The Art Of Parking

Needless to say, parking on campus is a pain. Sometimes you do get lucky and find a spot that is nearby your class, though most times you have to park at least a mile away from you class and, because you were hunting for a closer one, you are now late because you took too long looking and because you have to walk too far. There are a few tricks that I've learned throughout my college career for finding a good parking spot. They aren't 100%, but 9 times out of 10 I won't have to walk very far! Here are some tips and tricks:

1. Roll down your windows and turn off your music! Not every car that is leaving will have their reverse lights on right away. By rolling down your windows and eliminating other noises you will be able to hear a person starting up their car a row away!
2. Arrive when other classes are getting out. Chances are, if you arrive too near to your own class's start time, all of your other classmates will have gotten the prime parking spots. By timing your arrival with the end of the class ahead of yours, you're bound to catch other students leaving campus!
3. Make "just one more round". Listen to your gut! Making that one last round around the parking lot might be your saving grace (or saving feet if you're wearing high heels).
4. Don't go with the crowd. If you're driving behind a long line of cars that are also looking for a place to park, most likely they're going to get the parking spots that are coming out ahead of you. If there is a place to turn, do so, so you aren't following other hunters.
5. Be cooperative. Your fellow hunters are just as desperate as you are. If you come across a parking spot, or someone backing out of one, at the same time as another hunter, work things out considerately. Chances are there might be a spot opening up nearby and you can both get spots if you work together! (Yes, this has happened to me).
6. Keep your cool. I know it can be stressful at times, but you need to keep a clear head on your shoulders. You might get too busy yelling at someone to notice the guy backing out right behind you. (No, this has not happened to me :P). I tend to keep my temper down by talking to myself in a British/Irish accent. This isn't for everyone, but it works for me!

Okay, so there you have it! My top 6 tricks to hunting down a parking spot! I know it can be annoying and stressful at times, but you've got to be tactful about it! Oh, and one more just in case even these tips leave you stressed out:

Arrive early to campus. Park in the first (most likely far off) spot you find and just walk the mile to class. Walking is good for you and gives you lots of time to think!

Good luck everyone! I know the quarter just ended, but some people are going to summer school! Keep these in mind as you hunt for a parking spot!

A Turn of Events

Janurary was quite possibly one of the worst months I've ever had.

My heart was broken, my grandpa had a stroke (twice), I killed a dog with my car, and to top it off, I failed a midterm by completely forgetting about it. What a great way to start a new year. A friend on Twitter told me, after one of the many times I tweeted a complaint about 2013, "Don't condemn it just yet. This is just overflow from 2012, the shittiest year ever. Keep your chin up!" I didn't think she could possibly be right, but February has taken an unexpected turn of events.

My heart has been mended. No, I suppose that's not right. It's evolved. I grew up a lot in January (more on that later). I was single for a month, and I enjoyed it, or I at least tried to; there were times when the mask of confidence and happiness would fall off and I would be left crying. Then Chris asked me to forgive him. Yes, we're back together again. Yes, we're moving in together. Attempting for this weekend actually. I know a lot of people have told me taking him back is the wrong thing to do, but how can I not give him another chance? He makes me happy. Period.

My grandpa is doing okay for the time being. He's home, he's walking, and he's smiling. We still have him. I don't know for how long, but he's here. His memory does tend to lapse sometimes and he doesn't remember me or where he's at, but for the most part he's doing pretty good... at the moment.

My car has been taped together (courtesy of my dad and brother) and I never saw the dog again. As for the final, I have yet to talk to my professor about it; I'm not sure if it would do any good. "Excuse me professor, I failed the exam because I forgot about it and didn't study at all, would you mind giving me another go at it?" I don't see that happening, but who knows. Maybe she'll help me out a bit if I tell her about my crummy January.

As for my New Year Resolution, it has also evolved. My goal was to move out in January. As you can probably tell, that hasn't happened yet. With all that's happened though, I'm okay with that. I've also taken up a 2nd job. Two jobs, school, and all the crap that's happened in the last month. I'm okay with the fact that  the big move hasn't happened yet. But as I said earlier. It is going to happen. I'm moving in with Chris (hopefully this weekend if I'm not too busy). February is not that far off from January, and heck, it's a lot farther than 2014 which is the deadline, so I think I've done pretty well so far (:

Here's to hoping that the 2012 runoff is finished and I'll be able to move forward in my life.

A

The Death of a Dog

I killed a dog last night.

I was driving home from school. On east bound 58 going 65 mph. There was no time to stop. No time to swerve or switch lanes. He just walked out right in front of my car. I saw him walk past the car in front of me on the right lane and all too late realized that he wasn't going to walk fast enough to make it past mine. I hit him dead center.

What happened next was complete shock. It all happened in slow motion. I saw the dog walking casually across the freeway. I quickly checked my mirrors to see if I had any chance at all to avoid it. I hit the dog.

