College Dorm ILLUSTRATED

Hey guys. Haven't blogged in a while. =) I was actually going to create this blog a long time ago... but I never got around to it. Of course, there are many other more productive things I should be doing right now. So, I'll write a blog. =P (That's the college mentality, for less than driven students.)

Many of you will probably never actually see my dorm room. Let's be honest, it's a dorm. Kinda small, kinda cramped, but kinda my home. =) However, I DO want to share with you some small organization tips and whatnot. (HAHAHA organization tips from Darcy) I know that some of the people who read my blog will be going off to college next year... so here it goes.

That's my desk! Pretty standard. I'll have a few more pictures that are closer up ...

Alright, muy importante shtuff right here.  Every college student needs a desk lamp. It gets dark around here, yo! You can see some of my textbooks, dictionaries, etc. ALSO, an important aspect for girls or all jewelry wearing people: My mesh-y looking butterfly holds all of my earrings conveniently, the elephant's trunk holds all of my rings, and the hemp-looking bag next to that holds all my necklaces. I strongly recommend that anyone who likes to wear jewelry invest in things like these. I don't really recommend the bag... I'm broke and I don't have the money to look for something fancy shmancy for necklaces. Moving right along. =)

Highly recommended: plastic organizer or small plastic baskets to compartmentalize the random goodies that get shoved into the desk drawers.  You can see I have some necessities here: address book, glue, batteries, thumb tacks, stapler (and staples!), calculator, sticky notes, white out, pocket knife, tape, staple remover, flashdrive, and clips. Not pictured here: SCISSORS. Do not forget them. No joke. baha

Yay for kitchenware! Obviously my dishes are limited... Whatcha gonna do? I have the basics. Glasses. Bowls. Silverware (at least two of each). Mug (LOVE THIS). Plastic measuring cup. I love this measuring cup for making sure I have the right amount of water for Ramen noodles and things... very practical. Also, I recommend buying a couple plates. Really you only need about two of each of these. I just don't have plates. *sigh* My life.

FOOD. Very important. Ramen noodles are a must, along with PopTarts and granola bars. The rest are just novelty items but I recommend hot cocoa in individual packets. Swiss Miss is my fave. =) If you're curious, I have ramen noodles, poptarts, hot cocoa, Cooooooooooookie Crisp, TownHouse crackers, Target's generic brand granola bars (not bad, btw), Oreos, and a spicy habanero jelly. Why not?

 SHOWER CADDIES ARE IMPORTANT. baha Go to WalMart or Target or something like that and get a caddy like this with different compartments to hold your toiletries - it makes it way easier in the shower.  I'm pretty sure this was less than five dollars and totally worth it. Also, buy a new pair of cheap flip flops for the shower. Who knows what has been on that floor, mmkay?  Along with that I have pretty standard stuff: shampoo and conditioner, body wash, a loooooofah, facewash, shave gel, a razor, my toothbrush, and toothpaste.  The comb is just hanging out in there. I don't discriminate. =)

I love this plastic tower of drawers. It's important to organize vertically in the dorms whenever possible - saves space.  My top drawer has hair products and my case of nail polish. Middle drawer has various skin products and randomness.  Bottom drawer has shampoo and conditioner along with styling tools: straightener, curling iron, blow dryer... My makeup case rests on this tower.  It's cute, relatively small, and holds everything I need in an organized fashion. Woohoo!  My bookbag is also pictured here... Get a bookbag that you really like - comfortable AND fashionable - because you are going to be spending a lot of time with this bad boy.  Also, when you look like crap, you still have a little something to show for yourself if you have a cute backpack. =)

Aha! GO GREEN. This is my plastic bag of plastic bags, hung on the ladder for my loft. You use plastic bags for everything, and they make easy and cheap trash bags.

Invest in hooks of any kind! Remember the vertical organization idea? Applies here. I use these two little hooks to hang up my robe, my purse, my keys... whatever. VERY handy.

So, all pictures up to this point were taken when my room was still clean and relatively un-Darcified. Hence the lighting change and whatnot.  THIS is my little cleaning station.  More vertical organization, you'll notice.  These are two milk crates stacked on top of one another to create makeshift shelves.  Top shelf: Pledge, antibacterial wipes (I'm always wiping down doorknobs and lightswitches and such), sponge, dish soap, paper towels, Kleenex, dish cloths.  Bottom shelf (harder to see): Tide laundry detergent, Clorox stain remover and Febreze in the back, Oxi-Clean, dryer sheets, Shout Color Catcher sheets (do loads of different colors all in one without fear!), and a mini laundry bag (used for protecting delicates, especially dainty undergarments, in the harsh machines at college).

SIDE NOTE: These water bottles are FANTASTIC. Some of you high society folks probably found these a long time ago, and I had seen them for a while... but I never realized how glorious they were until I had my own. The top flips up and acts as a straw, which is aaaawesome... I've never drank more water in my life.  I think originally it cost me somewhere between $12-$15... Definitely worth it.  It's much cheaper in the long run to buy this water bottle and fill up at drinking fountains than to be perpetually buying and throwing away disposable water bottles - much more green too!

So... I suppose that lets you peek into my life here at college just a bit. =) Does anyone read my blog to check in on me or do they just like reading it because I'm a bit quirky? baha. If anyone appreciates the illustrated 'diary' of my life, I might post more blogs like these... They're easier for me to crank out when I'm busy... Let me know.

ALSO, tell me. If you're still in high school and planning on going to college, what are you most worried or curious about? And if you are/have been in college, I need to hear some awesome stories.

I missed this. BYYYYYYYYYYYYE. <3

EEK!

College. I should have skipped all other areas of my life just to get to this place.

Let me start off saying that I've always been kind of a weirdie. Yes, a weirdie. I played weird games when I was a child, I got picked on in middle school, and I definitely received many a weird look in high school. But in college, especially at a large university, you can just move on from the people who look at you funny for talking about Pokemon in everyday life. You just skip right over them, on to the next. Plus everyone is so friendly! We're all in the same boat trying to meet new people. College gives you something in common, always something to talk about. Where you live, where you're from, major, blah blah blah....

Most kids go to college and freak out about all their new found freedom. Pfft. I didn't need freedom - I had that already. What I needed was VARIETY. And oh BOY did I get it! =D The diversity on campus is insane. There are sooooo many different people. There are 5,000 students in my class. 5,000! That's larger than my entire hometown! Plus there are so many different opportunities to get involved in interesting activities. Por ejemplo, the other night I went salsa dancing. YEAH, I SAID SALSA DANCING. =D I loved it so much. The instructor even asked me to be his partner, and I danced with him up on the stage! It was so much fun. I looked into it, and every Friday night I'm going to go swing dancing on campus for FREE. So much better than the....

"What do you wanna do tonight?"

"I dunno... what about you?"

"We could go out to eat, or see a movie..."

"We've eaten at all 5 restaurants in town already this week, and Mr. Popper's Penguins is playing. Gag."

"Hmmm. Let's get drunk instead."

THAT CONVERSATION DOESN'T HAPPEN FOR ME! =P

I'm just overjoyed, as you can tell. And I haven't even brought up the classes yet! I'll tell ya about my schedule.

Intro to Sociology

Intro to World Languages

Spanish 303 (Conversational Spanish)

"Newspaper Physics" - a learning community that parallels my English 250 class

Lyrica Womens Chorus

If you know me, you know that I adooooore almost all of these things. YAY YAY YAY.

I planned on doing a blog about my room and how I organized everything, but I do not yet have a laptop of my own, so I'm holding off on that for now. It will include pictures. =)

If any of you are already off to college, tell me about your experiences! Or if you graduated a long time ago, let me hear it! This is probably the best way I'll be able to update people back home. I love you all, but I wouldn't call myself homesick. Call me or something if you ever want to chat.

Peace out, ladies! <3

More moooooovies...

I love movies. You get it. It's going to hurt when I go to college and can't afford to go to them right when they come out all the time. It will physically cause me pain. Not to mention, it will give me significantly less to talk about in an awkward small-talkY kind of situation. That's the WORST. Anyway.

I've seen some rather AWESOME movies lately. Boom baby. They were all very good, so I couldn't really rate them... but the last I mention here is my favorite. Let's go!

COWBOYS AND ALIENS (PG-13)

I know, I was skeptical too. I saw this when I was in Omaha visiting family. My cousin's boyfriend invited us to go to the movie, and I was all for it. (Viewing bad movies makes for good bonding experiences, you know.) I kept expecting the combination of western + sci fi to be really awful, but it wasn't actually bad at all. Jake (Craig) wakes up in the middle of no where and has no idea who he is. As he tries to figure out who he is, he has to work with people he has apparently swindled in the past and fight off aliens who are abducting the village. He has a strange metal bracelet with strange powers, which Wilde helps him figure out how to use to their best advantage. This movie has a lot of shooting and violence, so if that's something you cannot handle, I would suggest not seeing this movie... but I myself really liked it. =)

Cast: 

Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace)

Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones)

Olivia Wilde (Tron, House)

IMDB rating: 6.8/10

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (PG-13)

Now, don't hate me. I've never actually seen the original Planet of the Apes. I have, however, seen the version from the early 2000s with Mark Wahlberg and Helena Bonham Carter. So I don't know if I have a good enough background in the ape chronicles to give a good review, but I'm going to try. =) Franco, a talented scientist, is working on a cure for Alzheimer's disease. He makes a lot of progress and seems so close to the cure, but things go terribly wrong, so he takes in an orphaned ape and raises him. Caesar, Franco's ape, is extremely intelligent because of the drug Franco had been working on. He struggles finding a place to fit in, which causes problems... This movie was rather shocking and sad a lot of the time. I have been told, however, that all the apes were CGI, so no animals were harmed in the making of this movie. Smiley face!

