Friday 5

I decided to steal this from Ms. Lovely at The Ideologies of Melissa because I liked the questions. :)

1. What’s your favorite sports movie?

She's The Man; Bend It Like Beckham, and Stick It!

2. What’s your favorite romantic comedy film?

All of them basically.

3. What’s your favorite animated Disney movie?

101 Dalmations

4. What’s your favorite non-Disney movie musical?

Sound of Music and White Christmas

5. What’s your favorite stranger-in-a-strange-land / fish-out-of-water movie?

13 Going On 30

In My Spare Time

charcoal on bristol paper

Something Worth Learning

You know how they say C's get degrees? And I'm at college to get a degree in art education. Which means I have to have C's or better to graduate with a degree.

And, come on, we both all know that last year I was lucky when I got C's. *ahem* This semester it's all A's and B's thankyouverymuch. However, I took some *important* classes last year that it would have served me better to achieve the C's instead of the D's.

Like Comm 101.

And everyone's favorite DEATH 143 class that I. LOVED. SO. FREAKING. MUCH.

*cough*cough*hack*gag*

I have to retake those classes, but fortunately for me I don't have to retake Math 143. I got a D in that class. I got a D in that class when I took it in high school even. I mean, let's face it people, Miss Cinderella is just not a math brain at all.

However, I'm SWAMPED next semester. I only have four classes, but three of them are studio classes and that means two hour blocks. I'll be able to fit the Comm 101 class in, but math is gonna have to wait for the summer so I can juggle the class that makes me want to shoot poor innocent creatures my favorite subject with a full time job.

I'm pretty sure I'll be okay. It's the only class I'd really have to focus on, so that's definitely a plus.

I'm still not exactly thrilled about it though.

Anyway, this just serves as a lesson learned a little too late for me to take advantage of. And that lesson would be this:

Just suck it up and do it already.

Gosh.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Awesome

Have I mentioned lately how completely in love I am with charcoal? Well, if you were doubting my truly emotional feelings, here's some artwork that should help change your mind:

I really wanted the tree on the bottom to stand out against the background. At first I thought I was achieving this by making it darker than the rest, putting it on the same plane as the somewhat stormy sky at the top of the picture.

BUT

TheProf told me that I should make it black. So I did.

And not only do I think it turned out mighty amazing, but it gives it a totally mysterious and slightly ominous eerie feeling. Most definitely of the Halloween inspiration.

This picture makes me
feel like a
ROCK STAR!

Exactly Who Do You Think You're Dealing With?

*MamaKat's Writer's Workshop post*

Blue eyes
Laughing
Walking through life
Crashing
Every now and then
Asking when
Loosing track
Of precious time
And also where I'm supposed to be.

Blond hair
Blows in the wind
On the way to Church
Pictures grinned
Stubborn in the coffee shop
Sarcastic
Like a lemon drop
Bake a cake
Swim the lake
Summer is my favorite time.

Tanned skin
Fades
In the wintertime
Wearing shades
On the slopes
With the boys
And also very high hopes
That I'll improve
My speed
And perhaps sometimes
Take the lead
Because after all, I am the oldest of four.

Small feet
Slip in shoes that are small
My sister's almost
Very tall
I'm short
But she's still shorter
Making rhymes
College makes me poorer
Striving to teach
Learning to fly
Casting a look
In Prince's eye
That says 'Don't ever leave.'

Little fingers
Hold the charcoal
Drawing buildings that I see
And trees to make whole
Pictures
Camera in hand
I sit on the sand
And stare out at the waves ahead
My favorite poem
Is "The Cremation of Sam McGee"
And becoming an author
Is my own hobby
Because I have many of those.

Blue eyes
Don't always do what they should
I would if I
Could
But I can't.
I drive too fast
And sometimes I'm a little bossy
I try to use tact
My mom is important
That's a fact
Dad works on keeping
His oldest daughter on track
Because Lord knows she sure gets distracted easily...

I am what I am
I love Dr. Seuss
I don't try to be something I'm not
Sometimes I rhyme
Just to make people smile
And I quote movies and music and books
I'm barely 19
Don't read magazines
And I love to hang out with the guys
I'm not very old
And I've always been told
That I look just like my dad
Proud of that
Too.

