Inspiration II

Antonin Dvorak's Romance for Violin and Orchestra in F Minor.

It's no secret that the violin is my favorite instrument, and this piece is like a merry-go-round of violins. I can rather imagine them all conversing about something. Waxing poetic. Singing and listening for love songs. I adore the gentle movement from quiet melody to musical tempest. The swaying repetition of the solo violin's lonely, lovely theme. Romancing.

Thirteen plus minutes of magic. Your ears will thank you. I thank Antonin Dvorak.

Inspiration I

Picasso's Nude Descending a Staircase. 

How do you seperate her from the staircase? Why do I assume that she is a she? Would we assume this was a nude if we were not told? Do we see a human being? If not, what do we see?

I see a wooden woman, a buck naked wooden woman. I see her gliding descent in fast forward and rewind. I see her as apart from the staircase, the blur before clarity. The most focused part of the painting is the top of the stairs and she is walking away from it.

What Guys and Girls On My Campus Are Wearing - Spring 2012!

1. Shortie Short Shorts
Yeah, we love being young and we love showing off our young and artificially tanned legs! CAN'T BE TAMED! I have difficult feelings about shorts (particularly athletic shorts...yuck.) In my humble opinion, short shorts are far kinder and better proportionally than Bermudas, or even shorts that hit mid-thigh, but if I, a woman of 5 feet and 10 inches, wear a pair of very short shorts, the visual is this never ending strip of white leg. So, to be chopped off and accentuated where you need it least or be a never ending pair of legs? I just can't decide.

2. Floral Prints
Large floral prints are huge this spring, and for one my campus decided to get with it and hop on this fabulous trend. Well done, ladies! I still like little floral prints, as they are more feminine, but I like large prints better than I thought I would. Some are still gaudier than I prefer, but all in all a lovely spring trend.

3. Color
Yet another crazy awesome trend that's being embraced is color and lots of it! Not a lot of neon or color blocking, but people have been making some bolder color choices to liven up their t-shirts and jeans. I wish I was seeing more in the way of colored denim, but it's the Midwest and we're slow to catch on.

4. Dresses and Skirts
It's warm. Wear a dress! You have a speech today. Wear a dress! It's laundry day and you have nothing left! Wear a dress, wear a dress, wear a dress! Not to stereotype, but Catholic girls love their little dresses-complete with cardigan to cover those shoulders! I'm not a huge fan of the floral print dress with black leggings and a cardigan, but I can understand trying to make your wardrobe stretch as far between seasons as possible.

5. Blazers
I need to get one. Like ten minutes ago. Like ten months ago. I love all the colored and cute blazers that are cropping up over campus. I seriously hope the blazer will become more of a staple in a young woman's wardrobe, because you have no idea what it can do for you. A well cut blazer will accentuate your waist, broaden your shoulders and draw attention to your neck and face. What more can a girl ask for?

6. TOMS
I have serious shoe jealously. Love, want and need a pair. Painting and otherwise embellishing them is a big thing here. One of my favorite pairs of the one's I've seen is navy and the owner painted branches and leaves all over them. Super cute.

7. Twists
Words cannot adequately express how much I adore this hair trend. The braid was huge last season, and it was nice, but a little exclusive for those of us with short hair or who can't braid to save our lives. The twist is all-inclusive, super easy and looks absolutely amazing! It's also the best way since the Snooki-Poof to hide those stupid bangs you're growing out.

8. Sandals
Hmm. I'm a flats girl, but I'm a little disappointed by how many people are wearing last season's sandals. Seriously? This season has so much more to offer your, from wedges to boat shoes to oxfords, I'm hoping people will start picking up on shoe trends other then 'the return of the jellies'. *Shudder*

9. Flowing Tops
YES! Finally! I am so sick of skin tight tops. Even when this trend dies down, I'm never going back to my drawer of tiny t-shirts that are only flattering on people with rock hard abs and no boobs.

10. Bold Nail Color
Pink! Green! Yellow! Blue! Great and interesting nail color, nail art and even the occasional decal. Right now, my nails are a neon pink I stole from my roommate. It doesn't match my outfit at all, but I love them so I don't care.

All Alone - Fun.

Okay. So I have another serious song obsession. Like, I want to put this song in an IV and have it pumping constantly into my veins. Apparently indie pop/rock is totally my thing. Who'd have thunk?

Arms

In my humble opinion, this song is worth a listen. I am a minor league Christina Perri fan (I love Jar of Hearts and I think she has a pretty cool voice.)

I don't know what it is about it. I can just relate to it. Maybe you can too.
You put your arms around me and I'm home.

Lip Smackers

I love Lip Smackers.

That could be strangly related to the fact that I am a girl and love lip balm/stick/gloss in generally, but really, what's not to love?

Lip Smackers. They're cute, colorful, fit in your pocket, feel fabulous, smell amazing and taste delicous.

What more could a girl (or her lips) ever ask for?

LOTS of lipsmackers, that's what.

Cotton Candy! Watermelon! Mango, Wild Rasberry! Oh the wonderful lips you can smack! (Or would it be smacks you can lip?)

And with a couple hundred flavors... there's quite a few to smack your lips to.

Obsession worthy? Yes.

Rate the Stranger

There's this game I play, usually from the passenger seat of a parked car. It is a game to assuage boredom, encourage critical thinking skills and celebrate awesomeness in all its many forms.

This game is called Rate the Stranger.

Be forewarned, this game is addicting.

RULES OF PLAY

1. You must rate each stranger on a scale of 1-10, 1 "Decidedly Unawesome" and 10 "Epic Beyond All Reason".

2. Ratings are based on:
            A. A stranger's tasteful, colorful or create fashion choices
            B. A stranger's awesome, amusing or downright strange actions
            C. A stranger's positive attitude, vibe or aura.

3. Personal biases (such as a love of beards, cute boots and random dancing and/or a distaste for people who drop their cigarettes in the grass, scowl at you and yell at their kids) are totally allowed and strongly encouraged.

4. While this game is to celebrate the awesome and random stranger, it is also not intended to be a platform to demean those who may appear unappealing or utterly boring at a first glance. This game cannot judge the inside of a person, only the outside. If there is nothing positive you can find about a stranger, or a good reason to dislike them, it is often best not to rate them at all.

5. The glorious and special time may come when you see a stranger so awesome, the scale simply does not do them justice. In this event, you may declare them an 11.

6. The game may begin at any time and end at any time. Everyone in the vehicle, convoy or space ship is allowed to submit their rating. The group need not agree.

7. The players do not and cannot win the game. Epic strangers win the game.

Ten Strange Things You Probably Didn't Know About Anna

I love lists. Particularly lists of ten. It's a well rounded number.

1. I Name Everything.

Really. Everything. The piano is Betsy, my hair straightener is Sydney, my purse is called "The Cow" and my coat is Bysshe (pronounced BUSH-HEY) Anything even semi-important gets a name.

2. I Have a Thing for Symmetry.

Some would call it an obsession, but they just don't understand how important it is for everything to look uniform and proper.

3. I am a Grammar Nazi.

I'm a bit hypocritical about this, since I know I make plenty of grammar errors also. However, when someone makes a glaring mistake, I feel compelled to correct it out.

4. I Collect Worthless Objects

Glass figurines, rocks, bits of drift wood, sweet looking statues. I like awesome looking stuff. If it tickles my fancy, I want it proudly displayed in my room.

5.  I Have Mouth Full of Sweet Teeth

If I crave something, its sugar. Sometimes I want it in the form of chocolate and sometimes I want it in a peanut butter cookie, but I looove just about anything with enough of the stuff.

6. I Can Sing Like a Chipmunk

A talent which makes you a real hit with kids and chipmunk lovers alike.

7. I Am a Tall Woman

According to the standards of the TCI, (Tall Clubs International) I am a tall woman. 5'10 1/2, Baby.

8. I Am Obsessed With Google

I'm sorry, Yahoo people, Google is just better. I Google everything. How to spell and/or pronounce words, how-to articles, songs, people, places, random words... I love Google.

9. I Had a Cabbage Patch Kid

Nuff said.

10. My Hero and My Crush Aren't Real

Hero: Leigh Anne Tuohy as played by Sandra Bullock in the Blind Side. She's blonde, fabulous, has a major attitude and is who I wanna be when I grow up. The Crush would be Captain Jack Sparrow. Oh so beautiful and unattainable.

There you have it. Ten things you may or may not have known about yours truly.

I Didn't Think It, I Wrote It

I love journals. I've kept one on and off all my life. I used to be so specific about what could and couldn't go in a journal though. No lists, doodles, plans, school work, notes, etc. etc. This was a book about the days of my often boring life. It must be done right.

For this reason, I would abandon "imperfect" journals half way through and start a new one. The possibility of making a fresh start was uplifting. Besides, everyone who becomes famous wishes they had journaled in the past so they could sell the dang thing for millions.

I was a kid. My stupidity was cute back then. But I still keep two separate books, one as my journal and one for anything else.

I journal for a lot of reasons. I think best on paper. The words just come easiest that way. It gets things outside of me too. I don't have to carry it around so much anymore, because I processed it though words. I can't just make those words come out of my mouth. My mind goes blank and I look and feel about as intelligent as drowning goldfish.
Journaling also helps me process incomplete thoughts. It gives me time to further explore certain things and see then through. For some reason, I am incapable of doing this in my head. I suppose rather than dwelling on my glaring inadequacies, I should just be grateful that I have a way of doing so at all, even if it is not particularly efficient.


I've completed four journals in the past few years. I'm actually forever grateful for the habit, as I have a tendency to forget a lot of things. I love going back and rereading what I wrote, rethinking what I thought, revisiting the past. Personal history. Words are always there for me, even when my memory is not.

To some people, keeping a journal is like a burden. Something on their "to do" list. These people are mostly 'trial' journalers, in my opinion because few of us stick with things we don't like when we don't strictly have to do them. Which is why most of us go to work but not all of us journal. All of us shouldn't journal anyway. You should journal is if it is useful to you. Other wise, save a tree and your sanity.

But for me, a journal is a release and a joy. It is a very private thing, I'd really rather other people didn't read it. Because it's just for me. Most of it is worthless worries, thoughts, or other forms of expression. Yet it is helpful to me in some way, this thinking on paper.

I often think thoughts I didn't know I was thinking at all.

The Art of the Nap

I love naps.

Really, I do.

It may seem odd for someone who is only seventeen. Naps have been generally monopolized by toddlers and old geezers and I think it's high time my generation took back this glorious past time.

I know, we teenagers aren't supposed to sleep. We stare at screens on our phones, lap-tops and mp3 players all night long and we are a genetically superior race that doesn't need sleep. To be honest, I can't do that. I am not fueled by technological coolness, I need something more to get me through the day. That thing would be sleep... glorious sleep...that and coffee. And sugar.

(For the record, Doctors happen to agree with me on this: sleep is a good thing. Now I just need to get them to see my point of view about sugar...)

Like most teenagers, I go to bed at an hour later than 9 PM and if I have a choice, I get up in the morning at an hour later than 9 AM. But regardless of my 7 or 8 hours of sleep, I am still totally game for a nap. Anytime, almost anywhere, give me a pillow and maybe a blanket, (a teddy bear would be nice, too) and I'm good to go.

The key differences between "sleeping" and "napping" are as follows:

~ When I sleep at night, I demand total darkness. Not a sliver of light must be allowed to creep into my cavern of slumber. But when napping, I crave the sun on my eyelids.

~ A good night's sleep is 7-9 hours of unconscious, uninterrupted. But a nap must not exceed two or three, otherwise I'm all foggified. <--- I'll have to add that one to my personal dictionary, ASAP.

~ Serious sleep must take place after one's teeth are brushed, pajamas are put on and pillows have been fluffed. But a nap can take place anytime, anywhere, with little to no preparation. Stop, flop and sleep.

~ Sleep is mandatory: do or die. Naps are optional. Luxury, if you will. It's like a slice of bread versus a cupcake. One is nutritionally necessary and one is just for fun.

