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and i will post a comprehensive post with life stuff later.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
a BEAUTIFUL day
This week started out pretty shitty, but it shaped up today. It was payday, there was sunshine and warm breezes and fully bloomed cherry trees, I found out that I'm doing well in all my classes and that I don't have to worry about my financial aid for next year, I did a little farming with Clara and Talia, and I made myself a delicious dinner. Currently nomming pasta with sauteed asparagus and parmesan, as well as copious amounts of pepper and salt, with a cup of earl grey tea with honey and lemon on the side. I'm going to see my dear boyfriend tonight, and Madeline, Clara, and I are going to look at our first house tomorrow, and another one on Saturday! Some other Senators and I are probably going shooting (guns!) for a friend's thesis (he's a psych major and a huge libertarian from Montana) on Saturday, and that night is the Alice in Zombieland party at Nick's place... We're going as the King and Queen of Hearts! I gotta work on that costume at some point. I'm also making eat me cookies! They might be people shaped.
Will post a photodump sometime later. Next week is actually going to be hell on earth- two 8 page papers due within 3 days, and Nick and I are probs breaking up.
Will post a photodump sometime later. Next week is actually going to be hell on earth- two 8 page papers due within 3 days, and Nick and I are probs breaking up.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Photo Dump 1.0
One of my goals for my 20th year is to take more pictures! So here are a few of the past month or so (some from before my birthday, but whatever).
1. My first attempt at a wardrobe photo, taken in my super bright downstairs bathroom. I have a full length mirror in my bedroom but it's tilted at a weird angle and I haven't figured out how to take a good picture of myself in it yet. Nor have I ever really sucessfully used my camera timer... I should probably try that out. And have my mom ship me my tripod. So yeah. Better wardrobe photos to come in the future, hopefully.
Glasses: Nicole Miller
Shirt: Forever 21
Wrist warmers: handmade by me
Circle scarf: handmade by the beautiful ABB
Rings: green amber on right hand, from Conway, Arkansas; amber on left hand, from Saturday Market here in Portland; sterling silver knot ring on left hand, from a vendor at a street fair in Winchester, MA
Camera: Nikon D40
2. I made this cake from Shutterbean's recipe here: www.shutterbean.com/orange-walnut-cake . It's frickin' delicious. The ground up walnuts give it an amazing buttery flavor. I highly recommend it!
1. My first attempt at a wardrobe photo, taken in my super bright downstairs bathroom. I have a full length mirror in my bedroom but it's tilted at a weird angle and I haven't figured out how to take a good picture of myself in it yet. Nor have I ever really sucessfully used my camera timer... I should probably try that out. And have my mom ship me my tripod. So yeah. Better wardrobe photos to come in the future, hopefully.
Glasses: Nicole Miller
Shirt: Forever 21
Wrist warmers: handmade by me
Circle scarf: handmade by the beautiful ABB
Rings: green amber on right hand, from Conway, Arkansas; amber on left hand, from Saturday Market here in Portland; sterling silver knot ring on left hand, from a vendor at a street fair in Winchester, MA
Camera: Nikon D40
2. I made this cake from Shutterbean's recipe here: www.shutterbean.com/orange-walnut-cake . It's frickin' delicious. The ground up walnuts give it an amazing buttery flavor. I highly recommend it!
Tablecloth: from the Bins (Goodwill Outlet center!!) here in PDX.
Vase: Brown Shugga (Laguinitas, I think?) beer bottle
3. This is my best friend Robert. He's been having a rough couple of weeks and has been shutting me out, and I really miss him (it's spring break so he's home in Alabama this week) sooo I thought I'd post this one just for fun. It's from October, a couple weeks after his birthday.
4. I made myself a birthday cake this year. It was loosely based on Martha Stewart's caramel cake and frosting recipe (which can be found on her website somewhere) and used a caramel syrup to flavor the cake and brown butter for the frosting. It was soo delicious, but my cake pans suck and no matter how much I lube 'em up, I usually wreck the structure of the cake when trying to get it out of the pan. This time was no different except that the cake TOTALLY crumbled. I ended up re-molding the top layer using two glass containers, and the cake kind of looked like a beehive/turd once frosted, but it didn't matter. I had about ten friends over the night of my birthday and we absolutely destroyed the cake in less than eight minutes.
5. This is the track around the sports fields at my school. Yeah, we're real big on athletics *snort*. This section runs parallel to SE Steele St. and it's the route I take to my boyfriend's house. I was on my way up there for a sushi dinner the day after my birthday, before my birthday party. I thought the lighting and the blue of the sky was incredibly beautiful.
6. OM NOM NOM SUSHI. One of Nick's housemates works at a sushi restaurant when she's home back east and made us the dankest sushi I've ever had. I requested the Philly roll, which is on the right of the platter. Nick requested the 'My Angel' which is the one covered in goo in the back left of the platter. I also rediscovered my love for wasabi this night. I want to buy wasabi powder and just eat plain rice with wasabi and soy sauce. The sake was also wicked dope.
