money

hey there, blogosphere...it's been awhile.

this past weekend my dad told me that i have to begin making my "life transition plan" as i will be "on my own" starting next May. everyone goes through the whole transition from college to real world but let me explain, i'm in a bit of a pickle.

my entire life my parents have paid for everything. i have an ATM

card to their checking account and a credit card that they pay for each month. this arrangement, in many ways, has been the most amazing money situation one could ask for. i have consistently had money and i will never be in debt to the University of Northern Iowa. however, this arrangement is also the pits because all money i've earned from working since i was 15 has gone directly to my parents. so this means that in May i will have no debt (yay), no savings (uhh), & consequently- no money (oh what?)...i'm not sure what that will mean for me. i imagine it will be difficult to get an apartment without any money.

brainstorm on that one for me. i'm open to any financial planning advice.

in the meantime, i made a playlist entitled "life transition plan"- i'm hoping to be inspired.

in a (financial) pickle,

emma

IA to AZ

awake
breathe
smile
move
laugh
learn
continue
live
love
dream

spring break '09

party on,
emma

3:51 AM is a good time for blogging.

i've been debating with myself on what i should blog about.
i've started four other posts within the past week, intending to share them, but they've gone unfinished.
hopefully this one will have a finish.

i didn't want any of this for myself. i knew what i wanted.
however,
my life is undergoing a lot right now and i suppose the best way to explain my situation is "displaced."
it's not necessarily good or bad, just "displaced."
and through this whirlwind adventure of displacement, i've learned some things about myself.
& that's what i need to blog about, in list format (of course):

- i really do love love.
- emotionally, i am stronger than i have ever given myself credit for.
- i have the best friends & family.
- losing my credit card is difficult and prohibits stress-shopping. bummer.
- i can lose nearly 10 pounds within 24 hours. bad effect.
- my breaths may be complicated but will not stop, i survive.
- i am a major crier.
- i am intensely impacted by the opinions of others.
- my mom is officially one of my absolute best friends. i would like to get matching jewelry.
- i am going to be okay.

"i was not the cause, and i refuse to be an effect."

always,
emma

this is me studying.

the heater has broken. i took a cold shower. the hallway smells like wet dog. i ate fifteen pizza rolls in five minutes. half a bag of doritos. one balance bar. i've drank 64 oz. of diet pepsi. it's snowing a lot. i have two finals tomorrow. and i am really into the following artists: ingrid michaelson, matt hires, the weepies, bon iver, tegan & sara, and joshua james.

i think i'll go to the library now...i hope their heater isn't broken.

finalized,
emma

annotate this!

i'm on book number 20 of 25 sources that are intended to help me answer the research question "what is the Bible's purpose?" sadly, i don't think all of my sources lend themselves directly to that question...so my research question will probably change again but don't worry, it will be just as jesus'y as the last 3.
in other news, BARACK OBAMA is going to be President of the United States!
i like America more now. i intend to get a kitten and name him "Renni", as in "rennaisance", to honor the rebirth of America. patriotic, right? i also bought new shoes & a sweater today in an attempt to better the economy for the soon-to-be Mr. President. i'm sure he appreciates it.

alright, back to the research.

american,
emma

One Year Later

One whole year and Brad Flack is definitely still missed. Berry berry mike & ikes are still the best and no one has ever been as much of a "true gentleman" as him. This last weekend was lacking so much without him guiding the way. I'm sure he would have been proud and I know he would have made Friday night last longer than that "moment."

I miss you, Brad.
No one can out do you.

yes we can!

I'm a flaky blogger. I'm also an "under the influence" blogger if we're referring to my August 28th posts. whoops.

Anyways...

It occurred to me today that the Presidential election is six days away. WOW! (no, not World Of Warcraft) I am looking forward to this election process to be complete because it makes me so uneasy when John McCain is a prominent fixture of American politics. I am definitely putting all of my eggs in one basket. I call my basket "Barack Obama."
Unfortunately I am terribly concerned that America will fail me and though it appears that the majority of America has named their basket "Barack Obama," America lies sometimes and could secretly be giving their basket a nickname: "John McCain." I cannot even fathom Obama-Biden losing this race, I feel like all Democrats/Liberals/Free-Thinkers/Good People will give up on life. Maybe a little dramatic, but seriously!? McCain-Palin? sick.

In other news, I am also looking forward to having an apartment & a cat. As far as the apartment goes, it will be a beautiful state of cleanliness. I'm looking around my dorm room right now and I am so weirded out by my living conditions. I recognize that it is difficult to maintain order in a room that is 12x14 feet but I know it's possible. I've seen it done so many times. Tragically, that isn't a-happening in the 264A.
Also, the cat thing. I have this inclination to save all the animals. Unfortunately, it has been brought to my attention that "saving ALL the animals" is largely impossible. (due to monetary barriers, housing barriers, logistical barriers, & the 'i like things to smell good' barrier...) But you know what isn't impossible? Saving a cat, or two cats. We'll see :) Andy and I are looking into adopting a cat from an animal shelter in December/January to keep at his apartment. At which point my "animals saved" total will rise from 3 to 4 (or 5). And 4 or 5 out of "ALL the animals" is a pretty good start I think.

a few other updates:
1) i dropped my humanities iii class today. badass, i know.
2) i have gone the last 3 weeks without biting my nails.
3) andy & i got a Nintendo DS together, we named her "rexi."
4) my nephew is still the cutest.
5) the comedic mockumentary i helped make about parent-teacher conferences is being shown to multiple central iowa schools now. my sister-in-law, elizabeth, is a teacher and she saw it today at her high school.
6) i've chosen "Obama Girl" over "Hannah Montanna" for my Halloween costume.
7) my dad turned 57 yesterday. he too is a badass. :)

above the influence,
emma