| South Beach Diet Day 1 |
[Apr. 20th, 2009|04:08 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room, ct | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  sleepy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | oprah | ] |
It's been a very, very long time since I've posted on here, and to be honest I don't know if I'll post again soon or not, but I started the South Beach Diet today, and I felt like tracking my progress.
The last time I tried one of these low carb diets was during winter break sometime during college. I lasted four days before I gave in to carbs! I think that this time it will be easier because I don't eat much pasta or bread anymore anyway. However, there are basically carbs in everything, but some meats and cheese, so it will still be difficult. It will also be really hard to give up rice. I love rice.
I'm going to be trying to stay around 45 carbs. Atkins calls for 20, and I'm not entirely sure about South Beach because I don't have the book; it's in St. Louis, but I do know you're not supposed to eat fruit, which I will be eating some fruits. So, I'm doing a bit of my own thing, but still trying to stick to the general guidelines. I'll be eating 45 or less carbs (hopefully) for two weeks, and then adding more fruits and veggies in, and eventually whole grains again.
Today has been ok so far. I think that tomorrow will be better because I'll be at school. So far, I've discovered that turkey bacon is my best friend, and that I need to find a good chip/pita substitute to dip into hummus. Carrots are no good cause they're higher in carbs. Cheese would be an awesome thing to munch on, but even reduced fat cheeses are high in fat, which I'm trying to stay away from. Also, deli meat is usually ok too, but it's high in sodium, which I'm also trying to stay away from, so there are a couple of complications that will make this diet a little more difficult, but I'm going to give it my best.
I think the diet will work, but I'm a little skeptical because this diet also limits the calories that I'm eating as well, so the potential weight loss could just be from that, but we'll see. Anyway, wish me luck! |
|
|
| live from chicago |
[Aug. 18th, 2008|10:49 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Panera in Park Ridge, IL | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  waxing nostalgic | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | slightly eastern sounding string music | ] |
I have just a couple of observations to make.
I'm sitting at a Panera in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, having a muffin and a coffee, preparing for my drive home to St. Louis, and while checking my email I began to read the Times as I get headlines sent by email to me daily. I then became aware of two things. First how, ironic is not quite the right word here, but perhaps how much a sign of the times it is that I am sitting here reading the news on my computer and the lady across from is reading the news in paper form. I'm not entirely sure why this is significant enough for me to get back on livejournal to discuss it, but for some reason it is.
The second observation I have to make is about the fact that I really enjoy living in, not just America, but a country that I feel so comfortable in. I'm not sure that this is something that occurs to me often, but while Brittany, Austin, Evan and I were driving to Chicago yesterday, Evan, freshly back from his year abroad, commented continuously about how much he loved America. These comments were generally in response to common things in America, but things that you do miss while you are abroad. Mostly, silly things, like American McDonald's and the price of cigarrettes and alcohol, but other things like the diversity of people and cultures that, for the most part, are able to live freely. This also ties in with my love of chain stores. I realize that I as a liberal arts educated twenty something should probably hate chain stores and all that, but let's be real. I love them. I love that I can travel anywhere in the country and I can feel comfortable and at home in any Target, Starbucks, or where I am now, Panera/Bread Co. Maybe this is an overstatement, but it just makes the country feel a little bit more familiar, which can be nice when you are miles and miles away from home. Perhaps I am feeling nostalgic with my return to the midwest, but there really is no place like home, no matter what level that home may be; country, region, city, or house.
And with that I have finished my blueberry muffin (which tastes the same at any Panera in any city!) and I am ready to get back on the road to St. Louis! |
|
|
| Books! |
[May. 4th, 2008|08:41 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | my bed. | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | tired | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | silence. | ] |
The top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish.