Cast:

James Franco (Spider-Man, 127 Hours)

Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)

John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun)

Tom Felton (Harry Potter)

IMDB Rating: 8.0/10

CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (PG-13)

I was sooo excited to see this movie just because of the cast, and it didn't disappoint me. Carell and Moore's marriage is falling apart at the seams, and things just get worse from there. Carell starts looking for advice in the wrong places, and everyone falls in and out of love all over the place. Ahem, and Ryan Gosling is beautiful. Reason enough to watch this movie. =)

Steve Carell (the Office, Despicable Me)

Julianne Moore (Magnolia, the Kids Are All Right)

Ryan Gosling (the Notebook)

Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland)

Kevin Bacon (Footloose, X-Men: First Class)

Marisa Tomei (What Women Want, the Lincoln Lawyer)

IMDB Rating: 8.0/10

You simply HAVE to tell me what you think of these movies. And probably what you think of my reviews. =)

Byyyyye. <3

So... getting ready for college is HARD.

Guys, I'm stressing.

There is SO much for just one person to do! Applying for financial aid, buying all the things necessary to living independently, and mentally preparing for taking college level courses. YIKES.

Yikes. We all know college is expensive, but you never truly understand just how much it will cost until you receive your financial award letter. Can someone say student loans? And then on top of that, there's the stress of buying the books... and HOPEFULLY they show up on time so you don't look like a loser when the first day rolls around!

Books are NOT the only things you have to buy. I have to invest in little units for storage - shoe rack and plastic drawer things and milk crates, school supplies, a first aid kit, a power strip, and any and ALL toiletries I will need when separated from my parents who usually just automatically buy them for me. The list doesn't stop there, but that's all I can think of for now. The list is literally too long for all the items to stick in your brain at any given time.

OHMYGOSH, freaking out. I'm taking a 300 level conversational Spanish class. I haven't practiced my Spanish in forever. It was pointed out to me that in a 300 class, the whoooooole class will probably be taught solely in Spanish. EEK! I had a hard time listening to my dear high school Spanish teacher sometimes! So I keep promising myself that I'll go over my HS Spanish vocab lists... I haven't yet. Spanish isn't the only class that worries me though. I'm freaked out that I'll be late to class, that I won't know where I'm going and I'll get lost, and that I'll flunk all my other classes. Do you understand my stress??? And I didn't even TALK about getting along with my roommate! haha (FYI, my roommate seems wonderful. I'm just noivous in general!!)

Now that I have completely and totally freaked out about my main college concerns... Maybe I should talk about how to override these concerns and just push through them, eh?

As far as money goes, I'm not an expert. At all. I plan on NOT getting a job my first semester so that I can have a little time to adjust to my new life. I have some money saved from graduation gifts, but that is all. So after that first semester is over, I'm going to start looking for a job and seeing what I can do to ease my debt. Another thing to consider, just for funsies... Poke around your college's town, and see what good deals you can find... For example, Ames has a Village Inn (as do many other towns... haha). Every Wednesday at Village Inn, if you make a purchase, you get a slice of pie for free. FOR FREE! You could go buy a drink and get a piece of pie that costs more than the drink itself. I really think that finding small, fun, free/discounted things to do during college will keep us college kids from going insane all the while being money conscious. Also, you can join any club that you're interested in. Some clubs will charge a fee when you join for various supplies you may need, but these kinds of things offer lots of FUN at little cost. Whoo!

Now... I was referring to the crazy insane list. Yes, it is ridiculously long, but it is still manageable. Why, you might ask? Because of the INTERNET.

Awesome List #1
Awesome List #2

Both of these links could save your life. They are very similar, although I do prefer the top one. (Probably just because it is prettier.) I suggest that one day, you carry a notepad around with you and any time you use an item, write it down. The list will surprise you because you don't realize just how much STUFF you need until you are left without it. Also, I suggest shopping around in shifts so that you can compare prices and find the things you truly want without being rushed. =)

As for the freak out over taking college level courses... Yeah, it's scary no matter what. All you can do is breathe, go to class, pay attention, and do your best. As for me, I WILL start looking at my Spanish vocab. I also told my mother (who had some Spanish instruction a while back) to feel free to speak to me in Spanish whenever she pleases. I am also going to ask my sister, a Spanish major, hablar conmigo en espanol por telefono. =) (to speak with me in Spanish on the phone) Holla at me, Theresa! haha

Honestly, if there is anything else you are worrying about, talk to people who have been to college before. Yes, people. Plural. No two people have the same college experience, so it's good to get a wider background of information. And if the veterans can't answer your question, go to your school's website and poke around, or find a number to call. The people who work at colleges are always friendly and willing to point you in the right direction. =)

I really hope this helped someone. It was rather therapeutic for me to write, helped to calm me down. =P

Byyyyyyyyyyyyyye. <3

Two words for you: JUICY LIPS

bahaha that's a quote. Not telling you who from... =P

HEY! Lip gloss is important. Not really. But I like it. And I'm young and silly so I feel like I can blog about superficial things all I want. I'mma share some of my faaaaaaaavorite lip products. Boom baby. Let's get ready.

