the world according to me

Christmas Wishlist 2011

2011-12-05T20:51:00.012-06:00

In which a very good 23-year-old asks Santa (and whoever else) for some very nice things. This year, dear Santa, I would love:

The new Landmark course: Direct Access. My friend Dillon did it and said it's just AWESOME and I have to try it out. Apparently it's a limited-time only pilot program. There's one in Houston in January!
A bubble umbrella. I have always thought these were so fashionable and posh and now they're everywhere and I'm jealous! This one's cute, although honestly any clear umbrella will do.

Tickets to one of the Broadway shows coming to Austin in the next year!! I've always wanted to see Wicked. Although I would also enjoy Mary Poppins, or Les Miserables. I just love musical theatre!
I really need my own spoon rest, for stovetop cooking. Anthropologie has cute kitchen everything, although even one like this, with a spoon and lid rest, would be nice. My favorite kitchen things though are pink, or brightly colored.
CDs: Go! (Common), The Simple Life (Magnet), Somersault (Decoder Ring)
Movies: Bridget Jones's Diary, Josie and The Pussycats, She's Out of My League
THIS CAKESICLE PAN for awesome culinary treats!

QC, volumes 1 & 2 (or both, in the 2-pack!)

A BUBBLE WRAP CALENDAR. How fun does this look? It would definitely be a reason to get up in the morning!

The Gangsta Rap Coloring Book...if you can find it anywhere. I once saw a copy at Monkey See, Monkey do down on SoCo and have regretted not purchasing it right then and there ever since.

Vera Wang Princess eau de toilette

As always, I have a pretty sizeable Amazon wishlist. Once you get there, you can even switch view to "Priority: High to Low", and see which things I want the most!
And last but most certainly not least, gift cards! What better gift than to allow me to walk into my favorite store and have the money to buy exactly what I want? I love GAP, Urban Outfitters, Target, Anthropologie, Hollister, Aerie, VS, or anywhere else that sells cute clothes. Ooh or Sephora or Ulta.

literature for the little ones

2011-09-26T18:08:00.000-05:00

Today in my developmental psych class on fantasy and reality, we talked about children's books, and whether kids believe everything that's read to them, OR that everything read to them is fictional, so that even morals are lost on them. Either way, it got me thinking about the books I read as a child, and some of the books I want to make sure I read to my children. I had a lot of books going through my head, so I figured, as usual, It's time for a...

List of Books, Series and Authors I Plan to Read To/With My Children:

Goodnight Moon. Margaret Wise Brown's golden classic. 'Nuff said
Actually, anything by Margaret Wise Brown
Tomie DePaola
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Ladybug Girl
Leo Leonni
Eric Carl
The Snowy Day--Ezra Jack Keats
The Snowman--Raymond Briggs
Knuffle Bunny
Pat The Bunny
Curious George
Beatrix Potter
The Little Engine That Could
Little Golden Books
The Carl books by Alexandra Day
Jan Brett. The woman is a goddess
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day
Eloise!
Amelia Bedelia
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
The Missing Piece--Shel Silverstein. Not usually a fan of his style, but this one I love
Chris Van Allsburg (Polar Express, Just a Dream, etc)
ZOOM by Istvan Banyai
The Little House--Virginia Lee Burton
Where The Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak in general
Harold and the Purple Crayon
George Shrinks--William Joyce
Mooncake!
Arthur!
Angelina Ballerina
Chrysanthemum
The Story About Ping
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Blueberries for Sal
Mouse Paint--Ellen Stoll Walsh
Lon Po Po
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa The Brave
No, David!
Olivia
Max & Ruby
Little Critter
Gyo Fujikawa (Are You My Friend Today?, etc)
The Rainbow Fish
Math Curse
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs--John Scieszka
Franklin the Turtle
Corduroy
Two Bad Ants
Dr. Seuss. I never really liked The Cat in the Hat, but I loved Hop on Pop and that one that ends with a paddle battle in a bottle...whichever that is. oh and One Fish Two Fish, Horton, The one about the truffula trees, etc
Richard Scarry's Busytown!
Where's Spot?
Clifford the big red dog!
Love You Forever (although I always cry when I read this book. Always.)
The Giving Tree (likewise)
Allan and Janet Ahlberg
Jill Murphy (All In One Piece, etc)
A. A. Milne
Babar
Madeline
Sandra Boynton
Anansi
Possibly Aesop's Fables? Not a huge fan of the preachy morality, but cultural classics
Same goes for Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes and the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales. Questionable in content but undeniably classic.
The Boxcar Children
The Berenstein Bears
The Magic Schoolbus
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Golden Compass? maybe I'll just encourage that for when they're middle school aged
Harry Potter
The Hobbit
Llama, Llama

Have I forgotten any?

Golden Birthday!

2011-09-03T21:42:00.016-05:00

On the 23rd of this month, I will be turning 23. It's a birthday I have looked forward to for a long time, and I want it to be really awesome/special. I have no idea what I'm going to do to make that happen, but I'll figure something out, I'm sure. Anyway. Another awesome thing about the 23rd is that it's the day people give me presents! And I am always happy to help make that happen :). So thus follows my Birthday Wishlist 2011!

A Game Day dress, like from the University CoOp. These are all really cute (but I think I like the first two best):

Tickets to one of the Broadway shows coming to Austin in the next year!! I've always wanted to see Wicked. Although it's coming in January (after Christmas?...), and Beauty and the Beast will be here in December! Plus, I'd love to see South Pacific, Mary Poppins, or Les Miserables onstage as well. Really I just love musical theatre!
A spoon rest, for stovetop cooking. Anthropologie has cute kitchen everything, although even one like this, with a spoon and lid rest, would be nice.
CDs: Go! (Common), The Simple Life (Magnet), Somersault (Decoder Ring)
Movies: Brick, Prime, Bridget Jones's Diary, Josie and The Pussycats
THIS CAKESICLE PAN for awesome culinary treats!

QC, volume 1
A BUBBLE WRAP CALENDAR. How fun does this look? It would definitely be a reason to get up in the morning!
Or, anything from my Amazon wishlist. Once you get there, you can even switch view to "Priority: High to Low", and see which things I want the most!
Oh and I always love gift cards. What better gift than to allow me to walk into my favorite store and have the money to buy exactly what I want? I love GAP, Urban Outfitters, Target, Anthropologie, Hollister, and just about anywhere else that sells cute clothes.

Someday...

2011-06-08T11:15:00.001-05:00

This is one of those lists that is going to be constantly updated, as I think of new things, or as things are suggested to me, probably until I stop blogging. What is this a list of, you ask? Things The Perfect Boy Will Do, of course.

open doors for me. even car doors
(at least offer to) pay for all of our dates. but let me pay when i want to
not get less attentive when he's tired
randomly compliment me
make me feel beautiful/smart/worthwhile
have something he feels passionately about (besides me)
be spontaneous! surprise me :)
enjoy baked goods, especially ones i make
also be able to cook for me
smell delicious
lay around in bed with me all day...or at least all afternoon
do crossword puzzles with me in our underwear
play videogames with me...the ones i like. and teach me the ones he likes.
kidnap me sometimes :)
care about the environment as much as i do
learn about and respect my religion/spirituality, and respect me enough to explain his to me, if he has strong ties to his (bonus: be a unity boy!)
understand why feminism (read: humanism) is such a relevant issue in today's modern world
like to read
have a nice speaking voice, mmm and a nice singing voice is lovely too
not dismiss "chick flicks," and watch my favorites with me
be liberal, socially AND fiscally AND politically and just...liberal, period.
When i cry: if we're standing, let me lean against him, or if we're sitting, hold me. and just let me cry. when i'm crying, i don't want to use any extra muscles, or worry about the other person. crying takes all of my energy and focus.
forehead kisses are nice
have similar taste in clothes as me. this just makes present-buying easier for both parties.
have the same taste in lingerie as me. see above.
love my body, exactly the way it is
dance with me (Bonus: be a good dancer, double bonus: look good solo)
share my sense of humor
write me love notes
crack me up
volunteer massages
be able to divorce feelings about people/situations from his actions toward me (eg, if he's mad at a friend, or himself, still be sweet to me)
like lingerie
be a cuddle pro; like to be big spoon
have money
have life goals
like to be cuddling, or at least touching, when [falling] asleep
have a good sense of humor
have a car
like my family/get along with his
not do hard drugs (honestly the only one i'm really ok with, on the regs, is ganj)
be good at sex
be chivalrous, in general
like to take walks
be an ass man
make a big deal about anniversaries
celebrate mensiversaries, and other cute small things in our relationship
read cosmo with me, or at least not roll his eyes when i want to read him something from it

But the most important thing that he can do is...

Be so perfect for me that I stop caring about any of the other things on this list <3

Potential Future Baby Names

2011-03-08T15:03:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I met a boy named Deg. Can we just stop for a second and reflect on the awesomeness of that name? Apparently it's Irish, even though he isn't. I asked if he liked or disliked growing up with that name, and the confusion that inevitably accompanied it. He said he'd always been proud of his name, and despite teachers/new friends/telemarketers having problems with it, he's never minded spelling it out for people, clarifying. He said actually, he liked to make little mnemonics, such as "like egg but with a 'D' at the beginning" to help with pronunciation (apparently, even after hearing him say it AND spell it, some people still had trouble getting it).

So this got me thinking about cool baby names, and the ones I've been saving up. Sometimes together with a boy to match his last name, and sometimes just because the name sounds nice to me. You know when you feel like you've forgotten something, but when you try to remember, you have no clue at all so you have to finally conclude you must have just made it up? That's how I feel about this list. Every time I sit down and think about it, i feel like I used to have a longer list, but can never remember them. So in the name of bad memory, and new blogging material, here is my list of Potential Future Baby Names:

-Deg

-Marie (My sister's, and Caitlin's middle name)/Maria

-Eve/Eva

-Cale (My friend's middle name)

-Kiefer

-Ixchel (pronounced eesh-elle)

-Isabel/Isabelle/Isabela/Isabella/Ella

-Aili

-Caillou

-Ethan

-Ainsley

-Jayden

-Atticus (from To Kill A Mockingbird)

-Aidan/Aiden

-Caeli (kayleigh)

-Carina (from the constellation)

-Stella

-Cielle (from the french word for sky)

-Cyrielle (see-ree-el, from a french foreign exchange student I met)

-Alec

-Thea (tay-a, from a.cronn and the greek constellation name Anthea, meaning flower/blossom)

-Jude

-Samson

-Delilah

-Seamus

-Kimber

-Rainn

-Anaïs

-Blake

-Elias

-Sofia/Sophie

-Sky/Skye/Skylar/Schuyler

-Ezekiel/Zeke

-Ismene

-Willow

-Ezra

-Josiah

-Misty

-Avery

-Severo

-Ainsley
-Lua

-Cadence

-Darius

-Evie

-Xander

-Lillith

-Daeva

A lot of these names came from kids that I've worked with, or people I've met in my life. Likewise, there are a few names I probably would have picked but for the people I associate them with. Not that I especially dislike those people, the name will just be inexorably linked to that person. Other names sound pretty but conjure up images/thoughts/memories i don't absolutely love. That, plus the grandeur and pomp that accompany some of the following, have led to my list of Names I Like But Probably Would Never Actually Use, Except on Pets and Stuffed Animals:

-Guillaume

-Kismet

-Lwellyn

-Devorah

-Reuven

-Kasiya

-Asya (pronounced Asia)

-Eridanus

-Ariadne

-Artemis

-Daedalus

-Psyche

-Calypso

-Tallulah

-Savannah

-Arliss

-Vivienne/Vivian

-Faye

-Tomasz

-Corianthus

-Ginger

-Hepzibah

-Eloise/Heloise

-Aubergine

-Cabriole

-Carlisle

-Eleazar

-Caius

-Athenodora

-Desdemona

-Allegra

-Aïsha/Oiche

-Trinity/Trinidad/Trini

-Luna

-Clara

-Lily

-Piper

-Airy

-Ellese

-Disa

-Rosalie

-Scout

-Daveigh (davy--for a girl)

Looking at this list, I appear to really like As, Es, Is, and LLs. And mythological/biblical names. I guess it's cause those vowels, especially combined, make really soft sounds. And I really like old-fashionedy stuff anyway, like victorian era and Amish sounding. And I've always loved mythology.

I don't know whether to pity or envy my future children.

PS please feel free to suggest more names!

words i like

2011-03-08T14:30:00.000-06:00

the following is a list of words i like. could be because of their meaning. or the way they taste in my mouth. or maybe their exemplary status as onomatopoeia. whatever the case, as an added bonus, some of them have really sweet denotations, which i have provided for you in my own words. which i guess technically makes them connotations. whatever. my blog, my rules. (or, more accurately, no rules.)

real words:

cotton

fiji

lilies

eva (pronounced eev or eh-va, i like both)

fuck (this word is so satisfying to say, if you can get over the vulgarity. saying it feels like having a mouth full of chocolate chunks, or a big bite of a juicy apple. don't ask.)

button (adorable and fun to say)

peach (as juicy and enjoyable in your mouth as the fruit itself)

susurration--a whispering noise. for me it always conjures a mental image of a room full of people whispering with a really powerful intent, like an angry swarm

quaint
loquacious--wordy, verbose. especially pleasing since it really seems to exemplify its meaning

superfluous--unnecessary, extravagant. ditto the above comment

erstwhile--in the past, formerly. doesn't it just sound quaintly old-fashioned? ooh, there's another one!

onomatopoeia
sesquipedalian--a long word, one with many syllables. comes from the Latin sesquipedalis, many feet. yet again, a perfect example of its own definition

bungle

mnemonic

phonaesthetic

fricative

floozy
whorl

orthoepy--the way a word or a language is customarily spoken.

perspicacious-- The archaic (and now obsolete) definition: Able to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted...which led to today's, which is: being of acute discernment, having keen insight, or being mentally perceptive.

perturb--so much better than disturb, its less-exciting cousin.

furlough--leave of absence

unfurl

equipoise--or equipoised

sprinkled

diorite

kerfuffle

defenestration

callipygian

mellifluous

made-up words:

ridonkulous

biffle

aerie

thizz

hyphy

stabby--the best way to portray that just-perturbed-enough state in which, when provoked, you might actually end up shanking your aggressor

shank, for that matter

foreign words:

esquincle - spanish

pantoufles - french

sœur - french

printemps - french

maité - unsure (i actually knew a little girl with this as a name, she was SO adorable. means love, btw)

tokhes (tuchus) - yiddish

zwischen - german

kuchen - german

schvarm - german

blixtförälskelse - swedish

more later, maybe.

Colleen's Xmas wishlist 2010!

2010-12-05T18:11:00.007-06:00

So since my blog is one of personal frivolities, and my sister's are all artsy and important and stuff, she has requested that I host her Xmas wish list again this year. Natch, I have no problem helping a sister out. So for anyone who would like to know...

