My View on Age and Marriage

Being a young whipper-snapper of 19 years and in a serious relationship I am oft told of the perils of marrying too young. In fact many people have told me that I shouldn't even be in a serious relationship at my age. My question is, what age must a person hit where all of the sudden they are ready to get married? Is the 27th birthday something like the 21st where the day before you were much too immature to marry/drink but the day you hit that age, suddenly, miraculously you emerge armed with knowledge and experience, ready to take on the responsibility. But not everyone even agrees on 27, some say wait until your 30's! No across the board generalizations are true (I just made one there; paradox?) and maturity levels by age certainly are not. I, for one, know a 32 year old woman whom I do not think should marry (a second time). Some people just aren't cut out for it and some people just aren't ready. Am I ready, you ask? Yes. Many people who have hit their 30's feel enormous pressure to get married, so they find someone halfway suitable and marry him because their parents are getting worried, the biological clock is ticking, and society says so. If I, on the other hand, get married, it would be against the grain of society and against (almost) all advice. This either shows that I am profoundly immature, or profoundly devoted. I don't mean to herald my maturity but I have never been called immature in my life and have been literally called, in the words of my friend, "the oldest 19 year old I've ever met." Because although I am 19 I am old enough to know that marriage is about more than love. It is about commitment and dedication and trust and what we lack in age, we make up for in those departments.

The only people that have encouraged my feelings and plans are my grandparents. Someone might say they are old-fashioned but look at their track record. My grandmother on my mom's side stayed with my grandfather until he died two years ago and my other grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. Call me crazy but I put a lot of stock in their opinions and advice on marriage.

My Bunny Loves Me I Promise..

Lu and I had a bit of a run-in today. The scratches actually look worse now. The story is as follows: I read online and in "Rabbits for Dummies" that the Holland Lop rabbit is a long-haired breed and therefore needs to be brushed daily. I have had Lulu for about two weeks now and I have not been able to brush her. She will now accept being petted for a bit while she sits next to me but will still freak if picked up. So I decided today was the day. I picked her up (without too much difficulty) and put her on my bed. I managed to get some brushes in while she was sitting beside me and dared to let thoughts of victory tiptoe into my mind until I saw her kind of hunch and scoot back (telltale pee signs), then everything went into slow motion I saw my hands move out to move her away but I couldn't get there in time. I saw the yellow puddle spreading through my light blue comforter. Really its my fault because obviously I don't learn from my mistakes. She peed on my last comforter as well.. She doesn't like being taken and forced into a new place that she hasn't explored on her own first (like my bed). She couldn't jump off (it's too high for a baby dwarf rabbit) and had only been up there once (too long ago for her baby attention span). So I tried to pick her up to put her back on the ground but I had already put it in her mind that me picking her up results in strange and terrifying situations so she struggled like mad; fur and nails and skin flying. And that is how I learned to wear a shirt whenever trying to get a rabbit to do something she doesn't want to do.

On the bright side I have discovered that she likes blankets and cardboard obstacle courses (free) as ideal playthings. Failed toys include: ping pong balls, hollow wooden ball, and carrot chew toy (all bought from the pet store). I guess she's low maintenance; I just wish I had figured that out before my Petco shopping spree.

Word of the Day

naughty: guilty of disobedience or misbehavior

Dinner View

I live in Hawaii. And it's awesome.

Word of the Day

bereft: lacking something needed, wanted, or expected

Uh Oh

Usually I have at least some random pictures left over to put up but this time... I really didn't take any today. SLACKING. Currently my bunny wants to venture outside of my room, I guess its just not enough anymore. But she needs to learn to pee in her litter box (AND ONLY HER LITTER BOX) before she gets to the great outdoors (the hallway). I need to make a trip to the pet store again because I got her a wicker ball (I hear they like them) and she ATE it. They're supposed to play with them but she didn't want to play she just wanted to eat it. Its gone except for a few strands now. So maybe I'll get a bunch? But what if they're not supposed to have WOOD in their diet. Who knows. I'll have to make a list for the vet I'm seeing on Thursday(who capitalizes the days of the week anymore). She'll probably be like so why did you take on a rabbit if you know NOTHING about rabbits? And I'll say: well I have read "Rabbits for Dummies."

I guess I've tried something new here, this stream of consciousness type writing. I really had no idea what I was going to talk about and I ended up saying what was on my mind, which truly is the purpose for this blog. Actually I don't know what the purpose of this blog is but I think I'm enjoying it.

Word of the day!

ritzy: impressively or ostentatiously fancy or stylish

(Btw I'm not sticking to Merriam Webster's decision anymore, I've decided to maybe use theirs as inspiration but really choose the words I like, like ritzy. Isn't that a great definition too?)

