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The New Age of Technology

As I sit here at the college radio station, I begin to think to myself how often I check Facebook and Twitter, and how exactly I got here. Sure, sure. There was the occasional bad life choice which turned into a good one, but I'm talking about technology. I can remember sitting at the monstrous computer my dad got from his work, or wherever, and being THRILLED that I could type and have it show up like that. What was it, white letters and a blue background? I guess anything was better than a typewriter...

Not long after my older brother got more into computers and soon enough I was playing card games like Solitaire against simulated characters. CARD GAMES. ON A COMPUTER. Who would have thought!? And then...oh and THEN...came AOL. Instant messaging with my friends while I played card games on the computer. Life could not have gotten better. I would leave from school, take the bus ride home, do some homework, and then talk with my friends ALL night even though I'd spend ALL day with them. Kids got braver through the internet as they asked out each other, and others got a little more stupid as they made chat rooms and talked about nonsense gossip. It was the greatest creation since sliced bread. I spent every waking moment on AOL as long as I could!

And then I heard about MySpace. MySpace. Rocked. My. World...and everyone in it! I could make a design for my background, choose a song for my homepage, take stupid quizzes and post pictures and let the whole world know that I, Erin Murphy, existed. I was official. I was asked by past and present friends to be added, and there wasn't even a word for how much power I felt when I confirmed them. Who you were was defined by not how you speak, your family's background, your education, or the love you feel for someone, but by the profile picture you posted. Eh, duh!

Then one day my friend mentioned Facebook. Pshh, Facebook?! What is that and why would I switch to it? So I did. But I mainly used MySpace because that's what all the cool kids did, right? Wrong. Facebook took over and it was only a matter of time until I connected with more and more friends, and found people through my school network. I wrote Notes like they were going out of style, and holy crap, if you didn't have a funny or meaningful status that everyone could comment on and "Like", then you were no one. I go on Facebook so much it's probably unhealthy. Farms and Mobs and Groups...oh my! But hey, anything is better than what I had before. Facebook spanked MySpace and now Facebook rules the social network! Right?

ERNNHH!! Sorry wrong answer. Survey says?! TWITTER.

Twitter is a way to update your friends and the whole world with only 140 characters at a time. You can add someone into your post by putting @whatever the hell their name is in, or you can make a trending topic by putting #trendingtopic. I think. See, Twitter is so new to me (even though it's been around circa 2006) that I'm not even sure what I'M doing. And I have an iPhone! Aren't people with iPhones supposed to know what's going on? I mean, we can look stuff up on the spot, so why don't I know anything!?

Probably because another type of social networking...thing will come around pretty soon, and I'll just be learning that one. Maybe we'll actually go back to writing letters to our friends and family. Nostalgia is the new trend, so why not? Hey, don't giggle. Anything can happen. I read that on someone's tweet once.

Well, g2g. Updatin status for @FollowErin cuz shes #thecoolestpersonever.

Stay Sweet.

Since I work on a computer all day for my job, I listen to movies sometimes on my iPod. Today I listened to Forrest Gump (one of my new favorite movies) and Now and Then. Both are such good movies! Tomorrow will probably be 10 Things I Hate About You and The Goonies, if I can stay focused and get them on my laptop.

I work out at a ladies' gym, and they give beginners 3 basic days to follow: Legs, Arms, and Cardio. I didn't work out too much over the long weekend due to my family being in town, so I decided to do all three in one. Bad life choice. I felt like crawling out of there, it was ridiculous. I feel better about it now, considering I had a yummy salad with tomatoes, green pappers, fat free ranch, sun flowers seeds, and cheese on it. I was about to go to Subway, but I'd rather save the $5.

I've been writing lately and feeling pretty good about it. Nothing I'm willing to share at the moment, but maybe one day soon, once I feel more confident about what goes down on paper...

Problem Solved

So remember how I was debating about getting my hair cut? Well I finally caved...and had my mom do it. I know, I know, but I can't trust Great Clips anymore! And, why not have her cut it? I can tell her what I want, how I want it, and not feel like an ass. It turned out to be much better than I thought and it feels a million times better as well. Cheers, mom.