First! The lip balm. This is not a joke, my friends. Best lip balm you've ever had. (and maybe even tasted... just kidding... never mind)

Smooth, nonsticky, awesome, best-you-ever-had kind of balm. Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. The EOS lip balms found eeeverywhere. I always see them in WalMart by the checkout, but I've also seen them in Walgreens and various other stores. This flavor is my favorite - Lemon Drop. The lemon one is not my favorite just because it smells delicious (and oh my, is it delicious), but also because it has the smoothest, best-feeling texture. The other flavors include (but are not limited to!): honeysuckle, sweet mint, and summer fruit (smells like Peachie-Os!). Also, in WalMart I saw a package of two flavors I've never seen before... strawberry and passionfruit, I think? Anyway! The other flavors are good too (I have three, but have tried nearly all of them!), but I recommend lemon drop the most. It also has SPF 15, which is great to protect your lips. Holla at me!

My first gloss recommendation: Maybelline Shine Sensational Lipgloss

Aren't they pretty?? I only own one so far - Tempting Toffee, which is second from the left in this picture. John bought it for me as a present because he knew how excited I was to have a toffee-flavored gloss. Needs no explanation. haha but I was pleasantly surprised with the look and texture of the gloss. Tempting Toffee isn't sparkly, but a smooth natural-looking red color. LOVE. But the beauty of this line? Maybelline does not just have four lip glosses in this line - oh no - they have EIGHTEEN. I will list them all...

Minty Sheer, Cherry Bloom, Freshly Sliced, Glamorous Guava, Mad About Melon, Crazy for Caramel, Cocoa Fever, Berry Dazzle, Cranberry Crave, Crushed Candy, Peach Sorbet, Cherry Kiss, Watermelon Punch, Berry Bella, Sweet Indulgence, Sparkling Grape, Treat Me Sweet, and (previously mentioned) Tempting Toffee

Seriously, doesn't that long list of delicious sounding names make you want to go eat something bad for you??? So obviously, tons of flavors. It covers fruity to sweet and plenty between there. The packaging is adorable - I know this should not be important, but it makes me want to buy them more. haha The finishes might vary with the flavors - I think some are glassy, some are sparkly. The fact is the glosses give a pretty shine, they're kinda sheer so they don't take over yo FACE, and they're not sticky. LOVE. I want to buy them all. I'm taking donations to this cause.

**SIDE NOTE: Maybelline does not always seal their lip products... this is good so that you can see the actual color of the products, but be careful when you are purchasing to make sure you don't buy a gloss that has been yuckified.**

My last lip gloss for now is Neutrogena's MoistureShine Lip Soother in Glaze 60. That's the technical name... I affectionately call it my "Go-To Gloss!" That's not a joke.

Also on the packaging it says "Cooling Hydragel"... No joke, fellas. This is a non-minty menthol nonsense lip gloss that gives your lips a cooling sensation. PLUS it has SPF 20 - not usually found in most glosses. My go-to gloss is smooth and sheer, and it gives you a pretty shine that isn't too over the top. This particular shade makes your lips look ... fruity? I'm not sure how to describe it. Oh! I should mention the way it smells and such. It doesn't really have a taste, but the smell is particularly difficult to describe. I'm just gonna say it smells fruity because honestly I cannot pick out specific scents within it... but I will tell you, it smells delicious. Mmm. =)

So that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed this little blog with my favorite lip glosses at the moment... Many of you will know I am particularly obsessed with lip products, so this was FUN. Just so you understand my personal taste with lip gloss - I like shiny but NOT shimmery glosses that feel good when I press my lips together (important, obviously). I always go for more sheer lip glosses because I am addicted to lipstick as it is... if I need extra color, I just layer a gloss over a lipstick. BAM.

Okay, enough of my shallow lameness. PLEASE tell me your favorite glosses and why. In a comment, on Facebook, in person... I just need to know. baha

Byyyyyyyyyye! <3

Too bad I can't write songs.

How I wish I were a lyricist. That was my original working title. Then I realized, wow, that doesn't sound exciting at all.

But I was thinking... You know when you listen to a song and the lyrics just get to you? How certain people just know how to string words together and make them sound so powerful in rhythm with music backing them? I can't do that. I can't write poetry either. (similar, I understand. maybe the same.. whoops)

I really wish I could though. I'd like to think that I'm decent with words - I am a blogger, after all. But I have never been able to write (or even think of) anything profound to say in a couple lines. I took American Literature 1 (whoo!) and I loved it and hated it at the same time.  Looking back now, I'm thinking how awful some of those stories were... but also how much talent some of those poets had! It's incredible. Emily Dickinson, for example. Yikes. Usually I don't like her stuff because it's kinda depressing and froth with meaning... good and bad, you know.

Funny story. I went to go look for a poem by Emily Dickinson that I could put in here... I didn't find any I liked. Ha! Now no one hate on me. I know there are a couple by her that I liked but.... Okay, I'm straying from the point here.

How about I look at a song that I know very well? Rolling in the Deep by Adele, I'm sure you've heard it. I sang this song for our annual pops concert so I had to memorize it... and I realized that some of the lines were genius, cutting. Background information, Adele was seriously mad at an ex-boyfriend or something like that when she wrote this. My favorite line of the whooooole song:

"Think of me in the depths of your despair /
Make a home down there as mine sure won't be shared"

 Awesome, no? Make a home in your own sadness because you can never live with me. Something like that. AWESOME. The wording and the way of verbally giving the finger is something I never could have come up with. And this is why I'm jealous of people who write songs.

