First Day Jitters

Well, the only first day jitters for school I had were the ones pertaining to what I was going to do if I was forced to park somewhere 29340773 miles away from the campus. Luckily, I didn't have that problem. (I got there at seven in the morning. SEVEN. IN. THE. MORNING.)

Let me start by saying this: I haven't seen that time of morning for quite a while. It was very pretty. I was driving, and I passed the old barn in my town and the sun was behind it, and it was a little foggy out. It created the perfect glow. I wish I could have taken a picture of it.

Then I remembered how last year, as I was driving to my first day of school, it was also very nice out. Then I passed the poor dying white fluffy kitty in the road... Its tail twitching violently as I drove past. D:
I'm traumatized by that, in case you can't tell.

On a somewhat related note, in one of my journalism classes we had to make a new friend and judge them, and tell the whole class what we thought about them. My new friend said she thought that I enjoy watching movies late at night while snuggling with my cat. I thought this was hilarious. It's only half true. I would indeed enjoy doing that if I actually had a kitty, but I do not. :( I should have said replace the cat with Blake and you're spot on. Haa. Anyway, I think I'm going to like that class. It was one full of united class laughter. You know those will always be the fun classes. I actually feel like I could loosen up a bit and not be as shy as I usually am, especially after that weird make a new friend and judge them exercise.

Well, I'm pretty tired. I only got maybe two good solid hours of sleep last night. Time to sleep for twelve straight hours. I hope.

Fifty Shades of oh my god am I really blogging about this?

Dear Readers,

I'm going to admit something that I'm not very proud of right now. I finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey the other day. I said I'd never pay ten bucks to read that book unless someone let me borrow it. Let's just say I found a book to borrow. I'm telling myself that I'm reading it from a purely literary standpoint. Is it written well? I guess so far it is. It's got all the things a girl could want. Hot guy, uhh... yeah. I'm not listing everything else.

Anyway, back to the literary reason I'm reading this. I wasn't really kidding about that. I like to see what people see in the things they read. Some people read it because everyone else is reading it. I like to judge it for the way it's written, too. I couldn't help but notice similarities to Twilight. (That's also another thing I'm ashamed to admit here. It seems like this post is contains all my shameful confessions.) On Fifty Shades: There's a hot guy who's really taken by some seemingly normal girl, and he can't stop himself from seeing her. And he tells her that. And her response is, "Then don't." I distinctly remember that line from the book and the movie for Twilight. (Another confession: I've seen the first three Twilight movies.)

What's with the normal girls getting the otherworldly guys, aka vampires for Twilight and this Christian Grey, frequently referred to as an Adonis, in Fifty Shades of Grey? There's a trend going in fiction with these helpless girls like Bella, or in the case of Ana, a "submissive." Another similarity, both of the main guy characters are so tortured. They have big issues and keep secrets about their past from their ladies. Hmmm. Interesting.

Another thing I promised myself was that I would not continue on with the series of Fifty Shades books, but guess what? I already having the next two lined up and ready for whenever I can find some time to read them. Hooray. I'm just breaking all my rules lately.

The Bucket List (Revised Edition)*

1. Learn how to shuffle.

2. See the Eiffel Tower. Spit gum off it. Throw a paper airplane off the top of it.

3. Ride on an elephant in Africa while singing Africa by Toto.

4. Karaoke to the following songs: Africa by Toto, Babe by Styx, Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses, Dizz Knee Land by Dada... (More songs to be added later as I see fit.)

5. There are about 7,000 pubs in London. Drink at each. Even if it's just a glass of water.

6. Eat a kangaroo tail. (They like that sort of thing in Australia.)(Ew, I don't want to do that!)(But now I have to, because it's on the list.)

7. Ride a kangaroo. Or in the kangaroo's pouch. Whatever. (This is probably impossible. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this.)

8. Learn how to cook stuff. And it would actually be edible and delicious.

9. One word. Vegas. Enough said.

10. Order the whole Taco Bell menu.

11. Eat at Olive Garden. ✓

12. Stand on the top of the Empire State Building at night and yell, "Where is the elevator to Mount Olympus?"

13. Run down the streets of Japan screaming, "GODZILLA!" Or any street with large buildings, for that matter. I don't really want to go to Japan.

