Fistfight Analysis

Very funny

2009-11-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

Unable to resist the urge to check our registries, Tim and I discovered yesterday that the first item has been bought! Funnily enough, it is just a scale from Target. For whatever reason, this struck us as hilarious.

My sister and brother-in-law are flying in today! I can't wait to see them. Tim and I were busy-busy yesterday running around our respective apartments and getting them ready. I don't know why, but I love cleaning my apartment for guests. I think it's the part of cleaning I inherited from Mom. It's like putting on a show! (Conceited.)

This weekend, Tim and I are going to try to get out to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where they have the Faberge collection! It's extra credit for my Russian History class, and I think it'll be awesome. My teacher claims that Houston gets cool exhibits that normal only go to New York and London and other big places because we are an oil-rich town and other countries, especially Russia, want to be our buddies. Either way, cool for us!

I'm looking forward to the end of the semester with a passion. Only three more papers to write, and two more finals! Hooray!

Very truly yours,

Sarah

Calligraphy

2009-11-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

All I have to say is wow.

Betsy Dunlap

Wedding Dress Shopping

2009-11-08T17:05:00.001-08:00

Sucks.

National Novel Writing Month

2009-11-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

Hooray! It's November and I'm writing my novel. I have over seven thousand words, and I haven't started a single one of the five papers I have to write for school this month! ALRIGHT! Right on schedule.

I moved from the idea of an informal collection of essays and fiction short stories of the time period, including the always easy to churn out fake poetry to writing a history text from the year 2080. How did this happen? I may move back to the more informal premise. But writing a text book from the future is fun! Oh well.

Wish me luck!

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Wedding Registries

2009-10-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here they are! (Because I know you've been totally freaking out with anticipation.)

Anthropologie
Amazon.com
Changing the Present
Target

I am planning to mention IKEA gift cards too. Here's the couch we want:By the way, all these are secrets. Shh! Don't tell ANYONE.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Borges is Awesome

2009-10-22T08:09:00.001-07:00

My philosophy teacher was telling us about Jorge Luis Borges the other day, and I just looked him up.

"Borges...employed two very unusual literary forms: the literary forgery and the review of an imaginary work. Both constitute a form of modern pseudo-epigrapha."

"At times, confronted with an idea for a work that bordered on the conceptual, rather than write a piece that fulfilled the concept, he wrote a review of a nonexistent work, as if it had already been created by some other person."
source

In Dr. Martin's words, Borges would "come up with fascinating ideas for books, but was too lazy to write them. So he just reviewed them as though they had already been written." Brilliant. This guy has given me a gateway to literary laze and creativity. Yay!

Also, it is Tim's birthday and I am planning a birthday surprise! I sure love that guy.

Very truly yours,

Sarah

Regular Friday Stuff

2009-10-02T13:18:00.001-07:00

1. My gums are still sore from dentist shots.
2. I'm getting married January 9th!
3. Tim is moving in two weeks (gasp).
4. My first paper of the semester is due in three days.
5. Greek Festival last night was WORTH IT.

You know, just typical end-of-week stuff.

Inspiration!

2009-09-03T13:40:00.001-07:00

A friend at work and I were discussing Grace Kelly this morning.

She was saying that as an overseas operator in the late seventies, she often had to patch calls through to France, and sometimes if she started speaking in English, they would just hang up! Uh-oh! Or sometimes they would say, "Un moment" and grab someone to translate. One of those times, a voice came back on the line and said, "Hello, this is Princess Grace Kelly." I would have fainted! I thought it was cool. She's certainly a lovely and inspirational lady. And To Catch a Thief is one of my favorite movies! Cary Grant is such a dream boat.

Today I was thinking about topics I could cover for some papers I will be writing this semester. The possibilities are limitless: in Russian History, I believe we are able to write on any topic to do with Historical Russia (well, Medieval or Imperial Russia); in Ancient World History, we were told to choose ANY HISTORICAL TOPIC. What? In the History of the WORLD? He's kidding, right?

QUESTION: Do you have any suggestions for these papers? The only ideas I had were about language or fashion. As for the Russian History, I'm sure I could cover an interesting figure...

New Semester!

2009-08-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

Celebrity of the week, as always, is Audrey Hepburn.

Who did you expect?

So it's the first weekend of the new semester. It's been really great so far; I like all my classes and teachers. Most of all, I find that I'm quickly adapting to and enjoying the change of pace. Of my four classes, one is a freshman course, one a junior course, and two senior, both of those containing several grad students. Each class has about 10-15 students. With the exception of my freshman class (Ancient World History), the grades consist of a two exams and a paper. (My Tolkien class has only a final and a paper).

So what do I do in the meantime? Go to class, take notes, and READ.

