Road Trips are For...

• reminiscing with Jymez about the "old days", and then realizing how much better we have it now :)
• realizing that all music written before 2000 was epic and everything afterwards was crap.
• classic quotes:

J-"I love this road, it's like the road of the future- like I'm driving in 2010."
T-"That's like next year."

• making a quick stop in Pasco county to pick up some energy drinks and tall boys. Only the necessities of course.
  
• going out with our straight friend and meeting some fantastic gays. Love them.
  
• Attempting to order a million double cheeseburgers from McDonalds.
  
• Driving back to Gainesville the next morning at 9 a.m.
  
• deciding on a whim to stay the rest of the weekend just to go to the Rugby Toga Party.
  
• Running into a conspiracy theorist while shopping for toga supplies. And trying to lose the crazy woman while she followed us around Wal-Mart giving her lecture.
• Sushi. mmmmm
• Meeting up with a fabulous long-lost friend for dinner and talking for hours. and hours. and hours.
• learning the art form and dangers of a new hip drinking game "civil war"

"Civil War?? Is that game for real? Can I google it?"

• laughing with Courtney Ortney after a hilarious, but slightly serious, tumble down the stairs.
  
• running barefoot in the rain through the streets of Gainesville to sneak away from the STRANGE frat party.
• finally crashing at 4 am after talking some more with my fabulous long lost friend.

Hey, you only get to be young once right?

Living, Laughing, and Loving,
The Tiney Weenie

So Sad It's Over

Today is my last day of Spring Break '09 and I must say, it was an eventful one. Ok, so I wasn't one of those super hip-and-with-it students who went to the Bahamas or the Keys or anything like that. Lucky students! But I did stay in Jacksonville and had a fantastic time anyways. Who said you have to go somewhere to have an adventure?

My spring break actually started on a Friday because my UNF professors love vacations and think Friday classes are a crime. I completely agree. OfficerTripp and I planned a fantastic beach day full of sunshine, sand, and beautiful ocean. Too bad we didn't check the weather before we left! Ooops. Cloudy skies surrounded us and the winds made it very chilly!
Yuck. Solution to problem = The Lemon Bar. This tiny little Neptune Beach treasure is by far one of my favorite hot spots. This quaint little beach-side hotel bar comes complete with tables in the sand (to capture that good ole' beachy feel), an array of diverse regulars, and of course a view!

The next day we celebrated our friend William's birthday with the annual Williamfest. What an event that was! He informed me that each Williamfest had it's own personality and the previous parties had their own distinctive stories at the end. Want to know what came out of Williamfest '09?
A backyard full of barricades and barrels! EEEEEEEEEEKK was almost exactly my reaction the next morning when I found them! But the party was a ton of fun and a huge success.

[Side Note: We quickly discovered it's a federal offense to steal barricades from construction sites. Please don't call the cops on us, they've been removed. Thanks for the tip Goose!!]

Monday was a back-to-work day for all of us, but keeping up with the Spring Break spirit, OBrien, Siprelle, and OfficerTripp and I planned more festivities that afternoon. It was a beautiful day so there was only one solution = The Lemon Bar (again!). What's a better way to wind down from your day than having a few drinks with good company at our fave beach hangout? Once again, we didn't check they hourly weather reports until driving there.

Any Floridian knows that this is how the great Sunshine State works sometimes. One hour it's beautiful, and then the rainclouds come. No biggie! We'll make the best of it. And we did, nonetheless.

For years UNF has scheduled their spring break week just a little off from every other state university in Florida. The fact that my friends all over the state vacationed separately from me used to bother me. Then I realized how lucky I had it. Thank you UNF for scheduling your spring break to cover my favorite holiday, St. Patrick's Day! My Irish siblings and I decided to hit up Jacksonville Beach for this years St. Patrick's Day, as they have an assortment of traditional pubs. If you are in the area and have a thing for Irish Pubs, I suggest Culhane's, Fionn MacCools, Lynch's, and of course the Fly's Tie. Each one offers great traditional foods and most have daily live music. We spent the day visiting each one and finishing off at Lynch's. I dub this years festivities a success.

