Jill's Post-Grad Life: BuzzFeed Style

So last night at like 1a.m. I started tweeting with the hastags #waystoknowyourealone and #postgradlife as kind of a joke about what my life has become since I graduated and moved home. That is: lonely and kind of sad.

So here's a blog version of the list of reasons why my current post-grad life makes me depressed (BuzzFeed style):

1. My biggest love interest at the moment is a British YouTuber whom I will likely never meet, befriend, or date. Which is cool with me, I just like to look at him and hear him talk.

2. Doctor Who is currently my best friend.

3. I think about Sherlock so often that I physically need Season 3.

4. I spend much of my spare time quoting Lord of the Rings with my sister.

5. My monthly Tumblr post number since I graduated (May and June):

6. I'm not sure how much time I've spent on YouTube, but I'm afraid to find out. (Fact: I have over 2000 videos in my watch history and that isn't indicative at all because I watch most videos more than once)

7. My friends stop texting me back and I figure it's because I'm boring them.

8. My friends won't read my blog until I "start doing something interesting with my life".

9. I feel sad when I see Dan and Phil now because I miss companionship.

10. I even feel rejected by my cat.

11. I would rather sleep than do anything else.

12. Because I have no use of a car yet, I almost never leave the house.

13. I'm easily amused.

 

14. I worry constantly about things I know are already taken care of at my end.

15. And finally:

The good news: I'm moving to Galveston in less than two weeks!

Today's YouTube video is freaking adorable:

Byeeeee

Maybe I shouldn't blog EVERYday.

Just a thought. I have no motivation to write about anything today. And all I have to tell you is that I bought $250 worth of furniture online at Walmart.com. And I'm writing this at 11:57pm.

This has been happening a lot, so I'll consider reducing my blogging to like three or four times a week.

But anyway...

Here's a YouTube video...

And a Dan gif...

AND THE HOBBIT TRAILER OMG

I'm satisfied.

Dare to Suck

So I've seen this phrase pop up a couple times on YouTube videos. (Here and here, specifically)

Essentially, "daring to suck" is realizing that being poor at something is a part of the learning process and you can't be good at something unless you suck at it first. Sucking also means that you are human. It's okay to be bad at something, even though society makes it seem like you have to be great at everything to be a successful person. Nobody is good at everything. That would be freaking stupid.

So here's my shameless list of things I suck at.

1. Accents. And singing. Basically anything with my voice. Both of my sisters can do voices/accents. Jenna is particularly good at the British accent (and singing). I'm terrible. People look seriously offended when I try (which is, unfortunately, often). I'm a Texan and I can't even do a Texas accent very well. The only voice I can do sounds something like Stitch/Jigglypuff. I'm really good at the Jigglypuff lullaby. But that's pretty much it.

2. Speaking. Related to Number 1. There used to be a running joke among my friends that I was useless after 6pm because, once I got the least bit tired, I would not be able to form coherent sentences. I'm not witty in conversations (I like to hide behind Twitter instead), I stutter a lot, and I have always been self conscious in front of crowds. It took me a long time to be able to speak in front of students as a student leader. The first time I ran in a campaign and gave my platform speech, I shook the whole time and ran into a trashcan. Still working on my public speaking to this day. On top of that, if I don't know you very well I don't really talk. So you can imagine how I behave at parties and how long it takes for me to make friends 

3. Any sport whatsoever. I was okay at dance and fine when I was a synchronized swimmer, but other than that I am terrible at sports. When I played soccer in kindergarten, I gave the ball to the other team. Literally. Just handed it over. I also have short legs, short arms, and a short torso. Not conducive to running around or swimming fast (I was a terrible speed swimmer like omg). I also hate working out. My parents would have to bribe me to stretch/do cross training when I was really serious about synchro, but it never worked. I was just always out of shape. 

4. Giving myself space. This is THE WORST, in my opinion. I love my friends, and I'm incredibly loyal. I also have dangerously low self-esteem when it comes to relationships. Also trust issues (oh hey confession time yayy). So when someone is stressing me out more than usual --or if I'm upset or if someone hurt my feelings or whatever-- my first thought is not to give myself space like a normal person, it's just to ignore the situation and act like everything is normal. This is actually very destructive, as space is just a natural part of good friendships. Not only do I deprive myself of very important "me time" (I am an introvert, after all) to think and cool off and get over it, but I also get very very very upset when somebody needs space from me. This is one thing on which I'm learning to suck less.

