Finish the Sentence

I got this Finish the Sentence thing from one of my daily reads, Mateya at The Best is Yet to Come.  I don't usually do this kind of thing but I think it's kinda a fun light thing to do before my hiatus from blogging for the next three days (it's a yearly thing during the Easter Tridium for me).

1. If calories didn't count, I would eat... anything I wanted, but sooooo much delicious food!  Like fancy and unfancy, but probably less fancy since it's not a money free but calorie free.  You know what I mean :-).

2. On my Prom night... I went with my great friend, and we danced and we ate and we then played casino games all night long, because we had Pro-Grad the same night.

3. When I go to the store... I usually either spend a ton of money on stuff I will not eat or I spend the minimum on the exact things I'm out of.  There usually isn't an in between!

4. Family functions typically...end up with all of us sitting around watching TV or a movie or chatting.  We also eat a lot, and it's always delicious.  Oh and there are usually kids running all over the place.

5. I think my blog readers...are probably a small mix of people I actually know and people I don't actually know.  Either way, I'm glad you're here!

6. I'd much rather be...outside enjoying the weather.

7. I have an obsession with...SuperWhoLock.  Yeah.

8. My work friends...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh dear, that was funny.  I work with my brother-in-law and my uncle.  I love them, but there's really no outside contact.

9. When I got my Facebook account...it was only for college kids, and it was original!

10. My least favorite word is...moist.  UGH it gives me the willies.

11. I really don't remember...some things I probably should.

12. Justin Bieber...is a lucky kid who is now throwing things away by being a freaking brat.  Grow up child, then maybe people will treat you like the adult you think you are.

Judgey McJudgerson

My wonderful friend posted this article on Twitter today, and because I love her and I'm interested, I read it.  As I was reading it, I was suddenly struck by the overpowering feeling that someone actually not only felt the same way I felt, but was making it known.  Truly preaching the gospel here, the way it should be preached.  As stated before, I am a Catholic, and I'm a steady Catholic.  I go to Mass every Sunday (at least I legitimately try to go to Mass every Sunday), and I try to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  Am I a sinner?  Hell yeah I'm a sinner.  Am I perfect?  Hell no I'm not perfect.  Am I a crazy right-wing conservative who thinks everyone who doesn't believe what I believe is going to Hell, and I should shame everyone around me into believing the same things I do?  No, I'm not.  Am I a crazy left-wing liberal who thinks that everyone who doesn't think the same way I do is a f***ing idiot and is the downfall of our country and I should shame everyone around me into believing the same things I do?  No I'm not.  What I am is a person who believes in love, and compassion, the way Jesus tells us to.  Something that really has resounded with me in the last week or so is something we read at Mass a couple of weeks ago.  The gospel was the story about the woman who was caught in the act of adultery.  The chief priests bring the woman to Jesus and tell him that she should be condemned and stoned.  Jesus doesn't say a word and begins writing on the floor with his finger.  When pressed for an answer He tells them that if any of them have not sinned let him throw the first stone.  One by one the Pharisees and chief priests leave until finally it's just the woman and Jesus, who is still writing on the floor.  He looks up and seeing the woman asks if anyone has condemned her.  She says no, and He says "Then neither do I. Go in peace and sin no more."  None of us are perfect.  All of us have some sort of black spot against us, no matter what.  HOWEVER WE ARE NOT CALLED TO JUDGE.  We are called to love and embrace all people.  No matter their race, no matter their beliefs, no matter their sexual orientation.  WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE. I feel like a lot of people have forgotten that in their need/want to be heard and be acknowledged throughout this great big piece of world.  Let us truly embrace that as we come up to the Easter Tridium. WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE.

Writing a Story

I've always been a writer.  When I was little, I would write stories about nothing and fill notebooks with stories that never got anywhere, mainly because I was trying to write about things I knew nothing about.  In middle school and high school, it was journals and diaries, mixed in with some very bad poetry.  In college it was more term papers than anything else, but with the occasional poem or journal entry.  As I got older, it became mostly blogs and the work I do, which is newsletter articles about features.  Turns out I'm not very good at business writing.  But every once in a while, I'll get an itch and out will pour a story.  The first time was about two monsters name Finn and Gus that I wrote for my little cousin.  Then I wrote a weird little short story that I posted here about four months ago.  And just recently (like last night) I got another little itch to write another little story.  This I can't tell what it's going to be, but I have the characters in mind and the short little story behind it.  I'll see if I remember to post it when I actually get it written, or it might be total crap and no one can ever read it, but it excites me to be writing something for pleasure again.  Though it does put a damper on work writing.

