It's a New Year Now

Well, it's a new year now, and has been for 15 days! I just started getting back into the swing of things here at my university, and I'm ever so slightly overwhelmed! I have lots of projects coming up this semester including 4 speeches, a postcard, a poster, a research-based ad campaign for a candy brand, and a gazillion little french assignments, not to mention two choir concerts, and a 400 level class. Whew! That is an awful lot, but I've told myself that I can do it, as long as I prioritize my time, which I am making a schedule for tomorrow.
Among all the school work I have, I also starting some New Year's Resolutions
1. Excersize everyday except Sunday. I started on the 30 day shred program, but I'm on the second floor at Uni and now that I'm back there, I can't do all the jumping things because my RA lives below me. Instead I used some of the quieter moves and made my own routine.
2. Vlog once every fortnight. I have a YouTube channel, but I never seem to use it! So, its a new goal of mine to post a video, be it a vlog, or a funny, or an instructional video, once a fortnight. It will be a super fun challenge, I think
3. I also plan on using this thing more. When I was in England, I used this thing all the time, but I also went on lots of trips and had lots to gab about, but now, back in the boring old town of Flagstaff, there isn't as much, so I haven't been as motivated. But it is a new resolution of mine to post on this thing 2-3 times a week.
Okay, I also want to get clearer skin, but that one's pretty self explanatory. Okay, that's all for now, but I will post again very soon (as it's part of my resolutions), okay?

Awesome: How excited I am to stick to these resolutions. Also, sexy guitar players, one of whom I met tonight.

Awful: How many times I used the word "okay" in my last paragraph in contrast to how few sentences I had.

LOVE YOU BYE!!

Un-Romance

M'kay, so, evidently I lied. In my last post I said that I didn't want a romance, that I was just going to concentrate on my friends and my studies, which I have been doing, but with the holiday season upon us and all the couples and couple-y things surrounding me 24/7 (mistletoe, warm fires, cold snow, hot chocolate etc...)Plus all the couples around me and all the romantic christmas movies on tv, makes me think that I may have changed my mind a bit. It's not hard to want what you don't have, you know? Especially with the Christmas season tricking you into thinking that love is in the air, even if it isn't. Anyway, I shouldn't really act on this desire becasue it would violate two things: The promise I made myself in my last blog and the Pact. I don't want to break those promises, but I can't help feeling a need for a real romance, especialy now during the most romantic season of the year. Bah Humbug.

Friendships versus the world

So, it's the month of NaNoWriMo and in honor of that, my subconscious and my schedule have decided to corroborate and make me write as much as possible. With essays, group projects, my novel, and these blogs that I feel the urge to write, I don't know when I'm gonna have time to watch Glee! Mixed in with all this writing I'm doing is the purpose of this blog. I'm trying to have a better social life and not be such a hermit. I'm trying to hang out with my friends more, take more initiative when hanging out to be there for them, and do more fun and exciting things like swing dancing and rock climbing. I've decided that instead of focusing on myself or finding some sort of love interest, I'm going to focus on developing the friendships I have and trying to make new ones. These will be the people who I stay with, who I tell my secrets to, who I learn from and lean on and visa versa. At least I hope so. This is a current life decision and I intend to stick with it for a while. On a lighter not, expect some modern, sexy, fairy tale photos soon. I'm taking them for my photography portfolio and I'm well excited. YAY!

Let's Go To The Movies (or TV)

Film: 5th Element
Action Film: Equilibrium
Drama Film: Under the Tuscan Sun
Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Lord of the Rings series
RomCom Film: Pretty in Pink
Horror Film: The Orphanage
Film based on a book: Jane Austen Book Club
Film based on a play: Midsummer's Night's Dream w/Stanely Tucci
Actress: Kate Winslet
Actor: Bruce Willis/Alan Rickman tie
Comedian: Stephen Fry/Carol Burnett
Director: Ron Howard/Gurinder Chada
80's Film: Weird Science
Foreign Film: Amelie
Film Couple: Stanely Tucci and Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia
Classic Film: Born Yesterday/Royal Wedding tie
Movie Musical: Finnian's Rainbow
Christmas Film: Miracle on 34th Street
Favourite Old Sitcom: Bewitched
Favourite 90's Sitcom: Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Favourite Current Sitcom: Glee
Favourite Crime Show: Psych
Favourite Comedy Show: How I Met Your Mother
Game/Quiz Show: Does qi count? if not, Jeopardy
Stand Up Comic: Michael McIntyre
Cult Film: Blow Up
Television Actor: Neil Patrick Harris/Dule Hill/James Roday/Kevin Sorbo four way tie
Television Actress: Jane Lynch/Kristin Chenoweth
Favourite Reality Show: Dancing with the Stars
Favourite SciFi Show: Andromeda

