Bah Humbug

I found something I am not good at, cutting my own bangs.  Exhibit A:

Just a little spotty and crooked for the holiday season, great, more mockery.

Call me a scrooge if you like but I really don't like "The Holidays."  I mean sure, getting presents is cool and all but what peeves me more than anything is this idea of "the holiday spirit."  Why?  I think it is a load of hooie.  If you follow the same book, or similar moral code, that I do you are supposed to be nice to people and give selflessly year round.  Yes it is a time that you get to see family, but if you really wanted to see them, you could also communicate better during the year.  For me, it is a bit easier during the holidays because I am home (and this is my last Christmas break...ever) but it doesn't mean I can't try to do a better job and be more caring.  So Happy December 27th, be nice to someone when you return that sweater you didn't like.

A shift in the winds

Let me explain my hiatus...it has been creative crunch time.  This means I have slept like I slept back when I was a college athlete and eaten in the same way, without the working out, and just staring at a computer screen and a light desk.  Not a good combination.  However, I learned a lot about myself.  I really don't think it is my calling to be an art director.  After realizing how much time I spent researching these ads and trying to find insights, and at the encouraging of both my professor and critiquers, I am an account planner. What does this mean for my life?

1. I will hopefully sleep a little more.

2. I get to explore and learn about people

3. I can't as easily get away with wearing pajamas to work.

This seems like a good compromise...so bye bye Leo Burnett (though still cool guy), hello Stanley Pollitt!

Magnum Opus

You know when Charlotte is about to die and she tells Wilbur about her "magnum opus" Well, baby this may be one of mine.  The assignment was to draw a guitar in illustrator.  And I think I tore that bad boy up.  And I made it my own with some Reba and pink.  All of this is with the pen tool.  And yes, my ego is a bit inflated.

Is it your day, month, week, year?

We pause in this creative session to bring you an update.  I am no longer a Friends virgin.  I know what "The Rachel" is, the definition of "nubbin", and am frequenting coffee shops, and I dream of "smelly cat." This is exciting.  You see, I have been rather ill lately, and my roommate had season one, and it was all downhill from there.  Friends is great.  Though, there is too much sex for my taste (I'm still a disney kid) I can't stop watching it.  And I have the peculiar urge to swim in fountains.  I may only be on Season 4 (no spoilers!) but I have learned so much.  Your friends are your family, follow your dreams, it all works out.  These are such simple lessons but I think that I take them for granted.  So I offer you this pledge:

On my honor, I will try

To be carefree like Joey

Open to new experiences like Phoebe

Love like Ross

Follow my dreams like Rachel

Laugh like Chandler

And Clean like Monica (I said try)

But most of all, I'll be there for you.

Addictions

I have discovered that I have an incredibly addictive personality.  This is a problem, or is it?  It seems that I am always chasing one hobby after another just to decide which is "me."  My latest hobby?  Rollerblading.  And yes, there is a story: In elementary school I was a "baller" rollerblader.  I was that first grader that was beating all the fifth graders at the skate parties.  Then, I learned about boo-boos.  My friend Jill broke her wrist in the 3rd grade...rollerblading.  My empathetic self was devastated.  So I quit.  But lo and behold.  When I was packing for my new apartment, my Dad's old skates turned up, and I stole them.  So today I decided to be adventurous.  Did I fall? Yes, but once.  Will I go out again soon?  I hope so.  There is nothing like the rush of a new hobby.  Sewing out, athletics in.

Beans, beans

This assignment was fun.  Why?  Because I did it in a coffee coma, and it was about coffee (yes, my humor is still in the coma).  One thing that I made special was the coffee beans in the cup instead of coffee, still, I wish I could make it look better, it looks a little too "photoshoppy" for my tastes, but it looked even more weird when I cut out the beans.  There is only so much manipulation one can do.

KABAM!

So with my dabblings in the adobe arts I have landed myself a graphic design job, which I love!  And I made this application for an upcoming event.  Check it out!  This is photoshop/indesign.

