I Like Things, Maybe You Will Too?

"Between the click of the light and the start of the dream."

- from No Cars Go by Arcade Fire

Just some things:

1) No, unfortunately, I didn't go to the midnight release. I knew one thing about the viewing of this movie, and that was that I needed to see it with my good friend Naomi, because she and I have been attending midnight Harry Potter releases together forever.... and you can't mess with tradition. The original plan of us meeting halfway for a midnight release (she goes to school three hours away from me) failed for a few reasons. Therefore, she is coming saturday and I will be seeing it Saturday night. I'm okay with this, because 70% of the midnight release fun has always been waiting with the same friends at the same hometown theater. As stupidly nostalgic as this sounds, it would have been so... weird... to go here with random college friends. So, tomorrow is the day! I am quite excited! I've heard many good things, and this is a wonderful contrast to the usual complaints. I'm terribly excited for the soundtrack, as well. :]

2) Starbucks is having a buy one holiday drink get one free from 2-5 pm yesterday till Sunday, just so you know! I'm a fan of not spending money, so I thought I'd share this lovely festive info. Egg nog lattes, gingerbread lattes, carmel brulee lattes, peppermint hot chocolate, peppermint mocha, etc. Basically, christmas in a cup.

3) Groupon is becoming bigger every. single. day. You should create an account. They just added like 30 more cities, and their nationwide deals are becoming more frequent. What does this mean to you? You don't even have to live in a big city with snazzy local dealers. Yesterday I bought a $25 Groupon for $50 worth of merchandise at American Apparel. You can use it anywhere, and the expiration dates are plenty comfortable. It doesn't expire until February! Today I think the deal is like $25 for $50 at Nordstrom Rack, and the other day it was $20 for $40 at The Body Shop. Big companies are taking advantage of this, guys. Good deals. The only thing is, I get really excited about all this money I'm saving, until I realize I wouldn't have spent the money at all without this deal. Sneaky, Groupon, sneaky. I have fallen into your trap.

4) I thoroughly enjoy Glee. I mean, I've seen all the episodes, but last season I labeled it as a "guilty pleasure." This season, however, has just been pumping out such quality material. Somewhere between hearing Damian Criss lead a heart-melting accapella version of "Teenage Dream" and Gweneth Paltrow making singing and dancing in the rain seem glamorous, appealing, and downright wonderful, I decided that Glee legitimately deserves unashamed praise. They've finally settled down their outrageously shifting plot-lines, and spent more time producing the song and dance routines. This move is so smart. Lately the new shows that are on tv seem to think if they don't have someone getting married, pregnant, or dying every other episode (often all in one) they will have a smaller fanbase. As I was watching this weeks episode on Hulu as I was working out, I was just smiling during both "Forget You" and "Umbrella/Singing in the Rain." While gasping for breath. I have this problem too often. Watching shows that make you laugh while you are in the middle of an intense workout in which you are already short of breath only makes you look like a complete dork. True story.

5) Our friends who live in the first room when you enter the hall have big, flashy mint shaped christmas lights that play jingle bells when you turn them on. Let's just say every day has its fair share of mood brightening dance breaks after coming back from blustery walks. The fun thing is, they're some of the only people on our hall that we know. This means our twirling, finger pointing, and sporadic dance moves get a lot of strange looks. :]

Happy Weekend!

(How did you like HP 7.1? Please spare the details. :])

Today is a Breakfast Day

"Harry Potter loved to sit on my shoulder while I was cooking and insult my food...

A few days ago, Harry Potter jumped off my shoulder. And maybe he forgot he couldn't fly or maybe he thought a pot of boiling water was a birdbath. All I know is that he splashed into the water, and I scooped Harry Potter out with a spoon."

- excerpt from Flight by Sherman Alexie. Harry Potter was the name of their bird.

Don't worry, this isn't going to be all about Harry Potter. You'll have to wait another week for that one.

There is officially snow on the ground, so I feel like I need a new banner. I still love fall colors, though... so the banner in all it's fall glory is staying for now. ... but now that fall is over we can enjoy EGG NOG and CHRISTMAS MUSIC without guilt. I made it until two days ago, November 15th, this year. I'm keeping track year to year. I'd say I'm okay with that. I mean, if you start too late, you don't get to fully maximize your enjoyment of the music, right?

Today I was reminded of an artist whom I really enjoy. I worked with a short book of his for forensics in high school, and my partner and I really fell in love with his stuff. He mostly makes little comics for cards, but he has a few short books. They are all so adorable, random, and uplifting. My favorite and probably his most well known is A Lovely Love Story.

