allergic.

i’ve recently been made painfully aware of the fact that i suffer from seasonal allergies. more specifically, i suffer from pollen being directly deposited into my nose by one oreo lantz.

you see, when a kitty cat rolls around on your pollen-laiden driveway and then insists on sleeping on your face, pollen inhalation is all but inevitable. so, after administering copious amounts of antihistamines, nasal sprays, and decongestants simultaneously i was able to conclude that there are lots of things for which i have a similar allergic reaction. and while some of the lists below cause physical reactions such as nausea and eyeball pain, many leave impressions as well as symptoms which can not be treated with either over the counter or prescription medication, such as emotional damage and permanent memory etching. very. scary. stuff. really, i hate many, many things so making a short list of allergies comes as natural as cats and barbie hair brushes. 

i am allergic to:

1. fugly footwear. including, but not limited to: kitten heels, mules, platform flip flops, plastic flip flops, bedazzled flip flops, now that i think about it, all flip flops, double stacked keds, wedges with heels under 4”, any heel under 4” (see also, kitten heel), bulbous flats, anything too cheap, too plastic, or too much like something panda would wear.
2. heinous clothing. including but not limited to: anything purchased from hollister, american eagle, or abercrombie, cargo shorts, jhorts (unless purchased with proper fit, length, and fabric containing less than 10% spandex, also known as “demin”, never okay for anyone with a wiener), tea length dresses (hello, cankles), capris, man capris, capris of any kind, all graphic tees, anything that looks like lisa frank, a rhinestone, someone who smokes meth, and a tattoo artist had a baby (see ed hardy), spaghetti strap tank tops worn as shirts (not even close, please, please stop), tube tops, ribbon belts, anything too tight, too short, or too fugly.
3. animal people. individuals who indiscriminately like all animals have deep seated issues and more likely than not problems with normal human interaction.
4. picky eaters. everyone is allowed to have their “things”. if you stick syrup, a raisin or a canned black olive in front of me, i will punch you. transversely, if the only thing you’ll eat is a chicken finger, we’re going to have a little problem. 
5. the morning time. yes, i stay up until 5 am. yes, i know that this is not “normal”. yes, i remain grumpy until noon. yes, i usually continue to be grumpy after that. no, i will not apologize. no, i don’t want a damn bagel. 
6. work. i really don’t mind words like “project” or “experiment”, but work is absolutely disgusting. manual labor is out of the question. “working out” has the word work in it, so, no. 
7. higher education. i don’t like it. i feel significantly dumber now than i did when i started college. 
8. love/marriage/relationships. i get it. sometimes you people love each other and want to hold hands, kiss each other in public, share your bank accounts and be lifetime roommates, or whatever. that’s great. you scare me. no thank you. 

i supposed you are expecting some kind of conclusion to this rant. i’m allergic to many things. chances are i’m even a little allergic to you. fear not, for there is an easy solution which will attract rather than detract my much sought after affection, luring me to you like a bee to honey: carry around a bottle of vodka.

on a final and, you guessed it, unrelated note, i'd like to thank miranda lambert for writing a song about me. that was kind. 

cosmic counseling.

i remember a time (yesterday) when every major life decision was made using one of the following methods: magic 8 ball, horoscopes, ipod dipping, mash, chinese fortune tellers, or bible dipping. if i can’t shake, click, shuffle, spell, count or point my way to a solution, then damnit, there isn’t a solution to be had.

go ahead, trust in your “everything happens for a reason” philosophy. as far as i’m concerned everything happens because i trust the shuffle on my ipod to pick a song worthy of interpreting my ever so important and life changing queries. do you need to know whether or not you should go to the bar on a monday? shake a magic 8 ball. when the ball tells you, “ask again later”, drink a bottle of wine and give it another try. do you need to know when the next dramatic mood swing (due to the graviational pull/alignment of pluto, the dwarf planet) will send your friends running in the opposite direction? you better get your crabby (astrological sign joke?) ass to the nearest horoscope app/use the interweb and pick up on your planetary vibes. need to figure out who you’ll marry, where you’ll live, what your salary, occupation and child count will be? duh, mash that shit. do you have only mere days left until formal and have yet to choose a date? get to folding, numbering, color coding and candidate selecting, it’s time for a chinese fortune teller (true story). need general, hardly accurate and always out of context advice from the jesus? dust off the bible your grandma gave you, ask a broad and generally open-ended question, start ruffling the pages, jab your finger onto a random page and start reading. now you have, by word of divine authority, the answer to all your problems. i think sometimes, in an attempt to be “grown-ups” we decide to make things more complicated than they should be. we discuss at length the nature of, variables of, and solutions to our various problems, questions and concerns, rarely considering the fact that despite our best and lengthiest analysis, most things either fall apart or fall into place. 