Square Effects

So this production assignment was one that really threw me for a loop.  And also caused me to be openly ridiculed by my professor due to my file size.  Why was it 4X bigger than my classmates?  I think I will just call it "creative genius"

Living Flowers

So this was my next project for production.  The background I think was a nice touch, I mixed 3 different things to come up with.  Not exactly what the prof did, but hey, it's creative, right?  What I liked about this assignment so much was that it was butterflies.  No, not in that cheesy way that I am a girl, and therefore I like butterflies, but in the way that they represent a natural beauty.  It's like flowers have come to life.

A Texas Tribute

So today I was talking with my friend Tanner, who is currently in pastry school in Paris, and amidst my jealousy and his we made a discovery, there are benefits to Texas, as well as Europe.  Yes, Europe is...well..Europe!  And lately I have come to believe more and more that as much as I love the USA I prefer European lifestyles, for now at least.  But as we were talking...or typing, rather...these benefits came to mind:

1. Outdoor Swimming Pools...when you can't get to a beach, these are lifesavers
2. Cupcakes...nonexistent in Europe, certainly a travesty.
3. Chuy's...yes, they may be a franchise, but to me Chuy's is Texas.
4. Country Music...sometimes you need that song that seems to be exactly what you are thinking
5. Trucks...a very easy way to get on a powertrip when you are feeling it.

That being said, Texas is grand.

Captivating

So the cliché goes, "Every dog has its day," Well today, my proverbial dog got hit by a car...but good news, the dog lived!  It was just one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong.  Seriously, my day could have been one of the ads a friend of mine is working on for coffee makers.

6:30, intended wake up time...8:40, actual wake up time
9:00, thought pick up time...8:50, actual pick up time
I missed power yoga to do some work stuff that later ended up not needing to be turned in until later anyway.
I got a 0 on a Spanish Quiz...again.  WTF.
Someone cancelled plans on me...again.
I got in trouble for something (for lack of a better word) retarded.
I still don't have a car.

Yes, this is pretty pitiful to be upset over these things, but nevertheless, I was...among other things (of which cyberspace has no business).  So what did this wonderful day render?  "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," lime sherbet, and kettle corn.  Not so bad, I am making progress...I did not break out "Sex and the City" and cookie dough...so life is getting better.  After watching the movie, I realized I am a Cristina.  Before I thought I was Vicky...always wanting what is right, but then I realized that I am Cristina, I don't know what I want.

So...1:15am rolls around and I broke out my other rainy day quencher and self esteem guide, Captivating.  It is a book for women that helps us know our role in the world, based on Biblical teachings.  And as I was reading I came across the idea that states that all women really want to have answered to them is "Am I lovely? Do I captivate you?"  This hit me like a load of bricks. That is what I want, I want to be lovely, but for me, I seem to love sports and not wearing dresses to football games to feel this way.  I want to be captivating, I want small disagreements and bad things to go away and leave me as me.  Wouldn't it be great?  For someone just to say "You are lovely."

Aloha, production!

So now I guess I am officially turning into an "ad person."  Why you ask?  I am now officially dabbling in the world of adobe.  So now, from time to time, I will be posting some samplings of my graphic design work, and hopefully my campaigns in the future so ya'll can see what I'm all about.  This first assignment was for me to mimic a picture, but I enhanced it.  I think the fire in the tiki mouths is my best touch, and also the grass skirt.  Something tells me that this class will not really be a paradise.

Change

My mom recently told me to update my blog, on my facebook.  This was only hours after I was discussing with some friends that my mom is the only person that comments on my blog.  Irony realized.  That aside, this blog is dedicated to you, Moma.

"Amy, you are not good with change."  Mom said after I was once again bawling to her over the phone, frantically trying to find the bubble bath in Walmart.  Now, looking back on it, she was right.  I either like constant change, or none at all.  Ducks in a row are too difficult to control...I like how marshmallow peeps just stick there, and stay there (because who really wants to eat those anyway?).

I really don't like change.  Now I feel like I am a freshman again...it took me forever to explore the cafeteria the other day!  Next thing you know I will be wearing my keys around my neck.  I think change works as good with me as it did with Peter Brady.  Maybe I need to make it positive.  Or just bottle up more savings in my telephone bank...

