ch-ch-changes.

It has been a week of lessons.

• There is never any excuse to put up with emotional abuse • A leap of faith is always scary; that shouldn't be the barrier • It's not your place to feel guilty for accepting help if it's offered • Misery loves company, and will sometimes pay for it • "Interview for many open positions" sometimes means "Info session that doesn't apply to you" • Just because you don't get asked for a co-pay, doesn't mean you won't get hit with a bill for it later • My mom will always have the latest technology before me • If I can't find my cat, he's probably right next to me wondering what we're looking for • Poptarts can land you in the ER with 2nd degree burns •

Didn't see that last one comin', did you? Neither did we..

So, my life is changing (thanks to my support system). Like, seriously, legit changing for the first time in over a year and a half. As always, there are an endless number of obstacles (would life be fun without them?) and I don't have an overall escape route. I guess we're not supposed to. A wise philosopher of life* once told me, "No use crying over spilled bridges." So.. there's that. (*Not really a philosopher of life.)

Over the last couple days, I've come to realize while I'm working a little harder to save money, cutting back does not mean killing my social life. B and I wanted to spend a day doing something fun for free, so we went and played frisbee and went for a little mini-hike in Waltham. I went out with some friends last night, but ate dinner at home as to not spend money on food. So now, I have a new challenge that's actually kind of fun: staying active while spending the absolute bare minimum. It's not meant to be punishment or torture, but there are actually a lot of ways to get out and hang out for little to nothing.

For starters:

• Cut out fast food. A serious problem I have, as it's the closest, "cheapest" food to my job. This also translates into, "More regular Stop&Shop trips."
• Walk/bike more. Also see: get a job closer to home. Also see: fix my bike.. I've got to cut back on gas. I live in the middle of everything. There are quite a few things I can pick up that I don't need to get in my car for, especially now that it's nice out. I'm just a little lazy.
  
• Shop.. *there*. The lines alone are what I picture Hell to be like, but let's face it.. there is nowhere else in the world I can pick up a 20lb box of litter and 16lb bag of Purina Indoor Formula for a grand total of under $20. I also once bought a 24pk of "the good TP" (you know, quilted pockets and all) for $8. ISYN. (Oh, that's short for "I Shit You Not." Learn it, it'll catch on.)
• Hang at home. I mean, with people. Don't isolate for the sake of saving. But a 6 pack is about the same as 1 beer at some bars and a good game of Quelf can outdo Trivia Night any day of the week.

That's all I got. I'm exhausted. I've rambled for a while now. And, in case you're wondering, the random crap up top are me tooling around with my "new" Bamboo. It's only slightly irrelevant and a product of me opening Illustrator at 1am. My bad.

oh, can we?

I feel like this song was written with Facebook statuses in mind. "How can we subliminally get as many people as possible to have the same status?" You win, guys. Because, let's be honest, who couldn't use a fucking wish right now? How many people have listened to this song and been like, "OMG, this is so my life. I really COULD use a wish right now." Everyone. With the exception of those who listen to it and go, "Ugh, I hate this song." Those people probably don't care for it, but I assume you swing one way or the other.

Don't get me wrong. I actually like this song and I may or may not have a little bit of a girl crush on Hayley Williams. I'm not ashamed, so get over it. Nonetheless, it's kind of like horoscopes when people think they're "dead on," but (surprise!) they're just vague enough that it manages to apply to everyone's life. Also known as: lacking originality.

are you there vodka? it's me, chelsea.

Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It took me a few chapters to get into this one, specifically the chapter where she gets a DUI and it occurs to me that Chelsea Handler is a real person. (I'd never heard of her before, as I don't often watch E!) Don't get me wrong, it was fairly good to start, but way more interesting finding these were all real things that happened. It's a ridiculous collection of stories from her life and I can certainly see why she wrote a book about them. Most of the time, I was fairly entertained. At some points, I was more focused on thinking, "This woman has a very twisted view on life.." There were a few chapters that I legitimately laughed out loud while reading, especially Mini-Me. That was my favorite.All in all, it was a fun read. I'll probably pick up her first book as well. If you have some downtime and want to pick up a book, I would certainly recommend this one.

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snuff.

Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was pretty good. A fascinating look into the life of porn addicts and the industry. I wish I knew how much of it was actually "true fact," as Sheila loves to say. I can't tell if it's honestly true, or if she's trying to back up myths. I love how it's written by the perspectives of 3 different people and the way the stories fold into each other.

Palahniuk does a fine job of building up to the twists. They don't come completely out of the blue, but they're certainly not predictable.

It's a quick read. Worth picking up if you're a Palahniuk fan.

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