Hard Luck In A Casino Down In El Reno

Last Friday, I spent the night at Lucky Star Casino just to do something out of the usual to start my weekend. I took out only $20 from the ATM but relied on my new player $10 card for the majority of the night. The employees at the desk that signed me up were far from helpful on explaining the point system on the card, so in short, I had no idea what I was doing. I learned very quickly that gambling is not one of my vices.

I walked through the hazy cigarette smoke filled aisles looking for the right machine to waste away at. I finally sat down at a Galapagos Island themed game and it took me less than 10 minutes or so to lose $5. I looked around to see a few older people sitting by who look like they've been sitting in the same spot for centuries and decided to get up and try a few other games.

Anxiety started to set in as I watched my bets lose and my money diminishing. There had to be a system to this. Maybe I wasn't pushing the buttons in the right order? I don't know! I imagined my mother, who loves to gamble, sitting at one of the machines and wondered how she subjects herself to this. I contemplated how much I could get for my $20 (A rotisserie chicken...Maybe even 3 of those.) I drained my free player card on my third machine and I probably won't ever return with the way my luck panned out.

In the end, I didn't spend my $20 bill, but I did put it towards my lunch on the way to Red Rock Canyon the next day. I think I'll just stick to spending my money on food and drinks.

Post coming soon on my hiking trip in Hinton,Oklahoma!

I Need A Hobby.

I'm 25 and I don't have a passion. This knowledge really sets in and bothers me when I start to question myself.

"What do I really enjoy doing...?"

At home, I spend a majority of my time watching Netflix, pacing around the apartment looking for something to clean or lurking on the internet and getting my feelings hurt. I recall reading, sketching, roller-blading and even gaming online when I was younger. I may have outgrown several of those hobbies, but there's always a sense of loss when I find remnants of them. It's almost as if I can't relate to who I once was. I don't know if my attention span has dwindled over the years or I just haven't found what I'm particularly good at yet.

Recently, I've tried to pick up weight-lifting, yoga, painting with acrylic and cooking. There's only so much time before I'm looking for something else to do again. Instead of dabbling in things here and there, I would like to be committed to a hobby that helps me grow as a person. I don't want to be boring and go about the same crap everyone else is doing. I need to do something that will revive the imagination that is unique to me.

I fear living a stagnant life, but I try not to let it get me down. My starting goal is to stop making excuses for myself and be more open to opportunities that I would typically shy away from.

An Unfortunate Turn of Events At The Fair

Note the sunglasses in his pocket.

The Oklahoma State Fair marks the anniversary of the first date I went on with my boyfriend Dane. We made it inside the fairgrounds at around 6 P.M. and enjoyed the evening walking around incoherently, playing nostalgic coin games, and watching people make fools of themselves. It was a great time and we were even able to the find the correct gate exiting the fair easily for once. (Last year we ended up walking around forever trying to find where we parked and it is the last inconvenience you need at the end of the day.)

Before reaching the car, we spotted a man in the parking lot who looked very perplexed. When we approached him, he barely spoke English and his car was stuck in a ditch filled with mud. My first thoughts were "What kind of idiot thinks this is a great parking spot..?"

 Anyways, Dane and I decided to help this man and ended up failing on our first attempt. In fact, Dane nearly threw his back out and I almost got a hernia forcing on this 4- door sedan as its wheels spun out with no effort. Another good samaritan sees us in passing and helps us on our second attempt pushing from the back bumper. I got a running start and together we finally managed to free him from the ditch. The man drove off without much of a "Thank you", but we didn't think about that until we were halfway home.

I always run to greet our little pup after being out all day and took him outside to potty when I heard Dane yell "GODDAMMIT!" from inside the house. In the process of helping this man, Dane lost his polarized Ray-Ban sunglasses that were inside his shirt pocket. It was a his only pair and a gift from me last Christmas. A good deed that otherwise would have cost that man $70 in towing fees actually cost us almost $200. He wasn't mad over the material aspect, but more so the sentimental value and proceeded to question the universe in a fit.

It was a shitty situation, but my goal was not to let it to ruin the rest of our night. I affirmed that what he did wasn't necessarily a lost cause and that it shouldn't deter him from helping other people. My only hope is that very same man will pass on the favor and help someone else in need. Next year though, we're leaving the expensive stuff behind.

"Kindness is one of the greatest gifts you can bestow upon another. If someone is in need, lend them a helping hand. Do not wait for a thank you. True kindness lies within the act of giving without the expectation of something in return."

-Katharine Hepburn

My Transitioning To Cruelty Free Products For Little Meeko

Hi! I'm Meeko.

Today I learned that beagles are one of the many animals used in testing after viewing a cosmetic advertisement advocating its brand as cruelty free. According to the Huffington Post, this breed is commonly used often because of how docile and small they are. This immediately did not sit well with me. My new puppy is a beagle mix and I can't imagine anyone wanting to harm that little bundle of love. 

I rushed to my last class for the day before I got too emotional and googled companies that currently do not test on animals. I want to make it a goal to transition to more cruelty free brands for the little guy in the house. There's a lot of information out there, so you have to be careful when it comes to misleading articles if you want to research for yourself. 

PETA can be intense, but they are great at providing lists of cruelty free companies as well as companies that do testing. Surprisingly, the transition does not seem as difficult as you would think it would be. (I also don't purchase too many cosmetics, less is more for me.) 

Here are a just a few companies.

The testing is still very well prevalent around the world. I understand we've come a long way with the help of animal testing for the sake of science, but it's not fair to manipulate and abuse these creatures. How do these "scientists" sleep well at night after a days work? In my opinion, there should be more funding for technology to make better programs that can replicate what a living animal can provide as an alternative. It's interesting how being a new pet owner really changed my perspective on this topic.

The Beagle Freedom Project is a non-profit animal rescue that negotiates with laboratories in exchange for the release of dogs and other animals.You can support their mission by clicking here.

Exploring One of Oklahoma's Attractions For The First Time

I made it a point to visit the Wichita Mountains and be able to say I ventured out to see what this state has to offer. My boyfriend and I, along with a few friends decided to head out to Lawton during Labor Day weekend on a whim. We wanted to to find the most interesting way to start our hike, so after speaking with a wizard (the information guide as my friends referred to), he sent us through Charon's Garden Wilderness Area to find what was (use your imagination) a waterfall.The 3 bags of french fries I ate on the drive to Lawton could have explained why I wheezed my way through the area, but as first time hikers we took on one of the moderate to difficult trails.

Dane, Zac, Jess and I at the base of what was a waterfall

On the way back, we half assedly (is this a word?) decided to stop by Medicine Park and the timing could not have been perfect. Turns out, the town was having a small Blue's festival that lasted into the evening and we took full advantage of the $1 beers.

We left very content with our decision to explore and combined ability to navigate without dying in the wild. Together, the goal is go back and take down the easier trails around Mt. Scott and possibly make plans on visiting the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge.