How to Survive Living Off Campus

This article was originally published in The Western Carolinian's Back to School issue - the Freshman Survival Guide section.

"Moving off campus is as big of an adjustment as moving on campus was when students were freshmen. Suddenly, there is cooking, cleaning and trying to find a parking space to worry about and plan. This guide will make life a little easier and help cause less stress.
First, parking does not always have to be a headache. If you choose to become a commuter student, remember to register for your parking permit online before coming to campus. This will save you and One-Stop time and effort. This year, parking passes are $84 and by registering online, the parking pass is mailed to whatever mailing address you desire. The $84 is charged to your student account and the pass arrives at your door after a 24-hour processing and mailing time. However, obtaining a parking permit requires more leg work after Aug. 1. You must go to the Parking Services Office or One-Stop, both on campus buildings, to receive your pass. You may still register online, but the permit will not arrive in your mailbox. After Aug. 19, only One-Stop will have parking permits to give.

Once you have your parking pass, know the lots you where you can park! Parking Services will boot your car with an ugly orange metal contraption that means “You cannot move until we say so” or a white fluttering ticket on your windshield that ruins any day. You might stand a chance of getting the ticket dismissed thanks to Student Government Association’s Traffic Court, but it is easier and quicker to avoid tickets and boots altogether. The Parking Services website has very detailed and insightful maps to make sure commuters, staff, faculty, on campus students and visitors park in the right areas every day of the week. If you are a commuter, learn the routes of the Cat-Tran so that you can safely park in a spot that may be a good walking distance from your classes but is safe from tickets or boots. Ride the Cat-Tran to your classes or put on some good walking shoes for a brisk walk to breathe in that fresh mountain air. Some students frown or make jokes about the Cat-Tran, but your tuition fees go toward the purple buses whether you ride them or not, so enjoy and partake in the campus transportation system. There is also an express route from the new Health and Human Sciences building to the back of the University Center this year. The route is specifically designed to get students from the Health building to main campus and back again in enough time to attend their classes on the separates campuses.

If you do not want to bring your car to campus at all, bicycles are a plus because there are several shortcuts across campus that you cannot use with your car. Many off campus apartments designed for students, like The Summit or Rabbit Ridge, are within easy biking distance to both main campus and the Health and Human Sciences building. Also, there is the Catwalk to safely cross Highway 107. Over the summer, a new crosswalk was built across the highway at the bottom of the hill of The Summit Apartments. Now, students can signal the stop lights to stay red for them to cross the streets without playing the most dangerous game of tag ever played.

One of my roommates!

In previous years, a shuttle ran to nearby off campus apartments on a loop every weekday. Students did not have to pay for this service, and it saved money on gas and parking permits. It was also less of a headache because you did not have to fight for parking spaces or arrive two hours early for class to make sure there was one left.
According to Jackson County Transit, who ran the shuttle, Western Carolina University did not renew their contract, and there will be no more off campus shuttle services through the Transit. However, Don Taylor from Cat-Tran told The Western Carolinian exclusively that the Cat-Tran is now responsible for the off campus shuttle service. They will follow the same route as Jackson County Transit, stopping at the same apartment complexes, said Taylor.
Dining is another huge issue for off campus students. There are two different commuter meal plans one can choose in order to save on groceries and washing dishes. The Commuter Declining Balance plan is $500 of DB points, which can be used at any dining location. The Commuter Block plan is 25 block meals to be used at the upstairs Courtyard Dining Hall throughout one semester plus $374 DB points to be used anywhere. This plan is helpful in that you are still able to eat with your friends upstairs with their on campus meal plans without using up your DB points.
If you run out of points or are not interested in eating upstairs at Courtyard, there are great places to get a meal or groceries in your local community of Cullowhee and Sylva.

Until October, the Farmer’s Market runs every Saturday morning in Sylva and every Wednesday evening in Cullowhee. Get the freshest, healthiest vegetables and even cuts of meat, cheese and fish from local farmers. Herbs, lettuce and other products can be found cheaper at the Market than at stores like Food Lion or Wal-Mart.
For snacks and bread products, try the Flowers Baking Company next door to Rae’s City Grill, previously The Bone Shack. Flowers is a bakery outlet and sells products at significantly lower prices like eight Nature’s Own hamburger buns for $.59 and loaves of bread for under $2 each. Shoppers can also find Blue Bird snack cakes, ketchup, honey, bags of chips, pies and other goodies for their pantries. Pick up a Customer Appreciation Card for more savings.

For other ways to save on groceries, browse the websites of Food Lion and Ingles to see what is on sale then add the coupon onto your MVP or Ingles Advantage Card online. Try not to fall into a routine of only stopping at one grocery store or another. Wal-Mart, Food Lion, Harold’s Supermarket in Dillsboro, Ingles and Sav Mor all have different sales going on during any given day, and by planning ahead, you can save more money and find better deals. If you and your roommates are planning on splitting the cost of groceries, shopping at Wal-Mart is not your best choice. Food Lion and Ingles provide deals like Buy-One-Get-One-Free and provide more discounts on family-sized products than Wal-Mart."

