We Always Split a Donut

I have discovered something amazing. In our countless ramblings about what delicious foods we can combine together, my sister Kelly and I failed to think of Donut+Cookie Dough. Yes, it is a real thing and it is amazing. Dunkin Donuts offers these heart-shaped heavenly treats as a Valentine's Day promotion. Getting a box of these on Valentine's day may be better than actually having a Valentine, even if they put me into a sugar coma.

Kelly and I go the same Dunkin Donuts every Monday and Wednesday between school and work and eat breakfast together. Luckily, we get to work together on these days. Working at Jimmy Johns is a lot more fun when my best friend is there with me to make up nicknames for the other employees or to talk with me to take my mind off the monotony of our job. She works the register and I cut and mayo the bread. I've spent a lot of time at Jimmy John's this past year and a half and it's nice to now have Kelly there to make things more fun. And it's a lot easier to tell her stories about work when she actually knows the people I'm talking about.

Aside from working and going to IPFW together, Kelly and I also live together. Luckily we have really awesome parents who still feed us and like having us around all the time. Right now, it's a rough time of year for both Kelly and I. The fun of the holiday season is over and it feels like we're just trudging through all this snow and cold weather. She recently had a falling out with a best friend and I recently ended an 8 month long relationship so we're also in the same boat of coping with changes in our personal lives. 

Thank God we've got each other though. When I fell on campus yesterday and busted open my knee, Kelly was there to first laugh at me, shake her head and say "only you", and them make me dinner and listen to me vent my frustrations. We've been a pair since she was born, when I was 2. Now sometimes it's like we have the same brain, like I will be thinking something and then she will yell the exact same thought to me from the other room. We speak in a language of movie quotes, Spongebob quotes, and weird voices and impressions. We like to eat food, especially devilishly decadent food like cookie dough donuts or brownie batter donuts (yes, they have those too). And though the beginning of this year hasn't been the merriest for both of us, I'm thankful we have each other, that I have a sister who is also my best friend, and that cookie dough donuts exist. 

Boosting Morale

I'm starting to feel as if someone has secretly transported me to Antarctica. The world outside is white. All I can see is a white blanket...no It does not deserve the word blanket because blankets are warm, cuddly, and very lovable. This snow and cold on the other hand are anything but those things. Everyday I gear up for a battle with the elements. Constantly chapped lips, runny nose, sliding and stuck cars, no desire to leave the house because it means being chilled to the bone are all running me ragged. Everyone who told me that we were going to have a horrible winter guess what! You were right! And I am sad and hate your accuracy.

On one of the many days I was snowed in my house, I was watching a History Channel program on Camp Douglas, a Union prisoner of war camp in Chicago that contained Confederate soldiers from 1862-1865. The conditions were deplorable and thousands died of disease and depravation. Those that didn't die were stuck waiting for an end. The pictures showed the men playing cards, playing instruments and singing together, doing anything to pass the time and take their mind of their internment and lack of freedom.

Now I know I can't really compare myself to these soldiers (my pains are nothing compared to their suffering), but I was reminded of them when I was thinking about why I hate winter. Winter is like a prison, shutting me up inside and putting a hold on most of the activities I like to do. It's the waiting I hate and the lack of freedom. I feel like I'm only half of myself in winter. Normally I rejoice in seeing nature and being surrounded by it but now I'm hiding inside my hibernation den. I miss the leaved trees, flowers, grass, and actually feeling the warmth of the sun on my face when I go outside.  

I apologize for the ranting and whining if that's what it sounds like. I am trying to remain optimistic. I know that I can't change the weather, and that eventually it has to turn to spring outside. Like the Fort Douglas soldiers it's just a waiting game and I've got to find ways to pass the time. Right now it's all about finding and doing the little things...and drinking a lot of hot chocolate and Baileys with coffee. 

One thing that winter can't take away is music. I was walking down the hallway in the music building today and I was happy to hear all the different sounds coming from the rooms. These classrooms and this building were alive in a different way than other ones I walk through. As I left the building and then drove home I put on my go to get through winter/in my top 10 songs list, "Apartment Story" by The National. "Tired and wired we ruin to easy,  sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave...Stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz for days" are a little sample of the lyrics. Music is always a good way to pass the time. Whether I'm listening to Louis Armstrong and pretending I'm in a different time period, or I'm listening to surf rock and dreaming I'm at the beach, I feel like I'm less frozen when I've got music to soothe me. Winter is also a good motivator for getting things done that I probably wouldn't if I weren't cooped up inside. I'm working really hard to study in Ireland in the fall and I'm using this waiting period to attempt to get organized (not my strongest suit) for that adventure. 

Until I perfect the art of hibernation, I know I have to keep facing the wintry conditions that are so against my inner beach lizard. But at least I've got hot baths, cozy blankets, Netflix, comfort food, and the goal of getting to summer and Ireland to keep me going in the meantime. 

Here's "Apartment Story" if you want to give it a listen. Apartment Story - The National

With a Little Help From My Friends

To create a blog, one must first come up with a title for the blog. So I sat at the computer for a few minutes and when nothing immediately came to mind I just started  yelling out to whoever was around "Title for a blog anyone?" It's hard to try and find a label that encompasses what you'll write about when you don't know what you're going to write about. Luckily, I remembered that my friends are geniuses and more helpful than my mom in this department so I quickly sent them my call for help "need title for a blog about me, any ideas?" These were the results and reasons why I can always get by with a little help from my friends 

1. mmm bacon  
2. Queen of Jimmy Johns 
3. The real slim shady
4. Its Katherine bitch
5. Hopeless wanderer
6. Jesus Christ Superstar
7. Galway Girl
8. Mrs. Aaron Carter
9. Inside the mind of Katherine Jane
10. Hellomynameis
11. Lone Wolf
12. Ibuyandselldrugshere
13. Can't b Tamed
14. Sherlockandjohnfoureva
15. L7 Weenie
16. The Great Bambino
17. Mermaidsarereal
18. Chicken nuggets are like my family
19. The One Direction Blog
20...and finally one of my identities in our friend group, The Beach Lizard. 

I love the beach and being sun-kissed. Let's just say Indiana in January is not my habitat of choice. I'm my happiest in the sand and sun. Why beach lizard and not some other kind of animal that lives by or in the sea I couldn't tell you. The name's roots can be traced to the someplace in our minds where the genius lies. Not the kind of genius that builds bridges and takes humans to space, but the kind that has figured out what will always create laughter between us. Similar to how what we write is affected by community, my identity and individuality is influenced by my friends. Thankfully, I've got the kind I know will always be there for me, whether it be comforting me after a break-up, following me on adventures, or helping me come up with a blog title. I feel like I can't introduce myself in this blog without mentioning the behind the scenes help I know I can always count on them to give.