The Longest Weekend Ever

This weekend has felt like an entire month, even though it was only three days.
I spent the whole thing in my apartment laying on my couch watching movie after movie after movie. And the SAG awards.

For the first time since childhood, I have the stomach flu. College is such a cesspool.
It is just as awful as I remember it, except this time I had to go it alone.
No parents at my disposal to get me things. I had to get off my sick butt to get ginger ale and saltine crackers and gatorade and pepto.
Being an adult sucks haha, but I'm glad I don't have roommates because it would have just grossed them the heck out all weekend. Better off no one had to share in it.

Had solid food for the first time yesterday, rather unsuccessfully, but tried again today. Seems to be going well so far. Yay for small accomplishments. Unfortunately, though, this means I haven't gotten any real work done this weekend and that is a huge problem. I have so much work to do , especially for my GD studio it is unbelievable. Three projects going at once, no work done because I was too sick to deal with it. When we did portfolio reviews this week, mine did not go well at all. It makes me very nervous to graduate. I'm going to need to do a lot of extra work to even be at par on graduation. More than most other people in my class, it seems.

I'm going to do it, I have to, especially if I want a job at some point. I don't even know what I want to do yet. I know I'm not doing grad school right away, I'm going to get a job and work for a couple of years and then I might go on for a masters in art education, get certified to teach and all that. I know I can do that at NIU, so I could commute there and it wouldn't be too bad. But that's a ways off to think about. Its the immediate future I'm more worried about. What do I want to do? So much to think about... and not much time to think about it anymore! Eek! I'm a firm believer in whatever happens happens and that it will work out so... well, I'm sure it will work out!

For now, the more immediate concern is feeling better.. but damn do I hate Gatorade. Ugh.

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

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.

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.