This....is....SPARTA!

Gerard Butler says it all. Tonight is my last hectic night of getting things done in preparation for Spring Break. So I am getting ready to put on my battle armor and charge head first into this war of paper-writing.

After 11:00pm this evening, once my paper is signed sealed delivered all will be well in the world. I am incredibly excited to get an entire week off to just relax and de-stress and re-cooperate after such a stressful series of weeks. Things have definitely improved and have taken a turn for the best. This past weekend was one of the very best, I met some amazing dancers, got to learn some really cool moves, and had some of the best dances I have EVER had. Our swing team got to compete, we placed, and we may not have won but we definitely achieved so much and proved that we could do something amazing. Ever team there did a stellar job. Hurrah everyone!

Class will be starting soon, I fear I must bring this note to a closure. More stories will come! I have quite a few!

Until later,

~Piper

Can Has Dry Feet?

Dear readers,

At long last, things are starting to piece together and get better. Mother Nature is playing games where the weather is outstanding and beautiful beyond compare for a couple of days, and then freezing cold and rainy the next. Such a tease. An awful tease.
On another plus side, I am not becoming a hermit. I have been staying social with my peeps, but at the same time I have been staying busy and keeping my mind off things. Talking to friends helps a lot, whether it be face to face or on facebook (due to the fact a lot of my closest friends live insanely far away).

This is going to be an incredibly long week, due to the fact I have to get a lot done in preparation for next week since I will not be here all weekend. “Where are you going?” You ask. Well, this weekend it is FINALLY our swing competition! I am incredibly excited to go and dance for three days straight (literally). Us swing dancers stay up until ridiculous hours of the morning, always sometime between 4 and 5am. All I can say is thank goodness for the invention of chairs! You may be a tad skeptical, “how can someone dance from 1 in the afternoon to 5 in the morning?” Well, most of the afternoon is composed of lessons, so no hard-core stuff yet. Then around dinner time after you have learned the basics and some cool moves, people are ready to put on their best clothes and look snazzy and show off their fancy footwork. The funny thing is, you lose track of time so easily. With all the music, people asking you to dance, as well as chatting with people, hours can easily fly by. When you finally start to get sleepy, it is 5 in the morning, and boy does it feel like it.

That was my fantabulous swing dancing rant. I have grown a very strong fondness and appreciation for it since I have never danced in my life and was actually terrified to try it out. Two semesters later and look at me now! Performing with an amazing group in a competition this weekend! Miracles can happen my friends; never let anyone tell you otherwise. ;) So be daring and get out of your comfort zone!

I sincerely hope that the weather improves. People all around me are starting to get sick, which results in me getting incredibly paranoid. I’ve been staying on top of taking my vitamins and drinking Naked Juice, so cross your fingers and hope that I don’t get sick for my competition!

It also doesn’t help that today is a rainy day. I didn’t check the weather this morning, so I walked out of my dorm totally unprepared. No umbrella, no boots/rain shoes, not even a proper coat. And of course it starts pouring once I am half-way to class and don’t have enough time to turn back and get it. With hair and feet completely wet and dripping, I sincerely wish that you, my kind and gentle readers, will stay warm and dry.

P.S. I am permanently keeping an umbrella in my backpack from now on.

Keep smiling! The sun may not be in the sky, but it is always shining in your heart. You could also be like this cat and raise a few smiles. :)

Hearts and Lace and Glitter

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

T’is the day of lovers, flowers, chocolates, cards and teddy bears. If anything it is the epitome of a Hallmark holiday that is both cheesy and wonderful. If you are like me and are single this year, spending it doing productive things and surrounding yourself with friends is the best thing. Eat lots of ice cream, chocolate, and watch Pride and Prejudice (trust me, it helps). So yeah….I’m pretty sure you can tell that I had a crummy Valentine’s Day and life is less than stellar at the present (because that would be a vast understatement), but I am putting on a good façade for everyone who doesn’t suspect a thing.

Aside from all of that jazz I have some exciting news! Le gasp! Something happy at last!

