Dear Tattoos

Dear Tattoos,

I have come to the conclusion that I am addicted to you. I have just one (pictured above), but I want more! So, so many more. What have you done to me? I'm planning more, about four right now. A lower back piece, two side pieces, and one for below my neck on my back.

This cannot be good.

To tell you you truth, the only things holding me back right now are funds and location. The funds part is pretty obvious to explain, I go to a very expensive private college and I'm flat broke. The location? Well, I'm in Daytona Beach. It's a vacation spot for college students. When it comes to tattoo shops down here, they appear, well, a little sketchy. Besides, I know the shop I go to back home, they do good work, and they keep their place clean. That's what I look for in a good shop. I've been going there for piercings since I was fifteen. It works for me.

In other tattoo news, my mom might be getting a tat! I'm kinda psyched for this, not gonna lie. I always think it's awesome when grown adults break out of the mold that has been set. Now, my ma isn't that old, but she grew up in a household that will likely have a heart attack when they find out I have a tat, let alone her. It's gonna be great!

Now, to all those who are thinking about a tattoo, please, please, please, do not rush into it! Find something you really like!

As a final note, I would like to blame tattoos and other body modifications for being the reason why I am broke. Bored? Plan a new tattoo. Got two hours to kill? Drive to the shop and get a few more piercings (true story).

Love Always,
Kait

So...

Its been a while. Unfortunately, I had the mother of all "infections" in my computer. Trojan horse. Actually, I had two of them, imbedded in various parts of my laptop. Which has me beg the question: why?

A computer virus can be harmful, yes. But all these seemed to do was run ads. Actually, I still hear these stupid ads run, but can't find them to shut them off. All I can tell you is that I will never buy Mucinex or Lysol products. Ever.

It's enough to make a girl go nuts. Pop-ups and ads and noises when all I really want to do is listen to a little music and tell y'all about what's going on. Talk about!

Okay, I feel a little better now. Anyways... I joined the women's rugby team. So much fun! Being an Ohio girl, I've never even seen a rugby game before, but that doesn't matter. The others tell me what's going on. And seeing as how there aren't many girls, we practice with the guys. Can you say yummy? Okay, not all of them, but enough of them. And sometimes you need to get up close and personal with them... Now isn't that fun?

Today, we left my business class to watch the shuttle launch. We made jokes about how that would only happen at an aeronautical school like ours. You could actually see the boosters fall right off, and that's about where it dissappeared from sight. Now, I'm not a huge NASA nut or anything, but that is pretty impressive. I mean, the amount of power that had to be putting out... It's just crazy to think about.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the gorgeous Florida weather!

Love Always,
Kait

It Has Happened

Oh, dear. I fear it has happened to me. My friends will hate me. My family will think I am insane. My neighbors will shake their heads when I come home. I will be shunned on Friday nights.

I have become a paranoid city person.

Okay, not really. But it feels like it sometimes.

Old life: My car was never locked, my garage door broken and held in place by a piece of wood, and the only reason my windows were ever locked was because it kept the heat in better.

New life: I stare at the door, freaking out before deciding to lock the deadbolt, the nearest grocery store is on a four lane road, and I have used a taxi because the stretches of road here have people on them that I don't know.

I know I have already discussed missing my small town life, but I feel like I am truly changing. I think about safety so much more now.

Maybe its just knowing that crime happens everyday here. Back home, I'm pretty sure the biggest crime ever was a train robbery.

Yes, that's right. A train robbery. And the train tracks have been gone for years and years and years.

Well, there was that time our mayor got arrested for a DUI, called his wife, and she got arrested for a DUI because she was drunk when she came to pick him up. It made it on Letterman. Oh, and the drunk guy who smashed a two-hundred year old water wheel from the original mill. But other than that, no major crime.

I think its the calmness that I miss. Here, I stress. I have break-outs because of all the stress. It's not good for a girl. All my city friends are like, "this place is great! A little small, but fun."

Small? How is Daytona Beach even remotely small? Of course, one of them is from Houston. They have high schools there that are five times the size of my town, population-wise.

Another thing. I had never seen a "ghetto" in my life, until I came here. Yeah, I know, Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, and Columbus all have them, but I'd never actually seen one. Those are scary place, my friends. And depressing. They are so crowded and run-down. I think if I lived there, I would fight tooth and nail to get out.

Actually, I'm doing that now. But its not the same. I don't hate the small town life, but I hate the thought of getting stuck there like so many people I know. Plus, lake-effect snow really sucks. There's never enough salt, the snowplows never go down my road, and, well, I'll probably talk about that in December when I go home.

Anyways, safety. I'm thinking about getting myself something like pepperspray or something. But I don't know yet. It seems like a good idea, just in case. I've never really had to think about things like this before. It's weird.