All Things Spring

Last week (Wednesday) brought in the first day of Spring.  I like Spring.  I don't crave it or adore it the way I do its counter-season (Autumn), but I do quite enjoy the lengthening of the days, once you get past the time change hangover, the warmer but still cooler temperatures, the life that seems to pop out of everywhere.  While Autumn feels like the independent working woman about town, Spring is more flirty, more dainty, more traditionally feminine.  Everything feels lighter in the Spring, and the food is no less.  Everything is small and delicate.  In Autumn, I want all things pumpkin, in Summer I want melon.  In Winter I want potatoes (I know, not a fruit but still true), and in Spring, I want lemon.  Nothing would quench my cravings like a light lemon pie, sweet with just the right amount of bite.  Or a lemon yogurt cake, speckled with blueberries.  Or a lemon custard, swirled with whipped cream.  Spring just shouts (well, calls daintily) bright and light.  I want to make my Spring like that.  Bright, new and light.  I believe I'll start with something lemon on my four day weekend this weekend.

Oh the Randoms!

A random list, for a random day!

• I forgot my watch and ring yesterday and all day my hand felt so weird!
• Am I the only one who really prefers room temperature or warm bread rather than cold bread?
• I had a game night last night with some of my friends and got my ass handed to me in Monopoly
• I hung a dark blanket over my patio door which lets in a ton of light, and it was the best idea I've had in ages.
• It's rainy outside, perfect morning to lay in bed and watch Made of Honor.
• I'm going to dye my friend's hair today and then she's taking me out for manis.
• My baby nephew is having his "welcome to the real world" party tonight, which means everyone is going to Fort Worth for the party.
• I was supposed to wake up at 6 yesterday and do yoga.  Yeah that didn't happen.
• I was supposed to get up and do yoga today too.  Yeah that didn't happen either!
• Patrick Dempsey is a tool in this movie but I love it.
• A car alarm woke me up at 3:30 last night in a panic.  Paranoid much?
• I really want to go back overseas to the British and Emerald Isles.

Can We Chat for a Moment?

Okay, let's talk for a minute.  I know I've talked a lot about different TV shows here, but let's be honest.  There is one show that I would get cable for.  Just one.  One simple show that I love so much that I could watch it a million and twelve times, which would be a lot because it's only three episodes a series. And there are only two series so far.  Of course I am talking about Sherlock, the new BBC version of Sherlock Holmes, steered by the incomparable team of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.  I knew little about the people  in the show and little about the subject matter when I started watching it.  Of course I knew OF Sherlock Holmes, any person with an interest in literature knows OF Sherlock Holmes, but I had yet to read any of the stories which inspired this amazing show.  I'm pretty sure the closest I had gotten to Sherlock Holmes before this was Disney's The Great Mouse Detective and Robert Downey Jr's version of Sherlock.  And then one day, my dear friend insisted that I watch Sherlock.  I was already in the throws of Doctor Whodom at the moment and was loathe to separate a moment from my Doctor.  Then my sisters brought it up in casual conversation, mentioning that maybe I should watch it because it was interesting and they thought I might like it.  So, during a lull I used to extend David Tennant as the Doctor, I watched Sherlock.  As mentioned before, each series is only three episodes long, but each episode is 90 minutes long.  I ran through the first series in a day.  And then I rewatched them, and before I knew it, I was all about everything Sherlock.  And not just ANY Sherlock.  No, no.  It had to be MY Sherlock, because who else could play the high-functioning sociopath like Benedict Cumberbatch?  I mean his is the only name that even MATCHES that of Sherlock Holmes.  Plus I mean have you seen the man?  You could cut yourself on those cheekbones, and drown in the blueness of those eyes.  AND he's a real life ginger.  I love real life gingers!!!  So yes, you can keep your rats and your Roberts, and your female Watsons (I mean really?!).  I will be patiently sitting here waiting for Benedict and Martin to finish filming series three of this show so that I can FINALLY watch them.

