mish mash.

random reflection: isn't it weird how when you're living life, you lose perspective? i always say that the day or the week or the semester is "flying by." but is it? or is that just the speed of life and i'm still not used to it?

hmm.

well anyway. a few things...

1. you should listen to vampire weekend. (the band.) mmm.
2. i sang karaoke last saturday night for the first time ever. we went out to a karaoke bar to celebrate a friend's birthday, and i ended up loving my life. i sang spice girls' "wannabe" with some roommates and a friend. it was ridiculous and hilarious. when we finished, a drunk man yelled out "DAMN NEAR PERFECTION!" and the woman in charge commented that we "wouldn't have any trouble finding lovers." HAHA. oh the things we do for our friends.
3. i've decided to start sending out more e-cards lately. i've decided that monk-e-mail and hoops and yoyo make life a lot better.
4. happy GOLDEN anniversary, parents! 24 years on the 24th. i'm really glad you decided to get married. :)

thanksgiving break is so close, i can taste it. it tastes like turkey.

seriously, though...

10:05 pm - arrive at starbucks by myself. only one other kid in the shop. i pull out my laptop to start writing. it's quiet except for soft frank sinatra music playing in the background. beautiful.

11:05 pm - about nine couples have come and gone, and three are here right now. you know - the kind who are all about the PDA. (aka: i'm leaving.) where did they come from (ok- dumb question - TAYLOR) and when did starbucks become the cool place for couples to hang out and gaze at each other? AHHH.

seriously?? another one just came in. all couples - i swear.

bachman out!

Lord, beer me strength.

i may have a problem. and by "may," i mean, i really do. caffeine seems to have lost it's effect on me. i mean, i usually don't think anything of this (this is not a new problem - it's just that i'm finally admitting it), but when i'm around friends who are shocked when i order a double or triple latte at 10.30 pm, asking how in the WORLD i'll fall asleep, and instead, i have serious trouble staying awake, it makes me wonder. (this has happened at least twice this past week.) and i thought i was doing better! i've cut back on trips to coffee shops! i recently started an excel document of all my receipts for the semester. i have a column called "coffee" and let's just say i've been convicted to spend less money on the java... seriously.

oh well. maybe i just need more sleep. probably.

in other more exciting news... i saw the decemberists in michigan last week! and it was magical. (not quite as beautiful as when i saw them in ireland... but still wonderful.) here's a few pics from the night.

how we feel about the decemberists.

(aren't they beautiful?)

so thanksgiving can come anytime now, please! i'm getting restless. it's not so much that i don't want to be here... just that i'm tired of homework. and i don't care. i mean... i want to do well, but i find myself with decreasing motivation to go to class and meetings. senioritis? i hate to admit it, but yes.

an encouraging verse i read the other day - with fresh eyes:

"i am the vine; you are the branches. whoever abides in me and i in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." -john 15:5

ok. i'm off to write a 10-page script for my scriptwriting class. the dumbest class ever. ok, maybe not, but really close.

mix it.

mmmm itunes.

i made a fall playlist over the weekend that i'm fairly proud of. too bad it's so freaking cold now... otherwise, i'd suggest you snuggle up with a blanket, a mug of java, and watch the falling leaves through your open window... while listening to this. alas. most leaves have already fallen. and there's frost on my car windshield right now. i'm talking... CAKED-ON frost... the pesky kind that won't thaw. WHAT THE HECK.

... i guess it is mid november, so i'll let the chilly weather slide. (BUT! SIDENOTE. it is NOT ok to listen to christmas music yet. it just isn't.)

that being said... :) here's my fall 2008 playlist of sweet, mellow goodness. enjoy!

1. Wild Honey - U2
2. Measure - matt pond PA
3. Heartbeats - The Knife
4. Honey and the Moon - Joseph Arthur
5. Call Me When You Get This - Corinne Bailey Rae
6. How the Day Sounds - Greg Laswell
7. Dan And Marie Picking Hum - (Dan In Real Life Original Soundtrack) - Sondre Lerche
8. The Only Living Boy In New York - Simon & Garfunkel
9. I Know I Know - Sondre Lerche
10. Traffic In The Sky - Jack Johnson
11. Hideaway - The Weepies
12. Love - Matt White
13. The Chain (Live from Webster Hall) - Ingrid Michaelson
14. Blackbird - The Beatles
15. Shoot The Moon - Norah Jones
16. Silver Trees - Rocky Votolato
17. Impossible Germany - Wilco
18. Each Coming Night - Iron & Wine
19. Jesus On The Radio - Guster
20. I Feel It All - Feist
21. I Am Mine - Brooke Waggoner
22. Stay Or Leave - Dave Matthews Band

i do love making mixes. perhaps that's my love language? music and coffee? yep. now you know the way to my heart.

today.

the weather has been ridiculously pleasant lately. today's high was 74 degrees. and people were freaking out. "it's NOVEMBER!" they said. "why is it SO nice??" they have a point. it is, afterall, november. and last week, it was in the 30's.

but i decided not to question. today was a gift and i chose to accept it, love it, and relish it... no matter "the reason" for the sudden burst of unusually gorgeous weather.

i worked out today, and instead of walking right back to my apartment, i took the long way back, around the loop. i don't typically walk the loop by myself, but i felt it was necessary today. so i walked it myself, soaking up the weather, the people, the changing leaves and the unusual burst of outdoor activities. it was all so lovely, but the trees were perfect. they made me think of this quote... perhaps my favorite fall quote ever.

"it was warm and bright and the trees were full in color, magnificent, explosive, like permanent fireworks -- reds and yellows, oranges, some so brilliant that crayola never put them in crayons, for fear the children would color outside the lines." --garrison keillor, eloise

isn't that great?

as i rounded the bend by wengatz, and spotted english hall, in all her glory, it hit me: a tiny twinge of... homesickness? that's the only way i know how to describe it. i have little reason to venture to that side of campus this year, so i guess the sight of it just... made me miss it. i wouldn't want to go back. no sir. i've done the dorm thing 3 times, and got a well rounded experience through english and olson, thank you. although i LOVE living off campus now, i'd be lying if i didn't admit to missing old wingmates and the innocence that came with being an underclassmen. that's gone now, because the real world is sneaking up on me, and sooner or later, i'm going to have to grow up... somewhat. (frick.)

on another note, i hit a raccoon tonight. my first roadkill. i mean, i hit the poor sucker HEAD ON... felt the bump, heard the crunch. and i screamed like a little girl. now that i've settled down, i'll admit i feel a strange sense of accomplishment. but seriously, this thing was begging for death... it froze in the middle of the road and looked up at me. there was a car coming the other way, so swerving was not an option. i slowed down, but so did he, and it was split-second stop and go game until i finally nailed it. oh well. guess there's a first for everything. my brother and the other guys in the car thought it was the best thing ever, showering me with high-fives and roaring laughter. so there's a memory, i guess.

alright. i'm off to do homework. or maybe to avoid homework, which is a skill i've recently MASTERED. helllloooo senioritis!