end of the semester.

Today (or Yesterday, rather) I...

- got up at 6:30 am
- treated myself to another pastry...or two
- had a three hour doctor appointment
- had the inside of my nose numbed with anesthetic
- proceeded to then have a scope fished up my nose and down my throat (strangest. feeling. ever.)
- ate an entire footlong from subway
- discovered that the interesting pattern on the ceiling of my parking garage is actually imprints from the wood it was poured on top of
- procrastinated writing a paper by reading "Mockingjay"
- procrastinated further by falling asleep
- started my ten page paper at 7:00 pm
- read on FB about how someone was freaking out about only having two days to write a five page paper
- felt super duper tired
- finished my paper in the wee hours of the morning
- watched Salvador Dali on "What's My Line?" (hilarious. watch it.)
- watched some more funny people on "What's My Line?"
- am finally going to bed.

Art History Major: Part 2

This is where I've been, and will continue to be for the next 24 hours:

I love writing research papers.

End of the semester = writing ten page research papers in eight hours or less, going to bed at twelve and getting up at six, paying extra money to print your paper at the most convenient place possible, pulling staples out of old assignments because you don't have enough time to go find an actual stapler, failing one test because it was a total joke and you didn't have hours to spend studying for it, blowing off another because you didn't do your reading (and never do) and the made up answers sounded better anyway, wasting time, procrastinating, cramming, eating what's left in the cupboards...

Today in Modern Art we started discussing Surrealism. In case you're hankering for a good dose of Surrealism, I suggest you search Disney/Dali Destino on YouTube. It might give you the willies. I watched it in the middle of the night for a paper. Anyway...we discussed this piece, so cleverly surreal in that the viewer is forced to question what exactly it is they are looking at - it looks like a pipe, but then it's not a physical pipe, or is it really even a picture of a pipe at all. What is that darn thing?!

To encourage the discussion and force the students to think, the teacher said, "Is this a real pipe? Could you smoke that thing?" Then he paused. "Well, if you rolled it up ... I guess you could smoke anything if you really wanted to..." Amusing how often drugs come up in this class? Probably. Anything for the sake of great art.

One down, one to go.

Sometimes this is what I feel my professors are doing to me:

Feel free to laugh. And comment. You all know it's true.

Dear James, What's your obsession with the word "flux?"

James likes to use the word flux to describe art. A lot.

And he finally admitted that sometimes he uses the word sexy to describe art just to see if we're awake.

Don't worry friends. I haven't disappeared or been abducted by aliens. Rather, I am disappearing behind an ever growing pile of library books. Pictures to come. This will certainly be the weekend from an unspeakable locale, but fortunately by this time next week, I will practically be a free woman.

But to tide you over, here is a picture of my new favorite food, courtesy of Conoco gas station in Springville - only 79 cents each!

Pickled eggs anyone? 

Gross. Nope. Didn't eat one. Or buy one. Though I offered to buy one for Ciarah.

And this is the cat that likes to hang around my apartment complex. I less-than-affectionately call him Steve. 

The darn thing has no fears and begs attention from everyone. Pretty sure I know who he belongs to, but that doesn't stop him from trying to sneak in our door instead. Silver lining? Probably the only cat I know who will play fetch. Or at least...he will chase basically any object you throw. Either way, it's amusing.

AND, courtesy of College Night at Springville Art Museum (which currently has a stunning display of J.T. Harwood works - I highly recommend it, in addition to the state high school art show which is REMARKABLE and entertainging), here is the newest addition to my button collection:

It was a "create your own" type thing. Hey. We're artists. The same adventure offered us free Sammy's pie shakes and live music. Time well spent? Indeed.

I'm considering becoming a music critic. Current obsessions? Lights, Ellie Goulding; Little Talks, Of Monsters and Men; White Blank Page, Mumford and Sons; Kiss Me, Sixepence None the Richer; You and I Both, Jason Mraz; Hide and Seek, Imogen Heap

Thoughts?

My trip to Europe in illustrated form:

Which, thanks to my newly earned half tuition university academic scholarship as well as some kind funding from my department and an ISP facilitator discount, I can now confidently afford. Confused by the mass of arrows? Me too. Guess that's what happens when you hit up Western Europe. For the record? Half the cities I'm visiting aren't on the map. Aka those arrows could have been way more confusing. Be jealous.

Musings.

Sometimes day to day life is a total drag.

Sometimes life rolls merrily along nice and smooth.

The difference is all a matter of faith. Sometimes I have lots of it. Sometimes I don't have any at all. Sometimes I can see the effects of my faith. Sometimes I just feel overwhelmed and hopeless. But the most empowering feeling I can describe is that of the moment when I feel overcome by the grand scale of life, but I look back on myself, my faith is still there, and I am reassured.

I had a friend recently remind me that it is okay to hope for things. It's been somewhat of a fear of mine because I'd rather not speculate and never risk disappointment. Unfortunately, life is all about taking risks, and faith and hope go hand in hand. There is no weakness of mentality in hoping for things. Rather it is a display in strength of faith that everything is going to come together as it should.

There is nothing better than falling, overcoming, and being able to use that wisdom to give some perspective to another.

Now, beyond philosophy, I would like some validation for this handsome meal I prepared myself this week:

Spinach salad with chicken, strawberries, candied almonds, and blush wine vinaigrette, oven-roasted rosemary red potatoes on the side. 

I know, I know. I'm so homely. (If you don't know the joke, I feel obligated to inform you that I know the definition of the word and am not insulting myself.)

PS - Two months and four days until Europe. I'm so stoked I might not make it...