Wintana Almaz Sarai Girma

02:35 am: My friendslist told me to.
So, what is your full name?
Wintana Almaz Sarai Girma

How old are you?
22

Your parents first names?
Almaz and Girma

Are you in a relationship?
Nope.

Originally, where are you from?
Born in Cambridge, MA.

Do you have any siblings? Elaborate:
One sister, Bilu, 20, who is also my roommate and one of my best friends. One brother, Ezana, who is 18 and too much like me for his own good.

Are your parents divorced or married?
Married!

Where do you live and with whom?
As of three days ago, I live in Norwood, MA with my sister, and my friends Heather and Ryan. It's amaaazing.

Your favorite color(s) are?
Purple, but my favorite theme is pinks, purples, and blues together.

What do you like to eat for breakfast?
ALL breakfast food. Oatmeal, most cereal, scrambled eggs+homefries drowned in ketchup... ugh now I'm hungry again.

Are you glad that you don't know everything that goes on in the world?
Yes and no. Though I wouldn't like to get all depressed knowing all the bad things, it still irritates me when other people know things I don't (especially the know-it-all types).

How are you, just in general?
Really content with my lot in life, at the moment. Yeah, I could do with more money, some more time, and maybe a guy, but overall I'm happy.

Anything happened lately that you never expected to?
I actually moved out of my mother's house... It's crazy.

Are you the person you thought you'd be when you were younger?
Not in the slightest, thank God. I was too bookish and antisocial. I expected myself to be super successful, which isn't true, but I actually do things and have friends and am happy, which is more than worth the crap my life comes with.

Are you a confrontational person, or the peacekeeper?
Peacekeeper. Confrontation makes me craaazy.

Do you like to read?
YUP. So much so that it's generally problematic.

Do you sleep too much or not enough?
Too little, but that's okay with me, because I get shit done and I still enjoy myself.

How tall are you?
5'4 1/2"

Who is your best friend?
Heather

How did you two meet?
I spotted her at a party at Ryan's apartment, my sophomore year, and decided we would be friends. She had no choice but to go along with it.

How did you meet your current bf/gf?
N/A

How far away is your closest family member?
Ughhh they're all over the place. I got some in Asia, some in Africa, some in Europe. Can't do the math though.

The last time you did something with BOTH of your parents was?
Sunday dinners? Though the last one was two weeks ago...

What's your favorite holiday?
MY BIRTHDAY. Yeah, I said it.

Do you like pumpkin pie?
Yes.

Have you been diagnosed with any chronic illnesses?
Nope :)

The last time you went to the doctor, what were you there for?
Ughhh my optic nerves I guess.

Name the people your closest to in your family, and their relationship.
My sister, Bilu.

How long have you known your best friend?
Umm 4 years? Give or take?

Do you take any medication regularly?
Nope.

Is there any particluar view you have on insane people?
Well, they're people, first of all. And if they have been diagnosed with something, my heart goes out to them.

Do you believe in any conspiracies?
They happen. Not all the time, but sometimes.

The last time you did something illegal was?
Every time I drive my car, actually.

What are your plans for tomorrow?
Sleep in, bio lab report, then FIVE HOURS OF BIOLOGY CLASS.

Where would you like to live when you're older?
Somewhere warmer.

Are you a pushover?
Unfortunately.

How often do you cry?
Too often, I think.

At what age would you say you were happiest?
Hard to say. I'm going with 13.

Which celebrity would you choose to go on a date with?
Eek. Can't pick one. I don't really pay attention to them anymore.

Is it easier to forgive or forget?
Forget. By far.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My weight. It would change everything, I think.

Does everyone deserve a second chance?
Yes. But I, for one, won't always give them.

How many people do you fully trust?
Few.

Have you ever stolen anything?
Yeah, all the time. I work at a convenience store, duhh.

Do you prefer hugs or kisses?
Hugs.

Do you like school?
Mostly.

