My crazy feet

Due to an abnormal amount of horrendous feet and toe cramps the night before, my feet were tight and sore and I wasn't too stoked about going to class. My mother talked to a doctor friend of hers about my feet woes and told me later on that this kind of thing was not normal for someone my age. I've been frequently plagued by various toe cramps here and there, but normally after I eat a few bananas, I'm back to normal. This week, I've eaten a banana everyday and had the worst cramps in my feet of my life. And I also heard it was due to dehydration, but I was definitely not dehydrated. The latest theory is that they're possibly caused by exhaustion. That could be true. It's hard to say since they're essentially a medical mystery to a certain degree. There just seems to be a slew of theories. I guess you run through the list and find out what works. Well, we're taking the advice of a doctor and trying out the tonic water cure. Tonic water has quinine in it which is used for a multitude of things, but most importantly for leg cramping. The problem with this cute? Tonic water tastes disgusting! Ugh. In my opinion it's horrible. My mother thought I was crazy, but it was such a struggle for me to drink a glass of it. I tried to do a Michael Scott cure and add sugar to it, but it didn't dissolve and didn't help much. Splenda next time. ;) Anyway, fingers crossed that this works! Mind over crampage!

ps. I blame the swine flu vaccine. maybe it didn't directly cause my cramps, but I've definitely felt exhausted since getting it... so... you tell me if there's any correlation!

I want you to acknowledge it

At the Ferry Ave stop, I always admire this building. In a lot of ways, the general nature of graffiti is frowned upon. And, in many circumstances, I agree with that. Some graffiti is like the equivalent to pissing on a wall permanently. But clearly other graffiti is truly art. That's the kind I like. Feels wrong calling it graffiti when it's so interesting and well composed. So, really, thanks to the people that were involved in this lovely piece of art. I enjoy it on my journey. Keep up the good graffiti! You bring it to a higher level!

There are angels in the clouds...

I guess I can see why some people say the heavens are in the clouds. Yeah, I can see that.

Don't tell anybody but..

My dog does my homework. So glad to get that off my chest.

I got a pocketful of dreams

Took my first trip to Brooklyn and boy was it exciting. Unfortunately, most of the activities were highly illegal so I can't repeat them. As for the legal activities, we went on a picturesque train ride through the city right past the statue of Liberty's face. Then we saw Nathan's apartment which says his name on it real big and bold. You can't miss it. Stopped and saw some of the Monty Python guys before we went into Nate's place and rocked some jams. Afterward, we went back into the city and partied hard like Ke$ha til we worked up such a big appetite that we went and ate lavish dinners at the really fancy diner that Ke$ha owns. Appropriately named the Tick Tock Diner. So lush. I can't believe how much money we laid down for dinner! And if you're wondering why the Empire State Building is lit up in green... well... if I told you... I'd have to kill you.

I don't believe it

Saturdays are for homework. If you haven't heard of the NPR book "This I Believe", I would recommend it. It's basically a compilation of essays written by men and women all over the nation, sometimes famous though mostly not. They're written about a range of subjects, but on an uplifting theme based upon personal beliefs. Some of them are really sad, but they do make you think. I'm enjoying it. If you want some examples, there's a website that is essentially a database. It's at thisibelieve.org. Check it out if you're bored or in need of some inspiration

That's my pleasure

Fridays off are beautiful.

Lap tip top

For my birthday, my parents got me a laptop. I'm not a huge fan of laptops. They have never really been my best friend, but due to the fact that my desktop is slowly dying and I'm doing a lot of commuting, I thought this might be a wise investment. Then I was assigned the chore of picking out one that I wanted under a certain price cap. That was a not a fun task! Anyway, the photo above is a little snap I took while testing out my web cam. The official first shot snapped. Cross your fingers that this lap top wants to be my friend!!

Makes you worry about gravity

Last quarter in my Fundamentals of Drawing class, we didn't draw a nude model until about the last two weeks of class. That was not the case at all for my Life Drawing class. We started drawing nude models the very first day. Makes sense considering it's "life" drawing. I suppose by the end of this quarter I'm going to be pretty awesome at drawing the human form. At least I hope I will be. Everyone in my class seems to generally dislike the instructor. I don't know how I feel about him. He's an odd fellow. Despite his quiet manner, he has a slight speech impediment and wears the same very ornate jeans, cuffed at the bottom with pristine white, high-top sneakers every week. He also plays XPN during classes, which is good until it turns to smooth jazz mid way through the night. But none of that is the problem that people have. The thing that my classmates seem to dislike about him is his lack of opinion on their work. Sometimes the most he'll say to you is, "you've got the right idea" and walk on. I don't require a whole lot of encouragement or critiques. I'm happy to just draw the figure and see what I can do without someone telling me what I'm doing wrong. I'm fine being told that too, but I can go either way. He does comment and give advice, though. But some people seem to just dislike the things that he says period. I don't know. These kids! Can't please them! I'll say that I really did like my instructor, Rob, from my last drawing class, but he was younger and a lot more personable so that's almost expected.... But I digress... I'm rambling... Kind of looking forward to seeing my stuff by the end of quarter. Okay. Done. No more Ai blabber.

Good life here we come!

