Day 3: I get uncomfortable when....

In an effort to write more frequently, I decided to take part in the Blogging Every Day in May challenge. I know I’m coming into it a few days behind, so I’ll be posting quite a few things in the next couple days as I get caught up.

I Get Uncomfortable When.....

…I am in large groups of people. I can do very well in small groups (like four or five people), even if I don’t know all of them. But my discomfort grows in direct proportion to the number of people present in a group, even if I know them all. I much prefer small, intimate gatherings over large parties with a bunch of people.

…I have to teach someone something. Even if I know my subject matter like the back of my hand, I still get nervous that I’m going to miss something really important, or explain something incorrectly. I don’t like being responsible for making sure that other people know what they’re doing, mostly because I feel like I don’t even know what I’m doing most of the time.

…I have to confront someone about something. I really dislike having to tell someone they’re doing something wrong, or that they’ve hurt my feelings, or deliver any other kind of message that could be interpreted as negative. I freeze up, and even if I have written down and/or practiced what I want to say, I instantly freeze up and forget everything, and then end up sound like a tongue-tied idiot with absolutely no grasp of the English language. I also don’t like hurting anyone’s feelings, and I often worry that my frustration over a certain situation will somehow translate into the other party feeling bad about themselves.

…I work out in front of people. I know it shouldn’t be a big deal, but any time I’m working out at a gym or where people can see me, I feel like people are judging my form (which is probably awful), looking at my gym clothes (which are usually just ratty old t-shirts), or giggling to themselves about the way my less-than-toned arms jiggle when I move. Rationally, I understand that probably none of these things are happening, so I am usually able to *mostly* ignore my insecurities and get on with my workout, but the thoughts do always cross my mind, nonetheless.

…I go shopping. Most girls love to shop – for clothes, for shoes, for jewelry, whatever. I, however, pretty much dislike the whole thing. I have what I consider to be a weirdly shaped body (which is really just short and curvy), and I find it difficult to find clothes that fit comfortably and properly, and are any kind of reasonably affordable at the same time. Shoes are also difficult, because even though I loooooove them, I have a hard time finding pairs that fit my miniature feet. 

What things make you uncomfortable?

Day 2: Educating the reader....

In an effort to write more frequently, I decided to take part in the Blogging Every Day in May challenge. I know I’m coming into it a few days behind, so I’ll be posting quite a few things in the next couple days as I get caught up.

When I saw the topic of Day 2 of this challenge, I’ll admit I cringed a little bit. Educate you on something? What? I don’t know anything well enough to educate someone! And then I thought about it a little bit more, and asked the opinion of a trusted family member, and 

realized that actually, I do know some stuff! Sweet.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people make silly grammar mistakes, particularly where they use a completely wrong word because they misspelled the word they were trying to use. So in an effort to help people stop doing this (and look smarter to everyone else), here is a quick reference guide for some of the most common grammar mistakes and misspelled words. Feel free to bookmark the page and refer back to it! J

Your vs You’re: The easiest way to remember the correct spelling to use for this word is to put it in context – what are you trying to say? Are you telling someone that they are..something? You’d you “you’re”, the contraction for “you are”. Example: You’re going to love the show we’re seeing tonight. Or, are you telling someone that their book is sitting on the table and needs to be moved? Use “your”, because that shows possession, or reference. Example: Your book is on the table. Could you please move your book? We are going to your show tonight, about which I know you’re very excited.”

Their, they’re and there: These can get confusing, and admittedly, it took me a while before I got the hang of all the different spellings, too. But once you get them down, it’s almost impossible to get the wrong again. Use “their” when you are referring to someone else, or a group of other people. Example: It’s their turn to cook dinner tonight. Are we going to their house? “They’re” is a contraction, so if you can remember “you’re”, then you’re halfway to remembering “they’re”. It’s just another way of saying “they are”. Example: No, we are not going to their house, they’re meeting us somewhere else. And last but not least, use “there” only when referring to a place. The way that I remember the spelling is by thinking of the word here, which is also a place, and is the basis of the word “there”. You can also use the word “where” as reference for this as well, because “there” answers the question “where?”, and is spelled basically the same way. Example: Here? Where? There.

