As I sit here in this salon chair having an entire summer's worth of chlorine removed from my hair (this is apparently a 20 minute process), I'm realizing how little summer I have left. It's the last day of August, I only have 2 daily blogs after today, and I'm super close to returning to school for Pippin tech and meeting freshmen.
First of all, it's super weird to see my younger friends going to college for the first time or going through the process of applying for college. University was an end for so many years, so to be in the middle of my four years is a profound shift. I'm in such a different life place than I was a year ago; perhaps that's why I'm actually considering fringe.
I guess I'm dwelling on the transitory nature of my life a lot, but with all the impermanence and the whirlwind pace, it's hard not to. So, sorry for not being sorry that I'm boring you with my psychological/developmental braindump. Writing helps me sort things out, and this is the forum I'm motivated to write in. However, I do find it interesting that I can analyze what I'm going through as I go through it. I hope it's making me a more thoughtful and less neurotic person.
Ugh. It's only been 12 minutes. What is even on my hair right now?
It strikes me that I got every piece of my outfit this summer, but that's kind of the only time of year that I shop. With the exception of the footwear, everything was chosen with the voice in the back of my head reminding me that I'm nearly 20 years old. That's the completion of my second decade of life! The birthday is still a number of months away, but I think I'm ready to leave teendom behind. It doesn't make much sense to be in the same social group as 7th graders anymore (those are the 13-year-olds).
Ok. 4 minutes left. I'm going to look through a trashy magazine now. I'll finish this post after the haircut.
That took a really long time, but I like my new haircut! It's a little bit shorter, it's styled, and I now have some fringe that is as long as all of my hair when my hair is short. I like it :) They styled it curly for me, and now, despite my fear of curling irons, I'm considering getting one. Don't know if I'll follow through, but it's a thought.
Well, today is awesome because I have a successful new style and I'm spending the night with friends.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
BEDA 28: On the James Bond Wannabe, Shopping, and Saying Goodbye
One very important part of my zoo day yesterday was that we drove past a James Bond wannabe. It was a man in an Aston Martin convertible wearing a suit and smoking a big fat cigar. The only thing is, he had a comb-over. It was puzzling, but it was also the first time I'd seen a real Aston Martin, and it was cool.
I went shopping with my friend Katie today. It was really fun!! The thing is, I spend so much time doing activities that I never really take the time to stop and take a relaxed day to be a girl. As much as I hate being a stereotype, I enjoy doing this from time to time. I ended up finding a really cute dress that looks like a skirt and top (it has pockets and goes well with my sparkly purple sneakers), and the most adorable socks ever that have koalas and owls on them (still in zoo mode a little bit).
I've got 6 days left at home and 10 days until I go back to school (4 days of traveling with the family). I know that I belong at college; it's where my life is currently centered and it's my job to do well there. I have friends, a home (dorm, but close enough), things to do, and places to be. HOWEVER, every time I come back to where I grew up it's so amazing to see all the people who have shaped the adult I am becoming (both mentors and peers) and get to spend time with people who have known and cared about me for a long time. The fact is, I care about them, too, and I love spending time with the people at home in the places unique to being home.
Every time I have to say goodbye to someone it is so difficult. They are the reason it's good to come back, and having to go through the act of leaving again and again is hard. It adds a twinge of guilt and sadness for being excited to go to school, but not in a way that stops me. I do keep in touch (and this year I resolve to be better about it), and the internet never lets us be too far apart. I've just been sad about saying goodbyes in the last few weeks, and wanted to blog about it.
Today is awesome because of shopping with Katie, Tae Kwon Do, and the beautiful sunny weather.
I went shopping with my friend Katie today. It was really fun!! The thing is, I spend so much time doing activities that I never really take the time to stop and take a relaxed day to be a girl. As much as I hate being a stereotype, I enjoy doing this from time to time. I ended up finding a really cute dress that looks like a skirt and top (it has pockets and goes well with my sparkly purple sneakers), and the most adorable socks ever that have koalas and owls on them (still in zoo mode a little bit).
I've got 6 days left at home and 10 days until I go back to school (4 days of traveling with the family). I know that I belong at college; it's where my life is currently centered and it's my job to do well there. I have friends, a home (dorm, but close enough), things to do, and places to be. HOWEVER, every time I come back to where I grew up it's so amazing to see all the people who have shaped the adult I am becoming (both mentors and peers) and get to spend time with people who have known and cared about me for a long time. The fact is, I care about them, too, and I love spending time with the people at home in the places unique to being home.
