Graduation!

It's official...

I have graduated from college!!

Yesterday was the ceremony and brunch at Westminster. I've been to a few high school graduations in my life but I expected a college graduation to be a bit different. It wasn't. It was way too long, I was uncomfortable in my gown (which made me itch and gave me a rash on my uncovered leg...eww), it was so hot, the president spoke way too much, etc. I do have to say that I was very impressed with both of the speakers though. They were great and didn't talk for too long. Way to go guys!

Most of the ladies from the School of Education
Sarah, Rachel, Me, Lacey, Jamie

Christina, Jennifer, Jodi

ESL Ladies
Jodi, Me, Jennifer, Christina

All the graduates

Grandma, Me, Grandpa

Yea! I have a degree!

After graduation, we went out to eat. My sister brought Ali, the baby she nannies, which made for a much more interesting time.

Wow! I'm kinda making a scary face. We all got rained on when we were running in.

I spent most of my time trying to get Ali to laugh and use her Cookie Monster voice. Believe me, it's hilarious!

When you combine chocolate milk, pepsi, raspberry lemonade, and the remains of 4 other drinks, you get this concontion. I dared my sisters to drink it for $20. No one took that offer.

After graduation and all the family stuff, I went to a birthday party for my good friend Meredith. We sat around a camp fire, roasted marshmallows, and reminisced about memories of high school. The time we went to Lake Powell, school dances, making comedic genius videos. Good times ladies, good times.

More Mice and Rats and I Have a Job!

Book #9: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

This is a very sweet book. It's about the adventures of an unusually small mouse, Despereaux Tilling, the princess he loves, a servant girl who wants to be princess and a rat who is determined to bring them all to ruin. It's a magical fairy tale that I think even boys would enjoy. I give this book 5 stars.

"Nothing is sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name. Nothing." (p. 258)


The job hunt is over!
Yesterday evening, I accepted a job as a 6th grade teacher. I will be on B track which means I start July 27th. Though I only get a 3 week summer (next year) I do get the ENTIRE month of December off. That is freaking amazing! And we have Thanksgiving break, go to school for 5 days, go off track for 3 weeks. Pretty sweet. I think I'm going to like this track business. I am very excited to get started and I think this school will be a very good fit for me. I am going to tour the school and meet my team some time next week (probably Wednesday) and I'll keep everyone updated.

Saul, Julie and Keoko

I had an appointment to get Saul's oil changed today. (Saul is my car's name. It's an old man name and I think my car is creeping to old man status pretty quickly so it fits him nicely) This oil change was supposed to happen 2 months and 1000 miles ago...oops! I've been a little preoccupied lately, anyway, I got up in plenty of time, took a shower, barely got ready but still ended up leaving late. How does this happen? When I was in high school I was impeccable at being on time to EVERYTHING. In this last 6 months to a year I've become horrible at being on time. Maybe my late-for-everything-friends finally rubbed off on me. Ugh.

Looking for a job...

is very possibly the worst experience in the world. I got an email from a principal yesterday wanting to set up an interview. Sure sounds great. I email back saying any time is great. She emails me "How about 10am on Friday?" I again say sure sounds great. She emails me back later saying wait that doesn't work, "How about in between 2:20 and 3pm?" I email back "Does 2:30 work?" Still no response. I'm showing up at 2:30. End of story. On another note, I heard from a professor that an elementary in Salt Lake was looking for a 1st grade teacher and wanted a Westminster grad. The professor said to call the principal, mention that I graduated from Westminster, was interested in the job and that the professor had told me about it. Easy enough. I tried to talk to the principal but I had to get through Maggie, the secretary. I think Maggie secretly wants to be a bouncer at a club and I'm not wearing a short enough skirt or slipping her a 20. So I just faxed my resume like Maggie said. We'll see what happens.

Book # 8: When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park

The first thing I noticed about this book was how similar it was to A Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi. This story is told from two perspectives--Sun-hee and Tae-yul. Sun-hee and Tae-yul are sister and brother. They alternate as narrators of separate chapters, and many times they both provide individual views of the same events. The book follows their experiences living in Korea as it is occupied by Japan during WWII. The novel provides accurate information about the war. Some chapters were dry and boring and I found myself skipping over a lot while I was completely engrossed by other chapters. I don't think I would give this book to anyone younger than 5th grade primarily because the level is pretty high and it would probably become quite discouraging for younger readers. Also, the content may be a bit controversial for some students. I'm giving this book 3 stars. If you're really interested in this subject, this is a good book, but there are better ones out there.

