This One's for Maureen =)

Okay Maureen, you picked a good time to spam my wall =p. That's because I'm gonna write about a HUGE monument in my 19 year life span. What's that? A date that ended.... well you'll see.

So I'm going to leave my date's name out of this just for the sake that wandering eyes might find this (Meg will tell you who it is Maureen). Anyway, my date is someone we ALL know, and we ended up on a date because we work together and we flirted... and all that jazz! Ok I'm blushing just writing this. Which is a big deal because I'm brown and I NEVER blush. Seriously.

Alright, so my date night was quite literally straight from the script of a romantic comedy, complete with disaster, scoldings, awkward run ins, and a happy ending. I promise it's a happy one!

Okay, I know Megan is laughing hysterically right now because I called to tell her about my night already. But I think it's worth writing about.

Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I'm super shy, and I haven't really entered the dating scene full on yet. I've gone on a few dates, yeah, but I was never one of those girls growing up that HAD TO HAVE a boyfriend, and as a result, I've never had one. This ALWAYS takes people by surprise, and when I ask why I usually get a response like "You're just so pretty we assumed that boys would be all over you." Flattering... but kinda sad at the same time. Does every pretty girl NEED to have a boyfriend to be happy, to complete the vision other people thought of them? I for one don't agree. I don't need a man to make me feel good. Sure, if I had one it would be something new, but I was always perfectly happy with my friends, and most of my focus went towards my studies as I went through high school anyway. A boyfriend to me at the time was an added liability... Sorry boys but no time! Really! Oh I had crushes. Seriously. Ask Megan how much I drooled over certain boys. But with having no time, experience, or confidence to really put myself out there, I just never did. I figured that everything will come in due time.

And boy did it ever.

Flash forward to right now. I work with this boy I'm currently dating. We went to middle and high school together, but never really talked throughout it. We ended up dating because we talked (okay and flirted) throughout work the past 2 weeks. Me, being totally inexperienced, had no idea what to expect, and I spent much of my time wondering if he liked me back. FINALLY, I got the are-you-busy-tonight-no-me-either.... text. Now I started freaking out more because I am PAINFULLY shy and was NOT gonna suggest something like "Hey, we should do something tonight." Won't won't won't. Yes, Aditee is silly and was freaking out over this simple suggestion. But after several threats from my sister dearest, I finally bit the bullet and suggested we grab ice cream or something. He said yeah, and then said we could go to the movies afterwards. Of course, this now put me into full-on panic mode and I was sitting in my house hyperventilating. I tried convincing myself that this wasn't a date, just a hangout, but my sister insisted it was a date.

Let me pause here and tell you that this is just the beginning. The real drama has not even started yet.

30 minutes later I finally pull myself together and start to get ready. My sister left to hang out with a friend, my mom's in India and my dad's in Connecticut so I have the house to myself. So naturally, I raid my sister's closet to steal a cute yet modest dress. I finish hair and makeup, and patiently await my date, who would come later in the night to pick me up after he finished dinner with his family. I'm sitting on the couch innocently when all of the sudden it happened.

There was a noise that sounded kind of like an airplane turning off the engine. Then, everything was black. No really, I'm serious. The power died. No light. No sound. My land line was dead of course. My internet wasn't working because there was no power to the modem. It's pitch black in my house because it's now almost 8pm and I'm by myself. We don't have flashlights in this house. We had candles somewhere in the garage, but hell if I was going to navigate that in the darkness. So, as calmly as I could, called my mom on my cell. She didn't answer. Called dad. No answer. My sister. All she said was "Oh fuck." My sentiments exactly. It was only then that I realized that while my house was black, so was the street. I stepped out of my front door and into my cul-de-sac. Darkness all around, no lights. I was under the impression that it was only my house that short circuited or something, which wouldn't have helped me anyway, because I know nothing about circuits. Anyway, I step out into my front yard only to see the silhouette of a large man directly in front of me, across the cul-de-sac, near the house directly across mine. This particular house is vacant 90% of the year, so I was quite surprised (and spooked) to see someone there. I couldn't make out his face of course, but he called out to me. The first thing he said? "Are you alone?"

Cue panic reserves.

