Tis the Season?

This was the oddest Christmas season I have experienced in that I didn't really get into it what-so-ever. I think I always associate Christmas with family time and a nice break from school. The lack of this break and family time allowed Christmas to sneak up on me. I'll definitely need to make some adjustments next year to have a real world esque Christmas season on my own. Now to discuss what little bit of a Christmas I did experience.

Saturday my family took a very short trip over to Vestavia Hills to my cousin Ashley's house for our gift exchange with my mother's side of the family. Ashley made her chicken enchilada stew with rice and black beans that I have come to love. Typing about it is making me hungry. After lunch we opened presents with football ever present in the background. Nanny, as always, was able to find some pretty nice clothes, and Tammy, my aunt, pulled through with getting the whole Hunger Games series to me. Everyone else was driving back to Guin, so we didn't stay around too long after present time was over.

That afternoon my dad made Will and me go take pictures at Ross Bridge for an unknown reason. Christmas Eve is a little late for Christmas cards. Regardless, we took some pretty stellar pictures. My dad is such a doofus and made us do things like this.
 

My parents forgot that our church service was at 5, so we missed that. This is probably another reason I didn't feel too Christmasy. We did, however, have a wonderful dinner of steak, salad, and cheddar cheese soup as imitated from EPCOT's Le Cellier. It was a beautiful Christmas feast after which Will and i opened our joint present. Traditionally, it has been a larger Lego set. This year's selection was the Rebel Base from Hoth. We built that pretty quickly and went to bed because Will set his alarm for 6...

As I tried to go to sleep, I watched some holiday themed episodes of television shows that Netflix recommended and read The Hunger Games. I got within 80 pages of finishing at around 5 but had to go to the bathroom before I got some sleep. My mother heard me leave my room and was under the impression I was going to look downstairs at the gifts, so she woke everyone up to just go ahead and open presents. This was of course fun, and I was grateful for the lack of candy purchased. I didn't need to eat anymore than I already did. My dad chronicled the entire thing if you want to look. Please don't.

Will received Lego Harry Potter years 5-7 on Wii, and I was so excited to play it. I just wanted to finish my book first. Well, I fell asleep and woke up at lunch just in time to pack up and leave to go to Granny's house in Chattanooga. This was our first Christmas there, and it definitely felt different. Luckily, we had all of the same food items: chicken casserole, English peas, field peas, and mashed potatoes. I also got to watch my first Doctor Who Christmas special live. They've been some of my favorite episodes, so i was glad to see one in the context of the season. I definitely shed a tear or two during it.
 
Well, that was my Christmas season. I only got one day off, but I am looking forward to New Year's in Atlanta with Karissa and Jenae. Then it'll be time for the National Championship in New Orleans!

Catching Fire

As the title suggests, I am currently enthralled in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I was able to finish the first two in under 24 hours, but now that I am back at work I don't think that'll be too easy. Especially with James making me crack up every few minutes by saying something about chitlins, the woman found dead under her Christmas tree, or women becoming pregnant in my New Orleans hotel room. The books are very well written. Collins does a great job with description, and it's interesting how the book is written in present tense. I never noticed until I began reading in Spanish that so much of literature is written in the preterit. An odd thing to notice, but it makes reading the book interesting. If you decide to read them, don't finish one at 4 am when your head is by a ground floor window. I am certain the Capitol was sending out all the Peace Keepers out to get me last night.



Last Wednesday was some of the most fun I've had in Tuscaloosa. Sarah, Eva, and Kevin came to visit since the town is deserted. We went to Brown's Corner, my trivia haunt, and had a wonderful time guessing answers and winning money. We got second place! We were 1 point away from first. If only I could have remembered that Sheryl Crow song... Then I took them to Grey Lady for a few drinks,which was followed by a couple of hours of Apples to Apples in my new apartment. This was a lolfest of a painful nature. It's a beautiful thing when friendships can pick up right from where they left off. Here we are in front of one of our favorite restaurants in Savannah, Georgia.


Also on this day I received a text message from my Secret Santa in Maine. It included a Santa stripping to the song "Bottoms Up." I assume he messed up the area code by a number, but I appreciated the gesture all the same.

Thursday, I went to an extended family Christmas party in Yampertown, Alabama. The town is officially called Twin, which is nearest to Guin, which is next to Gu-win. It's a confusing area nominally. While my immediate family did not go, I still had a great time eating and playing Dirty Santa with them. It was Nanny's first time to play, and she was quite the gift stealer. I ended up with a bag of Fartless Chili and a $25 gift card to Panera Bread.

Friday, some of my high school theatre friends met up at our favorite mediocre Mexican restaurant called Pablo's. Then we went to a few bars downtown. We went out so early that barely anyone was around, but at least one police officer was because I got a ticket for parking in a taxi zone. Since it was only $30, I didn't let it ruin my night even though a few other things tried to do the job.

