So, in this day and age, anyone can make it big with a quick upload to Youtube. A doped up kid coming home from the dentist, two korean girls singing Karaoke, and even an attempted rape have had their time in the limelight. It's easy to forget about the real stars. I'm talking about videos that leave you with your jaw on the floor thinking to yourself, "Boy am I glad that I don't live in the bush."
"Julia...what in the world are you talking about?" you may be wondering. Well, feast your eyes on Battle at Kruger.
Over 8 minutes seems like a lot to spend on watching some wild life interact, but watch the whole thing and prepared to be amazed.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Surprise!
Another great weekend. My amazing friends threw me a great going away surprise party on Saturday. What I thought was just going to be a good ol' fashion sleepover chocked full of cookie dough and chick flicks ended up being a blindfolded drive and delicious dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with some of my favorite people.
So, when I walked up to the Cashion's house, pj's and toothbrush in tow, I have to admit that I had no inkling of any monkey business....Until Rachel answered the door. As it swung open, an eerie quiet filled the room until I saw Casey and Rachel coming towards me with a blindfold in hand. That's when it clicked. "Here we go," I thought to myself as they giggled and tied a pink bandana around my head.
Then, I cautiously piled into Casey's car, still carrying my sleepover bag and held on tight as we took a driving trip around Newport. Trying to throw me off, we managed to make a typically 5-10 minute drive to Fashion Island roughly 30 minutes as Casey navigated us around the Back Bay. In the picture, it looks like a beautiful drive. Not that I would have known.
Once at Fashion Island (I still had no idea where in the world we were) Rachel and Casey led me through the mall still completely blindfolded. They had way too much fun guiding me down stairs and up curbs and fully taking advantage of the fact that I was at their complete mercy. Thank again, Rach, for conveniently forgetting to tell me about that last step.
After making our way through Nordstrom (I knew because of the sudden wave of perfume that engulfed my nostrils the second they opened the door) and a good majority of the rest of Fashion Island we made it to the Cheesecake Factory.
Finally unveiled, I saw nine of my favorite girls smiling back at me.
Dinner was fabulous and I could not have asked for a better send off than spending the night with such influential and meanginful people in my life. Thanks again, Casey and Rachel for putting together such a great surprise....Now, one question: Who in the world am I supposed to hang out with for the next 10 days since I already said to goodbye to everyone!?
So, when I walked up to the Cashion's house, pj's and toothbrush in tow, I have to admit that I had no inkling of any monkey business....Until Rachel answered the door. As it swung open, an eerie quiet filled the room until I saw Casey and Rachel coming towards me with a blindfold in hand. That's when it clicked. "Here we go," I thought to myself as they giggled and tied a pink bandana around my head.
Then, I cautiously piled into Casey's car, still carrying my sleepover bag and held on tight as we took a driving trip around Newport. Trying to throw me off, we managed to make a typically 5-10 minute drive to Fashion Island roughly 30 minutes as Casey navigated us around the Back Bay. In the picture, it looks like a beautiful drive. Not that I would have known.
Once at Fashion Island (I still had no idea where in the world we were) Rachel and Casey led me through the mall still completely blindfolded. They had way too much fun guiding me down stairs and up curbs and fully taking advantage of the fact that I was at their complete mercy. Thank again, Rach, for conveniently forgetting to tell me about that last step.
After making our way through Nordstrom (I knew because of the sudden wave of perfume that engulfed my nostrils the second they opened the door) and a good majority of the rest of Fashion Island we made it to the Cheesecake Factory.
Finally unveiled, I saw nine of my favorite girls smiling back at me.
Dinner was fabulous and I could not have asked for a better send off than spending the night with such influential and meanginful people in my life. Thanks again, Casey and Rachel for putting together such a great surprise....Now, one question: Who in the world am I supposed to hang out with for the next 10 days since I already said to goodbye to everyone!?
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Things I thought About Today:
I hate it when my bag of Sour Patch Kids are mostly orange and yellow.
If someone made a movie about my life, I’d want the whole soundtrack to be Fleetwood Mac
I hate the words “nevermind” and “whatever.”