Napping is a sort of sleep, but not all sleep is napping. I don't know why, but I happen to find napping one of the more delicious forms of sleep.

Then again, I've never been an insomniac.

Anna's Top Ten Ultimate Weaknesses

Reveling one's weaknesses is a practice to be generally discouraged for several reasons...

A) You are a superhero and reveling your weakness could result in your crushing defeat and demise, or

B) Your family reads your blog and can and will use this against you.

I, however, have decided to flaunt my humanity, risk my superhero identity and offer my family and excellent reference for all kinds of pay back and share with you my top 10 weaknesses.

1. Cake / Cookies / Chocolate

The jury is still out on which one weakens me most. All have a ridiculous amount of calories , start with the letter C, and I can't stop eating them.

2. Shiny objects.

If I were an animal, I would have to be a deer. Headlights are so shiny. I also stop and stare at jewelry displays and tilt spoons to that they catch the light.

3. Pretty things.

I'm a girl. I can't help that I like pretty. Shiny, pretty? They go together. But if it's pretty and shiny, it's just even better and cannot be denied.

4. Clothing Sales.

A perfect excuse to go shopping AND expand my wardrobe!! What more can one ask for?! (Again, I'm playing the girl card. It excuses me for all sorts of insanity.) Irresistible.

5. Puppies.

A little black nose... a pair of moist little eyes... too big paws... floppy ears... heaven help me, I melt. All baby animals do it to me, really. Colts and kittens in particular. They're so dang cute. They're defenseless against me and I against them.

6. Blue Eyes

Deadly. Just deadly. Why are they so much prettier and sexier than brown eyes? Why are they so much deeper and more beautiful? Not fair.

7. Being Tickled

Yes, I'm wildly ticklish. It's really an ultimate, ultimate weakness. The only reason it doesn't go higher up on the list is because I am not completely powerless in it's throes. I often get violent when tickled and will probably kick you in the face, gut or where ever I think will get you to quit tickling me.

8. Diet Coke

It can talk me into anything.

9. That Which Is Forbidden

Come on. That just makes it a thousand times more appealing, right?

10. Pride

Okay. It's more like number one. It's also the most serious, though and it was going to kill the mood there at that top. So I just kept pushing it back... and back... and I almost didn't put it on the list at all. (Bad Anna! You lie!) But believe me, it is a weakness and a vice. A big one.


There you have it. My weaknesses. If you are reading this for insight in how to defeat me, I would ask you pick one of the more pleasant ones. Death by chocolate sounds very pleasant indeed. Funny how many of these things would make it on my favorite things list. Funny how much I love to loathe many of them.
 
Aren't people odd?

Ships, Planes and Paper Possiblities

While assembling (okay, more pretending to help while someone else assembled) a bookcase for the Library I work at today, an interesting thought struck me (yes, I actually had one and I lived to tell the tale.)

Bookcases are like treasure chests.

Solid walls of wood encase the diamonds, emeralds and rubies of the literate and cultured world. (Some of us are capable of reading, but do not enjoy it. There are those who love reading for reading's sake and those who like reading for the subject's sake. I am the former and I will tolerate the latter. But those strange people who loathe reading in general, I pity.)

The best bookcases are the ones that are filled, top to bottom (what is an empty bookcase, after all? A crime, that's what. A sad and sorry lack of that which is good. A dull emptiness, begging to be filled.) stuffed, squeezed, glutted, bursting, full up with books, books and more books. The fuller the chest, the greater the treasure, no?

Glorious books. Ships that always have an extra spot for an eager stowaway. Planes that beg you to climb aboard and lift you into the sky of imagination. Dreams that envelope you and offer you endless possibilities. They are escapes, and yet they are grounded in humanity; men cannot write things that do not speak of men.

This makes books both windows and mirrors. They open up the horizons of other worlds and offer more insight into your own. The offer both insight and introspection.

So what else could a bookcase, loaded down with these marvelous thing, be but a treasure chest?

