September

I have a lot of thoughts.

Thoughts like the possibility that Chicago is my soulmate.
Thoughts like the fact that I should use my laundry quarters for laundry and not coffee.
Thoughts like the fact that I am terrified of not squeezing and using my location and resources to every ounce of their full potential.
Thoughts like the fact that I don't like not being able to trust everyone you see and be friendly to them.
Thoughts like screenprinting ink onto burlap.
Thoughts like shoes.
Thoughts like art.
Thoughts like you.


I see something worth writing about every single day of my life. I thought about starting a Tumblr with a thought a day, but I think I'm going to do that here. A thought a day put into one post a week. I've already talked to you guys about my love of archiving my past into one nice location. Having all these sites in my past like Myspace, past blogs, Tumblr, Facebook... I really just want one. I want one place to look back at in 15 years and say, "Look. Look how naive I was. Except, I can easily see how naive I was because my past thoughts and interactions are organized into one handy place!"


Anyway, I observe a lot of things.

Things like a girl on the train reading "Bossy Pants." I watched her closely as she read, because I knew I could catch her smiling at least once.
Things like my Art History teacher who has an accent identical to that of Michele's on Gilmore Girls, and the fact that he uses the adjective "sexy" to describe stone age art more than any other art historian. I am sure.
Things like my Pottermore letter, finally. :]
Things like boys who stepped out of a JCrew magazine.
Things like the entire skyline from my roof.



I really really love my life. So much so, that almost every single day I am sure something huge is going to go wrong. Because it can't all be this good. Something bad is going to happen. But, for now, nothing is wrong. Well, I did have to get familiar with the doctor the third week of school. But, it's all fixed now.

I got a job at the Gap.
On a related note, I'm too tiny for their jeans.
This makes me feel bad about myself.
But then I went to a different store.
And couldn't zip a bigger size up than the size I "was" at Gap.
So, that made me feel human again.

The last two years I've posted FALL FALL FALL FALL blogs. Trust me, I still love fall. But I'll just leave it at that this year. Go drown yourself in everything pumpkin. :]

Hello!

There is not much else I'd like to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon than veg in sweatpants, a hot mug of tea, a little Greg Laswell and a blank canvas to type my thoughts.

(With that being said, I want to post this Coldplay song I've been listening to so so much, even though I just mentioned Greg Laswell._

  Coldplay - Paradise by dual_bign

So, friends, where are we?

I'm -

Loving school. Taking a little while to get used to four hour classes, but loving school. Some of my professors are so interesting. From having an urban gardening professor lead conversations with the class as though we're all just in a coffee shop discussing life, to having a man who has worked directly with Mark Ecko and McDonald's billboards teaching me about design... I couldn't be happier about where I am.

Trying not to take things for granted. Trying not to let things that amaze me about this city become routine.

Trying to find a job. I'll let you know when good things happen.

Trying to become better at taking sneaky pictures of my phone of all the boys in the city who have, I am sure, just come from a J Crew photoshoot. So far, I am not able to take a successful picture of anyone without them clearly being able to tell/ I'm way too nervous. Oops.

Trying to get to know friendly curly-haired-folk-music-writing train boy in my class. I hate letting friendships happen naturally. Gosh!

I had a couple group interviews this week (goodness knows I am not a fan!) I actually had one at Anthropologie. Fantastic, no? Well, kind of. Except for the fact that I prepared so much for it and felt more like just a number after it was done than I'd felt in a long time. So, I more than likely won't get the job, but I'm over it. However, the woman interviewing us was married with kids, and talked about something in a way I had never thought about it before. I love when this happens! Except, it's a very interesting idea... or opinion, I suppose.

First, a little personal backstory - Sometimes, especially since I've gotten to Chicago, I feel selfish. Like, I'm wonderfully motivated and on the right track for what I want to do with my life. But I'm so excited about it that I begin to feel selfish because it's all about me. I do all these things for me. And sometimes I worry this is how I'll always be.

My interview began talking about how this is the "perfect time in our lives to be selfish", and that we should be a little selfish right now. With our hobbies, with our activities, with... ourselves. She said that this is how she was when she was our age, and now she's over it. She'd done with that. She'd rather be selfless for her family now more than anything.

She even went as far to say that this is a huge contributing factor to the divorce rate. That when you marry so young, you get selfish later in life because you never took those years when you were younger to explore who you are, what you want, and what makes you happy alone. 

She said this is how she will raise her daughter. To encourage her to be a little selfish during these years. Because, it will end. We will want to settle. We will get sick of it. But we'll have lived this phase of our lives, and be a better individual because of it.

So, maybe it's okay that I feel a little selfish right now.

I think it is.