Junior year of high school my friend Adam once said, "Mexican food makes me poo napalm." I got free Chipotle tonight, and I now know what he means. I don't think I ever laughed so hard in class like when I heard him say that. I still giggle when I hear it. Mainly because the word "poo" is in there, but hey, I'm only human. To add to the immaturity, my little cousins were in town all last week, and whenever you'd ask them to do something and they were in a good mood, they'd answer, "Yess ma'am, on duty!" The first time Megan heard that I could hear her giggle. To be honest I laughed too. How can you not?

I might be getting an iPhone soon. :) BIG SMILES.

Remember Me?

It's been a while. My how things have changed!

1. Since school's been out, Megan and I have been working 36 hours a week, which in fact will have to be cut due to lack of work and people being stupid. It's a real shame, considering I've been looking forward to saving up money for a new car and iPhone at the end of summer. Ugh.

2. I joined a gym with Megan. It definitely helps keep me in check, and I feel better after I run or lift weights. It keeps me motivated and driven. I want to lose at least 15 lbs before Melissa's wedding in October. It's hard but I'm willing to work for it.

3. My hair has gotten to a point where I can easily put it in a pony tail, but it's got these weird lengths all around that I'm not sure what to do. I want to get it cut, considering it hasn't been cut since November/December, but I' so afraid it'll look stupid again. Oh the rut I'm in...

4. I've been wanting to write again. I had this stupid story I started before, but I'm seriously in this mood to get something done. I imagine movies or things in my head all the time, but I can never get it down on paper...or on the computer. Every time I do, I blank. I need to just carry around a notebook or something...

5. I heart cheesesticks. So much.

School. Work. Gym. Life.

Finals are all over. Sign Language went very well, and when I got out, I ended up having an extra hour or so, which was helpful in letting me relax. Sadly, though, I got a 77% on my Quantitative Methods final, which ended up being the medium in the class as well. Ugh, stupid Regression chapter. OF COURSE there were tons of questions on it! Just my luck...It just bursts my bubble to get a score like that. I know it's decent, but it's the fact that I KNOW I could have done better that's eating away at me. And that ended up putting me at an 88.5% in the class. Gah. Oh well. Nothing I can do now.

My schedule is set up at work for 36 hours spread throughout 4 days so I can have Fridays off to relax and do whatever. Perfect, right? What am I doing on Friday though? Working. To get overtime hours. Because work is behind, and one girl isn't coming back in for a while because she's getting surgery on her legs done again. Ugh. And then the gym after that with Megan for our first day to train. I can tell you now that I'm going to be so pooped this summer, with all the working and gym and trying to fit my social life in there...Oh the life I lead...

So how about when Jackie and I went to see He's Just Not That Into You, it pretty much defined our lives. GREAT movie though! I might actually buy it...

Those Funny Life Choices

I think my friends and I are at this point where we're so stressed out about finals and work that every small thing that happens sends us into a fit of FML. We had a bit of a ranting and hugging bit last night, and in every other text is a sigh or efffffff. Mainly the cause is some guys, but there is other stuff as well. Gah.


Speaking of finals, I have both of mine today:
American Sign Language from 12-155 and then Quantitative Methods from 2-4.
(Note the times, please. Yes, in fact if I take the entire time for ASL, I have 5 minutes to make it ALL THE EFFING WAY across campus to take my hardest test yet. FML.)


And to top it all off, I missed a day sometime in the past two weeks, so I missed the Regression chapter for Quant Methods, so now I have no idea what in the hell some of these equations mean. Horray. What exactly is Sum of Squares Regression? And how does it relate to the Y Hat equation? Is the Degrees of Freedom Regression the same as the Degrees of Freedom Within Treatment, Between Treatments, Between Subjects, or Total? Or is it completely different?

Exactly. I'm screwed.

And I can't study for math tests. No, it's not that I have no motivation, it's that I CAN'T study for math tests, and I never have, really. Not from Algebra all the way through to AP Calculus. It's not like Psychology or ASL where you memorize definitions and signs...it's numbers. Obviously Dr. Jones isn't going to put the same numbers on the final as in the practice test, so why study when every question is going to be different? It was the same with the ACT and other proficiency tests I've taken. I honestly can't study for them. I just go with the flow, and the funny thing is that I get good grades. Am I smart or lucky? I know...I'm going with the latter. Let's hope this luck continues...

Spring Fever

I love college life.

