I made it through the first week of school, and I have awesome classes. I also have time to write entries during class, but then I never get around to typing them up and posting them. I'll see what I can do to remedy that this week!

Frustration

Sometimes, when I'm sick (like maybe now) and a little bit congested, only one nostril will actually be blocked, but it's a little more frustrating to breathe than both being plugged up. I guess I'm too stubborn to breathe through my mouth while I can technically breathe through my nose. Breathing through my nose is more difficult for me to do, but I just don't like mouth breathing.

Also, I feel a little bad for anyone who may or may not hear me snoring tonight. It'll probably be worse than normal.

Went to Carmel this weekend. Tons of fun, will talk more tomorrow!

Ever met a chick with Star Wars sheets?

A few nights ago the topic of Christmas presents came up. We still haven't exchanged them. Mostly because neither of us actually have the gifts in our possession yet.

He offered to give me a clue though, and I love trying to figure out what someone is going to give me, if only to let them know not to waste money on something I'm not going to like. He prefaced with saying that the hint would either give it away, or completely confuse me. I think he was banking on the latter. I guess I should have mentioned to him sometime before that I used to work at Pottery Barn Kids. His clue was that if I wanted to return it I would have a credit to PBKids, and I took maybe have a second to think before literally squealing with joy and doing an odd kick-thing that would have been jumping up and down if I wasn't laying down at the time.

He's getting me STAR WARS SHEETS!!!!!

Source

Except that he's not, because they're way too expensive and I'm not going to let him. But seriously, this boy not only hit the nail on the head with the gift, he hammered the nail in completely with just the one tap. I guess I was worried about nothing.

Except now I have to come up with something cooler for him. I mean, what I had was spot on, but not nearly on the level of Star Wars sheets.

Plans of progress and parties

Thank you to the person who left a very kind, but anonymous comment on a recent-ish post. I wish that I knew just who you were to truly thank you.

Getting better about blogging is part of my plan for this year. I've got lots of plans, including things like doing my makeup more often, and actually removing it at night when I do wear it. Rather than giving you a big list of things that I could think that will fit into this category, I'm going to simplify and tell you that I've realized that this year is the year that I'm going to be the person I want to be.

The most interesting of facets of this plan would probably be the new recipe idea. For the next twelve months, I am going to ask friends for suggestions, and then try out a new-to-me recipe every month. The one friend I've told about this so far initially asked if I was going for dinners or desserts. I had said whatever at first, but I think now I'm going to try to do one of each every month. By the end of the year I should have some fun cooking stories and a small cookbook of recipes I like to make! There may be even more to this plan that would include dinner parties, but that has yet to be determined. So far Double Champ and my future roommate are the only sure-fire beneficiaries of this idea.

What are your favorite recipes? And just how difficult might they be for someone who has never made them before?

Going forward one year and backward 50

Even with some negatives, the New Year was fun, and friends and family are safely in 2010.

In the past week or so I've found my way back into the 1960s again. My family has often told me that I should have been alive in the 60s for the civil rights movements and such because I have always been a big believer in not only equal opportunity for all, but also peace love and happiness. Heck, in sixth grade I wore a necklace with a peace sign around my forehead at recess most days. I've also always loved Jackie O's look and could already qualify for old lady status with my affinity for the cardigan sweater. Hairspray and Across the Universe totally have me swooning for every outfit, but one thing that I never really got into (because I'm not really patient enough to deal with it) is the hair. I love the look, but it's just not really worth the effort for me.

That is, until I pulled out the velcro rollers that I bought a few years ago. I played with them a bit then, but didn't really get into them. This week though, I've used them several times, and they've been popular! The big hair is a hit with the one I wanted to impress in the first place, and I'm getting the hang of finding a way to get just the right results from them! I actually think I might see about getting some hot rollers and trying those too!



I don't have a good picture of the big hair without it all pulled back and not so big yet, but I do have a picture of the rollers!



