GISHWHES - Wrap Up

Sunday, GISHWHES wrapped up. As a first-time participant in GISHWHEs, I really wasn't sure what to expect. I knew that there would be a list of a number of very strange items that I would be working with fourteen other people across the globe to collect. I knew that it would push me out of my comfort zone to work on these items with people I had never met before.
 
What I wasn't expecting was the amazing sense of community that arose in only a week. A part of me knew (vaguely) about GISHWHES from last year and how people came together in order to complete certain tasks. I knew that if my team wanted any shot of winning, we would have to really come together and work together. I wasn't expecting other people within GISHWHES to be so amazing and supportive as well. I wasn't expecting so many people that had no idea what GISHWHES was to be willing to help.
 
And, in the midst of so many terrible things happening every day, it is amazing to see something like this happen. When there are kids out htere killing innocent people because, quite simply, they're bored, it is amazing to know that an entirely different group of people can come together to break the Guinness World Record for the largest online photo album of people hugging. Reading the news can really make you think the world is an awful place and that people are really just terrible. But then something like GISHWHES happens and CEO's of different companies are willing to make people smile by dancing to Single Ladies and random people across the internet are helping me raise over $400 in diapers in a matter of THREE days for the Genesis Women's Shelter and thousands of people spent time with a random stranger trying to cheer them up during dialysis treatment and people are going with friends to donate blood.
 
I know that the good does not cancel out the bad, but sometimes that isn't what we need. We need to just simply know that there is good in the world. That people are good.
 
And I think that is what GISHWHES is all about.
 
Well, that and taking pictures dressed as stormtroopers.

GISHWHES 2013 - The Beginning

This year I've decided to be a part of GISHWHES (the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt Ever Seen). And, last week, I was assigned to be a part of the Team Barracudas.

And I must say, I'm really looking forward to all of the fun.

The list was only released yesterday and I've only gotten a couple of the 155 items done, but its already been a blast. I think half of the fun I had today was going out and buying a ton of random items at Target today to get ready for the tasks ahead. Tonight I've been able to complete two tasks and prepare for a couple, but I think this will be something I participate in year after year.

It has also been great to get to know the fourteen other people on Team Barracudas. I was honestly a bit worried about trying to work with a bunch of random people from all over the world, but it was all for naught. All of these people have been amazing! It is great to see how so many different people can get together to get so many amazing (albeit strange) things done together. Also, if you see me asking for strange or unusual things through the end of the week, keep in mind it is all for a great cause (so you should totally help out)!!

Since part of the commandments of GISHWHES is that we are not allowed to publicly post our tasks until the competition is over, I (obviously) won't be posting them as I complete them. But, I think that a few of the tasks that I'll be doing will deserve a blog post all of their own...

Meet Sheba!

Austin and I have been volunteering with Paws in the City a lot lately. For those that don't know much about PITC, they're an organization that works with kill-shelters to save dogs that are getting ready to be euthanized. They've only been around for 7 years, but they've been able to do a lot of work. Unlike a lot of pet rescue organizations, they don't have a "home" shelter. They work with boarding facilities in the DFW area until one of the volunteers lets them know they have room for a dog in their life. PITC relies heavily on fosters because the longer a pet is in a boarding facility, the more likely they are to pick up bad habits and become less adoptable. Not to mention funds going to boarding facilities could easily be going to pay for vet bills and saving more animals. When a pet is out of the boarding facility, they (generally) open up due to not being surrounded by other animals and getting more individual love and attention. Basically, fostering is much better for the pet.

One of the first things I wanted to do after buying a house was to start fostering a dog. Sunday, I got my first foster pup, Sheba. Sheba is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever known, even if she is a pit-mix. Spending time with her the past few days has really opened up my eyes as to how mis-labeled pits are. I'll be honest and say that I really didn't want to get a pit to foster due to their reputation, but this girl really knows how to change your mind. In the three days we've had her, she's not once so much as barked, let alone shown any aggression (something I was very worried about since we do already have two cats). Knowing the 9 times out of 10 a pit and a cat wont mix, I've expected a little bit of aggression, even from this docile dog. I think she just might be that 1 in 10 dog that doesn't mind cats, though.