I encourage you to copy this and do it yourself...cause it's fun!

Austin, TX, apparently the capital of awesome artsy stuff

So, I have some plans for the summer, if I can find an online or freelance job to earn some mulah. I have three ideas so far:

Idea Number 1

Intern in the Public Relations department at the Phoenix Art Museum. It would be cool because I'm a bit of an art history nerd (and by a bit I mean obsessed...) and a bit of a fashion nerd (same definition, and they have a fashion exhibit). Also, I might get to help organize public galas etc...which would be really fun and good experience. Plus side: Live at home for free. Downside: It's in Phoenix and doesn't really aid my need for travel.

Idea Number 2

Intern in the Public Relations/Marketing Department at Walden Media Studios in L.A. It would be cool because its what I really want to do, at this point in my life, you know, work in the book/music/movie/fashion industry, as opposed to doing PR for a law firm or something equally as boring. Also, I'd get to deal with different kinds of crises and meet famous people and become their friendly aquaintences, or even their friends! Plus side: It's in L.A. and its a publishing company(!). Downside: It's in L.A., kind of a sketchy town, and I don't currently have the money to live there for a summer.

Idea Number 3

Intern in Austin, TX, possibly at a boutique I found while browsing the interwebs. It would be cool because it deals with fashion, which is something I'm looking for. Also, I am hoping to convince a family friend that lives there that if I pay rent or buy my own food, she would let me stay at her house. I haven't breached that topic yet, but I will soon (maybe she'll read this!). Also, it's in Austin, the capital of cool and bohemian awesomeness, with a really good music scene. Plus side: It's in Austin and aids my need for travel, as I've never been there. Downside: I don't know if I can convince my friend to let me stay at her house...

As you could probably tell by the title of this blog, this option is my current favourite.

Which option is your favourite/Which option do you thing I should go for?

xxx

Disney Ridiculousness and Tip-Top Days

Today may not be the epitomy of good, perfect days, but it came darn close! The only two things that are a real downer so far are: the fact that I slammed my finger today when I tripped up the stairs...I'm having just a bit of trouble typing because, well, it does kind of hurt, not to be wimpy about it. And my Women's Studies class, as a whole. Pretty much it's a load of rubbish with a few interestingly decent points thrown in here and there. Today she talked about how body image is perpetuated by Disney Princesses which I guess I understand, but then she said, and I quote "what's with all the silly dresses and tiaras?" Well, the dresses focus on the time period and geographical location and they wear tiaras because they're royalty, of course...duh. Also, teh class mentioned that villains are always people of colour. In my vast film viewing, I find this to be false. For example, Disney films with humans, created by Walt originally (who people know was slightly racist): Aladdin- Jafar was the same race as everyone else. Mulan- the Huns really were the enemy of the Chinese. Peter Pan- Hook was white. Snow White- White. Sleeping Beauty- White, well okay, sorta green... Little Mermaid-...purple... Cinderella- White. Beauty and the Beast- white, AND the ideal of a "perfect male physique". Pochahantus- Whites(who really were enemies of the Native Americans at one point. 101 Dalmations- White. And those are just Disney films. Actually, most villains are played by Brits, rather than people of colour. There are villains that are people of colour (Push and Shanghai Noon for example) but it really isn't a stereotype and I wish people wouldn't make such a big deal of it. Every monday and wednesday I leave the class fuming and have to call someone to listen to me rant. It's the only thing that calms me down. If I happen to call you, just nod sympathetically (I can hear that through the phone you know) and make occasional remarks like "really?" "no way!" "I can't believe she said that!". It'll help me a lot. I guess the class does make me think...
But on to the overwhelmingly good part of the day! I got to talk to two people about my time studying abroad, fun! I made plans in the distant future to travel to, a) botswana b)China c)Amazon on a river tour, with a friend. I met someone new and exciting today and am looking forward to having a new, cool friend in her. I got compliments on some photos I took(!!) and overall, I'm have a tip-top day. Tonight, it gets even better with Dancing with the Stars (Sabrina, Swayzee tribute, and Lion King performance), Glee(need anything else be said?) and laundry, yippee! Sorry that this was a bit of a lacklustre blog to come back from my hiatus on, but I'm just too happy to write much :)

