Intermission of my hiatus

I fell off the internet lately. That's allowed to not make sense, I don't think straight when I'm sick. I just got a new computer. Not for fun, and not because I'm spoiled. My other one died.

So I've been super quiet lately, for all 0 people who care, and I won't really update again until after exam week, at which point I will be entering my final semester of classes in college. Unless I go back and go to graduate school. Who knows.

I just felt sad for ignoring my blog. My other one is updated, the foster one, but that's because that one helps people. Or, it's supposed to.

Anyway, throwing tradition out the window for this post. No quote, no picture, no time to find them!

Cheers,
Kayla, Lana, and Sierra

We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?

One of my favorite quotes from Doctor Who AKA One of the best shows EVER. [Image source.]

 
I have a wonderful friend who works very hard in the "business" of dog rescue who convinced me to catch up on my fostering blog. Thus, this blog fell by the wayside. I'd save myself the trouble and combine them, but frankly I don't want to spam the people who just want to read about dogs with my personal geek crack. That's right, geek crack. And Pinterest contains my geek LSD, which actually sounds a lot more fun. I don't do drugs, but if I did...

Kidding. (Mostly.) *Mandatory "drugs are wack" statement.*

Anyway, if you WANT to check it out, it's a different DreamBigBarkLoudly. I know, I'm really creative. That's also my Tumblr and some of it is my Pinterest name. Yes, I'm the girl who finds something delicious at a restaurant and then orders the same thing every time.

So for those of you living under a rock, it's November. And a great November so far! Obama won (which I honestly do feel for about half the country who isn't excited, and will offer my condolences. I PROMISE the president does not actually have enough power to take the country down from the inside and destroy its moral fabric. Trust me. I took high school government. Checks and balances and whatnot.) And it's NaNoWriMo!! I've known about National Novel Writing Month (November, obviously) for years thanks to the fanficiton community.

Anyway, this year is the first year I've even been remotely successful in participating. Despite having a sad lack of free time, I'm further this year than any other year. How? Well I've written an outline! That's the skeleton of the novel! It doesn't matter that it sucks (I'm my toughest critic), it's still a step in the right direction.

I thought today was my lucky freaking day, too. I found a smashed smartphone on the ground. I'm an optimist, and I thought I could replace the screen and get a free phone, but alas, it won't work on my carrier. Still not a BAD day, but I still have to pay for a phone soon. Ah well. I didn't feel like I deserved that kind of incredible karma anyway. I would have owed the universe something, and I'm not one for debts.

Oh! And I found something amazing at World Market. I think I'll need to post a picture, because words can't describe it as well as the colorful cartoons on the box.

Do you see? Lana is so excited she's licking the dang box!

Cheddar.Bacon.Popcorn. Somebody actually invented this. And I couldn't not buy it! I'm so excited to try it. I don't even think I can wait for my mom to come up and visit (this seems right up her alley). I'll let you know how it goes.

However, now I gotta get going and try to catch up on my "novel". Or my homework. Whichever wins out. Let the battle begin!

Much love,
Kayla, Lana, and Sierra

I’ve had it with this school, Skinner. Low test scores, class after class of ugly, ugly children…

From http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/superintendent-chalmers?before=1303171522

Source: tumblr.com via Kayla on Pinterest

Oh how I've missed blogging. Or have I missed procrastinating? Either way, it's good to be back! I'm finally done with midterms, though I'm still behind on homework. I'm gonna count that as a win. Because I'm an optimist.With a violent streak. Which is, apparently, possible.

I'm also kind of full of myself (what blogger isn't?). I keep looking at my Pinterest boards and thinking man, I am awesome. If you like nerdy stuff and superhero stuff, you might be interested in checking it out. Or if you're too cool, that's fine too. I don't really care.



My new foster dog is settling in very well. She is a sweet (possibly older) mix named Sierra.She's awesome, but it's starting to look like I'm going to have her longer than planned. Which isn't great. She eats a lot, and I'm on a budget.

It takes her so long to eat she has to lay down to do it.

So, my mother sent me a Halloween package, including costumes for the girls. They tried them on tonight, and I must say they are too cute!

Lana the butterfly

Sierra the flower

They are ready for our Halloween party next Friday, and so am I! Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. I always try to decorate and last year I even carved a pumpkin! Granted, it was the first pumpkin I had ever carved, so it didn't look as glorious as I imagined, but I am still rather proud of it. It was a wolf howling next to a tree. WAS. I carved the tree too thin and it broke off. My bad.  ^-^

I shall do better this time.

Oh and guess what! No guesses? Lame. I get to mark something off my bucket list!! Earlier this week, I purchased tickets to see Muse live in concert!! They'll be in Tampa towards the end of February, so my mum and I are going to our third mother-daughter concert! (My boyfriend has horrible taste in music, so I have to go with momma.) I'm past the angry teenage years, so it's really not that bad. I am super excited!

