Letterpress Love

I am quite fond of letterpress and woodtype. It's like the best of both worlds, handmade and digital. I'm in a printmaking class right now that consumes my entire life, and it's actually showed me that I enjoy it less than I thought. It's much more illustration heavy, and drawing is not my strong suit. I love how minimalistic and geometrical type is. Perhaps that's a cop out. 

Anyway, this font was originally a letterpress typeface. I'm working with it all semester in my Intermediate Type class. I'm also applying for an short internship over winter break at a wood type printshop, so I wanted to cater to that. This is digital, though. Don't get confused. This was printed by a printer, not with a press. 

SO I'M SHOWING YOU MY WORK! 

Gosh. That doesn't happen very often. :]

Ladeda.

A Letter

It's weird to think about how I'm in a place where I feel comfortable addressing this properly. Wasn't it yesterday I was stuffing dining hall cheese curds in my body every night, when "working out" was like talking in a foreign language, and skipping pointless classes to play Super Smash Bros with my new boyfriend who I was only semi-interested in was actually a thing I did with my life?


"I am having such a hard time balancing school work, social life, living healthy, and getting enough God-time."



Dear Lovely Friend, 

This is a letter to you. You're not alone. 

There's that oh-so-overused annoying infographic that looks like this:

I mean, fine. I guess it makes sense. Woe is the college student. We're too busy to do everything. Whine whine cheese whine. But I want to think that instead of whining about it, more people should just plain take initiative in their lives to work on fixing that bits and pieces that are more difficult or lacking.

Let me address the topics you mentioned and how I deal(t) with them:

1) School Work

Remember that you are in school to learn. You are paying so much money. Get everything you want to get out of it. The resources you have are crazy convenient  Use. Them. Now, obviously, if you would have told that to me while I was sitting in the back of the 200 person Geography lecture hall texting the boy I swore was my soulmate, I would have retorted a wittism about how my professor had her master's degree in dirt. True story. I didn't care about that class. I did minimal work and skidded by as apathetically as possible.

And it's okay to have classes like that. If you know you can do well enough in a class without caring, this is great. You know why? Because if leaves more time and brain space to pursue the crap out of the subjects you care about.

It's okay to not do as well in subjects you feel aren't worth your time. You don't need to know everything. It's true.

With that being said, self-discipline. Miss a night out. It's okay. Trust me, everyone understands and there will be more.

2) Social Life

There was a point in my first two years where I felt like I was losing friends back home more rapidly than I losing hair in the shower. I had a lot of best friends. It took me a really long time to readjust and become comfortable with accepting the fact that all of my friendships were shifting. But guess what?

The good ones will always be there for you. It's honestly honestly the truth.

And that goes for friends back home and friends at college (and on the internet, and in foreign countries...)

And if it comes down to it, force yourself to plan around social nights. Like, if you know you're getting boneless wings at BDUBS on Thursday night, force yourself to get more stuff done the night before.

Also, what helped insanely much and my best friend and I still think of fondly, were comparing schedules and planning on campus lunches with our friends. Middle of the day friend time is a weirdly therapeutic.

Also, for the record, let me tell you all one thing. Ahem. YOU DO NOT NEED A BOY TO TEXT EVERY DAY. IT DOESN'T SUCK AS MUCH AS YOU THINK IT WILL.

Oh, I'm sorry. was this a letter to past me or you? ;]

3) Living Healthy

Buy. A smaller. Meal Plan. This forces you to not only think in terms of feeding yourself, but it also is a fantastic way to make sure you're aware of portion control and what goes in your food. Fit as much real food in your frig as possible. Eat. Real. Food.

I get not going to the gym. Boy, do I get it. (I mean, it's an insanely long process, amirite?!) But you can, believe it or not, walk up the stairs to your forth floor class.

Sign up for 5k races. This is kind of like using the Law instead of the Gospel. The law shows you your sin, right? In the same way, it will be quite evident if you don't ever work out when you're huffing your way through a 3 mile jog. Hahaha. What did I just do with that comparison.

Anyway, 5k races are usually really really fun.

4) God-Time

From what I understand, you are in a pretty awesome environment of supportive people in this department. Just like school work, this is just something you need to make time for. Join a Bible study. Yes, it's weird the first few weeks. Yes, you might have to scavenger your way through 2 or 3 Christian groups before you find one you're comfortable with, but doooo it. Do it. Do it.

