5 famous people to have lunch with

Someone asked me (on another social network) who are the 5 famous people I want to have lunch with. I'm sharing my answer here.

This is a hard one!

Let's go with living people since that seems more realistic (haha, right):

Keanu Reeves
Tina Turner
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Jodie Foster
John Green

Let's also do dead people:
Ricardo Montalban
Gilda Radner
Michael Palmer
Zora Neale Hurston
Sally Ride

Extraordinary

 "The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra." - Jimmy Johnson

I have those nifty tabs at the top of the blog, and I have never linked anything to them. I should do that I suppose. But also, I don't wanna.

Did you know I have a Psychology blog?

It's on Tumblr and it's called PsychPsychBaby (Yes as in Ice Ice Baby. Let's all act surprised I'm so corny!)

a quote about fear

“Fears are a lot like billboards. The closer you get, the bigger they seem, yet stay the course and the faster they vanish behind you.”

—	Mike Dooley

I GOT AN A ON MY FIRST COUNSELING SESSION GRADE!

A 100 ACTUALLY! WHAT IS AIR?? I CAN’T EVEN! (Technically it was a 99.7..but close enough!)

I am never gonna get my Vegas recap posted.

My son started virtual school today. All his classes are online with global students. WE LIVE IN THE FUTURE!

Style?

This week we're supposed to turn in a seven page paper on what kind of clients we want and what kind of therapy we prefer to use.

Boy howdy am I learning about myself. Well no, I think I already knew these things about myself, I suppose I should say boy howdy am I getting confirmation about myself!

Look, we all have feelings. I know I do. I have some really deep oceans of feelings.. but I am more than my emotions. If every decision I ever made was based on how I felt at the time I would still be making the mistakes I made at 25. I was a seriously emotional decision maker back then. And you know what? Moods pass. Things change. And you have this decision you're stuck with. So as I learned this lesson myself I realized that others also make emotional choices. I want to help people see that they can make choices outside of their emotions.

Now let's not assume that I mean you can never make emotional decisions. If you feel the need to tell someone you love them. DO IT. Sometimes we have to make emotional risks. If you think your soul mate is halfway across the world and they feel the same for you.. go for it. Those kinds of decisions are bigger than whether or not to ask for a raise or tell your brother he doesn't use enough deodorant. Conditions of the heart are a whole, and other, topic.

Anyhow, I have said until I am blue in the face that I want to be a life coach. And the types of therapies I would use with my clients really fit into that. I feel like I'm on the right path.

Dean Winchester is a good example of how fucked up you can be, and still get shit done. If you needed a role model of how to get out of bed in the morning and get your life done, just ask What Would Dean Do?

I have an office, "with a desk, and a lamp!" Okay I don't really have a lamp but I was sort of, but not really, quoting from the movie Jumping Jack Flash..

Wanna see where I spend 8 hours a day?

The main desk area and where my eyes are generally focused. As you see, I love sticky notes. Especially colorful ones. I have a Bat'leth letter opener! Also, a monkey to remind me to speak no evil. Two Rarity figures. And a Qui Gon Jinn. And without fail, my idol Miss Piggy and her beloved Kermit. My pen holder says DREAM because we all know I am all about dreams. Side note: the sticky note at the bottom of my keyboard reads "Kiah". That's the name of my muse, well atleast that's what I call him (he's currently a he, but that changes sometimes. My muse is gender fluid.)  And let's not forget who sits atop the monitor - Sad Keanu. 

This is to my left. Slytherin for the win! And the Rarity that was colored for me. You can't really see the crystal wizard and dragon to the right due to lighting, but he is there. I have other odds and ends on my desk here, feel free to look around. 

Hermione snowglobe that plays Wingardium Leviosa. And my Honeydukes candy jar. sit up top. 

To the left of the the top of my desk sits Edgar. Next to him is Lord Vader. And some purple flowers.

