Okay, I have a serious confession to make to y'all: I love taking blog quizzes. Remember how many of them were on Myspace back in the day? Yeah, I loved them. I think it's interesting to read about other people, and it's fun to think about your own likes and dislikes. Also, they're great to kill time.
So, until my next ~serious~ post, here's a quick infomercial about yours truly (and it was totally ganked from Faison).
the A-B-C's and 1-2-3's of P-H-W!
A. Age: 22
B. Bed size: Full mattress in a wrought iron frame salvaged from Canton, TX and lovingly straightened out, sand blasted, and painted white by my Uncle Bee.
C. Chore that you hate: Probably de-cluttering. I don't mind cleaning that much, but getting rid of all of the STUFF everywhere in order to get to those dirty surfaces can be frustrating!
D. Dogs: Aryx, my Boxer-mix, aka, my son, aka, love of my life.
E. Essential start to your day: My contacts. I couldn't get around the house, much less the world, without them. I realized the other day that as much as I would have loved to have lived in ~another time~, I probably wouldn't have made it. #nearsighted
F. Favorite color: Purple!
G. Gold or silver: I have so much silver jewelry, but I'm really starting to love gold now that my hair is reddish.
H. Height: 5'1".
I. Instruments you play: I used to play the violin and the flute--I wish I hadn't stopped!
J. Job: Newk's Express Café. Gettin' ready to get back on that student grind, though!
K. Kids: zilch.
L. Live: Flowood, MS, for now--Charlottesville, VA in July/August!
M. Mother's name: Mama!
N. Nicknames: P.dubb, Porterhouse (by the guys at work), P-H, Porter Paws (Porter Paws, porterpause?? Haha, get it?? I'm so crevarrr.)
O. Overnight hospital stays: none, thank goodness.
P. Pet Peeves: Not using one's blinker, talking like one is still in high school, general laziness and slovenliness, leaving crap everywhere.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Screws fall out all the time; the world is an imperfect place." - Bender, from The Breakfast Club
R. Right or left handed: Right. #boring
S. Siblings: Two younger brothers, two step-sisters (I'm one of five now?? AHHH.)
T. Time you wake up: Let's just say that I SHOULD be able to pull myself out of bed at 6:00 or 6:30. Now, does this happen in reality???
U. Underwear: Cotton bikinis
V. Vegetable you hate: Raw broccoli. It's a texture thing and I'm always freaked out that the little buds are stuck in my teeth!
W. What makes you run late: Getting distracted by email, twitter, etc; saying goodbye to the pups.
X. X-Rays you've had: Other than dentals? I had one done of my pelvis a while back--I have hip pains sometimes and wanted to see if anything was up.
Y. Yummy foods that you make: Moroccan chicken, easy chicken masala, baked salmon with lemon and dill, chicken tortilla soup. Lotsa chicken, I guess.
Z. Zoo animal: Cheetahs and Orcas. Brilliant, brilliant animals. And tigers, but in the wild only!!!!!!!
Badum tschhhhh. The end. Merry Christmas Eve to everyone! I'm avoiding claymation movies in the other room!
Nail Polish: "Mermaids Tears" by OPI
Friday, December 23, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Look at this little elf...
Look at this face. Take it in. That's my son right there. And look at how patient he is being with his holiday "ruff" on!
My last post was from Halloween. Uh, what? Have I really been that lazy?? (yes, I have.) Anyway, now it's the Christmas season and We've already started the gift giving at my house. On my mom's side of the family, we trade names with each other so that we only have to buy a gift for one person instead of like, fifteen. It's worked out really well, especially for us in the younger generation that can't really unload a bunch of cash. We also have a tradition of "Robber's Christmas" (some people call it "Dirty Santa"). In the end, I walked off with a nice little haul!
From my cousin, I got seasons 2 and 3 of Battlestar Galactica, the Cranium game was from Robber's Christmas, and the dish towel is from my lovely aunt. I guess I'm a nerd, but I had no shame in asking for the BSG DVDs, and of course I ended up with the braniac board game. The gift that had been opened just before had been a bottle of cheap wine with an Elvis label and an accompanying can of spotted dick. Yes, this exists. It's some sort of bread pudding, I think. I'm really just trying to wipe the whole sexual references + family from my memory. When all of the knee-slapping was over, I chose the box with the dancing penguin wrapping, and then was like, "Wait. This could be a trick. They're attempting to lure me in with cute wrapping." Luckily, it was the Cranium game, and I remember saying, "Okay, I'm satisfied with this." Of course, I've never played it before and I need three other people to play it, but at least I didn't end up with the spotted dick or the two-toned bath towel--the white end for your face and the brown end for your butt. Yeah. That happened too.
Back in November, I went to Mistletoe Market at the Jackson Fairgrounds with my aunt (the same one who gave me the tea towel) and my cousin. It's a really big marketplace hosted by the Jackson Junior League and it's always super crowded. I have mixed feelings about Mistletoe, mostly because I think that it is aimed at a demographic that I am not a part of: women in their 30s married to hunting and sports fanatics with toddler children. However, I did find some stuff that I liked. (duh.)
