Let the searches begin!

Old news: I'm still looking for a job. Whoo-hoo.
New news (I guess that's why it's called news): I'm now looking into apartments, too!

What Denise is looking for in an apartment:
1. Affordability (i.e. cheap).
2. Satisfactory conditions (i.e. no/limited mold).
3. Security (i.e. I won't have to worry about anyone breaking in to steal my valuables: my pictures, a toaster, a half-loaf of bread, and a bar of soap).

I'd also like to find an apartment that allows pets, because I'd really like to get a dog or cat. Then again, assuming everything I can afford is listed above, I might not have enough money to take care of a pet. But if I have no pet, who will be my friend?!
Just kidding. Or not. The fact of the matter is, I'm young and alive (okay, that much was obvious - I guess I didn't really need to say it... but I did. Get over it)! There are so many opportunities out there for me to sign a contract (and then not be able to pay rent), and I'm just letting them pass me by. I will stand for this injustice no longer!

That being said... anyone want to go apartment hunting with me this week?

Too much. Too little. Gah.

Why is it that now, even though I have only morning classes and am still unemployed, that I find myself frantically searching for enough hours in the day to get stuff done? Well, okay... it's not that bad. But there are some days that I feel like I'm seriously overwhelmed with homework/taking care of financial stuff/e-mailing people/etc. I think I'll start a petition for 28 hours in a day.
Then again, there are also days where I struggle to find something to do with my time.
I'm weird. I'm clearly not managing my time well. Maybe I should go finish up some homework. Or read. Or maybe I'll just watch Heroes. No no, definitely going to finish writing my exec summary right now.

ohmygoshicannotwait

Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.

I just found out that Veronica Mars is new tonight.

...!

A perfect fit. Okay, maybe not perfect.

Haha. I did a wonderful job at updating when I promised, didn't I?
So, classes.
Yeah.
Those are interesting.
Okay, seriously. My classes aren't bad (that I know of yet). Granted, I have to wake up at an ungodly hour every morning. But that's just practice for the "real world", right? Maybe. Anyway, all my classes end by 10 a.m. MWF, and by 12:30 p.m. TTH. And that, my friends, is amazing. My school day ends before lunchtime. Italian class is going to be - ahem - quite a trip. My professor is sorta hilarious, but at the same time he inspires a fear in me worse than airplanes (I hate flying, okay?). Macroeconomics has been weird; got to class thinking I was supposed to havea certain professor, but it turns out it's someone completely different and a little hard to understand in lecture. Just perfect, considering I pretty much fail at economics. BA 324 seems like it's going to be a pretty nice class - I know a few kids in there from last semester, and the prof seems pretty down-to-earth. I guess only time will tell.
I still haven't had my first Child Psych class. That's tomorrow morning. I'm hoping that class is pretty fun.
In other news, the job search is on! I've raked through all of the part-time job listings on hirealonghorn.org and applied to 15% of them. I've got an interview for one of my prime choices on Thursday. Whoo! Updated my resume, looked over all those interviewing techniques from last semester - I even went over my mock interview evaluation to see what I needed to fix. Hey, I know this little job isn't the most important thing I'm going to interview for in my life... but there's no time like the present to practice, eh?
New Year's Resolution: Get healthy. I'm already eating a little better, and my good friend Stephanie has been appointed as my own personal drill sergeant - she's going to make sure that I don't sit on my butt for any two or more days in a row, but that I run at least a mile every other day or do something else that is active. We're even going to make other people get active by playing frisbee or volleyball or racquetball, etc. at least once a week together. Yay for being healthy!
Anyway, that's all I've got. Except this wonderful tip of the day, brought to you by me:
Get your brain going with some good old fashioned knowledge. Like, read about current events. Or play some Sudoku. Figure out a Rubik's Cube. Learn a new word.

So much for that.

Two days of classes have already been cancelled, and then tomorrow classes don't start until 11 a.m. So I'm still missing two classes tomorrow. Ugh. I never thought I'd say this, but I wish classes would just start up already. Italian is going to be horrible for the first week or so - three days of class, we've missed. It requires enough effort as it is, being a language course. Whoo hoo.
On the other hand, the past couple of days have been quite fun, just relaxing and taking things slow - especially since I'm still a little sick. The off-days gave me a chance to recover some before I go to classes. I guess that's a good thing.
So yeah. I'll update tomorrow on my first "day" (i.e. hour and a half) of class. Good stuff.

I didn't expect the unexpected "expecting".

Yesterday marks one of the strangest experiences I think I will ever have in my entire life. It was so stunning that I faltered quite a bit before realizing exactly what I was being accused of and its incredibility.
So, I'm minding my own business, just lounging around in my room and watching some LOST, when I hear someone coming up the stairs. Normally, someone coming up the stairs is no big deal. But this person seemed to be stomping. And you don't hear much stomping in this house. Well, about two seconds later, there's a quick couple of pounds on my door before it is thrown open and my mom stands there, looking at me with the most shocked look on her face.
"YOU'RE HAVING A BABY?!"
Whoa. Hold the phones and take two steps back. What just happened? What prompted this really unexpected outburst? Because I can assure you that - unless I somehow have the gift to procreate asexually - I am not pregnant. Nor have I ever been pregnant. So... why did my mom ask? Well, as soon as I could even form the question in my head, she whips out a package from Similac addressed to one Denise Edgington and her expected arrival! They wish me well with my newborn and send their regards complete with samples of their baby formula. I explained that, no, I was not pregnant and no, I've got no flipping idea why they would send something to me. Honestly, this is one of the weirdest things that has ever happened. I mean, it's like a twenty-something year old guy getting a courtesy sample of Viagra sent to him and his [hopefully] nonexistant problem. Seriously, why the heck am I being sent baby formula? I may be expecting in like, ten years. But I'm pretty sure the formula wouldn't last until then.
Solicitors baffle me. Why sell/offer free samples of something to a person that doesn't want/need it? I don't want a free sample of baby formula because I have no need for it. My parents don't want to hear all about a fancy stainless steel knife set because they already have enough kitchen knives. You don't want an evangelist to talk you into their religion because you don't need another religion. So why waste your money and efforts just to waste my time?
Ah, well. The world doesn't always make sense. Tough, I guess.

Here it goes... again.

Oooooh, I can feel school creeping up behind me. A bunch of little things keep reminding me that I have to go back to Austin and face my classes in less than a week. Financial aid comes in, books need ordering, I'm sure there are other things I should do that I'm not thinking of at the moment... eh. I'm slowly starting to feel the stress weighing upon me again.
Not that the stress only comes from school. But I must say that I've enjoyed not worrying about tests or grades or much anything school-related for the past few weeks.
However, I am excited about going back to Austin. I mean, I've missed the people in Lake Jackson, but I haven't really missed the place. There's literally nothing to do in LJ after midnight (and I've been a night owl, lately). IHOP is the only place open, and it gets old after awhile. There's the beach, but it's cold out there at night, and it's probably not the safest place. I would hang out at my friends' houses, or them at mine, but we all have parents who have to work early and/or siblings who are already back in school.
I guess I shouldn't really be worrying about the nightlife in Austin... I'm going to be getting up around 6:30 or 7:00 every morning, so I won't be up particularly late.
Anyway, I'll blog tomorrow. I'll probably have more to say then.

This title does not pertain to the blog at all.

I pretty much fail at updating. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Before I tell you all about my life, I'm doing my own little movie review here of the films I've seen over the holidays (hey, I work at a theater, and I get free movies. I'm taking advantage while I can.)

Happy Feet: A delightful animation full of heart and character. I liked this movie a lot, but despite what others say, I do not think it was better than Finding Nemo. It had some great lines and, of course, a nice little moral in conclusion. Happy Feet is a movie you can enjoy with pretty much anyone.
Little Miss Sunshine: Absolutely amazing piece of work. Little Miss Sunshine had me crying and laughing and gritting my teeth all at the same time. I loved the interplay between the family members and I adored the characters. By the end of the movie, I felt as if I were part of their family - a cousin twice removed or something. It'll break your heart and leave you glowing with love all at once.
The Holiday: I liked this movie a lot. Of course, it's a typical romantic comedy. But the premise is pretty interesting - heck, trading homes for a holiday would be a trip. Literally and figuratively. My favorite thing about the movie is perhaps the part where Jude Law's character explains how sex has the power to complicate any relationship, whether you're having it or abstaining. The profundity of that line really jumped out at me - when a movie has at least one wise thing to say, I'm usually hooked.
Eragon: I don't even know what to say here. I've heard that a lot of people liked this movie. I, however, couldn't even sit through an hour of it. It was terrible. The lines were good, but the dialogue was sparse and badly arranged. Special effects were good but worthless when the scenes jump faster than Jack over the candlestick. It's like the filmmakers took every element of fiction that a 12-year old boy would find fascinating (i.e. swords, dragons, magic, battles, quests, girls, etc.) plus the one-line-wonders from the book, threw it all in a blender and called it a movie. Maybe I don't like it because I've read the books. Oh well.
Night at the Museum: Pretty good movie. This is definitely one for the family, especially the kids. You've got Ben Stiller's usual slapstick/schoolyard taunting humor, a really unique storyline, plus some darn good special effects. This is more like Jumanji Reloaded than that Zathura movie was. Night at the Museum has the adventure aspect that millions love, and the nice "moral of the story" at the end. This is my number two pick for family film (following Happy Feet).
The Good Shepard: Ok. You've heard the critics, you've heard the people talk about this movie. No doubt about it, DeNiro can direct. The Good Shepard has got mystery and romance, action, drama, even a few comedic moments. But, in my opinion, this is not the year's best movie. I loved the unpredictable predictability (where you think you know what's going to happen, and it does, just not in the manner you imagined - thereby shocking you). Truly, I think the length of the film hurt it. Three hours is a bit much for anyone to take in one sitting.
We are Marshall: Have you seen Remember the Titans? Friday Night Lights? Varsity Blues? Well, We are Marshall is a lot like those - not just because it's a football movie. But one thing you should be prepared for it the sadness of it. We are Marshall is the most depressing football movie I think I've ever seen. But it had more heart than most. The reality of the events really hits home when you see how the accident and events that followed not only affected the football team and the university, but the friends and the families and the entire city. You get to watch as an entire community comes together in hard times and flies out of their sadness with almost nothing but hope for the future.
Blood Diamond: Out of all the movies I've seen over the holidays, this is my favorite. Brutal and devastating, it shows the tragedy that is Africa right now. Not all of Africa is like that, I know - but it's heartbreaking to know that those things do happen and are happening right now. Despite it's title, Blood Diamond isn't really about a blood diamond - I mean, it is, but there's so much more to it. I don't even really know how to explain it. I'm just going to recommend it to everyone I know.

All right, on to reality - so to speak.

I've got some money now, since I worked over the holidays. I should save it, but Guitar Hero calls my name in my dreams. Plus, I'm still going to try and get a job for second semester. But I'm just going to wait and see how things play out. My courseload isn't bad, but I don't want to lose my social life. Of course, I don't want to be broke, either. And I want to be able to move back to LJ over the summer and find a better job than selling tickets at the movie theater. I like working there (Ha, sounds ironic, doesn't it? Nah, I love [most of] the people I work with, and the perks are good. I just get frustrated sometimes, if you couldn't tell by my post-Christmas blog). I know a guy whose sister works at UT, so I might use that connection to find a job on campus, if possible. We'll see, I guess. If that doesn't work, at least I've networked a little, right? Right. In other news, school should be nice this semester. Maybe a bit tough for me, but I'll manage. I came out of my first semester with three A's and two B's while still holding a job and keeping up with friends. Sleepy time was scarce and I didn't take advantage of Gregory Gym as much as I'd hoped, but the sleep part at least has got to change since I've got an eight a.m. class every morning this semester. I guess... wish me luck?

Aside from the whole job/school part of my life, I'm starting to climb out of this existential crisis I've been having. Each day, I live and learn more about everything around me - people, places, events, history... and more starts to fall into place about why I'm here. Or at least why I think I'm here. I'm not going to share all of my revelations here, but I will tell you what I want to do with my life.

Good. I want to do good. I want to go out of this world knowing that I've helped at least one person, animal, plant out there. Don't ask me how I'm going to do this "good"... I don't even know myself. But as long as I follow the path ahead of me, I know I'll find my purpose.