For the full article... CLICK HERE!

Movie Minute: An Investigating Kitty

Here's a great video of Sparta showing off his mousing skills in the first Cullowhee apartment back in 2010. I'm missing my kitty right now, but I know Stuart's taking good care of him. According to Stuart, "Your kitty is loud in the morning! He knocked my glasses off on purpose and was batting at that thing hanging from your door knob! He also barfed at 5 a.m. And then was coughing after that!"

Photo of the Day August 21

Last year at this time, I had just moved into my new apartment in Cullowhee where I would start my sophomore year at Western Carolina University. This photo was taken after my roommate "Cody" made all of my figurines on my dresser bow to the awesome power of BATMAN!!
It was no simple matter living in that Cullowhee apartment. Many things went horribly awry, but I could always count on the tricks of Cody to get me laughing. 

Summer Begins

For college students, summer has begun! Last week, Stuart and I packed up the majority of my belongings in Cullowhee and crammed them into his already filled apartment. I brought my TV, my DVD player, my framed poster of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” my stuffed animals, and all of Sparta’s things. We were a silly-looking caravan driving down I-40, me with a cat wandering around in my car on top of garbage bags of clothes and Stuart’s boat of a car filled to the brim with shelving units and random items.

The "new" living room

In the beginning, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of moving in with Stuart. I hate the city of Raleigh for some reason I can’t explain and I kept wondering what would happen if we broke up over the summer. I didn’t have a job, but I didn’t have one in Cullowhee either. At the end of April, I officially ended my employment at The Western Carolinian, which was just as sad as leaving The Flaming Arrow at East Gaston High School. Now, I am actually enjoying Raleigh (for the most part) and now that I have my own belongings and personal flairs, such as my Van Helsing and Adam Lambert poster, tacked up on Stuart’s walls, I feel much more at home and happy.

And, I just found out yesterday evening while Stuart was grilling steaks on the landing that I have (finally) have a new job!!! After months of filling out application after application, I turned to my roommate’s mother for help. She’s in the journalism business and helped me contact some insider people. Meanwhile, I also applied for a job as an “examiner” at Examiner.comwhere I would write about a certain topic for the local audience of Raleigh. While I’m still waiting to hear from the insider people, I got an email from Examiner that said they’re happy to welcome me to their team as the Raleigh Pet Photography Examiner. While the pay probably won’t be near what I had at The Western Carolinian, income is income. I’ll be doing something I love about a topic that I love for a few extra bucks. 

Sparta and Stuart

In other news... Sparta is doing well at his new home. He absolutely adores Stuart's place with its long hallway that he can sprint through and the large windows in the living room where he can bask in the sun every morning and watch the birds every afternoon. Yesterday, he spotted and guarded his apartment against two stray cats in the parking lot.  The other day I dragged him to PetCo in Cary. I wanted to introduce him to walking on a leash inside of a building. While everyone in the store swarmed around him with coos and pets, Sparta was beyond annoyed, and after picking out a toy for Nutmeg, we left as quickly as possible. 

Nutmeg is also doing well. She's been a wonderful addition to the family. Every night, she scampers around in her exercise ball through the apartment providing entertainment to herself, Sparta, and us humans. She goes by several names, include "hamster," "Hamtaro," and Stuart occasionally calls her "rat" which I admonish him for!

So far, she's been easy to care for while providing fun and something new to love. It was interesting to see how something as small and simple as a hamster has really strengthened mine and Stuart's relationship as we jointly care and provide for an animal that depends on us. Whether he believes this to be true or not, I find myself mentally bearing all the responsibility for Sparta. At the end of the day, Sparta is my pet that I have brought into Stuart's life. Nutmeg, we bought and decided to buy her together. Sparta is like a furry kid from a previous marriage. He was part of the package of dating me whether Stuart liked it or not. Luckily, Stuart adores Sparta and vice versa. In fact, the whole reason Stuart and I got to know each other for we started dating was because he started coming to the apartment more to see my crazy, dog-like cat that liked to play fetch and use the furniture as a jungle gym. The fact that he liked my cat was one of the characteristics I found attractive about him. 

Hamtaro

Today was a rather unlucky day (it is Friday the 13th). I am under the impression that I have strep throat and might have to go to the doctor's soon before it turns into something worse. I feel completely useless as I've slept all day or been lying about on the couch unable to focus on whatever TV I've been watching. Hopefully, I'll get better within a day or two and I continue enjoying my summer with Stuart. We have so many plans, so many adventures we want to have together.