During my time at St. Joseph's for Junior High, I was stuck inside all day for class and lunch, and we only got to go outside when Mrs. Miller was feeling nice. (Which was very rare.)

At McKinley, we barely got to go outside, except for crossing the parking lot for AP Calculus class at the end of the day. I loved doing that in the spring/summer time because we got to unwind a bit before finally sitting for another hour and a half.

But being in college is so much more amazing. During the spring/summer at Akron, there are people playing Frisbee outside, laying in the grass, studying on the steps, or just walking around leisurely. I love the fact that after I eat dinner, I can go sit in the grass with my friend and watch a squirrel run across the grass. I love watching someone on their bike stop, lay down on a bench, and just chill out under a tree. Everything is so much less stressful. Classes are scheduled to your liking and not shoved into an 8 hour day. There are no bells worry about when going between classes, and there are so many people to meet and get to know.

That's what people should look forward to when going to college. Sure, sororities and fraternities are great places to meet peers and party, but when there are so many small things to satisfy you, why do all those other things?

Moving On Up!

As I was sitting in the Commuter's Lounge yesterday I was thinking about what my Communications adviser said about getting to know people in the Communications department by talking to them and even joining ZTV or WZIP (our school TV and radio station). Well, I had about 30-45 minutes before my next class, so I quickly made my way over to Kolbe Hall and up to the third floor. When I got there, I asked for an application to join in the fall, and this kind older man asked me to sit down on the couch and he began to explain to me what I was needed to do and how to do it to become part of these programs.

Mr. Beck (the nice elder) said that I was required to work 10 hours or more a week and that I had to take training classes Monday through Fridays during the semester. He also said that when/if I start (there's an application process similiar to a job), that I wouldn't be placed in one specific area, rather that I would have to dabble in everything to get general knowledge.
So, I asked if next Tuesday they had any time open, and so on the 21st I get to shadow people for a couple of hours! YAY! Mr. Beck said that I could see what a disc jockey does, or get to see how cameras work, or even watch a taping of something and sit in a meeting.

I love going out and working on my future. It is so easy and it makes me feel accomplished.

On the Ball

You know you've still got it when you can memorize 23 Deaf Culture Rules in order and read a novel the day before the test. I amaze myself.

1. Before you start talking, make sure you have the attention of the deaf person.
2. To get their attention, you can : foot stomp, flicker lights, hand wave, or tap them.
3. Before you tap them, though, make sure they can see you.
4. If a deaf person is in the room, SIGN.
5. If a hearing person interrupts, explain the interruption.
6. If there is a loud noise or distraction, explain what it was.
7. ALWAYS make eye contact.
8. Never cover your lips or face with your hands.
9. Speak clearly and gesture naturally.
10. Don't eat, smoke, or chew gum while a deaf person is trying to lip read you.
11. Don't force unwanted help.
12. If they don't understand, rephrase.
13. If you don't understand, ask them to repeat.
14. Ask more than yes/no questions.
15. Never talk about a deaf person while they are in the room.
16. Interpreters sign everything they hear.
17. Interpreters never add anything.
18. Interpreters keep conversations confidential.
19. Talk to the deaf person, not the interpreter.
20. If 2 deaf people are signing and in your way, walk through them, don't stop and wait.
21. Deaf people like to be referred to as "Deaf".
22. Give a deaf person time to look at a book before you continue.
23. Be flexible. (There are more than one sign or some words...)

WHADDUP SON! Without looking and barely studying this morning.
Thank you, thank you.

Tech Nerd

It's friggin snowing. What in the hell, Ohio? I was just playing tennis with Megan, Tess, and Greg on Sunday down at the park! We sunbathed! SUNBATHED! That's my repeated and emphasized word impersonation of Josh Peck from Drake and Josh.

Oh, so I'm taking Voice Training next Semester for my Communications major.
And web design.
And Survey of Mass Communications.
And Media Production Techniques.
NBC here I come!

The Old Switch-a-Roo

I did it. I switched my major! Done and done.

I felt really weird doing it, because I called around to so many people and left emails to a couple professors asking for advice and help and everything in between, but it is what it is. To get where I want, I needed help and I finally got it. I went to the Dean's Office at the College of Arts and Sciences and switched my major from Psychology to Communications, but I'm keeping Psychology as a minor. I can definitely use it if/when I get into television. I'll just study Consumer Psychology along with Social. Boom. I have my 5 year plan for school and work slightly outlined.

