Sweet California

I miss you, Sonic! (Back to school)

2010-01-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

Long time, no post! Sorry, life got a little out of control this week with the start of a brand new quarter. I survived, but I'm in desperate need of sleep.

My very last Cherry Limeade before I ventured back up to Olympia. A little birdy told me there was a Sonic in Tumwater, but they just closed! That's what I get for getting re-addicted to Sonic over Christmas break. I miss it terribly already.

Along with being back on campus, I also...

had my first Theories of Personality class - I think this is going to be a really interesting class, and it only meets once a week! We also get two Monday nights off because of holidays, so that's even better! There is a group project (and we all know the luck I have with those), but I've decided that it will be a successful project no matter what.
did something really scary! - I'm in a writing program this quarter which is probably the scariest class I've ever taken. I feel incredibly intimidated by everyone in the class, but I know there's a writer deep inside of me so hopefully she'll resurface sooner rather than later. We have critique groups in this class and....I don't want to talk about it. 9 more weeks to go! (This is the class that has the torturous 8 hour long Saturday sessions, ps)
finished week 1 of HM training - well, sort of. My 3 mile long run turned into a short 1.5 mile run, but other than that I did a decent job I think. Today I received an email about a 10k being hosted on campus in February, which I may have to take part in! That could be an excellent way for me to stay motivated because right now the cold and gloom just aren't doing it for me.

So those are the 3 big things that happened this week. I also had 2am Wal-Mart trips, a girl's night to see Sherlock Holmes (not bad!), a crazy adorable meet-cute, a night with my parents, the best pizza I've had since Rhodes, a brand new roommate (and the sad news that another roommate left us!), and lots of reading and writing for class.

Oh yeah! I turned my hair purple, too. Apparently the hair dye reacted badly with the previous brand I used and it ended up a big burgandy/purple/DARK mess instead of the pretty pomegranate shade it was supposed to be. OOPS!

How was your week? I'm not sure how many of you live there, but I heard about snow in Florida, which is absolutely insane!

The Life & Times of Costello

2010-01-04T16:24:00.000-08:00

Sat hello to Costello, the newest member of my technologic family. He's a pretty blue iPod Nano that I got for Christmas from my dad. Apparently Amazon included this as a special gift with some of the books my dad had ordered.

Okay, so by now I'm sure you've noticed that Mr. C is resting in a bowl of rice. Oh yeah. I got dressed for my run yesterday, and I decided to try something new since I don't have an armband to hold an iPod this small. There's a little zipper pocket on the back of my running pants (tights/leggings/whatevers), so I figured I could put him (or it, if that's weird for you) in that pocket and zip it enough for just the headphone cord. What a great idea!

It worked fantastically for the first three minutes, until I had to go to the bathroom. Yeah, you know what's coming next. I pulled my pants down and as I did so I had the thought that hmm this could go very badly. And then -- plopsplash! Oh yeah, that happened. I spin around and almost fall over because my pants are down at my ankles. This bathroom is like 2x3 feet so it's not like I had far to fall.

I looked down in the toilet and the damn thing had turned on! It's just chilling in the bottom and playing some LMFAO. Seriously. So I hesitated for about 1.3 seconds before I plunged my hand into the toilet bowl and pulled the dang thing out. Ew ew ewww.

Next came the 24 hour rice bath slumber party and I guess it worked because Costello came with me to the gym today! The exterior speaker, the one that lets you play music without the headphones, doesn't seem to be working, but that's the only problem I've had so far! (Crossing my fingers & toes) I haven't tried the video camera (why'd they put one of those in an iPod anyway?), but really I'm just concerned about being able to listen to my ~~trashy~~ classy gym jams like Ke$ha.

So I leave you with this: Costello, I love you but please don't jump into the toilet and start playing music! I promise it doesn't sound any better than it would on land.

Also, I'm back at school and my first class starts tonight! Woohoo!

2010: Do one thing. And then do one more thing.

2009-12-31T11:46:00.000-08:00

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I was planing on doing a year in review post, but honestly 2009 was not my best year and I just don't want to think about it right now. I don't want to sound ungrateful because nothing terrible happened during the year, but it just wasn't that great of a year. 2008 was by far better, and I'm hoping that 2010 will top every other year in the past.

So instead of looking back on the past, I decided to do a little brainstorming for the future!

Here are a few of my goals/plans for 2010:

Run a half marathon
Find a race - DONE!
Create a training program - DONE!
Run, run, run!

Study abroad in Italy
I can't wait for this! I picked out a program and all that's left to do now is wait until they post the dates and the application materials. And then when (if) I'm accepted I'll have to choose a topic for my independent research project.

Spend the summer in LA
As we get closer to summer I'll have to find an internship, which could be quite a challenge this year. I guess this is where networking skills come in handy?

Have a reunion by December
90% of my closest friends are long distance, which can be really hard. I'd love to be able to go on a trip with friends from school somewhere fun, or even just fly to Memphis to visit them. I did that last time though, so it's their turn to fly to me! ha

Graduate college by summer of 2011
Okay, so this is a 2011 goal, but I don't care! My mini goal for this year is to finish my junior year in June. I'm beyond excited to be this close to the end of school.

Read 24+ books by December 31, 2010
I'd also like to become an eclectic reader, so they'll have to be 24 very different books. What are you planning on reading in 2010? I need ideas!

I also want to…

Learn some Italian before I spend a semester abroad
I got an amazing Christmas present from one of my best friends...Rosetta Stone! I have levels 1, 2 & 3 for Italian and hopefully I'll be able to stay on top of things and work on them this year. I'm really nervous about spending 5 months in a country where I don't speak the language, so hopefully this will help!

Go to church
I have no religious background whatsoever and I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to church. I'd like to spend some time this year exploring religion.

Cook one new recipe a month
This should be fun! I haven't decided how I want to do this, but I'd really like to turn it into some kind of fun project for the blog. I know the whole Julie & Julia thing is way overdone by now, but it sounds like so much fun!

Go to at least one: book club, knitting club, running group, cooking class, swing lesson, salsa lesson, spin class, yoga class

Take better care of myself
I'd say I do a pretty good job of taking care of myself right now, but I could always do better! My two big things are flossing and wearing sunscreen 24/7.

Write
This scares me. A lot. For some reason it has entered into my head that I'm not a write and that I cannot write. I know this isn't true, I used to write so much when I was younger! I'm taking a writing program for both winter and spring quarters, so hopefully I'll be able to overcome all of this blocked thinking.

Go somewhere FUN for spring break
I've never done this! Somewhere warm and sunny with good food and cute boys. Probably can't be found anywhere near the Northwest, and I'm okay with that.

Whew! Lots of stuff. I'm excited for summer and the second half of the year, but the next few months just feel like they're placeholders to pass the time. I hope these goals will help change that!

What are you doing for your New Years Celebration? I'll be home with my parents, probably watching The Hangover and whatever NYE stuff they have on TV. One of these years I'll be in the same city as some people I know so I can go out! I don't mind staying home, but it'd be nice to see the other side of things too.
Do you have any goals for next year?

Mardi Gras: A Primer

2009-12-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my parents bought me Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History, which has become the foundation for the research project I'll be doing next year. At the end of the quarter I'll be turning in the manuscript for a similar book of my own!

My own final product is going to be a collection of photographs and writings I created during my stay in New Orleans during the Carnival season (which will include Mardi Gras day, of course!) I'm going to focus on 10 ways to"laissez les bons temps rouler", as well as 5 individual Krewes that are an important part of the Mardi Gras tradition. At least, that's the plan for now...who knows how it will evolve over the next year!

Even though it's still a year away, I already have a big, huge list of the types of people I want to get in touch with, a stack of books and articles almost as tall as me, and a bunch of events that I really really want to attend.

I've been getting a head start on things because there's a lot of preperation work I want to do, and I need to find a faculty sponsor for my independent contract AND I'll be studying abroad in Italy the quarter before I leave! Okay, and I really just like to plan ahead and I may have a slight obsession with anything New Orleans related. Maybe.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some thoughts about Mardi Gras with you all. I'm not from New Orleans and I've only experienced Mardi Gras once, so if I have something wrong please don't get too sassy.

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The official definition:

Mardi Gras has been around for over 300 years, but the celebrations are still somewhat similar today. Mardi Gras is technically just one day, Fat Tuesday, but it's commonly used to refer to the entire season of Carnival, which New Orleans is known for celebrating.

(Deltas do NOLA! Myself, Kimi and Tiffany on Bourbon St. during our Mardi Gras trip.)

Misconceptions

Many people have a picture in their mind that Mardi Gras is about 3 things - beads, boobs, and beer. Fortunately (or I guess unfortunately for some of you), the Carnival season is about so much more. Sure, if you never venture out of the French Quarter, or really just Bourbon St., then you won't really get a taste of what else Mardi Gras day and the Carnival season has to offer (and you'll miss all the parades since they don't travel through the Quarter!). But you will experience lots of BB&B. I think in order to get the most out of Mardi Gras you really need to visit New Orleans with someone that's from the city. They'll be able to get you away from the touristy things so that you can experience something that's really different, and also full of the culture and tradition that the city is famous for.

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A taste of the real deal

So much more goes into Mardi Gras than I think a lot of people realize, which is somehting I've been really delving into recently. There are Krewes, which are organizations (some of them are kind of like secret societies!) that put on the parades and hold elegant balls (or tableau ball masques) and they even have their own royalty. Everything is steeped in tradition, which is amazing considering how long the celebration has been going on. The parades create an amazing atmosphere and they're so much fun. All kinds of things are thrown from the floats (that's why they're called throws!) and some of them are especially prized, like the amazingly decorated shoes the ladies from the Muses Krewe toss out every year. There are all kinds of events and groups that come together during the season, and it's definitely a family affair! There's even a Krewe for kids 8-6 called The Little Rascals and they have their very own extravagant ball and parade. No BB&B there, that's for sure! The city comes together for the season, and as soon as the clock strikes midnight on Fat Tuesday the party's over. Until next year, of course.

(From l-r: Me, Kimi, Tiffany, and Colin. Part of our group from school. And of course we ran into a million people we knew over the weekend. Tiff's from New Orleans and she definitely showed us the real experience! )

SO. Have you ever been to Mardi Gras? Have you always wanted to go? Or are you like my dad and totally against the whole thing? I've been to New Orleans a few times, and this past February was my very first Mardi Gras experience. I went with a bunch of friends from school, one of whom is actually from New Orleans, and it was so much fun! When I was 16, I also had the opportunity to attend the Okeanos ball with my best friend and her family. She was on the court, and her father was King that year! That was a really fun time, too. I'll have to put up some pictures!

Merry Christmas! (and a mini race recap)

2009-12-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

And I'm back! I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas, and that you're recovering from your sugar comas nicely. I've eaten so much chocolate in the past 24 hours, it's ridiculous! Who knew salted chocolate could be so weird yet so addicting? Aside from eating lots and reading my new cookbook cover to cover (Alton Brown's Good Eats: The Early Years), I've been slowly unpacking boxes of stuff and sorting through things I didn't even know I had. And that, is the joy of moving.

Christmas is very low key at our house, especially this year, so I thought I'd finally get around to putting up some pictures from last week's 5k.

This was the very first year for the Santa Marathon, and it was a pretty small event. Maybe 300 people all together, including the marathon and 1/2 marathon runners. There was also a 1 mile fun run and a 10k along with the 5k race.

The run itself went pretty well, minus the entire mile I spent wondering if I was going to have to make a pit stop in the bushes. I walked more than I wanted (or planned) because of that little issue, but I still managed to set a PR so I didn't mind. (Can it be even be a PR if it's your very first time? Hmmm.)

It was COLD and drizzly, but thankfully the course was flat. However, it was not marked well at all, and quite a few people running the marathon and half actually got lost along the way! For the 5k we ran up to the first aide station and turned around, while everyone else kept going in a serious of loops and twisty turns along the back roads. The road was open to traffic, which seemed kind of dangerous, especially with the blind curves along some portions of the course. There may have been signs letting drivers know, but I don't remember seeing any.

Oh, and my time was 33:11, which is pretty slow in the real world, but since I was the only person in my division I won first place! I got a cute Santa medal and a Christmas flavored twinkie. I also have a lazy eyebrow.

Running on a treadmill is a lot easier than running on the road, or at least it feels that way to me, but I definitely didn't feel like I had lost fitness from switching from road running to treadmill running for the month or so before the race.

Next up? 10K! I have a training plan ready to go, but I can't find any races in Washington. There are a few in March, but they're all over an hour away, which doesn't sound too appealing when the start time is 7:30. No matter what, I'll be back in my running shoes tomorrow. Okay, maybe I'll wait until Monday.

BRB - Moving!

2009-12-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

Not only is it almost Christmas, but we're also moving!

It's proving to be a lot more hectic than I thought, so I probably won't be back until this weekend. I have pictures from my race to share, and maybe some pictures of the house too! I have a bedroom again, which makes me so excited.

I'll be back soon, but until then I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and that you all stay safe and warm. :)

Mission: Accomplished!

2009-12-19T21:57:00.000-08:00

I'll have a full report tomorrow, but I finished my first 5K this morning! And I won 1st place in my division (17-19) with a time of 33:11! Not too shabby considering I was aiming for a goal time of 36:00 and the weather was rainy and windy.

I'd definitely call this mission: accomplished.

Tomorrow's the day.

2009-12-18T10:10:00.000-08:00

(True Confession Friday will be back next week!)

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Tomorrow I'll be running my first ever 5K! Pretty exciting, right?

I know it's only 3 miles, and when it seems like everyone and their mom is training for a marathon right now that's not too impressive, but I've worked hard for this!

The race (fun run?) starts at 10:30 and I'm hoping to be done by 11:05. Like, at the latest.

Mini true confession time: I feel way underprepared for this. Sure, I've been doing C25K since September, but I still haven't run an entire 3 miles at once. The last two weeks have been very light on the running thanks to horrible, awful weather, and my awesome yoga skills that led to a concussion. (Brill, right?)

Either way, I'm going to man up and run tomorrow! I've got my outfit planned out (with matching nail polish, because I'm crazy like that) and I even know what I'm going to eat for breakfast.

I'll report back tomorrow afternoon! If you don't already follow me on Twitter I suggest you at least take a peek at my tweets tomorrow morning.

Happy Friday!

Grown-Up Things

2009-12-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

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I may be 19, but I sure don't feel grown-up. It's weird, I always thought that after my 18th birthday I'd become all adult and mature. Yeah, totally didn't happen. I'm fine with that though, because I really do love going to Disneyland for my birthday. But even so...

Here are some of the 'grown-up things' I can't wait for:

I'm excited to graduate college! I've been in school since I was at least 3, so it's been quite a long time! Elementary, junior high, high school, online classes, proficiency exams, online college classes, community college classes, REAL college classes...I've tried it all! One day I'm going to have to do a post explaining it to y'all, because my schooling experience has been SO insane. This is the 4th college I've attended in 3 years, and I don't even have a high school diploma! I actually tested out of high school when I was only 15. Crazy, right? That's a long and complicated story for another time. But for right now, I can't wait to be done with school so I can move on to a career!

Cooking! I'm so excited to cook for myself (and eventually a family). I have a feeling that for at least the first few years after school I won't feel much like cooking after a super long day at work, but at least I'll have the skill in my back pocket. I made eggplant parmesan for dinner this week and it was delicious. It only took me two grocery trips and four extra hours. Hey, we can't all be Julia! I'm not sure what I'd do without the internet, because I can't tell you how many times I've googled crazy things like 'how to chop a tomato without chopping off your fingers'. I'll get there one day.

Along with cooking, I absolutely can't wait to live by myself. And along with that, I'm actually really looking forward to being responsible for my own messes. Mommy, you were right. It's really gross when you don't put your dirty dishes in the dishwasher. And it's even worse when you let them stack up in the sink for a week. I was a messy child. Living with roommates for the past year and a half has made me the biggest neat-freak ever. You should see our kitchen right now. It's an absolute disaster. And I promise, none of it is mine! I don't even have any dishes in my room! I really can't wait until I can have my own bedroom and living room and kitchen that I can clean and organize however I want, whenever I want. (Let's see how long that actually lasts.)

And speaking of living areas, I get my home-decorating fix via HGTV. But when I grow-up, I'm going to decorate the shit out of my house! I'm going to paint the walls pretty colors, and have comfy furniture and pretty artwork. And of course, I'm decorating for the holidays! It starts in September with the fall themed decorations, continues through Halloween, goes back to the fall theme plus a cornucopia for Thanksgiving (poor Turkey Day, no one decorates for it!), and then we're going ALL out starting the day after Thanksgiving. It's going to be fabulous for sure. And of course, for the rest of the year it's going to look absolutely precious and colorful and maybe beach themed? Don't even get me started on this! (Let's also see how long this lasts. I'm a former messy child, remember?)

Okay those are my five things! I guess I'm just trying to say I can't wait to be a domesticated career woman? Lauren Conrad meets Martha Stewart meets Oprah? I'm going to have to think a little bit more on that one.

You make me happy!

2009-12-16T19:32:00.000-08:00

Guess what! I have received my very first ever blog award! I'm so excited about this.

Tahh dahhh!