Colleen's Wishlist: Xmas 2010

Movies:

Serendipity
Ponyo
The Cat Returns

Books:

The Life of Pi
Crown Duel & Court Duel by Sherwood Smith

Make-over stuff!:

Jorge Haircut
really good black mascara
curling iron
good hairspray
hair dryer

Clothes for NYC!:
ear muffs (white)
gloves (off white)
new peacoat (off white)
boots (black and flat, but tall and stylish)
Pencil skirt outfits! (high waisted pencil skirt with white button down blouse, or other fun blouses, or tailored tops...)
black corset top

Sizes:

dress--4

shirts--small/med

pants--7/9

Misc:

Ikea bed

Shape-ups

A new wallet (The zipper on her coin purse broke)

Massage from Stacey Lemire

Christmas, Christmas time is here...

2010-12-02T17:18:00.003-06:00

A little later than usual this year, I am finally getting around to posting my Christmas wish list. Hopefully, you haven't all bought me EVERYTHING yet...because I would LOVE any/all of these items:

For starters, a wall adapter for my ipod (usb) charger. I linked to the apple page for the image, but you can find them from other vendors for cheaper :)
A spoon rest, for my stovetop. I'd prefer a standing one, and lord knows I love all things pink and/or kitschy, but this one, with a dual spoon/lid rest, is also cool.
I absolutely NEED this whisk. How on earth have I ever baked without it?
A waffle iron. They even make heart-shaped ones!
Youth in Revolt, by C.D. Payne, The Wonder of Whiffling by Adam Jacot de Boinod, or any other book you think I'd enjoy. I have a whole list of books on my amazon wishlist, too.
CDs: Man on the Moon 1 & 2 (Kid Cudi), Go! (Common), The Simple Life (Magnet), Somersault (Decoder Ring). As with the books, I have a whole mess of music I would like on my Amazon wishlist.
Movies: Stranger Than Fiction, Toy Story 3, Brick, Prime, 500 Days of Summer, Bridget Jones's Diary, Josie and The Pussycats, Zack and Miri
And look at these awesome lego iPod speakers! I like the pink one :)
Or how about this condiment gun? Try and tell me you don't want one too.
And how cute is this headphone splitter? I can't even decide if I want red or pink. I guess I'd be happy with either :)
For my boudoir: this adorable bedskirt, in "scattered hearts" (the one on the right)
QC, volume 1
All this and more(!!) is on my Amazon wishlist. Once you get there, you can even switch view to "Priority: High to Low", and see which things I want the most! (hint: they're on this blog post)
Oh and I always love gift cards. What better gift than to allow me to walk into my favorite store and have the money to buy exactly what I want? Favorite stores such as GAP, Urban Outfitters, Target, Anthropologie, American Eagle, or really just about anywhere else that sells cute clothes.

Merry Merry Christmas!

Movies I Need to Watch Before Xmas This Year

2010-12-01T23:10:00.006-06:00

Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!
A Christmas Story
Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas
Disney Sing-Along: Christmas (from wayyy back in the day)
Love, Actually
Barbie's Nutcracker (Say what you want, some of these Barbie movies are quality)
The Santa Clause
The Holiday

Excitement on campus today

2010-09-28T11:19:00.003-05:00

So this morning i was awoken by a friend frantically calling at 8:45am to make sure I was ok because apparently there was an armed suspect running around a UT library. Then I learned he killed himself. After we hung up, I checked my phone and had two text messages from the UTPD emergency notification service:

UT Alert: (armed suspect reported last seen at (PERRY CASTANEDA LIBRARY on 09282010 details to follow.

UT Alert: armed suspect reported last seen at PERRY CASTANEDA LIBRARY SHELTER IN PLACE STAY WHERE YOU ARE AT MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW

Soooo I got up, and poked around on the internet. Since this was like, 9:06, there was only one austin news station with a tiny report that was like, "check back later for more info." So since my alarm doesn't usually go off until 10:00, I decided to go back to sleep for a bit. This was sort of difficult because I could hear the campus alert sirens through my window, and it's a pretty sunny day with not a single cloud in the sky. So I put my phone on silent, turned on my itunes sleepytime playlist, and put an eyemask on. When I woke back up at 10:00, I had a TON of missed calls and worried texts and voicemails. Sorry, guys! There was even another one from UT, saying that classes were canceled. So I checked around and the website confirms it, no class today. I also checked the news, the local stations are milking this for alllll it's worth. They had random students on campus calling in to be like yes, i'm in lockdown, nothing exciting has happened, the end. I even went out to meet my aunt and get my PINK TOOLKIT (Thanks, Soule family!) and came back and they were still blabbing about it on the news. Apparently there was a second shooter reported, so they had to shut everything down for the rest of the day just to be safe or something. Who knows. Either way, looks like I have more time than I thought to finish my psych paper, and study for my mythology test...and a nap.

Copied from UT website:

AUSTIN, Texas — Updated at 9:52 a.m.:

The university is closed. All organized classes for today, Sept. 28, are canceled. If you are off campus, stay away. If you are on campus, lock doors, do not leave your building.

Updated at 9:37 a.m.:

The person involved in this morning's shooting on campus has been confirmed dead on the sixth floor of the Perry-Castañeda Library from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

No other injuries have been reported.

The university's alert system warned students, faculty and staff to stay in place or off campus. The alert system includes the emergency siren and loud speaker system on campus, emergency text messages and online communications.

Mind: Blown

2010-09-23T01:45:00.004-05:00

So when I was in middle school, I was relatively innocent. Ok, Ok, I was super innocent. The internet had not picked up the way it has now, there was no Myspace, Facebook, tumblr, etc. to corrupt young minds. All we had was AIM, and that was really just our primeval mode of texting: you can only talk to people whose screennames you have in your buddy list, so the type of things you see is limited by the type of friends you attract. In other words, it was easier to stay innocent longer, even if you were an internet nerd of the times.

Moving on with the story. When I was in sixth grade, my best friend and I went to go see the movie Josie and the Pussycats. You know, the one with Rachel Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, and Tara Reid? My BFF and I LOVED it. We got it on tape (at that point, there was just one tiny DVD section in Blockbuster, kinda like Blu-Ray today) and watched it over and over and learned the songs and lines and sang along and it was GREAT. Seriously, some of their songs were pretty good, and can still measure up to today's pop music. In the movie, there was a boy band, "DuJour" (har har) that was a direct parody of 'NSync, and maybe a little BSB (Backstreet Boys, for you youngins. Gawd, I am old). The movie starts out with them on their tour jet singing their hit single, and it sounds JUST LIKE a lot of the boyband songs that were popular in the late '90s-early 2000s.

Then there was another one, I think they put it in the credits or something, that was also pretty good. It's called Back Door Lover. Yes, I know. Seriously? Seriously. But the thing is, I was 12, and had NO FREAKING IDEA what they were really singing about. I was just picturing a boy-next-door kind of situation, and happily sang along with the cheerful music and lyrics. The metaphor was cleverly disguised and surrounded by an otherwise typical pop song, but it was still there. I just recently watched this movie again for the first time since, oh, 2003, and was absolutely dumbfounded at what I was hearing. Actually, the whole movie is filled with jokes that only make sense to adults, which i've always loved anyway. Then when you grow up, it's like watching the movie all over again!

More storytime: By the time I hit eighth grade, the skater craze was in full swing. We were at the heart of this craze in my middle school. I had mad crushes on boys with shaggy haircuts and baggy jeans and Etnies/DC/Element (just to name a few) shoes, shirts, & backpacks. This was also about the time Avril Lavigne got popular. She sang about skaters and had ironed flat hair, another novelty at the time. Seriously, her hair was unnaturally straight. So anyway, I got my first CHI iron and her first CD for my 14th birthday. (side note: to my very curly hair--i really am sorry that i heat-damaged the shit out of you during my early teen years. But that was forever ago and I barely ever blowdry or straighten you anymore. So can we please stop with the breakage and split ends and frizz? Treating damaged hair is expeeeensive.)

I loved that CD. I listened to it all the time and I ~~probably~~ definitely still know all the words. Just now I put my iTunes on Genius, and an Avril song came on. It's called "Things I'll Never Say" and it was one of my favorites at the time (ok fine, still is). But just now, singing along, I realized that she did it too. Tricky, tricky. The lyrics are such:

If I could say what I want to say/ I'd say I wanna blow you/ Away, be with you every night/ Am I squeezing you too tight?/ If I could say what I want to see/ I want to see you go down/ On one knee/ "Marry me today?"/ Guess I'm wishing my life away/ With these things I'll never say

Written out, they look pretty innocuous. However, I noticed JUST NOW as I was singing that there is a very obvious and intentional pause in "I wanna blow you...away" and in "I wanna see you go down...on one knee." And to think I was singing this in front of my parents, blissfully unaware of what I was really saying. I hope they got a kick out of it, anyway.

So what I'm wondering is, what other cherished media from my childhood have secrets like these? Really great examples are Britney's single from a couple years ago If U Seek Amy, and the sex in disney movies, and now these two have come to light. Has anyone else noticed anything, from way back when? Or even from now?

Birthday Wishlist 2010

2010-09-15T20:30:00.009-05:00

It's that time again! I can. not. believe. I will be 22. This is the beginning of the end, y'all. I don't want to get any older, ever again. Ok? Thanks. Luckily, to soften the blow, I get presents! And since I always want soooo much stuff, I have to make myself a list to keep things organized. Also I want to make it as easy as possible for potential gift-givers. I know, I know, how selfless am I?

More than anything, I want an iPod Touch. OK actually I really, really, really want an iPhone, but I can not afford the monthly data plan, so....next best thing! But it's still at the top of the list. I even have my old busted ipod that I can give you so you get 10% off, at the apple store! Just sayin'.

These DVDs: Brick, Prime, 500 Days of Summer, Bridget Jones's Diary, Josie and The Pussycats, Zack and Miri, Flight of the Conchords Season 2
A pink toolkit for my apartment (and life!) This one benefits Breast Cancer Research, and look how cute it is!

The Wonder of Whiffling, by Adam Jacot de Boinod. I already have his other book, The Meaning of Tingo, and I love it!

A new wallet! My current one is dying/dead :( I'm a huge fan of this adorable one in from Urban, in pink, naturally. Of course, I wouldn't say no to this juicy one either, but really any cute wallet would be great. I need one that has enough room for the standard stuff (cash, debit card, DL, membership cards) plus a zippy pocket for coins. An extra thing for my checkbook would be a bonus :D
This unbelievably cute laptop case (look at the keys)!

The rest of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series. I already have #1 (Scott's Precious Little Life). They can be found at Austin Books & Comics, or online at Amazon.

The Gangsta Rap Coloring Book...if you can find it anywhere
Vera Wang Princess eau de toilette

I also have an Amazon wishlist!
Money is, of course, always an option. As are gift cards. My favorite places to shop are: Aerie/American Eagle, Hollister, Sephora, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Victoria's Secret, and GAP, to name a few.
Oh and Hermione's Time Turner, from Amazon.com's Noble collection, is pretty cool.

I really want toast with jam right now

2010-08-28T00:57:00.003-05:00

I was in the car on Tuesday night with a friend, and we were listening to this old mix CD that got left in my car years ago during a church youth group outing. I had no idea what was on it, but after listening, said friend and I decided that the goal of the CD's creator was to include one song from each genre (she even got disco on there!) So, filling the "alternative/rock/metal/whatever" spot was Alien Ant Farm's cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal." While listening, I decided I liked their version better. Which inspired in me the desire to create a list of my favorite covers, in no particular order, and with no set number. I would do a top ten, but then that would add the stress of picking favorites and making the list exactly ten. Entirely too much work for a blog that was really just created so that I'd have a place to write down the things I think about/care about/notice, and deign interesting enough to share with others.

So, without further ado, my "List of Musical Covers I Like":

"Smooth Criminal" -- Alien Ant Farm, originally Michael Jackson
"Umbrella" -- All Time Low, originally Rihanna
The whole ABBA Generation CD -- A*Teens, originally ABBA
"Let It Be" -- Carol Woods (Across The Universe Soundtrack), originally The Beatles (who else?)
Come to think of it, most of Jim Sturgess' covers on that soundtrack -- again, originally the Fab 4
"Boys Of Summer" -- The Ataris, originally The Eagles
"All The Way" -- Celine Dion, originally Frank Sinatra (although she sort of did it as a duet with him, so idk if this counts...whatever. it's my blog, i say it counts)
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" -- Kanye West, originally DaftPunk (sort of an adaptation but again, my blog)
Speaking of adaptations/remixes, "Once Again" -- Girl Talk (ok, not really a cover, actually more of a mash-up, but hey), including samples from The Verve, Ciara, Luda, Boston, Fabolous, the Ying Yang Twins, Oasis, Eminem...
Ok, ok, like...all of Girl Talk's mash-ups -- Girl Talk, originally just about anyone you've ever heard of
"Such Great Heights" -- Iron & Wine, originally The Postal Service (or is it the other way around? I've never been sure. Either way, I like both)
"We Will Become Silhouettes" -- The Shins, originally The Postal Service (again, which was first? and again, love 'em both)

more later, maybe.

Good News!

2010-07-17T14:12:00.002-05:00

UT Registrar: fall 10 waitlist update

Congratulations, waiting for classes paid off! You were added into a
course off of the waitlist. Please check your class listing to see your new class schedule.

If you are on a waitlist for another section of this course and no
longer want it, remove yourself from that section's waitlist.

Sincerely,
UT Registrar
**THIS IS AN AUTOMATED EMAIL MESSAGE. DO NOT REPLY!**

YESSSS my schedule is officially awesome for the coming semester! And i only have one class MWF so I can work at the lab school on campus! And hopefully I'll get into Longhorn Singers, even though I'm petrified to audition

Locked Up

2010-04-30T19:04:00.003-05:00

This semester, in order to pick up a little extra cash, I have been substitute teaching at local montessori schools. This one actually isn't so local, it's down on Manchaca and Ben White, but whatever. Just about an hour's bus ride away. So anyway, that's what I did today, from 2:30-now. Normally I leave around 6:30, but today was...different.

As a friday afternoon sub at this place, it's my job to sort of clean things up after all the kids leave for the weekend. I sweep the floors, wash the dishes, clean the nap mats, etc. I then lock the door behind me on the way out, and finally the gate around the school yard. Apparently, however, it is customary for the last parent to lock the gate after him or herself before driving off. Whoever usually does afternoons has a key, and just locks the front door behind themselves. So on my very first afternoon working here, I got locked inside the schoolyard, and out of the building. I was trapped. Fortunately, it is a chain-link fence that borders the school, so I managed to hop it with my backpack, amid a couple wary stares from people at the gas station next door.

