Some Things You Didn't Know About Me.

Tucker is allergic to anything that sprays: perfume, spray paint, febreeze, etc. It's so funny when he sneezes though!

I have a hard time making friends. I have an even harder time believing they want to be friends with me.

I'm really really really self-conscious....about everything.

My veins show through really badly on my legs...one on my right shin "dropped" and left a scar (which is so weird)

I may be short, but I have really long legs (ASK MEGAN)

Sexiest actors right now: Gerard Butler, Bradley Cooper and holy moly Channing Tatum

Favorite Frozen Yogurt: Orange Tree (nope, I'm not changing the name) Pineapple with gummi bears

Favorite Ice Cream: Maggie Moo's Cinnamoo with gummi bears

Favorite Candy: Gummi bears, of course. And Dots.

Favorite Reality TV Show: The Biggest Loser

Best Websites: Stumble Upon, ImgFave, Wikipedia, Yahoo! Answers (hilarious) & (currently) Simply Hired

Twitter Name: @alishawalker

Favorite Lustful Color: (this changes often, hence lust) purple....which I used to not like at all

Favorite Color to Wear: black. I can't help it.

Best Way to Fall Asleep: put the computer away and listen to the fan.

Catching Up 365

I know....this is ridiculous. It's really hard to keep track when photos are on camera, iphone & photobooth. I promise to try and do better!!!!

05/03/2010

Day 71: The beginning of DEAD WEEK!!! "Fuel" for finishing all of my stuff for Thursday (this was Monday of dead week): 6,000 word paper (22 pages), 15 page law paper, 10 minute powerpoint presentation, law exam

05/04/2010

Day 72: Drake's roommate Jared make A-MA-ZING food. Can I keep him? This was a well deserved study break (following by an all-nighter, of course).

05/05/2010

Day 73: Cinco de Moustache....I went out after finishing one paper and getting to a good stopping point on the other. Since I'd only slept about 10 hours in 3 days, 1 drink was more than enough to get me loopy. Went home at 10:30....to find this. Tucker raids the "pantry" and has eaten a bunch of ramen.

05/06/2010

Day 74: How did I not figure this out before this week?! Studying outside on my screened-in porch is great. I finished my big paper an hour before it was due!! I then went to class from 6:00 to 10:30 (ugh), gave my presentation, then drove to the city to see the midnight showing of Iron Man 2!!! I then proceeded to stay up until 4:30 and wake at 8:00....still no sleep :o/. BUT I'M DONE!!!

05/07/2010

Day 75: NICOLE'S 23rd BIRTHDAY!!! The Christmas Lights messed up the picture, but it's the only one I got. Dinner and drinks at In the Raw followed by drinks at Louie's 2, more drinks at Logan's and more drinks at Seven47.

05/08/2010

Day 76: Do you notice that the days I am hungover are ALWAYS a picture of my dog? He's cute.

05/09/2010

Day 77: Of course I forgot to actually bring my camera to take a picture of my mom and brother on Mother's Day (dad was flying, we met up in Gainesville for lunch), but she did bring Tucker a new toy: a pipe!! LOL it's so cute but I couldn't seem to get him to keep it in his mouth for a picture.

05/10/2010

Day 78: I already posted my tornado pic, but let's face it: something more important today happened. Jack In the Box opened in Norman. I waited 45 minutes for fast food.

05/11/2010

Day 79: I have been cooking so much lately. This will be another recipe post. Italian Pork Chops = one of my favorites, even though you can't really see because of premature parmesan. I could eat this every day.

05/12/2010

Day 80: After finishing an online final, the semester is officially 100% over for me!!! Happy birthday Alex!!! Karaoke at Old O'Connell's.

05/13/2010

Day 81: This was found in another post....the havoc of my bed post the end of the semester.

05/14/2010

Day 82: 97 cent shoes boxes at Wal-Mart + label maker = CLOSET HEAVEN!!! I AM SO THRILLED THAT I DID THIS!!! I have all my sandals in one, all my rubber flip-flops in another. I have more shoes in a big trunk in my other closet, but I'm thinking of getting rid of a lot of those when I move...we'll see!

05/15/2010

Day 83: The aftermath of going out when it's been raining all week....

05/16/2010

Day 84: Worst hangover of my life today...Honestly....I was still sick at 7 pm. But, look how cute my doggie is!

05/17/2010

Day 85: Look!!! It's MEGAN!!!! :D

05/18/2010

Day 86: Friends at Tara's!!! Brad......

05/19/2010

Day 87: Wal-Mart is pretty....really, the sunset at Wal-Mart....but regardless. Another one of these coming up!!

05/20/2010

Day 88: That crane OWNED KFC. I guess they're remodeling.