The two posters are from Brittany Fuson Paper, and I am in love with them. All of her stuff is so snazzy looking! I haven't framed them yet because I didn't realize until I got home that they're on 8.5"x11" papers, so I have to trim them down to get them into my 8"x11" frames. The ring is from the Diamondhead Pearl Company, the same place that I got my pink pearl starburst earrings and matching long necklace. I honestly love their stuff! The ring is kind of big, though, so I have to get it sized or something. But it's this beautiful irregular pearl set into the ring, and the way it catches the light is absolutely fantastic. Everyone knows that I have an obsession with rings, but I had been on the lookout for a while for a chunky cocktail ring. The two jars of marinade are from Loredana's. I got a garlicky one that made fantastic garlic bread and a sweet lemony, almondy one that I've used twice on salmon steaks. They're delicious and made of organic and other natural ingredients. Finally, I got a chunk of honeycomb from the Savannah Bee Company. I will admit that I haven't used this as much as I would have liked, just because in order to eat a fancy snack of apples and honey is actually more time consuming than I would like. Still, I would swear under oath that it is some of the best honey that I have ever tasted. It's still sealed in the honeycomb when you get it, and it doesn't get any fresher than that! You can also eat the beeswax without any adverse effects.
Happy Christmas and Hanukkah to everyone! I hope that you find yourselves in a charitable and giving mood over the rest of the season.
Nail polish: "Dear Santa" by OPI
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
These days...
Happy Day after Halloween, y'all! We had a rush of trick or treaters that we were not expecting and were all but wiped out of candy by 8 PM. Coincidentally, I've been worked to the bone over the past few days, so I just turned out the porch light and retreated to a hot bubble bath and my FITNESS magazine.
I've been bouncing through a rough patch lately, but instead of projecting that energy by blogging about it, I decided instead to do a post about some things that I've been loving lately!
Of course, I have not been gifted with any of these product from their companies and I am not receiving money to promote them. This should be obvious, but there is a federal law saying that these things need to be disclosed.
First, between work and the encroaching cold weather, Vaseline's Healthy Hand and Nail Conditioning Lotion is a must-have these days. I've always had really bad cuticles; they get dry and pull away from my nails, and then, being the anxious stress-carrier that I've always been, I start to pick at them. A few months ago, I found out from internet research that dry cuticles can result from working with lots of paper and textiles. Of course! It's always a #CroftProblem. I can't even think of how many books and sheafs of paper I've gone through in my life! And now that I'm working at Newk's, I'm handling a lot of napkins and washing my hands a lot, so I was looking for a hand lotion that I would be easily able to carry around with me. This lotion is easy to locate in a purse because of a) the bright pink color and b) the larger size of the packaging. It's not huge, but it's not a dinky little $1.00 package, either. The consistency is very creamy and spreads out easily when you rub your hands together, and it doesn't have any of those cloying floral scents that manufacturers seem to think that we want. The back label claims that it makes nails 10x stronger--I can't vouch for that because I keep my nails short but I have noticed that the layers of my nails haven't peeled back lately. My cuticles haven't completely healed up or anything, and they still dry out, but I would say that the overall quality of my hands has improved since I've started using it.
Second, I used the two Essie nail polishes today: the gray (Chinchilly) on my toes and the pinky-gold (Tea and Crumpets) on my fingers. Tea and Crumpets has been a fave of mine since I bought it over the summer, but this was the first day that I've used Chinchilly. Tea and Crumpets is such a beautiful neutral color and very elegant looking with the iridescence that pops so subtly in the light. It's like a cross between a champagne and a pale gold with just the slightest pink undertone. I can't wear my favorite colors these days because of Newk's (no crazy nail colors--no blue, no purple, no green--can you tell I'm dying??) but neutral and "traditional" pinks and reds are allowed. Hence, Chinchilly on my toes. It's a typical deep gray, but very glossy looking. I had been worried that it would end up looking too dark, but I was pleasantly surprised. The ubiquitous Essie complains still apply though for both colors: the brush is too skinny and will never compare to OPI's, and because the consistency of the polishes are so thin, you really have to pay attention as you paint. If you can bear with the tricky application of Essie products though, the result is worth it!
Third, the product that I love to hate is the Nike Training Club app for iPhone and iPod. My relationship with this app is well documented on Twitter, but I admit that I haven't really worked out in over a month. Well, I paid for it this morning when I was barely able to push through 20 minutes of a 30-minute workout. NTC will kick. your. ass. but you will see results so insanely quickly. My first round with NTC lasted maybe fix or six 30-minute workouts over a month, and my legs and arms were visibly changing shape from one session to the next. All you need are some 5- or 8-lb dumbbells, a yoga mat, and one of those weight ball things (mine is 5 lbs). The app itself is free, so other than getting two or three things from WalMart/Target, you are losing nothing. In fact, if you're imaginative enough, you probably already have some things in your house that you could substitute--I used to use full water bottles as makeshift dumbbells in my dorm. I've been inspired by the fitness section of Pinterest and I am going to try my best this time to work out and make a positive change!
Related to this, you see that tall glass of water? Yes, that is another thing that I'm in love with these days: Water! In order to stay hydrated and also work at keeping my skin clear, I'm trying to drink as much water as possible. I get headaches because I'm always so busy (I'm scheduled to work 55 hours this week) but since I've been drinking tons of water and tea, I've noticed that they haven't been flaring up as often. I need to pick up some lemons at the store to add to my first-thing-when-I-wake-up and my last-thing-before-I-go-to-bed glasses of water; the benefits of lemon water are pretty well documented.
