Book club meeting #1...

A dud.

Sadly all but one called and texted at the last minute saying they couldn't attend this time. 

I cleaned the house.

I lit candles all around.

I baked spice cake muffins with cream cheese frosting and marshmallow fondant mini books (see below, some more perfect than others...eh?).

I provided Cherry Pomegranate tea.

I bought pita chips and both sun dried tomato and regular hummus. (Hummuses? hummii?)

But alas, only my dear friend Lauren rang my doorbell promptly at 7 o'clock this evening.

So she and I chatted and skyped with bff Acacia in LA and discussed topics other than the book considering we wanted to save it for the rest of the group that will "for sure make the next one."

I felt like I had my own mini girls night with two of my favorite people. It turned out alright in the end, even though it was slightly depressing at the beginning. I guess when you hype yourself up for something and work really hard for it to be perfect, there's always a chance for disappointment. I guess sometimes you just need to slow down and change the pace of your life, not stopping too often worry about the littlest things.

Besides, earlier this week I randomly called my aunt to catch up. She later texted me that my call made her day. 

And tonight I spoke on the phone for almost half an hour with my step-mom. We talked about making plans for them to visit this summer which makes me really excited! 

They should hurry over while my house is still clean!

:-)

-friends and family

update and thoughts

So my first book club meeting is fast approaching, and apparently the professor that is coming invited the English Department head. eek! We have also changed one of the books we are reading. Instead of Anne Radcliffe's The Italian we will read Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray.

Still living alone in this castle of a house. Its getting a bit comfortable during the day, but nights are still creepy and spooky as ever. Thank goodness for alarms and my Marsona Electric Sound Conditioner. I call it my sleep mate. If you need one see here: http://www.drugstore.com/marsona-electronic-sound-conditioner-tsc-330/qxp331462.

So I have caved and joined up at LA Fitness. Why? Because I took up Kickboxing again and found the most amazing instructor. She is awesome, yells in your face and makes me push myself like I really haven't been lately. I feel like I am getting stronger every day.

In other news, you may know I used to be addicted to Diet Coke. -But NOT anymore! I have been through my caffeine withdrawal period and have successfully been enjoying only tea and water for the past 2 weeks, and still going strong! Its funny I have been having less headaches since I quit DC, when I used to need one to get rid of headaches. Perhaps they were the root cause of my chronic headaches in the first place... It is quite liberating.

This past weekend J and myself attended an IBM potluck which included stuffing my face and chatting with J's upper management and coworkers I already know. Supposedly I got a positive review from the coworkers I haven't met! (Yesss) I brought my mom's spinach dip and sweet Hawaiian bread, which also got good reviews :-).

The Kaplan LSAT test prep is officially kicked into gear. I took my full length Diagnostic Test. It is a mentally taxing skills based exam but with practice I think it will be a manageable hurdle. My test is 101 days away. The countdown begins...

My thoughts regarding something that has been festering... I won't name names... BUT when you warn someone about something their supposed best friend is doing behind their back, then they ask them what was up with said thing, and that friend lies to their face or leaves out what they actually did, and after being confronted about said warning as a false warning and apologizing for assuming, you find out more information that further confirms that they lied to the someone going exactly with what you had originally warned them about, do you say anything? or let the person who was betrayed believe them and still claim you assumed a falsehood with the hopes that one day they will commit a similar friendship offense and say nothing? I dunno...

-busy body, busy mind

It's Summer, and I am starting a Book Club

YES. –A real book club. I don’t care that it is an old lady activity. I have invited several friends from my favorite English class (British and American Literature from 1660-1865), my professor and graduate teaching assistant included, and they are super interested! 

My professor’s name is Dr. Charles Scruggs and he is simply fabulous and has one of the most brilliant minds I have ever encountered. He is in his late 70’s, wears suspenders, is a former bee-keeper, tells hilarious jokes, and finds the sexual innuendo in absolutely everything. He is my dream of a funny old man.

Anyway we will be reading two Gothic novels suggested by Dr. Scruggs: one he has read, and one he has not. If you are interested in reading them too we are reading Horace Walpole’s Castle of Otranto (1764) and Ann Radcliffe’s The Italian (1797). 