The rest of the week went accordingly. I juggled work and sleep and tried to fit in as much social time as possible. It's not everyday I get to spend a week with my favorite people.

The week finally concluded with an evening on the porch at Mellow Mushroom listening to the tunes Nate Holley. I suggest all of you look him up, he is by far our favorite local musician and you can catch him playing most nights of the week. His regular venues inclue the Fly's Tie, Freebird Live, and both the Southside and Fleming Island Mellow Mushrooms. Despite the fact that Florida weather had creeped up on us again the temperature dropped about 15 degrees (OfficerTripp and I are cursed for sure!) it was a blast.

Today is Sunday and I'm so thankful for a chance to relax after such a week! But I can't slow down now. I'm booked for the next month, literally! One weekend in Memphis and one in Tampa and somewhere in there I have a 22nd birthday. Don't worry, my Mac will be going with me to all of these places and I'll be sure to blog and tweet the weekends away.

Until then,
The Tiney Weenie

I Got It!!

As of today I am the new summer PR intern for the Firehouse Subs' Public Safety Foundation :)

I was absolutely tickled when she called me and offered me the position. I love how employers say "We'd like to offer you the position, if you are still interested." OF COURSE I'M STILL INTERESTED! This internship has a good rep @ UNF. It's one of the few out there where the interns ACTUALLY get to do work beneficial to their education and future careers.

Right off the bat, my first mission as the new Summer PR intern is the Men's Doubles Tennis Tournament here in Jax. It's a three-day tennis tournament that raises money just for FSPSF. Rumor is it's quite the event in the tennis world here in Northeast Florida and players from all over enter the tourney. Sweet deal.

I'm sure the rest of my summer tasks at the FSPSF will be just as eventful, and I'll keep you guys posted along the way.

For you MySpacers out there, check out FSPSF Myspace page.

Looking Forward,
Tiney

Second Guessing Myself

It's now day 3 of the adventures of Tiney and Ringo, and it's only getting pseudo better, I neglect to inform.

Yesterday I woke up optimistic and determined. I was going to drive this dang car, and drive it well!! The voyage to work went pretty well, no stalling but the ride was a bit rough. My shifting could use some work, not gonna lie.

I scooted out of Publix around 7 and decided I needed some serious bonding time with Ringo in order to get acclimated with this whole clutch/gas/shift idea. So I call BFF JRY up.

T: "You sleeping yet?" (it's only 8p)
JRY: "No! I just got back from zumba. What's up?"
T: "We need to drive."
JRY: "MMmm Frosty's are in order."

Off to Green Cove I go, pick up JRY, and we're off.

Approaching intersection at Lake Asbury Elementary. Red Light. First gear. FAILURE. Start up, try again. FAILURE.

There we were, stuck in the middle of an intersection!! My worst fear :/ It took 3 tries to get me out of that intersection. Guh, no bueno.

Wendy's was at least successful. Frosty's are my favorite.

I tried to gain my confidence back for the ride home. I was doing great until I hit Oakleaf. I was 10 minutes from my house and I just bombed the whole thing. Stall outs, jamming gears, bucking car. Whew, emotional Tiney.

Needless to say, my big brother stepped in and helped. Not only did he give me his car to drive to UNF today (thank you!) but he's taking me out for more lessons today. Clearly I need it.

A driving, emotional, basket case,
The Tiney Weenie

15 All Over Again

Today I had some serious flashbacks to when I was 15. I got a new car and I had to learn how to drive all over again. Let me start from the beginning.

I graduate from UNF this December and as a grad present my Dad wanted to surprise me with a new car :) But instead of just randomly picking one, slapping a big red bow on top, and driving it to my grad ceremony, he decided it might be smarter to let me pick it out. So today we went looking, and there sitting in front of me was the cutest Gecko Green VW Beetle. Exactly what I wanted. One catch - it's a manual. "It's alright," I thought to myself "I've driven manuals before, I can do this."