1984
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir
Anna Karenina
Beloved
Brave New World
Crime and Punishment
Dracula
Emma
Frankenstein
Great Expectations
Gulliver’s Travels
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences*
Jane Eyre
Lolita
Love in the Time of Cholera (currently reading)
Mansfield Park
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlemarch
Moby Dick
Mrs. Dalloway
Northanger Abbey
Oliver Twist
On the Road
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Persuasion
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
The Blind Assassin
The Canterbury Tales
The Catcher in the Rye
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The God of Small Things
The Hobbit
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
The Prince - Machiavelli
The Silmarillion
The Tale of Two Cities
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
To the Lighthouse
Treasure Island
War and Peace
Watership Down
Wuthering Heights
Catch-22
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Life of Pi : a novel
The Brothers Karamazov
The Iliad
Ulysses
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
A Clockwork Orange
A Confederacy of Dunces
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Short History of Nearly Everything
American Gods
Anansi Boys
Angels & Demons
Atlas Shrugged
Cloud Atlas
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed*
Cryptonomicon
David Copperfield
Don Quixote
Dubliners
Dune
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Foucault’s Pendulum
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Gravity’s Rainbow
Inferno
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Les Misérables
Madame Bovary
Middlesex
Neverwhere
Oryx and Crake
Quicksilver
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Slaughterhouse-five
The Aeneid
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Confusion
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Fountainhead
The Grapes of Wrath
The Historian : a novel
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Kite Runner
The Mists of Avalon
The Name of the Rose
The Odyssey
The Once and Future King
The Satanic Verses
The Scarlet Letter
The Sound and the Fury
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Vanity Fair
White Teeth
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
*Maybe I'll try to start posting more regularly again. |
|
|
| a meme (even though i don't know what that means) |
[Oct. 1st, 2007|10:53 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room, summit st | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | procrastinating | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | monday night football | ] |
These are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" byLibraryThing's users (as of today). As usual, bold what you have read, italicise that you started but couldn't finish, and strike through what you couldn't stand. Add an asterisk to those you've read more than once. Underline those on your to-read list.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and punishment
Catch-22
One hundred years of solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel
The name of the rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey*
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius
Atlas shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury tales (Excerpts)
The historian : a novel
A portrait of the artist as a young man
Love in the time of cholera
Brave new world
The Fountainhead
Foucault's pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A clockwork orange
Anansi boys
The once and future king
The grapes of wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
1984
Angels & demons
The inferno
The satanic verses
Sense and sensibility
The picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One flew over the cuckoo's nest
To the lighthouse
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver's Travels*
Les misérables
The corrections
The amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
Dune
The prince
The sound and the fury
Angela's ashes : a memoir
The god of small things
A people's history of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A confederacy of dunces
A short history of nearly everything
Dubliners
The unbearable lightness of being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye*
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an Inquiry into Values
The Aeneid*
Watership Down
The Hobbit
In cold blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White teeth
Gravity's Rainbow
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The three musketeers |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jul. 16th, 2007|10:40 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | toy room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | tired | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | nothing | ] |
The Discomfort Zone, Jonathan Franzen
On Beauty, Zadie Smith
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson
Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie
Everyone Worth Knowing, Lauren Weisberger (on cd)
Bill Bryson's African Diary, Bill Bryson
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella (on cd)
Clumsy, Jeffrey Brown
The World According to Garp, John Irving
Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik
The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
We Don't Live Here Anymore, Andre Dubus
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
Heartbeat, Sharon Creech
Mary Poppins, P.L.Travers
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K.Rowling (second time)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K.Rowling (second time, in progress)
Let's see. I put in my two week notice today at work. My last day is July 27th. I finally got my assistantship assignment in the mail today. I will be supervising a writing lab for art history students. (Me supervising a writing lab?!?! What?!?) I should be getting my new blue dell laptop in the mail this week (yay!). OOOh and I have a residence in Connecticut. I'll be living in a large, old Victorian house with 5 or 6 other people. All of whom that are for sure living there seem cool so far. So that should be cool. Anyway I'm excited for the things to come and the next two weeks could not pass quickly enough. That is all. |
|
|
| i read |
[Jun. 1st, 2007|10:48 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  sick | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | leno | ] |
The Discomfort Zone, Jonathan Franzen
On Beauty, Zadie Smith
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson
Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie
Everyone Worth Knowing, Lauren Weisberger (on cd)
Bill Bryson's African Diary, Bill Bryson
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella (on cd)
Clumsy, Jeffrey Brown
The World According to Garp, John Irving
Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik
We Don't Live Here Anymore, Andre Dubus (in progress) |
|
|
| you're what happens when two substances collide |
[May. 22nd, 2007|10:29 pm] |
so, i don't think i've written about matt yet. i think it may be too soon, so i won't say too much. but i like a boy and he likes me too. and we have, dare i say it, a date this weekend. we haven't called it a date, but it is. so yeah. i'm a little happy right now. |
|
|
| the swimming hour |
[May. 10th, 2007|11:24 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  content | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | fish tank | ] |
he's gone. and i have no doubt that i'll see him again. but it will be a very long time from now. until then, he has two of my favorite books and i have some of his favorite music. and that will suffice.