If CVS promises 1 Hour Photo, they should deliver on that promise.
I’m leaving for SCAD in 12 days.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Blogger's Block
I've been a little slow on the uptick this week when it comes to blogging. Sorry about that, folks. And not for lack of activity. This week had lots of fun packed into it, but I'm just not so motivated or inspired when it comes to posting things.
Until I snap out of this, here is an image that I've been staring at all week. It's really captivating for some reason. Maybe it's because it walks the line between the euphoria of floating weightlessly peaceful and morbid drowning. What do you guys think?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Slowly Fading Away
16 days until SCAD. And things have started to shift. Lately it feels like the things I do and the people I'm with don't fit as well as they did a before. A year ago at this time, I would just be starting my senior year with all of my ducks in a row. Who my friends are, what I do in my spare time, the way my future was beginning to take shape were all things that at I felt comfortable with and strangely decided on. Now, lines are starting to blur and I find myself in a valley of "what if's," "maybe's" and "I think's." I don't quite belong here anymore, but thereisn't fully ready for me yet either. So, I wait. And I embrace this odd and fabulous time that has no predeterminations or requirements.
Today I'm going to make a loaf of bread. I'll let you know how it goes.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Say It Ain't So
But, do not fear. I am also very excited for this week. I have so many things on my list to share with you. Let me finish this bowl of cereal and tidy up the room and I'll be back.
I promise it'll be worth the wait!
I promise it'll be worth the wait!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Julia The Renegade
I wish I was a gypsy. Or a dancer. Or a socialite.
I look in the mirror sometimes and wish I had the balls to go all out when it came to style and be unabashedly outlandish in the way I portray myself as a person. Sure, sometimes I dye my hair or wear two different floral patterns together in one outfit (gasp!) but I've noticed lately that all of my risks in life, whether its with clothes, or relationships or experiences are quite calculated. And life's too short to be calculating all the time. I guess this has just hit me recently because of the fact that when I go off to school, and there isn't going to be anybody there that can keep "Julia" balanced and in check. I can be whoever I want to be and no one would know the difference. I feel, on the whole, I have made pretty good choices in my life. And the mistakes I have made have been taken out to coffee where a nice conversation takes place about the room to grow in our lives. Then from that point on, I try to speak nicer, or spend wiser, or feel more, or clean better. How can I truly throw caution to the wind when I'm always going 25 in residential areas? And how can I live like their's no tomorrow when tomorrow morning I have a doctor's appointment at 9:15 and a to-do list the size of Texas?
Maybe I will get that tattoo.
I look in the mirror sometimes and wish I had the balls to go all out when it came to style and be unabashedly outlandish in the way I portray myself as a person. Sure, sometimes I dye my hair or wear two different floral patterns together in one outfit (gasp!) but I've noticed lately that all of my risks in life, whether its with clothes, or relationships or experiences are quite calculated. And life's too short to be calculating all the time. I guess this has just hit me recently because of the fact that when I go off to school, and there isn't going to be anybody there that can keep "Julia" balanced and in check. I can be whoever I want to be and no one would know the difference. I feel, on the whole, I have made pretty good choices in my life. And the mistakes I have made have been taken out to coffee where a nice conversation takes place about the room to grow in our lives. Then from that point on, I try to speak nicer, or spend wiser, or feel more, or clean better. How can I truly throw caution to the wind when I'm always going 25 in residential areas? And how can I live like their's no tomorrow when tomorrow morning I have a doctor's appointment at 9:15 and a to-do list the size of Texas?
Maybe I will get that tattoo.
I'm not much into tattoos, but....
...if were going to get a huge one on my back, this is what it would look like.
And I would get it slowly over time in accordance with the seasons like this one.
But like I said, I'm not much into tattoos.
And I would get it slowly over time in accordance with the seasons like this one.
But like I said, I'm not much into tattoos.
Friday, August 13, 2010
The ShedShoeWell
(say it fast and you'll get it)
If you click the image, it will enlarge.
The other day, I got my fall class schedule from SCAD, which I was not expecting for a few more weeks (don't you just love pleasant surprises?).