Unacceptable

Not blogging for 5 days in a row is unacceptable. It's just another tell tale sign of my inclination to dive into something for maybe a week and then lose interest. But this time I say NAY. In my defense, this whole new rabbit thing has been rather overwhelming. I've never had a pet other than fish as a kid (I hate fish) and so this is very much a new experience for me. Especially with a rabbit because they are very different from dogs and cats. If anything they are more like cats in that they don't really care if you want them to do something. She'll stop, recognize her name, and then continue on her merry way into the woodpile that I want her to stay away from because it is IMPOSSIBLE to get her out of. Hanging prepositions aside (the sort of English up with which I will not put), me and Lulu are still getting to know each other. Between our roller coaster relationship, working some overtime, and being moody and picking fights with Matt, I haven't blogged much (obviously). But anyway, I have managed to find the time to go to the beach (as well as snap some adorb pictures of Lulu).

 

I'm Back!

Well I know how my blog is watched like a hawk (HAHA) and my millions of followers missed me these five days (read: my 3 followers didn't notice at all), but in all seriousness, if you are reading this my 3 followers you're the best! I really didn't think I would have any followers at all and would just use this as some kind of online journal thing. SO, I have 3 orders of business today.

1. The reason I was gone: my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary was friday! It was all very exciting and I flew to California and saw my cousins who have changed A LOT in 3 years. Cards were played (it runs in the family), jokes were made, it was a good time. Sadly I forgot my camera on the trip, so alas, no pictures.

2. I have started a new goal. I haven't been 100% on it so far, but it is a work in progress one might say. I wish to use Miriam Webster's word of the day everyday. Yesterday's word was genteel and I didn't get to use it (pretty much my only option was starting a conversation with the large black man next to me on the plane and steering it in such a way as to use 'genteel'. Tell me you wouldn't have given up on the day). But anyway, from now on I will end my posts with my word of the day and (hopefully) how I plan to use it. Yay diction!

3. I have a bunny! She is the cutest thing you've ever seen. I haven't gotten to have a good photo shoot with her yet because she gets mostly active at night (side note: are rabbits nocturnal?) and there isn't enough light because she moves so much. In any case, my coworker's fiancé (see how fancy I am with the accent?) talked him into buying this bunny (whom I have named lulu (wow I'm crazy with the parentheses today)). But I guess they FORGOT that they have a BEAGLE, which was BRED over generations to HUNT RABBITS. Anyway they had to get rid of the rabbit and guess who they gave it to (to whom they gave it)! That is right, moi. So without further ado, I present Lulu.

Word of the Day (this is a weird one)

paste: to strike hard at; to beat or defeat soundly.

Food and Nature

Two of my favorite things.

Driving around Hale'iwa

Today me and Matt decided to go to the beach. We listened to the Beatles the whole time and never actually made it to the beach but it was fantastic. There were all kinds of pictures to be taken out of the windows. Have I mentioned how much I love trees?

Flambé

Well I guess I have discovered that flambé is pretty much my favorite thing ever.

Not one, but two of three courses arrived ON FIRE.

 Fantastic.

My Two Hobbies Collide

I am supremely pleased with my two new hobbies. obviously this blog is doing something for me, I started with no hobbies and felt lost because I didn't feel passionately about anything and haven't for most of my life. But first it was photography which I LOVE. And now we have crochet! Which I also enjoy very much. And there is SO much room for growth in crochet. I have only mastered one stitch (the single crochet) so far... I can do some others (double, half-double) but they require much thought and concentration. What's best is that I can't take pictures at work but I can crochet! And then I can come home and take pictures of my work! Vunderbar. Thus far I have made a teeny baby beanie which in my humble opinion is simply ADORB, and also a beret for myself. I have a work in progress: baby blanket for my boyfriends baby sister. This thing is taking FOREVER. I am getting the feeling Walmart will run out of yarn before I finish. So without further ado, my creations! What does the internet think, I wonder.

And finally, I did not make these I got them in Japan, but aren't they the CUTEST?

Backyard fun

Who knew I would have so much fun in my backyard? (Since I was 12 anyway)

Crochet Away!

I've decided to start crocheting. I have lots of time at work with nothing to do especially because I am not in school. My favorite things are crocheted things that have flowers on them. Afghans, scarves, hats, anything with flowers.

 

Also, everything looks cuter on babies. So really I'm just hoping that someone will pop out a baby so that I can make him/her some cutesy hats.

We'll see where this goes but I'm using the afghan my grandma crocheted for me, my mom has crochet hooks in the garage, and I'm kind of excited.