when you really think about it, you probably already know whether or not you’re going out on a monday, when you’re grumpy, and who you will definitely not be marrying. why not let yourself be surprised with some vague cosmic readings which coincide perfectly with your current mood and/or situation, live in a shack with brad pitt (hey, i’d take it), or have the theme song to your life be drake’s “fancy”? feel free to discuss your feelings, but don’t be upset when i only answer yes or no questions with phrases such as, “it is decidedly so” and "as i see it, no".

magic 8 ball application. seer of all things, and the direct answer to the question: "will i ever graduate from college?"

finally, and on a completely unrelated note, oreo and i are loving our friend britney's new music video, although we are pretty sure brit brit stole/took inspiration from the first line from little princess o 
♫ this kitten got your tong tied in knots i see ♫

designer diploma.

i’m going out on a limb here and putting your high school english composition and/or elementary writing skills to the test with something i am calling a simile/analogy combo. 

a diploma from mercer is like a pair of designer shoes. 

ok, maybe designer shoes is a bit of a stretch, but mercer is at least similar to a pair of overpriced marginally well-known brand name shoes in a pricey boutique. you see, a mercer diploma, similar to the friends hanging out in my closet, and on my floor, in my car, and in my purse, is all about the label. sure, mercer is no yale or harvard; it’s not a vanderbilt, hell, it’s not even an emory, but the fact remains that what mercer lacks in credentials, football players, and enrollment statistics it makes up for in that sneaky little designer price tag. and, just like those crafty boutiques, high end department stores and online shops, mercer offers their own personal brand of coupons and free shipping cunningly masked as these things they call scholarships. you honestly don’t even have to be that smart (personal experience) and this school will literally throw money at you. so, you’ve given into the scam, combined several coupons and decide to make mercer your home for the next four (five if you’re lucky, six if you’re ridiculous, and seven if you’re me) years. what do you expect to get out of this? if mercer is anything like a pair of overpriced designer shoes, which duh i’ve said like ten times i think it is, you can expect plenty of pain, regret, general discomfort, recognition of poor decision making skills, barefootedness, falling, and possible bodily harm. the pain comes when you realize you’re expected to go to class while hungover to listen to some loser pontificate over matters of “epic importance” (no thank you, if you want to learn something take dr. macke). the regret surfaces when you find out that even after your 21st birthday you can’t legally drink in your (on campus) place of residence and that your body can and will be considered a “container” and while intoxicated is not allowed on campus either. the general discomfort occurs when you see the ragamuffins which are now your “classmates”. the recognition of poor decision making skills comes after the aforementioned realizations and at the point which you understand that you will spend the next ten years of your life paying off your college loans/receive angry scowls from papa bear concerning how much of his hard earned money went to your damn designer degree. the barefootedness, falling, and bodily injury are more personal interjections which reflect the level of intoxication necessary to deal with the above list of general complaints. and hey, guess what? most hobos wouldn't know a manolo from a steve madden if you hit them in the face with it. 

there is hope in all this, kiddos. for those discerning enough to know the difference there is a huge distinction between your cute jessica simpson platforms (georgia state) and a pair of ($1200) christian louboutins (mercer). let’s just hope that your potential employer didn’t get their pumps at tj maxx and that you know how to rock the shit out of that designer diploma. 

did i take it too far with the shoe analogy?

i'm gonna betch slap you shetbag!

personal space.

hey lady, i don’t mean to be rude (lies), but if you don’t back the hell away from me, immediately, i’m going to have a panic attack and be forced to kick you in the virginia. 