I've never been one to open books assigned to classes, which had lead me many times at HCC to question why I even purchased them in the first place. However, the classes I have now involve much more interesting reading, with much of the material overlapping. This weekend, I've assigned myself three chapters of Greek Society (just finished!), 'Poetic Diction' in the Barfield Reader, and the first two chapters of my Russian History text, reaching through Kievan society. I have a sub for the first two weeks in Ancient Philosophy, so no reading has been assigned yet, but I'm covering a lot of the material in my Greek Society book. It's awesome so far! I'm so glad I finally found classes that seem like they're meant for me. Hooray for picking the correct major! Yay!

And at the prompting of Google, who always reminds of stuff, happy birthday, Michael Jackson! Here's the songs on a mix tape I would make for MJ on his birthday:

Side A:

1. "3030" - Deltron 3030
2. "Sunglasses After Dark" - The Cramps
3. "$20 for Boban" - Balkan Beat Box
4. "Birdhouse In Your Soul" - They Might Be Giants
5. "Barbara Ann" - The Who
6. "Not Allowed" - The Suburban Lawns
7. "Miss Misery" - Elliot Smith

Side B:

1. "Brand New Cadillac" - The Clash
2. "Party" - Daniel Johnston*
3. "Falling from Grace" - The Gentle Waves
4. "Rock'n'Roll Suicide" - Seu Jorge
5. "Learn to Live with your Heartbreaks" - Saturday Looks Good to Me
6. "Boys" - The Beatles
7. "Thriller" - Michael Jackson (Favorite song!)

Not really. I would never make this mix for anybody, it's so, so horrible. Ha, ha.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

* The only song I would actually put on a mix tape for Michael Jackson, the King of Pop.

Pssst - Sneak Peek!

2009-08-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Cleaning?

2009-08-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

I just ran across this website, FlyLady.net. Lots of tips and stuff for cleaning, which I need right now. My place is in utter chaos. But they have a really funny definition of chaos:

Are YOU living in CHAOS?
(Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)

Ha. Worth a look. I imagine all of it being read aloud in this hilarious voice.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

How 2 Steal Your Man Back - wikiHow

2009-08-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Probably just about the best article I've ever read on WikiHow.

How 2 Steal Your Man Back - wikiHow

You're welcome,
Sarah

Good Things for Now

2009-07-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

It feels great to be caught up at work and at school. Summer session and my time at Houston Community College will come to an end in a couple weeks and I will have a week vacation before starting at St. Thomas. In the meantime, I've been doing a lot of thrifting, and still have more to do. I plan to try a strategy where I try to thrift a whole outfit - it will be easier to search for plain, quality items this way, I think, rather than just grab things that look fancy and loud.

I'd like to throw this website out there that I found through Springwise, my favorite 'idea' blog. It is called the Jolkona Foundation, and it helps you locate and contribute monetarily to projects in impoverished areas around the world. I hope to be able to help, as it allows a very tangible experience. For example, one project for Indian mothers has a price tag of $235 and gives you updates for three and a half years about the mother and child. But not all are so expensive - there are plenty under $50, and lots of them are just $5 to plant a tree in various places. My personal favorite that I am going to make room for in my budget next month is this one: Providing Education to the Females of Afghanistan. It is only $40, and for six months to a year you get photos and report cards from the young lady's education as proof! There is only a 14% literacy rate for Afghani women, which is unacceptable. I can't wait to donate!

On a sad note, yesterday I resigned from the Crossroads volunteer program. I hated to do it, but I cannot seem to get my schedule straight and it isn't fair to the kids. I hope to resume volunteering with the kids when I graduate.

A question to you three readers out there: does anyone plan to participate in National Novel Writing Month this year? I hope to be the Houston Inner-loop Liaison again and am wondering if I can drum up some support, whether local or online! I'm really stoked about plans for my novel this fall, as it'll be a companion piece to my post-global-pandemic novel from last year. Hooray for writing!

Getting out of here as fast as possible after that dorky paragraph,
Sarah

Summertime!

2009-07-14T11:47:00.001-07:00

It's been so hot lately! But it's nice and cool in my apartment, and kind of spooky... weird stuff been going on lately.

In any case, I've started Art History I and World Geography. Today I was assigned to do a paragraph on Germany to present at the end of the week. I'm sort of excited about this, because I just had the opportunity to hear a great speech on the Berlin Wall (Before & After) a couple weeks ago. Also, I'll have to visit at least six museums for my art class.

Timothy and I are really looking forward to revisiting the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, which currently has an exhibit by this fabulous Torsten Slama. Tim is very enchanted by his works, and I'd like to get him a print of one of them, but have yet to find much about him online. Here are some of his paintings, for your enjoyment.