The next week, I told the mother of the kid who's usually the last one here to just leave the gate open so I could get out. That was our routine for the past several weeks. This week, however, it was the kid's dad. Soooo after they had driven off, I was in the kitchen doing dishes when it hit me: he probably locked me in. So i went out to look and what do you know, locked! Fortunately, however, this time I was inside the house still, so i had lots of numbers to call. After calling around, the woman who leaves right before me agreed to come back and lock up after me. So this is me, waiting to be let out...

oh my life.

Fall Schedule 2010

2010-04-29T23:59:00.001-05:00

I just registered for classes!! And I got all the ones I want except for one. And i am 1/1 on that waitlist. Soooo we like those odds

TTH 11:00- 12:30P EMOTION

TTH 4:00- 5:30P POP CHORAL ENS: LONGHORN SINGERS

TTH 12:30- 2:00P INTRO TO CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

MWF 11:00- 12:00 INTRO TO THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE

and MWF 12:00- 1:00P PSYCHOLOGY OF READING

which i will drop if i successfully add

TTH 2:00 to 330p FANTASY AND REALITY

Which will be especially awesome since fantasy and reality is a written component so i’ll have a lot of writing to do. but psych of emotion has like no outside reading/material so i think we’re set on that one. and longhorn singers is dependent upon whether or not i have a good rehearsal so we’ll just have to see on that one.

otherwise, yay!

Why I love my friends.

2010-04-27T00:09:00.001-05:00

I have this problem: I save texts. I am a text-saving fiend. My inbox is so very full of texts that I am constantly having to clear out other parts of my memory card just to make room for new ones. Thanks a lot guys, your texts are too clever/sweet/funny/noteworthy that I just can't bring myself to erase them. So I decided, what better place to save all of them than the internet, where everyone can appreciate them? I know, I know, totally brill. I thought so too. only problem is, I never save my responses...oh well. most of them are guess-able anyway. Or I tried to fill in what i may have said with []'s.

I'll use initials to help me remember who said what without potentially embarrassing the texter.

PA:

-Betsy I'm in a flirty mood. and guess what! I think you're pretty.

-How are you beautiful?

-Yeah girl I'm so excited. And I have no idea when. It would be cool if you came to visit. I would love to see you in person again. haha

-lol. or you could just come up here and visit. We can cuddle

-yeah yeah. i'm totally down. but i still love you

-Oh well. you'll make it. i have faith that you will be able to put up with a bunch of bicurious girls for another 3 or 4 months

-Hey I was just thinking about you. and you have no idea how much my experience in austin changed me and i had so much fun and i'm so glad you're in my life

-Hello there beautiful spirit! I hope all is well in your life

-Hello betsy I do miss you

-Hey punkface. How are you doing love?

-Awww well i miss your excitement for life and your baking skills.

-Ahhhgg i love you sweetheart. Happy valentines day. Im listening to one of the bands we saw in Austin and it made me think of how much i love you

(little)BH:

-I wish I was singing with my boyz...wait no I don't

-donde esta el plano de plan

-ok sweet bayhas see you then

-its a wiimocracy not a wiitatorship

-ok thanks -3

-It was supposed to be a heart. I don't have those sideways arrows on my phone

-Ya donde relaxar que a mi

-que esta a la manana?

[what?]

-like, when are we hanging out

- -3

-Aww i missed betsy hugs :)

-well im going to sleep good night besty :) -3

CMH: (expect a TON from this one, ha)

-Uh super sketch thing just happened. why betsy why do we attract creepers

-Haha nice uhh creeper guys in a car followed me for a while

-Yeah. They had tried to get my attention but i was sort of like meh you're not that cute so i drove a little faster and they followed me like into residential

-I know. they eventually left me alone but it freaked me out

-yeah. gah lets fast forward to the part when we're stay-at-home wives and neighbors

-dear betsy why am I such a stalker love CH

-dear betsy. it was nice being your friend while I was alive

-dear betsy i'm gone apparently and i thought i should inform you. but hopefully youre asleep so shhi

-i love you too :)

-i think i just mindfucked a coworker

-we texted andrew from an unknown phone it was amazing

-yeah steve susana's future husband wrote it it was something about a cockmuncher

-i miss you so much. please be here nao

-andrew, james and jason just talked about gay sex. really? really

-ha win times always haha

-i know plus he probably wouldn't even date me if he stayed. why buy the cow when you can get the milk free right?

-but he doesn't realize that if he bought it he'd get cheese and ice cream too

-fuck he could rent it. i don't want an engagement ring

-I like the way you think

-do you like mike and ikes

-i know god its been like 36 hours? and i have no clue whats going on with you other than the smelly cigar and whatnot

-<:X>

-it was a kiss on my phone

-wtf how odd

-ha dear Quest. the shortbus is here for you

-There is a saint hedwig texas? saint hedwig?

-he was sainted. an owl?

-i mean i know he gave his life for harry but there is no saint sirius or severus. dude those both end in us. twins. ok i'm done

-i know. well i think there might be a st fred. idk. i'll look into it

-Official decree. Boys MUST respond in a timely manner to texts inquiring about their activities for that night

-woah i look ridiculously foxy today. wish i was there getting ready for the party with you

-oh so jealous. my waiter couldn't pay attention to my order haha. i love you! have fun

-being fabulous what else

-god i hope there are cute geeky boys at the apple store today. with the way i'm dressed i'll get leopard free

-ball

-omg i'm going to a wine party. let's drunk dial tonight

-fuck i dropped my phone

-boo you should be here

-haha love you t death

-wine and awkwardness hmm

-i loooove you. i miss you. you are beautiful

-i'm really bored. like to the point that when my coworkers walked by my desk i would make animal noises & pretend like i didn't. hope you are having a good day

-i love you too. but fml guess what happened. i was like 5 seconds from getting the suspender belt. but it sold out again

-i know! oh well. in time.

-cute guy helping me find shoes and another really stoned guy trying to help too

-ha omg betsey johnson shoes too. he gave me his card in case i want this one pair of shoes

[me: was he straight?]

-yeah. pretty positive

-cute boys, by themselves, at the breaking dawn thing. gay you think?

-i just encountered a woman talking about how she wants obama shot and hopes he gets killed if they vote him president

-me too. fuck stupid girl who hasn't read BD is arguing about it with me. and now totally bashing mormons and the series in general. i'm like go die

-i know. and i'm like if you hate the series why are you reading it? also we haven't spoken in four years why are you talking to me?

-i know. dude i need an adventure

-damn. also. i want to smoke tonight. for my adventure. but there is noone around here for that

-gah trade you since i think we both have better resources to achieve the other's

-oh dear. i miss you

-i'm going to buy the shoes. and try to get a date. fuck how do you even do that? double fuck what if he has a girlfriend?

-yeah. but do i ask him? gah he's not on fb

-yeah. well i was going to do the your girfriend is lucky blah blah thing. oh god what if he's gay

-pretty good i thought. plus ha uhm. woah cleavage that day and he was like the first person to run over to help.

-ha i knew i could count on betsy on a sunday to help me with boys. cause she will have them with her. haha

-ok i called him to have him put them on hold for me. he remembers me and everything but when i said i was coming in for them he was just kind of normal

-dear betsy. i should pay more attention i fail at life

-i totally just texted zach thinking it was you. said some things i thought were to you ha. yeah.

-ha no embarassment to the millionth degree

-ha oh god i feel so awkward now haha

-ha i'm sure he did. have fun. hopefully by the next time i see you my face won't be fire engine red anymore but i doubt it

-fuck my life. what's austin like and is that where you are going cause for serious this long distance relationship is taking a toll on me

{from an unknown phone} -omg love in this club acoustic indie version at an open mic night. miss you

[me: wait, who is this?]

} -fuck me who else? the love of your life

} -seriously?

-there's an awkward guy trying to hit on me right now. guess the name. ben

-my mom is being like. super cheerful like happy and like let me bake you brownies and bring you water cheerful. i'm a little worried

-yay fuck i miss you guys

{from AIM}-aw;rnha

}-aewha

-please stop me from being a ho

-it's still [the same boy as last time] no worries

-no just contemplating bad texts and pretending it was an accident they were sent to him. hard to explain

-Omg this girl helping me at PB loco is like sobbing

-idk idk what to do

-fuck betsy i am not allowed to spend money on clothes anymore

-yeah uhm red and black houndstooth skirt from express. and now i'm like critically late fuck

-i love you and i miss you and i promise itll be okay and i'll come visit even more. and itll be better

-idk how i got along for nearly 18 years without you

[me: did you hear we're on our college's course catalog this year?]

-no i almost pissed myself with glee when i heard mahaha

[me: oh and everyone hates us because we're both transferring]

-ha oh please we're like rockstars everyone hates us because they arent cool or hot or amazing enough to be like us.

-ha i love you and us

-dear betsy fuck my life love me

-iloveyoutoo. miss you too much right now. please be here nao

-like i just hate everyone right now because they aren't you

-aww i have a confession. you k now how we talked about how when you like a boy and ou see his name and you get a jolt and are happy. that happens to me with you.

-yeah. me too. always and forever bffaeaeaeaeaeaetoinfinityandtwelve

-ha. so i havent renamed people in my phonebook to make it easier to get to you ha. fuck genetics for making us straight

-i just wanted to inform you that i just rickrolld myself

-fuck fuck

-cute boy who is nice has good music is funny and loves airplane buddies is in my philosophy class. why are you not here to help me flirt with him? haha

-omg doors hes playing doors. fuck, betsy

-it just thundered so hard the house shook and i lost the call

-hail betsy. hail. omg

-omg i want you here i wanna snuggle up in bed and talk with someone

- do you have a flag? le chat est sur la table. cake or death?

-yeah so susana and i are dancing in the rain. even better we aren't in the student section so a bunch of old people are staring at us

[me: omg i miss you guys so much!]

-yeah i know us too <3>

-we're listening to the song that was your ringtone and im like fuck me i miss you

-thats the way we get by

-fuck i want to tipsy text [this boy]

-that wouldnt be weird hi i'm tipsy. so i'm texting you. lalala

-ha fuck me no thats awkward

-fuck i'm going to regret this huh?

-i really like a guy not [abovementioned boy]

-sexy can i?

-boys ha. omg can i call and gossip?

-74 and a half hours or 4461 minutes

-i love automatic countdowns

-hey there fucking delilah. at work unescapable

-I.S. is now in a complicated relationship oh dear haha

[that was a boy i had been involved with, but i was so over it...sad]

-Iloveyou

-holy big black dildoes batman was that a coincidence

-i know. allie just texted me that and i was like omg ohmahfrickingaw

-aw. you're such a player

-i know fuck me

-idk. but im liking it. im liking me.

-Drinking Franzia boxed wine out of a red cup. with a straw. i am beyond class

-Holy. Flaming. Fucks. i'm coming to texas

-Cant figure out if its an unfortunate guy or a depressingly unfortunate girl. shoes say boy. purse says girl

-Hair girl. stubble boy. can't see chest

-Voice carried. its a boy. thankgod

-Wait no. boobs. what. the. fuck.

-this may be worse. no it is. so upset right now

-Shes trying to figure out whos dad he is

-Anyways i nyquild like an hour ago. its nippy naptime

-I think I'm like a puppy. excitable and easily pleased

-Just a thought I had. also. am cute and cuddly and want everyone to like me. also. loyal. i seriously am a puppy haha

-I think he just didn't get that i was offering to go over there and blow his brains out. via his dick. anyways. go continue hooking up with your boyfriend. sorry to interrupt

-Boy texted back. and didn't get my setup. If boys were triangles they'd be obtuse.

-our love is so radiant it makes everyone else look like lupita.

-Oh my life. this cant exist. i do not happen.

-monty has toned down his demands today because he hurts for my owies

-You are perfection personified and i will love you for millenia after our dying breaths

-his airport is titled icanhas1337reptar i love my future husband

-you know its really no fair. im so pretty with zero work. im fun and nice and smart and i cook and iron. im friends with someone just like me. i mean. it must suck to be anyone other than us

-i love you. i love you. i love you. i love you. let's bang.

-i feel like we should never be apart

-have discovered recipe for being relaxed and happy and fun at work. oddly enough its the same recipe as a white russian.

-Is it weird that life seems less real and vibrant without you

-Also think my ex is hitting on me. dub tee eff

-Hahahaha. so true. i love you for always. ps how do people not automatically fall in love with me? im really fucking awesome

-Talking with everyone about how happy i am right now. great chat and then this girl tries to join in saying how awesome she is. awkward silence then subject change

-I love u and want u 2 know that no matter what the unicorns will find you. love caitlins mom.

-Iloveyoubeyondexpression

-One letter in the alphabet of our love's language

-Okay wtf. i am a super player lately. when did that happen?

-Okaz luv zou

-tu es m'eternite.

-Two wallposts ago. comics and blowjays

-I have an uncle freddy. he will fuck people up for me. he runs this town. he is a bad bone. and he buys me tequila and makes me sip it. i love tonight

[haha wtf is a bad bone?]

-Fuck if i know hes drunk

-Singing ashlee simpson in the apartment while no one else is home. stopping abruptly when they enter.

-He told me i was the indiana jones of cock so we fucked to the theme song. Most epic 'gasm ever

-Stop the presses. Ricky martins gay? oh wait. unsurprised.

-Boy. humming single ladies. in the shower. i peeked in. he was doing the hand part too. I love him to bits

WPS:

-I miss you too!! :( we neeeed to hang out betsy

-bewbz

-balls

-hey you still at my house? boobs

-i just shrugged 100 lbs in each hand 8x

-thank you yes i know i'm ripped.

-how does muphins comin?

-wat?

-same broseph.

-ima use your ovaries as punching bags god damnit

-don't need to. ovaries will suffice.

-steroid man is here!

-Mhmm! dude i saw him get picked up by his mom two days ago lmao

-in his 20s cause he graduated in '04 or something

-Pfft. he's taking steroids i doubt he cares about gas

-i'm waiting to watch breakfast club with you

-i'd have to burn it but we can watch it if you want. i already watched it though. lol

-nah. but i did like it lol

-buuuut! we can watch bigger stronger faster?

-you lose.

-what happened?

-ahahahahahaha

-same broskie.

-you wanna come over tonight and watch eet wif me?

-find your phone plz kthx

-you here yet?

[me: light]

-what the fuck does light mean?

[me: i'm at one]

-oh ok

-hd the apple crinkle it was gewd

-hey hey hey hey!

-wow. then i'll just lay in bed till r by myself

-and by r i mean 3

-boobs

-sreeuslee though. if you get done call me

-:5

-mistype :D

-what the fuck did you say i am so confused!

-ohhhh i'm sorry i dont speak gay.

-<3

-hey guess what my dad thinks you are a lesbian because of the mills pics

-Let's say you're sleeping on the same couch as some one. And you put your leg across his boner. You can definitely feel that shit m i rite?

-Pretty hard lmao. and i had one for about 7 hours straight

-Betsyyy!

-{Dear you, thank you for being my friend. i love you}

-You're welcome! Anytime! I miss you betsy

CDS:

-WOOHW!! WHAT THE FUCK! GET OFF THE FUCKING RODE!!!

