Hey, It's OK!

Happy Thursday!
I thought I'd join the "It's OK Thursdays" fiesta over at Brunch with Amber.
... on the last Thursday that she is hosting it.

{But hey, that's okay!}

IT'S {also} OK...

*To bawl like a baby after watching this -
you bet I was full on ugly crying my face off the entire time,
but it's more than worth the scary mascara eyes and red, blotchy face.

RIP Zach, you have truly been an inspiration.

*To - after getting an innocent "Bi-Rite?" text from the roommate -
get up in the middle of our assignments,

put on sweats, walk out, drive into the city, and get ice cream.

(Sweats and the City, that's how we do.)

*To secretly be gleeful {and outwardly sympathetic} when you and your roommate
get incredible housing, while so many of your friends are either living in no-man's-land,
or worse - were unassigned {guaranteed} housing. The odds were indeed ever in our favor.

*To go grab Starbucks,
just because it's below 70 degrees a little bit chilly outside.

*To, after having a (literally) 20 minute stare-down with a spider, 
finally deciding my weapons of choice: a mini-vacuum, and my career planning handbook.

*To stay up until 2am reading Bossypants. That Tina.

*To have had three bowls of chicken noodle soup plus a bowl of tomato basil soup,
and a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch...
(It's Not-So OK?)
(Stop giving me that look; we never ever ever get soup!)

The One In Which A Whole Lotta Nothing Happens

In high school, I was the biggest goody-two-shoes there ever was.

Hours of my free time in the afternoons were spent not at Sonic Drive Thru 

sampling a rainbow of drink options with friends (I did that on weekends... duh.), 

not going to friends' houses to do I-don't-even-know-what-because-I-never-went,

but on classroom couches, grilling my teachers about their weekend plans 

and kids and how do you really feel about us?

I was ... special.

scalloped background by PuglyPixel.

But through all those weeks of helping teachers grade papers,

or arranging meetings with other nerd-friends on how to save the environment,

I'd always be thinking "high school's setting me back. When I'm in college..."

I'd party till dawn.

Live the rockstar lifestyle.

Be the biggest social butterfly who ever fluttered the earth.

After still being completely knackered from last weekend,

when I stepped out of my suite socialized with a few friends,

you know what I did this weekend?

I didn't change out of my pajamas at all;

I set a personal goal of watching an entire season of FRIENDS,

and knocking out a few movies while I was at it;

I drew the blinds and shunned the sunshine,

and laid happily in my down blanket cocoon and refused to ... flutter,

except to go grab a humongous burrito because 

hey, I'm in college - I do what I want. (YOLO.)

I'll give you a second to process my wild ways.

Now, wait for it.

It was toga party this past weekend.

-My high school self is slapping my current self right now-

The most quintessentially college-party-life you could get.

And the entire duration of the party, I was a zombie in my room,

sobbing hysterically (happy tears! happy tears!) to The One With The Proposal, thinking: 

Chandler and Monica and Rachel and Phoebe and Joey and Ross

never had to go out (okay, at least they didn't show it - and what's not shown, is irrelevant).

Moral of this story about nothing:

When forced to choose between sweaty frats/making an effort,

or this:

I don't have to tell you the answer.

Off to work on my Vitamin D deficiency,

and to remind my friends that I (somehow) still exist.

Practice being a recluse in moderation, people.

Friday Letters

Dear Crepevine,
I'm glad we found each other.

Dear sizable mountain of junk accumulating on my bedroom floor,

take care of yourself, yo. Ever heard of the phrase, "stay classy?"

Dear lack of a social life this weekend,

looks like it'll be you and me and Netflix! Maybe study-time can third wheel it?

Dear macaroni & cheese w/ buffalo chicken and snowballs of feta,

you are so delicious I had you for lunch and dinner. And on that note,

Dear spiced carrot cake that no one really seems to like for dessert,

don't you worry about a thing. I got this under control.

Dear Spotify iPhone app that I was jamming to at work even though I probably wasn't supposed to,

you. are. amazing. I may or may not have done a happy dance,

when I discovered all of your new features. iTunes schmi-Tunes - who is that anyway?

Dear roommate and suitemates and softball friends,

I want you to win. I really, really do. But I also want you guys to come home and hang out with me.

Dear midterms,

if you insist on existing, please make sure your name is accurate-

midterm implies ONE test in the MIDDLE of the term.

Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self.

Dear favorite TV shows,

why'd you have to leave me? Why'd you have to go?

Cheers to the freakin' weekend, mates!

The Rite Way: BiRite Creamery

How do you know if a place has good life-changing ice cream?

A) If you are willing to drive two hours total to get to it.