Due to some dental expenses coming up, my quest to purchase a bike this summer has yet again been delayed. However, I am beginning to shop for my pop-up shop in August. Timothy had never been to the resale shops in the Heights... don't know if I can make that magic happen again. (Four shops in two days. WOW!)

Also, thanks to a visit to my neighbors' apartment, I now desire only one thing: A CARD CATALOG.

And she has all the drawers labeled with her crafting supplies! Immensely covetous was I. One day perhaps I'll come across my own! (And the time to sort it out and make it so nice and NEAT.) In the meantime, I still have my records to alphabetically sort and my stock for the pop-up shop to catalogue and price. Bah.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

The Zombies

2009-07-07T12:17:00.001-07:00

I was driving to work today, listening to the Zombies, and I realized how awesome that band is.

I have a CD of their singles, and I was noticing a formula they seem to have for their B-sides.

1. Start out sort of mellow
2. Get a little out of control
3. Begin shrieking, usually "Whoa, whoa WHOA!"
4. Uncontrollable organ solo
5. Organ solo gets a little awkward
6. Go back to mellow, pretend solo didn't happen
7. Repeat as needed until song stops happening

Let's face it.

These guys are geniuses.

I would highly recommend you pick up an album at your earliest convenience.

Summer Times!

2009-07-06T14:51:00.001-07:00

Back from a long weekend, and boy is it apparent. Three days is good for a weekend, and I got enough done to feel like it was worth it. Sorta. Ha.

I found this great picture of a fashion show, and was thinking 'Man... red is such a spiffy color on guys.' It's true you know. Timothy said he'd try some red, but not some sweaters. Boo!

Here is the new Chubby's Cruisers bike that I am about to order! Isn't it MAGNIFICENT? It's a little steep for my budget, but since I'm like 4 blocks or less from everything (except work) now, I think I'll save big by biking around the Montrose instead of driving (or making Tim pick me up, har har).

It was Zazie's birthday on July 4th! She is one year old. The girl she is staying with, Kaitlynn, snapped this shot of her next to a lovely birthday cake. Adorable.

The summer is flying by! Very hectic! And only a month and a half away from my Pop-up Vintage Shop at Sew Crafty, by the grace of the wonderful Sarah Gabbart. More on that later.

Good-by, darlings!
Sarah

Best Quote Ever

2009-06-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

"The secret of being a bore is to tell everything." - Voltaire

Wrapping Things UP

2009-05-29T06:42:00.001-07:00

One vacation down, one to go! Last week, Timothy and I flew to Colorado for a week, where we did everything you can do there in 7 days. (In short, we conquered the state.) Next week, my mom and I will fly to Nashville and see my sister and brother-in-law, the fabulous Rebecca and Robert.

Speaking of Robert, yesterday I read Robert's first novel from last year, Noisome Beasts. I highly recommend it! It's a quick read and is HILARIOUS. Makes me miss his old short stories, what for Rebecca and I read and discovered Young Master Chatham. (Is he a Mister now that he's married? I think the title "Master" is for young men.)

I am selling my cello and its professional case! If you know anyone who would like to purchase it, TELL ME NOW. It's $700, which is outrageous and reasonable at the same time. I put it on craigslist, and got a few responses but nothing realistic. I also put my school books on there, which is where I got most of them in the first place. Actually, my apartment is also on there right now, and a couple other apartments down the hall from me that I put up as a favor to my landlady. Craigslist is a cool tool, baby. I just wish people would BUY things. Come on, Houston!

For a couple weeks there, I was using Facebook. But then, upon telling a classmate that I'd had a piano recital that morning, he replied, "I know; I saw it on Facebook." Too much weird. I've gone off Facebook since then. I may write what I'm doing on here, but at least I know no one reads it but like two people. Ha. One. Hi, Rebecca.

I'm getting excited about putting up a website. I'd really like it to be a sort of community page, and hope to ask some of my favorite people to write articles and things for it. We'll see. Kind of a like a friends- and admired-people-only collaboration/contribution site. Who knows. I'm going to plan it out on paper, then try to stuff HTML and CSS back into my head (it fell out years ago; I used to be able to whip up a web page in 15 minutes on any idea I had that day). RADIANT BRAINS!

I guess that's all I can ask you to read for now. Except this: I saw Star Trek last night and I LIKED IT! (That's my cue to run away squealing.)

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Boiled Eggs are Delicious!

2009-05-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I just finished my English lit final, and am home eating a lunch of boiled eggs and pickles. Isn't that disgusting? It's delicious. I'm also listening to Cat Stevens... my record player hasn't been getting a lot of use lately, as I've been flitting around from school to work to Timothy's to Spring to wherever!

