Homework Sometimes Makes me Think.

I've just finished reading a couple of articles on sustainability and current product design and I have to say, we're screwed. We're all going to get cancer and the Earth is going to heat up to a billion degrees and melt us all someday.

Its unbelievable the types of things that go into everyday items that we don't even think about. Your shoes release carcinogens into the air every time you take a step. Did you know that?

Sitting on the couch is dangerous.
Drinking out of a bottle can put all sorts of toxins in your system.
The things we eat will give us cancer.

Its so easy to become resigned to this fact.
Businesses have, that's why they continue to produce products with all this crap in them. They don't care as long as they make money. At least they can afford their cancer treatment that they'll inevitably need someday.

Why is it that when you purchase something you have to fight to get it out of the package? Why do we need such a large bottle for twenty pills? And why does that bottle need to be in a padded box three times its size?

How did we become this way?
It all seems so selfish.

"Currently, more money is being spent on breast implants and Viagra than on Alzheimer's research. So, in the very near future there should be a large elderly population with impressive breasts and magnificent erections, but no recollection of what to do with them"
- Sally Feldman


That is so funny and yet so depressing all at once.

There's Nothing Like a Due Date.

Seriously.
I love days when things are due because you always feel so good afterwords (unless your project is torn to ribbons).

My iphone app is done.
It got good reviews.
I have nothing due for tomorrow.

I don't know what to do with myself!!

I'm going to watch a movie, crochet something cute, and sit on my butt.
Sounds wonderful! Simple things are the best sometimes.
The weather is perfect too which is awesome (though it gets dark far too early)!

Thanksgiving break is just a week and a half away and I cannot wait.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and a week at home sounds heavenly.

Oh hey, I have a blog... I almost forgot.

Its a good thing I remember about this thing when I'm about to start class. God forbid I'd actually pay attention for once.

Anyway.

I like to call my life right now "Adventures in Boyland" because living with guys has just been one funny/gross experience after another. I swear they have no common sense. Example?

Me: Bill, why did you put your grapes and banana in a box instead of in the garbage?
Bill: The garbage was overflowing.
Me: So.... you didn't think taking the trash out would be a good idea?
Bill: Well.. I figured we'd get to that in like an hour or something.
Me: Right. So.. its been like this for days? No wonder our apartment smells.
Bill: Yeah...

Bananas, grapes, and dryer lint are not recyclable. Just sayin'.

Also, I want to start a shop on Etsy.
I need money.

I just need to figure out what to make and sell. So far I'm thinking about designing aprons. Also, I'm learning to crochet those adorable little dolls. I crocheted a pumpkin the other day, I'll put a pic up later.

Gay Drama, as promised.

I promised Erin the other night while out drinking with one of my gay friends that I would relay the fascinating world of gay drama via blog.

So. My gay.
He's 21, same as me and listening to him talk about his love life makes me feel so normal.

He's still in love with the first guy he was with when he came out a couple of years ago. This guy, by the way, is a total d-bag but you can be sure a night out with my friend will yield a whiny conversation or sly reference to his first boyfriend.

After him it was some casual sex and then a relationship with someone more than twice his age. I believe he was 19 or 20 at the time, and his boyfriend was 47. Not only that, but I like to refer to this relationship as "the time when he was a kept man" because really all he did was have sex with the guy and get bought presents and get to live in his nice apartment in the city. This guy had fathered a child for a lesbian couple and this child was also in his life so my friend was a kept man/babysitter.

Anyway, my friend was also cheating on this guy with someone else and I'm pretty sure this boyfriend was cheating on him too. Either way they eventually broke up for one reason or another. I didn't want to open up that can of worms.

Oh, and did I mention that this guy died like... a few weeks ago? So now its really like a soap opera.

Fast forward to more casual sex probably.

And now the current boyfriend whom I am assured is under 40 but I am pretty sure he's pushing it. He is described as my friend's best friend in the world... that he has no romantic interest in but continues to have a relationship/sex with because he doesn't want to hurt him.


Gay drama makes my head spin.
But its fascinating.
And I love my gay :)

I crack myself up.

Fun story.

So today I'm going through these file folders in my closet full of school work I did in preschool and elementary school. Why my mom kept all this crap, I don't know but it was seriously entertaining to look through. I was such a weird little kid.

Example 1: I had a worksheet in preschool that said "If I met a magic fish I would ask for ________." We must have read a story about a magic fish. Anyway. My answer? "Fountain Mermaid Barbie".

Example 2: "If I were a Penguin I would _________." My answer: "Watch out for seals and killer whales." As if I knew that killer whales ate penguins when I was 4, haha!