Number one, our swing dance team is going to the local competition at the end of this month! We have been working LONG and HARD on our routine and we’re going to be buckling down and perfecting things for the next two weeks. We are all very excited and are intent on doing our best and having as much fun as possible. Our school just hosted a swing dance recently and we invited a lot of our of town schools to join, particularly their swing dancers, and they were FANTASTIC. I had some of the best dances of my life that night with fantastic leads. I also got to see a very good friend of mine, who never failed to lift my spirits that night and keep me smiling despite my inner turmoil at the time.

Number two, after our swing dancing competition it is practically spring break! My big sister is coming home for this holiday and I cannot wait to see her. It’s one of those moments in life where you want your big sister near you. Knowing us, we will cause oodles and oodles of trouble, as well as eat bad food, watch fantastic movies, and go shopping. Much girl time is needed, I assure you.

Number three, puppies. Yes that’s right. Puppies. Little wiggly balls of fluff have been born from a breeder we got our last dog from, and they are heart—melting and precious and adorable. They are Australian shepherds, which are a fantastic breed. I am very much looking forward to meeting these puppies and having them all cuddling in my lap vying for attention. There is nothing quite like having a lap full of puppies, let me tell you. It’s therapeutic.

I hope that you all are staying sane and happy during this cold and dreary month. February is not always the most wonderful time of the year, but soon we will be visited by warmer weather and all will be right with the world (maybe). Turn on your sun lamps and be sure to laugh and smile each day. Find the beauty in little things, even if it’s a flower poking its shy little head out of the snow. I’m hoping to bake brownies/cinnamon rolls soon. They have them at the market near our dorm and a couple of our friends down the hall have baking utensils, so…I’ll keep you posted on the baking.

Stay strong ladies and gentlemen, summer is just around the corner. :) If possible, do some swing dancing, it does wonders for the soul!



~Piper

"Bruce....why do we fall?"

To suffer the slings and arrows and outrageous fortune....

That basically sums up this last week. It is also safe to say that I have experienced some of the best and WORST times of my life this year. (Pets, relationship, etc.) I am sure those of you who have suffered a broken heart know what I am going through. But I am taking each day with a step forward. It's a shaking, hesitant, frightened step forward, but nevertheless...it is still a step in the right direction. I'm making myself out to be braver than I actually am, but at least I can create a good facade with my words. If anything, they are my comfort right now. Nothing but more than mere words can fully express my inner turmoil and suffering, they are my outlet, my friends, my constant companions.

Last night my roommate took me to see a concert to get my mind off things for a while, and I have to say that it was the perfect thing to do. The group is called "Naturally 7" and it is an a-capella group composed of 7 black men who have by far the most amazing voices I have EVER hear. They do not need instruments to play on stage, instead they have their voices and there raw talent, and the seats shook from their awesomeness. Needless to say...I am finding their CD.

Castle is becoming more and more territorial, which I personally find hilarious. Any time I put my finger up against his tank he charges at me with gills fully puffed up! Then if I wiggle my finger he darts away and hides behind his pineapple, only to swim around as though he is ignoring me, and then charges again! What a meanie face.... Clearly he does not understand who feeds him every day.

Another fine update is that school here has been canceled two days in a row! Tuesday classes were canceled after 2:00, and then Wednesday the campus was closed and all classes were canceled. Can you say "thank you snow/ice"? Although Mother Nature is being cruel, she is also very very kind to us college students who are looking for a break. Trust me, I needed one.

Tonight will be swing practice and the long awaited "taping of the routine"! We will most likely work our butts off for a couple hours and then tape the final outcome once everyone has everything down. I cannot wait for this night to be over, I am already exhausted. Very little sleep will unfortunately do that to you.

So, for the mean time that is all I have to report, unfortunately, I wish I had more interesting things to say but my creative process is severely lacking for the time being. But rest assured I am alive and well. "Well" being a very questionable term. Interpret it as you wish.

I love you all, my dear and gentle readers. I hope you are staying happy and letting your loved ones know just how much you mean to them.

~Piper

To Be Or Not To Be....?

My breakfast/lunches are really super quick on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Om nom nom nom nom nom!

