It's Happened Again

I left Mom's room after she helped me wrap a couple of presents. My brother's room is catty-corner to their room. If both occupants walk out at the same time, they could very well run into each other. I stepped out and my brother opens the door. He sees me and holds up this blacklight flashlight thing, shining it right in my eyes. I told him to stop shining it in my eyes and that this is exactly why I didn't think he should have the really powerful laser that he's been after. (He's been trying to get me to enter a sweepstakes to help him win and keeps asking why I refuse)

He begins to argue, saying that it wasn't in my eyes and that lasers have nothing to do with flashlights, it's like comparing nerf guns to real guns. I explained to him that he's quite a bit taller than me and that where his hand falls while holding up the blacklight is directly in my eyes. His reply was that he was sorry I was short.

I then told him that a person who couldn't handle a nerf gun shouldn't be allowed to own a real gun and that the same holds true with the laser. He didn't mean to shine it in my eyes, but it still hurt. He could just as easily hurt someone with a laser, but I wouldn't believe he would do it on purpose.

This is where it all goes down. He turns and looks at me, asking why I'm pointing out all of his faults on Christmas. I don't know what he's talking about, so I tell him I'm not and that I just wanted an apology. To his credit, he had apologized and I had simply forgotten. I was making lunch for Dad and me, so I was a little distracted.

With one or two steps he closed the distance between us and lowered his face so that it was in mine. He was intentionally whispering, but I could tell he wanted to yell. He was so angry, he was spitting in my face. He told me he was sick of me always starting shit and that it happened every time he was in the house with me. He was tired of me thinking I was better than him and flaunting how perfect I was. All this time he was pressing down on me; not actually touching me, but physically forcing me backwards. I was really afraid he was going to hit me.

I don't think I'm perfect. I don't think I'm better than him. I know that this morning he called me an idiot and I made a point to not reply for fear that he would take it as bragging. That's usually how these arguments start. When he came home crying about his 3.45 GPA, I told him that he made awesome grades, that he did just as well as I did my first semester at college. I made that conscious effort to let him know that he was just as good as me. So why is he still treating me this way? This summer made more sense. He was stressed and feeling unprepared for college. I was the one who had taken it by storm. But he's doing great, or so we all think. Why now?

I am so tired of the abuse. I hate feeling like a victim, and I especially hate victims who are made out to be the bad guys. I know that if I were the bad guy, I wouldn't make conscious efforts like ignoring the insults he so casually flings around or shying away from his fist.

And all of this because he held a blacklight up to my eyes. And to think that I was almost sad this was my second to last break home. Maybe I won't even come home for spring break.

*Gasp*

You will never believe what I forgot to mention. Our chapter has officially been named. We are so in love with our chapter name that the girls have decided that they want to add it to the t-shirts we were planning on having made. Do you want to know what our chapter name is?

ALPHA OMEGA BETA!

We are the Alpha Omega Beta chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. With a little luck, we will soon be the Alpha Omega Beta chapter at Tusculum College. All I have to do is schedule a meeting with the dean and pitch Beta as best as I can.

Maybe I will wear black and yellow. I will definitely wear my pledge pin. I know I'm starting to ramble, but I am so in love with my sorority. Just wait until winter break starts. I have plans for a tote bag, two sweatshirts, and a t-shirt. I will post pictures as soon as I get them all made. Then maybe I'll start making some for my sisters :D

Until such time, back to my honors thesis. I am on page six of fifteen. Not quite halfway, but so close. I am just ready to get it finished.

Living the Dream Part 2

We had officer elections today and I am excited to say that I have been elected president of our newly formed and not yet named chapter. It's pretty bittersweet because I have a ton of other things to do, but I'm hoping that will calm down next semester. Even if it doesn't, Beta is a higher priority for me than several of the other things I am involved in. This is the sisterhood I've dreamed of for nine years, there is no way I'm going to screw it up.

My former outsider friend was elected vice president. She was worried, but I had no doubts. She deserves it and I am confident that someday she will make a great president. Actually, all of the girls who really expressed interest in an office got their chosen office, and I think that is the first step to things running smoothly. One can only hope, right?

Now I need to hurry up and chat with my online chapter and finish my next two pledge training tests. That will be part of my task at work tomorrow. I am determined to be the best sorority girl that I can be :D

Morning Shift

Dear Phone,

Thank you so much for freezing in the middle of your daily update last night. It's a really good thing I didn't actually need that alarm to go off at 6:45 so that I could make it to breakfast before work. I love it when I feel challenged to get ready in eight minutes and I know my supervisors appreciate me being fifteen minutes late.

I also can't wait to try to track down another person who wakes up for breakfast even when they have an afternoon class. It will be another great challenge since I can only think of one off the top of my head. I hope you start being reliable in time for me to send the text message!

Sincerely,
Michelle

P.S.: Though this post may be dripping with sarcasm, I won't let it ruin my day. I know that will get under your plastic casing! MLH

Living the Dream

Remember that sorority I joined in September? Story time! I mentioned in my post "Block 2" that the third student in the class was a quiet girl who referred to herself as an outsider. I pledged to try to change that and was more successful than I could have ever imagined. It turns out that her mom is a Beta Sigma Phi and her dream was to start a chapter on campus. She didn't know how to go about it, though, and was sort of afraid to try by herself, so I promised to help her. Fast forward to November 16, 2011 when I threw a little party for nine young ladies I am about to officially call my sisters.