Example 3: My personal favorite here. I had to put my family members on a sheet of paper. Well, I had no pictures of them so naturally I used a magazine. The picture I used for my dad looks like some douchebag gigolo in a hawaiian shirt. I labeled it "Daddy". The one I used for mom is labeled "Mommy" and looks like a normal human being. Mike's? It's fondly labeled "Baby brother Mike. He's not really a baby, he's 8." I can only imagine what a kick my teacher got out of it. But the picture I used for Mike? A little black baby, afro and all. HA.

I wish I could go back in time and have a conversation with my 4 year old self. I imagine it would be hilarious because clearly I was a funny kid.

Thought of the Day.

Here's today's thought.

I hate the number 89.
Just try to say it fast three times and you'll see why.

It's a wretched number that makes my job difficult.
39 sucks too.
Not as much, though.

Odd but true.

Zen Thought of the Day

For those of you who have ever worked in retail.

Someone gets in your line and buys condoms. When you're done you tell them to "Have a nice day!". . .

What do you think goes through their minds?

A.) Why yes, yes I will *eyebrow wiggle*
B.) Huh, what a nice salesperson.
C.) I'm hungry.

Meditate on that.

Gleek Shout Out

So.
After Glee last night I feel the need to say that I'm pretty sure Kevin McHale (Artie) is the love of my life. Just sayin'.

Probably because of this. I can't stop listening to it.
I mean, I love the original version by Mama Cass Elliot but his voice in this one just knocks me out.
Oh, to be in love... haha. (Oh how I shall pine in vain... :P)

Holy Update, Batman!

Summer is here! I want to shout it from the rooftops!
But since its hella cold, I'll just be doing that from the comfort of my couch.

Seriously, Illinois. Get the memo. Its May!

Speaking of, just one month till my 21st birthday!! Not sure what I'm going to do for it yet, but whatever. I'm thinking of having it in Champaign. Getting a hotel room or two for people to stay in. I mean, there are some people with apartments down there that could maybe let people stay there. Hopefully? I'm just thinking Champaign because then all my 20 year old friends could get into the bars/drink illegally with less worry than up here.

Starting work at the good ol' Walgreen's again tomorrow. They've got so many hours for me it hurts. I think I'm going to have to pick and choose. Some lady that works full time is having surgery so they're giving me her hours and while I'm glad, I don't feel like working 6 10-hour days a week. I still want a summer, ya know?

Sadly, though, most of my friends are gone. Moved away. I just learned of another one that recently moved to Florida. Then one is in Ohio, another in Wisconsin, Colorado, Wyoming, Boston... and all over the Illinois/St. Louis area. Those are a little easier to see.

So, hopefully I'll be spending a relaxing summer with art, diy projects, a garage sale and work. Hopefully a vacation of some sort and whatever time I can spend with friends. Oh and the dog. Him too, I suppose haha.

(Drunk) Musings.

So...
I haven't drank for two days in quite a long time.
But the good news is neither night (ie - last night and tonight) was out of control.

I didn't black out last night or have a hangover.
Same with tonight. I mean, I'm still drunk fo sho, but not terribly.
Just comfortably.

Lately I've begun to have doubts about my major again. I don't know if graphic design is right for me. I just don't seem to fit in with my peers. They're all so... political? Opinionated? Hipsters? I don't know. I'm none of those things. I'm an apathetic frat rat.

I hate politics. Hate hate hate. I want everyone to get along. I don't identify with a political party. I'm a realist. I don't like to run around preaching my ideals and it bothers me when others do (when they're forceful about it. if its a discussion I don't mind so much) but that's just how everything is. I mean, everything I do is expected to have meaning. To have a reason. I do things because I think that they're aesthetically pleasing. I like nice looking things and that's that. I put colors together because I like them, not because of how they make you react.

Does that make me unfit to be a serious designer? I mean, I kind of just want to do magazine layouts or hallmark cards. Something that doesn't require everything I do to be so in depth. I don't know. I keep thinking about switching to an advertising major. I could still finish in five years if I did. At the same time, I'm so unsure. I have so many doubts about both. What if I changed and was just miserable in advertising? I don't have the money to be in school for more than five years. My dad said he'd pay for five years and after that I was on my own and I absolutely understand that. I don't think I'd want to be dicking around in school for that long anyway.

Whatever.
I've had quite a bit to drink.
I've had toooo many cigarettes tonight (I'm stressed).

