How Do You Say That?

There's something about not having a schedule that makes it hard to remember to blog. Hmm.

First things first: About the outfits. Yes, I know that we already have everything made in China now pretty much. But I just wish one thing would be made in the U.S. Dunno, just my thoughts.

The other day, I watched a movie that I had gotten from the library. That movie was Fargo. I had heard good things about Fargo, and was excited to watch it. Truth be told, I was surprised at how dark it was. The whole thing was actually kinda depressing... except for one thing.

THOSE ACCENTS.

Oh my gosh, I love Minnesotan accents in movies. Funny thing is, no one from Minnesota I know talks like that. You'd be surprised at how many Minnesotans go to U of O. Alas, that accent is nowhere to be found. My mom says we have some great aunts with accents exactly like that, but I don't believe her.

Accents are such an interesting thing to me. Oregonians seem to have the "television" accent, which is a very neutral type accent. We still have certain things that we say that others might think sounds odd, but for the most part it's a TV accent.
I think the reason accents fascinate me so much is because I enjoy comedy. The stars on SNL play with their voices constantly. Same goes for voice actors (obviously).

All I know is that I'm constantly doing a "Minnesotan" accent. It's probably very annoying to everyone around me. Ah well. Better than what my voice sounds like normally. Think boy in puberty.

Before I go, what did you guys think of the Opening Ceremonies? Liked, or disliked? I liked some parts, but other parts were way too bizarre for me. The dream sequence? Not feeling it. Although I did appreciate a giant Voldemort.

What accents do you find interesting?

Approaching Olympics

One of the most frustrating things in the world is getting an email for a book you were pretty sure you returned, saying that the book is overdue. Anywho.

The Olympics are coming up, and everyone is getting excited. I always think I'm going to be much more excited about the Olympics than I end up being. I suppose I originally get excited, but then I never actually end up watching them. Hum.

However, there is one part that I usually do end up watching, and that part is the Opening Ceremonies. (A frustrating sentence. Still not sure if it's correct.) The Opening Ceremonies tend to be in my opinion one of the most interesting parts of the events.

Remember the Beijing Opening Ceremonies? How fantastic were those? They also made people worried that China was going to take over the world. Seriously, those drummers were creepily in-sync.

I've heard some pretty crazy stories about what's going to occur during the ceremony this year, but we won't know until Friday, will we? I have heard a rumor about a giant Voldemort appearing. I'm not kidding, but it's also a rumor.

Another fun part about the Opening Ceremonies is seeing all of the teams come out in their country's uniforms. This year is a bit tainted though. Why? Well, haven't you heard?

America's uniforms were made in China.

I wish I was kidding.

I mean, how embarrassing is that? Even if the uniforms were stupid looking, it wouldn't be as embarrassing. Just my opinion though.

I'm still pumped to watch the Opening Ceremonies though! Yep! Now if only I knew where that book went.

Are you going to watch the Opening Ceremonies? What do you think about the uniform controversy? 

Internet and Living Without It

We are so connected nowadays, it's crazy. Currently, there isn't a single person I know who is without Internet. Perhaps that's because of the social/economic setting I'm in, but perhaps not.
Actually, there's one. My sister.
She recently decided to not pay for Internet for the next month or two she has left in her current apartment in an attempt to save money. Her findings? "One of my worst ideas."

It's funny though, because even now she's not completely disconnected. She gets Internet on her phone, but it's definitely not the same. Certain websites don't work and all that. Even if don't have slightly the same amount of connection that we usually do, it feels off to us.

Why do I bring this up you ask? Well, I recently spent a few days at my sister's apartment, and due to a dying phone, I was quite the Internet free person.

I don't know if the rest of the world is like me, but if I'm not on vacation being disconnected feels odd. When I'm away, it's not weird. I have nothing to look at if I'm chilling on a beach somewhere in the tropics. It's not necessary. But when I'm still in normal society a strange feeling comes over me.

