Summer....so close I can almost smell it!

The thing I love about the end of the semester is that its a chance for new beginnings. I always make a list of goals that never get accomplished, but hey it feels good while putting it together. This time I decided that this summer I'm going to pick one BIG goal and work my butt off to get it done. That way I don't have a billion little goals that I can't keep track of. Unfortunately I have a few options that I've been thinking about of late. So I'm going to list them off, and its up to you, dear readers (aka all 6 of my followers), to vote on which one you like best.

Option 1: Teach myself basic Spanish.
Ok ok, this one may be born out of a burning desire to know what the workers at the HC are talking about when they start going off about something in Spanish while I'm standing right there waiting for my cheeseburger. (Are they discussing the weather, or are they plotting global domination by giving everyone fatal heart disease with their greasy food?) I mean, obviously I'm not going to become fluent in the four months of summer, but I feel pretty confident that with determination and some interactive software I could at least be able to understand some basic sentences like, "Look at all these people eating our greasy food, bwa ha ha ha!" which would at best give me some time to prepare for the takeover. No in all seriousness, Spanish is rapidly becoming the second language of America and I shouldn't miss that particular boat. Plus, I'm probably headed to Costa Rica next summer, and I don't want to be the poor white girl lost in an airport of people jabbering in a foreign language.
Pros: potential new life skill, new eavesdropping ability
Cons: expensive software requirement

Option 2: FINALLY write that novel.
This is ALWAYS a summer goal of mine. There's this great story rattling around my brain that I would love to get out on paper, but so far I haven't gotten past the pre-write. Which is sort of like starting to put on your pants, but then quitting half-way: embarrassing, and potentially harmful....no big deal. Plus writing a novel is just one of those things that has been on my bucket list practically since the age of 5. Finally accomplishing it would be the greatest feeling ever.
Pros: bucket list cross-off, huge self-esteem boost
Cons: what to do after?

Option 3: Become a health freak.
Now that you've stopped laughing, please continue reading----> I'm getting tired of almost passing out every time I play football/soccer/racquetball/anything active. Plus there are just so many benefits to eating right and exercising regularly. Granted, this is one of those things that could go waaaaaaay too far (no I'm not going to give up on doughnuts entirely or wear a sweat band everywhere I go or ever ever EVER wear spandex pants to go running in) but if there is one thing that seems to be the trick to living a long, healthy life its (big shocker here) being healthy.
Pros: smaller dress size, energy boost
Cons: healthy food is generally disgusting


Option 4: Learn to cook.
Lets face it, my version of a fancy meal is mac and cheese on decorative plates. Probably the most complicated thing I've ever made was hamburger helper, no lie. Basically once I move off campus and don't have some form of meal plan, I'm going to explode from the sheer amount of my pasta intake. So this summer would be my crash course in cooking. I'd buy a cookbook and pretty much start from the beginning working my way through, hopefully by the end actually creating something vaguely edible. (Edible, out of necessity, being a very VERY broad term for not toxic.)
Pros: not starving to death
Cons: seems a lot like conforming...

Option 5: Plant a garden.
So I got this email from the Residence Halls about how they have this community garden in which you can rent out plots for 25$. They provide water and equipment, so it seems like a decent deal. There is NOTHING like fresh veggies from the garden. The only potential problem is that I tend to get very competitive, and with my luck I'd be right next to the gardening champion of the Intermountain West. Since I have no actual gardening experience, I'd probably become known as that crazy girl in the north-west corner covered in dirt, yelling at her plants to grow faster, and setting gophers loose in the plot next door. Hey, if you can't win fairly, sabotage becomes a good option right?
Pros: delicious veggies, possibility of getting a tan
Cons: rather daunting

So that's it. Please tell me which one is your favorite....you know you want to!

My not-so new years resolutions.

Every year its always the same. On January 1st I feel all motivated to change my life for the better so I bang out a bunch of New Years resolutions. Then three weeks later I look back and realize that I didn't actually keep any of them. Oops... So my solution this year is to only make New Years resolutions that I can keep. Here is a sampling:

• I resolve to not light myself on fire.
• I resolve to turn 20 on April 7.
• I resolve to watch too much TV.
• I resolve to make fun of stupid people.
• I resolve to say I'm going to start going to the gym, but never actually do it.
• I resolve to quit drinking. (Hello. My name is Marie and I am 19 years sober.)
• I resolve to procrastinate my homework until the bitter end.
• I resolve to pretend to lose five pounds, while in reality staying at exactly the same weight.
• I resolve to slip and fall in the snow at least once.
• I resolve to not dye my hair purpleish green.
• I resolve to put on deodorant at least once every day.
• I resolve to always wear clothes in public.
• I resolve to say something really stupid at least once a month, if not more.
• I resolve to never watch whatever Twilight movie is due to come out next.
• I resolve to not put pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and sauce on my hamburgers.
• I resolve to reread the entire Harry Potter series over the summer.
• I resolve to feel self-conscious in a swimming suite.
• I resolve to speak with an American accent.

And the list goes on...So here's to New Years resolutions and the ability they have to change people's lives!

Have a nice year! 

Goal Setting is for Wierdos.

It seems like college is a time for goal setting. EVERYONE has some sort of goal, usually reflected by whatever major they choose. (with some exceptions...Gender Studies major??? Whaaaa?) I have a lot of random goals. Some big. Some pretty basic. Like right now. Basic goal? Make it through till next weekend without some sort of major breakdown. Long term goal? Become as cool as this woman--

Mmmm...favorite.

Have a nice day.