Next, I've only used it twice so far, but I am in. love. with this Olay Professional Pro-X Cleansing Brush. My struggle with mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne is pretty obvious to anyone that I've ever met and even a serious combo of birth control + oral antibiotics + Retin-A wasn't able to completely clear it up. I know that a lot of it has to do with a lot of dead skin hanging around and clogging up my pores, so I've been poking at the idea of getting a Clairsonic. Those things are ex.pen.sive. though, so I thought that I would try the Olay Pro-X, since it's the same concept for a fraction of the cost. Basically, you smooth your cleanser onto your face and massage it in to make sure that you've hit all of your skin. Then, you turn on the brush to one of the two speeds, and slowly move it across your face with barely any pressure at all. I focus on my chin and cheekbones, since that is where I get both full-on zits and annoying non-inflammatory clogged pores. I haven't seen an impact yet on my acne, but I can tell that it's coming. My skin is soooo smooth, y'all. The brush whisks away all of the dead skin, and since your cleanser is on, it moves the cleanser over all of that new skin. Afterwards, my skin sucked up all of my moisturizer and felt so plump and healthy. With all of the dull skin on top gone, my skin also looks more glowy than usual, similar to what it looks like after a good exfoliation, but more even-toned and less red from the scrubbing that goes with manual exfoliation. It isn't completely waterproof, but in theory, you could step out of your shower's spray and use it over other parts of your body, like shoulders, neck, etc. Lovelovelove. Sanitation seems to be a bit important so after my second use, I dipped a qtip in some rubbing alcohol and swiped it through the bristles.
Finally, an old favorite of mine is the Jergens Original Scent Lotion, which has the most delicious cherry-almond smell to it. I first started using it years ago and I just keep coming back to it. It's thick enough to make you feel like you're not just smoothing on a superficial layer of oily lotion, but it absorbs quickly and without feeling greasy. I use it all over my body and sometimes don't even use perfume after because it smells so nice. Like the Vaseline hand lotion, it doesn't have that flowery smell that I kind of hate. I always feel like between my shampoo/conditioner, body wash, and makeup/hair products, the smells become overpowering. Not with this lotion! Mmm I'm going to go put some on right now!
Not pictured: Florence + the Machine's new album, Ceremonials. I downloaded it last night after it became available and have been listening to it to get a feel for the songs. Ceremonials is sitting at #4 on the iTunes Top Albums the day of its release and not for no reason: it is truly above and beyond Florence's first album, Lungs, which was a masterpiece in and of itself. Her music isn't full of sunshine and puppies, but her voice is so unique and soaring that it seems only appropriate to accompany it with harps, pianos, and drums. The deluxe edition is $14.99, but can be streamed from myspace for free here. "Shake it Out" and "What the Water Gave Me" were released a while back, and those singles were fantastic. I found and downloaded the Bonnaroo performance of "Strangeness and Charm" and I dare to say that after the passion of that performance, the album version just doesn't measure up. Still, "No Light, No Light," "Heartlines," and "Never Let Me Go" stopped me in my tracks when I first heard them. Guh, Flo, you've outdone yourself again!!
So, this is a monster, and congrats if you made it to the end!
I've been bouncing through a rough patch lately, but instead of projecting that energy by blogging about it, I decided instead to do a post about some things that I've been loving lately!
Of course, I have not been gifted with any of these product from their companies and I am not receiving money to promote them. This should be obvious, but there is a federal law saying that these things need to be disclosed.
First, between work and the encroaching cold weather, Vaseline's Healthy Hand and Nail Conditioning Lotion is a must-have these days. I've always had really bad cuticles; they get dry and pull away from my nails, and then, being the anxious stress-carrier that I've always been, I start to pick at them. A few months ago, I found out from internet research that dry cuticles can result from working with lots of paper and textiles. Of course! It's always a #CroftProblem. I can't even think of how many books and sheafs of paper I've gone through in my life! And now that I'm working at Newk's, I'm handling a lot of napkins and washing my hands a lot, so I was looking for a hand lotion that I would be easily able to carry around with me. This lotion is easy to locate in a purse because of a) the bright pink color and b) the larger size of the packaging. It's not huge, but it's not a dinky little $1.00 package, either. The consistency is very creamy and spreads out easily when you rub your hands together, and it doesn't have any of those cloying floral scents that manufacturers seem to think that we want. The back label claims that it makes nails 10x stronger--I can't vouch for that because I keep my nails short but I have noticed that the layers of my nails haven't peeled back lately. My cuticles haven't completely healed up or anything, and they still dry out, but I would say that the overall quality of my hands has improved since I've started using it.
Second, I used the two Essie nail polishes today: the gray (Chinchilly) on my toes and the pinky-gold (Tea and Crumpets) on my fingers. Tea and Crumpets has been a fave of mine since I bought it over the summer, but this was the first day that I've used Chinchilly. Tea and Crumpets is such a beautiful neutral color and very elegant looking with the iridescence that pops so subtly in the light. It's like a cross between a champagne and a pale gold with just the slightest pink undertone. I can't wear my favorite colors these days because of Newk's (no crazy nail colors--no blue, no purple, no green--can you tell I'm dying??) but neutral and "traditional" pinks and reds are allowed. Hence, Chinchilly on my toes. It's a typical deep gray, but very glossy looking. I had been worried that it would end up looking too dark, but I was pleasantly surprised. The ubiquitous Essie complains still apply though for both colors: the brush is too skinny and will never compare to OPI's, and because the consistency of the polishes are so thin, you really have to pay attention as you paint. If you can bear with the tricky application of Essie products though, the result is worth it!
Third, the product that I love to hate is the Nike Training Club app for iPhone and iPod. My relationship with this app is well documented on Twitter, but I admit that I haven't really worked out in over a month. Well, I paid for it this morning when I was barely able to push through 20 minutes of a 30-minute workout. NTC will kick. your. ass. but you will see results so insanely quickly. My first round with NTC lasted maybe fix or six 30-minute workouts over a month, and my legs and arms were visibly changing shape from one session to the next. All you need are some 5- or 8-lb dumbbells, a yoga mat, and one of those weight ball things (mine is 5 lbs). The app itself is free, so other than getting two or three things from WalMart/Target, you are losing nothing. In fact, if you're imaginative enough, you probably already have some things in your house that you could substitute--I used to use full water bottles as makeshift dumbbells in my dorm. I've been inspired by the fitness section of Pinterest and I am going to try my best this time to work out and make a positive change!
