After working as a hostess in a restaurant for the past 5 months, I've learned a thing or two. One of those things is that people are really, and I mean really, annoying. From ignoring you to switching tables without permission, people in restaurants can be some of the most needy, and perhaps most naive people I have ever encountered. So, a couple coworkers and I compiled a list of things hostesses wish you knew so you can have a positive dining experience...and so we don't hate you.
1. Don't ignore us.
Our primary job is to greet customers when they enter the restaurant and to bid them farewell as they leave. We want you to feel welcome and comfortable when you eat here, and we also want to express our gratitude to you for dining with us. This means we have to be on our A-game. Smiley, cheerful expressions, a friendly demeanor...we are the first people you see when you enter and the last you see when you leave. We are your first and last impression of the restaurant. So please, please don't ignore us when we say hello to you as you walk in. Please don't walk right past us and pretend we aren't even there. It's totally cool if you're meeting a group and you already know where you're sitting; a simple 'hello' will suffice! The same thing goes for when you leave--'good bye' is only two syllables.
2. Don't try to seat yourself.
In almost every restaurant, you will find a sign that says, and I quote: "Please Wait to be Seated." Unless you celebrate opposite day, we would really appreciate it if you would comply with this small request. And even if you do celebrate opposite day, comply with this request. The reason? We have a method to our madness of where we seat people. We want you to be comfortable, we want all of the servers' sections to be as even as possible, and sometimes we have tables reserved for people. It throws off the flow when you come in and plop down wherever your little heart desires.
3. Know the number of people in your party and if they are already there or not.
Going out to eat isn't fun unless you're with other people, right? We know the dining experience is more fun when you're with a group of friends or family members. But please, help a sista out and know the number of people you plan on having. When you don't, we have no idea where to seat you! Do you need a bigger table for 10? Or a smaller table for 4? We can't read your mind. Also, our ability to communicate quickly these days is pretty dope. Between calls and texts and emails, there are so many ways to let your group know if you are already at the restaurant! Please communicate so we don't seat half your group across the restaurant because you didn't talk to each other.
4. Please don't be offended when we ask you if you are 21.
Look, we aren't those people at carnivals who are able to predict your age with uncanny ability, but we do need to know whether or not you're of legal age so we know where we can and cannot seat you. Honestly, you should feel flattered if we ask.
5. Hostesses are not your servers.
Our job is to seat you. Please don't give us your drink order.
6. Please don't stop and talk to your friends on the way to the table.
You see your friends eating while en route to your own table? Awesome! But do us a solid and wait until you get to your own table before going to chat with them. There are three reasons for this: 1. Sometimes we turn around and you're no longer following us and then we have to come hunt you down, which is pretty awk. 2. When we do find you, we have to awkwardly third wheel the conversation. 3. We really need to get back to the front door in case some other customers come in, and we absolutely cannot have a situation like #2 happen...
7. And finally, please don't switch tables without telling us or switch the chairs up between tables or move another table over to yours or ask if so-and-so is here already or...
I could go on. But I think you get the point. It all comes down to respect. And my point here? #RespectHostesses2015.
Purdue
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Twenty Nifty(n)
Lol, get it? Like, 2015, but 20 with a nifty after it, and then an 'n' for good measure? Well, I thought it was funny. Maybe I'm biased.
Why the title of the post? Well, because 2015 has been kick a** so far! But perhaps we should play a quick game of catch up first.
So, since the last time we chatted, here's what happened to finish up 2014:
1. Sarah Kay, a spoken word poet I really admire, came to campus to perform! It was absolutely incredible, and I got to get a picture with her too. SHE IS FABULOUS, GUYS. I highly suggest watching her videos on Facebook. Preferably right now.
2. If you followed my Snap Story at all, you knew how much my lab partner, Katie, and I HATED our Earth Science class. So, to celebrate the end of the semester, we compiled all these snaps into a video, which you can view below.
3. During finals week, Syd, Annie, and I decided to YOLO and drove to Indy for the day to go to the Scholastic book fair at the warehouse down there to buy books for our future classroom libraries. If that doesn't scream "dedicated teacher," I don't know what does. (Okay, a lot of things scream that. But still.) It was a freakin' good time, and we made sure to make a pit stop at Taco Bell where we ordered about 5x more food than you would think is humanly possible for women of our size.
4. Gas was under $2.00. And if you didn't celebrate that momentous occasion, then you aren't American. Well, unless you were born in the United States. Or you applied for citizenship after coming here. Then you are in fact American.
5. I finished the semester with all 'A's! Even blasted EAPS and Ag Econ! Woot! Also, shout out to my lil sis for completing her first semester at Nebraska with all 'A's!
6. Yashas finally got to visit Purdue! He came Wednesday of finals week since he was done on Tuesday and I was done Monday. It was so good to spend some time with him. We had a Christmas dinner/gift exchange on Thursday with the roomies and Jess's boyfriend, Michael, and our friends Corey and Matt. (And Yashas got me cat pajamas, no joke. It has a tail and everything. True love right here lol.) The two of us also got to go to Greyhouse, a coffee shop on campus, with Jess and Michael, and also McCord's, which is an old fashioned candy/soda shop, with Jess, Brooke, and her boyfriend, Ethan! It was a great way to end the semester!
7. I got to go home for Christmas! I spend some time with my main chicks and with da fam. Oh, and of course we worked at Mrs. Fields during that time.
Now, before I get to the good news of 2015, I have to start off with some of the bad things.
1. Our idiot neighbors kicked 2 huge holes in our apartment hallway. Dummies.
2. A pipe burst in our apartment carport. No major damage, but still. That sucked.
3. Annie tore her ACL while on a ski trip and had surgery last week. She's been at home recovering and I've visited her a couple times. She's healing, slowly but surely, and she has been such a trooper! Oh, and her leg looks like a burrito.
