Creepers of the world: LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

What is it with creepy old guys? Why must they be so creepy? And why do they need to find me? First there was the Creepy Shoe Guy that kissed me on the cheek when I was shopping with Tara. Then there was the Creepy Subway Romeo who tried getting me to go eat with him even though we had maybe three sentences of shared language between us (what did he hope to accomplish on this date? Creeper...).

Well, now we can add Creepy Max Man to that list.

My graduate program is mostly made up of night classes. Yeah... it's annoying. I don't particularly enjoy having class from 4 to 9:30 at night, three days a week. Yuck! It's a good thing I like all my classes. My second and final class Monday nights is probably the best (the professor is HILARIOUS).

But, having classes at night has one particular draw back: taking the max (light rail) home at night. There's usually a fair amount of people out and about when I get out of class and onto the max. But it's still dark and, therefore, scary.

Last night, this Monday, I was standing waiting for the max at Pioneer Square when this old guy dressed like a 19 year old skate-boarder (honestly?) approached a woman who was eating out of a bag of chips. He tells her, "You know, you shouldn't eat carbs after 7."

Really? Do you know her? Is her eating chips at 9:30 any of your freaking business, man-child?

Apparently she felt the same way and laughed in his face. "F**k you! Does it LOOK like I f*****g care?!" And walked away. He was rather put out that she didn't immediately throw herself to her knees and worship his advice giving self. With all that, I was rather on edge, keeping an eye on him.

On edge as I was, I was NOT happy to see an old guy going around asking for money from everyone. UGH. Now, part of me feels bad and WANTS to give people money or food or something. But, you know what? My safety comes first and I prefer to have more control on situations where I am doing work for the homeless. Sorry if that doesn't seem perfectly Christlike, but I think it is needed in this world.

Anyways. So the guy is going around and I'm running through all the verbal self defense stuff that I've gone through with my sister's Taekwondo teacher and with my dad and I'm mildly freaking out inside but making sure my face is stony and my posture strong. BUTREALLYI'MFREAKINGOUT.

Finally he comes up to me and already he TOTALLY invades my little personal bubble with how close he is to me. He asks for money, I back up and tell him I don't carry any cash. Then he looks at me and says I look like I need a hug and he steps a little closer.

This is the point when beggar man became Creepy Max Man.

I put up my hands and say, "No," pretty dang clearly, making sure to keep eye contact though every instinct in me is wanting to look at the ground. But Creepy Max Man keeps talking and makes like he's going to move forward again so I hold my hands up more and say, loudly this time, "YOU NEED TO GO NOW."

Got a few stares and the look on the guy's face was pretty priceless. But he nodded, looked at the ground, and said, "Okay," before moving on to the couple a few feet away from me. I watched until he had talked to all the people and moved past Starbucks and then I pulled out my phone and texted my sister something like "HOLY CRAP!! I JUST TOTALLY USED VERBAL SELF DEFENSE AND I'M FREAKING OUT!!! DX"

My hands had stopped shaking by the time the max pulled up and I was done berating myself for shaking from such a minor encounter. I mean, Creepy Max Man probably wouldn't have done anything even if I HAD let him hug me. But I didn't know that. And I didn't know him. If you know me at all, you know I'm just a little big of a feminist (har har) and I could go on about the female public body etc but I won't. All you need to know is that you don't get to touch me if I don't want you to. END OF STORY.

Now, this story could have gone a bit differently if, say, this man had asked me for a hug:

Mmmm... Yes, Mr. Hemsworth. I DO need a hug.

 I mean... LOOK AT THOSE ARMS!!!

 Okay... one more.

I'm so OOOOOLLLDDD!!!!

Another birthday, another year closer to being OOOOLLLLDDD.

I do have to say that it's odd being 26, now, and having a mother who is "30." And, like my mom did before her "30th" birthday, I decided to do a list of things to do before my next big birthday, my "30 before I'm 30" list.