And by the way, I'm not just talking about people who are capable of expressing anger through poetry. I've got a handle on letting people know I'm mad without rhyming, trust me. But inspiring songs, happy songs, stupid songs... I wish I could write any of them.

I suppose I'm happy with what I've got... I'm very good at taking songs I already know and changing the words to insult who ever happens to be with me. =) That's a skill I got from my mother. Well, we've all got our strengths and weaknesses, eh? hahahahah

Sorry guys. Haven't blogged in a while. Out of my mind. Thanks for sticking around. =)
BYYYYYE! <3

The Glass Castle: Book Review

Oooh I've never done one of THESE before!

I just recently finished a book called The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  It was fantastic, and I'll tell you why.

This book is actually a memoir, so it is entirely nonfiction.  Walls writes about her own life growing up with... interesting parents.  Her father is a highly intelligent man, but also an extremely paranoid drunk who can't keep a steady job.  Her mother is an artist who would much rather be painting than raising a family, and she kind of resents her children for this reason.  Walls grows up moving from place to place.  Her father moves from job to job, doing the 'skedaddle' as soon as the job falls through.  Every place they live is usually run down and not fit for people to live in.  As she gets older, this lifestyle becomes less and less of an adventure, as her mother describes it.

My quick little summary of this book is not exactly illustrating just how shocking the whole thing was! It really made me appreciate what I have been given, the lifestyle my parents have made available to me.  There was some serious neglect going on in that book... but it was never overly depressing. Some parts of the book were sad, yes.  But it showed how Walls made her way out of the homeless, somewhat nomadic lifestyle and into a settled, successful career as an author.

I suggest you ALL read this book. It's an easy read, and the pages almost turn themselves. =)

That's what the book looks like, in case you actually want to take my suggestion. =)  Let me know if you have already read this book, if you plan on reading it... or if you think it looks like it sucks! I wanna hear it all. Also, I need some book recommendations... Without sunshine or books, my summer is incredibly lame.

Looooove. =) BYE!

Strength in Numbers Tag

Alright guys. It's about time I was a cheesy sap in public, don't you think? I watched a tag video from MacBarbie07 (a beauty channel on YouTube) about bullying, confidence, blah blah blah... I didn't want to do the tag video because I don't like being on camera... =P BUT I thought the questions were important. So... here we go.

CONFIDENCE:

• Have you ever felt unconfident before and why?

Of course. I'm sensitive about weird stuff. If anyone ever makes a jab at me, how I look, ... anything ... it upsets me, so I start to second guess myself.

• Do you lose confidence when you don't feel 'pretty'?

Yes I do! I try not to let it affect me - hence the frequent looking like crap. =) But I'm always a little more willing to be outgoing when I feel like I look good.

• What makes you feel confident about yourself?

Well I like myself for the most part. But just like you pick little parts of yourself to not like, you have to find the parts of yourself that you DO like. In my case... my freckles, hair color, lips, eyes... blahhh. You get it. =) Just focus on what you think is the good stuff, yo.

BULLYING:

• Have you been bullied?

I'm afraid so. And it really wasn't even a severe case... but still. That SUCKS.

• Did you ever bully someone?

I almost said no... but I believe I have. I feel really bad about it. I was upset that this one chick was getting more attention from this one guy that I liked... and I made her feel like shit. It was petty and stupid. No names, and don't ask cuz I'm not telling.

• Whether you were bullying or being bullied, how'd it make you feel?

Like shit. In both cases. It's horrible. When I was bullied, I never wanted to come to school... And when I was the bad guy, I was seriously unhappy.

• How do you deal with bullying?

These days, if someone says something about me to my face I'll confront them right then and there. Be like, "Yo, you're MEAN. What's the deal?" When you let someone know that they've hurt you, often they don't realize it... They usually apologize and knock it off. Weird, huh? But if someone is bullying someone else... I tend to speak up as well cuz I've been there... (Well, I try anyway. I'm not perfect.) But I've told people before to leave kids alone. Sometimes all it takes is one person to stick up for somebody.

INNER BEAUTY:

• Do nicer people seem more 'beautiful' to you?

DEFINITELY. When you get to know a normal looking person, and you realize how wonderful they are on the inside... their features become more and more attractive to you.

• Does makeup make you feel prettier?

Yeahh... It does. It's like an addiction lately - I just have fun putting it on. I always feel better when I have foundation on, or at least concealer... I have pretty bad skin. But oh dear, freshman year!!! I never wore makeup. I never felt ugly. I should try going back...

• What do you think of the expression 'beauty comes from the inside?'

Let me tell you something. If I didn't like myself on the inside, I would feel disgusting no matter how much makeup I put on. When you're a good person, you shine. <3


Okay. That was really cheesy, I KNOW. But maybe some people out there need to hear it. Right? If any of this is relevant to or struck a chord with you, please let me know. Ya'll know I love the comments. But ALSO if you would like to talk to me personally about any of this stuff, I would be more than willing to chat. Like I said, my situation was not extreme... but it still made a serious impression on me and the way I treat people. Please, if you want to, come talk to me. =)

Anyone who doesn't hate me for being overly sappy after this... I love you. =) Thanks for reading. BYYYYE!