Thoughts from a 4-Mile Walk

I went for a very long walk yesterday.  I have an app on my phone that usually tells me how far I've gone and keeps track of my time, but my phone was dying yesterday and I didn't have time to charge it up a whole lot.  So I figured it would be safer and smarter to not waste my battery on an app and save it for an emergency.  I have a playlist of 16 classic rock songs that I usually walk to, and I know from previous walks that about 8 songs takes me a mile or so.  So 16 songs would take me about 2 miles or so.  So because I walked for the entire playlist one way, and then the entire playlist back the other way, I would estimate that I walked approximately 4 miles yesterday.  And that ends my career in math.

Some thoughts and views I had on my walk:

• It's always inspiring to see old people being fit and awesome.
• Some bikers are really rude and will just whip past you without any comment
• Some are really nice and will say "On your left!" as they pass.
• I saw a dude in the loudest shorts I've ever seen, and had he not been on a bike, I would have stopped and complimented him (as it was, he was past me before I even noticed).
• A guy actually stopped me and showed me a rattlesnake in the tall grass in the water and warned me to be careful because it's the season for them.  I don't know if I just look like the type to just go gamboling through unfamiliar tall grass willy-nilly or if he was warning everyone he could.
• There were lots of families out walking or running.  I think that's nice.
• I saw two sets of kids and dads, one running and one biking and the kids no joke looked like little copies of their fathers.  The running set had on the same set of running shorts and a white t-shirt, and the biking set had on bike shorts and bike shirts, and this little girl couldn't have been more than 8.  But there she was, riding along in her hot pink bike shirt.  Where do you find a shirt that small?
• There are some GINORMOUS houses on the other side of the lake.  One, no joke, was called Mount Vernon, and had two gates, one for deliveries and one for regular.  It looked like the White House.
• The lake is gorgeous.  You almost forget you're in Dallas.
• There was a woman in a long peach dress by the lake who seriously looked like a model.  She had that foreign look to her, and she was so beautiful.  I felt a little weird looking at her, but who couldn't?
• The way back is a lot shorter than the way there.
• I hit my stride when I push past the pain.
• Rowing looks really fun, but HELLA hard. I wonder if there's a beginner adult class.
• I cannot hear or feel my phone when it's in my pocket.  I missed two phone calls and several texts.
• Maybe I play my music too loud.
• My arches start to ache after a bit.  I should probably go to the doctor and find out what kind of shoes are best for my feet.
• People walk in the craziest outfits sometimes.  I saw a woman walking in flats, a flowing black skirt, a sweater and a scarf.  Crazy.
• Sometimes I really enjoy my city.

Bad Day

Yesterday was such a terrible, horribly embarrassing day that I can't even talk about it.  No seriously, I've hashed and rehashed it so much with my family, that I don't ever want to talk about it with anyone else.  It was just an awful day.  But I can tell you what I learned yesterday.

1. Always ask for help when you're at the beginning of trouble (or when you think you might be in trouble).  It will save SO much grief and money.

2. Being a grownup not only sucks, but I suck at it.

3. I'm not as good or talented as I thought I am.

4. It sometimes takes something huge to happen before you really realize that you need to make some major changes in your life.

5. I have the most amazing family in the whole wide world, and with their help, I can finally become the full functioning adult I need to be.

Lent Might Kill Me

I'm a bad Catholic.  Okay, I take that back.  I am not a bad Catholic and I'm sure that if I were in a better space I'd want to go on and on about how my weakness is proof that I am dependent on Jesus in my life and blah blah blah blah.  But the fact remains that two weeks away from Easter, I would KILL someone for a brownie.  That's not even saying what I would do to someone who brought me said brownie. Or cupcake. Or candy bar.  Hell I'd settle for a stale chocolate chip cookie for crying out loud.  Though you wouldn't get as much loving as you would if you brought me brownies. Or cake.  For a stale cookie (you know those really hard ones that come in the plastic bins at grocery stores?), you'd probably get a hug.  A small one.  And it would go up from there.  This is the first time I've ever given up sweets completely and I'm telling you, it seriously might kill me.  I've given up candy before and soda.  But this year, I don't know if it's the sweets or the combination of sweets and alcohol deprivation that is driving me bananas.  I find myself on pinterest drooling over desserts.  I try to avoid the bakery aisle at grocery stores, because really that's just mean.  The cooking blogs I go to are covered in sweets, so I can't hardly get on them. I daren't go down to the vending machines. I might crack and have a candy bar.  And Thursday, Thursday was 3/14.  Do you know what day that is? PIE DAY!!! AND I COULDN'T HAVE PIE!!!! Yes I know, I could have.  I could have had a savory pie.  But really, what's the point of pie if the crust and ingredients aren't covered in sugar?   I'm telling you man, there better be so many delicious sweets at the various Easter parties/dinners/gatherings I'm going to in two weeks.  Or I will stop, and I will buy pie. And cupcakes. And delicious fantastic chocolaty brownies.  'Scuse me, I'm drooling again.

PS I know this is a little sacrilegious writing about this on Sunday, and I'm sorry to those who may be offended!

JT: Oh Dear

I've always been a fan of Justin Timberlake.  He was always my favorite in *NSync and I think he's hilarious.  But I wasn't really a huge fan of his more recent music.  I mean I have FutureSexLoveSound but I don't really listen to it all that much, and I don't always enjoy it when I do.  BUT I've been watching him perform on Jimmy Fallon this week 'cause, well I love Jimmy Fallon and I try to watch him at least on Hulu.  Justin has been on all this week performing a new song from his new album every night.  I am such a fan of the songs I've heard so far!!  Way to go JT, you've hit it out of the park, and I can't wait to get your new album The 20/20 Experience.  Which is surprising me to say.  But I can't not get it!  So good!!!

Weird Dreams

Oooh I am sore all over.  Going from living a sedentary life to walking two miles a day is not fun for my poor legs and butt.  They have a bit of a problem with me at the moment, as does the bottom of one of my toes, which decided it would be fun to get a blister.  Good thing today is my rest day!

I usually don't dream when I sleep.  I mean I can dream obviously, but it's not a nightly occurrence for me.  It usually happens about three nights in about a month that I have dreams that I can actually remember.  Last night was one of those nights.  First I had a dream that Dean and Sam Winchester (yes from Supernatural) showed up in my room and I was naked.  That startled me so much I actually woke up.  Like legit, woke up from a deep sleep in real life.  My alarm hadn't gone off yet, and I couldn't see the time, so I pulled up the covers and went back to sleep.  My SECOND dream was very interesting.  In this dream, I was with a bunch of people and we all met Josh Groban.  This wasn't like a big meet and greet thing, this was a chance meeting at someone's home, and he and I totally hit it off and started hanging out.  His mom did NOT like me and she kept trying to get him not to pay attention to me.  It was weird and awesome at the same time.  Of course when my alarm actually went off, he and I were dating in my dream, and I could have kicked my alarm.

What are your dreams like? Do you dream on a regular basis?

Funny

I woke up this morning grumpy.  I had gone to bed late last night (like 11, but I wanted to be asleep by 10), and when my alarm went off, I was in the middle of a crazy weird dream that included my cousin driving my car on the freeway.  Yeah it doesn't sound weird, but it was.  And when the alarm went off, I had just met Dean and Sam.  So yeah, I was a little grumpy when I woke up.  I decided to make myself not grumpy I would wear my favorite dress and boots today and blow dry my hair so I could wear it down.  When I got into work this morning, my boss wasn't in yet, and our phones were down.  So one up, one down.  Our phones have been going down A LOT lately and it's been REALLY frustrating.  The technician came in to fix it and I had to smile because it was my favorite tech.  We've had several throughout the last few months, and this guy makes me laugh every time.  And today I made HIM laugh even more.  I love when people get my dumb dry sarcastic humor.  It makes me feel like I'm actually funny as opposed to just funny in my head (which does happen sometimes).  So now that I've spent the past 45 minutes cracking up with this guy, I am no longer grumpy and can happily go on with my life.  Not to mention he replaced stuff that should fix our issue!  So yay!

In other news, I'm signing up for a 5K at the end of April.  It's my first one ever, and I'm not going to run it, but I am going to walk it!  I started training for it yesterday by taking a two mile walk around the lake.  I plan on going for a walk at least four days a week, maybe more and get my stamina and strength up.  If this Fun Run goes well, maybe I'll sign up for a Color Run or something in the future! Yay for getting fit!