i think i'm getting too good at saying goodbye. |
|
|
| seek shelter! |
[May. 9th, 2007|10:15 pm] |
|
P.P.S. The first named "sub-tropical storm" is named ANDREA! How fucking fantastic is that? |
|
|
| happy new year |
[May. 9th, 2007|09:33 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | exhausted | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | newschannel 5 | ] |
I've been thinking about my life lately in terms of post-college, so much, so that I'm thinking about the past year ending this weekend and a new year beginning. Monday the 14th, will be the anniversary of my first year (and only year) living at home and being out of school. A LOT of shit has gone down in the past year. I've had some super high points and some super, super low points, and I'm not gonna lie, it's been a difficult year, but it's also been pretty incredible. I think that when I think back to this year, it will always be remembered by me as my Lost Year. I'm not sure quite what I lost it to, but I don't think it's been very characteristic of my life, and I've definitely lost quite a few things this year including, but not limited to:
-15 pounds
-friends (to one thing or another)
-my 20/20 vision
-my dinner
BUT, I gained a few things too. Some excellent friends, a great job, and an interesting sense of myself. I'm way excited and extremely anxious about this summer. I have exactly eleven (plus a day or two) weeks left of work. As much as love my job and co-workers I cannot wait to quit my job! I cannot wait to go back school and have a crazy do-it-myself schedule. I've got plans and I'm way excited about the places those plans might take me. And I have no doubt that I will have an awesome time getting there. The hardest part will be leaving St. Louis. This fucking place has sucked me in. It's so much more awesome than I ever thought it would be. And I've got about 12-13 more weeks to enjoy it. And then, to Connecticut!
P.S. That was pretty cheesy, but I'm feeling pretty cheesy. It's been that sort of day. |
|
|
| i found you in the lost and found |
[May. 2nd, 2007|11:48 am] |
I'm on a pretty big high right now. And I know it will be followed by somewhat of a low... but I'm hoping that with the arrival of summer, Alison's homecoming, and perhaps a move to STL for Veronica that the low won't be so low. I know the summer is going to go by crazy fast, especially since I'm moving sometime in August. And I have a million and one things to do this summer, including preparing for that move, as well as a possible trip to Pennsylvania (more on that later), and a definite trip to Connecticut, all while working a full time job (well most of us work full time jobs, but still, let me whine).
Reasons for the incredible high:
*Fantastic weekend in Beloit. I got to see Liz, Julie, Dena, and Dan.
-attended a bon-fire and kiln commencement.
-drank forties
-won $12 on a scratch ticket!
-and got locked out (which was pretty awesome!)
*Miles' birthday yesterday.
-nothing incredibly special, but spent a lot of time with Miles, which was nice.
*Still lots of plans for the rest of the week.
-dinner tonight at the Royale, with Lara, Michelle, and Miles' art museum people (weird, but fun?).
-City Museum with the guys Friday night.
-Volcano/Cinco de Mayo party Saturday night!
So yeah, lots coming up, and I'm way excited.
About Pennsylvania. Miles has invited me to Pennsylvania for this family party thing in June. It's a little odd to me that he's inviting me to this especially since it's in PA. Also, he invited me awhile ago and I think at that point he thought I might be there coincidentally. But last night (he now knows I won't be there coincidentally) he was like are you coming?! You have to come! So I don't know... do I go visit a boy in Pennsylvania for a family party for the weekend? I kinda actually really want to... |
|
|
| you can't ride the concept of a horse. |
[Apr. 21st, 2007|11:27 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | worn out | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | silence | ] |
So, I'm actually really tired, but I wanted to write this before I forgot all details. I have had the most marvelous day. I actually had to get up and go to work early this morning, but I only worked for four hours, which was nice. We had a sub work today, Jennifer, and she's been coming fairly often and she's really awesome and it's always fun chatting with her, so I was glad that she was there. And Jermell was working so we talked a lot too, which was also nice. There was also a mulch fire! Someone left their cigarette in the mulch outside of the library and it started a little fire! It was quickly put out, but the best part was my asst. manager's reaction, which was laughter! One would think most managers would freak out, but no, not Vicki. She's awesome. Ok, so that was part one of the day.
