Did I mention

I think I forgot to mention that I was able to get my top secret missions covered over the holidays which in turn enabled me to go home.

I still had to work on Christmas Eve, but was able to leave by 3 in the afternoon.

It's roughly an eight hour drive, so I mentally prepared myself for the horrific amount of boredom I was about to endure.

When I set out on my lonely road trip the sun was really bright. Deadly bright.

The first 100 miles were the worst and most dangerous part of my trip. The lines that divide the lanes were barely visible, and the sun was LITERALLY blinding at times. At one point I could not see anything in front of me for about ten seconds. Meanwhile cars were flying past me, and I didn't understand why they weren't having the same problem. During that ten seconds my legs became numb with fear, and I'm pretty sure any car that may have been behind me was furious with my driving, because I was probably only going about 30 miles per hour.

Finally, I pulled over for a bathroom break. It had already been 2 hours and I just wanted the sun to go down.

After that first 100 miles/ 2 hours, the next two hours seemed easy. I could see the road, the speed limit was 70 miles an hour, and I didn't have to pee.

About five and a half hours in I pulled over to get something to eat at Taco Bell. I was pretty tired and still had about three hours to go.

Then something weird happened. I ordered my food and was given the number 311. I sat down to wait when I realized that 311 was the band that was currently playing on the radio. If that's not weird I don't know what is.

After I ate I got some gas and got back on the road. Even though I had been driving for 5 and a half hours, I still had about 3 hours to go. Why? Because I drive the speed limit I guess.

I thought that at this point I would want to kill myself . . . mostly because the last time I made the drive I was extrememly over it after four hours.

But I guess I got a second wind because it was the most fun I've ever had driving alone.

Do you want to know my secret?

Step 1 : The process all starts 6 months beforehand when you stop listening to any cd's you have in your car. If you normally just hook up your ipod to your cd player stop listening to that. Listen to the radio or don't listen to anything . . . for at least 6 months. This is key.

Step 2: Start your long voyage out with a few Red Bulls. Two to three should do it.

Step 3: At some point purchase a water bottle and drink all of it. Do not throw out the water bottle!

Step 4: Put in a cd without looking at what it is, if you take the time to think about what you want to listen to it won't work.

Step 5: Use the empty water bottle as if it were a microphone and sing at the top of your lungs.

Step 6: When the first CD is over put in another one without looking and put the one you already listened to aside so you don't listen to it again. Continue to change the CD's as soon as they are over. By the time you're almost home, you'll be hoping you have time for one more song. Trust me.

This is sort of what it will look like:



Bonus points if you can guess which song I'm singing in this photograph.

My First Snowman

The other day my friend and I built a snowman. It was the first time I had ever made one and it came out . . . well . . . AMAZING.

I haven't really mastered the concept of "start with a ball and then roll it", so that's where my friend came in, but I made the base, and helped even everything out.



I haven't named him yet, although I'm thinking "One Eye" suits him, because since this picture was taken 2 of his buttons, his nose, and one of his eyes have fallen out.

I still think he's beautiful though.

Christmas is Cancelled

Instead of calling people I figured I'd just post about my Christmas plans status.

I got my work schedule yesterday and it goes a little something like this:

Place of business - Hey Madelyn, I know your from SoCal and you would probably like to go home around Christmas, but guess what? You Can't! Muahahahaha! Not only do you have to work, but you have to work a double on Christmas Eve! Muahahahah. And good luck getting rid of any of your shifts, because the chances of someone helping you out are about as good as Kelsey Grammar having another hit show. Muahahahah! Oh, and even if you drove all night after your second shift on Christmas Eve, you still have to be back by 4 on the 26th. Muahahahaha!


I hate my life.

Calm Down, You're in the Right Place. This is Madelyn's Blog. Is This Title Too Long? I'm Not Sure, I Kind of Feel Like it is, But Maybe I'm just Bein

Maybe my brother inspired me, or maybe I thought I would find a template with snow on it, like Syar, but I saw this template and really liked it.

However, I realize some of you may disagree. So, since i don't know how to put polls on my blog, I'll just ask you to tell me what you think.

