Jane Loves Words

Winston

2012-02-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered a loop-hole in my college's no-pets-in-the-dorm rule. Turns out fish-bowl clause applies any pets that can be kept in self-contained terrariums. Awesome, right?

I told my roommate about it, and when I woke up on my birthday, she and my friend Janah had bought me this little fellow:

Isn't he precious?!

I really want to buy him a bow-tie, but I don't think they actually make those for frogs. For now, we'll just pretend.

Twenty-What?!

2012-01-20T15:21:00.000-08:00

Last month, a clerk asked me how old I was.

Eightee-,” I started and then paused. “Twenty. I mean, twenty.”

Needless to say, even after I reassured her that I really was a duogenarian, the clerk was skeptical.

And so was I. I turn twenty-one today, and just saying that is surreal. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all that twenty-one means.Twenty-one years has taken me from Ambridge to Sewickley to Versailles to Wilmore. I've wanted to be a teacher, a lawyer, a judge, the first lady, a journalist, a politician, a novelist, a professor, and an editor.I've been to six different schools, and I've held four different jobs.

In twenty-one years, I've been through bad hairstyles and ridiculous outfits. My favorite color changed at least five times. I learned that sparkly jeans are not the pinnacle of high fashion and that neon green corduroy jackets should never be permitted to see the light of day. I got rid of my bangs and my braces. I had my first celebrity crush. I got a cell phone. I read Pride and Prejudice. I started writing poetry. I learned to drive. I went to prom.

In twenty-one years, I've grown taller (well, a little), wiser (or at least I hope I have), and happier (inexplicably so). I'm more able to say what I mean. My dreams are more specific, and my faith is less naive. I know now that I'm more sinful than I ever thought and that God is bigger than I ever thought.

Twenty-one. The years all flowed together when I was in the middle of them, but now as I look back, I see how much has changed. And there's this strange longing when I think about all the scenery and the people that used to define my days and that are now inaccessible.

Twenty-one years is a long time, but it's also not a very long time. Lord-willing, I'll have another sixty to eighty years on earth, and that's way longer than twenty-one.

Someday I'll look back on this girl:

the same way I look back on this girl:
And wonder, How did I go from there all the way to where I am now?

Bear with me.

2012-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Via.

I'm working on my site design. Things will be prettified soon.

Confession

2011-12-31T06:55:00.000-08:00

When I get sick, I'm a baby about it.

Exhibit A:

Home.

2011-12-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

I am not a housekeeper. Not professionally. And though it may someday be a phase in my life, being a full-time homemaker is not what I'm preparing myself for. I read and work and study vigorously. I plan to go to graduate school.

But guess what? When I come home from college, the thing I want to do most is just put things back in order. I love vacuuming and doing laundry. I read mommy blogs and use Pinterest and generally enjoy crafty things.

I'll never be just a housekeeper. (After all, who is?) But darn it, I like folding things, and I am not ashamed.

“I retain the long-held sense … that housekeeping—cooking and cleaning, laundry, all the large and small tasks that go into keeping a household humming along—was not a trivial matter but a serious one. People need to eat, to sleep, to have clothes to wear; they need a place to read, a place to play, a place in which to welcome guests and from which to go forth into the world.”
- Margaret Kim Peterson, Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life

Word Spectrum

2011-12-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

I have long been a fan of dictionaries, and I have long been a fan of Apple. So I guess it only makes sense that I've also become a fan of Apple's dictionary.

I love its related word links. I love its usage notes. I love that its "The Right Word" feature helps to prevent misuse of the thesaurus and the resulting destruction of the English language.

But until today, I hadn't known about its wonderful word spectrums. I pretty much flipped out when I saw.

Check it:

Kick off your Sunday shoes.

2011-10-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

My college had a dance this weekend.

Yes, that's right. Asbury University had a school-wide dance. For the first time. Ever.

Until last year, dancing was prohibited for Asbury students except during weddings and military functions. The special events committee must have been trying to make up for lost time when they decided the dance a "throwback dance" spanning from the 1960s-90s (when, in fact, Asbury students could not dance).

I feel a little like I've lived through the plot of Footloose (but our administrators are actually really awesome and not mean like this guy).

And while I hate that I couldn't dance for the first two years of college, I wouldn't trade this college experience for anything. At what other school would you have kids get crazy and go all out for a costume dance but still keep their dancing clean and avoid alcohol?

Best of both worlds? I'd say so.

Also, a small part of me wishes legwarmers and pink hair dye could be a part of my everyday wardrobe.

Catch-Up

2011-10-08T12:47:00.001-07:00

Sooo... I kind of happened updated the blog in forever.