4. Jess moved to a new apartment because she was having a hard time focusing here to be successful, and it was sad to see her go, but she's happier now and I still get to see her. It's just sad because we've pretty much been roommates since we've met!
Enough of the bad stuff. Here's why 2015 is so nifty!
1. WE WENT TO CANCUN!!! My fam and 2 neighbor families went to Cancun for round two (we did this 2 years ago too). It was AMAZING to be where it was sunny and warm. This cold has been killer! We stayed on a resort and our days consisted of laying out, swimming in the pool, going to the ocean, and eating pretty much. We also did Zumba (and Tyler got chased around the pool by the resort workers for quitting), learned how to Salsa dance (where I got pulled back by the instructor for trying to leave), how to make guacamole, and saw some shows at night. My mom and Kim were in one of the shows, and part of it was they had to collect shoes, pants, and bras from the audience to earn points. And yes, I did give up all those items for the sake of their win. #noshame. Then my dad and mom were in the show called "The Perfect Couple" and had to do things that I probably should have been embarrassed by but was laughing too hard to care! It was so beautiful there and I hate that my tan is already starting to fade :( Take me back!
2. I already like most of my classes and instructors! I'm really interested in my English Language Learner class, and I'm in a 2nd grade class for my field experience this semester! I'm even in a PE for elementary majors class, and it is already SO MUCH FUN!! We actually get to play games as if we are in elementary PE. Oh, and I only have Friday class 4 times the entire semester. Holla!
3. I've already seen Yashas twice! We went to an Indian restaurant the first time which was my first experience with Indian food. Then went I went to visit him last night and today, he made me an absolutely delicious meal of naan pizza and chicken jalfrezi. This kid could just quit computer science and become a chef if he wanted, I'm pretty sure. But besides his cooking, he's just an all around amazing guy, and our four month anniversary will be on the 21st! Time flies!
4. My dad had his birthday on the 7th. Happy birthday to him!!
Welp, I'll keep y'all posted this year. Thanks so much for everyone who was a part of my 2014 and can't wait to see what 2015 has to bring!
Why the title of the post? Well, because 2015 has been kick a** so far! But perhaps we should play a quick game of catch up first.
So, since the last time we chatted, here's what happened to finish up 2014:
1. Sarah Kay, a spoken word poet I really admire, came to campus to perform! It was absolutely incredible, and I got to get a picture with her too. SHE IS FABULOUS, GUYS. I highly suggest watching her videos on Facebook. Preferably right now.
2. If you followed my Snap Story at all, you knew how much my lab partner, Katie, and I HATED our Earth Science class. So, to celebrate the end of the semester, we compiled all these snaps into a video, which you can view below.
3. During finals week, Syd, Annie, and I decided to YOLO and drove to Indy for the day to go to the Scholastic book fair at the warehouse down there to buy books for our future classroom libraries. If that doesn't scream "dedicated teacher," I don't know what does. (Okay, a lot of things scream that. But still.) It was a freakin' good time, and we made sure to make a pit stop at Taco Bell where we ordered about 5x more food than you would think is humanly possible for women of our size.
4. Gas was under $2.00. And if you didn't celebrate that momentous occasion, then you aren't American. Well, unless you were born in the United States. Or you applied for citizenship after coming here. Then you are in fact American.
5. I finished the semester with all 'A's! Even blasted EAPS and Ag Econ! Woot! Also, shout out to my lil sis for completing her first semester at Nebraska with all 'A's!
6. Yashas finally got to visit Purdue! He came Wednesday of finals week since he was done on Tuesday and I was done Monday. It was so good to spend some time with him. We had a Christmas dinner/gift exchange on Thursday with the roomies and Jess's boyfriend, Michael, and our friends Corey and Matt. (And Yashas got me cat pajamas, no joke. It has a tail and everything. True love right here lol.) The two of us also got to go to Greyhouse, a coffee shop on campus, with Jess and Michael, and also McCord's, which is an old fashioned candy/soda shop, with Jess, Brooke, and her boyfriend, Ethan! It was a great way to end the semester!
Snugglin' wit ma boos.
Now, before I get to the good news of 2015, I have to start off with some of the bad things.
1. Our idiot neighbors kicked 2 huge holes in our apartment hallway. Dummies.
2. A pipe burst in our apartment carport. No major damage, but still. That sucked.
3. Annie tore her ACL while on a ski trip and had surgery last week. She's been at home recovering and I've visited her a couple times. She's healing, slowly but surely, and she has been such a trooper! Oh, and her leg looks like a burrito.
4. Jess moved to a new apartment because she was having a hard time focusing here to be successful, and it was sad to see her go, but she's happier now and I still get to see her. It's just sad because we've pretty much been roommates since we've met!
Enough of the bad stuff. Here's why 2015 is so nifty!
1. WE WENT TO CANCUN!!! My fam and 2 neighbor families went to Cancun for round two (we did this 2 years ago too). It was AMAZING to be where it was sunny and warm. This cold has been killer! We stayed on a resort and our days consisted of laying out, swimming in the pool, going to the ocean, and eating pretty much. We also did Zumba (and Tyler got chased around the pool by the resort workers for quitting), learned how to Salsa dance (where I got pulled back by the instructor for trying to leave), how to make guacamole, and saw some shows at night. My mom and Kim were in one of the shows, and part of it was they had to collect shoes, pants, and bras from the audience to earn points. And yes, I did give up all those items for the sake of their win. #noshame. Then my dad and mom were in the show called "The Perfect Couple" and had to do things that I probably should have been embarrassed by but was laughing too hard to care! It was so beautiful there and I hate that my tan is already starting to fade :( Take me back!