Diaper wearin', booger pickin' good time.

So I had jury duty this past week and one of my fellow prisoners jurors made the observation that "Adults are really just big kids."  This really made me think.  I am 20, but am I really an adult, and are my parents really adults, what about my colleagues?  What really defines "adult?"  Think about it, we start in diapers, go out in diapers.  We whine, we fuss, heck, sometimes we pick our noses (you know you do).  So what really defines adult?  Lets look at the facts:

Kids think the other sex is "icky," but they still chase them around the playground and flirt...Adults go on dates with people they don't like=we all want attention from the opposite sex.

Kids love making messes...Adults, have you looked at your garage lately?=We all like chaos.

Kids are picky eaters...Adults, do you still want to eat green beans and brussel sprouts? I dont.= Green is not always good.

Kids procrastinate, Adults procrastinate.

Swingsets are timeless and ageless.

So maybe what adults need to do is embrace their inner child.  Go see Toy Story 3, it is a great movie...and don't drag a kid along, eat play-doh (ok..maybe not...little salty), play outside!  Enjoy life.

Slim slow

So lately per my "I know why I am fat" I have had the revelation to eat like an American and look like a European...therefore meaning I go on a fad diet that makes me miserable, only to bounce back later...crap.  My diet of choice?  Slim fast.  The name...does not really live up to it, as I have observed.  Due to my lack of patience the term "fast" to me makes me think of email rather than snail mail...or the judicial process.  The slim fast diet represents the latter.  Lots of inflation...and uncomfortable times.  Though, I am liking it so far, it goes like this:
3 snacks a day...100 calories (I personally eat the snack bar, and then a snack with higher calories..but it all balances out)
2 meals a day...200 calories each...this means a slimfast shake...or a meal bar.  Both of which smell funny.
1 normal meal...500 calories...ish.  Which for me is ending up being about 700 due to my dessert cravings...Spain, you need more sugar, help a girl out.

Total calories?  1200....I was eating this before on my healthy kick.  So slim fast...I am not planning on replenishing your stock, your products, though healthy, smell funny.  And I was doing fine on my own before my sugar cravings...plus, I have finished off my German chocolate.

There's Always Someone Cooler Than You

So I was blog surfing today and while I was reading this song popped into my head.  I think so often people are obsessed with having "the perfect life" or looking like everything is all right.  But what is the definition of "all right"?  I mean, there is no control in that situtation...so normalcy can have literally billions of meanings.  White picket fences, maybe? Or a state above the influence?  Or even liking anime conventions.  All people have their own states of normalcy.  So what can we do?  Embrace our own attitudes, and be happy with we do and who we are...we have nothing to prove to anyone but ourselves, and if we keep trying to impress people, we will always be one-upped.  Maybe I am preaching to only myself...but this song has a good message.

I know why I'm fat

Today, I had this revelation.  Americans are fat.  Why did I have this revelation?  Because despite my efforts not to gain weight upon my return to the States...namely Oklahoma, I have taken it upon myself to work out for an hour 4 days a week (at 6am), at least, and count my calories (1200 daily ration).   And yet, I have gained a steady 6 pounds, in one month.  Compare this to Spain, where I lost that amount on a monthly basis, and my workout regimen consisted of running 3 blocks to the bus stop every morning after dragging myself out of bed at 10am.  Now that I am home, I hear people complaining about going to the gym, and how they have to drive there, myself included.  This American society is obese because we are lazy...and our meal choices don't exactly help either, though they are incredibly appetizing:

Dinner consists of:

A whole, dead fish...or.... a juicy steak dripping in marinade.

And for our seasoning to everything?

A nice sprit of olive oil...or...a vat of ranch dressing.

And to finish the meal we have dessert:

a juicy pear...or...a tower of cupcakes.

So now my problem is that although both look appetizing, I find myself quite lonely with my culinary tastes regarding a fish body covered in olive oil.  So I settle for the gobs upon gobs of fats and sugars, that are oh so succlent.  And it doesn't help that I love baking and am going through a cupcake phase.  So my next objective is the slim fast plan...a diet fad.  Bound to bounce back...but hopefully not before I go to the pool.