Sorry 'bout that.

Here are the things that have been on my mind since the school year started.

The Asbury Collegian

I joined the staff of our student newspaper as the graphics editor, and over the summer, we put the paper through a major design overhaul. My fellow staff members are so fun work with. Plus, I feel super legit every time I tell someone I'm headed to work in the news bureau.

Check out the new logo:

Lovely, right? We were actually featured on a blog on the American Copy Editors Society's website because of our redesign. (I might have freaked out a little.)

Read The Collegian here, or check out Charles Apple's review of our work.

Best roomie ever

In August I moved in with this beautiful girlie:

And she's basically wonderful.

I still love Asbury

Seriously. This school is the best thing that ever happened to me. The other day when I was on Facebook, it pulled up one of my statuses from a few years ago. Look what little freshman Jane posted:

Two years, later, I'm just as pumped to be here. I have the best friends I've ever had in my life, and I can't imagine things being much better. Which makes number 4 on this list all the scarier:

Grad school

Holy crud, I'm getting old! It's time to start thinking about all the things that happen after college. Planning some grad school visits this year. My problem is that I love everything. I want to have 10 different careers.

College Crafty

2011-08-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

I head back to the 'bury on Monday, and I couldn't be more pumped.

I'm switching dorms this year and wanted to brighten up the new room with a few DIY projects, so I made the flowers from this tutorial, put them on a branch, and plopped it in a 50¢ vase from Goodwill.

I almost wanted to leave them unfinished at this stage and just stick them in a glass jar. I love clusters!

Here's the finished product:

Won't they be lovely on my new desk?

Happy Birthday, Jack!

2011-08-08T07:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Thanks for being such a sweet and thoughtful older brother.

Seriously though, we love you.

Make Yourself?

2011-07-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

When I pulled up Pandora this morning, I found this banner on the right side of my computer screen.

Compelling, isn't it? Makes you wanna go run a marathon or do a thousand push-ups or lift a car above your head. Nike's ad department knows how to write good copy.

But there's something more than a little unsettling about this ad. You are entirely up to you? I hope not.

I’m sure the writer of this ad wasn’t trying to make a theological assertion. I’m sure he or she was just thinking about selling shoes.

But it’s what we say offhand that shows what we really believe.

"But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart..." - Matthew 15:18

And really, what does it mean if I am entirely up to me? If I make my body, make my life, make myself? Does it mean I’m self-reliant, independent? Does it mean I’m happy?

No. If I am entirely up to me, I am entirely alone, entirely without help, entirely without hope. If I am entirely up to me, I am entirely without God.

When it comes down to it, that's a pretty dismal worldview, and it’s a pretty miserable way to live your life. It’s not empowering. It’s debilitating. It’s not inspiring. It’s an absolute deathblow.

We weren’t designed to rely on ourselves. Praise the Lord we don’t have to.

The Almost Skirt

2011-07-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Even though previous sewing attempts have landed me in the hospital, I decided to try my hand at skirt making this summer.

Looks decent from the front, right?

Too bad the back zipper's all wonky.

I don't think this is bad for a beginner though, especially since I did it without a pattern or instructions or any real sewing experience.

Next time, I think I'll try something without a zipper. Maybe an elastic skirt? That should be easy. Right?

Crafting with my besties

2011-07-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

I got a fun surprise last weekend when the ever-adorable Cassie Dobbs sent me a text to say she was in the area. I headed up to the ol' college town to see her and the other lovelies staying near campus this summer.

I'd been drooling over the pretty DIY flowers on Pinterest, so we decided to spend the evening making fabric flowers for our hair.

I'm still trying to figure out this whole aperture-exposure-ISO thing, so none of my pictures from that night are great.

See, look how blurry Janah is!

But I ended up very happy with my rose! I wore it the very next day.

Love, love, love.

I'm not usually much of an animal person.

2011-06-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

But this? This is an exception.

Via

(I'm kind of in love.)

Please, please, please, somebody buy me a Pennywell miniature.

I would love you forever.

Happy Birthday, Mama!

2011-06-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

So glad to have you in my life.

Yogurt Face

2011-06-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

In my semi-ridiculous quest to be more of a foodie, I recently decided to try my hand at making pico de gallo.

Only, it turns out the seemingly innocuous green vegetables in the picture above harbor a horrible, terrible ingredient called capsaicin.

Capsaicin, according to its Wikipedia entry, is an irritant found in peppers that "produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact."

It's also the active ingredient in pepper spray.

So there I was, chopping away at peppers and tomatoes, when all of a sudden my face starts burning. I guess must have touched it while I still had pepper juice on my hands.

Not knowing anything about capsaicin, I tried to rinse it off with water, which only made the burning spread into my eyes. At this point, I was screaming in pain, so my brother looked up serrano peppers on Google and found out milk fat can calm the burning.

Since we only buy skim, I resorted to spreading expired yogurt all over my face just to make the burning stop.

Stylish, right?

Profit and Productivity and Zombies

2011-05-20T18:33:00.002-07:00

I've worked at the same bank in my hometown for the last four years now, and this week I started working again for the summer.

What do I do all day at this solemn institution, this distinguished establishment, this bastion of order and routine?

My coworkers and I may or may not have spent time today researching how to survive a zombie attack.

Apparently the CDC recently updated its site to include instructions for zombie epidemic preparedness.

Not joking.

I guess if the zombies can get to Lizzie Bennet, we're all susceptible.

What's up with shoe manufacturers these days?

2011-05-14T18:36:00.001-07:00

Seriously, who would even buy these?

I got so frustrated looking for flats to wear to work. I almost gave up...

until I came across these beauties:

Thank you, Steve Madden designers, for avoiding overdone bows, pilgrim buckles, and weird tassels. Thank you for making something simple and classic.

I appreciate it.

I bought them in two colors.

Now all I need are some shoe clips.

Kate's Belated Birthday

2011-05-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is my big sister Kate.

Isn't she gorgeous?

I've always looked up to her

And in the 20 years that I've been alive, she's always been near.

We spent our childhoods together—sharing toys, rooms, and 5 bajillion matching outfits (some goofier than others).

Going to the same college as her for the last two years has basically been the best thing ever.

But last week, she turned 22 and graduated from college.

Now she's moving 8 long hours away from home.

This might be our last summer in the same house.

And I'm going to miss the crud out of her.

Dear William,

2011-05-05T04:21:00.001-07:00

It's been something of a love-hate relationship this semester.

Via.

Sure, we had a few good laughs...

Dogberry, Rosalind, and (of course) Falstaff

I even went to see your show and loved it.

But you've also stressed me out.

A ton.

Seriously, this book is thick!

You really had a lot to get out, huh?

In an hour and a half, this will all be over. Finals will be over. All of sophomore year will be over.

So I just wanted to say,

Via.

I'm glad we're friends.

On Loving Your Enemies

2011-05-02T05:08:00.000-07:00

I've known his face for years. I've known to hate it, to fear it, to shudder at the sight.

Osama Bin Laden. Enemy of America. The face of evil.

I used to pray that they would track him down. I remember hoping they would kill him. I thought I'd be safer if he were dead.

And now he is. Bin Laden's dead, and my first reaction was to rejoice. My natural inclination is to dance over his body.

But if I do that, if I hate my enemy, if I dance because he's dead, I'm no better than the men who took down the two towers.

We serve a God whose nature is always to be merciful. We serve a God who cried, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." We serve a God who heals the blind, who raises the dead, who brings life to dry bones.

Image via.

I'm not saying we can overlook what Osama did. God is just, and in His righteousness, He cannot allow unforgiven, unrepentant injustice to go unpunished.

But I am saying this: It's wrong for me to delight in the death of Bin Laden. It's wrong because I am every bit as much a sinner—a degenerate, broken sinner—as he. It's wrong because I should rejoice with truth, not delight in evil.

So yes, I'm glad America is a little bit safer. And yes, I'll probably sleep a little bit easier. But this death is not a victory. Christ came to redeem lives, all lives, even the lives of my enemies.

I'll close with a few words from Derek Webb's fabulous song "My Enemies Are Men Like Me."

I have come to give you life
And to show you how to live it
I have come to make things right
To heal their ears and show you how to forgive them

How can I kill the ones I'm supposed to love
My enemies are men like me
I will protest the sword if it's not wielded well
My enemies are men like me

Blergh

2011-04-24T19:05:00.001-07:00

It feels like summer outside.

It is not summer.
I still have schoolwork.

This is how I feel about that.

(You know how they say the camera adds 10 pounds? I'm pretty sure Photo Booth subtracts 10 years.)

Upside Down

2011-04-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

I hesitate to write this blog because I don't want to handle the subject flippantly. It's Good Friday, and I just wanted to say how beautiful and terrible and wonderful this day is.

I don't treat this day with enough reverence. I can't even get my mind around what it means really.

Here's what I do understand:

I'm a sinner. I'm nasty. My heart is grosser than the gum on the bottom of your shoe. If you could see what I say and do when nobody's around or what I'm thinking, you'd be disgusted and probs wouldn't want to be my friend.

