Art is Everywhere

Well, I didn't do a whole lot on Saturday.  I got all of my laundry done, but basically just watched Scandal all day, 15 episodes total.  I stayed up until 6:00 a.m. watching!  Since I stayed up so late, I didn't wake up until noon on Sunday, when Isaiah called to see if I wanted to go to brunch.

After having brunch with him and one of our friends from our FIG, Sagaree, I really wanted to take my new Birkenstocks for a walk.  So, Isaiah and I took a bus downtown and walked around.  We walked down 2nd Street and looked in a few of the shops and then rode another bus to South Congress.

South Congress had an unusual abundance of musicians along the sidewalk, all playing beautifully.  I am always really happy to see all of these artists sharing their talents and voices.  After looking around in South Congress Books, we came across a woman sitting behind a typewriter, who asked us if we would like for her to write a poem for us.  She wrote us a beautiful poem about us as English and history majors.

We also listened for a while to a man singing "Landslide" before walking over to South First to eat at Bouldin Creek, my favorite restaurant :)  I love their Breakfast Sammich and Rose Lemonade!

Once we got back to campus, I went up to my dorm to take a nap before we went to play soccer; but Sara got back about five minutes after I did, and I was too excited to sleep.  Side note- she brought back a ton of jackets!

About an hour later, Isaiah and I went to play soccer with a flat soccer ball, which didn't really work out very well.  I did bring a frisbee, though, so we played frisbee long enough to go from miserable amateurs to near professionals.  Maybe not that good, but we were doing really well by the time we decided to head back to our dorms.

Once I got back, I decided to finish the second season of Scandal since I only had a few episodes left.  I really wish Sara would get caught up with me!  It's so hard to contain my reactions so that I don't spoil anything for her!

Between the last two episodes, Sara and I added some Halloween decorations to fall ones.  Sara brought back some window decorations that we put up and some fall magnets for our fridge.

Hope you are all enjoying Fall!  Have a great day!

The View from the Roof

I woke up super peppy this morning.  I made coffee, fed the plants, and had time to make my bed before class.  I didn't have time to eat my apple sauce, but I took my it to class with my cinnamon and was able to eat it before I was too hungry.  Speaking of class, we explored the world of Neopets in my UGS course.

After my first two classes, I went to get my Friday coffee from Starbuck's.  Instead of exploring campus during my coffee break, I went to a discussion with the artist, James Turrell, whose just had an installation put in the SAC.  I need to clarify, by the way, that I gave him credit for someone else's art yesterday.  I'm still not sure whose art it is, but it's not by James Turell.  Sorry!  The talk was interesting, even though he was kind of wordy and off topic.  I really had no idea how any of his responses related to the questions or to his most recent piece, but it was interesting learning how he learned how to use light in so many different ways.

I had to leave the discussion early to go to Astronomy.  I can never miss it, because we have so many pop quizzes and all of the exams are based on the lectures.  I wouldn't really want to miss it, though, because it's my favorite class.  I was kind of surprised at how much I enjoy it, but it's a great class.  We learn a lot of interesting stuff- and not what you would think.  We learn about how astronomers calculate the distance to stars and their brightness.  We learn about the light spectrum and the intricacies of different telescopes.  And, of course we also learn about the orbits of planets around the Sun and things like that.  The professor is amazing, though.  His lectures are very dynamic and organized, and he really knows what he's talking about.  The pop quizzes were difficult at first, but you can do well on everything in his class if you just pay attention in class and study.  He provides so many opportunities for you to learn, such as review questions with help sessions, links to test questions from previous semesters, and review sessions before all of the tests.  It's really the only class I'm learning anything in, and I feel like I'm learning a lot.

I did my campus exploration after Astronomy since I went to the talk during my coffee break.  I have been eyeing this spot for a while, where you can sit on the roof of one of the buildings.  I had planned to spend last Friday morning there, but it was too cold.  So, I finally went today and sat on the roof while I read my Virginia Woolf novella, Jacob's Room.  It was pretty nice laying on the roof!

Afterwards I climbed the steps on the side of the Dorothy L. Gebauer building, which I see every other day when I get out of Astronomy, just after I pass the Welch roof.  It was such a pretty day to sit outside- not too cold, bright, or windy.  I really enjoyed being up so high and outdoors at the same time!

Well, Sara went home for the weekend, and I guess I'm going to try to be productive.  I did a few loads of laundry tonight, but pretty much just watched reruns from the fourth season of Rizzoli & Isles.

Goodnight, and I wish you all a happy weekend!

Guess What I Got!!