Muse isn't the only thing I'm looking forward to, though. I'm also pretty amped about MegaCon next year. (March maybe? Not sure, I need to look it up.) I found out recently one of my cousins (who lives in a different part of Florida) will be attending. This does two things, 1: perhaps I'll see her, and I haven't seen her in years, 2: it showed me there are at least four of us that are nerds deep down. That's pretty exciting to me. My immediate family always teased me rather not nicely about my taste in television, movies, books, etc., so it's nice to be in good company.

And, last but not least, I am about to make a large purchase. $80 for a hoodie. Now why would I spend that much on a hoodie? Because it is AWESOME. The designer is ordering a small batch and recommending people order in advance so their size is available, and I thought I'd be just a horrible person if I didn't share the opportunity with my fellow nerds.

The image links to the site where you order, if you're interested.

 This hoodie looks suspiciously familiar. Not in a copyright infringing way, of course, but in an awesome way. Do you see it? It looks a little like my favorite superhero. Any guesses who that is?

I'm ordering one tomorrow after I double check what size I am. (Something tells me this jacket isn't exactly for those of us with the XX chromosome, so I'm carefully measuring everything before I blow half a paycheck on this.) Anyway, if you want one, we can be twinsies. We'll never ever see each other, but that's okay. We'll be long distance twinsies.


Given that it is election season in the U.S., I will leave you on an awesome note.

I love my country. I love other countries too, but you know this is great.

Much love,
Kayla, Lana, and Sierra

Oh, have you not heard? It was my understanding that everyone had heard.

Yes, I am replacing my usual picture with a video. Quote is from Family Guy, and you can enjoy it with me. (Is it stuck in your head? U mad bro?)


So have you heard the news? That Chick-Fil-A is no longer supporting anti-gay groups that promote violence and hatred? I heard. I'm pretty darn pleased. Aaaaaannnnnnddddddd...

I've spent (wasted) my free time today watching the Chick-Fil-A Facebook page figuratively explode. It's hilarious. There were more than a few very nasty people on Facebook. I even saw the actual quote: "Gay marriage will NEVER be a reality in all states either way." You know what? I don't believe that. I believe, in the end, people are more good than bad, that they have more love than hate. Eventually, I have FAITH that gays will have the same rights as straight people. Civil rights has always been a tough battle, but always worth it. As a woman, I can attest to that. I am SO grateful to my long gone relatives who fought to make sure I could work, go to school, vote, etc. There were many strong women in my family, who went to college when it was still uncommon, and who excelled in careers previously held mostly by men. I have (mostly) equal rights, and while I'm working to protect those, which for some reason are in danger thanks to a certain political party which shall remain unnamed, I work to give others the same rights. Do you love someone? Then be with them! Do you pay all the same taxes I do? Then you should get the same rights and benefits! 
 
Now, according to some of those people on Facebook, I am both perverted and not a "real" Christian.

You hear that, God? Better watch out, I'm comin'!

In all seriousness though, it is a bit disheartening to be a liberal living in the Southern United States. I love so many things about my Southern culture, but I do NOT like being lumped and stereotyped with all the "bible thumpers" and the "right wing nutjobs". I do, however, like be VINDICATED, I AM SELFISH, I AM WRONG, I AM RIGHT, I SWEAR I'M RIGHT, I SWEAR I KNEW IT ALL ALONG!!!!!

ahem. I apologize. I'm done. This song is just my victory tune for today. I have hope that when in the hands of the people, politics can CHANGE things. I feel like our boycott helped, and it feels incredible. The world is slowly changing. Here's to hoping it's going in the right direction.

Cheers!

Kayla and Lana

P.S. Stayed tuned, I'm supposed to get another temporary foster soon. I am officially designating my apartment as a sort of halfway house for dogs going through heart worm treatment!

I prefer a vehicle that doesn’t hurt Mother Earth. It’s a go-cart, powered by my own sense of self-satisfaction.

Today's quote courtesy of The Simpsons. Again. Perhaps it's about time I start watching some new shows and movies?


I don't think I mentioned I had some recent car trouble.

For some reason, in the middle of summer in Florida, my air conditioner decided to commit suicide. Sad story really, but as selfish as it is, I was more concerned about myself than my deceased AC. And here's the fun part. The reason you don't buy a European car. To fix both my AC and go ahead and change my oil (while the car was somewhat disassembled), cost me approximately $650. It also cost my boyfriend a good night's sleep, since he had to drive Lana and me to work the next morning at 7:00 am.

But that's not the end. I thought it was, but it's not. Yesterday, I had to take my car in again, because for some reason, when it rained, the floor of my passenger seat became a puddle. One day and just over $100 later, I find out it's because so dang leaves clogged up something. Not sure what, but I am pretty sure my boyfriend and I could have cleaned it out without that insane fee.

It's safe to say, I'm not in love with my car right now.

My car's name (Black Jack) is a lot less cute when I lose money on it. Then it's just irritating.

I did have some good news, however. Today at work, I met the girlfriend of a guy who used to live in my building. She recognized my dog (and therefore me), because apparently her boyfriend loved Lana!

My Lana?! He must be mistaken. But no! She says he thought she was beautiful, and when he moved out he kept his eyes out for us because he wanted to give her a bone his dog didn't want.

I had always assumed only her momma thought she was beautiful!

