7 Quick Takes: The Procrastination Episode

Most of my school assignments involve using a computer. Being on a computer means it's really tempting to just click on that little internet button. Being on the internet (even if I try and tell myself it's JUST to check email), means procrastination. So here are some sites that I like to procrastinate with. Some are blogs, some are recipe sites, all are distracting.

--- 1 ---

Obviously my number one time wasters would be checking email, and checking facebook. Checking email is slightly less hazardous as when your inbox is empty, it's pretty hard to keep looking at email. Unless I go back and read some sweet email J sent or something. Not that I save those though... 

Facebook. Well. Does anybody need to be told of the wonderful powers of procrastination that Facebook holds? I could do my assignment... OR, I could creep pictures of my best friend from grade three. I think the answer is obvious, don't you?

--- 2 ---

Something I came across just on Wednesday is going to be my new best internet friend. It is called ziplist.com, and it is amazing. Basically the idea is you can look up recipes on it (they're partnered with many food blogs and recipe sites) and add them to your recipe box. You can also install the ziplist button on your browser and click it for ANY recipe on the web. It catalog the ingredients for you and save the location of the recipe. THEN, when you're picking meals for the week, you can just click on the recipe, and add it to your shopping list!!!! If that weren't enough, it's smart enough to know that if a recipe calls for something like flour, that you probably already have it, so it asks first if you need it. Amazing, right?

--- 3 ---

The very first blog I ever followed was Cam at A Woman's Place. She is a Catholic convert (like so many Catholic bloggers...) and she posts often about her children, her marriage and the difficulties of living Catholic faith in our world. She also operates three Etsy stores.

I'm at that creepy point where I feel like I know her, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this blog (actually, I'm not sure that anyone really reads this blog besides maybe Katie at NFP and Me and J...). But I really love reading about her life (and the creepiness continues... moving on!)

--- 4 ---

Bad Catholic. Marc Barnes is freaking hilarious. He makes up words like conflibbergating, and badassery, and shows the amazing awesomeness of the Catholic faith. Plus, I always learn things in his posts (did you know that Catholics had a specific blessing for beer? I didn't!). Love it!

--- 5 ---

Food blogs in general. I always go on food blogs with the procrastination excuse that I'm "just looking quickly for a good recipe for... (insert not fancy occasion here)". Except then I always end up on the dessert blogs, which is usually not what I actually need a recipe for. Although, I am slightly annoyed with the fact that there have been Thanksgiving recipes on ALL the food blogs for a month. Because Thanksgiving was a month ago up here in the cold, and I don't have any turkey to try those delicious looking ways to use up my leftovers.

--- 6 ---

I stumbled on this next blog through, actually, I don't remember how I stumbled on to this blog. But it's one of my favourites. Her name is Rachel. She isn't Catholic (gasp!) but she is sooo funny. She has a knack for turning the time that her entire family came down with the stomach flu into pure entertainment. She's also convinced me that Mom jeans are the worst thing a woman can ever do to herself. Her blog is called Grasping for Objectivity... in my Subjective Life.

--- 7 ---

Finally, take number seven. I haven't spent as much time on this last one since I discovered that reading blogs was a much better way to get insights into other people's lives, but I still do frequent the Catholic Answers Forums (aka. CAF). Although some of it makes me cringe, with the way people snipe at each other, there are good conversations that happen, and it can be very informative. 

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

Hark! A Post!

I have determined that blogging is harder than it looks. Where do you people have TIME to come up with anything to write at all, much less things I actually want to read?

I apologize for my extended absence. School has been super stressful lately with project, after project.

But enough of my complaining. I'm going to ease back into blogging with a short and sweet post about humility.

So yesterday, I took the bus home from school. My bus ride happens to be an hour long. I'm just glad that most of the time I can catch a ride to school with my Dad. Driving only takes 1/2 an hour.

I normally can't do much reading or anything on the bus without feeling sick, so I take the bus time to just close my eyes, and chill out to some music. But yesterday the bus was very full. Apparently many other students who live near me have class that ends at 3. At least that's what I gather from the fact that there are TWO long extend-y buses that leave at the same time.

Not actually my bus, but a very similar one to it. 

I had to stop by the library quick after class and so had to run to the bus. I got on as it started to move and sat in the only available seat. 

Sitting beside me was a familiar face. With a wistful goodbye to my iPod and nap time I turned towards him to say hi. 

You know those people that you have met a few times, and even talked to once or twice, but that you never actually seek out their company for whatever reason? That was my bus mate. For an hour long trip. But I tried. I asked him how his fraternity was doing, we talked about classes that we had both taken, we talked about how long the bus ride was.... you get the idea. About half way through the trip I started mentally scripting this blog post, congratulating myself on how I was going to show everyone how if you just reach outside of your comfort zone to someone else once in awhile you can really make a world of difference.

Then I realized that during the silence of my mental blog post writing, that he had pulled out his phone and was doing a sudoku puzzle. Ah, irony: one of the many ways that God keeps us humble.

It was OK though. We had talked enough that it was fine to sit in (slightly awkward) companionable silence. I even felt comfortable enough to pull out that iPod and slightly lower my eyelids. 

There, that didn't take that long! I promise I will try doing posts more often from now on!