She Wants to Be A Hippie

she wants to be a hippie
with her long brown hair
nomad ways and style with a flare
dancing around like she just ain't sure
she wants to be a hippie
and i wanna be her

(Prolly really boring) My Day In A Nutshell

Tuesdays rock. Today was overall quite a good day. I woke up (officially, that is, as in got out my bed...) a mere 40 minutes before class, less 10 minutes commute. Class was okay, nothing too exciting. Got out early, which was nice. Not long after I got home, I hit up the grocery store to buy fruit for my masterpiece: Fruit Pizza! Haha, next time, I think i'll try to be more artistic with it.

I took the dog for our usual walk, just a bit shorter than normal because I had to finish the pizza-prep. Small group was fun, Shayne came along! He's so darn cute, just love him! Small group was awesome, as usual. Stopped by to see Carrie briefly. Talked while sitting on my car, haha. Got home finally, and took the dog out for her night-potty-walk. I cleverly named them "potty-walks". Then, I talked on the phone with my mom for 45 minutes about everything and nothing. I miss her. I want a hug right now :(

So that is my day in a nutshell. Not all that exciting, and I have no clue why I just did this. I felt like it. So that's that. Happy Tuesday everybody!!

I am afraid of flying

I have been keeping my eye on flights, for Paris, finding out the best sites and dates to leave, trying to figure out what time I want to arrive and all that jazz. Every time I do it, I get really excited thinking about how I really want to go to Paris! It's really gonna happen (provided normandale gets me my freaking transcript EVER...).

Then, I'm searching flights, and I see the kind of planes I'd be flying on...757...I am really freaked out by planes. I can't wrap my head around something that big floating on wind. Totally psychs me out!! Haha, I am going to have to suffer though, for the sake of Paris.

J'ai peur des avions et je vais manquer ma chienne!

A Question I Cannot Answer

Why do stereotypes bother me so much? - I don't know. It's the notion that people think that people are all the same; that they're not individuals. Yet, I also hate being told I am the exception to the stereotype, even though it could well be put upon me, all the while it recklessly wages on "inspite of me". I guess I just hate stereotypes, which is rather hypocritical of me, because I know I can be found using them. They're not accurate. There's no way that a list of qualities (or flaws) can perfectly fit someone simply because of one aspect of their life.

It bothers me because if I find that a stereotype is cast on me, I try to live my life differently; I try to escape its wrath. I've never been one of those people that clings loudly to my uniqueness (or at least, I don't think so...), or tried outlandishly to be obviously different. I don't like that something like that gets to me. I don't like that the only way to escape them is for one to prove their self. I guess that is within our nature, (not to excuse it) that we expect people to prove themselves. Yet no one likes someone who is constantly trying to prove their self. I hate being forced to prove myself, I've never liked it because I don't believe I have to prove anything to anyone. Having to prove one's self, means living up to someone else's expectations. Why should someone be forced to change to fit another's expectations? Particularly, when they are not involved in each other's lives, to a point that the person they are is not enough?

I don't like stereotypes (but who does, really...) because I feel like they trap people; they put them in a box. They make people out to be different than they are, without bothering to truly get to know them. They are a useless tool of fear because we as humans want things to be our way, and everyone to be like us...and yet we want to be different. We intend to constantly point out differences amongst people. We want to highlight how they are not like us, but then we are offended when the world notices that we are different. It is a constant, vicious cycle that if you stop to try to pull it apart, it's like untangling a tiny, delicate necklace.

Stereotypes enable fear and ignorance, because we do not bother to understand someone that is different from us. We do not believe in individuality, and yet we do so strongly.

So which do we say it is?

Paper Marathon

I would really enjoy a trip to the chiropractor. My back would really enjoy a trip to the chiropractor, but alas, I am too poor. I am but a lowly college student, sans job.

I am currently avoiding homework. Shocker! I do so much better under pressure when it comes to writing papers. It's the truth. With this though, I've been thinking about it for a while, which is good. It's the proposal for my final project, so although I haven't written the paper (1-2 pages) yet, I have been thinking about the project. I kind of work better that way, I guess. I prefer to do a paper all in one sitting, and then edit a bunch. I don't like to put my thoughts on hold to come back later. It's always failed me in the past; I'll come back and not have a clue what I was doing. I like marathoning it.

Off to do yet another!