An Open Letter to my Upstairs Neighbors

Dear Upstairs Neighbors,

            Hello, I’d like to introduce myself. I am the person who lives directly underneath you. I know we have never been formally introduced but I would love to meet Godzilla… at least, that is who I think lives upstairs because no human being could possibly have that loud of footsteps. I mean, I hear when you walk to the kitchen, when you dance, when you go to the bathroom, and when you finally settle into bed at night. Make that settle into bed in the morning. Yesterday, I thought I saw a portion of my living room ceiling jutting out in the shape of two feet. It could have been the light.

            Also, you throw parties like the Jonas Brothers would if they believed in them! Remember that Wednesday night? I was woken up at 2:30 a.m. because I thought a bomb went off over my head. No, it was just my furniture jumping half an inch off the ground because you body slammed someone into the floor. At least, that is what it sounded like. I could be wrong. And on a Wednesday night? You do know you live in a college student-filled apartment complex, right? Even if you do not care about your grades, the people that live below you do. Aside from that, you are scaring my cat!

Even better was the night my neighbors living underneath me came to my door complaining about the noise. “See the people upstairs,” I told them. It is like you were born to live on the first floor!

The landlady says give it time. Some people just need time to adjust to apartment living. Ok, I give you another week. But, if I see one “U” on my fifth-week grade report card, we are going to have some words. Do you have a translator for Godzilla?

Maybe we can compromise. I can agree on if you end the partying at midnight or earlier on school nights, I won’t complain to the landlady about the empty beer cans I find on my landing every morning or the cigarette butts in our can when neither my roommates nor I smoke. I think that is a good agreement. I do not know what to do about Godzilla, though. Does he own a pair of slippers or something? Just ask him to get his nightly snack before going to bed. Put it on a bedside table or something. It would help out so much as I tend to wake in the middle of the night wondering when Cullowhee started having earthquakes. No offense, Godzilla. No, it has nothing to do with your weight… Yeah, it is the big feet… I apologize.

In conclusion, I thought dropping the water balloons from the landing was not funny. No, I am not interested in your vast cooler with multiple beer brands inside. Your R&B music at 2:00 a.m. does not sound awesome. Shouting cat calls at me through my open window while I am trying to relax and read a book is not hilarious or flattering. I giggle every morning I see girls walk down the stairs in the same clothes they were wearing last night.

            Please try to keep the noise down. It would help my peace of mind and my GPA. And, you do not want to ruin my GPA! Thanks so much.

Signed,

Doesn’t-Like-Living-Under-a-Herd-of-Elephants

*** Article 2 in my "Off Campus Living 101" column in The Western Carolinian

Electrified

Some people believe happiness comes from giving.
Some people believe happiness comes from achieving your goals and gaining success and recognition.
Some believe believe happiness comes from doing something adventurous and new.
I believe in all these thoughts, but I'd like to add one more.

I believe you can achieve happiness by sitting and listening to others.

Last night I was in the arms of Morgan. We were talking quietly, getting to know each other, exploring each other's minds and making random comments after lounging on the love seat for an hour or so watching Super Troopers. Sparta was quietly playing on the floor. Everyone else in the apartment was tucked away in their rooms.

Without warning, my bathroom light blacked out.
"Huh, my light died!" I said.
Suddenly, there was a shout.
"POWER'S OUT!" called Cody and CC, heading into the hall. Kayla also hustled into the hall.
"There's a flashlight in the far kitchen drawer," I yelled from my room.
"Is this the Black Out?" asked Kayla.
"I thought that was last week," I answered. "That's this week?"
"Yeah," replied CC.
I turned to Morgan."Well!"

From my place in bed, I could see the bobbing beam of the flashlight in the hallway. Then, there was the Cinnamon aroma of Kayla's candles and the flickering shadows making figures on the walls. Other than that, only the street lamps across the highway visible through my window were the only other sources of light.

I haven't experienced a power outage for some time. The email two weeks ago said the outage would last until 8 a.m. We had eight hours to go... and it wasn't so bad. Yeah, I complained a bit at first because I'm afraid of the dark and I can't sleep without the sound of my fan, but then... it was nice. Kayla, CC, and Cody settled into the living room where their hushed voices about silly things and stories were a kind comfort as Morgan and I murmured to ourselves in my bedroom.The candle's aroma, which usually gives me a headache, wafting around the apartment.

Suddenly, it didn't matter that I had an 8 a.m. class in the morning. It didn't matter I couldn't get on the Internet or run my fan for the night or see my toothbrush unless by candlelight. It didn't matter my head had been pounding all day from the cold Morgan had shared. It didn't matter I had a paper due in eight hours. I knew I wasn't going to get to it. It was peaceful. It was quiet. It was one of those moments where you'd bet everything that the world had stopped spinning just for you. It was exactly what I needed after the past two weeks. Listening to Morgan, listening to my housemates in the living room, listening to Sparta's little pitter-patter, smelling the candle, watching the light bounce about in the hallway, snuggling warm in the dark... I was happy. And, I didn't have to do a thing.