"N-no..." I stammered. I totally was alone, but hell if I was gonna tell him that. He then asked if I needed help, and that he could bring me candles if I wanted. I thanked him but said no. I would suffer in the darkness before that happened. Yes, I realize he was probably being friendly, but I was already a bit on edge at that point and wasn't about to take any chances, and, let's face it, you simply do NOT ask a young girl if they're alone like that. Finally, I decided to knock on the door of one of my other neighbors who I actually knew. Just as that thought came to my mind, the neighbor to the right came out of her house and headed towards her car. I called out to her, but she was on the phone and didn't hear me. So I walked up to her driveway calling, but she still didn't hear or see me. Finally she get's in her car, turns it on, and I tapped on her passenger side window. She slowly turned around, and when she saw me, she screamed bloody murder.

I wish I could tell you that I'm making this up. But no, my whole life has to be some kind of entertainment for whatever Gods I've pissed off.

So when she screamed, I jumped. She finally realized it was me, rolled down her window and I profusely apologized for scaring her. She finally calmed down and started laughing. She then informed me that the power was out over half of copper creek and the neighboring neighborhood. I went inside, slightly nervous the events that occurred in the last few minutes. I sat on the couch again, in the blackness, and waited.

Finally, my date arrived! He had gotten slightly lost since he couldn't see any street signs or house numbers in the darkness. We went to Frost for some gelato, and he was a perfect gentleman. Held every door open, told me I looked nice, and paid for the ice cream (I offered... since I'm not quite comfortable with the whole guys-have-to-pay-for-everything rule. Call me weird.) That aside, we get to Frost and run into his ex. Yes. You read that right. His ex. She was working there. However a potential bomb was avoided because my date said hi to her, and then introduced me to her. The ex was very nice about it and smiled at me. She seemed friendly. We get our ice cream and upon walking outside to find a table, only to find my sister and her friend.

Kill me. Really.

I knew she was gonna give me hell, but my date and I sat down at their table since we all knew each other, and we talked. It was actually quite pleasant. Eventually, we had to leave to catch our movie. We went to the theater (where he paid...again...ugh he refused to go Dutch). We were talking away during the previews when all of the sudden, a couple seated in front of us turned around and angrily said "Can you guys continue your conversation after the movie?" Um. What? It's the effing previews. And not even the movie trailer previews, the silent kind where they show you dumb trivia and advertisements. A bit taken aback, my date and I then had to sit in silence for the duration in the movie. It was funny of course, since we couldn't talk, but still weird. The couple that yelled at us laughed obnoxiously throughout the film but we didn't say anything.

Now a few minutes into the movie my date reached over and took my hand. It was sweet and I admired his confidence. Any doubt about whether this was a date date abruptly left at that moment. But of course, me being me, silently panicked at the contact...so new! So exciting! So overwhelming! Ahhhhhhhh!

So at the end of the movie he takes me home... and... wait for it... at my doorstep, he kissed me! Twice. LOL. Sorry if that was anti-climatic. But did I mention, it was my first kiss? ;)

And thus ends the date. I promptly called my mom and told her what happened (I was scandalized after the first thing she asked me was if there was tongue.) Then I called Megan C. Keep in mind that's it's now 1am. Meg was asleep but she was suddenly awake and alert when my first words were "he kissed me." And yeah, I'll be seeing him again =)

And that Maureen, is my post dedicated to you =) Hope you laughed a bit through this! Thought I'd share this new experience with you all.

Megan

had sex with MK

Apolo Has Never Been Closer

Hey my 2.5 readers. How goes it? Well I thought I'd share something I've become involved with recently....

No, it's not drugs. It's actually a competition. Nike has a female field reporter who goes out to sporting evens, interviews the star athletes (like Apolo), and then blogs about it. The FR travels across the world to attend these events for an 8 month period. Well, the reign of the current field reporter, Sarina Morales, is ending so Nike held a nationwide search for the next wannabe field reporter. To participate, you had to submit a photo of yourself and a 1000 world essay of why you should be the next FR, exhibiting "savvy writing skills." It was pretty open ended, you could write a mock blog about an athlete or talk about yourself. I chose to write about JR Celski, the upcoming short track speedskater who performed phenomenally but was slightly overshadowed by hot shot Apolo at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Well, they received a billion submissions since it was an open nationwide contest. However, I just got notified today that they loved my piece, and that it was in their top 100. That means I made the first cut and now have to make a 2 minute video for them. Problem is, the video must be submitted by May 15th, and I only was notified TODAY of the next round. Also, I know nothing about shooting and editing vids....so I'll need to find help. Luckily, Andrew Vo knows a great film maker who goes to IRHS who is filming his "Telephone" video, and gave me his contact info. I messaged him so hopefully he can help me! I can DIE happy if I get to interview Apolo! Ahhhh!!!!

That's alllllllllll.

Adiossa

Grrr (UPDATED)

Okay. So a little over a month ago, I did a shoot for Aveda Salons. However, I have yet to get my photos back from that shoot, and I know for a fact some of the other models who were there got their pics back. So what is going on here? I contacted the photographer a couple hours ago and the message said "message read" on the site so I know he's seen it. Hmm. I'll give it a few days before I get mad. Anyway, though I've done like a billion shoots I really wanted the pics from that one, since the makeup was crazy rad.

I've got the pics now, Lady Gaga meets Candyland, check it out check it out:

These pics will serve as advertisements for Aveda.

Speaking of shoots, I have one tomorrow. It's for U of A's Campus Catgirl Contest and it's been sponsored by some salon. So they're going all out, apparently they're putting in extensions and all that jazz in me. Hair and makeup will be done on site, and for the first time ever for me, wardrobe will be provided. The shoot will take place at 2 locations, one at Caruso's Restaurant, and the other with some motorcycles. The one at Caruso's will be elegant, and I'm assuming the biker one will be... biker-style. Pretty cool, I'm looking forward to it. It's gonna be me and two other models.

So RAY TAYY TAY is in T-town with her boyfriend Kevy-Kevv. Except I found out via Kevin that they will be in San Diego for the weekend..... way to inform me Rachel! Well at least they'll be here for the Cinco De Mayo festival! Can't wait.

Also, I'M FUCKING SICK. Okay, I know I get sick a lot but this is ridiculous, even for me. The good news is that it's only a sore throat and slight ear blockage. So hopefully this won't turn into a full blown case of H1N1.

Ok. That is all. I hate boys right now, though I had a pretty sweet dream last night about Justin Beiber. Yes he's underage, NO it wasn't a sex dream, and YES I know that's still slightly creepy.

I fucking HATE UAccess

Okay. So get this. Webreg, which was the U of A's former class registration program. Because it was pretty shitty, the school replaced it with a program called UAccess. Cool right? No. That program is one sent from the devil himself. Or herself, if you're thinking about Sarah Palin.

The idea behind UAccess is good in theory, even if it doesn't execute well. You can browse classes you want for the next semester and add them to your "shopping cart," much like you can on eBay or Amazon. Then, once your registration day comes, all you have to do is go to your cart, click the "enroll" button, and voila, you're enrolled for next semester!

But no. That fucker did NOT work for me. At all. First, since I'm an honors student, I registered April 19th, a week before I would have otherwise had to register with the sophomores. So I had my shopping cart all set and when the time came, I hit enroll only to be faced with 6 red Xs. Apparently, priority registration for psychology starts the 19th. But whatever. It was just one day. The next day I tried again and was able to get into some psych classes, but was NOT able to get into any trads or indvs, because they were "full." Well sucks for me right? I can't do anything about it since the classes were full right? NO because ON AVERAGE THERE WERE 149 OPEN SEATS IN EACH OF THOSE CLASSES. WTF right???? So I called tech support and they said the provost put those classes on freeze for the sophomores and freshman, and since I am classified as a junior, couldn't get in.

Well Aditee, looks like you're gonna have to wait a week. Well I did my 2.5 readers, I did. Expecting everything to go smoothly, I signed on and tried again. However THIS time, I couldn't add anything because the max amount of units I could add lowered from 19 (honors) to 16, which means that if I tried to add another class I couldn't because I would exceed the max. Then I tried swapping for a class to add one and it STILL didn't let me do that. From the same class to another time. "Consent from department required." I repeat, WHAT THE FUCK?

So fuck you UAccess.

Bend, and SNAP

Today I tried Julianne Hough's cardio ballroom workout. And holy shit. It kicked my ASS.

