the blog

sitting on a roof

2012-02-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

wallpaper

2012-02-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

2012-02-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

owning a cat and being a cat person are two entirely different animals.

(pun intended.)

that's all.

t-minus 46,920 minutes

2012-02-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

aka 782 hours aka 32 days and 14 hours until my birthday. and the end of being a teenager forever. that's all.

Thursday on Tuesday

2012-01-31T21:45:00.000-08:00

1. Thursday by Takenobu. Go listen to it!

2. No idea who to credit this image to, but I love it.

3. My friends are convinced I'm going to marry a mountain man. I'm not really sure why. Or what that says about me. But I thought it was funny so I drew a picture (ps. that's arm hair in case you couldn't tell. Because everyone knows mountain men are hairy or something):

4. Speaking of, on the off chance that I ever do get married, do you think it would terrible of me to wear an LDS wedding dress? Or any of these (okay so not really the first one, it looks far too pirate-esque. And yes mom, I can already hear you saying the last two look like sleepwear. Which really just leaves the second from top one if you're keeping track but aside from that...)

5. David passed this on via Threadless. I'm pretty sure this is me everyday. Except for the part where I haven't even run in two weeks. Oops.

6. Happy last day of January!

2012-01-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

a day with Micah

2012-01-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

Included but not limited to

a little book reading,

dog petting,

cheesy smiles,

dump trucking,

block building,

"painting,"

splashing,

and an all around fun time.

2012-01-25T11:30:00.001-08:00

art major problems

2012-01-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

doing math you vaguely remembering doing in 7th grade your second year of college because math was pointless then and still seems rather pointless now.

a few of my favorite things

2012-01-21T13:39:00.001-08:00

2012-01-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

So. School. Less units but seemingly more work. Which is quite possible. Bio (+ bio lab), math, communications, and drawing 2. Only 4.5 classes this time. I have a very wide range of teachers/teaching styles which caused the usual first-week-of-class meltdown. Here's a brief rundown of classes if you care to know. Or even if you don't. For art I have the stereotypical quiet, low-key, weird music playing, eastern mysticism espousing drawing teacher. Which is totally fine by me, not that I agree with a lot of what he talked about during the first lecture but low-key is what I need. The first day of bio, my (approximately) 60-year-old professor came to class with purple bell bottoms complete with flower accents. And talk...suh like thi...suh with an odd accenting of the las...tuh syllable in some words. She's quite the character and I'm glad I'm taking her class with David because he thinks it's all rather funny (easy for him to say because he's actually familiar with a lot of the material already). And then there's communications class. In theory, this lady and I should be bff's. Well not really but her teaching style is completely to my benefit and she's the sort of teacher I would want to be if I ever taught a class- thorough, organized, gives extra credit for perfect attendance, and emphasizes quality over quantity. Unfortunately, I disagree with much of what the material she's teaching as well as what little I've heard about her personal worldviews. And even more unfortunately this class is all about self-awareness and understanding others and it's not that we're just not on the same page, I think we're in completely different books, figuratively speaking, that is. So as much as I like her classroom format, I hate everything the class is about. And last but not least is math. Let me give you a bit of back story. Last semester I had a math teacher that I adored. She was incredibly organized, very gracious with office hours, and all about fairness and accuracy in her teaching as well as testing. Her class was hard but straightforward. Unfortunately, she wasn't teaching the math I needed this semester so after researching the class times and teachers available, I found someone who looked like they would be a good fit. She was highly recommended by two different math teachers I know and trust but oh goodness, I was in for a shock. I don't doubt she's a good teacher but talk about (math class) culture shock. I transitioned from last semesters well-organized classroom to what seemed like a free-for-all. Also, let's just say that if my current math teacher came with volume control, I would turn her down. She shouts as much as she talks. Her favorite phrases are, "Are you with mey [me]?" and "Keep it down to a dull roar, would you," because the classroom is so loud by design. At first the "organized chaos" was overwhelming and her blunt, sassy attitude with returning students who sassed her right back was off-putting (returning students not because of retaking the class but because they had her for a lower math class last semester.) Now I'm a little more acclimated and while I can't say that I *love* her class, I think I'll be okay. So that's a little bit about my fourth college semester. I'm just hoping to come out in one piece. Let the fun begin.

2012-01-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

1. Today I sat in my car for an hour and a half just to get through ~13 pages of Bio. Afterwards, I bought myself a happy face cookie.It's going to be a looooong semester.

2. A quirky song thanks to Pandora.

3. My dad is on a quest to find a soda that he likes but David and I don't (so that we won't drink it all.) So far, it's a no go. Cherry Dr. Pepper is quite good.