The whole clan on New Year's Eve!
Recreating the airport pyramid pic of 2012
Da fam
Da girls
Learning to Salsa
Our Zumba instructor, Esau, at the White Party!
Tyler :)
Da kidz.
Da beach.
Da kidz on da beach.
Lots...
...of...
...sister pics!
2. I already like most of my classes and instructors! I'm really interested in my English Language Learner class, and I'm in a 2nd grade class for my field experience this semester! I'm even in a PE for elementary majors class, and it is already SO MUCH FUN!! We actually get to play games as if we are in elementary PE. Oh, and I only have Friday class 4 times the entire semester. Holla!
3. I've already seen Yashas twice! We went to an Indian restaurant the first time which was my first experience with Indian food. Then went I went to visit him last night and today, he made me an absolutely delicious meal of naan pizza and chicken jalfrezi. This kid could just quit computer science and become a chef if he wanted, I'm pretty sure. But besides his cooking, he's just an all around amazing guy, and our four month anniversary will be on the 21st! Time flies!
Some of the best stuff ever!!
Bae.
4. My dad had his birthday on the 7th. Happy birthday to him!!
Welp, I'll keep y'all posted this year. Thanks so much for everyone who was a part of my 2014 and can't wait to see what 2015 has to bring!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Holi-bae.
Yes, since the last time I wrote, I got two spend not one but TWO holidays with the bae, aka the one and only Luscious Yashas, hence the title of the post. And if you don't know what 'bae' means...
bae (n, adj): before anyone else, or a way to say babe, baby, etc.
I went on a date with bae last night.
That guy over there is so bae.
Wow, Kasey, you've been together for what, two months? And you already put him before anyone else?
C'mon guys, you know me better than that. Obviously my cats are number one in my life.
But anyway, yes, I got to head over to Champaign to spend Halloween with Yashas and we were definitely one of those couples with our coordinating costumes: Batman and Catwoman! We went to some of the bars and met up with Little Red Riding Hood (aka Katie) and had a blast despite the arctic temperatures.
And then there was Thanksgiving.
And I brought Yashas home to meet my family.
Dun dun dunnnnnn.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen. I brought my poor, unsuspecting boyfriend home to meet the Kaisershots and Ritchies.
I know what you're thinking: The poor boy! Probably scarred for life! He'll never be the same! What was Kasey thinking?!
Okay, really voice in my head that I'm pretending is talking out loud for the sake of a blog audience? You aren't giving me or my family much credit here. Here's how it went down:
Tuesday: I had class until 5:45 pm (ew) and then I drove to Champaign to see Yashas and to stuff our faces with Maize Mexican Grill food. Meanwhile, my poor sis was on an 11 hour train ride home from Nebraska (also ew).
Wednesday: Yashas and I drove to good ole Normal (where the weekend was about to be anything but Normal) to a nearly empty house besides my sis (the 'rents were at work). I hugged my cats, I hugged my sis, and then I gave Yashas his early bday present: the book, The Science of Interstellar, because he loves that movie and he nerded out which was great. I proceeded to work on my student teaching application (no joke guys, I'm already starting that stuff, real life is approaching rapidly) until my parents got home for 5 seconds and then took off again with Kourtney to U of I to see the Illinois vs. Nebraska volleyball game. Then Katie and Chloe (there you go, Chlo, you were mentioned in my blog) and I introduced Yashas to the famous Avanti's gondolas and we hung out at home with Brooke and just talked and reminisced as usual. It was so great to see all the girls...I missed them so much!
Thursday: Today was the big day. We woke up and got ready and headed to my aunt Cathy's at 1 for an early Thanksgiving meal. Shoutout to her for the fabulous food! Poor Yashas met like 15ish new people and my grandpa even stole him away for awhile which made him a little nervous, but he did great meeting everyone. I also had to explain to my grandma how Tinder works since that's how we met (LOLOLOLOLOL). We stuffed our faces and then dipped because the Kaisershots had to gear up for Black Friday at Mrs. Fields. We got to the mall around 4:45 or so, all suited up and with our new recruit, Yashas, and began baking and getting ready for the psychos who decide to shop on Thanksgiving (yeah, I know, making my boyfriend work during the holidays, I'm the worst. He enjoyed it though). We worked until about 1 am and, exhausted, we came home to go to bed.
Friday: We did basically nothing 'cause we were tired.
Saturday: I worked on homework, Yashas and I went on a walk to my old elementary school, and the fam went to see the new Hunger Games movie. Again, basically a pretty chill day, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Sunday: We got up early, packed up our stuff, and went to Flat Top Grill for breakfast. Then I had to say goodbye to my lovely family and we headed back to Champaign. I cried the whole way back for the most part because of all the goodbyes. It was awful. Then it was back to Purdue since I had to work.
The End.
And in other news:
October: I went to the ISEA conference in Indianapolis with PSEA which is always a fun experience. Also, Syd turned 21, so Annie and I got her a vicious wolf shirt for her birthday. It's your typical 21st bday present, didn't you know?
November: Jess turned 21! A bunch of girls came over and we celebrated that weekend. Poor girl did NOT feel so hot the next day.
December: Nine Irish Brothers Christmas party was last night! It was fun to hang out with all my coworkers, even if it was on a Monday night and I have 49237459 projects and exams to work on this week.
Speaking of that, I better go considering I have a huge semester-long project to present in 2 hours. Lol. Until next time, ya'll. XOXO
bae (n, adj): before anyone else, or a way to say babe, baby, etc.
I went on a date with bae last night.
That guy over there is so bae.