Wanna know the one perk about being in a crappy economy we are now? You can get a super good deal on a new car. In, Sign, Drive, Done.

Except the drive part. Clearly I was not as talented and coordinated as I expected because I couldn't even drive the car off the lot!! Off to an industrial road we go and about an hour later and a gazillion stall-outs I was only feeling a little better.

My wonderful and trustworthy father drove back to OP, there was no way I was going to make it through 5 o'clock rush hour traffic!! Dinner @ La Nop and an hour later I'm back at it in my partents neighborhood just trying to start the darn thing. After a few frustrating stall-outs I was reflecting for a moment and I literally felt 15 all over again.

Tiney @ 15 (car lessons w/ Dad part 1) "Tiney, you need to hit the breaks when making those turns. Now you're not giving it enough gas. Stop playing with the radio. Tiney, pay attention!"

Tiney @ 21 (car lessons w/ Dad part 2) "Tiney, what gear are you in? You're not giving it enough gas. Put your cell phone down, you don't have friends! Tiney, pay attention!"

Does anyone else see a pattern here?? Oh Dads, you gotta love them!

BTW, this is the new Beetle. It's name is Ringo and I love him!

lovin my Dad and STILL learning how to drive,
The Tiney Weenie

Tongue Twisters

While watching "The Wedding Date" Sister and I hear this quote.

"Talk about anonymity..."

TINEY: "Dude, I love that word! I just wish I could say it right every time so I could use it more often in sentences."
MICHELLE: : "Try it..."
TINEY: "An-on-ym-ity. An-on-ym-ity. See I got it. am-om-in-ity. Oh shit."
MICHELLE: (laughing at this point) "Can you say cinnamon at this point?"
TINEY: "Yes! cin-no-nim. Wait!..."
MICHELLE (crakcing up at this point)
TINEY: "C'mon, synonym and cim-am-min are legitmate..... crap!!!"
MICHELLE: (rolling off the couch at this point) "Hahaha I'm crying!"

How many years of school did I finish again?

Gaining my composure,
Tiney Weenie

If the NY Times said it....

For those of you who don't already know, I'm a psych minor. It's intriguing, truly. So when I find an article or website or something that relates to my daily discussions, I'm even more intrigued. An ongoing topic that comes up in all development classes, child psych, and perception classes is how television affects child development.

Does the TV help or hurt a child's development?

Believe it or not people have made millions of dollars off videos and programs that make your baby a "genius" or "the next Harvard grad."

News Flash people. It's not true.

There is such a thing called mirror neurons. The physiology of it is super complicated but to explain it simply, these neurons are dedicated simply to mimicking behavior. Period. So those kids who were saying "cat" "dog" "red" on the commercials learned through mimicking. Their brains haven't actually developed enough to know WHAT that is, just repetition. That's all. So save your money and relax!! Your baby could very well be the next Harvard grad, no videos necessary.

The good news is that no evidence shows that TV harms development like some have said. I'm not a mom yet, but I do know a few. And they've told me flat that the TV is their savior when it comes to some much needed "me time." So go ahead moms, TV away. And later in life when I do become a Mom, I'll feel safe while my kid is in front of the tube.

Taking note for future reference,
Tiney Weenie

Universities at their best

First, read this story.

I discovered this story via status updates on Facebook.

"The Cobb County Sheriff's Office told WSB-TV Channel 2 the escapee was a prisoner of the Coffee County, TN Sheriff's Department. Police said they believe the man ran from a deputy who was escorting him when the deputy stopped at a Waffle House at Chastain and I-75 just before 4 p.m. Tuesday."

This makes me smile :) of course it's a crisis, KSU is currently on lockdown because this man invaded their campus. But the fact that while transporting such prisoner from Point A to Point B the officers decided to make a quick stop at the Waffle House truly takes the cake.