I think some guy was talking to me this morning as I was walking up the steps to the Student Union, but I assumed he was talking on the phone. I hear, "Hey GIRRL!" Ya, I usually don't respond to that. I am Erin, not GIRRL. Ask me my name, please, and I'll gladly tell you. But continue to say "Baby" or "Darling" and you'll get nothing from me. Good day.

I said good day!

Big Decisions

I change my mind more than someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder, I swear.

When Jackie and her family took me out to California in January of 2008, we stayed with relatives of theirs, the Niemi's. Kim, the mom, works as an Executive Vice President of Merchandise at NBC (I believe), and Joe, her husband, built the million dollar home we stayed in. Well, since I've recently had an epiphany of what I actually want to do, I decided to try an email Kim and get some advice. Thankfully, she responded quickly!

She told me that I should try and start at local stations and work as a page or intern, and then try and go to New York (like SNL) and try bigger broadcasting companies later. So, I think I want to switch to Communications, but still work with Psychology. I also contacted FOX 8 News in Cleveland to see if they could help me out, and I researched NBC page programs. I pretty much have to focus on getting a degree from a four year college, and then I can get out there and get contracted. She said that when she worked at Capitol Records and then even moving into NBC, that I have to be prepared for some hard work. All I can say is BRING IT ON. Kim also said that if I was thinking about Burbank, CA., that she would help put in a good word for me. (How can I say no, when someone who has dined with Jay Leno wants to help you out?!)

I think I know what I want to do in life.
Fingers crossed.

OMGOMGOMG!

So this last weekend we went down to Columbus again. When we got there on Friday, Matt and Ben had made some yummy chicken burgers and sweet potato fries, so we had those and left soon after to go see Watchmen. The movie was good. Every second of every subplot was very dramatic and the graphics were mind-blowing. I think I've only seen one other elbow explode in a film. There was a lot of "dong" as Tess put it, though. Slightly awkward!

Saturday we slept in until about 11:30 or noon and decided to wait until Ben got home to do some shopping. I got a cute short dress, jean jacket, and a pair of comfy guy's sweat shorts at Old Navy. The funny thing was that I fit into a small for men's, and I could remember when I wore a medium. Granted they were stretchy sweats, but still I can clearly remember wearing men's medium sweat shorts before. That makes me feel good! That night we met up with Lauire and Dan and walked around and went into some shops that had local artists' stuff for the gallery hop. I really enjoyed some of the stuff people displayed, and I was tempted to look into a few paintings. Later, us kids ate at this cool Mexican restaurant named The Bonfire Restaurant. I could have had that answer faster had I owned an iPhone. Soon enough! Cha Cha works for now...

Sunday, oh Sunday! Ben, Julie, Laurie, Dan and I all decided to do the 5K Run for the Arnold Classic, so Ben and I met up with those 3 and walked down to the Convention Center. I was nervous the whole way down, and got even more anxious when I could feel it drizzling. If there's one thing I hate more than running, it's running in the rain. Ugh. Thankfully it didn't rain at all, and the race went better than I thought! (Minus the fact that I tried to spit, and it nearly flew back at me...) I finished around 36:30, which was about 9-10 minutes better than what I thought I could do. THEN, we went into the Convention Center after finishing, and after Ben and I got lost, WE SAW PHOENIX! I pretty much screamed and pointed. It was amazing. She gave Julie, Ben, and I a FREE autograph!

(So much more happened in between this, but I'm shortening it for laziness purposes...) Later on we met and got a picture with Matt Hamill, the sexy deaf UFC fighter. I seriously wanted to sign something to him like, "I'm falling in love with you", or "Do you know where the coffee machine is?" but I was too nervous and sign kind of slow.

We also got a picture with Titan, THE American Gladiator of all American Gladiators! I asked if he could give me a hug, and he said of course, baby, and then pulled me in. It was amazing. He called me BABY! I nearly cried that day like three times. I'm about to cry NOW just thinking about it!

Pure Awesomeness.

Ending February With Family Fun

A Mac-and-Cheesy picture of our youngest cousin, Beau, with Sammi in the background
(He always smiled AFTER we took a picture, but I got him!)

