Thyme Time

I'm back in my dorm, hurray :)  I missed my friends this weekend, and I've gotten to spend time with all of them today!!  I reunited with the roomie after I got out of class, had dinner with Madlin and Elly, and hung out with Kristynn and Karen for a bit.  And, I got to watch last week's season premiere of How I Met Your Mother with Elly.  Hopefully yesterday's episode will be up on the CBS website soon, so I can get completely caught up.  Well, sort of caught up... I missed most of last season.

Plaid pajamas are one of my favorite things in the entire world.  It seems like I've said that about a lot of things (the first sip of coffee, for example), but plaid pajamas rank above coffee, only just before eating ice cream out of coffee mugs (an idea introduced to me by Christina- try it!), and right behind Rizzoli & Isles.  I LOVE THEM.  I especially like for them to be wintery and prime for sweater pairing.  My favorites are this one pair I received a few years ago from my aunt, Ann, and Uncle Mark.  Tonight, Elly, Karen and I were all wearing plaid pajamas!!!!

Faves

"Hook 'em" from Karen

Plaid pajamas, yay!

I don't watch Breaking Bad; but in light of the big happenings in television this week, I felt inspired to present a list of my top 10 all-time favorite shows.  In countdown fashion, here they are:

10) That '70s Show

9) Glee

8) Big Bang Theory

7) Friends

6) Gossip Girl

5) Downton Abbey (but everyone dies, so don't get addicted to this one)

4) Sex In the City

3) How I Met Your Mother

2) One Tree Hill (until Season 7, after Peyton and Lucas left)

1) Rizzoli & Isles (obviously)

Moving on, my last blog was titled, "Should Have Been Studying."  As it turns out, I did the right thing by enjoying my weekend.  I sat down to study several times, but it just seemed so pointless.  Anywho, I made an 87....yay!!!  Now there's just one more test this week and a paper due on Thursday.

In other FANTASTIC news, our garden is doing very well, and OUR THYME IS SPROUTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The basil is showing a little green activity, as well, but nothing like the thyme.  And, our garden is even more "fall fabulous" with the addition of the scarecrows that Sara's mom sent (very fallish and gardeny).  There is also a touch of Halloween on my bed.

It's Thyme Time

I love SOCK MONKEYS!

Lastly and concerning my goals, I discovered one new place today with Madlin and Elly.  Every time I go downstairs to eat, I notice the big TV in the back of the dining hall.  I knew there are some tables back there, but there didn't ever seem to be enough room for all of us to sit.  However, Elly and I were the only ones going to dinner in the dining hall tonight (Madlin joined us later); so we decided to sit back there, and it was really neat!  It might even work out with all six of us.  

Once we sat down, we realized the TV wasn't really in the same room as the tables.  We could hear it, but we couldn't really see it.  Just before Madlin came, we noticed lots of people were walking back to where the TV was, even though it didn't seem like there were tables or anything, and we were very curious about why people kept walking in there.  By the time Madlin sat down, I was pretty anxious to check it out, and in James Bond fashion (more like Mr. Bean fashion, really), I went to investigate, and found that it was another entrance to the buffet!  I know it's not really that exciting, but I was a little fascinated!

I hope you all had a great day and that you enjoyed my blog.......goodnight!

Should Have Been Studying

Late Saturday morning, Hallie and I decided to take Isla to the Pecan Street Festival.  The festival occurs bi-annually and I was able to go in May with Christina.  The festival is a neat event.   I have to admit, though, that when I went in May, it wasn't the best ending to a really fun day (Christina and I went to SoCo- successfully- to find a dress for me to wear to the premiere of The Great Gatsby).  There are a ton of booths set up and the event is rather exhausting if you make any sort of attempt to check out all of the booths.

This time, however, we had a better approach.  Hallie and I merely glanced at most of the booths.  It turned out to be a completely successful trip, which translates to: Isla didn't start crying.  She's not a fussy baby or anything; but it's tough being outside for an hour or two in Texas, and we got her back in the air conditioning just in time.  And I got a Pop Up Popsicle, which I haven't had in years.  #nostalgic

In my last entry, I mentioned that I only come home to see Mallory and Christina, but that's not entirely true.  If I didn't have them, I wouldn't come home every other weekend, but I would still come home to babysit for other families.  My job experience has pretty much been limited to working with kids: nursery attendant, teaching aid, nanny, preschool worker and babysitter extraordinaire.  As a result, I have gathered some great babysitting clients, three families in particular.  This weekend, I babysat for two of the families while the parent went to a going away party for the third family, who is moving to Santa Barbara, California (enormous sad face).

I have only babysat for the Dejongs for about five months, but I have been watching their two boys at Parents' Night Out fundraisers at my church and at the preschool for which I worked for the last four or five years.  Both boys are brilliant, and I am really going to miss them and their parents.

Anyway, I did get to babysit Josie, Marin and Nathan.  They are a great group of kids and I'm glad I got to see them and visit with their parents.