"You burn the paper but not the words. You silence the words but not the thoughts. You kill the thoughts only if you kill the man. And you will find that his thoughts rise again in the minds of others--twice as strong as before!" (p. 106)

"How could an alphabet--letters that didn't even mean anything by themselves--be important? But it was important. Our stories, our names, our alphabet. Even Uncle's newspaper. it was all about words. If words weren't important, they wouldn't try so hard to take them away." (p. 107)

Ghost, Get Togethers, Suicidal Body Updates and Dracula Bunny??

Book #7: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe

This book is not going to win any prestigious awards. The writing didn't really pull me and the story was really predictable. Chester, the literate, sensitive, and keenly observant family cat, was a pretty great character but there needed to be more. With only 98 pages though, I don't know what else could have been added. Looking at websites about this book (and the 5 others in the series. Who knew?) everyone says it's a classic. What determines a classic? Age? I would not classify it as such. There are probably people who love it and I wouldn't stop a child from reading it but it wasn't my cup of tea. 2 stars vampire bunny, 2 stars.

Suicidal Body Update:
1) The allergies have let up (cue chorus of angles or gospel singers).

2) The cough is still there but not as bad as previously stated (no, it probably isn't Swine Flu and yes, I probably was over reacting).

3) Large bumps, still present. Still painful? Not as much.

4) Broken toe, still broken. Ugly boot? Still present. Ugly boot + cap & gown = lots of boyfriends?

5) No more knee spasms (woot!).

6) Migraine went on vacation for a few days but came back during the night. I think he had been drinking and decided I needed to feel some of his hangover (I don't drink but I'm guessing it's similar).

So on the plus side, unemployment is helping my body.

Graduation par-tay!! Wahoo! After class (which got out an hour early!!) I went to Lindsay's house for a graduation party/get together. It was a lot of fun. We talked and complained and took a lovely stroll down college-memory road. This is where I would add pictures if I took any so use your imagination.

Ghosts live in my house. Or should I say haunt my house? I'm not into supernatural stuff but I'm pretty sure my house is built on what used to be an Indian burial ground. There are always noises going on in the house and not just normal creaking house kinds of noises. Voices when no one is home, slamming doors, walking around kinds of noises. Or maybe a vagrant who hasn't realized I'm home all the time (thanks unemployment!) lives in my attic and he hasn't figured out that he should hide all day now. Maybe all I'm hearing is him borrowing clean underwear and shaving. That's not creepy at all.

On a happier note, I love So You Think You Can Dance and it's officially back. Here's a favorite dance from last year. It's pretty much magical. Watch it 14 times in a row. I did.

Braverism

Book #6: Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary

This book was published in 1975 so was therefore around when I was in elementary school. Why was I never introduced to Ramona? She's so cute and spunky and full of enough mischief for the goody-two-shoes-2nd grade version of me to vicariously live through that I think I would have actually enjoyed reading these books. Another thing I really enjoy about this book is the use of vivid language. SO MANY vocabulary words! Astound, predicament, aghast, humiliation, clattered, hastily, glorious, dignity, dawdling, muster, incident. Loved it! I give it 4 stars. I included some quotes I liked from the book. I think I got a bit carried away.

"Agreeing was so pleasant she wished she and her sister could agree more often." (p. 12)

"'If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret any more,' said Mrs. Quimby.

That, Ramona felt, was just about the most exasperating sentence ever spoken by a grown-up." (p. 18)

"They were no longer six-year-olds. They were the strongest people in the world. They were giants." (p. 38)

"Ramona liked good lively comedies with lots of children and animals and grown-ups doing silly things. Next to that she liked cat food commercials." (p. 88)

"Crying had left Ramona tired and limp, but somehow she felt better, more at peace with herself, as if trouble and guilt had been washed away by tears." (p. 148)

“IF” by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:


If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'


If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Bunches of Made Up Words

Book #4: Frindle by Andrew Clements

I enjoyed this book. It was a very easy read and is about a 2nd-4th grade level book. It's is about a boy named Nick who learns from his teacher that words mean what they mean because we say they do. He gets an idea to start calling pens "frindles" and soon has his whole school using the word. The story follows his 5th grade year and how the word frindle grows into a nation wide word. I give this book 3 stars.