Weddings are Ruining My Nerdiness

I have a small confession to make.  It's not major, and it's probably not a secret, but (looks around furtively) I am a nerd.  Yeah, I said it.  And you know what?  I'm darn proud of my nerdiness, and the fact that I know that David Tennant is actually Scottish and grew up watching Doctor Who and married the girl who played his daughter, who is actually also the actor who played the 5th Doctor's daughter. And that I know that Benedict Cumberbatch is playing Smaug in the Hobbit, which stars his Sherlock costar Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, and that I know that Han shot first.  I'm quite proud of this nerdiness.  But only recently have I become the kind of nerd who actually looks for conventions of her favorite shows to go to.  Yes, I admit it.  I looked up if there was a Doctor Who convention and a Supernatural convention in my town.  And you know what?  THERE ARE!!

So because I've been a closet nerd until the last year or so (a shorter amount in some cases) (*cough* Supernatural fan in less than a month *cough*), I've acquired quite normal friends, who do indulge my nerdiness and embrace it along with all my other quirky qualities.  Along with these friends come normal activities, such as weddings, and events that go along with weddings, like bachelorette parties and the like.  Now I'm quite excited to be involved in the weddings I am this year.  Don't get me wrong.  But I will admit that it broke my heart a little to see that the Doctor Who convention takes place the same weekend as my bestie since first grade's wedding.  Not hugely, but a small bit of me sighed a deep bitter sigh.  This was quite a few weeks ago, and I didn't think anything of it until yesterday, when I went searching for the Supernatural convention in my town.  Guess when it takes place.  That's right, the same weekend as my other friend's bachelorette party in New Orleans.  I think there's some sort of conspiracy going around to not let me be as completely fangirl as I truly wish to be.  This one broke my heart quite a bit more, mainly because well, have you SEEN Supernatural?  Do you KNOW how hot Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are?  Yeah.  That's why.  *Bitter Sigh*

Why can't I be a complete nerd fangirl?  Why?

Startin' Something

This was yesterday's NaBloPoMo prompt, but I'm going to write about it today.  It's all about 'Starting Something'.  And I'm usually pretty good about starting things, it's the follow-through  I have an issue with.  But I'm starting something new here in my own life.  I'm branching out, trying new things, taking control of my own destiny.  I'm starting small with auditions for shows, like I did a few weeks ago, and like I will be doing soon for a musical (eek!), and moving up to bigger things like losing weight, which I am starting today by downloading awesome inspiring rock music (that yes I did pull from Supernatural, shut up) and going for a walk around my local lake, which is right down the street from my apartment.  I'm going to get up, and I am going to do things, and I am going to try my best to fly high, even if I fall miserably.  What can it hurt?

Screw you Daylight Savings Time

Whoever came up with Daylight Savings Time is a mean mean mean person.  I understand that it means that it's lighter in the evening, and therefore it's like the days are longer, and trust me I like that in the summer.  But the whole being dark when I wake up (at 7AM, mind you) I totally am not a fan of.  Just like I'm not a fan of not being able to fall asleep until midnight because my body thinks it's 11 pm.  Totally and completely not a fan.  Now I'm exhausted and cranky, and I wish I would adjust to this better. Otherwise the next few days are going to be a huge pain in the ass.

Owning vs Renting

The first thing people notice when they walk into my apartment is how clean it is (because I spent the last day and a half cleaning it knowing full well that people would be coming over) (please don't surprise visit me with at least a text or phone call.  You don't know what you'll be walking into!).  The second thing they notice is my DVD collection.  It's quite expansive and people always seem surprised that I have so many movies and TV shows in this day and age where you can rent movies for a dollar, or have them on demand, or watching Netflix and Hulu at the click of a remote.  Don't get me wrong, I love my Netflix, and I'm a big fan of Hulu as well.  Anything that lets me watch TV continuously I have no issue with.  However, I love to own DVDs of my favorite shows and movies, because there's so much more you can learn when you watch them over and over again.  Plus have you SEEN blooper reels?  They're hilarious!  And interviews, and commentary and extras.  I'm a big fan of the extras.  For example, did you know that Alex O'Loughlin is Australian?  I didn't until I watched the first season of Hawaii 5-O with commentary.  And now, as some of you who have read my other posts or know me know, I am newly (sorta) obsessed with three shows: Doctor Who, Sherlock, and most recently Supernatural.  However, I don't own any of the seasons.  Like at all.  It's been purely Netflix for these bad boys, and I think that's a shame.  Because I want to hear Christopher Eccleston's thoughts on his time as the doctor, and I want to listen to Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman talk about their bromance, and I NEED to see Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki with their bloopers because frankly, those two are just flipping hilarious.  This is why I need to own, not for the shows themselves, but for the extras. I neeeeeed the extras.    