So, it turns out that there IS a masquerade ball this weekend! And guess who's going? Moi! It shall be hosted at OSU (Ohio State University) which turns out to be approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes away from our campus, which isn't that bad of a drive at all. Quite a few people from our Swing Group will be going and I have taken it upon myself to collect all of their numbers just in case! I will also be following one member in particular around like a puppy so that I don't lose sight of my peeps. It's an ALL DAY event that seeps into the night (which is when the masquerade portion takes place. We will be arriving there in the afternoon to attend a few of the Blues dancing workshops. EXCITEMENT!

I am wrestling around with two rather creative ideas.... My first idea is that I could dress up as a "moonlit night", with a dark blue dress and something shiny and pretty around the eyes.




The second idea is Black Swan. Yes, Natalie Portman Black Swan, with the fabulous wing eye-makeup that looks stunning and mysterious and just gosh-darn-cool! The look would be paired with a simple black dress rather than a tutu and ballet slippers....that would just be terribly awkward to lindy hop in.




So I am debating whether or not I want to be one or the other. We shall see!

Aside from that, this weekend is looking rather dull. Not many people will be around since they will be going home and the boyfriend will be busy (not surprising). So I am REALLY looking forward to Saturday and all that it entails! I have found a passion for dancing and I want to get better at my technique. I will also take plenty of pictures and perhaps post a few here for my lovely readers to see. ;) Which reminds me I should probably charge my battery before I leave...it's rather close to dying, the poor thing.

Hope you all are having a fabulous Friday! TGIF! Have a marvelous weekend and I will keep you posted on the upcoming events!

~Love Always,
Piper

Happy Fun Times :)

Well well well, look who we have here.

This week is definitely a interesting one. People seem to have A LOT to do and....I kind of sort of have very little to do, and there's no way I can get ahead on anything because the teachers haven't assigned anything and the snow days seem to have thrown us all for a loop. So yay free week? (knock on wood)

I managed to dump Rick Castle into his ever-so-beloved PetSmart cup, to which he clearly despises with a great passion. But he'll just have to suck it up because his tank was filthy! Even with the filter he finds a way to hide things under the pebbles in his tank. So I cleaned it thoroughly, I treated the water, and now we play the waiting game. Poor fishie, he does not like small confined spaces. Then again, I wouldn't either. So all I can do is have him stare at me pitifully for the rest of the day. He can have his precious bowl back in the morning.

Wow, swing practice is starting to get hectic! Jen and Steffanie (our coaches) are still figuring out choreography for our dances and then having us meet to practice said choreography. It's time consuming, but the people are fun and swing is a GREAT workout! Plus it's fun to do something creative with your feet, as odd as that sounds. But now I can gladly say that I have some fancy footwork! Hopefully we shall be performing in the competition, if not, we shall still be performing in front of A LOT of people at Valentunes, which is basically a huge event at our school and represents our club. So it's kind of important. So keep your fingers crosses for good counting and keeping in step!

....Okay, I digress....Castle was going crazy just now in his cup. Like literally bat-scat eating crazy. So I moved him and the cup up to his fish tank. And he is now staring at that pitifully. Sheesh. Such drama. At least he's calmed down and is actually behaving like himself now. It must be the Spongebob pineapple. It's his favorite thing in the whole world, and seeing it must give him a sense of relief and that it didn't just disappear.

Back to the blog!

Story time?

Well tonight shall be a pretty lonely night, seeing as how people have things to do. So I shall curl up with a good movie, maybe jot down some poetry (it's weird, I've been on a poetry craze lately) and get some much-needed new music on my iPOD. Also, keep an eye on the fishy rascal.

So much is my life as of now.... oh, there might potentially be a swing masquerade dance this weekend. I'm not quite sure where it is, but it sounds amazing and I'm trying to figure out if anyone else from our group is going, so we'll see how that goes!

I hope you are all doing well and are keeping your smiles through the snow and the slush. Chin up! :)

~Piper

A Lament, To The Best Cat EVER

Dearest Readers,

This past week is no longer “easy syllabus week”, it is “we’re going to buckle down at GO!” week. So it has been just a tad busy. We’re already falling behind due to class cancellations due to snow, but hey, I’m not complaining. :) College is nothing like High School, when it snows you have class. Period. There is no 2-hour delay or cancelation. Unfortunately some of our professors live father away from the college than they should like, and therefore have to drive quite a way to get here. Thus not wanting to compromise their safety in the snowy and icy weather, they cancel class. Which means more sleep!