Where's the furthest from home you've ever been?
Ethiopia.

Think of the person you've hurt the most. Did you apologise?
Don't know who it is, but I hope so.

Have you ever woken up from a dream, and thought it had actually happened?
ALL THE TIME. My dreams are all very realistic and I'm constantly going... "Did I do this already? Shit, must have dreamt it."

Is your bed a single or a double?
Hah. No bed, at the moment. Working on that. Gonna be a double though.

Would you rather be intelligent or pretty?
Intelligent, obviously.

What is a surefire way to win your heart?
Being real.

Are you a good cook?
Not really.

Would you cheat in a relationship if you were sure no-one would find out?
Ugh, no. Cheaters are disgusting to me.

Do you think it is important to tell the truth or spare someones feelings?
Depends on the situation, entirely. Sometimes people don't need to know.

How many children do you want?
3.

If the partner of your dreams proposed to you today, would you say yes?
Probably. You only live once.

Do you get annoyed if couples are over-affectionate in public?
Not really, unless they're right in front of me and I can't politely look away.

Would the fact that someone smoked put you off them?
Nope.

How do you feel about the last person you kissed?
We don't talk anymore, which kinda stinks.

Who will be the next person you kiss (or who do you want it to be)?
Don't know, don't really care.

Would your friends describe you as genuine?
Probably not, which upsets me.

Are you a grammar nazi?
YES.

Do you enjoy singing?
Sooo much.

Do you belong to any clubs?
Nope.

What's your least favorite subject in school?
Chemistry, in all of its forms.

Do you belive in teen relationships?
Yeah, they make teen years worth the torture.

What color are your walls?
White.

How do you sit in your computer chair?
Computer chair? Pshhh any flat surface can be a computer chair.

Don't you hate the laptop keyboards?
I can work with any keyboard.

Do you need the keyboard propped up to type fluently?
Nope.

Do you like Katy Perry?
No, she aggravates me.

What color is your hair? Do you want to add any un-natural colors?
Dark brown, almost black. No, I like it the way it is.

Have you read the sisterhood of the traveling pants?
Yeah, loved those.

Are you decent at writing poetry?
I'd like to think so.

Are you an artsy person? If so, what's your favorite artsy thing to do?
I wouldn't call myself artsy, by any means. But I love to write.

Do you use spellcheck all the time?
I DESPISE spellcheck. By the way, spellcheck is spelled wrong, according to itself. Ugh.

Have you had your first kiss? if so how old were you, who was it, and are you with them?
Yeah. I was too young.

Do you prefer reading poems that rhyme?
Not really, I prefer reading poems that make me see something.

Do you have a good reading voice?
I've been told I should read for the blind, but knowing my luck, I'd be assigned a math book.

Ever heard of Jessica Andrews?
Nope.

Do you belive in telling your bf/gf you love them?
If I had one, I would. All the time.

What's the point in dating?
Being with someone you like enough to want to spend time with, learn to get to know, etc.

Is there an item you always have with you?
Phone, keys, wallet, cigs, lighter, and makeup.

Do you have dishes in your room?
NOPE. I don't eat in my new room, that's the rule.

Do you have any chores? What are they?
We all do what needs to get done, when it needs doing.

Why do girls wear makeup?
To decorate, which I am a big fan of doing.

What's the cutest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I was a big fan of being told that I was my then-boyfriend's "favorite new toy" on Christmas day.

Are your parents over involved in your life?
Well, I just moved out, so we'll see how it goes.

Favorite font?
Century Gothic. Looooveeeee. A relic from my old newspaper days, I guess.

Do you have a bedtime? What time is it?
Yeah, at least 7 hours before I have to drive somewhere.

Favorite color of a flower?
I love all flowers. Red though, I think.

Pastel colors or bright, vibrant colors?
Vibrant!

How long is your hair?
About two inches past my shoulders, which means two inches too long. Hello, trim soon.

Do you like Coke?
No dark soda.