And so, being the good little library employee that I am, I would encourage you to go forth and find a bookcase. Library, bookstore, your neighbors house, I don't care. Find one and take a look. I guarantee it's a worthwhile investment. And speaking of investments, it is also a worthy and wonderful endeavor to build your own bookcase. Collect the jewels that mean the most to you and allow them to occupy a chest in your own home. (That way, when you're neighbor reads this, he can just come on over to your house to find a bookcase.)

And the more chests there are out there... the more likely someone else is to find one.

Cookies

Today is apparently National Homemade Cookie Day. My kind of holiday, people. It's also the kind of holiday that gets ample celebration at my house. My sister makes amazing cookies. Just ask me. Or the mailman. Or me. It's the truth.

Cookies are on my list of ultimate weaknesses. Whenever I gain weight, you can bet your bottom dollar that cookies were involved. Then, seeing the disastrous effect they have on the fit of my jeans, I swear them off (or at least swear to moderate my intake. I mean, what is life without a cookies? A cold, dark, thin place I tell you.) and for a while, I do alright. I am bigger than the cookie... I can resist... Of course, this whole "cookie diet" thing works better when there are no cookies to be had. When the house starts smelling like sweet, doughy goodness, my resolve is weakened. When the first hot, perfect rounds come out of the oven, it's over.. Resolve? What resolve? How bad can a few cookies really be... I wave the white flag and indulge, only it's a pretty sweet loss. For the moment anyhow.

Some cookies are, obviously, much better than others. My personal favorites are chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, gingersnaps, chocolate sandwich cookies and white chocolate chip macadamia nut.

Chocolate chip cookies are classic... if you don't like them, something is most likely wrong with you. You need to have enough chocolate chips and the cookies need to be very soft. A cookie without enough chocolate chips is a crime.

Sugar cookies also need to be very soft and they must be frosted. Don't just sprinkle some colored sugar on top, you can do so much better. Don't cheat this cookie out of fullness of life.

Gingersnaps, I like both soft and hard. I know they are supposed to 'snap', but they taste so good soft also. They are just good. End of story.

Chocolate sandwich cookies... don't lick the cream out. Please, I'm begging you. Just don't. The whole thing is meant to go together and ripping them apart is like separating Siamese twins joined at the heart.

And last but not least, white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies. Glorious. It's the white chocolate. I've always loved it. It's the the lighter side of the chocolate chip cookie. You have that same excellent base cookie, but the chocolate is sweeter and there are nuts.

Yeah. I am pretty crazy about cookies. What can I say, I am a foodie with a serious sweet tooth. There are worse weaknesses, right? ;)

Post-Rain

I love rain.

I love being in bed, or sitting at my desk when it rains. I love the sound of the rain drops on my window.

I listen to the pitter patter of the fat raindrops smacking the glass. To the blow of the cool autumn wind that sneaks in my old and leaky window.

I love how they look, slip sliding down the cold glass. I love how they blend into a wet screen that blurs the world behind it.

Rain strikes me as deliciously romantic. There is something refreshing, pure and magical about it. It smells, looks and feels enchanted to me. I wonder why? Thinking about this scientifically would only depress me as it would concretely disillusion me of my happy idea that rain is magical. Same goes for fairies, the Internet and wishes on stars. Don't tell me how it works. It doesn't work, it happens. Let me have my happy pretend and you can have your sad reality.

Rain also strikes me as thoroughly comforting. It's as if all the sadness and brokenness in the world below has been recognized and even the sky mourns it. It is contemplative. It puts us all in a bit of a quieter mood. We stay inside and become observers of the world instead of active forces and participants. Do you know how much we learn just by watching? Never stop watching, no matter what you are doing.

You know there isn't really anything magical about the way my hair looks after a quick run to and from the car in the rain, nor is there anything refreshing about having wet socks after accidentally stepping into a puddle. But this is still life, after all. My happy magical ideas only last so long. I may be an idealist, but I do have some touch with reality.

Right now, the world is in that "post-rain" state. Everything is wet, water sliding off roofs and leaves, the whole world is damp. Not nearly as nice as when it's actually raining. But it's not so bad... good conditions for a rainbow. Which, by the way, is also on the list of things that is magical, no matter what anyone says.

