E-Books and Moving Out

Hey all, 

Have I mentioned my extreme hatred for E-books? Apparently, it's "Read an E-book day!" No, thank you! Now excuse me while I go pick up my PAPER COPY book. Sheesh. 

Oh, apparently, it's also National Cheeseburger Day. Go fill your arteries with a greasy, dripping, cheeseburger! 

Today is the day that I move out. I'm a little nervous, but everybody tells me that I'll be just fine. I know I will be, but the only time I've ever been away from home for long is when I went to California for 3-4 weeks during the summer. I cried the first week and then I was fine. I have a feeling that I'm going to be crying when my om leaves. She's not staying for the Bon voyage dinner-thing that Eastern is throwing for families. It's a 2-3 hour drive from where I live, and I don't blame mom for wanting to leave when she can. 

The next time I'll be home is when it's Thanksgiving. Then Christmas. Blah. I don't know. I'm going to miss my family a lot. We had a BBQ yesterday and it was so much fun! :) Pictures were taken at the end. One of me and my grandparents and then one of me and my uncle. My gramma seemed a little...sad yesterday. Because at these types of family things, she usually has her camera and is taking pictures already. So when I asked her about it yesterday, she didn't say anything and she got really quiet. I thought that I had offended her in some way. so when I asked mom about it, she just said that she's going to miss me. I know that Tom is. He hugged me EXTRA tight and tried to lift me off the ground! My grandfather asked me if they were going to have to drive to Cheney to come visit me during the holidays. I told him no, that my friend is going to pick me up. 

Now, I'm just sitting here in the dining room, waiting for mom to get up so that we can hit the road. I mean, I'm in no hurry or anything. Believe me, I'm not! :/ 

I'm going to Walmart this morning to get my pictures done that mom took for me yesterday. I already bought the frames for them at Hobby Lobby. An orange one and a red glittery one. 

Well, Nate is off to school. The bus just picked him up. I think I'm going to power down and have some coffee! 

I'll update you more later. Tomorrow is going to be SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER busy. I cannot stress that enough! 

Laters, 

~Rio

Nook/Kindle vs. Paper-Bound Books

Hey all,

              You know, I've had some people and friends tell me that instead of picking up a nice paper-bound book, I should instead, pick up a piece of technology. The Nook, or Kindle. While I see the appeal in them: It's lighter and the books are cheaper, it's easier to carry around with you, it's more convenient, etc. So what if you have to pay a little extra for a book? You could always go to the library. At least I don't have to charge it if it runs out of battery. The quality of the book you're buying on your nook/kindle might not be all that great anyway. Still, you're holding a piece of technology and staring into a screen. Don't we all do that enough in our daily lives? Staring into screens is all some of us seem to do anymore. Isn't it nice to just be able to put aside your phones, iPads, computers, etc. for a nice, paper-bound book? If I'm going somewhere, I always have a paper-bound book with me. Yes, it might be heavy, but I get the satisfaction of reading the book and knowing that I can always pull it out of my bag when I need it. I'm not staring into a screen. I'm not straining my eyes and skimming the pages. I'm absorbing what the words are telling me.
             Yes, you're still supporting authors by buying their book online, but I for one, would like to actually buy one of their PAPER-BOUND books. You can't have an author autograph a nook/kindle, can you? We're all slaves of technology. I will not deny that I have TRIED to read a book on my iPad. I didn't like it. I found myself skimming the book and I didn't get as much enjoyment out of the book I bought instead of the one I would get from my paper bound. I will continue to read my paper-bound friends. You have your opinion and I have mine. Don't try and tell me how I should read my books. You like what you like and I like what I like. 

          I guess that's just how I feel. I'm so sick and tired of people trying to tell me to "convert" (Or they strongly suggest) to a nook/kindle. I'll stick with paper-bound, thank you. Now, this might not be the case for everybody, but I have strong feelings about this. 

Much love, 

~Rio

iPhone 4s and Update

Hey all, 

So today was the day I decided to get my new phone! I had been wanting an iPhone for awhile now (Well, since they came out) and didn't have the money to buy one or afford the plan or who to go with. So I had a pre-paid phone from Virgin Mobile. It worked great for awhile, and then it would freeze on me and randomly shut off. Then I would have to take out the battery and reset EVERYTHING on it. I dealt with it, because it was my phone and I needed one. 

So while mom and I were going to Wal-Mart, we stopped by Verizon and I got my iPhone. I had already been in there once before and looked around, but I knew what I wanted. I think the entire process was about 30 minutes. I'm very happy with my purchase. The lady who helped me was also very nice and polite and funny. I would recommend her if you're trying to get a phone in the Walla Walla/College Place area! 

Now I can go to school and have a reliable phone to use! I'm very happy with it--so far. It's only the first day, afterall. 

Speaking of school, there's 14 days left until I move into my dorm. I'm getting excited and I know that this opportunity will allow me to move on to better things in my life. I'm grateful to have the chance to be able to do so! 

I've been slowly cleaning/organizing/sorting through things that I want to keep/throw away/give away. I know what I want to take with me to school, and I know that the amount I want to take, I can't because we all know dorm rooms are small and lack space. I am, however, bringing a few of my personal reading books and my journal. Again, because I can and I have the room (or by God, I'll MAKE room!). 

The weather has been nice and cool lately, so I've been able to have the window open and allow the nice, cool, breeze come in and freshen up my room a little bit. I wish it would be getting cool outside. IT'S TIME FOR FALL! 

Oh! I went to the doctors yesterday and he and the nutritionist was VERY happy with me! Last time I went in, I weighed 290 and now I weigh 271. That's about a 20 pound weight loss! Whoo-hoo! Maybe by winter, I'll be able to fit into my pants! 

Well, more later. 

Laters, 

~Rio

Countdown

Hey all, 

Well, today is the first day back to school for Nate. Am I excited? Yup! That means the house will be quiet and Nate-free for a grand total of 8 hours! Whoo-hoo! Which means I might be able to actually read without being disturbed! 

I went to Verizon yesterday and I was looking at the iPhone 4s. The phone that I have now is utterly ridiculous and I hate it. I can't wait until I get my new one! 

Well, sunrise is in 15 minutes. I'm thinking of making some Pumpkin Spice coffee from my Keurig and maybe try and get some sleep after Kenny and Nate quit making noise. 

17 days until I leave for Cheney. Am I looking forward to it? A little. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I'm ready to go, on the other hand, I'm sad to leave. I'll be moving away from home and trying to stand on my own two feet... I think this will be a good experience--at least I'll be able to see my friends that have already moved up there. :) So that when school starts, I won't be completely alone. 

Here's my school schedule: 

MTWTF: Japanese 101, History, TRIO
MWF: Japanese 101, History
T TH: Japanese, History, TRIO class

Not too bad, huh? I already have it written down on my calendar. I've never had a Tuesday and Thursday class. I'm used to all my classes being Monday-Friday. This will be interesting. I also looked at the cost of all my textbooks--all used (of course), and it'll be about $237. 

Blah. I'm going to get me some coffee now. 

Laters lovies, 

~Rio