It's the Happy 101 award from one of my new favorite blogs, Perfectly Pleasant. (She's absolutely precious and if nothing else you should go check out her glittery pinecones. I'm talking Christmas decorations, people!)

So for this little thingamabob, I'm supposed to tell you guys about 10 things that make me happy! I picked things that are a little bit out of the norm. :)

Here we go: (in no particular order!)

Oregon Chai. More specifically, Oregon Chai lattes from concentrate. I know they make a powder that you can add to water, but I've been looking everywhere for them and not a single store in the area carries it! Anyway, this stuff is SO good. I tried it for the first time a few months ago, and I've been hooked ever since. I swear, I'd probably bathe in this stuff if I could. But that'd be weird. And I'd rather just drink it.

One rainy day after lots of sun, sunny days after lots of rain. Best thing ever. When we lived in Los Angeles, rain was a big deal. We'd have Storm Watch on the news, and one time they even cancelled school because of an inch of rain! It was always so exciting and such a great change of pace. And up here in the Pacific Northwest, well...sun is treasured.

Anything Southern, New Orleans, or Mardi Gras related. Can I be an honorary GRITS please? I was born in Missouri! I don't know why, but I've always loved the South, even before I had ever visited there. Spending a year in Memphis for school was absolutely amazing. I couldn't get enough of Sonic and Chick-Fil-A! And the people were so nice! New Orleans captured my heart when I visited for the first time in 2006, and I've loved it ever since. And of course, there's Mardi Gras. I know most people consider it to be a time just for getting drunk and catching beads, but I'm more interested in everything else that goes along with the season. There's so much culture and history behind it!

Friends, family and bloggers. Obviously. All of these people (you, too!) make my world go round. Fo reals.

Kitty/puppy/baby Youtube videos. My housemates and I sit around the kitchen table with our laptops watching these types of videos all the time!
Some of my faves:
Surprised Kitty!
Ethan Laughing
David After Dentist

And then, while I was writing this post...the fire alarm in our apartment building went off! (This isn't apart of my top 10, ps) Funny story, because a) I wasn't wearing pants b) it's so loud I almost peed myself c) they went into the apartment that set off the alarm wearing oxygen tanks and carrying axes and d) this was the second time in a month that it's happened to that apartment! They kindaaaaa suck at cooking. I'm back though, and I'm now wearing pants. Hopefully they'll give up on trying to use the stove and go back to microwaving easy-mac. I say that with love. Tough love.

Back to the countdown...

Nail polish. If you know me at all, then you know I love nail polish. Seriously. I've got like, 200 bottles of the stuff! I've been collecting it since I was little, back when I used to play school with them. The nail polish remover bottles were the teachers, naturally. (I was about to put natch, because I feel like now's a good time to use it, but that word just looks wrong to me.)

Watermelon and pineapple. Idk. I really like fruit? It reminds me of summer! The artificial pineapple and watermelon flavors are okay, but nothing can beat the real thing.

The holiday season from September to January. We've got fall, and then Halloween and Thanksgiving, and then the big long Christmas season! I'm so ready for it to all be over by the time it's Dec. 26th, but until then I think it's absolutely magical. And I love the decorations, of course.

Being single. Maybe? I think I like it. For a while I was a serial monogamist. Okay, not really, but it kind of felt that way? Right now it's all about me, so I can be selfish and do whatever I want, whenever I want. Not that I can't do that in a relationship, but it's nice to know that you can depend on yourself, rather than relying on a boy to be there for you. Not to mention, it's so freaking hard to buy Christmas presents for boyfriends!

Books. When I was little, I was a huge bookworm. And then...I just stopped. Getting older is partly to blame for that, because it can be hard when you're right between the Young Adult section and the actual Literature section. There's the 'I don't have time to read!' excuse too. It's hard to convince myself to read for fun when I'm reading 400+ pages a week for school, but now that I'm about to do a 2 quarter writing program I figure the more reading I do, the better! Plus, I'd forgotten just how fun reading can be. I love getting lost in the story!

Okay, that's my 10!

Now, I'm supposed to tag ten more people to list their top ten lists (wordy, much?). I know every single blogger in my Google Reader has already done this, so if it's okay with the Happy 101 gods out there, I'm going to tag everyone that wants to do this! We all need a little bit of happiness, right? Take some time to reflect!

I may have made an uh-oh.

2009-12-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

So um, I accidentally did something that kinda sorta messed things up a little bit maybe. Yeah.

I was previously using Intense Debate for my comments because I wanted to be one of the cool kids. And then I realized that it was way too complicated and high tech for this little blog.

So then I deleted it and thought hey, problem sovled! Well yeah, but I also deleted like 4 months worth of comments! NOT COOL.

Not only does it look like no one hangs out here, but I also lost some really awesome comments. I'm not sure if there's a way to restore them or import them or anything, so we might just be back at square one.

Just thought I'd let you know. I promise I didn't delete anyone's comments on purpose. :) (I'll be back to regular posting very soon.)

Mantras - do you have them?

2009-12-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

It's that word that is stuck on repeat in your head. It's the phrase that you can't stop doodling in the margins of your notebook. You hear it with every step you take, you see it on every street sign you pass. Whispered when things seem like they'll never end, or shouted when they finally stop spinning.

Sands and hands. This picture is from the day after. When I got these tattoos done, I told the artist that it was my rapper name. He could tell I was kidding, so I fessed up and told him that it was actually the first initials of every boy I've ever dated turned into an abstract poetry piece.

But really? It's my mantra. Sands. Safe and sound. Hands. Healthy and strong. Either one (or both) could be applied to almost any situation in life. And when I get anxious about something or I feel myself stressing out, I can just wiggle my toes and remember.

Do you have a mantra?

What do you read online?

2009-12-13T09:15:00.001-08:00

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I've decided it's time for a little bit of internet housekeeping. I have a million blogs listed in my Google Reader but I only read a handful of them! Not to mention, quite a few of them haven't updated in a while, or they're just not things I'm interested in anymore.

What blogs do you read every day? Tell me your favorites please!

Running Recap (Or Not)

2009-12-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

I haven't been running this week. Monday and Wednesday were packed with last minute stuff for school, and preparations for our huge project presentation on Thursday afternoon.

And well, Thursday was quite the adventure! Somehow, I managed to give myself a concussion while doing yoga! Yeah, I've got skills. We were trying to do handstands supported against the wall and I guess my arms forgot that they needed to hold me upright for that and - BAM! - head meets floor.

I can't drive for a few days, and the doctor also said I shouldn't run until all of my symptoms go away. We'll see how long that takes! I've still got a wicked headache, but hopefully it will be gone soon.

My very first ever 5K is next Saturday! I'm sooooo not ready.

My parents came and picked me up yesterday morning, so I'm at home for a few days before I head back to school for my evaluation conference which will be the official end of my quarter.

I'm hoping to be back full force both with running and the blog in general in a few days! My Google Reader has over 100 unread posts, so I've got a lot of catching up to do!

I'm cold!

2009-12-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

It's been cold here lately.

I thought this was pretty bad.

Luckily I had an ice scraper in my car. (This was at 4pm, btw)

In an attempt to stay warm, I baked lots of cookies for far away friends.

And we also made snowflakes. (Before and after our 'how to make snowflakes' google sesh)

And what happens as soon as I accept the fact that it's cold?

Yeah.
Did you know my walk to class is fifteen minutes long?
Longest fifteen minutes of my life.

And then this happens...

That would be the front seat of my car. You'll notice the open center console. Oh. Yeah, yeah that's glass. Thanks so much for breaking my ENTIRE window. Can you just pick the lock next time? That'd be grrrrreat.

Not only did they steal my GPS (RIP Mrs. Peacock, I'll always remember your impeccable British accent and the respect you had for my fear of u-turns), but they also took the box of holiday Yankee Candle air fresheners that was in my glove compartment. I guess they weren't a fan of the beach scented trio.

Luckily, my car escaped the Penis Bandit that struck a few days ago. That would have been quite embarrassing to explain to the window repair people.

Isn't college AWESOME?

12 Random Things

2009-12-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

I really miss southern boys. Actually, make that southern gentlemen. We don't have that here in the Northwest, at all. It's all for one and one for all! Woman powerrrr! I'm all for female independence and empowerment, but come on!

I'd take a stereotypical southern boy over a mountain man any day.

I miss having boys open the door for me, or pulling out my chair. Okay, the pulling out the chair thing has happened maybe ONCE in my life, but STILL.

Memphis taught me to love BBQ, Sonic, Chik-fil-a, and Elvis. Okay, I've always loved Elvis.

I pick up accents VERY easily, especially Southern accents. People frequently ask me if I'm from the south! Weird, isn't it? A friend of mine once described my accent as a "southern valley-girl". I wonder what I'll sound like after I spend three months in Nawlins!

I can do a wicked Jamie-Lynn Spears impression, as well as Sarah Palin.

I prefer a dry rub over wet. I'm talking about RIBS, people! Minds out of the gutter!

Skype is amazing, even if it does make me feel like I'm on a 15 second time delay for the rest of the night. I spent an hour talking with two of my best friends, and it was almost like I was back with them! We made plans to reunite this summer, which I'm very excited for! And yes, they're both from the south, and yes, I probably have a twang right now.

We've now entered week 10 of fall quarter, which means we're THISCLOSE to being finished! I just have a few more things to go (group presentation and prospectus, seminar, and a paper) before I'm all done. And then I have a week to twiddle my thumbs before my very first evaluation conference. We don't get grades here, we get evaluated!

Which means instead of getting a B instead of an A, you'll earn 12 instead of 16 credits. We can't let this happen. I don't anticipate losing credit over anything, but it's still a little nerve-wracking.

I register for classes for winter quarter in a few hours! I'm hoping to take a writing program, as well as a psychology class and ballet. Yeah, I'm cramming as many credits as I can because I'm SO ready to be D-O-N-E!

5K is 10 days away! Hopefully the only snowflakes around here are the ones my housemate and I cut out tonight.

(As you can tell, I'm a bit scattered right now but I'll be back to normal after this week...gotta love finals!)

Running Recap

2009-12-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

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Recap time!

Monday: I've got new shoes! And I quoted Miley Cyrus. Don't tell anybody, but I love her song Party in the USA. But seriously, they're magical shoes, and my arch pain is completely gone! Heck yes.

Wednesday: More treadmill running! I watched Dr. Phil, and for some reason I was running faster on that damn treadmill than ever before! I don't usually run at 6 mph, but something about that show makes me want to sprint.

My average speed was probably 5.5, but I constantly adjusting it anywhere from 5.0 to 6.0. For a good 8 minutes I was at 6, and I got so excited when I noticed that I started dancing! And then of course, I hit the emergency stop button without realizing and body slammed the front of the treadmill. So graceful.

My feet were still very happy. Iphones don't take flattering leg pictures, note to self.

Friday: Yesterday's run has been rescheduled to today. In other words, I couldn't bring myself to brave the cold. I'll probably shoot for 28 minutes this time.

Goals for the future:
Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon - New Orleans - Feb 2011 - Hellooooo my favorite city in the world! I'll be here from January to March, so this is definitely a possibility.

13 days until my first 5k! Oh crap!

One more thing:
Ally, one of the sweetest, funniest bloggers out there had an amazing post about Operation Jack earlier this week that really inspired me! If you haven't heard of it before, Operation Jack is a mission created by a father who is going to run 60 marathons in 2010 to benefit Train 4 Autism, as well as his own son, Jack. Anyone can participate in one (or more) of the races, and they're all over the US! If you're not a runner, you can still help out by donating or by spreading the word to friends. I'm definitely not up to marathon status YET, but I'd love to run a 5K with the team sometime next year.

True Confessions: I wear Uggs in public.

2009-12-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Love 'em or hate 'em, Uggs are STILL everywhere. They're possibly the most debated pair of footwear out there, with Crocs coming in at a close second. I don't own Crocs, but I do own a pair of Chocolate Uggs. Actually, I'm wearing them right now!

I wear them with tights. Or leggings. And a dress. Leggings are not pants, and they never will be! (Totally a favorite saying of mine, by the way.)

I love wearing them with jeans, and sometimes it can even look classy. Yep, I just called my Uggs classy. Don't worry, I don't wear them with denim skirts. I have in the past, but I'm trying to forget about those days.

This is really hard for me to share with y'all, but I also wear them with black. You heard it, I mix brown and black. I read in a magazine a few months ago that it's okay to do that now, so please don't burst my bubble.

One thing though, I don't know about you other Ugg owners, but mine are freaking smelly! I'm not saying my feet smell like roses, but even my gym shoes aren't this rank. Is this a common Ugg thing? Punishment for rebelling against fashion common sense? Well, I guess I won't be wearing these boots on a date. You know, just in case. Mood kill!

Okay. Fess up. Who else owns Uggs? This is a safe space, and I won't hate. Or, are you a recently converted anti-Ugg gal? Have you shunned your pair in favor of a more fashionable boot? I know nothing about the boot world. Please share!

Top 10: Songs for 2009

2009-12-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

Warning: LONG post ahead!

I know the year isn't quite over, but it's my ~~party~~ blog and I'll do what I want!

I've been a Last.fm user since 2007, and I absolutely LOVE their site. If you haven't heard of it or used it before, it's basically a program that will keep track of (scrobble) the plays for all of the songs you listen to on iTunes or with your iPhone or iPod (iThink that's a lot of i's).

Now that I've finally gotten over the whole omg someone's going to see that I've been listening to Hilary Duff's CD ALL day long! issue of mine, it's been really fun to look back and see what my listening treads have been. They have charts that show you your top artists or songs for certain periods of time.

Anyway, long story short, these are my top 10 (ish) most played (therefore they must be favorite) tracks of 2009!

Numberrrr 10:
Club Love by 99 ALLiNS

This song is the. bomb. My best friend Austin found this last year and we had it on repeat for the entire spring semester. I love Tswift. I love Usher. Twsift + Usher = Ahhmazing. My only complaint is that the last 30 seconds or so they totally lose the Usher portion of the mashup, but other than that it's perfect.

Number 9:
Two-way tie!
Funny The Way It Is by Dave Matthews Band and Love Game by Lady Gaga!

I'll always remember running around my dorm singing the first few lines of Love Game (Let's have some fun, this beat is sick...) with my roommate late at night. The Dave song is near and dear to my heart too, because it reminds me of one of my best friends who may just be the world's biggest Dave fan.

Number 8:
Starstruck by Lady Gaga

Seeing a trend yet? Such a good running song, even if it does make me dance and therefore trip.

Number 7:
P.Y.T. by Michael Jackson

I was never a huge fan of his music, but I do love this song. He really was an amazing artist.

Number 6:
Let The Dummer Kick by Citizen Cope

Heard it for the first time in a CSI rerun. It reminds me of a boy I dated for much of the school year, and it also reminds me of summer because it was on my favorite mix CD I listened to in the car.

Number 5:
Level by The Raconteurs

One of my favorite songs in the world. It's simple, but I love to sing along to it and I love the guitars. It will always remind me of one of the best weekends I've ever had - Memphis in May! Musicfest was rainy and muddy, and I had a Spanish final the Monday afterwards, but it was completely and totally worth it. They didn't play at Memphis in May, but I remember hearing this song in the car when we were driving around Memphis at night, and it just clicked perfectly in my brain.

Number 4:
Free Fallin' - Tom Petty

I love this version, as well as the John Mayer version too. I think this might actually be my theme song for the past year.

Number 3:
Just Dance - Lady Gaga

Yes, it truly was the Year of the Gaga. This song was our anthem for our freshman year fall semester! My roommate (and best friend at the time) and I went absolutely nuts over this song, and then Lady Gaga started to become super popular right afterwards.

Number 2:
Explicit content warning, uh-oh!

Pleasure Fucker - Maroon 5

Um, so, this is kind of scandalous. But I like it.

Number 1:
Drumroll please.........

Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) by Lady Gaga!

Anyone surprised it was Lady Gaga? I had NO clue this was my most played song! Then and again, it was on my epic break-up playlist that I made (and shared with everyone, so I kinda feel like a pro playlist maker now). And we pretty much had The Fame on repeat for the entire year at school.

This list was really surprising! It seems like my most played songs are all from a few playlists, which would make sense. I also have a huge music library (3,000+ songs) which I listen to on shuffle instead of picking a single song to listen to on repeat.

I actually think my most played artists are a lot more representative of my music for the year! Maybe I should have done a post on that instead. Buuuut to save you from running away screaming, I'll just do a mini recap!

Most played artists for 2009:
Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, 311, Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Kings of Leon, Lil' Wayne, Glee Cast, Gym Class Heroes, John Mayer, Umphrey's McGee
Love them all!

One last thing. Don't tell anyone this, but I'm kind of Gaga-ed out now. Just wanted to get that off my chest.

Isn't it amazing how certain songs or artists bring you back to a memory or a moment in time? What are your definitive songs for the year?

Coming Attractions

2009-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Currently, I'm on campus here:

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(Minus the green, since we've now entered the rainy season the Pacific Northwest is famous for.)

In June I will be here:

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And in September I will (most likely) be right around here:

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Currently, I'm taking lots of artificial sunshine (vitamin D), trying to fit in, running to stay sane, and doing lots of homework.

In June, I'll be a rockstar intern, eating my fair share of In-n-Out and Pinkberry, reuniting with friends, and back in my favorite place ever. (And complaining about traffic, freaking out about earthquakes and wildfires, and wondering why I decided to work in the entertainment industry.)