I'm not laughing AT KSU, I'm laughing WITH them.

Next, read this story.

That story is the reason I get to laugh with KSU. One year ago, UNF evacuated their campus because they mistook an art project as a bomb. Ooops :)

loving it,
The Tiney Weenie

What Are You?

Consumerism was the topic on the plate today. And what a hot one it was.

The issue was branding and exactly how much control advertisers have on our everyday lives. If you ask someone "Does advertising control you?" They would probably say "No." But, after having a heated discussion with Jymez about the difference between Heinz ketchup and store brand, I realized how important brands are to people, whether they know it or not.

A fellow student of mine is a bartender, and she admitted that once while working, the keg for Miller light was empty and she served Bud light as it's temporary substitute. She claimed her customers didn't notice. I bet an avid Miller light fan would. But would the average person? If you didn't drink beer all the time, didn't have a preference, and ordered one and got the other, would you know?

I've always been a fan of brands and how they accent someone's personality. Matt with the White Hat was very annoyed when we first met me because of my incessant questions. "Starburst or Skittles?" I mean, I find those things important.

After taking a moment to think about it, look around me, and jot down in order what I saw, I made myself into a "brand."

I am a(n)....
Apple Mac
Osprey
Victoria's Secret
Target
iPhone
Express
Ford Focus
Bare Minerals
Yankee Candle
Sperry's
Blue Moon, Bud Light,
Shocktop , Sam Adams,
(the list is more avid for beer)

and those are just a few. The big question on the table is did I choose the brands or did the brands choose me?

The VALS Survey is a free survey you can take to find out your consumer personality. Take it and find out how accurate it is. I am an Experiencer/Innovator. What are you?

We're all consumers; it's not a bad thing. Embrace it-responsibly of course!

Today's Experincer/Innovator
The Tiney Weenie

Truly Ginger

Today I took advantage of canceled classes and beautiful weather and decided to hit up Jax beach for a few hours of sunshine and study time : )

Being health-conscious as I am, I was sure to use plenty of SPF 30 on my super fair complexion. No skin cancer here!

It was pretty windy so I kept my hoodie on and I only stayed a few hours because I had a TON of stuff to do. When I got home later, I happened to glance in the mirror and notice something different about my face..it was pink!!

Sure enough, if you take 3 hour beach trip + SPF 30 + hoodie-shaded face + super fair Tiney = pink faced Tiney.

Only does this happen to me. I can't win.

Loving my ginger-ness,
Tiney

Birthday Month

I always look forward to February for so many reasons. It marks the midway point to my spring semester, it kicks off the festivities for the spring, and most importantly it's birthday month!! By some odd chance, my friends and fam all seem to have birthdays in February, so my weekends are booked with tons of festivities and fun. As of last night, this month's birthday celebrations are now complete, so I thought I would share them.


The first birthday to kickoff Birthday Month actually isn't in February, but it counts anyways because it's so close and she's my best friend. This year for Jessica's 23rd we went to Mavericks at the Landing to partake in line dancing, mechanical bull riding, and all the fun the western bar offered to us. We did the best we could at line dancing, it's not as easy at it looks! And of course the birthday girl got on that bull!!!!






The next week was all about Sister. The two of us spent Wednesday, her actual 24th birthday, together getting her hair done, drinking coffee, tanning, and at the end we zipped off the Mellow Mushroom for drinks with our favorite people.Then on Saturday, we jammed out to the songs of Journey by a local band at Freebird.




Next it was Jymez's turn. He celebrated is 22nd birthday on Valentine's Day at Lynch's at the beaches. No one seemed to mind the fact that the day was supposed to be a day of love, we drank anyways : )



My goddaughter Dani turned 5 this year, and she celebrated with a while Hello Kitty shindig. She takes after me I think :)




Shortly after Dani's party I rushed to get ready for the SunCruz Casino boat where Shaun chose to celebrate his birthday. 4 hours of slots, craps, roulette, and all kinds of gambling fun! Some of us lost our money, some of us made some money, some of us were seasick, but I think we all had a really good time in general.