Honestly, I probably have an Internet addiction as do millions of people. Even if I'm done with the computer sometimes, I still have to stay on and I don't know why.

In other news, I baked two different kinds of bread today! Hooray! I like baking bread. I didn't realize how much bread it was going to make though, so now I've got two large loaves worth of apple bread and a loaf and braid of potato bread.

Are you addicted to the Internet? What's your favorite website?

Being a Nerd

Here's the weird thing about blogging for me. Usually, I tend to know what I want to write about. However, I have the hardest time actually getting started. Hm. This actually happens with the rest of my life as well, doesn't it? Anywho...

At midnight last night The Dark Knight Rises premiered. I'm not going to post any spoilers because I didn't see it. What? How crazy is that? I love going to midnight premieres! I went to the last Batman midnight showing! Why not this one.

Well for one thing, I didn't know who to go with and I didn't want to go alone. A lot of people I know aren't in town or they live somewhere else. Ah well.

I wanted to go though. I love superhero movies, and I think the Nolan Batman movies are pretty great. I just... didn't.

It's a funny world now when it comes to nerdiness. Nowadays, it's cool to be a nerd. Comicon is no longer for the quirky, it's become a mass media sensation. Superheroes are awesome. The nerds rule now.
On the other hand, I still know that there's a difference in the type of nerds. There are the "oh yeah superhero movies are cool" type nerd, but there's also the "real" nerd. The nerd who reads all of the comic books, the nerd when can tell who what superheroes have teamed up (before Avengers) and all sorts of stuff. Strangely enough, I feel intimidated. Y'see, I used to consider myself a pretty big nerd but the more I think about it, the less I feel like a "legit" nerd. I haven't read all of the comics. I haven't watched all of the movies. I don't know if I can consider myself a real nerd.

Most ridiculous argument with self ever, or most ridiculous argument with self ever? Seriously.

Since we're on the nerd subject, I went to the library a day or two ago. While there, I stumbled upon a manga book of a certain genre I used to like. Now, before I say anything else I have to justify manga. Despite all of the views that the rest of the world seems to have about manga being dirty and crude, but in reality most of it is fine. Japan seems to be more lax about sexuality and indecent exposure in general though. For instance, when I first watched the movie Kiki's Delivery Service, I wondered why the main character wore a diaper even though she was about ten. At that time, I didn't even know what anime/manga were. She's not wearing a diaper by the way, she's wearing underwear. Still seems weird that she needs to flash it to the audience so much though. Whatever, all I cared about in that movie was flying on a broomstick of a flying bike.

Where was I? Oh right, the library. So the type of book I picked up was a romance manga, a type that I used to read a lot. I never read the series that I picked up that day, so I didn't know what to expect.

Oh. My. God. What the HELL did I just pick up? Did all of the romance comics I read have this much dirty-ness in them? No. No they didn't. Heck, one of my favorite series (and the only series I actually bought) was much more goofy and fun. Still, I can't deny that I hadn't read anything like the comic that I picked up that day. The thing is, I think I must have blocked out how effed up the relationship in the book was before. What do I mean by that? Well, have you read or read the reviews of the book "50 Shades of Grey"? It was like that. I didn't like it in the manga that I read the other day, and I certainly don't want to read it in that atrocious sounding book. I know, I shouldn't judge a book before I read it but I've read what that book is about. I don't like it at all. Plus, it's based on a fanfiction of Twilight? Nonononononono.No. Do not want.

Things change I guess? I still like some of the manga of my past, I just don't read it anymore. I still like comics. I still like doodling. Heck, I still adore Futurama, and that's a cartoon. Sometimes the way we view things are different. That's why occasionally we look at the past and think, "What the hell was I thinking?"