4. My cat is weird. But you already knew that didn't you?

5. If anyone would like to sponsor a cross country road trip, I'll take pictures and mail you postcards.

Cerro Azul, Peru

2012-01-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

I've been here before but I kinda want to go again. Just for fun.

Photo credit: google images.

I want to go to Scotland

2012-01-14T16:14:00.000-08:00

courtesy of Nation Geographic picture of the day.

perks of biology lab with David

2012-01-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

he helps me.
I'm not the only one rolling my eyes when he does things weirdly (I blame his last chemistry teacher for his overkill, OCD-like measuring habits).
racing to the car after class.
conversations about social engineering.
he helps me.

Sunset Cliffs

2012-01-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

My second-to-last day of freedom was today. I'm trying hard to deny that little tidbit of information. It's not working.

I love the beach from any angle. Clifftops are no exception.

I was quite jealous of all the surfers. I reallllly want to truly learn to surf one of these days.

Hi friends.

More clifftop views. There wasn't much of a sunset but I love the soft greys and browns!

I have decided that I will never not be awkward. And yes, that was a double negation.

I feel like this "stay back" sign had true double meaning. This guy stood there for a loooong time and definitely gave off a "don't disturb" attitude. Creeper that I am, I took a picture of course.

Steepest stairs of my life.

I'm going to miss her terribly.

This place is due for some in depth exploration on another day.

Surfers!

The end.

Bree

2012-01-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

One of the prettiest people I know.

And the silliest,

laughiest,

and most smiley.

PS. No one ever bothered warning us that after a certain age, piggy back rides just don't work as well as they used to....

confession

2012-01-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when people ask me questions I generalize my statements just so I don't sound like such a nerd.

For instance, today, when asked what time the sun sets I answered, "Sometime between 4 and 5; closer to 5 now," when in reality, I knew that it would set at precisely 4:57 according to Weather.com.*

*If it helps, I don't always know what time the sun sets. Only sometimes. When I google it.

36 hours

2012-01-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

What constitutes a roadtrip? I suppose this qualifies though it's a relatively short one: Southern California to Central California and back in 36 hours with ample sleep, leisure and food time.

Three people plus two maps and we still missed something like 4 out of 5 interstates and merges. Not really sure what to say to that.

The desert is kind of eerie and empty.

But also really beautiful. I really hope my fascination lasts long enough to take a few more trips without being bored with it.

Hi Bree. Sorry we stuck you in the back seat. ;)

I like blowing bubbles.

Me encanta el paisaje.

Seeing as this is our second "real" roadtrip and one of many travel trips together, I think Akane might just officially be my adventure buddy. One of these days we really ought to tackle Hawaii.

Someone let the crazies out.

So I'm kind of kicking myself for A) not taking more people pictures and B) not taking pictures of the campus. As small as it was there were some very pretty spots. All that to say, you get left with a random building off I-15 (or was it 215?) and a cheesy sunset photo. Happy Roadtripping!

2011-12-31T15:56:00.001-08:00

Oh just the usual. Happy New Year.

hey dog

2011-12-30T11:18:00.001-08:00

2011-12-27T22:15:00.001-08:00

2011-12-26T23:43:00.000-08:00

I promise the big grey patch is shading not sideburns, really.

name that book

2011-12-26T22:48:00.001-08:00

Or rather, name the book that the quote came from to be perfectly specific.

2011-12-26T00:58:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many times I've driven to Coronado this year just to take pictures. So what's one more time?

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-26T00:49:00.000-08:00

Oh, just a bunch of pictures of a Christmas tree. That's all. Click "read more" to expand.

lackluster

2011-12-26T00:45:00.000-08:00

It's the day after Christmas. Christmas was great. Life in general is not bad. But I feel so sad and so empty. It's a feeling I haven't been able to shake for... oh, about the last 6 months at least. I feel trapped, anxious, unprepared, sad, depressed, confused,and generally full of teen angst on behalf of myself and all the other messed up, stupid, self-centered, dysfunctional people in the world.

One of these days I'd like to grow up. Or rather, grow out. Grow out of feeling this way. I'm someone who has, for the most part, embraced emotions. The good, the bad, and the ugly of it all. Without, lows there wouldn't be highs, if there was no such thing as emotion then you'd lose the exhilarating moments along with the crummy ones, etc. At least, that's what I thought. But lately the trade-off doesn't seem worth it

I wish I could turn it all off. I don't want to feel at all because the only thing that seems to cause emotions lately is of a negative nature. However, if turning off isn't possible then I just want assurance that one of these days I'll snap out of it for good. Not that bad times won't come but that I'd get out of this state of misery and learn to be content in all circumstances and not controlled by something as fleeting and unpredictable as emotions.