Book #5: The BFG by Roald Dahl

I can hear the outcry now. I'm sure people are going to be very upset with me for saying this but I HATED THIS BOOK! I usually like books by Roald Dahl but this was the exception. I think the reason I hated this book so badly was because of the massive amount of made up words and because of The BFG's horrible grammar. Why are giants always so bad at speaking standard English? Is it in their gigantic DNA? I had the most difficult time finishing this book and actually put it down many times because I was sick of it. I was very disappointed because I had heard that it's a great book. I didn't think so. I gave this book 2 stars. One of the stars was just because it's written by Roald Dahl.




I also had an interview for a 6th grade position today. I rocked it hard! I was so relieved to know that I can give a good interview, the first two I was just a ball of nerves. Now I've gotten over my anxieties and I think I'm going to get a job soon. I hope it all goes well. By the way, this principal taught 6th grade at Jordan Ridge (where I went) when I was in 6th grade. Small world, right?

Why we love Ashley

Reason #25:

She would fluently speak 14 different languages if it weren't so hard to learn.

Rats, Unemployment and (over the counter)Drug Induced Dreams

Book #3: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
If you want a book that will make you like rats and mice, this is it. I hate mice and rats, ewww, disgusting! But I loved the characters--Mrs. Frisby, her mice children, Nicodemus, Justin, Mr. Ages, Brutus--all of which were mice and rats. In the end I almost shed a tear. It was a great book in which if you're anything like me you will identify with the characters (yes, they're mice and rats) and want to live their cool little lives. This book also won a Newbery Medal and I can see why. It is excellently written. Another aspect I enjoyed with this book is that it was written in 1971 (38 years ago!) but is still relevant and still a good read. I think, if not already classified as this, it will become a classic. I give this book 5 stars!

The plus side of being unemployed

-I can sleep until 10 am, eat breakfast then go straight back to bed

-With all this extra sleep, my body is recuperating quite quickly

-I'm reading daily

-I don't have to shower every day

-I'm dreaming again (I think I have to have at least 7 hours of sleep a night for a long period of time for this dreaming thing to happen)

-I am able to make it to family and friend get togethers

What I've learned over the past 3 nights

Benadryl Allergy + Melatonin - an alarm clock = Super Crazy Dreams

I don't remember the details but I was "dating" some guy or maybe we had just met. He had a son. We all ate ice cream. The son wanted more ice cream but there wasn't any more. The dad had to leave. I was bummed. So I packed up my stuff (we were sleeping (not in the same bed or even the same room, my dreaming self is not a super slut) at my grandparent's house but it was more like a motel) and accidentally bumped into him as we both left.

There were 3 more last night that I think would fit better into the "crazy dream" category but I don't remember any details though I do remember waking up after one, saying the details and going back to sleep.

Book #2 and My Body is on a Suicide Mission

Today's book is Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.

This book is written in JOURNAL style, not diary style. It is the story of Greg Heffley's life in middle school. It follows him from the first day of school to the last. It is written from 4th to 6th grade and has humor that is very suitable for them. That being said, I laughed out loud at a few parts. Here is an example: Greg's mom tells him he needs to write thank you letters to everyone he received a Christmas present from. At first this is very difficult for him but then he realizes he can write a form letter and just fill in the blanks. It works well at first but he soon comes to a problem. Here is the problem letter (italics are the parts Greg fills in):


Dear Aunt Loretta,


Thank you so much for the awesome pants ! How did you know I wanted that for Christmas?


I love the way the pants looks on my legs !


All my friends will be so jealous that I have my very own pants .


Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever!

Sincerely, Greg

The journal entries are also illustrated which is what makes the book so fabulous! This is again a very quick read because of the style.

I'm giving this book 5 stars which, if you remember my system, translates to: "Why hasn't everyone read this yet?!!"

Words of wisdom by Greg Heffley:

"Let me just say for the record that I think middle school is the dumbest idea ever invented. You got kids like me who haven't hit their growth spurt yet mixed in with these gorillas who need to shave twice a day. And then they wonder why bullying is such a big problem in middle school," (p.3).


