Hair is one of the things that gross me out the most. Hair in the shower, on the sink, in your food, on the floor, etc, etc – it all makes me want to vomit. I don’t know whose hair that is or how often it is washed. I don’t know what part of the body that hair came from. I assume the worst when I see hair.

          The hair I found in my burrito grossed me out especially because everyone who works at Pancheros looks like they could use a shower (or two). Before I found this hair, that was the one downside to Pancheros. It grossed me out that these were the people making my burrito.

          Nevertheless, I have had a craving for Pancheros recently and tonight, I am going to suck it up and go eat a burrito. I hope for the best. If I get another hair in my burrito, I will swear off Pancheros forever. I also hope, however, that eating this burrito will satisfy and eliminate my craving, so I don’t once again spend $50 a week on Pancheros.

          Tonight will be a true test. It will be a test of Pancheros – to see if they can deliver on making me a delicious burrito, free of hair. It will be a test of my emotional strength. If I can block out that awful memory of finding a hair in my burrito, I am a beast. It will be a test of all things good and bad.

          I will report back and let you know how this test goes. I know you’ll all be waiting anxiously for the results.

      So, in preparation for prom, I decided to get acrylic nails put on. To do so, I went to Secret Nails, located in Westdale Mall. The experience of getting them put on was nothing to rave about, but also nothing to rant about either. It was the experience of getting my acrylic nails taken off that has caused me to write this blog advising everyone to steer clear of Secret Nails.

            The day after prom I was just lying around, recovering from the festivities of the night before. I decided I might as well be semi-productive and go get my acrylic nails taken off.

     I first called Secret Nails to see how much to cost to have them taken off. I was told that it was free. In my surprise, I asked again and was again told that it was free.

     An hour later or so, my friend Amanda and I made the trek to Secret Nails. Upon arrival, we were told it cost $10 to get our acrylic nails taken off. I was confused – I had just called and been told it was free! I told the lady that, but she insisted that it was $10.

     Amanda decided not to pay the $10, but I wanted my nails off and have the ability to bite my nails once again. Amanda’s mom, a somewhat acrylic nail expert, had told me that to get acrylic nails off you soak them in acetone. So, it was much to my shock (and dismay), when the lady at Secret Nails just started ripping them off.

     I pride myself on my pain tolerance, but this hurt. It hurt a lot. When taking off one acrylic nail, she took off part of my actual nail and drew quite a bit of blood.

     I left Secret Nails, vowing never to go back. I couldn’t believe I had paid $10 for that pain.

     Yesterday, my anger was deepened when my friend told me about the experience she had at Secret Nails, getting her acrylic nails taken off. They had soaked the nails in acetone before taking them off so it didn’t hurt her at all. They even buffed her actual nails and painted them – all for $10!

     Because you never know what kind of service you are going to get at Secret Nails, I strongly advise choosing a different nail salon.

This could perhaps be deemed writer’s block, but in all honesty, it is more likely a case of senioritis.

There’s 17 days of my high school career left and the end could not come soon enough. Not necessarily because I am so ready to be out of high school (although I am looking forward to college), but because I am sick of school in general.

I am sick of sitting in class, indoors, when it is 70 degrees out.

I am sick of doing homework and classwork, all which seem to have no relevance to my life or future education. Teachers seem to be torturing me with pointless assignments that I put minimal effort into.

I am sick of having to get ready every day and pick out outfits. Some sort of bottoms (e.g. jeans, jean or athletic shorts or capris) and a t-shirt have become my daily uniform.

I realize I sound like a huge whiner and baby in this, but can you blame me? There’s 17 days till freedom and the time till then is dragging slowly by.

I’ve been here for four years and, while I will admit it has been a great four years, I’m ready for something different. I’m ready for more freedom. I’m ready for a different setting. I’m ready for college.

Attending Jefferson has been a great experience and it will be sad to leave, but right now all I can think about is that in 17 days I’ll be free. Instead of sitting in a classroom listening to some teacher drone on, I’ll be laying on a trampoline, sipping some Perrier water, soaking up the sun’s rays.

          During one of my classes, which shall remain nameless, it is a daily activity for me to look at clothes on some of my favorite stores’ websites. Often, what I tell myself will only be browsing, ends up with a purchase being made. When I have a free moment at home, I often look at these websites as well and once again, what I tell myself will only be browsing, ends with a purchase.

          It’s true that I now have a well-stocked closet (with more clothes being shipped in daily) and with online shopping I have a larger selection to shop from. Many of the stores I like, such as Forever 21 and Wet Seal, do not have stores anywhere in the area, so shopping online is the only way I can purchase clothes from those stores. It’s true that these stores have great deals and many of their clothes are very reasonable. So it seems online shopping would be the greatest thing ever.