I want a niche, I want to belong, I want to meet like-minded people who get me. Two things that I've read about my personality type that seem to ring true in my life are first, that I am driven by a need to be understood and two, I'm motivated by passion and purpose, not the thought of wealth or prestige. Let's just say that lately my life has been all-together lacking in people that get me (or want to take the time to try), passion and purpose.

2011-12-23T00:56:00.000-08:00

When you're almost 2 years old...

chalk is not something to be confined to a chalkboard,

glass doors are the best thing ever,

sunglasses are cause for endless entertainment,

as well as a super cool factor,

and you're not too young to start making crazy faces.

2011-12-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

siblings

2011-12-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

2011-12-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

2011-12-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

So I've had a string (okay really only two) dreams involving hand-holding in the last couple weeks. I'm not usually one to have vivid dreams but these held remarkable detail relative to me. Dream #1: I met the Guy of My Dreams (no pun intended) and there was this instant connection. So we were walking along and then we paused and had this mutual realization of it being a perfect hand holding moment. You know couples will hold hands and interlock fingers? Well everything was going great until I found myself off by several fingers only holding half of this mystery man's hand. At which point I felt very sheepish and violently pulled my hand away and yelled "THIS ISN'T WORKING!" Apparently even my dreams can't dumb down my potential for awkwardness. Wonderful.

Dream #2 was great. I was running. With a guy (for the exercise, not to be confused with running away). We wanted to go faster so he grabbed my hand because in my dream world I knew this made me not only go faster but run effortlessly. (By the way, I wish real life worked that way, it could make running very convenient.) We made our way up my street (after running some ridiculous distance like 10 miles without getting tired) when I suddenly saw my whole family standing in our front yard and running man jokingly says to me, "You'd better let go or your family will think we're together." So I promptly yanked my hand away because heaven forbid that happen. Running man laughed at me as did my dream family.

I really don't know what this says about me except that I have an aversion to hand holding. Or dating. Or something. Also, in dream #1, I was in this weird world that was across between Stargate and Dr. Who. I'm pretty sure that, combined with my infamous marrying-an-engineer-who-ditched-me-at-my-outdoor-wedding-to-study-how-a-watermill-worked dream, means I'm destined to marry a nerd. A smart-yet-clueless, funny, socially awkward nerd.

Just kidding. Kind of. I really do think this will probably more then likely happen however it has nothing to do with a belief in the deeper meaning of dreams (because I really don't think there was any). Rather, I believe that like kind attracts like kind.

Said like kind is the non-hand-holding kind, by the way.

The end.

a word to the creepers

2011-12-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

Not that I've been creep-ed on recently. But still.

2011-12-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

December nights

2011-12-12T16:41:00.000-08:00

Shadow in a rare moment of not tripping anyone. The older he gets, the more he lives up to his name: these days it's hard to go anywhere without literally being shadowed. Or nudged. Or nosed.

This is Ivy's smug face. Or maybe her bored face. Or maybe her why-are-you-pointing-that-black-box-at-me face. It's hard to tell the difference.

I like to live dangerously so I drink water over my keyboard. Just kidding. Kind of. I also wear headphones complete with a mic at my computer. I think it's time for speakers though I'm sure David disagrees.

Our Christmas tree is lighted but not ornamented. This will change after Wednesday when I get my life back.

My favorite nativity set. With a few extra... characters. Courtesy of the parent who makes me make sense.

Cat tails are very expressive things.

I love Christmas tree lights and pictures of Christmas tree lights. In case you didn't notice.

These red bows have been decorating our hallway every Christmas for years. They're still my favorite.

Fires in fireplaces are also my favorite.

David's boots. Which, by the way, fit my feet almost perfectly. I'm officially big footed.

Moonset on my way to work Saturday morning.

the Bur fam

2011-12-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

"There's a whole lot more where this came from"

Photos to be continued... :)

21 minutes

2011-12-04T22:00:00.001-08:00

New record for fastest family pictures: 21 minutes. Here are two of my many favorites. The first photo is literally one of the first ten pictures I took. These two are the sweetest siblings ever. PS. Don't you love the tie? First little boy I've ever heard request to keep a tie on and not beg to take it off.

simple

2011-12-02T15:26:00.001-08:00

on love and other things | according to the world wide web

2011-11-27T14:05:00.001-08:00

So... I've probably been spending to much time on... well the internet in general. But especially dumb time-wasting websites. Enjoy.

2011-11-27T00:27:00.001-08:00

somersaulting cat

2011-11-22T21:03:00.000-08:00

This should definitely be categorized under pointless ways to waste your life. But so funny.

Check it out. :)

2011-11-21T23:50:00.001-08:00

Light and Shadow by Philip Wesley.

Perfectly fits my mood right now.

PS. currently in love with putting my pandora stations on shuffle. Why did I ever think this was a bad idea?

thankful

2011-11-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful for many things. Uppermost on my mind, however, is the return of my parents from Colorado. Don't get me wrong, I like space and I like being silent and introspective all the time. But that's the problem, I think I'm getting a little too comfortable coming home to nothing but a cat and a dog, doing homework, and watching episodes of Dr. Who. All while eating reheated chicken and instant mashed potatoes. I don't think I was made to live alone. At least, not with the expectation of keeping my sanity.

Today, I came inside from school and started talking to both the animals and I'm pretty sure it was the most meaningful conversation I had all day. Not sure if that's a reflection of people these days or my social skills.

Perhaps a little of both?

At any rate, happy Monday! Only three more days until thanksgiving! :)

PS. I swear the dog isn't dead, he just sleeps like a rabbit.

self-portaiture

2011-11-20T22:04:00.001-08:00

2011-11-20T13:23:00.001-08:00

Today an older lady at church walked over, took my hand and pushed back my overly long sleeve so that she could see my finger... my left hand ring finger. Apparently, she thought I was engaged? I didn't dare ask who she thought I was engaged to but it was weird... I'm not sure if it's weirder that she thought I was engaged or realizing that apparently I'm old enough that people would think that.

But seriously. Why is this happening to me? Why? I'm like the most single single-person I know. By that I mean that I realize that it's going to take a miracle to find a man who would actually date me. Come on, let's be honest here, I'm definitely not going to win any awards for my great personality not to mention I'd like to believe that I'm picky when it comes to the person with who I want to spend the rest of my life. In the most non-stuck up way possible I'd have to say that I've yet to meet someone who fits my requirements.

So to whom it may concern, I'm not engaged and don't plan on changing that any time soon.

And besides:

"The number of engagements that go on seems to me considerably above the proper average that statistics have laid down for our guidance." -Lady Bracknell, The Importance of Being Earnest (of course)

"idiosyncrazy" #14 & 15

2011-11-20T12:34:00.001-08:00

#14 I hate sleeping with my feet tucked in. Even if the rest of me is curled up under several layers of blankets (which has been known to happen), my feet must be free. I'm not really sure what caused this but I think it's gotten worse as I've gotten older. Additionally, because I'm on the taller side, my feet tend to stick through the slats of my footboard if I feel like sleeping with my legs stretched out... reason #283 why I need a new twin bed sans footboard.

#15 if I load the dishwasher, I organize the dishes by size, type, and color. I also try to evenly distribute the silverware so that there are equal numbers of forks, knives, and spoons in each compartment so the spoons don't stick together. If you think that I have issues, you're probably right.

Confession:

2011-11-19T20:14:00.001-08:00

sometimes I make cookies just so I can eat the cookie dough. That's all.

2011-11-16T10:36:00.001-08:00

A sign that organization isn't your strength... when your dad gets excited to see that you actually own a day planner.

Never mind that it's surrounded by a highly cluttered desk and several stacks of books and papers.

2011-11-11T23:44:00.000-08:00

"Really let that seep in. What are you getting? Because to me, that's part man-smell, and the other part is really bad man-smell. I don't know why, but overall it just smells like the color brown. Your thoughts?"

Rent, borrow, or buy Tangled, if you haven't seen it yet. I just re-watched it yesterday and was reminded of how much I like it.

1. If you're ever bored, try doing headstands for fun. In front of your family. I guarantee everyone will be entertained.

2. New phrase learned in Spanish: me siento hyper.

3. I like ~~running~~ jogging. I like the rain. I like when these things happen simultaneously. Amen.

4. Confession: when I was little, I used to lay on the floor of our house imagining what it would be like if the ceiling was the floor. I always wondered what we would do about the room with the open beam ceiling because after stepping over the doorframe, there would be quite a drop. I've come to the conclusion that there should probably be a staircase installed like in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (one of many favorite children's books which included a house that was built upside down.)

5. Speaking of books. I was just looking through our three bookcase stuffed full of school books from first through twelfth grade trying to find . I always enjoyed reading but in retrospect I am so thankful that I was able to get the education that I did. Even just skimming the titles brought back a lot of memories of stories and things I learned through reading.

6. Dancing. Last week in Spanish class, our teacher pulled up a youtube clip of a sort of old school Mexican music. She "made" us all dance to it. I discovered that a. my hips do not move separate from the rest of my body and b. dancing is, to me, the equivalent of standing in front of a group of people naked. That's how exposed I feel. I really want to change this though. I feel like learning to dance would go hand in hand with earning to both read and control body language. I'm really bad with both.