Title-less...cause i'm hyper/tired

I learned two things about my dog this week:

1. She is afraid of accordions.
2. She apparently loves sour patch kids. She begs like nobody's business when they are around. Made the most depressed face I've ever seen on a dog. But she gave up quickly.

I am SO excited it's the weekend!!!! I have got some awesome plans. I will have been at some sort of church function a good amount of times this week. 4 to be exact. 3 the week before. It is nice. I like church stuff. I've missed being involved in a church! One of these lovely things I will be going to tomorrow night is Open Mic night! I have been wanting to check this out because if it's not too intimidating I might read some poetry next time. I don't know what I have that I'm proud of enough, that's not too dark, or too weirdly romantic or bitter to read at church...lol, but uh, hey I could scrounge up something.

Then I might get to hang out with Tasha, my beautiful sister-in-law. Possibly a sleep over, but at least promising for a good manicure and girl chat! Then saturday night, Sara is coming over and we are having our second sleep over of the school year! Sadly, our schedules are hectic, so it's only the second. But this also promises to be a blast. Can't go wrong, and maybe i'll get her caffeinated! Muahahaha!

So I just have to survive tomorrow and...I'M HOME FREE! Yippy! Hopefully the pop, candy, coffee, and justin timberlake i've absorbed tonight won't leave me feeling crappy tomorrow (seeing as it's made me feel a little giddy). Toodles!

Kind Of Mellow Day

It has been a nice day. I biked to class, despite attempting to take the bus...as is usual lately. My first class got out 15 minutes early, so I had a half hour to kill. It was GORGEOUS! out today, so I decided a little stroll over to coffman might be plausible. I went and got some Jamba, and then I decided I wanted to be a cool college student and hang out on the lawn. So I did.

Got home after class, chilled out a bit. Did some dishes. Took the dog on her afternoon poo-stroll. Then I headed over to the protest to act as a journalist. I haven't written anything yet, or uploaded pictures but I think more of an idea of what I want to say will come together when I look at them. I took 260 pictures. I was mad at myself for not bringing another card, because I kept having to delete other stuff. At any rate, I didn't feel like a big deal because I was just working my way through the crowd photographing, and every once in a while typing a worthy quote into my phone.

As I was driving home, the sky and sunset were so beautiful I was hankering for more photographing! But I knew I would settle for a nice night walk with the dog. We went down towards the stone arch, just cause I am so MADLY in love with a twilight sky that I had to see the cityscape. I was enthralled by the beauty, as I usually am, so then I decided heck, let's go on the bridge. We did, and there was someone maybe a quarter of the way down playing the accordion.

It was hysterical; the closer we got, the more antsy Roxi got. She was totally freaked out by the accordionist! I mean, not so much by him but the accordion. It was so weird, for a dog who's not afraid of almost anything to be afraid of an instrument...it was so amusing. She walked on the total opposite side of the bridge, and even stopped cold to bark at him. Poor guy, probably didn't know what her deal was. It pretty much made my day. That and "bah-humbug".

And now, for the conclusion, I will watch "Seven Pounds", and leave some of my homework for tomorrow. Cheerio!

Let Me Go, Boys, Let Me Go...

Listening to Coldplay's Prospect's March EP. If you don't yet have it get it! I almost like it better than the album, which took a while to grow on me because it was so different. The EP (much more like what I would expect out of them) is great sunny day music. It's like you want to look at something that's seemingly magical while listening to it.

Hence, I'm sitting at my kitchen table which I love to do, but almost never do; looking out the window at a sunny scene, while waiting for my noodles to chill. I felt like cooking. I am becoming domesticated. I have been having random urges to cook. Sometimes, I fight them and then sleep, or eat something really processed instead. Other times, like friday (brownies) and today (pasta), I put forth the small effort of preparing something from a box that requires the addition of eggs or vegetable oil.

I guess it's breaking the ice for me and cooking to repair our relationship. Things haven't been good since the baking soda incident...or any of the multiple burning incidents. I am building up to making things by recipe again. I'm also getting more comfortable with my gas oven and stove. The stove top doesn't freak me out that much, but the oven and the *BOOSH* noise that happens when it lights again in the middle of baking something. Yes, maybe it is possible for me to get at least comfortable with cooking again, if not good at it. I do however, truly enjoy whisking things. It makes me feel fancy.

Time to check the noodles!