Got this sweet baby for Christmas. I realized the Cash Money Crew (aka the CMC) has been around for something like 8 years. And throughout those 8 years, we have never actually had any decent amount of cash or money. In case you didn't know, the CMC is my friend, Jamie, and my terribly intimidating crew. In the past, I had to keep my identity hidden, but things have calm down. Other crews have grown up and gotten families, but the CMC has stayed true to their roots. We haven't gone all soft and had babies, made money, or gotten anymore cash. Yeah, we are REAL THUGS, YO! But, turns out, one of us got pretty good at some pottery design. That's pretty thug, though. Right?

All you need is box

Did I get Beatles Rockband? Nope. Got the box cover, though. One of the best parts in my opinion. Not to diss the game itself. Clearly the music in the game is the best part by far. Fortunately, I don't need the game to enjoy that. Anyway, I like driving around and seeing my favorite guys in the backseat when checking my blind spots. My car is officially a two-seater.

ps. thanks, Jamie!

Spread a little love

Despite feeling a bit under the weather after three chilly days in Philly, I went over to see my little nephew, Samuel. I nearly didn't go, but I'm glad that I did. Not only had we not given him his Christmas presents yet, but I don't get to see him very often in general. So, I try not to be lazy about it when the opportunity arises. I still can't quite decipher his (what I like to call) accent, but he was a lot less shy than he normally is. And when he put on his Batman he really took on new life. He beat the shit out of his dad. Not to mention the drawer in the kitchen. He wasn't fooled. That was clearly the Joker and he gave him what for. In other news, he has no clue who WALL-E is and that is just a damn shame!

School days, school days...

An impromptu haiku:

Teach the dog to stay
wait while you are away and
love always remains

by me

I'm getting too old for this shit

I super spoiled myself last year! Never go to Disney on your birthday because the next will pale, pale, PALE in comparison! Booo!

Keep your friends close...

Despite how low on funds I am, I gathered my resources together and went to England! You really find out who your friends are when you fly to England for the night. Despite the distance, Ched, Matty Coco, and Jamie all came out to celebrate my birth on the day that I wish was my actual birth date. And, just my luck, after the big rugby match ended, they started up some karaoke! Though it was short lived, it was good times. Can't wait to go back to England again soon!

I think there's some truth to finding out who your friends are when it's your birthday. In my opinion, a true friend knows when it is and make sure to send you some kind of greeting. And I've been very blessed in that arena. The little texts, tweets, and well wishes from friends was really sweet and definitely did make my birthday nicer. Apparently, a few people are glad I was born! Hurray! In the same vein, some friendships that at one time were very important to me seem to be very different this time around, to say the least. That was a downer on my day of days! But that's life and life goes on and I'm just glad to have the friends that I do have :)

Cheese-cake Fac-tor-y, I got all my sisters with me!

I don't want to say that my birthday was a total bust, but this Friday was. I just hung around the house all day pretty much all by myself. I wound up taking a long nap in the middle of the day, which is a tell-tale-sign of a pooptastic day. Things were just not panning out and I was struck with some difficult memories and tears flowed. But the day wasn't a complete disaster. Jamie and I went up to the Cheesecake Factory in Cherry Hill and discovered not only a DSW, but that the Cheesecake Factory is one of the most hoppin' places around on a Friday night. Don't try to go there if you want to go to Philly to catch a band. You will miss that band and wind up drinking overpriced drinks and overly delicious cheesecake to heal the pain! I really should not have spent as much money as I did that night, but you only live once!

It is my birthday.

(first photo of my 26th year)

I am officially 26. But I feel more like 25 going on 19. I must have Peter Pan syndrome. Or Benjamin Button disease. I don't know. Maybe I just don't have a life. Yeah, that's probably it. Being broke and living with your parents definitely stunts your growth. But I see good things on the horizon for this year of my epic life so maybe by this time next year I won't be leading such a pathetic existence! Though, I wouldn't put any money on that if I were you!

And, ahem, I was in Florida this time last year. I spent the day in the Magic Kingdom on this day in 2009 after spending a few days lounging at a sweet pool in the sun! This birthday can't possibly be an upgrade! Boo hoo!

Ohhhh the night before!

This is the last photo I took as a spry, young 25 year old. Did I overcome a quarter life crisis? I think so. But I think I probably owe a lot to this little fool! So, it's an appropriate "last" photo!

Not much to report

I have to admit that I haven't gotten nearly as much accomplished as I had wanted when my Winter Break began, but I can't say that I'm terribly surprised. When it's as cold as it is, I'm hard pressed to get anything done. I just want to be wrapped up in blankets and not move. It does not inspire art or music. It's the winter time when I feel like I've lost my creativity. It's always when my longest lulls are. In other news, after seeing I think no movies during Fall Quarter, I saw three whole movies in the past couple of weeks! I saw The Princess and the Frog, Nine, and Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed them all very much! That's something I can handle in the winter. Theaters are warm. I get to just sit in a chair and be entertained and warm! I just wish it was cheaper! But yeah, my break is nearly over. I'm bummed. I'm going to freeze in Philly this quarter! Ah well. A girl has got to do what a girl has got to do!

ps. that's why this picture is crooked. I opened the window to take it and rushed cause it was freezing cold!! hahaha

Gotta love Mondays!

This is Steve's hand. It is a medical mystery. Discuss among yourselves.