Monday, February 27, 2012

The Thinker

I've been overcome with hatred for my a couple of my classes lately, which is really bad.  I just have this huge gap between what I'm actually studying and my real life (or any jobs that could come about as a result of what I'm studying).  So I've been a little down on Stanford lately.  Why am I here again?  Why do I keep busting my butt when I end up getting the same grades regardless of effort and it allllll seeeeems soooooooo poiiiinnnnnntttttlllleeeeessssss?

(Whiny enough for ya?)

So, among all that, I decided I needed to get some good Stanford on for the first time in a little while.  So I went to the museum and I saw the Walker Evans exhibit.  In case you don't know (I didn't), Walker Evans is the photographer behind these beauties:



All of which I got to see in person.  I was staring and staring and staring, and it was good for my soul.  And then I saw this quote and I knew I was in love.

"Stare.  It is the way to educate your eye, and more.  Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop.  Die knowing something. You are not here long."

You are not here long?  Walker Evans, from the dead was speaking to me.  Do it!  Explore!  So explore I did, and as I turned a corner in our museum, I saw this little beauty.


Yes, that is the famous Rodin sculpture, "The Thinker".  I think it's one of 6 if I remember right.  Seriously, the museum at my school owns this and just got it back and I think I'm too cool to still go here?!?  Geeze Louise!  This guy really knows how to put a girl in perspective.

I wonder if Rodin had that in mind as he made this famous thinker.  To get me to thinking.  What am I thinking?  What is he thinking?  Am I overthinking this whole thing?

(Terrible joke-y enough for ya?)

But seriously, my school is awesome and full of splendor.  And I've been realizing that now is a great time to be.  I keep wanting to fast forward through the next year and a half and just be done studying and schooling and stressing and all that jazz.  But who doesn't look back at their college years with fondness?  I look back at my freshman year with fondness and it's only been a year and a half.

In five years, college will have been a blast.  I think.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

What a Weekend

I had a divine weekend this last weekend, and it made for an excellent birthday.  It was the perfect blend of lazy and fun and if I could relive that weekend every weekend for the rest of my life, I would (broken clutch and all).

Saturday was spent doing laundry upon laundry (so that I would actually have clothes to wear) and then my Mom and I went shopping.  I used to hate the shopping, but lately it is not so bad.  Because you get new clothes when you are done (and the Burberry perfume that I absolutely laaaaave).

Sunday, I got the extreme pleasure of waking my little brothers up to force them to eat birthday breakfast of waffles and fruit and so much orange juice.  If there is one thing that is important for my birthday, it is orange juice.

What I am about to describe is largely what I imagine heaven to be like.  After church, I was taking a nap and my Mom woke me up because my sister and her children were calling me to sing happy birthday.  Then I went back to sleep, only to be woken up to realize that it was time for dinner and more presents, and that while I was asleep my dad had started the fire in the fireplace and put a blanket over me.  I'm sorry, but you cannot convince me that 21st birthdays get much better than that.  Not for all the free drinks in the world.

Monday was the Harlem GlobeTrotters.  OH MY GOODNESS! If there is anything cheesy and awesome in the world, I will love that thing.  And if there is anything cheesy and awesome in the world, it is the Harlem Globetrotters.  Because not only are the puns abundant, but the basketball is good.  There were long shots and crazy dunks, and absolutely no defense and a billion travelling, but it was soooo good.  Or maybe you would only like it if you are under the age of 10, or me.

I was busy taking a billion photos for my photo class (just ask my mildly annoyed family), so I didn't take very many digital photos during the weekend, so sadly I have only one pic to share, and the quality is terrrrible.


Saturday, February 18, 2012

Clutch

Gilroy.
Aka Garlic Town, USA

I drove home this weekend for the three-day weekend + my birthday is on Sunday.  And I made it as far as Gilroy, CA before I ran into trouble (Gilroy is only like 50 minutes from my house in Palo Alto, and yes, this is another blog post about my drive to and from home).  When you get to Gilroy, you have to get off the 101 and onto this small highway (152), that takes you through a few street lights and past some fruit stands and also there's a section where you have to turn on your headlights even if it's day time.

In Gilroy, the clutch gave out on Lolita. I got off the highway and found that it was very difficult to get Lolita into any gear at all.  It was like trying to do it without having the clutch pushed in.  Freaked out, I pulled over and called my Dad.  I don't know why calling your Dad in a car crisis is so comforting.  He was over 5 hours away, but he was still my hero for the day.  Side note:  I thought I did a pretty good job of sounding not stressed out to him, but apparently he saw right through it.

As I waited for my Dad to figure out where I should get my car fixed, I did the most useful thing I could thing of at the moment:  I did my makeup.  Because, you know, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  And on road trips, I probably look a little more like vinegar usually.  One call to AAA and a tow ride later, I was standing in a fairly sketchy part of town being told that my car would be ready in 4 hours.  (not to mention $480).