The Who Premonition

I used to be very simple in my TV choices.  I liked shows that made me laugh, or reminded me of myself.  I was not really a fan of suspenseful shows that gave me chills, the same way I am not a fan of movies that are scary.  If I'm going to watch TV, I'm going to watch something I enjoy.  Well, that changed a great deal, and I can't quite put my finger on when or why, but it did.  While I still very much enjoy shows that make me laugh (The Big Bang Theory? Pure comedy genius) and shows that remind me of myself (the only one that really comes to mind is Gilmore Girls, which I know isn't on the air anymore), I've become a huge fan of shows that challenge my beliefs and my scaredy-cat nature.  Now these shows fall into a couple of different categories: the Could be Real, and the Definitely Not Real.  Of course several shows fall into the Dear God I hope it's not real, but wouldn't it be awesome if it were? category.  But this isn't about those.  This is about the sinking feeling you get when you're watching an episode of a show at the beginning of the season and something happens and all you can think is "Oh shit that is not going to end well."  I call it the Who Premonition, mainly because I first noticed it when I was watching David Tennant as the Doctor on Doctor Who.  I knew that he left after a certain amount of time, because the show is still on, and now Matt Smith is the Doctor, but I didn't know exactly when.  Then I met Donna for the second time, and I thought "Oh no.  This is going to end with my Doctor leaving, and I'm going to be so sad!"  The Who Premonition.  I was struck with this premonition quite strongly last night as I sat watching Season Two of Supernatural (a show that falls firmly in the Not Real but wouldn't it be cool if it were? category).  Dean and Sam had just stolen a couple of SWAT guys uniforms and snuck out of a surrounded bank.  As they sat in the car, and Renegade started playing, all I could think was "Shit dudes.  This is going to end so terribly badly for you." Now I haven't gotten to the end of Season Two, mainly because I do work, and I enjoy going to bed at a decent hour, but I have all of Saturday to watch to the end and possibly some of Season Three as well.  I'll revisit this and let you know if my premonition was correct or not!        

Writing about Risks

Writing about risks is hard for me.  I tend to talk all big about things and then chicken out at the last minute.  Which is how I ended up at a dive bar in Lago Vista listening to a (crappy) local country artist rather than at Moma's hanging out with an awesome band I had met the night before during SXSW 2007. Or I take the risk and it turns out badly.  Which is how I fractured my ankle freshman year (I fell off a rock wall which I had been dared to climb in my bare feet).  Risks haven't really worked out all that well for me either way. So this month's NaBloMo theme is a tough one for me.  Like today's topic, a risk that paid off.  Well I don't really know any risks that I've taken that have paid off.  At least not major ones.  I suppose that going to a college where I didn't know a soul was a risk, and that paid off big time.  I met so many amazing people in my life that I would never have met had I gone to the other school I was considering.  I suppose moving out of my former living residence three months before the (unofficial) lease was up was a risk, and it paid off, in that I now live (happily) on my own and there was no back splash from my former landlord.  I suppose those things are risks.  But I guess what holds me up is that I tend to think of risks as something that has either a good major consequence or a bad major consequence.  Not little things that have mediocre good or bad endings.

Risks and Rewards

Risks and Rewards.  It's an interesting topic to write about for my first post of March, because I'm not a risk-taker.  I tend to shy away from major scary risks, which means I probably miss out on a bunch of cool rewards.  However in my more mature age, I have come to the realization that everything is a risk.  Everything we do or don't do is taking a risk of some sort, and while some of the risks come with consequences, some come with benefits or rewards.  Why would we not strive for those benefits?  Personally, I'm making strides to overcome my naturally shy and scared personality to branch out and do things that I've been too timid to do in the past.  For example, I've always been too embarrassed to go out to eat by myself or go to the movies alone.  My oversocialized nature told me that it was bad that I didn't have anyone to go do that stuff with, and therefore I shouldn't do it.  However, I really thought about it, and came to the conclusion that that reasoning was RIDICULOUS.  Utterly and completely ridiculous.  Now I go to the movies by myself all the time.  I in fact enjoy it more, because people aren't trying to talk to me during and I can really pay attention to it!  The eating out thing I do as well, but with less positive results.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind eating alone, especially when I have a book to read, but there are times when I feel funny sitting at a table all by myself.  However, it is a risk I have taken, and I'm glad I have!  Branching out can be fun!