Knock, Knock

Like I said earlier, it was one of those weeks where everything was due and I didn't have a moment to breathe. On Wednesday, I had one of those moments where I was so stressed I just burst into tears because if I didn't, I was going to implode before long! So into tears I burst, pulled myself together, and got my stuff together!

Then I had a night like last night: hanging out with Chris, laughing hysterically, eating candy and Cheetos, watching "How I Met your Mother" and an awesome film noir movie Double Indemnity. That was the most fun Chris and I have ever had! I couldn't live without him.

Then there was today! Today was amazing! I got to sleep in for an extra hour - more like roll around in bed for an extra hour because Sparta woke me - and biked to school in the amazing crisp weather after a week of gloomy clouds and rain. I turned in my Communications assignment - check that off the list. I turned in my Literature paper - check that off the list. The "Ice Cream Book Club" met for lunch, but instead of Ice Cream Musical Chairs, today we played Smoothie Musical Chairs. I had a Strawberry Swirl or something like that with plain frozen yogurt and real strawberries! It was berry delicious! On Wednesday it was Oreo ice cream with Oreo cookie crumbs, gummy worms, and grape Nerds sprinkled on top! FLAVOR OVERLOAD! I swear, by the end of the semester, over half of my DB points will have been spent at Freshen's in the dining hall, but it's so worth it! 301 more to burn! Last class: Communications test - check that off the list.

After my test, I would have normally biked back to the apartment, but instead, I made a pit stop at Coulter where my English professor wanted to have a word for me. Professor "Stat" is a kind man who believes in a lesser creative side of writing. We don't always see eye-to-eye about writing, but we get on well. "Billy" (one of the boys) and I are the only ones who actively participate in his class (mostly because it's at 8 a.m.), and he has singled me out for my writing talent. He wants me to write an essay for a conference at the end of the semester here at Western to get my name out there.

Two things: this conference is for a) seniors and b) English majors, both of which I am not!

Yet... Professor Stat is willing to vouch for me, become "my sponsor," and get me into the conference because he believes I can tackle the assignment.

But it doesn't stop there!

After Western's conference, there is a national conference for writers in Montana sponsored by The Honors College that Prof. Stat wishes me to re-enter my essay into. Should it get accepted, I would be given $500 to travel to Montana and present my essay!!! MIND OVERLOAD!!! Stat was sitting there telling me, and my brain was pulsing from sheer size of the opportunity that was being handed to me on a silver platter. This weekend, I will be spending the majority of the time thinking of whether I want to accept this offer. Some of you may be saying, Dude, take it!!! What are you talking about, thinking it over?! Well, after a week like this week: do I really have time to add an extra assignment? Everything things needs equal attention:

1. My job!!
2. My GPA for Honors College
3. My 18 credit hours of school work
4. I need some free time
5. Sparta's well being
6. Household chores (shopping, cleaning, laundry, paying rent)

If I feel I can't handle all six of those things plus a major 5-7 page paper on top of it all, I'm unfortunately going to have to say "no" and hope for another conference next year!

Sparta Moment:
Daily, I take Sparta on walks in the backyard of the apartments. The weather is amazing outside today, and I practically threw Sparta out the door to get into the fresh air! My cat is surprisingly a little mountain cat! We were climbing all over the hills in his great quest for... I have no idea! Well, as we were walking, a locust flew up from the grass and Sparta jumped completely off the ground, smacking the locust between his white paws! Then, the poor baby fell and landed directly into a thorn bush!!! There went the locust and poor Sparta refused to move so I had to reach into the thorn bush and pull him up and out. Thankfully, there was no blood and no thorns that I found.

Sparta's bad luck continued. This was just plain stupid on my part. I brought Sparta back into the house and set him on the loveseat next to the window. The leash was still in my hand connected to his blue medium-sized dog harness. Upset we had to come back inside because I was being eaten by mosquitoes, I opened a window for Sparta and while my back was turned, the cat tried to jump onto the neighboring coffee table. But the leash was too short!! And Sparta was yanked back by his leash and sent crashing into the ground!!! He just did not have as good a day as I did!

Bleach-ed

This post's soundtrack as today is Laundry Day for me!


It's one of those weeks where you know everything is going to happen! Everything is going to keep you on your toes and you have no down time whatsoever!!! So why am I treating it like it's not?! Sunday I spent the day on the loveseat in the living room watching "The Tudors" and the Carolina Panthers game. We shall not even mention that game anymore! Yesterday after four classes, I spent the majority of the day sitting in bed watching "Glee" episodes or just messing around. I accomplished reading half of my Film assignment and writing a few pages in my book... and writing a few pages in my book counts towards zero homework assignments.
I have two papers due, and three articles... I think it's three. Yeah, three... unless I get my Rumors column going, then it's four. My articles are due tonight at 5. One of my papers is sort of due tomorrow... it's Peer Review Day or as the teacher said, "If you don't have your paper, don't show up." Well that sucks because that gives me over two hours to kill before my next class as I don't like going back and forth between campus and the apartment multiple times a day, so..... I must finish my paper by 10:00 tomorrow morning. Yet here I am writing a blog with another "Glee" episode on pause listening to the whirling of the washing machine and my laundry theme song "Laundry Day" from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. That would be cool if I had a sing-along blog!! Yeah so, I'm feeling really random today.