I'm a sinner, and I did not deserve for someone to die for me.

Especially since I'm still rude and self-centered.

Especially since I'm ungrateful about what he did.

Especially since that someone was holy and perfect and (oh yeah) God.

The world turned upside down that day. My future turned upside down because of that day. And slowly, slowly, slowly my heart is turning upside down because of that day.

Fair Trade

2011-04-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Highbridge Film Festival last night was awesome!

Fair Trade premiered and won Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography. (Yay!)

Witness yours truly below.

(Zach Wilson did a wonderful job with the camera, so you should watch it full screen to get the full effect.)

Dream. Create. Inspire.

2011-04-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

It's Engaging Culture Weekend at Asbury—my favorite part of the academic year.

Don't get me wrong. Asbury rocks all year round. We put on everything from movies on the green to coffeehouses to (spoof) male beauty pageants. We send dozens of students to the Olympics every two years. I have awesome profs and even awesomer friends.

But nothing else makes me quite as excited, proud, and ridiculously sentimental as Engaging Culture Weekend.

Via.

This is the moment when Asbury shines. We bring in speakers from all over. We have movie screenings, art exhibits and special workshops. And on Saturday night, the weekend reaches its pinnacle with Highbridge.

Highbridge is our annual film festival. Media Comm. majors work tirelessly on films, event planning, and publicity for the night, and the whole campus gets dressed up to come enjoy their work.

I got to act in one of the short films that's premiering tonight, and I'm so excited to see it on the big screen!

I love this weekend. I love the color and the activity and the energy.

But it's not watching the movies or walking on the red carpet or getting all dressed up that I love most.

Via.

It's the passion. It's the sense that people are coming together, all using their talents and ideas and dreams to do something bigger than themselves.

It's what college is all about. It's what the kingdom is all about.

It's what I want my life to be about.

I think I can. I think I can.

2011-04-13T05:25:00.001-07:00

I had my first production night at the Collegian yesterday.

I'm going to be graphics editor next year. (Ahhh!)

Imagine me cringing as I say this because honestly, I'm a little afraid I won't be able to do a good job.

I hate doing something and knowing it could be done better. But part of maturing as a Christian is getting over that perfectionism.

So yes, I'm nervous.

But more than that, I'm excited. I am excited! It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be done.

And I think I can do it. I think I can.

Just call me the little engine.

Via.

Pinkies Out

2011-04-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I love Twinings English Breakfast Tea so much.

Is it because it's delicious?

Or is it because it makes me feel like a lady?

Via.

I ♥ OED

2011-03-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

The folks at Oxford University Press shocked the world this week when they announced that they're adding a new word to the good ol' OED.

Why all the hullaballoo?

The word is: ♥

That's right. ♥ is the first typographical symbol to be added as a word in the dictionary.

Tweeny-boppers of the world can argue that "I ♥ JBiebs" is now a full sentence.

I'm not sure what I think about it yet. Are we headed down a slippery slope? Are we moving ever more rapidly toward vapid and thoughtless expression?

Or is there something beautiful in the ♥?

Via.

There's certainly something expressive and romantic about it.

Via.

And the wonderful thing about language is that it's dynamic. It should change as society does.

Via.

I for one am hoping that the interrobang is the next piece of punctuation to make it big.

Thanks to Anne for bringing this to my attention.

My Cup Runneth Over

2011-03-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog World,

I have a problem.

I'm addicted to overcommitting.

I made an infographic to describe my neurosis.

It doesn't come from a fear of failure or a need for recognition or a perfectionist tendency (although I'll freely admit to having all of those).

It's just that I get excited about things. Really excited. About everything. All the time.

I hear about a new class or a new project, and every fiber of my being just yells, "That! I want to do that! Right now!" It's like I'm seeing new colors or tasting new flavors or visiting new worlds.

I try to split my time up among all these commitments, and it just doesn't work. There's so many of them and only one of me. But if you ask me to do fewer things, I feel like I'm making Sophie's choice. I can't think of one thing I wouldn't cry over if I cut it out of my life.

Does anybody else feel this way?

SB11 Day 6: And it was beautiful.

2011-03-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

So now I've been to the Big Apple.

Via.

We visited New York City today, and I'm not yet sure what to make of the experience.

It's a city that's been so mythologized in American culture. You might call it the Mecca of our nation.

Artists rap about its ability to make dreams come true. Screenwriters tell us it's bursting with opportunity. Advertisers show us its streets—full of color and life and joy—and tell us we're missing out.

Via.