Related to this, you see that tall glass of water? Yes, that is another thing that I'm in love with these days: Water! In order to stay hydrated and also work at keeping my skin clear, I'm trying to drink as much water as possible. I get headaches because I'm always so busy (I'm scheduled to work 55 hours this week) but since I've been drinking tons of water and tea, I've noticed that they haven't been flaring up as often. I need to pick up some lemons at the store to add to my first-thing-when-I-wake-up and my last-thing-before-I-go-to-bed glasses of water; the benefits of lemon water are pretty well documented.
Next, I've only used it twice so far, but I am in. love. with this Olay Professional Pro-X Cleansing Brush. My struggle with mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne is pretty obvious to anyone that I've ever met and even a serious combo of birth control + oral antibiotics + Retin-A wasn't able to completely clear it up. I know that a lot of it has to do with a lot of dead skin hanging around and clogging up my pores, so I've been poking at the idea of getting a Clairsonic. Those things are ex.pen.sive. though, so I thought that I would try the Olay Pro-X, since it's the same concept for a fraction of the cost. Basically, you smooth your cleanser onto your face and massage it in to make sure that you've hit all of your skin. Then, you turn on the brush to one of the two speeds, and slowly move it across your face with barely any pressure at all. I focus on my chin and cheekbones, since that is where I get both full-on zits and annoying non-inflammatory clogged pores. I haven't seen an impact yet on my acne, but I can tell that it's coming. My skin is soooo smooth, y'all. The brush whisks away all of the dead skin, and since your cleanser is on, it moves the cleanser over all of that new skin. Afterwards, my skin sucked up all of my moisturizer and felt so plump and healthy. With all of the dull skin on top gone, my skin also looks more glowy than usual, similar to what it looks like after a good exfoliation, but more even-toned and less red from the scrubbing that goes with manual exfoliation. It isn't completely waterproof, but in theory, you could step out of your shower's spray and use it over other parts of your body, like shoulders, neck, etc. Lovelovelove. Sanitation seems to be a bit important so after my second use, I dipped a qtip in some rubbing alcohol and swiped it through the bristles.
Finally, an old favorite of mine is the Jergens Original Scent Lotion, which has the most delicious cherry-almond smell to it. I first started using it years ago and I just keep coming back to it. It's thick enough to make you feel like you're not just smoothing on a superficial layer of oily lotion, but it absorbs quickly and without feeling greasy. I use it all over my body and sometimes don't even use perfume after because it smells so nice. Like the Vaseline hand lotion, it doesn't have that flowery smell that I kind of hate. I always feel like between my shampoo/conditioner, body wash, and makeup/hair products, the smells become overpowering. Not with this lotion! Mmm I'm going to go put some on right now!
Not pictured: Florence + the Machine's new album, Ceremonials. I downloaded it last night after it became available and have been listening to it to get a feel for the songs. Ceremonials is sitting at #4 on the iTunes Top Albums the day of its release and not for no reason: it is truly above and beyond Florence's first album, Lungs, which was a masterpiece in and of itself. Her music isn't full of sunshine and puppies, but her voice is so unique and soaring that it seems only appropriate to accompany it with harps, pianos, and drums. The deluxe edition is $14.99, but can be streamed from myspace for free here. "Shake it Out" and "What the Water Gave Me" were released a while back, and those singles were fantastic. I found and downloaded the Bonnaroo performance of "Strangeness and Charm" and I dare to say that after the passion of that performance, the album version just doesn't measure up. Still, "No Light, No Light," "Heartlines," and "Never Let Me Go" stopped me in my tracks when I first heard them. Guh, Flo, you've outdone yourself again!!
So, this is a monster, and congrats if you made it to the end!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Quick Post
Every time that I get a quick break, I can't believe how much time passes between posts on this blog. Of course, there aren't a lot of people that read it or anything, but I've been trying to not half-do things recently. So. Even though I have to leave for my second shift at Newk's today in thirty minutes, I'm going to make a quick update.
I got my LSAT back and I'm...satisfied. I guess. I wasn't surprised, because it's what I was getting on my practice tests, but I had been hoping that test day adrenaline would have tacked on an extra point or two. It's a little bit disheartening, I think because I had been wanting to hit the 90th percentile so badly, but only got to the 86th. It's not bad--I'm not saying that at all. But any one who knows me knows that I always feel like I could have done better. And so now I'm looking at some of these schools that I wanted to go to, and I feel like I'm wasting my time even reading their names (Georgetown, in particular). Even UT Austin, where I sent my application this morning, is technically out of my reach. I'm hoping that my personal statement and letters from Dr. Gispen and Dr. Allen make a difference.
Luckily, I have great friends and family who have been extremely encouraging and supportive of me, and I know that once I get into school, I'll give it my all and get the results that I want.
On the upside, work has been really great lately. I'm using Westlaw for a project for one of the attorney's and it's basically reading a bunch of justice opinions to find case decisions that have been reversed because of something that the prosecution did wrong. I'm loving some of these sassy opinions (which is where the justice breaks down the Court's reasoning for reversing or affirming a lower court's decision) and it's been making my days bearable. I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for a huge project that I've been working on since I started, and I can't wait for it to be over. I'm kind of terrified of turning it in and the people saying "uhhhh there was NO need for all of this work..." But whatever; it's been a good experience in researching legislation and seeing all of the hurdles involved in state assemblies.