The book case behind me holds many awards that my club has won. They are the best anime club to ever grace a college campus! So proud of those kids. At the top is a collection of Star Wars books (and a Star Trek book {Klingon Hamlet!!} tossed in for fun. The book ends were a gift and they are a collectors set. 

Close up of the awards shelving. 

Let us not forget The Box Monster. I made him with my own two hands. I love him. 

And what office is complete without the master? His grace, his body, his mind, and his wisdom..we should all be a little more like Bruce. (He hangs on the door beside the box monster. I have 4 doors in my office. Yes, four.)

This is me in a nutshell. I hope others can benefit from it as well.

Spike!!! He was so tiny in this pic. 

Creating my own Intake Form

I know as a psychology major it’s my job to get up in someones business, but these basic demographic questions feel so invasive!

I don’t mind asking about sex lives or eating disorders or violent fantasies, but asking your income or education level seems SO PERSONAL! 

Vegas bound!

So when we were kids my mom made a promise to me and my sister that when we got our Bacehlors dress she would take us on a trip. This promise was made due to our protests that Grandma was taking Mom to Jamaica without us. Mom reminded us (every time we did the thing kids do - whine about how unfair it is) over and over that she only got to go because she just finished her Bachelors degree.

Fast forward 30 years (give or take) and I remind my mom I am graduating with my Bachelors, as is my sister 5 months later. Kris and I recalled the day of the promise and Mom agreed to keep her word. And she has kept her word ten fold!

We chose Vegas because Kris and I had never been there. We started planning about a year ago - and tomorrow morning at this time I leave for the airport. I am SO EXCITED!

There is a spreadsheet (Thanks Kris!) to keep up organized because we have so much to do! I am also seeing some friends I have in Vegas. WOO!

Pardon the dust while I reconstruct..

I've had t his blog how many years now? I am just figuring out some of the layout options (like pages at the top!) soooo here come a few changes.

So this just happened...

Me (at the end of my introduction on my class discussion board): Just as a little side note of having a hobby, I am a costumer at conventions; Sci-fi and anime alike. I love to run around in costume and meet others who do the same.

A fellow student's reply: I've always thought it would be interesting to dress up as a homeless lady, not having had a bath in quite a while, smelling bad you know, and attend various churches just to compare reactions.  I may really do it one day when I have more time to enjoy.  I would also like to work at McDonald's for some reason, a week would probably do for me, but I'd like to experience that.

Statistically, a divorced person remarries within 3.5 years of the divorce. Next week makes 19 years for me.

Oops. 

my BFFAA

Had a dream Linda got a Twitter and then just boom, showed up at me door like no time had passed. I miss her.

Puppy surgery

Spike is having surgery today. He has a tumor on his lash line. It's really messing with his vision, not to mention general discomfort. He will spend the night at the vet and we can bring him home tomorrow. Think about my puppy and send him some good juujuu. (I'll share the biopsy results once we get them.)

This picture is pre-tumor days. You know Spike hates having his photo taken so I haven’t been able to get a closeup of the tumor. But just look at this handsome face!

quote about books..

“Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. Those who do it must do it. Those who do not do it, think of it as a cousin of stamp collecting, a sister of the trophy cabinet, bastard of a sound bank account and a weak mind.”

—	Jeanette Winterson

week 5 of 6

I think my food poisoning is officially gone! Now I need to catch up on homework. I have a 5 page paper due tomorrow. I don't even have my sources yet. AH! 

Dean Koontz is one of my favs for twenty years so this is a long time coming!

Why yes, yes my signed Dean Koontz novel did arrive today. It makes me very happy. I'm not this far in the series so I'm not reading it just yet though.

How I want Supernatural to end:

I want Dean and Sam and Cas to die in a brilliant blaze of glory that saves the earth/heaven/whatever else needs saving.

Then fast forward ten years and we see a scene in an elementary school where two brothers are sitting at a table together inside the lunchroom. The second grader gives the kindergartner a slice of pie, “Mom packed me two, so I’ll give you my second one. You grow too much so you probably need the pie more.”