Not so sure about E-Books....

So I'm sure many of you cool cats out there own fancy shmancy technology that allows you to read books on an electronic device thingy. I'm not super tech savvy, forgive me for not knowing proper erm... jargon er somethin. ANYWAY like the Kindle or the Nook? iPad?

I was lusting after these bad boys for a while... but then I kinda remembered how much I LOVE reading books. Real books, where you can physically turn the pages, feel their weight... not to mention the smell! Is that important to anyone else?? My friends always make fun of me because I seem to sniff everything. But I think that when I open one of my much loved books and I get a whiff of it... it brings back memories of other times when I've read that particular book. It won't be quite the same on a small computer (thing).

Does this bother anyone else? I know that these tools are so practical... After all, books DO get heavy.  Not to mention, it is probably cheaper to buy books after the price of the computer-thing itself.  Call me old-fashioned.

Tell me what you think. I know many of you have these computer-things.  I wanna know.  Do you miss the regular sensations that come with a traditional book that you probably used to take for granted?  Comment and such! BYYYYYYYYYYYYE. <3


**btw, I usually am inspired to write a blog just driving down the road. Isn't that silly?  Drivin on the highway, POP! Books smell good! The smells make me think happy thoughts! xD  Hmmm.. My life.

I usually make harsh first opinions...

I usually make harsh first opinions... It's in my nature. Blah. At first, I REALLY HATED the song Price Tag by Jesse J... but I'm starting to change my opinion about it... It is so like me to just hate on a song without listening to all the words. I'll tell you first the things I didn't like about it: the chorus bugged me (no good reason), her name is Jesse J, and she said that she was 'paying in love tonight' - which really doesn't make sense. Anyway... I'll post the lyrics here...

PRICE TAG by JESSE J

Seems like everybody’s got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,
Just stop, for a minute and smile

Why is everybody so serious!
Acting so damn mysterious
You got your shades on your eyes
And your heels so high
That you can’t even have a good time.

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)
Can you feel that (yeah)
Well pay them with love tonight

It’s not about the money, money, money
We don’t need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag

Ain’t about the (ha) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all UNITE!
And it wasn’t low blows and video Hoes,
Am I the only one gettin tired?

Why is everybody so obsessed?
Money can’t buy us happiness
Can we all slow down and enjoy right now
Guarantee we’ll be feelin
All right.

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)
Can you feel that (yeah)
Well pay them with love tonight

Yeah yeah
Well, keep the price tag
And take the cash back
Just give me six streams and a half stack
And you can keep the cars
Leave me the garage
And all I..
Yes all I need are keys and garage
And guess what, in 30 seconds I’m leaving to Mars
Yes we leaving across these undefeatable odds
Its like this man, you can’t put a price on life
We do this for the love so we fight and sacrifice everynight
So we aint gon stumble and fall never
Waiting to see, a sign of defeat uh uh
So we gon keep everyone moving there feet
So bring back the beat and everybody sing
It’s not about

Yeah yeah
Oo-oooh
Forget about the price tag.

SO! Maybe just from reading the lyrics you might understand why I originally hated this song. The chorus, which I think repeats more than shown here, has a good message but is rather obnoxious. It has the ble-bling-ble-bling in there to make it catchy, and also to make me hate it. And at the end it has a rap by B.O.B, who is usually rather obnoxious although his songs seem to always have good messages. And the end is stupid. I don't like it when people ooh at the end of a song. It's stupid. baha

So, since I've picked a lot of it apart.. what did I actually like about this song!?!?

It has really good sentiment... and a couple of the lines are BRILLIANT. I bolded them. =) "When the sale comes first and the truth comes second" How true, yo. I hate it when people try so hard to sell something that they apparently lose touch with reality... or (more probably) deceive the buyers into spending money on a product they actually know little about.

"You got shades on your eyes and your heels so high that you can't even have a good time" Now, don't get me wrong. I love to look pretty like the next girl. But when being attractive becomes your only focus, it's harder to enjoy the little things. Por ejemplo, I'm so focused on walking in heels that I'm having a hard time really paying attention to what my friend is saying. She spills her guts, but all I can think is "Don't trip!" ... sad.

This song just focuses on the things we deal with every day in such a materialistic society... Jesse J wants to bring us back to the simple things, focusing on relationships with real people as opposed to relationships with cell phones. That's a bit of a stretch - I'm putting my own spin on it now. In this age where access to communication is so easy... people have a hard time really communicating. Yikes.

Well now I'm talking about technology and communication as opposed to materialism and money. Crap. Whateverrrrr. =)

So tell me what you think. =) I love love LOVE reading comments, so get to commenting! I dare you to be as opinionated as I. Cuz seriously - who writes two blogs in one day!?!?!! Me. I do.