In September, I'll be all alone (not really) in a foreign country, attempting to learn Italian, eating LOTS of pasta, and riding Vespas with cute Italian boys named Paolo (come on, I know you saw the Lizzie McGuire movie!).

It's gray and rainy, and we've entered our second to last week of classes for the fall quarter. I have a ton of work due this week as well as the next, and most of it is part of a group project I've been working on all quarter with eight other people. I've learned that I work really well in groups -- as long as I'm the one in charge. We've really struggled from day one with working together rather than individuals, and there have been a lot of issues. I'm so grateful we're almost done!

Thinking about what's coming up in the future has really been helpful to keep me motivated lately. I can't wait for sunny days in LA and eating amazing food in Rome!

Do you have any summer plans yet? Where have you always wanted to visit? I love hearing all the exciting things people do during the summer, as well as travel stories!

PS: Ran in my new shoes for the first time yesterday! I absolutely loved it. I had very little pain in my arch, and absolutely no other problems. It seriously felt like I was running barefoot! I ran 1.75 miles on the treadmill.

Who's the chick that's rockin' kicks?

2009-11-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

I have new shoooooes!

Last Saturday I went to Foot Traffic, a running store here in Portland. We did a video analysis of my gait, which was pretty cool but not as high-tech as I was picturing. Basically, you run on a treadmill and they videotape you for about 30 seconds. That's about it. It's played back on a TV screen so everyone in the store can see your ~~cankles~~ stride.

I have a neutral stride, which means I don't need fancy shoes! It also doesn't explain anything about my arch or calf issues, which is a little bit disappointing. I was told that my old shoes were both too small and too wide for my feet.

There should be about a half inch space between your toe and the front of the shoe, which would explain why I was constantly chipping my pedicures in my other sneakers. I went up a size and a half!

These are my brand new Nike Air Pegasus+ shoes. They're magical. And I can't wait to wear them for my run today.

When I ran around the block it felt like I wasn't wearing shoes at all, they're so light. It does feel weird to have a shoe that's snug around my foot, but it's much less clunky than most of the other pairs I tried on (mainly Asics, my previous brand).

What brand of running shoes are you wearing right now? Do you have brand loyalty? What about buying shoes...do you go to a professional to get fitted, or do you just pick out the cutest ones in the store (like I used to!)?

'Tis the Season!

2009-11-29T08:49:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving for most people is a time to wake up insanely early and stand in line to do some hardcore shopping. In our household, we like to sleep in. For as long as I can remember we've always begun decorating for Christmas right after Thanksgiving.

When we moved from Los Angeles we finally had to say goodbye to our huge artificial tree. Last year we were out of town, so we didn't decorate for the holidays...or buy a tree. For a Christmas freak like me, I was definitely bummed out. We did get TONS of snow though, which is something you don't see with a California Christmas.

This year though, things will be different.

My dad and I headed over to Target the day before Thanksgiving to see what they had to offer in the tree department, and we ended up coming home with this little beauty. Neither of my parents are really interested in seasonal decorating, so they've always let it be my project. I love it!

I've never had a prelit tree before, or one with white lights. Isn't it pretty though? And so much less work. Not to mention it's about half the size of our old one, which means half the time and half the scratches from trying to 'fluff' the branches.

And here it is, all decorated! I love the color, it looks so realistic compared to some fake trees I've seen. The cashmere tips really make the difference, as pretentious as they may seem.

I had to choose carefully which ornaments to use this year, but luckily I had room for most of my favorites.

I made this ornament when I was in Brownies. That seems like such a long time ago. You can almost still smell the cinnamon.

There's just one thing missing.

A star on top! Our old tree topper is the size of the whole top half of the tree, so I think we'll have to improvise on that. But hey, I'm not complaining. I'm just happy to have a tree this year.

Running Recap

2009-11-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

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Something different! A week's worth of running posts crammed into one little recap.

Monday - I didn't run, much less get out of bed.
Tuesday - In this lovely semi-jumbled Dayquil fueled post I talked about getting off track with my C25k program now that I've gotten to the weeks that consist only of one running interval. I miss my walk breaks!
Wednesday - One mile (5.0) on the treadmill at the gym. Hercules 2 was on! My legs wanted to keep going, but my lungs were so mad at me for even attempting to run.
Thursday - Does going from the sofa to the kitchen count?
Friday - Instead of shopping for Black Friday I hammered out 1.5 miles, 5.0-5.2, on the treadmill. Coughing while running on a treadmill a) is dangerous, and b) will get you dirty looks.

I still sound like Roz from Monsters, Inc. but at least I can breathe!

My right arch is still bothering me, and now on top of that my right calf has decided to join in on the party. I'm hoping to visit a real, live runner's specialty store sometime before I head back to school to see if I need some new kicks. I've never had my gait analyzed or anything fancy like that. My current shoes are from Dick's and honestly I just picked them because I though they were pretty and they felt kind of like they fit. Such a pro. Hopefully a new pair of shoes will solve the issues, or else I'm in big trouble.

What did you get out there and do this week? I've always wanted to try spin class, but I'm way too intimidated. They seem so intense! For those of you in warmer climates feel free to make me jealous with your warm and sunny outdoor workouts.

21 days to my first 5K!

True Confessions: Bite me.

2009-11-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

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I'm a huge True Blood fan. I love Bon Temps, I love puppy dog Sam, I love the everchanging Cajun and Southern accents, I love Anna Paquin. Hell, I even love it when Bill says "SOOKEH IS MINE" in his cheesy old-fashioned gentleman accent.

If you've never seen the show (or read the books, I suppose), here's a pretty accurate recap:

HBO, I want to thank you for providing us with gems like True Blood and Entourage. Keepin' it classy, like always.

But seriously. True love for True Blood. Season 2 may have turned into a hot mess, and some people stuck around for way too long (Maryann, I am looking at YOU), but I'm still so excited for season 3! If you haven't seen the show I recommend starting with season 1, since you really do need to be up on your back-stories for things to make sense. Don't stress though, you've got until June of 2010 to catch up!

And for the record: I'm NOT a Twilight fan. At all. 0%. Don't even get me started on the craziness of 'Twihards' and Stephenie Meyer. And if you are a fan, please take your sass pants off before commenting.

Anyway, how are we all feeling today? I don't even want to think about how much I ate yesterday. Pretty sure I managed to eat half of a pumpkin pie. Totally worth it!
Today's a long run (as in 2 miles), and I'll do a recap of that and a few other running related things tomorrow. Happy Friday! What are you doing this weekend?

Time to be Thankful.

2009-11-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! (And Happy Thursday to those of you that aren't in America!)

I hope you all enjoy your turkey, tofurkey, turducken or whatever option you've chosen for today (tuna?)!

I'll be back tomorrow, but I thought I'd stop in and say hi in between the parade, stuffing, the dog show, and our movie marathon.

Don't forget to take a moment to reflect on what you're thankful for today. :)

C25K - Epic fail?

2009-11-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love how getting sick can throw everything off?

I am thankful that this is the first time I've gotten sick since May. I'm also thankful that I'm close enough to come home when I don't feel well so my mommy can take care of me. And I'm thankful for Dayquil, even if it does make me beyond loopy.

At the same time, I'm also kind of pissed off I had to get sick during my Thanksgiving break, and right in the middle of my longest running streak ever!

My C25K program has pretty much been thrown out the window. I should be on week 8 by now, and I'm still on the 3rd day of week 6. I haven't run longer than 15 minutes at a time without stopping, or at least I haven't really tried. So I'm kind of freaking out right now. Three weeks to a 5K and I still haven't managed to run 3 miles? Oh boy. If it were a marathon and my longest training run was 22 miles, that'd be okay. But come on, three miles? I feel like I need to kick it in gear.

I went to the gym yesterday, which was my first day out of bed and in the world again. Didn't do any cardio worth mentioning really, just 5 minutes running and some on the bike. I did quite a bit of strength training, which I haven't done in so long. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it! I stopped lifting weights when I started running. Some people might be able to, but I definitely can't weight train my legs and then run on them the next day or even the day after.

Today I tried again, and ran one mile in 11:30. I'm super speedy, I know. Try not to be jealous. That was super fun (I'm actually half serious this time!), and I wanted to keep going but there was one little issue - I couldn't breathe! Yeah, super smart of me to run when I've got chest congestion going on.

So the question is, now what? I'm not sure if I'll try to catch up with the C25K program, or if I'll just break off on my own and do some 20 minutes runs and increase them a little each time. I think I'll probably be running primarily on the treadmill for now, but I'll have to make sure to get outside the week or so before the race. And of course, I've got to remember that this is all brand new and I'm doing it for fun! It's okay if I run slow, as long as I finish before the old ladies with their oxygen tanks!

True Confessions: I was a Facebook Addict.

2009-11-23T19:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. Somehow I found myself sucked in to the world of wall posts, bumper stickers, and status updates. Luckily, I managed to escape before I fell down the Farmville hole. I've heard there's no hope for recovery once you've hit that point.

As much as I've loved having a Facebook for the past 4 years, I've decided the time has come for a break. Did you know you can deactivate your account? That way everything will still be there next time you log in (friends, pictures, wall posts, etc), but until then you kind of just…disappear.

Staying in touch with everyone from school last year is something I probably wouldn't be able to do with Facebook, but at the same time I figured out that I was in a way stuck in the past. Seeing pictures of the weekends I missed and getting invites to formals and parties I wouldn't be able to attend is not beneficial when you're already missing something!

It all started with a one week FB detox, and when that ended yesterday morning I was totally back in the saddle! (Or off the wagon?) Either way, I spent a few minutes online before I redeactivated (awesome new word, thankyouverymuch) my account again. Such a tease, I know.

Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be back. Just not yet. I think I need some more time. I'm working on other things right now, like fitting in to a new school and an entirely new world in a way. And until then, I can always waste my free time on twitter!

Oops!

2009-11-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm on a mini break from life right now. I just need to get over this horrible, awful, no good cold that I have right now and hop back on the treadmill (figuratively AND literally!).

I'll be back soon, I promise!

Ps. How proud are you that I managed to last almost NINE weeks without getting sick? This is a BIG deal people! This time last year I had already gotten sick at least six times. Yikes.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to crawl back into bed and continue my Parks and Recreation marathon.

Plant a what?

2009-11-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

Plantar fasciitis.

Two words that strike up fear in any runner. (I don't know if that's true, I just made it up. But it sounds scary!) Don't ask me how to spell fasciitis, let alone pronounce the dang word! All I know is that if that's what the issue is with my foot, it's miserable. I mentioned yesterday that I had some arch pain, no big deal. Yeah well, it's not gone and it's getting a lot worse. As in if I take another step the arch in my foot might explode worse. Not cool, dudes.

Now, I'm not 100% certain that's what my deal is, but I'd go with about 94%. Ouch ouch ouch! I've been icing it, but I haven't noticed any difference. Yay for limping around! How the heck have I managed to do this when I've only been running for 6 weeks? It better not have been the treadmill because I was so excited about finding an alternative to running in the yucky weather!

Mi madre and I are going to visit a real running store when I'm home for Thanksgiving, so hopefully they'll be able to tell me if my sneakers are worn out. Hopefully they are, and that's the issue, and then things will be totally awesome right in time for my first 5k in December. If not...I'll probably cry.

I've never had a sports injury though, so this is a teensy weensy bit exciting for me. Totally twisted, right? I did sprain my ankle once when I was really little, but my grandparents were watching over me while my parents were out of town, and it happened during a birthday party for a set of twins I knew. Their parents are both doctors and I was so scared they were going to have to amputate my foot or something! I was terrified I'd get in trouble too, so I didn't tell anyone. What a wild imagination I had in those days.

I'd like to do day 3 of week 6 for my C25K plan tomorrow, but I don't know if that's a good idea right now. I think I'll wear my sneakers all day and see if the support helps my arch at all. If not, I guess I could always attempt some cross-training on a bike or something. Either way, I definitely want to go visit the nice, clean 24 Hour Fitness and pretend to be all tough with my 8lb dumbbells. Heck yes!

C25K - Week 6, Day 2

2009-11-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

So I'm a few days off track (yet again), but I finally got around to finishing day 2 of week 6! I'm almost a month away from my very first ever 5K race! Boy, that's a scary thought!

Today I decided to do things a little differently, and I ended up running in the gym on a treadmill. I got through my intervals without stopping, but I was also running at a 12:00 pace! Suuuuper slow. The interesting thing is, I never felt out of breath at ALL. I loved that feeling, I just wish I could keep that up at a faster speed. Today's run really irritated my right arch, which probably isn't a good thing. Every once in a while I get arch pain from walking around in certain pairs of shoes, and I'm thinking this time it was caused from wearing my rain boots all day. Hopefully!

It was a rough weekend for me, and I think the weather has had a big part in that. It's been getting dark at 4:00! That's just not normal. I really do feel so much better after lifting some weights and running. I think the gym might be what gets me through this winter. Sure, it's not as good as running outside, and treadmills really suck, but sometimes you just don't have the energy for a swimmy run.

In other news, I rearranged my room and my desk is now in my closet, I dyed my hair back to red, and I no longer have a nose ring! Also, I've been reading like crazy, learning how to work that big fancy Nikon DSLR, and I deactivated my Facebook. Don't ask me where this is all coming from, because I have no idea!

Two pictures.

2009-11-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

Hi, this is me being vain. And this is your chance to put a face to a name? Uhhh yeah, that's it.

Really, I just wanted to show you proof it was sunny. Over my shoulder? Yeah, that's sunlight. In my room. Those are also my Nicole Richie sunglasses. The first pair from an actual store since I was fifteen! When we lived in Los Angeles I bought all of my sunglasses in Venice Beach. They have huge stands that sell all kinds of sunglasses, most of them for under $10. This works perfectly for me because I'm always losing (and breaking!) my sunglasses. These have lasted me since June though, this might be a new record!

I also wanted to show you this! A pretty Nikon that I borrowed from my parents. I've been using it to shoot things this week for my new nail blog. Cameras like these are so powerful, and I've just been using it on auto! Ay yi yi. I'm not a photographer by any means, but I'd love to learn. Until then, you can deal with my creepy eye. Somebody's watching you.

C25K - Week 6, Day 1

2009-11-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Haaaaay week 6!

Before I do a little recap I have two things:
1. It was SUNNY today. Yessss! I rocked my Nicole Richie style shades all day. Loved it love it loved it!
2. I finally finished Julie & Julia! I read the last 200 pages yesterday. Such a good book. Don't ask me if it's better than the movie, I haven't seen it yet.

Okay, so today's run went pretty well! It was sunny and pretty and for once, not raining! I did have to stop once for about ten seconds, but other than that I was running and running and running. I'm glad to finally be back on track, since this weekend messed with my schedule. I probably could have done fine if I'd ran on Monday, but I thought I'd play it safe. Okay, actually we've been experiencing downpours since Monday and I really didn't want to get soaking wet.

My breathing is improving a lot, and I even ran a few little hills today. I've come a long way since I started, and even though I have a long way to go before I could even think about attempting a half marathon, I'm still proud. Six weeks of running, baby!

Manicure Maven - a shameless plug

2009-11-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

Just as a little PS to everyone, if you're interested in nail polish I'd recommend you check out my new blog, Manicure Maven.

It's just beginning to get off the ground, but I'm really excited to work on it! I'll still be posting my NOTDs here every once in a while, but the majority of nail posts will now be made over there.

Feel free to stop by! The first post of a series called Shinedown will be up tonight! If you like glittery, sparkly things you'll definitely want to check this out.

What are those called? Books?

2009-11-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else feel like reading is becoming a lost art?

It seems like these days everyone (myself included) would rather curl up with their remote than a book. Why is that? I know for myself, I have trouble concentrating on a book. I'm so used to multi-tasking that I can't just sit down and lose myself in a book. When I was little I always had my nose in a book, and now I usually have three or four I'm in the middle of, but by the time they're due at the library I haven't finished any of them!

Out friends my age, very few of us are big readers. In my opinion, a lot of that has to do with being in school. When you're in classes that require you to read 500 pages a week, the last thing you really want to do is spend a few more hours staring at a book. I don't know any boys my age that like to read for run, either. What's the deal, guys?

I use Goodreads to keep track of what I want to read in the future, and I also try to keep it updated with what I'm reading at the moment.

This is sitting next to me:

And this is under the ginormous stack of pillows on my bed:

Lastly, this is on top of a stack of library books that's probably a foot and a half high:

I started reading Julie & Julia way back in August on my flight to Memphis, and I'm only halfway through. This is kind of disappointing to me because I'm actually an incredibly fast reader, but for some reason I'm having a hard time getting through this book! I've been enjoying it, it's just taking forever.

The Bible is new, and aside from a required class I had to take last year, I've never read one before. I'm following a two-week guided tour plan that's from the publisher. I'm on the fourth day and it's been very interesting to me so far. I never thought I'd be reading the Bible, much less owning a copy of my own.

Lastly, I'm about to start reading Affluenza for my program. This week is our group project work week (tongue twister!) and we all have to choose a book to read and do a summary of for next week. Yeah, I'm doing my first book report since the third grade. It looks like a pretty interesting book though, and I've heard it called the Fast Food Nation equivalent for the shop 'til you drop set. Oh boy.