Part two begins when I left work. Today was so beautiful weather wise, and I was well-rested and it was still early on a Saturday, so I wanted to take advantage of the day. I gave "the guys" a call, and ended up going with Ian and Miles to this giant book fair! It was ok selection wise, but I did buy one book "Bendinger's Philadelphia." It has all these awesome sketches of Philly and little blurbs to go along with the pictures. We didn't stay at the fair for very long because Ian had to go to work. But, when we got back to their house, Miles and I decided to play croquet! He had been wanting to set up a course at Lewis Park, which is right by my house. So we set up an awesome course and played and I won! I never win at croquet! And a caterpillar fell on my foot at one point, which is totally random, but yeah. After playing we just sat in the grass and talked for a while and then made our way to Schnuck's to pick up some groceries since we decided to cook dinner. We grilled bratwursts and made pasta salad and listened to Lupe Fiasco (who is really awesome). And attempted to burn Regina Spektor for me, but neither computer wanted to cooperate, so that didn't happen, but the good news is that we did get my cd out of Nate's computer. Around this time part three happens.
Michelle called to see if I wanted to watch "The Wedding Date" with her and Lara, which is not as awful of a movie as I remembered it being, but I decided to head over anyway at least for the company, since Miles had to work later anyway. So we watched the movie and ate ice cream and now it's not even midnight and I'm flat out exhausted. So, I'm going to bed. But it was a really lovely day. |
|
|
| (and all that i know is blowing like tumbleweed) |
[Apr. 20th, 2007|08:10 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  frustrated | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | tv | ] |
i am on the verge of making one the biggest decisions i've ever had to make in my entire life. after i actually make the decision it probably won't seem like that big of a deal. and i think i know my decision, but i can't get comfortable with it, and i'm scared to make it. i keep flipping back and forth and i just don't know what to do. it's causing me some serious anxiety.
temple vs. uconn. |
|
|
| a temporary global warming hiatus |
[Mar. 19th, 2007|10:26 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | toothachey | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | tv | ] |
The Discomfort Zone, Jonathan Franzen
On Beauty, Zadie Smith
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson
Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie
Everyone Worth Knowing, Lauren Weisberger (on cd)
Bill Bryson's African Diary, Bill Bryson
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella (on cd)
Clumsy, Jeffrey Brown
The World According to Garp, John Irving (in progress)
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Sophie Kinsella (on cd/in progress)
Some new things in my life:
-a full-time job
-acceptions to UW-Seattle, Penn State, UConn (full-ride plus stipends!) and more schools still to hear from
-new friends and renewed friends
-a cute new dress
-a new crush (?)
-new glasses! eek!
-new music
A funny story:
So, this past weekend has been one of the best by far in quite awhile for many reasons and this is one of them. After I got off work Saturday night I had a message from Ian, so I called back and talked to Miles who invited me over for dinner for Shepherd's pie (which was delicious). After dinner, Miles, Ian, and I picked up Lara (who is surprisingly awesome and whom I hope becomes more of a staple in my life) and her friend Brena (who was really nice) and went to this bar in south city, specifically in the Bevo Mill neighborhood (did you know there is a giant working windmill in St. Louis?!). So this bar was called Chrome Bar, and we went there because Ian and Miles had been before when it was supposedly dead and thought we should check it out again. So we find it and when we walk in we immediately notice that everyone there is like 65 years old or older! And they are all decked out in green for St. Patrick's day! It was so awesome, and many of the (old) people there were dancing to the live band, and it was just so ridiculous that it was so awesome. There was this one guy who was at least 70 with his arm in a sling whose hips and legs were like rubber! He danced like so crazy! And at the end of the every songs all the dancers would go sit back down and as soon as the next song started they would just get up and go back out of the dance floor... but they never just stayed there, which was weird and funny. Anyway, we all got up and danced too for awhile, which was fun. Eventually we left in search of a more age-appropriate party, but I will always have fond memories of the old people at the Chrome Bar who can dance better than I can.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that life is really good right now, and while I know things are quickly and slowly going to change and people will be moving on or staying put or maybe returning, I'm just trying to enjoy these times while I can cause they pretty much rock my world. And then I'll be ready for something new. |
|
|
| "you really should never fuck with the Thunderbolt Kid." |
[Jan. 19th, 2007|07:30 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | my living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | sleepy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | the tv | ] |
So, I guess I could post something, just cause you know, maybe you're bored and would like to read about my life, or I'm bored and would like to write about it.