On Fridays I only have one class, and then it is off to work for 5 hours! I actually like being back here quite a lot, I have missed the ladies dearly and they were all aglow when they saw that their little Intern had returned. It’s also great to be writing again. Don’t get me wrong, I have been writing in my stories here and there, but I really enjoy the writing of articles for a magazine. It’s a fun process and I am excited to see my name published in the articles! Before you know it, it will be seeing my name on the cover of a book! (I hope)

The boyfriend has been studying diligently for his upcoming Actuary exam and I am extremely excited and curious to see how it goes! I am proud of him and all the hard work that has gone into preparing for it.

Also, my betta fish (Rick Castle) has been nothing short of adorable. He has been building bubble nets strictly in that corner of the tank and is enjoying the pineapple to no end. He never seems to get bored and is always happy to see me, because that means it’s feeding time!

On the downside, my kitty, Smokey, passed away at the age of 18 yesterday afternoon. He has been a wonderful companion throughout the years and had a marvelous personality to which I will miss incredibly. I will never forget those early morning “head buttings” in order to coax me awake and how he would purr so contently when he found me buried underneath the covers. Or how I would play “cat fishing” with him, which would result in me and a fishing pole and a hair-tie at the end of the line chasing him around the house. Whenever my sister and I were sick, he would lay there right next to us and NOT MOVE until our fever had gone down. To mom, he was our trusty thermometer. I will miss so many things, especially taking cat naps with him while laying in the sunlight that shined on our living-room floor.

It will feel awkward going home to a house that is completely pet-less. That’s not the way it should be, since we are pet lovers. Even just walking into a room preparing to saying something witty like, “hey handsome” and finding no Smokey to lift his head and stare at me blankly will be tear-jerking. He will always be my boy cat, my M’oakers, my M’oak ah monk ah Moo, my Smokey boy. You are sorely and deeply missed my friend. I love you. If anything I wish I could have told you that one last time….But I am sure you already knew.

Today is a day of remembrance and love, think of memories you enjoy and cherish; for they are the best reminders that you are loved and how much your love means to others. You only live once, and as cliché as it sounds, live it as much as you possibly can.

Stay strong, stay healthy, and simply live.

~Piper

Betta Blows Bubbles

Have you ever seen anything like this in your entire life?! This is a tiny film of my betta fish named Rick Castle, and he is in the process of blowing a bubble net! EXCITEMENT!



For those of you who don't know, betta fish breathe from the surface of the water because they require more oxygen that other fish, they also blow bubbles to create a "bubble net" which is their way of saying "I am very comfortable with my surrounding" and or it is also a way of saying "I need to find a mate". So Castle is impressing his lovely lady with his bubble blowing techniques. ;) I am so proud! He is such a pleasant and cheerful fish! I couldn't have asked for a better pet...except perhaps an australian shepherd puppy, but that would never be allowed in a dorm.

Either way, here is a sneak peek into the little guilty pleasure I have perched on my desk. He never fails to make me smile when I walk back into the room. :)

Hope you are enjoying your Friday!

Will update again soon!

A Thousand Goodbyes and a Couple Hundred Hellos

Allow me to start off this post by telling you how strange it was to be sleeping in my dorm bed again last night. After being in my own bed, at home, on ground level--and then switching into my dorm bed aka. the top bunk, was just plain weird. However, after curling up under my lovely micro-fleece blanket I had no problem falling asleep.

I has almost forgotten how noisy dorms are. Almost. I hadn't quite forgotten. Thus I was re-acquainted with this notion last night whilst my roomie and I were settling down for the evening and getting ready to hit the sheets. I'll admit I missed dorm life, the freedom, the independence, also the friends and loved one. But it's still nothing quite like home, because home is definitely where the heart is...and last night my heart was truly aching for home.

