Money

Money. I hate it. I hate having to deal with all of life's crap that involves money. I hate having to struggle with it. I hate not having enough of it. I hate waiting for it.

I'm a big fan of instant gratification. Big surprise there.

However, I like working. A lot. I love feeling that I'm making a contribution, and that I'm part of a team that's working to achieve a common goal. I wish that I actually had the time to do so. I've been struggling a bit with this whole full-time student thing. Between studying and working for the two newspapers, neither of which pay much, I've been struggling.

I don't like worrying about money, but it's hard not to. I've got bills and rent, not to mention old credit cards that I'm working to pay off. I'm still feeling like a big stinking idiot for those. Sometimes, it feels like too much.

All of that being said, I love having a partner in all this. He's hugely supportive, and has offered to help, though there's no way in hell I'm letting him shoulder this craziness. Oh, and now we're splitting rent and household bills. Amen. I like having him with me at the apartment. It's comforting, both emotionally and financially. Especially on stressful mornings like this.

After I publish this, I'm going to have a late breakfast, make some calls, and then go back to bed. It's been a long week for us.

-Erin

Afternoon Naps and Exciting Decisions

Oh my word, we were so tired this afternoon from our hike, that we showered, ate, and then fell right to sleep. I woke up a little bit ago and was so tired that I thought I slept through the whole night and that it was 6 a.m. Apparently, walking four miles in the heat was too much for my lazy ass.

Ironically, I've decided to train for a 5k. Uh huh. Still questioning that decision, but I'm working on getting fit again. My weight is fine, but, obviously after reading my own words, I'm definitely not 'in shape'. So, for those of you who are, or simply want to, work towards this same thing, I've found a few great articles to get you on the move. Literally.

This article features a great training schedule on the second page.

Here's an entire page dedicated to running a 5k. They've got tips for newbies, other training schedules, as well as tips on improving your overall speed.

All nervousness aside, I'm incredibly excited to embark on this challenge, and I'm looking forward to feeling all toned and fit again. I hate seeing my old dancing muscle all... soft. Very, very motivating!

Take a hike (literally)

Boyfriend and I are heading to the Sam Houston National Forest today, and taking a nice hike. It's pretty warm outside, so we're traveling light.

Here's what I plan to pack:

- Water bottle

- Trail mix: granola, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and dark chocolate chips

- Lunch: ham and swiss sandwich with Pringles (Sour Cream and Onion)

- Flashlight

- First Aid Kit

- Knife (Boyfriend has about 30 or so, so I'm borrowing :))

- baby wipes

- extra grocery sack (I leave my recyclable ones at home once a month, and use these all over the apartment... they're so handy) for trash

- umbrella

One problem that we've had at this park is that they've got TONS of bees. We always seem to have some sort of incident with them. Last time, they went straight for our Dr. Pepper. Fortunately, it's too warm for D.P. today.

Do you like to go hiking with your significant others? What other sort of outdoorsy things do you do together? Or, are you an 'inside couple'?

Dinner Under $5

I've been getting craftier in the kitchen, which is hard, considering my vow to not dirty more than five dishes.... It's not going so well. However, I'm working towards a more exciting goal: creating meals for 2 people (who both like to eat, a lot) for less than $5.

However, tonight was a major success:

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken:

- Chicken (2 large breasts at $2.20)

- Tony's Cajun Seasoning ($.10)

- 4 pieces of bacon, smoked, thick-cut ($.40; we got the entire 1 lb. package for $2.00)

- Preheat oven to 350F

- Trim the chicken breasts, and coat generously with Tony's, rubbing it in.

- Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each breast, and then place in oven safe baking pan.

- Bake for 30 minutes.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese:

- 1/2 package of large, elbow macaroni ($.48)

- 5 oz. Velveeta ($1.05)

- 3 tbsp. butter ($.02)

- 1/2 small can of evaporated milk ($.50)

- Boil large pot of water, salting generously. Cook macaroni al dente. Drain completely. Rinse with cold water. Return to pot.

- While waiting, cut up the Velveeta into small cubes.

- Combine remaining ingredients in pot, with heat on medium, roughly, making sure all cheese has melted.

- Let sit a few moments to thicken.

- Salt and pepper if desired.

Total cost: $4.75

I'm still happily stuffed as I type this out. Delicious.

