2007 Saturn Ion.

My car is in the shop getting the front and back bumper repaired, and temporarily I've got this bad boy in black:

It was kind of a weird car to drive at first...it's lower than the Focus, so I have to step down to get in it. The steering and brakes are really sensitive, but it drives pretty well overall. I like all the audio stuff, except the cigarette lighter is between the gear shift and the emergency brake, so when I plug my iPod adapter in, it's impossible to see what song is playing & the reception is pretty shitty. The speedometer and odometer are in the center of the dashboard, not behind my steering wheel, and it took me about 10 minutes to learn how to turn the lights on. So, overall, it's a good car to have for a few days, but I miss my Focus. Now, the 2006 Kia Optima I had when I got in my accident last year is another story - that car was perfect.

Canon Rebel XT.

The Wag was so slow today, so thanks to the free time, I looked at a few of Canon's online tutorials and learned how to take black & white pictures with my Rebel Xt. I can't believe I didn't even know how to do it; honestly, it's kind of embarassing, I've had it for almost a year now. I haven't gone out & shot in SO long. There is an old Georgia train yard on Dekalb Ave. that's covered with graffiti that I've been dying to take pictures of. I think they are in the process of wrecking it down; it's kind of sketchy looking, but I want to try to shoot it before it's gone. I need to learn more of the technical aspects of my Canon before I go to Cancun. I definitely want to take some good pictures while I'm down there, especially of the ruins. Anyways, I played with the white balance & parameters a bit tonight and took this picture of Drake in the kitchen.

He definitely isn't a fan of the noise the shutter makes. He ended up hiding behind the bar, barking at me. Sorry buddy.

So, tonight was a start! I really want to learn how to use the built-in filters the camera has. Hopefully, The Wag will continue to be slow; I can't think of anything better than getting paid to learn new camera functions.

Tuesday ramblings.

I feel like when I actually have things to write about, I'm too tired to even open my laptop. As a result, when I feel awake enough to write, it all just comes out at once. So, here goes a whole lot of random ramblings.

I feel like I cannot stress enough the importance for girls to get the Gardasil vaccine. It protects females from four strains of HPV - the virus that causes 70% of cervical cancer cases and 90% of genital warts cases. Why would you not get it? I've heard various excuses, my personal favorite being "But I only plan on being with one person for the rest of my life". Have these girls never heard of infidelity? Maybe that's a cynical way to put it, but it's true - people cheat, both men and women. Who cares if your partner is offended by your desire to get the vaccine? I'd rather piss my boyfriend off now than end up with HPV and possibly cervical cancer years down the road. And yes, the vaccine is expensive ($164, not including the doctor's visit), it burns a little, and it takes 3 seperate doctor's appointments...get over it! How do you think you'll feel if you end up with cervical cancer, knowing it could have been prevented? Exactly.

I recently found out one of my best friends is pregnant, and I seriously could not be more thrilled. I cried when she told me; she is my first really close friend to be pregnant, and it's really exciting. I can't wait to watch her belly grow, buy her baby stuff, and to go wait at the hospital while she's in labor...I'm going to go picture-crazy. She is going to be the best mom ever, and her husband is going to be an awesome dad. Can't wait to meet "Thumper".

My flight & hotel to Cancun are reserved! We are going March 2nd-7th, and it cannot come fast enough. We staying at the Great Parnassus Resort & Spa; luckily, it's outside of the "hotel zone" where all the trashy MTV Spring Break action is. I definitely don't want to be anywhere near that. I can't wait to see all the Mayan ruins; I think we are going to Chichen Itza and Tulum. Also, if all works out, we get to swim with dolphins. It's been one of my dreams for years to even just touch one; if I get to hug & kiss one, I don't know what I'll do with myself. All I know is, I need to buy more memory for my camera...500 pictures is NOT going to be enough.

One sort of celebrity-related thing I found out today: Evan Rachel Wood was my neighbor down the street when I lived in Raleigh. I don't remember ever meeting her, but I did know her brother, Ira. And now, she's dating Marilyn Manson. Small world.

In concluding today's post, I just wanted to voice my opinion that Heather Ledger's death is just one more reason to be really, really selective and careful with what drugs you take, even those that are over the counter. Even if his death was a result of an accidental overdose on sleeping pills, it still is just one more reason to be mindful to the point of extremity with what you put and how much you put in your mouth.

A few things the weekend taught me.

• Arizona Pomegranate Green Tea is delicious.
• Rock of Love 2 ... women's degradation of themselves at its finest.
• The Foo Fighter's "Long Road to Ruin" video is hilarious. I could watch it over and over.
  