"The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice. Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, his cage.

Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.

I like this Dinosaur thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny.
He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now.

I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice.
She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.

But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
He is also overly fond of things.
Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of things?

But her mind skips from here to there so quickly thought the Dinosaur. She is also uncommonly keen on shopping.
Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?

I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.

I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur. For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises. Besides, I am not unkeen on shopping either.

Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old.
Look at them.
Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.

And that, my friends, is how it is with love.
Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together.
For the sun is warm.
And the world is a beautiful place."

Without the comics to go along with it, it loses some of it's appeal. However, I just love his style. Today I found a few works of his that I'd never seen before.

>>>

Anyway, that's Monkton. He's fun.

In other news, I have eight days of school left before two days of finals and then winter break. This is wonderful. Also, I'm going to Nashville in a week. This is great, too.

The author quoted above about Harry Potter, Sherman Alexie, is really funny. We had to read a book of his and also watch a movie he wrote the screenplay for. I've quoted that one quite a many times. "Sometimes it's a good day to die, and sometimes it's a good day for breakfast." :] He's pretty vulgar in his written stuff, so that's annoying, but his writing style is insanely witty.

Alright, time to go buy an egg nog shake, followed by an egg nog latte, followed by a stomach ache. A glorious, glorious stomach ache. Actually, time to go celebrate the then-boyfriend's (this is the new way a friend and I decided to refer to ex's. It's legit.) birthday with half off appetizers at Applebees.

Happy 17th! One month until I'm no longer teenaged!

Today's Forecast

"Lend me your hand

and we'll conquer them all.

But lend me your heart

and I'll just let you fall."

-Awake My Soul

Let me tell you, the amount of random stress I have been under these past few days makes me really okay with the fact that I'm not trying to write a novel on top of that.

So, last weekend. I drove to Chicago to visit Alyson and tour Columbia College. Both were very, very, successful. I'm seriously looking into transferring, if all these little picky details go my way. After tons of stubborn research, I have come to the conclusion that people just don't get a BA and a BFA. This would take years of school, because BFA programs require no gen ed's... so they have two more years of specific classes. Therefore, even without transferring, it would take forever to graduated with a BA in marketing communication and a MFA in graphic design. There are some places that offer a BA in Art with an emphasis in graphic design, but even my advisor said this is almost worthless. Therefore, I'm picking the one I want to do most: Graphic Design. I think I'm going all in. What's funny is that this is what I wanted my freshman year of high school, but I talked myself out of it. Silly freshman.

Let me tell you, that school is sure swell at capturing you on their tours. I got to tour the fashion design floor. I felt like I was walking into the set of Project Runway.* Their on-campus apartments are the most gorgeously modern apartments I have ever stepped into. Also, the fact that they went on and on about their big name internships and friends jobs kinda didn't hinder my excitement.

I'm telling you guys this before the majority of my friends. Mostly because nothings for sure, but I like telling you guys this.

Anyway, then we drove to see Mumford and Sons that same day. It was a long long day, but SO worth it. I've been struggling with giving that concert the "best concert I've ever been to" label, but let me tell you, it may have been. They played such a long set list, and they only have one cd and one ep! And you could tell they were just having so much fun. They made it seem like they haven't been doing this every night for the past two months. The middle-aged woman who was flailing her arms up and down the whole time while her husband was sitting on his iPhone didn't help things, but we bonded with the couple next to us because of the fact this man and woman were so annoying. It was just so wonderful. I can tell you for a fact, you will never be able to buy an $18 Mumford and Sons ticket ever again. My brother said they were going for $200 for the Nashville concert.

One of the best quotes I have from the weekend was when I was sitting in the waiting room for an oil change with several very elderly people. One elderly woman wasn't talking much, but when she did I'm pretty sure the whole city could hear her. She turned to her friend and said, "GEORGE, DID YA HEAR BRETT FAVRE GOT HIS FACE SLICED OPEN?!"

.... I literally had to hold in my laugh.

Twenty-one hours in the car, a concert, and oil change, and a few life decisions later... I came back to MN. Hola, school.

Inception is at the free theater on campus this weekend, so we're going tonight. Last time I saw this movie I was stranded in the Massive Sinkhole Causing Flood of Milwaukee. Yep, it's got an official title. Anyway, yaay.

Okay, I will be here more often and read other people's blogs more often. Everything will just be less stressful and back to normal now.

*This is mainly due to the fact that it was a room with several sewing machines. Project Runway has probably taught me all I know about making clothes. Translation: I don't know much.

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!)