So my question to you is...what are you reading right now? I want to hear about your book life! What have you read recently that you loved (or hated)? Do you make time every day to do some reading?

C25K - Week 5, Day 3

2009-11-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm all done with week 5! I did the third and final run of the week yesterday morning while I was home for the weekend in Portland. It wasn't the most pleasant run, but I am proud I accomplished it. Twenty minutes without stopping! Running on the sidewalk rather than right on the pavement was really difficult on my calves, and I did have to take a second at a stoplight to stretch things out. They were extremely tight for the rest of the day, but things seem to be fine now.

Week 6 begins tomorrow and we're less than 40 days away from my Christmas 5K in December!

Bring out the bubbly!

2009-11-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

via

So I just realized something today...it's the six month anniversary of Sweet California!

I read recently in an article on ProBlogger that the majority of blogs don't make it to their six month birthday, so I guess I'm one of the few!

A lot of things have happened in the last six months, and I have a lot of really great things planned for my life the future, too!

Goals for my blog in the next six months:

More nail polish posts. I love reading polish blogs, and I'm sure that niche is becoming oversaturated, but it's such a fun topic! Plus, I have way more polish than I know what to do with at this point.
Increase my level of writing. I enjoy writing and I'd like to work on it more in the future. The last time I've actually sat down and written for fun was years ago, so I'd like this to become a fun project for me.
Work consistently.
Decide what I want to focus on, and how I'd like to do that. Will it involve a separate blog of its own? Will I just narrow down on my focus here? Lots to think about.
Make it pretty! I never use enough pretty pictures in my posts, and I'd like to learn more about photography on my own.
Connect with others. Blogging shouldn't be a solitary thing, and I know you can make some really meaningful connections with people through both written posts and the comment sections.
Keep it fun! 'Nuff said.

C25K - Week 5, Day 2

2009-11-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

I was thisclose to wimping out a and cuddling up in my bed with some books instead of running. I was downtown to pick up some books at the library and I planned on doing my run right afterwards. It was partly sunny and there were a lot of people outside, but I just didn't feel like doing it. Somehow I talked myself out of the car and onto the path, and I promised myself a big bowl of ice cream if I could get my booty around the lake at least once.

I had a mini freak-out when Suz said "are you ready for your 8 minute run?" because I definitely WASN'T! I was thinking that today would be the same as Monday's run, so that was quite a surprise for me! I'm really glad I chose to spice things up a little and use a podcast instead of my usual music because I wouldn't have gotten through those 8 minutes without Britney, BSB, and NSYNC.

The first 8 minute interval went REALLY well! It went by pretty quickly and without much trouble. The second long interval wasn't quite as easy, and I did have to stop and walk for about 15 seconds. Other than that, it went really well. I was surprised I didn't have more trouble today because I really haven't been drinking much water this week, which tends to hit me hard when I'm working out.

According to RunKeeper (which I used for the first time since it told me I was running 107.58 mph) I ran 1.91 miles in 23:30. My average pace was 12:19. Considering this included my 5 min walk to warm-up and one 5 minute walking interval, I'd say that's not too shabby! I looked at the breakdown, and it seems like I was running at around 5.7-6.0 mph for the most part. I know I'm not fast, but that's something that comes with time. I hope!

I believe I have a 20 minute run this Friday (I'm too scared to look!), so I'd really like to use it again so I can have a better gauge of my pace and my mileage. It's unfortunate that I can't get a strong enough signal to use it while I'm running at school, but it's fun to check in every once in a while, as well as get a change of scenery.

Made in China

2009-11-03T23:40:00.000-08:00

What are you wearing right now?

No really, what are you wearing? If you're anything like me (and you're out of your pjs) you're probably in a pair of jeans.

Where did those jeans come from? Your dresser, maybe. The floor, possibly. A store of some kind, most likely. And before that?

Most likely your favorite pair of jeans have been shipped here from China, where they were made by a young woman working for about 6 cents an hour. Isn't that an amazing, and terrifying thought?

We watched a documentary in class today called China Blue. It was seriously amazing, and incredibly thought provoking. We've been discussing globalization this week, and this movie really showed the reality of what that brings to people.

I guess all this time I've been assuming that my jeans were assembled by a machine. That's true, but there's also a person sitting at a table guiding the fabric through that machine. And another person, most likely a young woman, cutting the threads and de-linting the pockets. They work lots of overtime, sometimes until 3 in the morning, without recieving any extra pay.

The movie was shocking for sure, and it left us all questioning what can we do to fix this? Boycotting Levis or True Religion wouldn't do much, because if everyone stopped buying the jeans then orders would stop coming to the factories and the workers wouldn't make any money at all. And if a factory did provide breaks and adequate pay to its workers they'd never be able to compete and stay open.

Today was very eye-opening for me. I actually came back after class, took a pair of jeans out of my dresser (I wore a dress today!), and examined them for at least 15 minutes. I thought about the work that went into creating them, and I wondered what those people were like. In the film Jasmine, a young girl who works for the factory, wonders who the "big and tall" people are that wear the jeans they make. Looking at the stitching I could see where it wasn't in a perfectly straight line, or where there was an extra fabric thread sticking out. I had never noticed these things before, and they don't bother me in the slightest now.

Right inside is a tag that says, "Made in China".

C25K - Recap!

2009-11-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, when we left off with my Couch to 5 K progress, I had just finished my first day of week 4! Here's a little recap of what I've done since then.

Week 4 - Day 2
Oh my, this was quite an interesting run! The running part of it went really well for me, it was just the weather that was a challenge! It was gorgeous outside when I started off. The sun wash shining and aside from a few clouds the sky was clear. During my first run interval it started to drizzle. It was still sunny, but there was definitely some precipitation action going on. About halfway through it suddenly got very dark, and by the time I was on my last run it was raining steadily. For the last minute it was pouring SO hard I could hardly see 10 feet in front of me and then, get this, it started to HAIL! I jumped under an overhang of one of the buildings, but since I was already pretty wet I figured running the last couple hundred feet to my door wouldn't matter too much. Luckily my iPhone was fine and the armband case kept it dry!

Week 4 - Day 3
The third day of my week 4 run was pretty uneventful, which was definitely needed. Before I left I looked out the window and saw lots of gray sky and people in scarves and coats. So of course that must mean it's FUH-REEZING outside, right? I layered up with a tank top, long sleeve shirt, and my lightweight jacket and I made sure I had my gloves too. I was nice and cozy for my 5 minute warm up walk, but as soon as I started running I realized I had made a huge mistake. It was stinkin hot out there! As I ran I was trying to take off my layers without flashing anyone or tripping in a pothole. I'm sure it was quite a sight! Once I had stripped down (ha ha) I was fine, minus the fact that I had to run with everything tied around my waist.

I'm still struggling with my breathing and running out of breath. I have noticed that when cars pass me going either direction I speed up a LOT. I don't know if I'm trying to beat the car or if I'm subconsciously preparing to dive into the bushes but it's really not helping my lungs! I've been trying to make a conscious effort to slow down and strike with the middle of my foot, but it's not second nature yet.

Week 5 - Day 1
I made it to week 5! I've never ever gotten this far before! This week we're doing longer intervals, and today the magic number was 5. Run for 5, walk for 3. Oh boy. My first five minutes were great and so was the walk after that. The second five didn't go quite as well, and I had to stop and walk for about 10 seconds partway through. The same thing happened during my third and last run, but overall I'm really proud of how I did. All together I ran 15 minutes! I tried to map out my route to see how far I've been running/walking, and I think I'm up to about 2 miles. Pretty cool!

In other news:
I'd really like to get back to regular posting (about non-running things). I'm going to work on that this week, and maybe I'll come up with some good ideas. I think I'm making it more difficult than I need to, but sometimes I feel like this blog is extremely unfocused. If it had a single niche, then maybe it would be easier to 'create content', but because it's more of a general 'life' blog things are a little different. I could always create sub blogs for running or nail polish, but then I would need to run three separate blogs. I always feel kind of strange just talking about my day and such because that's the kind of thing that would go in a diary. I'm not a mom with an adorable baby and a cute house or an entrepreneur running a start-up or anything like that, so I almost don't feel like I can get away with blogging about my life.

I guess I have some things to mull over, and I need to decide where I want to go with this project.

C25K - Week 4, Day 1

2009-10-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was day one of week four! I didn't manage to squeeze in a run during our retreat, so I ended up going yesterday in the pouring rain. I didn't mind the rain at all, but I do need to remember to wear a hat so I can see. I was nervous about attempting to run for five minutes, but it really wasn't terrible. I think that goes to show just how much of running can be mental!

I've been reading the book 50/50 by Dean Karnazes the crazy ultrarunner who decided to run 50 marathons in 50 days. It's really an amazing story and he spends a lot of time talking about not only the marathons he ran during the Endurance 50, but general tips for running and staying healthy. I've heard his first book, Ultramarathon Man, is much better, but I'm really enjoying this one. As of right now I'm not planning on running a marathon at all, but I have decided that I'd like to run a half marathon one day. There are a few in California that I think sound really awesome (Disney Princess Half, anyone?) and since I know I won't be there for a year or so that gives me lots of time to try some 5ks and 10ks to see how I feel about running. And of course I'm loving making spreadsheets and researching everything and all of the awesome gadgets. I think I might really like this!

I'm feeling a little off today, almost like I have a teeny tiny cold. I really can NOT get sick, because I have a super busy week coming up! We're about to enter the 5th week of the quarter, which means we have a midterm quiz, a huge project due, evaluation conferences, and we're starting our group projects! I can't even begin to list what I've got going on outside of class. How did I get so busy?

What are your favorite ways to ward off a cold? I'm currently reading through Gala Darling's article on getting well, but I'd like to avoid getting sick in the first place!

C25K - Week 3, Day 3

2009-10-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Week three is complete!

Yesterday afternoon I went for my final run of week three. Aside from the fact that I had a cramp about 10 seconds after I started my first run interval, things went pretty well. I ran a few small hills and did much better than I thought I would.

This has to be short update because I'm about to go to Long Beach! Not Long Beach, California but LB Peninsula. Today's the start of our program field trip. Aka a bonding retreat at a lodge with yoga and beach walks. Should be pretty interesting!

I'm going to attempt to run on Wednesday on the beach path near where we're staying. Catch y'all on Thursday!

Falling into Fall.

2009-10-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

Isn't that a great quote? It was written on the chalkboard of one of my classrooms last week.

As you can see, it's definitely entering fall here.

And with fall, comes fall-esque outfits...

vampy fall manicures...

lots and lots of baking...

(we have some very forgetful roommates, which means it's time to break out the passive aggressive notes!)

and of course...

BRUSSEL SPROUT TREES!
Okay, I don't know how "fall-y" those are but isn't it crazy looking? I had no idea they grew on stalks...I always thought they were underground or on bushes. My dad and I picked those up last Sunday and unfortunately (ha!) I wasn't able to stay for dinner. I heard they were quite...interesting.

Here in WA we've been getting a lot of rain this week. I wonder if this is a sign of times to come? I'm working on thinking positively about the dark months ahead, and this is all I've come up with so far.

Rainbows.

And rainboots.

C25K - Week 3, Day 2

2009-10-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

C25K Week 3, Day 2

Yesterday was my second run since I've restarted the Couch to 5K program. It went really well! I drove downtown and ran a loop around the lake, which was beautiful. It rained all day yesterday, but for the thirty or so minutes I was running it cleared up. I'm still struggling a little bit with the three minute runs, but I think slowing down will help me with this. I can feel my heart racing and I run out of breath. I have a hard time running slower for some reason, but when I do it's much easier and I feel a lot more comfortable. Because I missed my run on Wednesday, I was considering skipping day 3 and moving right to week 4. At this point in time though, I think it's best for me to not skip ahead. I should be finished with the training plan about three weeks before the race, so that gives me plenty of extra days in case I get sick or miss a work-out.

I picked up a race information packet about the Seattle Marathon, which is being held the weekend after Thanksgiving. I'd love to participate in their 5K! I don't know if that's a good idea though, since it would be right before I finish the program. It also depends if we go out of town for Thanksgiving! Seattle is a 4+ hour drive from Portland, too. The good thing about the Santa 5k is that it takes place the day after my quarter ends for school, so I'll be in the area already. I'd like to see if there are any Turkey Trots going on in Portland when I'm home for Thanksgiving break.

I just started using a new iPhone application called C25K, and it was great! The nice man tells me when to run and walk and when I'm halfway done so I can turn around. You can also play your own music through it, which is pretty cool. I wish I could combine it with RunKeeper so I could keep track of my pace and such! I have no idea how fast I've been running, or how far. I suppose I could pick one day a week to run with a podcast and the RunKeeper and use that to track my pace. That would probably have to be the day that I drive somewhere to run, since it can be tricky to get a strong GPS signal here.

One last thing, I've set a (tentative) goal time for race, which is 35 minutes. Once I figure out what my typical pace is I'll probably be adjusting that.

Calling Mother Nature!

2009-10-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

First off, they're doing construction on the apartment building next door, and it's been an epic fail from day one, I'd say. Yesterday they managed to hit a pipe and we were without water for about eight hours. That was LOTS of fun! Today they started my morning off with what sounded like a tribal drum circle. Drum circles are awesome, but not so much at SEVEN in the morning.

Today's my run day, which I'm really excited about. I'm not quite as excited about the downpour that's happening right now. What do you have against me, Mother Nature? I don't care, I'm running anyways! I guess I'll just have to wear my rain jacket and pray I don't kill my ipod. It'll definitely be an adventure.

Oh and that paper I was working on last night? Yeah, I got nothing done. I went to bed with two or three word documents open, and some quotes and ideas written down, but that's about it. I woke up this morning at 8 and one hour and 990 words later...I'm ALL DONE!

My fingers are tired!

We have a problem.

2009-10-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

Something has taken over my life. I can't get through the day without thinking about it, and it's been keeping me up at night. I don't know what's left to do...

Except eat the entire container!

Seriously, this stuff is GOOD. I think I've finally found my replacement for Ben & Jerry's Apple Crumble. I think it's only around until November, which makes it perfect for a fall favorite.

Hot apple cider was one of my fall favorites, until I tried the Caramel Apple Cider at Starbucks. It was just...not great. I think I prefer hot apple cider that's just...apple. This had too many different flavors mixed in to one, and it made me really sick. Nothing like being stuck in traffic for an hour when all you want to do is curl up in a little ball. I feel much better today though!

In fact, I SHOULD be finishing my paper that's due tomorrow at noon, but in true Natalie fashion I'm procrastinating to the max. I like to think of it as letting the ideas meddle in my mind for as long as possible. Then when I actually do sit down to write it takes no time at all! Have I told you guys about the time I wrote a 10 page research paper in 90 minutes? Yeah, it happened. I sat down to write at 8am expecting it to take me all the way until the deadline at 4 to finish, and I was done in a flash!

I'm a big fan of mind maps and detailed outlines, and in this case I had an outline that was about 7 pages long, and an entire table full of post-it notes with quotes from my sources and my own thoughts and analysis. Am I the only crazy one out there? Maybe we really DO have a problem!

C25K - Week 3, Day...

2009-10-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today's run didn't happen. And I'm seriously bummed!

Even though it was POURING down rain I was still really excited for my run. I've never ran in the rain before! Due to circumstances out of my control (such as the near death of Lily-Mae my beloved iPhone), I wasn't able to make it out.

I'm sure I'll have plentyyyyy more chances though, especially living here in Washington! I haven't decided if I'll run an extra day this week (Sat. or Sun.), skip the day completely and move on to day 3, or if I'll just run today's run on Friday and Friday's run on Monday, etc. I know I'll finish the program a few weeks before the race, but I really want to try to stay on track, since there's a pretty good chance I'll end up getting sick at least once between now and then (H1N1 is running pretty rampant on campus right now).

And for you non-runners out there, I have some other updates coming soon too!

How's everybody's week going?

C25K - Week 3, Day 1

2009-10-12T13:11:00.001-07:00

My lungs are BURNING! The key in the pocket of my pants felt like an ice cube on my butt, I forgot my gloves at home, and I got a wicked side cramp but…I did it! I tackled the hills and ran on both the sidewalk and the road depending on how brave I felt, and I finished my run outside in the 40 degree weather!

Sure, this is my third attempt at week 3 in the course of the past two years, but every other time I've tried this program it's been at LEAST 60 degrees outside. I promise I'll stop complaining about the cold. Eventually. Maybe I'll just get used to it and become a fan of polar bear swims. Or not.

It was a difficult run for me, especially with the headache that came along about a third of the way through, but I'm really glad I did it. And next time maybe I'll have more than a cookie and tea the morning before I run. Real smart, Natalie. I also realized during my run that the podcast I'm using has an extra 90 second run/walk in it for week three. This led me to have a 6 minute walking period (3 min recovery + the 90 sec. walks/runs) right in the middle of my run. On Wednesday I think I'll skip the first 90 sec. walk/run and just have an extra long warm up. If I'm feeling extra adventurous maybe I'll just do the whole thing and run/walk those extra minutes.

PS. As much as I love using my Brita pitcher, drinking water that's been refrigerated right after spending 45 minutes outside in short sleeves and tights definitely makes your insides feel like they're a block of ice.

