7.20.2012

Awkward and Awesome: Way Late

I had this post almost ready to go on Thursday, but then I felt guilty about hitting publish while in class, was on the phone while near wi-fi later, and feel asleep without thinking of it.

This no internet at home has made life a little more complicated, so sorry for the spotty posting here. It's not likely to improve in the next week or two. I hope you don't hold it against me too much. A little is totally understandable, but it's not like I'm doing anything groundbreaking here.

Anyways, I thought I'd still take a moment to share some of the awkward and awesome things I've dealt with in the past week.

Awkward:
- Finding my car locked into a parking garage. Luckily I got it out without too much trouble or worry.
- The weather has not been so summery recently. Come back sunshine and heat. Pretty please!
- Not having Internet at my apartment. Not even a little fun. I have too much work to do.
- Thinking in terms of theory when I'm used to thinking practically. The difference between the two is kind of huge.
- My eating habits. It's not that I'm eating all crap, but my diet is not well balanced.
- Finding out I didn't submit something needed to end my lease this month so we have to pay another month. At least we overpaid one month so it's not the full rent amount.
- I haven't gotten one of my loans because I hadn't filled out the master promissory note. But I wasn't told why it hadn't come yet. I had to call. And wait on hold for 20 minutes. It was a blast.

Awesome:
- Tourist time in Seattle. Love this city and exploring new and old things.
- SYTYCD or So You Think You Can Dance. I love this show. The one show I look forward to in the summer. Fo realz.
- The number of times I've had fro-yo this past week. I'm calling this a win, especially because the shop has free Internet.
- Having a new place to live! In August! Close to most of my classmates and friends! I'm pretty excited.
- So excited for the new Batman! I'm not sure when I'll see it, but I am excited. (As a side note: my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families in Aurora, CO. Such sad news to wake up to.)
- Less than a week to the Olympics. I cannot wait.
- Remembering to grab my headphones before heading out to mow lawns today. My cousin and I helped out my dad, and I was on a riding lawn mower. Driving in circles is only so much fun. Until you add dance moves! :)

I feel like this is getting plenty long, so I'll stop there. But before I go...what is the best thing that happened to you this week?

7.17.2012

Things I also found:

I wanted to share some links and things from the Internet. I used "also" because I am certainly not the first person to find and share these things, but I'm sharing them anyways. A pretty good way to waste a little time if you're bored this Tuesday.

A quick note, too: since I'm without regular Internet access I haven't been commenting much, but I promise I'm still reading. Hopefully in the next week or two, life will be back to normal.

The goods:

- You probably heard about the Daniel Tosh rape joke debacle on the internets this week. This post by Lindy West was my favorite response. Definitely worth a read.

- Find out where you fall on the global fat scale. (Spoiler alert: as a person from the U.S., you're going to be heavier. 1st world = more than enough food = heavier than poor people)

- Want to know what's illegal and ridiculous here in Washington State:

Browse more Humor infographics.

- The best wedding site ever. Literally. I dare you to show me one that is better.

- An incredibly cool map of tweets happening around the world. Almost 30% of tweet takes place in the US. Check out the site, play with the settings, and read all the stats. Pretty interesting.

- These Russian gymnasts. How is all of that humanly possible?


- These descriptions of news interview subjects. My favorites are either "names vacuums with eyes closed" or "not wearing any pants," but they are all absolutely hilarious.

- I love running to DJ mashups. The rhythm stays pretty consistent and the variety keeps me from being bored. I've enjoyed Girl Talk for a long time, but recently started enjoying Milkman. (Bonus, you can download Milkman's albums for free!)

Have you stumbled across anything good recently? Feel free to share links in the comments!

7.14.2012

Life Currently

These posts have been all over (I know Danielle has done a few). It's a fun way to sum of life, right at this moment. Enjoy!

My cousin, Michelle, and I at Bard on the Beach.
(This picture was taken illegally.)

Obsessing over: My final project for class is going to be more work than I had thought. It's basically a mini-thesis. Did I mention that already? That's how you know I'm obsessing over it.

