new

Today I:

Went to the dentist, who reminded me that my mouth is too small for my ever-growing wisdom teeth. :(

Bought three new shirts (at the Loft Outlet). :)

Went to the Gap Outlet store, which really creeps me out, and so I boycotted them by deciding not to buy their lame clothes. :(

Drove by myself for the first time, to my new pottery class. :|

Driving by myself was interesting. Seeing as I got into the whole driving thing kind of late, it seems like a very large step to be able to drive around by myself. It was kind of scary to be alone in the car, I'll admit it. I mean, you're driving, and there is no one in the passenger's seat. It's kind of lonely. On the upside, it is very nice not to have to involve other people in your trips. 

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I had no other pictures for today, so you get to see some of my pottery.

Lots of love,

- caroline

what i've been up to

What have I been up to for three days? All absent from the blog? You'd think I'd be doing very distracting things. Not so much. First there was the crazy storm, during which I knitted by Ugly Betty Blanket. Mom named it. It is simply a blanket made of squares and rectangles of scrap yarn in different stitches. I've been knitting it while we watch Ugly Betty - and really, it's kind of mismatched and odd like her. :P

There was a beautiful early morning that I caught - for some reason I woke up around 5 am and saw this sky out my window...

Then that morning I made French toast from the Cook's recipe. It's sooooo good. You wouldn't think that this lumpy bread:

Would turn into this gorgeous breakfast!

Then for the past two days I've been painting. I got the new Anthropologie catalog and was inspired. The photography was really top-notch in this issue, and I especially liked the cover, and the first page with the old red convertible. So classy.

And here was my watercolor interpretation... I was not aiming to replicate it, just base my painting on it. Left is at the end of day one, right is at the end of day two (today):

Quinn kept me company while I painted outside on the porch. The weather has been lovely. Quinn is carving a mask out of cedar wood. It smells awesome, though reminds me of hamsters. ;)  And no, those are not hand tattoos. Just ballpoint ink. 

I picked up three Agatha Christie novels today at the library. I'm excited to read them. Griffin leant me The ABC Murders and I really enjoyed it, plus I love the Poirot TV movies, so I thought I'd give the real text a shot. :)

Oh oh oh, also, we made a really yummy Kale and Green Onion Tart for lunch today. I found the recipe from The Granary and it is so good. Here is the link if you're interested in making it --> The Granary Blog: Kale and Onion Tart

Okay, time for bed. Probably gonna go practice parallel parking again tomorrow. I find it difficult. Grr. 

- caroline

cold-front

Today was really cold. :( The weather has been so teasing, lately, first warm, then hot, then cold! Truly cold! See, I have on my shapeless warmish clothing... Usually I'm all gray - gray tee, gray sweatshirt, gray leggings, gray sweat pants. That's the usual uniform on cold days. 

This is a lifestyle blog, right? Well, here's a lifestyle fact about moi. I hate cutting my nails. It gives me the creeps - my finger tips are all sensitive and give me chills for a whole day after I clip them. So I tend to wait too long. This time, the quilting needle I use on my blanket actually put a groove in what my mother calls my "claw."

Breakfast was yummy this morning. Flat egg on British muffins. We always called them English muffins, but Trader Joe's things they are British. *shrug* Oh oh oh, also, this green juice from Trader Joe's, which is really just spirulina and a bunch of fruits. It is so good!

I have a confession. I have never had to write an essay before. Not a proper one, anyway. This is the first proper essay I have had to write, and I think it's okay. Compares and contrasts Rochester from Jane Eyre and Conroy from "The Dead" to a Byronic hero. For anyone who does know what a Byronic hero is: A Byronic hero is a type of hero based on Lord Byron and the protagonists of some of his works. This type of character usually suffers from a dark, mysterious past, has issues with morality, is arrogant and moody, and yet somehow ridiculously attractive. :) The best kind. Some argue that the Doctor (of Doctor Who) is a Byronic hero. Kind of lacks the arrogance, though, don't you think?

That's a watercolor that I really need to finish. I quite like it now, though at the time I felt that the tentacles looked like vomit. They are still a bit shady, but I think with some help, I could make it work...

Quinn kept me company while I did homework today, working on a big drawing of the Invisible Man. He's listening to the book, by H.G. Wells. 

Lunch... salad & Italian sausage. Dinner: Oatmeal and cinnaraisin toast!

Oh, and I am very interested in reading this book! Mom got it from the library, and it is chock full of pictures and interviews... Very cool.

My goal is to be finished with both of my last exams by tomorrow night. That means half a World Lit exam and some last minute edits to my essay. Hehehehehe. *giddy*

six exams to go

Today was windy again - 15-25 mph winds, according to the weather app. It was so nice to have my window open for the morning and afternoon, the wind blowing in, rustling my exam pages.  

I painted this a few weeks ago. I painted it with watercolors, straight onto the glass of the frame - I don't think I'll keep it forever, or anything, it was just an experiment. I remembered that quote for Marilyn Monroe that I really love: "I don't care about making money, I just want to be wonderful." What do you think of the glass painting? I couldn't decide if she looked too sloppy. Ah well. :)

I've been re-reading Crown Duel. It's this book that I loved when I was a tween. See the creases in the spine? :) It's a fantasy novel, I suppose, set in a world of kingdoms and magic things like Fire Sticks and Summons Stones and a royal court with all the trimmings. I love the cheesiness of it all, it makes me smile.

A pic of a sketch I drew while listening to Economics 101 lectures on YouTube. That was awhile ago, but I really liked it... the drawing and the lectures. And obviously, the other pic was today's lunch. It struck me as really pretty, so I snapped a shot.

So, I have six exams to go now. Five, after I finish what I'm working on tonight. This is really exciting for me!! =) So close.

things i like [a lot]

This is everything that I love as of January through March. They are not in any order of importance or value, just put together. From left to right, top to bottom:

|1. This is a photo that I just really, really love. I'm not sure why - I think it just looks so beautiful.
| 2. José Villa...
| 3. Andrew Lyman, who is a really impressive artist that I went to SCAD summer seminars with, painted this...
| 4. Orangette
| 5. Garance Doré - fashion illustrator/photographer... and she's French. :)
| 6. Dan-Ah Kim
| 7. The Sartorialist, oh yes.
| 8. Simply Stardust - lifestyle blog, you might say.
| 9. Bones, we love Bones. Anthropologically speaking....
| 10. Fantastic Mr. Fox - possibly my favorite movie of all time. Isn't that crazy?
| 11. Pier Pressure - a photo project by Ibán Ramón
| 12. Another favorite image...
| 13. The Sartorialist, again, he gets a double honor here.
| 14. Missed Connections
| 15. Shakespeare - I started my lit section on Shakespeare and I'm loving it. Never thought I would like Shakespeare, either...
| 16. Anthropologie
| 17. Northern Exposure... So funny. It's feels like Scrubs & Arrested Development & Napoleon Dynamite mixed together and set in Alaska.
| 18. Nirrimi Joy, who makes me kind of jealous.
| 19. Coldplay, which is pretty much always a like...
| 20. Hollie Chastain - makes paper art from old books, etc.
| 21. Jim & Pam / The Office. "Jam" is my favorite TV or movie romance besides Elizabeth & Darcy. Hands down.

Sheesh, that took forever. :) Enjoy.