After taking a few days to really mull it over, it's weird to think that this is just one more piece of paper to nail home the fact that I am going to college. In 4 weeks. Across the country. Eek.
I'm not super thrilled with the idea of having an 8 o'clock class two days a week, but here's my thinking on that one: It's Design, so it may be fun to get my creative juices flowing so early in the morning. It will force me to be up and at 'em therefore giving me some good focus time before my Speech class and, if all else fails, I'm sort of a morning person so, there's that on my side.
I also like the fact that SCAD has a building named Pepe, and that I get to take a class in it. I can already picture me having fun with that in some way or another in the future.
So, there you have it. 15 units of pure, unadulterated learning. And the best part is, NO MATH OR SCIENCE!
If you click the image, it will enlarge. The other day, I got my fall class schedule from SCAD, which I was not expecting for a few more weeks (don't you just love pleasant surprises?).
After taking a few days to really mull it over, it's weird to think that this is just one more piece of paper to nail home the fact that I am going to college. In 4 weeks. Across the country. Eek.
I'm not super thrilled with the idea of having an 8 o'clock class two days a week, but here's my thinking on that one: It's Design, so it may be fun to get my creative juices flowing so early in the morning. It will force me to be up and at 'em therefore giving me some good focus time before my Speech class and, if all else fails, I'm sort of a morning person so, there's that on my side.
I also like the fact that SCAD has a building named Pepe, and that I get to take a class in it. I can already picture me having fun with that in some way or another in the future.
So, there you have it. 15 units of pure, unadulterated learning. And the best part is, NO MATH OR SCIENCE!
Amsterdam Brought Back to Life
As I've mentioned before, one of my favorite things about Europe was the bikes. Not only did I like the fact that they rode them everywhere instead of driving, but the bikes themselves were awesome.
Here in Newport there are 3 major trends in bikes:
The road bikes for all the men who take cycling extremely seriously. You can usually spot these men on saturday mornings racing down PCH or going out towards Irvine.
Then there's a new breed of bikers; Hipster kids on their fixed gear bikes (aka "fixies") with their cut off jeans and slouchy beanies heading to a local coffee shop to discuss global poverty and the great influence our generation can have on the world.
And finally the beach cruisers for basically everyone else. This group typically consists of adolescent boys and girls riding back from the beach talking on their cell phones, barefoot and helmetless, in nothing but their bathing suits. Real safe, guys.
And because I take issue with something in each one of these peoples, I was floored when I got to Amsterdam and realized that I could stop the lifelong search. I had found what bike group to which I belong! Everywhere I looked, sharp dressed men and women rode with wicker baskets full of flowers to the market, or work, or the park or even to drop their kids off at school. I stopped in my tracks when I saw this girl ride down the cobblestone street with her pup accompanying her on the ride to Whereversville. So chic, I want to die. The bikes they ride are also pretty neat too; An awesome mix between a street bike and a cruiser, they have a simple, handsome look to them that I'd never seen before.
Ever since I've been back, there have been a few internet treasure hunts, but I've never been able to really find exactly what I'm looking for. Until now. The other day, I stumbled upon a European company called Velorbis that makes high end bikes.
Um, HELLO!?! I want this ad to be my life.
Small problem. Their bikes retail for over a thousand dollars.......hmmm......
I think the only way I could swing that one would be to combine this into my birthday and christmas gifts for the next 5 years or so. Not happening.
I guess I'll just have to dream.
Here in Newport there are 3 major trends in bikes:
The road bikes for all the men who take cycling extremely seriously. You can usually spot these men on saturday mornings racing down PCH or going out towards Irvine.
Then there's a new breed of bikers; Hipster kids on their fixed gear bikes (aka "fixies") with their cut off jeans and slouchy beanies heading to a local coffee shop to discuss global poverty and the great influence our generation can have on the world.
And finally the beach cruisers for basically everyone else. This group typically consists of adolescent boys and girls riding back from the beach talking on their cell phones, barefoot and helmetless, in nothing but their bathing suits. Real safe, guys.