5. Blogging. I'm blogging ironically. Just kidding...but I really do suck at it. I'm a pretty good writer, but I'm not creative in the least bit (#Scientistproblems). I'm also not a very bold person. I could talk about a lot of really ballsy things on this blog; however, since many more conservative members of my family and my potential mentors/employers may read it too, I don't. So this blog has become mostly about me watching YouTube and Doctor Who and trying to be an adult occasionally.

Here's Jenna Marbles' version of the "Things I suck at" list.

In other news, I bought car insurance, dinnerware, glassware, an oven mitt, and a large bottle of Excedrin today. That's it. I'm ready for adulthood.

Byeeee.

The Tenth Doctor's second companion is a med student.

All my dreams are alive.

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY.

 (Despite the fact that I got a car insurance quote that is much higher than I would like and almost had a heart attack because of the Doctor Who Season 2 finale).

So I think we've figured out the whole car thing. My dad has been quite averse to taking risks with a car that's supposed to evacuate me during a hurricane. With the price/mileage range we've been looking at, we've run into some pretty crappy Carfax reports. So he just wants to give me the Hyundai Elantra that my sister drives (much to Shelby's dismay) and have me pay him for it monthly over four years. It's actually working out much better than planned for both of us, I believe.

The only problem is the insurance, which is a bit higher than I thought. But I'm awesome at budgets, so I figured it out. I'm proud of myself.

No but seriously, if I could be a personal assistant in my spare time, I would.

Yeah...so...um...

I have nothing else to talk about unless I want to be deep and insightful about something...and to be honest, I just want to watch more Doctor Who...

My life is so boring. Like less than 3 weeks until moving day.

Oh...IT'S DAN HOWELL'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW (or today if you're in the UK, but you're probably not...unless you're Dan. If you are...call me.)

Here's his new YouTube video!

Maybe I'll be more philosophical and deep tomorrow.

Byeeeeeee

I have no motivation to blog today.

I had something serious that I wanted to go on about, but today just wasn't a very good day. And I had a migraine. And I have so much to do tomorrow. And I need to clean my room before I go to bed.

So I'll just leave this here and be on my way:

BYE

My sister won't let me watch Doctor Who without her and it's killing me.

Like seriously, do normal people go to bed before 3am?

...

Anyway. Today I went car shopping. I want to say that it was successful, but who really knows? Used car shopping sucks. My dad did manage to run a carfax on somebody and figure out that they had adjusted the mileage significantly....so that's fun. We're going to see another car tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

Oh! I also had a whataburger for the first time in forever. But no fries or spicy ketchup because, ya know, I'm on a diet.

My parents are both in that mood where everything I do must be harshly judged. They then conclude that I don't sufficiently benefit the world or myself...which is cool. That makes home super fun this weekend. (In their defense, they're stressed. Cancer and trying to kick a kid out of the nest isn't easy on a family)

I just told them that it must be really difficult for them to find something to disapprove of all the time.

Other than that, I cleaned the kitchen, did laundry, and watched more Doctor Who.

I also found this:

That is definitely Dan Howell as The Doctor. No shame. None.

Today's YouTube video is from a YouTuber that I forgot to mention in my post on Thursday: CGPGrey, my favorite edutainer.

SEE YA

~Thanks for the heart attack~

So today I got an email.

"I regret to inform you that you have not been approved for graduation due to the
following remaining requirement(s):1 hour BIOL elect > 4000. For a total of 1 hour."

Yeah, my transcript definitely said otherwise.

After trying to call them, freaking out while waiting for them to call back, and calling again, I was finally told that it was a mistake and I was cleared for graduation.

Yeah, that's what a thought. Thanks for that.

That was an unwelcome surprise. Without my degree, I wouldn't be able to enroll in UTMB...which would then kill over a year of work. I would have to reapply. Over 1 credit hour.

Yayyyy.........

So other than that...my sister finished sixth grade yesterday, and since then we have been watching this:

For two reasons:
1) My sister and i can watch it together, unlike most television shows.
2) Sherlock left a VOID IN MY HEART that could only be filled by another BBC drama.