7. Loving this song. If you're impatient like me, skip to about 20 seconds, which is where it starts to get more interesting.

Happy Saturday!

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

"idiosyncrazy" #13

2011-11-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, when I don't think anyone is paying attention, I run around the (inside of our) house. For any and absolutely no reason at all. Mostly just because I can. And it's fun.

rainy days

2011-11-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

2011-11-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

mumbles, smirks, and botherly love

2011-11-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

The following conversation did, in fact, happen yesterday (in the middle of a torrential downpour.) It's the, "Don't get hit" that I find especially touching. No, really.

I open the front door to leave just as David is opening it after coming back from class.

"Oh, hi, I was just about to leave for school."

"Mumblemumblemumble." *smirk*

"What was that, David?"

"I said, 'Good riddance then.'"

"Well thanks, I love you too. Bye."

*smirk again* "Try not to hit anyone."

"Thanks, David, I wasn't planning on it."

"And don't forget to turn your lights on because if you don't turn them on, you could get a ticket."

not rocket science

2011-11-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

1. I'm on David's computer (my internet is down) listening to his pandora because I know that if I sign into mine I will forget to sign out. He actually has a station named "Dark/Moody." I knew we were related.

2. Speaking of David, if all works out, we might be taking a biology class together next semester. I'm 1/2 scared, 1/2 super duper excited. Scared because he's smarter and this is the perfect opportunity for sibling rivalry but excited because he's smarter than me and this is the perfect opportunity for free tutoring and homework help. ;)

3. I stumbled across an article in an old issue of the design magazine Print on a man named Thomas Porostocky. From the magazine:

“Ibelieve in quick, sharp ideas,” [Porostocky] says. “Not trying orthinking too hard often leads to the best concepts. After all,it’s design, not rocket science.” Ultimately, for thetwo-time émigré, making a statement and having a good time areone and the same: “If I have fun, I do good work.”

I'm in a place where I'm fairly certain that I want to do something with art or design. But I'm also a highly analytical over-thinker of everything. Now everyone has different methods of working but I do agree with the principle that design by nature is simple and surface. You have to communicate a message in a succinct manner. That doesn't leave much room for deep thought or profound messages. I don't want to be a rocket scientist but I do want some level of job complexity.

Also, I am not a surface person. I wonder if I'd really, truly be okay with a "surface" job? Or would it be more than a surface job?

4. Imagine by John Lennon is suddenly stuck in my head. Don't ask me why. I also sang a very multi-keyed rendition of How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria the other night. You're welcome for not having a link to me or the original (not that the original is bad but it will get stuck in your head, I promise).

5. Happy Windsday to all!

tons & bunches

2011-11-01T23:21:00.000-07:00

an evening on the beach II

2011-10-31T21:50:00.000-07:00

playing with cars

2011-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

and tug-o-war.

I mean, who wouldn't want to be friends with me?

2011-10-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

creative, smart, idealist, loner, attracted to sad things, disorganized, avoidant, can be overwhelmed by unpleasant feelings, prone to quitting, prone to feelings of loneliness, ambivalent of the rules, solitary, daydreams about people to maintain a sense of closeness, focus on fantasies, acts without planning, low self confidence, emotionally moody, can feel defective, prone to lateness, likes esoteric things, wounded at the core, feels shame, frequently losing things, prone to sadness, prone to dreaming about a rescuer, disorderly, observer, easily distracted, does not like crowds, can act without thinking, private, can feel uncomfortable around others, familiar with the darkside, hermit, more likely to support marijuana legalization, can sabotage self, likes the rain, sometimes can't control fearful thoughts, prone to crying, prone to regret, attracted to the counter culture, can be submissive, prone to feeling discouraged, frequently second guesses self, not punctual, not always prepared, can feel victimized, prone to confusion, prone to irresponsibility, can be pessimistic

The above is a list of character traits common to my personality. I would actually agree on the accuracy of these descriptions (relative to me) except for "more likely to support marijuana legalization" and" can sabotage self" for obvious reasons.

Sigh. These descriptions are funny. And negative. And kind of make me depressed and prone to crying and sad feelings. Just kidding. Kind of.

The amount that I truly do identify with this list kind of scares me though. I just hope that in real life that's not how I come across. At least, not as a whole.

"prone to dreaming about a rescuer" from a young age.