The truth is I've been in a good mood. Well, I'm still in a bad mood getting up at 8 a.m. on MWF, but that's more of a I'm so exhausted and in a fog at that hour that I'm in default bad mood. But, I'm in a really good mood all of a sudden. Maybe it's because I've been giving myself "days off" when I shouldn't and I bought a few bags of candy at Wal-Mart! Ah, sugar!!

It could be that Sparta is in my life! I love that little cat! I haven't had a depressing night sitting in my room with nothing to do since he got here! Instead, I've been standing out in the hallway until 10:30 at night throwing a catnip-filled sock or a furry mouse as Sparta chases it down the hall every time like he's on fire. There should be smoke coming out of his heels. He is an amazing little cat, and confession: I've been a really bad mom!

On Saturday, I decided to be an adult and clean the bathroom toilet and sweep the bathroom floor because it was piling up with cat litter. Father had bought me a new bottle of toilet bowl cleaner with bleach and I couldn't figure out how to open it. You were just supposed to pop the cap with a simple twist, but it wouldn't pop! So, when I turned around, the cap finally popped and I accidentally squeezed the bottle squirting bleach directly into Sparta's eyes and on his paws as he was directly behind me to investigate my chore.

Sparta yowled and fled the bathroom. I had to chase him around the apartment three times in order to catch him. He wouldn't come anywhere near me! All the while, I'm saying, "Oh Sparta! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Baby! I'm so sorry. Come back!"

CC, on the loveseat, was wondering what the heck is going on as his new housemate is running around the apartment after her cat, screaming. Then, he laughed when he found out the truth.
Finally, I captured Sparta and began to wash out his eyes and release him. Then, I see him licking his paws and face, and I'm thinking, "Oh #$&*, he's going to poison himself and I'm going to come home from the football game and find a dead cat that I paid $250 for!"
"What am I going to do?"
"Give him a bath!" said CC.
"My gosh, I don't even know how I would go about doing that."
"Well, you could... no, you're not going to like that suggestion."
"What? Throw him in the toilet and flush?"
"No," answered CC, "put him in the dishwasher."
My mouth hung agape. "Oh my gosh! He'd drown!"
"Told you you wouldn't like the suggestion."
In the end, I tossed Sparta into the kitchen sink and began to bathe him with a washcloth. Oh, he was NOT happy!!! However, he behaved surprisingly well, only meowing once and never trying to scratch out my eyes or make it impossibly difficult to hold him down with unnecessary wiggling. When I dried him off, Sparta refused to let me near him for the next couple of hours.
Thankfully, Sparta survived! He is perfectly healthy and back to normal. Though my friends aren't going to let it go!
"Oh, Sparta, look how white your paws are! They look like they've been bleached."
"You know, he can't see that toy! You blinded him with bleach!"
"How's Sparta? Has he forgiven you yet?"
"What did you do to Sparta today, Lex?"

Thanks, guys! I swear, it was an accident!!

Sparta after his bath

Shaking up the Snow Globe

Operation “Sparta”

Status: Complete

Operation “Sparta” was a success. I just turned in the paperwork and payment a few minutes ago to guarantee Sparta’s permanent stay here at the apartment. Believe me, it wasn’t easy. After last night, I was about to drag him back to Charlotte this morning!

On Saturday, I loaded Sparta into Little Honda and we headed off to Cullowhee. Sparta behaved well in his cat carrier though he was quite vocal with that piercing yowl of his. He was constantly distracting me from driving by bribing me to open his carrier via cute belly flops and rolls wanting his belly scratched. We arrived at the apartment in the late afternoon and I was shocked by Sparta’s horrific reaction to the new place. In the Outer Banks, Sparta had immediately taken to the beach house. Here, without Piddy Paws, he cowered under my bed for several hours before eventually venturing out to meet CC. The little vivacious cat I knew and loved was gone. Instead was a rather depressed-looking, frightened kitten. It made me think the whole idea of bringing him up had been a mistake. All I could imagine was Piddy Paws at home wondering where Sparta was and Sparta here wondering where was Piddy Paws and why he had been uprooted from his old home. I still can’t think about it.

Sunday: Sparta grew to be more adventurous and playful. Still, there was a lacking spark that makes Sparta SPARTA! He’s a wild kitty, playful, never serious. Where was my little troublemaker? He continued to become more himself, and CC and I had a great time with his last night as I had bought him some new toys at Wal-Mart, including a laser pointer. Sparta has never seen a laser pointer before and didn’t immediately take to it. He responds to toys with noise. Here was a silent dot of red light scurrying around the floor, and he didn’t know what to make of it. Eventually, he got the hang of it, and it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

Last night: Sparta is unused to being locked in a room, but I have to do so at night because his litter box is in my bedroom and I don't like my door to be open and unlocked when I sleep. It makes me even more paranoid than I already am. So, Sparta spends the night in my room.

