also because anyone reading this knows that Athens isn't exactly the hot spot for college hoops. Whenever basketball season rolls around Athens seems to hibernate but not this year. Actually, in being completely honest I had been neglecting anything happening at the coliseum until my roomie reminded me I had two games to say that I had gone to one, whoopsie. So here it is wednesday, at the office, at the end of basketball season, and I'm officially going to my first game of the 2011 season.

I've decided to make this day as game day as it can be. After I get off work I will commute home, ie travel 5miles to my APT. I will change into some red and black attire and wait until my bff jack picks me up. Then we will drive to a prime parking spot, walk to cali'n'titos, drink some BYOBs, and walk some more to the game. I'm sorry if I have let you down in making this day as game day as can be but its a wednesday night...I can only do so much. Since I haven't been wandering from tailgate to tailgate I have had plenty of time sitting here at the office being productive to practice my sideline cheers, plan my gametime eats, anddd figure out how many freebies I can take home from the game and put into the hoarding closet at the APT. As it nears 5:30 and I get to leave the office anddd as wednesday transforms into game day I leave you with this...GO DAWGS and to hell with Vanderbilttttt.

The Past...

Have you ever stopped and looked back into the past? Thought about the decisions you've made or the mistakes that you wish you could take back? I'm sure most people don't sit around thinking about the past because there is no way to change it but lately I have been thinking about the past I have created for myself mostly because it has shaped the present I live in and I have began to wonder, if I had known where my past decisions would bring me would I have made the same ones?

I do not think that there is an exact answer for this one question and I guess that is part of the fun in playing the game. As I sit here writing this blog for all to see I'm plagued with my past...no one should be plagued by their past. If you have ever watched the Butterfly Effect you will know that one small action leads to a sequence of events and one change sets off another sequence. So, in looking at the past and at all my decisions be them good or bad, I have determined that I have to take them all for that they are worth. If I went back and changed one small mistake I could possibly be changing one great accomplishment.

There is a reason that the past is the past. The sooner that we realize this the sooner we can accept the gift that is the future and live in the present that is today. And if you are wondering why I've taken the sudden stroll down memory lane there is a simple explanation and that is that history should not be repeated....lessons learned, experienced gained, tomorrow is a new day, live.

Kids these days

If you were wondering how I make ends meet while having two unpaid internships the answer to your question is here. In addition to being an intern I am a receptionist and a nanny. Tuesdays and Thursdays I devote to tot watching. Each day I spend with these kids presents a new challenge and always makes me question my tolerance for the "did you really just do that..." moments in life. While there are days I want to scream and down 2 advils the second I'm alone there are others where I honestly enjoy just being with them. This post is all about a typical day with K.A. and J.D...

My usual routine is that I pick up K.A. (3yrs) at 2:30 and take her home where we then meet her brother J.D. (7yrs) at the bus stop. I take them home, I feed them, I play with them, I tell them "NO", and to say please and thank you. I'm sure by now you are wondering where this cute little story is going and I assure you that you are in for sharp turn into I'm-Never-Having-Kids land.

Yesterday, I arranged for J.D. to have a friend over before his football game at 5pm. Things were going too smoothly so when I backed out of the driveway from dropping the friend off and to take J.D. to his football game I heard a BIG BOOM and realized my smooth ride was over and that coincidently my ride had not so smoothly crashed into a tree. To add insult to injury I hear J.D. call out from the backseat "I hope you have a HUUUGE dent in the back of your car." Like, why? Why would you wish such a thing? I've given you a snack, I let you have a friend over, and I made sure I got you your favorite Gatorade and YOU hope that my car is damaged? This is the point where I am starting to doubt my belief in Karma, need those 2 advil, and wish that it was acceptable to drink while watching them but I digress...

As I am getting over the recent accident and praying that there isn't a "HUUUGE dent" in my car I am listening to K.A.'s and J.D.'s conversation. I must warn you, they never end well, someone always ends up crying and **SPOILER ALERT** it is usually K.A. who ends up being the victim. To be honest I am not really sure how this convo in the backseat even started but it did and it was about K.A.'s halloween decorations made at school not being allowed to be displayed at home because they were "ugly" and "no one wants to see them". As I was catching the last bit of the put downs streaming from J.D.'s mouth I hear K.A. start to wail from her car seat. I swear to God this boy loves hurting his sister's feelings. I'm convinced it is his main goal any and everyday of the week. As any concerned nanny would I told K.A. I'd use her decorations at my apartment and asked J.D. why on earth he would tell his sister that. His response..."Cause its true. They are ugly and she knows it." Perfect...