2011-10-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I feel like procrastinating, I take pictures of my cat. I have a lot of pictures of my cat.

absence

2011-10-30T20:33:00.001-07:00

of a subject.

empty

2011-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

soft

2011-10-29T00:52:00.000-07:00

it's alive

2011-10-29T00:48:00.001-07:00

That is, if you click on this image, it moves. Really must figure out how to make it work without clicking though.

show and tell

2011-10-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

1. So I literally felt like the first 8 weeks of art class were a huge waste. Not because I think I know it all but because I'd much rather learn about design than use an ineffective teaching tool to attempt to learn software that I now know moderately well but don't actually know how to put to practical use. Just a little bit miffed about that... Well we have finally moved on to doing something project-ish for which I'm quite thankful. We're supposed to design a business card, letterhead, and something else (can't remember what) using our initials. I've gotten as far as the business card. I'm pleased with the outcome, not loving it but reasonably satisfied.

2. On a completely unrelated note, boots! I've been restraining from buying a pair of boots for the last year or two. But I still really want a pair. They would be mostly unnecessary though I know I would get good use out them over the next three or four months (maybe more). I'm now over-thinking whether to go just for it. Or wait out my urge to buy boots once again.

3. "I do not have the talent of conversing easily with people I have never met before."

My life. Every day. Except technically, I don't met new people everyday. Anyway.

Name that movie (if you haven't already taken a closer look at my scribble-y handwriting and figured it out)!

PS. this sketch and my thoughts on that quote are completely unrelated except that the thoughts and the sketching happened at the same time.

just a thought

2011-10-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else catch the irony in one of the conditions of the DREAM Act being that you must be a person "of good moral character"?

The DREAM Act allows illegal immigrants to be granted legal residency.

"idiosyncrazy" #12

2011-10-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

When I'm super excited or amused by something, I go into my living room and do a handstand. Or two. And while I do my handstand I process whatever information I received. I'm blaming it on being a kinesthetic learner.

I also just go into my living room to do handstands just because I can. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

thought of the day

2011-10-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

I just realize that I equated the anticipation of waiting to get grades to waiting for Christmas morning in my head. If I hadn't already accepted that I'm destined to be labeled a nerd for the rest of my life I would definitely say that just killed my chances.

an evening on the beach

2011-10-09T00:21:00.000-07:00

Saturdays

2011-10-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ivy's favorite mammal to cuddle with (if she consents to cuddle at all, that is) is the dog. He also happens to be the only one who spurns her, steps on her, and eats her food. Some things are beyond understanding. Especially cats.

here we are

2011-10-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

letterforms | positive and negative space

2011-10-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

Finally, finally, finally we're working on a project and not just getting "familiarized with the software." I've been in school 8 weeks and my art class has actually been a bit of a letdown thus far- we just haven't been doing anything especially challenging or interesting. I'm really glad that we're finally doing something semi-productive even if it's just tracing extra bold letters and fining the negative and positive space. Weeeee.

bioluminescence

2011-10-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

Even after an hour worth of driving, cold water, crowds, and a more of failed photo attempts than success, I can say that going to La Jolla Shores was worth it. It was worth it for the company, the spontaneity, and the (ridiculous) conversation. For doing the fun thing (going out) instead of the smart thing (sitting at home being productive.) And for the one semi-good picture of a small glowing blue wave.

It's nice to have a life once in a while. And now, back to our regularly scheduled programing.

on goal setting, being mentally challenged, and nerdom

2011-10-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

1. I like goal setting. It's nostalgic and reminds me of swimming. Of wanting something soooo badly, of deciding that if you wanted it badly enough and you wrote it down, that someday it would be bound to happen. I realize that I miss being passionate about something, being driven and focused. I just hope to find a worthy goal soon. I'm trying so hard to be of that mindset that I like hard work and I want to find a job or area of focus that I can love for the rest of my life. I want to be prepared to work until I die...

2. Oh! so, as far as working until death goes, I heard the first good thing all semester from my sociology class. Apparently as you age, the type of intelligence that you don't lose is crystalline intelligence. Which is the kind that artists are more prone to use (as compared to fluid intelligence which deals with grasping numbers and abstract concepts- something I swear I'm already losing.) So yay.

3. I like being challenged mentally. I've realized, to my delight, that sometimes I get bored in class. And that when the subject is more challenging, I cease to be bored, and I like it more. Why is this to my delight? Because maybe that means I'm not an idiot. Maybe. Smart people crave more challenging work, right? Question: will art challenge my brain enough in a way that satisfies me? (One a similar note, I've realized that I enjoy my job more when I have more responsibility and am required to think critically/creatively.)