The kitties really aren't pleased with having a new member of the family, even if it is temporary. But cats don't like change at all so I'm taking it with a grain of salt. They've been staying in the master bedroom when we have Sheba out, so in the evenings until she goes to her crate to sleep around 10:00. Next week we're going to try leaving them out in the evenings when we have Sheba out, so that's when I'm thinking the real work with her is going to come. Until then, Austin and I are just going to have such a sweet, docile animal.

I feel fairly certain that if she isn't adopted by someone soon, Austin may want to keep her. I never would have thought I would say this, but I love this little pit and I wouldn't mind if she did become a permanent member of the family.

Final Photography Assignments #8, #9, #10

This is my last photography assignment for this short semester. I decided to take all of these pictures at the Paws in the City room at the Canine Country Club. The focus of this assignment was "Decisive Moment," "People in their Environment," and ""How Unusual" (looking at things from an unusual perspective). I'm really not very comfortable taking posed shots of people and most of those came out too forced for my liking. So, I went with cats, who really don't care if you're there to take their picture as long as you give them attention. 

 

A few weeks of madness

In 17 days, I'll be a homeowner! After the past six months of looking for a house and dealing with bank and title people, I can't believe it's almost here!

This past weekend, on top of spending as much time as possible as I could with my mother in law who's been dealing with some pretty major health concerns, Austin and I started to pack up our apartment. Being a military brat and moving constantly, I've become quite the professional when it comes to moving. I've got labels and spreadsheets and more labels. I've got a system that I've been using for years in order to pack. Austin thinks its a bit insane to see the way I got about packing, but it really works for me (and it makes unpacking incredibly easy).

I usually just see packing as a pain, but, knowing that this is that last time I'll be moving for quite some time makes this experience bearable. Am I the only one like that? Just knowing that you're not going to have to put your entire life into boxes and move somewhere new for many, many years (if ever) is a great feeling. I keep thinking "The next time I unpack this, it'll be in my new house!" It will be unpacked into my house. A place that has my name on it, not an apartment's name. All of these things will be going into a place that will be my own. I can put these boxes into rooms and paint these rooms! I can change the flooring if I want! I can get the appliances in my kitchen that I want, not worry about making due with what an apartment has to offer. I can change the lighting if I wanted to! I'll have a yard! A real yard!

With a yard, I'll finally be able to do something that I've wanted for many, many years. I'll be able to foster a dog and eventually have one of my own! I'm really excited to start working with Paws in the City to foster dogs and find a pup that fits into my home. I've wanted to have a dog ever since I got out of my parents' house but I can't bring myself to get a dog when it would be stuck in an apartment all day. Finally being able to have a house and a yard for a dog is wonderful! And, since I have had my cats for years, I would want to foster a dog or two to make sure that the dog not only fit with me, but also with them. And, even if I can't find the dog that I want for many months, I'll still be able to give love and attention to a dog just by fostering them. The past few weeks I've been working with a few people with Paws in the City to get all of my paperwork ready so when we get moved in all they need to do is tour the home and then find a dog for us to foster.

The next few weeks are going to be insanely busy, so I might not be able to post too much (other than photography assignments here and there). I'll be helping with the office move next weekend, moving into a house (yay!!) the week after, finishing up my last two weeks in British Lit and my Photography course, and getting into the fourth quarter projects here at work. I've been told fourth quarter is when shit hits the fan... I'm hoping I'm ready for it!

August Recap

I am quite happy to report that the move over last weekend went off without a hitch. I do know one thing, I will never be moving in the middle of August in Texas ever again.

