Getting Organized...-ish

Hi. To preface this post let me explain something, I am a perfectionist...but I am a perfectionist who's life often exists on the edge of chaos. What that means:

-I will never make my bed. I'm an aggressive sleeper and I don't see the point of fixing something just so you can mess it up again. (Plus making your bed makes it more hospitable to bed bugs. Look it up.)

-I like to organize my spaces but leave an area for chaos. For example, everything in my dorm closet is super organized except for one drawer that has become the catch-all for everything without a place.

-If I don't spend some serious time organizing beforehand, everything will be a mess for forever. I am not a magical organizing elf who just happens to organize things naturally. WILL NOT HAPPEN. EVER.

So, in attempt to stay organized I am making an effort to organize EVERYTHING.

The first thing I did was create a schedule:

Then I made grocery lists (weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly or longer)

And finally, I got serious.

 I made a budget.

Pretty adult of me if I do say so myself.

 I pretty much followed Dave Ramsey's percentages in dividing my monthly "income" (a.k.a. scholarships and savings), but I did tweak some things because I am going to college, and I have no debt to pay off...yet. In my budget I also created a space to track my monthly bank account balances (both checking and savings) that way I can keep an eye on my overall money situation.

Whew... (I may have said "mother of pearl" once or twice in this process.)

I'll keep you posted on how it all works out...it may need some tinkering. And for a dose of reality:

This is my bed: 

Now you understand. 


Follow the yellow brick road.

-McKenna

Chopped

First thing you should understand, there is no TV in my apartment.

Which means I've been watching entire episodes of shows on my laptop through hulu.com. One of the shows I've been watching is Chopped. Now, I don't know if you've seen it, but it's a cooking competition where the chefs are given these crazy ingredients and have a short amount of time to create something fabulous with them.

Sounds like college to me.

No, seriously. If you have a kitchen in your dorm room meal-times usually go like this:

You must compose a meal of ramen noodles, yogurt, and almonds in twenty minutes before your next class. Bonus challenge: don't set off the notoriously sensitive fire alarm in your building or everyone will hate you.

Exactly like Chopped...minus the fire alarm thing (more on that later).

Except, unlike Chopped, in college you don't have a fabulous fully-stocked pantry, you only have two square feet to work in, and your seasonings are limited to sugar, salt, and pepper.

College is much harder.

So, if any of you are training to become Chopped Champions, may I propose that you go back to college? Your skills will be honed in no time.


To infinity and beyond.

-McKenna

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind...and lines

Let me tell you about a book. This book is called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. (It's a mouthful, I know.) Here's the summary:

William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger. But William had read about windmills, and he dreamed of building one that would bring to his small village a set of luxuries that only 2 percent of Malawians could enjoy: electricity and running water. His neighbors called him misala—crazy—but William refused to let go of his dreams. With a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks; some scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves; and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to forge an unlikely contraption and small miracle that would change the lives around him.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a remarkable true story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. It will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.

(Credit:http://www.amazon.com/The-Boy-Who-Harnessed-Wind/dp/0061730335)

I had to read this book as a "Common Literature Experience" for my University Connection class, here at Utah State....and I really loved it! I like most books, but this one is truly great. It is inspiring and moving, and it is current (all the events occurred in the last decade). Even better, this week I had the opportunity to hear William speak twice. I was so impressed his ingenuity, drive, and general cheerfulness. After everything he's gone through, he could be bitter, but he's such a positive person! I thought that was amazing. 

Now, because I enjoyed the book so much I really wanted to get my book signed by William, and luckily enough USU held a book signing this afternoon. It started at noon, so I showed up a few minutes before then...and the line was HUGE. I got in line and prepared to wait. 

And that's exactly what I did.

For over an hour.

75 minutes. 

...

And then, the Connections coordinator announced that William had a flight to catch and would be leaving in 15 minutes.

And there were still 30 people in front of me. Mother of Pearl.

I decided that since I had waited so long, I should just stick it out and hope for the best (being positive and all that jazz). And the line creeped forward...

Inch by torturous inch...

And...

I made it! It was close (he left just a minute or two after signing mine), but I made it.

And that's all that counts. P.S. Go read this book! 

May the force be with you.

-McKenna

Mother of Pearl????

moth·er-of-pearl

1. a smooth shining iridescent substance forming the inner layer of the shell of some mollusks, esp. oysters and abalones, used in ornamentation. (credit: google search)
2. a phrase used by McKenna to imply frustration, exasperation, surprise, anxiety, or any combination of strong emotions 

Now, I realize most people don't use this phrase the way I do, but I like it. It conveys exactly how I'm feeling at any moment, and I don't have to rely on common words/phrases like: "crap", "oh dear", "I need a nap", "you have got to be kidding me", "dang it", etc. It tends to come up a lot in my speech... You'll see why.

Just Keep Swimming!

-McKenna