Solitude

"The whole value of solitude depends upon one's self;

it may be a sanctuary or a prison,

a haven of repose or a place of punishment,

a heaven or a hell,

[it is] as we ourselves make it."

-John Lubbock

Today the weather is nasty. The are extreme wind advisories that make it impossible to use an umbrella to shield from rain. So, walking is just unpleasant. On top of that, I don't feel the greatest. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I think it's a combination of things, including the weather. All of this and more has put me in a really pensive mood. One that makes me want to curl up with a good book, none of this required stuff, and get lost in another's world.

With the list of things to get accomplished before leaving for break on Thursday, this is pretty impossible. However, I may try.

To deepen this pensiveness, I'm listening to music that seems to encourage it. The album "Go" by Jónsi. I really can't even remember the last time I've been in one of these moods, so I'm trying to embrace it and grow from it, because I think taking advantage of these moods can result it a ton of self-growth. It's so easy to get down, though. It's a such a thin line between letting it be destructive and uplifting.

What do you do when you're in pensive moods?

On another note, I'm not even attempting NaNoWriMo this year. I have nothing in mind, and without passion for a storyline, I stand no chance. Although, last week I saw and ad at the local coffee shop promoting meet-ups for the local NaNoWriMo'ers. This was the closest I have been to thinking about doing it this year. Good luck to everyone who is, though!

On another note, I got a free shirt today from my study abroad program. It's real creepy. The package was ripped a tad and all I saw was a female's eye. Speaking of studying abroad, I found out the photography class requirement for my major is a film course. This means that I wouldn't be able to use a dslr in Greece. Film cameras have always intrigued me, and there's no denying that they take beautiful pictures, but I wasn't even thinking about an investment like this and the fact that it may be required. There's something new to think about, I guess. Just add that to the list.

There are so many decisions I have to make within a few months. It's kinda scary. I'll fill you all in later, when I am not so scatterbrained. I've found this to be a good strategy.

That is all. Love you!

Your Personality is Great.

(So, I learned how to make these wave type things in photoshop,

and I spent a while doing them everywhere. It's fun.)

Consider this post not a blog full of angst and complaining, rather a blog of semi-irritated wonderment. With that being said, I apologize if this seems whiny. This in no way reflects my mood. Now I may begin.

1.) Since when did "conversate" become an actual word?! The first time I heard it, I assumed the person misspoke, and I laughed. Then I heard someone say it a few weeks ago in my class. I got a little confused and told him, "You know that's not a word, right?" He just looked at me and said, "Uh, yeah it is." I just brushed it off as lazy and slang. Then today I just saw it used on a Facebook "about me" section. Is this a word that you guys hear? It's not a word! Just say converse or conversation! It's not even more convenient to say conversate! It's awkward and strange!

2) This one is going to be hard to explain. It may sound slightly like a hipster complaint, but it bothers me. Let me start with a simple example. Many people say things like this when asked about what they are interested in:

"I like to have fun, watch movies, listen to music, and hang out with friends."

Then the other person will say, "Oh my gosh, me too!"

...

Congratulations, you both have a general interest in culture.

What bothers me is when people think they have so much in common after bonding over things like the fact that they both like listening to music. For goodness sake, find me someone who doesn't.

Another common "interest" many college students will list is their love of traveling. Once again, find me someone who would refuse to travel to another country. With the exception of agoraphobics, I'm thinkin' it's pretty hard to find someone who would refuse to travel if they had the money.

Or when someone says, "Oh I'm such a procrastinator" to which the next person says, "We have so much in common, me too!"

These are norms in society. Just stop and think about this for a second.

The worst one is when someone describes themselves as liking to "have fun." Really? I usually like to be anti-fun when it comes to life. ARGH! Have a personality, people! Be quirky! Like weird things!

Do you know what I mean? I don't even know why this bothers me so much. Maybe I'm just uptight.

Okay. Done being awful.

Positive Note: The fact that 33 miners stayed alive for 70 days and are now safely on a normal elevation. I had fun reading about their personal stories. :]

Resistance

"Love is our resistance."

-Resistance, the title track from their album.

It's about 1984, because they are just that awesome.

One time junior year in high school I said to my friend Andrew, "If Muse ever comes to the Midwest, we're going." Three years later, my friends, this happened. Last night was that night.

The concert was BRILLIANT. Passion Pit opened, whom I also love, and they were great too. I love that about going to big name concerts... they're openers are actually famous too. I had goosebumps for like the first four songs Muse played. They are FANTASTIC at the between song suspension. They just keep playing random chords until they strike the first chord of the next song bigger than ever. But these "random chords" are epic in and of themselves.

Also, the lighting and staging was PHENOMENAL. If I was into lighting and sound design, I would want. this. tour. job. The drummer was probably my favorite. He smiled like it was his first time playing in front of a giant arena. The two songs they brought out the grand piano for were my FAVORITE. That piano was beautiful, and they have lights synchronized to notes on the piano. Memorizing stuff here. They also played some oldie crown pleasers, which I was fully okay with. :]

Oh, also? They never even LOOKED at our tickets. Apparently this wasn't the case for everyone? We could have just WALKED IN. Baha.