I've completed all the application process-ies for applying to graduate school. This is three things: surprising because I wasn't sure I would actually motivate myself to apply, relieving because now it's finished and I don't have to work on apps and avoid deadlines, and finally, extremely nerve-wracking! I am so scared either way. If I don't get into grad school then I will have to really, really get a real job and save money, and be an adult. This year, while lame, has been sort of a get out of jail free card sort of deal. If I do get into grad school, then I have to go! And be a student again in a much crazier stressful place than Beloit. I will have to work my ass off. It's like if you get less than a B then you're like out or on probation or something. And while it's been awhile since I've gotten something less than a B or maybe a B-, I have a feeling that on a whole, grad school will be more difficult than undergrad. But it is what I want to do, so whether or not I do well, I have to at least try. But man, these next few months are gonna be crazy anticipation for me.
I joined the YMCA a few weeks ago and have started swimming. It's really wonderful because I don't have to put shoes on to do it, and I get to be in the water, and it's so peaceful. And warm. I also signed up for two classes, one on Italian and the other on German. They will both probably be canceled due to a lack of interest, but that's ok. I bought two books today on learning to read German and French, which as I was advised would probably be better to test on than Italian, cause for real I know how to speak Italian, not really read it, but French, I could get back into fairly easily I think.
Finally, this is what I have read so far this year:
The Discomfort Zone, Jonathan Franzen
On Beauty, Zadie Smith
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson (currently reading and you should be too)
So, this is good because I'm on track to read at least three books a month if not four, which is way better than my book a month rate I was into for the past like 8 months.
Anyway, I guess that's all. I'm just trying to swim, and read, and take my vitamins. |
|
|
| trojan man |
[Dec. 22nd, 2006|04:07 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | exhausted | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | news channel five | ] |
i'm surprised by how many guys go to pull out cash/change out of their pockets and have to sift through condoms in front of me. like, why is there a condom in your pocket? and do i really need to know your business? no, not really. and the first time it happened i was surprised and gave this guy a look like, oh uh huh hmm, and he said what? and i was like, oh nothing. come on people, keep your condoms in your pockets. |
|
|
| love me, love me |
[Dec. 14th, 2006|10:15 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | shilene's office | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | too little, too late, jojo | ] |
yesterday i finally went to see this exhibit at SLU that i've been wanting to see for awhile since it's closing on sunday. the exhibit is a work called "silver clouds" by andy warhol and it is fucking awesome. like i just stood there and experienced it for like 10 minutes and i wanted to stay longer, i wanted to not leave, but i also felt silly staying there forever. anyway "silver clouds" consists of a large room, actually four walls about 8 feet tall with an open ceiling within another room. inside this area are about 40 large pillow shaped silver balloons. large as in maybe 4 feet long and 2 1/2 feet wide and 2 feet thick, so people sized. the balloons float all over the room and are propelled through the area by several little room fans. the balloons just sail around; over you, past you, all around, and it's not like stiffling or anything, there's plenty of room to move around, but it's just fantastic. sometimes the balloons will just glide right past you and be so close but not touch you. sometimes they float over your head without warning. they dance amongst themselves. and i think the best part is that they are reflective so when they sail past you you can see yourself in them. it's really just the neatest art i've ever experienced. it's like being inside an artwork and participating in it. and it's so simple, but really neat. i never particularly liked warhol before, though i understood the impact his art had on the artworld, it was difficult to fully grasp that because what he did back then seems so simple now, but "silver clouds" gave me a lot of respect for him, even though i still don't like him that much, i really liked this work. anyway, if you are in stl and get a chance to go before sunday you definitely should, and if you aren't and "silver clouds" ever comes nearby you, definitely go. it's worth it.