Newk's has finally gotten new front-of-house employees, so once they get trained and off on their own, work should be much less stressful--"should" being the key word there. Today's lunch rush wasn't too bad, really, but I've been so run down lately that anything that doesn't make me feel like passing out right there has been great. I've finally gotten off of my angst about Newk's and I'm really enjoying working there in its own way. It's nice to interact with all of those personalities and age groups on a regular basis and still be able to function as a team. It's weird to say that Newk's is basically my social life for right now, but it's true.
This whole shtick of having two jobs (one of which is unpaid) and law school applications is really starting to take its toll on me, and I could definitely feel it last week when I was super sick with the cold front coming through. Once all of my sinus congestion drained down into my throat, it was game over. I had to call out of Newk's on Saturday night because I sounded like an 80-year-old ex-sailor dying of throat cancer. I got completely caught up on Battlestar Galactica, though, and found myself in complete awe as I thought through all of the phenomenal themes and subjects that structured the four seasons. I think I'll do a nerd post later on about it and some other things that I'm in to these days.
It's funny how I thought that this year would be a year of rest and recharging before law school--everybody laugh with me now. If I don't feel like a chicken running around without a head, I'm thinking ahead to all of the things that I have to do in a few hours/days. Like today: I was up at 7, finishing my application, then sent it out, and I'm working a double shift (11 to 3, 5 to 10) at Newk's. I'm probably working 50 hours a week, combined, and having to do applications on top of that?? No wonder my alarm goes off in the morning and I feel like throwing it across the room.
But, on the upside, all of the grunt work for my resume and personal statement is done, so now I just have to tweak it and send it off to the different schools! Everybody shake and sob in relief with me! Hopefully I can start REALLY recharging and have some time to, I don't know, take a walk in the morning or evening with my dog every now and then. Finish my scarf that I've been working on for forever (that I really want to finish! Time, stop for me!). Do a few lunges and push ups and get back to the ripped legs and arms I had not even two months ago. These things would be fantastic!
Back to werk now, y'all.
/complaining
I got my LSAT back and I'm...satisfied. I guess. I wasn't surprised, because it's what I was getting on my practice tests, but I had been hoping that test day adrenaline would have tacked on an extra point or two. It's a little bit disheartening, I think because I had been wanting to hit the 90th percentile so badly, but only got to the 86th. It's not bad--I'm not saying that at all. But any one who knows me knows that I always feel like I could have done better. And so now I'm looking at some of these schools that I wanted to go to, and I feel like I'm wasting my time even reading their names (Georgetown, in particular). Even UT Austin, where I sent my application this morning, is technically out of my reach. I'm hoping that my personal statement and letters from Dr. Gispen and Dr. Allen make a difference.
Luckily, I have great friends and family who have been extremely encouraging and supportive of me, and I know that once I get into school, I'll give it my all and get the results that I want.
On the upside, work has been really great lately. I'm using Westlaw for a project for one of the attorney's and it's basically reading a bunch of justice opinions to find case decisions that have been reversed because of something that the prosecution did wrong. I'm loving some of these sassy opinions (which is where the justice breaks down the Court's reasoning for reversing or affirming a lower court's decision) and it's been making my days bearable. I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for a huge project that I've been working on since I started, and I can't wait for it to be over. I'm kind of terrified of turning it in and the people saying "uhhhh there was NO need for all of this work..." But whatever; it's been a good experience in researching legislation and seeing all of the hurdles involved in state assemblies.
Newk's has finally gotten new front-of-house employees, so once they get trained and off on their own, work should be much less stressful--"should" being the key word there. Today's lunch rush wasn't too bad, really, but I've been so run down lately that anything that doesn't make me feel like passing out right there has been great. I've finally gotten off of my angst about Newk's and I'm really enjoying working there in its own way. It's nice to interact with all of those personalities and age groups on a regular basis and still be able to function as a team. It's weird to say that Newk's is basically my social life for right now, but it's true.
This whole shtick of having two jobs (one of which is unpaid) and law school applications is really starting to take its toll on me, and I could definitely feel it last week when I was super sick with the cold front coming through. Once all of my sinus congestion drained down into my throat, it was game over. I had to call out of Newk's on Saturday night because I sounded like an 80-year-old ex-sailor dying of throat cancer. I got completely caught up on Battlestar Galactica, though, and found myself in complete awe as I thought through all of the phenomenal themes and subjects that structured the four seasons. I think I'll do a nerd post later on about it and some other things that I'm in to these days.
It's funny how I thought that this year would be a year of rest and recharging before law school--everybody laugh with me now. If I don't feel like a chicken running around without a head, I'm thinking ahead to all of the things that I have to do in a few hours/days. Like today: I was up at 7, finishing my application, then sent it out, and I'm working a double shift (11 to 3, 5 to 10) at Newk's. I'm probably working 50 hours a week, combined, and having to do applications on top of that?? No wonder my alarm goes off in the morning and I feel like throwing it across the room.
But, on the upside, all of the grunt work for my resume and personal statement is done, so now I just have to tweak it and send it off to the different schools! Everybody shake and sob in relief with me! Hopefully I can start REALLY recharging and have some time to, I don't know, take a walk in the morning or evening with my dog every now and then. Finish my scarf that I've been working on for forever (that I really want to finish! Time, stop for me!). Do a few lunges and push ups and get back to the ripped legs and arms I had not even two months ago. These things would be fantastic!
Back to werk now, y'all.
/complaining
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Whispering Southern Breeze...
I can't believe how fast the weeks are flying by! I think that working two jobs and applying to law schools and also trying to have a personal life just makes the days and nights blink by.