Wow, Kasey, you've been together for what, two months? And you already put him before anyone else?
C'mon guys, you know me better than that. Obviously my cats are number one in my life.
But anyway, yes, I got to head over to Champaign to spend Halloween with Yashas and we were definitely one of those couples with our coordinating costumes: Batman and Catwoman! We went to some of the bars and met up with Little Red Riding Hood (aka Katie) and had a blast despite the arctic temperatures.
And then there was Thanksgiving.
And I brought Yashas home to meet my family.
Dun dun dunnnnnn.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen. I brought my poor, unsuspecting boyfriend home to meet the Kaisershots and Ritchies.
I know what you're thinking: The poor boy! Probably scarred for life! He'll never be the same! What was Kasey thinking?!
Okay, really voice in my head that I'm pretending is talking out loud for the sake of a blog audience? You aren't giving me or my family much credit here. Here's how it went down:
Tuesday: I had class until 5:45 pm (ew) and then I drove to Champaign to see Yashas and to stuff our faces with Maize Mexican Grill food. Meanwhile, my poor sis was on an 11 hour train ride home from Nebraska (also ew).
Wednesday: Yashas and I drove to good ole Normal (where the weekend was about to be anything but Normal) to a nearly empty house besides my sis (the 'rents were at work). I hugged my cats, I hugged my sis, and then I gave Yashas his early bday present: the book, The Science of Interstellar, because he loves that movie and he nerded out which was great. I proceeded to work on my student teaching application (no joke guys, I'm already starting that stuff, real life is approaching rapidly) until my parents got home for 5 seconds and then took off again with Kourtney to U of I to see the Illinois vs. Nebraska volleyball game. Then Katie and Chloe (there you go, Chlo, you were mentioned in my blog) and I introduced Yashas to the famous Avanti's gondolas and we hung out at home with Brooke and just talked and reminisced as usual. It was so great to see all the girls...I missed them so much!
Thursday: Today was the big day. We woke up and got ready and headed to my aunt Cathy's at 1 for an early Thanksgiving meal. Shoutout to her for the fabulous food! Poor Yashas met like 15ish new people and my grandpa even stole him away for awhile which made him a little nervous, but he did great meeting everyone. I also had to explain to my grandma how Tinder works since that's how we met (LOLOLOLOLOL). We stuffed our faces and then dipped because the Kaisershots had to gear up for Black Friday at Mrs. Fields. We got to the mall around 4:45 or so, all suited up and with our new recruit, Yashas, and began baking and getting ready for the psychos who decide to shop on Thanksgiving (yeah, I know, making my boyfriend work during the holidays, I'm the worst. He enjoyed it though). We worked until about 1 am and, exhausted, we came home to go to bed.
Friday: We did basically nothing 'cause we were tired.
Saturday: I worked on homework, Yashas and I went on a walk to my old elementary school, and the fam went to see the new Hunger Games movie. Again, basically a pretty chill day, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Sunday: We got up early, packed up our stuff, and went to Flat Top Grill for breakfast. Then I had to say goodbye to my lovely family and we headed back to Champaign. I cried the whole way back for the most part because of all the goodbyes. It was awful. Then it was back to Purdue since I had to work.
The End.
And in other news:
October: I went to the ISEA conference in Indianapolis with PSEA which is always a fun experience. Also, Syd turned 21, so Annie and I got her a vicious wolf shirt for her birthday. It's your typical 21st bday present, didn't you know?
November: Jess turned 21! A bunch of girls came over and we celebrated that weekend. Poor girl did NOT feel so hot the next day.
December: Nine Irish Brothers Christmas party was last night! It was fun to hang out with all my coworkers, even if it was on a Monday night and I have 49237459 projects and exams to work on this week.
Speaking of that, I better go considering I have a huge semester-long project to present in 2 hours. Lol. Until next time, ya'll. XOXO
Let's just take a second to appreciate this sexy fam of mine
I mean really. Stud status.
I am thankful for my sister!
And also for my handsome boyfrannnd.
Catwoman and Little Red Riding Hood
Catwoman and Batman
ISEA Fall Conference
Wolf shirt: the traditional 21st birthday gift
EAPS is the worst
Don't be fooled by our smiles. We all hate this class.
And our TA takes selfies.
Nine Irish hostesses
And some of my other awesome coworkers
And Jason
Oh, and that time that I cut Jess's hair.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
I Think I'm Coming Down With Something...
NO NO NO IT'S NOT EBOLA!!!
Oh my goodness, I'm an idiot for titling this post with something as suggestive as that during this Ebola scare. What was I thinking? Don't worry, I'm slapping my hand with a ruler right now. Wait, they don't do that anymore, do they? Okay, I'm going to stop now.
The thing I was coming down with was the love bug. Lol. It's not even funny now. And I think I just laughed at my own joke. Face palm. This is why I'm not going to be a comedian.
Anyways.
Where was I going with that, you ask? I was just going to follow up with last post where I introduced you to a new character in my life story. Well, fun fact of the day, he's kinda sorta my boyfriend now. And by kinda sorta, I mean he is my boyfriend.
I know, I know. Take a deep breath. Sit down if you need to process this for a sec. Actually, now that I mention it, I think I need to sit down. Wow. I have a boyfriend now?
Haha but really, he's an absolutely incredible guy and I am so, so lucky to have him in my life. I was also lucky enough to be able to visit him over my Fall Break this past weekend! Even though he had class on Monday, we were still able to spend some time together. In the morning, I went grocery shopping and then got lunch with my bestie, Katie! It was SO good to see her, even if we were only together for about an hour. After that, Yashas (rhymes with 'luscious') and I walked around campus during his break (this included a nice romantic stroll through a graveyard...?). While he was at his last class, I went back to his apartment and made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and got ready to make a scrumptious dinner of pesto stuffed shells. Seriously, wife me up.