Finally found a place on Graustark, about five blocks away from St. Thomas. I'll be living by myself, unless I find someone to live in my living room. Ha. But really. It's not too bad for the price, and it's only a six-month lease, so I'll reassess at the end of the semester. But that means I'll be moving in a month, and in that time I'll also be out of town for a week in Colorado and three days in Nashville! When am I going to pack? If anyone in town wants to help organize, pack, move, or just has boxes, I ACCEPT. And I love you. I will pay you in hugs and possibly Pink's Pizza.

I also found out that I may have the opportunity to take on a second minor in English literature. I'm really stoked about this, and plan to ditch the Catholic Teachings class this fall for a class on Tolkien instead. (I can have a Summer of Religion next year and take both required theology classes back to back. Maybe.) Goody daisies!

For the rest of the day, I have a piano jury and then a history final, and two more finals on Wednesday. Whew... I thought this semester would never end. That's OK... and it seems like this summer is going to be educationally easy enough. As always, we'll see.

Hope you guys are having a great Monday!

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Congratulations to me!

2009-05-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

My work just gave me a surprise mini-party with a chocolate cake and ice cream in congratulations to my being accepted to St. Thomas. They're all so nice. It's hard to find a really nice group of ladies to work with, as I'm sure some of you know.

In other news, my schedule is set up for this summer and this fall! I'm taking the following classes at HCC this summer:

Session I:
Public Speaking
Government II
Piano

Session II:
Art History I
Local and World Geography
Piano

And these are the classes I'm taking this fall at St. Thomas:

Teachings of the Catholic Church
Ancient World History
Ancient Philosophy
Medieval and Imperial Russia

Hooray! I'm majoring in History, and minoring in Russian Studies. I need a whole lot more electives than I thought, so I will most likely be there five semesters, plus maybe a summer. This is OK, as long as I'm allowed to learn about History I will be happy.

As far as apartments go, I'm moving away from the idea of a roommate... I have been looking at one bedrooms again, and have another scheduled to look at tomorrow. I'd really like to be able to walk to school! Is this so much to ask for? To help finance this extravagance, I'm considering giving myself a loan. What do I mean by this? I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED.

I started considering taking out an additional private loan to help with living expenses this fall, and then I slapped myself in the face and was like, "Hey, remember how you have thousands of dollars in savings? What is wrong with you?" (OK, I didn't really slap myself in the face, and I only have a few thousand.) So I am taking into consideration the concept of giving myself a grant from my savings and only using that set amount over the course of the school year. It sounds logical; can anyone think of any drawbacks besides touching savings money that doesn't want me to touch it like that? Ha ha ha. Hm.

I have a sushi dinner planned tonight with my knitting buddy, Jill. We're celebrating her finished-in-thirty-days, one-hundred page script for Script Frenzy! It's a pretty big accomplishment. I will then possibly see this play for free, entitled "Gold", at Miller Outdoor Theatre. I think it's going to be hilarious. Take care of yourselves!

Yours very truly,
Sarah

Non-Profit Organizations

2009-04-09T09:35:00.001-07:00

I'm very interested in starting, working for, and supporting non-profit organizations. I know an 18-year-old that started one on her own, so it can't be all that difficult. But if I could find an established one located either in Houston or with the motivation to start a chapter (right word?) in Houston, I'd be thrilled.

I'm very interested in the following:

community centers for kids
adult literacy
english as a second language tutoring
literature groups for not-usually-into-literature-groups-of-people
teen homeless shelters (i know these are in houston)

Can anyone point me to Houston-area groups for these services?

Thanks guys!
Sarah

Roommate Needed!

2009-04-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

Dear darlings,

I'm looking for 1-2 roommates to live in the Houston Montrose with me. I'm thinking $400/mo./person is reasonable. Need someone clean, friendly, un-retarded. If you know someone looking to move this summer, whether student or professional, let me know!

In other news, I got into St. Thomas, and am 95% sure I'm going there this fall. The only other school I applied to is UNT, and it's functioning as a back-up plan in my head right now, just in case I don't happen to like going to a small, expensive Catholic school.

Nahhh, that's crazy talk! Who doesn't like Catholic schools?

Yours very truly,
Sarah

Family Memory

2009-03-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

I found this on my sister's blog post today:

Name a memory from childhood that sticks out in your mind:
Playing hide and seek with my whole family. We would turn out all the lights in the house (but the seeker was allowed to carry around a candle). It was really spooky and fun. I always hid in my closet, because I could get behind my clothes and I was sure no one would see me. One time my dad went out into the car (we didn't think to check the garage!) and fell asleep. It took us an hour to find him.

This is something I'd forgotten about. Family hide and seek rocked.

Thanks, sister!

Music Learning

2009-03-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

I recently did a mix swap on swap-bot that was called a "Covers Challenge." The idea was to link songs by original artists. Yeah, let me just show you an example.