I've grown up in this city-centric culture, and I've imbibed the myth that glorifies the metropolis. I've always looked at New Yorkers enviously, like a child reluctant to go to bed because he's certain he's missing some unknown magic.

So I went. I went with my wide trusting eyes. I went to soak it all up, to smell and taste and see. I went stockpile images, to record my impressions.

I saw bustling streets and bright shops. I saw bubbling toddlers and bent old women. I saw skyscrapers and landmarks and incredible billboards, and I'm not sure yet what to think. I can't package what I saw into a neat little bundle.

Via.

I think what shocked me most is that it was real. It's not a myth, and it's not easy to make sense of. It's not hellish, but it has tragedies. It's not ideal, but it has beauty.

What draws us to the city is life—irresistible, incomprehensible life. And life is not one-sided. It holds both the beautiful and the repulsive, both hope and desperation, both businessmen and beggars.

Yes, New York is beautiful. Yes, New York is distressing. Yes, New York is real.

SB11 Day 4: Forever 21 is my soulmate.

2011-03-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

ohmygoodnessiloveforever21somuch

The girls in our spring break trip went to the Christiana mall today. While we were there, I visited Forever 21 for the first time.

Via.

It was two floors (!) and amazing.

Be still my beating heart.

Everything was cheap. Everything fit. Everything was adorable.

I got this gorgeous skirt in navy.

And a pair of cute blue earrings!

When we got back to the house, we discovered the boys had cooked us dinner!

Aren't they adorable?

Anxious to Matter

2011-03-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Long conversations are among my greatest joys.

I spent a long time chatting with friends after breakfast today, and my friend Cassie asked how I thought I had changed in the time I've been in college.

These words came out of my mouth:

"I don't know really. I'm a lot happier. I used to think I had to accomplish something, do something big, get my name in a history book. Now, I just want to find somewhere I fit."

And I think it's true. I'm a lot more at peace than I used to be. I'm a lot less fearful. I'm a lot happier.

In Pearl Harbor, Ben Affleck's character explains why he's in the war by saying, "I'm not anxious to die, sir, just anxious to matter."

For most of my life, I was anxious to matter. I was desperate to be someone important. But by the grace of God I'm realizing now that the stuff that matters is stuff that lasts a heck of a lot longer than things in a history book.

SB11 Day 3: Brotherly Love.

2011-03-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Philly today.

It's my first time back in Pennsylvania since the family moved away seven years ago.

We visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

It's an interesting feeling to be so close to something you've read about in history books.

Via.

I wandered slowly through the Liberty Bell Center, watching people of all ages and races mill around, listening to the faint sound of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech from a video in another room.

Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land

unto all the Inhabitants thereof.

I'm not a particularly patriotic person, but you know what?

I felt kinda proud.

I'm glad to be American. I'm glad these guys existed.

Via.

SB11 Day 2: Freedom smells like saltwater.

2011-03-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

We visited Ocean City today.

Via.

Aaaand… it was freezing.

But it wasn't too cold to get a few great pictures:

Yes, dear blog, you are at the beach.

This is our poor attempt to spell "Asbury!"

I love this! I love us! I love break!

She got in!

2011-03-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of my big sister!

She just got into the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Yeah, that's right. She'll be attending the world's oldest school of journalism (est. 1908).

Via.

Yayayay! She's totally deserves it.

Get ready Mizzou, Kate Brannen's about to blow you away.

SB11 Day 1: Hello, Garden State.

2011-03-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

Spring Break is finally here! I feel so free.

I headed up to New Jersey yesterday with about a dozen of my friends. We're staying at Cassie's house, and it's basically the best thing ever.

Today, I went on a four-wheeler for the first time!

I also got to try Wawa coffee.

Wawa's a New Jersey phenomenon. It's a gas station with coffee, subs, milkshakes, and more, and all my NJ friends are just crazy about it.

Yum!

In Which I Shamelessly Plug Josh

2011-03-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

Remember my first blog post ever?

It was a short entry about this guy:

Via.

Back then, I had only just heard of the wonderful musician that is Josh Ritter. I wasn't familiar with his goofy smile or his compelling lyrics. I didn't know that his soulful voice was missing from my life.

In the months since, I've become a much bigger fan of Josh. I'm on the email list. I follow his Twitter feed. I read his blog. I listen to his Pandora station constantly, and the girls on my hall roll their eyes every time I start singing "that song about the devil car."

What I love most about Josh is that he uses words well. His undergraduate major was "American History through Narrative Folk Music." His songs have literary allusions, and he describes his own music as "rock and roll with a lot of words."

You can imagine my excitement when I read that my newfound favorite was writing a book.

Via.