NO NO NO I'M KIDDING. I'm not about that life right now.
Anyways.
When he came back from class, I impressed him with my cooking skills, and then proceeded to embarrass myself with my lack of ability to melt chocolate to make chocolate covered strawberries, which resulted in him having to buy a new bag of chocolate chips which resulted in another failed melting attempt which resulted in us conducting various experiments to melt the chocolate, such as adding water and putting it in a pan to melt it. Needless to say, it still didn't work, but Yashas insisted on keeping the bowl of ratchet chocolate to snack on throughout the night. Sometimes I don't understand him.
Speaking of ratchet, we had a ratchet fancy dinner then with the stuffed shells. We both dressed up and were trying to be fancy, but let's be real, we aren't about that life. He's over here in a button up shirt and dress pants but no shoes and a tie that's too short because his incompetent girlfriend couldn't tie it correctly, and I'm over there with my hair lookin' all frizzy from the day's humidity, and we're sitting on his couch because his bachelor pad was furnished with only one stool and no table, so yeah, we were cool.
But it was fine because it was fun and ridiculous. Then on Tuesday we hung out and chilled and then I cried when I had to leave but that was okay because I got to go home and see my mommy and daddy and kitties and yes, I just said mommy and daddy and I am 20 years old. I got dinner with them (well, not the cats) and got to talk with them and I miss them a lot. Then it was back to Purdue that night!
In other (less sappy) news, American Horror Story season 4 Freak Show has started and is 2 episodes in and I am already hooked. I freakin' love this show. Get it? Freakin'? 'Cause it's Freak Show? I crack myself up. But anyways, Jess and Sydney and I all watch it together (and also stuff our faces with an assortment of snacks, such as popcorn and cookies) and nearly pee our pants when the creepy clown shows its face. Seriously, don't look up a picture of that clown. He's scary AF. And if we weren't scared enough, the episode ended last night and then I see something crawling across our living room floor and OH MY GOSH IT'S A SPIDER and I jump up to get a paper towel and I'm screaming and then it started sprinting (like, gold medal in the Olympics sprinting) and found it's way under the couch. Well I for one was not going to bed unless that thing was outta here. Hello, my room is the closest to the living room and I was NOT sharing a bed with a spider that night, thank you very much. So Annie and I lifted the couch while Jess went after the spider with a can of bug spray and Syd is cowering in the corner and I'm screaming at the top of my lungs and it's 11:30 pm and our neighbors probably thought someone was being murdered. But it's okay, because Annie stepped on it and it's oh so dead right now. Phew, that was a close one.
Honestly, there's not too much else to tell. Teaching 3rd grade is going great and I still really like my class. I've been getting really interested in English Language Learners and have one in my class, so I enjoy working with him, as well as the other students. Work is still crazy busy and I like the people I work with which makes it better. My classes are going well. In my classroom management class, we do role plays in our recitation and have to take turns being the teacher each week. I had to be the teacher last week for the parent-teacher conference role play and let me tell you, that was a challenge! Before the role play, the 'parent' was given a slip of paper that said what type of parent they should be (blame everything on the teacher, be unwilling to try new things with their child, etc) and the 'principal' was given one as well (passive principal, helpful, siding with the parent, etc.). The teachers didn't know what type of parent and principal they were dealing with, so it was very nerve-wracking, especially since we had to be critiqued at the end! It was definitely a learning experience though.
Well, I've got nothing else for you. As if all that wasn't enough. But anyways, until next time!
XOXO
Oh my goodness, I'm an idiot for titling this post with something as suggestive as that during this Ebola scare. What was I thinking? Don't worry, I'm slapping my hand with a ruler right now. Wait, they don't do that anymore, do they? Okay, I'm going to stop now.
The thing I was coming down with was the love bug. Lol. It's not even funny now. And I think I just laughed at my own joke. Face palm. This is why I'm not going to be a comedian.
Anyways.
Where was I going with that, you ask? I was just going to follow up with last post where I introduced you to a new character in my life story. Well, fun fact of the day, he's kinda sorta my boyfriend now. And by kinda sorta, I mean he is my boyfriend.
I know, I know. Take a deep breath. Sit down if you need to process this for a sec. Actually, now that I mention it, I think I need to sit down. Wow. I have a boyfriend now?
Haha but really, he's an absolutely incredible guy and I am so, so lucky to have him in my life. I was also lucky enough to be able to visit him over my Fall Break this past weekend! Even though he had class on Monday, we were still able to spend some time together. In the morning, I went grocery shopping and then got lunch with my bestie, Katie! It was SO good to see her, even if we were only together for about an hour. After that, Yashas (rhymes with 'luscious') and I walked around campus during his break (this included a nice romantic stroll through a graveyard...?). While he was at his last class, I went back to his apartment and made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and got ready to make a scrumptious dinner of pesto stuffed shells. Seriously, wife me up.
NO NO NO I'M KIDDING. I'm not about that life right now.
Anyways.
When he came back from class, I impressed him with my cooking skills, and then proceeded to embarrass myself with my lack of ability to melt chocolate to make chocolate covered strawberries, which resulted in him having to buy a new bag of chocolate chips which resulted in another failed melting attempt which resulted in us conducting various experiments to melt the chocolate, such as adding water and putting it in a pan to melt it. Needless to say, it still didn't work, but Yashas insisted on keeping the bowl of ratchet chocolate to snack on throughout the night. Sometimes I don't understand him.