Bring it up in conversation with friends. It's way more awesome than talking about how much boys suck. 

Also, read that Bible app on your phone during Geography. For goodness sake, your professor has her masters in DIRT.

When you make TIME for God, he will bless you from it. You will never regret making time for Him, I promise.


What you're insterested in matters the most, your friends will always love you, eat real food, and make time for God.

Love,

An Ever Learning College Girl

Post Perk Feels

"...But mostly, I thought that your being sad was much more important to me than Craig not being your boyfriend anymore. And if it meant that I would never get to think of you that way, as long as you were happy, it was okay. That's when I realized I really loved you."

She sat on the floor with me. She spoke quiet.

"Charlie, don't you get it? I can't feel that. It's sweet and everything, but it's like you're not even there sometimes. It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need the arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things."

"Like what?" I asked. My mouth was dry.

"I don't know.  Like take their hands when the slow song comes up for a change. 

Or be the one who asks someone for a date. 

Or tell people what you need. 

Or what you want."

xx

Now is the Start

Hi, friends.

Right now I'm sitting in the classiest Starbucks I have ever set foot in. It's one of the ones that has an evening menu and serves wine, small dinner plates, and desserts. With the classical music playing, you can't help but feel at least a little relaxed.

Actually, right now it's rather ironically theatrical. There's a train station a block away with a fire truck/ambulance ordeal. So, while I sit here in peace, my mind drowned with the classical music and my body filled with the warmth of the season, there are sirens going by and goodness knows whats wrong causing delays all over the city in the heart of rush hour.

Not that this is abnormal. Just ironic that I'm witnessing it from where I am. Kind of like when the band kept playing on the Titanic, no?

Can I share a new song with you? Okay, cool. :]

Here are thoughts:

I get discouraged a lot. "Comparison is the thief of joy."

I wish people in positions of authority were better e-mailers.

I wonder if my future boyfriend will wear cargo shorts.

Passing Panera every day helps me understand a little of what Adam an Eve felt passing the Tree.

Sometimes eating meat makes me feel sick.

Sometimes it doesn't.

I've met more people in the last two weeks that since probably my first week of college.

Neopets still hasn't gotten me my birthday. I think I might call them.

My legs are never properly shaved.

Design. Consumes. Me.

Also, with my new website (yes, I have the allysonkate.com!!) which I am currently in the process of coding to make it pretty and live with my portfolio. But I had to make a blog for it. So that will be my design related blog. This is perfect, because I've always wanted this to be more personal. And Tumblr is too silly to be my actual design blog. Nothing there really, but I'll basically just be posting three bits of inspiration a week for class, for now. That's at allysonkate.com/blog

Okay. Love love!

Things Big and Small

"We were together. 

I forget the rest."

Kids. Friends. Lovlies.

One week of school has passed and these are things.

I live in the same apartment, but I have one new roommate. Her name is Flo. Cute, right? She sings. And has an album. And is like, good and stuff.

By the end of the semester I promise to give y'all a link to a portfolio designed/coded/filled with me and everything I am doing. No more hiding my work. I need to start spewing it to you lovlies.

By the end of the semester I hope, fingers crossed, to have prints in my Etsy shop. I'm in a printmaking class and by the end of the semester I will have inked 50 prints. I do hope I'm proud of them. You see, next week I will be physically etching my design into my woodblock. Sharp tools, so help me Lord. We will see.

I found out I only need to take three classes my last semester, next fall... and I really don't want to cram those classes in this year. For many reasons. So I'll be a part-time student my last year. Fun, eh?

Wheezywaiter's girlfriend goes to my school.

I am blessed to be part of a group of women who all love Jesus so very much. I've never met a single one of them, but it is singlehandedly the most encouraging thing I have been a part of in too too long. The internet is great, guys.

If you follow me anywhere else on the internet you will know that my time has come. I have given into the Time Lord. The TARDIS has taken me. I am one of you, whovians.

And finally, I'm nearly finished with Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I would be done by now, but the silly woman keeps deciding to run away from the most loving, attractive man ever to be placed on a page. Sigh.

xoxo

Edinburgh

My first visit to the United Kingdom was brought to you by Edinburgh, Scotland.

