Bye Bye Commonwealth One

Bye Bye Commonwealth One and HELLO PNC!

When I went to college I didn't have a bank account, and the first thing my mom and I did was go to Commonwealth One (since it was on campus) to create my very first bank account. At that point what did I know about banks? Nothing. So I went along with it and they've been good to me over the past 4 years, even though I haven't necessarily been so good to them... (let's be real, financial trouble is my middle name). The only problem is that they're so unaccessible here in Northern Virginia. It was conveniant having a bank on campus for the last 4 years since I spent most of my time on campus, but now that I'm back in the 703 that isn't going to work anymore!

I did a poll on my facebook to see what kinds of banks everyone. The overwhelming majority of people had Wachovia, but some people had Bank of America and talked about how crappy the bank was. Others had SunTrust and BB&T but I loved what I heard from the people that had PNC. A lot of them loved their bank and they talked about the virtual wallet program that PNC has which basically makes it a bajillion times easier for you to organize your finances online. That works so much better for me because one of the downsides of Commonwealth is that the online services were lacking, and I had a limited amount of online transfers. No bueno for me because I do most of my financial work online. This isn't the 50s where we all have to write paper checks and fill out forms we get in the mail - and thank God it's not because that's so annoying!

So, in the end, I decided to go orange and become a PNC bank account owner - and so far I'm very happy with their services! Thanks to everyone who gave me recommendations and helpful information :)

Peace & Love,

Candace

Depressive Realism

So I read something the other day (because someone's facebook status suggested that I look it up) and it made me a little sad because it's unfortunately true.

Depressive Realism:

the proposition that people with depression actually have a more accurate perception of reality, specifically that they are less affected by positive illusions of illusory superiority, the illusion of control and optimism bias. The concept refers to people with borderline or moderate depression, suggesting that while non-depressed people see things in an overly positive light and severely depressed people see things in overly negative light, the mildly discontented grey area in between in fact reflects the most accurate perception of reality.

How depressing is that? "reflects the most accurate perception of reality"? Yikes. So much for sunshine and rainbows. Read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depressive_realism

Peace & Love,

Candace

PayDay Loans

I highly regret ever trying to sign up for a payday loan.

I was really desperate last week because I needed $2,500 and FAST. I decided to take the risk and apply for a few of the loans because I needed this money or else I would be majorly screwed. Well, in the end my neighbor let me borrow the cash and I got it all figured out, but now I keep getting phone calls and emails and texts from these crazy people! UGH what a nightmare! I'm at the point where I'm going to change my phone number, but I feel so stupid for putting my real email on there. I have another email that I use specifically for subscriptions that I don't want to hear about and I never check it really. I should have sent it there but I thought that I really needed the money and I wanted to make sure I was getting the emails in case the money was coming - which it never did by the way. UGH how do I get out of this nightmare? Let's file this one under Candace's stupid mistakes #5748

Peace & Love,

Candace

Harry Mean Potter Girls

Harry Potter + Mean Girls = PURE MAGIC.

Peace & Love,

Candace

You found a Leprechaun?

I heard a story a few weeks ago about a leprechaun and how someone had found one.

Apparently So, my fellow advisor told us about a friend of hers from her church, who had a son who was mentally challenged and finally he got to the point where the mother could leave him at home alone and he would be fine. One day he called his mom while she was at work (she's a teacher) and was like "mom come home, I found a leprachaun!!!" and she was like wtf no you're crazy and didn't believe his tomfoolery. Then later she gets home, and he's like "look mom I have a leprechaun!!!" and he goes to the closet and he opens it and a MIDGET runs out! Turns out, the midget was a census worker and came to talk about the paperwork , and the mentally challenged guy, who is HUGE and could obviously overpower the midget, thought he was a leprechaun and grabbed him and shoved him in the closet for over 6 HOURS.

hahahahahahahaha PRICELESS.

Peace & Love,

Candace

Awkz.Biz

This is my friend Andrew. When he was young.

I don't even know what to say.

Peace & Love,

Candace

I don't joke about soccer

Today, at Regal, these two kids came up with their tickets and tried to come into my theatre wearing Spain jerseys. Oh no. That wasn't going to fly. I told them that I couldn't serve them and that they had to leave immediately. The worst part was that I had to be joking, but I really really wasn't lol. Dangit for being on the clock, if I wasn't, I would have made them turn around and buy another shirt. I mean, how dare they walk in there with their Spain jerseys after their stupid team beat my glorious Germany team? Oh no, that doesn't work with Candace Avalos.

I don't joke about soccer y'all. Never.

Peace & Love,

Candace

My thoughts on being an "adult"

Being an adult BLOWS.

Ever since I graduated only bad things have been happening to me! I was so excited to get out of college and now that I am out, the only thing I want to do is go back in. The hardest part is I am not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel so far, so it's really hard for me to adjust and feel happy about growing up because I don't see any pluses ahead. I'm trying not to be a pessimist but it's hard to think straight when everything is falling apart left and right. I hope that the real world gets better because frankly, right now it's only getting worse. Once the economy lightens up a bit and I can move out of my miserable house, maybe, just maybe I'll feel a glimmer of hope and sunshine.