I finally started/nearly finished my scrapbook from my vacation to California...from over a year ago. Ha, ya, I know. And the damn pictures took FOR-EV-VER to print out at the Kodak Kiosk in WalMart. (Of course, I did have 213 pictures to print...) But since I was in the scrap booking mood, I also started a family one to put together so I have some pictures in hard copy. You can never trust technology these days... and now I sound like an old woman. Too much Jeopardy...

I really don't feel like writing more because I'm so tired, so here's more pictures to leave you with.

What a couple of posers...


The seven of us squeezed on the couch before they left

Can O' Whoop Ass

I love Self-Defense.

The other day we were finally learning how to catch people off balance in throw them on the ground. Well, after everyone paired off with someone their size (as ordered by the teacher), I was left alone. It's all good though, because there's this UFC/Jujitsu type guy that comes in and helps out named Ace. (Ha, ya I know.) Well he ended up being my partner! So I had to block his punch, elbow him in the neck, take his chin and push while pulling on his arm and swiping his leg out from under him. Difficult, but not too bad. (I actually did elbow him in the chin by accident! I felt so bad...) I couldn't get it at first until he told me what I was doing wrong. I kept trying to sweep towards his ankle when I needed to get behind his knee! DUH! So I finally ended up getting him on the ground and since I got that, HE TAUGHT ME AN ARM BAR! It was akward to do, but cool now that I know it! He was absolutely adorable too, especially when he told us about his girlfriend. Apparently she's a swimmer, and she kicks in her sleep, and since he's so used to fighting, he unconsciously puts her in holds in his sleep. I was dying!

It's Lent...and I'm working on it.

Happy Stuff Your Face Day

It's Fat Tuesday and I'm going to my Grandma's tonight to eat food from Louisiana. :D


For Psychology classes, as far as I know, we have to do surveys and help out grad students with projects by participating in them and becoming one of their statistics. Well, I decided to do one yesterday to get HPR credits for my Quantitative Methods class, and this guy sat me at a computer and I put some monstrous headphones on. Whenever I heard a pure tone, I had to hit "Z", and whenever there was a fuzzy tone, I had to hit "X". At the same time that's happening, a square or circle pops up on the screen with either a word or non-word in it, and if it was a word, I'd have to hit "N", and "M" for a non-word. I had to do all of this with two hands on the keys and as fast as I could. He said that if I zoned out for more than 3 seconds that I'd have to redo it all. Man, it was weird too! After it all, he explained that it was for Cognitive Psychology and to study parallel processing. The whole time he was explaining it though, I tried as hard as I could NOT to stare at the hole by his crotch. Ha! I was like..."Ahhh close your legs!" Four credits though! Schwing!

The Academy Awards were on the other night! I am absolutely in love with Hugh Jackman and now James Franco more. The beginning was seriously brilliant and hilarious. When Hugh Jackman started dancing with the "Craig's List Dancers" and then later on with those people in the weird metallic suits, I couldn't stop laughing! To see his lovely face was nice, but for him to sing! Woo! James Franco was just adorable with Seth Rogan, especially when he pronounced the name of one of the winners wrong. A big congrats to Slumdog Millionaire for winning Best Picture. I really need to see that...

Did you know that TMZ paid $62,000 for the picture of Rhianna all beat up and bruised from Chris Brown? How sad that her face is being plastered all over TV and the web just for some stupid ratings? It seriously makes me sick. Poor girl.

So every time I go to the gym, NCIS plays on the TVs, and it's usually 2 episodes in a row. I'm beginning to like it the more I see it...and Dinozzo is kinda cute. :)

12 more days to the 5K

Hearts, Stars, and Horseshoes...

First off, Happy Late Valentine's Day, or so I've been informed, S.A.D. Day. (Singles' Awareness Day). You can always count on one depressed loner to bring the rest of America down and believe that February 14th is such a commercial holiday. Thank you, to whoever you are.

I went rock climbing again, only to realize that I REALLY suck. There was one track on the boulder that I couldn't get, and I had about four guys come over and help me out. I kept getting past the tough part where you had to use your arms to hold on and then push off with your feet to get over a small ledge, but I couldn't cross my feet and finish. Grrr. One good thing was that Ian came by and remembered my name. It made it all worth while...until I fell on my ass.

So the other night I went to IHOP with my friends to chill and meet some of her friends, and all of a sudden Jackie gets silent and her face is still. Out of the corner of my eye I see this monstrous person walk past our table and sit in a booth 10 feet away from us. Lo and behold, it's Kosta Koufos. Jackie immediately begins to laugh and she can't stop for about 5 minutes. Aparently he was there with some girl, and when I looked over, his legs reached from one end of the booth table to the other. Ya, sure, he's famous and all and in the NBA (playing for the Utah Jazz), but the kid sounds dumber than a box of rocks. We finally decided not to ask him for an autograph and to just let him eat in peace. (But, Jackie did steal his unused spoon after he left. Oh, good times!) It was cool and all, but not worth it.

Saturday Night Live was pretty cool. I'm not an Alec Baldwin fan at all, so seeing him read straight off the cards made it worse. The Jonas Brothers were the musical guest though, and they even did some skits and the Digital Short, which was hilarious! I am a fan of Kevin myself, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. Tess got me hooked on them, and now I am devoted. Cameron Diaz also came on along with Dan Akroyd, so all in all, it was a good show. Keenan definitely made it awesome.

Well I have to go study for a Social Psychology test tomorrow, because stupid Akron is celebrating Presidents' Day on Tuesday. Ugh, no self defense again!




That's Kevin in the middle, with Nick and Joe on either side of him. I know, I know... Isn't that curly hair amazing?

Get a Grip

I am SO weak.

Fact.

So yesterday I thought it'd be cool to try out rock climbing at the Rec Center at Akron because it's free for students. Well, I first had to sign this waiver, etc. and the guy that was helping me looked at me like I was crazy. Anyway, he (Ian) warmed up real fast and was cool when he helped me get some shoes and showed me how things are done. (Ok, no lie, he was cute and nice.) There was the wall, and then a big arch called the Boulder. No one was using the ropes and harnesses because they weren't set up from the tournament last week, so you were just allowed to follow a track to the finish, which was about 12 feet up, and then fall onto a mat on the floor. At this point, I'm thinking, "Okay, this can't be too bad. Grab onto the little rung and then lift yourself up." What the hell was I thinking? The body strength it takes to climb up was insane. My arms and legs were shaking and couldn't get a good grip. Thankfully the kids/workers there were really nice and helped coach me. I finished the easy pink route too! The rule is you have to have both hands on the final grip to "complete" it. I can't wait to try again and practice some more, even though it was a killer.


I think Wednesday I'll try the arch and finish by hanging from one hand while I give a peace sign. No? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

The Early Bird Gets Shocked

So I'm doing my regular Tuesday and Thursday routine of sitting in the Student Union at Akron 2 1/2 hours before my only class of the day, and since I had my laptop out, I thought I might as well post a new blog, especially because some mean chick just turned off the TV.

Over the weekend the siblings minus Greg went down to Columbus to visit Matt and Ben and to watch the UFC fight of Penn vs GSP. That was really fun, and I loved that game we played where we had to sing lyrics of songs that had the special word in them. I forget what it was called though... That Saturday I also went running with Ben at the gym, and let me tell you...I am SO out of shape! I was insanely sore, especially after doing all those ab workouts. Oh well, gotta be ready for the 5K! This weekend Matt and Ben are coming up here to Canton for Ben's birthday, which I kinda forgot. Tess asked me if I wished him a Happy Birthday, and I had to text him at like 9 last night. Ha!

Yesterday was also my 1 year anniversary at Emergency Medicine Physicians, so I had my review and got another raise. WHOOO!!!

Oh wow newsflash! This just in: I switched from a table to a booth when the mean girl moved, and I totally shocked myself pulled out the plug of my laptop. That hurt!

Anyway...I was feeling good yesterday when I realized I met two new people at school. I let a guy borrow a pencil in my Social Psych class and left without getting it back. Well, I was rushing to my car to get clothes and change when I hear this "Hey!" He ran up to me, gave it back, and we walked and talked for a while. His name is John and he sits behind me. The other one was in my Quantitative Methods class. I came in late and had to share a computer with this chick. She was really cool, so we worked on our homework together, and I know her name is Pam. I don't know why, but meeting new people just makes Akron feel a bit homier, like how you get to know your way around high school and you see the same people repeatedly, I'm beginning to feel with Akron.