On to My Body is on a Suicide Mission.

Honestly, what does my body think it's doing?

Here are the facts:

1. I have had the WORST allergies of my life this year and nothing is working to alleviate them.

2. I have a hacking cough which with my PhD., I am going to diagnose it as Swine Flu (no I'm not over reacting!)

3. There are large, hard bumps behind both of my ears that hurt as bad as giving birth without an epidural (again, I'm not over reacting, though I've never had children). I'm diagnosing this one as cancer (with the help of WebMD) or it's just the bone. I'm hoping for just a bone.

4. My broken toe was doing just fine and now it really hurts. Hello! I'm going to the doctor tomorrow so he can say I don't have to wear the stupid boot any more. Be a nice little bone and heal already!

5. My right knee is spasming. It may be because I put a lot of weight on it due to the above mentioned injury but I don't know.

6. I've had a migraine for 5 days straight.

Seriously! What is wrong body? I should probably see a doctor. Ugh. I hate going to the doctor. But I'll do it so I can stop being paranoid.

45 books in 90 Days

I'm taking a Master's level children's literature class. I feel very inadequate with my book reading.

In this class we talk about books we really connected with as children. As classmates ramble on and on about books they loved as children, I sit and doodle and vaguely try to look like I'm thinking or I rack my brain for any fragment of a book still left over from elementary school but the file marked "Books I read and enjoyed in elementary school" is completely empty. I remember being assigned a few books to read in elementary school but always hated them. I can't remember titles of any books I read until 7th grade...Z for Zachariah. And I don't remember much about the book only the fact that I finished it and didn't completely loath it.

Let's backtrack a bit. As a family, we don't read. The only thing I remember my mom reading is the newspaper. I was never pushed to read. We don't have bookshelves crammed full of books lining our walls. We never went to libraries unless we needed a book for a book report. We weren't the family that just went to the bookstore and were told to pick a book. Book reports were torture as children. AR points, even worse. I honestly didn't become a reader until college. And at that point, I was reading children's books and text books. Up until now, I haven't felt I had the time to sit down with a good book and devour it like a wolf, "in great hulking bites, with vigor, as often as possible," (cited by Tunnell p. 8).

But today is the turning point. I can continue in my non-reading ways or make a change for the better. I've decided to read. Now it may seem like 45 books is a lot to read in 90 days but these will all be children and young adult literature (I have to be ready for my job, that I will have soon!) My plan is to read the book, rate it and basically just give myself a little synopsis so I can look back later and say, "Oh, I remember reading that! I would be great for this book group/ read aloud/shared reading..." So here goes:

Book #1: Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Here is a pretty good summary.

If you took the time to read the summary, you know the main character is Steve Harmon. He is the narrator of this book and is writing his life and trial as a screen play with a few of his journal entries tied in.

Because of the format, it is a very fast read. Also, because of the format, I got a bit lost in exactly who the characters were (especially the lawyers) and what their story was.

I think this would be a great book for 7th grade to 12th grade students and I think I may recommend it to my 9th grader sister.

My rating system is a 5 star system where 5 stars is "Why hasn't everyone read this yet?!!" and 1 star is "You should really use this book to balance that wobbly table in your kitchen." I give this book a solid 4 stars, which translates to "Pick this book up and read it in a hour or two. You'll be glad you did."

"I want to know who I am. [...] I want to look at myself a thousand times to look for one true image," (p. 281).

Frustration

I know I'm a good teacher.

People I've worked with know I'm a good teacher.

My professors know I'm a good teacher.

My classmates know I'm a good teacher.

My students know I'm a good teacher.

Why can't I verbalize why I'm a good teacher when I'm at an interview?

Freebies

I love free things. This is a fabulous website I stumbled upon thanks to April Showers who I stumbled upon thanks to Pulsipher Predilections (this girl is hilarious, I hope to be as funny as she is one day!). All of this stumbling lead me to an awesome freebie giveaway at Fantabulously Frugal. She is giving away great things all through the month of May. Check out the website and enter to win! Also, she has great deals that she lets you in on. It's freaking amazing!