So let me ask you
Exactly just who
Do you
Think you're dealing with?

Mmmm Cookies

Okay internets,

This is ridiculous. I've been sitting here for 10 minutes trying to decide what to write. I keep clicking keys and then hitting control+a and delete. It seems, as some may say, that I feel as though I'm running out of blog fodder.

So I really don't know what to tell you all.

Except that at this particular moment in time, I'm sitting in Prince's dorm room alternating between staring at my screen and trying to figure out what Prince is drawing for his animation. Turns out the latter is his hand, which is amusing because he's drawing in sharpie. So there's a squeak of the sharpie moving down the page and then he thrusts his hand back into the air for two seconds examines his hand and then the sharpie reconnects with the page.

Oh ding! ding! ding! Fun fact:

I'm reading a book called "Our Stolen Future" and it's a novel I was supposed to read for my CORS 206 class Human Reproduction, Ethics and the Law. (It's a super easy class for non-majors and I LOVE IT!) Anyway, if you haven't read it, I suggest you do. It'll scare you, that's for sure.

And on a random note, I was just sitting here daydreaming for a second while my mind wandered off on its own. I was thinking about our dorm room doors and how bland they are. What could I do to dress mine up?

I'm an art major.

I'm crafty right?

Right?

Right.

So I was thinking I should utilize the space around my door as well. So I could use my gigantic paper and draw a window, maybe a plant box with some pretty flowers (or snow when winter comes).

It could be a fun project sometime when my homework count is zero and I find myself having nothing to do....hahaha.

Anyway that's really all I have for you. Oh, but you could check out this car:

The interior is what really
gets you.

Adventures in Moscow

So we all remember the time at the beginning of last semester when I became hopelessly lost searching for my dance class, right? Well today has been another one of those days.

I have to do a number of volunteer hours for my service learning project for my education course I'm taking this semester. It sounds simple enough because when I was a senior in high school we had to do something similar - only that was individual and this is a group. But I digress.

Anywho, my friend Zelda (I call her that because she's obsessed with that game and all to do with it, yada yada yada, you understand) and I were headed to this place where our hours are to be completed for our project. Prior to leaving my building, we were told this place was across from the A & W. Not true.

We get to the A & W not knowing which way to turn, so we ended up missing turns, going straight and turning at a stoplight so I could drive back the other way. I turned spontaneously down a street hoping it would lead us to where we were supposed to be in ten minutes.

No such luck.

Instead we ended up on the street that takes us to the DMV. So we turned around in a parking lot and headed back toward the A & W. But this time we turned the other direction, sure that this way would be the correct way.

We drove around the street twice, and by this time we are already seven minutes late. Zelda and I are more confused than ever, so we decide maybe we didn't see it the first time and drive back across the road.

We get more lost on what seems like the snob hill of Moscow, Idaho before we realize that maybe calling the place and getting directions could be a good idea.

So Zelda calls using the number from a business card we'd received from our group leaders. She obtains directions and we get ourselves back down to the main road.

Remember that first road we'd turned down to turn around and head back toward the A & W?? Yeah, turns out if we'd stayed on that road and just driven down a bit farther we would have not only been at the right place, but we also would not have been fifteen minutes late.

On the plus side, actually being at the place renews my excitement for this project that was slowly dwindling downward and out of sight.

For my volunteer hours I'm working with dementia patients. I get lost and confused easy enough.

Maybe I belong there....

Ladies and Gentlemen of The Court

I present to you a product of my labor. It took me seven hours to complete last Saturday and it's still not totally finished.

As you watch my awesome amateur skills, please remember this is a rough cut as well as my first animation ever.