And just like that, I'm hooked. On to the second season now...

So yeah...I should  actually start running so I can counter all of this couch potatoness...

My life.

Today's YouTube video is in honor of one of my favorite British YouTubers, Carrie Hope Fletcher, who is playing Eponine in Les Mis on the West End!

They grow up so fast. :')

Byyeeeee

Jill recommends YouTubers

Hi all. So today I feel like doing something fun.

It's more than obvious that I spend a lot of time on YouTube. Not only do I enjoy checking in on my favorite YouTubers, but I'm also fascinated by the business of it all. Many creators on the site make their living off of their videos, and some (like the vlogbrothers) are entrepreneurs on the Internet (Intentrepreneurs?). YouTube is not only a great place to find videos of cats, but it also is full of opportunity for creators and inspiration for viewers. If I could be a good vlogger, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Yes, I'm obsessed.

So I'm going to introduce you to just my five (technically six) favorite YouTubers, and I encourage you to check them out. These are the ones I watch regularly.

I'll just put a gif of each on here, but when you click on the username you'll be directed to a video that you can check out (either their newest or my favorite).

DISCLAIMER: If you're offended at language, some of these guys use it. I'll put a * next to the ones that like to curse routinely and not bleep it out.

Vlogbrothers.  (Note: there's one link on "vlog" and one on "brothers") John (left) and Hank (right) Green. John is a New York Times bestselling author and Hank developed the blog EcoGeek. Both produce YouTube series like Crash Course, SciShow, Mental Floss, and Brain Scoop. Hank produced the Lizzie Bennett Diaries. They both organize VidCon and Project for Awesome every year. They are pretty much the coolest. Vlogbrothers videos come out twice a week, one from each brother, and cover a wide variety of topics, including politics. Their subscribers are known as "Nerdfighters" or collectively "Nerdfighteria". DFTBA.

Dailygrace. Grace Helbig. MY QUEEN. There's nothing else to be said...just watch her. She's fantastic and hilarious. She puts out new videos every weekday.

JennaMarbles.* Jenna Mourey. Out of my top 5, this girl has the most subscribers. She's well known for her two dogs, Marbles and Kermit, who appear in all of her videos. She updates every Wednesday. She loves to be crass. I love the crap out of her. She's pretty much the first YouTuber I watched on a regular basis.

And obviously...

Danisnotonfire.* Dan Howell. A 21 year-old British kid living in London. My soulmate and Internet cult leader. He and his flatmate Phil host a radio show on BBC Radio 1 that I often tune into. His videos are mostly about his socially awkward existence and existential crises, to which I obviously relate. Also, his face ruins my life. Just look at it.

AmazingPhil. Phil Lester. A 26 year-old British kid living in London. Dan's flatmate/radio co-host/best friend. Precious little cutie pie baby sloth. Obsessed with lions. Phil's a pretty traditional vlogger. He's also just the most adorable thing in the world.

Of course, Dan and Phil are often seen together...

Others that I would recommend are lacigreen, tyleroakley (my inner gay man), MyHarto (Hannah Hart/ My Drunk Kitchen), Mamrie Hart (You Deserve a Drink - both Mamrie and Hannah have a comedy show with Grace called the "No Filter Show"), Epic Rap Battles of History (duh!), and smosh (the most subscribed YouTube channel of all time). From the UK: kickthePJ and crabstickz (with Dan and Phil, they create the "Fantastic Foursome"), Jacksgap (the twins - Jack and Finn), charlieissocoollike (DEFINITELY recommended), nerimon (Alex Day), and ItsWayPastMyBedime (Carrie Hope Fletcher).

If you love me, you'll subscribe to all of them.

Just kidding. But at least The Five. :)

I'm posting this super early so I don't have many updates on my day. I woke up at 1pm and ate pizza rolls. So yeah.

Also I got the whole UTMB transcript thing sorted out because (thank goodness) somebody at that school has communication skills. YAY

So I'm going to go do laundry and start a new TV series on Amazon Instant Video.

BYEEEE

P.S. Oh look at that, seven YouTube Videos of the Day. You're welcome. (loljknotreally)