After that, Andrew wanted to stop in at his friend's dubstep rave for a bit. It was $15, but don't worry... I was on the VIP list and got in free. This makes me laugh a little. I had to show my I.D. to a bouncer and everything. That was interesting.

In other news, I saw/heard:

I see what you're saying, but this definitely isn't the most effective advertisement of the day:

A poster for the Special Olympics with a picture of a participant next to bold letters that say, "She was born with a serious ABILITY."

Sketchy road sign of the day:

A sign stuck in the ground with an arrow next to the highway that says, "Daycare" with messy letters and the paint half peeled off.

Not what you want to hear while you're waiting on guys fixing your car of the day:

"You can't get it to work?"

Insult of the Day:

"Allyson, you look like a used McDonald's bag."

Currently:

Reading: Interpreter of Maladies

Listening: Moth's Wings by Passion Pit, Dominos by The Big Pink

Drinking: New coffee from the World Market. Allegro Coffee - Columbia blend. The bag is biodegradable, like the Sun Chip ones. Meaning, I cannot open it without waking up the entire hall.

xx

Warmth.

I am really, really obsessed with fall. I can't imagine living in an area of the world without the season. With that being said, happy first day of October! Go out and treat yourself to a pumpkin spice latte!

There are just a few things I'd like to discuss here today. First of all, did any of you see this article on Yahoo's homepage for a few days about a week ago titled Secrets Starbucks Doesn't Want You To Know? Most of it talks about tips and ideas that aren't even that helpful or are just common sense. However, there's part that caught my attention:

'Poor man's latte'

If you want an iced latte but don't have latte cash on hand, "You can order the espresso over ice in a big cup," suggests our barista. "Then you can walk right over to our condiment bar and use our carafes of whole milk, half and half, and nonfat."

"It's way, way cheaper. You'll save a lot of money." In general, she says, only about "one customer every couple hours" has figured out how to buy straight coffee and espresso and use the free condiments to mix their own beverages -- and they never get called on it. "We can't do anything about," she says.

Now, I'll admit I can count on one hand how many times I order iced lattes, as I am a faithful consumer of warm beverages regardless of the current weather conditions. However, this sounds like a trick worth the try. Except, I still can't decide if I would be bold enough to do it. It'd have to be a busy Starbucks in a big city, I think. Would you do it?

Right now I'm pulsing through a little over four hours of sleep. I could definitely benefit from a nap. My mind is starting to beg for one. However, it's October 1st, a beautiful day, I can make coffee, I am about to clean, read, and make pumpkin bread, and I just don't want to take one! Afternoon power-naps turn into afternoon large hunks of sleep time. Then, after waking up and realizing 2 to 3 hours of my afternoon is gone, it take me a good half hour to become mentally aligned and content with the fact that I woke my body up unnaturally at a random time. Plus, I just have the weirdest dreams during naps. Weirdest. How do you feel about these kind of naps?

Now, because I have frequent media quizzes in my media writing class, I have to keep up with news stories like when segways drive off cliffs and Katy Perry is too inappropriate for Sesame Street (You think?!) Since keeping up with the media and pop culture is kind of fun, I haven't been doing too poorly on these quizzes. However, one the other day was bad news. I guessed Britney Spears was banned from Japan instead of Paris Hilton, and Lady Gaga was the one 'popping out' on Sesame Street instead of Katy Perry (it was a good guess though, right?) Turns out Michael Douglas has throat cancer, and Lil Wayne hasn't recently flunked a drug test. I find it ironic that one of the few quizzes that has more to do with pop culture than relevant world news stories and politics is the one that I fail. I knew Bristol Palin was on Dancing With the Stars, though! Hooray for retaining the most useless of information!

Anyway, one question on the quiz today had to do with Stephen Colbert's appearance in congress to talk about immigration. Okay, folks, I've read a few news articles on this, I just don't get it. They knew he was going to be in character. They knew they were asking a comedian to speak in a congress meeting. Yet, they all are upset now because they felt he made light of a serious situation?! I asked my professor why Zoe Lofgren (the D-rep from Cali) even invited him to testify. He just laughed and said, "Apparently she thought it would be a nice, light break from a serious meeting, and he had worked alongside illegal immigrants at a farm one time." If this is all it takes for a person to be qualified to speak in congress, I am scared for this country. Props, Colbert. Props.

I've been trying to put my finger on good music for fall. A Fine Frenzy seems to fit today for so many reasons. I feel like she would be a lover of fall, as well. He covers, photography, clothing, hair color, and music videos all seem to just suggest a feeling of warmth and autumn.The perfect fall music video: Come On, Come Out by A Fine Frenzy

Reading: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Listening: A Fine Frenzy

Watching: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (SO cute. Watch this. Please!)