Dear Jeans,

Is it even possible to describe just how much I have missed you over the past few months? Oh, if there were words for the joy I feel at our reunion! I assure you, if I knew such words or had such an impressive grasp on the English language, I would know employ this power. Though none of the words I do pull from my pathetic lexis will be quite adequate, in my love for you I shall try to express my heart, feebly though it may be.

Summer days come will their own joy and beauty, but without you, I feel under dressed. Shorts do not protect me, cling to me and warm me the way you do. Oh beautiful jeans! Shorts, even denim shorts, have nothing on you. You hide my ugly leg and make it look so much better. You keep me snug and warm on even the chilliest of days. Day after day, month after month without complaint. Shorts are like acquaintances, while you are like a faithful friend.

Now that the season is turning back into those cooler months, my heart leaps for joy! Once more, you can assume your place as the head of my wardrobe. You shall make my t-shirts glad and my sweaters delighted by your simple and complimentary nature. You will happy see me though until July comes around again. Jeans, what more could one ask for?

Every morning, I pray for cool, crisp weather so I can wear you. In this painful time of in between, the temperature fluctuates greatly and annoyingly. While I would willingly risk a little discomfort for your sake, some days, it is so hot I cannot bear you. The heat is a great hindrance to our friendship and I hate the way it has come between us. Come back to me, jeans. I will always love you and nevermore abandon you for lesser things.

You are like a hug, embracing me. A shield, protecting me. A blanket, warming me. Oh jean, beautiful, glorious jeans! How I have missed you! How I love you! You Father, Levi Strauss is a man to be greatly blessed. You, his brain child, have enriched my life so much in a way no other piece of clothing could.

Dear Jeans! Welcome back.

In never ending love and gratitude,
Anna

Mockingjay

Today the final installment of the trilogy I have fallen in love with came out.

Mockingjay. The final book of the Hunger Games.

I wasn't planning on reading the Hunger Games. I like sad, tragic and romantic novels. Under no means should there be extreme danger, chew your nails off suspense and or mystery of any kind.

But one day, for inexplicable reasons, I caved. I read the Hunger Games. (I had nothing better to do, plus everyone else seemed to like it...) I was riveted. I. Could. Not. Put. That. Book. Down. I finally wrestled my eyes away at Midnight and threw it into the corner so I could try and get some sleep that night. The next day I finished it.

I was enthralled.

But I was also terrified.

I resolved I would not, could not read the second book. For the sake of my sanity. I wasn't cut out for the Hunger Games. Sure it was an amazingly complex plot and I was in love with every single one of the main characters and the writing was superb and the ending was a total cliff hanger and I was completely hooked... but I couldn't read the second one. Too scary. Not for me.

And then I told this to my friend.

"WHAT?!" he says "YOU HAVE TO READ THE SECOND BOOK!!"

And then he drops a spoiler that completely twists the whole thing up, as if that series needed any help in the plot department.

I caved again. I read the second book, Catching Fire. And if I thought the first book was good... heaven help me. It was amazing. Again. It captured everything the first book had and stacked a layer or two on top of it.

Of course, the ending of Catching Fire was even more of a cliff hanger.

And today, finally, finally, finally, the third book comes out. Mockingjay. The book that will determine what I do with the rest of my life (read as: if character who shall remain nameless (because I loathe spoiling books for other people and this is supposed to entice your curiosity so read them) dies, I will write Suzanne Collins angry and heartbroken letters every week till the day I die.)

Sadly, I shall not be reading this book today. Or probably tomorrow. I'm being a cheap-skate and borrowing it from the library. (Please, please, please hurry up and get it to me!!) But believe me, I shall read it. And when I do, I will be a changed adoring fan girl.

I'm still not cut out for the Hunger Games. The game/quiz found at the site linked above is proof of that. I tried that game ten times and lost every one of those.

But I still can't wait to read that book... and be caught up again in that masterfully told story and see it through to the end.

I wasn't planning on reading the Hunger Games, but I'm glad I caved.