Last night, he decided it wasn't fun anymore and started getting mischievous. He yowled a bit and he kept jumping up on my desk where are a lot of trinkets for him to knock to the floor and make a big mess. My sleep was interrupted quite a bit, but none as bad as The Incident at 4:30 this morning!

There is that indescribable sound when glass hits glass and shatters. This is the sound I heard, waking me immediately from sleep. I didn't even have to look over to know what was broken. It was my snow globe collection!

Sparta, in his ultimate and deadly curiosity, had clambered up onto the unstable shelving that housed my snow globes on the top shelf. Maybe if he had knocked a few off, they would have survived. No, Sparta took out two layers of the plastic shelving along with all the snow globes, all the ceramic breakable statues, and all the figures. When I turned on the lights and looked out over the mess, FIVE out of the ten snow globes were destroyed and one of the ceramic statues I had painted as a ten-year old was broken. Somehow, everything else survived.

X's mark what died last night.

Glitter. Sparkles. Fake snow. Water. Glass. All of it was everywhere in a huge puddle and some splashing on the electric cords near the scene of the accident.

I didn't say a word to Sparta. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I didn't ask for help. Missing Piddy Paws more than ever, I kneeled on the floor and began picking up the shards of my different snow globes and ceramic tarantula, putting the pieces into a plastic Food Lion back while Sparta, scared out of my mind, watched in a corner. When I could spot no more glass, I placed a huge towel over the spot of water and soaked up as much as I could, then dried off the surviving snow globes and figures, put them away in a cabinet, and went back to bed where I finally did cry as I came to the realization that maybe Sparta needed to return to Charlotte.

This morning I was still unsure of whether I wanted to turn in the checks which would seal the deal of Sparta's living in the apartment. I decided that if I returned home after a full day of classes and found the apartment upside down from Sparta's wicked paws, I would immediately drive back to Charlotte, drop him off, and drive back home. My train of thought swerved from track to track throughout the day. Take him home, keep him here, take him home, keep him here... When I returned to the apartment, everything was in perfect order. I called out "Here kitty, kitty!" and here comes my baby boy running down the hallway to me. He sprinted into my arms and began purring so sweetly.

"Alright, baby boy, we'll make this work," I told him and turned in the check. Sparta is officially a member of my apartment family!

SHOUT OUT!!!!

To the girls, which include Barney, who I eat lunch with! Today we played Ice Cream Musical Chairs. We all bought ice cream at Freshens then in a circle, switched our ice creams among each other. I had chocolate with Reese cups pieces. Barney had cookie dough with caramel syrup. I have no idea what the other two girls had but it was DELICIOUS!!!

"There's a party in my mouth and everyone's invited," sang out Barney's boyfriend.

This ice cream musical chairs thing needs to become a daily tradition!! Hopefully, my declining balance points will last out the semester, haha!

Here Kitty, Kitty!

Operation "Sparta" Update:

Status: On-going

So I've been given the green light on bringing Sparta to the apartment. My roommates have all signed the official waiver that they're ok with having a cat around the place, and Ma says to come get him. This weekend, I will be returning to Charlotte to pick up my "little mate" and bring him to his new home. I sincerely hope this will work out all right, and that he won't be too distraught without Piddy Paws and vice versa. That's my greatest concern: Piddy's only means of exercise has been chasing Sparta around the house. What's the fat old thing going to do now? I want to bring Piddy Paws up here more than anything, but I can see everyone getting along with Sparta better as he's an extremely friendly and fun cat! Plus there's that whole Piddy won't use the litter box thing. Freaking cat!!

So far no chicken pox!! Hallelujah! Will continue to keep a look-out...!

Today I got to exercise my duties as News Editor... and I loved it! That was such fun. I've always enjoyed trading papers with my classmates so I can mark it up with a red pen. It's making me seriously contemplate a complete major flip flop and dropping Journalism or taking on a double major so I can work as an editor for a publishing company. My boss at the newspaper said that with my experience I should be able to jump right into an editor position at a newspaper. A newspaper?! I hadn't even thought of tha! What an ingenious idea!!! That's the best of both worlds, right?! It's something to definitely consider. Hopefully, I'll be able to make up my mind before I'm too far gone in my Journalism major and can't turn back.

None of you guessed correctly of who I have feelings for in the poll, though I did find your answers amusing. I won't tell you the correct answer because he may or may not read this blog, but I will say it doesn't matter anymore. I've given up. I don't have the stomach to really put some effort into it when he hasn't shown the slightest response to the few times I've tried to start something. He either doesn't like me like that (which is cool) or he is completely blind! Either way, I'm too busy with my school work and job to let it get me down. I didn't have much of a hope that it would work out anyway. Oh well... on to the next unlucky sucker!