At Christmastime, I asked for a pre-order, and I've been counting down the days until I have a copy of Bright's Passage in my hands.

Today I got an e-mail from Josh Ritter with these wonderful words:

Josh's debut novel, Bright's Passage, hits shelves in North America on June 28th. Go here to download the first chapter of the book for free.

Yes, yes, yes! I've downloaded the chapter, and I'm saving it as a reward until I finish my article for the Collegian on water aerobics. I can't get those words written fast enough.

Click here to get the first chapter.

Gaaahhhhh!

2011-03-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

Speed up photoshop!

The Oscars

2011-02-27T21:09:00.000-08:00

After this incredible display, I was expecting a lot from the Academy Awards this year.

I was glad The King's Speech won Best Picture. Who woulda thunk a movie about stuttering could keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time?

Via.

But I was a disappointed by Anne Hathaway and James Franco, who are usually my favs.

Did we really need to see this?

Via.

Every girl in the room gasped when we saw this:

Via.

Zach Levi, you are just precious!

My favorite part of the night might have been the autotune mash-up.

Loved it!

As You Like It

2011-02-27T20:01:00.000-08:00

The American Shakespeare Center came to the 'bury this weekend to perform As You Like It.

Via.

I was excited to see the play because we had just studied it in Shakespeare 410.

Shakespeare is by far my favorite class this semester, but—I feel like an English major heretic for saying this—I was a little burned out on As You Like It. No pun intended.

Via.

The play was performed well, and the costumes were phenomenal, but I had already read the play twice, watched it once, studied it for hours, and written an essay on Rosalind and Orlando.

By the time the three-hour performance was over, I was ready to go to bed. I'm such an old lady!

Another thought: is it weird that prefer Shakespeare's histories to his comedies?

No quiero trabajar más.

2011-02-21T17:04:00.001-08:00

I'm not even sure if this graph is going the right direction, but desire to work is supposed to be inversely related to amount of work.

The first time I typed that sentence, I wrote, "the write direction."

That's how fried my brain is.

Phenomenal.

2011-02-20T20:27:00.001-08:00

Some days, I'm just so glad to be a girl.

Phenomenal Woman

by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies

I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size

But when I start to tell them

They think I'm telling lies.

I say

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips

The stride of my steps

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally

Phenomenal woman

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please

And to a man

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees

Then they swarm around me

A hive of honey bees.

I say

It's the fire in my eyes

And the flash of my teeth

The swing of my waist

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally

Phenomenal woman

That's me.

Via.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say

It's in the arch of my back

The sun of my smile

The ride of my breasts

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally

Phenomenal woman

That's me.

Via.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say

It's in the click of my heels

The bend of my hair

The palm of my hand

The need for my care.

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally

Phenomenal woman

That's me.

We don't need no boys.

2011-02-18T20:19:00.001-08:00

Asbury's annual men's retreat = boy-free campus.

Sounds like it's time for a girl's night!

It had been way too long. We got together at Laura's for the ultimate

girl's night, complete with caramel macchiato cupcakes and a

brooding Zac Efron.

Photo and recipe.

(I may or may not have eaten my body weight in icing.)

Will the entire female race hate me if I say I didn't love this movie? I

feel like I must be missing the second X chromosome, but I can't make

myself enjoy sappy romances.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2011-02-09T12:11:00.001-08:00

(I luh you.)

Okay, Starbucks.

2011-02-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

This is getting ridiculous.

Seriously, do we really need a drink that's larger than the human stomach?

Where's it supposed to fit?!

Image via.

Dear Punxsutawney Phil,

2011-02-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know,

I like your work.

And I'm ready—

really, really, really ready—

for spring.

Image via.

I'm the messiest eater...

2011-01-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

I'm the messiest eater in the history of ever.

Picture via.

Yesterday, I spilled coffee and marshmallows down the front of my shirt.

I wore it backwards all day.

Too Many Candles

2011-01-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

According to AP, the word "girl" stopped applying to me two years ago.

As of 6:45 tonight, the word "teenager" can no longer be used either.

I turned twenty.

Twenty!

Can you believe how many candles there were on my cake?

How is this possible?

Something New

2011-01-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

When I was little, the phrase "back to school" meant shopping for school supplies.

It meant begging for the 64-pack of Crayola crayons.

It meant packing my backpack days in advance.

It meant laying my clothes out the night before.

Today, I'm back at school, and it means something totally different.

It means loading our van with textbooks, computer gear, and clean laundry.

It means finding my Asbury I.D. and putting the house-key away in a drawer.

It means saying hello...

and saying good-bye.