Other than the fact that Dallas had a high of 107 last Saturday, things went perfectly. We were able to have everything loaded into the moving truck by noon and into our new apartment by 2:00. I spent most of the evening and half of Sunday unpacking everything and getting all of our pictures and paintings hung up and it looks great! One of the great things about being super organized and meticulous when it comes to packing is the fact that it makes unpacking much easier. The most difficult part of this entire move was trying to decide which paintings I wanted to hang where. People all seemed shocked that I had everything unpacked by noon on Sunday, I'm really not sure why. When you're organized when you pack things up, you have a much easier time unpacking things and you can get it done in half the time.

Ballet back up this week, something I am very happy to have back in my life. Both Mel and I have been waiting through this last month for it to start. I was able to get her into it over the summer and she loves it! It's great to have someone else to enjoy the class with me. Since we are both planning on taking the exam at the end of the year, we're going to be taking more classes and required to practice a lot more out of class and do homework. Yes, homework. For ballet. Cecchetti is a style of ballet that not only focuses on the ballet, but the theory of the movement. In order to pass your exams, you have to take a written test proving you understand these theories. Anyways, class started back up and I can definitely tell that I have not been practicing as much as I should have, so I have a lot of work to do just to get back to the point I was a month ago. Mlle Angela is also going to be working us harder than ever to make sure we're absolutely perfect, so the next few weeks are going to be a beating trying to recondition myself.

I have found an animal shelter to work at that is fairly close to our new home. Sadly, due to school and ballet, I won't really be able to volunteer as much as I thought I could. At least I can go on Saturdays and help out for a few hours. It might not be much, but at least it is something. So, part of my Saturdays will be spent assisting as needed with all of the dogs and cats they have! I've also been really wanting to get a puppy but I know I don't really have the time and I don't need another pet in our apartment, so this will be a way for me to at least feel like I have a dog. I love to work at these shelters and give these animals the love and attention they deserve, even if it is only for a few hours every week.

And last, but definitely not least, there's school. Since I have been out of school for several years, all of my previous ACT and SAT scores weren't eligible for anything and I did have to take a placement exam. What a drag. It also meant that all of the college credits I had earned through my AP exams weren't eligible to be used. I guess that's what happens when you're out of school for more than three years. C'est la vie. I was able to take my exam which was probably the most boring test I have ever had to take and register for classes. I will be starting them very soon and I really can't wait! Even though it meant all of my previous testing and whatnot doesn't matter, I do think I made the right choice in waiting to go to college. If I had gone straight into college out of high school, I know I would not have been this excited for it. I also know that I would have felt obligated to go and I would not get nearly as much out of the entire experience.

All in all, I think this has been a very exciting and busy month! Now let's just hope I'm not biting off more than I can chew with all of these things and work (which has also become crazier than usual).

August is going to be a busy month!

Well, as July is coming to a close, I've realised how busy August is going to be! And really the next several months until I have a new schedule and I've reorganized my life properly. Not only will Austin and I be moving into a new apartment mid-August, but I'm also going to start registering for some classes!

Now, the moving aspect should be easy enough to handle (especially since we're not dumb enough to try and move ourselves in the middle of Texas summers), it's just the hassle of getting everything pack and unpacked. You have to make sure all of your mail is forwarded, all of your utilities ready to go on move in day, insurance, all of that fun stuff. I am looking forward to being able to decorate our new place in a completely different way. I also have to try and decide where I want all of our pictures and paintings hung, but that's the part of moving I really enjoy. And since I've moved many, many times over the course of my life, I'm kind of a pro at packing and moving and unpacking. The sad part is we're no longer in Dallas proper, we're in one of the suburbs of Dallas. It's really not a big deal, but I am doing to be a little sad that I am no longer actually living in the city. But c'est le vie.