Today is the day I was supposed to see Mallory and Christina; but my poor, little Mallory threw up this morning, so I didn't get to see her :(

I did get to see two really good friends of mind, Cheyenne and Gina.  Cheyenne has been one of my best friends since 5th grade.  She goes to Angelo State University, but I have been able to see her twice since we went to college.  It was only for fifteen minutes this time, but I was glad to get to talk to her.  I spent most of this afternoon with Gina, who I've known nearly my entire life.  Gina is amazing!  She's one of those women that you just can't imagine being disliked by anyone.

I suppose this was a pretty good weekend.  I kind of regret, though, that I didn't study more.  I have two exams this week.  One is in Intro to Theater, which would seem like nothing to worry about, except I haven't really been going to class.  There are just so many idiots in there, who in the first week asked questions like, "Do we need to take notes?"  Then, after the professor said that it wasn't necessary, but rather helpful, to take notes, another kid asked, "Do we have to turn our notes in?"  Need I say more?  Anyway, I haven't missed anything from class, but I haven't really been looking over the material either...  However, I think I'm prepared for my exam in Expressive Culture, so hopefully I'm not up too late tonight.

I can't wait to be back at UT with Sara, Karen, Madlin, Elly and Kristynn!

Goodnight, everyone!

It's My Coffee Day...Yayyyyy!!

Friday is my favorite day of the week, because it's my coffee day!  On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have Expressive Culture from 11:00-12:00, but I have it from 9:00-10:00 on Fridays.  This leaves an hour long break right in the middle of my schedule, during which I always go to Starbucks.  The first sip of coffee is one of the best things in the world!  It is so hot, but it doesn't burn your mouth if you are used to it.  Then once you swallow, your mouth goes from hot to its regular temperature and you are left with the most wonderful, cooling sensation.  And, there is of course the taste of a mocha latte with a little bit of cinnamon :)

Today I took my coffee break next to the Alumni Center, on the short rock wall next to the creek.  I mentioned in my first blog that I wanted to explore new places, and today I decided that every Friday I would try to discover a new spot on campus during my coffee break.  Today, I of course found the area next to the Alumni Center, where I enjoyed the nature, shade and the company of squirrels.

On Wednesday, I talked about a field trip I took to the PCL.  What I didn't mention, was that our professor got pretty worked up over not being able to find a book, an old copy of The Oxford English Dictionary.  As it turns out, the book was on the fourth floor rather than the sixth, so we took another field trip today and found it.  Here we are reading the other neat books we found.

The section it was in turned out to be an English major's paradise.  The isle was lined with 19th century poetry compilations, histories of the English language, journals, and many more splendid books.  Here are a few I found.

The second book truly is a treasure chest.  One of the first entries I came across was "Poetry and Life" by Max Eastman.  Absolutely beautiful!  Also, I read Haunts of the Black Masseur: The Swimmer as Hero recently, in which the author, Charles Dawson, mentions many great poets and their attachment to the water.  Many of those poets had poems featured in this collection and it was great to read their poems with a new idea of the context in which they were writing.  Then there were some poems by Virginia Woolf, who I am strangely fascinated with.

Later this afternoon, I received another care package from Sara's mom, Mom Northcutt.  She is the sweetest!  This time she sent homemade chex mix, popcorn, gum, a scarecrow, and a note.

Hmm

Isla loves it too.  "Thank you, Mom Northcutt!"

Normally, I eat with my cousin, Hallie every other Friday night; but tonight I went to Target with Sara and Karen, so I had Panera with them, yummy :)  It's nothing like dinner at Hallie's, but I still really enjoyed it.  Plus, it's holiday season, so I got some Fall decorations for the dorm.

I eat kind of like Meg Ryan (Sally) in When Harry Met Sally.  I am a "fussy" eater (that's how Madlin refers to my picky eating habits).  So instead of having what's on the menu (three-cheese bread, turkey, bacon, cheddar, and a tomato-mustard spread), I change up the order so that I am eating chicken, bacon, cheddar, spinach, and no tomato-mustard spread on rye bread.  I genuinely feel awful for all the restaurant employees that have to put up with my "fussiness."

I'm staying with Hallie, tonight.  I've always looked up to my cousin, regardless of whether she was the best role model at the time or not.  I guess it's because I've always known how much she loves me and my sister and I know that she will always be there for me.  I'm so glad I live in Austin, now, and that I am so close to her and my little cousin, Isla.  I really look forward to spending quality time with them every other weekend: playing with Isla, eating home-cooked meals, and hanging out with the best cousin ever!  OHANA.

I always stay with Hallie before going home, which means of course that I'm going home this weekend.  I like to see my family, but I really only go home for 2 reasons: to see Mallory and to see Christina.  There aren't too many people I miss from home, and they are the only two that make going home worth the drive and time away from my new friends and life on campus.  I guess I should mention that Mallory is Christina's daughter, so really I only go home for one reason: The Hughes.  I've been watching Mallory since she was pretty little and I just couldn't go without seeing her!  I am so excited to get to see them on Sunday.  Anyway, here they are, I love them both so much!

