August 27, 2013

Here's to Another, Better Year

“Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.”
                    
       - John Green, Looking for Alaska

They say when you're a teenager, the best times in your life are yet to come. That is what fuels us. Part of living in the present is imagining a future, and sometimes wishing and working to get to the end point is better than the actual end. We use the future to justify the present, and each year that ends we hope for a better one to start. We use it to keep us going and know that the way things are now aren't how they always will be. Every year is a new start. New classes, the potential for new friends, new routine, and a step closer to whatever end game is in the future. I don't have a specific idea about what I want to do when I finish college, but the thought of having a year of college done and a year to decide what to do next is extremely daunting. When I think about each year, I think about how each year I tell myself things will get better. Not in a sad I want to kill myself way, but in a way that says I have a future, and if I don't like something now, change is always around the corner.

Today was my second day of my second year of college. It is my first year as a biology major and I have a new roommate. I was able to keep the things from last year I liked, and rid myself of the things that I knew weren't making me happy. I've been to all of my classes, and I got a week of college camp helping with Major Events Committee at school, which although I had good times I probably wouldn't do it again. I pretty much sold my soul, (and my body) to them. I did move in early though so I got my part of the deal. 7:45 Organic Chemistry seems to be part of the deal too, well a different deal. I think maybe with the devil. Curse profs who enjoy mornings.

To kick off the new year, here are some new Shirali pictures. 

Also, I've been holding out on this because it was a surprise for friend, but now he has seen it so I can post it. I made it back in July from an idea from my friend Heather (mentioned in a previous biography). I really enjoyed working on it, and am actually pretty proud of it. I come off as a science and logic personality, but I really do like the arts a lot.


So anyway, I hope this is another great year full of Enya naps, family drawings, Shirali dinners, Zee's runs, actual runs, and great people.

Here's to another, better year,

Noelle


August 18, 2013

The Jerks of Society

Today we took the True Color test, a test that was all the buzz last year, and made a repeat appearance this year. Earlier I did a post on Myers-Briggs and this test is similar to that one. There are four colors to choose from: green, gold, blue, and orange. They have similar qualities to the Myers Briggs categories. I am curious as to what colors match up with the different Myers-Briggs types, but I think my friends already watched me geek out enough with the Myers-Briggs test with my charts and quizzing everyone who I happened to see that week. If anyone was wondering I was an ISTP. Which I think relates to the colors I got on the True Colors test. 

NURTURER BLUE
  • Sensitive To Needs Of Others.
  • Sincere. Expresses Appreciation.
  • Cooperative. Collaborative. Creative.
  • Caring. Team Builder And Player.
  • People Person. Engages Others.
  • Artistic. Inspirational. Spiritual.
  • Inclusive. Mediator. Peacemaker.
  • Idealistic. Intuitive. Romantic. Loyal.
  • Seeks Unity And Harmony. Caretaker.
Famous Blues: Mozart, Dorothy (Wizard of Oz), Thomas Jefferson, Cinderella, Ghandi, Mohammed Ali, Jimmy Carter

ADVENTUROUS ORANGE
  • "Just Do It" Action Oriented.
  • Quick-witted, Charming, Spontaneous
  • Playful. Injects fun into work.
  • Lives In Here & Now. Risk taker. Creative.
  • Enjoys Diversity, Variety, Competition.
  • Multi-tasker, Cheerful, Energetic. Bold.
  • Quick Thinking and Acting. Takes Charge.
  • High Visibility Performer. Accepts Challenges.
  • Enjoys Problem Solving. Negotiator.
  • Performs Well Under Pressure. Resilient.
TRADITIONAL GOLD
  • Respects Authority Rules, Routines, Policies.
  • Alligant, Faithful, Dependable, Prepared, Efficient.
  • Remembers The Traditions That Work. Values Family.
  • Work Comes Before Play. Practical. Systematic. Orderly.
  • Identifies With Groups. Strives For A Sense Of Security.
  • Thorough, Sensible, Convential, Proper.
  • A Right Way To Do Everything. Stick-To-Itivness.
  • Evaluates Actions As Right Or Wrong.
  • Stable. Organized. Punctual. Helpful.
Famous Golds: Mothera Teresa, George Washington, Santa Claus, LBJ, 
Joan Rivers, Henry Ford, Florence Nightingale

VISIONARY GREEN 
  • Looks Forward And Sees Impact Of Actions Taken Now.
  • Explores All Facets Before Deciding. Checks for Accuracy.
  • Careful Planner. Enlivened By Work.
  • Status Quo Buster. Designer Of Change. Inventive.
  • Systematic. Logical. Theoretical. Self-Sufficient.
  • Often Not In The Mainstream. Persistent. Thorough.
  • Intellectual. Inquisitive. Impartial. Improvement Oriented.
Famous Greens: Socrates, Sherlock Holmes, Benjamin Franklin, Carl Jung,
Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Katherine Hepburn, Rosalyn Carter


After taking the test, my colors were ranked: green, orange, gold, and blue. I know these tests are supposed to help people learn about themselves and be all feely and better to others, but I just find them interesting, which is probably why I am a green. My combination green/orange is basically described as the ass holes of society. The one's who are sarcastic, but witty, and tend to put themselves before others. They are well liked but sound basically like blunt jerks. But, I suppose that is me so I'm not really too offended. Blue is definitely my last color. People skills are my weakness. I was between gold and orange as my second colors, but after green/orange was described as sarcastic jerks, and green/gold as the visionaries and best of society, I knew I was orange.

Peace out,

Noelle

August 9, 2013

The Final Days of Summer

Well, I haven't posted in a while, mostly for lack of material worth posting. I will be heading back to school in T-minus 4 days and I am ready to go. Summer is one of those things that you wait nine months for, and then enjoy it for about 3 weeks and you're bored again. The was especially true this year because being at home meant being away from the friends I had lived with all year. Coming home meant trying to reconnect with the people and the place I so desperately wanted to leave. Don't get my wrong, I had my good times in high school as well as my bad, but somehow the bad seems to be what I remember. Anyway, for the most part, I have spent the last 3 months working, watching netflix, and hanging around doing nothing. I started the summer being a little more social, but as the summer stretched on, the number of people I hung out with dwindled as well as my motivation to try to stay in touch with them. I think when we finished high school, we were tired of one another, and have spent the summer tolerating each other in small doses. I have a few people I've stayed relatively close with and enjoy a bi-weekly trip to Starbucks and Wal-mart. These are the only places open past nine in our lovely town.

I'm packing for school and my room is a disaster area. It always seems like so much stuff. With leaving for school comes the prospect of living arrangements for the following year. I feel like that is a budding fight. My mom is already being weird about it. Anyone want to share a room with me in a potential apartment in 2014? Weirdos need not apply.

A little business plug, or unplug. Don't try to sell your books to Books in Stock in Wooster, Ohio. They give you no money and then you need to drive 45 minutes there to get your books back

I've been toying with different career ideas all summer. My latest and, according to most people, best idea is Anesthesiologist  Assistant. For all I know I'll be on to something completely different next month but I think this could work out. I'm just freaked out because I would need to take the MCAT, and after my experience with the ACT anxiety in high school I don't feel too great about that prospect. But, I guess we all need to face our fears and next time I will know and hopefully will be better prepared to tackle the anxiety at test time. I am also not thrilled with the idea of retaking Chemistry II, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

We've also been planning a DC trip, which started out a bit of a secret but at this point is pretty much public knowledge. It was interesting getting people to come, and although our persuasion skills were great, the trip will be a small group of six staying and wandering around the city for a weekend on $200. Wish us luck!

Well, that was my summer. Hope yours all went well. And for those of you I will see at school soon, I can't wait!

Noelle