It means bracing myself for the stress of a new semester...

And getting excited for the crazy nights like these:

And it means something more, something I can't quite put into words. It means something exciting and terrifying and wonderful.

It means something new.

Christmas

2010-12-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

When I was little, my favorite part about Christmas was unwrapping the presents.

Now I think my favorite thing is getting to wrap them.

It's Go Time.

2010-12-12T11:35:00.001-08:00

This year, I'm going to show Finals Week who's the boss.

(In unrelated news, letting your roomie change your Facebook password so that you can't logon during finals week makes it waaay easier to procrastinate by writing blogs.)

Thank you, Apple Dictionary.

2010-12-12T07:58:00.001-08:00

Can I please say how much I love the usage notes in my Apple Dictionary? I want to become friends with whoever wrote this entry.

Cloche Charm

2010-12-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

From headbands to hairpins, I've always loved head adornments. My recent obsession? Cloches. (A type of bell-shaped hat that was popular in the 1940s.)

I think I'm in love.

1. Marlena Wool Cloche from Kate Spade, $125 (Yeah, right!)

2. Mossimo Felt Cloche from Target, $12.99

3. Right Way Cloche from Anthropologie, $48

4. Wool Cloche with Ribbon from Forever 21, $14.80

5. Madison's Cloche from Anthropologie, $48

6. Cloche Hat with Bow from Forever 21, $10.80

7. Fabled Cloche from Anthropologie, $278 (Who would spend that kind of money on a hat?)

8. Tour the Town Hat from Modcloth, $29.99

Tuesday Typography: Tree of Codes

2010-11-23T08:11:00.001-08:00

Jonathan Safran Foer has a new book out.

Looks something like this:

Crazy, right?

I'm not even sure how you're supposed to read it.

Oh, to sit on a bench!

2010-11-22T05:25:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been loving the idea of benches.

Maybe it has something to do with all my busyness. Maybe it's just that I'd like to be able to sit still for a long time.

But I also think there's something graceful about the lines of a bench.

Here's some inspiration for your Monday:

Via.

Good one, Microsoft.

2010-10-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

This is my Intro to Comm. Presentation in Keynote:

Looks decent, right?

But this is what happened when I exported it to PowerPoint.

Look at that gradient. Look at the shadows. It's disgusting!

Thanks a lot, Bill.

My head hurts.

2010-10-18T16:16:00.001-07:00

Image via.

A lot.

It only takes 28 seconds

2010-10-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

to show you why the girls on my hall are awesome.

Is Alex adorable?

Can I please be artsy when I'm old?

2010-10-04T08:44:00.001-07:00

I really just want to become one of those old ladies who goes to the Opera House every time it has a new show. Would that be the cutest way to spend your retirement-hood?

This weekend I went to see La Bohème - my first opera - and it was gorgeous!

Image via.

The set was elaborate, the plot was engaging, and I was absolutely blown away by the voices of the singers.

But I guess that's what you'd expect from the opera that inspired this:

I'm packing your angry eyes.

2010-09-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Movie on the Green last week was a huge success.

Way to go Asbury Student Congress for getting Toy Story 3! We played it before it was even in stores AND we beat UK to the punch.

And yes, I did make a Mrs. Potato Head costume for the event.

Look how cute Sharayah and I are in our costumes!

(She's dressed as Jessie.)

We are Beast.

2010-09-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love the girls of 2nd East (a.k.a. "the Beast").

We had our first hall event last weekend. So much fun! It involved a little paint, a little ice cream, and… we might have done a Beast Run through the Student Center afterward.

Here I am with Alex and Carlyn at Maggie Moo's after splatter painting:

So classy, right?

Lots and lots to do

2010-08-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is what my life looks like right now:

Image via.

Can someone promise me it gets better?

Because I'm stuh-ressed!

I moved in on Wednesday.

2010-08-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

And I've gotta say,

I'm kinda proud of my own organization skills.

Thank goodness for milk crates!

How did people do college without these things?

In other news, I got two pairs of jeans back from the tailor today.

(I'm so short! I have to hem everything.)

I'm really excited to wear them. Yay for sales at Ann Taylor and Loft!

King's Island

2010-07-16T14:25:00.001-07:00

(I know I haven't updated in forever. Sorry!)

I went to King's Island last weekend with my friends Anne, Brad, and Molly. We had a blast! I didn't even have to worry about being tall enough for the rides.

No problems here!