Anyhoodle, enjoy. :)

It's A Little Early For Halloween

Belle's Halloween Party was on Saturday. We were the cutest couple there. :)

Artistic Updates

So the first four pictures are of the hat that I had to draw for my Art 111 class. I spent a total of four hours on this project and this afternoon at 3:30 we're having a class wide critique. I'm crossing my fingers because I hate critiques. Yuck. Also due today is my mid-term portfolio for this class. Woo. Hoo.

charcoal cross hatching

just your average everyday pencil drawing

penciled drawing of the hat hanging

colored pencil drawing of the hat crumpled

The next drawings are part of the storyboard for my animation film for my Art 121 class. I'm not thrilled about this project, especially because I have a rough cut due on Monday so my weekend pretty much looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of animating along with my brother's soccer game and Belle's Halloween party Saturday. Busy, busy bumble bee.

On the other hand though, I think my story is kinda cute. It had to be mysterious, and fairly simple given the time frame both needed to complete the project and the time allotted for actual production of project.

My main character was originally going to be a man, but when I had a change of heart leaning more toward the simpler end of life, he kind of ended up looking like a peanut. But I totally think it works. :)

He's walking down the street looking for a house to break into.

Found one!

Walks inside...

The table is looking at him.

He looks back at the table, but the eyes disappear before he can see them.

When he goes to leave the room, the eyes reappear

Everything in the house seems to be watching his every move...

He starts to feel like everything is looking at him. He's feeling guilty for breaking into the house.

Then he wakes up from this horrible dream!

Or does he???

The world may
never know.

One of Those Nights

How do I know that I have one of the best boyfriends ever?

Because when I'm in a not-so-great-down-on-myself-pity-party mood, he gets me to talk about it. He tells me that I shouldn't keep things bottled up. (And I know I shouldn't. I spent my entire sophomore year of high school trying to convince my friend Ariel that keeping things inside you just made it harder to like yourself, harder to like the people around, and harder to move on from what was holding you back.)

He holds me and strokes my hair. I don't have to say anything after I've spilled all the beans because he does the talking to make me feel better. Talking to me. Holding me. Running his fingers through my hair....

And then, when all is said and done, he dances with me.

Dances.

In the middle of my dorm room.

heartwarming.

The Cold Is Really Getting To Me

Today is a good day for a good book and hot chocolate followed by crashing in front of a toasty warm fireplace to some soft, ear pleasing music of your choice. Unfortunately the only books I read lately are text books and online texts, and I have no fireplace to speak of. The hot chocolate though I do have plenty of, but I haven't really been drinking it. Sad, I know. I'm also blessed with some cinnamon apple tea, but I've only made it once.

Good thing I have tons of blankets to curl up in on my bed when I do homework, take online tests and Facebook to my heart's content. Also good for using when Prince and I play my newly acquired GameCube. And really good for listening to Prince's Enrique music.

It's seriously cold in North Idaho. The leaves are all lovely golden yellows and reds. The air has that 'chill' indicative of the onset of winter. The sky has gone from bright blue to overcast. Insects are disappearing except for the occasional fly finding its way into my mother's house and driving her absolutely bonkers. The birds are starting to leave, too.

However, on my way home from my 12:30 science class, I passed by a rather tall evergreen tree where the top of the tree was covered with birds. And they were all talking to each other very loudly. It reminded me of being in a small aviary at a zoo or something, and I smirked when I thought it brought a new meaning to 'family tree.' Yeah, I'm corny like that.

On an unrelated subject, my hallway smells like a skunk. I'm not sure why though - unless someone is hoarding a pet they should not have in more ways than one, OR one of the football players has really bad gas. 

I mean,

who knows?

really.

Sitting Pretty

"Nice use of perspective. Very nice use of value. There's nothing really I can say this. It's great." -TheProf

What can I say?

I rock.

When I look In The Mirror

I see blue eyes.

Blond-ish colored hair.

And skin that is far from the 'perfect' image I see on the television day in and day out.

When I look in the mirror I see a girl with independence and indecision.

I see a 19 year old who wishes she was older, farther along in life.

Someone who has fallen short of the glory of God, but is forgiven none-the-less. By love I don't deserve but am very thankful for.

When I look in the mirror, and I really look at myself, I scowl at all the things that are 'wrong' with me.

All the things I would change about myself.

All the reasons I'm not perfect.

I see the little bit of fat on my stomach that doesn't disappear even if I suck in my gut and stand up tall.

I see traces of acne that I try so hard to ignore and I remember a time in my life when my skin was worse.