in addition:
running with scissors, augusten borroughs (finished)
on beauty, zadie smith (now reading) |
|
|
| you're so damn hot |
[Dec. 8th, 2006|09:42 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | work | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  cold | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | On the Radio, Regina Spektor | ] |
So, I'm writing this in order to waste my last 15 minutes of work. This month is going to be unbelievably busy and is going to go by so quickly. It seems like any moment I'll end up in January and wonder what happened. I have this weekend which contains another full day at work and my mother's birthday dinner, which means I have to go shopping tonight for a present, and I have no idea what to get her. I also need to work on my statement of purpose so that I can hurry up and apply to graduate school. And next weekend I'm going to Philadelphia/New York/Bayonne! I'm so, so ecstatic about this trip. 1) I really need to get out of St. Louis, 2) I really love and miss the people I'll be seeing and it will be so great to be around good people for a little while. And then it's practically Christmas and New Year's and a whole slew of grad school apps due. But I'm looking forward to this whole month and the calm that the New Year will bring. All I need to do is work and relax and wait to find out if I get into school.
In other news, this past weekend, Laura and I met up with Ian, Nate, and Miles at the Delmar Lounge. It was such an excellent time. Slightly weird due to the many UC people I saw there, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. While I was not the best of friends with those guys at school we all got along real well and it was just nice to have a bit of Beloit with me. It made me think that perhaps I will always have a "special" (cheesy, I know) bond with Beloit people, especially class of '06. It's nice to know that those guys are around. So that's about all I guess. It's just about time for me to go. Not a great entry, but something. Oh and btw, I've added a few more books to my list (which I'm keeping up for myself, not for any of you necessarily, so if it bores you, feel free to skip over it).
Devil in the Details, Jennifer Traig
Running With Scissors, Augusten Borroughs (currently reading) |
|
|
| the next step |
[Nov. 28th, 2006|11:10 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | the living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | tired | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | the news | ] |
Memories of My Melancholy Whores, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
A Million Little Pieces, James Frey
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
The Bell Jar, Silvia Plath
Up next: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Tom Robbins
I was gonna write about my job and all the characters I work with, but I'm feeling lazy. |
|
|
| your love is like a roller coaster. |
[Oct. 25th, 2006|11:43 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | living room | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | tired | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | america's next top model | ] |
Memories of My Melancholy Whores, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
A Million Little Pieces, James Frey
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
Ok, so I haven't actually finished White Teeth yet, but I've only got about 30 more pages, which I intend to read after I finish this entry. Anyway though, I've enjoyed it. Liz B. apparently didn't like it that much, and I'm not entirely sure why, but I thought it was well written and interesting. I also appreciated the author's attempt at relating race/culture struggles, and what minorities/biracial people sometimes experience, and I'm not talking about racism, but simply living in an environment where you are visibly different from everyone most of the time, which doesn't seem like it would be a big deal, but sometimes it is. Anyway, I'm excited to read Smith's On Beauty because it seems to tackle some of the same issues. And next I plan on reading either The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which Liz W. practically forced upon me, or Made In America by Bill Bryson. I haven't decided yet.
In other news, I got a job! Yay! I'm working for the St. Louis Public Library as a clerk, which means I work at the front desk and a little bit behind the scenes as well. I'll be checking books in and out and routing books to other libraries and generally making sure books get where they are supposed to go. I'm most excited about checking books in and out to people! It's such a great way to see what people are reading, and what's available at a library. So far the greatest difficulty has been figuring out the computer system/program thing. It's funny because the one part of my interview that went poorly was when I said something about how I thought training would be just jumping in a figuring it out as I went, to which my now boss seemed to take great offense, however, that's pretty much what I did yesterday since the next training session doesn't take place until the middle of November. Oh well. Anyway, the job is pretty awesome so far, and goes by quickly... though we'll see about the 9-6 alternating Fridays/Saturdays.
Other than that, things have been a bit lonely lately. My friends are either scattered across the country (or the world, Alison!), or simply not speaking to me. So, lately, I have been either ok with the way things are or incredibly upset with the way things are. I'm working on being ok with things the way they are, and really, really hoping I get into grad school.
That's all. |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
pompoma's journal