I went up to Oxford this weekend under the pretenses of going to the Alabama game, but in reality I just wanted to see Faison, Leigh, and a few other friends of mine. Faison once again opened up her home to my nomadic ways and I got to meet her parents! I had met her mother when we went to pick out bridesmaid dresses for her wedding, but this was my first time meeting her dad. He and his Great Bushy Beard intimidated me for about two seconds, and then I realized that he's actually a very cool guy. In fact, we share a hobby: polishing silver. He spent a good deal of time polishing up a beautiful platter and dispenser on Friday night for his homemade Bloody Mary mix the next day.
We all spent the day at the Graves' tent on Saturday and I can say that it was one of my top Groving experiences at Ole Miss. Everyone knows that I'm kind of weird about alcohol and the crazy sorority-fraternity interplay that happens in the Grove, and since I have such a small, tight group of friends, the enormity of it all and the wandering through tents is a bit overwhelming for me. But I think that because we were further away from the epicenter of the Grove, and because I am now a holier-than-thou alumna, it was a LOT of fun.
Leigh and I went off to the Library to watch the game. It was honestly a bit distracting, what with the cute bartenders and the couple from Alabama having an argument next to me. We got slaughtered, and that was expected and all, but once the Alabama people started getting super rowdy, we PTFOed. Luckily, the game was over and Faison and BJ and her parents had shown up, so we went off to City Grocery. Bobby Joe had found a pair of joke glasses that have the big nose attached and he wore them all. night. long. My most amusing conversation was with an acquaintance twice removed about how he had dated a jockey that was just over the wrong side of #bougie and WASPy.
We had all gotten split up as Faison took her parents home and Colby went to see Cold War Kids at the Lyric and BJ went off with Jose to Parrish's, but as Leigh and I waited for Faison to pick us up and take us home, we were almost witnesses to a domestic disturbance on the Square. Annoying arguments I can deal with, but when the girl is cursing out her boyfriend and he is just STARING silently at her, I start to get a bit worried, so when Beowulf whipped around the Square, Leigh and I lept inside to avoid that trainwreck.
What I've learned this weekend:
-Bloody Marys taste good. Like, heyyyy, new fave. I'm definitely going to be the sassy lady in the nursing home who has "tomato juice" with her oatmeal at breakfast.
-I have fabulous and hilarious friends (duh):
-I really don't need to mix liquors, even in small amounts
-I have zero shame in asking for help with writing (Thanks, Mr. Graves!)
-NutriSystem actually tastes kind of good--the Apple Struedel Breakfast Bar, at least!
NP: "I Found a Boy," Adele.
Nail Polish: Hong Kong Sunrise, OPI
Tea: Errp, it's Diet Dr. Pepper tonight, kidz.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Tiiiiiiiired.
I had a dream last night that I gave birth to a ginger baby. Like, the hair color, not a candy man baby. The memory hit me like a freight train at about 1:00 PM this afternoon while working. So. Random. I was super excited about it in my dream, too. Not like an "awww a baby boy with beautiful auburn hair!" excited, but like an "OMG I have a ginger baby. This is high-lair-ee-ous." type of excited. Also in my dream, I had this baby at home and then went to the hospital and had an argument with the nurse. It went like this:
Me: I just had a baby.
Nurse: You're having a baby now??
Me: No, I already had it. *waves baby around* See?
Nurse: But you can't have a baby outside the hospital!
Me: Well. I did.
Needless to say, I was snickering at work while remembering this, but outwardly trying to look serious and contemplative while I searched the archives of Delaware's state legislature website.
I work in the a place called "workspace." This is what the placard near the door opening says. It's also a quasi storage room with printers, copiers, and hole punchers. People meander in and out, but I'm always way too awkward to say something. My mom and stepfather gave me a pep talk about it today, saying that I need to at least smile and nod at people when they come in, or else I come off as stand-offish. I wish I could just type a sign that says, "Hi, I'm just socially awkward and inept at small talk, not actually frigid and pretentious" and tape it to my back. That might make it easier (probably not).
But this morning I frantically threw this into the crock pot, and when I got home it smelled deeeeeelicious.
I normally spoon it over couscous, but the only type that we have in the pantry is "Wild Herb and Mushroom" flavor. No thanks, boo. So, since I was too lazy to make rice or orzo or something, I just put it into a bowl by itself. Yep, still delicious. I ate it outside with the parentals, and even got a visit from the queen herself, Skittles.
The moroccan chicken dinner definitely made up for the Healthy Choice Steamer that I had for lunch. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't spectacular. It was kind of spicy too, and nothing is more annoying than having a runny nose and hoping that people won't walk in and catch you clearing out your sinuses. Note to self: no ethnic food at work until I've met everyone.
I started reading Love in the Time of Cholera during my break, too. Thanks, Faison, for lending your copy to me!! It's pretty good so far, but I'm only like, ten pages in. As is the case with most great lit, the opening scenes don't actually deal with the main characters, so I was really confused until I wikied it. Yeah, I'll admit that I've been on a YA kick lately, so the elevated prose threw me for a bit. But now I'm back in the saddle! Y'all are going to hate me when I start quoting poetry. I already subjected Faison to a reading of one of my favorite poems, "Ulysses," by Wordsworth. #bougie, duh.
I was going to paint my nails tonight, buuuut I got too lazy to do it, and too afraid that I would mess them up. Meh.
np: "Georgia on my Mind," Alicia Keys + Jamie Foxx; "All You Wanted," Sounds Underneath; "Bloodstream," Stateless.
tea: Sleepytime by Celestial Seasons with cardamom pods. I work a double shift tomorrow at Newk's (8:00 to 4:00; 5:00 to 10:00) so I need to make sure that I sleep!
