"It's sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew."- Henry Rollins

right on rollins. the point of this blog today is to talk about how to deal with relationships after graduation. now, there is not easy answer to this one. it is so very easy to lose touch and so very hard to keep up, . . .but it can be done. in my experience, all it needs is some refinement. the older, wiser :), and more into college and my new life i got, the more i really started to fine tune who i put effort into. it sounds terrible, but in order to stay a good friend to the really important ones in your life and maintain sanity, you may find yourself distancing in other relationships or ending them all together. that happened to me with someone who i thought would always be my friend, we're talking future bridesmaid (and if you are a girl then you know that's one of the highest compliments that can possibly be paid someone :)), but it turned out that they were a geographical friend (by that i mean, if you are right here, then be my best friend, but if it takes effort then count me out :)). there were no hard feelings, but those are the kind of things that can and DO, i repeat DO happen, no matter how much you try, and you just have to take it in stride. don't take all the blame either because, look, it takes two people to nurture--and destroy--a relationship. if it's important enough to the both of you, and if it's worth saving at all then it will be, . . .SOME WILL NOT!!!, . . . and if it's not, then that's just gonna be someone you'll see at the 10 year reunion. so, what i am trying to say is to keep in mind the changes that lie ahead of you, try to comprehend how different paths can produce different people and relationships, remember that things may not always go according to plan, and as long as you take control of your life and are responsible (in friendships, in life, etc.) you should be proud, with no regrets. tah!
karen :)

remember, . . ."do unto others" . . .
- posted by Karen @ 4:31 PM

 
hey guys :) i just got off my night shift at work (at a whopping 12.5 hours :)) and i just wanted to jot something down before i passed out :) i hope all's well. my week was a crazy one to say the least (3 HEAVY tests and a few papers, . .yeah, glad it's over :)) but it is now conquered. i went and saw phantom of the opera on friday (EXCEPTIONAL!!! :)) as a reward to myself. :) it's amazing what a night of dressing up and going out to the theater can do for you :) btw, i just read jessie's blog and i gotta tell you, that's one fabulous girl who is going places and going to change this world. (and i am not just saying that because she is my best friend :)) anyways, i wish i had some more jewels of wisdom for you but the truth is, that after such a long night, i am lucky to not be drooling :) hehe here's a quote instead:

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, atleast we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, atleast we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, atleast we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." - Buddha (568-488 BC)

karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 8:23 AM

 
culture, politics, ways to honestly change this world . . .

be not boring. that's right, no one likes someone with nothing to say and i'd venture to say that the majority of the time with the majority of the population, that's an accurate description of their conversations. in the words of the apparently very wise Eleanor Roosevelt, "Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people." so i encourage you to get out there this weekend, experience something new in the world around you, expand a horizon, whatever it may be, . . . . in short, make your mind a great one. :) k, that's all i got for you fabulous people for now, talk to you again soon :)
karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 2:07 PM

 
the beginning of the end, . . .

hey everyone :) i hope your weekends went well. it has recently come to my attention that the end of the semester will be here sooner than we know it. (okay, so i've been counting down for quite some time now :)) the flood of emotions that accompany that realization are indescribable so i won't waste your time trying to express them, plus :), you know what i am talking about. as great as this vacation is going to be, we still have to remember to keep on working til we get there. it's really easy at times like these to slack off and ease into vacation mode early but the truth is, . . . you just can't. :) if anything, the teachers like to make you work extra hard during these times and as annoying as that is, that is what they're here for. :) so, my advice for when you start getting stir crazy is, to go ahead and indulge in a 5 minute dream session (i am not about deprivation :)) and then SNAP OUT OF IT, . . . do the work to the best of your ability. work as hard as you can now, . . . earn your vacation. :) okay, that's all i got for now, have a great week all, i'll talk to you later :)
karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 8:09 PM

 
going back to high school after you have graduated, . . . .

ah yes, that again. it's a delicate thing to balance, . . . to be able to go back on occasion, but not to become "one of those people." you know, the ones who come back just a LITTLE too much and seem to enjoy it just a LITTLE too much. in short, the ones who just can't let it go. i myself have had a little trouble with this one. you see them when you're in high school and always vow to never come back and never to become one of THOSE people. however, it is okay, i have learned, to return to your old stomping ground sometimes and you don't have to avoid it like a leper colony. :) i chose to do the latter at first, but after a while i let myself come back for my friends' games, concerts, etc. not all of them mind you, but the big ones were okay :) that was my balance, we each have to find what works for us. my point of this whole blog being, you have to return to your old high school, like everything else in life, in moderation. remember where you came from, but also remember to close that chapter in your life and move on, making your beginnings proud. :) if you're never gonna get outta there then why bother graduating? just wanted to give you all something to think about over the weekend. hope everyone has a good one and stays healthy!!! :)
karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 12:40 PM

 
hello everyone :) i am just taking a morning off to relax and before i return to the madness that is my 20 page paper (porcrastination is NOT the way to go :)), i just wanted to share a fabulous quote with you all that i just found:

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

the implications are endless and if you just think about it for a second, you just might get something out of it. :) so have a great weekend, work and play hard, and be conscious of what lies WITHIN you. :)
karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 12:42 PM

 
hello everyone :) another blog another day :) i hope that you all had safe and fun halloweens. i haven't received any emails yet but i am sure that's due to the busy weekend, right? :) i'm sure it is :) i am glad to hear that some of you have been reading and taking my advice on taking a break, . . . good call you guys. :) (btw, greg, way to catch mr faust, . . . ouch!!! :) hehe)

today's blog is gonna be about giving praise where it's due. giving out compliments is highly underrated. if you think something nice, for example, hey, that's a nice shirt, . . . or hey, i really like the way that the teacher explained that, . . .then say it!!! everyone's day gets just a little bit brighter when given a compliment, i don't care who you are or what your job is, it feels good. i am not saying that you should suck up to anyone (that's actually quite lame :)), but let people know when they're appreciated, . . . you may even pick up a friend or two along the way. :) you can't even imagine what a kind word can do. :)

karen :)

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." - Aesop(620-560 BC)
- posted by Karen @ 5:39 PM