the world will never ever be the same.... and you're to blame.

It's been almost two weeks (in about seven more hours) since I said goodbye to dear Zachary, and I can't help but miss him terribly. He called me today from Iraq for the first time since he's been gone. . . the sound of his voice was so welcoming after a really long day at school and a painfully slow and slippery drive home from my night class. I miss him and can't wait for June. Until then. . .

Music blog

Go to the music player of your choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud and press play. Use the song titles as your answers. NO CHEATING!

How does the world see me?
Song: Cause = Time
Artist: Broken Social Scene
Comments: Mathematical equations confuse me. Alas, I shall reign solitary with my liberal arts education.

Will I have a happy life?
Song: We Still Kill the Old Way
Artist: Lostprophets
Comments: Perhaps?

What do my friends really think of me?
Song: She is Beautiful
Artist: Andrew W.K.
Comments: Suh-weet!

Do people secretly lust after me?
Song: Love Shack
Artist: B-52's
Comments: Hmm. . . maybe it's the Melville obsession that turns heads?

How can I make myself happy?
Song: The World I Know
Artist: Collective Soul
Comments: Remember, we are in the world but not of the world. Thank you, Anne Bradstreet.

What should I do with my life?
Song: Singing in my Sleep
Artist: Semisonic
Comments: See! I should spend the majority of my time unconscious!

What will fill my life?
Song: Champagne Supernova
Artist: Oasis
Comments: I'm OK with that.

How can I maximize my happiness?
Song: Shadow
Artist: Ashlee Simpson (no, I'm not ashamed that she's on my ipod!)
Comments: I think this goes along with the whole sleep thing. And besides, Emerson's light metaphors and Thoreau's symbolic awakeness get kinda old after a while.

What will my children be like?
Song: Pretty Handsome Awkward
Artist: Taking Back Sunday
Comments: Fair enough. (See, Becca, your children will be Gap-poster cute and mine will thrive on awkward moments. . . )

How will I die?
Song: Black Letter Day
Artist: The Cardigans
Comments: Surrounded by newsprint? I can deal with that.

What is some good advice for me?
Song: Cardiff-by-the-sea
Artist: The Ataris
Comments: Are you saying I need to get out more?

What is happiness?
Song: The Widow's Peak
Artist: Dashboard Confessional
Comments: Nothing makes me happier than dreaming about a new hairline.

What is one of my obsessions?
Song: Foolish Games
Artist: Jewel
Comments: Oh, please, that is so high school-- unless you count 'games' in some sort of Scattegories-esque manner.

How will I be remembered?
Song: Goodbye to You (Acoustic)
Artist: Michelle Branch
Comments: At least someone will be around to say goodbye!

Any advice for the time-being?
Song: Over You
Artist: Chris Daughtry
Comments: Oh, ipod Nano, how I love you so.

(P.S.: Pray that the folllowing semester engulfs me in fascinating literature and provides some more clarity about my future so that I will no longer post such ridiculous blog entries. Thanks for reading!)

winter wonderland

Even though I like Boise, the weather stinks. I am a California girl at heart-- a true valley girl who prefers sunshine, beaches, and orchards over ice, snow, and frigid winds (yes, I said "frigid"). However, with harsh winter comes great freedoms (do you like the 'Spiderman' speech imitation??? I truly am an English major), which delight me thoroughly-- so much so that I've created a Top 10 list for Winter Break:

1. Sleeping in. Ev-er-y day.

2. Learning to sew on the sewing machine. My first project was fleece cage accessories for my favorite ferret at EFS, Five:

I hand-delivered the hammock, floor pad, and sleep sack. Not to sound conceited or anything, but he (and his cagemate Cracker) loved them.

3. Getting my hair cut. I opted for a long-layered shaggy look a la Trish in "The 40-Year Old Virgin."

3 1/2. Taking random pictures of my new haircut and imagining that I could totally rock a body perm:

4. Ringing in the new year with Brett. We made margaritas, watched "The Pursuit of Happyness," played video games, and caught the last three seconds of the ball dropping in NYC:

5. Meeting friends for some quality pig-out time, like Anna and Christy, at Cafe Ole; Amy at Moxie Java; and the Melville Edition interns at Bittercreek Alehouse (Becca, you're next!).

6. Wimping out on driving anywhere in the snow. As the Zamzow's radio commercial warns, "Don't get overly confident if you have four-wheel drive." I'll just over-exaggerate that statement and claim little to no confidence with driving on any road conditions other than "dry."

7. Reading. I actually have time to read recreational literature! I finished "The Nanny Diaries," "The Virgin Blue" by Tracy Chevalier, half of Barbara Kingsolver's "Prodigal Summer" (I'm forcing myself to give it a chance-- slow going!), half of "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller (I need time to let his words marinate between readings), random Walt Whitman poems, and I reread "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk before giving it to Zach...

8. ... which brings me to my next favorite thing about Winter Break: hanging out with Zachary who is on R&R from his tour in Iraq (he goes back to work on the 18th).

We always have a blast when we're together:

And another for good measure:

9. Watching endless hours of dumb television, including (but not limited to) America's Next Top Model marathons, Project Runway reruns, What Not To Wear, Rachael Ray, and most anything on E! After break, I'll bulk up on some intellectual reading material-- don't worry.

10. Mostly, I love break because it reminds me of how much I enjoy my life. Can school last forever? Can I get paid to go to school for the rest of my life? I really don't mind, as long as I have a few respites every once in a while.

Hope you're having a fun new year as well.