Ten Reasons Being Single is the Best

Today is Valentine's Day, which literally means that I'm consuming about 4 times the normal amount of chocolate today. It also means that every radio station is playing sappy love songs or those breakup songs that remind you how awful and pathetic your love life is.

As usual I'm surfing Facebook and an article from Cosmo pops up in my newsfeed. I've reached that stage in life where I only learn current events from Twitter, Cosmo and my mother. Otherwise, I am blissfully ignorant to the world.

This article was about being single on Valentine's Day, and I got to thinking that being single isn't too bad. Cosmo's Single on Valentine's Day article made some decent points, but I have my own.

Here are my Top 10 reasons why being single is amazing.

1. You can buy your own candy. No worries about seeming like a bitch when you mention that you only eat Hershey Hugs, and that Hershey Kisses are okay, but it better be Hershey Hugs or you'll throw the bag at them.

2. You pick how much candy you get. None of those tiny little heart boxes that cost $5.00 for the tiniest and most disgusting piece of candy you have ever been forced to consume.

3. You don't have to go overboard looking pretty. Let's be honest, they aren't concerned if you spent 2 hours shaving, waxing and primping. They're just gonna take you to a cheesy restaurant where every other cheesy couple is, and you'll smile and post it all over the Internet. *Grimaces at the camera for the millionth time*

4. You don't have to compare your date and relationship to your friends. Her boyfriend bought her the biggest flowers, or her boyfriend took her to the nicest restaurant. Guess what? My boyfriend is soft and cuddly. He also has claws which he digs in my feet at night (my cat, Artemus).

5. You don't have to take off from work. I work Friday nights and it would be hell to take off for Valentine's Day, or to go out after work when I have to open at 7:30am tomorrow. I like my sleep, and if I had a boyfriend he would understand that without sleep I am the worst person on earth. Just give me my damn bag of Hershey Hugs put Clue! or Winnie the Pooh on for the millionth time this week and let me sleep.

6. Never worry about going overboard. I had a boyfriend for two Valentine's Days. The first one we celebrated almost a week late, but it was nice. The second one I went all out and he didn't even send a stupid card. I feels it's kinda important to be sorta equal. Damn, if all you get me is a card and candy (again, Hershey Hugs) then that's cool.  But get me something!

7. Benefits of Singledom are pretty nice. I have more money to spend on myself, which at twenty is nice. Hello to that sweet Lane Bryant dress.

8. I don't have to listen to a guy complain about how overrated Valentine's Day is. Yeah, I'm single and I'm always complaining that if you love somebody you don't need a specific day to do it. Of course, being a girl when I'm in a relationship I except that my boyfriend acknowledges the day, no matter how stupid he feels it is.

9. I can continue my love affair with Netflix. Angel, Spike, Booth, Mulder, and Castle are the best kind of guys. Cute, sweet, smart, quirky, hot and best of all, fictional. When I'm bored I just turn the TV off.

10. I CAN BE ME. If that's bitchy, loud, snarky, sarcastic then cool. If I wanna be sweet, silly and smart, even better. But I don't have to stress myself out trying to impress some guy.

Tomorrow I'm gonna stock up on chocolate and continue to enjoy being single.

I'm a Headless Chicken and I'm Okay With This

How do you handle a crisis?

I handle a crisis in one of two ways. The first, going off the deep end and running around like a chicken with my head cut off. The second, much calmer but still with the slight feeling of running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

No matter what, I'm a chicken without a head. Does that say something about my state of mind that I identify with a headless chicken?

Over the past month or so I have been extremely concerned by my flaws. Now that I've become a supervisor I have to take a lot more responsibility and that can be hard at times. I also have to work on my communication skills. For me, it's easy to come across as bossy or a know-it-all, when really I'm just trying to be productive.

I can easily list a few of my flaws. Here's my Top 5:

1. I'm bossy
2. I'm loud
3. I have a hard time seeing the big picture.
4. I can be distracted easily, sometimes. I try to do multiple things at once.
5. I like to do things my way.

I believe that flaws are only flaws if you don't take the time to cultivate them and turn them into strengths. That's what I've been trying to do for the past month. It's hard to make a flaw into a strength, but it's worth it. So here is my attempt to turn my flaws into strengths.