Summing Up The WHOLE Week...It's a biggun

This has been a crazy tough week, with it's definite positive moments. I had a 6-10 page paper due this monday, on something I didn't even think I could pull out of my butt, and I'm rather proud of my ability to BS papers. I managed to make it just over 6 pages, and I didn't feel that bad about the paper. It's probably C material.

I got out of my class on friday early because of my finagling, I skipped one class. I did the in class homework and finished just before class was supposed to start. I had also ridden my bike to class (cause I missed my bus...) so when I left early (and had no French) I just got to ride my bike home; no waiting on buses.

It helped that it was GORGEOUS! out on Friday afternoon. The minute I got home, I turned around with my dog and my camera, and we went on a walk. The stone arch bridge is our new nine mile creek (i.e. our new regular walking spot). We went down there, and there's a stairway to down under the bridge by the shore of the misses-sip that was blocked off until the true arrival of spring. Finally, seeing that it was opened now, we went down there. We did an off-road hike, as I like to say. We climbed all over, and I love to take pictures of graffiti (don't know why, I just think it's a cool art-form) even though it's unoriginal because someone else did the hard work, but there was a ton down there so I had a field-day.

Then I went into Bloomington to hang out with my dearest at the Jap Gardens. From last saturday til this saturday I saw Sara 4 times! It was awesome.

I had been weirdly excited for Good Friday for a while now (like more than a month) because I was interested to see how my new church did it considering they're not tradition in any way except their use of a bible, a pastor, and a common gathering place. I really liked how they did the service. It was probably my favorite that I've gone to; the most emotional, anyways which is why I liked it. Very somber. Props to Mercy (the church, not the noun but that too).

So today was nice too cause I got to hang out with my sibs a bit. We went to the guthrie, which it was a beautiful day for. Then when we went over to my rents' we hung out some more. It was just a good old time, I love them! It's cool to be friends with them now, as opposed to not even liking each other like 6 years ago. We played Guitar Hero, which only furthered the disintegration of my dwindling hope to learn guitar someday. It's embarrassing; there's a reason I don't play it (the game, that is).

Overall, a good weekend. And it's nice to face the week ahead of me, not feeling overwhelmed that tomorrow is the beginning of yet another. I almost look forward to it, because I don't know what it's going to be, - instead of fearing it for that reason. I guess this weekend has me overall feeling hopeful.

My Brain is Overflowing

I'm sitting at a cafe, "Overflow" to be exact, distracted. I might also be dying of chocolate peanut-butter rice krispy bar...UGHHHHH. Possibly a mistake. I want more coffee, but anyone in their right mind would not drink a 3rd cup at 8:30 at night. I'll hopefully get a rocket-propelled type reaction to my 2 cups sometime in the next hour. Or maybe that's why I'm distracted. The first cup kicked in and is closely followed by the second, hence I cannot think about my paper at the moment. Paper.

I guess it's alright, I do all my best homework after dark. It's barely the end of twilight right now. (Decaf, it's happening - half-caf rather.) I'm getting a little jittery, I think that's why blogging was a good choice. Or a better idea than working on a paper that I have no clue what to write it about, because at least with blogging I can type as quickly as my brain is doling out the thoughts. They might be pointless thoughts, but thoughts and duties for my fingers nonetheless.

I got my car back today. It was great; a total sight for sore eyes! I missed it so much. I opened the door and Boomer's new-old car smell flew right under my nose, it was bliss. A reunion with an old friend. It's gonna take a little while to get used to driving again, I'm in SUV mode, so it's been a little strange. Plus, when you have thousands of dollars worth (key word being: WORTH, as in the value, not the cost) of work done on the ENGINE, it's a little scary to drive for the first time again because the automatic thought is what if I make it blow up again. So I've been listening to it carefully, and driving more carefully than I used to. It's taking some getting used to. But it's nice, and I have a moon roof again.

Let's Blow This Pop-Stand

I think I might really leave this state. I might really leave, after I finish school of course. I'm a little burnt out on the winters here, though I would really miss minneapolis...

I've wanted to live in Colorado ever since our family trips out there. I fell in love with it! I also never went there any other time but summer, but hey, I hate that in minnesota too! I mostly fell in love with the mountains.

I think I could really do it. It depends a lot on how Paris goes this coming fall. I have to see how I can handle living far away, since moving out on my own didn't really pose any serious homesickness seeing that I can easily drive home. It also depends on where my parents are, if they move or not (due to the location of jobs). I'd miss my friends that still live here, too. I've just had this draw to that state, above any other for some time.

