Marching band isn't a sport...but what about drum corps?

This is amazing to see...explains why David is so freaking in shape at the end of the summer!

No Diggity/Thrift Shop

I LOVE this! Both their voices together is just so wonderful...and sexy... ;D

ALL of the equal signs! ALL of the equality!

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grendel

THERE IS A THEORY (a rather good one) THAT DR. SEUSS' CHARACTER THE GRINCH IS INSPIRED BY GRENDEL FROM BEOWULF. Mind blown in a totally awesome I LOVE LITERATURE AND MAKING CONNECTIONS way!!!

I was helping Paul (yo Paul, this is like the second shout out to you in a week...WOT WOT!) with coming up with texts/movies/art inspired by Beowulf and I found this site that lists a bunch of modern adaptations. One of the children's books listed was How the Grinch Stole Christmas and I was like WHAT??? So I did some research (aka google) and found that there is in fact a whole SLEW of connections between them!

• Direct quote from Beowulf: "...there lived a monster in a cave. He was a hideous beast with green fur and yellow teeth. The townspeople feared him and would never approach his cave, he in turn would never venture out to the town for he knew he was not wanted and didn't like the people much anyhow. There was one particular day of the year that he couldn't stand, and on this day he vowed to ruin the townsfolk's fun, for if he could not have any, why should they." (http://johnmanders.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/youre-a-mean-one-mr-grendel/)
• Both stories focus on a small community that is terrorized by a monster who lives in the surrounding wilderness. (http://vocamus.net/jlh/2010/12/13/grendel-and-the-grinch/)
• Neither Grendel or the Grinch attacked their villages because of greed, revenge, instinct, or hunger...both were motivated only by anger at the sounds of happiness they heard coming from the communities. Grendel can't stand the revelry in Heorot and the Grinch can't tolerate singing in Whoville.
• Both monsters are miserable and wreak their havoc on society in the middle of night.

I bet your mind is exploding with happiness and amazement right now, just like mine.

I love literature. Especially classic literature. And connecting it to other literature. It is so genius.

Facebook Status

Just finished unpacking all my luggage from Spring Break...went on Facebook and I saw this:

My dad's status: Enjoyed a string quartet by Haydn on the radio as I drove to work this morning. Then stopped by Starbucks to support a company that supports equality.

Then there was the comments section...

Martha: sounds like a good morning.
Anthony: I rather believe in the Bible.
Dad: Anthony, that hasn't changed one bit! But my understanding of it has.
Anthony: My friend, what do you mean by that?
Dad: Simply put, I no longer align with Pentecostal or conservative viewpoints of scripture but have moved more towards an Anabaptist theology.
Anthony: I no longer align with Pentecostal viewpoints either, but yes, conservative. What authoritative source do you go by?
Anthony: I mean, I go by what's Biblical. If something isn't I can't stand for it.

What an asshole. Having your own believes/morals...yes, that I can understand. But making snide, sarcastic comments? Ridiculous. And yeah, I'm probably being just as rude calling him names but it makes me so angry. Get off your high horse. Being overly judgmental of others does not make you the better person.

"Same Love"

Awesome song/video my friend Paul showed me.

Question #4

4. What gets you excited about life?

LOTS OF STUFF. I think I'm a very excitable person, haha.

• Editing research papers/essays
• Reading a fantastic book
• Spending quality bonding time with my mommy
• Crazy dinner conversations with my family
• Anything that involves my boyfriend
• Game nights
• Planning out tattoos I want
• Going to the gym and exercising until I look like a hot mess...minus the hot part
• Wearing jeans that make my butt look good
• Finding out a restaurant has wonderful gluten-free/lactose-free options 
• Chilling with my close group of friends at college
• Broadway shows
• Listening to music
• Watching DCI
• Marching with the Reading Buccaneers
• Laughing
• Thrift store shopping!
• Hot n' heavy time with my man ;D
• The Walking Dead
• Wearing mismatched socks
• Wearing an outfit I love
• Thinking about marrying David
• A solid snow storm
• Visiting best friends I haven't seen in a long time
• New York City
• Getting all dressed up for a concert, date, or special night out

There's plenty more, but these were all the ones that first popped into my head. :)

Wisdom Teeth!

Chubby chubby chipmunk!

I successfully got my wisdom teeth out! The whole process (from my side of things) was really simple and quick...but then again I don't really remember much. :P

Once I was situated in the big comfy chair, they hooked me up to all sorts of gadgets to keep track of my heart beat, breathing, blood pressure, and oxygen intake. I had to get an IV and when they saw my left arm (I got blood taken yesterday) they were like, "They BUTCHERED you!" and I confessed that no, they did a wonderful job...I just bruise a ridiculous amount.

After that, I got this oxygen mask thing which quickly stopped giving me oxygen and instead switched to laughing gas. And I was OUT in like two seconds. I remember the surgeon telling me the gas was starting and they were gonna put something in my mouth for me to bite down on before I fell asleep. WELL. I think I fell asleep before they were able to do that cause I don't remember it AT ALL.