Operation Sparta

Operation number 456923 a.k.a. "Sparta"

Status: On-going

Participants: This blogger, this blogger's mother, the cat

So Operation Sparta is in affect! You all remember my adorable cat Sparta?!

Well, I am desperate to have a furry face living with me up here at the apartment, and Ma is desperate to have one of the cats gone because the house back in Charlotte is a nut house! I would take Piddy Paws, but he has this thing about not wanting to use the litter box. Instead, he prefers to use clothing, towels, and trash bags. Don't ask me why. He never had this problem before until like a little over a year ago... strangest thing! So because he's a guarantee I'll never see my deposit again, I'm going to take little Sparta. That's IF we can swing the cost.

I swear this apartment company is as money-sucking as the university next door most times. But, after my stint in a dorm room... it's worth it!!

I learned my boss, who I had a meeting with last Monday, has the chicken pox. Yeah, I've never had the chicken pox. And, I've never had the vaccine. And, the University Health Center doesn't give out that vaccine. ...It could be very long week. And, my boss is so sweet. He's more concerned about me, healthy as of right now, than his own sick self. A lot of folks my age are cursed with a sorry boss, but I've got a great one! To be under his guidance is a real joy and an honor. This chicken pox thing could ruin our working relationship, though... haha!!

Room-a-Mate Up-a-Date

Nine out of ten people won't show you their strange quirks and identifying behavior when you move in with them, especially not in the first week. But Kayla is so herself that she can't help it! I don't want to say I have her pegged to some sort of stereotype because I don't! In fact, it's just the opposite. I can barely keep up with her as she bounces around the apartment in her polka dot bathrobe or wild child jeans. And, she is now one of my favorite people because of this quirk:

After trekking through Cullowhee Creek for the entirety of Saturday afternoon, the boys and I collapsed in the apartment with four boxes of Pizza Hut. Kayla and CC were in the background, stepping around us to make their own dinner. They had been sitting at the dining room table watching Cody flip through the TV channels when Kayla stood and began rummaging in the cabinets again. I turned to glance at her when she said, "Does anyone want to try blackberry jam?"
I didn't respond. I prefer jelly to jam, and I was tired and couldn't figure what she was trying to get at. The boys glanced at her as well not really responding.

"Blackberry jam, anyone? No?" she asked.
Cody mumbled about possibly trying it, but when she felt it wasn't a definite enough answer, Kayla used a different tactic.
"You see, the thing is... I don't like an odd number of bread slices in my loaf."
This got our attention, and I turned to stare at her with a smile splitting across my face. Her face was dead serious.
"I just can't stand it," she said, "and yesterday I only had one piece of bread so I have an odd number. You want to try the jam, Cody?"
The hilarity and oddity of this struck me full force and I began to cackle hysterically.
"I'll just take the bread," Cody said, and Kayla moved behind me to give Cody the oddball piece of bread with me still cackling, which gets Kayla laughing. One of the boys, River, is grinning away at me as he always does when I get tickled. By this time, I have tears rolling down my cheeks, still laughing.
"See, what you're supposed to do now," stated CC, "is have two people say they want to try some jam."
"No!" Kayla cried. "Only one piece of bread," she insisted, which got me coughing from laughing so hard!
Eventually, I calmed myself but it still gets me when I think about it!

Now, I absolutely adore Kayla! That girl is something else, and I'm so excited I get to share this apartment with her! I can't wait to see what she'll be up to next!

Food for Thought

Over the summer, I was supposed to learn how to cook. Well, things never go according to plan in my house, so I only learned three or four meals.
Coming to the apartment, I had no clue how to operate a kitchen efficiently and on a budget, much less for four people. Thankfully, we decided it was best to go our separate ways and make our own meals on most nights. So here I was fending for myself with two shelves in two cupboards dedicated to my stash of goods. It's been about two weeks and I still haven't had a real home cooked meal, but I'm alive, and here's how I have survived:
1. McDonald's has 89 cent burgers.
2. 25 block meals and over $300 in declining balance points on campus
3. I'm learning to feed on leftovers. Before, I wouldn't eat two-day old tomato soup... not even 40-minute old tomato soup. Yesterday for dinner I swallowed up two-day old ravioli! For me, that's saying something. And you know what... Ma was right these past several years. It does taste the same as the first time I cooked it. Huh!
4. Getting creative. Tonight for dinner I had macaroni and cheese and grapes with two waffles for dessert. Last night: two-day old ravioli, a large carrot stick, and cinnamon applesauce. As long as I feel full, I don't really need to have some kind of large meal. That would be nice, of course, but for now while I trying to learn how to budget and cook... I'll take it!
5. Canned food does not usually cost over a dollar per item... especially at Wal-Mart.
6. Don't mindlessly snack.