HIATUS MISCELLANIOUS

So I think it is pretty apparent that I have been on hiatus lately.  This will come to an end due to myself being chained to a desk all summer with a computer at my...fingertips?  Wow, it has been a long time...the originality is really sucking.  I blame it on my new habit of journaling.  It is really hard to write the same thing twice, and my journaling has taken to be a bit "angsty" now that I have returned to Jenks, Oklahoma.  Still, faithful invisible readers, I will try to make up for it and be as original as possible, or at least myself.  So to appease ya'll as well as myself I will provide you with a list.  Now, there is a story behind this magnificent list, I was discussing last night how I always say a movie is my "top-ten" but then, what really is top 10 material?  For me, I like movies that are all encompassing, yet different...and ones you can semi watch over and over, though I still find myself falling asleep in movies...all the time.  So here they are, according to me, at the present.

TOP 10 movies of ALL TIME...maybe
1. The Blind Side (Something you should know about me...I love dude movies...and this mixes football and heartwarming, which is genius.)
2. Forrest Gump
3.500 Days of Summer (the best chick flick!  Because it is REAL)
4. Titanic (Fun fact #2...I am obsessed with all things Titanic...it is almost creepy)
5.Pan's Labrynith (El laberinto de fauno...as they say...the best part?  I don't need subtitles.)
6. Sex and the City (I'm just obesessed.)
7. The Sixth Sense (I watch it over and over!)
8. An American Tail (How can you not love Fievel?)
9. Happy Feet (I love the innocence of it)
10. Seven Pounds (mainly because of Will Smith and his versatility of roles, and again, the message)

And just because I like you...and I have a hard time making decisions...
TOP 5 Film Series of ALL TIME..definitely.
1. Star Wars
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Matrix
4. Shrek (yeah, I went there.)
5. X-Men
Honorable Mention: Harry Potter, The 10th Kingdom, The Secret of NIMH

OMG? You didnt pick ___________________?!  Now I present...
TOP 10 Overrated films of ALL TIME...because I said so.
1. The Hurt Locker (maybe should have won best director, but not best picture)
2. Gone With the Wind (Note...I do love the movie...but Scarlet O'hara is too whiney, though still good)
3. 300 (I still have yet to make it through the whole thing awake)
4.The Princess Bride (yes, I like it a lot...but again...not that new.)
5. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks movies are always overrated...sweet, yes, but depressing.)
6. The Lion King (Mufasa dies.  Life goes on.)
7.Boondock Saints (I like it...but I can't rewatch it)
8.Sleepless in Seattle (a little too sappy for me)
9.Spiderman (a 4th one, really?)
10.Borat (its just not funny.)

So there ya go!  Note: These could change by the hour, I watch way too much TV and movies.

        

DESmadurez

One of my favorite movie scenes if from The Santa Claus...before Tim Allen was a crackhead.  After seeing Santa for the first time, the pessimistic Neil looks in awe, and little charlie replies "That's okay Neil, you were just denying your inner child."  Who would have though something so profound would come from such a little boy (screenwriters set aside)?  Well, for me, I am like Charlie.  I embrace my inner child, even though I try to act like an adult as much as possible.  Though, sadly, recently my inner child has become more prevalent while in Spain at the loss of my dog.  My stuffed dog, my "peluche," my Puppy.   You see, Puppy and I have been through a lot, and although my parents have taken to calling him "slobberdog" because I used to walk around with his leg in my mouth and drool with him as I sleep, he has become a loyal retainer, as well as my photobooth buddy while I am at the Motherland.