4. Speaking of mentally challenged, I improved on my last math test by a whopping .2 points up from a 89.5 to an 89.7 Go me. The worst part is realizing that almost all of the errors were copy errors (I have a nasty habit reversing numbers and/or forgetting to write the last digit), not a lack of understanding of the subject matter which meant that there were multiple half points that wouldn't have been lost had I not made dumb mistakes. Did I mention that all I needed was one half point for a 90?

5. I'm a nerd. How did I live in denial all these years? Today, I was 5 minutes late to Spanish class and during a lull of activity I asked my desk mates if I missed anything during the first five minutes of class. Two very loud guffaws and one sarcastic, "We took a pop quiz and a midterm while you weren't here," later, I was sorry I asked. But not really because I like it when people laugh even if it's at me.

6. For my online class, we had to put together a "dream board" with both a personal and an academic goal. Busy work but some of the more fun busy work I've had to do to date. I don't know if either of these things line up with what I want to pursue for the rest of my life... but it's a start.

2011-10-02T22:43:00.001-07:00

shed building | part 2

2011-10-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hello up there.

Job essentials minus hammer.

Old shed roof.

New shed roof (still missing some parts)!

I genetically inherited my whistling skills from this man.

Circular saw spacer. Obviously.

What I refer to as a "do as I say, not as I do" moment.

saturday-caturday & the men's couch

2011-10-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

projects

2011-10-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

post cat bath

2011-09-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

2011-09-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

2011-09-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

So random fact: I learned that according to some test on teh interwebs (the VARK test, to be exact), I am most strongly a kinesthetic learner followed by visual with almost no auditory learning skills. I feel that it's pretty accurate on all counts but especially in regards to not being a aural learner. I don't retain the spoken word (i.e. your standard college lecture) especially well unless I take a TON of notes. And inevitably what I do retain from listening is all the nonsensical irrelevant facts that have nothing to do with the test. Welcome to my life. Anyway, while I would consider myself to be a decent note taker there are times when note taking isn't applicable but I still need to be ~~fidgeting~~ doing something (or I'm just sick of taking notes.) So lately, note-taking almost always turns into doodling except for in math class which I don't mind at all because it means that I'm actively engaged in the class for the entire hour and fifty minutes.

But yes, no more notes at least for a day or two and not counting homework. Weeeee.

Happy Friday! Enjoy some quality music and I wish you a note-free weekend. Unless, it's doodling for fun, of course.

rule of cats

2011-09-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

2011-09-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Friday chronicles

2011-09-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

"Hello cat. I've come to harass you."

"This whole business of cat harassing is too hard. I think I'll take a nap."

a glimpse into a cat's life

2011-09-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

2011-09-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

"My nephew, you seem to be displaying signs of triviality." "On the contrary, Aunt Augusta", he replies, "I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of being Earnest".

-The Importance of Being Earnest.

If you haven't seen that movie you need to, right now.

Allow me a moment of triviality if you would. Thanks to my Spanish homework I have been pondering what would happen if I really went on a date. After much thought I've decided that I would go on some rather odd dates due to being a rather odd person.

*ahem*

Forget fancy restaurants because chances are, I would probably order a kids meal. And my dress would include athletic shorts and everyone would know it because I'm really bad at sitting in a ladylike manner. So dear future boyfriend, let's skip out on anywhere that actually has a dress-code. Any of the following would be acceptable places to adventure instead:

anywhere in San Diego as long as I have a camera.
In-N-Out.
the beach.
any combination of In-N-Out and the beach.
kayaking, surfing, and swimming are, of course, encouraged.
the great outdoors.
to see a movie but only if it's animated and less than 90 minutes. Kidding. Mostly.
walking through downtown to admire art and architecture that I don't really completely understand.
going out for ice cream or even individually wrapped waffle cones from 7-11. Ice cream is a severely underrated commodity.
Taco. Bell. Is. Always. The. Right. Choice. Always. Beanburritowithnoonionss. Memorize it by heart if you want to live.
Cowels Mountain. We can race. I get a head start.

OK done. For now.

Back to earnestly pursuing my studies.

TTFN.

falling forward

2011-09-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

my mind in the form of Polyvore.

2011-09-15T23:43:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my mind. It works kind of like this, I started off thinking about closet organizers to assist in properly cleaning up my room, got distracted by drapes and funny pillows and then somehow magically switched to bags and clothes. All because I was thinking about my math test and how after tests, especially math tests, my brain becomes a ricocheting bullet of the most random, disorganized thoughts in the world of all time. Stuff like clothes, what I want to do this Saturday, what I actually will be doing this Saturday, and what to do with the rest of my life, you know, the usual. Even relative to my ordinarily discombobulated thought process, it's bad. So enjoy a moment to revel in the mess that is my mind in the form of Polyvore.