1. "Barracuda" - Rasputina
2. "The Battle of Evermore" - Heart
3. "Gallows Pole" - Led Zeppelin

This is an official Covers Challenge Dead End. Lead Belly covered no one, because he was far too awesome. But I was confused about the links a little; could I link it through the original artist only? What if an artist popularized it, but didn't write it? Could I, then, link it through the song writer? For example, check out this flimsy linkage (but my longest link on the CD, thus, a triumph).

1. "Such Great Heights" - Iron & Wine
2. "All is Full of Love" - Death Cab for Cutie
3. "Like Someone in Love" - Bjork
4. "My Way" - Frank Sinatra
5. "Smells like Teen Spirit" - Paul Anka
6. "The Man who Sold the World" - Nirvana
7. "Cactus" - David Bowie
8. "Cecilia Ann" - The Pixies

The last being a Surftones cover. I could have taken the David Bowie one in several directions. In the end, I used the song "Cactus" because it's just such a cool cover. My last set of real links went like this:

1. "Dancing Barefoot" - The Feelies
2. "Hey Joe" - Patti Smith
3. "All Along the Watchtower" - Jimi Hendrix
4. "Ring of Fire" - Bob Dylan
5. "Bird on a Wire" - Johnny Cash

I know Johnny Cash did a number of fabulous covers, and I could have taken that link in a number of more productive directions, but I had my requisite 15 songs and wanted to include the Leonard Cohen cover because it's the saddest song I've ever heard in my life. I then threw in four bonus covers.

1. "Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley (another Leonard Cohen cover)
2. "These Boots were Made for Walking" - Crispin Glover (Nancy Sinatra cover)
3. "Barbara Ann" - The Who (Beach Boys cover)
4. "Tammy" - Jens Lekman (Debbie Reynolds cover)

I wish I'd included the Johnny Cash cover by Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, "I Walk the Line." It was hilarious. Oh well. It was fun to make though; I wrote out this crazy web of covers and was carrying it around for days obsessing about it. After I exhausted my own mental encyclopedia of music, I got help from Wikipedia, Covers Project, and Cover Lay Down. So what would you guys have linked up? Make some links of your own in the comments section - maybe there will be a Covers Challenge V!

Yours Very Truly,
Sarah

Foggy Morning

2009-03-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

This morning I drove to work and the whole city was bathed in a glorious fog. I was so thankful; I got to pretend that Houston doesn't have more billboards than any other place in the whole world. Hooray!

I just realized that I am listening to the Cramps super low and I can hear another co-worker listening to Kenny G super low. Is this kosher? Maybe I should put something else on. I don't want to taint the memory of the recently-dead Lux Interior.

I looking more and more at alternative solutions to linguistics at UT Austin. Not that there's anything wrong with that school, but I'm getting antsy. Other schools I'm looking at include St. Thomas (to which I've already applied), UNT, the American University at Bulgaria and Vanderbilt. And because not all of these offer Linguistics as a major, I may be switching to French, Russian Lit, or History! Fun, fun.

I will now take a picnic for lunch. Have a great day guys!

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Hair Curls!

2009-03-06T16:43:00.001-08:00

I just don't understand it. Why is Johanna Ost so gorgeous?

Anyway, I'm wondering what I can do with my hair after I'm done hating it for the season. I recently cut some bangs in a fit of mistake-making, but fully intend to grow the rest of it out longer. But then I see pin curls like these and think, "Man I just HAD bangs that could have done that less than a week ago!"

Oh well.

I've made the decision to do Script Frenzy! This will be my first year. I don't think nearly as many people are involved with it as National Novel Writing Month, but that's OK... I wasn't very productive at write-ins anyhow!

This week, I applied to the University of St. Thomas, and am now considering other options besides Texas schools. One of the schools I am going to apply to for Spring '10 is Vanderbilt, in Nashville, TN. The tuition is about $40,000/yr, but they appear to have a very sweet financial aid program--they claim to pay 100% of the demonstrated financial aid in GRANTS and SCHOLARSHIPS, not loans. I'm fairly impressed. Of course, I'd have to get in. Eh.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

The grass has so little to do...

2009-03-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

My mom has been reading Emily Dickinson and says sometimes the poems are so beautiful that she cries. I'm glad that she's so moved by it!

The semester is nearly half way over. It's already March! Spring Break is just a week and a half away... but mid-terms (four!) are just a week away! Nervous-making. Wish me the best!

Yours very truly,
Sarah

School Day!

2009-02-25T07:51:00.001-08:00

I woke up today and didn't know what day it is. This always happens when I have a weird schedule. I'm not doing my lit class work, and I skipped environmental science. I'm practically a delinquent. After getting up, I ate a muffin and played four mahjongg games. Now I'm just fooling around with Poladroid and avoiding glances at the clock.