But what else is Gilroy famous for?  Outlet malls.  Literally every brand I can think of has an outlet store in Gilroy.  So after looking it up on my phone, I began the 2.1 mile walk to the outlet malls.  And let's just say that within 5 minutes of walking, I'd been honked at, I'd been whistled at, and I'd walked past a white unmarked van with the word "meth" spray painted on it in gold.  But, after a couple of blocks, it wasn't so bad.  And then..... I made this video:

I should preface the details of my shopping by saying that I had a crappy week.  I was really trying to not be a downer and I made it about as far as Tuesday before I decided I was woefully unhappy and that everything in my life was terrrrible.  Which meant that my only option was to put my nose down, push through, and then be a blob of laziness and birthday bossery this weekend.  But since that was also not going to be easy for me, I decided retail therapy was the only answer.

I started telling everyone in my family about my plight in order to get sympathy and also shopping advice from my oldest sister who seemed to be similarly bored.  Since I hadn't told my Mom what I wanted for my birffday, she had yet to do any shopping, so I texted her to inform her that that would no longer be necessary.  I also was texting my sister basically the entire day.

Text me what you buy
I feel a blog post about today coming on...

To which I responded
Coral pants, striped flowy top, two sunglasses, tan belt, chunky necklace, lacy underwears
What else are you supposed to do with days like today?

To which she responded
Coral pants? Jealous

To which I responded
I am awesome

To which she responded
Yes
Why?

To which I responded

Because of my icee sunglass combo.

To which she responded
Are you on a bus?

So after taking the bus back to Rom's Auto Services,  I once again started a long drive.  Which was filled with traffic that I had planned to avoid and also with pretty scenery that I took bad pictures of while simultaneously driving (I was looking at the road, not the pictures, otherwise, they would be centered photos, and I would be dead)


And that's all I have to say about that.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Lover's Day

As one who is perpetually single, Valentine's day comes with mixed emotions.  And this year, many people I am close to seem to be having especially rough Valentine's day's.


But alas, 'tis a day of love and candy, and if you don't have love, at least you can have candy.  (I think it only fair that if you do have love, you should not be allowed to eat candy, thus ensuring me a lifetime amount of candy - jokes!)

Without further ado, some things I love:




and also

this (how meta) 


and this


Not to mention

and



Happy Lover's Day to All.  I lover you.

Monday, February 13, 2012

My Date with the WalMart

Oh to be young and restless.  Just Kidding.



I spent last Friday night at WalMart.  I understand why people hate the WalMart, but I see it as an analogy for Amurica.  (You heard me).  But that's an all-too-economic idea that you could ask me about at another time.

Personally, I sort of have this weird fascination with the WalMart.  It's like so cheap and such good people watching, and also, I feel less like a part of the "Stanford Bubble" when I go to the WalMart.

So off I went, wearing flannel over a Lakers shirt on top of jeans.  And I was WalMart.  I felt it so important that I join the WalMart population that I actually stopped in the Mickey D's (McDonald's) of the WalMart and ordered a hot fudge sundae.  $1 Thank You Very Much.  It was entirely too delicious seeing as it's not made of real food ingredients.

And as I sat there inside Mickey D's inside the WalMart eating my processed cow product with sugar I looked around.  There was the middle aged Mexican man who occaisionally stared at me.  This adorable asian baby playing with a toy truck by himself at the table next to me.  A nice black family with a very chatty 12 y/o girl, and another Mexican family with a baby boy whose cheeks were super pinchable.  And me.  I realized that I was the whitest person in that room, and I was loving every minute of it.  Because that pretty much rarely happens to me (but then again, I do spend a lot of time with Mormons).

Oh, the WalMart has its downs, too.  For instance when the middle aged black man approached me in line and asked if I was paying in cash, to which I responded (quickly and probably with large eyes) No.  He laughed and walked away, but I'm pretty sure the laugh was because he realized what he had just done.  I just still don't understand why he wanted to know.

And also the fact that the WalMart got me to buy a blowdryer because mine was broken and then I spent twice as much a I was planning (the blowdryer was like $28 bucks).  But that post is coming later.

All in all, the WalMart left me ambivalent and still fascinated.  I'm sure we'll meet again, although I'm not sure how I feel about that.  

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Blogger's Block Ideas

These are (quite obviously), the ideas that I reject when trying to come up with post ideas.


  • I stared my to-do list down until it ran away with its tail between its legs.  
  • The Voice: a show where looks don't matter, but then the judges kick out all the people who were Ugly so that America can vote for the attractive people anyways.  
  • Come listen to how cool I am!
  • Wherein a Monday Feels 5 days long.  
  • What I did in order to avoid studying for a midterm in a class where I missed a week and a half's worth of lectures.  
  • January:  The month where I rediscovered that I can take vanity pictures from my webcam (complete with a top ten list)
  • Reasons that cursing can be funny, and other thoughts that make me a bad Mormon (heavy on the sarcasm)
  • Wherein I consider having a child now (because about 40% of my favorite photographers use their children/immediate family as subjects)
  • My thoughts on eyebrows/eyelashes
  • An ode to my hair
  • Vanity: a User's guide
  • Social hierarchy's and why I like to be on bottom
And because I'm obviously all out of creativity, that's all she wrote.