Ann Radcliffe

Horace Walpole

I have been looking up book club etiquette sites and thinking of appetizer-like snacks or treats to make for the first meeting in July. Any ideas? I plan to include out of town people by way of Skype! I am hoping to take pictures and maybe even record discussions. I am in love with this idea. It is something to look forward to beyond summer classes and the burning Tucson sun.

May the 4th be with you

That is when you say, "and also with you!"
After pulling two all nighters writing a total of 25 pages I am taking a mental vacation by watching TV tonight. I do have a final in two days, but I will push that worry on to tomorrow.

On another note, I attended my last day of classes today before finals begin and I am going to truly miss this semester. I fell in love with literature again and I hope to carry forward my love for the texts I read this semester by continuing to read the authors in the future.

-Goodnight

Thoughts

My thoughts have been drifting lately.
I feel as though there is too much going on in my head!

I actually put the dirty towels in the dryer first this evening. 

shortly after turning it on and taking three steps from the machine, I sighed and turned around. 

Please time, pause yourself so that I may mentally make it through these next few weeks.

Anyway, my weekend had its ups and downs.

Friday was a little fun. But I quickly confirmed everyone's predictions about me and the bars. Since I don't enjoy drinking all that much, not really my scene. But anyway, we went with the boyfriend's friends down to The Hut to watch a friend's band play. They had some really fun songs! It was reggae type music so, easy listening and fun to dance around. It was most difficult to get boyfriend to dance with me but once I did, we were having the best time. I don't remember us having more fun than that recently, it really was enjoyable. Then however, the music stopped and so did the fun. 

I'll skip forward to Saturday. We shopped all day for boyfriend to get some shoes since his are rotten and gross. (P.S. I hate the mall.) After 23 stores and 2 malls and 1 stop at Paradise Bakery for dinner, we found him some shoes. They appear comfy since the insoles are made with the same material as a yoga mat. After that, we watched the new version of Gulliver's Travels at his parents house... I didn't love it. I prefer the 1995 Ted Danson version myself. Anywho, rewarded with good food in my belly I was happy to relax and go to sleep at a decent hour that night.

Sunday was Easter! So I woke up and made Grandma Bankston's Famous Chocolate Chocolate Cake recipe, adding a little Easter flair...

Twas deliciously rich with chocolate fudge frosting and chocolate mousse filling/decorated nest. And there was a boatload leftover. 

On another bright note, Wall-E was on TV this weekend. So instead of reading for homework, I watched. I just love that movie! It is so sweet! It reminds me of my relationship. Me empathizing with Wall-e of course, and J with Eve. Don't worry about gender... they are robots after all. 

Boyfriend's birthday is coming up soon... Which means I have to work on something magnificent... I will post the updates from that.. 

As for now I have three 10-15 page papers and 4 Final exams standing in the way of the semester's end.

Time to work through these next few weeks like I haven't done this whole senior-itis laden year!!

-off to the races

Discouraged

It becomes more discouraging when more than one thing you want in life rejects you. One thing rejecting you is kind of a reminder like "okay, no worries I'll get the next one."

It hurts your guts when you realize the tenth thing you've tried for rejects you. You almost don't want to try anymore. That "I thought I had it" feeling turns into "I don't understand" which turns into "whats wrong with me?" and that turns into "I need a chocolate bar." But a chocolate bar won't fix it. I guess thats when the cycle restarts.

I just couldn't hold back the tears in my last class of the day today. Perhaps it is not as awful as when I found out I wasn't receiving FAFSA money. Maybe less heartbreaking than not getting the English Department Scholarship I worked so hard for. But I do really know what being crushed feels like today.

I need to go think of happier things.
My next post will have to be about something fun.
Perhaps my spring break pictures or something I have cooked.

another

Not "strange" per se but it is a recurring problem with girls at the U of A. Wearing jeans that are 3 sizes too small (causing likely unintentional muffin top) and a racer back top that exposes your midriff with your dark lace-bra peering out of the top.

hmm classy?

This outfit in question belongs today to a girl in my class, who happens to be in the sorority I belonged to. I wish she were a better representation!

Sad.
another female in question would be the girl sitting 3 rows over two people in front of me. with short shorts and tall UGG boots... Its 57 degrees out and sunny.. are you hot? or cold?

Can someone please solve this mystery?

okay
over and out