Yep. Thoughts of the day.
Other random thing before I go: So yesterday I started organizing the RV garage clothes in order to get things ready for a garage sale. I'm thinking of doing a weeklong thing where every item is $.50. Seriously. There are piles and piles of clothing out there. At least 3 piles of blue jeans alone. Honestly, I think my mom stole clothing from people, because half of the clothes out there I've never seen.
But here's what happened. After hours of organizing, my mom came home. I told her about all of the organizing, and my idea. She instantly disliked the idea. "Some of the clothes are worth so much more," she complained. True. There are some clothes out there that have never had the tags taken off. Sad. But some of those clothes have been out there forever. There are just too many of them. And if we don't see them, they're going to be giving away for free anyways. My mom is a bit of a hoarder.
This is why I've been kind of lackluster in anything I do lately. It's because anytime I do something, it's apparently not the right way to do it. So it's frustrating. What can you do I suppose.

I hope I didn't sound too teen-y.

What's something you nerd out about?

A Running Surprise and Other Stuff

If you're in the mood for a post filled with crazy random happenstances, then I've got the post for you! Bear with me, it was certainly a day of random happenings.

Before I say anything else, I have two things to say about yesterday's post. First, look at my toes!

Blue! I love it. I never get my nails done in any color other than pink or red, but I thought I should do something fun. Hey, do it when you're young right? Really, the main reason I usually never do other colors is so my toes don't look like they're rotting. With this blue, it's hard to imagine that. And Bloody Mary gelato? That sounds quite very curious indeed. The thought of a spicy drink isn't much my jazz, but I'd certainly be interested in trying it.

Alright. Moving onto the day.

The first curious thing to occur in my day was a text from my freshman year roommate. No it wasn't curious that she texted me, but it was curious what she texted me about. She asked if I wanted to go on a run with her.

Huh? She never had been a runner. Had she started this summer?

When we met up, she confessed she hadn't been running, but she thought she should get into it again. Now this girl is a dancer, so she's fit. Who knows why running?
Expecting the run to be slow, she took off like a bullet at the beginning. Not what I thought would happen. However, what it came to is what I predicted. At around a mile, she had to stop. Funny thing is, I was now in a groove. Still we stopped and walked the rest of the way. It may have not been an intense run, but it was certainly enjoyable.

Of course, we talked a lot about where people from our class were and what they were doing with their lives. We agreed that a lot of them didn't seem to have their stuff together or had lives that seemed unpleasant to us. I thought "I have it together" but soon started to realize how un-together I really have it. Cue the internal freakout about how other people seem to actually be achieving things with their lives already. I mean, my old roommate is getting PAID to dance next year. Say what you want about majoring in Dance, if she's already getting paid for what she studies in school, I think she's doing it right.

I know, I'm only twenty. Still, I constantly have the fear of "What am I doing with my life? What's my purpose? Gaaaaah..." Still sound like a teenager as well.

Later in the day, I decided to bike around and into town. I consider any day where I spent a considerable amount of time biking to places a productive day. Especially since i probably biked around for about two and a half hours. When I got home my legs were certainly tired.
Y'see, I like the type of exercise that can get me places. With running, if it's necessary or possible I will run to a place I need to be. Kill two birds with one stone. That's the same idea with biking. I think for any type of exercise, it's hard to motivate yourself to do it. That's why races are so good for motivation in a runner. But for biking, I just like to think of it getting me from one place to another. Even if I'm terrible at it.

I could have sworn I had something else to talk about, but it seems I am at a loss. I'll just have to leave it at my last thought.
I was brushing my hair after my shower, and all of a sudden I heard a loud CRACK. When I retrieved my brush from my hair, this is what I saw:

Princess Diaries anyone? I felt a bit insulted (by a brush) because my hair wasn't very tangled. It is an old brush though. Oh well.
Yes, I did finish brushing my hair with it.

Have you ever had an unexpected running buddy?

Hanging Out and Ice Cream

What a delightful few days!