Definitely vs definately: When I was learning out to spell this word, I just sounded it out, and spelled it phonetically. People don’t pronounce an “a” sound when saying this word, long (like the sound in the word “tray”), or short (like the sound in the word “apple”). They do, however, say the short “i” sound (like in the word “igloo”). So if you spell it like you say it, it’s easy to remember that it’s an “I” before the “t”, and not an “a”. J

These are just a couple little things, but they can make a big difference in someone’s quality of writing.

What about you? What grammar mistakes do you notice people making?

Day 1: The Story of My Life

In an effort to write more frequently, I decided to take part in the Blogging Every Day in May challenge. I know I’m coming into it a few days behind, so I’ll be posting quite a few things in the next couple days as I get caught up. 

But anyway, without further ado, here’s post number one, the story of my life in 250 words or fewer:

I was born on July 25^th, the fourth of six children. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, and was home-educated all the way up through high school. I attended college for two and a half years at a private Christian school in Chicago, but then dropped out because I didn’t like my major (Political Science), had lost motivation, and didn’t think that spending $30k/year on an education I didn’t really want was really worth it. I lived in Chicago for another year after I left school, and then moved to Minneapolis. I spent five years in Minneapolis, and had probably the majority of my formative young adult life experiences there – making and losing friendships, dating, job changes, etc.  After five years in Minneapolis, I moved to Las Vegas for a year. I lived with my youngest sister, who was attending school for interior design, and spent a lot of time at my older sister’s house, hanging out with her, her husband, and my two beautiful nephews.

 

Me and my oldest nephew

 The view from my apartment in Las Vegas

 Me and my youngest nephew

I have gone through a lot of ups and downs in my life, and a lot of very difficult experiences. However, each experience has taught me something, and I know I am a better person for having survived each challenge.

So that’s me in a nutshell! J What’s your story? 

Goals for the Month of May

I am a person who likes lists. I don’t make them as often as I would like, but I like the notion of having a defined plan, of knowing where you want to go or what you want to do, and being able to check them off when you’re done. So when I saw Katy’s and Courtney’s posts about setting goals for May, I decided I wanted to publicize my list as well!

1.)    I would like to finish “Deception Point” and “Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed”. I have been working on both of them for an embarrassingly long amount of time (though I have read lots of other books in the interim), and I just need to bite the bullet and finish them.   

2.)   I would like to complete a book outline/proposal. This is something that’s on my Summer Bucket List, but I’d like to get it finished sooner, rather than later.

3.)   I want to try least five different recipes that are on my overflowing “I love food” Pinterest board. I am apparently obsessed with pinning new recipes, but trying them?? Not so much. Sad, really, since I love cooking.

4.)   I will buy new jeans!! I have a difficult body to buy for, since I’m short and curvy, so when I find a style of jeans that fits properly, I will buy a few pairs of them and wear them until they fall apart. I’m to the point now where my jeans are falling apart, but alas, American Eagle stopped making the one style of jeans that fits me properly, so I have to start trying to find something else. It’s frustrating, so I tend to avoid it, but it’s getting to the point where I look like I have more air than fabric in my jeans, and that just won’t do.

5.)   I will try my hardest to blog a minimum of four times per week. I’m new to the whole concept of blogging, but I want to stick to it, and I think that making a commitment to doing it a certain number of times per week will help me get into the groove, as it were.

Are you a person who likes making monthly goals, or even wants to make some for this month? I’d love to hear them! Link up with me or post the link in the comments! 

Boyfriend Challenge!

When I read this post on Hooah and Hiccups  about creating a look that reminds you of your boyfriend's style with your own clothing, I was super excited to try it! Having spent the last year in a very long-distance relationship, one of my favorite things was swiping one of Boyfriend's t-shirts before our visits were over to wear as pajamas when we were apart. I have also been known to wear the too-big t-shirts out and about, as well, but that's just because sometimes I'm too busy to change lazy.

I created this look on Polyvore. And before I go on, let me just take a moment to say, "Holy WOW, Batman." I'm sure that everyone else in the world is all over Polyvore and fully aware of it's hypnotizing capabilities, but this was my first attempt at creating an outfit, and I'm pretty sure I'm hooked. I could definitely waste a lot of time there.

The inspiration for the style is Boyfriend's typical look - jeans and a black t-shirt - but I dressed it up with some simple silver jewelry from Tiffany & Co. It's still very basic and comfortable, but the jewelry and the fitted t-shirt give this version a girly twist.

Boyfriend Challenge! by worldsnoister featuring a flower pendant

I'd love to see your Boyfriend Challenge creation! Post a link to it in the comments!