But I think I'll stick with it.
I need to experience it with a different professor.
We'll see. Positivity. Or at least the promise of turning 21 soon and a trip to Mexico with my ladies if we can plan it. And maybe a trip to Vegas with the parents? Perhaps?

Whatevs.
Love y'all.
Goodnight.

Bad Life Choice.

Just looked in my refrigerator and realized... just how bad the contents really are.

In my fridge currently: Beer (which holds the majority here), string cheese, one cup of yogurt (probably expired), and a small bottle of strawberry lemonade. :/

This does not bode well for me.

My freezer contents are dismal too.
A small frozen pizza, an individual frozen lasagna, and a lean cuisine. (The lean cuisine makes me feel .5% better about myself)

I'm also hungry.
But the only other food I have besides what's in my fridge is chocolate, a box of rice chex, and some stale tostitos.

Rice chex it is!

I need to go shopping.

Design Overload

These next two weeks are going to be INSANE.
I mean, its absolutely crazy how much I have to get done before break, but the fact that break is at the end of the two weeks is literally the only thing keeping me going right now.

Unofficial was fun. I think the fact that I wasn't a drunk mess this year was great. Last year I was insane, but this year was more low key, which is great. I got up at 8am to start drinking which in itself is RIDICULOUS. I'd had 3 beers before 11am, which is one an hour which isn't too bad. I took a nap for an hour to sober up so I could go to the art building and pick up a camera for my homework and get some lunch.

Then I went back and proceeded to start drinking again, just beer. I spent the entire afternoon outside in the gorgeous weather. It was 45 degrees and sunny which is great no-coat basking in the sun weather when its been cloudy/snowy and 20 degrees for months. So I was outside for a good 4-5 hours drinking beer, then wine, then some shots of cheap whiskey which was gross but kept me warm and allowed me to stay outside longer.

Then I took another like... hour long nap while people were watching a zombie movie downstairs. I hate zombie movies even if they're supposed to be funny. I just think they're gross and creepy so I napped and sobered up again and then had a few more beers, played guitar hero for an hour or so with the boys and then went to bed.

Yesterday I just relaxed, watched disney movies on TV and hung out around the house and today is the day for homework to get done. I've got quiiiite a bit to do, but I figure I can just relax, watch the oscars, and work on it.

SO, until spring break, my life looks like this:

- Italian paper rewrite
- Research memorandum
- Initial packaging design for CD
- Playlist for CD
- Order custom USB drives for CD
- Form Studies (x a millionnnnn)
- Photo midterm portfolio
- Design history midterm project

Nature's Revenge

So...
I shouldn't have called Old Man Winter out like that in my last post.

Because I just had to kill a wasp in my room.
In February.

That is not my idea of spring.
That is karma biting me in the ass.

(But still, fuck winter. And wasps.)

One More Thing...

I believe this sums up how I feel.
Is it spring yet?

Straight Guys Love Disney: Fact.

I may or may not have experienced one of the most hilarious things in the world last night.
I get a text message from one of the guys I live with and all it says is "Lion King"

And I'm confused. What about it?
Well he and three other guys were about to watch it downstairs and I guess I'm special enough to get this prestigious invite.

Now, I love me some Lion King so I hauled it down two flights of stairs.
Just in time to hear the loudest rendition of Circle of Life I had ever heard.
By four straight guys.
I couldn't even sing along with them I was laughing so hard. They knew all the words to every song and were even enraged when they found out that the movie was a special edition and that there were a couple of extra songs in there that just didn't belong.

It was probably the gayest thing I've ever seen, but it was hysterical.
Luckily I was able to hold it together to sing along to the rest of it with them. I believe our next Disney movie night will be the old animated Alice in Wonderland before we all inevitably go out together to see the new Tim Burton movie.

Also, I got them to admit that no animated Disney movies are chick flicks. They have the same love for The Little Mermaid that they have for Lion King. According to them, Disney princesses or no, its all good.

You all heard it.
Document it and tell your man.
And then sit yourself down with some good Disney movies.

Haus.

So, I finally got myself a new laptop.

My old one is in getting fixed right now (under warranty/fo' free) for the same part that has crapped out on me for the 3rd time already.
I'll use that one as back-up when its done getting fixed, but I decided that since I had money saved it would be better for me to have a laptop that I could rely on.

You know, one that can run more than one application at once and doesn't take 20 minutes to tell my printer to print a 3 page paper.

I looove it. Its a 13" macbook pro.
Of course, I'm still kind of reeling from all the money I spent.
Ughhhh.

So anyway.
Since I'm awake and bored I've decided to list all the current problems with the house that I live in. Enjoy. I sure do.


