I think my cat is trying to get me sick...

I know, the title makes me sound like a cat lady. I only have one cat, I swear. And she knows I'm talking about her...she keeps swatting and biting my hand. And she keeps sneezing at me. She's out to get me! :)

Anyway, as far as my quest to be healthier is going...

1. I'm still sleeping like a freaking zombie. I set my alarm for an hour before I really have to get up, but then I just reset it in the morning.

2. During that hour when I'm ignoring my plans to get up early, I have the weirdest dreams. Like all around weird...the premise of the dream, the people in the dream, the setting...it's all strange.

3. I've cut down on sugar...I'm now drinking my coffee with just 3 Splenda. I don't really know if that's a good or bad thing.

4. Tabatas are awesome...especially when they're built into your internship. Also, I've made a 'workout drawer' in my desk with tabata routines and such on little slips of paper - pick one, do a set. It's working out well so far!

Other notes:

I paid tuition for the last time today! Yay! Now I'm free...until student loans come due :).

Quote of the week: "That looks yummy, let's take a picture!" - My little sister, summing up the digital age while I wolf down some Nutella.

Reverse Bucket List

First off, Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day and Inauguration day! 

I've been in a very future-centered mindset recently - with graduation approaching and all. Soon I will have a real job in my chosen career field. Scary! 

Anyway, with my 22nd birthday approaching I've decided to take a look back with a nice idea I read about on the internet. It's called a reverse bucket list, where you list cool things you've already done.  Here is is:

Academics/Employment:

Inducted into the National Honor Society

Graduated high school with advanced distinction and honors

Granted first year Sophomore standing at Keuka College (39 college credits accepted)

Recieved George H. Ball Scholarship

Participated in Rotaract Club

Graduated magna cum laude with my bachelors in occupational science

Completed a Level 2 clinical affiliation at St. Mary's Hospital Brain Injury Rehab Unit.

Worked 3 years at the Keuka College DRIVE program

1.5 years at Dunkin Donuts

Travel/ Adventures:

Camped in the Adirondacks and saw a real live bear!

Camped under the stars at HersheyPark

Visited Cedar Point and Darien Lake

'Cabining' at Cayuga

Grimes Glen Hiking

Ocean Kayaking

Mountain Biking

Swimming in the ocean at night

Tried bobsledding in Lake Placid

Niagara Falls

Senior Trip to NYC

Made 'Ice angels'

Saw fun., Switchfoot, and OAR in concert

Moonlight Maize Maze

Cupcakes at Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe

Laser Tag
Boogie boarding
Playing Giant Chess in Rehoboth

Deaf events with Heidi: Yoga and Church

·         Family Beach Vacations in Rhode Island, Maine, Myrtle Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Virginia Beach, Cape Cod, & Wildwood.

I might have forgotten some things, but this list has reminded me how awesome my life has been so far. Also, I have super awesome friends. :)

Creepy Mailman

Time for another creepy DD story!! I know how you like laughing at my awkward life :).

So there's this guy that comes in to DD every day. He orders at least a sandwich, a couple donuts, and a drink every day. As you might have surmised from that last sentence, he is a bit overweight.   In fact, (and yes, I know I am a horrible person for having such mean thoughts) when he told me he was a mailman I wondered how he fit in the truck. Yesterday I got to find out (insert sarcastic yay!).

 I was lounging around the house after work when my mom told me to get the mail. Gladly! It was B-e-a-utiful! So out the door I go and before my second foot hits the porch I can tell this is going to be awkward. I can't just grab the mail from the mailbox like a normal person because the mail truck is literally at the next house as I'm coming out the door and it's gonna get to my mailbox the same time I am. It's during this internal conflict where I'm trying to decide if it would be more awkward to turn around and go inside or talk to the mailman when I realize something awful...I recognize the mailman. Damn.

So now he's seen my awkwardly frozen with indecision on my porch, and he's recognized me, so I'm screwed. I bite the bullet and mosey on down to the mailbox.

'Heyyy you!' He says.

Shit.
"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good. You're Allison, right?"

Shit. I knew I resisted that name tag for a reason.
"Yup."

"So this is your stomping ground?"

Well, I can't really say no at this point, can I?

"I was there this morning and I didn't see you!"

"I was in drive thru."

"oh." (he begins thumbing through my mail awkwardly...)
"Well it's about time I do something nice for you!" (implying that doing his job is extra nice)

In response to this I laugh super awkwardly.

"So how do you say your last name?" (still thumbing through my mail....I believe he is reading the fronts of them and I don't know what to do...)

"Uttaro."

"Ah. Well here ya go."

"Thanks"

"Yup. See ya."

"Have a nice day..."


This is my life.

Morning Lark?

First, some developments in the world of Allison.  Well, more like opportunities that have presented themselves. Number one: My neighbor has offered me a spot on her indoor soccer team  on Monday nights. Great, except that I haven't played soccer since my sophomore year of high school and I'm super out of shape. I think I might give it a go next week anyway...and if I look like a loser in front of all those thirty somethings I'll just have to deal. Also it's a great excuse to get in shape. Speaking of that, my supervisor at my level has gotten me hooked on interval training. Sometimes we do it at work, but now I do it at home a lot too. I have this timer on my phone called a tabata timer, and I just set it and then exercise for so many intervals. I like that it's very measurable and finite (unlike 'I should go for a run') and that I can do a lot of stuff quick. Right now I do this mix of yoga, abs, and push-ups, with some wall-sits thrown in for good measure.