I spent a few days hanging out with my cousin while the rest of her family was away. She couldn't go with them because of a scheduled thing.
After the first day of it just being her and I, my mom, sister, and aunt spent some time with us too.
Saw a couple of movies, made bagels, got our toenails done, got some new running stuff, went to the Rose Garden, and had ice cream for National Ice Cream Day.

Oh, you didn't know about National Ice Cream Day? Well, the Internet told me it was yesterday. Hey, give me any excuse to celebrate a type of tasty food, and I'm in.

The place we went to was called Salt and Straw. The most peculiar thing about this place wasn't the flavors (we'll get to that), but instead how I found out about it. I actually heard about it while channel surfing, avoiding going to bed. Yeah, I don't know why either. I noticed the show was talking about Portland, so I decided to tune in for a second to see if the food place sounded good.

We started talking about food places in Portland, and this ice cream place had popped up in the conversation. It seemed my aunt had actually been to the place! What a crazy little coincidence.

As for the place itself? It did not disappoint. Walking up to it you could smell the waffle cones, and they smelled incredible. I'm not a cone person usually, but I couldn't not have a cone.
A few of the flavors were normal, like chocolate or berry. However, there were crazy ones too that took up most of the menu. My flavor happened to be pretty out there: Pear and Bleu Cheese. It was super quality ice cream, despite sounding so bizarre.

Here's the thing. If I go to someplace that's known for unique flavors, I try to go for the unique. Who knows? Maybe you'll find your new favorite. I don't think Pear and Bleu Cheese is my new favorite, but it was certainly fun to try.

What's the craziest flavor combo you've ever tried?

Relaxing and Refashioning

Body, you make me so confused. Why on earth do you wake me up at five in the morning, then make me tired all day but refuse to let me sleep more? You confuse me.

Anywho, yesterday was a day to escape the house in order to explore the outside world. Instead of biking to a coffee shop, I decided it would be nice to simply stroll along on my bike (or whatever the word for the biking version of that is) around. It's good to be outside, especially since it helps our body maintain homeostasis better. Or so I've heard.

After some exploration, I finally decided to just chill in a park and read. Not the druggie park, but the one where families actually go to to spend time by the river. Though in retrospect, in a small town they're both parks where the stoners roam. I enjoy a good reading in the grass, but I usually bring a blanket to lay on. Today was not a day for remembering a blanket, so my ass was quite literally grass. Or grass-y. I felt like a happy golden retriever rolling around.

One thing I tend to forget about laying in the grass during the summer is what it does to your skin. You know, the sudden itchiness? That you don't remember until you're running and sweat starts to form? Then suddenly your skin feels like little bugs are crawling everywhere itchy? Yup.

Still worth it though.

The other thing that's on my mind (and what kept me inside for far too long yesterday) was the blog Refashionista. Someone mentioned it, so I decided to take a look. If you don't look at the site, what she does is she buys super cheap ugly things from thrift stores and makes them into super adorable outfits.

Um, how fun is that? Doesn't it just make you want to do that yourself? Well... then I remember that I'm terrible at sewing. And we all know how awesome I am at homemade projects. But I like her ideals of using old things instead of constantly buying new. It's a good idea... if you can make stuff like that. Or if it's a hobby.

Perhaps I'll try sewing something. I can do a little... and I have clothes I don't wear anymore... We could be seeing another craft fail by me in the future! Ha.

Are you crafty? What type of crafty things interest you?

Taking a Look Inside

Hmm. You ever look at the clock and have a sudden realization that it's a lot later than you thought it was? Oh summer, ya do it to me every time.

Yesterday, I got my brain scanned. No don't worry, there's nothing wrong. I signed up for a psychology experiment during the school year, and just recently I've been called to start it.

Getting an MRI is a fascinating process. You have to make sure you don't move at all to make sure the picture works, and I think I did a pretty good job.

The main advice I heard was to not doze off when in the machine. You twitch in your sleep, so that causes a problem. Probably common knowledge for the rest of you, but I thought it was good to know. Luckily, I didn't have a problem with feeling sleepy until the last ten minutes (which seemed to drag on forever). During the last ten minutes I just laid there doing nothing. The time before I was performing all of these different brain tests.

