ilaxSTUDIO.com Archive April 2007 Entries

REVIEW | APRIL 30, 2007

In the beginning of this month I promised myself I would: 1. update this website more often, hopefully with more meaningful posts, 2. be a better listener, don't interrupt or change the subject, 3. focus more on school work, put more effort into school work, 4. continue to exercise, and 5. quit being such a royal byotch, think before I talk.

I think the only things I didn't accomplish were number 1 and number 3. Which basically means my brain is fried. Hopefully taking a week off from school and then starting work will give my brain a recharge.

BAD HABITS | APRIL 29, 2007

Bad Habits to Quit Before I Move in with Steveno
1. Leaving the bathroom door open when I use the toilet/take a shower/take a bath
2. Walking around naked in the morning/before bed/whenever I feel like it
3. Picking my nose
4. Sweeping things into the corner instead of into the dustpan
5. Piling my shoes up on the doormat instead of arranging them nicely
6. Throwing my sh!t on the floor as soon as I get inside
7. Leaving different magazines in different locations all over the house
8. Throwing my clothes at the hamper, instead of into it
9. Leaving makeup out all over the counter
10. Having a separate bottle of water in each room

ONE MORE WEEK | APRIL 28, 2007

You're sick of hearing it, but the countdown is almost over. In one week I will be graduating and getting the hell out of Ames! I feel so excited to be starting a career, and moving in with Steven... I can barely contain it! After five years of college it feels great to be almost done.

I just wish there was a better way to express how happy and excited I feel right now. There are certain things I will miss about ISU (you'll get that list later), but I know I won't be one of those people who wishes they were still in school.

FRIDAY QUESTION #4 | APRIL 27, 2007

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

I only thought of this because my mother recently told a story about it at my bridal shower. For a very long time in my life, I was adamant about being a pilot. I even looked into taking some piloting classes for high school students. But somehow, I lost interest my senior year and decided to become an architect instead. But like I told my mom, it is never too late!

MY CRAZIER DAYS | APRIL 25, 2007

My good friend Ashley came to my Bridal Shower last Saturday, so of course, I had to re-tell the story of when I met Steven, because it was partially her doing! Everyone had heard the story a million times but some people had it a bit backwards - for example, they thought Ashley "drug me out" to the party where I met Steven, when really, what I was trying to point out was that Steven and I are not the partying type, but we both had friends who wanted to go to a party that night...

Anyway, the fun part of the story is when I talk about taking out my cornrows before I went to the party that night. Because if I HAD THEM IN I doubt he ever would have talked to me (and he has basically assured me that that is an accurate assumption).

Everyone at the party was asking me what my hair looked like after I took them out, so here are the pictures. Of course, I washed my hair before the party... so it didn't look like that!

TEST | APRIL 24, 2007

For all of my readers who have cats - play this video with them around and tell me how they act. The video can probably best be described as a cat making "meep" noises as he stares out the window. It sounds lame (I assure you it is quite humorous), but when Steven played it with our cat around, he rushed to the window and started making similar noises. So, is it some universal cat code for seeing a bird outside?! Together we can discover the secret of cat language! Muah ha ha!!!

I THINK WE ALL KNOW PEOPLE WHO THINK LIKE THIS | APRIL 23, 2007

FUNNY JOKE FOR A SH!TTY DAY | APRIL 22, 2007

I am going into hyper-productive mode until Wednesday, so the posts (if any) will be very light (not that they haven't been all month...).

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel plans. So, the husband left Minneapolis and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My loving wife
Subject: I've arrived Date: April 6, 2006
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
P.S. sure is freaking hot down here!!!!!

SLEEPY AND WORN OUT | APRIL 21, 2007

Thanks to Diana (Steven's Aunt) for throwing me such a nice bridal shower!

FRIDAY QUESTION #3 | APRIL 20, 2007

What is your #1 pet peeve?

Well, mine actually changes on a daily basis, but for awhile, it has been people who bother me when I am obviously diligently working on my computer. Why do people assume I want to hear their nonsense stories and small talk when I am trying to get some work done? If it is really necessary to talk to me, ask if I have a moment or wait until I at least look up from my computer!

NUMBER THREE | APRIL 19, 2007

Running with other serious runners always makes me run faster... and breathe harder... and feel like I am going to pass out. Today was my first 5k race with no participating walkers. So I was determined to NOT BE LAST.

I was running a VEISHEA tournament 5k with other Iowa State students. I got out there and they were all slender and in shape and talking about how they were going to have less than twenty minute times on the race... and I was thinking "uh oh."

But I finished in 28 minutes and 16 seconds, so unless the track was grossly off in size, I seriously improved in time.

WHERE TO LIVE AFTER RETIREMENT | APRIL 17, 2007

You can live in Phoenix, Arizona where...
1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.
2. You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

You can Live in California where...
1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3 You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.

You can Live in New York City where...
1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is "nature,"
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn.
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.

You can Live in Maine where...
1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.

You can Live in the Deep South where...
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
3. "He needed killin' " is a valid defense.
5. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.

You can live in Colorado where...
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

You can live in the Midwest where...
1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?"
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"

AND You can live in Florida where…
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and snowbirds

FOUR | APRIL 16, 2007

Scary thought - in four weeks I will be working in an office. I will get up at the same time each day, catch a train, work for nine hours, catch a train home, feel exhausted... then fall asleep. Yikes.

Knowing that I have to start working soon makes me feel relieved and nervous at the same time. Relieved that I have a job and can start to pay off A TON of student debt, but nervous about adjusting to the new routine and doing my best work at the office.