Here are some things I'm concerned about:

a.) The original template should be the only template I ever use because it is the very essence of my blog.

b.) My readers will feel confused and think they've somehow gone to the wrong blog.

c.) Abandoning my old template is like abandoning my first born child ( if I had one).

d.) My fellow bloggers will lose all respect for me.

e.) I will forget about all this in an hour and not recognize my own blog the next time I log on.

Questions? Comments? Opinions? . . . Do tell.

Mmmm / Ouch

This is my tongue after eating 2 Sweet Tart Candy Canes. They were delicious.



THis is my knee after slipping and falling on some ice.



Here's what happened:



I only got bruises on my left knee which I think is kind of odd, because my left hip got the worst of it . . . but there is no bruise there even though it hurts like there's one.

Needless to say, I walk more cautiously now.

The Facts are in

When I was little I used to pray every winter that it would snow. My parents once told me that it had to be at least 30 degrees for it to snow. They failed to mention that as long as we lived next to the coast it didn't matter how cold it was, snow wasn't going to happen.

My first experience with snow wasn't the best. My dad took my sister and I to a somewhat local college where they had brought snow down from the mountains and put it in a pile. By the time they got it down there it wasn't that great. It was more like ice, rather than the much preferred fresh powder. It was very nice of my Dad to try though.

When I got a little older I began going to winter camp at El Camino Pines. The first time I went there was no snow . . . what a jip, my parents got ripped off. The second (and I think last) time I went there was a whole lot of snow. I remember walking in it and thinking " wow, this really sucks". It made my feet very cold and I didn't like that. I was probably 13 at the time.

Now it's 13 years later and yesterday, what I consider my first real experience of snow came. I was at the gym around noon when the snow began to fall. I went into a panic. I had never driven in the stuff before, so before it got too bad I got the hell out of there. It continued to snow all day . . . and all night . . . and this morning. I woke up to about a foot of snow outside. Did I panic? Hell yes I did. I had to be at work at 11:30 and I had still never driven in the snow. What if I spun out in the middle of the freeway just as a semi was coming? What if I couldn't even get out of my parking spot? How do you put on snow chains? These are the questions that went through my mind. So I woke up at 9:15 and got ready for work all the while telling myself that the worst would never happen to me, those things only happen to other people. Right?

I left at ten, leaving myself an hour and a half to get there.

I took my broom and dustpan down to the car with me to get the snow off. Because I don't have snow boots, I wore my Heely's (minus the wheels) because they are my thickest shoes (which up until today looked brand new). I don't have a snow coat either so I wore two pretty thick jackets instead.

I just want to take a moment to say that it's really weird how when there is snow on the ground it doesn't seem as cold outside.

When I got down to my car it was covered in about a foot of snow. I used the broom to sweep off the door so I could get in and start the engine before I swept off the rest.

The first sweep was fun, it was easy, the snow just came right off.

It quickly became annoying. My hands became cold very fast and there was a lot of freaking snow all over my car.

After about ten minutes I had finished uncovering my car and was ready to attempt driving.

Keep in mind that the parking lot hadn't been plowed yet.

I was surprised when it didn't take much to back my car out.

As I made my way to the actual roads I felt terrified. But then, when I was actually on them, it wasn't so bad. Most of the drive was on the freeway which was plowed pretty well. I drove about thirty miles per our the whole way and arrived at my top secret place of work 45 minutes later.

I was so relieved when I got to the parking lot. Unfortunately, the parking lot wasn't plowed very well. I drove along looking for somewhere to park, but I made the mistake of driving way to far past my place of work. When I tried to turn around I got stuck in the snow.

My first idea was to try and dig myself out using the dustpan I had brought. I dug for about five minutes before giving up and getting back in the car. I tried to move again, but it didn't work.

Luckily after only a few minutes of trying a very nice man came and tried to help push me out. When he couldn't do it by himself another man came and helped him. Eventually I got out and was able to park.

*Insert special shout out to nice men who pushed me out here.*

So that was my first experience of really living in the snow. What they say is true, it's nice to visit, but sucks to live in. I think this is something you have to experience before you can really understand it. I still think it looks pretty and is fun to play with, but it's definitely no picnic to drive in.

Here are a few pictures of the outside of my apartment: