Stormy Skies

This is an announcement to all members of Netflix:

The Little Princess is now available to watch instantly!



Today, it rained all day and I didn't leave my apartment once. Sometimes rainy days are nice. It's an excuse to stay in your robe all day and vej out.

I just started reading this book:



Reading is something that I enjoy doing but don't really have much patience for, that is of course, until a good book comes along...

Here is a pretty picture:

Daily Dose

Goals and Determinations for a New Year

Those of you who know me might know that there is more than one "new year" for me, but four rather:

1) January 1st
2) Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, even though I'd hardly consider myself religious)
3) April 23rd (my birthday)
4) The first day of a new school year

Having numerous new years is beneficial because it allows you to make mistakes and start anew more than once during the actual year. Since the first day of a new school year looms upon us (I start classes tomorrow), I wanted to share with you some of my goals and determinations:

1) Study more - this includes keeping up with readings and assignments, spending more time in the library, starting to study earlier for exams, and avoiding procrastination (easier said than done however).

2) Party less.

3) Cut down on smoking.

4) Get myself to bed to bed earlier - before 1 AM on weekdays and before 3 AM on weekends. (The 4'o'clock hour terrifies me for some reason.)

5) Don't skip classes, except for legitimate reasons. Being too tired to wake up isn't an excuse. Hopefully, the previous mentioned goal will aid in this resolution.

6) Make it to the gym at least 3 times a week. I need to strengthen my core muscles because I keep throwing my back out every couple of months and I think this would help to keep me walking upright on more of a regular basis.

7) Play more music, preferably start writing my own stuff. I've been saying that I'm going to do this for such long time now, but I think that my time has come.

Like OMFG, WTF?

Back to Boulder tomorrow. Still getting over some sort of bug that seems to be going around... I spent last weekend at the beach condo in Solana Beach with Noel, only to wake up Saturday morning with a horrible cold - sore throat, sore muscles, pounding headache...the works. Leave it to me to get sick at the most inconvenient time. With a little help from Mucinex DM, Aleve, cough drops, Vitamin C tablets, and an antibiotic regimen, I can feel somewhat closer to human around noon. I haven't had a cigarette in four days (OK, OK, I had one last night...which is like having none).

Today will be spent getting my affairs in order - cleaning out my car, getting it washed, saying goodbyes, last-minute laundry, cleaning my room, and packing. I actually started pulling clothes out yesterday and it made me realize that I have a lot of things I never wear because I forget about them when they're stuffed in a corner of my closet. Maybe that's why I always feel like I have absolutely nothing to wear.

Aside from essays and exams, here are a few good things about new school years:

1) You get to start with a clean slate. I used to have this english teacher in high school that said in the beginning of the year that we only had A's to lose. (Of course half-way through the semester, most of us had indeed, lost our A's.)

2) You get to go SCHOOL SUPPLY SHOPPING! Everybody loves new pens and notebooks, and if they don't, they're lying.

3) Your favorite TV shows come back with new seasons! (FYI, Gossip Girl returns to the CW September 16th. Supposedly, Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill are trading time-slots, which is a great idea in my opinion. Always save the best for last!)



Going to Poseidon tonight with my parents and Noel for my farewell dinner. I hate goodbyes.

Words to Live By

Enough said!

Down the Rabbit Hole

The trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter) was recently released. I don't think I've ever been so excited to see a movie. Check out the trailer here.

Tim Burton's interpretation of Wonderland.

The role of the mad-hatter was custom tailored for Johnny Depp. This has been his seventh time working with director, Tim Burton.

Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Sweeney Todd, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) plays the role of the Red Queen (the one who says "Off with their heads!")

19-year-old Mia Wasikowska (has appeared in HBO series, "In Treatment") as Alice.

Sadly, we will have to wait until March 5th of NEXT YEAR to see this movie in theaters. Perhaps the release of the adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are will hold us over until March (it comes out October 16th of this year). 

object width="560" height="340">

Happy Hour Finder

My super nerdy (in an adorable sort of way) boyfriend made this really cool app for your Iphone called Happy Hour Finder . He has been working on it for the past couple months and it finally got approved by Apple just a few days ago! Type in your city or zip code to find all of the happy hours in your area (illustrated by the green pin-points below).