I love Edinburgh, Scotland. 

IT WAS SO WONDERFUL.

The architecture was so beautifully gothic. The way the city was set up was entirely picturesque, and my travel companion and I meshed really, really well.

Basically, we saw the entire city in two days. We walked. And walked. And walked. And climbed. And explored. And walked. And ate. And took so many pictures. And hiked. And skipped. And got drenched. And smiled. And drank tea. Also walked.

It blew my expectations out of the water. On the plane ride over, I was afraid that I was going to regret choosing Scotland as my one weekend out of the country. But I think what made it even more special in the fact that it really is a little less well known. It isn't London. It isn't Paris. 

We climbed the olympic rings (illegally, whoops!) We visited 3 museums, we climbed a mountain, we explored castles, cathedrals, libraries. And we ate some of the best food in existence.

We probably talked about how perfect the weekend had gone a dozen times shortly before we were leaving. But we needed one last dinner. As we were searching for a nice place to eat, we saw this.

See what that window says? Do you SEE WHAT THAT WINDOW SAYS?! J.K. spent much time here when she was writing the first three novels. So, um. Yeah so yes we ate there. And it was fantastic. Then Erin, the girl I was with, went to use the bathroom. She came back and said, "Allyson. Go to the bathroom." 

The WHOLE bathroom AND hallway are COVERED in thank you letters to J.K. I ended up not even using the bathroom. I just stood there taking pictures of ALL the things. It was so beautiful. I ended up scrounging for something to write with, came back with a crayon, and w

rote, "Always. Love, Allysonkate."

So, the weekend was wonderful, and you should all visit Scotland someday. I am back in Chicago now, and quite happy about that fact. I just need to write a few more blogs on my summer so I can remember these things. :] 

Also, I don't know if I've ever said this but I love keeping in touch with all of you and Blogger is hard. I do know some of us follow each other on Twitter/Tumblr/ etc... but here are my links in case we don't. :]

Twitter

Tumblr

Keeping the Peace: Thoughts on Belfast

A mural in a Catholic neighnorhood

Belfast

Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Disclaimer: If some of this is culturally incorrect or sounds ignorant, it's because it probably is. I have one days knowledge of a complicated history. These are just thoughts and observations. :]

Yesterday some friends and I crossed the border to Northern Ireland to visit Belfast. Now, before coming to Ireland, I not only had no idea Northern Ireland was a different country and part of the United Kingdom, but I also knew nothing of Belfast and its history. Conflict and violence consume the city's history. However, we were assured from many Irish friends that it was completely safe now. With that being said, we just decided to take a day trip. 

Our tour guide for both our bus and taxi drive were both being extremely sarcastic about the violence, to the point where we honestly had absolutely no idea if the city was safe nowadays or not. I think they get a kick out of scaring tourists, but let me tell you... this is what I learned:

The conflict is between the Catholics and the Protestants. It's not a conflict of religion, however, it is a conflict of politics. The Catholics are Irish and believe their city/country is Irish. The Protestants believe it is fully Great Britain and hail to the Queen. 97% of the city is separated like this. 97% of the city does not interact between the two groups. The catholics have their neighborhoods and the protestants have their neighborhoods. The schools are separated. The workplace is separated. They are separated by giant walls they call "Peace Walls." Every night gates close between the neighborhood. Young kids from both sides approach the gates. They hate each other. They don't know each other, but they know they hate each other. 

My friend Libby signing the Peace Wall

Peace through segregation. It's their answer. They live with it. At one point our taxi proudly announced Belfast was the 5th safest city in Europe. 

Peace through segregation.

(picture from The Guardian)

On a happier note, we visited this beaut of a museum in the afternoon. It's only been open for a few months. Built to commemorate the 100th anniversary, this museum is the largest Titanic experience in the world. Belfast (again, I knew nothing of this before coming here) is where the Titanic was built and launched, so much of the museum has to do with the construction of it. But can we just take a moment to admire how phenomenal of an architectural structure this is? Holy moly it's great. It reminds me of some architects I really love, but I looked the guy up. No idea who he is. 

Goodness I still get goosebumps when I read about the Titanic.

Anyway Anyway, 7 more scones until home. :]