Wedding!

This weekend two friends of my dad's got hitched and I bartended (and secretly took my aspiring wedding photographer pictures).

The food was fantastic!

All Photo-ed Out

Over my trip to San Diego I took a grand total of 502 pictures. 502 PICTURES. I then sat down and went through them one by one and editing them. Editing out shine and blemishes of my friends, making sure the exposure was right and contrast and usually boosting the color. I am an edit fiend! What this all means is that I am rather tired of taking pictures. Don't worry this is not permanent! But I also just purchased a brand new macbook so I am also rather preoccupied at the mome.

In other news, because I got a new lappy I get to start over my music collection! Most people would see this as a HUGE  drag but not me! On my last computer I ripped all the music from multiple ipods resulting in 50 gigs of songs. I'm talking tens of thousands of songs. Which is just obscene. There were repeats, and songs I had never even listened to, songs that weren't labelled, songs I actually really didn't like, etc. It was a major cf (clusterfuck). So NOW, I get a clean slate, to start and build my music library completely around me and what I actually like! Some of my first downloads:

 

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

 tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l

and some old favorites:

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

 The XX - XX

I'm pretty excited! These are just a few obviously. More updates soon!

So Many Records

This weekend I went to San Diego to visit some of the best people ever. It was AMAZAZING but that is not what I am going to blog about this night. Two of my friends there have a radio show called Craydio and this weekend I tagged along. As we walked into the near-abandoned building in a secluded area of campus I was immediately smacked in the eyes by PILES UPON PILES of records. I didn't see anything past 1985 so obviously I was in heaven. 

What's for dinner?

I say this because I am hungry, not because it has anything to do with what I will write here today. I got my nails done and went to the beach today. I also lied. I feel kind of bad about it but I'm sure I won't once I get to SD and have a fantastic/wonderful weekend. The lie I couldn't capture, but here are my other two wednesday activities portrayed in jpeg format.

P.s. I figured out how to make my pictures bigger. All I had to do was click on it. I am lame.

Trees

I don't know how you all feel about trees but I like them very much. Oh goodness, how will I ever get followers now, if all I talk about is trees. But this tree in particular is quite striking. In the spring it has no leaves, but only these bright yellow blossoms. I took this picture with my new camera (eek!). I wish I could get it bigger but me oh my it is too late to start learning html when I have a chinese final exam tomorrow morning. After that though I will NEVER have to compose another chinese sentence. Which right now is more exciting to me than opening the door and finding James Franco sitting in my room wanting to go to the park and have a picnic with me (I do love picnics). Anyway, I leave you with some drivel and a photo of a tree. Ta ta for now!

Finals Week

I'm taking a short blog-break from my seemingly endless immersion in my linear algebra textbook. Problem is, I am kind of lost in the class. Simply not very interested. Now, math being my major, this is a pretty major problem (ahh I haven't punned in a while). Well left-brained Melissa gets quite a lot of enjoyment out of it but honestly I would rather be outside. Doing anything really. Laying on the grass would be nice. Except its been raining of late. Don't you love the expression "of late"? Ever so much classier than "lately."
Anywho, I have work tomorrow poo hoo oh that. Hopefully I'll take some pictures tomorrow! What a silly post, well I only have one follower so I am not worried about disappointing the masses.

This is not a photography blog

I am struggling with myself not to turn this into a photography blog. The problem is, there are probably thousands (if not more) photography blogs. I'm just another beginner with their first digital SLR who thinks they're going to be amazing. This will not keep me from taking pictures! Nor will it keep me from occasionally posting my good (decent) ones. But this is not, I repeat, this is not a photography blog.

My New Nikon D3100

I am so incredibly excited about my new camera. No, I don't plan on becoming a photographer, but I do need a hobby. And taking pictures always got me off in an artistic kind of way. After much deliberation I decided on the Nikon D3100. I decided I liked the feel of the Nikon more than the Casio and apparently those are pretty much the top two and its really more of a personal choice in deciding between the two. Once I decided on Nikon, the D3100 is the newest beginner-type camera. It was close between the D3100 and the D5100 but I decided that I really am a beginner and by the time I'm "advanced" enough for the D5100, there will be an upgraded one out there. So here it is!

Like I said I am out of my freakin mind excited about it. I took a little adventure around my complex trying to find picture-worthy situations. I mostly like photographing people but moss is cool too. Unless this isn't moss? Mold? Icky either way.

Things I Want

- typewriter (aqua? preferably)

- record player (I wonder if my grandma has any old records??)

- bedroom vanity

- Nikon DSLR (probably not this one as it is over 2,500 dolla)

- leather backpack