I'm also really looking forward to registering for some college classes. The past year, I've been trying to decide if I really wanted to go back to school. And if I did, what did I want to study? What was my ultimate goal? Well, I've decided that I'm going to go back and work towards getting my MBA and hopefully be able to further my career with the new knowledge that I am sure to gain. I am also going to be taking a few art classes since I feel like my work has become slightly stagnant in the past year and I would like to actually work on bettering it. So, in August I'll be meeting with advisors and working out the classes that will best suit my schedule. As much as I value education and continuing to learn, I will not be one of the students that feels the need to give up their career. I'm great at multitasking and I love to be busy, so I know I wont have any problem being a part time student and working 90+ hours a week along with my other obligations.

I also realised that it has been several months since I last volunteered at the shelter I like to work at. With the chaos of the wedding, I let it slip to the back of my mind and have neglected to actually do any work there. Since this is a fabulous organisation and I loved working there a couple nights a week, the fact that I let it slip out of my life so easily was a little sad. So, I've decided to remedy the situation and I'll be starting to volunteer at the ELPO at least twice a week. I know that it is a little out of my way now that I don't live close by, but until we move I'll be back to working here. I'll also start the search for a new shelter to work at that's a little closer to our new home, but I'll stay at ELPO until I can find a new place to work at.

Last but not least, I've decided that in December, I'll be taking the Cecchetti Ballet Exam in January. I've been in ballet for only a year and I absolutely love it. For those that are unaware, Cecchetti is a style of ballet. There are many styles of ballet, this is just the one I chose to learn to study. There's not one style that's "better" than another, but I prefer Cecchetti and it's structured lessons and it's theories of movement. Anyways, there are many exams that a person can take, and each one will lead you into the next level and you become an even more experienced and educated ballerina after every exam. Now, the Exams aren't easy, but I'm excited to be able to work more on perfecting my form and becoming closer to the perfect ballerina.

So, with the changes in my schedule and the chaos that I'm sure will ensue from my controlled life changing so drastically, I'm not certain if I'll be able to post with the same regularity. I'm sure you are all just devastated about that fact....At least this will give me a lot more material to write about in the future!

I'm thinking about becoming a donor...

For several years I've been interested in becoming an egg donor. I don't have any desire to have children in the next five years (at the very least) and I know that there are thousands of women out there that would be more than thrilled to be able to have a child but due to varying reasons are unable to do so. That is my main reason for wanting to become an egg donor.

There are a lot of people out there that wouldn't want to have "part of them" out there, but I don't really view like that. I think that this is one of the greatest gifts that I could give to someone. I know that every woman is born with thousands of eggs and no woman will ever use all of these eggs. And there are many, many women that are unable to have children of their own. I would like to have the opportunity to help out if I can. There are also a lot of same-sex couples that are unable to have their own children and I'm hoping that this will be a way I might be able to help them create a family of their own. Since I'm one of those crazy people that actually likes to volunteer and donate to charities, this seems like something I would really feel great about being able to do. I love being able to help out others in any way I can, and being able to give someone the gift of a family is one of the greatest things a person can do.

I've been doing some research into different centers in the Dallas area and I found one that seems like it would be a great fit. It would be a six month commitment if I am accepted. I would have a lot of doctor's appointments to go to and I would have to administer a shot once a day (for a week, if I remember properly). I'm really not into doctor's appointment or shots, but for something this important I think I can suck it up and deal with it. The application was extremely long, but I was able to fill it out today and get it submitted. I should hear back in 7-10 days to know whether or not I've been accepted and I will move onto the next step.

All of you out there in the interwebz, keep your fingers crossed that I get accepted!

Why do I have to believe?

I'm a good person. Really, I am. Some people may tell you otherwise, but they're dirty rotten liars.

But, apparently, I am going to hell.

At least, that's what some want you to believe. Personally, I think that, one of these days, I'm going to a burn for a couple minutes and then get put into an urn or sprinkled around some place I found significant, but there are those among us who will tell you that I'm going to a place significantly deeper, hotter and eviler than that.

And why?