Every time I have to say goodbye to someone it is so difficult. They are the reason it's good to come back, and having to go through the act of leaving again and again is hard. It adds a twinge of guilt and sadness for being excited to go to school, but not in a way that stops me. I do keep in touch (and this year I resolve to be better about it), and the internet never lets us be too far apart. I've just been sad about saying goodbyes in the last few weeks, and wanted to blog about it.
Today is awesome because of shopping with Katie, Tae Kwon Do, and the beautiful sunny weather.
Monday, August 29, 2011
I Fed a Giraffe Today!! (BEDA 27)
Today, I went to the zoo with my friend, Emma. It was really fun!!!
We got there around 10:15AM, and went straight to the new elephant exhibit. They had Willie, the male elephant, on one side and all the females in a separate enclosure. Nearby in the same exhibit, there were meerkats (whose babies are called "meerkat pups" not "meerkittens" as I had hoped) and a snake named Regis that we got to pet. He was squishy.
Next we walked over to the Australia exhibit to see the koala and tree kangaroo. They were so cute!!!! Emma and I found it very difficult not to reach over, put them in our bags, and make a swift exit. After Australia, we walked up a walkway to the Primate, Cats, and Aquatics area (if you couldn't tell, that means gorillas, cats, and fish, as the signpost so kindly told us).
Up there, we saw cheetahs which were very muscular and graceful outside, and then we went into the PCA building. We started with the fish. There were so many different kinds!!! They seemed to like Emma a lot. I decided that I liked the yellow spotted stingray and would enjoy a poster of them. They look so cool!!!!!!! There was a HUGE grouper in the tank with a few kinds of sharks and really neat tropical fish that had split tails.
The other side of the building had the primates and cats. The cats were black footed cats, and they were so tiny and adorable. They were sleeping and looked like a cross between a housecat and a cheetah.
The most remarkable primate was the Gibbon. It was bipedal and had such long arms. Watching it walk and climb was so cool. We also saw three different kinds of lemur, an elephant shrew, baboons that looked like Norweigan trolls, howler monkeys, and spider monkeys.
The squirrel monkeys were really cool. They were tiny and cute, and they were eating when we walked by. The one at the salad bowl was digging around for the bits he liked. It was like he was saying, "screw this lettuce, I want the bugs!"
After the PCA building, we picnicked, and then saw the gorillas. They were smelly and kind of sad looking. We then walked back down to the lower zoo and went to the giraffes. They were doing a training session, and we got to feed a giraffe named Grace. They were being classically conditioned to be near humans. I held out a piece of lettuce and Grace grabbed it with her tongue. It was such a special experience!!!
We continued the walk up to the wolves and bears. We saw the wolves and a bald eagle. I got a really good picture of the eagle! Then we saw reindeer, bactrian camels, a polar bear, and sea lions. On the way out, we stopped to see the rhino and zebra.
When deciding if we needed to see anything else, we stopped at the info desk. The guy told us that the baby grizzly bears were napping and the hippo has "retired." We couldn't tell if "retirement" was a euphemism for death, but it doesn't really matter because we couldn't see it either way.
I really like the zoo. It's fun to see animals that I can't see every day. It reminds me how amazing the world is and the importance of conservation (and not just because of the environmental propaganda throughout the zoo). It was a really great day.
Today is awesome because of spending time with Emma and feeding the giraffe at the zoo.
We got there around 10:15AM, and went straight to the new elephant exhibit. They had Willie, the male elephant, on one side and all the females in a separate enclosure. Nearby in the same exhibit, there were meerkats (whose babies are called "meerkat pups" not "meerkittens" as I had hoped) and a snake named Regis that we got to pet. He was squishy.
Next we walked over to the Australia exhibit to see the koala and tree kangaroo. They were so cute!!!! Emma and I found it very difficult not to reach over, put them in our bags, and make a swift exit. After Australia, we walked up a walkway to the Primate, Cats, and Aquatics area (if you couldn't tell, that means gorillas, cats, and fish, as the signpost so kindly told us).