I want it to be known, I'm not sitting over here starving. In fact, I haven't gone hungry or felt pressured for finding something to eat the entire time I have been here. Honestly, I feel less stressed because I am in complete control of what I buy, when I eat it, how I cook it, and in which quantities I choose to eat it. I don't have to rely on someone to fix me something to eat and I don't have to sit down to a meal I'm not hungry to eat. Thus, less food is wasted and less food is consumed. Yes, the nutritional value has dropped a bit in my diet, but I think that will level out as I learn to manage my money better... also when I haven't just moved into an apartment and can stop spending money on household items like a toilet plunger, plastic sandwich bags, etc.

I never thought I'd feel such affection and devotion to another "home" as I would toward my home near Charlotte. But even though I co-own this place with people who are not my family, I am in such love with this place! It's in a strange city that I don't always have love for, but this place... I have turned it into my home. I can look around and see touches that are my own like the dining room chairs, the green key holder which Chris and I hung crookedly beside the water heater closet, the mosaic tile with the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote on the kitchen wall, my room with its collage of pictures, posters, and personal belongings. Everything in that room is mine from my room at home, nothing I ever have to give back, return, or take care of as it is someone else's property. I just met her but I love Kayla like the older sister I never had. CC has such an infectious laugh and Cody is one of my boys. The walk to campus will be beautiful in the fall and is refreshing, wearing me out and taking away my excess energy as I head to class. The housework gives me something to do, a chore in preserving my new home. If only I had a yard...! And I miss my cats dearly, but one day... this is just a step to owning that house with the yard and however many pets I want. This is a step to having a "real job," becoming financially independent, and starting my adult life. It's what I've been wanting for a long time, and I couldn't be happier.

 Life isn't perfect, of course. The Viking is only a few minutes down the road; we go to the school together, and we will see each other again. At least, I have the comfort of knowing I can return to my apartment and let him and everything that happened between us disappear as it never happened instead of the cramped dorm room with little privacy and cell-like appearance.  If I had returned to a dorm, I probably would have let the depression consume me until I became unrecognizable, kind of like what happened last year in May but much worse. Here, I don't feel like I'm dying inside, a caged bird trying to get free. Even if I was sitting here starving because my cooking skills were that nonexistent or money was tight, it'd still be better than living in a dorm.

When Life Gives you no Internet

Dear Management of my Apartment,

 Hello, it's me again. I know we've had a few run-ins so far what with the shower door leaking all of my water onto my bathroom floor and my mail key not working, but I think we've gotten on well together. There's just this one thing: Internet speed.

 You should know, I am in absolute love with my apartment. I do not miss walking through the rain, the cold, and the snow plus a long, giant staircase to get to my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I much prefer and adore my cute, little kitchen just a few feet away. I love the small balcony outside my door where I place a dining chair to sit and read in the fresh mountain air. I cherish and almost worship my private bathroom where I can constantly keep my toiletries instead of shuffling them back and forth from my dorm room to my suite bathroom where seven other girls clog the drains with their hair and "unmentionables." The fact that I can call something mine, a private place with no roommate shuffling above me throughout the night as I try to sleep for the next day of grueling classes is amazing, and I couldn't ask for better housemates. Kayla is an amazing, cheery, outgoing gal with a huge heart and bright personality. CC is laid back, cool, and unruffled by the little things. I can't wait to get to know him better. Then, there's my little brother Cody, who is actually older than me. He has such thoughts and notions about this world; I find them all fascinating! I love this apartment life!

 There's just that one thing: this Internet speed.

 I am a multi-tasker. If I'm not doing more than one thing at a time, I'm bored or it's an unproductive day. Well, while I'm excited I no longer need a long, twisty blue cord to connect to the Internet thanks to Wi-Fi, it is rather slow. I mean, we can agree on that, right? I know you secretly play FarmVille and it doesn't quite load as fast when you're at the office. So, when I'm trying to play Happy Aquarium, upload photos, write a blog, and play a YouTube video... well, my patience is tried time and time again. So, is this a server thing? Or is it the Internet company you guys use?

 It's not that it's necessarily a big deal! It's most that when I'm exhausted and not feeling well and just want to feed my CG fish before I go to bed but it takes five minutes to load and then some... well, it gets a bit frustrating and I want to toss my computer out the window. Actually, more like I want to toss the Internet out the window, but that is an intangible thing, and I'd hate to blame my computer for something it can't help.

 Anyway, let me know if you think about fixing it. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to head down to Waynesville where the closet Best Buy is located and figure something out. Because if I can't multi-task... I'm not a happy person to deal with in the office!
 Hope you guys are having a great start to the new semester with all your other grumbling tenants, and talk to you soon I bet!
 Sincerely,
   Resident A of Apartment #101

***No direspect intended whatsoever toward the management of my apartment! :) They're nice ladies!