14. See a real live bear. ✓

15. Shop in Paris.

16. Be in four places at once. (Four Corners.) ✓

17. Work for a magazine.

18. See a lantern festival.

19. Ride in a hot air balloon.

20. Drive down Route 66. ✓

21. See the Grand Canyon. ✓

22. Eat at a nostalgic diner on Route 66.

23. Write a book.

24. See the sun rise at a beach. ✓

25. Go down an escalator from the up way, and up the escalator the down way. That looks like it makes no sense, but you know exactly what I mean.

Stay tuned! More to be added later.

*This post is a response to the post from July 15, 2012 titled "The Bucket List."

Liebster Award

Vodka Pearls of Ramblings of a Sorority Girl has nominated me for the Liebster Award! 

When you receive a Liebster Blog Award, this is what you should do:

1. You must answer the 11 questions given by the blogger that gave you the award.

2. Then you must choose 11 interesting bloggers with less than 200 followers

3. Then you must create 11 questions for 11 bloggers you selected.

4. Mention the Blogger that nominated you!

Step one:

Questions!

1. What's your favorite color?

Orange.

2. What season are you desperately awaiting?

Autumn! I can't wait for the dressing in warmer clothes part of it. The wardrobe options are so much better. Boots. I miss them. So much.

3. What was your favorite song of the summer?

I Can Tell by Adelitas Way. I was obsessed with them this summer. That song almost country sounding, which is totally okay, because Rick's voice could melt my heart if he turned to country and I wouldn't even mind.

4. What piece of jewelry are you always wearing?

A ring with roadrunners and a cactus etched into it. 

5. What outfit is your "go-to" outfit?

A tank top, jeans, and comfortable sandles. It's easy, but I do prefer to dress up a lot if I can manage to pull anything good out of the mound of clothes that I call a closet.

6. Where is your favorite vacation spot?

I have a new found love for the beach. 

7. What is the creepiest thing someone has ever said to you?

Even hobos need love, Leah.

8. What was your most memorable date?

Hmm. I'd have to say my first date with Blake, when we saw the first part of the last Harry Potter movie.  It was timid and cute. Haha.

9. What books have you read this summer?

White Noise by Don Delillo. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie. A couple journalism textbooks for my fall classes. (Yes, I have been reading books for school. I'm a nerd.)

10. What's your major/What was your major?
Journalism.

11. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
Paris. Or London. Or Scotland. Can I just say the general area of Europe? Cafes and pubs! 

Step two:

My 11!

So guys, I don't really personally know 11 bloggers that would do this. So I'm just going to nominate anyone that reads my blog and happens to be a blogger to answer my questions. Have fun! I know I did. I miss these questionnaire thingies. It was one of the fun things about Myspace. *crickets chirping*

Step three:

My questions for you guys!

1. What is your favorite movie?
2. What is your favorite day of the week?
3. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
4. What's your favorite holiday?
5. Favorite band?
6. What famous person would you most want to hang out with for a day?
7. What is your favorite hobby?
8. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you do?
9. What is your favorite quote?
10. What do you miss most about being a kid?
11. What is your favorite color?

The Pony Party

This is a picture post of the My Little Pony themed party I told you I was going to have. It's a little after the fact, but do not fret, for the evidence is now here for you to see. Okay, so maybe the cupcakes didn't turn out exactly like those in the picture I posted a while back, but I tried, and it was fun! And they are delicious. That is all you need to know about that.

Colorful cupcakes.

My ponies and my pony cupcakes/cake. So yummy.

Rainbow Dash cupcake. (This one turned out awesome. About 20% cooler.)

I felt like a princess with that sparkly tiara.

Friendship is magic!

A Hypothetical Trip to Paris

     Paris! The city of love! J'adore!

     I have planned a hypothetical trip to Paris. Now you can take my advice and go do the things I've always dreamed of! It's already all planned out by me, and I'm about to tell you all my secrets. How convenient, right? 

     One day I will also do these things. So, here goes.