I need to go thaw out now. :)

PPS: According to my Run Keeper application on my phone, I ran 107.58 miles in 22:22 at a pace of 288.68 mph. At one point my speed was 6632 mph! Either I'm running a lot faster than I realized or I need to find another way to keep track of this! I think the problem was that it was a) cloudy and b) I'm in the middle of a forest, basically. It had issues finding a GPS signal to use. What do you runners out there use to keep track of this stuff? Should I carry the Garmin from my car with me? haha!

One foot in front of the other.

2009-10-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

I've decided to give running one last try, and hopefully the third time's the charm! I'm planning on running in the Santa Marathon in December! Okay, so I'll be doing the 5K, and not the actual marathon, but it's still just as exciting for me! I'm totally going to be rocking a santa hat and bells. And lots of glitter, of course!

I've decided that if I have a goal to work towards, I'll be more motivated to keep up with my workouts. And if after training for and running this race I don't like it, then I can mark it off my to-do list and be done with it.

I've got about 12 weeks until the event, so I'm planning on following the Couch to 5K plan starting from week three. That gives me time to take a rest before the race and also if I get sick I don't have to worry that missing a run or two will throw everything completely off. I'm excited to use Suz'splaylists again! They've got cues for when to run and walk AND they have some kickass music. Love it.

One thing I'm a little apprehensive about is the COLD. It's almost 9 in the morning here, and it's only 40 degrees. BRRR! I'm still a California girl when it comes to cold…totally unprepared. I think I have one pair of running tights and that's about it for warm work out clothes. Do I need to find a hat and gloves? I guess you can't really run in a coat, but I do have a little warm up jacket. I know I could always go to the gym and jump on a treadmill like I used to do, but running outside is really different from a treadmill (and harder!) and I want to be able to use the Map My Run application on my phone. I like to see how far I've gone and how fast I've been running.

So my first run in a LONG time is today, and I'll let you all know how that goes.

Mix-Tape Love

2009-10-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here's what I did: Put iTunes on shuffle and described my thoughts for the first 10 songs that came up.

I guess my iTunes was in a giving mood today, because it didn't pull up any embarrassing or weird songs. I was surprised I didn't get any DMB or 311 because I have SO many of their songs, but I think it really shows how varied my music library is.

1. Recommendation - Mirah
I first heard this song a few years ago, and I loved it from first listen. It's short, only about a minute and a half, but it said a lot to me.

Now you drove so far but now you know
How rough it is to let me go
And let me recommend that you think twice
And i always give the best advice

That was my favorite verse for the longest time, and I remember putting it in my AIM profile! This is definitely one of my favorite break-up songs that made it onto my infamous playlist.

2. 0% Interest - Jason Mraz
I love this song, and I love Jason Mraz. Okay, I love Mr. A-Z more than I love the new hippy dippy Jason who only eats raw foods and green smoothies. His music was just so fun and his lyrics were amazing. FYI, I do love his most recent album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, so he must be doing something right! Anyway, I love this song because it's from Live At Java Joe's and there's an adorably hilarious sing-a-long section that makes me giggle like a little girl.

3. Truckin' - Grateful Dead
This song reminds me of my first semester at Santa Monica College. I took a class on the history of rock & roll and this was one of the songs on our listening exam. I loved that class and the professor, and that was when I wrote my very first college term paper!

4. Rock Superstar - Cypress Hill
The only Cypress Hill song I have, but I really like it. It's got an intense beat and I listen to it at the gym a lot, especially when I'm running. It makes me feel like such a badass! If I'm lifting weights I usually end up doing a little dance to this song which usually ends awkwardly when I catch somebody watching. Story of my life.

5. Leaving on a Jet Plane - Chantal Kreviazuk
This song definitely stirs up all sorts of emotions for me. I first discovered Chantal after seeing the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie, which has two of her songs on the soundtrack. I'm not sure how I ended up with this song of hers, but I do know it was on my 'going off to college' playlist. When I hear it now, it reminds me of that summer before I left and how excited, nervous, and scared I was. I couldn't wait to go to college and be 'normal' for once, but I was also leaving everything behind.

6. Stay Fly - Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafiaaaaaa! Oh gosh. I love this song and I loved seeing them last year at Rites of Spring (an on-campus music festival). That was a crazy insane weekend and SO many things happened. Oh how I wish I could share some of those stories! It was definitely a great time, but I would rate Memphis in May as the best weekend of the year. The first Three 6 song I heard was Slob On My Knob and I was fifteen. Definitely not a kid-friendly song. At all.

7. RWB #3 - Remick Smothers
I came thisclose to pretending this song didn't come up! (You'll hear why in a second) I went to school with Remy last year and I love him to pieces. He was my date to Christmas Formal which was an awful night (not because of him!) and I'm pretty sure every girl that was there cried at one point. On the up-side, I did have an awesome dress!

8. Break the Same - Mute Math
I LOVE MUTE MATH. Yes. This song, as well as the entire album, reminds me of the summer/fall of a few years ago. My best friend and I had chosen our Halloween costumes really early and we both decided we needed to work out so we'd look amazing for Halloween. This album was my soundtrack for the gym! And by that. I mean I jammed to it while I walked on the treadmill. Their new album just came out too, and I absolutely love it.

9. I'm On A Boat - The Lonely Island ft. T-Pain
hahaha This song is hilarious and I love it. It reminds me of Rhodes, road trips to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, my Memphis visit and singing it outside of the Kappa Sigma house, and the look on my mom's face when she first saw the music video on Youtube.

10. Phone Home - Lil Wayne
First semester of college. Boy number three and his love for Weezy. Rocking out in the car with my best friends. Using this as our 'drive up' song for when we'd arrive back at campus. Sing alongs with my roommate. Knowing every single word.

Okay, now it's your turn! Feel free to leave the link in the comments. :)

Freak flag? Totally waving it right now!

2009-10-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I love seeing how people organize things in their homes. I especially love seeing the clever ways people come up with to keep track of all of their beauty supplies! I don't have, or honestly even wear, that much make-up, but I do have a collection of a different kind.

As you're probably gathered by now, I have quite the collection of nail care items. Most of them are polishes, but I also have my fair share of treatments, top coats, decals, and manicure tools.

I sort of fell into the world of nail polish when I was really little and my mom gave me her shoebox of old polishes. Since then I've been building my own collection. Last year I kept everything in stackable storage containers from the Container Store, which worked really well. Over the summer I actually ran out of room, so I moved on to the big leagues:

an IKEA Helmer. Ohhh yes.

An entire filing cabinet IS necessary. I'd heard of other girls on the MUA boards discussing these, and I decided it was time to get serious. Okay, and I thought it was really cute.

Top drawer! Greens, blues, purples, golds, yellows...pretty much anything that isn't pink or red.

My favorite drawer. Reds, oranges, and pinks. You've probably been wondering what's up with the writing on the lids. No? Too bad, you're hearing about it anyway.

This drawer, which is always a mess, has not only my topcoats, tools and lotions, but also the difference between normal and obsessive. Yeah, I have swatches on color wheels of each color. And yes, there's also a matching spreadsheet. Mmhhm, this is totally not normal. Want to take it one step further?

The Franken-drawer! Full of tons of different glitters and random polishes for those times I feel like being a mad scientist.

And there you have it! Yours truly is a walking, talking nail salon. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to redo my pedicure.

Three Things.

2009-09-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

Classes have finally started! In fact, I'm almost done with week one. So far things have been going really well, and I think it's going to be a great year. The workload has been super light compared to what it was last year, but once we begin our HUGE research projects there will be a lot more work involved.

My parents are taking an awesome roadtrip (and they even brought the cat with them!) and I'm kind of jealous that I'm missing out on it! For some reason they must enjoy driving across the country because this has got to be at least the 5th time they've done it in the past few years.

I went to a meeting tonight for girls and their parents interested in joining Girl Scouts and I signed up to volunteer! Which means I might have my very own Brownie troop! How crazy is that? I'm really really excited though, because I absolutely LOVED being a Girl Scout. I was involved for more than seven years and my mom was our troop leader for the majority of that time. We had such an amazing troop, we had so many patches and badges that we had to add extensions to our sashes! Hopefully I can be half as good of a leader as she was. :)

This has been the longest and busiest day so far, but I really wanted to give a little update on things. I have some really cool posts coming up too, with some for the girls about nail polish and organization and some for the boys about football and stuff like that. And if you're a boy that likes nail polish or a girl that loves football, I'm down with that too! It's all good.

It's that time of year again.

2009-09-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

Photo by: amyboemig

Fall!

And with fall comes football season, Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks, and the start of school! Everyone I know has been back to school since the end of August, but here in Washington they do things a little differently. This Tuesday is FINALLY my first day of classes. Things are picking up and free time will soon become a thing of the past. I can't wait!

So here's a glimpse of things on a large scale (broken down by quarters):
Fall 2009 - School
Winter 2009 - School
Spring 2010 - School
Summer 2010 - Los Angeles - Internship & USC summer film program
Fall 2010 - Study abroad in Italy
Winter 2010 - Independent Contract (New Orleans)
Spring 2011 - Independent Contract (New Orleans) Graduate!
Summer 2011 - Home sweet home in LA!

Looks pretty chill, right? Not too bad!

Well here's the (partial) to-do list that goes along with that:

Academic year 2009-2010 - Draft contract for Winter 2010/Spring 2011 (because you'll be abroad for Fall of 2010)
Fall 2009 - Apply for USC
Winter 2009 - Apply for Academy of Arts & Sciences internship in LA
Spring 2010 - Apply for other internships, find summer housing, apply for study abroad, finish draft and find sponsor for contract
Summer 2010 - Prepare for study abroad, finalize contract for Winter/Spring quarters, arrange job/internship for Winter/Spring in New Orleans
Fall 2010 - Studying abroad
Winter 2010 - Finalize contract, housing, internship/job, etc. before you leave, then begin independent/internship learning contract in New Orleans!
Spring 2011 - Researching/writing in New Orleans. Make sure things (credits!) are lined up for graduation, job search for summer, prepare for move to LA.
Summer 2011 - Find housing, finalize job, and move to Los Angeles!

And of course there's what's happening right now with classes starting on Tuesday, working, and of course the millions of clubs and volunteering things I've committed myself too. Hip Hop Congress and Girl Scouts, anyone? I'm still working on finding somewhere to tutor elementary school kids, and I'd love to try out the gym on campus...and somehow stay healthy on top of everything else!

What can I say, I'm definitely working to get involved on campus and in the community. I think that's more important than ever, especially as a transfer student. I volunteered on Friday and met some of the most awesome people, and learned how to wield a giant pick axe! Life skills, people.

So...things are getting crazy! I'm so glad things have begun to pick up though, I felt like I was spinning my wheels for a while during summer and not accomplishing much.

This mini update has gotten way long, so I'm going to end things here. I could go on and on about my plans for the future, but that's pointless unless I go out and act on them! I am definitely excited to report back with what I've been working on for my ILC (independent learning contract), especially because I feel like putting it out there will really help get my wheels turning.

I hope you all had an awesome Saturday watching football (Go Trojans!), enjoying your lattes, or whatever you did today!

Home Sweet Home...Almost

2009-09-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

I always love seeing the apartments and houses that people live in, so I thought I'd do a tour of my room at school!

The apartment has six bedrooms, and only one bathroom! That definitely makes for hectic mornings at times, but so far we've worked it out. The kitchen/dining/living rooms are huge and really nice. The entire building was redone over the summer, too. This on-campus housing defintely beats where I lived last year.

Okay, ready?

The view from the door. I like living on this side of the building because I get the afternoon sunshine. Yeah, I'm one of those people that opens the blinds first thing in the morning. It works almost as well as coffee! Ha AS IF.

To your left when you walk in. My beloved Ikea Helmer, which holds the huge nail polish collection and various other beauty supplies. On top you can see my jewelry. And then we've got my purse, knitting tote bag, and the tote I use for classes. I went on a huge Vera Bradley kick last year and I have a few duffel bags too. They're cute, and I'm pretty sure I won't be seeing anyone else on campus with one.

Oh color coded closet, how I missed you! I had a similar set-up last year and I really missed it over the summer. So now it's back! I still have some clothes to unpack, but the bulk of it is ready.

Comfiest bed ever. Yes, I have a step stool. I wanted more storage, so I ended up lofting my bed.

With my favorite posters, all California themed. I mean come on, what else would you expect?

Did you know they have remote holders? News to me! I attached it to my bed, so hopefully I'll stop leaving the remote somewhere random.

Crooked picture is crooked! It's driving my craaaaazy. I am proud of myself for hanging it up though. And the whiteboards...I love having my whiteboards to keep organized.

So much going on in this corner, but I love it...it's so cheerful! I really think my room will keep me happy through the dark winter months here.

It will probably never be this organized again.

A reminder of home, and my very first rain jacket!

I love this rug, but I'm not sure if I love it in the room. I really like the wooden floors and I think it might make the room look smaller.

And a view at night. The lights run all the way around my room and I absolutely love them. Some may think they're tacky, but I guess I'm just a tacky mood-lighting kind of girl!

And there you have it. It's a tiny room, but it feels really homey and I'd say it's probably the craziest room in our apartment. Lots of color and lots of stuff, but I love it. What's your favorite thing in your room?

True, true love.

2009-09-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in this post, I worked on a music video shoot in Portland a few weeks ago.

Now that it's premiered I can talk about it and you all can see it! The song is called True Love 1980, and it was done by this awesome band called Ash. They've been around for the past 20 years or so, and though I had never heard of them I really like their music.

It's totally catchy, even after hearing it a million times during the shoot, so consider yourself warned! It makes me want to have a John Hughes marathon, too.

They're doing an A to Z series of singles and concerts, which you can check out here.

And on a completely, totally different subject, I'm now at school! The endless summer has finally…ended. I'm all moved in, unpacked, and decorated and now I've got a week to kill before classes start. This place feels like an entirely different world, the people are waaaaay different than what I'm used to, and it's been super cold, but I like it.

The Ex-Chronicles

2009-09-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Photo by PrincessRica

These are the stories of the boys of my life. Not all of the boys, just the ones I've dated. Not all of the stories either, mostly the basics. It was interesting to think back to these relationships, and in my reflection I learned a lot. My mind is still racing and I keep remembering things and people I've left out. I want to keep this relatively short though, so those will have to wait. I can already think of two I've left out, and I can't believe I forgot them. We never dated though, so they fall under a different category. That said, they're no less important than these four.

I'm wondering if I'm a serial monogamist? I have gone from one relationship to the next. I've never been able to go out to a party and make out with a boy and then forget about it the next day. At the same time, I'm not one to have long ongoing crushes that I know will never turn into anything else.

From seventeen to nineteen, four short chapters, four boys.

Photo by eloeeze

My first relationship ended poorly. We're talking Sex and the City post-it note break-up style poorly. (I always want to call it Sex in the City…am I the only one?) We're talking text message break-up the day after my 18th birthday which was spend in the hospital poorly. Yeah, it was pretty bad. It was also the longest relationship I've had to this day. I was young and inexperienced at the time, and he was older and definitely knew what he was doing in many aspects of love and life. I'm thankful it happened and I learned so much from him. He's the only ex of mine that I still talk to today. It took a long time for me to get to that point with him.

My second relationship was short, sweet and innocent. Unfortunately, we both wanted very different things from it. I saw it as fun and lighthearted and he was looking for something much more serious. I went to college and broke his heart in the process. Don't worry, relationship karma got me back for that one.

Photo by WolfS♡ul

My third relationship consisted of a sequel and while that was significantly better than the original, the ending was still an incredible letdown. I experienced firsthand the how much a person can change in a short amount of time, as well as the fact that those changes may not be permanent. Things were significantly better the second time around, but obviously it didn't last. There is only so much flowers can fix. Oh, and there was another woman involved - her name was Mary Jane.

My fourth relationship was the most complicated (and controversial) of them all. It was also the one that has affected me the most, even though it was the shortest. Sometimes you meet someone at the wrong time in your life. This was one of those situations. There was an incredibly long build up, almost a year. And then, I did some things I'm not proud of today. Someone pointed out to me that I did this and when I knew I could just leave afterwards and never have to face it again. This isn't entirely true nor did that even occur to me at the time. We both had feelings for each other and it just happened. I try to remember that I'm not entirely to blame. As they say, it takes two to tango. Trust me, I feel enough guilt about the whole situation.What hurts now that it's over is not how it ended or who he's with, but it's the fact that he's no longer in my life whatsoever. I suppose I deserve that.

Photo by bookgrl.

And we can't forget everything that came before, after, and in between these relationships. There were the crushes when I was in elementary school, awkward middle school dances, my one and only DFMO (dance floor make out), stalker Scientologists who don't get the picture, guy friends who confess things out of the blue, adorable five year olds who propose to you because you're their favorite reading tutor, the boy who I thought was a friend that took it too far, the times where I wanted to give up on boys completely, and the times where I don't know what's going to happen next, and I'm okay with that.

They've helped me become who I am today, what doesn't break you makes you stronger, you know all the cliches. All of the ups and downs really have taught me about myself. I can honestly say I cared about these people, and I still care about them today. We may not be together, but I want them to be happy. And if they are, that's great! I know I'm happy right now, and I always try to make sure others are too.