FYI you want to know what happens when people start to get seasick and need a distraction??




They make ridiculous renditions of YMCA and then someone records it.


Loving her friends and her life,
The Tiney Weenie

Last Days Are For...

Today was my last shift at Express :( Totally sad I know. But when it comes down to it, its mid-semester and I need to focus on my schoolwork, I need to find an internship...and not to mention my feet are a little pissed off at me that I abuse them so.

So I finally did it. My manager today even offered to keep me on for monthly floorsets just so I could hold on to the discount. It was tempting, and for a moment I almost gave in, but I couldn't.

Last days always seem to be spent reflecting and remembering. What will I remember about working at Express? Lets see...

When someone refers to Stella, Mia, or Eva, I'll know exactly what they are talking about...
Sizing men's denim still boggles me. "32/30 or 30/32?? Wait...what?"
I know parts of mannequins people should NEVER know, and I can dress 'em like a champ.
I still can't calculate percentages in my head... "What's 20% off $29.99?" IDK whatever the register says.
I know all the words to "Take a Bow" by Rihanna due to the fact that it played at least once a week, every time I worked.
And to this day I still don't understand why that nasty customer urinated in our fitting rooms. Ewww.

All in all I'll miss that job and all the people there. We had some great times. Maybe I'll go back after all is said and done...just maybe.

Looking forward,
Tiney

Oh EXPRESS, How I've Missed You...

It's been about 3 weeks since I've had a full sales shift at my second job, Express. Sure, I've been their floor-set slave and spent countless hours overnight there, but the experience is WAY different.

Let me tell you.

Express used to be part of Limited Brands, Inc. Which, you may or may not know, owns Victoria Secret. Darn, I missed out on some awesome discounts. So anyways - now their not affiliated and got the grand idea to start their own lingerie line very similar to VS. Yay for panty sales! I just discovered this recently and thought it was, by far, one of the coolest things ever. Until we had to damage out two pairs that night because an associate found them in the dressing rooms with "white marks" on them. Excitement plummeting.

My shift had just barely started today when a lady, guestimating late 20's-early 30's wearing nice work attire, walks in the doors. Not really expressing an interest in any particular item, I let her wander and, to be honest, almost forgot she was there. Later, she approaches the cash wrap with 4 of our brand new t-shirt bras in all the fun colors.

"Aren't these just great?" I say "I'm so excited we sell these now."
"Yeah, they're really soft. And I haven't owned a bra since the 8th grade - I guess I should be an adult now and buy a few."

Ummm thanks for the TMI. I didn't know people were still doing the whole "burn your bra" kick.

Oh Express, how I've missed you so. What would I do without you. I now feel really bad for all VS associates. I used to envy you. You deserve a hug, really.

Giggling,
Tiney Weenie

Still Here

So the verdict is out on my foot - its not broken! Yay, no more post-operative boot!! However, I still have a slight bunion and some arthritis. The podiatrist said my joints were just "messy." Great. Let me take a moment to add them to my pre-existing conditions...chronic migraines, scoliosis, plantar fasciitis... I think I'm falling apart! I think I should let my body know that I'm only 21, it doesn't need to break down on me quite yet.

On the flip side of things, class is back in session and it's looking better than fall. My schedule is much less intense and that means I have more time to see my friends. A short lived joy it will be of course, because I was recently informed that I have to find my summer internship like NOW in order to find a good one. EEEEKKK talk about pressure. I'm suddenly super scared, and this job won't even be paying me! Oh well, Birthday Month is coming up in a matter of weeks and then shortly followed by Spring Break and I'm very much looking forward to that!. I better live it up before I become the busy-body I was last year. Ick.

I'll do my best, I promise.

Trying, as always
Tiney Weenie