Bye, y'all!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Is this what being an adult feels like?
I've been watching NCIS on USA for, like, four hours now. I find Tony DiNozzo simultaneously irritating and attractive. Why is it always the smarmy guyz?
But yeah. Four hours. Like, since I got home from work/the grocery and I decided that HGTV didn't have anything interesting on. (Sorry, Leigh, but unless it's a couger moving to FL, I really can't get into House Hunters.) And this isn't the type of TV marathon that usually accompanies a tense feeling of procrastination, which has been the case almost my entire life. No, this is the type of TV marathon that accompanies being sprawled out after a long day. It's a nice feeling, actually.
I made a sweet potato and baked chicken sprinkled with salt, garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It's actually a really good combination and it smelled heavenly. However, the bone disappeared from my plate--I suspect a certain Boxer mix as the culprit. Of course, we just paid an ungodly amount of money on an exploratory surgery for our other dog that most likely came about from eating questionable objects, so now I'm freaking out and hoping that Aryx doesn't end up with some sort of blockage because he's a fatty that can't turn down people food.
I started my internship today. Not horribly exciting. Because I'm in consumer protection and because the legislative session starts in January, I've been assigned the task of researching consumer protection legislation in the other 49 states passed within the last two years. So from 11 AM to 4 PM, I sat in the "work area" and skimmed through the titles of every. bill. introduced to state legislatures in the last two years in Virginia, California, and North Carolina. In California, more than 1,000 bills were proposed in 2011. My eyes were burning by 2:30 PM.
What I've learned so far:
-Lawyers like to keep their doors closed.
-When you go to the breakroom, that lady reading her book and eating will definitely ignore you while you eat your apple and granola bar and awkwardly read CNN on your iPhone because you didn't bring your own reading material.
-I really like the sound of typing. I might hit the keys harder than necessary because it adds a certain...authority. (And because I'm bored.)
-I need invisible sweats to go on under my dresses. It was freezing.
-I should have broken in my new flats before wearing them today. Ouchie.
-Don't live-stream on the internet. Because if you're that guy who live-streams world cup football and it interferes with your work, HR will make a special page for new people to sign saying that they won't live stream. Seriously. It was an empty page except for "DO NOT LIVE STREAM ON GOVERNMENT COMPUTERS" in huge block letters in the middle. Lolz.
-Words will start swimming if you stare at them too long.
-Sentences actually can run for ten lines. But halfway through, you forget what the actual subjects and verbs were, so you have to start over again.
-Someone needs to make cliffnotes for state legislatures.
I had to get an ID badge, but it doesn't open any doors. So I still have to go through security every day. Also, my picture looks like my mom. I wish I could understand why my hair always looks so poofy in pictures. It's annoying to where I want to grow it out because I look like I have a Bump It somewhere in there. (I don't.) I felt a bit like I was playing dress up, though this was probably because my dress is a bit too long and the cardigan I picked out didn't have a cropped waist to make up for the extra length.
I'm compensating for all of this ~adultness by painting my toenails purple: Rumple's Wiggin by OPI. At some point I'm going to put Hong Kong Sunrise by OPI onto my fingers, as it's my go-to pink-orange-gold color, but not tonight. I did file them down, though. I've been taking a multivitamin with keratin and they're like, shooting out of their nail beds these days. Crazy! I just want strong nails, not secretary-lady nails!!!
Tonight's tea: Plantation Mint with some green cardamom pods. Yummmm.
But yeah. Four hours. Like, since I got home from work/the grocery and I decided that HGTV didn't have anything interesting on. (Sorry, Leigh, but unless it's a couger moving to FL, I really can't get into House Hunters.) And this isn't the type of TV marathon that usually accompanies a tense feeling of procrastination, which has been the case almost my entire life. No, this is the type of TV marathon that accompanies being sprawled out after a long day. It's a nice feeling, actually.
I made a sweet potato and baked chicken sprinkled with salt, garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It's actually a really good combination and it smelled heavenly. However, the bone disappeared from my plate--I suspect a certain Boxer mix as the culprit. Of course, we just paid an ungodly amount of money on an exploratory surgery for our other dog that most likely came about from eating questionable objects, so now I'm freaking out and hoping that Aryx doesn't end up with some sort of blockage because he's a fatty that can't turn down people food.
I started my internship today. Not horribly exciting. Because I'm in consumer protection and because the legislative session starts in January, I've been assigned the task of researching consumer protection legislation in the other 49 states passed within the last two years. So from 11 AM to 4 PM, I sat in the "work area" and skimmed through the titles of every. bill. introduced to state legislatures in the last two years in Virginia, California, and North Carolina. In California, more than 1,000 bills were proposed in 2011. My eyes were burning by 2:30 PM.
What I've learned so far:
-Lawyers like to keep their doors closed.
-When you go to the breakroom, that lady reading her book and eating will definitely ignore you while you eat your apple and granola bar and awkwardly read CNN on your iPhone because you didn't bring your own reading material.
-I really like the sound of typing. I might hit the keys harder than necessary because it adds a certain...authority. (And because I'm bored.)
-I need invisible sweats to go on under my dresses. It was freezing.
-I should have broken in my new flats before wearing them today. Ouchie.
-Don't live-stream on the internet. Because if you're that guy who live-streams world cup football and it interferes with your work, HR will make a special page for new people to sign saying that they won't live stream. Seriously. It was an empty page except for "DO NOT LIVE STREAM ON GOVERNMENT COMPUTERS" in huge block letters in the middle. Lolz.
-Words will start swimming if you stare at them too long.
-Sentences actually can run for ten lines. But halfway through, you forget what the actual subjects and verbs were, so you have to start over again.