Working on: School and blog stuff. Being the editor of a blog is a little time consuming and school takes work. (Duh.)

Thinking about: What I am going to do with my time when class gets done in August. Almost six whole weeks of freedom!

Anticipating: A fun week in Seattle. I haven't been down here much this month and I miss it (though I love it up at my parents' too). It started with a bang yesterday with some wine tasting and Mexican food with Stevie.

Listening to: The Rock of Ages soundtrack. I went on a little mini music buying spree last week when Amazon had a bunch of stuff on sale and this one of the albums I snagged. Super excited for the movie!

Eating: I need to do that... I am in desperate need of groceries, which is why my meals the last few days have been particularly unimpressive. If two of your last four meals were purchased at Starbucks, you are not doing well.

Wishing: My financial aid loan would clear already. I've been approved, but it hasn't come through. Grr. I'm also wishing my school work would go more quickly and smoothly than it has been. Fingers crossed.

7.13.2012

Visit to Mt. Baker, Finally

I'm currently sitting in a Starbucks studying (how's that for some product placement--feel free to send me free stuff Starbucks).

Since my sister and I won't be around the apartment a ton this month, and our roommate moved out, we made the choice to cancel cable/internet to save some dollars.

This means I have to get up and dressed a lot earlier in the day to accomplish anything for school. But that's probably a good thing.

And while I'd love to spend the next ten minutes talking more about this exciting and important development in my life, I'm actually here today to talk about the 4th of July. You know, that one day over a week ago.

Because better late than never.


We decided with the family visiting from Finland and the fact that it was a national holiday, to drive up to Mt. Baker.


Confession: This was my first time up on the mountain even though I've lived in the area for over 15 years. I never really got into winter sports.


8 of us packed into two cars and headed out the highway and up the mountain. With the sun out, I may have underestimated the temperature change at the top, so my flip flops and shorts felt a little cold in the breeze coming off a snow covered mountain.


But it was gorgeous and kind of nice to be up when it was so deserted. Maybe someday I'll get up there in the winter, too. Thought what I would do with myself on top of a mountain I have no idea.

7.12.2012

Awkward and Awesome: The Sunshine Edition

I'm back at my apartment for the first time in a while. And I'm staying for a week or so.

I'm looking forward to a little space for myself, at least for a day or two, and some quiet time to get work done. I left class tonight feeling like I have a lot of work to get done in the next six weeks or so.

For now, I'm relaxing and enjoying the chance to sleep in tomorrow without a puppy dog or two to wake me up.

Now, on to a summary of my week.

Awkward:
- The puppy used my glasses as a chew toy. And I didn't have a spare, so I had to wear contacts way more than my eyes appreciated and use my sunglasses inside. I was pretty cool.
- I put on sunscreen this morning, but missed a few spots. I have some really weird burned spots.
- Realizing that my class tonight is going to require way more work than I thought it would before the end of the quarter.
- My hair right now. I attempted to dye it lighter for the summer and now I have a weird reverse ombre with roots going on. I don't even know how to describe it.
- My cravings for sweets have gotten a little out of hand. With family visiting I'm constantly in vacation mode.

Awesome:
- A trip up to Vancouver that included seeing Taming of the Shrew in a park.
- Champagne grapes as a snack. Seriously, try them!
- My parents got an above ground pool and the weather makes it lovely. I actually worked from their patio this morning just to enjoy it.
- Maybe having a place to live for the fall. I'm meeting up with someone to discuss the possibility this weekend.
- As rambunctious as a puppy can be, I am loving my parents' new lab Cade. He's really laid back (for a puppy) and incredibly smart. My next plan: teach him how to high five.

What has been awkward or awesome about your week?

7.10.2012

Summer Takes Over

We've been busy with summer like activities, and my spare time has been spent doing school work not blogging. Which makes me feel a little sad, but also pretty darn responsible.

Since I have been so absent here, I'm not sure what I need to catch you all up on. Instead, I'll give some highlights from the past week or so. Hopefully soon I'll be back with pictures for your enjoyment. Until then, a bulleted list will have to suffice.
  • Seattle touristy activities: my cousin came over for a couple days with her 8 month old. He's adorable, even if all the activity and schedule changes were a little rough on him. We got to walk around Green Lake, visit Pike Place Market, and catch up. Plus he and I are well on our way to being best pals (from a distance).
  • We take our food seriously: case in point, today while having high tea (a family tradition) my dad asked what we were going to eat for dinner. Not a day goes by that doesn't involve at least a couple discussions about meals coming up. I think it probably drives my mom a little crazy as food planning is not her favorite thing ever.
  • Pool time: my brother talked my dad into buying an above ground pool for us to play in. We got it set up yesterday and it finished filling with water today. This evening brought a quick dip, but it was chilly. The coming days include forecasts in the 80s though, so it will get plenty of use. The only real challenge is making sure the dogs don't destroy it.
I'm calling it quits for there. Mostly because I am unable to write short bullets (sorry about that) and I really just want to sleep.

We have more excitement coming, which I'll do my best to fill you in on. And really, there have been pictures.

For now, have a happy Thursday!

7.05.2012

Awkward and Awesome: Break in the Silence

I hope that everyone had a happy fourth of July. I hope to be back tomorrow sharing a couple pictures and moments from my day. It was definitely wonderful.

I'm mixing it up today. Not two, but three categories for my awkward and awesome moments from the week.

Because it's just necessary.

Awkward:
- managing to shoot an entire day of video for class a few weeks ago without any sound. two thumbs up on that one.
- not enough sleep and waking up between 6 and 6:30 every morning for the past week. It should be noted that I don't have anything to wake up for specifically.
- my cousin's suitcase not showing up with her plane and my dad leaving his cell phone at the airport.
- when people talk quietly in class. Maybe I need hearing aids, or maybe they need to speak up.

Awkward AND Awesome:
- my parents' new puppy. He's adorable, mellow, loves to pull plants out of the ground, and grab anything he can get his mouth on. He's also part of the reason I am on the tired side.
- sweets: homemade ice cream, fresh strawberries with pound cake, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, and much more. Delicious, but I might have unbuttoned my jeans one day this past week.

Just Plain Awesome:
- the Finnish family arriving for a month-long visit. Let the shenanigans (and eating) begin!
- the weather predicted for the next month around these parts. I feel for the rest of the country in the midst of a major heat wave. We're headed for 30 days of temps in the 70s and low 80s. Perfect summer weather.
- berry season. We picked 34 pounds of strawberries last week. I cannot wait for the raspberries to be ready. Favorite!
- random love punches. Perfect a little pick me up. Seriously try it!

I'm keeping it semi-short tonight. Because of the sleepiness, the schoolwork, and the family time. What's been going on for you this week?

7.02.2012

Family Time

The Finnish family arrived last Thursday and we drove up to my parent's house that night, where we've been ever since.

The days here have been full, not of tons of planned activities, but of lots of family time and eating. We're really good at that.

I'm really excited because tomorrow they are making a Finnish meal for us! Fun!

And we have big plans too, that involve more than 11 people gathered around a dining room table. Vancouver, Seattle, mountains, water, shopping, plays, and more. I'm excited for all of the fun we are going to have!

At the same time, it's been a bit of a challenge for me to balance the work I have with spending time with them. I never enjoy being the person who disappears behind her computer or iPhone when everyone is together and hanging out.

Unfortunately, that has to happen at least some of the time.

Mostly, I am incredibly thankful to not have a job right now. It is such a blessing! Otherwise, I would really have no time to spend with everyone.

I thought I'd end this week with a few intentions (remember those few posts I did?) for the the next week with the family.

1) Be present and involved.
2) Eat a lot of really good food.
3) Work out at least 3 times in some form.
4) Finish my paper for class Thursday.
5) Sleep until 8am at least once. (Seriously, I've been up by 6:30 pretty much every day and I don't like it one little bit.)
6) Watch the fireworks.

What do you have going on? Any big things you want to accomplish this week?