Anyone need a roommate?

Peace & Love,

Candace

Agree to Disagree

We all have different thoughts, right? We're all entitled to our opinions, right? So WHY is it that I always run into people that no matter what, are constantly trying to convince you of what they believe?

I'm a big believer in agreeing to disagree. I'm a flexible person for the most part and I truly can see lots of sides of a situation and different perspectives. However, there are some things that I just can't change my ways on. I don't think that's a big deal though, but some of my friends are so persistent and are constantly trying to make me change my thoughts. If I say I don't like the way the Redskins play, then I just don't. If I say I think Messi is overrated then that's the way it is. If I say I believe in Healthcare and that it's good for our country, then that's the way the cookie crumbles. Why argue with me? I'm not going to change my mind! What's so hard about agreeing to disagree - besides the obvious reasons that some people just hate that they can't convince other people of their beliefs. So annoying. You want to believe what you want, and so do I - stop being a hypocrite! Ugh, this is just one of my major pet peeves.

Does anyone else know where I'm coming from? (Watch me get those exact friends that always talk about disagreeing with me comment on this post, lol, that would happen to me)

Peace & Love,

Candace

Best 4th of July EVER.

I went to my first post graduate party.

My best friend, and big brother, Dan had a 4th of July party at his brand new house. I brought my best friend Alissa with me and we thought we were going to a nice adult party with snacks and good conversations and class acts - boy were we wrong! It was like college all over again but with professionals with jobs! It was such a weird experience and Alissa and I were shocked, but of course we joined in the festivities hahaha. It was a good night, and thankfully we were able to spend the night there. There are a lot of other stories I could tell you but let's keep this blogger appropriate. Let me paint a picture for you though: when we woke up at 6am, some people were still up, the entire house was littered with people passed out on couches, floors, behind tables, upside down on chairs, and the icing on the cake was a guy passed out by the pool table using the American flag as a blanket - CLASSY.

Considering I don't really want to grow up yet, I don't mind this party and I hope there are much more to come. I need to suck out the last of my JMU college days while I can before I blink and turn 40 years old. Gotta love my big brother Dan, he knows how to party!

Peace & Love,

Candace

Adjusting to Home Life

Moving back home after you graduate is an absolute nightmare.

I've been trying so hard to adjust to home life but it's put a damper on my usual bright and sunny attitude. It's like I walk through the front doors and all happiness leaves my body and all stress enters. No one likes to come home to a feeling like that, so you can imagine how my life has been since I've moved back home. The only thing that's saved me is the fact that my room is fully equipped with everything I need like my huge closet, TV with cable and DVD, and my mini fridge. That's all I need to get by, and I love escaping to my "bat cave" of sorts.

The one thing that's so funny to me is that my mom complains that she thinks I'm gonna get too comfy at home and never want to leave. AHEM have you lived with yourself woman? Don't flatter yourself, there's no way I would WANT to move back home and "live here forever" like you so claim. Please. Nice try mom, I don't want to live here forever. In fact the first chance I get I'm gonna be out of here and quick! Just a few months to go....

Peace & Love,

Candace

No more ultimatums for me

Today, my grandma came into my room trying to barge in because she wanted to talk to me about how she didn't think I should be going out for a fourth of July party. I was in the middle of getting dressed as I just came out of the shower, and she tried to break in so she could sit on my bed. I told her no because I wasn't dressed and she pulled the whole "I wiped your butt when you were a baby, it's nothing I haven't seen!" - no Grandma, that's where you're VERY wrong. See, things change in 21 years, and no it's not the same as when I was a baby...

But that wasn't the biggest problem. The biggest issue was that she was giving me a damn ultimatum just because she was my grandma. The hardest thing about growing up and moving back home is that your parents (and grandparents in this case) don't realize that you have grown up and you aren't just going to "follow rules" blindly just because you're the "kid." She wanted to come and tell me that I couldn't go to the 4th of July celebration at my best friend's house because she thought I needed to be doing X, Y, and Z (the details don't really matter). I had to give her some tough love and tell her that she can't run my life like that anymore. Yeah, she hasn't talked to me in days. hahahaha. What are ya gonna do though?

Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person that needs to make a point, even if it means people like my grandma don't talk to me for a few days. Maybe I should stop that habit...? Nah!

Peace & Love,

Candace

Counting my blessings

I've been stressing out about my car troubles and the car crash and how I can't afford to buy a car, but I can't forget how lucky I am to be alive. I just needed to take a minute and remember to count my blessings. All those material things don't matter, it's about the fact that I could have been hurt or hurt someone else. This blog post is just a reminder to myself, to be thankful for every blessing I have every single day. Just a mental note :)

Peace & Love,

Candace

Messi is Overrated

Personally, I don't think this guy is such a big deal. I know everyone talks about how he's up and coming and he's one of the best players and all, but he didn't impress me. I mean, can he even score goals? The funniest was when someone was like "well, he was sick that day" (of the Germany vs. Argentina game) and I was like right, because anyone even gives a damn about whether your sick or not - no excuses! Whatever, I don't care what people say about Messi, I don't think he deserves ALL the hype he's gotten. Some of it, but not all of it.

Peace & Love,

Candace