Speaking of ratchet, we had a ratchet fancy dinner then with the stuffed shells. We both dressed up and were trying to be fancy, but let's be real, we aren't about that life. He's over here in a button up shirt and dress pants but no shoes and a tie that's too short because his incompetent girlfriend couldn't tie it correctly, and I'm over there with my hair lookin' all frizzy from the day's humidity, and we're sitting on his couch because his bachelor pad was furnished with only one stool and no table, so yeah, we were cool.
But it was fine because it was fun and ridiculous. Then on Tuesday we hung out and chilled and then I cried when I had to leave but that was okay because I got to go home and see my mommy and daddy and kitties and yes, I just said mommy and daddy and I am 20 years old. I got dinner with them (well, not the cats) and got to talk with them and I miss them a lot. Then it was back to Purdue that night!
In other (less sappy) news, American Horror Story season 4 Freak Show has started and is 2 episodes in and I am already hooked. I freakin' love this show. Get it? Freakin'? 'Cause it's Freak Show? I crack myself up. But anyways, Jess and Sydney and I all watch it together (and also stuff our faces with an assortment of snacks, such as popcorn and cookies) and nearly pee our pants when the creepy clown shows its face. Seriously, don't look up a picture of that clown. He's scary AF. And if we weren't scared enough, the episode ended last night and then I see something crawling across our living room floor and OH MY GOSH IT'S A SPIDER and I jump up to get a paper towel and I'm screaming and then it started sprinting (like, gold medal in the Olympics sprinting) and found it's way under the couch. Well I for one was not going to bed unless that thing was outta here. Hello, my room is the closest to the living room and I was NOT sharing a bed with a spider that night, thank you very much. So Annie and I lifted the couch while Jess went after the spider with a can of bug spray and Syd is cowering in the corner and I'm screaming at the top of my lungs and it's 11:30 pm and our neighbors probably thought someone was being murdered. But it's okay, because Annie stepped on it and it's oh so dead right now. Phew, that was a close one.
Honestly, there's not too much else to tell. Teaching 3rd grade is going great and I still really like my class. I've been getting really interested in English Language Learners and have one in my class, so I enjoy working with him, as well as the other students. Work is still crazy busy and I like the people I work with which makes it better. My classes are going well. In my classroom management class, we do role plays in our recitation and have to take turns being the teacher each week. I had to be the teacher last week for the parent-teacher conference role play and let me tell you, that was a challenge! Before the role play, the 'parent' was given a slip of paper that said what type of parent they should be (blame everything on the teacher, be unwilling to try new things with their child, etc) and the 'principal' was given one as well (passive principal, helpful, siding with the parent, etc.). The teachers didn't know what type of parent and principal they were dealing with, so it was very nerve-wracking, especially since we had to be critiqued at the end! It was definitely a learning experience though.
Well, I've got nothing else for you. As if all that wasn't enough. But anyways, until next time!
XOXO
Dis ma boi.
Lol @ ratchet fancy dinner.
Meow.
Because sometimes roomies take shopping trips that result in this.
I've been really ratchet lately, okay?
Starry Night
Meeting Mike Mains from Mike Mains and the Branches at Starry Night!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
The Firsts.
Do you remember the first time you rode your bike all by yourself. Do you remember your first pet? Do you remember the first time you drove a car? Do you remember your first kiss?
If you do, that's great. If you don't, that's great too. I'm not going to talk about any of those firsts anyways. Those are completely irrelevant. Instead, I'm going to talk about these:
The first couple weeks of class of junior year.
So I have 5 classes this semester, plus an honors contract, which is pretty manageable. This semester I'm taking a children's literacy course, a course about managing classroom environments, business Spanish, earth science for elementary teachers, and an economics course. I'm a big fan of most of my instructors and professors, although I do have one who legitimately looks like Benjamin Franklin. And for awhile, my Spanish course was kicking my butt. I'm absolutely terrified of speaking Spanish out loud for whatever reason, and, what do you know, this class relies heavily on speaking. Great. But this last week I had a 180 degree confidence flip and now I'm getting more comfortable. Hopefully I can improve my speaking skills a bit. The best part is that my field experience this semester is in a third grade classroom and I'm psyched! I met my class on Tuesday and I have two kids from the class that I will be tutoring for half an hour of the 2 hours we spend in the class each Tuesday and Thursday. We will work on literacy, and I'm stoked!
The first time I worked as a hostess.
No, not the cupcakes. You cray. Rather, I started as a hostess at Nine Irish Brothers, an Irish pub on campus. Though I just started on August 25, I've already worked about 30 hours. It's intense! And I have a whole new respect for those working in the restaurant business. I never realized just how picky and needy people are, haha. But it is quite the interesting job and though it can be exhausting at times, I do enjoy it and the people I work with. Although, I would be content with never rolling silverware ever again in my life.
The first time we hosted family dinner this year. And the first time I did other cooking.
So as you may or may not know, Annie, Jess, and I started a tradition called "Family Dinner" last year in which we cook a big meal for our friends on Sunday nights and all get together and eat and laugh and talk and hang out. We hosted our first one of the year last week and it was quite a success! I broke out the crock pot and we made pulled pork and pasta salad and (excuse my language) slutty brownies. It was so delicious, and it was great to see everyone again; even Elaine came up last weekend from Indy at her co-op to stay with us and help with dinner! I've also tried making a couple other things, like broccoli cheddar chicken breasts (way too thick for the 45 minute cooking time...try an hour and 20 minutes) and quinoa-stuffed bell peppers (way too much garlic). Hey, it's all a learning experience. This week's Family Dinner menu? Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes and eggs and sausage. Nomnomnom.
The first time we met our neighbors.