That's all I'll say for now. I'll make a separate Christmas post tomorrow, but I'm too addicted to Pinterest too much to leave it idle. Thanks, Sarah Beth Langcuster...

D8

Crazy as an Outhouse Rat

The title comes from the fact that my supervisor dared me to utter that phrase while I was being filmed live on the Kip Tyner show. While it is a fun game to play, I had better not try to participate in any other interviews. Luckily, it's only shown in the Tuscaloosa area at noon, so few people watch it. Apparently, it's something that people actually say...

Last week was super not busy in terms of Red Cross work. Mike and I developed a Disaster Action Team folder for all volunteers in that area. If you are unaware or ignorant to Red Cross happenings like I was, you may have not been aware that Red Cross volunteers respond to fires to provide emergency assistance to anyone affected. The DATs, as they are called, have fallen apart in Tuscaloosa, so we're working to build them back up.You should all become a part of one! The training is free, and you put yourself on call only when you're available.

In the colder half of last week, we had a lot of fire cases from people using dangerous methods to heat there homes. Some examples of this include ovens, space heaters, and fires, which can all be dangerous if not used properly.These cases have been a little more heartbreaking than normal because most of these people have finished Christmas shopping that the were barely able to afford as it is.

In the realm of happier events, James is hilarious as ever. I asked him at the Christmas party if he would catch me if I fell, and he told me the floor would. He also wants me to dress up like Santa and climb down a chimney with a fire in it. I can honestly say that I've never had a friend who can wish harm on me in a way I find this amusing.

Mike, James, and I also decorated the office for Christmas. Wynease, our new front desk worker, was very skeptical of our decoration skillz. This was mostly due to the poor storage of the tree I put in the lobby. It has a lot of holes in the branches and a collection of kitschy wooden ornaments. The four of us had a great time at the holiday party. I work with some really great people, which makes it easier to get through the more difficult days.

Outside the realm of work, Sarah and I spent an enormous amount of time together this week since she was graduating on Saturday. We watched all of our shows and ate cookies as per usual. I've gotten her into a bunch of crazy shows, and she's done the same for me. I wish I had photo shop skills so that I could make a picture of her like she was a cast member on 1Girl 5 Gays. It would look like this:



Thursday night I had a class to teach at work, but quickly afterward I took Casey and Sarah to Nick's in the Sticks for their first time. It's one of those restaurants that you have to hear about because you aren't going to accidentally drive by it. I suppose they named it well. They have nice cheap steak, a beautiful ranch dressing with blue cheese, and an alcoholic beverage called a Nickademus that had me asleep by 10 o'clock.


The weekend was filled with parties and moving. All of which was enjoyable. Michael Wilson had a very cold but entertaining birthday party on his porch, a common Birmingham theatre hangout, and he had a lunch a Rojo the next day. I love that restaurant too much that it could be labeled as unhealthy. My friend Amanda suggested the Berkley's Tacos to me when I was there last week. They were amazing grilled chicken with buffalo sauce and feta. I was in food heaven.


My family saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie before the lunch, and I really enjoyed it. They did a great job not only in the writing and acting but also in the cinematography. I would definitely recommend seeing in theatres as these effect may not be as entertaining on a smaller screen. I went to a Christmas Party at Charla and Chris Cochran's house Sunday night, and it was too cool. I was just so happy to see all of the people this weekend like Amanda, JJ, Chuck(s), Hal, Chris, Lee, Michael, Jonathan, etc. This made me really excited about starting Hamlet soonish and for the auditions for Normal Heart in March.

It's been a long week already with class, jailed roommates, and taking over the responsibilities of leading the Hispanic Service Providers for the next six months. I'm looking forward to Christmas events this weekend as well as Sarah Rogers and Kevin coming down for trivia tomorrow night!

Mud Puddle Days

This one is going to be a little more on the emotional end compared to my commenting on Red Cross happenings and terrible reality television. This weekend brought full closure to my undergraduate experience at the University of Alabama. From the time that I was a freshman, I have been looking forward to that moment when I would get my Senior Goodbye and Guerrilla with the rest of my class. It is by far one of the best things that Alpha Psi Omega does each year. I was prepared for that very emotional weekend. I was writing letters for everyone in the organization. I had picked and practised my material for my performance, but I never got to do it. Instead on 27 April 2011, tornadoes tore across the state of Alabama, and as the majority of us huddled together in Rowand Johnson, our theatre building, we had no clue that it was the last time all of us would be together.

School was cancelled, and we all went home eventually. I was in Hoover for a short time and spent of few days helping my grandparents move out of their mostly destroyed home in Phil Campbell. I got offered a job on my first day there, which would have been during our senior roast time. This job at the Red Cross has provided me with so much when it comes to moving on from the tornado, but the one thing it couldn't do was give me closure to my senior year.

I had hoped graduation would serve this purpose, but it still seemed incomplete. A few people came back to town for it, but that experience wasn't personal enough. Being in Tuscaloosa this semester made it all the weirder. Everyone I came into contact with was able to put last year behind them. Some even felt like the tornado had no effect on them. The only people who could understand were scattered across the country, and I didn't even think I needed them until now.

