simple little beauty

This is my absolute most favorite song to listen to when I've been trapped in the library all day.

Librarian by My Morning Jacket

Image via vi.sualize.us)

Rainstorm, take me away from the norm...

Nothing new here, it is still rain-storming like crazy. For the first time in my life I got woken up by thunder this morning. I thought the sky was falling down, and then I just lazed in bed for a while listening to the rain/wind. After I got up I could actually see lightening too, and at one point the thunder kinda gave me a heart attack. The poor cats were freaked and hid under Jessica's bed all morning.

I eventually slogged my way to class and then decided to go sit in the hot tub at the rec center with Jessica and Lauren. We were the only ones at the entire pool complex besides the poor lifeguards huddled in their office. We finally got warmed up and decided to jump in the super-heated pool which was really fun. Riding my bike home in the rain wasn't even an issue because I was already soaking wet. I didn't avoid any of the puddles, which made things really fun. Made some soup for lunch and then luckily the rain let up for a little bit when I had to ride back onto campus for my second class.

Now I'm home finishing up a novel for one of my classes tomorrow. It's called Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee, who is this South African guy who writes about semi-non-fictional apartheid events. He won the Nobel Prize in 2003. Anyways I'm taking an entire class on him, he's pretty cool and even though his work is super depressing (it's basically all about torture) it's also really moving.

Anyways, that's about it. I'm going home this weekend for my Dad's 60th birthday, maybe I'll try to take some pictures?


PS-I've had the worst heartburn the last 3 days. I think I've been drinking too much wine and coffee and eating too much tomato soup and chocolate. Time to mix up my eating habits.

It's raining, it's pouring...

Yay! I love the rain! I'm so cozy right now, curled up on the couch with a mug of tea and a pad of paper and some pens/paints. My curtains are thrown open so I can see the rain hammering down on the roof. Jude is enthralled by the rain. He's sitting on the window sill staring at the stream of water dumping from the gutter. I'm thankful tomorrow is MLK day...I don't have to think about braving the puddles on my bike ride to class. Somehow I never managed to buy a pair of rainboots, even though they would be infinitely helpful and make my feet happy/dry. UCSB wasn't made for rain: puddles seem to accumulate in mile-long stretches, and they're quite deceiving too...sometimes I think I can get away with making a quick dash through one, and then it turns out to be about two feet deep and suddenly I'm soaked up to my knees. Oh well, at least it makes life exciting. I just feel happy happy happy.

Listening to: pitterpatterdripdripdroppitydrip

vino

Wine night with my favorite housemate Jessica. Everyone else is going out tonight but we're just gonna take it easy and schmooze and watch SNL skits. Wow sounds exciting. Won't be up too late because I'm swimming in the morning. I'm excited!

Today was pretty relaxed, just went to my classes and bought a ton of books. I'm already behind on reading and it's only the 3rd day of school. How is that possible?

[EDIT] I ended up watching the movie Heights (here's the link to the trailer). It was so intense. I've been contemplating moving to New York City for a while now, but the movie just made me want to move there so much more. There is no "happy" ending or real resolution to the movie, but ahh it literally just makes my heart ache thinking about living in New York.

After that I just stayed up talking about my past and high school and tragic stories, and it made me sad to think about lost lives. At the same time it really made me thankful for my friends and what I have going for me in my life right now. I like looking at my future and having no idea what is in store. It makes me excited and anxious and motivated to be successful. Maybe I've had too much wine but I'm just happy and positive and even though I was thinking about how I have to write at least four 15-page papers this quarter, I'm not disappointed or even pessimistic. I just know I'll get past them and my future will always hold something new and different.

I want everyone to feel this way. I guess I'm lucky that I've always been able to get through things. Even though sometimes I may not be especially positive, I've always known that I'll survive and create something worthwhile. Ahhhh okay, for realzzzzz I'm going to bed right now! I'm going to kick some butt in the pool tomorrow, can't wait to dominate! I love life. Haha I'm so cheesy.

rando

So it's been a few days. Here are some things that have happened...

-finished finals, didn't fail out of college
-got my VISA=great success
-visited Marianne and Paige
-saw the fam
-moved all my crap home in preparation for departure
-hung out with some old chums

Basically it's been a good couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to Christmas. Can't believe I leave for France in two weeks. Time is flying. Here's a picture that I took in spring of some poppies. I'm gonna miss you Cali!