• It's always important to open the draft before you start a fire. We ladies obviously didn't know this, and my apartment almost blew up Saturday night. :)
  
• Taking the 75-minute Hot Core Power Yoga class with James followed by a super hot shower might be the best thing I've done for my body in a while.
• Snow every weekend would be amazing.
  

Snow in the ATL.

It's snowing outside! I haven't seen this much snow in a hot minute. We had a snowball fight at work tonight - my first one in years. Probably the best thing at The Wag I've done and gotten paid for. It was Drake's first time seeing snow (in Atlanta, at least - he did come from Fargo); he liked chasing the snowflakes more than anything.

By the time I got out of work at 7:45, my car was completely covered.

I'm really, really hoping that Georgia State cancels classes tomorrow. The off day would be MUCH appreciated guys. It's so sad when not even two weeks in the semester I'm itching to get out.

Spring Break is the first week of March, and with all this cold weather, I'm definitely trying to go somewhere warm. Hopefully, a friend from work & I are gonna go to Mexico. Definitely not Cancun, but I do think Cozumel would be amazing. I honestly just want to relax, get a tan, snorkel, kayak, swim with dolphins, and see some ruins - all away from the ATL. Wonderful.

I know it's such awful television, but I can't help but watch the first episodes of American Idol. It really makes me wonder if people's families or friends even listen to them before they audition. If you knew somebody was that bad, regardless of how much you love them, would you let them humiliate themselves on national tv? Obviously, some of it has to be a joke, but come on. There comes a point where you have to be like, "Listen - you're awful. Don't do this."

Obligatory Intro Post.

So, it probably isn't the best idea to start a blog out by saying I'm not 100% sure why I even created one. But for now, it'll do. I had a Xanga in high school, "upgraded" to a Livejournal in college, and promptly gave that up a few months ago, thanks in part to all the assholes on Livejournal. That's not to say Blogger is going to be any better; upon finding my old high school Xangas, I got a little nostalgic for the notion of keeping an online journal. At any rate, I guess I'll use this blog as a blog is meant to be used - as a forum to speak my mind, talk about what I want to talk about; I can't really say I ever did that in my other journals. My high school self mainly name-dropped "hardcore" bands and wrote about little inside jokes, while my college self seemed to mainly post pictures of what was going on in my life along with some other mundane info (with a little shit-talking on the side, something I'm none too proud of). Maybe it will be like a tabula rasa for me, writing this blog. I don't expect anyone to find my life interesting enough to subscribe, but it means enough to me to be able to write out my thoughts & experiences so one day I can remember them. My written journal is reserved for the heavy stuff, so I need an outlet for all the things I want to remember and talk about but don't necessarily feel like writing two, three pages each night. So anyways. Here's to a new beginning with Used Hardcovers. I guess some sort of autobiography is due.

I'm twenty one, will be twenty two in July. I lived in Raleigh, NC until I was twelve, and my family moved to Acworth, Georgia. My family consists of my mom, my dad, an eighteen year old brother, and two dogs. I'm still close to them; I visit home on a monthly basis, sometimes more. I've always felt pretty lucky with my family; we are tight-knit, and I'm proud of it.

Currently I'm a senior at Georgia State University, majoring in English with a concentration in Literary Studies. This is my last semester, and I have the worst possible case of senioritis. Only a little over three months to hold out, and then I'll be done with school, or at least for a year. I plan on going to graduate school in the fall of 2009; I've got my eye on the Southern Studies master's program at Ole Miss, although I'm not sure how I will do in Oxford.

I've lived in Atlanta for almost four years. I called GSU's student housing home from '04 to '05 and then lived with roommates in Druid Hills from '05 to '07. Now I live in a one-bedroom apartment in Decatur. It pretty much rules. I think I'm just one of those people that can't have roommates, period. I do much better by myself, paying my own bills, buying (and eating) my own groceries, cleaning my own shit, etc.

I've worked at Wag-A-Lot, a dog daycare & boarding facility, for almost two years; I'm an assistant manager. My boss is also my best friend, so that works out pretty nicely. I enjoy my job for the most part; working with dogs is almost never not fun.

I have three pets to my name. Maggie is a three year old fat-ass black rabbit. Lil Jack is a two and a half year old black and white dwarf rabbit. Drake is my newest acquistion. He is a six month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, named after the late Nick Drake. He was my Christmas present from my boy, which brings me to...

My boyfriend's name is Aaron. We have been together eight months (tomorrow!). He hails from Boston and sings in a band called Bane. We usually spend a month together, then a month apart so he can go on tour, play cards, etc. Kind of an unconventional relationship, but for the most part, it works.

And I guess that's the rundown. I won't lie; I am pretty interested in seeing how this whole "blog" thing is going to work out. Guess I'll find out in the next few weeks...