Yeah, we did the neighborly thing and made cookies for everyone in our apartment complex, hoping that there would be some cool people we might wanna chill with down the line. Everyone we met seemed pretty nice, but we honestly don't see anyone like ever. Oh well. At least our across the hall neighbors have a good taste in music. And yes, we did in fact twerk to their music outside their door in the hallway. #noshame. Except on Tuesday they were blasting music until 12:30 am and chanting, "USA! USA! USA!" for no apparent reason.
The first time we hung stuff on the walls, aka this is why we aren't interior decorators.
I bought these really cute black cube shelves to hang on my walls, right? Because nothing says college like online shopping. But anyways, you kind of have to be a carpenter or architect or interior designer or God or something, because these shelves are impossible to hang up. Okay, you actually just need a drill and that's it, but right, like us three 20 year old girls own a drill. So Annie tried to manually drill a hold into my wall to hang the first shelf. It wasn't big enough for the screw anchor. So she tries to hammer the anchor into the wall. It bends the anchor. So she tries a smaller anchor. That goes right through the wall. At this point we're just like, craaaaaaaap, there's a giant hole in the wall what do we do? But then Annie, miracle worker that she is, managed to shove the big anchor back in and it held and that's how we got one shelf up. We decided to wait for an actual drill for the other two before we accidentally knock the entire wall down.
The first time I went on a date with this guy.
So, there's a guy. And I'm gonna be honest: I'm really into him. Here are the quick facts: his name is Yashas, he's a senior at U of I, and he's basically amazing. I've visited him at school a couple times to go on dates and we've texted and/or Skyped every day for over two months. I've loved getting to know him, and even though it sucks that we are kinda sorta far away from each other, I can't wait to see how things progress. More updates to come on that front, I'm sure. :)
Oh, and PS, I am still in love with apartment life.
If you do, that's great. If you don't, that's great too. I'm not going to talk about any of those firsts anyways. Those are completely irrelevant. Instead, I'm going to talk about these:
The first couple weeks of class of junior year.
So I have 5 classes this semester, plus an honors contract, which is pretty manageable. This semester I'm taking a children's literacy course, a course about managing classroom environments, business Spanish, earth science for elementary teachers, and an economics course. I'm a big fan of most of my instructors and professors, although I do have one who legitimately looks like Benjamin Franklin. And for awhile, my Spanish course was kicking my butt. I'm absolutely terrified of speaking Spanish out loud for whatever reason, and, what do you know, this class relies heavily on speaking. Great. But this last week I had a 180 degree confidence flip and now I'm getting more comfortable. Hopefully I can improve my speaking skills a bit. The best part is that my field experience this semester is in a third grade classroom and I'm psyched! I met my class on Tuesday and I have two kids from the class that I will be tutoring for half an hour of the 2 hours we spend in the class each Tuesday and Thursday. We will work on literacy, and I'm stoked!
The first time I worked as a hostess.
No, not the cupcakes. You cray. Rather, I started as a hostess at Nine Irish Brothers, an Irish pub on campus. Though I just started on August 25, I've already worked about 30 hours. It's intense! And I have a whole new respect for those working in the restaurant business. I never realized just how picky and needy people are, haha. But it is quite the interesting job and though it can be exhausting at times, I do enjoy it and the people I work with. Although, I would be content with never rolling silverware ever again in my life.
The first time we hosted family dinner this year. And the first time I did other cooking.
So as you may or may not know, Annie, Jess, and I started a tradition called "Family Dinner" last year in which we cook a big meal for our friends on Sunday nights and all get together and eat and laugh and talk and hang out. We hosted our first one of the year last week and it was quite a success! I broke out the crock pot and we made pulled pork and pasta salad and (excuse my language) slutty brownies. It was so delicious, and it was great to see everyone again; even Elaine came up last weekend from Indy at her co-op to stay with us and help with dinner! I've also tried making a couple other things, like broccoli cheddar chicken breasts (way too thick for the 45 minute cooking time...try an hour and 20 minutes) and quinoa-stuffed bell peppers (way too much garlic). Hey, it's all a learning experience. This week's Family Dinner menu? Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes and eggs and sausage. Nomnomnom.
The first time we met our neighbors.
Yeah, we did the neighborly thing and made cookies for everyone in our apartment complex, hoping that there would be some cool people we might wanna chill with down the line. Everyone we met seemed pretty nice, but we honestly don't see anyone like ever. Oh well. At least our across the hall neighbors have a good taste in music. And yes, we did in fact twerk to their music outside their door in the hallway. #noshame. Except on Tuesday they were blasting music until 12:30 am and chanting, "USA! USA! USA!" for no apparent reason.
The first time we hung stuff on the walls, aka this is why we aren't interior decorators.
I bought these really cute black cube shelves to hang on my walls, right? Because nothing says college like online shopping. But anyways, you kind of have to be a carpenter or architect or interior designer or God or something, because these shelves are impossible to hang up. Okay, you actually just need a drill and that's it, but right, like us three 20 year old girls own a drill. So Annie tried to manually drill a hold into my wall to hang the first shelf. It wasn't big enough for the screw anchor. So she tries to hammer the anchor into the wall. It bends the anchor. So she tries a smaller anchor. That goes right through the wall. At this point we're just like, craaaaaaaap, there's a giant hole in the wall what do we do? But then Annie, miracle worker that she is, managed to shove the big anchor back in and it held and that's how we got one shelf up. We decided to wait for an actual drill for the other two before we accidentally knock the entire wall down.
The first time I went on a date with this guy.
So, there's a guy. And I'm gonna be honest: I'm really into him. Here are the quick facts: his name is Yashas, he's a senior at U of I, and he's basically amazing. I've visited him at school a couple times to go on dates and we've texted and/or Skyped every day for over two months. I've loved getting to know him, and even though it sucks that we are kinda sorta far away from each other, I can't wait to see how things progress. More updates to come on that front, I'm sure. :)
Oh, and PS, I am still in love with apartment life.
