In the spirit of the holidays...

So many people are in need of some extra love this holiday season. I have a few friends who have had some problems with family medical problems and self medical problems...I'm not one to pray, but I am definitely keeping all these people in my thoughts and wishing them well. I hope you'll do the same.

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My name is brandy. And I have a blog.

And a plea.

I use my blog to showcase the crazy I meet everyday, share the stories of the kids I teach and document my love for tequila, dairy products and the abdominal muscles of Ryan Reynolds. Rarely do I talk about personal issues on my blog- as personal as the dude that I adore (who I actually met through my blog- single ladies, let that be a very good reason to blog, the possibility of meeting someone as wonderful as my man), but I need your help. And it involves my dude.

He’s a guy who made math comics for my class, so they would love learning about addition. He’s the kinda guy who sends my friends gift cards when they are having hard times, who remembers every story I ever told him, who was the first person I celebrated with when I got a teaching job. He’s the guy who sent flowers to me at school- dozens of my favourite pink roses just because he loves me. He’s a guy who has spent a year patiently explaining (and re-explaining) everything there is to know about football during the important games when silence is preferred. He’s made me word puzzles and comics and stayed up late playing Scrabble with me (even though I beat him almost every time). He’s listened to me cry about school and family and jobs. He is everything I never knew I needed and everything I always knew I wanted.

The holidays have hit us hard. He’s recently been told he may have something called multiple myeloma- an incurable cancer, that gives a person an average of five years of continued life. Though this news has came as a shock, he continues to be exactly who has always been- spending his time worrying about me, rather than worrying about himself. He’s the most selfless individual I know- (he stayed late on Christmas Eve to work, so his co-workers could leave early) and a post like this would never be something that he would promote or encourage but when I’m overwhelmed and feeling helpless, the blogging community has always given me tremendous support and comfort, two things I desperately need at this time.

As I write this, the future is uncertain and we aren’t sure what’s happening. He’ll need to see an oncologist soon, to verify what’s going on in his body. My hope is that everyone who reads this think positive thoughts and if you are a person who prays, could you add him to your list? (You can refer to him as ‘brandy’s hot awesome dude’). If you don’t pray, please keep him in your heart.This cancer is only a possibility and I believe that the prayers and positive thoughts of people can make sure it never becomes a reality.

I want to give a big thank you to the blog owner who scraped their original blog plans and graciously put this up. My goal is to get as many people as possible to see and read this post. If you are reading this and want to help, copy and paste my plea into your blog or send a link through twitter, so more people can keep him in their thoughts. I would be so very grateful (even more grateful than I am to my friend who first showed me the picture of Ryan Reynolds on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. If you haven’t seen it, google it. You. Are. Welcome).

I realize this all sounds dramatic, a Lifetime movie in the making- but this is life. Right now. And I’m throwing away any hint of ego and am humbly asking for you to pray or think kind thoughts. If you are able to pass this on, thank you and if you know anything regarding MM- please email me (my email is on my blog). This isn’t a call for sympathy or a plea for pity. It’s just one girl hoping you can think positive thoughts for the person she adores. If my current heartache provides you with anything, let it be with the reminder that life is short, love is unbending and no one knows what could happen next. Maybe it is silly, but I really do believe that positive thoughts can make a huge difference. Thank you for reading this and if you haven’t already? Please tell someone you love them today.

I did.

Family time...

I've been feeling a lot better about stuff recently. I think the trip to Reno really helped (did I mention I went on a spur of the moment trip to Reno a few weekends ago? No? Oh. Well, I did. It was awesome), even though right when I got back it didn't feel like it. Even though I lost a bunch of money, I still had an amazing time.

And I've been cooking! Well, baking. And cooking. Kind of. I learned how to make ravioli from a bag (purchased at costco, good for many meals!), as well as pumpkin spice white chocolate chip cookies. And tonight, I helped my mom make cranberry sauce. That was exciting.

It's my mom's first time making Thanksgiving dinner, so I offered to help...not just because she will need help (which I'm not sure if she actually will or not, but whatever) but because I'll get to learn how to make a bunch of stuff that I've never made before. Even though I'm making mashed potatoes and pumpkin spice white chocolate chip cookies. Which I've made. Anyway. Plus, it'll be bonding time. And my mom and I haven't really had cooking time together before.

Also, I made it to 23! My birthday was on Saturday, and that was fun. I went out to dinner with a couple friends, then went out to the bars. I didn't get too crazy (I only had 2 drinks the whole night!) but it was an enjoyable evening. And the people who were there all meshed well, which was nice. You always have to worry about that sort of thing when planning a gathering, I suppose. So I'm glad that the people who showed up were all meshable. (I don't care that meshable isn't a word. I'm using it.)