Any advice? I want to mindfully avoid all the political office bs.

JUDGE YOU | APRIL 15, 2007

Remember my January 7, 2007 post - The Psychology of the Grocery Store Clerk? You all told me that the clerks don't care about what other people buy... but what do you think of this postcard that was sent into postsecret?

BODY WORLDS | APRIL 14, 2007

Steven, his parents and I visited the Body Worlds exhibit today at the Museum of Science and Industry. It is a bunch of preserved dead bodies in different positions showing the anatomy of the human body. I was not as grossed out as I thought I would be, but Steven and I both found it striking how similar the human muscle looks to bacon.

FRIDAY QUESTION #2 | APRIL 13, 2007

Do you have a favorite seasonal candy or food that you wait all year to eat?

Mine is Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs, only this year, my parents bought ~~I bought~~ enough so I won't have to wait all year to eat them again!

ONE-TRACK MIND | APRIL 11, 2007

The only thing on my mind is "when will these 3.5 weeks be over?" School is driving me more nuts that I thought was possible. Yeah, you're all sick of hearing it too. Sorry.

DOWNHILL | APRIL 10, 2007

For my Women's Studies class I had to do this strange assignment where I found 36 personal ads - 8 of men seeking men, 8 of men seeking women, 8 of women seeking women, and 8 of women seeking men. I had no idea where the professor was going with it; all I knew is that it was extremely difficult to find any ads in the newspaper (I eventually resorted to Yahoo! Personals) and that I had to identify one ad of each set of 8 as "atypical."

Sounds stupid, right?

Well it was. Not only did I feel uncomfortable looking through personal ads when I am engaged, I also felt uncomfortable trying to dissect them and find the "atypical" ad. I felt even worse when we read them aloud in class tonight, and people were laughing at them.

For some people it may be a joke, but I imagine that most people place those ads in hope that someone serious will respond. And I think that us discussing them and laughing at them in class is disrespectful.

MY CAT IS MORE DEMENTED THAN YOUR CAT | APRIL 9, 2007

The best part about moving to Chicago is that I get to be with Data again. Okay, not really, because he loves Steven 1000 times more than me... but I think if I bribe him with the right amount of tuna he will start to share some of the love he gives Steven.

RELIEF | APRIL 8, 2007

I wonder if everyone feels this way after returning from a weekend spent with the family - sad to be home and alone, but relief to be away from all the craziness.

FRIDAY QUESTION #1 | APRIL 6, 2007

For me, Friday is the day of the week where I struggle to blog about something (as opposed to Saturday or Sunday). I usually get home, and I am so tired and relieved for it to be Friday that I skip blogging. So I decided to start something new. Each Friday, I am going to ask a random question for everyone to answer. I am going to answer it in the blog, and you can answer it in the comments section! I know it seems a bit dorky, but I think it is fun to ask questions and learn more about each other! And if you are reading and normally don't comment (Dad, Steven...) please do! So here goes:

What are some of the movies you love to watch that are generally not considered "good movies"?

Here are some of mine: Coyote Ugly, Center Stage, Chasing Liberty...

POSTSECRET | APRIL 5, 2007

Frank Warren, the creator of postsecret, visited Iowa State tonight. The postsecret website features secrets written on postcards that are sent to Warren. Warren selects 20 or so postcards (out of the 10,000 he receives each week) and updates the postsecret website every Sunday.

I really urge you to check out the website if you haven't already!

Warren's speech was interesting. He talked about why he started postsecret, and its effect on the people who read and share the secrets. He said he thinks that people sometimes feel like they are keeping the secret, but really, the secret is keeping them. He hopes that in sharing the secret, they release the burden of it.

I think I would if I shared some secrets!

(Oh, and he said the secret mailed to him most often is "I pee in the shower"!)

MISSING STUDENT | APRIL 4, 2007

Here's what's going on at Iowa State.

STINKY GARBAGE | APRIL 3, 2007

Lately, I have been falling asleep later and later... and waking up earlier and earlier. At first I attributed this to the stress that was the month of March - I couldn't fall asleep or stay asleep, because I was constantly thinking about graduation and finding work. But now that all that stress is gone, I am still waking up early and feeling energized. Could it be that eating healthy and exercising is actually paying off?

Whatever the cause is, it is beneficial that I learn how to wake up early. My office is in Chicago - 50 miles away from our house in the northwestern suburbs. I will ride the 6:25 train for an hour and twenty minutes to get to work by 8:00. But don't feel sorry for me for taking the train - I enjoy it!

And now, to demonstrate just how dorky I am, I have scanned my three favorite photoshopped cat product ads to share with you (maybe this will make Manny and her bronchitis feel better)?

WHEN ARCHITECTS PROPOSE | APRIL 2, 2007

Am I the only one who finds this funny?

APRIL SHOWERS... | APRIL 1, 2007

March has been a stressful month for me. As you can probably tell from last Wednesday's post, I've been a bit... tense. I started out March frantically creating my portfolio, then printing and mailing it to firms, interviewing, getting a job offer, and finally - accepting a job offer - at the end of March. No wonder it has been a stressful month; I did a lot!

Now I feel like I need to regroup and calm down to finish out the semester strongly (or sanely). Here are my goals for April:

1. Update this website more often, hopefully with more meaningful posts
2. Be a better listener, don't interrupt or change the subject
3. Focus more on school work, put more effort into school work
4. Continue to exercise
5. Quit being such a royal byotch, think before I talk