My questions for you:

1. Did you like the song the first time you heard it?
2. Do you like it now?
3. How do you feel about society's obsession with money?
4. Any other thoughts? Git it girl.

G'BYE! <3

It's FINALLY Summer!

Yesterday was my first real day of summer. I finally put on the swimsuit, went to the beach, and actually saw the sun. =) SO! To celebrate this, I wanted to do a blog about it... and I decided that I'd talk about what was in my beach bag. Whoo! I watch a lot of videos on YouTube dealing with beauty and stuff... so bear with me. haha

Let's do it.

This is my "beach bag"! Mostly it's just a random bag that I have. I can put beachy things in it, and I don't care if it gets wet. Perfect! Moving right along. =)

Now you need your beach towel. I like pretty, bright colored towels. Don't we all? Roll it up and it's easy to shove in the bag. Boom!

The single most important item in the whole bag! SUNSCREEN. Please use it. Even if you only use SPF 15, it's better than nothing.  I don't usually use such a high SPF like I used the other day... but I think I'm going to start. I'm very pale, so I burn really easily. Btw, when you apply sunscreen... you're supposed to apply 30 minutes before sun exposure, and then reapply every two hours after that. Just an FYI deal. =)

Now for practicality. My cell phone and wallet with money and ID. Common sense people! =)

Sunglasses! Not as important to me as they are to other people... but if I ever lay out at all I need them.

Of course, at the beach, I pretty much just let my hair do its own thing. But if I want it out of my way I'll either use a hair tie (not pictured. baha) or a clip. I sometimes use this spray gel too to give it a little extra oomph. =)

Okay, honestly, who wears makeup to the beach? The girl with bad skin who just so happens to also be obsessed with makeup. =) Hear me out! The foundation has SPF 17, I believe, which I just use to mattify the face region after applying sunscreen. =) The mascara is waterproof, so it stays on while I'm swimming. And the lip gloss is cooling and also has SPF 20, so it protects me and cools me down all while making my lips look juicy. Boom baby!

And that's it! WHOO! Thanks for stopping by guys. 

What do you keep in YOUR beach bag?

Byyyyye. <3

random, full of crap kinda blog

To blog, or not to blog... That is the question.
Poor Shakespeare. He probably didn't know then that what he wrote would be quoted and torn apart today. Whatever.


I haven't blogged in a while. Not real sure that I have much to say. This is gonna be a random, full of crap kinda blog. Hmm. That's catchy. That's the title now. Perfect.


I saw Something Borrowed today. I wouldn't suggest it. It all got very confused and complicated. Do you want me, do you want her, do you want me, do you want her. blah blah blah. I've heard it all before. More than once in that movie. The best part about it was the best friend character who had all the funny lines. He's actually the guy from the Office... he dates Pam? I think his name is Jim? whateverrrr.


I'm sitting her all alone on this wonderful Wednesday night because I decided I didn't want to go to the Hangover 2 this evening (who even cares if it's good right? hahah)... and I have successfully developed such strange sleeping patterns that I always miss any and all family members when they are present and awake. haha


And dangit, I'm SICK of bonfires! bahaha Our senior class has been trying to get something like a party with one huge gathering where every single person in the senior class attends. Let's just say it, guys. It's not gonna happen. So I'm sick of all these half-ass fires. Can't we all just hole up in someone's house and watch a movie instead? Play some serious Taboo or Catchphrase? It would be more fun, in my opinion, and I wouldn't smell like the great outdoors everytime I go home. Grrrrrrr.


Okay. I was kinda sorta (not really) joking about the Catchphrase thing.


I think I'm irritable tonight. Hmmm. I have no reason to be. I was talking to dear Meghan about this earlier. She was having a day where she didn't really have any reason to be upset or angry, but she was in a bad(ish) mood anyway. I'm having one of those days now. Grrrr. haha Have you ever had one of those?  It's so dumb, to be irritable without anything worth getting grumpy about... 


I honestly have no idea where I wanted to go with this.


And so I leave you on a stupid note.
Good night. Love. Byyyyyyyyyye. <3

I'm a Disney junkie.

So I was gonna do a blog about something almost personal. A lot of you who actually know me understand that I'm graduating this weekend... WHOO! So I could talk about change, and appreciating blah blah blah. I could, and I probably will eventually. But not today. Today is saved for DISNEY!!!


I looked up a list of Disney movies... cuz I'm cool... and Wikipedia came through for me. Not only that, they are organized by date of release. And SO, what I plan on doing is making a complete list of Disney movies I think you NEED to see in order to deserve to live. Gotta earn your keep. =P So I'm just going to list all (and I'm not kidding you, all) the movies I think are worth seeing... and I might defend myself or give you a little information about the movie. Let's GO!