Alright, I should do my homework and will probably surf the internet for a while.

5K? Okay.

I found out my Self Defense class was canceled today because my teacher was sick. Dangit! I really wanted to learn some new stuff, so that when Tess gets mad at Megan and tells me to "self defense her", I can do more than one thing. Oh well, maybe I'll go to work a little earlier and get a few more hours in in. Or, I could relax. Hmm, I like that.

So I guess I'm running the 5K on March 8th with Ben, Laurie, and Dan. Ha! I know I complain about it now, but it's really a good thing for me because it's motivation to actually get this "losing weight" thing on the road. I only have 2 days a week at an actual gym, so I'm going to take advantage of that as much as I can, considering it's not really great weather to be running outside in. Last night I went to the Rec and did a straight 3.5 miles on the elliptical. It only took me 40 minutes too. I watched Ellen during then. Tomorrow maybe I'll try the treadmill and get myself ready for the run. I just hope I don't make an ass out of myself in front of everyone, which I guess is more motivation to try harder.

The Australian Open is on now (that's Tennis) and Andy Roddick made it all the way to the semi-finals. Ya, sad that I said "actually". But, if ESPN is correct, he'll be playing Federer next, so I'm thinking this is as far as he's going to go. If Nadal ends up playing Federer in the finals, I really hope he beats him. (As you can tell, I'm not a big Federer fan.) I think Nadal is better on clay courts though, so I hope he can step it up for another title.

Well my Sign Language class is about to start, so I'm off. To Infinity and Beyond!

It's Official

Obama is doing his inauguration speech today, so it's all over the news. I'm currently sitting in a comfy booth at the Akron Student Union listening to CNN and sometimes peeking out to see what's going on. I'm really glad that he won as President, but I'm still iffy on how Hilary could do as Secretary as State, if she gets it. I don't know too much about either of them as far as their work goes (which is probably sad on my part) but I'm hoping for the best. Let's just hope that no ones tries to assasinate Obama. I really think this change is good, and if some ignorant person with a superiority complex thinks otherwise and acts on it, I'll be pissed. It's not like the state of America could get much worse since Bush has been in, right?

On another thought, I hate politics. With an undying passion. Even throughout history it was ridiculous. What did politics mainly consist of? War. And why did endless amounts of men, women and children die? Because somone had to be stupid and force themselves into places or situations that they didn't need to be in. Need more land? Let's kill people. Think your religion is better? Well then let's slaughter others to get your point across. It blows my mind. Now I'm not saying that those men and women over in Iraq are involved in a stupid charade and are useless, because that's just rude to say. They risk their lives to defend our country, and because of them I can say what I want on this blog. Thank you to them. BUT, I don't believe that the point behind them being there is strong. Why are we there? Because they attacked us and could have weapons of mass destruction. Why do they have them? To scare anyone and everyone to get what they want. Why did they go to that extreme to get what they want? (My point being made here.) Silence. Now I know I'm missing a lot in there, and that also is due to the fact that I also dislike history, but what it all boils down to is the fact that people feel the need to push themselves, their ideals, morals, etc. on others and it gets to the point where innocent people are dying everyday.

One main moral I live by in life can easily be said by a Lord of the Rings character, the Gaffer: "Keep your nose out of trouble, and no trouble'll come to you." It's so easy. Keep to yourself and you'll be fine. Which, I KNOW, goes along with the idea of Ethical Egoism where you get what's best for you, which then causes competition, so friction is INEVITABLE, but isn't it said that the pen is mightier than the sword? Why can't words solve anything anymore?

Ok, my laptop battery is dying, I I end my rant here, even though there is so much more floating through my head.

PS- Don't try using the other Lord of the Rings quote, "There good in this world...and it's worth fighting for." It's pointless because it just pertains to my point in the revious paragraph. :)

I Will Survive

I'm alive and all cleaned up from spending the weekend at Aunt Chris' house. Megan and I had another fun-filled night of watching a serious amount of Penn and Tellers, and then Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3. I do adore Orlando Bloom. Those movies were insanely long too, but surprisingly enough we got through them both. In a row! I was mainly shocked that Megan was able to sit so long and stay attentive! Ha. Jazzy J scared the crap out of me this morning by setting her head on my belly to wake me up, even though I was already up at 4:45am. Then, since I was up, I got on the computer, did some stuff, watched 2 more Penn and Tellers, and finally let them out after they barked like crazy. Shoveling the car out to go home wasn't bad. It snowed about 6 inches here in Canton and the roads are all crappy. Blah.