The younger brother smiles at him, “Thanks. .. Will you let me ride your bike?”

The elder boy laughs, “Don’t get carried away brat.”

Younger boy pokes him in the shoulder, “Meanie.”

“Excuse me.” a voice from behind them says. “I’m new. May I sit here?”

The two brothers look up and see a kid in a coat a size too big. They motion to him and he sits across from the brothers and looks at the older of the two brothers, tilts his head and starts to ask a question but stops. He shifts his focus to their homemade lunches and compares them to his school lunch. “I have too many brothers for our father to make lunches for all of us.”

In walks Chuck to the lunch table where he smiles down at the three boys. “I’m here to read children’s stories to the class. Where can I find the principal?”

The younger brother grins widely, “I love books. What do you write?”

Chuck scruffs the little boys hair and smiles, “I used to write scary books about two brothers and their friends who became like family, but now, I write stories about little boys who have very normal happy lives. And how sometimes no matter what happens, they always find each other and love each other like family.” Chuck looks at the boy in the oversize coat, “Right son?”

The little boy, new to the school, looks up and smiles, “Right Dad. Profound bonds are always given fresh starts.”

Chuck winks at him, “Especially in a world free from monsters where everyone can live happily.” 

Roll credits. I cry because their precious souls were given a chance at a new life in happy land where they can be normal kids and grow up together. 

Kim is on my mind so hard.

That is all.

Note to Self (something I found on Tumblr that moved me greatly)

I feel like everyone in the world should read this. 

Seriously.

This lady wrote some really fantastic words.

Star Trek Into Darkness review with spoilers

Please stop and don't read anymore if you have not seen the movie yet. I don't want to be responsible for spoiling things for you. 

Overall I really liked Star Trek Into the Darkness. I like the way Abrams has once again given us the slight reboot timeline but still holds very close to the characters and the logical progression of the characters and the plot.

Karl Urban will never get enough praise from me because there are not enough words in the English language for me to give. As a lifelong Bones lover I was nervous about the new cast when this reboot originally happened but he put me at ease in the first movie and has once again done so. He is just perfectly Bones. I swear it’s like Deforest Kelley himself has possessed Karl Urban and made sure shit got done right – and it did.

The other actors also nail their roles just as they did in the first movie. I could gush over them but I’ll spare you.

The action was intense and frequent so that pleased me greatly. The whole movie overall kept me pumped up and paying attention. I would see it again in a heartbeat.

So this might get me kicked off the internet, especially Tumblr.. but.. here is some spoiler stuff I have to get off my chest..

Well, before I get to the bad stuff let me say how excited I was to hear we were going to the Klingon homeworld. I only wish there had been more of it. But the beauty of the Bat’leth was shown even if not up to full potential. It was a start. Considering that in this point of the timeline we are war with them, it was more than I ever hoped for.

Also something else making me scratch my head is where the hell did the Tribble come from?! I don’t recall them being standard issue on the star ships. I was glad to see it because they are adorable and fun creatures, but it seemed very odd and a bit too convenient. But it’s no big deal in the end. I mean seriously, who doesn’t love Tribbles??

What I have to gripe about, and what is likely to get me some hard backlash, is my opinion of the portrayal of Khan by Benedict Cumberbatch. Some of you will have seen the original portrayal of Khan as done by Ricardo Montalban  and you might think it’s not fair to compare two actors in the same role since each actor brings unique experiences. I agree to a point. I didn’t expect Cumberbatch to copy Montalban exactly, but based on the other actors in this reboot who do very similar mimicking of the character they portray I did expect it to be at least recognizable. I sweat to Kahless that if they had not called him Khan I would have not had a way to know. He didn’t have the passion, the flair, the charisma.. I won’t say he was a terrible actor in the role, he wasn’t - he brought me a villain. A villain that was pretty unexciting, but a villain never the less. He had a good scene where he shed good tears and made you understand some of his motivation, and I appreciated that. But again, that could have been any villain at all – it didn’t come across as Khan. Even when he was pissed he was much too Vulcan for my taste. His take on Khan did not inspire me or move me. The character of Khan is very important in the Star Trek world and I feel like more consideration should have been taken to ensure he was brought to us in a way that we would know who he was without names. I assure you that Kirk, Bones, Uhura, Sulu, etc are easy to spot based on dialogue and body language, etc. This Khan was just a name put onto a character with a similar backstory. I don’t know if the decision was Cumberbatch or Abrams, but whoever decided to let this Khan come across more as a Vulcan than a passionate Prince made a wrong choice.