I think I've taken up enough of your time, at least for today. If anyone knows the best things for personal protection, they should definitely comment about it!

Love Always,
Kait

The Expo

Just thought I'd show you some of the employers I talked to on Wednesday. I'm most interested in becoming an Air Marshal, or going into the Department of State's Diplomatic Security. I talked to them both. Both jobs require going to a lot of different places, which I love. I'm leaning more toward Diplomatic Security because there is so much more in that career than sitting on an air plane four days a week.

I have also discovered the need for professional looking flats. I spent two hours walking around and being jostled in a pair of shoes I never meant to do much walking in. Being poor is not good when you need to look your best so you can get a job.

Speaking of being poor, I believe I have hit a new level of poverty. My parents said I've always been there, I was just blissfully unaware until now. This awareness has come from the fact that I go to college with a guy who owns his own helicopter. His daddy bought it for him. Can you say unnecessary? I mean, come on. A freaking helicopter? Okay, so we go to an aeronautical school. There are about 1,000 budding pilots on this campus. However, not a single one of them is learning to fly a helicopter here, because it's not taught here. So tell me again why he needs a helicopter?

And that's just one kid. While I have $30,000 in loans, others are driving brand new Mercedes. Guess this is what I get for going to a fancy private institution. I'll just have to make more money than them. Ha. Yeah right. Last I knew, Feds don't make that much. Oh, well.

Thanks for reading my ramblings!

Love Always,

Kait

Ah, The Joys of Becoming a Professional

My college specializes in the aviation industry. And so, career services sets up an expo so we, the students of this esteemed university, can meet with some of the top employers in our industry. I'm talking Boeing, Lockheed & Martin, Rolls-Royce, and several agencies from the U.S. government.

It is our job to put a resume together, be ready for any interviewing, dress professionally, and act like adults.

Hold the phone. Exactly what kind of resume is actually going to get me an internship with names like these? I'm 18 for crying out loud! As I was writing my resume, I thought of how ridiculous it looks. Job experience? McDonald's and Nike. Yeah, that is great if I'm applying for a job at the local mall. But for an internship with the Department of Defense? Think again, honey.

The interviewing I can handle. Along with the acting like an adult part. There are others at this college, however, that might not be able to handle such a daunting task.

That just leaves dressing professionally.

This is the type of corporate world that expects the best. This means employees should look the part. Men wear ties, and women never go sans nylons. Joy. I haven't worn nylons since the third grade. So off I went to Walmart to buy myself a new garter belt and stockings (I absolutely loathe pantyhose). After hunting down the undergarments section I finally find the things, only to discover that all they have in stock are backseam.

One word. Nightmare.

Oh yeah, they're sexy. But the headache of getting that seam straight is almost worth thumbing my nose at convention and going to the expo bare-legged. Almost. It's just too bad that I will really need that job after school and can't afford to alienate some stuffy recruiter for the sake of my sanity.

And so I will appear at the expo in my consignment shop dress and Walmart stockings on Wednesday, praying that someone might see my determination as a strong point and offer me an internship or co-op. I'll be sure to tell you how it goes!

Love Always,

Kait

P.S. I googled to find this picture and do not in any way own it or intend to infringe on the copyright!

Dear Sunday

Dear Sunday,

I enjoy, I truly do. When I think of you, I think of waking up and smelling food already cooking (I love you Ma! You too Daddy!). We eat, and everyone gets ready for church. We sing, we praise, we shake Pastor Gray's hand as we walk out. Then it's cooking out, running around with the family friends, and just generally having a wonderful, lazy time.

But now when I look around me, I realize that Sunday means doing all the work that I have put off for the week. Cleaning, laundry, research for class, and nursing the hangover from last night. Welcome to adulthood, Kait! Or maybe, welcome to college.

I always thought I would be older before I started wishing for the good times of my childhood. Apparently this is not the case. I miss the small town part of my life. Maybe that's what it is.

Living in a city is so...impersonal. I believe that is the word I am looking for. You can pass by people and not know who they are. They don't know that you once released 500 crickets into your high school, that you and your boyfriend broke up in a screaming match in front of the local Speedway. Have you ever seen a small town newspaper, the ones that publish all the tickets that were given out, and show, for all to see, the list of people who went to jail this weekend? I love reading those. And then there's the embarrassment when you realize that your name is down for going 25 miles over the speedlimit.

Another thing small towns have going for them is that the residents look out for one another. When I was younger my mom would let me walk to the local grocery store for a loaf of bread or some other thing she needed. And there were so many times that she was called by someone to tell her where I was.

Wow. The memories that a single day can bring up. I guess this post has shown me I will always be the small town girl, no matter where I am. Thank you, Sunday, for showing this to me.

Love Always,
Kait