(it should be noted here that I hate balloons and all birthday wishes should be kept balloon free)
And here it is! 30 things that I want to do before I'm 30:

1. Graduate from the Portland State School Counseling graduate program
2. Sell a piece of my artwork
3. Go on a trip with my sister
4. Read the unabridged version of "Les Miserables"
5. Move out of my parents' house
6. Decorate a room the way that I really want to
7. Make something for my future home
8. Shoot a gun (that one actually scares me...)
9. Get a "real" job
10. Learn a new skill
11. Paint a piece of furniture
12. Have a theme party (perhaps "Nightmare Before Christmas"?)
13. Make and send holiday cards
14. Organize a recipe binder of things I can cook well
15. Take sister photos
16. Get a family portrait
17. Cosplay
18. Watch "Gone With the Wind" in one sitting
19. Practice my language skills (Spanish? Korean?)
20. Put fun color in my hair
21. Create a filing system for important documents
22. Take a fun class
23. Learn to sing Korean karaoke
24. Bake GOOD cookies (all by myself!!)
25. Write a letter to my future self
26. Go back to Korea (hopefully with a job there, but I'll settle for a vacation)
27. Tour Portland Shanghai Tunnels
28. Go to New York
29. Buy a car
30. Learn a new song on the piano

In several of my classes, we've talked about the importance of effort leading to success: teaching students that effort leads to success helps them take control of their life and see that success is not an innately born trait of the academically smart. Rather, success can often be the result of a choice to work hard, put in the time and effort needed to reach a goal. Part of this would be getting students to set their own goals and work towards them. This is something I also want to model for my students: continually setting goals and working towards attaining them.


Some of the things are life milestones (moving out), others more fun and silly (learning to sing Korean Karaoke), but all of the things on this list are things that I want to be able to accomplish before I turn 30 years old. Making and attaining goals is something I hope to continue to do throughout my entire life.

Wish me luck!!

Dentist and Politics (I'm SORRY!!)

I spent my election day this year at the dentist and work. If it hadn't been that Obama had won, it would have completely ruined my week (sorry Romney fans...).

I am turning 26 on Monday (OH MY GOD I'M SO OOOOLLLDD!!!) and so I have been getting various appointments out of the way, seeing as I will be dropped from my parents' insurance as of this momentous day. This meant two trips to the dentist: one to have them yell at me about not flossing, and a second to shoot me up with copious amounts of novicane to then drill at three tiny cavities that we "would ordinarily just watch, but due to your insurance ending, we'll just take care of it now."

Gee, thanks Dr. Thompson.

It was an oddly bittersweet day at the dentist (mostly bitter). I have been going to Dr. Thompson since I was 10 years old. He has been the only person to treat my adult teeths (and find a cavity in nearly every freaking one, I think). This was my last time in his office, probably. My next appointment will be with a complete stranger that I find through the school insurance. And, knowing my teeth, it's important that I go at least every six months. Ick.

Anyways, half my face was numb for the following six hours, during which I attended work and couldn't really smile or talk. It was annoying.

Tuesday night I decided that I wasn't going to watch any of the coverage of the election. Instead I watched tv on my computer... until I got a text from a girl at school informing me of that Obama had won.

My personal feelings are, "Meh. I'm happy that Romney didn't win." But I'm not throwing a huge Obama-fan party. I personally think he's a very charismatic man who makes great speeches, but I personally don't see the president as having all that much power when it comes down to it.

I also don't really understand Obama haters or Romney haters. I dislike Romney, but I don't HATE HIM... he just kind of creeps me out and we disagree philosophically speaking (seriously... "Binder Full of Women?" Poor word choice, dude) but I don't HATE HIM. If he had become president, I would have been a little bummed, but I wouldn't be throwing the hissy fit that some of my more condervative friends have been throwing on Facebook and other various areas (mostly Facebook....).

Here is what I say to those of you whining so much about the Obama win (particularly those of you who seriously seem to think that the world is going to end):

CHILL. THE HECK. OUT.

Obama being reelected is not the end of the world. People are whining about how people want hand outs and aren't working and waah waah waah. It's out current culture in this country (and, well, many of the developed countries in the world), not the president. And, honestly? The problems are a lot bigger than some people make them out to be (beware the Straw Men!!). It's not just people who don't want to work that get help from the government. Who are we to judge who is the "deserving poor" who deserves monetary help from the government? (This has been the most consistant thing people whine about, which is why I address it.)

And if you want to change something, if you have great ideas for how things should be done, rather than bitching about them on Facebook, DO SOMETHING. Write to your senator, governor, or something. RUN FOR FREAKING OFFICE IF YOU THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER. Get your voice heard in a productive forum.

My personal way of trying to make things better is to become a school counselor and try to help people from that post. Maybe I won't make a huge difference, probably nothing will change, but to those people who I help find resources to keep their family healthy and happy, I think I will at least be doing something right.

So, honestly, people. The world isn't coming to an end. You'll be fine. Just do the best you can do, and, in the end of the end, it will be enough.