Isn't Paramore amazing?
Adorrrrable :)

What's with the Team Edward and Team Jacob thing?
Jacob is a douche, Edward is amazing, end of story.

Isn't Taylor Lautner cute?
He's actually gross looking, IMHO.

How many computers are in your house?
Two, soon to be 4. Yay.

Do you like Harry potter?
Love, not like.

Do you like Milk?
YES. I'm all about the skim.

Favorite Milk flavor?
Strawberry Nesquick!!

Is your dad older than your mom?
Thirteen years older, acutally.

Have you ever had a house burn down?
When I was an infant, resulting in my small family moving a block away.

Do you make your bed?
Right before I get into it, actually. I'm weird.

Who out of the people you know sings the best?
Joe Smith.

Do you kiss your parents on the lips or the cheek?
Cheeks.

Tell me one interesting fact about your best friend.
She's from Long Island, two towns over from where the lead singer of our favorite band grew up (Jesse Lacey, Brand New).

Do you like Kanye West?
He annoys me to no end.

What was the last movie you saw in a theatre?
New Moon.

Did you buy popcorn when you went?
Ew, I hate movie theatre popcorn.

What's your favorite Lady Gaga song?
Ughhh.

Do you ever listen to the radio anymore?
Always. 101.7, WFNX. My favorite.

Does it annoy you that little kids have cell phones now?
Not really. They should be monitored, obviously, but anything that makes kids safer is okay with me.

What are you usually doing on a Wednesday night at 7 pm?
Working, in some capacity.

Do you like Coldplay? Why or why not?
Yes, because their music is very interesting to me.

Are you on a laptop or desktop computer right now?
Laptop.

Is your cell phone pay-as-you-go or are you on a contract?
MetroPCS = a little bit of both.

Are you pro-life or pro-choice?
Pro-choice.

How do you feel about hunting?
Not a fan. I could never. But I eat meat, so...

When was the last time you smoked a cigarette?
Four minutes ago.

Do you know anyone who is a drug addict?
Yes, and it upsets me.

Do you take Tylenol or Advil?
Generic ibuprofen, acutally.

Describe the perfect vacation.
One where I'm not working...? Haha I'm easy to please, I guess.

Are there any real gangs where you live?
Probably.

Have you ever shot a gun?
No, and I don't think I ever will.

Have you ever been on a boat?
A few times.

Do you like the song "I'm On A Boat"? Or is it just annoying now?
Don't know it, will Google later.

Have you ever taken anti-depressants?
Yeah, they suck (don't work for me).

Do you own any real Louis Vuitton?
Of course not, I'm poor.

Do you ever get really dressed up even though you've got nowhere to go?
Quite often, it makes me happy to feel pretty.

Who's more attractive, Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise?
Brad Pitt. Tom Cruise is awkward looking.

Ever felt movie-style love for someone?
When I was a kid.

Did it work out?
At the time.

Have you ever seen a dead person in real life?
No.

Is your most recent ex just a complete jackass?
No, it literally just didn't work out.

Ever wished death upon someone?
With words, not with feelings. I wish I hadn't, and I hope I never say anything like that again.

Does your family rent or own?
Rent.

Who was the last person you hugged?
My mommy.

Tell me about one of the posters on your wall.
Ain't none yet, but my old one of "The Scream" is going up as soon as I find thumbtacks.

Worst trouble you've ever gotten into? Did your parents find out?
Changing my grades on my report card, which worked beautifully until the one got mailed to my house.

Do you like sneakers or flats better?
Flats, always.

Last time you had a PB&J?
Monday.

Ever laid on the floor in the fetal position, crying?
Don't think so.

Do you have a closet, or a dresser? Or both?
A closet.

Where is your mom?
Waltham.

Relive one day from your past. Which one?
Monday. Freshest in my mind. I moved into the nicest, most comfortable environment I've ever lived in. It still hasn't sunk in, I feel like I'm on vacation... and soon my mom's going to call and I'll have to go back. But this is real.