i don’t know what has caused the sudden uprise in people crowding around and touching me while in public, but it’s starting to make me feel like a psycho. i’m not sure if i’ve started emitting “stand on top of me, breathe on me, and if it’s not too much trouble go ahead and touch me, stranger” pheromones or something, but i can’t seem to shop, eat, or buy groceries without randars invading my personal space. as a general rule of thumb, i would prefer if all strangers stayed as far away from me as humanly possible (unless said stranger is of the tall, dark, and handsome variety and meets the criteria mentioned in the “boyfriend application”, in which case i would prefer that aforementioned individual actually stands as close to me as humanly possible while shucking out hundred dollar bills in the general direction of the nearest pair of shoes). recently, i was shopping, looking at accessories, when a lady came up behind me, reached around my body, mexi-hold style, and starting checking out a pair of fugly feather earrings somewhere around my bellybutton region. really bitch? you can’t wait 37 seconds for me to decide that these earrings are gross as shit and move? you want my body? i get it, woman; everybody loves me, but you are a stranger. everyone knows that strangers don’t wash their hands after using the potty. or how about at the grocery store when i am trying to check out and you ram me with your basket and then literally breathe down my neck while i’m trying to pay? are you trying to steal the pin on my debit card (i can assure you, if there is money in my account it won’t be there for long), you wanna go halfsies on a bunch of bananas or are you hoping to get to second base in publix? whichever way, hate to break it to you, i’m not interested (see above for “unless stranger is of the tall dark and handsome variety...”). although i’ve found that looking at the invasive individual and simply saying, “is this real life?” works quite well, i am forced to consider more drastic alternatives as you people just can’t get enough of my lovely lady lumps. although i’ve been told that holding ones arms straight out to the sides and spinning in a large circle not only clears an area in width approximately equal to your own height of any bystanders who may be too close, but also defines clear personal space parameters, i believe there is a more effective solution to this common problem. the next time i go out, i’m taping a sign to my back that reads: “massive, explosive diarrhea. please stay back”. i’ve learned that poop is always the best way out of uncomfortable or unwelcome social situations (thanks, bronwyn/lindsey). 

in conclusion, unless you are a bestie or a sexy man please stay away from me and my kitty cat as we are no more fond of strangers touching us than we are of heinous footwear. 

if you're close enough to know whether or not i'm fresh, you're too damn close.

of course, i can't talk about personal space without my good friend luuuuuuuda!

peacock.

describing my overall state of being this week as “disheveled” would be a vast, bordering on criminal, understatement. 

i’m sure you’ve all had weeks where you just can’t seem to get it together; well, hello readers, welcome to my life. between listening to katy perry’s “peacock” and mentally calculating the best way to insert the peacock/chicken dance into everyday life i’ve done one or more of the following in the past week: constructed a 7 layer torte masterpiece/shitshow in “culinary” class, made out with an irish man, had a girl ask me, “did you just wake up 5 minutes ago? you look crazy” (to which i wanted to reply, “no bitch, i have a 45 minute drive to this hellhole and therefore woke up 50 minutes ago”), unintentionally covered over half my ass with a delightful layer of chocolate ganache, aced a french test (take that, trelawney), had a panic attack in the freezer, made a grown man cry, refrained from shoe shopping of any kind, combed princess oreo, and wonder upon wonders, shaved my legs. so in my world, i guess you could call aforementioned occurrences typical, but i’ve been seriously debating which (none) of these “normal” activities could fit into a “real” person’s schedule. you know, a real person who doesn’t live at home with their parents, exist on their (monopoly) money and has a “j” word (job)? you see, the way i figure it is there’s not always going to be a freezer nearby that you can walk into and scream the f word, no one dances at work, you can’t make out with (short) people because they are irish and you can’t understand them, and if your co-worker asks you if you woke up 5 minutes ago it’s not because he/she is complimenting your ability to quickly pull together an outfit and look ravishing in no time at all. these assumptions lead me to believe that i am quite literally having a life plan crisis. who is going to hire me/maybe i should join the circus under a traveling show which headliner reads, “come one, come all, and see the worlds meanest/laziest cat and her disheveled owner”? that show sounds lame. 

it seems as though the only solution here is to get princess oreo a better talent so we can begin our tour. kitty cat toilet training begins now, complete with flushing. on a final note, and to encourage participation in the comments section, i pose the following question: “what marketable traits should princess oreo and i begin banking on in order to create a “j” word which suites our individual talents and lends itself to peacock dancing outbursts”?

crafty bitch.

my sincerest apologies for lack of posting. it seems as though i have been quite busy with (very) important tasks including, but not limited to: shoe shopping (to quote carrie, “i've spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live? i will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes!”), school (teaching myself french, trelawney be damned), furniture shopping, cooking (neither for pleasure nor money, barf), and some moderate to heavy crafting. 