*Warning: This is not a diet-friendly recipe in the slightest, unless that diet includes cheese and butter :))

Heavy Lifting

We moved Boyfriend's couch into the apartment! Unfortunately, we now have two mismatched couches...

I'm lazy, and probably won't get around to taking a picture of our place until I've finished decorating, so here's so imagery: 1) the first couch is long, with green plaid and exposed wood around the edges, which matches the rest of our furniture (the wood, not the green plaid) 2) the second (new) couch is short (love-seat) with a black cover on it. Have I mentioned that we secured both of these for free? Try beating that price tag.

It's a shame, really, since I like the exposed wood around the green couch, but we'll probably just get a black cover for that one to match the other couch. It would be the easiest (and cheapest) way to make the whole thing work. Buh-bye, exposed wood.

After we do that, then we'll finally buy curtains for the living room. AMEN.

Breakfast and Dishes

This morning, I'm enjoying a nice bowl of granola, topped with blueberries, strawberries and honey, while I wait for Boyfriend to wake up. He could sleep all day if I let him. Actually, I let him do exactly that yesterday. We function on nearly opposite schedules. I go to sleep early-ish, and wake up early-ish. He goes to sleep very, very late, and wakes up very, very late. Do you and your partner work like that? Or, are your sleep schedules totally in synch?

Today, we're moving the last of his furniture over, which consists of a couch and other random items. Oh, did I mention his mother and younger brother are driving up to help? That late tidbit of information arrived at approximately 10:07 p.m. last night, and we cleaned and cleaned until about midnight, when I crashed. I woke up at 8 a.m. this morning and did the dishes, which I never seem to be able to do on the day they're dirtied, unless my kitchen is looking just completely psychotic. Help me, Rhonda. Help, help me, Rhonda.

*For the record, we're not slobs, I just can't stand people coming over and the apartment not having undergone a ridiculously deep clean. Especially his mother. Just. Can't. Do. It.

Sorry...

... that I'm such an absentee blogger. What can I say? Sometimes life takes control, and you lose it. I'm happy to say that I powered through this semester with a 3.53 overall :)))

Here are some goodies that happened since I last posted:

- I tried Thai food for the first time, and I've decided to marry the yellow curry soup that I had... divine.

- I'm currently working for 2 newspapers.

- I need money more than ever.

- I leave for D.C. in 13 days!!!!

More tomorrow, seeing has how I'm actually experiencing a summer for the first time. Whew!

Life Without Cable

There are advantages and disadvantages to not having cable. Here are a few:

Advantages: I actually get work done, and I watch less TV. I've been a TV addict for too long, and I'm glad I've drastically curved that habit. I think it really does rot the brain if you watch it too long. Plus, I read a lot more, which I couldn't be more thrilled about. Cable TV has always gotten in the way. I've already made my way through several book series', and am about to start another one.

Disadvantages: What I actually do want to watch, I have to wait until it posts on the show's page, YouTube, Hulu, etc. I miss watching General Hospital with my mom, too. I know what you're thinking.... A soap opera, Erin. Really? Um, yes. This one has my cute mobsters (Jason, Johnny) and cute cops (Dante, Lucky)... fans self with hand.

Boyfriend and I have discussed actually getting a cable package set up once his move is official, but we're both so broke right now that it makes sense to continue going without. I'm getting to the point where I don't really miss it that much. It also helps that I've got a membership with Netflix, so we're currently flying through Season 1 of Fringe. Lurve it.

Best of Boyfriend

There are a lot of things about my relationship with Boyfriend that make me happy. Here are a few:

1) Food: He loves to cook, and I love that he loves to cook. He's especially brilliant when it comes to meat. His grandmother gave him this collapsible propane grill, which kicks charcoal butt when it comes to time and efficiency, which we use at least once a week. For instance, tonight we're having homemade burgers. His are to die for. We've worked out a system where we one of us cooks one night, and the other cooks the next. Same rule applies to the dishes :)

2) Naps: I've noticed that it's very easy in college to get so completely caught up in everything that you're doing until you've suddenly reached the point that you're running on complete and total empty. I'm currently juggling three upper level English courses, a foreign language course, the impossibility of finding a job (I'll get to that later), and a brand spanking new position at the college's newspaper (I'll also get to this later). Had it not been for Boyfriend, I would have kept going and going until my body decided that I would be forced to take a break, which has happened before. Thus, the bi-, sometimes tri-, weekly nap session. For instance, I just woke up from one. We aren't heading home to the Families this weekend, so we took advantage and just kind of collapsed onto the bed. :)

3) Drugs: He's not into any of that crap. Cigarettes, alcohol, whatever... none of it, and I love him for it. Granted, we have a celebratory drink with friends on occasion, and we're making margaritas tonight, but neither of us ever drink with the sole intention of getting trashed. I think that makes all the difference. We've got friends that are borderline alcoholics, and in a town this tiny I almost can't blame them.

