Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Are you thankful? Good. Me too.

Tomorrow is Black Friday. I have never participated in the insanity before but this year my friend, her sister and I are going all the way. That's right my lovelies. They will be at my house at 5 am where we will proceed to kick, elbow and head butt our way to savings, all with a quad latte in hand. I plan to be prepared. My clothes will be laid out tonight, I'm going to clean out my purse to make myself as light and streamlined as possible. I'm already practicing my lightning fast bobbing and weaving: in, out, in, out, duck, spin, dive. So. Excited.

Oh, here's a picture of my hair.

Addictions and Desires

Okay, FINE. It's an addiction. Someone has to take these scissors away from me. My hair may or may not have gotten shorter (twice) since my last post. No pictures because they were terrible.

This weekend was a blast. On Saturday we ended up walking from one end of San Francisco to the other. We smelled a plethora of grassy things (some not so grassy), tried to find a bathroom: failed, were harassed by no less than 3 people, desperately tried to find a bathroom: failed, saw an old man drink a can of something out of the trash, found a bathroom, and ate a grilled artichoke downtown that made the entire walk worth it.

As planned, we swapped girlie stories, watched romantic movies while leisurely sipping wine and giggled late into the night. Well it would have been late into the night but Neighbour's usual bedtime is the elderly hour of 9:00 so she wouldn't let me push it too far. Ruin all my fun...

Also, I took some pictures of Neighbour (and the demon cat of Fleet Street) with Caryn's Nikon care to see? Excellent.






I must get myself one of these camera gadgets.

Also again:

New favorite YouTubed things: jaaaaaaa
New favorite music: Johnny Flynn

Fug or Fab?

On occasion, I switch on the 'ol Photo Booth on my Mac just to check out the situation: food in the teeth, makeup in order, hair arranged. It's vain, I know, but so practical. So tonight I indulged a little just to see what's what and this is what I see (prepare yourselves):

SCREAM!

I'm feeling very vulnerable by showing you this picture, so for my ego's sake pretend there's nothing wrong with it, but the hair! So drab, so blah, so...IGH! I took a break from furiously animating (huge project due tomorrow; % completed: 8) to do some serious maintenance. After consulting some reliable photo reference and floating away on a P!nk cloud, I took scissors to hair and came out with this:

That's right my friends, I have front bangs. I haven't had front bangs since high school (the 90's, must-also-have-braces, solid kind. Say it with me, "dis-as-ter"). You can't really see it in the picture but there's some mean layerage going on here. I'm pretty happy with it. Can't really say I went from fug to fab but we've definitely moved out of the fug phase (if I do say so myself).

I spent the entire wonderful weekend in San Francisco visiting neighbour and the fam. I'm going to have to put off the newsy post until tomorrow if I am to pass my cartooning class. Pictures included. I know, I know, I really shouldn't try so hard but what can I say, I'm a giver.

Pick-me-up

Hhh. Lately I've been feeling a little...how should I put this? Girly? No, definitely not girly. Feminine? No. Femaley? There we go, that's it. Is that more information than you wanted? Is that this "tmi" these whipper snappers talk about these days? I took some alone time and tried to buy my happiness with a movie and a coffee. What. What? Are you telling me I can't cry into Steve Carell's shoulder and drown my sorrows in a hazelnut latte? Don't judge me.

As long as we're bearing our souls here, I'm going to admit something: I can't draw. Well, not anymore anyway. I've been out of practice for so long that my skills are slowly swirling down the crapper. I found this picture from the end of last semester, when I was in my groove. I don't think I ever posted it. It's a bit unfinished but I'm afraid to touch it when I'm in this state of mind. I will rally again! (Note to self: cut back on Jane Austen.)

Laid, Lain, Lay, Lie

These four words, "laid," "lain," "lay" and "lie" are a thorn in my side. To be quite honest, it's embarrassing. Here I am, 22 years old and I can't even speak the king's English. I know "it's" and "its," I know "there," "their" and "they're." I tried Googling it and I got a bunch of stuff that sounds like this,

The confusion lies in that the simple past tense of lie is lay (past participle: lain) and resembles the simple present of lay. Lie= to rest, lie down is an intransitive verb . Lay= to put or place something (on a surface) is transitive.

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS.

Carissa. Help.

Feeling Fallish

Oh. Man. How do I explain this? My excitement for the seasonal changes could only be matched by a 60's screaming pre-teen at a Beatles concert. I think I'm noticing the color changes more this year. I can't wait until I have my own apartment so I can use Fall as my color palette.

Latest obsession: Ballet. Not kidding. I started doing some research for an animation project and suddenly I feel cheated out of pointe shoes and a tutu. Gah, Childhood! Why couldn't you have granted me these things?!

Caryn, my boss, lent me her Nikon D70 for a little photo shoot for some reference material (Also animation project, it's under wraps. Very hush hush. I will eventually spill the beans. It's in my nature. But I digress...). Holy can of beans. It's the best thing I've ever laid hands on. It only took me 2 hours to figure out how to turn off the flash. I can't wait for tomorrow and sunlight to roll around so I can start taking some serious shots. Flex my artistic muscles once again.

I've felt so stifled lately. I think it's because I usually rely so much on my classes to satisfy that art craving but lately the subject matter has been a little...mmm...not my style. I'm actually scheduling free art time so I can just be me.

There are, to be exact, 8 days of blasé art left in this semester. Oh wow. Really? Only 8?! Excellent.

I need some paint chips...

My uncle just bought a new house and I've been deemed responsibility of decorating it. It's a big deal. I told him I'm in an interior design class but what I left out was that I'm doing miserably. In my defense, it's less about the design and more about interior design as an entity. The business and nature of it, so forth and etc. I just had a Miss Teen USA moment. Such as.

I haven't been writing very much lately. Partly because nothing interesting has happened lately. But when has that ever stopped me? The other reason is that I've been busy out the wazoo, and not just lame homework. Real stuff. Work stuff. I love it. I've also discovered not only do I like Photoshop, I'm thinking about marrying it. I do not lie.

Daylight Savings, good riddance.

Thank the Lord for an end to Daylight Savings. I've never really understood what people mean by an extra hour of sleep because, really, it's only once but I am not going to complain. My body is still going to tell me it's 5:00 am when really it's going to be a luxurious 4:00 am. Hurrah, State School hours. I can barely contain my joy.

Yesterday was our annual "Scary Movie Night" - 2008. We watched "Them" and "It Came From Outer Space." There was a lot of screaming from the actors and from us, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DON'T GET OUT OF THE CAR! YOU NEVER GET OUT OF THE CAR!" Hhhh. They didn't listen. Fools.

It appears that not only do I have a knack for catching things, I also have a knack for winning things.

We had a raffle and this was my fabulous prize. I won last year too. Huh. Who knew? If someone wants to rub my head for good luck I'm charging a dollar/minute. Please line up single file to my right.

All Hallows Eve

Well, it has begun. Actually it's more like coming to an end: our yearly ritual every Halloween night of sitting in the dark, the TV turned to an inaudible level waiting for the little kiddies to knock on our door so we can heartlessly ignore them. Sorry kids. We're partypoopers to match those big cat turd Tootsie rolls that nobody really wants in your nearly empty candy bags.

I suppose in fitting with the Halloween theme I should mention that I am reading the Twilight books again because I am a glutton for punishment. As if the first time around wasn't enough to ruin my life and render me completely useless to things like school and personal hygiene. I have to prepare for the movie of which we already have advance tickets!! I would prefer it if you didn't judge me.

Rain, thou dost returnesth

So my mother has kindly informed me I'm too old to have a blog. I was so irate I had to blog about it. I don't think our generation will never be entirely too old for blogs or Facebook or the like. (Except MySpace. Unless you're in Jr. High, you're too old for MySpace.) These things were invented within the trendy, school-attending periods of our lives, we get a lifetime membership. If you were say, 50 when Facebook popped into existence, maybe you should rethink your social life. Granted, there should probably be a time when you aren't checking every five minutes to see if someone commented on your wall or threw a cow at you or if you have 5 comments waiting to be approved...but shouldn't that happen naturally? When your interests change or when your 5 kids, apallingly, demand more attention of you than that obscure friendly acquaintance from deepest darkest high school?

When I think about it, almost all of the 100+ blogs on my Bloglines are written and maintained by adults. Adults with families and jobs and lives and hobbies. I feel a little vindicated. Chew on them apples, blogless mom! (I still love you).

In other, more important news: the weather has turned and I'm almost done with my Autumn love affair cowl. It might even be done a'fore the night draws nigh. (Is that a legitimate statement? I don't think so.) Seriously guys. There's a lot of tree activity out there. It's been drizzling all day and it promises to be even better tomorrow!

Whirlwind Wedding Weekend. Don't alliterations just drive you crazy?

Whew. That was perhaps the most activity I have ever shoved into one weekend. Here's the low-down in bullet point format:

Friday
4:30 am - Wake up, prepare for flight
9:25 am - Land in LA
10:30 am - Manny/Petty appt. (bleed, get open wounds infected, freak out about sanitary conditions)
11:15 am - Drive like there's a fire to Long Beach in an attempt to track down a replacement for a lost brides' maid dress. It ended up being the same as the flower girl's.
1:30 pm - Scarf down In-N-Out; enjoy
2:00 pm - Rehearsal
4:00 pm - Rehearsal dinner
6:30 pm - Bachelorette party (where we partied not-so-hard.)
12:30 am - Sleep
Saturday
6:30 am - Wake up...fall asleep
8:30 am - Wake up, realize fell asleep, freak out, then hang out with old BASE floormates (Linell, Bethany, Katelyn) realize how much I miss them
11:00 am - Prepare for wedding, pretty up, realize dress is suddenly too big, freak out, live with it.
1:00 pm - Photos
4:30 pm - Wedding (choke back tears, succeed)
Some ambiguous time afterward pm - Reception
12:00 am - Watch Friends at friend's apartment, discover combination of activity and 1 fruity Smirnoff = instant and dreamless sleep.
Sunday
6:00 am - Drive frantically to LAX, sit down with sub-par $5.00, Sugarfree, no-foam Hazelnut Latte, listen to a name-dropper talk loudly on the phone about attending a benefit dinner with Sydney Poitier and a new tie.
11:00 am - Hang out with Neighbour. Watch Pride and Prejudice: the Long...for the 96th time. Love it
4:00 pm - Take a deep breath

So, it appears I have a knack for catching things:


This is bouquet #3. Yes, that's right. Three. I don't even try. They fall into my hands. I'm not sure what this means because so far, it hasn't worked. If the third time isn't the charm I'm going to have a bone to pick. Someone has messed up the natural order of myth and superstition. And it wasn't me.

Ew Sick Gross!

Does anyone realize that sharing ear buds is like borrowing someone's used Q-Tip? I just thought I'd ask. Among friends, sure, kay, whatever, but with a relative stranger?! This may or may not have happened to me this evening. I didn't have enough self confidence to say no so pardon me while I go disinfect. I have a plane ride tomorrow and I have no intention of sticking someone else's cotton swab in my ear.

Call Me the Schoolinator. HOOah!

haHAGH! I've taken it back. My life is nearly mine once again. I owned you, school. Last night I got exactly 55 minutes of sleep. This, in addition to the fact that I have a professor who is possessed with some sort of manifestation of Evil, would have "done me in" if it weren't for the exorbitant quantities of caffeine and the relief of having all major projects completed and accounted for. Oh, and skipping my fourth and final class of the day.

Plans for the next four days? You betcha. Homework odds and ends, a flight to LA, a wedding, a flight from LA, a hangout with Neighbour. All very exciting.

Are knitting needles banned on flights? Is there a danger of poking the flight attentents into submission? "Airline peanuts. Now."

I haven't had time to knit anything for awhile. Mmmm...the thought of a cold, workless weekend, curled up on the couch with my sugarfree hazelnut no-foam latte, knitting needles a-clackin'. Hhhhhaaaaaa. Doesn't get any better.

I'm feeling a little delirious. I may go take a nap. I may watch some cartoons. I may do both.

Give. It. Back.

I'm choosing to reclaim my life from school. Starting tomorrow.

Enough Already!

I have literally spent this entire day making up excuses for why I am unable to write my two research papers. In a sheer act of desperation, I made some coffee, hoping, pleading it will inject some motivation into my brain. This is me waiting for it to take effect...

nothin' yet...



mmm...



nope...



wait...hhhh, no...false alarm.



Well on the positive side, while not writing papers I have discovered a plethora of new music on my computer I forgot I had. Unexpected score.

Tomorrow my friends Kevin and Holly are getting married. It's the beginning of my wedding season. Haaa...love is in the air...

But what should I wear?

Okay fine. It's clear I have nothing to talk about and my real intentions for blogging are to further sabotage my paper writing efforts. I'm going now, but just know my soul dies a little with every word I type about ancient Chinese pottery.