Mi Cita Ideal

2011-09-14T01:44:00.001-07:00

Empezar mi cita ideal, mi novio me invita a almorzar. Mi novio viene por mi y almorzamos a "In-n-Out." Mas tarde, vamos a ir a la playa. Si el agua esta demasiado fria para nadar, encontramos conches marinas o caminar (o correr) en la playa en lugar. Prefiero hacer las cosas activas. No quiero una cita muy romantica. Solamente simple and divertido.

el final.

2011-09-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm enormously entertained (more than I should be, in fact) that my Spanish homework is to describe my ideal date. Because my ideal date with my nonexistent boyfriend is always uppermost in my mind.

Obviously.

I really can't wait to move on to the next chapter in Spanish. Or really, to move on with my life and be done with Spanish forever.

The end.

life sometimes

2011-09-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

"I am invisible and I'm wet."

minus the wet part.

Before clicking on the link name that movie!

self portrait

2011-09-10T20:45:00.001-07:00

"idiosyncrazies" #10 & 11

2011-09-07T00:45:00.000-07:00

Back in June I wrote about a few (9 by my count) of the strange habits I have

I present to you Crazy Things I Do #10 and 11

Hopefully you'll still be friends with me after this

drumroll please....

#10 Burger eating. (Not to be confused with booger eating. Gross.) Bree brought this quirk to my attention fairly recently though I think it was a longstanding habit before that I just never realized it. Anyway. Me and cheeseburgers. Before eating a cheeseburger (which is always plain with just meat cheese and a bun but that's another story), I turn my round burger 360° to decide which side to bite into. See the thing is, burgers don't have sides. They're round. And yet, I have always felt compelled to look for the area that looks like the best starting place. Said starting place is often characterized by extra meet or cheese hanging out that I want to get rid of first so I can enjoy the rest of my burger in nice even bites with exactly a little bt of everything. And wow, I'm gonna stop there. I think I have issues.

*ahem*

moving on to other fascinating subjects

#11 Teeth-brushing. Because I'm sure you really care to know about the intricacies of my life. Really, I just want to be able to say that I have written a paragraph about brushing my teeth. I mean come on, if I can do that, I can do just about anything. See, when it comes down to it, I actually get bored really quickly when brushing my teeth. Always have. I mean, who wants to stand in the same spot for several minutes staring at yourself in the mirror? Boooooring. From a young age, I established a habit of walking around the house when brushing my teeth and it's a habit that stuck in spite of my parents cries to cease and desist. So I bring you "idiosyncrazy" #11, walking around the house while brushing my teeth.

That's all I can think of for now which is probably a good thing because I'm sure you're thinking that I'm a total weirdo by now and you're most likely right.

I can neither confirm nor deny that though.

2011-09-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Happy almost Labor Day everybody. Let the party begin.

2011-09-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

Sad fact of life: my cat doesn't realize she's a cat most of the time and therefore doesn't realize that part of the job description is being held and cuddled. Not even in her vocabulary hence the look of wide eyed terror whenever you pick her up.

eighty nine... point five.

2011-09-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

If there's anything worse than a B, it's most definitely getting an eighty nine...

point five.

But if there were to be something worse than an eighty nine point five it would be the obnoxious girl sitting next to you who was super excited to have gotten every question but one correct. That's all well and good and I will be happy for you until you start repeating, "I'm so proud of myself, I only missed one!" to me and two other obviously disappointed table-mates. Unnecessary, I tell you.

But eighty nine point five. Really? Why. I mean, come on math teachers of the world, it's math. You don't want that ugly little .5, just round up a half point.

And brain of mine, why do you make stupid mistakes that knocked off multiple half points. Ugh, stupid, stupid, stupid.

you mean notecards are for something other than doodles?

2011-08-31T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm really quite talented at distracting myself. No sooner did I write down one definition on a 3x5 card then I caught myself somehow transitioning from writing to scribbling.

sociology

2011-08-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of sociology is filling in the left-hand margin of my notebook with doodles. And occasionally the right side too. ;)

Balboa Park jungle adventures

2011-08-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

I'm having a love-hate relationship with my online class. Large parts of it are just a bunch of baloney to put it politely but it has it's perks. We had to take a "cultural plunge" and write about it in order to be more "culturally aware" and yadaydadya. Well I decided to go to Balboa Park and and attend one of their free cultural events. There was an hour long program featuring Panamanian dancers which I could have taken or left but I love the excuse to get out of the house and go somewhere fun in the name of homework. I also may or may not have made a short side trip the bordering jungle-esuqe scenery and taken photos....

squiggles

2011-08-24T22:53:00.001-07:00