Don't we all look so happy to be sisters? We spent the rest of the week calling each other "sister" almost exclusively. I wasn't the only one joining because I had dreamed of the traditional collegiate sorority, so I made bid cards for everyone. I even found black, yellow, and white plaid ribbon.

Our party was a luau theme because I was footing the bill for decorations and my apartment already had a light up palm tree sitting in the corner courtesy of my roommate. The chapter in a box packet suggested that we play games to get to know each other, which was exactly what I wanted to do, but their suggestions weren't very college student friendly. One was a version of "Never Have I Ever," which I know from experience can get out of hand quickly and the other was a game of pass-the-sand to build teamwork, which was not about to happen in my living room. The only other game I could think of was "Onion," and that always makes people cry. Finally I came up with "Apples to Apples." That's a pretty safe game that still lets people get a little crazy and has little to no room for tears. See the laughter? I think that is a sign of success.
I thought it was a success, despite my many worries during preparation. Angel helped me with the punch and Nick even made an emergency trip to buy another roll of ribbon for me. I really have the best fiance ever. Overall, it was almost exactly what I would have wanted my bid day to be and I can't wait for our next adventure.

10 Secrets to a Charmed Life

Miles Redd, Matchbook, Feb. 2011

1. Have at least 8 sources of light in a room.

2. Use trays liberally to collect things.

3. Embrace different heights.

4. Something sculptural...can make a dead corner seem exciting.

5. If you don't have time for ironing sheets, just do the pillowcases.

6. A good scented soap makes a wonderful sachet.

7. Eucalyptus Espom Salt...makes a great exfoliating scrub and soothing bath.

8. Eat chia seeds.

9. Screens add dimensions to rooms.

10. Invest in a housekeeper.

http://matchbookmag.com/issues/

I found this magazine online and I am in love with it. Of course it's the kind of magazine that advertises Lilly Pulitzer and Kate Spade (note number ten). I wore my Kate Spade purse until it literally started falling apart. It's the kind of brand I can only afford on ebay. I love looking through the pages, though. It's inspiration for more budget friendly substitutes.

London Pictures!

I finally have a little bit of downtime to upload pictures. Sadly, I only have the downtime because I ran out of ribbon and am waiting for my wonderful fiance to arrive with more. It's downtime nonetheless, so pictures it is. This first one is on the plane to D.C. I wish I had a better picture of the shirts we made. The front says "Team Frederick" and the back says "'You pierce my soul!'" Five of us Austen geeks made them in honor of Persuasion, which we finished reading right before leaving.

The first day in London was rough because we were all suffering from jet lag. We mostly wandered around looking at gorgeous things I barely remember, but they let us take a nap before going to Piccadilly Circus. I was really disappointed with Piccadilly, though, because my first impression of it was a really romantic swing song. In actuality, it's more like London's Times Square. We did get to see the Thames at night and take our touristy London Eye at night pictures, though.

The next day was our first opportunity to try fish & chips before visiting the Tower of London, which was my favorite part of the trip. I only tried chips of course, but still exciting. Anything about that day was made more exciting by the fact that I was going to get to see ravens. The tower ravens mostly live next to the White Tower, which is the palace part of the Tower.

And here's a raven! A REAL LIFE RAVEN! I was just a little excited.

Or a lot. I wanted to touch it so badly, but they bite, so that would have been a dumb move. But it was still really tempting. I did buy a plush raven from the souvenir shop. Its name is Merlin because one of the yeomen told me a story about one of the current Tower ravens named Merlin. They found out too late that Merlin was actually a girl. She hangs out in this courtyard often, so the raven I'm pointing at could very well be her.

The next day was our day tour to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath. The first stop was Stonehenge. Not very exciting, but still my second favorite part of the trip. I've been dreaming about seeing Stonehenge since I was eight. I walked around it, but I didn't listen to the audio guide because it was really chilly, so I missed a couple of things. No regrets, it was freezing!

The next stop was Salisbury. We ate at a little restaurant called The Cloisters and then headed to Salisbury Cathedral. This is a picture of the actual cloisters.

The cathedral houses the world's oldest working clock. It's over seven hundred years old! I took a picture for Nick since he loves all things medieval. Isn't it cool? It's been working almost continuously since it was built. The only exception was a sixty year period around the nineteenth century when they dismantled it and replaced it with a clock that sounded half hours in addition to hours.

The final stop was Bath where we saw...wait for it...the Roman baths. Plot twist, right? They were really gorgeous, but really disgusting. The water was full of algae, pumped through lead pipes, and supposedly a favorite swimming spot for rats and pigeons. We were specifically told not to touch the water, but our group passed one mother encouraging her kids to bend down and play in it. Great parenting, right? I was all the more irritated because I twisted my ankle on one of the cobblestones. I was so glad I brought a wrap!

We also went to go see Westminster Abbey. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so hopefully you watched the royal wedding this past April. It was so cool to stand in between the choir lofts and think "I saw the choir singing here on TV! And that's where they had the altar!" It was even more gorgeous in person, though.

Check out the view we had when leaving the Abbey! Big Ben and the London Eye! And the sky was perfect for a picture. The group that went my sophomore year was so jealous we had sun!

Please ignore all of the time stamps. My camera crudded out my freshman year after our trip to D.C., so I was using Mom's. It didn't like me very much. I'm going to find a way to creatively crop or cover the signature when I scrapbook them.