I am shocked. Honestly! My dog. She doesn't even like men, I can't imagine one likes her! But I guess, if it's true, that's probably the nicest thing I've ever heard.

You wanna make someone feel AMAZING? Compliment their child. Or in my case, my dog.



One of us has got to run to class, the other will continue her nap. Can you guess which is which?
Kayla and Lana

It was delicious! Everything was delicious…Everything was EXACTLY as delicious as everything else.

Apparently, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is on TBS in the mornings. Yay for reliving your childhood!

You know what's gross?
Melted bubble gum.
You know what I just ate?
If you guessed left over Chinese take-out, you were right. Also, if you guessed melted gum, you were right.

While we're talking about gross things, let me just mention the work load English majors have. No, it's not a hard major. Yes, sometimes people look down on me for being an English/Psychology major (without realizing I'm likely smarter than they are). But you know, we NEVER STOP! There's so much reading! And not reading fun things. You've got to keep in mind, I spend my free time reading, but it's fanfiction. It's far more interesting than "The Pioneers", and FAR shorter than "Moby Dick". Okay, okay. It's not just fanfiction. I read actual books, too. But still!

Futurama's version of Moby Dick was more compact than the original, and I bet it's more interesting, too.

This past weekend was the first weekend since school started again, and it didn't quite hit me fast enough that I didn't have time to actually enjoy my "free time". So while I did, indeed, enjoy it, I'm behind already. Not to mention, I'm exhausted. And I don't even have a foster dog right now!

I do want another foster, but I don't know when, or with what group. I'm considering joining a new rescue, but I'm not sure which one. There's a Golden Retriever rescue, a Collie/Sheltie rescue, an Aussie rescue, and a Husky rescue nearby. I'm graduating in like, 8 months though, so I have to make sure I don't accidentally sign up for something too long term.


I had just found myself a Pyrenees to take, but I'm getting kinda screwed over. Since I'm still a bit irritated about it, I'll save you the pain of another angry-Kayla-rant. (You're welcome.)

What I will do however is make a note of how awesome my boyfriend is. I swear, I get butterflies when he starts talking about how he doesn't understand how someone could possible cheat on someone else. And the fact that both he and I are out in the open about being pro gay rights (despite our families being a bit more old fashioned) is great. I love that he respects a woman's choice as her own. Not to mention, even though he doesn't LOVE me fostering, he doesn't stop me, and even helps me. Hell, he even fostered a dog on his own! He loves my dog like his own, and when I cry he hugs me and takes me either to Logan's (for their DELICIOUS rolls) or a fro-yo/ice cream shop. I may not always realize how great he is, but I really lucked out.

Clementine, my boyfriend's foster. Super sweet, it's no surprise she was adopted in a heartbeat.

 
While I hope to update one more time this weekend (since I now have Mondays off!), I will go ahead and end this post so I can move on with my life.

Much love,
Kayla and Lana

P.S. Did you recognize Lana is the picture? She's the black and white one in the background. Fun fact: the Boxer behind Clementine is her best friend.

It takes a little time to get back into the swing of things.

 Very fitting quote, courtesy of The Dark Knight Rises.

I think it was Alfred who said that, but you have no idea how hard it was to post a picture that WASN'T Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's just so good looking. He seems nice too. And funny. And perfect.....

So, I suppose I'm off my hiatus, if you want to call it that.

I've been spending my time online, just not on this blog. How sad.
I have, however, "discovered" Pinterest, Polyvore, and Tumblr. Not to mention I've seen a few movies, coughTHEDARKKNIGHTRISEScough, worked several extra shifts (to pay for those movies), and cared for my foster, Elvis. So, while I haven't been as productive as I should I have been, I've not WASTED my time too badly.

Also, I've been following the whole Chick-fil-a fiasco, and I have opinions. ((Oh wow, holy crap, a blogger with opinions? So shocking!))

Personally, I don't eat either. But I do have a copycat Chick-fil-a recipe I'm excited to try. Healthier, cheaper, and pro-equality. Yay!

I am very proud to be a human being who stands up for animal welfare, a straight woman who stands up for the right for homosexuals to marry, and a common person who stands up for common sense. I cannot patronize any business that donates money to hurt other people and limit the rights of their friends and neighbors. So this week I had to drive by Chick-fil-a, stomach growling, and ignore the constant nagging in my head about how yummy their food is. I can do better. (Unfortunately, I also boycott KFC in the name of animal welfare, so I have Zaxby's and Pop Eye's left. Please for the love of God - and yes I am Christian - do not ruin those for me!)

So, I am very curious to see what comes of this chaos. Thankfully, I follow the very hilarious George Takei on facebook, and being a gay rights activist he keeps me up to date.

Until then, I'll end this thought on a good note.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.

That was good. Saw it at the midnight premiere as well as the next night. (I am not anywhere near Colorado, though my heart goes out to the victims. As fellow Batman fanatics, I feel like "some of my own" were lost that night.)

Now, I have to run to work, I've had a couple of hectic weeks in a row, and thank goodness it's almost my birthday/mini vacation.

Much love!