4) Music: Long before Boyfriend and I got together, we were just friends. Even then, however, I was calling him my music soul-mate. We've got the same taste in music, and some of our best nights have been spent or have started out with just jamming out to some great album.

5) Movies: He helped me buy the whole Harry Potter series to date, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and we're now looking at investing in either the Mel Brooks Collection or the Star Wars series. Oh, and watched Julie and Julia with me the other night. Bless him. As if I needed to say more. Right now, we're on Season One of Fringe, and we're totally hooked.

6) Books: No, he's not a reader, but he lets me be one. I'm currently in a contest with myself to see how many books I can knock out before the end of the year.

7) We take care of each other, and still let each other grow both together and outside the relationship.

8) We take each other into consideration. I'm entering my last section of my English major requirements, and then I'm jumping into my Methods and Student Teaching blocks for my Secondary Education minor. He's going to graduate in three semesters with a degree in Criminal Justice, while I've still got 5, including the blocks for my minor. We had a long discussion last night about what that means for us. We've made it clear that each of us is in it for the long haul, so we came up with our first semi-concrete plan. I say semi-concrete, because nothing in life is definite in terms of employment, especially right now. I think that we're both going to get jobs in this town, or one or two over, which will allow us to continue to support each other until both of our financial and educational requirements are fulfilled. I think that's a huge step for us.

9) We love and trust each other unconditionally. We've had ups and downs just like every other couple, but we still put our love and respect for each other first. I think that this is the first relationship that I've ever been so sure of. It's scary and wonderful all at once.

As I type this, I'm kind of relieved that a) he's still asleep and b) he doesn't know I started this blog. His neck and ears would be so flushed. He doesn't like to have the focus on him hardly at all, but I couldn't help sharing a few details about why he makes me so happy. Sometimes, I don't think that we, human beings in general, focus on enough of the good things in life, so I've been trying to do so more often. Just part of the Project.

Domesticated

The Boyfriend and I are living together, sort of. We're at the in-between stage, where half of his stuff is at my place and half is still at his. He's trying to find someone to take over his half of the lease, which is tough considering that his roommate is a pig. We think we've found someone, who is about to move from his place because his lease is up at the end of this month. If he does decide to move to Boyfriend's place, then Boyfriend and I will be home free. We're so excited.

On the news front, we just got fish! Not nearly as exciting as a dog or a cat, but we're still learning to shelter our responsibilities of simply being adults. We'll get the dog (he's allergic to cats) when we're ready. I think we made a good move with the fish. Besides, they're too cute. We got two GloFish from Walmart, one pink and one lime green. Mine (the pink one) is named Stella, and the Boyfriend named his Tito. He originally said the name as a joke, but it kind of stuck because Tito is so much smaller than Stella. They're really frisky, and Tito keeps chasing Stella around their fishbowl. We're now semi-parents :)

From the beginning...

I suppose that's the best place to start, after all. For now, the basics:

I'm a 21 year old college student living and learning in southeast Texas. I moved from a huge city to a tiny town (where apparently the only thing to do is either light up or get drunk), for the sake of bettering my mind and sense of self. I love my classes, save one. The one has another two semesters required of it in the same line, just because I'm a liberal arts major, English in case you're wondering. Why, may I ask, does an English major need 4 semesters of French? No logical reason. I'd rather take another two semesters of Calculus. Oh, yes, I went there.

Likes: movies, music, vintage posters (movies and album covers, mostly), green stuff, books, and food

Dislikes: broccoli, brussels sprouts, poor grammar, blatant ignorance, and dirty dishes

To be honest, I'm not too sure why I started this thing. I think I'm looking for a little life in the world outside of my own, or something like that.