I one hundred percent plan to get over my nervousness asking people for their photograph today. I will! will! will! get some fashion photos for my other blog. I simply must! The picture of me in that awesome coat should be good enough to start with.

In other news, I got a 22" monitor last night, which Tim installed for me. Soon I'll get a whole new computer for now reason! Yay! Also, I'm trying to keep up with my swap-bot swaps, and finding that I probably signed up for too much at once (what else is new).

Speaking of over-extending myself, I am considering giving lectures this fall on correct diction at the Heights Library. Would that be too awkward? I feel qualified in reality, but I'm certainly not on paper. But it would be free, for the general community, and really obscure to begin with. Thoughts on this?

The other day I had a really wonderful picnic, and I thought I'd share a shot of it with you. I always picnic at the cemetery down the freeway from my workplace, since it's the only green place in Greenspoint. The weather was absolutely brilliant, and I laid out my blanket in the half-sunlit, half-shade under a tree and near a little girl's grave. The sun was warm, but the breeze was nice and icy. Yay! Will do again as soon as possible.

Yours very truly,
Sarah

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you have a wonderful Valentine's Day tomorrow with your loved one or with yourself. Just to let you all know, this is probably my least favorite holiday. I've almost never had a boyfriend during it, and we're doing our taxes together tomorrow night and he's cooking me dinner. ENDLESSLY romantic. I know you all envy me.

Yours very truly,
Sarah

PS - Cute free Valentines available here!

Television Night!

2009-02-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight is television night, where I go to Timothy's and we watch the Office and Lost. I usually have to see about 10 minutes worth of commercials a week on this schedule, and I would like to make an official statement: Commercials are horrid. I can't believe anyone can stand watching more than 10 minutes of them a week. As it is, I barely survive. Ahem.

I recently discovered swap-bot! IT'S THE COOLEST THING EVER. I have to drag myself away from the site to do anything else with my life. Please take notice of it, but try not to become too addicted. And note that international swaps can be expensive - it was $16 to mail a package to Finland the other day, and it couldn't have been more than about 4 lb.

On a completely different note, can anyone give me a simplified explanation as to when one would use the word "like" and when one would use the word "as"? I know what these words are, I know where to use them, I know I know I know. But when I was helping Imane (of Morocco) study for the TOEFL, she was asking about that and I couldn't think of a way to explain - I could only think of example sentences.

While I was brushing my teeth last night (at 1:30 AM, ugh), it finally dawned on me - the difference between people who don't care about spoilers and those who want to kill you if you let anything slip. I hate someone spoiling the end of something for me because all I care about is the storyline. But people like my dad and Timothy don't care, because they're watching/reading for quality. Does this make sense to you guys? Which type are you?

The swarmer termites are back at work again! Needless to say, I'm disgusted. Come on, guys. At least I'm leaving in a few minutes for lunch with darling Mom.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Dentist/Chuck Norris

2009-01-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

Chuck Norris was at my work today. I don't know why.

I went to the dentist. I went to lunch with my boyfriend. My car's battery died. Boyfriend assisted. Got to to work five and a half hours late.

Am slacking on my music reviews. Am slacking on homework.

January 09 is a real winner so far.

Yours very truly,
Sarah

P.S. I think C.N. was here because I told someone my mom took Kung Fu in the 70s.

New Car

2009-01-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

OK, so it's not exactly a new car, but close enough. My Dodge Moron was sent off to Backwoods, TX for repairs in the secret shop of "Dennis Jared," whose main accepted denomination for payments is BROWNIES.

I will let everyone know how fantastic it runs.

Yours Very Truly,
Sarah

Quick Update

2009-01-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

I have just virtually set up shop on etsy, so that I can sell there, too. What will I sell? Oh dear... I'm not entirely sure. I don't know if my media gift basket idea is going to be allowed. Ha.

As of right now, I have yet to take any photographs for Ghost Parking, but I got the name cards, isn't that enough?!? No. Answer is "no, it's not."

This week, I will post an album review on Tim Gilbreath's blog. My friend Elizabeth and I are going to be the music review girls and yesterday we solemnly vowed to post something by the end of the week.

In other news, school starts on Wednesday! This is my schedule this semester:

School
Environmental Science
American Literature since the Civil War
Government
American History since the Civil War
Piano Lessons

Work
Work 25+ hours a week, on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and sometimes Sunday.

Volunteer
Knitting Hats for Chemo Patients
Mentoring Juvenile Delinquents

Whatever
TV Night with Tim on Thursdays! (Office & LOST) (ew to LOST)
Esperanto Study!
Party-a-Month (You're invited)

I hope I don't drown or die.

Yours very truly,
Sarah

No, Lupita!