Up there, we saw cheetahs which were very muscular and graceful outside, and then we went into the PCA building. We started with the fish. There were so many different kinds!!! They seemed to like Emma a lot. I decided that I liked the yellow spotted stingray and would enjoy a poster of them. They look so cool!!!!!!! There was a HUGE grouper in the tank with a few kinds of sharks and really neat tropical fish that had split tails.
The other side of the building had the primates and cats. The cats were black footed cats, and they were so tiny and adorable. They were sleeping and looked like a cross between a housecat and a cheetah.
The most remarkable primate was the Gibbon. It was bipedal and had such long arms. Watching it walk and climb was so cool. We also saw three different kinds of lemur, an elephant shrew, baboons that looked like Norweigan trolls, howler monkeys, and spider monkeys.
The squirrel monkeys were really cool. They were tiny and cute, and they were eating when we walked by. The one at the salad bowl was digging around for the bits he liked. It was like he was saying, "screw this lettuce, I want the bugs!"
After the PCA building, we picnicked, and then saw the gorillas. They were smelly and kind of sad looking. We then walked back down to the lower zoo and went to the giraffes. They were doing a training session, and we got to feed a giraffe named Grace. They were being classically conditioned to be near humans. I held out a piece of lettuce and Grace grabbed it with her tongue. It was such a special experience!!!
We continued the walk up to the wolves and bears. We saw the wolves and a bald eagle. I got a really good picture of the eagle! Then we saw reindeer, bactrian camels, a polar bear, and sea lions. On the way out, we stopped to see the rhino and zebra.
When deciding if we needed to see anything else, we stopped at the info desk. The guy told us that the baby grizzly bears were napping and the hippo has "retired." We couldn't tell if "retirement" was a euphemism for death, but it doesn't really matter because we couldn't see it either way.
I really like the zoo. It's fun to see animals that I can't see every day. It reminds me how amazing the world is and the importance of conservation (and not just because of the environmental propaganda throughout the zoo). It was a really great day.
Today is awesome because of spending time with Emma and feeding the giraffe at the zoo.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
BEDA 26: On Cleaning and Organizing
I really like to keep my spaces clean and organized. Everything has its place (but the drawers tend to be a mess), and I obsessively clorox and vacuum my room at school. I don't really know what makes me so compulsive, I just like for things to be put away. Some nights when I was younger, I would stay up late putting things away because I couldn't fall asleep with the mess. Yeah, it's weird, but it's also part of who I am.
Lately, we've been cleaning the house because we're moving. I hate packing. My room is the emptiest its been in my entire life, but the thought of having to pack up all the stuff that's put away in closets and drawers is making me really upset. I just don't want to do it. I'm avoiding it.
Today is awesome because of water chestnuts and fuzzy slippers.
Lately, we've been cleaning the house because we're moving. I hate packing. My room is the emptiest its been in my entire life, but the thought of having to pack up all the stuff that's put away in closets and drawers is making me really upset. I just don't want to do it. I'm avoiding it.
Today is awesome because of water chestnuts and fuzzy slippers.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
BEDA 25: A Recipe for 11th Doctor Sundaes
I am once again claiming Central Time for this blog. Deal with it; I had people over.
For my Doctor Who Season 6 Part 2 Premiere Party, I set up 11th Doctor Sundaes.
Ingredients:
Ice Cream
Gummy Fish
Gummy Sharks
Whipped Cream
Colored Sugar
So, the ice cream and the gummy fish represent fish fingers and custard. I put blue food coloring in the whipped cream and had blue sugar to represent the TARDIS (TARDIS-Blue). The sharks are a reference to Matt Smith's Christmas Special because there were sharks in it.
We also had rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips because they're awesome, but they have no connection to Doctor Who.
I really enjoyed the episode. I wish they had actually done something about Hitler rather than just punch him and shove him in a closet. I liked seeing River regenerate, and I liked seeing her go from Melody to River. It's a bit weird how all these characters fit together, but it's making me very excited for the rest of the season. I want them to find the baby, and not in 1938 Berlin as Amy's friend from growing up.
Today is awesome because of "Let's Kill Hitler," TARDIS-tacular whipped cream, and my juggling cousin.
For my Doctor Who Season 6 Part 2 Premiere Party, I set up 11th Doctor Sundaes.