   The first thing I would do upon arriving in Paris would be, of course, visit the Eiffel Tower, take tons of pictures, and complete a couple items from my bucket list. Those items would be: kiss under the Eiffel tower, spit gum off the top of the Eiffel Tower, and throw a paper airplane off the top of the Eiffel Tower. 

 

     Those are just a few more obvious things that you must do in Paris. Now, let's get to the good stuff. Sites you need to see, things you need to eat, new experiences you have to try. 

• Cafes. Of course. You cannot pass this up. It's Paris, and there are literally thousands of cafes to choose from. Just walk down a street and pick one. Sit down. Read a paper. Have a cup of coffee, or tea, whatever. Eat an éclair. Be a Parisian for a day.
• Bakeries. Oh, mon Dieu (that's french for oh my God),  have you seen how delicious French pastries look??? I'm drooling right now. You should be too. **Look at this one. http://www.bonneau.fr/. I've spent countless hours watching them bake bread on their webcam. When I live this hypothetical trip out, this is the bakery I will be visiting. I will tell them that they have a following in a small, boring town out west in the US of A, in a place called Mississippi.
• Cathedrale de Notre-Dame de Paris- in short, The Notre Dame! Old churches like these are fascinating. Just admire the architecture and the detail. The stained glass windows. Look at the way the light gleams from them. So pretty. Also, one thing that comes to mind when thinking of this building is the magical Disney movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Every Disney movie is magical.) Although that one does creep me out a bit. There is a 95% chance that I love a movie if it is set in Paris and has lovely shots of the city in it. Even if said movie is a cartoon. It's still beautiful.
• The Louvre. Make a date with Mona Lisa. Also, go find "The Thinker" at Rodin Museum, and think with him. Pics or it didn't happen. (That pics rule applies with everything you do in Paris. Pictures are good! Take them.)
• Arc de Triomphe. Go to the top and take pretty pictures of the Eiffel Tower from it. See Champs-Elysees from it. Arches are cool.
• Nightlife in Paris. There's lots of it. Take your pick. If you're planning on sleeping during your night stays here, why did you even come?! 
• Go to the Opera. (Palais Garnier.) It's where the Phantom of the Opera's hide out is. Maybe reenact some of the scenes from the movie, get some weird looks, have some fun.
• I'd really love to go into the Catacombs of Paris. How cool and creepy would that be? I would probably back out because of all the bones and creepy rooms, and the fact that it's underground and I'd probably freak out. On second thought, it might be better to read about the catacombs and look at pictures. 
• The Pantheon. Another pretty impressive building. I drew a picture of this building for a history class once. So now I have to see it in real life. 
• Here are some dandy facts about the cost of things in Paris: helpful price list. 
• The main thing about this hypothetical trip is to just be spontaneous. There is no way you'll be able to explore every street and see everything you want to see. There's so much to do. So do all you can and have fun!

*This site helped tremendously with my plans: Paris Travel Planner & Guide
**I really love this site:http://www.bonneau.fr/live/. You can watch them bake bread! In real time! Sometimes they don't have it up, though. Plus, you have to account for the +7 hour difference. You can still look at pictures of the yummy food they bake! I want a baguette now. :(

It's official

I'm a journalism student now. My books just came in the mail and I'm about to read them all. Call me a nerd, but there's something fascinating about getting new textbooks and reading them before classes actually start. I finally get to read a textbook that I'm interested in! Not a book for some filler class that I'm required to take that has nothing to do with my major.
I could cry, this makes me so happy. That was an exaggeration, but seriously guys, I'm a happy kid right now.
To top it all off, I'll be celebrating my birthday this weekend, PONY STYLE. You heard that right. In case you're just now tuning in to this blog, refer back to my earlier post, "It's my party and I'll be childish if I want to." It's going to be LEGEND, wait for it & I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second part of that word is......


DAIRY. (How I Met Your Mother is a great show. I'm on one of those things where you discover a new show and then you WATCH ALL THE SHOWS.)
I know this post seems a little scattered, but I'm just so excited right now for all those reasons I have just mentioned. Textbooks, writing, ponies, Barney Stinson, cool catch phrases...
Guys, August is going to be my month. Stay tuned for more awesomeness.

Friendship is magic.