NOTD: Flashback!

2009-09-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd show you guys two of my previous NOTDs that I've tweeted about in the past! They were taken with my iPhone, can you believe it? They're such good quality!

The first was taken on August 10th in the Pearl District, according to Lily-Mae my lovely 3GS.

I am in love with this color which is called Dirty Sexy Money by Misa. Don't you love that name, too? So sassy!

The next is a tried and true favorite of mine.

Short Shorts by Essie! Hands down my FAVORITE neon ever. One thing I love is that even though it's a neon you can get away without using a topcoat. I wore this on my toes almost all summer.

Alsoooo, isn't the bow ring adorable? I've been wearing it constantly. That picture was taken on August 20th on my way to the music video shoot! Maybe I was hoping the hot pink would help keep me awake all night?

Here's a little sneak peak of how I keep things organized, too.

NOTD: Essie's Cute As A Button

2009-09-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today I'm wearing Cute As A Button by Essie. I've got it on my toes, too! I don't usually have matching fingers and toes but I thought it looked cute. The past week or so I had been wearing incredibly vampy purples and reds, but I thought I should end my summer on a bit of a lighter note. This is two coats and it applied extremely well. My nails and I haven't been getting along too well lately, and I've had some major peeling going on. Not sure what's causing that but luckily you can hardly tell when they've got polish on.

It really is a gorgeous pinkish coral and it doesn't make my hands look pale or blue. I've been on such an Essie kick lately, especially since they've started releasing colors other than their usual nudes and sheers. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of a natural pinkish manicure, but on my hands I tend to go for bold colors. I think nails are a great place to experiment and it's something you can change every day if you'd like.

If you follow me on Twitta (@sweetcalifornia) you'll know that I always have to include a bling shot. Don't forget, Tuesdays we wear our fake engagement rings! ;)

The world of college football.

2009-09-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

Photo by sesame_seeds

It's big and scary and I like it.

My dad has never been a football fan. He loves soccer (Go Man U!) and watches it all the time, and we do watch tennis, but that's about it. I don't think I've ever watched the Superbowl (aside from the half-time shows), and at one point I was a Greenbay Packers fan but that was just because my 3rd grade teacher (who I idolized) was too. But other than that? My experience with the all-american sport has been next to nothing.

A few years ago I was in New Orleans for a Mardi Gras ball, and we had tickets to the Saints game. For some reason or other it was a huuuuge game -- maybe something about the championships? All I know is that I made it through the tailgating, which was SO much fun, before I got a fever of 102 and spent the night in our hotel room on the brink of death. Okay, so I just had strep, but still. We were staying downtown and I could see the people going crazy after the win from outside the window and knocking down stoplights. Cool beans.

Going to school in Tennessee for a year did give me more of an inside look at the world of college football. At the beginning of the season everybody was updating their Facebook status with things like "ROLL TIDE!" and "HOOK 'EM HORNS!" and whatever other witty phrases there are about the schools. SEC football scares me. SO. INTENSE. (That said, GEAUX TIGERS!)

For some reason or other, maybe I'm trying to find religion, maybe I'm just wanting to conform, I decided that this year I would live and breath football. Or not. More like I've decided to pick a team and follow it and sit down and watch some games and see what's up with football. If nothing else, I now have an excuse to eat tons of junkfood every Saturday.

Since I'm now a West Coast girl, I decided to pick a team from the PAC-10. (Why am I not rooting for my school's team? We don't have one!) Go Trojans!

I did a little research on football and found the Stiletto Sports guide to football, and that along with some Wiki Hows have made me feel like a pro. Or at the very least, I was able to watch an entire game yesterday AND understand what was going on! Luckily I was the only one home because I definitely got into it. And it was actually pretty exciting.

Their next to games are against Washington and Washington State, so it doesn't look like I'll have too many friends for the first two weeks of school. But hey, at least I've figured out a blitz is!

Take Two.

2009-09-12T22:49:00.000-07:00

I'm baaaaack! It's been so long. True confession time: I get performance anxiety when it comes time to writing blog posts. Weird, right? I overanalyze things and obsess and it just does not go well. That's probably not so weird, but it's definitely a pain in the ass. So from now on I'm going to quit worrying about it and let my freak flag fly (thank you Crosby, Stills and Nash). Which means? Uh well, I'm not sure yet. We're just gonna keep it real.

So what have I been up to?

I've been all over the place for the last (almost) two months, doing all kinds of things. Okay, not really, but I've been thinking about doing all kinds of things! I did go to Memphis for a few days at the end of August for a little reunion to see everyone from school, which was definitely a roller coaster weekend. It was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time, but there were also plenty of notsogood moments too. It was nice to know that I would be able to leave at the end of the weekend and walk away from all of the drama and the excessive alcohol consumption and the massive am

Publish Post

ounts of homework, but I would also be walking away from my best friends who love me, my sorority, and the potential for some really great things. The good thing is, feeling buyer's remorse is totally normal, and I think transferring really was the best choice for me. And if those people are meant to be in my life, then they'll be in my life! I've just got to trust it will work out in the end.

One side note though: Today was bid day for the sororities and I am seriously bumming about missing out on it! I really wish I could have been there for rush and bid day and pledge class bonding and everything, but that just wasn't in the cards for me. I'm still an active, but as of right now I'm in limbo since my new school doesn't have a Greek system. I still wear my letters and I've still got my DDD license plate holder on my car and all of that, but it's just not the same when I feel like I've lost my family. Hopefully I'll be able to connect with an alumnae chapter in Washington or Oregon who will adopt me even though I won't become an alumni until my actual pledge class graduates (2012).

Okay, I'm done with the moaning and groaning, promise!

Aside from the Rhodes trip, I've been quilting (super fun, except when the machine eats my bobbin thread and it sounds like baby birds dying) and just kind of hanging out.

Oh, almost forgot! I also worked as the Key PA for a music video shoot right here in PDX! Super, super fun! I did a lot of running around the few days before the shoot, and then the filming itself was a night shoot. IN-TENSE. I loved it though. It definitely made me realize how much I missed being on set, but not as talent. I just love the atmosphere and having my very own walkie talkie and everyone working together to create something that is wicked awesome. When the video comes out I'll let you know.

Aside from that, there have been lots of trips and lots of quality time with my parents. At this point we're all SO ready for me to go back to school!

I move in next weekend and I'm pretty excited. I'm so ready to have a normal sized bedroom and some freedom again. I've talked to three of my 5 (!!) roommates, and they're all living at school for the first time ever. So that will be pretty exciting. There has been no talk of who's bringing what or anything, so I guess we'll just be winging that one.

Classes start a week after that, and I can't wait! I was looking at the syllabus online and we get to go on a retreat and we're having a fashion show, and there's a mall field trip! Yes, this is a real school. I think. I'll keep you updated.

I love using this place to talk through my goals for the future, so I'll probably be doing that very soon. Consider yourself warned. I've made some concrete decisions, but of course they're all dependent on various admissions committees and the Bank of Dad (just kidding!), so they'll probably change. But still! I'm excited and I like having things to plan for and look forward to. So that's soon.

One last thing, my MacBook, which was a Christmas present in 2005 died a tragic death the night before I left for my Memphis trip. I found this out about 30 minutes before I left for the airport and I am proud to say I didn't have a hissy fit or even cry. So proud! I lost everything, including all of my pictures and my school work for my summer class. For once I had finished the two long term projects ahead of time and I was all high and mighty about it and then the inevitable happened and they were gone forever. Yeah, yeah, lesson learned. Save your important shit to Google Docs and back your computer up. I'm working on it. My new MB Pro is nice and shiny and the keys light up (UM AWESOME!) and it auto adjusts the brightness. On the downside, since I've installed Snow Leopard it likes to have brain freezes on the regular and they drive me insane. Hopefully that will go away soon.

And I say I'm not a writer? Psh, crazy talk. One day I'll be a real blogger and learn to use short paragraphs and pictures and I'll tell cute stories about my children or my puppy. Until then, I'm all about the long rambling paragraphs. :)

I think it might be good to be back.

Right now.

2009-08-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on the comfiest chair in the world surrounded by hundreds of twinkling white lights. I feel like I'm inside a cloud in the middle of the night.

Filling Up The City Skies Disc 1 & 2 by Pretty Lights has been on repeat all afternoon.

My fingers and toes are painted purple (Fergie by Zoya).

I smell like Miss Dior Cherie and Black Amethyst bubble bath.

The room smells like the beach. Coconut Bay might be my favorite Yankee Candle scent.

There's a pretty pink and orange bowl next to me filled with some of the best pineapple I've had in ages. Next to it, is a huge glass of water and a hot pink straw. There's a good chance I won't remember to drink it.

I'll be in Memphis in almost three weeks. I'm excited and anxious all at the same time.

I just ordered enough polish display wheels to swatch my entire collection. I like to keep it as organized as possible, which means spreadsheets and everything.

Sometimes I just know that I'll see certain people again, which makes saying goodbye much easier for me.

My first relationship began when I was seventeen. The bar was set very high.

Next summer I will be in Los Angeles. I can't wait to be back home.

I didn't learn how to ride a bicycle until I was twelve. I can count on one hand the times I've ridden one since then. When I'm older I want a pale yellow cruiser with a basket that I can ride down the boardwalk.

Now that I have a jewelry stand where everything is in plain sight and looking pretty, I've been wearing a wider variety of pieces.

I've begun wearing a watch again. This one is analog, which means although it takes me a little longer to figure out what time it is, time feels more relative to me.

Tattoo ideas have been flowing like mad. Something must be done soon.

I wish I could take a spontaneous trip to visit a certain someone that means an awful lot to me, but my life doesn't work like a Sundance film, so I think it's best if I stay put and keep such things to myself.

Even MORE pointy sticks.

2009-07-26T00:16:00.001-07:00

The past few days have been full of knitting! Crazy, right?

I first learned how to knit when I was about 12 or so, and I started with a scarf. 7 years later, and it's finally done! It's about as long as a hand towel, but it's finally finished.

And from there I've moved onto at least 5 other projects. I'm 3/4 of the way done making this in Raspberry, the wavy one I posted about earlier, and two cabled scarves. It's a lot easier to do than I ever would have thought!

Today I decided to tackle the double pointed needles. I need to take some pictures of this, because it is INTENSE knitting. I'm using FIVE needles. Seriously, it feels like I'm wrestling with a cactus. It's actually really really easy once you get started, but I will admit I was really nervous at first. It's intimidating having so many pointy things jabbing you all at once! If these go well, I really want to try a second pattern I found, which is a little bit more complicated, but not as difficult as the Knucks.

I did find a local yarn store (or LYS, as I've been told), and I had to stop myself from buying a million different kinds of yarn. My dad and I found a Jo-Ann's Superstore too, which was just amazing. For some reason I can't get enough of Michael's and Jo-Ann's.

I'll try to update soon with some pictures of what I'm working on. :)

Papers and Pointy Sticks

2009-07-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

I'm back! I haven't really gone anywhere, but it's been a few days. Many new things are going on right now, which is way awesome, but it's also taking away from my internet time.

I'm a month in to my summer class right now, and it's going really well. I've gotten straight A's! Even though it's an online class, our professor has made it really interactive and engaging, which I think is great. A definite plus compared to previous courses I've taken online where all you do is read read read. And we don't have tests. :) Of course, that means there is a LOT of writing to be done, but luckily I seem to have figured out the formula for a well written paper. Two pages is no big deal after a year of 5+ page papers. Thank you Rhodes!

Speaking of Rhodes...I get to take a vacation in August! I'm SO excited to spend (almost) a week in Memphis! I can't wait to see everyone again. I'll be there right when they're starting classes, and then when I come home it'll be almost time for me to go back to school! My summer class ends a week or so before I start at Evergreen State.

Okay, that's a mini update for tonight. I've been knitting all evening, and I really want to keep going! Right now I'm working on this scarf, but I REALLY want to make these! I think they'd be perfect for people with iPhones, since they rely on your fingertips to work. And they're cute! I'll have to see if I can find a knitting place around here, because the pattern looks really complicated. I've never made anything other than a scarf!

DOTS

2009-07-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach this weekend. Wait no, we went to the COAST. We've decided that's what we must call it from now on. Like every other time we've visited the Oregon coast, it was cold and gray. It was misty and windy the whole time too. It's a strange feeling to be bundled up in a sweatshirt and a blanket while you're sitting on your hotel room's balcony watching the ocean. I escaped a sunburn though, so that's a plus!

I slept in a Murphy bed for the first time! You can laugh, but when I heard that's where I'd be sleeping I was so nervous it would fold up on me! But it definitely didn't, and it was probably the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. I loved it, and it had built in reading lights. So cool.

Entourage is BACK! Eric has become a playboy, but we all know that won't last long with Sloan in the picture again. She's so pretty, like seriously! And he's still my favorite, but that's not news. Vince got his driver's license finally, and it looks like all the boys are growing up. Love love love it.

Vanity Fair's newest issue is out and I picked it up yesterday at the store. I really like this magazine, it's kind of like a blend of Newsweek, Vogue, Time and Glamour. Or something like that. I feel like a grown-up when I read it, but it's still got enough celebrity gossip and investigative pieces to keep me happy.

I'm pretty sure I've seen every episode of both Seinfeld and Scrubs.

Lily-Mae needs a new case. Okay not really, but if my reasoning for this were something like my pink iPhone case clashes with my new pink wallet you'd probably never speak to me again, right? So yes, I need a new case for my phone. I'm looking for a turquoise one! Easier said than done, but I'm hoping I'll find a good one soon. Either turquoise or teal. Aren't they almost the same color anyway? I'm not sure if I want to stick with the rubber or try a hard plastic case instead. So many choices!

I like updating in bullet points. I'm not a writer. Okay, when I was younger I wrote a novel. Totally serious. It was 100-some pages long! It's still saved on my old laptop. And you'll NEVER guess what it was about! Too embarrassing to tell, though I did write a college admissions essay about it. I guess it worked, because I got in. :)

Quiet on the Home Front.

2009-07-10T01:32:00.000-07:00

Things have been very quiet around here lately. I've just been plugging away with my summer class and getting all of my work done. At this point I'm about a week ahead! Yeah, I really am THAT bored.

In the next few weeks I'm going to start dong some volunteering around Portland, which I'm really excited for! During the school year I did a LOT of volunteer work, both through my sorority and on my own. I loved it, especially all of the things I got to do with kids. Let me tell you, tutoring two kindergartners for half an hour each is definitely not as easy as I thought it would be! Oh sure, the first 15 minutes go by quickly and we're all having a great time with our flashcards and letters. And then once we reach the halfway mark it's alllllll downhill. They turn into monkeys! Adorable monkeys, but still. I'd say it was definitely the hardest hour of my week, but it was also one of my favorites. I haven't found any tutoring opportunities since school is out of session, but hopefully I can get back into it this fall.

A few times I've caught myself seriously reconsidering my decision to transfer, which is not good. It's hard to feel like you've made the right choice with something like this. I think it's been especially difficult for me lately just because I miss everyone. That and I've had a LOT of downtime so far this summer, which leaves plenty of time for thinking - which can be good AND bad. I have to be careful with my reminiscing, it's too easy to get caught up in all of the good things, and I have to remind myself of the reasons for my decision. I think things will be fine once school starts again and my days are packed just like I've gotten used to. :)

I promise very soon I'll have more exciting things going on in my life! I did make some amazing strawberry lemonade bars that were delicious. Oh, and I've finally gotten around to dong some strength training. I love it so far! Who knew I liked lifting weights so much?

NOTD - I'm having a tantrum!

2009-07-06T12:36:00.001-07:00

I haven't done a NOTD in ages!

Today I used OPI's Have A Tempura Tan-trum, and while I love this color it drives me crazy! It's thick and goopy, but it still manages to be streaky. I have a feeling it's going to take ages to dry, even with my Seche Vite topcoat.

Here it is after one coat...a streaky sheer mess.

Two coats and we're getting better.

This is what I ended up with...three very thick coats. You guys know me and how I have a weird habit of waiting to clean things up until after I take pictures. All the hassle aside, I really do love this color. It's the very first bottle of OPI I bought and I used to wear it ALL of the time. These pictures are pretty close to the actual color, but it may even be a little more pink in real life.

What do you have on your nails right now?

I hope everyone had a great weekend, and a fun 4th of July!

A visit to the relatives. Wait, what?

2009-07-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

I want to start off with a recommendation that you all check out this post on my mom's blog Reptitude. We had quite an adventure a few nights ago when I helped her with the Wreck This Journal project. We had a blast and almost got in big trouble!

My dad had the day off work today, so I talked him into going to the Portland Zoo with me! For some reason I thought it would be a great day to go, even though it was over 90 degrees and really crowded! We had a really good time despite all of that, and as a reward for him we went to Voodoo Doughnut Too, which is the 'sister' shop of Voodoo Doughnut. They have some CRAZY doughnuts (maple bacon bar, anyone?) and they're very well known here in Portland. If you're ever in this neck of the woods I recommend you check it out!

Okay, so back to the Zoo! The parking lot was full, so we ended up parking at a church and taking the zoo shuttle. Or rather, the zoo school bus!

I was pretty excited to relive my glory days of elementary school. I loved being the last one on in the mornings and the first one off in the afternoon.