I may have ADD

I am not licensed to diagnose anyone (though I do on a regular basis) but I really think I might. I say this because I cannot finish anything. Everything I do is in small chunks. I start a million projects at a time then it takes me forever to finish these million things. Here is a classic example from today:

I began by going to look for places to live. Because I hadn't done any research, the search didn't last long and I went home (plus I needed to use the bathroom, I have the bladder of a 3 year old lately!). I arrive home (used the bathroom) and decided I need to organize all my crap from the past year of school so I begin making piles. This then leads to me seeing my graduation announcements and realizing that I need to send those out asap so I should probably forgo the piles and work on addressing envelopes. As I'm addressing, I think "Man, it's so quite, I'll turn on some music." Which inevitably leads me to my computer where I turn on music then play 2 games of Free Cell followed by a jaunt through Facebook land and a little blog stalking. Then I made lunch and watched some How I Met Your Mother (which is the funniest show ever! Watch these if you don't believe me.)

Barney is hilarious!

Then I picked up my sister from school, finished up some homework and went to get ready to go to school. This is the time I remember I had left my piles of junk and graduation announcements all over the floor along with my music playing. ADD?

Today was my second day as a graduate student. I really like the class I'm taking but because I don't have the experience the other students have, I feel like I don't have anything to say.

I also have an interview at Grant Elementary on Friday. I hope it goes well. I really want this job!

ACK! I missed 3 whole days!

Ok. I wanted to try to write on here everyday but then a crazy busy weekend with a holiday got in the way. What to do? RECAP, that's what.

Friday: Uhhh. I just realized I barely remember what I did yesterday and I'm supposed to remember Friday. This is exactly why I should do this daily. I think I have early onset Alzheimer's. Think...Think...Think I'll get back to you.

Saturday: I worked at The Children's Center and the little one I mentioned last Saturday had another training session, this one off site. Just him and his trainees. It went much better but he was still very anxious ("My stomach hurts!"... all freaking day!). But it did go well. Cross your fingers that he'll be out of TCC soon and be in a loving family. BTW, I love this family. I hope and pray that it works out. It was also my good friend Katie's last day. Saturdays will never be the same. No more Lego jails, polygamist compounds, white trash meth houses or temples of light. I'll miss you, Katie!

Sunday: Happy Mother's Day. My ingenious Mother's Day idea did not happen. Tampons are expensive and I'm not going to waste them on making ugly flowers. We went to brunch with my grandparents, sisters and parents at Little America...one and a half hours later we got in. The food was good but the company was better. It was a nice relaxing day!

This is us walking to Little America. I should have known it was a bad sign when we had to park 2 blocks away.

Does anyone else think the signage is a bit ghetto?

Waiting for Mike to park the car (as a side note, we probably should have gotten in line instead of waiting).

I'm glad I didn't have to pay! Thanks, Mike!

Grandma and Courtney waiting...

Devin waiting and contemplating putting that chandelier in her room...

Mom waiting and hanging out with a moose...

Taking pictures of huge flower arrangements and WAITING...

Grandma, Courtney and I trying to not think about how hungry we are and waiting...

Woot! We finally got in. Omelet bar anyone?

Friday: I finally remembered. I went to a book sale with Katie and Karla then we had lunch at Amour, a cute little Indian restaurant in Draper. At 6, I went on a blind date with Karla's friend. Let's call him B. My date with B was ok but it's not leading to marriage or even a second date. Some would say give it another chance. First dates, especially blind dates are always difficult. But I just wasn't that into him. The end.

Monday: Today I subbed in a first grade class in Cottonwood Heights. It was fun and pretty easy. I'm getting pretty good at this teaching thing, if I do say so myself. At 5:30 I also start my MED program. We'll see how it goes. I don't know what I've gotten myself into. I hope it goes well but I'm a bit nervous. Wish me luck!

Moms Will Love It!

Mother's Day is just around the corner and like every year, I have not gone shopping yet. As I was pondering what to get my mom to tell her she is the best mom in the world, I surfed the world wide web. Usually I buy my mom something that she has said she wanted really badly but by the time a holiday or birthday roll around, she has forgotten saying such things and says my gift sucks (hey mom, remember that birthday when you hated all your presents? I do.).

