When I was in high school, I realized I had OCD. Or at the very least, serious OCD tendencies. I had to have control over everything. Every object that would reside in my room, my websites, my hobbies, my entire life. But the more I think about it, that was likely because my life back then was very small. Sheltered. There wasn’t much to work with.

Fast forward to today. I am a college graduate, I’m working full-time and part-time, and I’m living at home with my family. My brothers are no longer little kids I can boss around and control. My room is exploding with 4 years of college momentos and travel souvenirs and endless rounds of shopping sprees (which I can’t help but continue to do because A) I have money now, and B) I need more work-appropriate outfits!). Funny thing is, ever since Costa Rica I’ve tried to become incredibly conservative when it comes to material things. I learned that I really don’t need a lot of things to live contentedly. But here, in America, you just can’t do that. That’s the American dream — to make money and be greedy and buy all the pointless shit you want. Anyway, I feel I have too many material things (and really, I don’t, compared to a lot of other people I know). And I don’t know what to do with them. I was trying to clean out my closet and I just stared at the piles of T-shirts and hoodies that sit gathering dust now that I wear business casual basically day in and day out. They’re not being used. And I just feel incredibly guilty that they are taking up space in my room. And it’s bothering me. I don’t know how to get this feeling out of my system because it’s seriously depressing my mood.

Not only that, it appears I don’t have any time to do any real life cleaning like I’ve been meaning to do for the past year. Because I just have too much junk in my room and no real idea of what to do with them. I don’t know if I’m expressing myself correctly. All I know is that there’s so much I want to clean and organize in my life and I don’t know where to bloody start.

Ever since Unofficial weekend I feel as if my life has been going a zillion mph. I’m being reckless, I’m out every weekend, I’m drinking and partying. I’m hanging out with friends. It’s like for the first time since graduating college…I’m really feeling that “young, wild and free” vibe. Never have I been more aware of this post-school awesomeness until this past weekend, which I spent going buckwild in Miami while friends were posting “Wahh, finals” or “Holy shit, graduation” statuses on Facebook. Everything feels good: I’ve got a job, I’ve got (not a lot) of money, great friends and a drama-free family.

Funny how when life is good and I don’t have much to complain about, I turn to this blog less. I don’t like that! I must make more of an effort…my ambitious project for the upcoming summer will be to update and revamp. Now that I’m a working gal, I also gotta find some way of keeping myself more anonymous.

OK, this ambitious venture of mine will start…after I get some sleep!

…to update this blog! Seriously!

Costa Rica was amazing. It was like I never left, but at the same time so much had changed in the 1.5 years since I studied abroad there. So much happened (like semi-jumping off a waterfall!) that I will have to discuss later (as I still have to do about my previous experiences there, heh!), but I definitely would like to see myself moving there again in the near future.

Unofficial, as usual, was a blast. I’m starting to lose the thirst for college life, though. It’s taken nearly a year, but I’m starting to feel like post-college life ain’t too bad. Champaign-Urbana will always have a place in my heart, but there’s a whole world out there too.

Sadly I’ve made the decision to NOT go see J. Cole. Mostly because A) my friend is being so flaky, and B) I need to save my money for Miami! That’s right, I just booked my flight to South Beach for Cinco de Mayo weekend with some girlfriends. I am extremely excited about this. I was in Miami for both my layovers during the Costa Rica trip, and just BEING in that airport made me all tingly. So many sexy Latino men wandering about! Weekend getaway in Miami? Checking that off my list for the year.

Other than all that, life is peachy. I have an actual job (well, I’m still working my part-time job too, but I’ve gotten so used to working 50+ hours a week I can’t imagine doing any less), my family’s doing dandy, I’ve been staying in touch steadily with college friends, and I’ve got travel plans. What more can a girl ask for?!

This article accurately sums up how I feel right now.

Unofficial is this Friday and I will be making a return trip to my alma mater to participate in the holiday of debauchery.

I go to Costa Rica in two weeks. Two weeks until I am golden brown again instead of this pasty Asian paleness.

April is coming up. Spring!

AND SO IS JERMAINE LAMARR COLE, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS J. COLE, ON APRIL 18. ;alsfja;lsdkfja;sldkfjs; No words to describe my excitement for that!!!

Good night.

Funny how just one simple fact of life can change the course of how one feels about everything else entirely. Last Monday the company I was interning for promoted me to a full-time associate editor. I was hired. I have a real job. I’m staying! I no longer have to worry about what I will be doing with myself weeks from now, or having to send out resumes and cover letters again, or how the heck I was going to continue paying for my car. I finally have some stability going on for me. Moreover I can start cutting down on hours at my retail gig, which I believe I’m going to keep for now. So instead of working nearly 60 hours a week on meager wages, I’ll be working 50 hours a week on better wages. Heh?

I ended up having a whirlwind of a magical week last week after my promotion. For Valentine’s Day my girl friends and I went out on the town in Chicago, doing the wine, dine and dance. It ended up being a fantastic, fun night and totally worth the lack of sleep I suffered at work the next day. Last Thursday I went out in the city again to have dinner at the Costa Rican restaurant, Irazu, which I think I am now officially obsessed with. As a side note, I’m returning to Costa Rica in less than a month!!! (More about that later.) Then Friday I went to the city again (I really should just move there!) for the Chicago Auto Show, which I hadn’t been to in probably about 10 years. Best part of all…look who I ran into!!

Yeah, that’s right, I totally locked eyes with the Chicago Bulls’ very own Joakim Noah. The line to meet him was ridiculously long, so my friends and I fought our way to get to the crowd control poles. We may not have had the chance to get anything signed by him, but we were right there front and center, and he definitely saw—noticed—us. It was awesome.

Oh, and the cars were sexy too. Disregard all my previous emo posts. Life is awesome.