I'm excited for Thanksgiving though. I've gotta say, I never thought I'd be super excited about coming home, but this time I really was. I guess because I haven't really spent time with my sort of whole family since August when I had my surgery (is that right? August? Saw Mom in Vegas at the beginning of October, saw Daniel in New York in the middle of October...yep, August it was) so this will be nice.

Plus, I've already gotten two new pairs of jeans, so that's always something to look forward to!

I don't know where the effing pieces go...

I don't know what's wrong with me.

I feel like for the last couple of weeks (or months? maybe?) I've been in a funk 97% percent of the time. And the other 3% I'm sleeping. Maybe that's the problem? I'm only sleeping during three percent of my life. That can't be healthy.

I don't know why I'm feeling like this. It's not like my life is awful or anything. Sure, I have the occasional car or phone problem, and I'm not particularly exhilarated about my job, but at least I have a job. And in this economy, that's something. I know plenty of people who have been looking for jobs for months and still have yet to find one.

Maybe I'm just expecting too much of my life. But again, it's not bad. I have a roof over my head, I'm able to eat, I have a family that loves me, I have a boyfriend and friends who care about me, I have a job, I have clothes to keep me warm, I'm ALIVE...

Then what am I missing? Why do I feel like crying all the time?

The one where I try to learn how to cook...almost.

"Tomorrow is the day I learn how to cook."

These were the words I spoke to my roommate last night as I watched him make pasta and vegetables on the stove. It didn't look too hard - all he did was put some beef in a pan that turned brown all on it's own. Boiled some water and put the pasta in. Warmed up the pre-made sauce. Put some oil in the pan before he put the vegetables in, then pushed them around a little bit. I can do that!

I have a tendency to waste my food. I'll buy tons of microwave dinners, then decide I don't want to make them because I want to try something original. I've talked to friends, asking for easy recipes, which they all willingly give. I'll buy the supplies to make some sort of easy dish, but by the time I get around to cooking whatever it is, I've lost all motivation to actually make something from pseudo-scratch.

It isn't that I can't cook anything, because I've made food before. I make great mashed potatoes and chicken parmesan. I've even attempted eggplant parmesan, which I was told was good. (By my boyfriend, but that counts too, right? Plus, he's still alive and that was months ago, so it totally counts.)

I don't really know what it is about cooking that scares me so much. Maybe it's that I think I won't be able to cut things right? Or that the oven will burn me. The oven thing is a big one - I used to have to have my roommates take brownies out after I made them because of how scared I was of it. I think I've gotten a bit better about the oven thing though, but I'm not entirely certain, since...well, it's been awhile.

Anyway. I fully intended to start cooking stuff tonight. I was going to make something easy even - ravioli from costco that all you needed to do was boil some water, pour in some oil, and stir a little bit. But, that didn't happen. I had a meeting at 5 where they offered free food. Tomorrow night I'm going to a show, and I don't want to attempt to make food before that just in case something goes horribly wrong and I set my apartment on fire. (Which reminds me - I should probably get my roommate to plug the smoke detector back in...) Friday night I have an event, so I guess the next possible time for me to cook dinner would be Saturday. So, Saturday it is. I'll make the ravioli that I was planning to make tonight, and hope it turns out ok. And if you don't hear from me in awhile because I've burned down my apartment...it was nice knowing you.

What's the worst that could happen?

Today was Pat's memorial service. It was really nice to hear about his life, his philosophies, his ideas, etc. Mike seems to be handling everything pretty well. He is under the impression that Pat passed to bring everyone together, which is really sweet. For example, Mike had Kelsey introduce me to this guy named Adam who lives in New York because he's Jewish. Mike is hilarious in that way.

In Kelsey's eulogy (is it still a eulogy if it isn't at a funeral?) she talked about how she ended up moving to Chico. Well, Mike talked about it first, but it was more about how he and Pat moved here. Mike had the interview at the school, got the job, and Pat just said "let's go." Even though he had never seen Chico. Then Mike and Pat would call Kelsey and tell her how beautiful Chico was and how vegan friendly and whatnot. Finally, during one of her conversations with Pat, he said something along the lines of "what's the worst that can happen? You fail and you end up moving home. It's not the end of the world."

Recently, Kelsey and I had a conversation that went similarly about me moving to New York. As much as I love living here, I think I'm ready to get out. The only thing that has really been holding me back is money and fear. But like Pat says, what's the worst that can happen? I run out of money and end up moving back to California and in with my parents. But even that isn't the end of the world (regardless of how much I hate the valley). I don't know, living there the summer of 2008 just wasn't enough for me. I was there for three months, and I didn't even get close to seeing or doing everything. I didn't even make a dent!

