Volunteer, Advocate, Trekker.

Merry Christmas blog-followers, as I was telling Angela the other day -- this year has been so busy with things to do it's almost like I'm too busy living life to blog about it. A dilemma I'm certainly happy to suffer from! I just hope that I remember to enjoy the moment, if I am not documenting them quite as diligently. The family got together for Christmas at Grandma's yesterday, and the immediate family is all here at home today. David got mom and I gifts for the first time in more than 10 years -- and he got mom cash "to make up for all the years he forgot to get her gifts." Which I thought was bizaare, and I don't think mom quite knows how to react to it, but I'll make sure she spends it on gifty-things for herself. It just seems to go against tradition to get your parents cash for a gift ever. Even gift cards are pushing it, if there isn't some level of thought put into it. Like, "I got you this giftcard to [store] because I know th...

Woo! So I'd been hoping to devote a road trip to another pseudo-major city in Ohio for abandone buildings, particularly one that had many on websites like Illicit Ohio or the No Tresspassing one - and when Sarah wanted to go on such a road trip, Youngstown seemed like a great idea! Especially since rather than one abandoned building, they had a whole abandoned military base! On top of getting a late start, it took us quite a while to find the place! We saw a bunch of apparently abandoned steel factories, and any other kind of establishment you can imagine in "The Incredible Shrinking City." One gas station tried directing us to the Ravenna Arsenal, but that turned out to not be it (and be much more heavily guarded than I would want to try to break into. It had a tank!) But after hours of searching, we found it! But had to find a good place to park, a closed car repair shop with a near-full lot was perfect cover! After the hike up a hill (I removed my sunshine yellow polo ...

So to those not in the know, mom/grandpa/I (in a strange ownership circle) are now the temporary/long story proud owners of a 2009 White Toyota Yaris. Bought it with 70 miles on it, this morning I put my 1,700th (I've had it a little over a week or two.) But until I leave for Korea, the car's mine :D so the other day I did some traveling across Ohio, and found two abandoned buildings. Thought I'd put some explorations on here. Well, I'm reminded of one instance last year camping with Brit and Sarah, when I wanted to explore an abandoned house on the side of the road in the middle of no where but it wasn't a good idea. So I was driving past these two buildings - across the street from each other - then decided to turn around and check them out. Here we have a barn thing. Falling apart, apparently abandoned, it was in the middle of no-where Southern Ohio, down the road from a cement/sand plant kinda place. The inside was pretty basic what I expect out of an old abando...

Hello, My Fellow Americans. Well it seems I've been busy without a moment to rest for the past three weeks, but finally I have a brief couple hours to rest and relax for once, without any particular impending deadlines. This is a good week! Most of my classes have been watching movies, no particular due dates this week, and David's visit went well considering. There were some snag/annoyances, like when he got here, when I lost him, his presense which annoys me, and the stuff with Grandpa's, but overall it was a good trip. I think I even convinced him to come to Akron, after two years of break, and a year at Tri-C. We'll see if he goes to college yet. I dunno, I'm not convinced. But moving on! Downtown Buffalo (from afar) Millard Fillmore's home! (Closed for season :/) Niagara Falls, NY. (And Canada in the background.) Real quick: So this weekend I went to Niagara Falls and Buffalo which was AWESOME! I love travel n.n and Presidential historical sites! ERG, I cam...

Oh Hillary. Oh Hillary, Hillary, Hillary. :-( I hereby nominate this for UGLIEST pantsuit of the year (to date.) This... this is just bad. n.n but on the bright side -- I found a bunch of Hillary Clinton-focused blogs I've been following that are pretty entertaining and informative about both what she's up to and foreign policy! "All Things Hillary" for example examines the policies, politics and pantsuits of my favorite Secretary of State. Speaking of foreign policy, I frettingly turned in another portion of my study abroad application this week (I've been pseudo-accepted, twice now, I guess it's not official til I land in Seoul?) But that's just one of the things I've had to do - and included an essay about myself for the Korean univeristy to learn about me. Also, I'm strongly considering taking Japanese I next semester - it's already on my schedule now, unless I decide to drop it. Why Learn Japanese, you ask? Well, for a number of reasons ...

Well it's Monday, first day of finals week: I don't have any finals today, but I do tomorrow and Thursday and Friday - and a bunch of things due tomorrow x_x Right now I'm playing with Pandora.com which is trying to find music I like I guess, its successful, but it doesn't seem like its using what I like to find particular songs at all. W/e, seems cool, and its free radio. Spike is like, a non-stop CSI marathon - lol. Been watching that alot of the last 24 hours. Right now they're on an exorcist-kinda episode. After this I'll go over to the Library to print out a newspaper clipping I need for my History Final Project [seperate from the actual final test which is tomorrow, and I need to make a note card for.] Woah! The murderer's trying to get away in mom's car! lol, stationwagon, funny. Okay, now I'm pretty sure my 10 page paper is due Wednesday so I can do it at work tomorrow night. Now its just a matter of finishing this book report by 9, go to the...