Superman Sleepover!

Last night my bus core had a sleepover! Our bus is named Superman, and we have used that name to it's full potential. What does one do at a Superman sleepover, you ask? Well, I'll let you in on a few of the fun, secret things!

First, we have story time. Then, once Nate (our lone boy!) arrives and gifts us with "DIVA" sweethearts, we all freak out, pile on my bed, and take super cheesy and fabulous pictures! Before our bus was dubbed Superman by the powers that be, we called ourselves the divas and requested this song over and over at multiple radio stations.
Then, we diva-itize Nate. He loved it. John Lennon, purple sunglasses and all. Xixi told us to give her our "fancy faces." Umm...We youtube Beyonce, Jay-Z, Soulja Boy, Destiny's Child, etc., start dance parties, and google "Ghetto" for Xixi, who swears she doesn't know what it is.We laugh. A lot.
And have such good conversations, ideas and support for one another. You know you've found some good friends when you had a stressful day, and they can take it all away by just being there. They also re-enacted a scene over and over for me so I could videotape them for a class assignment. Superman, you are spectacular.

my sunlight.

first seen here.

This video is beautiful, so colorful and the lighting is incredible. And on top of that, it's actually a great rap song. If you want to hear more from this band, go here.

It's what I listened to a couple of times this morning in between phone calls and emails, and dang it, it's catchy.

dresses + photos

If I had to choose a day to redo, today it would be this one. Pretty dresses, pretty grass, a pretty sculpture garden, a pretty wonderful friend named Hanna, and a pretty great photographer named Greg.

I'm done with this snow business. It took me half an hour to get Lola (my car) out from under a mountain of snow today, all to move her to the other side of the street so she wouldn't be towed. I watched two cars get towed in front of my house today. They mean business when they say "Snow Emergency."

So, on this very cold night, I'm going to think of pretty dresses and summer days instead of my drenched jeans and mittens and cold toes.

imperfect.

My bangs are much too long and are getting into my eyes.
I'm wearing clothes that have gone through the wash about three too many times.
I stuffed my jeans in my boots because it's snowing and I dislike wet jean bottoms.
I just finished an assignment due in a half an hour.
I rewarded myself with some M&Ms.
I still haven't finished something I had planned on finishing this weekend.
I'm planning a sleepover.

Today I am splendidly imperfect and alive.
"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body..."
- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

baking time.

So, I am rarely home in the evenings to make delicious dinners or to even make simple dinners and watch TV or chat with the roommates. Usually, I am on campus until about 8-10pm, so by the time I get home I've either eaten or don't want to make a big hoopla about what I'm going to fix. But! On Thursdays, I get home around 7. (I know, right?) Last night I took advantage of this and whipped up some delicious pizza and red velvet cupcakes. Yum.

I'm not that ambitious, so I started with a regular cheese pizza that I had in the freezer, added onions, green peppers, tomatoes, ground turkey (that I cooked separately), and more cheese (I live with people from Wisconsin) and let me tell you, it was incredible. Sure, I had been craving pizza for days, but seriously, this was so good that I wish I had leftovers.
Then I turned to the cupcakes! Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. They are calling my name right now, and I know it will be hard to refuse them once I get home today. My roommates and I all "sampled" the batter, I managed to ruin a yellow shirt with it (I'm a messy baker and wouldn't have it any other way), and we were laughing and watching Grey's Anatomy together. It's been a long week so it was nice to have an hour just to sit and eat and share our lives. Have you done that lately? Because I think you should. It's important.

hmph. ha!

I was in a bad mood yesterday. I can't say I wasn't or blame it on anything or account for all of the reasons why I was crabby, but I was. It was just one of those days that everything kind of creeps up and grabs you, and you are not ready for it so your defense is just to sit and stew and have a little attitude. But that is not what I want to focus on. So! Here are a couple good things that have happened in the last couple of days:

*I woke up at 4am this morning naturally. Now, this could be construed as bad, but the fact that I did some homework, laundry and cleaned up my room in that burst of energy instead of laying in my bed means I took advantage. I can't seem to get on a normal sleeping schedule, so I'm trying to make the most of the one I've been given.

*I was craving a brownie the entire day yesterday and in some crazy twist of fate, one of my friends brought brownies for the entire class that I had last night.

*We have finished our t-shirt design!

*Instead of me going up to people yesterday, hounding them to come on a tour (I did, and do almost everyday, but whatever) one person actually came up to ME!

*I got two chai lattes. Boom.

*I've learned that I really enjoy writing plays. It was an assignment for one of my classes, and I have really been getting into it. It's fun thinking of how an actor might portray a person you have in your head, even though you are just writing lines.

*I finally finished burning a couple of CDs for a friend, and she will get them tonight.

*My sister reminded me that she still owes me a coffee or a lion for helping her with something this weekend. I asked for a new computer, to which she said no. I then re-made up this conversation and told someone that after I asked for a computer she said "how about a sandwich?" and we had some fun, witty banter. It could have happened. I mean, she said a lion, why not a sandwich? (Am I the only one who does this? Probably. I blame the play writing and lack of sleep.)

*And now for the rest of the day, I will focus on doing much more of this:

Hope you have a happy Wednesday!

February.

February is such a blah month. You know what I mean? In January you started a whole new year and the freshness lasts until pretty much the end of the month. In February, that freshness is gone and responsibility is setting in. I think this is especially true as us college students enter into our third week of college and the homework and assignments start piling up and the instructors expect a little bit more of you and if you walk into class late, there is a penalty as opposed to that first time or two where it probably wasn't nearly as big of a deal.

It is also the time when you have to be hunkering down in real life, trying to find a job, finishing random applications, praying for a grant for your bus so something really cool can take place, and then right smack dab in the middle is Valentine's Day, which for some is a welcome relief and for others is a big looming day where if you just had a date a few days or weeks ahead of time, you don't know what you should do or wear or expect, and if you haven't had a date in a while, then you are thinking of what to do for yourself so you don't end up sitting at home alone or with your equally miserable roommates devouring ice cream tub after ice cream tub and watching "He's Just Not That Into You" for the twentieth time. (I mean, what? Not me or my friends, of course.)

I'm just kidding, but I did have a little chat with someone today about the effect February can have on a person, and it doesn't seem to have a very good one. This is going to be a busy, busy month. I am planning on baking pretty cupcakes to make it through. I've been craving the red velvet ones I made for new years, so they might just make a comeback. Or I may possibly try my hand at gluten-free cupcakes for my core. (If I can find a good recipe.)
Oh so pretty. (all cupcake images weheartit.com)

I also bought a couple new CDs yesterday and have made a few new mixes for friends. I promise they are more centered than any I usually put on here (which are mashes of whatever I happen to really like to listen to at that time.) I'm currently in a love relationship with making CDs. It calms me down when I get stressed. The only bad part about it, is that my computer yelled at me yesterday after I downloaded the two new ones. I am ENTIRELY out of space on my computer. This is not good. I deleted some things I could in order to get the music, but I need to back up my computer ASAP; it is scaring me every second it is on lately because of this fact. I'm going to have to invest in a new one sooner or later, but I was really hoping to get through this semester with the one I have now. We've been through so much, to so many countries and homes, crashing twice, battery dying a ridiculous amount of times, an entirely new keyboard. Come to think of it, this computer has been a major pain in my side. But I like it. So it stays for now.
Seen here.

I am pretty excited for this movie, though! There are way too many stars in it to not be at least a guilty pleasure.

Oh, February. Be nice to me.