7. More sushi night. These animal plates were leftover from Laura's birthday party. The buffalo is my favorite.
8. My good friend Talia brought me candied bacon for my birthday. It was delicious but mysteriously disappeared during my party.
9. Talia and Clara are the farm managers at our school and they bought me a bonsai tree for my birthday! I got so many gifts that day. Clara and Ingrid also made me the most amazing "20 things to do when you're 20" mobile that I will have to share a picture of at some point. But anyway, this bonsai rocks. There are little mermaids in it! And yes, this picture was taken on my bed, but it's the only surface that gets sunlight in the afternoon. The tree has since been moved to a space on my window sill.
10. Finally, I made this dope-ass cake for my friends who had midterms. I can't tell you why, but I had pretty much no work the last two weeks of the quarter. I do have a shit ton to do in the next couple weeks after spring break though, so I guess it's a fair trade. This cake was a chocolate cake from scratch (recipe involves coffee and lemon juice and is so yummy), with the leftover caramel syrup from my bday cake drizzled on, then a crumb layer of vanilla buttercream frosting, and then the top layer of leftover browned butter caramel frosting from my birthday cake. It sat in the fridge for a day before I served it so the glaze and frosting set really well and the cake retained its moisture.
So there ya have it, folks. My first photo post! More later.
SMC
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I love Portland...
but sometimes the rain really bums me out.
I had the cutest outfit planned for today: jean shorts with black tights underneath, my dark green chuck taylors, a burgundyish silk shirt from Target, and a black and white polka dot cardigan, but now it's started raining so I'm going to have to switch to boots, which totally changes the outfit. Plus I wear these goddamn boots everyday and was looking forward to switching it up! grrrrr
Pics later if my camera battery decides to charge!
I had the cutest outfit planned for today: jean shorts with black tights underneath, my dark green chuck taylors, a burgundyish silk shirt from Target, and a black and white polka dot cardigan, but now it's started raining so I'm going to have to switch to boots, which totally changes the outfit. Plus I wear these goddamn boots everyday and was looking forward to switching it up! grrrrr
Pics later if my camera battery decides to charge!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
20 things
I turned 20 on Friday, and I made a list of things I want to continue doing, start doing, change the way I'm currently doing, etc. Here is said list, along with parenthetical explanations.
1. Start a blog!
(I obsessively read mom blogs and I feel that if I do so much reading I should also do some writing. and this will help me be more introspective which is, I feel, necessary at this point in my life.)
2. Take more pictures
(I used to be really into photography, and really I still am, I just need to get back into the swing of it.)
3. Be better to my body.
(Like work out. And have a more varied and balanced diet... currently I eat mostly bananas, eggs, bacon, bread, cereal, and avocado. That's not much variety, or balance!)
4. Be better to my soul.
(I don't know how to explain this.)
5. Be better to my mind.
(Read and write more, smoke and watch TV less.)
6. Write for fun!
(I was working on 2 novels before I came to college and started doing the typical detrimental college-type activities and also had to read and write thousands and thousands of pages a year, I completely stopped writing non-academic stuff. Which is stupid, because I love to write.)
7. RUG
(Okay so... I started to make a braided rug last summer out of old T-shirts, and then I started getting into smaller, quicker crafts like sewing and knitting last semester and totally stopped working on my rug. But I'm going to start working on it again so that when we get a house it can be used!!!)
8. Be neater/cleaner.
(I am the messiest person ever. I am very lazy, and I really don't care about having clothes/trash/general effluvia all over the floor. My friends and boyfriend with OCD are upset by this, so I want to change my ways! Also I'm trying to make this year all about GOOD habits, not bad ones.)
9. Be more responsible about MONEY!!!
(I try hard to keep track of expenses, but always get lazy with it. It's really depressing to write down how many times in a month I buy chips and tootsie pops and Odwalla juices from the school bookstore when I should be spending that shit on apples and meat and stuff that is not overpriced or unhealthy.)
10. Learn to cook more meals!
(I make a mean carbonara, and caesar salad, and macaroni and cheese; and I can bake almost anything in the whole wide world. But a girl can't live off of bacon and eggs and 3 random italian dishes her entire life.)
11. Do work more.
(I have productivity issues and as an undergraduate student at one of the most academically rigorous colleges in the world, I should really be doing more homework.)
12. Smoke less.
(Yeah, I go to college in Portland, OR. What do you think I do in my spare time?)
13. Be a more available friend.
(I am bad at talking about feelings, especially with other girls. Most of my close friends are guys because I can be rude and insensitive around them and not have to talk about my asshole boyfriend or my period or other stupid girl stuff. Also boys appreciate my skills and interests [baking, being maternal, sex, politics, baseball] a lot more than girls do. However, I do have female friends and I love them and I want to be better at being friends with them, especially the ones on the east coast that I never see anymore.)
14. Be a better daughter to my dad.
(My dad and I used to be super close, but I stopped respecting him for many different reasons when I was about 16, and since coming to college have more or less blown him off and really only talked to him when I visit home. I don't want to be an ungrateful daughter or make my dad's life anymore miserable than it already is, so I am hoping to change my behavior.)