Don’t get me wrong, overall I do still love the movie. It was good and I would see it again. I just wish Khan had been delivered so much differently. 

Summer read-a-long

So I'm doing a summer read-a-long and hoping I can keep up. With grad school in full effect I made no promises but I will definitely try. I like reading books with people so we can discuss it. I have never read the series but it's been on my to-read list. Anyhow, if you want more info just let me know or follow through to find out info from Emi!

First official day!!!

SO today was my official first day of Graduate school. I feel ready to fly into the moon with happiness, and into the sun with nervousness. In all honesty I am only nervous because in a few semesters I have to take Statistics at the Masters level and I struggled at the senior undergrad level. But I'll not think about that today. Today I will just think about how awesome it is to have officially started classes. AH! 

Cosplay is not consent

Years ago I attended an anime convention with my (then) girlfriend. She wanted to do a couple costume so we went as Ban (her) and Ginji (me) from The Getbackers. I was personally fond of the Beastmaster but sometimes we compromise, right?

Anyhow, we went to the rave after the panels had closed because I wanted to dance. She’s not a dancer but she did her compromise. We had really nice give-and-take back in those days.

So I’m standing there sipping the rum and coke she bought me when all of a sudden I feel teeth sink into my shoulder from behind. I jumped back, ready to swing on whoever had punched me (instinct, you know?) and I see this girl, maybe 16 or 17 jumping up and down screaming how much she loves Ginji and she just ~had~ to “have a bite”.

My girlfriend stayed in character as Ban and defused the situation between me and the girl because I was still ready to hit her. She had not only put her mouth on me, without me even knowing she was in my personal space, she bit hard enough that I had teeth marks on my shoulder.

Had this girl approached me and asked for a hug I would have gladly given her one. Had she approached me and asked for a nibble, well, I can’t say for certain I would have said no. But the thing is, she never gave me a choice. I was never given the chance to make a choice, I was just bitten.  Actually bitten.

Was it sexual in nature? Maybe, maybe not. Was it inappropriate? Absolutely 100%.

I might be in costume but I’m still a person.

An important post about bullying and suicide..

I have knows this man and his family for quite a long time. His wife is one of my fav people. If you have a moment, read today's topic.

The Rest of My Life: Close to Home: In 2002, the year I graduated from high school, over 30,000 desperate people in the United States died by their own hand, leaving behind a...

My sister

Gods you guys, I have the most amazing sister in the world. I love her so much. 

I’m crying in her email this morning and I said:

Soooooo I guess that’s that. But it’s okay. I’m okay. I mean hey, it’s only my favorite guy in the world who just played with my heart like a cat toy. Psh. No bigs. We all know I rock the single life nobody’s business. Why stop doing what you’re good at? And anyhow, someone has to be single to sit at the kids table, right?

And my sister says: 

You deserve better than that crap. and don’t worry, I’ll always sit at the kids table with you.

I fucking love her.  

Pretty Padded Room

This lady on Shark Tank is trying to get an investment for her counseling option. It’s online therapy that basically acts like talking to a girlfriend online or on the phone. I think that’s pretty cool for basic issues like being upset about bikini season, or being stood up for a date.. but not for hardcore problems. 