Coming soon: the infamous tiger pic! I just stumbled across it and it made me happy.


Listening to: the rain (!!!)

lots of crap

So I just finished a paper on British Romanticism, which means three finals down, two to go. I know what you're thinking: Eww romanticism? Romanticism as in hearts and love poems and icky romantic garbage? Before this quarter, that's totally what I understood romanticism to entail too. (Don't ask why I took the class.) But it turns out that romanticism isn't just about sappy depressed poets who have too much time on their hands. (Not that there is anything wrong with that.) It's more about a positive vision towards the future. A lot of work I've read is a call to society to envision a brighter and more equal future. Not just an equality between women and men, but an equality of cultures and races and all walks of life. Which I think is pretty cool. I mean, when you think about it, although the word romanticism is usually associated with the above-mentioned sappy love-garbage, it makes sense that it is also a word that simply envisions a happier, lovelier, more peaceful world. And I really like that. So thanks Professor Carlson. And thanks too to Lord Byron and Wordsworth and Percy Shelley and especially S.T. Coleridge. It's been fun. And very enlightening.

On another note, I'm super bummed because it's the annual Undie Run at UCSB. Everyone meets up at midnight at good ol' Davidson Library and takes a brisk jaunt around campus to celebrate the end of the quarter. In their undies. But seeing as I have two more finals, I'm missing out and planning on being asleep by 11 pm.

In response to Marianne's most recent post, I would like to list off a couple of things that I too am looking forward to in the upcoming week.

-Friday 7 p.m: being done with finals
-Saturday+Sunday=beer+sleep+beer+sleep
-Monday a.m: being sassy at the French Consulate/acquiring a Visa (hopefully)
-Monday p.m-Wednesday: being silly with Marianne (beach, hottub, pizookie, F21, creeping, drinking, pictures, Rubio's, etc.)
-Thursday: home, good food, eggnog, wine, eye appointment=new contacts

If all goes as planned (or follows closely to that sched) I will be the happiest person on the planet. Guaranteed.

OH also check out my new addition to my posts! I'll try to remember to include in each post what I've been listening to while I write.

Listening to: Augustana-Sweet and Low (kinda corny and poppy and weird but it makes me happy)

I'm being glared at

So I found a nook in the library which is amazing because literally it's like a madhouse in here. Dead week seriously turns people into conniving assholes who are willing to knock each other down just to get a seat with a wall plug for their computer in the library.

I'm not joking. I mean, I have to admit, I did run to the elevator and force the 17 people who were already in there to wait for me and then deal with my over-stuffed backpack being shoved into their abdomens, but I don't think it was too much to ask. But when I'm literally shoved out the doors onto the fourth floor and nearly get knocked down as the rest of the passengers rush past me, I get mad. But then I decide I should use that anger to my advantage, so I take off with the rest of the pack in what I like to call the "see who is aggressive and skilled enough to find an open seat with a wall plug" game. I was using all the classic moves. I darted between shelves to avoid the slower people in the pack. I used my intimate knowledge of the layout of the fourth floor to scope out the least commonly used seats. And then, like an angel descending from heaven, there it was: situated in a quiet nook with a breathtaking view of the Pacific off to my left and a convenient plug for my charger, was the perfect seat. I darted, I swerved, and alas, SUCCESS!

The only problem is that there is this glaring clock that keeps reminding me I have so little time to finish all the things I have to get done. But that's life I guess.

Also, what's the deal? Somehow I can take a lame-ass picture of this clock with my phone and use Bluetooth to send it wirelessly to my computer, but I can't picture message an amazingly hilarious picture to Marianne. Technology is so lame.

Also Marianne this is what I was trying to send you. Front page of the school paper. They lost their game against Berkeley. SO sad. Maybe I can console him?

RAIN.

I LOVE THE RAIN. Right now, I am looking out the fourth floor of the Davidson Library on the UCSB campus. There are tall sycamore trees with some nice orange leaves on them right in front of me, and in the distance I can see the ocean, which is steely gray. The sky is about the same color, and I am expecting rain to come pouring down any minute. Can't wait to curl up with some cocoa and a good book. Or watch Harry Potter.

To add to that, this is what I do when I can't think of how to start a paper. This picture was taken at 1:30 p.m.
In the library.
Hope you enjoy.