Happy Hour Finder supplies you with the address, directions, phone number, daily specials, and yelp reviews of any given bar/restaurant in the happy hour database. If there is a happy hour location not listed in the application's inventory, you can add it yourself! 

This app is perfect for college students on a budget and for people who just like to save money in general (which is probably pretty much everyone, except maybe people with a lot of money that don't really care about spending it). It's for sale in the app store for 2 bills. 

If you get this app, you can start saving moolah on going out and getting drunk with your friends and make my boyfriend rich at the same time! (Good for you, and good for him and me).

Animals on the Loose

I love animals. Who doesn't? Because animals never go out of style (and because we all love clothing that can double as a Halloween costume), I thought I'd share these animal-inspired whimsical wearables with you:

Panda Mary-Janes, by Em & Sprout

Giraffe Hat, by Miss Karina

Bear Jumper and Overalls, by Lu Flux

Leopard Hoody, by Jeremy Scott

Animal monokinis, by New York Couture

RAWR! 

Summer highlights

The past couple nights in a row, I have been exercising my culinary skills. On Monday night, I made vegetable and tofu enchiladas (that turned out delicious, if I may say so myself), and last night, I devised a sort of corn chowder recipe (which I accidentally put too much pepper in so renamed it "peppercorn chowder"). I love finding recipes online for things I have never made before, then adding/subtracting more/less of an ingredient (or adding an entirely new ingredient). Cooking is just like anything creative, be it painting, sewing, playing music, or even getting dressed in the morning- there are no rules. Sometimes, it's hard to get out of this mindset that advises against wearing black with brown, or following a certain song structure when composing music, but when you play the role of the creator, you can do anything you want. There is no right or wrong.

Lately, I have really been into wearing vintage. There is something so special about wearing something with some history. It has a story to tell. The problem is, it's really difficult to uncover the real vintage treasures. It seems that your run-of-the-mill thrift store like Salvation Army and Goodwill is all picked over, and the nicer, more up-scale vintage stores have ridiculously overpriced items. I've decided that I'm going to start looking on Ebay.

I go back to Boulder in a little over 2 weeks. Summers keep flying by faster and faster every year. Some of the highlights of my summer were...

Seeing shows at the Belly Up Tavern. Saw M83 & Blitzen Trapper. This picture was taken at 80's night, covers of great 80's tunes.

Solana Beach Bonfires that sometimes would last until 3:30 in the morning. 

Open mic nights at 1st Street Bar in Encinitas.

Camping in Santa Barbara with Noel...my first time there!

Fireworks at the country club for 4th of July.

Paying $1 to see "Hercules", the biggest horse in the world, at the Del Mar Fair. Definitely the most value I've ever gotten out of a dollar. This guy was HUGE!

Line-dancing at Mo's in Hillcrest with a bunch of gay men!

There is a part of me that is always sad to leave San Diego. I don't like leaving my family and my boyfriend (not to mention the gorgeous weather), but at the same time, I'm excited to go back to Boulder. I really like living by myself there and being on my own. Plus, all my friends are there. This is going to be my last year there. I can't believe that it will be 4 years since I first came to Boulder. It feels like yesterday I was moving into the dorms. It took me a long time to get situated and to feel comfortable. At such a big school, it is easy to lose yourself. When you realize that you have lost your sense of self, it's almost a helpless feeling. You miss the person that you used to be. 3 years later, I am finally happy there. I figure that there is no use in wasting your time being unhappy, you can always find a piece of happiness wherever you are and whatever you are doing. 

Trend watch

Here are a few looks that I am really loving right now:

1) Crop Tops

Crop-tops: they aren't for everyone of course, but they're back. Nothing screams 1995 and hot summer afternoons like a midriff-baring crop-top. Think Alicia Silverstone in Clueless. Cute with a tank-top underneath, or worn alone with a pair of high-waisted shorts. 

2) Studs

Studs are showing up everywhere, from denim cut-offs to gladiator sandals. I'm loving these vintage studded Converse from Free People. It's a retro look with a kiss of punk.

3. Your Boyfriend's Button-down

One of the great things about having a boyfriend is that you get to borrow all of his perfectly broken-in button-down shirts. Looks great alone or can be worn with an oversized belt around the waist. I think I like this look  because it's comfortable, it can be dressed up, and because it howls, "I am a Sex Goddess."