<3

Culture Shock

"I don't know if you drive
If you love the ground beneath you
I don't know if you write letters or you panic on the phone
I'd like to call you all the same,
If you want to
I am game

I don't know if you can swim
If the sea is any draw for you
If your better in the morning or when the sun goes down
I'd like to call you

I don't know if you can dance
If the thought ever occurred to you
If you eat what you've been given or you push it around your plate
I'd like to cook for you all the same
I would want to
I am game."

-Lisa Hannigan, I Don't Know

Can you experience culture shock from moving from a small to a big city? Because this is what I'm calling it.

The weirdest thing? KNOWING that if there's something you want, it's within walking distance.

My first full day in the city was full of welcome week stuff. A HUGE convocation bash in the park for new students. There were hipsters EVERYWHERE. If I was with one of my friends from home, we would have exchanged so so many side comments about all the hipster cliches. It really was humorous.
But the thing is, I loooove it. And literally NOTHING you can do/say/wear will stand out.

But I honestly felt bad for having a plastic water bottle. There was even a Washing/Rinsing/Filling station for metal water bottles.

Then I went to my department's connections program thing. I learned a lot about my program from three professors. (My favorite? A friendly looking man with a tactful mustache. He was adorable and passionate about dorky things.) One woman professor was a guest speaker at the BAUHAUS. This means nothing to most, but in the art world.... you know about the Bauhaus. It was architecturally and educationally revolutionary.

There I learned that we are pretty much friends with Threadless. FRIENDS! The AIGA (the professonal association for design) uses their warehouse from time to time. ^&WTRGBAFKEUY&W^A$&T
Anyway, then I hopped on the train to the Threadless store and bought a $10 Harry Potter tee. Free shipping. Ten dollars. Threadless doesn't get much cheaper than this!

(Ps. For 48 hours starting Labor Day ALL tees are $10. You are not going to want to miss this... Have fun. Splurge.)

OH, did I mention I got a pumpkin spice latte during that day because Chicago got the PSL a week before the rest of the country?! Oh. Yeah. That happened.

So. I ended that day completely and utterly elated.*

I feel like people in big cities are spoiled. Big time. I mean, everything is monies. But it's all here. And everyone looks cute. All the time.

Anyway. Our apartment is officially clean, organized and awesome. For the first time in 20 years I feel like my room is completely a current representation of my personality.

With all this being said, I still lack friends to do these cool things with... as much as I love exploring by myself. So, I am going to go continue chowing down on episodes of Arrested Development in the familiarity of my bed.

Pictures soon, once I get my camera.

Job soon.

School soon.

*Except for the fact that Burt wasn't eliminated from Project Runway yet. Who's with me?!

Errday I'm Shufflin'... to Mozart.

  Happy in Bb by Johnny Stimson


So many stories to share. So little time. Just kidding. I have time. Lucky for all!
These last couple of weeks have been amazing. Summer has certainly gone out with a bang, pop, kaBOOM.

Just good, solid, hilarious fun with friends. Mix that with shopping, coffee, possibly illegal stargazing*, and Indian accents and you've got a happy Allyson. Expectations finally became reality for summer.

I move to Chicago in 2 days. I'm pretty sure. Maybe three. We'll see.

I got this new beast of a smartphone... the HTC Evo. I like it, but I have probably utilized 5% of it's functions so far. So much technology. I just synced my iCal with my Google Calender which syncs with my phone calender. I can't even begin to comprehend... Anyway, it's weird having a nice phone. I mean, I can't drop it down three flights of stairs and know that it'll still be okay. #woes

Okay, a new work story. This one is a personal favorite.

It was a long long night, and my first time having the whole bar to myself the whole night. There were a few guys rather aggressive in trying to get me to dance, and I would politely respond with a "Sorry, I can't!" But this one guy, oh gosh. He would not leave his seat at the bar for hoours. Cooonstantly urging me to dance. I was polite for a long time, because he was a nice guy... he really was. But finally I had to start ignoring him completely, because, well... I was working, and frankly he was becoming a pain in the butt. Finally when he asked what I liked dancing to I said "Mozart." to shut him up.





FIVE MINUTES LATER THE DJ WAS PLAYING A MOZART SYMPHONY.

He got the dj to download freaking Mozart.
Face. Palm.
The dance floor was empty while this symphony was blasted in it's entirety. Just "for me."
The next song he grabbed a microphone and sang a love song to me.
Long. Long. Long. Night.

Okay. Must pack. Updates soon, hope all your moves/transitions are going smoothly. Thinking of you all. :]


Clever Lyrics of the Day: "All black kettles and black pots seem to fight an awful lot, and make the kitchen the most uncomfortable of rooms."