Just my Bachelors degree in Psychology diploma. No big deal.

Okay it's a very big deal! I am so freakin stoked!! I walk across the stage in May for the ceremony, but I feel so official now. Masters degree, here I come!

Rihanna: taking Chris Brown back into her life..

I keep reading people saying things like "She deserves what she gets." and  "If he hits her again I won't feel sorry for her."

She does not deserve it, and I will feel sorry for her.

We cannot make the mistake of blaming the victim. Yes, she knows what he is capable of and yes I personally feel this is a huge mistake she is making. However, that doesn't give him a license to beat her again and we all shrug our shoulders because she should have known better. Chris Brown is still 100% responsible for his own actions.

The mind set of a person who has been abused is not like the mind set of someone who has not. Abusers get inside the mind of their victim over a long period of time. It is not so easily shaken.

As a formerly abused woman I can tell you that even 18 years after leaving him, I still hear him echoing terrible words in my head. His fists are gone from me, but the scars will always remain. After I finally got the strength to leave, he tried to reconcile many times and I always refused. I remembered how it felt to be punched in the eye, drug around the house by my hair, thrown into walls.. and how it felt to have to hide the bullets to his service revolver at night in fear that he would actually pull the trigger some night. I hate him. I love myself more than I could ever love the man who beat me. I had hoped in my heart of hearts that Rihanna would find the same strength to love herself more.

She is giving Chris Brown another chance. She seems to be wide eyed and clear about her risks. "Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake. He doesn't have the luxury of f***ing up again," she says. "That's just not an option. I can't say that nothing else will ever go wrong. But I'm pretty solid in the knowing that he's disgusted by that. And I wouldn't have gone this far if I ever thought that was a possibility." (From this article.)

I know that reforming is a possibility. With treatment  and a true desire to change, it can be done. However, most abusers do not see where they are wrong to do what they do and therefor continue to make the same violent mistakes. Chris Brown has a very prominent history of violence. He is in the news just this week for a physical altercation with Frank Ocean. He does not see the error of his ways. He is a ticking time bomb. It is only a matter of time before he hurts her again. Possibly, even more than he did before.

When that happens, though, we can't shift the focus off him and onto her. She is making a huge mistake, yes, but that does not give him entitlement to do as he pleases with her body and her mind. She will still be a victim. He will still be an abuser.

Mom and her knees..

Mom has surgery tomorrow. It’s “routine” and nothing to stress about, but still, it’s surgery. Mom fucked up her left knee hardcore when she was 17 in a serious car wreck. They pieced her knee back together as best they could with the technology they had at that time. Well over the years stress on the “good” knee took it’s toll. She had the “bad” knee replaced last year and this year she is having the “good” (but still very bad) replaced. I am so glad. She just has been slowed down so tremendously by this. Mom is a very active lady (read: waaaay busier than me) and this has put such a damper on her. So tomorrow is the surgery. I will be out of town in Gainesville for that. Saturday she comes back to our town and into the rehab center for a few weeks. Just like last year. 

Anyhow, my schedule is gonna get wonky while this is all going on. I’ll keep you guys posted. Send any good juujuu her way for a speedy recovery on that knee. She is my 6 million dollar Mom! 

Writer problems..

Sometimes life gives you a moment straight out of a Nicholas Spark novel. I'm a writer and should know how to handle such moments with a flurry of beautiful words that will be remembered for eternity in the echoes of the soul. Instead, I sound like a beached whale with no concept of actual speech. 

Reader problems..

I waited so long for book 3 of this trilogy to come out. And it did. And I do not like it. I am on page 259 of 365 and I am so over it.

Book 1 was amazing! I told all my friends to read it. 

Book 2 was still really good. 