1. One toilet in the girl's bathroom won't flush. The chain is broken.
2. The other toilet in the girl's bathroom leaks (from the tank, thank god).
3. One of the showers in the girl's bathroom won't drain properly, so it's like taking a shower ankle-deep in shower water.
4. One of the sinks in the girl's bathroom doesn't have hot water. Another doesn't have cold. One... actually has both.
5. You can't run more than one washer at once down in the laundry room or the whole thing floods. This has happened 3 times in the past two days. (but it smells good)
6. There are still squirrels in my ceiling.
7. One is dead and smells. (though I feel that it must be "drying up" because I don't notice it as much anymore. Part of that could also be my glade plug in that is on full blast)
8. All the windows in the house are so old that they let a ton of cold air in. (if its windy and my window is closed, my curtains will still blow)
9. Because of #8 my room feels like Antarctica.
10. The kitchen smells and the refrigerator has broken twice this year. Still waiting for the first breakdown of the semester.
11. We need a new roof. Badly.
12. I'd like some insulation above my room so that my ceiling doesn't radiate cold and squirrels don't get into it and die and smell making it radiate cold and dead animal smell.
13. The floors creak. Everywhere. I can hear EVERY MOVE MADE IN THIS HOUSE all the time. So can everyone else.
14. My room looks like a bomb went off in it (that, however, is my own fault >:( ... )
15. There are actually two working toilets in the guy's bathroom... with no divider in between them so if two have to go at once, they have to watch each other poop. (this doesn't really concern me, but I find it kind of funny... that wording there is theirs, not mine! ew.)


And those are just a few. There are more. Lots of loose/cracked windows... blahblahblah. 3 more months and I'm outta this hole and into an apartment again in the fall, thank god. This is why I'm glad I have a car down here and Fridays off. If shit gets unbearable as it sometimes does, I can get out of here for a few days.

Still love the housemates.
Just hate the house.

And can't demolish it/remodel it 'cause its on the National Historic Register.
Damnit.

Figuring it Out

I think I've got my plans figured out.
And boy does it feel good.

I think I'm saving Italy for next summer. I'll either be studying abroad in Verona for 6 weeks or taking the country by storm with my cousin for 6 weeks. I'm going to keep my options open. If my cousin has her plans like... super duper concrete, then I'll go with her and just have fun. If not, then I'll be going anyway. I like the sound of this.

So this summer... I'll be internship hunting whether its paid or not. I still have Walgreens for money if I need it an if I can't find an internship I'll find a second job. I'll start applying for internships immediately and second jobs if need be sometime in April. Right now I'm looking at a design internship in Chicago with Motorola that is looking promising. Cross your fingers! I need to write a resume. Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

Ahhh....


Right now I'm sitting and waiting on the return of the professor from hell. Blah. Hopefully he won't use up all 3 hours of class time on the first day like he did last time. I want to get today over with asap so I can go home and cuddle up in my blankets since its FREEZING and icy outside. Ugh.

Large Quantities of Cheap Alcohol = Bad Idea.

Initiation is always, ALWAYS stressful.
Sure, it sucks for the pledges but it sucks from the other side too.
I can't get into specifics, but I am absolutely and completely exhausted right now.

We didn't finish until about 3 in the morning and still partied after that. I had it in my mind that I would have a glass of wine and go to bed because I was really tired and wanted to run errands the next day. I had a 1.5 liter bottle of White Zinfandel in the fridge and, of course, ended up drinking about half of it.

Since I hadn't eaten since like 3 that afternoon I was completely obliterated in the span of an hour and a half. Not to the point of blacking out, no. I'm proud to say that I have only done that once since August. A record. Anyway, I gathered my things and went back up to my room and changed into sweats and went to bed. I remember that. What I don't know is how I woke up in the hallway outside my room, locked out and with my socks soaking wet and still drunk later that morning. I remembered locking my door before I slept as I always do on weekends to prevent drunk people from barging in. It seems that this time, I prevented my drunk self from entering.

I must have gotten up to go to the bathroom or something and was just so unbelievably tired/still kind of drunk that I don't remember doing it. The wet socks, though... a complete mystery. I must have moseyed on into a shower with a wet floor. Why I would do this, I don't know but I probably did. No big deal, though. I had to wake up Kyle who has a master key and get him to open my door (actually, I just took the key and did it myself and gave it back to him because I felt really bad for waking him up). I then spent the whole day napping. I was a little hungover, but actually not too bad. Just hella tired.

