just alyssa

All day long I listen to people talk. Just endless streams of words. A list of vocabulary strung together that all serves a purpose. Communication. However, today's society has brought us into an entirely different way of communicating. We've gone from speaking out loud to saying everything via text or through the web. It's almost like we're not really talking anymore. We've become complacent. Having access to a cell phone and internet means that we really don't have to see each other or even really speak to each other anymore. “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” -George Bernard Shaw I'm not sure when this all happened. It's been a slow development for years, which I always swore I'd never get absorbed in, but let's face it-we're all in. It's so easy to put people off and just send them a quick text or catch them on facebook late at night. We don't even have to try to talk any...

Relationships. My dear sweet friends, I regularly receive phone calls, texts, emails, and talk in person about this very complicated subject. I listen and give advice the best I can, but no one seems to be hearing me. I'll be your soundboard if that's all you need, but sometimes there are questions that are just too hard to answer via text. So-having said that, I'm going to give you my "Alyssa" version of dating rules. We all know I'm a little unconventional and most of my preposterous-stay away from the male species, rules, probably do not apply. Alas, I have adapted my very strict display into a more lax dating saga that is better to understand and will help you grasp what may be happening (male or female). Here it is. 1. Be comfortable with WHO you are. Before we can dive into a relationship, we must first understand where we stand as well as what we stand for. Being comfortable with yourself plays a huge part in a relationship. It builds confi...

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Paranoia . An unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others, sometimes reaching delusional proportions. Paranoid individuals constantly suspect the motives of those around them, and believe that certain individuals, or people in general, are "out to get them." It is no secret that I suffer from paranoia. In fact, I believe it's something that I tell people on a daily basis. I suppose it is odd that I am obsessed with horror films and yet am always scared of being murdered. Kind of contradictory. I watch all these movies and crime shows that just continuously feed into my paranoia. If you're friends with me, you know that I will not go into my bathroom without checking behind the shower curtain, I will not go to bed without checking underneath it and in the closet, and I will not get in the car without checking the backseat. These are all normal behaviors and none of you should act is if they're not!! I call it "being safe". I'd rather chec...

Every day I wake up, get out of bed, and begin my “normal” routine for what my life has become. The question is “what has my life become?” I’m walking around trying to come up with some excuse for why things don’t turn out the way I want them to. I go over and over it in my head thinking there is a completely logical explanation for why my life has become a complete and utter failure of nonstop chaos and disappointment. I keep thinking that a happy ending is going to come out of this. Like somehow my life is a movie, a very dramatic, spontaneous, chaotic, disruption of life type of movie where a happy ending always follows the rough edgings. But is it really an ending that I’m looking for? Somehow I feel like this is just the beginning. This is where it all starts. First, we come up with a plan. Then we go to school and create a new plan. Then we graduate school and again…..find a new plan. And we change our plans again..and again and….again. Because it’s not OUR plan that we’...

Well the time has come once again. Our beloved Valentine’s Day is upon us. As you all know, I am not a fan of this so called “holiday”. In fact, I’m insulted by the mere fact that it is even considered a holiday. I get every other holiday. Christmas and Easter are religious, New Year’s celebrates a fresh start, 4 th of July is for Independence Day…. I mean, they all make sense. It’s not like February really needs a holiday. We have Christmas, then New Year’s, and St. Patrick’s Day in March. Valentine’s Day is just another economic holiday to get people to spend more money. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the 3 months after Christmas people are not spending very much money. The sales go down, employees get hours cut, and the cheeriness of Christmas wears off. I get it, but the media is out of control.   If you’re in a relationship, you automatically feel an overwhelming pressure to get your partner something AMAZING! Guys are told to buy her jewelry, even tho...

Part I The day started off good. I woke up to a phone call from one of the places that I had applied for a job. They wanted me to come in for an interview at 2:30. FANTASTIC!!! I have been sitting at home all day, every day for nearly 4 weeks! A job interview was just what I needed to lift my spirits. I started my day off right, with a crisp attitude, and a smidge of hope to keep me going. Could this be the job I’d been waiting for? With all of my new found hope and happiness, the morning seemed to call for a little something extra. So I jumped out of bed, grabbed my ipod and headed for the shower. I proceeded to get ready for the day by blaring Third Eye Blind and Matchbox Twenty. Suddenly I was back in high school and getting ready for a school dance. The only difference was the ipod in place of the cd/cassette player and stack of cd’s. I just felt good. I bounced around the house, did some laundry, replied to some emails, and watched some tv. [If you find yourself bored, ...