Random Ramblings

One of my favorite kind of posts, are 7 Quick Takes, my only problem, I am not Catholic (look above for more details)

So I thought, I would make my own post theme for random topics.

1. I should be able to post more often now. I had been feeling completely overwhelmed my first few weeks back at school, but now I feel more organized, and I should be able to write more often.

2. I am a runner, well, I am on the Cross Country team. I usually do decent, but more recently I had been getting side stitches so bad, the would force me to stop completely and kneel over, something that can be real embarrassing during a meet. How ever, after a lot of research on the topic, and bugging my coaches, I have found that wikipedia is actually really useful for this topic.

FOr me, it took several days, trying to find the right combination of "treatments". I tried a few, but it seems that a only a certain set works for me. A few were counter productive. Once I finally found the right combination of techniques, I was able to improve so much more, and one teammate even looked pissed that a few days ago, I could not even finish the one mile warm up, then a few days later, I was able to run with with her.

If you have side stitches, try looking over the list, seeing which you can do, and do as many as possible, then adjust to find the right combinations of panting like a dog, sucking your stomach, and singing corny songs until side stitches go away, and stay away.

3. Today I wore a tie to school because of, well, it is a really really long story. The short version is, the girls of the cross country team wanted the boys to dress up. But being boys, they did not want to. And I have to say, on the wearing a tie to school:

IT WAS EPIC

Now I do not know if people at my school just did not notice the mens-wear I was sporting, or expected I would be the kind of person to wear a tie to school, but no one made a big deal of it. My principal did not really look all that happy though...

Other then that, going in to Wawa with it on was really funny. I saw several do double takes. And the my dean was so distracted by the flashy silky tie, that she did not realize that my dress was both too short, and also too low.

I will be wearing a tie to school again.

4. I'M GETTING MY PREVILIGES which means I get to leave the school during the day,

can you tell I am excited?

5. I choose the quote I am going to use for my year book page. I decided on:

I never told you it was going to be easy, I told you it was going to be worth it -Art Williams

My favorite quote it actually:

If you are going though hell, keep going.

But I thought it whould be too depressing for a yearbook page.

Forever and always...

Always

The girl with moderate hearing loss with her hearing aid, and severe without will always

And I mean always

have her hearing aid battery run out of power on the first day of school

the one day she forgets to put extra in her purse

always

Mabye not...

For some reson, my mind thinks I have a day off,

When I do not.

I see a problem...

Dear Plane People

Dear Plane People,
I imagine that you think that you are protecting minors, but it has come to my attention, that with your protection I am more likely to end up it a bad situation, especially when I am alone, and under 18.
If my plane gets canceled, you expect me to call someone I have never met, even though I am hard of hearing to get it switched. Or buy new tickets, even though I am not legally allowed to have a credit card. Or as one suggested “carry money with me”, so you expect me to carry around hundreds of dollars in a place where they told me “stay away from the boys”.
If I go to another country, I cannot switch money to other currencies, so I have to use American. And anyone with a brain could figure out that typically, using American money in little towns is a major rip off, and then I have less to get me out of difficult situations.
I also cannot get a hotel room, even though it is obvious I am alone, not there to hook up with a boyfriend. So I must sleep in the airport, alone, with my luggage. Or in some other random, public place. Until I get to the place I was supposed to be.
You do not provide internet access, and I do not want to have to pay a bunch of money to call home to get permission to do various things, that I should not have to get permission for, and then you throw a hissy fit over long distance when I want to use your phone.
If I tell you, no I cannot let you talk to my parents on my pretty little cellphone, to get my their permission just to use the stupid credit card, it is not that I am hiding things it is just that I AM HUNDRANDS OF MILES AWAY FROM MY PARENTS and using my cell to call them is a more money than I would want to spend! Anyway, if my parents trust me to go abroad alone, don’t you think they would trust me with the credit card?
If I lie, and tell you that someone else is my mother, when she is not actually my mother, just go with it, please. Apparently the term “unaccompanied minor” is too complicated for some, and I need others to fill that role until I go home to my real mother.
Most of all, if I am alone, I CAN’T BECOME UN-ALONE so please do not bombard me with questions about what the heck I am doing, and where my parents are, that’s just freaky.