You might be shocked to know that this story has a surprise twist in its ending, a twist that turns me back around into kids-aren't-so bad land. After I had deposited J.D. at his football game I decided to let K.A. have a whirl on the playground before the game started. As I'm pushing her on the swing and silently thanking her in my head for the extra arm workout she is giving me we are having a nice little chat. Now, half of what she is saying I can't actually hear because she is five feet in the air away from me and well, I'm not going to tell any child to talk louder. But during our chat a woman happens to walk by with her dog in a stroller and that's when I hear the obvious question being asked by K.A., "Miss Whitney, why is that dog in a stroller?" As I paused to hold back any rude comments I heard K.A. answer her own question, "That doesn't make any sense. It's a dog. It should be walking. She is silly." Agreed. I mean I probably wouldn't have said it so nicely but right, she.is."silly".

So you see, just as I think I will never have any kids of my own they end up saying something that makes me want to keep them around. Sure there are the temper-tantrums and the whole not listening factor but all in all when I pick K.A. up from school and she runs into my arms its usually just what I need on a Tuesday or Thursday to get me through the week. That's just my typical Tuesday and Thursday and while I'm sure it is far from most people's typical, it is mine and I love it.

--love.whit--

FALLing into change

Hello to October and hi to the change it brings. Leaves falling, temperatures dropping, and everything pumpkin as can be. Here I sit in the same place I always sit when I write my blog, my desk at howard's, and while I'd love to say that this is where all my thoughts come from and that's why I choose to blog from here it's not. In reality I blog at this particular job as a means of passing the time and boy has the time passed. Not only is the clock approaching the most amazing time of the day, 5:30!!, but the calendar is also quickly changing and here we are in the month of October.

I cannot believe we are already experiencing fall. For most people this means halloween candy and new sweaters among other things. But for me this fall represents a whole new time of the year...decision time. I honestly cannot believe it has been three months since I made the decision to stay in athens and to take on an army of jobs and now the time has come to reflect on what I have accomplished and what more I'd like to accomplish in the next couple of years. For the last year I have lived my life by making small decisions that got me from semester to semester and then after I graduated took me from month to month. Now, it is time for me to actually get a job...a real one...a paying one....

This job is inevitably going to bring on a change, and from my optimistic view point, a great one. Although I can't tell you what job I'll have I know that it could include some serious changes and I think that I am finally ready for that because, to be honest, I wasn't quite ready for it before. I've given up the thoughts of picking where I want to live and finding a job and have now resorted to a better option...finding a job and the job deciding where I will live. I hope you like experiencing new things as much as I do because you'll be hearing all about them. Of course now that I've said that who wants to bet after December I'll be still sitting at Howard's writing my blog. wompwomp.

So here is to change, October, and the pumpkin spice latte that I just discovered I'm in love with. This fall is going to be just FALLbulous.

--love.whit--

a piece of cake...

...or a whole cake but I had to get catchy with the title. Gotta grab y'alls attention from the start.

I know its friday and most people in my age demographic are being social and going out on the town but tonight I'm having some down time and I'm actually really excited about it. Tonight my crazy plans are to bake a cake and drink some wine.

Now, last night I decided to get a head start and go to the grocery store to pick up some items to bake the cake. No, it's not from a box. Do you really think I would post a blog about making something from a box? Absolutely not. This cake is going to be made from scratch, with love, and it is going to be amazing. I'm not just baking a cake because I'm a fatso and wanted something to binge on. I am actually baking it for my family whom I am visiting this weekend. This week was my Aunt's birthday and next week will be my grandmother's and mine (you haven't forgotten about my birthday have you??) so I figured I might as well bring a cake with me to the weekend celebration. Anyway, as I was going to get said ingredients I decided to call my parents. I would like to pause here and tell you about our convo...Let's be clear on this...1)they both knew I was going to visit the family to celebrate the trifecta of family birthdays this weekend. 2) they are both in the same room during each conversation with them. 3) they were serious. First I spoke to my dad explaining my trip for the weekend and told him that I was at publix getting ready to bake a cake and then I spoke to my mother explaining the same thing. I must ask, whatever happened to speakerphone?

Dad's response...

Dad: "You are baking a cake for your birthday?"

Me:"What? No? Why would I bake myself a cake? That's really sad and someone better do that for me. I'm making it to take to Clayton, duh."

Dad:"and who do you think is going to do that?"

Me: "um mom, obvi. i mean she isn't going to bake it but she is going to send me one, like a cookie cake, or something. she always does...except for last year because i was fat."

Dad: "do you even have enough friends there to help you eat it if she sent one?"

My mother's response...

Mom: "why are you at publix?"

Me: "I'm going to bake a cake tomorrow night so I need to get some ingredients."

Mom: "Oh, for your birthday?"

Me: "Are you guys joking?"

Mom: "Well I don't know...you like cake."

To be honest I don't even know where they were going with their thinking. 1) do you think i really would eat a whole cake by myself? 2) please tell me you know i have friends 3) you really think i would bake my own birthday cake? 4) seriously??

...And so my cake adventure starts. I will be making Bethenny's Not-So-Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing all from scratch. In case you aren't familiar with Bethenny she is an all-natural food chef so her recipe's are all from natural ingredients, obvi. Her idea is that you lose weight not by dieting but by changing what you are eating. I think it is the same thing but whatever she must know what she is talking about she has two books and millions but I digress. So, that is what I will be doing this friday night and I will be sure to have an amazing time so that I can blog about it again next week. I hope all of y'all have as fabulous a friday as I will be having tonight.

--love.whit--

September.

I may be a little late on announcing its arrival but it's officially september. As we come to the end of the second week of the best month of the year I thought I would pause to reflect on all september has to offer this year.

As many of you might know, September, is my month. I don't actually own the rights to it or anything but it is the month in which I was born and so it is mine. Mmmsorry if you somehow thought otherwise. Yes, you might associate it with giving thanks to those who labor, remembering those we've lost in the 9/11 attacks, celebrating the jewish new year, or even wishing another friend a birthday. But, in reality this month is/was/and forever will be MINE.

You can blame my parents for this whole, "birthday month", thing. It really is their fault. Each of my siblings and I have, not a day, not a week, but a whole month to celebrate our coming into the world. Maybe it is because we were each a month early so we each get a month to celebrate until the day we were actually born. Or perhaps it is because somehow my parents arranged us in such a way that each of our birthdays are a month apart from one another-September 29-October 30-November 28-Jesus' birthday on December 25-the month celebration just seemed to fit.

Now, that you have gotten through the explanation of why this month is mine I believe it is time for me to tell you what I plan to do with it. Yes, the "reflection" I mentioned many moons ago when you first started reading this post. I know, I know get to the point already. While many people take on a new years resolution I like to take on a month-to-month resolution. If you know me and you are wondering when this started, it started....wellll now.

Being that this month is my month I thought it would be appropriate to do a little self-improvement shall we say. Since the first week of this glorious month I have stopped straightening my hair. If I would like to wear it straight I must blow it out. Now, this has actually had a number of benefits to it. 1) my hair is healthier (grow.please.grow) 2) my arms are getting a great work out. I just wanted my locks to look lovely and grow and now I'm looking buff and more repunzel-esque.

The second thing I have taken on, err actually given up, is eating out during the week and on the weekends if I do not have dining plans with friends. The goal here? Saving money and my shapely figure. How is it working out? So far, so good. I now only eat out if I absolutely have to. I'm not being Rachel Ray over here but I have figured out I can make a mean pb&j and wheat thins make me feel better (even if I eat more than I should) than a small fry.

So as we round the corner on the end of week 2 I thought I'd update you on my september. What I am doing and what I hope to accomplish. And just because I am a nice person and sharing is caring after all I'd like to also wish my fellow september babies a happy birthday. Happy September to all.

--love.whit.--