The story of Puppy goes like this:  Puppy was given to me at my babyshower before I was born, so he is older by a few months...my grandmother got him for me and my cousin gave him to me.  He played "How much is that doggie in the window" when you turned the metal ring on his back.  We were not friends at first, he was just someone that lived in my toy basket...but as I grew squeaky bear left the picture and Puppy took center stage.  He is a boy, and his nose is pink because I rubbed him on the wall while it had wet paint at a friend's house.  The bows prove his sense of fashion-forward and metrosexuality.  They were placed there by my grandma shortly before she died of cancer and I have never changed them.  One day I left Puppy at my grandmother's house and although she had not driven in roughly 10 years, she took her car and brought him back to me because she knew how important he was to me.  At a sleepover in the 3rd grade my friend's little brother ripped off the top bow, so it is now held on my safety pin...I cried for about a week.  And after seeing Toy Story for the first time, and I was convinced that my toys came alive, Puppy became the "Woody"of the bunch, and my American Girl Doll was Buzz.  Puppy has had 2 baths via washing machine in his life...and later countless via febreeze and various perfumes.  The first time I left Puppy at home was the 3rd time I went to summer camp...I survived, but we were shortly reunited.  At home, I am known as the girl with Puppy, I never have been to a sleepover without him.  He rides next to me when I drive home from SMU on my middle consule as I sing horribly at the top of my lungs to "Wicked," my friends and their parents just expect to see him clutched in my arms.

I debated about bringing Puppy to college, but I did.  I debated about bringing Puppy to Spain.  I debated about bringing puppy to Pais Vasco, but I did.  I worried I would leave him in the hotel, and I did.

Sometimes I wonder if things happen for a reason, did I subliminally leave Puppy in San Sebastian?  Was this destiny forcing me to grow up after sleeping with a stuffed animal for the last 20 years and 1 month?  Still, daily I continue to call the hotel...but it is believed he left with the laundry, for another dreaded bath.  Sleep still alludes me...though consciously I know I can sleep without Puppy, I have done it several times.  There can be no replacement, only wondering why it happened and a constant stream of tears every time I look at my empty pillow.  Sometimes...I would rather stay Peter Pan, and not be forced to be Wendy.

National traveler.

 As I sit here grazing on my raw meat (still eating that jamon serrano!) I cannot help but think...I should talk about my travels, after all I am spending my semester in Spain...so surely I have been places, right, yup.  To think more on this idea I have decided that when I return I am going to purchase a world map and a corkboard and place pushpins of everywhere I have been and then put it on the wall...so I can brag to myself.  I am 20 years old...traveling this much is cool!  So far, I have not left Spain...and I will do most of my traveling within Spain...for those of you visual learners, this is where I have been...along with some personal critiques.

Ho'kay...so here is ze Spain...and here is the critique of ze provinces...aka states, which also helps me study for my midterms next week...alterior motive?  I think so.
Madrid- I live here.  In Madrid, which is the capital of Spain for the nincompoops out there.  Madrid province also has some cool little towns...think Rhode Island...there is more than providence, but not much more.
Castilla La Mancha- This is where Toledo is situated, and I found out why it is called "Holy Toledo."  It is because of the short time of coexistence between the three central religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, yeah Toledo!  We need to learn from you... The rest of Castilla La Mancha looks like it is described in Don Quijote...boring, flat, lots of windmills, though pretty all the same.
Cataluña (Catalunya)- This is where Barcelona is.  I do not live here.  However, I did spend my first available weekend for travel in Barcelona with 7 other girls, which was quite fun and entertaining.  I liked it a lot, it is very cultural and also more "European" than Madrid, or so I am told.  Also, it has water, the Mediterranean Sea, in fact...so I liked it a lot.
Andalucía- This is the South of Spain.  It is not where the princess from Enchanted is from, though pronounced the same in English...she is to pale to be from here.  This place is where the Moors stayed the longest, which were the Muslim people.  The houses are white because it gets really freaking hot.  Also, this is where the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabel lived...big happenings in 1492.  Here I visited Córdoba, Sevilla, and Granada on a school trip.
La Rioja-This is known as the wine country of Spain...I will be traveling here in a few weeks and will visit a vineyard...pictures sure to come.
País Vasco-Unfortunately, this part of Spain is not making news for its beaches right now...moreof the Spanish terrorist organization calls this place home...which by the way has a similar name to my sorority...uh oh.  Apart from that we are taking a school trip here to visit Bilbao and see the Guggenheim Museum as well as San Sebastian to the beach on the Cantabric Sea...I am excited.
Valencia-I will be going here March 19th for a festival called "Las Fallas."  This is the sanctuary for a pyromaniac...here they set huge works of paper on fire...and you eat paella while watching it...sounds life fun.
Navarra-The oldest kingdom of Spain...also the home of the running of the bulls...don't think that I will make it here, sadly.
Cantabria-My professor is from here, haha...also famous for beaches.
Asturias- Famous for apples and the coast.
Aragón-Namesake of Lord of the Rings character...it also has mountains!
Galicia-This place is where San Juan de Compostela is, which is the burial site of St. John, the disciple.  A lot of people make pilgrimages here, which I hope to do someday.  Also, I have to write a term paper about this for honors credit, haha.  Galicia in itself is said to look like Ireland and people from here look like they are albino compared to other Spainards, though they are very nice.  I really hope to make it here sometime during my visit.
Murcia- Not much on this place, it is on the coast.
Extrmadura- Apparently this is the Oklahoma of Spain...land that not many people want, except natives...but instead of Native Americans, pigs dominate the land of which are killed to make delicious Jamon Serrano y Iberico.
Islas Baelares- Beach, nuff said.
Islas Canerias- See above...think Hawaii.
Ceuta y Melilla-  Think Puerto Rico of Spain..except they are just cities that Spain dominates in Africa.