Homesick for Normalcy

I've been in this really weird state of mind recently. I'm home and what I'm doing was, at one point in my life, normal (to clarify, I'm sitting at home bored out of my mind or doing chores), but that sort of lifestyle hasn't been normal for about 4 years. I've always had something to do, a job or something. So, while I'm sitting here on the interwebs, bored out of my mind, with the occasional fun thing to do, I'm pining for different things. I'm pining for more family time. I want to bond with my parents, I want to just watch movies and play games and chat, but they are at work a lot of the time, and I am not. I pine for my University life. I can't wait to go back and see all the friends that I haven't seen since december. I pine for the normalcy of going to class everyday and hanging out with good friends at night and watching movies, or going to church, or grabbing a coffee. I pine for my highschool friends, who I won't see for much longer, unless they make the two hour drive up to Flag. And I also pine for England. Yes, of course I pine for the foggy glory of the British countryside, even though I love me a good cactus and some rocks, but mostly I pine for the people. I want so much to have the times we had back, but they will never again exist. Even if we all get together again, which I'm hoping most of us will do next year, it won't be the same. Change is good, it broadens the mind and the personality, but right now I'm stuck in this strange limbo and I just want to go back. Perhaps not rewind time, because that would be counterproductive, but to have my family, my British friends, my American friends all together with me, each group similar to what it always was, all in one place, so that I can stay close or get closer with all of them, instead of losing the friends I've made and tried so hard to keep. That's all (but don't think I'm depressed or anything, I'm just in Limbo).

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Tonight is my last night in the UK. I don't quite know how to feel about this. On the one hand, I'm quite sad to be leaving this beautiful country, it's mild temperment, it's liberal attitude, the friends I've made here etc. On the other hand, I'm so thrilled to see my family and friends again, start planning for my 3rd year in college, making a scrapbook of my adventures, and, despite myself and all my whinging, I'm actually excited about seeing my hometown again with its surprisingly beautiful cacti, and desert rocks as well as its gorgeous sunsets. I will be quite sad to leave the friends I have made here though, as I've already said. Once I leave (once I left Essex Uni actually) it will never be the same ever again. I will never have those special people all together again. We will never have a time like we had these past two terms at Essex. It was the first of many things for me, and I will miss it immensly, but change is inevitable and it can be good, I suppose. As I have been thinking about this quite a lot recently, I brought it up while talking with a friend. He came up with the brilliant, honest, heartbreaking reality that, while I will never have a time like this ever again, I will always have the memories of my time here and I will have other memories to make with the people I met here at different times. It is true and sometimes when I think about it I smile, and then other times I want to cry. It's different then when I left home. When I left home in January I knew that I would be coming back on July 23rd. For certain. This is not so certain and the Uni experience is already gone forever. It's a bit too blinding a reality than I care to accept. As my computer will be packed up tomorrow morning, I will quickly list things that I have enjoyed and memories that will stay in my mind forever:
Paris with Lauren
Spain meandering with Jenika
Spanish Spin the Bottle
EuroTrip
Waffles and Peep Show with the Fencers
All my many birthday celebrations with Rossen
Italia and Scotland with Tinerz
York with David
Flirt, SportsFed, and Potato Wars
Exploring England with Rossen
That time
Jenika and I hanging out
Flat 3 and Flat 8 SouthSide

I will miss the experience and the people for sure.
I love you all.