although many of these activities are part of a weekly schedule (shoe shopping, duh) the addition of both furniture shopping and crafting are due to my building anxiousness regarding my current living situation. i need to get the hell out of the bear den, asap. i may or may not be going completely insane. i am therefore, furiously collecting/shopping/crafting for what i am currently calling my “hypothetical apartment”. so far, the furnishing and decorating of “hypothetical apartment” is going quite well. the walls have been hypothetically filled with frames, mirrors, jewelry displays, paintings, and various hanging items. the closets have been packed with clothes and are overflowing with shoes. i have a bed, a desk which will never be used (i mean, honestly, who uses a desk? for work? at home?), dressers, nightstands, whatever. a couch, real or imagined has yet to be purchased, but fortunately there is still time to find something, hypothetically speaking of course. i will be crafting like damn martha stewart until may/june/graduation/being hired/learning how to use a stripper pole at an establishment to be named “strippers plus” featuring overweight exotic dancers/killing my parents and gaining a large inheritance/marrying rich. because i know you were wondering, oreo has been more of a hinderance than a help through the crafting process as her paws have yet to correctly grip a sewing needle or paintbrush, though i am considering dipping her feet in paint and letting her walk on a canvas (too much? crazy cat lady? i already know the answer?). i guess i really am a crafty bitch because i just filled an entire paragraph with the “crafting is so strenuous” ruse and you’ve fallen for my cleverly worded ploy (insert witch cackle/my laugh here).

what was that? you want to see some of my craftiness? you want to tell me how amazing i am in the comment area below? alright, but please remember i’m quite bashful.

fine jewels

various crafty items, 3 "paintings" and preschool-y monogram hanging letters

navy pillow + ratty old t-shirt, minor sewing skills and (i'm not going to lie) a ton of fabric glue

work in progress, could be cute, could eventually make me want to barf...

back to school.

do you remember what your first day of high school/college felt like? trust me, i am not about to get nostalgic on your ass, i’m trying to remind you that the day i just mentioned was horrifying. 

for reasons too long, complicated, and utterly ridiculous to explain here i’ve been taking classes at every college within a 50 mile radius of my (parent’s) house. it seems as though i’ve been hanging out with the weirdos in community college long enough that, despite the pointless nature of the classes and overall scariness of many of the students involved, i feel quite comfortable among the culinary hobos. i am not, however feeling very confident among the students of the ever prestigious university of west georgia. for starters, i have never felt so incredibly awkward or unprepared in my entire life. i showed up on campus and had no idea where to park, where my class was, where to buy books, where to get a student id, where to get a parking sticker, and in general where the hell i was and what was i doing. being my ever confident (bitchy) self, i simply parked wherever i felt like parking, much like i did at mercer, although with much more positive results. i had a campus map, but i was not about to embarrass myself with a lost freshman stigma, so i studied the map carefully and then began to wander aimlessly around campus using only my excellent (terrible) sense of direction as a guide. in the end, i think the expression “going around your ass to get to your elbow” sums up my building finding skills. my class began at 12 and i walked into the classroom at 11:40, perfect timing, responsible earliness, student shows interest in learning. wrong. the classroom was full and the professor informed me that i was either incredibly late or remarkably early. she made me sit through her other french class and then my french class. they were exactly the same. the obligatory, “tell everyone your name, year and major” created an unnecessary amount of confusion and needless mumbling on my part. i said, “my name is lauren lantz, i’m a senior, i guess, and i’m a communications major”. professor trelawney (nerd reference of course, although in this case, remarkable accurate, her hair was quite unfortunate looking) looked at me and said, “you think you’re a senior? are you in your 4th year?” to which i replied, “no ma’am, i am in my last year”. i’m pretty sure she thought i was retarded, but i wasn’t about to tell the 18 year olds in my class that i’ve been at this shit for 7 years, even i have a limit for amount of endurable humiliation. also, it just so happens that there is no communications major available at this school, thus confirming trelawney’s previous inclination that i am mentally retarded. perfect. the rest of the class was absurd, as trelawney forced students to read the (redundant) syllabus aloud. after class i figured i should ask the professor of french/divination where i could procure a student id and parking sticker. she gave me the most stupid answer i’ve ever heard by saying, “in the ucc”, like i knew that the hell a ucc was. meanwhile, i was mentally calculating the time it would take me to decipher that kind of abbreviation of the microscopic map i hid in my purse, and ultimately decided i would find some kind of attractive mancandy thing to show me where it was at a later date. after her ridiculous answer to my legitimate question, i determined that professor trelawney was dimwitted and marked her off as entirely incompetent. additionally, everyone in my class either has 10 facial piercing or is african american or some combination thereof, which means i either have to get my tongue/eyebrow/lip/nose pierced or log some serious tanning bed time. 

in conclusion, bring on the parking tickets, campus security. i still don’t know where the hell to park or where the ucc, whatever that may be/stand for, is. and might i ask where my prefect was for this whole experience? you are certainly no hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.