It was a big dog. My front bumper was broken. I heard something dragging and for a gruesome second thought it was the dog. I pulled to the side of the road and that's when the "oh my god. oh my god. oh my god"s started happening. Then came the sobs and the thoughts "should I call 911?" Then I thought no, they don't show up for roadkill. I convinced myself to get out of my car and go check the front... just to make sure there wasn't a dog stuck to the front of my car. Nope, bumper just destroyed. Then I dared myself to look behind me.

It was dark; all I could see was the silhouette of the dog whenever a car passed. I called my mom. "Mom, I just hit a dog." Crying the whole time, I told her my bumper was broken. She asked where I was, and I couldn't think straight exactly. I had to walk back to the sign over the freeway. By the dog's body. I walked a little ways and saw the Mt. Vernon sign. I took a look at the dog. When a car passed, I could have swore I saw it breathing...

My mom told me to get back into my car where it was safe (I was on the left side of the freeway on a bridge after-all  and wait until they got there. I cried and cried. What if I just killed someone's baby? What if it is still alive? Laying there in the road suffering.

My parents pulled up and when my dad got to me he hugged me as I bawled into his jacket. I told him it was still alive and he told me it wasn't when they passed it. I came to one of two conclusions- it was actually dead, or my dad was trying to make me feel better.

My mom drove me home, and when I got there I cuddled and petted my dog Champ for a good long while.

And all the hysterical side of me could think "This is all Chris' fault." I got out of class early today; if he hadn't of broken up with me I would be at Prime Cut right now, not driving home.

So far 2013 is one of the worst years of my life.

A

Coming Home to the Frying Pan

Yes, I'm back in Bakersfield. Yes, I know the plan was to stay in Santa Barbara till the end of August. Yes, I miss being able to go outside without melting...

I have been sooooo spoiled this summer! No heat, the beach, a pool, a jacuzzi... It's been so nice! Then I came back to Bakersfield. The first thing that greeted me was the heat. I miss being able to drive around with my windows down and not be drenched in sweat. On the drive home I resorted to rolling both windows down, opening the vents, tilting the sunroof open and taking my shirt off (sorry guys, I still had my bra on), and I was still hot and sweating. Yuck! I guess I forgot just how hot Bakersfield can be! It's a pain in the butt to drive anywhere here. At least for me it is- the AC in my car doesn't work.

So far it's been okay. I haven't had to be outside for much, but it really sucks! I want to be outside with the animals I missed, but it's too hot to even stand outside in the shade. I really feel bad for them. When I got home Wednesday, Champ didn't even run up to the gate. He waited for me to park the car by the house before coming over to say hi real quickly then run back to his shady spot.

Last night there was a concert of sorts at The Market Place. My parents were there with some friends and they invited me over. I was at Chris' cool house so it only took me 10 minutes to get there, but it's like my car radiates heat or something, lol. It's actually hotter in my car than it is outside. It was uncomfortably warm when I got there, so I got some ice cream from Baskin Robins. That was the only way it was tolerable. Once the ice cream was gone, so was I! Just a short 25 minute drive in the oven and I was back home in my air conditioned house.

In my last post I believe I wrote something about missing the hot summer... I lied! I've only been back a few days and I want to go back to Santa Barbara already! Haha, this is worse than I remember. I miss be spoiled...

A

A Day of Firsts

For me, it's not hard to find something new to experience... because I actually haven't experience a whole lot. Chris and I went to Los Angeles the other day, and we did a bunch of new things (for me). We went to Hollywood and I got to see the star walk, and all the other neat things there. We also went to the Santa Monica pier and I got to ride the ferris wheel! And while, yes, that day was full of firsts, it is not the main story today. While we were on our way to the pier, we saw a bike rental place and I told Chris that I've always wanted to rent a two person tandem bike. I asked him if he'd ride one with me and he said yes, but not here because it was too busy with people. So I asked him where and his mistake was answering Santa Barbara (:

We were only in LA for the day and we drove back to SB that night. The next morning when we woke up, Chris asked me, "what do you want to do today." At first I didn't have any good ideas- I was tired from the events of the day before. I got up and took a shower, brushed me teeth- all the normal things one does in the morning and then it hit me! Chris agreed to rent a bike with me in SB... and we're in SB...! While he was in the shower, I started doing research on bike rental places. I found only one place that rented tandem bikes: Wheel Fun Rentals. When Chris got out of the shower, I showed him what I was scheming and he immediately wished he'd never opened his mouth lol. There were two things I've always wanted to do: ride a tandem bike with my boyfriend, or ride a surrey. Chris convinced me to get the surrey. I've always wanted to rent a bike/surrey when I was younger, but my parents have always said they're too expensive ):

Anyway, we ended up renting the surrey so that I could have a place to put my camera, and so that it would be easier to talk with him (as opposed to yelling towards him, because you know he's gonna wanna be in the front :P) Also, the second hour was free, can't beat that! I had a blast! We went up and down the bike path by the beach and stopped to take pictures every now and then. We saw a couple on the side of the road taking pictures of themselves on their bike so we stopped and exchanged cameras :P Here's what we got out of it:

click for larger (:

Chris had told me that we were going to go somewhere that was a surprise after our surrey ride. I was so excited-out from the ride I actually forgot. I thought we were walking back to the car, but we ended up going to the Kalyra wine tasting room. This would be First #2. I have never been wine tasting before! I am not an expert on wine, but it was fun sitting there and trying to make out the different tastes they say you're supposed to be able to taste haha. Chris actually ended up buying like 5 bottles of wine, and sweet ones too. He's always said he doesn't like sweet wine, but I guess yesterday changed his opinion :P The bartender was really nice, and he wasn't at all annoyed at our novice-ness to wine tasting. I actually got a buzz out of it too. We tasted maybe around 10 different wines. Tasted, meaning the glasses weren't full. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. A couple of weeks ago I got buzzed off of one beer at a bowling alley...