I go back to school tomorrow, thank GOD. I need to be around other people my age, not those with an average age of 55-60 at work. They're alright, but too much of them drives me insane! (Watch, I'll probably be complaining about school soon enough.)


I took my lip ring out today. It was never pierced correctly in the first place and it wasn't healing properly either. So, now I have hole in my lip. It's all good. You know what the first thing I did was after getting it out? I put chapstick on and didn't have to stop on my bottom lip to go around it! Glorious. It's the small things in life that get me by.

All Work And No Play...

...makes Erin want to rip her brains out.

My Aunt Chris is having surgery on her foot again, and she asked Megan to feed and look after her two gigantic digs, Sadie and Jasmine (aka Jazzy J). Well, last night I was "asked" to join Megan so she wouldn't be alone over the weekend at Aunt Chris', and just in case something happened when driving in the snow. We got here last night and put in the first Lord of the Rings Extended, which I fell asleep to part way in. Last thing I saw was the Hobbits joining the fellowship, and then all of a sudden I'm aware that Gandalf fell off a bridge and everyone's crying. (We shut it off then.) After a long night of tossing and turning and staring at the clock as it turned 330 and then 515, I decided to get up at 7.

Once Megan came down, we plugged in the special features of the other Lord of the Rings and now I know how the details of every prop WETA Workshop made was important and why. After that we decided to watch Penn and Teller's show "Bullshit", which I have gained a fond liking of. (One episode featured a guy that talked about veganism, and recognized him because he came into my ethics class last semester and did his whole schpeal. I totally wish I could have called him out.) Now Mean's watching one about dying, etc, and Mary Roach, the author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers was in it. (I LOVE her books. I once sent her publicist an email about how I enjoyed her books and that I was using one in a presentation, and I got an email back from Mary herself. I freaked.)

So back to my title. It snowed pretty bad last night, and Megan is staying here another night instead of driving through all that crap, which mans I'm staying here another night. It's not that I don't care for Megan or Aunt Chris or Sadie or Jazzy J, it's that I planned on doing stuff at home over the weekend. I wanted to take my lip ring out, let it heal, get stuff together for school starting next week, and I worked 40 hours, so I REALLY wanted to relax. It's frustrating.

Next week is school. Yay. But that mans less work. Horray.

Goodbye, 2008.

Happy 2009!

So we're down in Columbus, and by we I mean all of us Murphy kids. We spent New Year's Eve down here with Danny and Ben in the guys' apartment. It was pretty fun. I drank some energy drink and vodka mixed, but I got a little sick. It didn't help that I got sick from that when it was Megan's birthday! New Years Day we all decided to do the Endless Set List for Rock Band 2 without pausing or stopping the game. It only took 6 to 6 1/2 hours, but it was totally worth it.

Matt's birthday was yesterday too, and we went out to the mall and shopped around after we had lunch with Laurie and Dan. (That hummus sandwich was DELICIOUS!) The amount of children in the mall blew my mind! And the even larger amount of incompetent parents was astonishing. I found myself walking next to kids who drifted off because their mom was still looking at a necklace or scarf, or kids would be roaming aimlessly dressed in short skirts and sunglasses. It was crazy. I also found myself saying excuse me to young teens that would rudely walk in front of me or cut me off. Where did everyone's manners go?! Those people obviously didn't bring them to go to the mall. Ha.

I go back to school on the 12th, which means I have one more week to get in 40 hours of work. It will be nice considering that the past two weeks Megan and I have been trying to fit in as many hours as possible because they've been 3 day weeks. A regular 8 hour day sounds perfect. Once school starts again though, I'll go back to 25 or so hours a week, which will be alright because I have some easy classes, aside from the Quantitative Methods. Ugh, kill me. Other than that, it will be nice to get back into a routine, even if it is school.

I'm having a hard time finishing this post because we're watching Planet Earth, and these caves are so interesting!

Here's to another year, another fresh start.