15. Don't be afraid to make CHOICES.
(I am very indecisive. When I make a decision I like to be really really really sure and confident about it, and I hate to be wrong or mistaken in any way, and this means that I often avoid making difficult choices for as long as possible, which is no bueno.)
16. Stop settling.
(I need to start fighting for what I really want, and stop settling for what I already have/what's convenient.)
17. Plan to travel!
(I have only left the country once, when I went to Spain my junior year of high school. I'm fluent in Spanish and getting there in French, and I really want to be more worldly. Thus, I must start PLANNING for the future, after I graduate, so that I can actually take some trips!)
18. Discover new music.
(I have been listening to the same shit since high school. I gotta branch out.)
19. Set and achieve goals!
(OK!)
20. BE A GOOD ADULT.
(I don't know what this means, but I think, for now, these are some adjectives that get the gist of what I'm trying to say: honest, proud, healthy, responsible, just, respectable, and kind.)
So that's it for my first post. Probably pretty long in comparison to what I will be doing in the future, but a good start nonetheless. I will try to provide updates on how I think I'm doing on these 20 things, for reflective check-in type purposes.
SMC
(I obsessively read mom blogs and I feel that if I do so much reading I should also do some writing. and this will help me be more introspective which is, I feel, necessary at this point in my life.)
2. Take more pictures
(I used to be really into photography, and really I still am, I just need to get back into the swing of it.)
3. Be better to my body.
(Like work out. And have a more varied and balanced diet... currently I eat mostly bananas, eggs, bacon, bread, cereal, and avocado. That's not much variety, or balance!)
4. Be better to my soul.
(I don't know how to explain this.)
5. Be better to my mind.
(Read and write more, smoke and watch TV less.)
6. Write for fun!
(I was working on 2 novels before I came to college and started doing the typical detrimental college-type activities and also had to read and write thousands and thousands of pages a year, I completely stopped writing non-academic stuff. Which is stupid, because I love to write.)
7. RUG
(Okay so... I started to make a braided rug last summer out of old T-shirts, and then I started getting into smaller, quicker crafts like sewing and knitting last semester and totally stopped working on my rug. But I'm going to start working on it again so that when we get a house it can be used!!!)
8. Be neater/cleaner.
(I am the messiest person ever. I am very lazy, and I really don't care about having clothes/trash/general effluvia all over the floor. My friends and boyfriend with OCD are upset by this, so I want to change my ways! Also I'm trying to make this year all about GOOD habits, not bad ones.)
9. Be more responsible about MONEY!!!
(I try hard to keep track of expenses, but always get lazy with it. It's really depressing to write down how many times in a month I buy chips and tootsie pops and Odwalla juices from the school bookstore when I should be spending that shit on apples and meat and stuff that is not overpriced or unhealthy.)
10. Learn to cook more meals!
(I make a mean carbonara, and caesar salad, and macaroni and cheese; and I can bake almost anything in the whole wide world. But a girl can't live off of bacon and eggs and 3 random italian dishes her entire life.)
11. Do work more.
(I have productivity issues and as an undergraduate student at one of the most academically rigorous colleges in the world, I should really be doing more homework.)
12. Smoke less.
(Yeah, I go to college in Portland, OR. What do you think I do in my spare time?)
13. Be a more available friend.
(I am bad at talking about feelings, especially with other girls. Most of my close friends are guys because I can be rude and insensitive around them and not have to talk about my asshole boyfriend or my period or other stupid girl stuff. Also boys appreciate my skills and interests [baking, being maternal, sex, politics, baseball] a lot more than girls do. However, I do have female friends and I love them and I want to be better at being friends with them, especially the ones on the east coast that I never see anymore.)
14. Be a better daughter to my dad.
(My dad and I used to be super close, but I stopped respecting him for many different reasons when I was about 16, and since coming to college have more or less blown him off and really only talked to him when I visit home. I don't want to be an ungrateful daughter or make my dad's life anymore miserable than it already is, so I am hoping to change my behavior.)
15. Don't be afraid to make CHOICES.
(I am very indecisive. When I make a decision I like to be really really really sure and confident about it, and I hate to be wrong or mistaken in any way, and this means that I often avoid making difficult choices for as long as possible, which is no bueno.)
16. Stop settling.
(I need to start fighting for what I really want, and stop settling for what I already have/what's convenient.)
17. Plan to travel!
(I have only left the country once, when I went to Spain my junior year of high school. I'm fluent in Spanish and getting there in French, and I really want to be more worldly. Thus, I must start PLANNING for the future, after I graduate, so that I can actually take some trips!)
18. Discover new music.
(I have been listening to the same shit since high school. I gotta branch out.)
19. Set and achieve goals!
(OK!)
20. BE A GOOD ADULT.
(I don't know what this means, but I think, for now, these are some adjectives that get the gist of what I'm trying to say: honest, proud, healthy, responsible, just, respectable, and kind.)
So that's it for my first post. Probably pretty long in comparison to what I will be doing in the future, but a good start nonetheless. I will try to provide updates on how I think I'm doing on these 20 things, for reflective check-in type purposes.
SMC
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