A Dab of Brilliance

I was reading 7 quick takes (I love them) and I saw one in particular, which was arguably the most funniest one, so he gets the award for the funniest quick take of the week (not including Jen at Conversion Diary, hers often include scorpions, so they are automatically hilarious). It matched my plane series, so I thought I would re-post it.

I still think flying is the most unnatural thing we do as humans. We all pile into a can with wings. We go up so high in the air that if something happened--almost anything--we would all die. Somehow, I'm suppose to be consoled by a little thing that blows up around my neck, and that in some cases may not blow up like it should and therefore will require my can-barely-blow-up-my-kids-balloons aspiration ability to save my life. My other option is to basically rip my chair out of the floor and hold onto it. I have a really bad feeling that a chair between me and the ground won't count for much and that I'm bound to end up looking like the kid whose friend convinced him that belly flopping off the high dive is awesome but a lot worse. (sorry, but I don't have that picture of myself when I was 11)

You can find it at its original home here.

How To Love Flying

How Love Flying

So, it has come to my attention, that some people do not love flying :0. Which it completely a shock to me. But I have ways to I get though the lovely experience of getting on a plane, and somehow magically getting to my destination. And my own tips have been very necessary, since I have been on five flights (some alone) within the last two weeks, and in a few weeks, I will be on another one.

1. Check in online, seriously. You do still need to show your pretty little face at the counter sometimes for international flights, and/or if you have bags to check. However, it is the best thing in the world, and I love it almost as much as I love chocolate (almost). It makes life so much easier for me, since for me, it means I will end up on a plane. And it is less time I have to spend standing up with 50 pounds of luggage.

2. Keep paper copies of EVERYTHING. Including itinerary, boarding pass, passport, and receipt. Then keep it all on a separate folder. Even if you are traveling with your entire family. I have needed every item on this list, at least once. I do not know, but it seems like every time I leave the country, or come back, there is an issue, and the copies save my life.

3. If you can, do only carry on. It might seem obvious, with the fact that they are charging more. But even if it is free, I found I had a lot less stress, since I did not have to bother with baggage pickup. The longest trip I have done with one carry one and one back pack, is two week. But I have heard of people lasting for months.

4. When going to security, keep your liquids in one bag (I actually use a black bag, with a handle on the side, never have had any issues) and you laptop in another. Then, right before you get to the line, get it out, and keep it in your hand. When you get to the front, you will already have it in your hand to dump them in the box, slip off your shoes, and go right though, no problemo.

5. Also, SLIP ON/OFF SHOES. Need I say more?

6. Be nice to the flight attendant, and the people whom make the blurry announcement, begging people to be willing to switch fights. I have gotten my seats moved frequently, to better seats.

7. If you have a unique situation, speak up! When I explain that I am and unaccompanied minor, with hard of hearing. They usually let me go on first.

8. Books are ok of course, but I have found that magazines are so much better.

9. My go to outfit, is jeans (or long shorts) and a black tee-shirt. It is so much easier to be modest without complicated outfits. Plus if I spill coffee all over it, it is not a big deal. I also straighten my very very very curly hair to make it easier to deal with.

10. I usually get an ally seat when I am alone, so I can hear the flight attendant better. But I think window is best, since you do not have people climbing over you. Of course if you have a weak bladder, go with the ally seat.

11. I actually do have a freak out moment. For some reason, if I am looking out the window during takeoff or landing, I have the strong urge to run off the plane as quickly as possible and thoughts like “do I really want to go to Costa Rica” run through my mind, and it just so happens, it is too late to back out! What I do, is I close my eyes, and pinch my fingers together, and concentrate on the pressure. I have not run off any planes yet.

12. I tend to be the kind of person that works, all the time. But I always give myself permission of not do a single thing on a plane, if you are scared to death of the big mettle things, try it to. It will make it a vacation.

13. Get water. I actually do not do this one. Because I am often dizzy and nauseous, I drink ginger ale, but water is honestly better for you.

14. Use the bathroom as you primp up time. I have no idea why, but the combination of finally getting up and getting my hair looking better makes me feel better.

15. When you get down to the ground, be glad you survived.

So adios, and happy traveling.