          However, because of the shipping and handling fees and my impulsive buying habits, online shopping will probably be the cause of my financial ruin. My mom has refused to buy any more clothes online, my dad has threatened to kick me out of the house (not really, but he is a strong advocate against online shopping). I still buy clothes with my own money. Somewhat frequently, I end up not liking the clothes once I receive them, so I send them back. This causes me to lose money because I am not refunded the shipping and handling fees, which are most often $5 or more. That loss of money adds up and I would be a good deal richer without it.

          Although my online shopping habits are a problem, I’m not too worried about it. School will end, so it will no longer be a daily activity as the time I did it in was mostly one of my classes. During the summer, I won’t “need” (aka want) as many new clothes and I won’t really be thinking about it as I will be too busy having the time of my life. I advise all of you out there, though – once you online shop, there’s no going back.

          I recently discovered the marvel that is Townhouse Flip Side Crackers and have been obsessed ever since. They are delicious plain or with toppings, such as cheddar cheese. Pretzels are delicious topped with cheese, peanut butter, etc., but often this is ignored as it is hard to top the irregular shape of the pretzel.  It is much easier to top the flat surface of the Flip Side Crackers, so I am now able to enjoy the taste of pretzel with toppings with ease.

          The only downside of Townhouse Flip Side Crackers is how addicting they are. Once I start eating them, it is hard to find the will power to stop. I honestly think I could eat an entire box in on one sitting. I haven’t (as I would feel like a complete lard), but I could. They are just so crunchy…so light and buttery…so delicious. My mouth is watering right now, just thinking about it.  

          The next time you are at the store, instead of reaching for the same old Rold Gold Pretzels, grab those Townhouse Flip Side Crackers. Be adventurous, be crazy, step outside the box and try Townhouse Flip Side Crackers – you won’t be disappointed.

          Iowa doesn’t make national news often and lots of people think of it as a sleepy, hick state. Once, when out of state, I told someone I was from Iowa and they didn’t even know where it was. Now, being the third state to legalize same-sex marriage, Iowa can refute the reputation as being a hick state. Although some may view Iowa negatively because of this, others will see Iowa in a more positive light. Besides being a human rights victory, I see this as a victory for Iowa overall.
          I know there is worry that the population of Iowa will greatly increase because many gays and lesbians will flock here to get married and live. I may be naive in thinking so, but I also think this could be beneficial to Iowa. It’s not like Iowa is overflowing with people already. Cedar Rapids specifically has trouble bringing and keeping businesses here. Perhaps with a greater population, more businesses would come to Cedar Rapids (or Iowa in general).

          In addition, Iowa would be more diversified with more gay and lesbian citizens. In an article in the Atlantic, it talked about how places like Chicago and New York City thrive because they are so diverse. Iowa could use a little diversity and with that, would maybe thrive a little bit more.

          If you disagree morally with the decision to legalize same-sex marriage, look at it as an opportunity for Iowa overall to thrive and grow. What a great victory this is – for human rights, for Iowa and for our reputation. Once again, hooray for Iowa.

            I know many of you probably think I’m crazy, but I hate mechanical pencils. They seem like they would be the perfect invention as sharpening is no longer required yet the tip always remains sharp and never dull.

            However, in my own personal experience with mechanical pencils, they cause more trouble than they cure. My mechanical pencil malfunctions at least once a day and I spend at least ten minutes a day attempting to fix it. In fact, just today, my mechanical pencil broke three different times. Either the lead gets stuck at the top or it gets jammed and I am unable to get lead to come out at the tip. Sometimes I am able to fix these problems, but often I can not and have to throw away what should be a perfectly good mechanical pencil.

            It also seems the pencil decides to malfunction just as I need it. For example, today, in math class my teacher was explaining what was on our quiz tomorrow. I was writing it down, so I could study tonight, when my mechanical pencil broke. That was vital information that I needed and my mechanical pencil jeopardized that.

            You would think after spending countless dollars on new mechanical pencils and spending countless hours fixing my mechanical pencils, I would give up and switch back to a good ol’ normal pencil. However, that is not the case. I continue to use mechanical pencils and I continue to complain about how much they suck as well. 

            The convenience of not having to sharpen the pencil is made useless by the inconvenience of the pencil always breaking. The time it would take to sharpen my pencil is much less than the time I spend fixing my mechanical pencil.

            Either someone needs to come up with a better mechanical pencil or I need to stop being stubborn and use a regular pencil. However, I do not see either of those things occurring, so for the time being, can anyone fix my pencil?