Let me just start by telling you that I've danced for many years. Ballet, jazz, tap, modern, whatever, and I was pretty damn good. I even was a cheerleader. It's where I get my flexibility. However, I didn't realize that ballroom dancing was so different. Lot's of hip action, lots of fast, precise steps. Julianne is this tiny Mormon blonde girl but she cracked the whip. I didn't even make it through the whole DVD, and I was sweaty and breathless. It was A TON of fun, but I would have had even more fun if it was Julianne's DWTS partner Apolo Ohno teaching my how to swing my hips...... I would love to get sweaty and breathless with him....

Anyway, I have a new found respect for ballroom dancers. And the women have to do it in HEELS. I am thinking of joining the ballroom dance club at the U of A next week!

Mmmm Apolo.......

White Houses

I want to deviate from my normal style of writing for a bit to address something serious. A few years ago, I was listening to the radio the day after Michael Jackson was cleared of all charges. The host was talking about a woman who waited outside the courthouse before the ruling with a cage of 12 white doves. For each charge Michael was acquitted of, she released one dove into the air. I remember marveling over how passionate people can be over a cause they wholeheartedly believe in, because I don't think I've ever been driven to do such a thing in my lifetime.

That's not to say I'm not a passionate person, or that there isn't anything in my life that I'm passionate about. It's just that the things I believe in haven't really been challenged directly to my face, in my personal bubble or in my small society. That changed, however, when I received the devastating news this past Monday that 45 out of 81 teachers at Ironwood were going to be terminated at the end of this spring semester due to budget cuts.

At first, I honest to God believed this was some kind of mistake. How ridiculous! Fire 56% of a staff for a school with over 2000 kids? Once I confirmed this, I was shocked, outraged, shattered, and confused. How could this happen? How could we let this happen? I understand that the state has a huge and detrimental shortage of money, but it seems absolutely detrimental and counterproductive to cut money from schools. If you are a farmer who grows roses to sell, you don't destroy the beautiful and healthy roses you already have because you know an upcoming drought is just going to kill them anyway. You work to find a solution to take care of the roses you have now and find a way to cultivate new ones when the hard time is over.

Where would any of us be without teachers? I can't stress the importance of both a good education, and the impact a teacher can have on your life. From my own personal experience, I have been positively influenced my teachers I look up to and respect in the most dramatic and profound ways possible. Some of my teachers at IRHS have gone above and beyond for me and many other students not only within the classroom, but out of it as well. For the rest of my life, Despite the fact that I'm a sophomore at U of A, I will always feel more at home at IRHS than at U of A, even after I graduate from here.

No teacher can say that they are in their job for the pay, but rather for their passion for teaching and helping students. It is well known in developmental psychology that the preteen to developmental age range is the most sensitive one of all. In high school, students are on average 13-19 years old--a very impressionable and malleable age range in which the presence of a positive role model is absolutely essential and can sometimes quite literally mean the difference between life and death. So many students are positively influenced by teachers who have helped them in their school life and home life, myself included. Every adult has that one teacher they still remember, years later, as someone who helped, influenced, advised, or changed their lives for the good. With the reduction of teachers comes the reduction of positive role models for a student population that needs them the most. Not to mention, the severe devastation caused to the lives of teachers who have lost the colleges they consider family as well as the ability to provide for their families at home.

I attended the board meeting that finalized the termination of contracts on Tuesday. 600 students and faculty members attended and made heartfelt signs and speeches. I was unnerved to see teachers I grew up with and respected cry at the prospect of not losing their jobs, but at the devastation and harm caused to the students. Once again, they put the needs of the students before their own, and I'd never witnessed something so sad and heart wrenching.

There's a reason why Arizona is 50th out of 50 states for public education funding.

It's important to realize that the board is not at fault. They were just left to make the hard decision for an irresponsible and corrupt state legislature. However something needs to be done, and while the students are IRHS are doing their best writing letters to state legislatures, rallying and campaigning, there's only so much they can do without help. For the first time in my life, I've found something I'd release doves for standing in the 118 degree Tucson weather. I urge whoever comes across this blog to take a stand--for our teachers and yours, past or present. Even the smallest action says something big.

I'm praying for it...