As for my brain... I've got a pretty good lookin' brain. It's so different from the pictures in textbooks it seems. I was just glad to see no mutations. I did get to see the lovely dent that's in the top of my head. Seriously, it's ridiculous looking.

Other than that, I'm hoping I get back to the blogging world a bit more. For awhile there, I was a little far from it. We'll see.

Have you ever gotten your brain scanned?

Summer Standstill

Hello!
First of all, how was everyone's fourth of July in case you're from the States? Mine was good. The classic family sitch including lots of food of course.

Let's get back to the now though. Summer vacation has been about three weeks now, and for those first three weeks I kept myself quite busy. I've already got everything packed for next school year, I've been to a few events, and all that jazz. The key thing is that I've had stuff keeping me busy. However, now I'm at a standstill.

Fact: Having no job and living at home for the summer makes you feel like a loser. And considering the fact that I have two months available to work, the job prospects don't look good. What are you going to do though, right?

Right now, I'm waiting. Waiting for the new details of my program in London, waiting for September... all that sort of stuff.

In other news, it's finally officially summer.  Hooray! What I mean by that is it's finally summer weather over here in Oregon. We have to wait until around the beginning of July. It's alright though, because it usually lasts through September.

I know, not much exciting from me lately. What can you do, right?

How's your summer been going?

Project Problems

Before I say anything else, I must ask: Has anyone here seen those "Nailed it" pictures? If not, let me give you a little lesson. Basically, the idea starts with a craft or food project seen online, most likely Pinterest. The project is beautiful, right? Then a person decides to try it... and ends up with an epic fail. Here's an example:

You get what I'm saying?

Well, I happened to have a nailed it situation occur today. Although I honestly thought the end product looked pretty cool, we'll have to get back to that after we start the story.

It started with the knowledge that fourth of July is coming up, and for a family bbq we need to make a dessert to bring. While watching Felicia Day's vlog, she mentioned this cake:

How perfect, right? The only problem happened to be with the cake itself. As in, no recipe. So I looked one up. Yeah, I was going at this scratch made.

I made the cake. And I did it without the frosting, so it wasn't stuck together. Why did I do that, you ask? The answer is the cake tasted like CRAP. Well, more like playdough but you get the point. Sure my cake isn't as pretty, but I just wanted to see if I could get the look.

Nailed it. Pfft.

I'll be making something else. Something that actually tastes good. Whoops!

Have you ever had a project fail?

Sleeping in and Makeup

For some reason I decided to stay up until 12:30 at night after getting no sleep. I have no iea why. This is probably the reason I slept in until 11:00 AM. Wowza. I do not tend to sleep in that late.
Since Friday and Saturday were all about keeping on moving, I was definitely in the mood to just chill. Yes, my legs were still a little tired. Considering I run, that's a little disappointing. I suppose it was a LOT of walking though. All I know is I was still a bit worn out and today was going to be a relaxing day. No moving things, that starts up again tomorrow.

When I relax in the house, I obviously don't wear makeup. Usually I have a reason for going out to converse with people every day, but not today. It's probably good for my face to get a rest, but I'm really not used to it. For instance, when I'm in the shower I'm used to mascara running into my eyes so if it's not it's a bit odd.

I don't wear a lot of makeup. Just mascara and eyeliner, with the occasional lipcolor. Should I wear lipcolor? Totally, but it tends to come off very quickly meaning I don't mess with it most of the time. Mascara and eyeliner are an always makeup though. Without them, my eyelashes don't exist. Sometimes it's even hard to see my lashes with mascara.

Did I seriously just explain my make up habits? I suppose I did. Hm.

On a final thought, can I just say I'm loving all of the Oregon representation happening at the Olympic trials? God I love my state. Represent!

What makeup do you usually use? Do you use it often, or not so much?