There was quite a bit of construction going on, but we were still able to see a ton of animals.

I have a thing for Chimpanzees, so I was really excited that they were out and playing.

They're so much fun to watch, and they looked happy. I learned that there is a chimpanzee sanctuary in Bend, Oregon called Chimps Incorporated. They focus on conservation and education. If I was better at science I'd love to study this type of thing. Ever since I was little I've loved chimpanzees and gorillas and I wanted to be Jane Goodall when I grew up. If only I was better at science!

We also saw the giraffes! Well, a giraffe. I'm not sure if they have more, but this was the only guy we saw today.

The most intersting part of our trip actually ended up being the bat cave!

It smelled awful but they were so fun to watch! They crawled around Spiderman style and two of them even looked like they were playing tag.

They look so furry too! Bats used to creep me out, but these were almost cute. Almost.

I also made a friend who had rockin' sunglasses. I'm pretty sure my dad just likes to make me pose for embarrassing pictures, so I'll leave you with this one and save you from the pictures of me pretending to be a monkey. :)

One last thing, there's another video up on Youtube if anyone's interested. I did one on what's in my purse, which seems like it's a really popular topic right now!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a safe 4th of July!

Back In Front Of The Camera

2009-07-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! We're halfway through the week -- FINALLY!

Well, I want you all to know that I decided to break out of my shell and do something a liiiiiiittle bit different today.

I made a video blog! Mmmhhm! I'm very proud of this sucker, I edited it and everything. Okay, I used Photobooth to record it and it drove me insane so I HAD to edit it, but still! I feel quite accomplished.

Okay, so here it is!

Have you ever done a video blog or made a movie? I'd love to see everyone else's!

Hope you all are having a great week!

Things I'm Loving

2009-06-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a few things I've been loving lately!

First of all, I love when things sneak up on you and start to come together all by themselves. I'm slowly figuring things out and I think a lot of great things are going to be happening in the future. I'm really excited!

Still loving the hair! It's definitely a big change for me, but I'm liking it more and more every day. I'll have to take some more pictures of it!

I stumbled upon this awesome food competition. You'll never guess what they used -- jello! Pictures are here, and you definitely want to check them out!

I recently rediscovered my addiction to pilates. Luckily my gym has classes, so I'm planning on diving back in! It's one of my favorite work outs I've tried, and for some reason it just feels easy to me.

Entourage has been playing nonstop for the past few days. I've been watching the series from the beginning, and I know I'm a few years later, but I'm obsessed! I love to hate Ari, I have the biggest crush on Eric, and Johnny Drama's fear of the valley cracks me up. True confession: I was an extra in the episode "Aquamom". Watch carefully, and you might see me! Bonus confession: Other than the scene I was in, I had never seen a single episode of the show until last week!

Love, love, LOVE this song.

The video makes it even better for me. After talking to one of my best friends I decided I need to rock the diamond look ASAP. I love the sky, too!

One last thing, if you want to make your own ringtones and you have an iPhone, this tutorial is fantastic!

Okay, so this was a short post. My brain is tired, I had to rewrite my entire paper for my summer course tonight after I somehow managed to delete the whole thing. I tend to do that...don't ask why. Luckily it was only 3 pages long, and not 10! But hey, it's not due until midnight tonight and I turned it in around 9, so I'm happy.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! What are you loving right now?

California, a place they say glistens gold.

2009-06-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

(The view from our apartment right outside of Beverly Hills)

I think I finally have a plan. If you know me, you know I love to make lists and plan for anything and everything. Sometimes I get so caught up in the planning and the daydreaming that I end up not doing anything. Instead of getting out there and working towards something, I focus on what I should be doing or what needs to be done first.

Okay, back to the plan. I've spent a good chunk of time over the last few weeks reading about jobs and careers that interest me. I have a big stack of career books from the library sitting on my desk, and I've been going through them one by one.

For a while I was really focused on teaching. I wanted to participate in Teach for America or TeachNOLA and really make a difference in children's lives. I still want to make a difference, but I'm not sure if those routes are best for me. If I were to teach, I would do it as a career, not a pit stop on my way to something else. Some teachers stay in the profession after their time as a corps member, but most move on to other things. I have an interest in making changes in the educational system, as well as finding solutions which will allow the arts to be included in more areas of curriculum.

That all being said, I'm starting to gravitate to something very different. I spent a large portion of my life (7 years!) involved in the entertainment industry. Most of that time was in front of the camera, but some of it was behind the scenes too.

My favorite part of being on set was watching the crew. At auditions I always kept an eye on the casting director and their assistants to see what was going on. I worked in a talent agency for a year which allowed me to take a closer look at what goes on 'behind the scenes'.

I was able to see firsthand everything that happens in a busy agency day in and day out. It was crazy, and sometimes I felt like a chicken with it's head cut off. But you know what? I loved it.

I've been reading about all of the different types of behind the scenes jobs in the industry, and I think I want to explore them more first hand.

Okay, this is getting long-winded.

So what's the plan? In two sentences: Los Angeles. Start at the bottom, work your way up.

It's all about soaking in as much as you can. I don't care if I have to make copies for 6 hours a day. I've done it before, I'll do it again. I LIKE making copies. I like shredding things too. Am I crazy? Yes. But I like to think I've got a pretty good idea of what it's going to be like. It won't be pretty, and there will probably be yelling. That's how it works though, and if you're lucky enough you'll find someone that's willing to help you out.

And until then? I need to find the entertainment industry in Portland. It seems to be hiding, but I'm sure it exists somewhere in this city. They film Leverage here! I have a few more months of summer still, maybe it's not too late to get an internship. You never know unless you try.

At least this time I'm not competing for auditions or roles. Does that mean there's any less pressure? Probably not. I doubt it's any easier to get a job, either. But hey, I can always retire early and work towards becoming a teacher. I'd probably be able to put some of the things I learn to use in a classroom!

Thanks for sticking around while I try to sort out my brain.

Celia, you're breaking my heart.

2009-06-24T20:54:00.001-07:00

The world lost two iPhones today. Celia, my brand new black 3GS had some problems this morning, and even though a team of Geniuses worked hard to save her, nothing could be done. She was replaced by a white 3GS that lasted a whole half hour before she came down with the same ailment as my dear Celia. There wasn't even time for a name! Symptoms included continuous rebooting, vibrating, and loss of charge even when plugged in. It was messy, and things got very heated (literally!).

Luckily, the third time's the charm! Lily Mae, a white 16gb, is home and in sync with my iTunes. No more freaking out and exploding. This is very good news! And I managed to get everything worked out without having to wait until NEXT Saturday for an appointment, like I was originally told.

This weekend has just flown by!

2009-06-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, a quick update on life.

Thursday was my hair day, when I chopped off a foot (!) of hair. I went to Grace Hair Salon here in the Pearl District, and I'm incredibly pleased with the entire experience. Megan did my hair, and I think she did an amazing job! Now I just have to figure out how exactly to style shorter hair. I have some cute headbands, so I'll probably be putting those to use more often now!

I also got my eyebrows done at Urban Waxx, which was definitely an adventure. I've never waxed anything before, but it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. Mindy was incredibly nice and we talked the entire time, so I almost didn't notice what she was doing. She said I had a wonderful head on my shoulders too, which I think was the biggest compliment I got all week. For some reason people tend to open up to hair stylists, manicurists, and waxers about personal things. I'm not sure why, but I know I've done it and I've heard many others do it too.

Yesterday we took a trip a few hours north to check out some Native American petroglyphs and pictographs at one of the state parks. It was a long day, but also pretty fun!

Along with it being Father's Day, today is also my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day, Dad! We drove up to Astoria to see the Scandanavian Midsummer Festival, and we had some delicious food. The drive was very scenic and we even checked out some house boats! I did my run down by the maritime museum which was a nice change of pace. It was really windy though, which made it a lot harder! I used Runkeeper on my new iPhone and I liked it a lot. It's nice to be able to see how far you've gone as well as your pace.

Tomorrow I start my summer class at PCC! I'm taking Foundations of Education online and hopefully it will all go well. I did almost half of my high school education online, as well as a few other college classes, so I'm used to the format. I'm really interested in the subject, so I think it will be great!

How has everyone else's weekend been? Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

A quickie.

2009-06-18T12:19:00.001-07:00

Okay, this will have to be short because I'm about to run out the door (need to get seasons 2 & 3 of Entourage ASAP!), but I wanted to show you that I DID IT!

I went from this....

Long, reddish brown, kinda boring. (That's my old roommate Jayme)

To this...

Short! Red! Woah! It's 'officially' an A-Line inverted bob, but whatever. I think it's cute.

Okay, must run! Movie store now, and then I'm getting my eyebrows waxed. Ouch! Never had that done before, so I'll have to let you know how that goes. And I'll have a better hair picture soon. :)

NOTD (and hair ramblings)!

2009-06-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

NOTD!

This is You Make Me Vroom! by OPI. As you've probably noticed by now, I'm all over the place when it comes to doing my nails. One day I'll be wearing a soft, baby pink, and the next it's lime green! What can I say? It's easier to experiment with nail polish than it is to buy an entire new wardrobe.

It doesn't really come from that bottle. Wouldn't that be awesome though?

I'm planning on getting a haircut and I'm going to make my appointment right after I post this! From 12 to 16 I had the same exact hair cut and every 6 weeks I got it dyed the same exact shade of red. Because I was acting in LA, I needed to always look like my headshots as well as be able to play younger. When I took a hiatus to go to college, I decided to just let my hair grow -- which it has! It's long now, and I love it.

I think though, that I need a change. So, we're going redder (yay, those roots will be gone!) and shorter. Definitely layered and maybe even some bangs. I'm so excited, and hopefully I'll love it! So, say toodoloo to my long hair!

Little Boxes...

2009-06-15T23:26:00.001-07:00

My favorite thing about summer? Fresh raspberries. They're just so stinkin' good! I think I've eaten an entire box today.

I get a new phone on Friday! Yep, the new iPhone will be mine. I'm excited, especially for all of the awesome apps you can download. There's one for tracking your running, one for Twitter, even one to help you find where you parked your car. I definitely need that one in my life!

Looking back on today, I didn't really accomplish much at all unfortunately. I went to the library this morning. I love reading, especially over the summer. Usually I go through phases where I check out a ton of books related to one subject just so I can learn as much as possible at once. Last week I got a ton on Christianity and religion, and this week I came home with quite a few about owning a small business. Even if I don't start going to church or I don't open my business, I love learning about all of these different things.

Along with my library trip, I spent some time reading about professional organizers. Aside from what I've seen on HGTV I didn't really know much about the career at all. I definitely think it's interesting and it might even be something I could consider for the future. You'd be able to combine organizing with psychology...how cool is that?

I've also been spending some time thinking about the future...where I want to live (LA? New Orleans?), what I want to do (work? grad school?), and even what kind of person I want to be. I think I'm entering a time where I really want to start setting some realistic (but challenging, of course) goals for myself. Once school starts up again I'll definitely be focusing on the here and now, but for right now it's fun to dream about the future!

Oh gosh, and dreaming about my future house is definitely something I've been doing. Sounds crazy, I know. I'm totally willing to admit that. You see, I've had this folder on my desktop for about 6 months labeled "Home". I've been collecting pictures from all over the place and dumping them in there. I've got living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, pretty much every room in the house. I found myself wide awake at 4am last night (this morning?) so I spent a little while going through everything I've collected to see if there were any trends. It was really interesting, and I think I might even have to do a post on it tomorrow!

Also, tomorrow's time for another NOTD! I'm getting up at 8 to do my run, so I should probably head to bed. And by bed I mean I'll be finishing season 4 of Weeds so I can start the new season! I absolutely love that show, even though they got rid of my favorite theme song ever. :)

NOTD

2009-06-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is Spark by Sally Hansen. For some reason, I always take pictures before I clean up my cuticles. I'm not sure why, but I do.

I like this color, but it's so hard to capture it. It's more purple in real life and there are flashes of gold also. It's completely opaque in two coats, too.

And I just HAD to post this because I'm in love with it.

I did this sometime last week, and of course, it's a mess. I promise you I cleaned it up and fixed the dot I messed up before I left the house. I got so many compliments on it and it was actually pretty easy to do!

There are naked people everywhere. On bikes!

2009-06-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

How has everyone's weekend been? Yesterday we drove through Oregon and all the way up the coast of Washington. It was beautiful (and sunny!) and we had a great time. It was a long day though, and we didn't get home until well after 9.

Interestingly enough, last night was the first Saturday of Pedalpalooza 2009 which is 2 and a half weeks straight of bike events in and around Portland. They do all kinds of themed rides and have picnics and parties. Last night they had a huge dance party which ended with, get this...a NAKED ride. That's right. Beginning at midnight over 2,000 naked bicycle riders took over the city. We were still up watching a movie, and around 1am we heard a huge commotion. And what did I see when I looked down at the street? Hundreds of bike headlights coming our way. Everyone looked like they were having a great time! Some people had costumes and crazy hats, and others had attached speakers to their bikes. A few people were skateboarding, and we saw one or two runners. And yes, almost everyone was naked. Luckily, we were up high enough that we could watch without witnessing anything too scandalous. And they do this every year!

This morning I went for a run, and luckily everyone I saw was fully clothed. It went really well, other than the shin pains I've been getting afterward. I think part of it is that I'm running on sidewalks which are definitely unforgiving. Maybe I need to see if I can find a track somewhere?

Tomorrow is the start of the e-course that I signed up for. The amazing Goddess Leonie has created it and I'm really excited! It focuses on changing the energy in both your home and yourself. I have no idea what I'm in for, but I love trying things like this! My mom, who has her own blog, focuses on creativity and creative coaching and she suggested I try this. She's working on Wreck This Journal right now, which is really cool! I have one too, but I can't bring myself to do anything to it!

Also, I start my online summer class next Monday! It's on the foundations of education and I think it will be interesting. I still have to buy my textbook!

I heard a few days ago that Memphis has had some awful weather recently (along with much of that area!). Apparently a small tornado went through the Rhodes campus and took down some of the HUGE trees they have, including one right in front of my old dorm! Last I've heard they STILL don't have power, which must be miserable in the heat down there. I hope everyone's okay and that everything is fixed soon!

Hopefully everyone else had a wonderful weekend, even if it was raining (or snowing?) wherever you are.

TGIF

2009-06-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! I'm so excited for the weekend! Tomorrow we might be driving up the coast to take a look at some beachfront houses. I'm really excited for it, I love the beach! What are everyone else's plans for the weekend?

Today was another outside run, and it went really well. I've definitely been converted from a treadmill girl to a pavement girl! I haven't quite figured out a route yet, so I just run away from home for half the time and then turn around and come back halfway through. Works for now, I guess.

I spent some today planning out my workouts, which is something I really like to do. Actually following those plans is a lot more difficult, but I love to make them! I mixed together running using the couch to 5k program (And the amazing podcasts from Suz!), strength training, and classes from the gym. I'm going to try to make it to pilates and yoga, as well as Zumba and eventually I'm going to get myself to a Hoopnotica class! Yesterday was a fail, but I did do something else really cool!

Could it be?

YES! More tie-dye!

I'm sorry, I can't help it.

I've become addicted. Someone take the white t-shirts and dye away from me - fast! Ms. Sugar and Spice asked for some tips and my number one suggestion is to use this kit! I got mine at Michaels, and it works incredibly well! It's one of the easiest kits I've used. Make sure to follow the directions exactly, and don't use the shirts that come pretreated to resist stains. Also, make sure they're 100% cotton or the dye won't react correctly. Oh and make sure you wear gloves! This stuff stains (obviously)! I usually cover our kitchen island with a giant trash bag and I make sure to have paper towels handy. You might be better doing it outside, just in case.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with all of these shirts! Have a good Friday!

NOTD

2009-06-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Today's Nail Of The Day is Gargantuan Green Grape by OPI. I love to wear this green when I have nails on the shorter side. I usually end up putting on two regular coats and one thicker coat on top since it is on the streaky side. Lighter colors do seem to be more difficult to work with.

Blast From The Past: 60s Style

2009-06-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday! I have a feeling there will be at least two posts today, so here's the first installment! Yesterday along with making anklets and chocolate chip cookies, I did some tie-dying!

What do you think? I bought some more plain white shirts today, and I plan on making a few more this afternoon.

Recharge!

2009-06-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

What a day! A much needed, relaxing, getaway day. I woke up at 9 and planned on attempting another outdoor run in The Pearl. My dad, who was home today, suggested we take a drive somewhere else a little more scenic. We ended up 90 minutes away in Seaside, OR. It's a small town with some great shops located right on the beach. There's a boardwalk and path that I ran along and it was great! I enjoyed it a lot more than running through the neighborhood. So much to look at and running along the ocean almost felt like being home in California. Except it was cloudy. And windy. And cold. But that happens! Afterwards, we stopped into The Buzz On Broadway, which is an AMAZING candy store. So many things to choose from! They even have chocolate covered Twinkies. Deeeeelish!