Maybe tomorrow's hair will be worth a photo!

2009 Holidays

Christmas has come and gone, and it was a good one. The first one that I completely enjoyed where I was and who I was with, while also longing to be somewhere else, or at least have another addition to the group I was with. I like the feeling.

A few days before Christmas I got what is definitely my favorite present, and it wasn't even a present. Double Champ (who has since won again, but doesn't think we need to change his name yet again) came dancing with me last Tuesday. It was so much fun that I can't even think of decent adjectives to describe how much I enjoyed it. At first he wanted to bow out because he'd had a long day and he thought that we could just meet up later, but when he realized how much I'd been looking forward to it he decided to join me for a couple of hours.

He doesn't think he's so great, but for the first time dancing he was actually really awesome. Based on his own assessment, he has said several times that he plans on getting better, which I believe is a bit of intention to come out again sometime! I suggested this week, especially since I was recently given $20 for a pair of sunglasses that I paid $12 for and was never going to wear again anyway and that is my dancing money this week. I think it might be a little sooner than he'd like though, so I won't be pushing it. I think I'll just let it happen as it happens and enjoy every moment.

Even if we don't go dancing tomorrow night we're going to an awesome New Years Eve party where there will be plenty of time for dancing, even though I'm sure the shoes I'll end up wearing will not be so great for swing. Last night he surprised me by asking if he should wear a tux, which he apparently has! That is of course not at all necessary, though I do get to see him in a tie, which I am looking forward to seeing.

We haven't exchanged gifts yet, mostly because I haven't been able to get the supplies for his (and he knows the address to this blog, so I can't talk about it) but I'm hoping that we can within the next week or so.

I would love to be able to post a picture of the two of us with this post, but as far as I know there are currently none in existence. That will have to change some time this week.

The semester is finally over, and I could not be more relieved after being rather disappointed in myself.

Next semester and the study room with the study group cannot be a more welcome change!

Maybe now I'll be able to get back to writing more often again as well. Until then...


Christmas has me nervous this year. Double Champ says that he has known what he's getting me for a while now, which worries me. Other than my brother and Laura, I don't usually think of myself as someone who is easy to shop for, so for someone to come up with something that might have been easy at all, makes me a little nervous. I do trust that he has come up with something that I will like, but I'm totally lost on what to get him!

Any ideas on how to come up with something?

Small Retraction.

I was informed this weekend that one of my previous posts is factually incorrect.

Sorry Dad, me being an infant/toddler/young child and falling asleep in your arms doesn't quite count.

Rob wasn't right.

In the movie High Fidelity, Rob Gordon speculates at one point that, "Maybe it's not what we're like, but what we like that matters." He is referring to things like movies and music being important rather than how people really get along. The theory is explored a little, but I think that it's mostly just the momentary euphoria he was feeling in connecting with a gorgeous girl who did happen to like the same things as he did. For those who haven't seen it I'm sorry, but he ends up with Laura in the end, the same girl that he's trying to get over the whole movie, who doesn't have quite the same entertainment palate, though she's not in direct opposition to his in any way.

I've been thinking about Rob's theory a bit because Double Champ made a comment a couple weeks ago about us probably disagreeing on a lot of things. The truth is that he and I often end up in very mild arguments over things in which we are inexplicably carrying on, yet arguing the same point. We don't however see completely eye to eye on movies and music, though we have both shown a willingness to share in what the other likes as a means of spending more time together as well as expanding our personal entertainment scopes.

In the past I have dated guys (well, mostly just one guy) who have had pretty much the EXACT same taste in music and movies as my own. While it was amazing and we both commented on loving that it was easy to put music on because we could just hit shuffle on either of our MacBookPros (yes, even the same taste in awesome computers) and both of us would be happy, I am now wondering if it would have gotten boring. While this particular boy and I were able to introduce each other to a lot of new things for the short time that we dated, I can't help but to think that our sources would soon become the same and we would have very little to share with each other. There was already so much that one would link the other to, only to find out that we'd already known about that artist.