I kind of want to get that experience out of the way while I'm young, too. Before I'm tied down. I want to try a bunch of different stuff. Ok, not a bunch, but I'd like to get some real life experiences before I have to start the old 9-5 and get stuck in a rut. Haha, wow I sound so cynical! I'm not, really. That's more the little ounce of pessimism that resides somewhere in the safety and warmth of my logic.

I really have no conclusive though to end this with, just that I may leave Minnesota after school...who knows? OOOOOooh, how I miss the mountains!!

It's such, it's such a perfect day...such a perfect day...

It's funny how much weight lifts off your shoulders from turning in a six to ten page paper. Today definitely kicked Monday's butt. Then again, monday my sole thought was that evil paper...and so I felt like today was empty, - but not in a bad way! It was freedom.

Here I am, at the end of the day jamming out to my coldplay-playlist, (I think I'm going to change the title of it from "coldplay mix" to "coldplaylist", how brilliant is that? Or possibly totally cheesy...) I had some good fun air pianoing (that's my new verb, by the way) to "Politik", and driving home to "Strawberry Swing", - love that song! Every time I hear it, it just makes me happy. It's just such a happy song! Rather fitting of my day, too.

I just can't not tap my foot to good music. I'm currently sitting cross-legged, my right foot tucked behind my left leg still keeping up with the beat. Ugh! Music. I need to stop ranting about it; I could go forever and then my nearly non-existent readership would decline to non-existent.

It was so beautifully sunny out today! Oddly enough, I didn't ride my bike today. But I did take the 2, which I've been doing more now that it's actually enjoyable out. So I had a nice little walk to and from the bus stop, gazing at and studying all the beautiful, old houses in my neighborhood.

OH! Clocks. There goes the foot again. A little head nod is necessary with this one. If my rhythm didn't get thrown off the second anyone (including me) pays attention to it, I'd say I'd be good at drums.

Anywho, then I felt like coffee so I went to my Dunn Bros, read the Daily a bit and actually made some decent progress on the crossword! That (and my trip to target, and small group of course) pretty much made my day.

I have been avoiding homework rather thoroughly, though. When I got back from coffee and target, I should've been starting my french paper (which is on a movie of my choice) but instead I felt like cleaning. It was my turn to clean the bathroom. Yup, that's how badly I will avoid homework at times, I cleaned the bathroom instead.

Not realizing I had eaten almost nothing yet, but had a beast of an iced coffee at Dunn's, 6 o'clock rolls around. Carrie comes over since she's in the neighborhood. The whole, oh 35 minutes we were getting ready (me finishing making my bed, since I decided cleaning my room a bit too was a good idea), I was shaking. We were going to get food, so upon realizing I was on empty but full of caffeine, I was still waiting til we went out to eat. One word, pluralized: Gyros. It hit bottom like a pile of dirt hits the bottom of a well, haha. I felt really full.

Then, small group. Which is always enjoyable. Good laughs, good discussion, good food, nice people.

And that leaves us to right now, jamming out to the Coldplaylist. About to stop the music, and commence the homework...*tears*.

Until next time,
Au Revoir!

Paper Mental Break (cause that makes sense)

I am currently taking a mental break from the huge paper that is due monday. This is so not like me, starting a paper days before it's due. Then again, I haven't had a 6-10 page paper since my first year of college, two and a half years ago and we built it up slowly...over time...so I was forced not to procrastinate. Not to mention, I generally don't have 6-10 pages worth of things to say about anything related to school. I'm usually a pretty lengthy person too, so that's weird.

My roommate is currently having a mini-party. Hence, I decided it was a good time to take a mental break and decide whether or not to take a coffee break for which I invite my homework along. It's difficult because I don't even want to do this paper, let alone take this paper out into the public and attempt to do it there.

I could write 6-10 pages on my life. Let me at it! I think I would have trouble with the limit on that one...but a minimum that's just difficult. I really hope it doesn't suck, because I'm never bad at writing papers! In fact, I am great at writing papers! Why do I hate this paper? I have another due next friday, on a novel I haven't read yet. And yet another due next friday, on a movie of my choice, but it's written in French. Then ANOTHER (thank you to all the professors for assigning papers all due at the same time) due I'm not even sure quite when, but I do know soon. I have actually avoided checking because I have a fear it's within the next week too and I need to focus all my worry on this paper, at the moment.

I think the coffee shop is calling me...