Now that I am getting adjusted to the dorms again, today was the start of a new semester. All new classes with different professors in different locations on campus. It's interesting to see everyone come back to campus with different haircuts, different clothes, etc. You can definitely tell whose parents invested in a new wardrobe for their daughters on Christmas day, because these college gals aren't wasting their time at all, they are flaunting their NEW things like nobody's business. It's almost as if the campus side-walks have become a runway. Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum would probably not approve. Neither would Stacy and Clinton. They would frown at all the plaid that is going around, and let me tell you, plaid should not be a fashion fad. EVER.

Back to the topic of classes, they go very well. I had Women's Studies and Psychology this morning, and both seem like they are going to be fun and knowledgeable! I later have my Non-Dramatic Literature class and THAT is going to be awesome because I have had this professor before and I love their style of teaching!

I must admit, I'm a little scared/nervous for this semester. I will be going outside of my comfort zone quite a bit--what with the swing dancing competition and whatnot. Also just developing into my own person and becoming a strong and independent woman. I know I already am one, but I really need to focus on my own life and do my own things for a time...just to do some self-discovering and learn a little more about who I want to become and who I currently am becoming. T'is one of my New Years Resolutions, to figure out what the heck I want to do with my life and what I need to do to get there! (strikes dramatic pose)

So let us hope that the spiritual and individual journey I am about to embark on goes smoothly and does not involve any glitches. I just want this to be a clean and calm semester that is also full of fun and love and happiness. As would any person in the their right mind.

I hope the rest of you are finding your muses and are exploring your boundaries, getting out of your box and experiencing as many new things as possible. It takes a lot of courage and will and motivation, but it is all totally worth it in the end. So what are you waiting for?

"Adventure is out there!"



~Piper

A Toast To A New Year

Hello my fellow blog-readers!

T'is a new year, full of new opportunities, a fresh start, a second chance. :)

So far this year seems exactly the same as the last, but I am hoping that once I return to campus all of that will swiftly change. New classes will begin right away and we will all be re-cooperated from a long and glorious break.

My Christmas was absolutely fantastic! I got to spend the first of three weeks of vacation with my boyfriend and his family as they celebrated their Christmas festivities early. Then we drove back to my home on Christmas day and got a chance to unwrap gifts with my family too. I hope there are many more wonderful Christmases like this still to come!

As for adventures since then, it's been pretty relaxing. My family and I have recently gotten terribly addicted to the t.v. series called "Castle". We watch approximately 3 episodes every evening and we CANNOT get enough. The characters in that show are unique and have faceted personalities that make them both believable and lovable. I find it hard to connect with characters sometimes nowadays because they are too cheesy, however, the relationship between Castle and Detective Beckett is classic. I am always eager to see what they will do next! (So if you haven't checked out this t.v. series, I would highly suggest you do because it is awesome)

Another new exciting piece of information..........

Drum roll please........

I have a fish!

Yeah I know....to some it may not be earth-shatteringly exciting, but I am ecstatic! I wanted one for my dorm room just because they are simple pets and are fun little creatures. I got a male betta fish, and he is REALLY pretty. He's a shimmery turquoise blue with bits of red on his fins and his face. Just a lovely little guy and I think he will be a wonderful addition to our room.

So far we are waiting (impatiently) for the water we put in his new tank to reach room temperature. It will be an over-night thing since betta fish need warm water to live in, so tomorrow he will be in his new tank and have plenty of room to swim in!
Soon, he will also have a Spongebob Squarepants pineapple to hide in as well.

What is his name you ask?

We were debating between Fitzwilliam Darcy, as well as Rick Castle. After a pretty convincing argument, he is now dubbed Rick Castle. (Due to our new obsession to the t.v. show no doubt)

But he is just peachy, and eager to get out of that little cup the petstores keep them in! The water he came in is blue....it almost looks like he's swimming in Windex. Seems fishy to me.... I know, bad pun.

Just for a visual, he would look very similar to this little guy I found on the interwebs:



Anyway that is all the excitement going on around here. I am going to try and attack a story of mine tonight to try and get through this blasted Writer's Block that seems to have me in a rut. The creative juices are being denied to the word-smith. Cannot has inspiration.

So cross your fingers and send me good thoughts so that I may progress in my novel!

I hope you all are having a very VERY good new year and that there are wonderful things still to come. Love with all your heart and laugh as often as you can.

Stay happy and healthy!

~Piper