-A car full of asians just almost hit us

-it's been fuckin balls on the wall amazing!

-betsy, i'm really really guna miss my brother.

-i can't even fuckin look at him without breakin down

-=) well then baybe sobe other time, get some sleep if you don't feel well.

-Hey, wana come over to my house and fold clothes for me, I leave tomorrow for Minnesota =)

-betsy, i cannot tell you how many times i wanted to text you what i was thinking this week, but i never had my phone on me. this way. i can tell you all about it in person =)

-hellz yeah, come over later tonight though cause my little sister hasn't gotten any sleep as of late.

-so i found this site that lets you hack security cameras. i've been to china's airports and drug stores. some guy bought chips.

-hey your old person curse has been inflicted on me too. i was in hookies (a sandwich shop) and this 50-year-old lady comes in and gets RIGHT next to me.

-like she touched my shoulder, and then she was all, oh i thought you were my husband...and she looked me over. i feel violated.

-oh well, now CH and i have something to talk about =)

-i believe it will go something like this...Hey, you get hits from old guys, hahaha. i get them from old weird women!

-what are we doing tomorrow? we need to hang out, cause we are long overdue.

-can you bring your macbook over sometime?

[i thought it was a POS?]

-it is, but i need it =)

-love you betsy!! good night =)

-when are we going and whats going on?

-i'm fine, but today, i was hit by a fuckin car! its not like a car car, but it was beefier than a gokart, like an off rode thing.

-the lady who watches for druggies and skippers fuckin pinned me against a pillar after she floored it. i didnt see the pillar behind me, so when i went to go back up, it was too late.

-i jumped though, so i'm good =)

-whos great, betsys great!!! love you betsy, goodnight!!

-love you lots betsy! goodnight!!

-if i could rearrange the alphabet, it would look like I.L.O.V.E.U.!!

-it would be a small language, we would all have to know french too.

-we're making a purple soup, whip whip, whip whip. making a purple soup, shooby dooby do! purple tomatoes and purple potatoes and i want you!

-betsy is great, she's better than chocolate =)

-Dear Betsy!! I fuckin love you forever!!!

-Dear Betsy, I love you with all my heart!! That is all.

-Good morning Betsy!!! Have a wonderful day and go kick some ass!!! And I love you with all my heart!!

-I just thought you should know that I love you!! Betsy, without you in my life, I would be a very different person! I'm glad I met you!

-betsy!!! Good morning!! Did you eat breakfast??

-Dear Betsy, I love you with all my heart and soul!!!! Have a wonderful day!!

-hope you had the best day of your life and may tomorrow be even better!!!

SES:

-Our past selves would be so surprised to hear that we only hang out as much as we do now given we both have cars and licenses

-Open mouths. Just like David when Bean pops out from behind the mirror

-haha [our uncle with Down's syndrome] is here. he first arrived w/o his bluejeans and got desperate. mine were laying on the floor and when we left him alone he put them on. now he just put on moms

-both times he just snuck them on. worst part for mom was that hers fit him well.

-mine were sitting out cause i had just unpacked from oregon. moms were in her room

-haha yeah i know its totally garfield humor. right on the dot. no haha mom was laughing at him with my jeans and same the second time. he just made noises.

-giggly noises.

-realtime twitter the event

-i want to make immature giggles

-lephercauhn poop

-I love you so so so much.

-Look up the wikipedia for cum shot. Wtf illustrations

RM:

-thank you betsy, I love you. G'night

-i like you cool!

-<3>

SCH:

-I am at panda express, and the cashier's name is betzahy...hahaha what a crazy way to spell your name!

AC:

-A night out in Ireland looks like a sea of disco balls. so unacceptable.

-Baby with aviators equals WANT

-It was totally holding the shades up with one hand all srsbsns

-The camera part of my phone is magnetic!!! I'll never lose another bobby pin! And yes, that is the highlight of my day.

-Crazy poetry girl has a bicep tattoo that says "this tattoo shall pass" how clever and special

-your stalker has an ankle tattoo. its a yinyang. why.

-Cuntas means "account" in Irish. Thanks, Facebook!

MAS:

-That is super exciting! do you have roommates

[One. but she is clean and loves to bake like me so i think we'll get along]

-She sounds hot

-I think it is so funny that you're roommate's black. All her big black man friends are going to be going crazy over your booty

-{Hey, thanks for being my friend. I love you!}

-Aww what a sweetie. what spurred that. Also you know you are one of my best friends ever ever. You are one of the only people i know that i dont have to put my guard up around

-{guess who just texted me}

-Heart of darkness

-When we hangin girl. Ya killin me

-Well that is good at least. If you do need some comforting just lemme know and ill bake you a little something

-Its gravy. Be strong. If you feel like a little break come to a hilarious mexican bbq.

-We will be living the dream till the wee hours. Also we bought walkie talkies and they are an source of infinite hilarity

-Betsy how are you i been thinkin about you a bunch lately

AD:

-Well, I'm in bed and my book isn't so we're not finding out tonight

-It'll be like a vocabulary cliffhanger

-If we go by golf standards you're getting whooped up on, nothing personal

-WTF you have a doorbell? That's a win!

-You know, you're all right for someone who's so di sinistra haha

-Nothing wrong with a strong woman, if anything it's as texan a trait as any. Plus the land is our greatest treasure.

[its not like i go around winning wrestling matches all the time]

-Well do you go around losing wrestling matches all the time?

-Then who knows, you might be really strong and not be aware

[i just lifted a mega-heavy speaker cab all by myself!]

-I was thinking like cab of a pickup. I was really impressed that you lifted a truck. Now, not so much

[so basically I have the sarah palin of phones, cute but not to be trusted with important tasks]

[honestly, it scares me that she was that close to the presidency]

-at least it would've been an entertaining tailspin

[haha yeah, hell in a handbasket? well, there is an in-flight movie...]

-I'm mostly satisfied with any cookie

IAS:

-Sister just called you a hippie

-Lovingly though

-Rap is like poetry on crack

-I love our story and that your my best friend

-Of course any time sweetheart and you too

-I'll always be here for you

SS:

-This ain't my last dance w mary jane

-I wish i wasnt stoned every day

Life Checklist

2010-02-02T18:52:00.005-06:00

The title basically explains it all--I intend to check all of these off, eventually...

Be fluent in: French, Spanish, German, Gaelic, ASL
Be at least conversational in: Italian, some African language, Chinese, Dutch
Visit Europe, maybe even live there
Ditto Hawaii, Fiji, Africa, and somewhere in Asia
Go to bartending school (a summer? how long can that really take?)
Go to beauty school
Be happily married
Mother at least one child (preferably my own, but adoption is always an option)
Read such classics as: Lord of the Rings, Roots, the Bible
Take culinary/pastry classes
And cake decorating ones, specifically
Become really good at hip-hop dancing
Date a Polynesian
Live in San Francisco
Live in another country
Be completely satisfied with my appearance
Snorkel the great coral reef
Date, or at least hook up with, a Black guy
Date, or at least hook up with, a European
Get shitfaced, at least once
Lose my virginity
Visit a remote tropical island
Experience snow
Learn to snowboard. Or ski
Get snowed into a cabin with someone(s) I love
Make out in a hot tub, preferably one with snow all around
See the northern lights
Walk out of a test with that, "I just totally dominated" feeling
Go to a rave
Host a radtastic highlighter party
Play naked twister
Have a song written to/for/about me
Have a poem written to/for/about me

Christmas 2009 Wishlist

2009-12-14T00:40:00.002-06:00

Santa, Baby...

The Kitchen Sync, if and when it actually exists.
The complete OC on DVD
The Gangsta Rap Coloring Book & The NY Times Little Black (and White) Book of Crosswords (both found at Monkey See, Monkey Do, on SoCo)
Money!
gift cards: Aerie, Gap, Sephora, VS, Betsey, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie...
A cake keeper, like this one from Crate & Barrel
This or this necklace, from Tiffany's
Vera Wang Princess eau de toilette (Sephora)
This Is Not A Book (Barnes & Noble)
Wreck This Journal (Barnes & Noble)
Anything and everything from my PerpetualKid.com Wishlist
Urawaza! so i can do everything better
Anything and everything from my FredFlare.com Wishlist
All four seasons of The OC on DVD, please!

Between Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Day...

2009-12-07T13:06:00.005-06:00

Movies I Want to Watch:

The Holiday √

Love Actually √

The Santa Clause

A Christmas Story

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown

4 Christmases √

Disney's A Christmas Carol in IMAX √

Unaccompanied Minors √

Things I Want to Do:

Bake loads and loads of cookies √

Ice Skate on the roof of Whole Foods √

A family puzzle√

37th street√

trail of lights√

put up decorations √

decorate the christmas tree! √

make/bake something for the Chanukah party ...The party didn't happen this year :(

Guest Post!

2009-12-05T13:13:00.004-06:00

So my sister doesn't have a frivolous blog or any other space in which to publicize her wishlist. Since those seem to be my specialty, I offered to host hers here! Thus follows my sister's...

CHRISTMAS WISH LIST 2009!

(not to be confused with mine, found in the post above)

Jorge Haircut
Stacie Lemire massage
austin snow globe (with bats, bridge, capital)
Blender-one that works
trip to europe (any more funds towards that would be nice)
The Movies I want:
Much Ado About Nothing
Ponyo
The Cat Returns
Watchmen
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
Gundam Wing (whole series, but if not, I want the last dvd "operation 10")
Pirates of the Caribbean the curse of the black pearl
The Mask of Zorro
The Books I want:
Galaxy: Exploring the Milky Way
The Elegant Universe
Crown and Court Duet(Crown Duel and Court Duel)

cutest bonnie & clyde I've ever seen

2009-11-13T12:51:00.001-06:00

Ricky's and my Halloween costume for 2009!

Compared to the real thing and Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty, I'd say we did all right.

Oh and Zooey and Joseph are pretty darn cute, too.

Inspired by whytheyrehot.com

2009-10-14T00:51:00.036-05:00

I am completely, utterly, and totally in love with:

-Adam Brody! (always and forever--seeing a photo of him still takes my breath away)

-Ash Stymest (british model. hiiiiiiii)

-Gaspard Ulliel (le sigh)

-Paul Rudd (probably my favorite of the apatow crew)

-Ryan Renolds (no explanation necessary)

-Pharell Williams (my favorite N.E.R.D.)

-Johnny Depp (at any age)

-Taylor Lautner (he's almost legal!)

-Seth Rogen (funny and sexy? not fair)

-Jude Law (they say he's a jerk...but look at those eyes)

-Conor Oberst (mmmm)

-Bret and Jemaine :D

-Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who rocks the rugged look equally as well as this clean-shaven bidness)

-Brad Pitt (cliché, but with good reason)

-Leonardo DiCaprio (see above)

-James Marsden (real life prince charming!)

-Ne-Yo (a respectful R&B singer with a smooth voice and even smoother dance moves. and lord knows i love a man who can dance)

-Jason Segel (awwwww)

-Rupert. Grint. (unff)

-James FrancOH

-Matthew McConaughey (everybody loves a good ol' texas boy!)

-Ewan MacGregor (charmingest accent on the planet)

-John Francis Daly (look at those dimples!)

-Justin Nozuka (ethnic ambiguity is so hot)

-Landon Pigg (i'll fall in love with him at a coffee shop any day. and i don't even like coffee)

-Matt Damon (mm-hmm)

-Paolo Nutini (not italian, though the name--and looks--would have you believe otherwise)

-Richard Gere (i've had a schoolgirl crush on him since "Pretty Woman")

-George Clooney (is any woman impervious to his charms?)

-Barack Obama (duh.)

-And, of course, my boyfriend:

awwwww.

betsy turns 21...

2009-08-17T11:30:00.009-05:00

...And wants a lot of things. Here's a list, to get you started:

money!!
TOMs!! (red or canvas are the two I'm favoring)
a professional salon cut and color
Youth in Revolt by CD Payne
Down With Love and Thank You For Smoking (I used to own both, but somehow during my first year at college, they disappeared)
All four seasons of The OC on DVD
(almost) anything from Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, Juicy, or Pink! by VS
disney soundtracks
The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss By Claire Nouvian
MONEY or gift cards work too (Urban Outfitters, Gap, Victoria's Secret, Sephora...)
these shoes

bareVitamins prime time
new foundation
Caitlin
My big sister
This gun, which i found at cracker barrel:
THIS APRON. or this one, either in yellow or white. or how about this one...
THIS PINAFORE, or this one, by the same maker as the aprons. how cute are they!?
PS money is always a viable option. really. then i can do all the searching/online purchasing. less work for you!
this HANDHELD SEWING MACHINE, how badass is that? and it's on sale!

There's plenty more, I'm sure. That's all I can think of for now, though. 21 is a big change...I'm not sure I'm ready for it. It means so many things, most especially that you're pretty much officially an adult. Fer realz. More responsibilities, more decisions...but hey, also, more fun!

awesome marine animals

2009-08-10T19:00:00.001-05:00

The ocean has always been kind of enigmatic for me. It's beautiful, scary, and powerful. And it's really a different world under there, and there's still tons we have no clue about! Plus, there are some totally awesome creatures that dwell below the surface. I think we all know where this is headed: another one of my lists. I won't keep you waiting!

Betsy's List of Totally Awesome Marine Animals (in no particular order)

Ok, first of all: the narwhal. I mean, really. an aquatic unicorn? how is that not at the top of EVERYONE'S awesome list?
The elephant seal. A marine version of my favorite animal? win.
The starfish. Need I say more?
Sea Turtles. I've always had a soft spot for turtles, and seriously, ones that live forever, go on epic journeys to lay eggs, and are apparently a bunch of surfer hippies are a-ok in my book.
Coral. I did a project on it in 4th grade; there are a majillion different kinds and it is so delicate and beautiful and fascinating! Plus, each one is 75% hermaphroditic, (yes, only part of each), so it reproduces on its own. I know, I know.
The pigbutt worm or flying buttocks (Chaetopterus pugaporcinus) is a newly discovered species of worm found by scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The worm is round in shape, approximately the size of a hazelnut, and bears a strong resemblance to a disembodied pair of buttocks. Because of this, it was given a Latin species name that roughly translates to "resembling a pig's rear."
Benthocodon jellyfish, which basically just looks awesome.
Dumbo octopus (grimpoteuthis), because it's ADORABLE.
Ridgeia piscesae, or tube worms...because when I was a kid I read The Magic Schoolbus series, and in the deep-sea adventure book, someone (probably phoebe) talks about tube worms and likens them to lipstick tubes. The association just never left me, I guess.
The Antarctic sea sponge latrunculia apicalis because I want one as a pet.
Plus lots of others detailed in this book, which my freshman year Bio professor (the ineffable Dr. Young) has a copy of, and which I am henceforth adding to my wishlist. Check out the two unidentified species in the gallery--they're hella sick.
Finally, this one awesome creature my cousin showed me, but the name of which escapes both of us right now. Twig/branch/tree...something? Rest assured though, it was super cool.
New favorite of all time: the cuttlefish. they. are. AWESOME. don't believe me? check out the NOVA special on them playing on PBS these days. so badass.

books i want to read

2009-08-05T00:53:00.002-05:00

bridget jones

confessions of a shopaholic

the lovely bones

the adventures of huckleberry fin

roots

100 years of solitude

Three Cups of Tea

Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott)
50 Acres and a Poodle (Jeanne Marie Laskas)

Lord of the Rings

Princess Bride

Ugly's Saga

Avalon High

The Daughters of the Moon

The Thief Lord

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

any suggestions for good reads?

acl

2009-07-23T18:04:00.002-05:00

This year, for my birthday, my parents gave me tickets to ACL this October! I am beyond excited about this, since I've never been and always wanted to go. Also, some artists I really, really love are going! So since there are TONS of bands playing all weekend, and my musical knowledge is fairly limited, I've made lists of the ones from the Aus360 website, divided into helpful categories, to help me keep track.

i really, really cannot wait to see:
Girl Talk

The B-52s

The Decemberists
The Dodos

Mos Def

K’ Naan

Passion Pit

i am excited to see:
Beastie Boys

Citizen Cope
Arctic Monkeys

Lisa Hannigan

Michael Franti & Spearhead

Bell X1

Flogging Molly
Coheed and Cambria

John Legend

Devotchka

i will probably enjoy:

Pearl Jam

The Dave Matthews Band
Kings of Leon

Ben Harper and Relentless7
Thievery Corporation
Ghostland Observatory
Toadies

Bon Iver

and i guess i better do some research on:
The Dead Weather
The Levon Helm Band
Andrew Bird
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
Phoenix
Bassnectar
!!!
The Avett Brothers
The Airborne Toxic Event
Medeski, Martin & Wood
Clutch
Grizzly Bear
Heartless Bastards
White Lies
Dan Auerbach
The Walkmen
The Scabs
Reckless Kelly
Blitzen Trapper
The Virgins
Here We Go Magic
Eek-A-Mouse
Asleep at the Wheel
Dr. Dog
The Raveonettes
The Knux
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
State Radio
Los Amigos Invisibles
The Felice Brothers
Federico Aubele
Raul Malo
Daniel Johnston
Poi Dog Pondering
Brett Dennen
Rodriguez
Henry Butler
Preservation Hall
Sam Roberts Band
The Greencards
Sara Watkins
Walter “Wolfman” Washington
David Garza
John Vanderslice
Zac Brown Band
Todd Snider
School of Seven Bells
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
Alberta Cross
Deer Tick
Alela Diane
The Wood Brothers
The Parlor Mob
Rebirth Brass Band
Marva Wright
Terri Hendrix
L.A.X.
The Low Anthem
Sons of Bill
Suckers
Sarah Jaffe
Cotton Jones
The Henry Clay People
Papa Mali
Jypsi
Vince Mira
Jonathan Tyler & the Northern
Lights
Mimicking Birds
Jeffrey Steele
Jonell Mosser
Leatherbag
Keith Gattis
Damien Horne
Sarah Siskind
Dexateens
Nelo
Danny Brooks
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
The Soul Stirrers
The Durdens
Palm School Elementary
The Gospel Silvertones
Diaconos
Quinn Sullivan
Ralph’s World
Q Brothers
Milkshake
Telephone Company
Loose Cannons
Lunch Money

Any suggestions for ones I should pay especial attention to? favorite songs by any of the above? help/input is greatly appreciated :)

My shortest entry ever

2009-06-17T02:13:00.005-05:00

movies i need to see

2009-05-03T03:58:00.013-05:00

in no particular order:

boondock saints

fight club

indecent proposal

blues brothers

she's all that

shallow hal

singin' in the rain

nanny diaries

bill & ted's excellent adventure

tootsie

the betsy

andy hardy meets debutante

dumb & dumber, apparently

notorious

apocalypse now!

armageddon

get rich or die tryin'

transformers

braveheart

american history X

monsters vs aliens

planet earth

dead poets society

ponyo

12 rounds

17 again

adventureland

american violet

confessions of a shopaholic

duplicity

i love you, man

the informers

knowing

lymelife

sunshine cleaning

goodfellas

requiem for a dream

amadeus

the boy with the incredible brain

dedication

tristan + isolde

nights in rodanthe

fools gold

sonny

the godfather(s)

a river runs through it

ghostbusters

who framed roger rabbit?

any suggestions?

WANT

2009-04-29T14:38:00.003-05:00

toms
money
motivation
money
lecreuset cookingware
the kitchenaid mixer
free time
money
a social life
caitlin
more sleep
hip-hop music, and lots of it. underground, west coast rappers, current stuff on the radio, yespls
a new phone. Like, an iPhone or a Crackberry or another equally awesome, internet browse-able type
better eating habits
summery dresses, LIKE THIS ONE OMG WANT
this book
THIS APRON
this one boy :)
Sally Jessy Raphael (sun)glasses

more later, maybe.

Tentative Schedule: Fall 2009

2009-04-23T11:49:00.005-05:00

STATISTICS & RESEARCH DESIGN
GALAXIES, QUASARS, & UNIVERSE
ADVANCED FRENCH I

ADVANCED PRACTICE IN SPOKEN FRENCH I
INTRO TO THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE *OR* MODERN DANCE *OR* LONGHORN SINGERS...Hopefully dance, I'm on the waitlist. Or Longhorn Singers, if I make the audition. I'd rather take Intro Linguistics later, 'cause I really want to make sure I'll have plenty of time to devote to Stats & Rsch. Everyone, my advisor included, has told me it's KILLER...so I guess we'll see.

Mondays:
11-12 French
12-1 Stats & Rsch Design
1-2 Modern Dance?

Tuesdays:
9:30-11 Astronomy

1-2 Practice in Spoken French
2-3:30 Intro to Linguistics?

4-5:30 Longhorn Singers?

Wednesdays:
11-12 French
12-1 Stats & Rsch Design
1-2 Modern Dance?

Thursdays:
9:30-11 Astronomy
11-1 Stats & Rsch Design (Section)

1-2 Practice in Spoken French
2-3:30 Intro to Linguistics?

4-5:30 Longhorn Singers?

Fridays:
11-12 French
12-1 Stats & Rsch Design

Looks like I have a fun semester ahead...everyone think positive thoughts about me getting into modern dance/longhorn singers!

Life's a Mitch.

2009-03-29T00:00:00.007-05:00

4 years ago today, Mitch Hedberg was found dead by his wife in a hotel room in New Jersey, as a result of drug addiction and abuse. It's always bittersweet for me to listen to/read Mitch's jokes, because as funny as they are, there's always a trace of sadness as i enjoy them. But he always said he wanted to be the "jim morrison " of comedy, live fast and die young. I guess as a nervous guy who made his living by being constantly in front of others, it must have been kinda rough. I'm just glad we have his legacy, all three glorious CDs, to remember him by.

In case you have no idea who he is, first of all, shame on you! Secondly, I will explain: he was a comedian known for his witty one-liners and observational, non-sequitur humor. Never disrespectful towards any demographic and always modest to the point of self-deprecation, his jokes were enhanced by his unique style of delivery. For my own convenience, I have compiled what I consider to be a "best of," out of the jokes I can remember/think of/etc. I'll add more as they occur to me...maybe. you know how I do. Anyway, feel free to enjoy them with me!

Comedy Central Presents

Mitch Hedberg - Donut Receipts

Joke of the Day
Stand-Up Comedy

Free Online Games
More Funny Videos

(now read the rest of them with his intonation and inflection, and I promise, they'll all be 100x funnier):

That would be cool if you could eat a good food with a bad food and the good food would cover for the bad food when it got to your stomach. Like you could eat a carrot with an onion ring and they would travel down to your stomach, then they would get there, and the carrot would say, "It's cool, he's with me."

A lollipop is a cross between hard candy...and garbage.

Has anyone seen me on Letterman? Two million people watch that show and I don't know where they are. You might have seen this next comedian on the Late Show, but I think more people have seen me at the store. That should be my introduction. "You might have seen this next comedian at the store," and people would say "Hell yes I have!"

I miss the $2 bill, 'cause I can break a two. $20, no. $10, no. $5, maybe, $2? Oh yeah. What do you need, a one and another one?

I called the hotel operator and she said, "How can I direct your call?" I said, "Well, you could say 'Action!', and I'll begin to dial. And when I say 'Goodbye', then you can yell 'Cut!'"

I like cottage cheese. That's why I want to try other dwelling cheeses, too. How about studio apartment cheese? Tent cheese? Mobile home cheese? Do not eat mobile home cheese in a tornado.

I'm an ice sculptor. Last night, I made a cube.

I went to the airport, I put my bag in the x-ray machine, I found out my bag has cancer. It only has six more months to hold stuff. :(

That would be cool if the earth's crust was made out of graham cracker. It would disappear just like the ozone layer, but for completely different reasons.

Magicians disappear all the time, but as soon as a regular person does it, everyone is all scared.

"Tom's gone!"

"Is he a magician?"

"No."

"Then let's print up some flyers!"

I want to get a vending machine, with fun-sized candy bars, and the glass in front is a magnifying glass. You'll be mad, but it will be too late.

This one guy said, "Look at that girl, she's got a nice ass." I said, "Yeah, I bet she can sit down excellently!"

I bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, but then I accidentally spilled calamine lotion on it, so it did not need to be scratched. Shit! I will not know if I have won!

I saw a billboard for the lottery. It said, "Estimated Jackpot 55 million dollars!" I did not know that was estimated. That would suck if you won and they said, "Oh, we were off by two zeroes. We estimate that you are angry."

I want to rob a bank with a BB gun. "Gimme all your money or I will give you a dimple! I will be rich, you will be cute. We both win."

I was on a bus and it was the middle of the night. I had a box of crackers and a can of Easy Cheeze. But it was the middle of the night so I could not see. I could not see how much Easy Cheeze I was applying to each cracker. So each bite into the cracker was a surprise as to how much Easy Cheeze had been applied, which makes me believe they should have a glow-in-the-dark Easy Cheeze. It's not like the product has any integrity to begin with. If you buy a room-temperature cheese that you squeeze out of a can, you probably won't get mad because it glows in the dark, too.

People associate long hair with drug use. I wish people associated long hair with something other than drug use, like an extreme longing for cake. And then strangers would see a long haired guy and say, "That guy eats cake!" "He is on bundt cake!" Mothers saying to their daughters, "Don't bring the cake eater over here anymore. He smells like flour. Did you see how excited he got when he found out your birthday was fast approaching?"

If you're flammable and have legs, you're never blocking a fire exit.

When you go to a restaurant on the weekends and it's busy they start a waiting list. They start calling out names, they say "Dufrene, party of two. Dufrene, party of two." And if no one answers they'll say their name again. "Dufrene, party of two, Dufrene, party of two." But then if no one answers they'll just go right on to the next name. "Bush, party of three." Yeah, but what happened to the Dufrenes? No one seems to give a shit. Who can eat at a time like this--people are missing! You fuckers are selfish... the Dufrenes are in someone's trunk right now, with duct tape over their mouths. And they're hungry! That's a double whammy. We need help. Bush, search party of three! You can eat when you find the Dufrenes.

When you open the elevator on the top floor of a building and the other guy doesn't get out, something is seriously wrong.

I order a club sandwich all the time. And I'm not even a member; I don't know how I get away with it.

"I like my sandwiches with three pieces of bread."
"So do I."
"Lets form a club then."
"Okay, but we're gonna need more stipulations."
"Yes we do."
"OK... instead of cutting it once, let's cut it again."
"Hell yeah, four triangles."
"And we will position them in a circle. And in the middle we will dump chips."
"Or potato salad."
"Ok."
"Let me ask you a question, how do you feel about frilly toothpicks?"
"I'm for 'em!"
"Well then this club is formed. Spread the news on menus nationwide."
"I like my sandwiches with alfalfa sprouts."
"Well you're not in the fucking club!"

When you go to a bar that has a black light, everybody looks cool. Except for me, because I was under the impression that the mustard stain came out.

I had a stick of Carefree gum, but it didn't work. I felt pretty good while I was blowing that bubble, but as soon as the gum lost its flavor, I was back to pondering my mortality.

I want to be a race car passenger: just a guy who bugs the driver. "Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Can I put my feet out the window? Boy, you really like Tide."

I wear V-neck shirts. I can't wear a regular neck shirt, it hurts. And I especially hate turtlenecks. Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a really weak guy. All day! If you wear a backpack and a turtleneck, it's like a weak midget trying to bring you down.

I saw this wino, he was eating grapes. I said, "Dude, you have to wait."

If you find yourself lost in the woods, build a house. "Well, I was lost, but now I live here!"

My roommate says, "I'm going to take a shower and shave, does anyone need to use the bathroom?" It's like some weird quiz where he reveals the answer first.

I wrote a letter to my Dad. I wanted to write, "I really enjoy being here," but I accidentally wrote rarely instead of really. But I still wanted to use it, so I wrote, "I rarely drive steamboats, Dad - there's a lot of stuff you don't know about me. Quit trying to act like I'm a steamboat operator." This letter took a harsh turn right away.

If you had a friend who was a tightrope walker, and you were walking down a sidewalk, and he fell, that would be completely unacceptable.

Look at the limes in this drink, how they float. That's good news. Next time I'm on a boat, and it capsizes, I will reach for a lime. I'm saved by the buoyancy of citrus.

I don't know how to fix a car. If the car breaks down, and the gas tank does not say "E", I'm fucked. But if the gas tank says "E", I get all cocky - "I've got this one, don't worry." So I get out the toolbox AKA wallet.

Every time I walk by a spy shop, I think that I need to put some surveillance on somebody. Rick's been acting fishy! I need to buy a safe that looks like a Spray 'N Wash can. "Hey, Mitch, can I use the Spray 'N Wash?"

"Yeah, if you want to spray your shirt with documents!"

I was in downtown Boise Idaho and I saw a duck. I knew the duck was lost, because ducks aren't supposed to be downtown. There's nothing for 'em there. So I went to a Subway sandwich shop. I said, "Let me have a bun." She wouldn't sell me just the bun, she said it had to have something on it. She said it's against Subway regulations to sell just the bun. I guess the two halves ain't sposed to touch. So, I said, "All right, put some lettuce on it."
"That'll be $1.75."
I said, "It's for a duck!"
"Oh, then it's free." I did not know that. Ducks eat for free at Subway! Had I known that, I would have ordered a much larger sandwich. "Let me have the steak fajita sub, and don't bother ringing it up - it's for a duck!" "There are six ducks out there, and they all want Sun Chips!"
I find that a duck's opinion of me is very much influenced over whether or not I have bread. A duck loves bread, but he does not have the capability to buy a loaf. That's the biggest joke on the duck ever. If I worked at a convenience store, and a duck came in and stole a loaf of bread, I would let him go. I'd say, "Come back tomorrow, bring your friends!" When I think of a duck's friends, I think of other ducks. But he could have, say, a beaver in tow.
If you're an animal, you want to have a beaver as a friend, because they have some kick-ass houses. Lake side, my ass! Lake ON!

If a parade is boring, run in the opposite direction. You will fast-forward the parade.

Jerks.

2009-03-13T23:50:00.004-05:00

Today, I screwed up. I'll admit it, it was my mistake.

So I went to the gym today. After, while I was showering, my roommate left, locking the door behind her--the right thing to do, since otherwise our room would be empty, and unlocked. But I had most definitely not brought my key with me. Stupid, I know. I just didn't think about it. My other mistake: the only thing I brought with me besides my toiletries was a towel. Also stupid.

I got out of the shower and tried to re-enter my room, only to discover that I was locked out. This was when I started freaking.

First, I went to my RA's door and knocked. She was not there. I was wondering what on earth I would do when one of the girls who lives in my hall walked around the corner, approaching her room. The following conversation ensued:

"Hi, I have a question. What do you do when you get locked out of your room?"

"You go down to the front desk and....oh." *notices that my only garment is a towel*

"..."

"Um...is there any way I could borrow your phone to call the front desk?"

"Oh sure, here you go."

"Umm, do you by any chance know the front desk's number?"

"No."

"..."

"I'm really sorry, but could I use your computer to look it up?"

So we go in and she looks it up for me. After surfing around forever on the hopelessly un-navigable UT website, she finally locates it. I call them, and this is the conversation I end up having with the man in charge at the front desk:

"Hi...I'm locked out of my room, and I just got out of the shower."

"You didn't bring your key with you, now did you?"

"Well, no...I was just going to shower, and my roomie was still in there when I left."

"Don't try to blame this on your roommate, you should bring your key with you at all times. You should know that."

"Okay, well...What can I do now?"

"You can come down to the front desk for a temporary key."

"But...I'm in a towel."

"Well, do you have a robe?"

"No, just the towel."

"Then you'll have to come down in that."

"There's nothing else I can do?"

"I can go down and get it for you if you need..."

"Can I send someone else down to get it for me?"

"No, you need to come down and get it yourself."

"But I'm only in a towel."

"Then you can either find someone to borrow clothes from, or come down in that."

"Ok...thank you"

What...the fuck. Can someone please inform me in WHAT reality is it EVER okay for a middle-aged man to require a girl to appear in only a towel in a public, high-traffic lobby on a coed college campus in the middle of the afternoon on a Friday, in order to re-enter the safety of her own room?

Luckily, the supernice girl who let me hang out in her room and use her phone also offered to lend me her dress while I went down there. So even though I was commando, I was no longer (more than) half naked. Then, as if the douchiness on the phone wasn't bad enough, when I got down to the main desk and was being issued my temporary key and card by one of the RAs on duty, the asshole I had talked to didn't even look at me. I must have stood there for five minutes while the kid got all my stuff, and not once did Mr. William Duval even turn his head towards me.

So you tell me, what kind of jerk works in a dorm, whose purpose is to ensure the safety and well-being of its residents, and then bullies 20-year-old girls? He must have serious power issues.

I understand that his objective was not to make me feel violated. It was clear that his intent was to teach me some kind of lesson about remembering my keys, wherein I would learn by humiliation.

The problem is that to have appeared in that lobby in only a towel wouldn't have been simply humiliating for me, I also would have felt vulnerable and exposed. His actions were extremely inappropriate, especially considering that I am the client, and he is in no way in a position of power over me. I'm not some kid at a boarding school, I am a young woman attending the University for which he works, to serve me. And what he was asking me to do was completely outside my boundaries.

So how come, whenever I tell people*, they just laugh it off as something I'll think of as funny in a few months? Am I wrong in being so upset about this? Please tell me I'm not overreacting.

*With the exception of Caitlin Marie Huber

Also: set my alarm for PM, and missed class. Thanks for an awesome day, friday the 13th!

My Blog = Inspiring?

2009-02-27T20:49:00.010-06:00

I received the following email yesterday from a friend, and was insanely flattered. Plus, I love the poem! It's so creative, total props to Margaret for the imaginative revisions. God, is it possible for any of the Schwankes to be anything less than totally rad?

(PS for reference, see my Jan 10 entry entitled, "ow.")

I was given the assignment to take any piece of media I could find, and turn it into a love poem! The only rules were, you could add only 2 new words, and delete a lot of them! I wanted to use your blog from when you got your wisdom teeth out! ^_^ I think the poem is okay, but I want to know from the original author, do you like it?

Heart Surgery

I'm sitting on my couch

right now,

feeling awkwardly sore.

the same clothes

I've been wearing since Thursday.

How did I get here?

my parents have been telling me I needed to get my wisdom out this winter break.

Why does that make a difference?

I have a sort of a chipmunk effect.

They cut a heart,

pull it out,

and replace it

with a little marshmallow...

Awesome.

they were being really nice, but I really, really, really don't like pain

after they gave me laughing gas.

we were "gonna stay friends."

So here I am spazzing,

I felt kind of funny,

me sitting there sobbing with them.

that was

the

most awkward elevator ride of my whole life!

I was sort of in and out of consciousness...

Will

came over yesterday, a nice break from the monotony
he made a

super tasty milkshake,

"with love"

tasty chef boyardee.

More later

maybe

So...do I like it? more like love.

God does love you (and your commie, homo-loving friends) :]

2009-02-23T14:42:00.008-06:00

I love, LOVE, that a movie about a spokesperson for the LGBTQ community, who was so amazing and did so much, could be as successful at the oscars as it was. It really says a lot about where we are as a nation, and where we are headed.

Dustin Lance, you are adorable! And so right. Sean Penn had some good things to say as well:

<3

the future looks so bright!

Love

2009-02-14T23:33:00.005-06:00

Is beautiful, rare, exquisite. And on this holiday created to celebrate such a divine expression of human existence, I just wanted to honor everyone who's ever loved, or been loved. No matter who you are, as long as it's real, true love, it's perfect.

And since I couldn't say it any better, here's Mr. Olbermann's (old, but forever relevant) commentary on the subject of marriage discrimination:

happy valentine's day '09.

♥

Sister Blog

2009-02-13T03:14:00.004-06:00

Guest-starring yours truly. Damn, we're cute.

check itttttt

A Gift

2009-01-28T14:49:00.006-06:00

The following poem was a gift from my friend, Ben Dower. He is an amazing poet, and I've been begging him for years to write one about me. So finally, we reached an agreement: I would play this game he (and my sister, coincidentally) loves, and bake cookies, and we'd all hang out, and then I could have my poem. So after much anticipation and a delicious adventure through Cataan, here is what I received today (he says the inspiration for the title came from a previous blog entry, by the same name):

White Chocolate

Tell me, where do you get off
speculating about your identity,
wondering if you would be a better dancer
if only you had a more rhythmic coloration connotation
implying that your curves are somehow misplaced,
as though only Africa had earned that voluptuous continental silhouette.

For surely someone ought to have warned you
that such superfluous speculation only leads
to bubbles bursting, internal detonation,
and a complete crash in consumer confidence.

The lost love between a girl and her onomatopoeia
should never be interrupted by anything less than phonaesthetic perfection.

But enough about your laughter
and a smile that needs no hyperbole.

Such elusive excellence evades description,
leaving me struggling to pin you down with worldly adjectives,
that leave my love-struck soul free
to wander, exploring your lips and curvature of your left shoulder
pretending to be a philosopher-king, tracing
enlightenment in your contours, wondering how so much joy
can come from a single source
and finding the emotion difficult to quantify.

But forget Descartes, what about a-la-carte!

For like a perfect pastry platter, oft' tasted but never duplicated
you are filled with the most delicious of internal contradictions.
Take one part master chef and flambé over liquid liberalism,
with a pinch of the suffragette movement, and a thoroughly diced
impressionist painting for looks, an eternal sunset entrée on the tongue.

The subject of much desire, yet never wanting for preeminence,
you are to be coddled only at the greatest risk, lest you boil over
and scald the perpetrator with a self-evident independence
that need not be declared.

So let us not pull up your roots
to speculate about whether your genetics
might be better choreographed. Plant
metaphors are all inherently sexist anyway.

And while I would gladly abandon all worldly pursuits
liberate myself from all senses save one,
if you only chose to envelop me someday,
for now in this silent moment
simply enjoying these Platonic relations,
the knowledge of your existence
leaves me content to hunger forever
reveling in the simple knowledge
that you exist.

The "F" Word

2009-01-26T18:00:00.009-06:00

Not THAT one, silly. I'm talking about a different dirty word: feminism. I say this because some of you (you know who you are) just got put off from reading this entry. You're not alone. In sadly many circles, the idea of feminism is considered negative. Many women the world over shy away from calling themselves feminist; yet, when asked, will say that they definitely agree that women in the same job positions as men deserve the same pay, and equal respect. Uh, hello? That's what feminism is.

So here's a link to an article from one of my favorite blogs: feministe (where the “e” at the end still stands for “Everything Else that is tangentially related to feminism at best”). This one's a commentary on an article the author found on female sexuality, and definitely does a really good job of expressing how I've always felt about the objectification/sexualization of the female form. If you're feeling lazy/uninterested, I put the part I found most pertinent right here in my blog entry. Otherwise, I really encourage you to go check it out. Please? You'll feel smarter.

Shocking, absolutely shocking, that when women are raised in a culture that equates the female body with sex itself, that positions the female body as an object of desire, and that emphasizes that being desired is the height of female achievement, women will see sex as a process primarily centered on male attraction to women, and will get off more on being wanted than on wanting.
Shocking, too, that when “naked chick” is cultural shorthand for “sex,” women will look at naked chicks and think “sex.”
It’s not narcissism. It’s a lifetime of experiencing the world secondarily, and seeing ourselves through male eyes; it’s the lack of agency and power that comes with being an object to be looked upon.
...
Women are sexual objects. Unlike men, we aren’t taught to have the same actor mentality; that is, we aren’t sexual agents, and we don’t dictate the heteronormative* sexual narrative in the same way that men do. Sex itself is constructed with women on the receptive end: Men penetrate, we’re penetrated. That isn’t just biology, it’s culture. It sounds ridiculous, but there are other ways that we could talk about and understand sex. I had a professor in college who suggested that maybe men don’t penetrate women, women envelop men. We all laughed, and I still think it sounds silly, but her point wasn’t lost on me — how we discuss and understand sex, and all the social and cultural baggage we throw onto it, influences what we believe to be hard, scientific, biological facts about how our bodies work and what our bodies do.

*heteronormative = the view that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation, and the subsequent marginalization of non-heterosexual lifestyles.

"Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at."
--John Berger, Ways of Seeing

Yet another list

2009-01-23T23:48:00.011-06:00

Things that are bothering me right now

Ones I can (and will) fix
My Friday section from 3-4
My legs are suuuper hairy. And I wore a dress today…oops
I'm not eating very well lately
i have to pee
my computer's about to die.

Ones I’ll just have to deal with (for now)
I reallllly miss all my Mills ladies (plus Brandon and Tomas)
I want more break! Can we go back to break please?
It’s been um…2 months since I’ve seen Caitlin. Which is a LONG time. And I don’t know when we’ll see each other next…not ok.

UT cafeterias have "ethnic" nights...which I thought I escaped from Mills

One of the "ethnic" food nights is "soul food"...which is on the calendar with a giant Africa next to it. PC FAIL

Things that are making me happy
Obama is already becoming the best prez ever!
I like my roommate ☺
I actually enjoy the dorms
UT is full of beautiful people—and sometimes I feel like one of them :D
The sweet freshman in my astronomical observations class who shared his planisphere with me
I’m starting to like, and feel like I’m a part of, UT

Edit: I am proud to say that i took care of ALL of the things on my bothersome list. :D

Fail.

2009-01-23T23:22:00.007-06:00

Things that belong in a parfait
Plain yogurt
Strawberry yogurt
Real granola
Strawberries (preferably sliced or chunked)
Raisins (a few, if they mix well with the granola)

Blueberries, provided they are ripe and juicy. And not sour

A walnut chunk or two. Either that or some nice big clumps of granola

Things that do not belong in a parfait
Crumbled up Nature Valley bars mascarading as granola
Grapes
Unidentifiable white flavorless fruitlike blobs
Pink pineapple-like fruit

Take note, UT.

ow.

2009-01-10T14:55:00.010-06:00

I'm sitting on my couch right now, feeling awkwardly sore, sipping an odwalla, in the same clothes I've been wearing since Thursday. How did I get here, you ask? Let's see...

I think I'll start with the consultation, which happened a few days before new year's eve. We're not even going to get into the PPD research study I almost tried.

Ever since last summer, my parents have been telling me I needed to get my wisdom teeth out. I knew it had to happen, I just wasn't all that excited about it. We sort of considered doing a research study where I would get paid, but we weren't positive I'd get actual pain meds (as opposed to a placebo), and it was confusing and I would have had to spend the night and...yeah. I'm scared enough of doctors' offices, etc. as it is.

So this winter break, we went to a local dentist's office around the corner from my house. The first thing we learned is that thanks to a spiffy genetic mutation, I only have three wisdom teeth. This is actually awesome news. Why does that make a difference, you ask? Well, let me elucidate you.

Wisdom teeth removal surgery is infamous for the "chipmunk cheek" aftereffect. I learned that this was caused by the removal of the bottom wisdom teeth, whose growth affects the nerve running along the jawline. I was informed that since one of my bottom wisdom teeth just sort of...never happened (thanks, mom & dad!), I would have a sort of lopsided chipmunk effect. Which was fine with me, since half as much chipmunk also means half as much pain. :D

They walked us through everything, warning us about all possible side effects (or so we thought), showing us my x-rays and going over the whole half chipmunk effect and all that. They used a cgi program to show how they would go into my mouth, cut a flap of gum off from over the bottom wisdom tooth, pull it out, and replace it with a little marshmallow-looking thing that would dissolve naturally along with the sutures they would use to resew my gums back together. Awesome.

It all sounded fine, and they were being really nice and informative. The only problem was, they advised me to have it done as soon as possible, because the longer I waited, the deeper the roots would get. Ergo, I was supposed to have the operation before school started up in January. Which meant I had to set aside a whole weekend to recovery. I finally settled on this one, setting the date for Thursday.

Before we go any further let me tell you something about myself. I really, really, really don't like shots. Like, at all. The pain doesn't bother me nearly as much as the knowledge that layers of skin and muscle and vein are being punctured with a hollow needle that will pump me full of something foreign. I understand that it's probably a good foreign thing, but still. You get the idea.

The big day arrives, so my mom drives me to the office. We go in, and in like, oh, say, a second or two, they call my name. I go into the back room, trying super hard not to psych myself out. Which is difficult considering they had trays of stuff, considerately covered by paper towels etc, but still, it was hard (for me) not to notice the FOUR SYRINGES underneath a paper towel on the counter. I had a mini-freak out before deciding that those were for my jaw, after I was knocked out. I knew for a fact they would give me anesthesia through an IV, so I'd be unconscious for the whole procedure. The problem there was that even an IV needle creeped me out. Thank god they promised they'd do it after they gave me laughing gas.

Which brings me back to the surgery room. So a nurse came in and told me to lay down in the chair, and they laid me all the way back. She put a laughing gas mask over my nose and told me to breathe deeply, and relax. Which would have been easier if I hadn't been freaking out. I had assumed that the laughing gas mask would cover my nose and mouth, but it turned out to be just this little teensy thing over my nose. Which smelled funny.

The nurse told me I should be able to feel it after a minute or two, which...didn't happen. I asked if there was a specific way I should breathe to make it work better, like in through my nose, out through my mouth? maybe? but she glossed over my question with a, "Just breathe normally, same as you always do. Deep breaths."

So I was taking as many deep breaths as possible, because I sure as hell did NOT want to feel anything when the IV went in. About this time, the doctor walked in. He asked how I was doing, and what I'd had for breakfast this morning, to which, of course, my answer was, "nothing." which is what he wanted to hear. Since nobody wants to throw up during surgery.

The doctor told me that he'd cranked up the laughing gas to 100%, but I still felt exactly the same. He took my right arm and asked a nurse for a rubber band, any rubber band, and then reassured me that he wouldn't trick me about the IV, that we were "gonna stay friends through this whole thing." As he wrapped the rubber band around my arm, just above my elbow. tightly.

It was about that time that the nurse asked me If I was feeling the laughing gas, and I felt someone put rubbing alcohol on the crook of my elbow (is that what you call it? the crook? whatever). I said no, not yet, because I was honestly freaking out and even though i heard a chuckle in my throat as I answered, nothing seemed the slightest bit funny to me. I've heard from everyone else who's had laughing gas that you feel weird, or light-headed, or everything is hysterical.

And for the record, Susana, I did think about you, but I don't think I was high :/

So here I am spazzing about how the gas is NOT working, and I felt them pour some cold liquid onto my arm, and the nurse yet again asked me if the gas had taken effect as I felt a pinch on my elbow. When I answered the nurse "not really," the doctor said, "well let me ask you another question: did you feel the IV?" my answer: "no, thank god."

It was about this point when I was wondering if anything was actually going to effect me. I hadn't felt the laughing gas and the anesthesia didn't seem to be doing anything either. Well, ok, I did feel a little weird. I felt them take my wrists and strap them to the chair, which was a little frightening, but I figured it was all part of the procedure.

I felt like I blinked or dozed off for a second, and then I felt kind of funny. I thought, "maybe the laughing gas is finally taking effect..." but when I relaxed a little, I realized it wasn't laughter, it was tears.

That's right, I WAS FUCKING SOBBING. It was about then that I realized that we were post-op, and it was all over. I overheard a nurse saying they should wait until I calmed down before letting my mom see me, which I would have argued had I not been busy trying to stop freaking out. I sat up, but couldn't really focus. It was actually kind of annoying, me sitting there sobbing with them in the same room trying to simultaneously ignore me and wait out my crying jag.

I guess I outcried their patience, because they finally brought my mom in anyway, explaining that "Sometimes people, girls especially, have emotional reactions to the anesthesia." Which is cool and all, but how nice would it have been if they had warned me beforehand that it was totally possible (and normal) for me to cry after? I sure as hell wouldn't have been as upset if I had just known what was going on.

My mom looked pretty upset too, but they suggested she go get the car ready and waiting by the doors downstairs so the nurse could wheel me out. Let me tell you, that was probably the most awkward elevator ride of my whole life. It was very obvious that none of the nurses really knew what to do with me and couldn't figure out why I hadn't stopped crying, so it was just sort of quiet in the elevator. Besides my occasional sobs.

Anyway, the crying part didn't stop until I got home...after a few hours. I was sort of in and out of consciousness, numb and nauseous, thanks to el vicodin. Apparently I, much like my mom, do NOT react well to hydrocodone and so had to take anti-nausea pills along with it to prevent myself from vomiting. At least it also made me sleep?

So that's basically it. All in all, I guess it could have been worse. I've been lounging around the house, bored out of my skull, with a dull pain on one side of my face. thank god for MTV and milkshakes! I think I'll go take a bubble bath.

don't i look pleased?

hey, guess which cheek it is! I'm rather proud, it's pretty hard to tell.

Will came over yesterday, which was a nice break from the monotony. only problem was: he effing cracked me up! which made my jaw hurt. but i just used more meds and ice and i was fine in no time. he also made me a super tasty milkshake, "with love."

oh and the bubble bath was lovely, thanks for asking.

update: today, sunday, i ate real (non-liquid) food for the first time!! it was tasty chef boyardee. and one of the stitches sort of half came out, so it feels like a hair tickling the roof of my mouth, constantly. boy i cant wait till it just dissolves already...

More later, maybe.

You all knew it was coming...

2008-11-15T05:47:00.050-06:00

Just in case the department stores and TV haven't reminded you, Christmas is only a month away. Thirty-six days from this post, to be exact. And we all know how much I love making lists. This is the one time a year I'm joined, supported, and encouraged, even, in my [wish]listmaking addiction. So, Santa, if you're out there...here's this year's

Christmas List:

oh and btw, the things i received have been retroactively marked in all red.

• MONEY or gift cards work too (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Gap, Victoria's Secret...)

• In honor of my new school, UT gear!

• This lumberjack-ette necklace:

• A pet hedgehog (they are SO CUTE)!

• One of two ADORABLE aprons from Carolyn's Kitchen:

The Dorothy apron or the Marilyn apron/bandeau set, both of which are cutest in red :)

• Down With Love and Thank You For Smoking (I used to own both, the really nice cardboard box sets, but somehow during my first year at college, they disappeared)

• Pretty cupcake wrappers!

• This supercute UO scarf shirt

• The sweetest, softest robe ever from Bath and Body Works

• One (or both) of these cardio mixes, for working out:

hits remixed 9, booty bump

• Any of the things on my Fredflare wishlist

(View A Friend’s Wishlist: betsyblackard@gmail.com)

• Anything from my Perpetual Kid wishlist, which even lists how badly I want each item

• Even any of the things on my Victoria's Secret wishlist

• The complete discographies of the following artists:

Girl Talk

Rilo Kiley

Chris Brown

Eminem

Ludacris

Rihanna

Kanye West

Eminem

Justin Timberlake (solo career)

Jay-Z

Lupe Fiasco

Vanessa Carlton (minus harmonium)

Duffy

Kina Grannis

Beyoncé

• The complete first season of Flight of the Conchords

• All four seasons of The OC on DVD

• Basically anything Marc by Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, or PINK

• JK Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard

• The world's most awesome sofa/bed/whatever

• The Prince Caspian soundtrack. And Disney's Hercules soundtrack. Ooh, and the one for The Little Mermaid. OK, pretty much any Disney soundtrack...except Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, which I already have :)

• I think Trivial Pursuit would be an awesome game for my family. We usually pick one to obsess over each holiday, and this one has something for everybody!

• And finally...any or all of my Mills ladies to visit me in Texas! Please guys?

Whoooo

2008-11-13T17:43:00.003-06:00

I am in an AWESOME mood today. I have no idea why. I have tons hanging over my head, I'm crazy sleep deprived, and miss all of my best friends (non-Mills) like crazy. I should be freaking out, logically. But maybe its because of all the stress that I've finally cracked. I think I'm going to go to bed at like, 8pm tonight. No lie. Then wake up early and go DO something, take an adventure. I'll probably only be in the Bay Area for a short while longer, might as well take advantage of it, right?

Maybe I'll take the BART train as far south as it can go, get off, and explore! Who knows what's over there anyway? I'll bring a book and enjoy myself. Until nighttime, when we have plans to see The Dark Knight for like, $3 in Berkeley. Then heaps more to do this weekend -- Rae's swim meet, the A Cappella showcase in Berkeley, T's play. Not to mention my online course with a paper due on Sunday...better get going!

Generation O

2008-11-10T03:23:00.009-06:00

Lately, it seems, my blog has taken a ridiculously political turn. In that spirit, this will probably be the last one for a while, so bear with me. On election night, since I couldn't be with everyone I love, we were texting/chatting/calling like crazy. Here is a lovely sample of some of the awesome texts I received that day:

During the day:

Caitlin: "I'm cold, I have cramps, am depressed and only got 3 hours of sleep. A tiny man with no arms keeps staring at me and it creeps me out but dammit, i'm voting for Obama"

Ben: "He's going to be crowned the king of the universe in a matter of hours! That's the position he's running for isn't it?"

Alison: "If Obama really wins I am going to high five everything"

When the poll results started coming in:

Shannon: "Are you glued to the TV like I am? Nothing's better than beer and election night"

Colleen: "I'm drinking every time a state turns blue"

Lorin: "Dallas County went democrat!" (now THAT was a surprise)

When things started looking good for our man Barack:

Shannon: "Obamanation"

Shannon: "It's like...I have faith back in America"

Lorin: "Fuck yes!"

When he won:

Ben: "omg president Obama!"

Brett/Matt: "Yes...we can!"

Katie: "we won"

Little Ben: "Smiley face to the max"

Little Ben: "President Obama sounds like change"

Colleen: "Yes we can! Ahhh we won!"

Lorin: "Yes!!!"

The Barack Campaign: "We just made history. All of this happened because you gave your time, talent and passion to this campaign. All of this happened because of you. Thanks, Barack"

And the next day:

Shannon: "There's an Obama dance party going on in my school. Cardboard cutouts and techno music"

Alison: "I can't focus at all today. President Obama is my new god"

And some random facts I learned that night:

-This was the highest voter turnout since women got the vote in 1920

-Also the highest youth voter turnout since the voting age was lowered to 18, in 1971

-A record-setting 70 million-plus viewers watched the news for election returns Tuesday night

-Obama is the first democrat to take Virginia in 44 years (and is coincidentally the 44th prez)

-Obama is the first Senator to be elected president since JFK

-Obama is the first democrat to receive more than 50% of the vote since Jimmy Carter

-Obama is the first minority president in any of the first-world countries

whew. what a great day.

Something I realized

2008-11-05T21:38:00.008-06:00

This was the very first presidential election I was old enough to vote in. It was so exciting being able to cast that vote for a man I knew would be an historic president, for more reasons than just his skin color. I can't wait to tell my kids and grandkids that I voted for him, and what election night was like.

I think the best, and most unexpected, outcome of this election for me has been the role it served in my view of myself. For the first time in a long time, I am proud to say that I am American.

For little less than half of my life, patriotism and pride in my country had been equated to mindless support of an incompetent leader and a pointless war. The Bush administration had commandeered these things to the point that when I saw red, white, and blue, or heard someone extolling the virtues of our country, I felt not pride, but shame. I didn't feel like I was a part of America, the America we had become. I felt like an unsupportive, unpatriotic outsider in my own country.

Then, during the election process, Obama changed all of that. What I realized last night is that throughout this election, he had been talking of justice and equality, and patriotism. And I was able to stand behind the things he said in support of not only him, but the values my country was truly founded on. I could call myself a patriot, and it no longer meant that I supported everything my country did just because my country did it. Suddenly, fighting the status quo became American, and I was able once more to identify with, and have pride in, the country where I was born and raised.

I am American, and I love my country.

And the 44th President is...

2008-11-04T22:32:00.014-06:00

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!

Ahhhh! This is probably one of the greatest days of my life, so far. I cannot wait to tell my kids, and grandkids, that I voted for Barack Obama. And he became president of the United States of America.

I am watching the results in the student center with plenty of other Mills Women, and for the first time in 44 years, a democrat just took Virginia. Which meant that as soon as California went to Obama, which was a sure thing, we had enough electoral votes for Obama to be the next president! The whole room counted down together as the western coast polls closed and...

I want to remember this forever: Allie was sitting in front of me. Alysson right next to me. CNN on the screen, "BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT--CNN Projected Results."

The room went crazy. Alysson and I looked at each other, and then I jumped up to hug Allie. It was in the bag! Not long after, McCain made his concession speech, with much booing from the conservative crowd at any congratulations to Obama or mentions of he or Biden's qualifications. Then again, I can't say with confidence that the liberal crowd would have been any better had we lost...again.

I still keep getting the shivers. I can't believe it--we won! we did it! Yes, we did!

Now I'm just waiting for Obama's speech. I know it will be legendary...

P.S. For a full transcript of Obama's victory speech in Grant Park, click here.

"In the unlikely story that is America,"

2008-11-04T17:30:00.006-06:00

"...there has never been anything false about our hope."

Today, Nov. 4, 2008, is election day in the United States of America. The air at my very liberal, all-women's college is thick with anticipation and nerves. I know people who are cutting class today to hold up signs about California's Proposition 8 (No on prop 8--equal marriage rights for all!) and people whose classes are canceled because even the professor knows she won't be able to handle a lecture on this most historic of evenings. I voted last week, and could not have been more excited.

No matter what people are doing today, all across the nation there is a widespread feeling of anticipation, apprehension. I'm biting my nails and listening to the will.i.am "Yes, We Can" song on repeat. So today, while the world holds its breath, I just keep remembering these words:

we are not as divided as our politics suggest.
we are one people
we are one nation
and together, we will begin the next great chapter of the american story
with 3 words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea:

yes, we can.

♥

Joe Plumber--The New Joe Six-Pack?

2008-10-16T00:45:00.008-05:00

I just have to say, during the final presidential debate '08, McCain got Obaminated!

Obama was perfect! My favorite part was when McCain was like, "Blah blah whine, your economic policy is going to hurt our friend Joe the Plumber" and Obama goes, "Here's your fine, Joe--Zero." McCain, an incredulous look on his face, can only splutter, "ZERO?" He then proceeded to sit there, looking stunned and uninformed, for at least thirty seconds, while Obama schooled him on his own bad economic plan.
I loved that Schieffer's questions were mostly, "How is your economic policy better?" and "Are you confident in your running mate's ability to be president?"

As my friend Allie put it: "Barack--you're awesome. Discuss."
And he handled everything beautifully. While McCain tried to dance around and ignore every question he didn't like, the only question Obama "evaded" was the mudslinging one, but only to say that the accusations weren't the important issues. He's right, of course.

McCain, on the other hand, had some trouble. It seems he tries to use whatever catchphrase he can come up with, whether its Obama's campaign's or his own, to his advantage. He talked about bringing the change we need (I thought change was Obama's thing?) and not wanting to spread the wealth. Wait a minute, what's wrong with spreading the wealth? Isn't sharing one of the first things you learn in kindergarden?
As soon as he talked about how Autism was especially close to Palin's heart, everyone I was watching with looked around at each other, like, "Wait...doesn't baby Trig have DOWN'S SYNDROME?" Big difference, McCain. And also, thanks for calling all us pro-choicers "pro-abortion," RIGHT AFTER OBAMA SAID, "Noone is 'pro-abortion'." 'cause everyone knows, if you're pro-choice, you support killing babies.

