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Introverts, in contrast, may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas. They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussions.

Susan Cain, “Quiet” (via ikenbot)

Can't Say No

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For the past week or two I’ve had people assign me duties EVERY SINGLE day. Most had to do with a position I held, and the rest were favors, and opportunities I just couldn’t say no to.

I have spent every day writing myself notes, running errands, getting work done…basically doing everything under the sun. Every time I get something done, something else pops up. It’s like I can’t catch up!

At this point I’m praying for March to get here, it seems like February is just a difficult month for me. But on the other hand, I’m excited to be involved in so much. It’s like I’m trying to squeeze the most I can into my day before I’m working 40 hours a week, and don’t have the luxury of time.

But really, I need to start saying no….don’t want to lose my mind this early in the semester.

in

keepontruckingbaby:

little-romvn:

azla—bnkz:

suckitthenfxckit:

hairweavesaviour:

blvckexcelllence:

everydaybeats:

Proud Fam Grown by ~PayLe

I finally finished. This Nemo storm has given me a lot of free time lol.

After Penny and friends graduated from high school, they celebrated by getting piercings together. Penny, Dijonay, and LaCienega all got stud nose rings. Zoey decided to finally break out of her shell and make a bold statement by getting a septum nose ring. Sticky wasn’t about that life, so he just got his ears pierced. Four years after graduation we catch up with Penny and friends once again.

Zoey graduated from a four year college and received a double major in Psychology and Women Studies. She now travels around the world working for a large nonprofit organization helping underprivileged children and women around the world. She is extremely free spirited and loves what she does.

Penny graduated from a four year college studying Communications with a minor in Race Studies, and graduated Magna Cum Laude of her class. She is now working towards her Masters in Education at Columbia. She also stopped relaxing her hair and went all natural, embracing her naps. 

Sticky decided not to go to college and instead pursued his love of music. He is now a full-time producer and DJ and couldn’t be happier. He finally had his growth spurt and can finally fit into his pants. He now prefers to wear clothes that fit him. He has a newborn son whom he loves more than anything: Sticky Jr.

Dijonay went to a two year college to study nursing only to find out she hated it. She decided to drop out of the program. She took her side job of doing hair and made a career out of it, opening up her own salon. She is well known at what she does and it has brought her much fame. Upon dropping out, she also gave birth to her son, Sticky Jr. Her dream finally came true.

LaCienega attended a four year college for two years as undeclared, just because she had the money and the means. During the beginning of her junior year, she was told she had to choose a major. Indecisive, she decided to drop out and do something worth her time. She went into the modeling business and was extremely successful. She is currently working on dropping her first single.

Sticky looks like Lil’ Scrappy.

*tries to hold back tears*

I’m just so proud of dijonay I didn’t think she’d make it

STICKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

*cries* my babies!

Omg Iove this.

in

Being tender and open is beautiful. I feel continually shhh’ed. Too sensitive. Too mushy. Too wishy washy. Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a rain drop, a tea kettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep…feel it all – look around you. All of this is for you. Take it and have gratitude. Give it and feel love.

ZD (via half-shy)

My 1st Good Note

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I’m writing down all my happy moments and putting them in a box. At the end of 2013 I’ll read through all my good moments, and know that despite all the downs I experienced, 2013 was a good year. I got the idea from a post I saw here on Tumblr.

I just put in my 1st good note, it was the birth of my friends baby girl! I can, without a doubt, say they did good.

My minor focuses on the mental health of children. I learned how various factors can affect a child’s well being, and nothing makes me happier than to know this child is already ahead of the game, emotionally, economically, and academically.

Rarely do you find people that in the first moment you meet them, they exude a genuine kindness. Well I found two, and they happen to love each other. How beautiful is that?

I wish this family the very best.

This little girl is lucky to have such great parents.

in

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School is really important: Reading, writing, arithmetic. But what they tend to do is teach you reading, writing, arithmetic…then teach you reading, writing, arithmetic again. Then again, then again, just making it harder and harder just to keep you busy. And that’s where I think they messed up. There should be a class on drugs. There should be a class on sex education. No, REAL sex education class, not just pictures and illogical terms…There should be a class on scams, there should be a class on religious cults, there should be a class on police brutality, there should be a class on apartheid, there should be a class on racism in America, there should be a class on why people are hungry, but there’s not, their class is on…gym….Their class is like Algebra. we have yet to go a store and said, “Can I have X Y + 2 and give me my Y change back, thank you.” You know?…Like foreign languages. I think that they are important, but I don’t think it should be required. Actually, they should be teaching you English, and then teach you how to understand double talk, politician’s double talk. Not teaching you how to understand French and Spanish and GERMAN. When am I going to Germany? I can’t afford to pay my rent in America! How am I going to Germany?

—Tupac, Age 17 On the Topic of Education, 1988.

The right teacher will achieve this.

How do you know when you’re in love?

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jae-la-soul:

preetminhas:

COMMON: Man, I know I’m in love when I think about her a lot and I’m finding ways to get to that person. Even though I gotta work, even though I gotta take care of other responsibilities, I’m like yo, when am I gonna fly out and see that person? I look forward to seeing them.

 KENDRICK LAMAR: How do you know you’re in love? When your heart feels it instead of your mind — and your penis don’t. You know, it’s deeper than that… That’s when you know.

PETE ROCK: Oh man you feel it right here, *touches heart*, right there, it’s like cupid’s shooting you in the heart, that shit’s just BOOW! Lots of people say they don’t believe in love at first sight, but I do, it’s happened to me.

A$AP ROCKY: You know you in love cuz you don’t want nobody else but that person. You know, that’s how you know for sure. Like you could see a million other bad bitches, but you know, but it don’t even matter, you stuck. 

BIG BOI: Your heart flutters a little bit, you like to kiss on the mouth a lot, your neck get hot when you kiss on the mouth, that type of stuff. Stuff like that, yea.

QUESTLOVE: When that person consumes you.

How do you know when you’re in love?

in

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

Rosemarie Urquico (via elbesoie)

Marriage

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My answer to someone’s question today, made me realize that when contemplating marriage, my potential husband isn’t the only thing I’m considering. This is a little surprising because I always thought if the guy was everything I needed and wanted then there wouldn’t be anything else that would stop me. (considering it was the right time etc.)

Yet, there are other factors at play that immediately turn me off despite everything else being where it needs to be.

It’s disheartening, and a little terrifying. Then again I can’t even see this is my future anymore so why worry about it now.