I examine my smile that is so much like my father's smile. Same shaped teeth.

I see how my nose is similar to his and The Keeper's nose - except that my nose is pierced.

I see the faint yellow ring around the middle of my eye and I'm proud of it.

The girl staring back at me from the mirror gets called cute more often than not, but she doesn't always agree.

When I look in the mirror I see mostly negative things about myself, when what I should be doing is picking out all the positive things to build myself up.

I'm not all bad, and I don't always see only bad. But it just feels like that's what's normal and seeing the good is the exception. Maybe we blame society for all their false advertisements of what beauty is or should be, and maybe I blame the devil for the negative because I do know one thing's for sure.

The Veggie Tales got it right
God made me special
and He loves me very much.

Life In The Fast Lane

Things around here have been...busy. Mostly because unlike my lack of motivation last year, I have actually been doing my homework this year. And there is a ton of it to boot. But it's paying off because I can tell you about the public art in South Africa and I can tell you about Saussure's take on the structure of language as well as relate that back to Foucault's adaptation of that theory to texts - aka intertextuality. Yeah, it's philosophical stuff, and it's also on my brain because I have a test about it on Friday...well, not the South Africa part, but all the Saussure and Foucault stuff.

Also I've been working on a big project in Art 121 which involved creating my own planet complete with an organism, 3D dwelling, environment, history, tools, artwork and a general sense of WHY it all exists. And after I came up with all that crap, I posted in on a piece of foam board so it looked like this:



And then I presented it to the class for a grade. Our next project is a short animated mystery film. Prince is excited. I am not.

The weekend was busy too. Not only was it homework filled with me scrambling to finish my project, but I attended my first Vandals Football game. We played Colorado State for the win and the game was on ESPNU. Yeah, I know. We rock.

The weather's also took a turn for the frozen mornings with slightly warmer afternoons. It's nice, but it's like Idaho decided to go from full-blown-summer mode to freeze-your-butt-off-it's-winter mode. Which I'm not sure how I feel about it exactly, but it's not terrible.

And the kicker! The most amazing part about this week and this post and my boyfriend is that he's now officially 20 years old. Oh Prince, I'm going to have to send you off the nursing home within the month, aren't I?

Here's a picture of my practically geriatric Prince and me at the festivities Saturday night:

Aren't we CUTE?

Hello Frosty Mornings and Nippy Nights

Hello Autumn.

Hello dry skin and chapped lips.

Hello extra blankets, hot chocolates and cuddling in front of a fireplace.

Hello it's-morning-and-I-don't-want-to-get-out-of-bed.

Hello close toed shoes, layered shirts and jackets in the back of my closet I almost forgot about.

Hello school projects and new friends.

Hello Clam Chowder.

Hello golden leaved trees and bare branches.

Hello Dad and Keeper counting days until the lifts open in the mountains.

Hello Halloween and Thanksgiving and Family Get-Togethers.

Goodbye Summer.

Goodbye tanned skin, painted toenails, and tank tops paired with shorts.

Goodbye warm sandy beaches and lazy Saturdays swimming in the lake.

Goodbye summer camp.

Goodbye to the annoying monotonous sound of the fan because my room is too hot for sleep.

Goodbye green plants.

Goodbye long hours of daylight.

Goodbye thunderstorms, lightning and fireworks.

Goodbye flip-flops, sandals, and running through the grass in barefeet.

As much as I'm going to miss Summer, hello and welcome Fall.

Red, White and Blue Black

contee crayon drawing with red and white crayons and hard vine charcoal. hat and blanket.

Writer's Workshop

I finally decided to take the plunge and participate in MamaKat's Writer's Workshop that happens once a week on Thursdays.

Out of today's prompts we were given the option to put a story "a conversation" that matches one of three pictures. I chose this picture:


Because I feel like I've been there before.

"No, kissing does not make it better, sorry. I've had it up to here with your antics. When I told you that I wanted pale yellow wedding theme that did not mean light yellow was the same thing!! Now if you'll excuse me I need to take off these Go-Go boots that are so last decade ago and drink an iced chai latte because it's a nice day and I'm really warm."