Ingredients:
Ice Cream
Gummy Fish
Gummy Sharks
Whipped Cream
Colored Sugar
So, the ice cream and the gummy fish represent fish fingers and custard. I put blue food coloring in the whipped cream and had blue sugar to represent the TARDIS (TARDIS-Blue). The sharks are a reference to Matt Smith's Christmas Special because there were sharks in it.
We also had rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips because they're awesome, but they have no connection to Doctor Who.
I really enjoyed the episode. I wish they had actually done something about Hitler rather than just punch him and shove him in a closet. I liked seeing River regenerate, and I liked seeing her go from Melody to River. It's a bit weird how all these characters fit together, but it's making me very excited for the rest of the season. I want them to find the baby, and not in 1938 Berlin as Amy's friend from growing up.
Today is awesome because of "Let's Kill Hitler," TARDIS-tacular whipped cream, and my juggling cousin.
Friday, August 26, 2011
BEDA 24: On driving, reading, and purple
Yes, indeed I do use the Oxford Comma. It just looks better, and one of the rules for comma use is "at the writer's discretion," so deal with it.
Today I drove on the highway for the first time since a week before my driving test. It was such a non-thing that I feel kind of silly for avoiding it, but it's totally liberating to be able to get places that were previously inaccessible. This whole thing was spurred by the fact that I have to drive myself to the airport next week, but now I can do that, and go to the zoo, and go just about anywhere I want without having to take the long way or be driven. I'm very excited about this development.
This morning, I had a chunk of time to read. I'm currently reading So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld. After finishing Goliath I wanted to read his one series that I haven't read yet, but the library didn't have the first book, so I got this one instead. What I really like about Westerfeld's writing is that he is able to create a parallel world to ours that has an extremely unique perspective and vocabulary.
In this book, the protagonist, Hunter, is in the consumerism industry. He is what's called a "Trendsetter," and he looks for innovative styles (created by "Innovators") to make cool and mainstreamed. The novel is a mystery about the disappearance of Hunter's boss and the counterculture that is wreaking havoc on Hunter's life. Plus a teenage romance.
All in all, it's a fun summer read, and I have 58 pages left. The librarian also gave me a distopian novel and a sci-fi novel as well, so I will be doing plenty of reading.
Which brings me to one of my favorite subjects: purple. I already wrote an entire blog about this color, but I've really been noticing my affinity for spotting it. I call this borderline obsession "collecting purple," because I have accumulated a lot of purple things. For instance, I went shopping and got two purple sweaters and a purple dress. I have a purple backpack, I found a 10-year-old purple master lock, I identify my TKD practice knife with a stripe of purple duck tape, my pencil case is purple, I bought a pack of crayola markers in which half are shades of purple, my mouth guard and its case are purple, and, finally, I got a pair of purple shoes today. That is, they arrived today; I found them a week ago.
I never need another pair of shoes again. They're shimmery purple converse with metallic purple laces, white rubber with black accent, and silver metal on the holes for the laces. They are so me, so fun, and so awesome. To use Westerfeld's vocab from Uglies, they are happy-making. And I like being happy. It's just fun to smile every time I look at my feet.
Today is awesome because my driving limitations have been shattered, and I'm wearing the most obscenely purple, freaking awesome shoes!
Today I drove on the highway for the first time since a week before my driving test. It was such a non-thing that I feel kind of silly for avoiding it, but it's totally liberating to be able to get places that were previously inaccessible. This whole thing was spurred by the fact that I have to drive myself to the airport next week, but now I can do that, and go to the zoo, and go just about anywhere I want without having to take the long way or be driven. I'm very excited about this development.
This morning, I had a chunk of time to read. I'm currently reading So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld. After finishing Goliath I wanted to read his one series that I haven't read yet, but the library didn't have the first book, so I got this one instead. What I really like about Westerfeld's writing is that he is able to create a parallel world to ours that has an extremely unique perspective and vocabulary.
In this book, the protagonist, Hunter, is in the consumerism industry. He is what's called a "Trendsetter," and he looks for innovative styles (created by "Innovators") to make cool and mainstreamed. The novel is a mystery about the disappearance of Hunter's boss and the counterculture that is wreaking havoc on Hunter's life. Plus a teenage romance.