2009-01-14T09:43:00.001-08:00

Why is it that men can't dress this well all the time anymore? I have a new juvenile delinquent, Joshua, and he made the comment this past Saturday that men look stupid in sweaters. My boyfriend, of generally opposite opinional make-up from the average JD, has also expressed this alarming sentiment. What's the matter with you guys? Sweaters are fantastic.

I'd also like to mention that my sister and I have just discussed a wonderful episode of MST3K, featuring Creepy Santa, Pitch the Devil, and Lupita. I miss the days of watching that show. Any favorite episodes?

Just another reminder - the clothes swap party is this Saturday! Clean out your closets and bag up your unwanteds! We're going to have a great time. Also, remember to bring a couple LPs to play. Nothing like spinning some vinyl. (That was a really comical sentence. I'm only thankful that I didn't say it out loud. Ha.)

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Note: Picture taken from the snail and the cyclops.

A Good Night

2009-01-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

Last night, I had a cup of ice cream, watched a Clint Eastwood movie, finished a book and listened to the Velvet Underground. All in all, a good night.

Contented,
Sarah

Shout Out to Nikola Tesla

2009-01-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

Nikola Tesla, as pointed out to me just today by my best friend, Lisa, is the ulitmate genius, mad scientist. Kudos to you, Nikola.

Discussion on MLA Citation: Who hates this and who likes this? Of late, I can barely seem to resist putting a WORKS CITED at the end of ridiculous places - most notably, in emails to my brother-in-law, Robert. I think giving credit is fabulous, and the MLA way is just the classiest of all. Alternately, it could be the case that I just finished a three week class in which six research papers requiring MLA citation were due. It's possible. Maybe.

Because I've earned seven As in as many months at the humble Houston Community College, I've decided to treat myself this spring with a week in Boulder, CO. I'll let you know more as my plans develop. In other news, I went to the dentist yesterday, and had some work done. I'll say this for the UT Dental School - they sure are thorough. Geez, I'm not getting away with anything at that place.

Street fashion blog update: I've got my business cards, I've got my camera, I have the photo release forms ready to print... and I'm still at square one. This is because I'm a certified pansy. Please encourage me (read: ask me about it and irritate me until I get it started).

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Clothes Swap Party!

2009-01-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

I'm hosting a Clothes Swap Party in a couple weeks! I hope it will be successful. Whenever I read about or hear about them, they always sound like fun. I'll post about how it goes. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

Oversharing

2009-01-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

We've all done it. Told way more than we needed to. And ended up feeling stupid at the end. How does one stop oversharing?

CONSCIOUSLY. It takes a conscious effort, and even then, it's still possible. If it's something people ask about often, think of what you'd like to say, and keep it to two or three sentences. Sort of like an opening paragraph with a thesis. If they want to know more, they'll ask. Be ready!

Don't over-explain. It makes you sound guilty. Ha. This sounds funny, but notice sometime when someone is doing it to you. The more concise the answer, the more mature it sounds. And don't think you're too old to sound immature - you're dead wrong! Maturity and immaturity don't have an age range.

Something for everyone (myself included!) to think about in 2009.

Yours very truly,
Sarah

Zazie, the Essayist

2008-12-29T13:22:00.001-08:00

I wrote a research essay in two hours last night, with several breaks. This is because I had the help of hoglet (see photo). Not really. But I did really just submit this photo to Cute Overload, which is mind-blowing. But only if they post it. My Zazie, a star? Ohmygosh.

Have been surviving my winter schedule, but just barely. No more in-between-semesters classes. It helps that I have a great teacher, Robert Ford. They sure have some sort of bizarre mix in the faculty up at HCC. When told some of the essays we've read and analyzed so far (namely "The Case Against Coldplay" & "Why I Hate Britney"), a friend of mine responded with, "Who's picking these? Is your professor a 12-year-old girl?" Not really. But at least it's interesting.

My friend, Tina, is in town right now. She has been living in Japan for almost two years, and I am meeting her and another friend from JP class days, Jose, at Darband Persian Grill tonight to catch up. Really excited!

I finally got around to signing up for the Amigurumi 2 class at Sew Crafty. Miss Kelly Ekl and I are going to make crocheted sushi! (Last time was a cupcake. Mine looked like an acorn - after Tim was done with it anyway.)

Christmas was GREAT. I'm so glad it doesn't come again for a year. Here's to 2009! I'm going to the (always fabulous) New Year's party at the Foy house, along with my little sister, her husband and his little brother Justin. SUCH FUN. Cheers!

Yours very truly,
Sarah

Snow in Gunspoint!

2008-12-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

Only one more class for this semester! My final for Biology doesn't bother me because I will almost inevitably get an A in that class because of my mysterious As on all previous tests. Go figure.