And because I take issue with something in each one of these peoples, I was floored when I got to Amsterdam and realized that I could stop the lifelong search. I had found what bike group to which I belong! Everywhere I looked, sharp dressed men and women rode with wicker baskets full of flowers to the market, or work, or the park or even to drop their kids off at school. I stopped in my tracks when I saw this girl ride down the cobblestone street with her pup accompanying her on the ride to Whereversville. So chic, I want to die. The bikes they ride are also pretty neat too; An awesome mix between a street bike and a cruiser, they have a simple, handsome look to them that I'd never seen before.
Ever since I've been back, there have been a few internet treasure hunts, but I've never been able to really find exactly what I'm looking for. Until now. The other day, I stumbled upon a European company called Velorbis that makes high end bikes.
Um, HELLO!?! I want this ad to be my life.
Small problem. Their bikes retail for over a thousand dollars.......hmmm......
I think the only way I could swing that one would be to combine this into my birthday and christmas gifts for the next 5 years or so. Not happening.
I guess I'll just have to dream.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Judging a Book by Its Cover
So, I'm not a huge reader. I want to be and when I do get into a book that I really respond to, it consumes me and there is nothing I'd rather do than sit in bed and just read and read for days. Even when it's done, I typically find myself referencing the storyline or the characters for the next few weeks until it slowly fades away. (You know it's a great book when that never stops)
Many of you are probably familiar with Coralie Bickford-Smith... though you may not know it. She is the talented senior cover designer at Penguin Books who is responsible for the jacket designs of the new classics that many of us have been lusting over for the past few years as they continue to be released...
What I didn't realize is that she had created a series of deco inspired covers for the entire F. Scott Fitzgerald collection, and I have to say I'm more motivated than ever to dive into the rest of his books...
We read The Great Gatsby in school and I loved every page, not only for the story and the style of writing, but also for the decadence of the twenties that was so well portrayed throughout the book.
My only complaint is that these covers aren't hardbacks, so they will be harder to preserve. On the upside... I think I just found some serious inspiration for a Gatsby-esque birthday bash come September!
Many of you are probably familiar with Coralie Bickford-Smith... though you may not know it. She is the talented senior cover designer at Penguin Books who is responsible for the jacket designs of the new classics that many of us have been lusting over for the past few years as they continue to be released...
What I didn't realize is that she had created a series of deco inspired covers for the entire F. Scott Fitzgerald collection, and I have to say I'm more motivated than ever to dive into the rest of his books...
We read The Great Gatsby in school and I loved every page, not only for the story and the style of writing, but also for the decadence of the twenties that was so well portrayed throughout the book.
My only complaint is that these covers aren't hardbacks, so they will be harder to preserve. On the upside... I think I just found some serious inspiration for a Gatsby-esque birthday bash come September!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Fierce-Some Foursome
I'm so excited for dinner with the Patton cousins tonight.
I love all of my family, but spending time with just Tracy, Taryn, Kaitlin and me is always such a blast. Since Tracer went off to college....3?....4? years ago, and all of us living fairly busy lives with very opposite schedules, we try to get one night down on the calendar about once every 6 months to just hang out and catch up on life. It is so weird to think that we are all in college and getting closer and closer to being real life, fully functioning, job having, bill paying adults! Since when are we doing this for real and not just playing dress up and pretending to be old? Actually now that I think about it, not much has changed since then. It's funny because when I think back on us playing house as kids we had the same basic storyline every time. Basically, we were always sisters in a family whose parents had died in a tragic car accident and now we were forced into the great big world just trying to find our way while still being a family and maintaining each of our identities (can you tell we had a little bit of the flare for the dramatic? What can I say-- we watched a lot of 7th Heaven back in the day). And then there was something about the firemen chasing the policemen or whatever. The characters we played back then have really seemed to oddly show up in the paths we are taking even today. Tracy, who is now in Nursing school, was always the calming and responsible mom who wrote all the checks and did all the cooking (bow-tie pasta with butter and parmesan cheese, of course). Taryn, currently an English major, was the teacher who gave us math lessons on the whiteboard and made us all practice our handwriting. I was always a painter (the countdown to SCAD is now 29 days, by the way). And Kaitlin, was always always the older sister of the family who "went to Hollywood to be an actress and a model and made it big in the entertainment business only to come back and help her lowly siblings in their rather tragic predicament while simultaneously dealing with the turmoil of maintaining her dazzling career."....Don't quite know how the fits into her now going into Psychology, but we'll just go with it.I just re-read this whole thing and I can't think of a way to close out this post without quoting the Graduation Song by Vitamin C or Ferris Bueller. There is no way to finish this without making it even more cheesy than it already is. I'm not even going to try.