1. I'm a supervisor of five (soon to be six) girls. All between the ages of 16 and 20. Gotta be a little bossy to make things run smoothly.
2. I used to be a skate guard. When you have to clear the ice of over 50 people (sometimes almost 200), it helps to be able to shout. Plus my lungs are strong from blowing my whistle so much, cause no matter how many times you blow the whistle, yell or wave your arms like an air traffic controller, there are always people who look at you like you should be in the circus.
3. I'm good with details. I focus in on the tiny problems and fix those. My logic is that tiny problems will just stack up until you have this HUGE pile of problems. Plus, I make some pretty awesome signs and sheets. In the past 2 months I've made almost twenty different signs, brochures and sheets for work. Details do matter.
4. I can multi-task, when needed. Try sitting in a box, with four open walls. You have a person on your left with questions about birthdays who is trying to book a party. In front of you there is a line of you with people wanting to pay to skate. Behind you there are coaches and parents wanting keys for locker rooms. To the right of you people want to also know what locker rooms or where the restrooms are.
5. Sometimes, my way is the right way. Just not as often as I would like.

It's all about perspective. What looks like a flaw is just a personality trait, and sometimes your strengths are what bring you down.

I don't always handle situations well at the time (statistically, I'd say 65% of the time I do), but it's all about learning. Some things are avoidable, other things are not. You just have to roll with the punches and realize tomorrow is another day.

New Year Resolutions - 21 Things Before I Turn 21

Happy New Year!

It's been 2014 for fourteen days. I've spent the past three weeks thinking of what I want to accomplish in the next year. Some are simple goals, others not so simple. I did decide that I want to accomplish 21 different things before I turn 21. I've been contemplating what things I want to accomplish, some are ridiculous and highly unlikely, others quick and easy.

Here's my 21 before 21:

1. Finish Southern Charm
2. Do something all by myself. Whether it be going to a movie, a concert or dinner at Olive Garden. I gotta do it by myself. Don't ask why, it's just a weird thing I gotta do. 
3. Go away for a weekend. 
4. See the sunrise or set at the beach.
5. Go on a road trip. 
6. Volunteer to help others. 
7. Lose weight. A Lot. 
8. Get back into ice skating. 
9. Land a loop and flip jump. 
10. Compete in two skating competitions. 
11. Save $500.00 for my trip to Spoleto, Italy. 
12. Plan a trip to Disney World.
13. Read 21 full books. 
14. See a concert. 
15. Complete 3 full series. 
16. Do an internship.
17. Pay off my Macbook Pro (I have until October 31st to pay it off in full, or it will no longer be interest free). 
18. Learn a skill. Whether mechanical, crafty or other. I will learn a skill. 
19. Make a real effort towards deciding what I wanna do after graduation. 
20. Keep up with this blog. 
21. Fall in love. 

The last one is a bit misleading. I don't mean to fall in love with another person, not that it wouldn't be nice to be in love again. I mean that I want to fall in love with myself. I want to be happy with who I am as a person. It's hard work, but I've come to the conclusion that to be able to love others, I must be able to love myself completely. This is a psychologically sound theory.

From Pinterest. 

Oh My Gosh...I'm almost Twenty!

Less than two weeks until my twentieth birthday! This is both exciting and scary.

I had a low period last weekend when I found out a friend of mine is engaged. That is a total of three friends who are either engaged or married under the age of 21. I'm not in any rush to be married or engaged, but if you had asked me around this same time last year I would've said I expected to be engaged by the time I turned 21. Oh how things change in a year.

Anyways, another reason I felt a bit low was because I'm 20 and I don't feel like I've accomplished much. After I wallowed in sorrow for a bit, I thought long and hard about what I've managed to accomplish in twenty short years. Here is what I came up with.

1. Key note speaker at my high school graduation.
2. I've been a mascot for a hockey game.
3. I'm a manager.
4. I've had the same job for 4 years.
5. I've won medals competing in figure skating.
6. I got a 93 on an algebra test
7. I've written two complete novels.
8. I took dual credit classes in high school
9. I've been in love.
10. I finally got my license!

I figured 10 is a nice whole number. I'm sure if I asked my parents they'd list over a million things that I've done in twenty years, but I feel these are my Top 10 accomplishments for the last twenty years. 

Some of these are unique, such as being a mascot and a key note speaker, others are kinda silly, like getting my license. Still, these are things I've done. 

Countdown to turning Twenty! 

T-minus 12 days and 16 minutes!

Who Do You Respect More, A Solider or a Boyband?

Good Morning everyone. Today's post is a rant, so fair warning. This is my personal opinion and experience. You don't have to agree with me, nor listen to me, but I value my right to freedom of speech. 

You know who works to keep that right available to me? No, the answer is not Congress, who can't even manage to pass a budget. No, not our president, who only serves for eight years. Have you figure it out yet? If you said our soldiers then bingo! 

As the granddaughter of a Marine and an Airman, I have respect for the military. I've also had three uncles who served in various branches, and I have cousins who are currently serving. I believe that if you have been overseas in a war zone, or even hostile territory you have earned my respect. That's not to say that all service men and women do not deserve our respect, but those who have faced dangerous situations have just a tad bit more from me. 