B) If you withstand bone-chillingly cold weather in just shorts and tee's for it.

C) If you patiently stand in a twenty minute just for an itty bitty taste of it.

D) All of the above.

The answer is D), people.

The answer is also, if it's called Bi-Rite Creamery... just go.

{hi mom, stop spazzing - we were parked.}

My choices: ricanela & malted vanilla.

I swear, it might've been one of the top 10 favorite moments alive on this Earth,

right behind the very first time I tried Bi-Rite.

Take that however you want.

Memorable events of the day to note:

*Woke up at 6:30am to take Skyler to the airport,

drove about 1.5 hours w/ the roomie in the morning,

had breakfast,

and made it in the nick of time to class.

Holla.

*Happy birthday (yesterday!) to Skyler & Leah!

Crepevine & a candy store with Skyler,

and Yogurtland and boba tea w/ Leah.

Is it their birthday or mine?

*As a psychology major,

I majorly geeked out today.

Philip Zimbardo {of Stanford Prison Experiment fame}

guest-lectured my Social Psychology class,

in the classroom right next to the location of the experiment.

It was incredibly surreal - what an occasion.

Happy Wednesday!

--

Weekend Snapshots

+ long walks on the beach by the fountains

+ I don't do hot dogs or nachos at ball games. I do chicken pesto crepes.

+ last home game for Stanford Softball - forever winners in my heart.*

+ on 90 degree days, there is no way but the feet-in-the-water way.

+ snaps for new friends! Skyler, you are amazing and red lipstick was made for you.

+ when planning to drive into SF in shorts and tanks for ice cream,

it may or may not be a good idea to check the weather first...

+ but nothing stops us from getting Bi-Rite. Not weather that looks like a hurricane 

is coming, not a twenty minute line, not the possibility of our car being towed.

+ midnight shenanigans: climbing lamp posts, and some shameless posing.

*Last year at this time, I only knew three girls on the softball team {and two of them only barely}. I still attended the last home game, but oh how different it was to be in the stands hearing unfamiliar names up at bat, forgetting even my roommate's number at times, and wondering why everyone was groaning when I thought something amazing happened. This year, I've got everyone's names and numbers down pat, and even know most of their individual cheers. I know their positions, most of the rules, and only flinch slightly when I think the ball's coming at me ha just kidding, I scream bloody murder and glare at my roommate in the outfield for not leaving her post in the middle of the game to run to me in the stands and swat the ball away from me, even if it wasn't anywhere close to hitting me at all. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that - I'm emotionally invested in this team, these people, their games. During the extra two innings on Saturday's game, my heart raced faster than when I watched J. Law win Best Actress at the Oscars. ANYWAY, I'm always going to pretend that they accept this fact: this team is my team; I have never believed anything more than I believe in the heart of this team - they are the strongest, most hard-working, genuinely kind and incomprehensibly smart girls on and off the field. Thank you guys for always including me, thank you seniors for putting the roomz in her place because I'm scared of what her strong arms can do and can't do it myself, and for always inviting me to your get-togethers. 

Good luck in Nebraska. You got this.

---

Before I forget, I'm linking up with Chelsea over at lost.in.travels today for

I Love BlogLovin'. {Her blog is so cute - she makes me want to walk out of class,

and head to the airport for a one way flight to Korea(n BBQ).}

To My Mama...

Well mom, you did it.
Years and years of tears,
and of arguments and tantrums on my part,
and "you'll thank me later"s on yours...

I am thanking you now.
For twenty years' worth of advice,
and discipline and lessons,
for the laughter and the conversations,
for all of the fun outings and for hours and hours at home,
for the hugs and the kisses,
for the most lovely home and family you've created,
and most importantly of all,
for the forever endless amounts of unconditional love.

I love you.
I miss you & will see you soon.
And thank you.

Love you, mama!

One Of Those Weeks...

Deep breaths.

It has been one of those weeks.

Two of those weeks.

You know the ones -

long, exhausting, draining,

exam after exam after exam.

Long nights, early mornings, tons of stress.

12:15pm today, I finished British Politics

{sadly, my inner K-Mid encyclopedia did not come in very handy;

my twenty minutes of Wikipedia searching, however, did.}

and just about danced a little jig in relief.

Instead, I settled for a large cup of chai immediately afterwards,

caught up on Once Upon A Time,

and flipped through PEOPLE's Most Beautiful Issue,

with my pajamas donned, my twinkle lights dimmed, 

and Michael Buble's new album on high volume {oh it's good}

...

and just took a deep breath.

It was just as peaceful and relaxing as it sounds.

I only get this mini-reprieve, though, before another midterm next week.

Help me.