The third first of the day happened at lunch afterwards.We went to Enterprise Fish Co. I was still feeling sophisticated after the wine tasting, so I ordered us two glasses of wine to go with our lunch. I have never before ordered wine at a restaurant. Third number three. What I loved about this whole day, is that everything was within walking distance. We drove to Santa Barbara, but we walked to the bike rental shop, the winery, and the restaurant. The fourth and final first of the day was muscles. And no, i'm not saying this was the first day I've ever seen a big hunky guy, I'm saying it's the first day I ate a muscle. You know, those things that come out of the ocean. So weird! Haha. Not bad tasting, but weird. They came in a delicious pasta with calamari and shrimp (:

The rest of the day was spent doing things I've already done before, but it was still really great. We hung out with Bryan for a little while, and then with Amanda. We ended the day with Archer and a kiss goodnight (:

A

Driving in Goleta

Look out people! Driver from Bakersfield coming through!

There are quite a few differences between Bakersfield and Goleta. One of the big differences I have observed is the speed limits! I can just be minding my own business, driving down the road, and I'll notice that I'm passing everyone up. Then I realize I'm going 50 mph and slow down. It's so weird! If you drive 50 mph in Bakersfield, you're going slow and other drivers will get pissed off at you. It's just automatic for me when I'm driving; I cruise at 50/55 all the time in Bakersfield.

In Goleta/Santa Barbara most of the speed limits are 25-45. There are rarely any places where you can drive over 45 mph (legally). The one big exception is the 101 freeway. I have a feeling people living there LOVE the freeway. Why? Because that's the only place I'm driving too slow. The speed limit is 65. I drive 65. Practically everyone passes me up on the freeway. For this reason, I have learned to take the freeway whenever possible, of course it is nice to just cruise around and explore sometimes (which I've been doing a lot this past week).

I've actually been avoiding the freeway for the most part and taking the regular roads so that I can get more familiar with the area. I'm in Bakersfield right now for my birthday weekend, and I'm thinking about getting my bike fixed up and taking it back with me. Another difference about Goleta? There are people on bikes everywhere. You have to be very careful when you're driving. This is probably another reason why the speed limits are so low; they don't want you running over bikers!

Other than being lucky about not getting a speeding ticket yet, Goleta has been great! I am loving the weather! I arrived on Sunday and on Monday I checked my Google Homepage and noticed the weather was still set up for Bakersfield. I changed it to show Goleta as well. This made me especially happy to be in Goleta (:

Road Rage

Road rage. We're all guilty of it. Anyone who has ever said "I never yell at other drivers" is a complete liar. People are just not good drivers. They talk on their phones, they text, they eat, they sleep, and worst of all, they think they have the "right of way". I can' tell you how many times I've been practically run off the road by some idiot who thinks, "Hey, she'll move" and all the while I'm sitting there thinking, "don't even think about it".

One of my biggest pet peeves is tail gating. For some odd reason people think you'll drive your car just that much faster if the drive right up behind you and stay there. The only thing tailgating makes me do is drive slower. If you're going to be a jerk and drive that close behind me instead of just passing me, I'm going to be a jerk and go even slower!... or just continue going the speed limit, which ever fits into my schedule better. I understand, sometimes people are in a hurry, but getting on other people's nerves is not going to get you to your destination any faster. It might get you a break check though...

Yes, I am guilty of tail gating (I think we all are), but I don't do it often and it usually only happens at this one spot! There is an RV park just off highway 58 at Edison Road called Orange Grove RV Park and I drive past it almost everyday on my way to school. I drive a good speed down the road; anywhere from 55-60 miles per hour. I don't know if the people that stay at the park are just in too big a hurry to leave the park, or they just feel like being butt heads but they always pull out it front of me, causing me to have to put on my breaks and come up just behind them. Mind you, the residents are usually people in trucks pulling huge trailers, so they aren't going to be going very fast. Now i'm assuming they look down the road and see me coming and think "she's pretty far down the road, I have plenty of time to pull out". This is a common misconception. When you are driving 15 mph pulling out of a park and there is a car coming 60 mph down the road, it's going to catch up to you quickly! I will drive right behind them, hoping they see how close I am and feel like the idiots they are for pulling out when they did. One can only hope.

You know what? If more people would drive like me, the world would be a much faster, safer, and better place :P I'm sure many people have thought that too...

What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to driving?