All in all, it's a fun summer read, and I have 58 pages left. The librarian also gave me a distopian novel and a sci-fi novel as well, so I will be doing plenty of reading.
Which brings me to one of my favorite subjects: purple. I already wrote an entire blog about this color, but I've really been noticing my affinity for spotting it. I call this borderline obsession "collecting purple," because I have accumulated a lot of purple things. For instance, I went shopping and got two purple sweaters and a purple dress. I have a purple backpack, I found a 10-year-old purple master lock, I identify my TKD practice knife with a stripe of purple duck tape, my pencil case is purple, I bought a pack of crayola markers in which half are shades of purple, my mouth guard and its case are purple, and, finally, I got a pair of purple shoes today. That is, they arrived today; I found them a week ago.
I never need another pair of shoes again. They're shimmery purple converse with metallic purple laces, white rubber with black accent, and silver metal on the holes for the laces. They are so me, so fun, and so awesome. To use Westerfeld's vocab from Uglies, they are happy-making. And I like being happy. It's just fun to smile every time I look at my feet.
Today is awesome because my driving limitations have been shattered, and I'm wearing the most obscenely purple, freaking awesome shoes!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
BEDA 23: It's been a big day
Today was very long, pretty strange, and kind of emotional.
I had to get up super early this morning because we had some stuff going on in the house for the second day in a row. I went to the pool at 7, and the stuff was going on until after 10:00.
I had lunch at 10:24 because I was super duper hungry, so the day was off to a super strange start.
I was supposed to run errands with my mom today, but two hours after lunch we still hadn't left, and I ended up going to my friend's house to say goodbye before she went back to school.
I had a really great time hanging out with her. Everything was totally chill, we just go to chat for a few hours/make cookie dough/say good bye with a million hugs.
After I left her house, I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get a case for an electronic device. It's padded, purple plaid, and super awesome!!!
After that errand, I went to the doctor with my mom, had an hour at home, and then went to Tae Kwon Do.
TKD tonight was like camping: intense. I spent the pre-class time learning more knife defense, and that was a really productive session. During class, I got to be a line captain, and it was fun to have that kind of leadership in such a large class. After class, it was fight night, so I got in a few good matches. I had one of my proudest sparring moments tonight: I landed a roundhouse kick to the head of one of the school's best sparrers. I work with him each month and always learn a lot, but this was a textbook shot that worked and it was really exciting. Later on, I found out that other people had seen it, which was really cool because witnesses mean it really happened. I did take a couple of head shots, so chewing at dinner was a little strained, but it's nothing that rest and Advil won't help.
So, long because I've been up for 14 hours so far and I'm not going to sleep yet; strange because of all the random things that happened; and emotional because I had to say goodbyes to friends who are going away again.
Today is awesome because of hanging with my friend, the purple case, and TKD.
I had to get up super early this morning because we had some stuff going on in the house for the second day in a row. I went to the pool at 7, and the stuff was going on until after 10:00.
I had lunch at 10:24 because I was super duper hungry, so the day was off to a super strange start.
I was supposed to run errands with my mom today, but two hours after lunch we still hadn't left, and I ended up going to my friend's house to say goodbye before she went back to school.
I had a really great time hanging out with her. Everything was totally chill, we just go to chat for a few hours/make cookie dough/say good bye with a million hugs.
After I left her house, I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get a case for an electronic device. It's padded, purple plaid, and super awesome!!!
After that errand, I went to the doctor with my mom, had an hour at home, and then went to Tae Kwon Do.
TKD tonight was like camping: intense. I spent the pre-class time learning more knife defense, and that was a really productive session. During class, I got to be a line captain, and it was fun to have that kind of leadership in such a large class. After class, it was fight night, so I got in a few good matches. I had one of my proudest sparring moments tonight: I landed a roundhouse kick to the head of one of the school's best sparrers. I work with him each month and always learn a lot, but this was a textbook shot that worked and it was really exciting. Later on, I found out that other people had seen it, which was really cool because witnesses mean it really happened. I did take a couple of head shots, so chewing at dinner was a little strained, but it's nothing that rest and Advil won't help.
So, long because I've been up for 14 hours so far and I'm not going to sleep yet; strange because of all the random things that happened; and emotional because I had to say goodbyes to friends who are going away again.
Today is awesome because of hanging with my friend, the purple case, and TKD.
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