-Someone needs to make cliffnotes for state legislatures.
I had to get an ID badge, but it doesn't open any doors. So I still have to go through security every day. Also, my picture looks like my mom. I wish I could understand why my hair always looks so poofy in pictures. It's annoying to where I want to grow it out because I look like I have a Bump It somewhere in there. (I don't.) I felt a bit like I was playing dress up, though this was probably because my dress is a bit too long and the cardigan I picked out didn't have a cropped waist to make up for the extra length.
I'm compensating for all of this ~adultness by painting my toenails purple: Rumple's Wiggin by OPI. At some point I'm going to put Hong Kong Sunrise by OPI onto my fingers, as it's my go-to pink-orange-gold color, but not tonight. I did file them down, though. I've been taking a multivitamin with keratin and they're like, shooting out of their nail beds these days. Crazy! I just want strong nails, not secretary-lady nails!!!
Tonight's tea: Plantation Mint with some green cardamom pods. Yummmm.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Mission Complete
When I walked out of my LSAT, I wasted no time in getting to my car, putting the top down, and tearing off of the Milsapps campus. I turned my CD back on--Mercedes was right in the middle of righteously belting out "Hate on Me" and I slid my shades on, reluctant to question the karma that the musical gods were apparently sending my way. ("Edge of Glory" came on right after. Like I said: karma.)
I'm not going to get into a deeply emotional analysis of how I think that I did; I've already beaten that to death with my mother, Faison, and Leigh. I'll find out soon enough, anyway. I can't really talk about the content--I'm pretty sure that the LSAC would blacklist me from all law schools if I even hinted at the order of the sections--but I will say that I felt that parts of it were extraordinarily easy compared to last time. Reading comp was a b.r.e.e.z.e. By the second passage, I almost started hysterically laughing and brushing my shoulders off. There was one question in a Logical Reasoning section that filled up an entire column and I was just like, "lolno, c u l8er mah friend" and circled it to come back to later. Of course, there is always that one question or that one game that messed with your head, but once the proctor says, "Put your pencils down," it's over and it's no use thinking about it anymore. Unless you're that awkward dude I sat in front of that DIDN'T put his pencil down, prompting the proctor to get sassy: "SIR. put your pencil DOWN." (I snickered. He's lucky that he didn't get a violation notice.)
I'm sitting on Faison's couch now; I got home from the test and threw my bags into the car and went off to Oxford. We watched Hot Fuzz last night and pumped ourselves full of tumeric, fenugreek, rice, and chicken. In other words: we experience nirvana. If you've never seen Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, you're missing out. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a tried and true comedic duo, never disappointing. The whole movie is a parody of action films; apparently Pegg and Frost watched over 130 action films for reference. Pegg's character is a cop at the London Met that gets forcibly transferred to the country because he's making the rest of the Met force "look bad," as his arrest record is 200% higher than any other cop. Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Timothy Dalton, and other British staples make appearances.
I visited with the Browers this morning, too. Peter is getting way too big for me to handle and it's hard to believe that he was crawling when I first started with them, and now he's speaking three languages (Russian, English, and a bit of Spanish) and running around and sleeping in a big boy bed. Dr. Brower/Chip and I had a conversation about personal statements for law schools, and he gave me some great insight. While it seems as though the overarching advice for writing good personal statements is to write a good personal statement, he elucidated what it is exactly that makes a good personal statement. Since I'm not expecting a phenomenal LSAT score, I know that it's going to count a lot.
I'm rambling now.
I miss my dog. (duh.)
I'm not going to get into a deeply emotional analysis of how I think that I did; I've already beaten that to death with my mother, Faison, and Leigh. I'll find out soon enough, anyway. I can't really talk about the content--I'm pretty sure that the LSAC would blacklist me from all law schools if I even hinted at the order of the sections--but I will say that I felt that parts of it were extraordinarily easy compared to last time. Reading comp was a b.r.e.e.z.e. By the second passage, I almost started hysterically laughing and brushing my shoulders off. There was one question in a Logical Reasoning section that filled up an entire column and I was just like, "lolno, c u l8er mah friend" and circled it to come back to later. Of course, there is always that one question or that one game that messed with your head, but once the proctor says, "Put your pencils down," it's over and it's no use thinking about it anymore. Unless you're that awkward dude I sat in front of that DIDN'T put his pencil down, prompting the proctor to get sassy: "SIR. put your pencil DOWN." (I snickered. He's lucky that he didn't get a violation notice.)
I'm sitting on Faison's couch now; I got home from the test and threw my bags into the car and went off to Oxford. We watched Hot Fuzz last night and pumped ourselves full of tumeric, fenugreek, rice, and chicken. In other words: we experience nirvana. If you've never seen Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, you're missing out. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a tried and true comedic duo, never disappointing. The whole movie is a parody of action films; apparently Pegg and Frost watched over 130 action films for reference. Pegg's character is a cop at the London Met that gets forcibly transferred to the country because he's making the rest of the Met force "look bad," as his arrest record is 200% higher than any other cop. Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Timothy Dalton, and other British staples make appearances.
I visited with the Browers this morning, too. Peter is getting way too big for me to handle and it's hard to believe that he was crawling when I first started with them, and now he's speaking three languages (Russian, English, and a bit of Spanish) and running around and sleeping in a big boy bed. Dr. Brower/Chip and I had a conversation about personal statements for law schools, and he gave me some great insight. While it seems as though the overarching advice for writing good personal statements is to write a good personal statement, he elucidated what it is exactly that makes a good personal statement. Since I'm not expecting a phenomenal LSAT score, I know that it's going to count a lot.
I'm rambling now.
I miss my dog. (duh.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)