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!

Keep moving! Keep moving! Don't lose interest! One foot in front of the other and the next thing you know, you're running!



I know he's got extra legs in Camp Half Blood, but is it wrong to think it's funny the guy in the wheel chair says this quote? Anyway, yay Percy Jackson! I really must read those books.

Remember how I said I was going to foster that beautiful Aussie, Fagan? That wasn't true. Another rescue got dibs on him. But, that doesn't mean I didn't get someone! Everyone, meet Elvis!

Elvis was one of five dogs at a high kill shelter confiscated from their owner and held in quarantine for a cruelty case. (Apparently, 14 dogs total were involved, but I only heard of five being at the shelter. No clue what happened to the others.) All five dogs had just five days to find rescue or adopters or they would be put to sleep. Every single one was saved!

Elvis, originally named Blue, came to me on Saturday around noon. He was dirty and stir crazy from being locked in a kennel for more than a month without setting foot on grass! When he and Lana first me, they wanted to play right away, but, much to my dismay, because he was only neutered Friday, Elvis still has too much testosterone and was crushing pretty hard on Lana. She doesn't put up with that. (That's my girl!)

They've had a few squabbles, but I think they should be fine. Elvis behaves awesome in a crate and so far hasn't destroyed anything or peed inside (knock on wood!). Tomorrow I'll take him to the store and buy him a collar.

Tomorrow's going to be busy. I'm not excited. Tons of homework, my first day volunteering at a local wildlife sanctuary, my first full day with Elvis, and spending time with the bf.


It's unfortunate that I have just too much to do. This post has taken several days to write. I have two and a half weeks of my super crammed six week semester left, and there's a least one paper due every Friday from now on. If you guessed that I haven't started this week's yet, you're right.



Oh dang, update. I had said that after Elvis was adopted, I would take one of two different dogs already in the rescue, either Shia or Jake. Turns out Shia can't handle stairs due to recovery from hip surgery (and my apartment has no elevator) and apparently Jake was put to sleep. If I hadn't saved Elvis, Jake would be alive. But then Elvis might not be. And if I hadn't saved either, both would probably be dead. Not to mention, pretty much all that's left to foster after Elvis is gone is either pit bulls or bulldogs. I'm just not a bully breed fan. I won't stop others from getting them, but I don't want one. I like Spitzes and herding breeds and spaniels and retrievinig breeds and.......  But, no sense in worrying about that now. Maybe I'll take a cat or something. We'll see.

I've also cut my finger. It slows me down just a little. For some reason it bleeds quickly, for a pretty small cut.

Last thing before I have to go and work: I will possibly start a second blog (linked from this one) for people who want to hear about my dogs but don't really care about my personal life. It's okay, I understand. I'm not horribly insulted. I mean, I think you're an idiot, because my personality is awesome, but it's cool. If I do, I'll post it from somewhere conspicuous on here. No, to go write papers about the least linear books in history. (Nadja, Mumbo Jumbo, Vas: An Opera in Flatland. Yay college level English!)

Much love,
Kayla, Lana, and Elvis (even though lana and Elvis are actually asleep)

Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies?

Shaun of the Dead - My favorite zombie movie. (Maybe. There are a ton of good ones.)

This seems appropriate. This way, I can blend in with everyone else making a cheap zombie apocalpse  joke about the man in Miami, the other man in New Jersey, the dude in Canada, and even the fellow in Maryland. But the thing is, I don't think it's appropriate. I do have a sense of humor, but I get offended at times, and I guess now is that time.

I read an article (if you want to see it, just click the word "article" - no, not that one, the one earlier in the sentence), discussing the zombie meme not being an appropriate response to this situation, and it really straightened me out. Actually, the author mentioned two huge problems, one being that these jokes, which are distant to you, are probably unimaginably hurtful to the victims, their family, and their friends, the other being that the people who committed these atrocities, as horrible as they are, needed help.

If I may quote the author about a man who recently killed several strangers in Seatle: "According to his family, the man had a concealed weapons permit and a history of mental illness." Why is that ever okay? I can't think of a single instance where that is NOT a bad idea. When I was in middle school, two students at our school - one a dear friend of mine - were shot and killed by their father. He had history of Depression, Alcoholism, and domestic violence, yet he still had a gun. There was even a restraining order against him. Whether or not hindsight is 20/20, people should have seen that coming. Guns do NOT mix with mental instability, alcohol, or other drugs. I'm not saying we need to outlaw guns. (I might like that idea, but realistically I know it would never happen and there's no sense pushing for it. Mother always told me to pick my battles!) What I am saying, however, is that it should be more difficult to get a gun than it is. Hell, it should be harder to get a driver's license than it is! (Pretend as though I didn't recently get a speeding ticket as I complain about bad drivers.) People fight for their right to bear arms, but why? Do they think guns are toys or decoration or something to show status? They are weapons. Guns were created for the purpose of KILLING. That's not something just anyone should be able to have without serious psychological testing. Especially a concealed weapons permit. That's just fucking stupid that he had one.

Now I've made myself quite sad. That doesn't solve anything...