When I woke up I felt WEIRD.

I remember trying to go back to sleep and the nurse telling me to stay away...struggling walking to the recovery room...seeing my mom...walking to the car...and then waking up at home. BUT, according to my mom a BUNCH of stuff happened in between!

Apparently, I almost started crying because I thought the surgeon was mad at me that I fell asleep so quickly. And then I had a laughing attack which caused all the machines I was hooked up to go berserk. And in the car I tripped out on my socks...saying they were the best socks EVER and pretty much crying because I love them so much. I told my mom I thought this sun artwork hanging outside someone's home looked angry and I chided them for having an angry sun. I drummed on my numbed cheeks in rhythm with a song on the radio. I geeked out about my socks again. And THEN I fell asleep. I only remember the waking up part...but that's okay, because mom had so much fun retelling me all the crazy stories.

Recovery has gone really well for me so far. I've been icing my cheeks throughout the day and I have no swelling whatsoever. I'm not even in pain! There's a slight discomfort, but no pain, which is wonderful. I've been eating pudding and white chicken chili soup and protein shakes all day...yum! Can't eat any solid food yet...tried a banana and was NOT successful. But that's okay. Baby steps. :)

Good for you if you get this reference. :)

Great photo and reminder that the number doesn't always matter.

I love tattoos

When done artfully, I really think they're something special. I've been on Pinterest for like half an hour just looking at pictures of different tattoos, and getting so inspired!

I've known for a couple months now that I really want a tattoo of an equal sign on my right ring finger to represent equal rights for gay people. I got the idea from Miley Cyrus, she has the same tattoo and when I saw it the first time I knew I needed to get it. Gay rights is really important to me because my dad is gay. The tattoo would represent my support and show how proud I am of who my dad is.

I also want a Margaret Atwood tattoo sometime in the future. She is my absolute favorite author and so getting a tattoo done of some quote (dunno what I want yet) from her would be perfect. And it's even more perfect cause I'm obsessed with books in general and I want to be an English teacher. :)

Recently I've been thinking about getting a tattoo for my mom too. My mom and I are SUPER close. Like she knows more about my life than some of my best girl friends. I love her and she loves me and life is wonderful when we're together. :) Thinking through ideas, I remembered how she always used to sing "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..." to me when I was little. And now I can't get it out of my head how perfect of a tattoo that would be! I might even suggest her and I get matching tattoos (cause she's cool with the whole tattoo thing, she wants one herself)...like maybe she gets "You are my sunshine..." and I'd get "...my only sunshine." Something like that. :)

Ooh! I'm also really into white-ink tattoos. I think they look SO AWESOME. So maybe something done with white-ink...

Yeah. I'm definitely obsessed. And I don't even have one yet!

GLUTEN SPLURGE!!!

Went to the doctor's today (migraines are back with a vengeance) and I have to get blood work done tomorrow to test for celiac disease. But in order for them to observe how my blood responds to gluten, gluten has to be in my system...and my wonderful mommy told me I could have WHATEVER I WANTED.

WE WENT TO OLIVE GARDEN. I ATE ALL THE BREADSTICKS. ALL THE PASTA. ALL THE SAUCES.

It was a beautiful thing.

But the real reason I'm writing this post is not to share my excitement. It's so I can remember it was all worth it after the headache and stomachache sets in...

My version

Cute quote:



Now here's my version:

Dear David,
Our love is the kind that I don't even have to think about. Loving every aspect of your quirky, talented, intellectual, adorable self comes naturally. Our love is the kind that is quiet on the outside (we both passionately hate PDA)...but SUPER loud on the inside (we both passionately love each other). Our love can't be likened to any metaphor or simile...it's too complex and awesome for that. We sometimes have to be apart for long periods of time, but that's okay because when we do come back together, everything is just like it was before. You complete me and I love you.
-Rachel

My man is off to Italy!

David just left my house after a fun night of Killer Bunnies and the Walking Dead (violent night...haha) and tomorrow morning he leaves for Italy! He's part of the jazz band at Kutztown and they are PHENOMENAL. So phenomenal in fact that they're touring Italy this week and playing three shows!

I'm kinda sad I don't get to spend Spring Break with him, but seeing that I get my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday this probably wouldn't be such a fun week for us. :P

But while I'm suffering through my chipmunk cheeks, he'll be off eating ALL the wonderful food and having a blast...I'm excited for him. :)

ENGLISH TEACHER TOMS

Aha!

It makes sense now! I've known for awhile that even though I'm lactose intolerant, I can eat yogurt and cheddar cheese. And telling people that, they always ask why...and I always tell them I have no clue. WELL I HAVE A CLUE NOW!

Yogurt has intestine-friendly bacteria like Lactobacillus. Some of the lactose is digested by the bacteria's enzymes, leaving less lactose to be digested by the stomach.