*All the parks were closed, but my friend took me to this isolated baseball field (because he's a pitcher and we both love love baseball) surrounded by woods. It was picture perfect and SO MUCH FUN, but I think I stopped breathing every time I hear a car passing in the distance.

DWBW

Want to know something fantastic?
Today, I bought an old polaroid at an estate sale that worked like new for $3.50 at an estate sale.

Want to know something less than fantastic?
Film packs of ten are all expired and over $50. They stopped making them.

Sometimes I wish I would get less excitable about things. It would make the crash and burn a lot less painful. Sigh. I guess this dream...

...will have to be put on hold and compartmentalized into the "less than realistic" dreaming area of my brain. Right next to marrying fictional characters and winning a lifetime supply of Nutella.

Last night was an exhausting blast. I got to bartend by myself for 8 hours and hang out with my friends at the same time. The whole, serving alcohol to my high school teachers was weird, but the whole "we know the bartender so we'll tip her more" thing was great. I even only accidentally flirted once. And I promise it was an accident. It was supposed to be a shoot down. Apparently my shoot downs aren't as harsh as they sound in my brain. Either that or they sound more like challenges.

But, it was my first night staying until the end of the wedding, so I got to experience the drunken wedding bar whining (DWBW) first hand.

After being a bit sassy to this one lad who was certainly keeping me entertained, but whom I was consciously not giving too much attention to, he sat there during a lull just whining my ear off with less than flattering intoxicated words.

"Allyson, why do you hate me?"
"Allyson, why do all the pretty bartenders hate me?"
"Allyson, why do all the pretty GIRLS hate me?!"
Act flattered and half ignore. Key strategy. Currently mastering.
Well, he tipped well. 

Then there was the guy who promised me he was a really good kisser and that I should let this be his form of payment. I told him it would not be worth four dollars. He took the hint.
Well, he tipped well.

Then I got spit in the face with Spotted Cow by a man named Mario.
Well, he tipped well.


Also, someone offered to buy me a drink. Does this happen? Do people really offer to buy bartenders drinks? Offer to bring me a piece of cake or some coffee, and we'll talk.

Updates:
Vegetarianism? Going well. Not too hard, but nothing life changing here.
Package? Not here. But, there's NO POST ON SUNDAYS!

I'm Needy

You know what I wish?

Let me tell you what I wish.

I wish that there was a way to track all the mail that was currently being sent to you. Kind of like when you track packages you order online...but this would be tracking stuff other people are sending you. Sure, it takes a bit of the surprise element away.... but I think I'm getting a package from someone right now, and I am scared to get too excited. Especially since it may be a few weeks.

And the hypothetical sender is being all ambiguous and such. But this is a Threadless shirt I've wanted for almost a year now. Patience. I have none. I have none of the patience.

Would this break all kinds of laws? I don't know. Frankly, I don't care. Dreams. I have them. I have all of the dreams.

"Then once you've got that dream in mind please dream a million more

And not a million quiet dreams... A million dreams that ROAR!

A million dreams so loud they scream, so loud they sing and shout!

So super huge they say 'Hey world! Guess what I'm dreamin' about!'

'I'm dreaming about everything that no one thought to wonder...

Dreams so big that they've got dreams and they've got dreams up under!' "

"An Awesome Book" by Dallas Clayton. 

No More Bacon

"Bacon, bacon. bacon, bacon, bacon."

- The Bacon Song

Vegetarianism.

Sure it has it's appeal, but let's be honest. I love brats. I love bacon. I love cheeseburgers.
I'm sure we all know a handful of vegetarians, and I'm sure you've all thought about it at one time or another, but personally, I've just never cared enough to try it.

Sure, I had my "go-to" reasons:
1) Don't want to inconvenience people.
2) Won't get enough protein.
3) Don't have time.

And I know, any vegetarian is more than prepared to spit back a counter argument for each of these points. But I always bring myself back to my love for brats.

Last night I was catching up with one of my high school friends and I learned that he had become a vegetarian a few months ago. He was going on and on about the benefits and how great he felt, and I was excited for him, too. Until he told me to try it. Again. And again. And again. He knows if you poke me enough, I can't say no to a personal challenge.

"Two weeks. Just two weeks, Allyson, and I promise you'll love it."

So, friends, today is day one. From now until August 23, I am a vegetarian.


I've already stocked up on beans, hummus, nuts, veggies, and fruit... so I should be good. For now. We'll see. This is what I get for making fun of all those PETA e-mails.

Call me naive, but I absolutely have no intentions of sticking with this after the two weeks are up. This is how I feel on day one.

Have you ever considered going vegetarian? Why?
Any vegetarians out there with meal suggestions?