Well, not this year. This year I will use all the love stuffed inside my heart to show her that she is a better mom than Rosanne, Peg Bundy and the Octo-mom combined. Actually, my mom is more like this:

+

-

x

=

This will be a hand-made gift from the heart...A Tampon Flower Bouquet. How could Mom deny the fact that I love her with this beautiful gift? How could she say she hates it. I think this is a winner and I think everyone should visit the website and create a gift of love for their mom. Stay tuned for Father's Day. Tampon gifts for dads? Yes, it's true.

Growing Up

Things I want...no, wait, NEED.

• A teaching job in Murray School District


• A house/condo/townhouse


• A super cute boyfriend or a sugar daddy (I'm not really this serious about a sugar daddy.
  "The Sugar Daddy and Sugar Baby Relationship--The typical Sugar Daddy is an older gentleman who has the financial means to support or help out his Sugar Baby, whether she needs help in paying bills or just wants to enjoy some of the finer things in life that she otherwise couldn't afford. The typical Sugar Baby is young, attractive, and in need or seeking a more financially stable gentleman. She could be a college student, a single mom, a model, or even an aspiring actress.)" BARF! Please ignore the 'I need a sugar daddy' comment. I was trying to be funny but apparently people join websites for this purpose. For a funnier side of 'sugar daddies,' read this blog. In sacrament meeting of all places. Hilarity at its finest!

I've been thinking I would start looking for a place of my own once I graduated college (i.e. right now). I've been making mental lists of places that are for sale for some time now and I went out to really look at them, make some calls, etc. today. YIKES!! I've never bought a townhouse before but I never would have expected them to be so expensive. I would need 10 roommates and a 0% interest rate to afford the places I like and I'm not even looking at super expensive places.

Now, I don't need anything extravagant but I'm not going to live in squalor. I've done that before. Not fun! I want somewhere in a nice-ish area, close to Murray (because I will be working there!). I'm thinking 2 bedrooms so I can get a roommate to share the expense and then one day when I find said 'super cute boyfriend' and he turns into 'super cute husband' we'll have room to grow as a family. Nice carpet is also a must because I won't have money for furniture so I'll be spending a lot of time sitting on the floor.

Ugh! Growing up and being an adult is a lot of work and takes a lot of money.

Not Being Famous Rocks!

Blog, blog, blogity,blog. What to write about today. I could write about how I subbed in kindergarten and how I love kindergarten or I could write about how the dumb boot I have to wear for my toe is making my foot really stinky. But that would be boring. How about some Hollywood gossip? Nope. Sorry. Hate that but I can talk about reasons why I'm soooo glad I'm not famous.

Reason 1: I can go anywhere, ANYWHERE, in pajamas, without make-up, with a huge zit in the middle of my forehead, wearing one Crock and one Ugg boot, smelling like fish and mayo and wearing broccoli as a hat and NO ONE cares. I may get some weird looks but I'm not going to see myself on a blog or in a magazine the next day with the headline Has Ashley Let Herself Go, Lost Her Mind or Are Mismatched Shoes the New Trend?


Reason 2: My love life is my business. No one else has to know about it if I choose not to tell anyone.

Reason 3: No one votes on how much I look or do not look like a horse. Poor SJP.

Reason 4: I don't have to worry about where to put my Emmy, Oscar or MTV Movie Award (that's the one I secretly covet. Who wouldn't want a golden bucket of popcorn?)

Reason 5: If I want to eat a tub of ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner and not workout for a week I won't be on the cover of OK!Magazine with a title insinuating that I'm fat because of pregnancy or a difficult breakup. I just like ice cream and not working out. OK!

Reason 6: I can buy and use a fake Kate Spade bag and no one cares or can tell the difference. I guess I shouldn't put this out there due to this story but I really don't think I'll be bumping into Kate anytime soon.

Reason 7: There is no paparazzi outside my house.

Reason 8: When I buy milk, adopt babies from Africa, or buy new pants, it doesn't make the local news.

Reason 9: If I say something stupid, it's not recorded and I don't have to live with my stupidity for the next 3 months or more.

Reason 10: I don't have to worry about small talk with annoying talk show hosts (cough...Tyra...cough).

Reason 11: I don't have to worry about friends or family writing a tell-all book.

Basically, I'm glad I'm not famous because I don't want everyone to know everything about me, just the parts I choose to tell via blog.

Have an incredibly un-famous day!