I Hope You Know How Much Those Moments Meant To Me

DayDay-

High school has a bad stigma. You can thank Hollywood for that. And I'm not here to defend it, but I'm here to warn you not to make the same mistake I did. It took me till end of Senior year to realize that I'd miss one small but dominating part about high school. Running.

I'm so glad I at least won that battle with you. Or maybe running did it all by itself. But thank God nonetheless. I want you to appreciate the moments while their happening, not near the end when you're forced to focus on the future. High school sucks sometimes, (believe me, I won't easily forget my first all-nighter thanks to English honors) but please love the temporary family you have.

Sometimes your generation scares me. It's all the technology thats been shoved in front of your face. You're too busy "fixing things on computer screens" and so worried about capturing the moment that you miss experiencing it. Sometimes, I'm guilty of that too.

But running slows it all down if you take just a moment to let it.

Notice how much time and energy everyone gives to the sport, and how happy they are to do it. Notice how everyone just wanders around at practice. Some are in a hurry, some are not, some make a beeline to their destination, and some do not. Notice that at any meet, people will bring homework, but most people won't be giving it 100% of their attention because it's just too hard to focus when you have pre-race nerves. Notice how people will call personal rivals by their school's name. Notice the blankets. Notice that even in the blistering cold that so many people complain about, there will always be happy runners. Notice the weird rituals and habits runners have. Notice the officials that are dedicating their day to help make sure you get a chance to improve your time. Notice the first hint of spring while you're running on a trail. Notice that everyone is so eager for it to get warm, that they'll still wear long sleeves but they'll pair it with shorts because for some reason, your legs can handle the coolness better than your arms. Notice all the trees that are still dead, but notice there is something that makes them seem more alive just knowing they are about to be. Notice that even though there is stress over running a home meet, there's also an ease and calmness about it. Notice the new shoes. Notice how a warm light rain will wake people up. Notice how the smiles are always genuine, but even more so when summer starts to approach. Notice how the seniors will start to be nostalgic.

We were all friends because we were all going through this sport that took over our lives in the best way possible. We spent both Proms at track meets, but so did all our closest friends. We coined terms that defined our whole season. We listened to a then unknown artist named Taylor Swift. We raided the old track clothes closet and found clothes from 1997. We gossiped about running drama. We napped before practice. We ate junk food. We laughed.

Your running experience will seem so distant when you hit my age, and I'm not even old. Meets were sometimes the best part about track because they were rare compared to every other distance run, workout, or stretch. Don't let nerves or too much focus on what you need to do during the race get in the way of enjoying the fact that you're there, because that's more than some people get.

And finally, always always always try to see the fun/weirdness/uniqueness in everything, treasure the little moments with whoever you're around, and be open to listening to what people have to say. Sometimes the best life advice you receive comes from a stranger on a straightaway.

Los Angeles Meets Rain

I've been in Los Angeles for about 2 months now. Since I've been here, I've been hit on countless times by creepy guys, seen Mark Wahlberg on the red carpet, partied on the beach, been told "No offense, but you look like Gwyneth Paltrow", visited the late Marilyn Monroe, played beach volleyball in 75 degree mid-November weather, and gone to a live taping of Jimmy Kimmel. But none of that compares to what I experienced a few days ago. On Thursday night, it rained... no... sprinkled in LA.

I swear to God, people here lost their shit.

As I'm leaving the parking garage on UCLA's campus, I notice that it's sprinkling out. And by "sprinkling" I mean that kind of rain that hardly justifies using your windshield wipers. This is where the chaos began.

I thought I was the crazy one for not turning on my windshield wipers, but no. I was very wrong. There were at least two other cars around me that had their wipers on full blast.

NOT ONE DROP OF WATER WILL TOUCH THIS WINDSHIELD OR SO HELP ME GOD!

WHAT IS THIS WET STUFF COMING OUT OF THE SKY?!? IS IT DANGEROUS? IT MUST BE DANGEROUS!

HOW DO I USE THESE WIPER THINGS?!?

Dude, these LA drivers were slamming on their brakes just to cross a small trickle of water that crossed the road... and they were only going 30mph to begin with. People were also going 15mph on a STRAIGHT on-ramp to a 65mph freeway. I was worried this would be problematic because it would be hard to merge with the faster cars, but I was wrong again. No one in LA drives fast when it's raining. Rain is like snow here. The speed of the cars on the freeway?