Book 3 is something I am forcing myself to read. The characters are stuck in a boring hell of boringness. I am more than two thirds of the way through the book and I am so tempted to just skip to the end and see how it ends because getting to the end is painful. Where is the spunk these characters had? The fight is gone. They went from I will change the world even if I lose everything and everyone because I am strong and I know the world needs me and needs change! to I'll do some paperwork and hope shit changes. I cannot go on. I don't even care about the main protag anymore. I barely care about my fav character in the book. They have declawed and defanged all the good out of these people. They are flat and their circumstances are boring. 

I don't want to put the name of the series out there because I still love book 1. And all over Twitter they still love book 3. But personally, for me, I am just.. bleh. 

I think I am going to read something else for a while and try to come back to this later. I have other books waiting for my attention and I want to give it to them. I am not shelving this forever, but for a while. 

Face to face!

I am very technology inclined. Some would say too much so. And yet, I almost never use any kind of web chatting such as Skype, Oovoo, etc. Why? Talking is one of my very favorite things ever! I should really live up to my technology addiction. 

I get both in my mailbox each month. Sometimes on the same day, sometimes a day or two apart. I love them both for different reasons.

Birchbox and I have been together almost a year and a half. Most months are really great, a few months have been lacking. Overall though I have found products I never ever would have found otherwise. Some of them I still use to this day!

Ipsy was something I got in on it month 2 of it’s launch (when it was still MyGlam) which puts us together for a solid year this month! Ipsy seems to be more makeup driven in my opinion but with the hard facts I am proven wrong. Still, I stick by my words because it definitely has more makeup than Birchbox. 

I am truly glad to see both of these in my mail each month. I used to post pics of my boxes but then sometimes I couldn’t take the time immediately and so I felt like I couldn’t dive into my boxes. I love my boxes! I want them nooooow. 

My fav thing to get in the boxes is lipstuff. I love lipstuff. I have found great eyeliners and makeup brushes too. And boy howdy do I love the mud masks and exfoliaters! 

Well, can’t wait to take advantage of this months products! I should start documenting them again. I did turn a bunch of people into Birchbox people! 

Both boxes are monthly things that arrive in your mail for the very happy price of $10 each! Birchbox comes in a hot pink box with a brown box inside. It is full of skin creams, cleansers, hair products, and sometimes mascaras, eyeliners, blush, lipstuff.. Ipsy comes in a hot pink bubble envelope that has a makeup bag inside (quality is getting better as they go. I have watched this company struggle from nothing to pretty awesome.) and it’s full of nail polish, shadows, blushes, hair products, lipstuff, etc.

I can tell you some brands that I now swear by that I learned about from either Birchbox or Ipsy. Yes to Carrots brand makeup wipes called Yes to Cumcumbers (almost daily). Eyeko Skinny liquid eyeliner (weekly use), Benefit POREfessional ( I swear by this every single freakin day!!!), my glam eyeshadow brush (daily), Buxom lipstuff, Mirenesse lip bomb, Chella eyebrow gel (daily use!), Urban Decay 24/7 glide on eye pencil…

Need I say more? Oh and let me mention that you usually get a travel size product! Sometimes it’s a one use thing, but usually it’s travel size so you can try it over and over. Honestly I would not have tried those things I mentioned if they had not been in those monthly deliveries. I mean seriously, it’s like a teeny bit of Christmas every single month!

Winter spring cleaning..

Since I have free time from school I am trying to get my house back in order. It has been far too out of hand for far too long. It took more than a weekend to get this way and will take more than a weekend to fix. But I am working on it. I like "stuff" so my house will never look like something out of a Nate Berkus design (I LOVE YOU NATE!) but even an abundance of stuff can be neatly handled. I feel better when the house looks better.

Baby Got Back

“This is the one song you can turn up and I won’t judge your penis.” is what I said in the car yesterday (to my daughter, son, and my daughter's boyfriend) as Baby Got Back came on. I really judge people who turn up the bass so loudly that it vibrates the ribs of people in other cars. I assume they have a teeny penis and need to make up for what they lack. However, Baby Got Back is the one exception to the rule. Because it should be a law that that song gets turned up every time.