Saturday morning we met to plan our roasts of one another. Only five other seniors were able to come back, so it still wasn't complete. It was exactly what I needed. We had a great time laughing at ourselves and one another and sharing with each other what our friendships meant. So much can happen in four years, and it was so much fun to share some of those memories. More and more have surfaced since then, and I hate I didn't remember to share them.

That night we all gave our final performances joined by two seniors graduating this weekend, and it was by far my favorite guerrilla of all four years. I don't know if it was actually the best one I saw, but it's emotional value will always make it stand out. None of us took the opportunity just to showcase our talent for others to see. Instead, we picked things that were meaningful to us that we wanted others to experience so that people can learn the importance of family, taking advantage of every little moment, words, humor, accepting yourself regardless of others, following your dreams, and never forgetting those people that truly matter to you.

I was happy to share the song my dad wrote for me when I was four-years-old and the scene from Torch Song Trilogy. I owe so much to Eryn and my dad for being a part of that with me. One day as a young child, my mother was trying to get me out the door on a rainy day so that she could get to work. I was so sleepy until I saw the rain. Then I ran outside declaring it a "Mud Puddle Day." My dad thought it was cute and wrote an equally cute folk song about the experience. I don't know how many people know this, but my mother was diagnosed with Lupus while I was in college. It has since caused her to stop working. I often remember this song and use it to remind me not to get down. That was a message I thought everyone could use including my mother. Things get tough, but if you try to view things from a positive light it's amazing what you can get yourself through.

It may be a while before I see those seniors again. We may never all be in the same place at the same time in our lives. That's why I somehow managed to stay up until 3AM. I thought Saturday would be a goodbye, but it wasn't. It was more of an assurance than anything that I will stay in touch with these people for the rest of my life. It may not be constant or always in person, but I will stay in touch. The odd thing is that if the tornado didn't happen I don't know if that would still be true. It pulled us together more than any class, show, or party ever could. I guess tragedy does that to people. That's just the "Mud Puddle" side of things. Now we can move on to better things, and I am excited to see what those things are. Thanks University of Alabama, Wesley Foundation, and Alpha Psi Omega for everything. It was a beautiful four years, and not even a tornado can take that away from me.

Anything Goes

While this week wasn't as exciting as a vacation, there were some high points including major life decisions, a great movie, and a formal on a boat. The last item being the loose connection to the post title and an even looser connection to this picture.

While on the way back from Disney World, the bus on the way to the airport played a slew of videos. One of which was for the Disney Adventure tours around the world. As I was watching the commercial, I thought to myself that I would love doing a job like that. Upon researching I discovered that their application process begins in August, and it was the only travel website I found that even had job listings. Eventually I came across an article that mentioned going to a travel guide institute. It listed one in particular, The International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco. I applied on Sunday and after a 45 minute phone interview on Tuesday I was accepted to fill a slot in their July course. You can read more about IMTI by clicking here. I'm so excited about this opportunity, but it's seven months away. My excitement will have to be contained. The best thing about this job is that I still get to do what I love to do at the Red Cross in my spare time, and I can live anywhere that I want.

Other than that exciting news, work was filled with fire cases and a great community day in Sawyerville on Friday. Mike and I went to a restaurant called D-Ray's to get people interested in becoming Red Cross volunteers and to sign holiday cards for American servicemen overseas. This place had great hamburgers, so if for some reason you find yourself in Sawyerville, AL, you need to check it out.

Wednesday was trivia night again. Even though we didn't win anymore money, we still had the best team name. We were Chico's Red Trivia Newton Klondike Bar Pary. It's a mixture of all the names of the teams that regularly attended during league play. We also got our last free pizza off of out winnings, so it looks like we'll have to pay for Old Mexico next time. It's a great pizza with a refied bean base and covered with all of the toppings you would associate with nachos. Brown's Corner is dying for business, and Wednesday night is half priced pizza and wine night!

 Friday night Alpha Psi Omega rented the Bama Belle Riverboat for their formal. It was a really cool experience, but I hate that it had to be so early. It gave people too much time to drink that night, which was evident in some later behaviors. The boat was decorated for Christmas, which was a nice touch, and it was just great to see all of my school friends that I don't get to see too often.


Saturday Lexi and I went to Bento and to see The Muppet Movie. I have always enjoyed the Muppets, so I thought the movie was the right level of silly and cute. It made me want to watch all of the old ones again. Sadly, none of them are instant watch on Netflix not even the one in which they go to outer space.

All week Sarah and I watched our usual television shows including the premiere of Virgin Diaries, Ringer, Glee, and All American Muslim. Besides all of the awkward virgin talk, our favorite thing to see was the choice of sweaters for Kurt. I wish I could find a picture to show you.

Now I need to continue to try to find a place to live in January. Let me know if you hear of anything that has a lease ending in June or July!