Urg. For me being a pretty apathetic person in real life, it feels like a lot of my blog posts end up being a large bowl of emo soup. I need to stop being so ridiculously mushy.
Alright, well all of that to say that I am so excited for dinner with the Patton cousins tonight. I know it will not disappoint. :D
Iceland Just Gets Better and Better
Alright, this obsession with Iceland may be getting just a tad bit out of hand, but how can I help it when I keep finding all of these amazing facts and stories about this totally under-rated country!? This Michigan couple invited their family and friends to Iceland, where they tied the knot in a teeny chapel. The portrait by the hot springs is so rad.
I've never been one of those girls who's planned out every last detail of my wedding in my head. The only real details I have nailed down are that I want my dress and my groom to be extremely hot. Maybe a destination wedding in Iceland would be just the ticket to the perfect wedding. Yes-- I like that idea. You hear that, future husband? It's been decided. We'll marry in Iceland in the Spring!
.....Jumping the gun a bit, perhaps? Maybe.
Whatever.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Boy, O Boy, do we have a lot to talk about.
I have oodles of fun posts coming up that I can't wait to share, but tonight, it is late and my head is all fuzzy due to the untimely cold that has overtaken me. So I will leave you with this video that just has been cracking me up the last 49 times I've replayed it. Behold: The Cat Who Can't Jump.
P.S. I really love that she still tries! There's a life lesson in there. :)
P.S. I really love that she still tries! There's a life lesson in there. :)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Turner, Room 154
Today I got my official room assignment and I could not be more excited. Not only did I get the residence hall that I wanted, but everything worked out with the roommates I requested. Hassle averted. (P.S. Get familiar with the names Spencer and Claire)
So, one of the main reasons I even signed up for this whole college whatever is so I could decorate a dorm room. The roomies and I have talked about it and we are going for a bohemian, Anthropologie, colorful vibe. I can definitely work with that.
The other day mom and I made a few key first purchases and it just awakened the inner shopaholic in me because now I'm even more buy happy than I was (something I didn't think was possible).
There will be much more buying before and after I move to Turner 154, so I'll keep everyone posted. 38 DAYS!
So, one of the main reasons I even signed up for this whole college whatever is so I could decorate a dorm room. The roomies and I have talked about it and we are going for a bohemian, Anthropologie, colorful vibe. I can definitely work with that.
The other day mom and I made a few key first purchases and it just awakened the inner shopaholic in me because now I'm even more buy happy than I was (something I didn't think was possible).
The first purchase was this owl we found in Urban Outfitters. Not necessarily a necessity, but I could not resist taking him home because he is just so lovable! I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be an ash tray, but I figure I can use him to hold my keys or phone or bobby pins or something. Or I could just talk to it when I'm lonely. Notice that I am already calling it "him"....it's obvious he is male, but only time will tell what his actual name will be.
The comforter is basically the key piece in any dorm room. It sets the tone for essentially everything. A bad comforter means poor sleep which leads to poor study habits which leads to poor grades which leads to emotional eating eventually leading to the expulsion from college. Basically, I explained to my mother that if I didn't get this comforter, I would turn into a fat college dropout with sleep apnia. She understood. Am I taking this too seriously?
I also got this great hook from Anthropologie as a graduation gift from Auntie Anne. Nothing better than a great hook. Plus, she just happened to pick my favorite letter "J"! It's my favorite because my first name starts with J. Such a great coincidence.
There will be much more buying before and after I move to Turner 154, so I'll keep everyone posted. 38 DAYS!
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