05/21/2101

Day 89: Who knew Wal-Mart could be so beautiful?!?!

05/22/2010

Day 90: When you're too tired to cook & decide to make "Easy Mac" instead, PLEASE remember to add water. The thing caught on fire, set off the smoke detector, & I had to leave my kitchen windows open for three days.

05/23/2010

Day 91: Tucker smiling because I bought him a burger at Jack In the Box. LOL that thing was GONE in about 40 seconds.

05/24/2010

Day 92: The day affectionately known as "The One When I Left My Apartment for Three Hours & Tucker Didn't Mess ANYTHING Up".....a first.

05/25/2010

Day 93: Went to Blu with Alex...this has never happened before. :D

05/26/2010

Day 94: My good friend Angie & I went to McNellie's in midtown, then back to her apartment. This is her puppy Great Dane, Chloe. Such a sweet horse.

05/27/2010

Day 95: In bed all day, partly for a job search, mostly because I'm lazy, included a Skype night with the fabulous LauraLovingLife. Tucker faithfully watches me do nothing all day.

05/28/2010

Day 96: Even though I truly did nothing the day before, I was on the phone until 5, up until 7...AM. Another day spent in bed recovering from my ridiculous sleep pattern. Thought this pic was funny!

05/29/2010

Day 97: Forced myself out of bed to help Angela "move." Really, we just got her windows tinted then went to the Paseo Arts Festival with her roommate Stacy!! ALI HARTER WAS AMAZING!

Rough Week, Y'all.

Does anyone ever feel like you're not good enough?

This is not a rhetorical question.

I'm so sick of everyone telling me (and of me telling myself) that I deserve better.

Better love-life, better relationships, better social life, better professional life.

I know I deserve better, but when I go out to get what I want or TRY to get what I want...this "betterness"...I just end up rejected and feeling worse than I did in the first place.

What if you are willing to risk everything? WHAT IF YOU HAVE RISKED EVERYTHING?!?! What if then, you still don't get what you want and what you deserve? What then?

I know it takes a lot of disappointment and failure to have success, but anyone who really knows me knows HOW HARD I WORK. These people also know that my self-esteem/confidence isn't even marginally okay. It's my greatest and most frustrating flaw. I try to achieve "betterness" by trying to be better at everything, which is just exhausting; it's not really worth it if I'm not reaping the rewards of my efforts.

I don't want goodness...I want greatness. I don't want to settle.

These last few weeks, I've given up on things and on people that I haven't wanted to. I want to keep fighting, but I'm sick and tired of failing. Is that settling or the opposite of settling?

I know this is really vague, there has just been a lot going on that is emotionally driving me down. I don't know how much I can (or should) disclose online.

I just don't know how much more disappointment I can handle. I have been putting so much energy into living life to the fullest and grabbing the bull by the cajones, but things aren't paying off.

In response to the Rolling Stones:

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, you might find
You get what you need...

If I can't get what I want, I'm trying with all of the energy I have, & I'm sure as hell not getting what I need.......what then?

I've tried every school of thought I can think of as some sort of divine intervention. I've tried praying, I've tried having faith that God will provide, I've tried the Secret, I've tried meditation, I've tried Kenpo (helps with the short term lol...)....& I really don't want to go freaking Jihad on someone. (Lame attempt at humor, not meant to offend anyone or cause ANY scare threat whatsoever).

If you want to know more, you should give me a call. I could probably use it.

AHEM (phlegm)

Nobody's blogging.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Called you out.

Mommy, WOW. I'm a big kid now.

So I think I decided something. Well, there's a couple of decided things. This post will take care of two, maybe three, of those cliffhangers from a couple of days ago.

First off, I am most likely not going back to school to continue my master's program

• Unless I don't find a job, then I'll continue. It's paying the bills and is free, so I really can't complain too much except that I hate it
• Unless I decide that I want to switch concentrations (currently media management, Prof. Jim Avery has half convinced me I NEED to be in strategic communications [PR+Advertising])

Second, I just TODAY decided I'm not going to find a job in June. I was planning on something rinky-dink like HobLob, McAlister's, etc. However, it was only going to be for about a month, because my summer schedule looks like this.

• May 14-27 FREE TO WORK
• May 28-31 Memorial Day Weekend/Float Trip?!?!
• June 1-10 FREE TO WORK
• June 11-22 Women's Leadership in Media Project (Gaylord, part of my assistantship, getting paid)
• June 24 (ish)-July 5 (ish) Spending constant time with the lovely Fisher Family in Dallas.
• July 6-_______ FREE TO WORK

Instead, I am just going to look for odd jobs around town: oddjobnation.com & craiglist.com are my new best friends to pick up extra cash when I am going out of my mind/savings too rapidly depleting. I mow, if you have a mower. I babysit. I clean. Etc. My main goals will be to think, reflect, plan, have fun, P90X and job search e.ver.ee.day.