So that's it. It's decided. I'm moving back to New York. And if I fail, it'll be ok. At least I'll have tried. And it's the right decision for now.

cupcakes

I don't know what it is, but the past couple of weeks I have really been craving cupcakes. Maybe its the fact that Jenn has been talking about how she keeps making them, but I've really wanted some.

I attempted to make a batch of cupcakes last month as dessert for dinner for Lee and me (I had made dinner and decided dessert should be thrown in there too - why not? Dessert = awesome.), but they came out not so great. I mean, they tasted fine, but they kind of looked like...mini volcanoes. Not entirely sure how that happened. It might have had something to do with the fact that I didn't have one of those mixer things that you're supposed to have when you make cake or cupcakes. (Seriously, clumps of butter on the whisk I attempted to use instead. Definitely not something I would recommend.)

I made cookies the other night, which were good, but didn't quite hit the spot. Now I'm definitely in the mood for cupcakes. Even though I'm not even close to being the tiniest bit hungry...

25....

I know I already did the list of 25 things a couple months ago (it was more than 25 and less numbered), but I am feeling a bit narcissistic and a little less creative. So here are 25 more things about me that I have yet to tell you.

1. Salty things make me sneeze. So does the sun.

2. If I am sent an email or tagged in a note on facebook, I look at the list of people that you contact and see where I fall in the list. On facebook its a little more random because its generated how you think of people, but I notice who you thought of before me and who you thought of after me.

3. I would love to take a long walk in the rain if I had no possessions on me. Even if its cold.

4. I love wearing dresses, but don't own any that I feel comfortable wearing to school. I also really like getting dressed up. I don't, however, like wearing heels, even though they make me closer to normal height.

5. I don't remember ever really being bothered by the fact that I am short.

6. I censor myself a lot. I don't like to speak up in class because I feel like everyone will think what I say is stupid or wrong, even if I know I have the right answer. I've lost a lot of participation points because of this.

7. I have never bonded with anyone as quickly as I bonded with Rachel while I was in New York. I miss her a lot.

8. If I get yelled at or snapped at by someone, I tend to sulk for awhile. Especially if it comes out of nowhere. When I was about 12 and at summer camp, I was looking through a song book for the words that the songleader was singing, and he stopped and took my music book away. I almost started crying. After he finished the song he gave me the book back. I also kind of put up a wall towards the person for a few days, and I don't know how to break it down.

9. I have always loved broccoli and mushrooms.

10. I have a horrible memory for things that actually matter (like school or things from my childhood), but I can remember where a book is on my bookshelf or what color the handles on the cabinets are in a house that I haven't seen in years.

11. I compulsively buy books even if I have ten that I haven't read yet. And I normally have about that many.

12. I don't feel like I open up to that many people, so when I get stressed out I tend to keep it to myself. Or if I do tell someone, I don't tell them everything, which just kind of makes it worse.

13. I have been thinking about moving to Chicago after I graduate, but I don't know when, since I want to travel first. I also might go teach English in Israel for a year, but that thought completely scares me.

14. I get jealous of people who are close with their extended families, because I don't feel like I am.

15. Talking on the phone makes me nervous, but I've been trying to get better. It's difficult though, because not many people like talking on the phone these days. We all mostly text message or email.

16. Sometimes I write things that I don't mean to be funny, but when someone else reads it they'll tell me its hilarious. And then I see that it is. Sometimes.

17. I watch way too many tv shows, but I don't think I can stop. I am too emotionally involved with a lot of them. Also, I sometimes cry while watching certain shows.

18. I used to be obsessed with glitter. I wore it on my eyes, in my hair, on my cheeks, everywhere. For my friend's birthday I wanted to get her a thing of glitter because I liked it so much, but my mom told me that she didn't think it was a good idea. After that I wore a lot less of it, but I still love it.

19. The only concerts I've been to are N*SYNC, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Soul2Soul (all three nights it was in LA), Taylor Swift/LeeAnn Rimes, Panic! at the Disco/Fall Out Boy, and Jack's Mannequin.

20. I slept with a nightlight and my door open until I left for college. Now when I go home, my room has to be completely dark and my doors (room and closet) have to be closed or I can't fall asleep. I also keep my room pretty dark when I'm at school, except for when I'm so tired that I fall asleep with my light on.

21. I like to try and make people feel better, even if I am not feeling that great myself. I also have a hard time not helping people when they ask, unless I absolutely can't. I also tend to buy things for people, even when I don't really have the money to. When I was in high school my mom thought I was trying to buy my friends. I guess I kind of was.

22. I don't typically like nuts, but I love eating honey roasted peanuts and peanut m&ms.

23. Seeing me hyper and seeing me drunk are usually the same experience, minus the alcohol, but I don't think I get hyper that often anymore.