I think I like this kind of sharing more. The kind where I have never heard of Chali 2na, but I go to a show anyway because he's so pumped about it and find out that I really love this respectful and intelligent hip hop. I will admit that I had kind of expected to grin and bear something that I was only mildly interested in, but if that were the case I would not have gotten off of my rear and onto the dance floor.

So Rob's pondering is fruitless. No, I shouldn't say that. Rob's pondering brings up a great point. Is it more important to like the same things, or to like each other? I'm oversimplifying and I know it, but that's how I am interpreting it for this use. As he finds out in the end as well, I think it is more important to like each other, and allow that to lead to liking the same things, even if only because the other likes them.

I'm pretty sure this is the first time that I've actually been able to fall asleep in someone's arms. We wake up on opposite sides of the bed, but it's not necessary for falling asleep.

I'm sure that will change when the weather gets warmer, as he and I discussed last night, but for now I really like it.

So much learning

This semester is definitely one of the most difficult that I've ever taken. Actually, it's probably the absolute worst semester to date and if I have anything to say about it the worst semester I will ever have.

As soon as I am done with papers/finals I plan on getting things super organized so I can stay on top of things next semester. I somehow ended up with even more classes next semester than this one.

Do you happen to remember me saying something about a boy who asked me out who I wasn't so sure about?

Things have kind of done a 180, and I'm exhilaratingly terrified.

It is what it is.

Overanalyzing things is way over rated, and just going with it is totally better. I've been just going with it since my last post, and I have to say that I'm damn happy with how that's going. I guess we'll just have to keep this up and see how things continue.

I'm having a rough semester otherwise though, and I've made some decisions that are a bit disappointing, but will probably work better in the long run. Once I get through this essay that is seriously one of the worst I've ever written I may be able to say more.

There's something wrong with me

Smart
Funny
Totally into me
Nerdy
Has a Job
Has his own place
(Responsible)
Social
Chivalrous
Genuine

Can someone please explain to me how Double Champ can be almost everything I've ever wanted (as in definitely 8 of the things listed above and maybe more), and yet I'm still not so sure that this is going to last?

New Name!

Shadow Boy is getting a new name. It's not the most anonymous name, as anyone who actually knows him will probably figure it out in .7 seconds, but SB just has a negative vibe to it, whereas Double Champ does not. So, for the two of you who know him, could I be a little more obvious?

After the walk in the rain on Wednesday night he kissed me, and then he hung out with me and some friends at my place on Thursday. He kissed me that night too, after I got rid of the last friend rather hastily. Friday night there was the usual hanging out at Hangar 17 followed by food at my place and some more kissing, and on Saturday he actually stayed over, but only because it was so damn cold! Last night he accompanied me to Safeway to get some food for studying, and he's on his way over now to hang out for a bit before I kick him out to write a paper.

He's definitely way more into me than I am him, but I'm going with it for now and seeing how it goes. Hopefully it doesn't end in flames.

Shadow Boy seems to be stepping into the light a bit.

I don't think I know enough to share any more at the moment.

I figured it out!

I've been getting a little frustrated with the attention that I've been getting because of the hair. I love the hair, and I think that the color works well for me, but I get much more attention than I thought I would and I couldn't understand why. Lots of people have different colors in their hair, why should it be such a big deal?

It all connected for me today though, when I saw a guy whose hair was so obviously dyed black it was almost painful and he was giving me the same stare that most people do. It's the style! My hair is green, but I still dress and style my hair as though I'm on my way to be a soccer mom in the next 7 years. The incongruity is what's throwing people off!

People don't know what to think of me. Am I a little punk with green/blue hair, or am I a "typical" middle class white girl who conforms to society's expectations?