Third, once July 6 hits, I can start a full-time big kid job (which means looking...NOW). But, I'm not going to settle. I talking a good salary, full benefits, something that won't make me hate my life. I'd love to stay in Oklahoma, I just don't know if it's possible. :o(

Cities where I'm looking...like really really looking & I would love to live there looking:

• Oklahoma City
• Dallas/Fort Worth
• Austin
• New York City
• Chicago
• Los Angeles
• (Tucson) --> I know if I didn't put this on there, Jaymee would be sad and ring my little neck....

I'd also consider a couple of other cities, but not as seriously. I needed to rank things down a bit. Boston, Cincinnati (close family friends there), DC, Denver, Houston, Paris, Phoenix, San Fran, Seattle, Tulsa

Ranked in order of job availability pertinent to ME (most jobs to least jobs)

1. New York City
2. Chicago
3. Los Angeles
4. Austin/Dallas
5. Austin/Dallas
6. Oklahoma City
7. Tucson

Ranked in order of how scary it be to move there, based on family/friends/my personal comfort level (most scary to least scary)

1. Chicago/LA (I know no one)
2. Chicago/LA (I know no one)
3. NYC (I know Laura [Now do you see why I've wanted your "butt calls" to be real calls] & a few others)
4. Austin (Lots of friends from high school)
5. Tucson (Fisher family)
6. Dallas (Walker family/lots of college & high school friends)
7. Oklahoma City (Lots of college friends, home for the last 5 years, boy man guy I'm seeing)

Did you catch that? Yeah I let that little bit slip.

I don't know what to do guys.

How to Clean a Room in 10 Minutes or Less

I'm really good at cleaning...I'm quick at it, & I really HONESTLY enjoy it. The only problem is that I am "stretched too thin," as are most people.

So here's how I clean a room in 10 minutes or less. Much of this is common sense, but I like to make cleaning a game (I have a couple of different games to make the process easier, particularly for bigger messes projects). I'll call the room being worked on the "project room" to avoid any confusion when I talk about other rooms!

1. Put on some music that will keep you moving & that always keeps you in a good mood. Nothing too romantic, nothing that will relax you too much, ABSOLUTELY nothing that will make you cry.

2. Set a timer (on your phone/microwave/whatever) for 10 minutes. This serves two purposes...

• Psychologically, a race against the clock will help you stay focused...I enjoy competing against myself.
• If you finish before the 10 minutes is up, go work on another room!! See how much you can get done.

**If you don't finish in the 10 minutes, you can either keep going or decide to call it quits (as long as you know you put forth 10 minutes of hard work, you'll feel better about it!

3. Start by removing anything that does not belong in the project room.

• This will get rid of some of the clutter. I usually just throw it in a pile in the next room (unless it is already clean). My goal is usually just to displace the mess but completely clean ONE ROOM at a time.

4. Go through all other rooms and collect anything that does belong in the project room.

• If you're going on a cleaning spree of room after room, this should make each consecutive room, technically, easier than the one before it! Basically, once I'm done with the bathroom, the bathroom is closed. I can then go on to the kitchen. Once I'm done with the kitchen, the kitchen is closed, etc.

5. Put away things leftover in the project room.

• Yes, this is the most obvious part. However, all of the extra clutter is gone and everything that belongs in the bathroom is efficiently already there.
• I usually quickly put everything into one big pile, then sort zones (ex. closet, right side of room, left side of room, trash, etc.). I can more efficiently put things away if everything in a small pile is going to the same place.

6. Use quick-clean items, like swiffer cloths or clorox wipes, if needed.

7. Run a sweeper/broom/vacuum over the floor. This makes such a big difference!!!

8. Spray room with febreeze &/or air freshener. Also makes a big difference!!!

9. Light a candle, if you wish, as a finishing touch!

**Of course, 6-9 are optional & in addition to getting rid of little messes, but are great finishing touches to make your place seem welcoming, clean and cozy.

10. You're DONE!!

This is not about a perfectly clean room! That can take me hours. This is all about making a big dent in a short amount of time.

If you're in for a real challenge, adopt the same concept, set the timer for 15 minutes, and do this through your entire apartment/house. You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it makes....but it's so worth it :o).

More 365

04/26/2010

Day 64: I had to have ice cream ten minutes before Braum's closed. It was necessary.

04/27/2010

Day 65: I'm planning on a recipe post for this one: Sauteed Shrimp & Saffron Rice yummmmmmm

04/28/2010

Day 66: Of course I get a speeding ticket on my way to Penn Square to buy jeans. At least I couldn't find any that fit me, since now I can't afford them.