I've been watching a lot of NCIS in the past two days.  I started watching NCIS last fall, random episodes every once in a while.  I found out soon after moving into the dorm that Sara really likes it, so I decided to watch it from the beginning when I got my Netflix account a couple weeks ago.  I got the DVDs on Monday.  I'm not going through the episodes as quickly as I do with most TV shows, but I really like it so far!  And a bonus, Sasha Alexander, who also plays Maura (my all time favorite character, EVER) on Rizzoli & Isles (my all time favorite show, EVER), plays a character on NCIS.

Sasha Alexander aka Maura Isles & Caitlin Todd

That's pretty much all I did this morning.  I also read part of Edgar Allan Poe's short story, Berenice, which is a super creepy short story about a guy who has a monomaniacal obsession with teeth.  Once again, I was "enlightened" with another disgusting piece of literature for Banned Books and Novel Ideas- yay :/

After class, I noticed some art, which turned out to be by James Turrell, whose installation will be featured in the SAC.  He's giving a talk tomorrow that I'm really looking forward to.  I just hope I will be able to make it!

After attempting (unsuccessfully) to take a nap, I went grocery shopping with Elly.  I got a ton of food, which was much needed, and a KEURIG!!!!  I'm so glad I finally have one.  I used it for the first time tonight, and I'm in love.

First cup of coffee using the Keurig

The best part of my day, was getting to wear my red pants.  Sara finished them this morning, so I finally got to wear them after at least six months of wanting them so bad.  The weather was even perfect for wearing pants and a light sweater!

I'm still working very diligently on my goal to "know a little bit about everything," and ordered books on opera, classical music and bird watching this afternoon.

Goodnight, everyone, and have a happy Friday :)  I hope some of you may be inspired to go exploring tomorrow, as I will be doing since it's my coffee day...yayy!!

Cold, Rainy, Sweater Weather

Yesterday I mentioned that I have the best roommate ever!  Today, I wanted to mention again (I also mention how amazing she is in my post, "It's My Coffee Day...Yayyyyy!!") how amazing her mom is. I received another care package from her today.  This one included socks, gloves, leggings (with fleece on the inside), playing cards, a Halloween lollipop and cup, plates and napkins, hot chocolate and fortune cookies :)  She is just the sweetest!  There was also a tip about squirrels in the note she sent- they like Cheez-Itz!

Theatre was cancelled and that pretty much made my day!  It was cold and rainy all day.  I prefer the heat to the cold, but the cold was pretty enjoyable today.  I finally got to wear my Weasley sweater :)

Weasley Sweater and my new leggings and socks!

Also, theatre was cancelled and that pretty much made my day!

I studied in the Library of Life Sciences in the Main Building this afternoon.  I've been meaning to check it out for a while and finally did today between my last class and my FIG meeting.  It was really warm and cozy feeling, which was perfect since it was so cold and rainy outside.  I sat in a comfy leather chair and did some reading for Anthro about why some cultures don't eat pork- so intriguing.  Anyway, the library was great.  None of the books appeal to me since they are life science books, but the library, itself, was great.  And, the ceiling was beautiful!

We talked about registration for Spring classes in our FIG meeting today.  I've been trying to decide which classes I'm going to take next semester.  I've just about figured out which ones I want to take, I just have to pick an English course and decide whether I'm going to take 12 or 15 hours.  It's stressful, though!

Good luck to everyone else who is going to be registering soon, and I hope you all have a good night!

Oh, I forgot to share on Monday, but look what Isla painted.  Volcano?

And, I haven't mentioned it recently, but the garden is doing so well!  I think I'm going to get some pumpkins for it tomorrow when I go grocery shopping.  I also think I'm going to get a Keurig!

Why Am I Awake!?

I was dreaming so peacefully last night, until some Russian pervert started chasing me through a hotel.  Needless to say, I woke up at 6 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep!  I tried a few things: listening to my sleepy time playlist, a few games of Sudoku, and snuggling with Owlbert and Owlivia (Sara's stuffed owls).  None of these strategies worked, though, so at 7:30 I decided to go to Sara's government class with her.  Thus I began my day earlier than most.

After government, we went to breakfast in our dining hall.  It was the first time I have had breakfast in the dining hall.  I eat breakfast everyday, but I just don't see the point in paying for something I could make just as easily (I usually have bagels, cereal, granola bars for breakfast).  However, I am out of fruit and breakfast in the dining hall just sounded nice, maybe since it was so earlyish.  Anyway, they had really good breakfast tacos and there were strawberries in the fruit (usually it's just cantaloupe, honeydew melon and grapes)!  I really like to read the newspaper everyday, but I usually don't get to read it until after class.  But, since I was up so early, I got to read it with breakfast and coffee like an old man (quick shoutout to Madlin Mekelburg and Elly Dearman, who write for The Daily Texan- Sara and I always read their articles, because they are fantastic!).  After breakfast, I was charged with the task of keeping Sara awake so she wouldn't miss her chemistry class.

After dinner, Sara and I went to Rita's with Elly.  They had Swedish fish Italian ice today, and it was really yummy!  Afterwards, Sara altered my red pants for me (they were too long #shortprobs).  She's the best roommate ever!  If you ever need alterations, just email me and she will do them for a small fee!

As for my goals, Elly and I decided last week that since we were tired of all of the food in the dining hall, we would only eat fruits and vegetables- why eat unhealthy and get fat if you don't even like the food.  This week, in my pursuit to "know a little bit about everything," I am going to try to work on my Spanish.  I think I might also try to learn a little bit about bird watching.  Elly agreed to teach me to play the cello.  I'm really excited, because it's my favorite instrument, and I've been wanting to learn to play for a while now.  I don't think we will start this week, though.

Turtles, Nail Polish and My Favorite Tunes

I got back to campus this morning....not sure what else to say about that.  My Intro to Theatre teacher let everyone leave after the quiz today, which was pretty exciting.  Then I took a test in Astronomy that was pretty hard.

I did walk through the Turtle Pond on my way back to the dorm.  I like to walk by the pond every once in a while, because all of the critters are so interesting.  The turtles always swim up to the edge and stare at people.  I really like turtles and tortoises; next year when I'm living off campus, I'm going to have a tortoise.  I'm going to get one that's really small, so I can raise it until it gets really big.  It's such an amazing transformation!  Also, there are these teeny little birds by the pond that have a really interesting bird bath ritual.  They fly down to the ground from their little tree and shake around in the dirt, completely covering themselves in it.  Then they fly to a shallow spot in the pond and splash around in the water until they are clean again and fly up into the tree.  Then after a few minutes, they fly down from the tree and do it all over again!

I was really excited to get to see all of my friends after my weekend away :)  I usually try to get new nail polish every time I go home.  This time I got red (Russian Roulette by Essie if you want to get some too), and I love it!

I don't have anything to else blog about tonight, but Karen keeps on talking about Taylor Swift, so I decided to make a couple of lists to share with you guys.

The first one is a list of bands you may not know, but should definitely consider looking up (in no particular order):

1) Wild Child
2) Wakey!Wakey!
3) Wheeler Brothers
4) Fitz and the Tantrums
5) Noah and the Whale
6) Alpha Rev
7) Regina Spektor
8) She & Him
9) Bob Schneider
10) The Eastern Sea

Now, my all time favorite songs (also in no particular order and excluding classical music even though I love it):

1) "Beautiful Day" by U2
2) "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind
3) "Boy with a Coin" by Iron & Wine
4) "Serpentine" by Chris Bathgate
5) "Come as You Are" by Nirvana
6) "Swallowed By the Sea" by Coldplay
7) "Insect's Party" by Scarlatti Tilt
8) "Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
9) "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
10) "Down in the Valley" by The Head and the Heart

Please look them up and enjoy :)

Tomorrow I get to find out how I did on my first real college paper.  I'm so nervous!

Well erm, have a good night!

What is this liquid falling from the sky?

Rain!  So much rain!  On my way home last night, it looked and felt like God put a personal rain cloud over my car.........SCARY!  Despite the fact that it feels a little mucky outside and driving has been a little more dangerous, I am so thankful for the rain.  It's my favorite sound and we really need it!

I went home this weekend, and I decided I'm kind of tired of going home.  I like getting to babysit and see Christina and Mallory.  But, when I'm not with them, it's just lonely.  Burnet is so small compared to Austin, and my dad and sister aren't even at our house most of the time.  I just sit in my room doing the same stuff I do in my dorm, except I don't have Sara across from me when I want to talk or when I'm just bored.  There was plenty of boredom!  Despite the lonely hours at home, I did get to see Christina and Mallory for a little while.  In the end, that always makes the drive and time away from campus worth it!

Reading the book I brought her <3

I have made up my mind that I'm not going to spend Saturday night at home unless I'm babysitting.  Otherwise, I'm waiting until Sunday morning and just driving down to watch Mallory in the nursery.

I went shopping today and finally bought a pair of RED PANTS!  I have been wanting some for like six months now.  I think I first knew I wanted some when Christina wore them to work last Spring, but I just really like them.  I also got a white, sleeveless top to go with the red pants, as well as a pair of blue pants and a leather jacket- all things I've been wanting for a while.  Actually, I have been wanting a leather jacket for about 3 years, I just wasn't sure if I would ever wear it.

The best part of this weekend was having chicken and dumplings for dinner at Hallie's tonight :)  Chicken and dumplings are perfect for rainy weather!  I have a tradition of watching Step Up every time I eat them, but I didn't get to this time.  Maybe I'll watch it tomorrow with my leftovers.