I am also really excited to see their dog, Ginger, who is the only chihuahua I will ever love, or even find cute.  Ginger is the sweetest, though.  She just sits in my lap and lets me pet her.  Sometimes she gets too excited and licks like crazy or sheds a little, but I don't mind- I love her!

And that' s my day, y'all have a good night.

P.S. I would like to thank all of my classmates that took a look at my blog, you guys are awesome!

Wild Child (not me)

I first heard Wild Child play when I went to the first Blues on the Green of this summer.  Blues on the Green is a free summer concert series presented by KGSR.  This summer's lineup included Alpha Rev, The Wheeler Brothers, Bob Schneider and many other exceptional bands worth checking out.  I was particularly excited to see Alpha Rev perform.  I listen to their track "Phoenix Burn" on repeat and enjoy many of their other songs; so when I heard that they would be the first band performing in this summer's series, I immediately made plans to go.  It was on this first night of Blues that I heard Wild Child perform.  I was not initially very excited about this band; I guess based on their name, I assumed they were a rock band or something, not really my taste in music.  However, they turned out to be one of my favorite acts of this summer's entire lineup, if not my absolute favorite, so I was of course thrilled when I heard that they would be playing for free on campus.

Despite how obviously fantastic it is that Blues is free and features tons of tremendous and well-known bands, these aspects are not those that I value most within the event.  The greatest aspect of Blues is the atmosphere.  Picture this: tons of friends, couples and families laying on blankets in the grass or sitting in lawn chairs, dogs by their sides; frisbees and footballs being thrown in every direction; people hula hooping; picnics made up primarily of food from Whole Foods; hipsters; wine; and many individuals reading books or journaling.  This is what I love most about Blues, this picturesque atmosphere that happens to be accompanied by great music.

Back to Wild Child, not only were they coming to campus for free, but the event was to be held on the lawn in the South Mall- a small scale replication of Blues!  I got so excited; but on the day of the event, the drought was broken and rain poured from the sky for hours!  Luckily, and I suppose primarily because Wild Child is local, the event was rescheduled for today.

I am very thankful for the rain, but you know.....

After dinner, I headed down to the South Mall with Sara and our friend, Madlin.  Madlin, by the way, is also one of those great friends I am so lucky to have found here!  So is Elly, her roommate, who met us there towards the end of the performance.  Locals on the Lawn met my expectations exceptionally, I just wish I would have remembered to take a blanket.  Wild Child played a song they have just released and many songs from their new album which will be released soon.  I absolutely love everything they produce and particularly enjoy their incorporation of a large variety of instruments (especially the cello-my favorite!).  Opening for Wild Child, was another unique band, Marmalakes, which I very much enjoyed.  Altogether, it was a fantastic night.  I had a lot of fun with some great friends, listening to great bands.  AND, I took home a free frisbee and track from the Marmalakes.

Fun on the lawn

Friends!

The great outdoors

I'm in love with my Chacos

Wild Child!

Wild Child again...

Have a great night and check out Wild Child!

http://www.wildchildsounds.com

*Disclaimer: Some photos have been provided by Sara Northcutt & Madlin Mekelburg.

Throw It in the Bag

Everyone told me that college was going to be so fun and that these next four years would be the best four years of my life, and THEY WERE RIGHT!  I love college- but not the same way Asher Roth loves it!  Today, I took a field trip in two classes.  Well, one of those doesn't really count as a class, it's my Freshmen Interest Group Seminar.  We meet once a week to do ice breakers and talk about ways to be successful in college.  Instead of doing all of that today, we walked over to the Blanton Museum of Art and took a tour.  Here is my favorite piece.

Sternenfall (Falling Stars) by Anselm Kiefer

Another great thing happened in my FIG meeting today: our FIG adviser brought us chocolate from Switzerland...delicious!

Back to field tripping, we also took a field trip in my UGS course, English Words and Their Origins.  We walked over to the Perry-Castaneda Library and looked at the microfilms and in the map room.

Regardless of my two field trips, the best part of my day was an event in my residence hall: Throw It in the Bag.  We learned how to turn pillow cases into reusable bags.  I am very much concerned with protecting the environment and using reusable bags is a great way to do that.  I am so glad I live in Austin, where single-use plastic bags have been banned, and I'm really excited that some of the RAs in my dorm are supporting the ban, raising awareness, and providing residents with assistance in handling the ban on single-use bags.  It's too bad I'm so artistically challenged.  I was almost done painting pretty little flowers on my bag when my paint exploded right where my last flower was supposed to be.  What a mess!  Instead of seeing this as a negative, however, I decided to make a statement with my bag: If you aren't environmentally friendly, the environment will die.

Oh no!  What a mess!

Why are Kristynn and Sara so good at everything!?

Artwork!  #hipsterexpression #acceptit