04/29/2010

Day 67: Last Thursday night at Blu with Alex of the semester.

04/30/2010

Day 68: I made Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes, modified from gimmesomeoven.com . HOME-MADE ICING!!! These were so yummy!!!! I thought adding yellow sugar crystal sprinkles was a nice touch :o)

05/01/2010

Day 69: I obviously did nothing interesting this weekend....Dead Week approaching and too much to do.

05/02/2010

Day 70: Their car alarm went off for over six hours straight....and I could hear it a full block away (IT WAS SO LOUD!!!). No, I did not leave this note, but effective all the same

A Pea in the Pod....or a whole f*cking watermelon.

I can't stand it when this happens.

Sunday night, I cleaned my apartment (to avoid working on my take-home final....). Monday, I worked on my take-home final ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT (including through the tornado). I turned in my final at 11:25 (due at 11:55), took a look around & realized....

The tornado started 3 miles SE of my apartment, took a sharp hook NW, traveled through my bedroom, then jumped back on its original route through eastern Oklahoma.

The rest of this week, I have done nothing about the mess, except fuel the fire. Again...I can't STAND when this happens. Monday night, Tuesday night & Wednesday night, I didn't sleep so well....and I think I just realized why.

Here's what I found (only counting stuff ON THE BED):

-5 pillows (completely normal)

-sheets

-blanket

-down comforter

-blue throw blanket that matches

-napkin (brown throw blanket that doesn't match but that I love more than any one possession)

-2 clutches

-sunglasses

-reading classes

-bag on rawhides

-3 dog treats

-1 sock

-1 sweatshirt

-1 wifebeater/tanktop

-hair straightening spray

-mousse

-1 comb

-5 pens

-2 pieces of gum

-1 headband

-2 sharpees

-monster screen cleaner

-computer lock

-flashlight

-umbrella

-handheld mirror

-makeup compact

-1 packet of slenda

-6 filing folders

-2 other folders

-3 moleskins

-2 Fla-Vor-Ice wrappers

-5000 crumbs

-1 Macbook Pro

-1 digital camera (used to take the picture, of course)

-1 iphone

-1 puplet

There was literally stuff in between every layer of sheets/comforter/blankets. I didn't even find the umbrella until I went back and looked a second time before posting.

RIDICULOUS!!!!

I can't wait to clean my bedroom tomorrow (I cleaned all others tonight).

I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight.

Greatness!!!

This is a very ecstatic post. May not start out that way, but I am excited about everything.

(Except for one thing: I've sucked at 365 ever since spring break. Things have been crazy. I'll get to it :D)

First off, I lived. That is definetly something to be ecstatic about. Yup, I'm talking abouttonight's tornado that started 3 miles from my house. From what I've heard so far there have only been 5 reported deaths in Oklahoma, which is a lot less than I expected it would be as I saw the tornadoes rip through central and eastern Oklahoma along I-40. Prayers go out to those who suffered damage and loss.

This was a really scary hour...I cleaned out my bathroom closet to get access to the basement if things got really bad (I'm terrified of this dungeon), wouldn't let Tucker out of my site (so I could grab him at a moment's notice if necessary), and couldn't take my eyes off of the TV. The problem was that I also had a take-home final due tonight & was worried that I wouldn't finish if I kept watching the news. As things died down, I took my laptop, my books and my dog and went to hide out in my bedroom closet., which worked out pretty well. I had to turn the TV off, but I felt better knowing there was nothing I could do & that I was in a pretty safe place; I also got stuff done, which was really REALLY important.

Second, on Thursday, I finished and turned in my two big papers. Mass Communications Law: 15 pages. Business of Media: 22 pages. I also had an exam and a presentation this day. I am so happy that May 6th is off of my calendar, because I had been dreading it for months.

Third, I'm finally getting caught up on sleep. See *Second*. Last weekend, I slept 10 hours total. Between Monday night and Thursday night, I slept 14 hours total. Yup, only 24 hours sleep in 7 nights. I was exhausted, and I've had a hard time catching up and making it through the day without a nap this weekend.

Fourth, I finished my take-home final for Business of Media tonight. 15 pages. RIDICULOUS!!! (And, if you're keeping track, that 37 pages and one presentation for this class in less than a week). Even more importantly, that means this horrible semester is OVER!!! It's not quite officially summer because I still have to work (some), but I'm verrrrrryyyyyy excited!!!!

Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth......Well, you may just have to wait and see what's in store for me. I haven't made up my mind yet about whether or not I'm ready for full disclosure. Most everything are really great, even though I have NO CLUE what I am doing. So, here's your cliffhanger!!