I did one of my first big "adult" things today... apartment hunting. It actually turned out being a lot easier than I thought. I went and visited University Suites and Catamount Peaks. Both are within 3 minutes of Western and are really, really nice. They boast most of the same perks... a pool, tanning, gym, bundled rent/utilities. There are a few things that I prefer about Peaks over Suites.

Peaks Pros:

- pets are allowed.

- nicer, newer apartments and facilities.

- safer and kinder feel.

- 1 bedroom apartment, not a studio.

- security system.

- shuttle to campus and back.

Peaks Cons:

- $100 more than suites. ($650 per month)

-$200 "residence fee" (like a down payment?)

- only comes with a twin bed.

- $50 application fee.

Suites Pros:

- cheaper than peaks ($550 per month)

- fully furnished with a full bed.

- brand new apartments to be opened in august.

- only a $20 application fee and i could secure my apartment with $100.

Suites Cons:

- no pets allowed. :\

- smaller (studio apartment)

My mom is going to be coming up on Tuesday and we're going to talk to both places and see what we can come up with. Fingers crossed!

So I'm not even going to try and come up with a reason as to why I was on hiatus for over a year.

But to make up for my lack of posts, here is a generalized list of what has gone on:

- New tattoo.

- High school graduation.

- Summer spent volunteering at Camp Chatuga.

- Becoming a brunette.

- Another new tattoo. (that's right, there's 3 now.)

- First semester of college at WESTERN CAROLINA!

- Boyfriend. :]

- Lip pierced... and then having to take it out due to family disliking it. :P

- Second semester at Western.

- Going back to red & blonde.

Okay, the rest can be spilled from here.

Topic one: summer plans.

Because of some drama that went on last summer at cam

p, I was told that it would be a better idea for me to "take a summer off." Yeah, thanks for that one, Angela. Because some things that I did were SO much worse than what some other people did and they get nothing from it. Thanks so much. /rant.

So because of this, I was faced with the frightening idea of finding a different summer job. Seeing as I was pretty much relying on it, I didn't apply to be an orientation counselor for Western. And seeing as it was February, I figured that most summer camps would already have hired their staff. But I decided to try my luck anyway. I sent out applications to both Camp Blue Ridge and Camp Pinewood, because they were both relatively close to home. They're rich kid camps, both completely different from Chatuga, and the staff aren't treated like nuns in a convent. Heard back from Pinewood the day after I se

nt in the application. They said that they had gotten it, but was curious as to why I wasn't going to be returning to Chatuga for the summer. Ugh. Of course they had to ask that. So I sent off and email explaining that there were some "conflicting values" and that I wasn't very happy with some of the ways I was treated last year (both true.). Haven't heard back from them.

I also applied to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, because my psychology professor suggested it. I've always liked NOC and thought it was be a decen

tly fun place to work, with my background with OB and all, plus they have staff housing. So I put him down as a reference (he's worked every summer for like.. 15 years.) and sent it off.

I figured I should also have a backup plan in case any of those didn't come through and I would have to move back home. Is it weird that my first choice was Hooters? I applied there when I was 17, and was told that I would be hired, but couldn't at the time because of my age. So I thought that I at least had a decent shot at getting a job. The girls there have much less actual work (rolling silver wear, sweeping, cleaning bathrooms...) than most waitresses, and make much better money. Plus, it's a fun, relaxed environment. Not like Olive Garden, having to wear a white shirt and tie. So Friday, I drove home and went out to see 'Valentine's Day' with my mom and Heather. Afterwards, I had her stop at the Ho

oters closest to us (about 15 minutes away from home, right across from the mall and movie theater) and I ran in to fill out the application. The hostess was super sweet. She was a tiny little thing that looked like she was my sister's age, but was very talkative and friendly. Props to her. :] Filled out the app and waiting about 15 min

utes for the manager to come and do the first interview. He was very nice as well, and asked me if I would be able to come in for a second interview with the GM sometime soon. I, of course, said yes. He smiled and shook my hand and said he'd be calling in tomorrow to set it up, before running off to take care of some of the chaos.

Saturday came and I got the call. He asked if I could come in at 3 on Sunday. Of course I could. So Sunday came around and I strolled in, completely calm about the interview. The GM was extremely nice as well and went through the interview like I'm sure he's done hundreds of times. He asked about Western, and what kind of hours I could work during the summer, what attracted me to Hooters, and why I would make a good Hooters Girl. After everything was done, he smiled and told me to give him a call abou

t a week before school was out so he could set me up with my training. I GOT THE JOB! SCORE! Needless to say, it made my weekend. Following in the footsteps of the extremely talented K.H. (also known as The Hooters Girl), I'm hoping to keep up my blogging through the summer and talking about all my experiences there.

The rest of this week hasn't been very exciting. Class on Monday (with a call from NOC, offering me a job at the outfitter store. when it rains, it pours, eh?), and yesterday was advising day, so no classes, just my department meeting. Spent the rest of the day running around town picking up some things that I needed, and met my mom in Asheville for dinner at the Stone Ridge Tavern. Mm, I'm drooling just thinking about it.

I'm planning to use my blogging as a time to not only inform about my life in general, but also to vent about things that irritate me to the extremes. So in the future days, be sure to keep an eye out for posts about "the Roommate", as she is the main cause of those irritations.

Til then,

- Chelsea.