My dad may even be joining the blogosphere, which would mean our entire household (minus Pearly) is a part of the blogging world. How cool is that? We can have blog parties in the living room. Or something like that. My mom's totally sold on the idea and I've been appointed as full-time tech support. If all goes as planned, he'll be discussing the trials and tribulations of learning various computer programming languages. I think. I'm really not the right person to ask about all of this, I thought he was talking about learning Spanish or Italian when he mentioned spending the summer taking classes at MIT to learn some new languages. He works in the software programming/engineering/testing industry, so I guess it should have clicked in my brain. So that's pretty exciting. My mom and I just spent an hour throwing information and links in his direction and he's looking a little shell shocked, but I think some good things may come of this.

I just checked the class schedule for my gym, and they added an extra Zumba class! Tomorrow I'll once again attempt to master the art of Zumba. I've taken two or three classes before, and they were tough but so much fun. Thursday I'll also be trying out a Hoopnotica class. I'm not entirely sure what I'm getting myself into, but that shound be interesting. The description says it combines hula hooping with belly dance. It's supposed to be good for balance, coordination, and stress reduction. I definitely could use help in those areas!

Lastly, I want to share one of my favorite pictures of the little devil kitty that's currently incredibly high on cat-nip. She's on her back next to me right now, staring at the ceiling intently. Crazy kitty!

Spinning Tires, Painting Nails, and Fortune Cookies

2009-06-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

As a warning, this post is all over the place, but that's kind of how my brain feels right now too!

To begin with, I feel like I'm stuck in a rut, as if I'm not doing anything productive right now. Nothing that's impacting myself or others in a positive way. I'm just existing. I can sit and think and plan for the future as much as I want, but none of that will happen if I don't start doing things now. The question is, what should I be doing? I know in the fall I'll have a lot on my plate, most of which I'm really excited about. Sure, there's anxiety about transferring schools and meeting new people, but there are also classes I can't wait for, clubs I want to join, and all sorts of volunteering projects I'd like to get involved in, especially ones that are involved with the elementary schools nearby. That being said, that's the fall and I won't be going back to school until the end of September.

I would like to spend time this summer figuring out more about who I am, and what makes me truly happy, as cliche as that sounds. I'm known for telling people to do what makes them happy, and I really need to be better at following my own advice. So there we go, something for me to think about and work on.

Moooooving on...I spent some time yesterday organizing, which is actually something I love to do. I used to be somewhat messy and incredibly unorganized, but living in a 11x13 box for 8 months definitely helped me improve those skills! I kept my side of the dorm room insanely organized and it really helped a lot. It still got messy at times, but when your space is that small, it's not too hard to get it neat and tidy again.

Anyway, what did I organize?

All of these.

That's right. Nail polish. I have quite the collection.

Now I know that's something most people aren't interested in, but if you are or you just want to stare in bemusement, you can see pictures from that here. Everything is nicely labeled and color-coded and now that I've gotten rid of quite a few...I can buy more! Just kidding. I think. I'll spare you from my thoughts about all of the spring and summer collections that are out now.

And one last note, a very good friend of mine left home today to spend his summer in China! This is so exciting to me because I know he loves the country and everything that goes along with it. So if you want to read about his adventures (I'm sure there will be MANY!) you can find his blog here.

Plans and I Don't Mix

2009-06-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Why I should never make plans...

Once again this week, things aren't going quite the way I wanted. Somehow during my run today I managed to pull (?) something. I'm not entirely sure what I did, but every time I shift my weight I feel a sharp pain near my hipbone. My mom thinks I may have pulled a groin muscle. Fabulous! I do things like this a lot, but usually I just get killer bruises or something like that. But, with this newest weird injury, I can't make it from one end of the hallway to the other, much less do the 2 mile hike (one way!) down to the floats. Oh well, maybe next time.

Since I won't be doing anything at all today, I wanted to make a post highlighting some of the crafty goodness I've been up to since I've been home.

I found these wooden letters on sale at Michael's. I painted them with two coats of yellow and made blue dots around the edges with a Q-tip. I thought they turned out really well!

This picture isn't exactly the true color since it's in our bathroom, but you can see the ribbon I found. The ribbon has white dots on it to match the design. I'll probably hang them on my wall at school in the fall.

These are just a few of the things I got to make bracelets. Peace sign charms, different shapes, and somewhere I have a ton of beads and baubles to add.

Another project I've been working on for the past few weeks is a pillow. Yeah, it's taken me this long and it's still not done!

The main reason it's taken me forever is because I lost all motivation, and second, I'm stamping it which is a really time consuming process.

The stamps are small! It takes a while to get the letter lined up correctly on the clear block, and then to paint on the color and actually stamp with it. After that, I peel the letter off the block and throw it into a bowl of water. Every 10 or so letters I dump out the water and wash the stamps to get all of the paint off. I'm sure there's a better way to do it, but I haven't figured it out yet!

Here you can see the arcylic block, and two of the letters ready to go. I was hoping I'd be able to put multiple letters on the block at once, but when I did they were spaced too far apart when I stamped. So I've had to do it one. by. one. It looks pretty cool though!

At this point I have one more line to finish, so when I get around to that I'll make sure to take some pictures. It looks really nice, and I think it'll make a great pillow.

This isn't really a craft, but I've also been baking a LOT. One of my favorites are these from Smitten Kitchen

They took me a while to make, but they were so good! The three of us ate all 32 of them in just a few days!

So that's a little glimpse of what I've been up to craft-wise!

Stop and Smell the Roses

2009-06-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

I've made a huge mistake. No, really. And I blame it all on ChicRunner! I spent an hour reading her blog last night and she inspired me to try something different. All this time I've been running, I've been doing it in the gym. On a treadmill. Today, I ran outside for the first time. I almost died. It was a lot harder! I've always heard that running on a treadmill and running outside are different, but I had no idea just HOW different they are. Not only are there huge dogs being walked by tiny old ladies to avoid, but there are uneven sidewalks, hills you never realized existed, and my personal favorite, ending 5 blocks from where I started! All those complaints aside, I think I'm going to try to keep running outside. Sure, it's easier in the gym and doing it this way means I'll have to dial it back a little, but it feels like a better workout and since this is Portland, the scenery is very entertaining.

I thought Sunday would be a good day for me to set up a personal challenge or two for me to complete this week. Something I that I could check off a list next Sunday. So my personal challenge for the week is to run outside three times this week. Also, I want to continue to drink 72 ounces a day. I've been noticing a big difference between the days I do and the days I don't.

Yesterday didn't go quite as planned, therefore I have no pictures. Hopefully today we'll going to see the floats from the parade, which should be fun. When we lived in LA my mom and I used to go check out all of the floats after the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. They were gorgeous and it was so cool to see how much work the float builders put into them.

What's everybody else doing for the weekend? How's the weather? It's still cloudy here, I miss the sunshine! Hopefully it'll clear up soon.

Saturday Links aka Sinks?

2009-06-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

It's Saturdaaaay!

Today, my parents and I are going to Albany for a Peonie and Hosta walk. I'm not entirely sure what that will entail, but I'm going with the flow! And later, we'll be heading over to check out the Rose Parade Floats! Hopefully the rain holds off, and maybe we'll even be able to see some sunshine. What are you doing this weekend?

Also, I've got some links for you guys! These are a few of my favorite things I've found this week from all sides of the internet.

To start with we have to sites that you've probably heard of already. And if not? You're in for a treat. These texts can get a little (okay, maybe a lot) raunchy, but quite a few of them had me laughing out loud and scaring the cat.
And of course, life wouldn't be complete without seeing a compilation of awkward family photos. Seriously, these are awesome. And they make me secretly glad my family doesn't take photos together.

This came up yesterday, but I think what the Blue Man Group is doing is so cool. If only I could pass for a kindergartner!

After finishing Why New Orleans Matters I checked out Tom Piazza's website, and there was a question and answer session with him that was really awesome. He talked more abut the bad and the good of New Orleans, as well as the continuing rebuilding of the city and it's surrounding areas.

If you or someone you know is about to head off to college, this blog is an amazing resource. You will definitely be prepared for dorm-life. Be sure to take a look at her checklist, that's something I wish I had when I was moving in last fall!

And lastly, two brothers who take stunning pictures! They're West Coast Wedding photographers. Boone's on Twitter, too! I don't know if it's just me, but I've always loved looking at wedding related things. Yes, I was one of those girls who was planning her wedding at 8 years old. After I got done playing school with my nail polish, of course. Anyway, this website instantly went into my bookmarks. You know, just in case I happen to get engaged in the next few months. Which isn't likely considering I'm single. If it takes a faux fiancé to make this work, then so be it.

Whew, I've been all over the place this week! I hope you can find something to keep you interested in that list. Do you have a site that's worth mentioning? Let me know!

Have a safe and happy Saturday.

Procrastination by way of Mother Nature

2009-06-05T08:29:00.001-07:00

Hello Friday!

To start off with, the run that I tweeted about yesterday was a BUST. My dad and I walked over to the gym, passing the First Thursday tents that were being set up along the way. We noticed that it was getting cloudy, but this being Portland that's a pretty normal occurrence here.

I jumped (okay, grudgingly stepped) on the treadmill and while I was warming up I noticed that every single TV in the gym was turned to the news and every single news station had alarms blaring and bulletins flashing about a humongous storm headed our way. FANTASTIC.

We decided to leave shortly after that so we could avoid the 60 mph winds and pouring rain and hail that was headed our way. You know, just to be on the safe side for our 5 minute walk home.

And what happened? It got windy, it rained for 20 minutes and there was some lightening. After what happened in Memphis with lightening striking on campus, this was no big deal. I was proud that I didn't curl up in a ball somewhere holding my ears.

Oh and? First Thursday was a no go. I was pretty excited for it and this was the first one I've been around for since last August. Oh well, we've still got a few more chances before I leave for school again!

Long story short, here I am sitting at the table wearing my running shorts and sneakers trying to get myself to walk over there and run for 30 minutes. It's only 30 minutes...you can do anything for that long. Right?

Oh and PS...those goals I mentioned yesterday? I've been working on them. You'd be so proud! Hopefully I can share them later today, and give anyone out there a chance to share theirs too.

Goals, shmoals.

2009-06-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

I've never been good at setting goals. I know how to set them, I just never follow through. Maybe I just don't make them exciting enough to want to follow through with. Or maybe it's even a combination of the two.

Whatever it is, goals and I definitely aren't best friends. That being said, I feel like I have accomplished a lot of great things in my life so far. Now if I can just figure out how to get my goals out of my head in some form or other I'll be all set!

Recently, I've been working on a few things of my own. I'm the type of the person that's driven by interest-led learning. I learned from Googling it that interest-led learning is a term used frequently by unschoolers to describe how they teach, but in my case it's more like I find something I'm interested in and then I learn as much as I can as quickly as I can. I like to research things and read as much about them as possible. Some of these interests are quick and fleeting (like soap making - my enthusiasm lasted until I got halfway to Michael's for supplies), and others stick around for a long time (I had been figure skating for 3 years and acting for 5 before I got tired of them both).

Right now, my interests (obsessions?) have been floating all over the place. I've decided it's because a) it's summer and I have free time finally, and b) I made some big decisions recently and I don't know where to go from here.

So this brings me to my first list!

Things I've been Googling/Reading about/Dreaming about/Planning for:

Teaching - This is one of those interests that's been around since I was little. I remember (and my dad just won't let me forget!) when I was little I would line up all of my nail polishes in cute little rows and put my bottles of nail polish remover in front to teach them the day's lessons. I divded them into small groups for centers, made grade books, sent the trouble makers to the hall for detention, and on and on. I loved my colorful classes and creating all kinds of school activities. There's so much more to share on this (my thoughts about teaching, not my nail polish schools days!), but I want to keep my list short...for now.

Nail Polish - Okay, so I guess I should explain my history with nail polish. Right now, in the cutest pink and orange set of drawers are approximitely 200 bottles of nail polish. How the heck did I get there? It all started with a shoebox of inherited nail polishes from my mom when I was little. I rarely painted my nails at that age, but as I grew older my collection slowly grew. Now, my Google Reader has feeds from multiple nail blogs, I order from online wholesalers ($8 for OPI or $2.99? Hmm!), and during the school year I always had people visiting my room to do their nails. It's an addiction, be warned.

New Orleans - Ever since I first visited New Orleans in the summer of 2006 I have been in love with the city. I feel it pulling me. It pops up all over in my life. I've been reading books that are either set in New Orleans or about the city in general recently and this is one of my favorite quotes to sum things up.

"New Orleans inspires the kind of love that very few other cities do. New Orleans has a mythology, a personality, a soul, that is large, and that has touched people around the world. It has its own music, its own cuisine, its own way oftalking, its own architecture, its own smell, its own look and feel." - Tom Piazza "Why New Orleans Matters"

Well, there you go. A little glimpse into what's been rolling around in my mind recently. I'm going to try to create my own set of goals soon, hopefully incorporating different aspects of what I've listed above. Maybe. Possibly. I hear goals are essential, so I might as well TRY.

What prompted all of this? I did a little math yesterday:

Credits needed to graduate: 180
Current number of credits: 85
After Fall Quarter: 101
After Winter Quarter: 117
After Spring Quarter 133
Credits left: 47 = 3 quarters (at 16 per quarter)

So, even though I'm Class of 2012, I'll be finished with college in two years. TWO YEARS!
That's SOON. And it could be even sooner than that if I take any summer classes.

How exciting! And a little scary. Mostly exciting. I can't wait, there's so much out there I want to accomplish. Now I just need to get some plans together and start the ball rolling.

This is the beginning.

2009-06-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here I am, with a blog. I'm still working on what this blog will be, and who it will represent, but it's here. I have a lot of exciting things in the works for it and I can't wait to get started.

There are two types of blogs, topical blogs and personal blogs. I think this one will begin as a personal blog and maybe as time goes on it will morph into something more topical. Only time will tell!

Links you'll love.

2009-06-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

I've finally whittled my Google Reader down to just the blogs I love, so I wanted to a few of share them with you!
Last updated: September, 2009.

Nails

All Lacquered Up
This was the very first nail polish blog I stumbled upon. Always on top of the latest trends and collections.

Nail Juice
Amazing variety of swatches and she does some great nail art too.

Scrangie
Also one of the polish powerhouses, she's one of the first to get polish news and collection previews.

Life & Inspiration

iCiNG
If you haven't experienced the magic that is Gala Darling you have to take a look at her blog pronto. She's seriously changed me as a person and she's a total inspiration. I could go on and on.

Reptitude
Okay to be fair, this is my mom's blog, but even if it wasn't I'd still read it. She's a Creativity Coach and it's all about bringing the creativity (back) into your life. Pretty cool stuff!

Color Me Katie
One of the most creative women I've seen on the internet. She's a street artist and you have got to see what she's done to make Brooklyn even more gorgeous.

A Few Others

Tip Junkie
Okay so this blog is totally geared towards moms, but if you like crafty things you'll probably find some great stuff. And if you are a mom, then you'll probably love this site.

Deadline Hollywood
Not for the faint of heart, this is a pretty intense Hollywood blog. The comments can get pretty sassy, and there's a lot of industry jargon, but I'm obsessed with it! Sure, sometimes I have to skip over the posts about the SAG elections, but the agency merger updates are totally worth it!

Oh No They Didn't!
My number one hands down no questions asked blog for celebrity gossip. Be careful, it's addictive. The comments are hilarious too, especially when they start whipping out the animated gifs! The downside? I know way too much info about Britney's breakdown, Michael Jackson's last days and those ridiculous Twilight fans.

The Pioneer Woman
And of course, how could I not mention Ree's blog. I found it last year and I spent a weekend going through almost all of her posts. She's an amazing writer and photographer, she's got a cute husband, and her kids are adorable. LA girl turns country housewife. From sushi to calf nuts...I could go on and on.

About.

2009-06-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sweet California! I created this blog as a way to entertain myself over the summer, and I hope to continue it for quite some time to come. I've always considered myself more of a speaker than a writer, so this has been quite a challenge!

Even though I've only been around for nineteen years, I've already had many life-changing experiences and lived in some pretty cool places. Exotic? Not really. But I'd say the contrast between rural Pennsylvania and crazy Los Angeles is a pretty big deal.

I used to be a professional child actor, and I liked to pretend I was Lindsay Lohan. Luckily I escaped Hollywood before I followed her footsteps, and I've been on a hiatus for the past two years going to college. After a year at a small, private school in Tennessee I decided I was done 'being normal' and I was ready to embrace my hippie side and follow my interests. No, I'm not living in the trees, I'm just transferring schools! This school is much more interdisciplinary and even though I'm leaving behind my best friends and my sorority, I think I'll be much happier education wise. Plus, I get to graduate a year early!

I plan on going back to California as soon as possible, even though earthquakes make me cry and I have a horrible allergy to smoke. That just shows how much I love LA! Or maybe I just have an addiction to In-N-Out and Pinkberry. Who knows. This time however, I'm looking forward to working in the other side of the industry, either in casting or producing. Yes, I'm crazy, but a little crazy is good! True confession: when I really miss home I watch Entourage. Nothing cheers me up better than Drama freaking out about driving over to the valley! And I'm totally rooting for Lloyd, especially since I'll probably be in his shoes pretty soon. Go team assistants!

So while I'm not entirely sure where I'll end up next, I have a feeling I'll love it and I'd love to share it with everyone else, too.

ps. Oh yeah, I went to the moon. What did you do over summer vacation? ;)

Contact me.

2009-06-01T01:26:00.000-07:00

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