Blogger 411 - About Me!

Just for fun today, I thought I'd do a survey to let everyone know a little more about me.

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed? I’ve been blogging in general since I was about 13, but I just started this blog in March 2011. I love when my blogs have themes, and I have a compulsive need to start a new blog every time I come up with a fun new theme. I started blogging to keep up with my friends and to let my family/friends who live far away know what I’m up to. This blog has expanded since I started it. It used to be just about books, than expanded to my life as a creative writing major, and now it includes travel writing and my grad school search.

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study? I’m currently a senior at Susquehanna University, and I’m a creative writing major. I transferred there last year from Penn State (University Park campus) because I wanted the small school atmosphere and a creative writing degree. The program is amazing, and I’m in love with it!

3. Where have you traveled? Every student at Susquehanna has to do some sort of cross-cultural experience, so I went to South Africa with 19 other people from school. We focused on travel writing, and we stayed in a village for a week, meeting people and immersing ourselves in their daily lives. We also went to Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve and got to pet elephants and cheetahs! (I’m currently travel blogging about the experience here, look for my South Africa tags to read what I’ve posted so far!) I’ve also been to Nashville (my favorite city), New York City, and Florida.

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy? I would put it all towards grad school right now: tuition for whatever program I’m accepted into and a nice apartment nearby.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves? When people constantly try to one-up you, when people throw the “I love you” around without really meaning it, and when people brag about not reading books (It makes you look stupid, not cool).

6. What is your favorite movie? Walk the Line. I love Johnny Cash, and Reese Witherspoon is one of my favorite actresses.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea? I’m not really an alcohol person (it needs to have enough other stuff in it so I barely taste the alcohol), so my favorite drink is either lemonade or coffee. I’m a huge fan of Dunkin Donuts caramel iced lattes and the strong lemonade they serve at carnivals and fairs (with the lemon still floating in it).

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time? Reading a book, writing something for fun (not for a writing class), watching TV with my family, or just spending time on the computer (on Pinterest or reading someone’s blog).

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be? I want to say Target because it has everything and I could buy food, clothes, makeup, books and music there. But I know I would wind up spending all the money in a bookstore, so I have to say Books-A-Million or Barnes and Noble.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present. I don’t get embarrassed as much as I feel awkward. And I feel awkward in certain social situations where I don’t know people or what’s going to happen (I’m about 75% control freak), like parties where I don’t know anybody, orientation activities, times like that. I haven’t had many of those people-pointing-and-laughing, face-turning-red moments, thank goodness.

11. What day would you love to relive? This is hard. I have a lot of specific moments I’d love to experience again, like my favorite professor telling me I remind him of himself, the day the last Harry Potter book came out, petting the elephant in South Africa. But if I had to pick a specific day, it would be spring of my junior year of high school, the closing performance of Grease. I was so close to my fellow cast members, and it’s my favorite show that I’ve been in. I would love to do it one more time.

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you? Kirsten Dunst. Because apparently we look alike (I can’t see it, though).

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years? I’ve worked part time in the facilities department of Bentley Systems, a software company, since I was 16. I did a three week stint at a Penn State clothing store during my sophomore year (retail and I do not mix), and now I work in admissions at Susquehanna. I’m a backroom worker ( prospective student application data entry, mailings, and other administrative stuff) and a tour guide.

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

I'm a sister of Zeta Tau Alpha, and these lovely ladies are in my pledge class. <3

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go? I’m obsessed with Greece right now. I want to see if it’s as pretty in person as it is in pictures. I want to live with an old couple (and a goat) on top of a mountain, and after dinner every night we’ll dance and smash plates.

16. Show us the most current picture of you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

This is me, pretty much how I look now. I bought the dress in Africa.

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now? I’ll be 26, so hopefully I’ll be out of school with a job I love, writing every day and publishing something (a book, a story in a literary magazine, anything), traveling (possibly travel writing). No idea where I’ll be living, I can’t even guess. I just hope it’s someplace I love.