Number two: Well, actually, I'm going to save number two for a bit, until it develops further. Readers enjoy suspense, right? Also my bedtime is approaching.

Which brings me to the title. Today I learned that a morning person is called a morning lark. I sincerely did not know this until about an hour ago. I'd heard the term 'night owl' a lot, but never even wondered what it's inverse was called. That's how much of a morning person I am NOT. But...I am going to attempt to change that.

Recently I've been feeling less that optimal. Not sick, just... stiff, tired, and more ADD-y than usual. True, I'm doing a lot more this year than I ever have before, breaking into the adult world so to speak, and I don't have a day off anymore...but I feel like there's more to it than that and my new found coffee addiction. I just read an article about the benefits of waking up early and how successful people are usually morning people, and it was like a solution smacked me in the face. So I've decided to become a morning person. I've decided to wake up early (between 5:30 and 6) and use that time. My doctor has been telling me for years that I really should eat breakfast, so I'm going to do that. I'm  going to stretch a bit, watch the news, read a bit, maybe do a crossword puzzle...basically just do the stuff that I feel like I don't have time for now or I'm too burned out at the end of the day to do. Wish me luck!

Clementines, Cupcakes, and Wine

Today I realized two absolutely mundane things. One: I eat an ungodly amount of clementines. Seriously, I better not get sick with all this vitamin C coursing through my veins. Two: This new girl at work that calls me Alli is getting on my nerves. Very few people call/have called me Alli. It just doesn't fit my personality. Also, this girl doesn't know me at all!! Rant over.

I had a really super cool weekend (as evidenced by the other two items in the title). On Thursday some friends and I went to this really fancy cupcake place in Rochester called Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe. They sell gourmet cupcakes in a whole bunch of flavors, and apparently it takes them two days to make the cupcakes. Anyway, it was my friend Meg's first time, and you could tell by the look on her face that everything from the greeter to the decor had her a bit stunned (both were very eccentric). They also make really good tea here, so if you're looking for something a little different, I would highly recommend it. 

After cupcakes we went to this cool British pub called The Old Toad where I had a hard cider because I despise the taste of beer. This place had a cool atmosphere too, all kinds of maps and pictures, including the "beeriodic table of elements". We have vowed to return for their trivia night at some point.

On Saturday, Joanna and I attempted to go snowshoeing to fulfill a bucket list item, but alas, we were unable to locate the showshoe rentals. Next time we'll have t call ahead, because this was not a figure it out when you get there or google it type of place. We got to go on a nice snowy nature walk anyway and saw a doe that was NOT afraid of humans up close. 

After our snowshoeing fail we met up with other friends for the Canandaigua Wine Walk, which was the perfect mix of classy and accessible. For $5 we got to sample a wide variety of wines at different shops on Main St in Canandaigua. This also afforded us the opportunity to explore some of the shops we normally wouldn't visit. For example, Coach St Clay turned out to be a nice little gallery with portraits of robots and narwhals, which is not at all what I expected based on the surrounding buildings. 

We were able to finish the night with some delicious crepes at Simply Crepes, where we have become regulars. Overall a fun filled time with everyone while they were on break from college! 

Happy Thursday!

Something I learned today: Aside from all the genetic disorders and such I looked up today, I learned this from a young student: The secret to living to be 1000 is to give yourself a secret name. Now you know.

Something I am thankful for: Coffee and short commutes.

Progress: Today I heard about a job opening that I might be interested in interviewing for. Can't believe it's that time already...do I want to travel!?

Last First Level 2 day!

Aside from the lingering caffeine headache, January 2nd has been great! My supervisors at my Level are really nice, laid back people, and I already have my first assignment with this adorable little guy to work on handwriting (which I, ironically, am not very skilled at myself...). Also, the halls in the school are all named after bears (Paddington, Winnie the Pooh, Courdoroy) which is utterly adorable (and helps me not get lost)!

Something I am thankful for -- the opportunity to do my level in such a wonderful place!

Something I learned -- Must not skip morning coffee...caffeine headache kicks in around 1 and does not leave! I also learned some OT related stuff, but I don't want to bore my one reader with that :p

Progress -- I have plans in the works for two bucket list items- learning to ski and going snowshoeing.

Happy New Year!

So yesterday I got sick and was unable to attend the new year's eve party I was invited to. Luckily I had been able to hang out with this group of friends earlier in the week. So I stayed home and watched the ball drop with my family, and thought up a new blog format.

1. Something I am thankful for today:
     Today I am thankful for my family, the close group of friends from high school that I am still in touch with, and the opportunities that are set to present themselves in 2013 (as terrified as I am of them).

2. Something I learned today:
      Today I learned that it is possible not to have tried a bagel with cream cheese in your whole life!

3. Resolution progress/other news
     Starting point: Today I did 35 continuous sit ups and 15 continuous push ups. Also, I've resolved to get 100% on this quiz: Countries of the World Quiz

Anyway, my second level 2 internship starts tomorrow, and I am super excited!!