Hopefully this new understanding will allow me to not mind the looks so much. I think I'll have to wait until Thursday to really know since it's so late now and tomorrow is a holiday and I won't be going out in public much, especially with the painting of a house taking place and all.

Don't Forget to be Awesome!

I really need to get to bed so I can get up tomorrow and take care of the kinds of things that I've been procrastinating for a few weeks. If you haven't figured it out, when I procrastinate doing homework, I also avoid blogging because I feel a bit guilty about doing something that I enjoy when I'm not doing things that I'm obligated to do.

Sometimes I still write things though, and I just don't post them. Like the following letter to Hank Green.

* * * *

An open letter (because I haven't showered and making a video would be a bad idea at the moment) to Hank Green regarding tribes.

I'd watched Seth Godin's talk before seeing your video, and I got a slightly different idea about the tribes he describes from that video. I have yet to go back and watch his talk again, and as such I may ultimately end up agreeing with your interpretation more, but right now I'd like to discuss the differences for a moment.

You mention that as Nerdfighters, we are a tribe. I get that, I like that, I'm behind it, but it's not what I initially thought Godin was referring to. Instead, I understood him to be pretty much different personality types, and the tribes themselves are the 5 types of people, or rather their outlooks.

I still agree that many a nerdfighter is in the 4th type and very supportive of the world around them. Go us! I just don't think that it's being a nerdfighter that puts us into that category, I think us being in that category allow us to be awesome nerdfighters. In some ways it's like the houses at Hogwarts. An individual's outlook and initial responses to something determine which tribe they belong in.

The great thing about writing and creating characters as JK Rowling has, is that she can allow many of her characters to actually be pretty awesome. I would argue that all three non-dark houses are at least level three tribe types, while to over simplify it Slytherin is a type 1. It is because these characters are already in these tribes that they are put together.



Having written this and thought about it a bit since I wrote what is above, I'm not so strong in my stance anymore. I think it's a bit of both views (and probably has aspects of other takes as well, I just haven't heard those ones yet)!

I would love to think about this more, and I probably will while in class tomorrow, but I'd like to get this posted before I totally forget about it. Also, seeing the video you shared on Twitter tonight made me think of just how great a type 4 tribe ALL of You Tube can be, posting now seems timely.

Any of your thoughts on this would be welcomed, with some luck I will be able to discuss this with you on Friday in San Francisco! (I'm a little bummed that I found out about this later than I wanted and wasn't able to contact you about the music store I work for near Sacramento who would have loved to have you come play in the store. If you're driving to SF, we'll be on your way, feel free to contact me if you're interested in possibly something last minute.)

DFTBA,
Katherine

PS. I really kind of wanted to sign that "One of the Abundance," but I thought that might be better in a letter to John.


* * * *

For those who are unfamiliar, this is the video he posted, and I can't wait to buy the song. Even if I only listen to it when I want pure cheese, that's not what this is about!

It ain't easy being green.

I walked through several stores in the mall today. Normally I get asked almost right away in any store if I'd like help or whatever. I'm normally very polite in saying no, or try to think of a question for them because I know that I certainly hate to have to offer people customer service like that. Today though, I got nothing.



Apparently that is not someone who looks like they could possibly be spending money. Unless of course they're in Sephora. Even there though, I didn't get asked if I needed help, I got told that my hair was awesome.

Since I actually did have a question or two for some people today, I'm a little annoyed at the change of attention. I kind of wonder what the motivation for change was.

I'm really kind of liking the blue, but I don't think that it's because of the hue. (Hehe.) I think what I like is a slightly darker shade to kind of frame my face. I really love my blonde when I'm a bit more tan and there's more of a difference between my skin and hair shades, but that's not quite right for fall/winter. I'm paler now, and I want to go darker!

Not exactly dark, more like my natural dark blonde/light brown hair with a hint of auburn in it. Kind of like Amy Adams in Sunshine Cleaning, but with more light in it. Courtney can handle I'm sure!