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| Well, since I am killing time instead of writing my last English paper of the semester... I will update you all.
I am officially receiving my bachelor's degree in two weeks, which is kind of scary. But I will be back here next year for the CPA certification program, so I don't really feel like I am leaving. I have an internship for the summer in Chicago. That will be wonderful because I will be back home (though living with the parents) in the city for the summer. Craig will be in the city this summer. He is currently signing for an apartment somewhere in Wrigleyville for the next year. And we bought our first bed! Well, his mom is paying for it, and I won't get to use it full time until we move in together in a year, but its ours! We picked it out ourselves, and it is amazing.... sooo comfy. I can't wait until it is in our possession.
And.... I will hopefully have a ring on my finger by the end of the year. But shhhhh... I'm supposed to be surprised :)
So life is good... now I just have to survive finals and crazy buyback hours at work and then I am home-free! Can't wait for warm weather, Chicago in summer, and my boy!
I hope all of you are doing swimmingly! For all my Reginites, does anyone have any ideas for a gathering we could have this summer? I want to see everyone before we all disappear into our lives now that we will all (hopefully) be college graduates. I am having my graduation party (nothing amazing just yummy food, drinks, family and friends at my house) on May 13th. I would love for anyone that can to come, but I figure most people will be busy then so we should have a party/dinner or something this summer. If I get a few ideas (and maybe a few helpers?) I'd be willing to plan :)
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| Happy Easter! (belatedly)
Hopefully you all had a good time this weekend :)
I thought I had a good weekend, and then last night and today I was reminded why my entire family is only good in small doses. My parents (who I stayed with all weekend), graciously offered to drive Craig back downtown to his apartment last night. I thought that was nice of them so when we got back from Easter dinner, we raced to get all his stuff together and they drove him downtown. And then... as we are driving back home they tell me that I should have stayed downtown with him that night to be efficient since I have to be downtown for the train in the morning. What? I would never have asked them if I could do that, cause I thought they wouldn't want me to leave them (when I was home for a family weekend). So they blame me for all the out of the way stuff they had to do (though we never asked them to take Craig downtown, he is perfectly fine taking the L), and then I feel like crap cause I would have LOVED more time with him. My parents are basically enigmas who expect me to be a mind reader... I try and be sensitive to what they might not want me to do, and it gets thrown in my face.
So that happened and I eventually calmed down (I was a mess for no reason, unconsolable basically). I came back to school on the train today, and when I go online I am informed by my 19 yr old cousin that I create discord in the family and should be more considerate. For some background, at the party yesterday we took a family picture, no one planned ahead so no one looked very good plus some were dressed up and some were dressed down. This picture is being used for the invite for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary... and most of us kids were not happy because it was so thrown together. So I sit down on the end of a row and get prepared to smile. Suddenly my mom, grandmother and most of the rest of the family spend their time when they could be smiling (and getting the picture over with) insisting that I move somewhere else. Now I will admit that I was pissed we were taking the picture to begin with instead of taking one in a studio with a proper photographer for posterity, so I just insisted that I was in the photo from where I was (which I was) and asked that they take the picture. So when the picture is done, everyone is blaming me for making things difficult, which I did but I didn't really care. The picture was done, it turned out fine and neither my mo or my grandmother (after the actual picture-taking) said anything to indicate that they were mad or anything.
Cut to this afternoon, when my cousin informs me (and this is a cousin from my mom's sister who she doesn't get along with - most of the rest of the family thinks that their parents (my mom's sister and her husband) are a little nuts) that I am a selfish stuck up brat who causes discord at every family event. This is the part of the family that insist on $100 presents for themselves at the age of late 40s, and tried to ruin the grab bag so as to get back to the $100 specific I-want-this gift they had previously gotten every year. My aunt tends to be stubborn and loudly state her opinion as fact on any issue (we talk a lot of politics and tend to argue on this side of the family - this has happened my entire life and probably before). I, unfortunately, am similar to my aunt which does not always bode well. Thankfully we see eye to eye about a lot of things so I don't often argue with her over that stuff. The stuff I have issues with them is about family stuff, where they are selfish or insist whenever anyone mentions someone else's child being successful, that their child is really good at something else. Basically, no one else can steal the spotlight from their children, who are amazing because they went the most expensive diverse high school, and all they watch is PBS, and so and so forth.
I will not disagree about the fact that I tend to not let someone state opinion as fact, nor if I disagree do I sit silently. But I don't walk into these events looking for a fight. More often than not I try to hide in my room or play with the little ones so as to avoid the family fights (which my cousin would not admit actually happen at every family party regardless of me). Lately I have loved having my boyfriend around so that I didn't need to be as involved with the rest of them.
But ok... so my cousin said something so contradictory that I had to get my emotions and frustration with this out here. He didn't like that I "removed" myself from the family... something I have always done cause I am close to only certain members. But he also didn't like how I was when I am talking with them for the entire time. So apparently I am supposed to listen to him (who is younger and male - and sometimes chauvinistic), and spend lots of time with the family, ignore my boyfriend (who is my family!), and not say anything bad to anyone ever.