35mph.

Was there traffic?

Nope.

The amount of cars that had their brights on?

Way too many.

I don't know if they thought the brighter lights would help them see through the rain, but at one point it was to the point where I couldn't even tell if it was actually raining anymore. But honestly, you know how I know that people were completely overwhelmed by the small amount of water coming from the sky?

I was driving behind numerous people in the left-most lane on the freeway with their LEFT BLINKER ON.... for miles. Like at least 10 miles.

I'm telling you, it amusingly pathetic. I'm told this regularly happens to drivers during the first rain of the season. I really hope that's true.

In Virginia, when it downpours so hard that you can barely see the car in front of you, it seems like there will always be people pulled over under an overpass waiting for it to lighten up. BUT, there will always be more people still flying down the highway at 80mph.

I miss you, Virginia drivers.

Dear Grandma

It's crazy to think that it's been two months since you left us. I like to think that you didn't really leave us, rather you decided it was time to join grandpa. (Who knows what kind of havoc he's causing in heaven.) I try to think of your death in a more positive way to make the pain of losing you a little easier. There's a few scars left that I'm not sure will ever heal, but that's not your concern. It's for us to work through. Grief brings out strange things in people and I guess I never really witnessed the depth of that until you left.

It's taken a little while for your absence to sink in for me. That week you were sick was such a whirlwind. Even though I saw you every day, it wasn't the same as sitting around a table happily sipping coffee and playing cards together. I hope you knew everyone was there for you. We played cards, we talked, we watched tv, and we prayed. It was nice. 

I think to really starting to hit me though. Trips up to visit you were such a unique part of my young adulthood. There were so many times I was just happy to be there in the moment with you. So many things I can't really describe. Remember that lady down the hall? She always knew how to make a moment a little less tense. 

God, there are so many funny little moments. Remember when we brought in that cake, but we forgot utensils. Didn't know the meaning of desperate until I was eating chocolate cake with my hands. And remember that time you told that random family that I was prettier than they're daughter? I appreciate your inappropriate passive compliments. And oh, remember when you told me that the best way to get a boyfriend was to find a guy and trip him? Still have yet to see that work out for me, but sound advice nonetheless. Oh how I wish we had more time to make more memories! And I wish I had more time to thank you for the ones we did get. 

You know grandma, the main reason I'm writing this is because of one memory I wish I could've thanked you for while you were still here. It's funny because it's the oldest memory I have of you, but it's always been my favorite. Remember your teddy bear collection at the beach house? Well I remember one summer  when we were visiting you and grandpa, I spent a whole morning crying because I forgot my orange beanie baby bear at home. You let me pick out one of your bears from your collection to help make me feel better. I chose "Teddy", the big brown bear with a missing nose. You told me that if I hugged him, he'd make me feel better, so I did. And he did. I still have Teddy. He's one of the few stuffed animals that I keep around. I swear you put magic in him because I still hug him to feel better sometimes. Do we ever really lose the kid in us?

He's what inspired me to thank you, even though I guess it's too late to do it in person. I hope you know how much I cherish that memory. So thank you for Teddy, and just.... Thank you! 

I miss you, grandma!

I love you to the stars and back!

Yours truly,

Alison

6 Useless Things I Wish The iPhone 6 Would Do

With the upcoming release of the new iPhone 6 from Apple, I got to thinking about all the changes Apple has made to their phones since the release of the first iPhone. Then, being me, I thought about all the changes Apple could make to their phones that would be completely useless, if not utterly annoying. So here's 6 useless things Apple could do to their new iPhone 6.

Give a "20% battery used up" warning so you know when you're at 80% instead of a "20% of battery remaining" warning.

Have Siri be able to trash talk S-voice when she is around a Samsung phone and Cortana when she is around a Windows phone. Quickest way to make friends is by having your phone talk shit about their phone right in front of them, right?

Play theme music based on your mood when you're walking around.

Have a "Shazam"-like app that only identifies bird calls. I have talked about this idea with classmates before. Don't ask.

Come with a remote control so you don' even have to touch your phone to make it work.