24. I really like surprises, but I always find out about them beforehand. Much less surprise-like if you know about it. My fourth grade birthday party was a surprise, ruined by my best friend, and my 19th birthday party was a surprise, ruined by a text message.

25. For my 21st birthday, my brother gave me a "make your own umbrella kit" box with a Polyphonic Spree cd inside. I thought the make your own umbrella kit was the present, and I was actually really excited. My brother told me normal people don't get excited over stuff like that. I'm not normal. That's also exciting.

Music is what feelings sound like. - Author Unknown

"I had to let you go. I had to say goodbye. No more excuses. No more tears to cry."

"I won't write you a love song 'cause you asked for it. 'Cause you need one. You see?"

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man."

"Maybe it's intuition but some things you just don't question. Like in your eyes I see my future in an instant, and there it goes. I think I've found my best friend."

"And I wonder if I could fall into the sky do you think time would pass me by? 'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you tonight."

Music is so personal. You can search through millions of songs and hear exactly what you're going through, or something extremely close that hits home. Or you don't even have to find lyrics that match what you're thinking, but you can hear a melody that strikes a chord in your brain.

But music can also change the mood that you're in. People listen to music when they're trying to get pumped up for an evening out on the town, or when they're going to the gym to get motivated, or to get over a breakup. All the different songs can alter how you're feeling and change what the night will look like. Listening to a few depressing songs before you go out with friends could make the going out part seem less enticing and getting into pj's and eating ice cream a much more appealing option.

I've been sitting in my bed for a few hours now listening to whatever Pandora is sending my way all on the suggestion of the song "Hollywood's Not America" by Ferras. It's been playing Billy Joel, Ben Folds, Death Cab for Cutie, Sara Bareilles...all people that have upbeat songs. And yet, the songs that have been playing have kind of made me feel the need to get into my pajamas and never get out of them. Luckily, I have no real reason to be depressed at the moment, so I'm not actually planning on doing that, but its interesting to see how much a song can influence your brain. Or my brain, anyway.

I really like that though. I like that I can change my mood just by changing my playlist. All I have to do is listen to "Out Tonight" from Rent or "I Will Survive" or "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and I feel ready for a night out. I just need to turn up the sound of a few upbeat tunes, and I'm ready to go. At the same time, if I'm looking for a mellow night, I just need to listen to "Begin" by Ben Lee, or some Savage Garden (because...PLEASE, most of their songs are mellow/sad) and I'm content. If I'm sad I can just put on some "What Hurts the Most" by Rascall Flats or "White Horse" by Taylor Swift, or "Leave The Pieces" by the Wreckers (or any country song!) and I can dwell in my sadness for as long as I need to.

Music is so mind stimulating. So...thanks songwriters. Keep it up.

Only one day at time...if only...

So, its the new year. We've been in 2009 for six whole days, but I can already feel things changing. The new year always brings new hopes, dreams, desires, fantasies...and fears. When it comes to me, its mostly fears.

I'm always so afraid to look too far in the future, but end up doing it anyway. I try to make plans three months in advance, or even a year in advance, but somehow things always end up changing and I get upset. I'm most terrified of looking too far into this semester, because I'm worried something will end up happening and my life will turn sour.

Things are so good for me right now: I have some really great friends, a boyfriend who loves me, a new semester of fresh classes, and a whole bunch of opportunities that have just opened up to me. But I have this nagging feelings that something awful is just around the corner.

I have reasons for this. Things always change just when I start getting comfortable.

But this year I'm extra nervous for an entirely different reason. I'm graduating. I'm going to be going out into the real world, with real people, and (maybe) getting a job. I'm jumping out of this safety net of college, where meeting people is (supposedly) easy, and you can hardly keep track of the number of parties you go to, and things are readily available to you. Once you're out, who knows if you have the same kind of luxuries?

I went home for Hannukah and New Years, and that was hard. Not only did I realize that I really don't want to move back there, but I had to constantly think about what was coming up next for me. People kept asking what I'm going to do once I get out. "What can you do with a musical theatre degree? Be a waitress?" Or they'd ask what the boyfriend and I are going to do. And I honestly have no idea. Who knows if its even going to last that long?

Ugh, see what I mean? I'm so...pessimistic about the future. I wish I knew how to take life one day at a time. Because there are so many good things too. I still have a good 3 and a half months before I graduate. I still have time to hang out with all the people I've made friends with these past four years (and especially these last few semesters). I still have time to learn so many things. I still have time to find out more about myself while in college. I still have time to pull all nighters for fun.

I still have time to do so much, and yet...the fear still lingers.