08:16 pm: Plea for help.
I don't know how to save money. It's really stupid. The more I make, the more I find that I "need" to buy. And somehow, I always run out of money the day I get my next paycheck. I am the definition of living paycheck-to-paycheck. And I don't understand how/why. There are big things I need to do, such as get glasses so that I'm not ILLEGAL driving my car every day, and fix my brakes, and buy books this semester, and make three $600+ tuition payments, and get pants that fit, and maybe even afford to have a real vacation. But I can't do those things, because I spend every last dollar I have by Tuesday night. I spend like $70/wk on gas, which is ridiculous... I conserve trips the best I can, but there's just nothing that can be done when I work twice a day at a place half an hour away. And I'm still smoking, which is retarded. I almost never go out, and even when I do, I'll have like ONE drink, and sip it all night. Fast food is a problem lately, but I'm working on a plan which will involve only controlled meals, so that will be budgeted out soon. I pay random bills around the house when I have to, but my mom usually doesn't make me because she knows I'll just ask for it back when I need more gas in my car. Really, like, I don't know what to do. I work more hours, more bills pop up out of nowhere. I remember my tax return, I remember my tuition. It's never ending! And I haven't had a proper vacation since... Pierce. That was like 2 years of vacation though, so maybe that's my allowance for this decade... I tried putting an automatic payment of $20/wk into a savings account, but once my checking account hits the single digits, I always end up just transferring my savings. Is there such a thing as a blind, untouchable savings account? Should I start gambling heavily? WHAT DO I DOOOO?? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

04:38 pm: August Update
I suppose it isn't fair that I use LJ to keep tabs on friends, but never offer anything in return. And so, the monthly update.

My feet hurt because I (still) work at a convenience store. But now that I'm making $10/hr, I don't hate it quite so much. A lot, but not so much.

I'm making an honest effort to balance solo-time and sleep with some semblance of a social life. There are friends I haven't seen in far too long, and I hate that, but I'm always just so tired. If you are one of those people, I truly apologize.

I went on a date for the first time in about two years, and it was pretty laughable. The nice thing is that he paid, and was a perfect gentleman, which sort of reconstituted my faith in mankind and the belief of the existence of romance. The shitty part was that we had less than zero in common, and I've realized that settling for someone who can't keep me engaged in conversation will never happen for me, despite their good looks. At least I know now.

I'm still living at home, and I'm going back to school in September, and everything there is okay. I'm helping my mom with rent and bills, she's helping me keep it together, and I'm seeing my dad every weekend. Things with family are pretty stable, and I love that.


What else... I'm working part-time for a woman named Dorothy Fleischman, who's amazing and 90 and severely arthritic and a poet. I help her around the house, she pays me $15/hr, and sometimes we edit each other's writing. Sweet deal. Thinking about doing that full time, going through the agency that serves the SpringHouse and becoming a VNA. The money's awesome, but the hours kinda suck. If I can pull it off and stay in school, I'm going to.

Yeah that's it. Time for a nap before I head to Dorothy's for the evening.

05:47 pm: ...almost...
Okay, the only thing that's changed is that I'm working again. As of right now (and this is definitely subject to change) my schedule is this:

Monday-Wednesday: 7am-3pm at the Newton Highlands store
Thursday-Friday: 12pm-8pm at the Waltham store
Saturday: 9am-2pm with Mrs. Fleishmann
Sunday: 10am-11am with Mrs. Fleishmann

As you all can see, this means that I technically do not have a day off. However, on Saturday, I'm out pretty early. Ditto Mon-Wed. Therefore, I can still socialize (kinda). I'm doing all of this so that I can afford to go back to school in September, which, if I do it right, may or may not mark my last year of schooling until I pay off FPU. SOoooo...