Apartment 4, wut wutttt
First Family Dinner!
The first breakfast in the new place
Our command center with cubbies below!
Andddd basically we just like to take mirror selfies...
...that are really weird.
And sometimes we like to look like dudes.
But mostly we love to snuggle.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Apartment High.
I'm writing this now because I never want to forget this feeling.
This feeling of excitement. Of promise. Of FUN.
I was going to write this post next week, once I was completely moved in to the new place and had my first day of class and my first day of work at Nine Irish Brothers. However, I just can't wait that long! Because I don't know when this feeling wears off, this feeling that from here on out I will refer to as an "Apartment High." I know halfway through the school year, when it's freezing cold and dark and snowy and I have homework piled up and my room is a mess and there's no food in the fridge, I will NOT feel the way I do now. So I need to document it before it disappears.
Yesterday morning was the big move in day (and Jess will be here Saturday)! My dear roommate Annie has been working on apartment stuff since we got the go-ahead-and-move-in-now email on Sunday. And let me tell you, she is great. She went through and did an excellent cleaning job before I came, and even got us a new living room carpet out of it. So when I arrived yesterday afternoon, my dad, sister, and I all loaded down with boxes and bags and tubs of all my crap, I was able to move right in. And I am notorious for having a lot of crap, by the way.
So we got all my stuff moved in and my dad got my desk put together and we went to Walmart to get some food to hold us over for awhile until we can really make a shopping trip and then we went to Annie's parents' house for some delicious lasagna. And then I had to say goodbye, which freakin' sucked, because today Kourtney leaves for Nebraska and I'm so excited for her, but I also wish she wasn't so grown up already. So yeah.
Shoutout to you, sister! You will do great at Nebraska! I'm so proud of you and can't wait to hear about all the adventures you have at your new school in this new chapter of your life. Remember, I'm always here if you need me :)
But then I came back to good ol' apartment 4 and finished unpacking my stuff and organizing it. Annie and my friends, Matt and Corey, came over to hang out for a little, so it was good to see them. But then they left, and most of the big unpacking was done, and suddenly Annie and I realized that we were about to spend our first night in our apartment. She even made the comment that this was the first time I have ever really been alone and unsupervised in my living, considering I had an RA the past 2 years. It felt great!
So then we started going through our apartment, deciding where we wanted to hang decorations and the things we liked and disliked about it. But boy do we love it! And yeah, sure the paint job is mediocre at best, and there are stains on the carpet, and our faucet handle has chips in it, and there's a chunk of tile missing in our bathroom, and the air doesn't flow into our bedrooms, and the doors are missing from our closets, and people can see into our apartment from the parking lot. But honestly? It makes me love this place even more. It's a place of our own, and I am so excited to live here the next 2 years. I legitimately feel so giddy with excitement right now as I sit here in my new living room, stomach full of orange rolls that I made for Annie and I for our first meal in the new place. It's going to be a great year :)
This feeling of excitement. Of promise. Of FUN.
I was going to write this post next week, once I was completely moved in to the new place and had my first day of class and my first day of work at Nine Irish Brothers. However, I just can't wait that long! Because I don't know when this feeling wears off, this feeling that from here on out I will refer to as an "Apartment High." I know halfway through the school year, when it's freezing cold and dark and snowy and I have homework piled up and my room is a mess and there's no food in the fridge, I will NOT feel the way I do now. So I need to document it before it disappears.
Yesterday morning was the big move in day (and Jess will be here Saturday)! My dear roommate Annie has been working on apartment stuff since we got the go-ahead-and-move-in-now email on Sunday. And let me tell you, she is great. She went through and did an excellent cleaning job before I came, and even got us a new living room carpet out of it. So when I arrived yesterday afternoon, my dad, sister, and I all loaded down with boxes and bags and tubs of all my crap, I was able to move right in. And I am notorious for having a lot of crap, by the way.
So we got all my stuff moved in and my dad got my desk put together and we went to Walmart to get some food to hold us over for awhile until we can really make a shopping trip and then we went to Annie's parents' house for some delicious lasagna. And then I had to say goodbye, which freakin' sucked, because today Kourtney leaves for Nebraska and I'm so excited for her, but I also wish she wasn't so grown up already. So yeah.
Shoutout to you, sister! You will do great at Nebraska! I'm so proud of you and can't wait to hear about all the adventures you have at your new school in this new chapter of your life. Remember, I'm always here if you need me :)
But then I came back to good ol' apartment 4 and finished unpacking my stuff and organizing it. Annie and my friends, Matt and Corey, came over to hang out for a little, so it was good to see them. But then they left, and most of the big unpacking was done, and suddenly Annie and I realized that we were about to spend our first night in our apartment. She even made the comment that this was the first time I have ever really been alone and unsupervised in my living, considering I had an RA the past 2 years. It felt great!
So then we started going through our apartment, deciding where we wanted to hang decorations and the things we liked and disliked about it. But boy do we love it! And yeah, sure the paint job is mediocre at best, and there are stains on the carpet, and our faucet handle has chips in it, and there's a chunk of tile missing in our bathroom, and the air doesn't flow into our bedrooms, and the doors are missing from our closets, and people can see into our apartment from the parking lot. But honestly? It makes me love this place even more. It's a place of our own, and I am so excited to live here the next 2 years. I legitimately feel so giddy with excitement right now as I sit here in my new living room, stomach full of orange rolls that I made for Annie and I for our first meal in the new place. It's going to be a great year :)
Annie and I moving in to apartment 4. More pics to come!
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