Highlights:

• getting free tickets from the radio station that broadcasts my dad's sermons

• screaming my head off on all the rides

• not getting sunburned

• stopping at Wendy's on the way home for a Frostie

Lowlights:

• waiting in line for an hour and a half to get on Flight of Fear
• paying $10 for a piece of pizza

• getting wet at the end of the day

But the upside of the rain was that Anne and I got to wear our oh-so-fashionable ponchos:

Now that's what I call hott with two T's. Note especially my awesome frizzy hair.

Currently loving...

2010-06-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

the Kindle commercials.

I thought the stop motion ones were unbeatable...

but then I saw this one:

And loved it, too. It's different but adorable, and it still fits well with the stop motion ads.

I don't really want-slash-need a Kindle, but every time I see a Kindle ad, I'm briefly convinced that it would be a good idea to buy one. Well done, Amazon! Now if you could just improve your site navigation...

The storm drain ate my cell phone.

2010-06-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I went for a run yesterday, and as I was turning the corner on my block, my cell phone suddenly flew out of my hand and flung toward the pavement. I watched helplessly as it clattered down the storm drain and into the sewer.

I stood there for about five minutes, shouting, "Oh crap. Crap! Oh crap, crap, crap!"

But once I came to terms with my inability to fix the situation with Command-Z, I raced home and used our landline to call the guy who always swoops in to save the day:

He came back from work as fast as possible. We went to the scene of the accident, pulled off the manhole cover, and peered down into the darkness. It was smelly and dirty and filled with cobwebs, but there at the bottom, we could see my LG Vu.

So Dad jumped fearlessly down and got my phone. I have never been so thankful for an object while also totally grossed out by it. (Thank goodness for germ-x!)

I was impressed that Dad had braved the spiders and the sewage for me, so I hugged him and apologized for making him go down. He just smiled and said, "Baby, I would do that ten more times to get a sermon illustration that good."

A Puiche of Quiche

2010-06-06T04:44:00.001-07:00

I know my last three posts have been about food, but I want to promise you, dear readers, that I do not, in fact, spend all of my time eating. I leave the house and interact with other people and lead a pretty normal life.

But I was kinda impressed that this quiche actually turned out okay, so I wanted to show it off to everybody in the blogosphere.

(Am I pretentious if I use the word “blogosphere”? Is there a better word? Or am I still pretentious just because I worry about bring pretentious? Quiche is a kinda pretentious food anyway... Whatevs. Recipe below the pic.)

Greg's Quiche

(Greg is some old coworker of my mother. I have never met him, and the only thing I know about him is that she used to work with him at the newspaper.)

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups yellow squash, chopped

2 cups broccoli

1/4 pound colby cheese

1/4 pound cheddar, swiss or mozzarella cheese

5 eggs

1/2 cup milk

celery salt

basil leaves

Directions

1. Steam chopped squash for 25 min, then steam broccoli for 25 min.

2. Grate cheese & mix with eggs and milk (but save 2 thin slices of colby).

3. Cook eggs, cheese, & milk in sauce pan on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

4. Mix in cooked squash and broccoli.

5. Add a pinch of celery salt and basil leaves.

6. Pour filling into a deep dish pie crush, then lay thin slices of colby cheese overtop & add a sprinkling of oregano.

7. Bake for 45 minutes at 375°

Is it awful...

2010-06-01T20:30:00.001-07:00

that I made these:

while I was watching this?

Image here.

'Cause it felt just the tiniest bit wrong.

Lemon Love

2010-05-29T20:48:00.001-07:00

Is there a better way to celebrate summer than by baking a double batch of lemon bars? My tastebuds say no.

I made these Tuesday, and my parents' Wednesday night small group gobbled them up. Yum, yum, yum!

Here's my recipe in case you want to bake up your own batch of sunshine.

Crust:

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup flour, sifted

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, flour and powdered sugar, then pat into 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 until light brown (about 15 minutes). Cool.

Filling:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsps lemon juice

powdered sugar

Beat eggs in large bowl. Add sugar, flour, baking powder, & lemon juice & stir until mixed thoroughly. Pour into cooled crust, then bake at 350 until set (about 25 minutes). Cool for at least 2 hours. Dust with powdered sugar.

I'll admit it.

2010-05-22T20:31:00.001-07:00

I had to google Josh Ritter to find out who he was before I went to his concert.

(I'm just a little bit disconnected from pop culture.)

Pic from here.

Turns out he's awesome, though.

My friends Adam, Anne, and Casey took me to see him Monday, and I wish I could have pretended to have been a legitimate fan before that night. He has a great voice, his lyrics are well-written, and he's so darn excited about being on stage that you can't help adoring him.

I've only downloaded one of his songs so far, but I know what I'll be spending my next iTunes card on.

Check out Josh Ritter here.