Watched the Golden Globes. The only reason I really wanted to watch was to see if Glee would win any awards. I have a sick obsession with that show. If you haven't seen it, go watch it immediately. I saw like two episodes, fell in love and went out and bought the first season. I've seen it all now and I can't wait until it comes back in April. It won for best TV series comedy/musical so that was super.

Now, everyone is drunk again. I am not. I do, however, have to pee really bad but I don't want to go upstairs because I really don't feel like dealing with drunks right now because I know that they will try to suck me in or follow me back to my room or force me to stay and hang out (last night I was briefly taped to a chair... but I was drunk too so I didn't mind). I just want to sleep. Oh well. Sacrifices. I'm also going to be lulled to sleep by the sweet sounds of the song 'Orgasmatron'... no, not the song by Motorhead. The one by Avenue D. The one about vibrators. Look it up on youtube. Its too inappropriate for iTunes.

Moral of the Story: Do not buy large quantities of cheap alcohol. My 1.5 liter bottle of wine cost me... $5. The last time I bought it, I ended up drinking the WHOLE thing, blacked out at the house and woke up in my apartment with my dress in the toilet. This time I drank half and woke up in a hallway with wet socks. Just don't do it.

Summer Plans

Its only January but I already need to start planning for the summer.
I have no idea what to do. I have a few options and to make any of them happen I need to start working on it now.

Situation #1 - Study Abroad
This summer I could study abroad in Italy. If I do, I need to renew my passport like now, set up a meeting at the study abroad office to pick a program (Verona or Florence), apply for scholarships and a loan, and probably try to get a job for the spring. Once I got back it'd be work at Walgreens after that until school starts back up in the Fall.

Situation #2 - Internship
Internships are really difficult to get, especially for graphic design. They're either unpaid... and I need money or they require experience in things I haven't learned yet or they're in New York or California. I wouldn't mind going to one of those places to work, but that also requires money because most of them don't set up housing for you. I know I could get an internship not related to my major, but at the same time those are hard to come by these days too and a lot of them want people who are interested in their fields.

Situation #3 - Be a Lazy Bum
This involves... working at Walgreens and picking up a second job, probably a waitressing job and just spending my entire summer working so I can save up more to study abroad in the summer of 2011. This would suck, but if its what I need to do I suppose I can deal with it.


Either way, I'm hoping that all of these 3 situations involve a trip to Mexico in May before they start. A couple of girl friends and I are planning on going, hitting up an all-inclusive resort in Cancun or Playa del Carmen and laying on the beach drinking Margaritas for a week. I need this or rather I will definitely be needing this after the spring semester is over. Ughh, this is stressful for sure. I hope I can have things figured out by sometime in February or early March.

Break is the Best

I love winter break.
I'm going to hate my life when winter break no longer exists.

All I've been doing is sleeping and watching the Blackhawks. Its so nice to just kick back and have nothing to do. I've been working, but not a lot. I actually called into work tonight because I have a sinus infection and an ear infection. What a way to start the new year!

Anyway.

New Years eve started out pretty good. I went shopping at Woodfield with my mom, intent on spending my Christmas money and gift cards. Funny thing, though, the only thing I ended up buying was an adorable tea pot from Anthropologie. It was on clearance and it was calling my name. I'm considering it as saving things up for my future badass apartment.


I already have visions in my mind about how I'd like to decorate. Sure, my taste may change in a few years, but hey... you can't go wrong with an adorable tea pot for $15. Sure, there were no cups that went with it, but I love to mix and match stuff, so its cool.

The rest of New Years eve? It was a bit sketchy. I wasn't sure what my plans were all day, but I knew who I was going to hang out with. Well it turns out that it was me and one of my girlfriends and then two of our really good guy friends, one of whom was in town for just a few days. I was really excited until I heard that their girlfriends were coming. I hadn't met either of them, but apparently one of them already had a bit of a bad reputation. I don't know what for, so I just went with an open mind.

They seemed nice enough, but they barely spoke the whole time we were there and just sort of cuddled with the boys like Mary and I were some sort of threat. It just made the whole evening really awkward. At least Mary and I had each other, us two lonely members of the singles club.

Either way, I'm glad that 2009 is over and I'm looking forward to what 2010 will bring. To quote my friend Ivan "Hopefully 2010 will be like a Japanese game show--you never know what's going on or what's gonna happen, but you know it will be entertaining".

That's really how I'd like it to go down. Japanese game shows are hysterical, I can only hope that my life would be as interesting.


Also, a quick "suck it" to my Typography professor.
Thanks for the B+ a-hole.