Even better was the opinion tracker of undecided Ohio residents. Like, at the beginning, they were mostly the same with little noticeable variation. But by the last 30 minutes, every time Obama talked they shot up, and every time McCain talked they plunged. Except when he talked about Palin, and the men's still stayed medium-positive. hmmm...

Some of my favorite quotes from tonight (See if you can guess who said what):

"Typically what's happened is there's been a debate between more money or reform. I think we need both."

"Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago."

"If I occasionally have mistaken your policies for George Bush's policies, it's because on the core economic issues that matter to the American people — on tax policy, on energy policy, on spending priorities — you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush. We need to move in a new direction."

"Congressman John Lewis, an American hero, made allegations that Sarah Palin and I were somehow associated with the worst chapter in American history, segregation, deaths of children in church bombings, George Wallace. That, to me, was so hurtful. And, Senator Obama, you didn't repudiate those remarks. Every time there's been an out-of-bounds remark made by a Republican, no matter where they are, I have repudiated them. I hope that Senator Obama will repudiate those remarks that were made by Congressman John Lewis, very unfair and totally inappropriate."
"I mean, look, if we want to talk about Congressman Lewis, who is an American hero, he, unprompted by my campaign, without my campaign's awareness, made a statement that he was troubled with what he was hearing at some of the rallies that your running mate was holding, in which all the Republican reports indicated were shouting, when my name came up, things like 'terrorist' and 'kill him,' and that your running mate didn't mention, didn't stop, didn't say 'Hold on a second, that's kind of out of line.'"

"...I don't mind being attacked for the next three weeks. What the American people can't afford, though, is four more years of failed economic policies. And what they deserve over the next four weeks is that we talk about what's most pressing to them: the economic crisis.
Senator McCain's own campaign said publicly last week that, 'If we keep on talking about the economic crisis, we lose, so we need to change the subject.'
And I would love to see the next three weeks devoted to talking about the economy, devoted to talking about health care, devoted to talking about energy, and figuring out how the American people can send their kids to college. And that is something that I would welcome. But it requires, I think, a recognition that politics as usual, as been practiced over the last several years, is not solving the big problems here in America."

And finally...

"I think the fact that [attacking me] has become such an important part of your campaign, Senator McCain, says more about your campaign than it says about me."

I think the winner tonight is clear.

Look at the peanut butter!

2008-10-14T22:47:00.005-05:00

An interesting link my cousin emailed me today. It might surprise you...

Obamanos!

2008-10-08T03:03:00.013-05:00

Senator Obama is SUCH a boss.

brothers from another mother

Could he BE more OG?

The poster I would have on my door/window, if I knew where to get one

You know what to do...

"God, I hope you have at least five friends."

2008-10-02T17:12:00.003-05:00

Need I say more?

Seriously. Seriously? Seriously.

2008-10-01T01:06:00.008-05:00

So we all know that Oakland, CA is not the safest town around. Because of this, my private women's college sequestered away in the heart of the überghetto provides us ladies with free transportation to a BART station (for those of you not from NorCal, it's like the subway of the bay area) and to Berkeley. Today, just to de-stress, a friend and I planned a fun little excursion into Berkeley to watch a movie.

Now, the route the shuttle takes and the BART station it stops at are chosen specifically for their safeness. This is why today's surprise attack was so shocking, since it happened in Rockridge, a nicer, more affluent Oakland neighborhood. Let me explain:

The shuttle was driving along a side street near College Ave when suddenly there was a loud, violent, jarring noise, like a giant balloon popping. At first I thought the sound came from my friend, who was seated next to me by the window. I looked over and was shocked to see that the entire window was cracked into a bajillion pieces stretching outward from a small hole:

It was about this time that my friend and I realized that we were covered in tiny pieces of glass, especially her. Someone, I believe it was the driver, asked, "What happened?" Overcoming the immediate shock, my friend looked down at her lap to find a small rock. "I think it was this rock, somebody must have thrown it..."

The driver pulled up to the bus stop and got out to examine from the outside while we relocated and dusted each other off, both feeling very fortunate that the entire window didn't crash down on us. We spent the rest of the ride in the front, away from the back row which still had glass shards all over it. A friend of ours got on the shuttle to take it back to campus, and reported that halfway home, a big section of glass fell out.

So much for our relaxing evening excursion...while we both knew that everything was fine, we were both more shaken than we expected. What we realized was that for the rock to have not just hit the window, but gone all the way through, it had to have been thrown with a great deal of force. I guess we'll never know why or how it happened. At least the movie was cute and we had a nice time for the rest of the evening.

But seriously, who throws a rock at the shuttle for a women's college? In Rockridge? Seriously?

Hip-Hopolitics

2008-09-28T20:37:00.005-05:00

So everyone knows about my affinity for the hip hop culture. As a neophyte in the world of involved politics (read: I can finally vote), this has also become something that captures my attention. So what does Mr. John M. Chu do for me? Combine the two! If I had the time or the motivation, I'd totally compete. As it is, I plan to just sit back, relax, and watch both worlds unfold from my deskchair.

barack on bitches!

I think I'll name him Rocky.

2008-08-30T21:58:00.011-05:00

"With their bandit's mask and ringed tail, raccoons (Procyon lotor) are one of North America's most charismatic and recognizable species—even if they are not frequently seen due to their nocturnal habits."

- The Humane Society

Since returning to Mills College, and getting settled in my new room, I have discovered that my bedroom window, when the screen is removed, is a much faster and easier way to enter/exit the building than either of the two doors I could (should?) use, which are two flights up or down stairs. It's ground level, with a little concrete alleyway that leads to one of the main roads on campus. Soooo in that respect, I have permanently removed the screen, and am storing it in my closet for the duration of the semester.

Wellll...it's been rather hot here lately, and as NorCal has apparently never heard of A/C, we have to resort to open windows. This is kind of inconvenient without a screen, but I've learned to deal. Two nights ago, I was on the phone when I heard a rustling noise, like someone walking through the alleyway. It took me a second to realize that it's not exactly normal to have night walkers past my window, which is out of the way of any normal destination on campus.

That is, unless you're a RACCOON! My visitor shuffled up and stopped right outside my window.
(there's no raccoon here, it's just to give you an idea what my window looks like)
He sat on his haunches and just stared at me, not breaking eye contact. Mind you, it was open, and screenless. Nevermind that the open part is about three feet above the ground from the outside, I was taking no chances that this bandit leap into my room and scratch me to death or bite me with his rabid fangs.

So I did what any logical 19-year-old girl alone at night would do...I started screeching. I can only assume he was less than impressed with my pathetic reaction since he ambled off shortly thereafter.

It was at this point when I thought to myself, "What have I done?" and began to desperately scramble for my camera to document this night visitor.
(you can almost see him just after the shadow starts)
Sadly, the wall outside caught the flash when I flung my arm out the window, so I made the executive decision to hop out of my window, shoeless, in hot pursuit.

Raccoons are much faster than they look.

I chased him until he ran off up a hill, at which point I had to stop and assess the situation. I decided continuing without shoes in uncharted, unpaved territory was a mal decision and so returned to my room.
(he's just to the right of that green bush thing)
HOWEVER. I put an apple outside my window, sliced in half, and have been monitoring it. It is thus far unmolested save the few ants that discovered it earlier today. But I have hopes that my masked bandit will return.

***update***

9/1/08

I put some PB&J breadcrusts out there, and they are definitely gone. The apple, however, remains. Guess raccoons (or birds or feral cats or whatever else) are partial to bread...

9/20/08

I've since tried: oyster crackers, cheese, an ice cream cone, and salami. Either the cats or the raccoon LOVE the oyster crackers and salami, and cheese. No one seems to like fruit, as the apple disappeared eventually but it sure took a while. What shall I try next?

Mon anniversaire

2008-08-24T16:01:00.015-05:00

This is going to be a blog dedicated to things I notice, think about, care about, and generally feel like telling someone about. So for this entry, I picked one that fits all four...my birthday!

I will be turning twenty years old in a month...which is SO NOT OKAY with me. If I could, I think I'd be sixteen forever. Or maybe eighteen. Eighteen was a good year. Anyway, since I have to face the inevitable, I might as well get presents for it. Thank god for the person who invented that tradition. Probably a woman.

So, without further ado, my birthday wishlist for 2008:

(the items I REALLY wanted are in purple, and the things I received are ~~crossed out~~)

1. World Peace (a girl can dream, can't she?)

2. ~~Obama as president~~ (yes, we ~~can~~ did!)

3. My 12-year-old metabolism back (haha...riiiight)

4. ~~Some~~ ~~old man moccasin slippers from L.L. Bean~~(My friend had them at college last year, I stole them whenever possible. now that I have a pair, I LOVE THEM!! Thanks, AR)

5. A family cruise

6. Gaspard Ulliel, Adam Brody, or JRM as a boyfriend

7. ~~To visit my sister at her college in the fall, preferably for halloween~~ (The visit kicked ass)

8. Complete eradication of the state of New Mexico (excluding Las Cruces), and for the chasm to magically close up and smush together making TX and AZ closer together

9. ~~A Unicorn Vs. Narwhal Playset~~ (No, really)(Thanks colleen!)

10. Down With Love and Thank You For Smoking (I used to own both, but somehow during my first year at college, they disappeared)

11. Anything (everything?) from my Urban Outfitters wishlist*

12. Ditto my Fred Flare wishlist*

13. Annnnd my perpetual kid wishlist*

14. Unlimited airfare to to Phoenix, AZ from wherever I am

15. While I'm dreaming, a vacation home in Fiji, one in Corsica, and one in Ireland.

16. How about the ability to speak and understand and write fluently in every language worldwide? Pretty awesome.

17. ~~Night Ripper CD by Girl Talk~~

18. Unlimited funds on iTunes

19. Hell, unlimited funds for life (any money, really, will do)

20. The complete discographies of the following artists:

Rilo Kiley
Chris Brown
Eminem
Ludacris
Girl Talk
Kanye West
Eminem
Justin Timberlake (solo career)
Jay-z
Lupe Fiasco
Regina Spektor
Vanessa Carlton
Duffy
Kina Grannis
Others i'll think of later

21. ~~Every season of Flight of the Conchords that is available on DVD~~

22. All four seasons of the OC on DVD

23. (almost) anything from Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, Juicy, or Pink! by VS

24. A cool accent

25. My bffl to visit me on my bday :)

26. British humor books

27. The Prince Caspian soundtrack

28. JK Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard

29. Disney's Hercules soundtrack. OK, pretty much any Disney soundtrack...except Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, which I already have :)

30. The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss By Claire Nouvian, which is also mentioned in my post about awesome marine animals

more to come as they occur to me...

*note: idk if you'll be able to see the wishlists, i can, but i mean, they are on my account. if you really wanna buy me something (please?) just let me know if you're having difficulties and believe me, i'll be as helpful as possible :]

White Chocolate

2008-08-01T00:14:00.003-05:00

I love hip hop culture. It really is a culture, too, with its own dance, art, music, and language (breaking, graffiti, hip-hop/rap, and ebonics, respectively). Honestly, and all of my friends can vouch for me on this (I say it enough), I wish I was black. I guess I decided early on that the African-American culture was "cool," and I just never quite let go. There's something about the way they can take anything, anything, and make it cool. Like grills. Or pimp cups. I mean, really people? A "pimp cup?" It's so...adaptive. versatile. creative. And people just accept it, and move on. It's also one of the few cultures I've seen in contemporary America where guys who can dance are seen as MORE manly, instead of the opposite. And I mean, there is an entire field of study on African-American Vernacular English, or Ebonics. Yep. Needless to say, I'm in awe. And more than a little jealous.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a terrible dancer, but I just know that if I had African roots, I'd be wayy better. I honestly believe they have a natural rhythm the rest of us were born without. And then being raised in the culture only augments this ability. Plus, if I were black, i'd have an excuse for my oversized backside. That's all I'm saying. That, and...watch these videos. The people in them aren't all black, it doesn't really tie in that much, but I mean, just look at them! Amazing.

These are from the ACDC (Adam Chu Dance Crew) side of an epic YouTube battle I've been following, between the choreographer and cast from Step Up 2 The Streets and Miley Cyrus and her friend Mandy (of The Miley and Mandy Show). I'm totally on the ACDC side...sorry, M&M Cru. They're just a lot more street, and I prefer that to your super-choreographed (however skillfully executed) routines.

ACDC's challenge

M&M Cru's response

ACDC's domination

Food Clues

2008-07-18T16:53:00.007-05:00

I got this list in an email from my mom. She headed it, “I love connections like this!” And I have to agree, so do I. Maybe I’ll have to rethink my contempt for avocados.

Mother Nature left us great clues as to what foods help what part of our body!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopene and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

something to think about...

A little summer poetry

2008-07-17T23:15:00.007-05:00

About a week ago, I was seriously enjoying a white flesh peach outside, in my backyard, dripping all over, and I felt...inspired. There's something about eating a peach that always makes me feel poetic. They're soft and fleshy, sweet and summery, and somehow, sort of sexy, in a way. After finishing probably the most delicious peach I've ever eaten (seriously, it was like, dissolving in my mouth) I sat down at my computer, dug up my system's pathetic excuse for a word processing program, and here's what resulted:

summer peach

plump, juicy orb

the essence of summer

bursting out of soft white flesh.

flesh, such a perfect word to describe

the way it feels on my tongue

torn apart by my teeth.

it seems so barbaric

ripping it away in shreds

to divulge the secret

the soft, sweet insides

that drip down my chin.

even my hands can't escape

as the renegade liquid

streaks down my arms

droplets racing to my elbows

leaving tracks behind

that reveal my addiction

to these plump, juicy orbs

of summer.

the dripping season

summer is the time

for being outside

because cleanup there is easiest.

popsicles, as they melt down the stick and onto your hand

drip onto the concrete

where they mix together

a corn syrup tie dye

washed away by droplets

from the sprinkler.

watermelon, that celebrity of summer

a guilt-free candy

that satisfies the sweet tooth

and your mother,

as long as you eat it outside

in the grass

bare feet mingling with the juice as it drips

and the seeds, fertility droplets

wanton capsules in a celibate garden.

even people can't help but drip

as they swim and sweat

ways to beat the heat

that make your skin wet

hair, thick and clumpy,

cool ropes that drip down your front

and back

keeping you damp

long after the rest of you has dried off.

finally, that drama queen

queen of everything, really

mother nature

has to participate

louder, stronger, and most forceful

are her summer storms

her clouds do not simply drip, no

these cumulonimbus champions

crash and flash, their torrential downpour

beating us all

in this inevitable summer endeavor.