Nevermind that his mother creates discord with everything she says and that my own mother can't stand the way she acts, but since she hates conflict she doesn't have as many flair ups with her.
But my main source of anger here? Was that he said this. No one else, not my grandmother, not my mother nor my aunts said anything. Plus I was really good yesterday, there was not one family fight and when I heard raised voices I avoided them completely. The only issue was this picture thing, which was over in an instant and no one had an issue with me afterwards... except this cousin who said something yesterday and now today. This is a cousin I only see at these parties who I have little in common with... outside of our family gatherings I would not be spending time with him or his part of the family. He is also a child who is a freshmen in college completely reliant on his parents... whereas I am about to graduate and have a job, and get my CPA (next year) and hopefully get married in the next few years (no ring yet :)).
So I don't know how to take this. No one made him family police. It is not his job to tell me how to act... I'm just so frustrated. What do I do now? I love my grandparents and my parents and siblings. But the rest of them are only tolerable in small doses (except for Kara and her siblings and parents). I don't feel that I need a come to Jesus meeting or intervention, yet my cousin deems it necessary to do so when he is younger than me and doesn't know anything about my life.
I want to just ignore this and most likely I will. But does anyone have any ideas on how not to kill him the next time I see him? How do I balance not pissing my family off by having discussions with them that often get heated (not cause by me, just how it works in our family) with not being removed (by playing with young cousins or not sitting where they are discussing things)? What else am I supposed to do? And what do I say to the cousin who caused all of this? How do I fit this perfect family image he has which only remains in his mind?
Help!
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| Ok... I promise I will update before the summer on my future plans and whatnot. For now, a new survey:
SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones You've seen. There are 326 movies on this list. Copy this list mail, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the movies you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun!
() Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
() Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
Total: 6
(X) The Princess Bride
(X) AnchorMan
(X) Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
(X) White Oleander
() Anger Management
()50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 12
() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
() American Pie
() American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 12
(X) Harry Potter 1
(X) Harry Potter 2
(X) Harry Potter 3
(X) Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 16
(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
(X) Signs
(X) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
(X) 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
(X) Robots
Total so far: 22
() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snickt: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
() Deep Impact
() KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
() Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
() KING KONG
Total so far: 24
(X) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
() Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
() Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
() Flubber
Total so far: 26
() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(X) Practical Magic
(X)Chicago
()Ghost Ship
() From Hell
() Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 28
() The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
(X) Just Married
() Gothika
(X) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
(X) Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 34
() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Seven
(X) Ocean's Eleven
(X) Ocean's Twelve
() Bourne Identity
() Bourne Supremecy
() Lone Star
() Bedazzled
() Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(X) Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 37
(X) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
(X) ET
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
() War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 42
() Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(X) She's All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
()Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
()Big Trouble in Little China
() The Terminator
() The Terminator 2
() The Terminator 3
Total so far: 47
() X-Men
() X2
() X-3
(X) Spider-Man
() Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
() Shrek 2
Total so far: 52
() Swimfan
(X) Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old-virgin
Total so far: 53
() Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
() Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
() Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
() Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
() Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
() Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 53
() Baseketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
() Elf
() Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Three
Total so Far: 53
() The Jacket
()Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(X)Monsters Inc.
(X)Titanic
(X)Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 56
() High Tension
() Club Dread
() Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
() Hook
() Chronicle Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(X) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
()Waterworld
Total so far: 57
() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 57
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
() Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
() Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 61
() The Matrix
() The Matrix Reloaded
() The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
()Team America: World Police
()Red Dragon
()Silence of the Lambs
()Hannibal
Total: 61
Apparently I still have a life… then again I think this just demonstrates that I have more discriminating taste in movies than some. Cause I love to watch movies, and there are so many old movies or small documentaries/films that were not included that I have seen that would put me over the top (what about Gone With the Wind… or Rebecca… or anything by Hitchcock?)
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| Instructions: Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you've read, italicize the ones you might read in the future, cross out the ones you won't touch with a 10 foot pole, underline the ones on your book shelf, and do not do anything the ones you've never even heard of.
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) I could never get into anything by Austen… I’m weird that way.
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkein)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkein)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkein) Could never get into Tolkien either.
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) I love L.M. Montgomery!
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald) This book was very good…
18. The Stand (Stephen King) Never been a fan of Stephen King either…
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) Love the whole set!
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) Read it, do not recommend…
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) I can’t stand her politics, and having sampled parts of this book, I want nothing to do with it…
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Gift & Award Bible NIV (Various)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger) I absolutely love this book… a must read…
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brahares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones' Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) I love this book… and the movie is amazing also.
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Tery Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) The only Austen book I enjoyed!
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Michael Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)
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| | What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You
may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary"
but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying
questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from
Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop." | | The Midland |
| | The Northeast |
| | Philadelphia |
| | The South |
| | The West |
| | Boston |
| | North Central |
| What American accent do you have?
Take More Quizzes |
Well seeing as I do come from Chicago... I think that's about right. And I do call it pop... cause that's what it is. :)
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