Why am I all about respect for our military today? Is it because of the news, where Syria is being investigated for weapons of mass destruction? No, it isn't. It's a rather simple thing, actually. I saw a story of a Georgia man, who is a retired marine, that has been told by his retirement community that he must take down one of his two flags, as it breaks the rules. Neither flag is vulgar. One flag is the American flag, the other the Marine flag. Both flags represent America and this man's service to our country.

I understand how the community must keep rules, other wise every lawn would be loaded with flags, from the American flag, military flags, confederate flags, flags of other countries or even club and organization flags. Still, the residents polled had no problem with this former Marine having both of his flags, but the HOA of his retirement community notified him that he had to take one down or face fines. 

It wasn't just the injustice of this situation that bothered me, it was a comment that someone felt this man didn't not deserve special treatment because he served our country, and they are of all the military worship. 

Military worship? These men and women willingly are signing away their lives to serve our country. Many die in that service. Am I not allowed to consider how much of a sacrifice that is? 

So this man can't fly both flags, according to the story he won't fight the community, he'll just move. He isn't pulling the "I served our country card" and demanding they allow him to fly both flags. 

I do think that maybe the retirement community should look into adjusting its by laws, as it didn't seem that the residents had a problem with this man flying both flags. 

I leave you with this thought, how do you treat the men and women who serve our country? Do you throw things and spit at them as people did when soldiers returned from Vietnam? Do you wave flags and cheer when they come home? Or do you just pay no attention and spend your time thinking about the VMAs? 

~Laney

                                          

How Easy Is It To Follow Your Digital Footprint?

Monday night my mom and I randomly decided to go see a movie. So being the cool techie I am, I asked Siri what was playing. The only movie my mom and I both really wanted to see was Paranoia, staring Liam Hemsworth and Harrison Ford. The reviews for it were alright, but mom and I never judge a movie by reviews. Case in point, One For The Money had awful reviews from critics, but we loved it. Never believe someone else, see for yourself if you like it or not. That's my mom's philosophy.

Anyways, so we get to the theater, get our tickets, popcorn and large cherry Pepsi's, then find our theater. It was completely empty! Which is cool, and a bit scary too. Mom and I always check the emergency exits. Can't be too careful in this crazy world. Before the movie began a gentleman came in, which was a bit comforting, and still a little nerve wracking.

Movie poster for Paranoia, featuring Liam Hemsworth, Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman.

Now for my opinion of the movie. NOTE: MAY CONTAIN PLOT SPOILERS

The movie was decent, in my opinion a mix of Oceans Eleven, Abduction and Now You See Me. Liam Hemsworth was hot! But he isn't just a hot, young Hollywood actor, he can act. All I have to say is that if Miley Cyrus loses him she is crazy. With that body and those eyes?! I'd marry him in a heartbeat. Plus he's Thor's brother! I mean how much better can you get?

So I did enjoy the movie for more than eye candy. The story was decent, could've been better, but it wasn't the worst thing ever. Though it did make me more paranoid about all my technology. The main plot is these two major technology guys competing against each other, and they use each other's weaknesses to try to get back at each other. Using Liam's character as a pawn between them. The part that made me nervous was how easy it was to follow, track and find everyone because of their digital footprint. Everyone is always talking about leaving a carbon footprint on the environment, but what about the digital footprint we leave behind us in the virtual world?

With concerns of the NSA keeping track of our conversations via text messages, phone calls and emails, it's enough to make me start questioning how easy I'm making my digital footprint to follow. Not that I have anything to hide, but I do believe in personal privacy. If I wanna search crazy things on Google for the fun of it, that's my right. If I wanna post a crazy picture of myself to Facebook, it's my right not to have it shared publicly with the world.

I'm not say to go crazy about your technology and that you're being watched by the government, but I am saying to be aware that it is possible. Also here are a few tips. Turn off your location services on apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, even just for your camera. Even if the picture doesn't give away location data visibly, it's possible to get location data from the picture's properties. Also apps that are public like Facebook and Twitter, make it possible for people to track you, which makes stalking a real threat. These apps can collect data about you, making it easy for someone else to obtain this data and that is a threat to your safety.

I feel like I've been a real bore, but be prepared! It is possible to make it difficult for someone to victimize you. Pass on these tips to friends and family.

~Laney

P.S. At the end of the movie when the credits started to roll I had a major fangirl moment. It wasn't until the end of the movie that I realize that Liam's best friend in the movie was played by my favorite cowboy, Lucas Till! He looked so familiar, but the glasses and long hair made it difficult to recognize him until I saw his name. He's still so cute! Major fangirl moment! <3 p="">

UPDATE: Thank you, daddy for texting my at 3:45 to tell me that even if the NSA isn't watching me, you always are. Also thanks for finding my typos. I love you! :)