It's not because I don't care about others. I spend a lot of days in a volunteer service group, I hold doors open for people, I've even been willing to give money to the guy on the side of the road before!

It's not because I'm mean. Quite often I will make jokes at the expense of others, but no one I ever mock (that I know of) has ever really believed that I mean anything but light-hearted humor from it, and everyone knows that I will help them if there is any way I can. If I realize I offend someone with something I say in jest, I am more than willing to go apologize for whatever I may have said.

No, best I can tell, the (supposed) reason that I will be traveling (way) down to visit ol' Mephistopheles is simple: I'm an atheist.

I don't see why this is such a big deal.

I had this conversation with one of my former friends, as we were both recent graduates and I had just moved to Dallas to live with my fiance (and live in sin, I might add). She and I are both good people. We help when we can, we try not to offend, you know the routine. No, the primary difference between us is that, while I am an atheist, she is a particularly devout Baptist Christian.

I just don't see why she needs to be. Not that she can't be devout, but why be so... Over the top about it?

She says that her faith and devotion help her "do good works," but I know, without a doubt, that that isn't true. Take God away completely, and Sydney would still be out volunteering all the time, helping whoever she can. That's who she is, and the presence of God doesn't change that for her; it just makes her have a so-called reason for doing "good."

Not that I accept this reason, really. In fact, and this sounds terribly conceited and possibly even offensive to some. I occasionally feel like my good deeds are, in some ways, even more altruistic than those performed by the more Christian.

Bear with me on this. Let me explain.

There are Christians out there whose good works are derived only from their desire to get into heaven - though, admittedly, Sydney and many, many others do not fall into this category. There is an ulterior motive to their deeds. Even if not to get into heaven, they want their god to reward them. On the other hand, I feel that, when I do something good, there is only the benefit there. I know for a fact that I'm not doing good for someone else in return for an afterlife of wings and harps. I do it so I can help. Yes, I am in a moment of "look at me", but this has really been bothering me. Especially with Sydney trying to reconnect with me lately, trying to convert me to Christianity, this type of thing has been bothering me even more.

Listen, I don't think poorly of religious people. Sydney and her boyfriend are two of the sweetest people in the world, and they are both extremely religious. I just don't get it.

I don't even want to believe in a God that will send me to hell because, despite the good that I do, I simply did not see enough evidence to convince me that he (or she, or it) was actually there. You want me to believe in you? Give me a reason. I understand that flies in the face of "faith," but I fail to understand why we should take some unseen being's word on that one simple fact when we as a species require proof and explanation for nearly everything else in life (or death). Wouldn't this god be more pleased with the fact that I chose to use the reasoning skills he gave me to question his existence? Is it not a good thing that I have chosen to become a good person not because I fear something or I want something, but because I actually want to be a good person?

I don't understand prayer. The Lord works in mysterious ways, sure, I've heard that. But I don't get why prayer needs to come into play there. Let's say I don't pray at all, and I end up in the hospital with some mysterious malady. I'm dying, and the doctors can't figure it out. Suddenly, I decide that the one thing I haven't done is pray for help, or salvation, or whatever I'm supposed to pray for. Is God supposed to hear my prayer and think, "Oh, Audrey doesn't want this thing to kill her. I never would have known if she hadn't prayed"? I mean, if he's going to save me, he's going to save me, prayer or not. If I get to go to heaven, I should get to go to heaven, prayer or not. If it takes a quick "amen" to change that, then God's a bit too wishy-washy for my tastes, anyway. If he's there, he knows his plan. If I need to pray to him to let him know I need something or I'm in trouble it doesn't seem to me like he really is omnipotent.

Like I said, most religious people don't bother me. I just get very tired of the ones who feel the need to "save" me because, despite the good that I do, I have the "flaw" of being an atheist. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I don't think it should be anyone's mission to show me the supposed error of my ways.

If God wants me that badly, he'll show me the error himself.