Oy. My feet hurt like crazy. I worked a double yesterday, and regular shift today but it was a Garber day (grocery delivery), and I killed myself carrying a box of 7lb sacks of kitty litter around the store. Bright side: the people I work with at the Newton store are mostly Ethiopian/Sudanese but NOT related to/close friends with my mother. Therefore, I work with people who believe the sun shines out of my ass, and I don't have to deal with crazies and WIC checks all day. I love the idea of welfare... but I kind of hate the people who have it. Terrible, I know.

Ramble, ramble, nothing, nothing. I'm out.

01:10 am: FUCK YOU, GOOGLE.
Good to know that when I search my name in Google, there are two pages worth of things that are actually about me. WTF. Three years ago, the real me didn't make an appearance until about page 4, and that was just a high school graduation announcement.

Good to know that if anyone wants to stalk me, they have every resource at their fingertips in 0.34 seconds. I mean, I shouldn't use my real name on things like Twitter and LJ, and Facebook... but really? From those three sites alone, one could determine far too many things about my life than I am actually comfortable with. Great. Really. Tomorrow I am going through the privacy settings of everything that comes up in a Google search and picking fake names for each and every one of them to which I still have a functional password. And until then, I think I'm going to sleep with a phone under my pillow and my window locked. I hope it stays cool tonight.

UGHHH.

10:07 pm: Real life is overrated. Real jobs are overrated. Money is overrated. Education is overrated. My life's as fucked as any, and I'm happy.

Food for thought. Bon apetit.

01:25 pm: I kinda hate that I didn't graduate today like I thought I would 4 years ago. Life kinda fucked me in the ass. Sucks.

So in order not to get all depressed about it, I think I'm gonna spend the rest of today in the sun, and then make people come visit me tonight.

10:17 am: Update, for those of you who say you care:

I quit my job on Tuesday. I am unemployed once again, but I'm going to collect unemployment benefits until I've found a job worth applying for. I refuse to work at a cash register for one more second of my life, of which I have already wasted countless years being unhappy because I let other people convince me that settling is responsible and mature.

I am going to say this now: I don't care if it takes me weeks of being broke and miserable and getting yelled at/lectured by everyone I know or care about. I WILL NOT settle. I will not take a job simply because they'll have me. I will not take a job where I'm disrespected or looked down upon in any way. I will only work with/for people who understand and appreciate my worth, because... fuck modesty, I'm really smart and REALLY easy to get along with. Just don't call me stupid or lie to me, and I'm the best coworker you could ever ask for.

I'm still bitter about illumina, because I experienced, for the first time in my LIFE, someone berating me to my face who wasn't my mother. My mother is allowed. Mr. Bellanti... is NOT. I sort of hate that now I am going to be lumped into a category of people my age who are delusional and think they are going to become CEO's overnight, because that is not my aim at all. I just want to work at a job where I don't wake up every morning feeling like garbage and go to bed every night having been treated like garbage. I'm not garbage. I'm not the best thing ever, but I'm not garbage. Ugh.

So... for anyone I might encounter in the next few days/weeks, I'm sorry if I come across as bitchy or distant. I'm just pissed. I've never been so insulted in my life as I have been these last two months, and I'm working on restoring my self-esteem.

03:41 pm: woooooooow. wow. WOW. wow.
Two things.

One: my computer decided it wanted to be a computer again. I guess it just really needed a vacation, to the tune of Spring Break.

Two: I no longer want anything to do with hip-hop artists from Ohio. My phone number is attached to every correspondence I send, resulting in 2:00AM phone calls and text messages saying "mornin' mama" at 7:20 on a Sunday. It was cute at first. Now I miss my sanity.

And I think a 17 year old puerto rican and jamaican rapper just texted me a song I inspired. By "I think" I mean holy jesus did that just happen?

//end.

09:19 pm: First day of the new job was amazing. Better than I ever hoped it would be.

But today is still the worst day of my whole life, and no, I don't want to talk about it.

Fuck Bob Tedeschi and his entire sham of an organization.