Periodically change a word to one of its synonyms as you text. It would either make you sound smarter, or [smarter]. Amicorrect?

Dancing Baby Groot

Hey Guys-

Sorry I haven't done a post this month, but it's currently a very stressful time for me. There's a lot going on so I haven't gotten around to finishing up any of my drafts. I do have a new post coming soon so I will post that hopefully within the next week or two. Until then, enjoy this wonderfully cute video of a baby Groot dancing to the Jackson 5. And if you don't know what a "Groot" is, I recommend you go see Guardians of the Galaxy ASAP.

Cheers!

Short Stories

When someone says we're eating pasta for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, I'm like....

When people ask me if I like country music....

Does Taylor Swift count?

When there is no more chocolate left....

When I go on family vacations, sometimes I feel like the girlfriend from Parent Trap....

When I walk into my room and see a spider....

And when I gathering enough courage to kill said spider in my room, I'm like....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J27mHpL5LT0

Fangirling

Like every other normal girl, I go through fangirl phases in my life. Urban dictionary defines fangirling as, "The reaction a fangirl has to any mention or sighting of the object of her "affection". These reactions include shortness of breath, fainting, high pitched noises, shaking, fierce head shaking as if in the midst of a seizure, endless blog posts, etc." A fangirl phase for me is when I become slightly obsessed with a famous guy, and yes, it seems that I am writing a blog post about it. Well played Urban dictionary. My first real fangirl phase was back in 2003 over Jeremy Sumpter when he played Peter Pan in the 10 millionth remake of that movie. I remember lying awake the night after I watched the movie hoping against all hopes that Tinkerbell would take me away to meet Jeremy. Never happened. I got over that phase as soon as he got slightly fat in some random baseball movie a couple years later.

The next fangirl phase I can remember embarrassingly enough was Taylor Lautner. Confession: There's a picture of him in one of my old diaries. Like a "Sharkboy and Lava Girl" picture. Forgot that he did that movie, did you? Yeah, I'd like to forget that too. And I'm sure he would also agree. There's a karate dance scene he does that's more than horrendous. Now I'm kind of appalled by the fact I liked him that much. Twilight pretty much shit on the reputations of all those actors. Except Kristen Stewart's. Having one emotion during a movie doesn't really make you an actress so....

After those two fangirl phases, I went through a lot of small celebrity crushes. Zac Efron, Adam Levine (before the awful blonde hair), JGL, Shemar Moore, Ryan Gosling... the list goes on. I have a Pinterest page for all of the men I like, so visit that. My point is, it's been awhile since I've gone through another hardcore "fangirl" phase.

Until Matt Hires.

I know that's not a big name at all, but believe me he's worth a check out on iTunes. He deserves to be more well known.

But in all seriousness... I'm obsessed. I recently went to his concert, which was more like 30 people standing around listening to music than an actual concert, but hey! That's what you get from a not-so-well-known artist. And it allowed me to be closer to him, like nothing-separating-us-but-air close. I'm actually not that obsessed (or maybe I'm just really good at hiding my "high pitched noises and fierce head shaking as if in the midst of a seizure" as urban dictionary would claim) but I do truly love him as an artist and if given the chance would marry him. I will come to my senses soon and realize the absurdity of what I'm saying but until now, I am allowed to go on and on about how much I love Matt Hires. Because I'm fangirling.

After the concert, Lanie and I and two nice guys we met there, talked to him and his band for about an hour. I was literally quivering in excitement when he let us take 2 failed photos with him before we actually got a good one. I'm also pretty sure I made him giggle about our incompetence over taking pictures. Don't care if he was laughing with me or at me, I heard a tiny giggle and I pride myself in that. He was also like, "Sorry I'm pretty sweaty after being on stage" and I'm all like, "Sorry I'm pretty shaky after being in your presence" (I didn't actually say that to him, but I was thinking it). I did let out some high pitched noises when I was notified later that night that he favorited all of my tweets that mentioned him even if I didn't tag him in the post. It's the little things for me.

Well, I guess for now that's enough of my fangirl emotions spilled out into a blogpost for the world to see. I will definitely be a fan of Matt long after my fangirl phase is over, but for the moment let me have this.