Apart from around Spain, my travels will take me to Germany, Ireland, UK (Wales and England), France (hopefully), Andorra, and possibly Italy and Portugal...so much to do, so little time!

I do not like mushrooms and cheese, Amy I am.

Madrid cuisine is...different.  But in a good way.  I have come to realize that, per the teaching of one of my closest friends, that it is possible to like a food that you hate.  Yesterday I experienced this with mushrooms.  Due to my lack of food vocabulary due to too much subjunctive and not enough vocab, I thought "seta" was some kind of sauce, when ordering at a bar.  I then ended up with a plate of eggs over easy on top of sliced potatoes, surrounded by a mound of "guck."  And being the adventurous individual I am I carefully picked around the "guck" as I ate my eggs and potatoes...however some guck made it through my semipermeable membrane...the result...a mushroom...staring right at me.  It was too late, it was in my mouth, the fungal flavor was soon to overwhelm me, however instead I felt pleasant.  Ok...I like mushrooms now, at least European mushrooms.  To prove this point even more the big man upstairs decided to let me have mushrooms and chicken with pasta for dinner...and once again I liked it.  Sorry Daddy, strike 1.

Have you ever seen a pig leg on the table?  Yup...it is grodie.  Want to know what is worse?  When you find out that this meat is "cured" not cooked and you just hack off however many slices you want off the leg.  A black hoof?  All the better...stick it on some bread and there you have it, Jamon Serrano...a glorious tapa.  So good, so wrong...Strike 2

Anyone that knows me from childhood knows the greenish, grotesque way that I turn when I even hear the damnable term "cheese."  Strike 3, I'm out.  In Spain they possess this wonderful variety of queso called "manchego," so good!  Slap it on that bread with the jamon serrano and seta and it is like a party in my mouth, I cannot get enough of it.

That being said I have learned much about myself and my ability to expand my tastes.  However, when my host family gave me green beans, I still gagged, a lot.  Don't worry Daddy, I am not completely on the dark side.

She's gone postal

First of all...my blogger website seems to be all in Spanish...okay...oh yeah...I'm in Spain!  That's right folks, this Oklahoma girl has finally gone global.  For the next 4 months I will be living in and going to school in Madrid, Spain.  It is definitely shocking, definitely different, but so stimulating!  So to kick this off...the top 10 list of why Spain is cool.

1. Skiing and the Beach (some of my favorite pasttimes...all in one place!)
2. BIG NUTELLA (finally, the best sandwich spread comes in a kg)
3. Nap time (2-4 pm, all shuts down for a siesta)
4. Culture (there is old stuff here!)
5. Night life (or morning life?)
6. Europe (duh, again)
7. The euro (finally, colorful money!)
8. Freedom (the people here can drink, marry however they want, smoke where they want--gross)
9. Tortilla de Patata (google it)
10. Ocio (free time, all the time!)