 For cheese, the older it is the less lactose it has. It has the same bacteria as yogurt (Lactobacillus), which turns the lactose into lactic acid, which is easily digested by humans (even us who are lactose intolerant!). So the longer a cheese ages, the more of its lactose is consumed by the bacteria. Processed cheese has the most lactose, but sharp cheddar is considered an aged cheese...which is why I can eat it!

Basically, yogurt and cheddar cheese have low amounts of lactose so they're easier for me to digest. Cool to find out the science behind the exceptions. :)

Amen to that!!! This morning I went to the gym at 7:30 like I usually do, but since Paul and I skipped gym time yesterday (it was pouring rain outside...we did a legit muscle workout in our room instead) I decided that in addition to doing my 30 minutes of weights, I would also do my 30 minutes of cardio. WOO BABY I AM SORE! But it's that wonderful sore where you feel accomplished and every time something hurts it kinda puts a smile on your face...kinda. ;D

Question #3

3. What's the most sensible thing you've ever heard someone say?

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

I heard this really recently actually, when I was watching "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (WHICH IS A WONDERFUL MOVIE AND EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH IT). I absolutely love it, because it is so utterly true. When I see people in terrible relationships, I have such a hard time wrapping my head around why they would stay with someone who makes them so unhappy or doesn't treat them right. Essentially it comes back to the individual...they don't think they're good enough to demand more out of a partner.

And it doesn't even have to be about romantic love. It applies to self-love too. If I have some sort of flaw and convince myself that flaw means I'm less of a person, I won't be able to fully love myself and who I am.

Great quote.

Question #2

2. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to?

EVERYONE. Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration...but there's truth in it. I am a girl and I have been manipulated by the world to feel the need to compare myself to every other girl on this planet. Whether it's someone with better skin than me, skinnier than me, better outfit...or the other way around where I boost my ego by being happy I'm thinner than someone else or that my hair looks better than theirs. It's sick. It's twisted. It's messed up. I know I shouldn't do it, but it's instinct.

Beauty and the Beat

I recently discovered this song/video and I hereby declare that it is genius and wonderful. Every time I listen to it I pick up on something new. It's pretty sweet. :)

Tee hee

ALL the happy feels!

For Reading Buccaneers, we practice at a high school (Twin Valley) and today they were hosting an indoor percussion show. Because of the convenience of us already being there for rehearsal they asked us to do a little preview of our show and some of our warm-up chorales. And guess what? MY HIGH SCHOOL'S INDOOR PERCUSSION WAS THERE!

I came in all serious...walking in line with the hornline. And then I heard people screaming my name and I saw them in the stands all waving and jumping up and down. It was an AMAZING feeling...having so many people so psyched to see you. I think we were supposed to be serious, but I was grinning from ear to ear. :)

We set up the horn arc, and the first thing Paul (our brass caption-head) said to the audience was that all the kids got to come down to the gym floor and sit in the arc. So of course all the kids from my high school sit like TWO FEET AWAY FROM ME. I seriously had a clump of people around me...not gonna complain though! I was feeling the love. :) Then we started playing and I glance down at one point and noticed some of them were filming me...haha! They're so cute. :)

Then the band parents started screaming my name when they noticed me (AND MY RED SHOES!) in the hornline...haha. The whole thing just made me feel amazing. Knowing they all care so much and are excited to see me in Bucs. And I know this post is me kinda tootin' my own horn, but I have ALL the happy feels right now and I wanna remember this. :)

365 Thought-Provoking Questions

I stumbled upon this site titled "365 Though-Provoking Questions." Skimming through the questions, I really like a lot of them so I figured I'd try to make it a regular thing to answer a couple of them a week on my blog. I doubt I'll keep up with doing one every day, but that's okay. My blog, my rules. :) Oh and I promised myself I'd answer them in order so I can't skip around and avoid ones I don't wanna answer...so here we go! Question 1!

1. When was the last time you tried something new?

Two days ago at the Upper Deck (our main dining hall on campus) I tried lemon-baked cod for the first time. I'm not a huge seafood person, but with my new gluten-free/lactose-free diet I'm trying to be more open to healthy options...and fish is definitely wonderful for you. So I tried it, and I actually really liked it, which surprised me.

Let's see...what else is new in my life (cause that wasn't an overly exciting answer)...I have a new work-out routine I'm trying! Going to the gym 4/5 times a week instead of 3 times and I started doing weight training. I'm also trying this new thing called interval training for my cardio. Instead of just running straight for fifteen minutes or whatever, I walk a quarter mile, sprint my butt off for a quarter mile, then walk a quarter mile, then sprint my butt off for a quarter mile...and so on. It is EXHAUSTING but wonderful at the same time. It's really good for you too because you burn more calories that way and it helps you keep burning calories even after you're done working out. So I am thoroughly enjoying that newness in my life. :)

OOH! OOH! I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING ELSE! I wore COLORED jeans for the first time yesterday! I got them at Old Navy for $8 (WOOT WOOT) and I absolutely love them. They made me so happy. :)

Ta da! My roommate says they're the color of an awkward crayon...the one where you think it'll be orange but then it's slightly red, haha!