Things are going pretty good so far, for December. I've got all As, I'm staying pretty much caught up with work, I've got all my Christmas shopping done (except for ONE IMPOSSIBLE PERSON), it's snowing, and I have the next two days off! Kittens!

I met the girl from Morocco, Imane, that I am going to tutor in English grammar next semester. She and her husband are really sweet. Also hung out with Kelly EKL two nights in a row, and saw the Caroline Collective show. That's a cool place, no matter what Tim says. They put on a show once a month, and I will be sure to catch it.

Most boring post ever! What's your least favorite number to write? I've been polling everyone. Mine are five and eight.

Tim and I are watching the best movie right now, Baran. My favorite quote from it is a remark made in passing: "I saw you in a nightmare."

Later guys! Stay warm!

Yours very truly,
Sarah

Nirvana on the Way to Almost-Thanksgiving Work

2008-11-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

I'm having lunch with my mother today. She is really such a delight. I hope that she always retains the mischievous and good-hearted energy she has now. I'm experimenting with confiding in her more; it doesn't seem to be backfiring quite yet. We'll see how that goes.

Over 40,000 words on my novel! And only six days to go. Yikes. But 10k in six days only requires me to write the standard nanowrimo minimum per day - 1667. I'm definitely going to do more than that, so I should come out ahead! Oh joy, oh delight.

I'm going to Tim's parents for a short (really!) time this Thursday. I've never been to a guy's parents for this holiday before. In fact, most of my relationships over the last 10 years of dating have faded out by fall, and I had the holiday season to think about what I'd done. Ha. Then it's off to Willis to celebrate with my aunt and cousins, whose darling company I always enjoy.

This cheese-filled post was brought to you by Sarah having too much energy to sit still and code her invoices.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Emotional Black-out!

2008-11-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm just miserable at life, but each time I try to put my finger on what it is I'm doing wrong, I can't tell.

While talking to a classmate recently, I verbally worked out that I may be too emotionally disconnected. There are advantages to this, obviously; many people try endlessly to distance themselves emotionally from a situation so that they can take a rational, objective look at their options. But could it hurt to do this too much? As the beloved(?) Sarah Palin would say, "Yoo betcha!" (Unnecessary.)

Maybe it's just that I spent so much time when I was younger exploring my emotions and following my feelings and listening to my heart. I saw where that got me. Nowhere. Fast. And a lot of times, in a whole lot of trouble, and lonely to boot. Four years of being single seems to have made me a very anemotional being, which saddens me in many ways.

I end up examining relationships (romantic and friend) in a way that seems a little cold and inhuman on reflection. It's almost as if I need a reminder every once in a while that my life doesn't need to be lived as though I'm some sort of diplomatic political figure. Why do my conversations that should be emotional end up sounding like a Christmas card from a lawyer to an especially wealthy client?

Frequently used inappropriate phrases:
"most beneficial"
"more permanant solution"
"an unfeasible move"
"extremely illogical"
"something more specific"
"respect your position"
And the darkest of all non-emotional lines that I've said in an emotional setting in the last few years: "I'm hoping we can fulfill mutually enjoyable roles in each others' lives." ??? Am I writing a legal contract or what? What is wrong with me??

To answer myself with one of my own recent quotes: "Passion is an amazing thing... sometimes I feel my heart is numb to it."

UPDATE

2008-11-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a news flash, guys. We're all human. Every single person I know is a human. A friend and I confessed our humanity to each other the other day, and it was amazing.

Just to let you know.

And that means you're human, too.

Fall Vacation

2008-11-14T10:47:00.001-08:00

It's still technically fall, right? I'd like to go on a vacation. Take me with you if you're going somewhere. Or else. I'll get the witch that lives in my apartment building to cast a spell on you (read: call the police while you're just hanging out playing pictionary by the pool).

Next semester, there are a few things I'd like to accomplish. First, I'd like to volunteer as an ESOL tutor, either with HCC or the Heights Library. Second, I'd like to organize an Esperanto Society ("club" sounds so trite) in my area. Third, I'd like to stop being co-dependent again. That's up to you to decide what that means, but I think I just want it to happen.

Lastly, I'd like to start a very casual, very not-intense street fashion blog for Houston. I'm going to get a camera for Xmas (don't tell Mommy & Santa I know!) and it just sounds like SO MUCH FUN. So we'll see. I have yet to decide whether I will use this blog or get another gmail to use for it. We'll see!

As for school, I have two words for you: YUCK, and KILL.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

This Doesn't Sound Good

2008-05-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Found a description of myself (in an email to myself, no less) from January:

"I'm a slightly swarthy 5'8, mask this just barely with cute cuts and colors, and have a puzzlingly plain face and ugly, gappy teeth. That's it. That's me."

Sounds like I'm on my way to the top.