1930s:
[ ] Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - released in 1937!! CRAZY OLD!
1940s:
[ ] Dumbo
[ ] Bambi
1950s:
[ ] Cinderella
[ ] Lady and the Tramp
[ ] Sleeping Beauty
1960s:
[ ] One Hundred and One Dalmations
[ ] The Sword in the Stone
1970s:
[ ] The Aristocats - a seriously underappreciated Disney movie in my opinion. =)
[ ] Robin Hood
[ ] The Rescuers - this one has the mice, right?
1980s:
[ ] The Fox and the Hound
[ ] The Great Mouse Detective - you haven't lived until you've heard a tiny girl mouse have a Scottish accent! =D
[ ] The Brave Little Toaster - I remember liking this, I think...
[ ] Oliver and Company - I used to watch this over and over and over and over and over and over and....
[ ] The Little Mermaid
1990s: This decade was a particularly good time for Disney movies, in my opinion!
[ ] The Rescuers Down Under
[ ] Beauty and the Beast
[ ] Aladdin <3
[ ] THE LION KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[ ] The Hunchback of Notre Dame - if you watched this when you were a little kid and hated it, I understand. But try watching it again... it's not a kids movie. The music is amazing, and it deals with some serious issues. Trust me. =)
[ ] Mulan
[ ] Toy Story
2000s:
[ ] The Emperor's New Groove - !
[ ] Monster's Inc
[ ] Lilo and Stitch
[ ] Treasure Planet
[ ] Finding Nemo
[ ] Cars - MIDWEST REPRESENT
[ ] Ratatouille
[ ] WALL-E
[ ] Bolt - I originally didn't want to see this... but I ended up thinking it was really cute, and really clever. It's about a dog who thinks he has superpowers because he played a super dog on a TV show. SO cute!
[ ] Up - it's tragic and beautiful. I love it.
[ ] The Princess and the Frog
2010s:
[ ] Toy Story 3 - really hits home for people my age going off to college.
[ ] Tangled - I haven't actually seen this, but I've heard very good things... so....


PHEW. I love Disney. =) Now, I want yoooou all to tell me what movies are your favorites. I also want you to yell at me for the movies I didn't include... =) Oh, you thought the list was complete? No. Of course not. I wouldn't add the movies I don't like, would I!? Anyway. I provided the little [ ]s so that you could check off the list if you wanted. I love lists. Maybe you don't. Moving right along.


**side note! I only included animated movies. There's plenty of other killer movies - Pirates of the Caribbean, Chronicles of Narnia, blah blah blah... but I didn't want to go there right meow.


If you're someone who reads my blog but can't comment here on blogger, then leave me a message on Facebook if you've gotta get it out. =) I'd LOVE that.


haha weird blog, fellas. Thanks for reading. =) Byyyyyyyyyyye!

Popular vs. Well-Liked.... Hmmmm.

Hi guys! =D So I haven't blogged in a while... again... and I've noticed that my last blog (or so? idk) was about makeup and whatnot. Not too deep. That's unusual. HA! So I decided I'd go back to my social issues/advice kind of things... 


I am not really saying that I'm right. Of course, I believe all my opinions to be perfect, but I know this isn't the case. Just hang in here with me, let me know what you think. =)


I guess this blog is gonna be rather personal without being specific, if that makes sense. H'okay, jumping right in. I had a hard time when I was younger.  I got picked on a lot because I was kinda gross... and then I started skipping a lot of school because I got picked on. Vicious cycle. You could say I wasn't very popular at all... and it bugged me. I had a good couple close friends. Well, good as they can be in middle school. Everyone sucks in middle school, me included! haha but I'm sure that's a whole new topic for a new blog... SO! This bothered me, having a couple close friends but not being seen as cool. 


Anyone who knows me will realize that this changed all too quickly. =)


I've always been fairly level-headed and kind of in my own world... so I sort of got over this. But then I had this new philosophy, and this in particular is what I would like to share with EVERYONE. It has made me so much happier, and anyone who is having issues perhaps similar to the issues I had should give it a shot.


Try to be well-liked instead of popular.


Huh? What? Well-liked and popular mean the same thing, right?
Wrong.
Not to me!


Before I go off on my little rant, let me just say that you can be BOTH popular and well-liked at the same time. I'm not. hahaha


Popular people are the ones who are 'cool'. People talk about them and want to be like them. Have you heard what happened to so-and-so? I heard she got caught blah blah blah... Oh my gosh, I thought he was blah blah blah.  I'm sure you have at least a couple people in mind when I say this.  (Again, they're not necessarily bad people. A lot of the popular people I know are REALLY nice. Just sayin!)


But I personally strive to be well-liked instead of popular.  I want people to look at me and not think 'Oh, she's so cool' but instead think 'She's such a nice girl'. Instead of people wanting to be like me or talk about me to other people... I'd rather you talk to me and ask my advice. =) I would much rather be out in the open talking to all kinds of people than up on a pedestal.  Is this all making sense?  I guess I associate popularity with a sort of caste system, with the populars at the top and the not-so-populars at the bottom.  I really try my hardest to give people a chance when I meet them instead of basing my perceptions off what other people say.  Well, I try. It's really hard. 


What I want is for people to like me for ME. Not for my friends or who I hang out with on the weekend. Not for how normal I am. (or am not. Let's be honest!) Not for how popular I may or may not be.


I think it is really important that people separate popularity from being well-liked.  Of course, as always, this is just my two cents. Take it or leave it, but at least consider it.


You know, I think my little philosophy has actually helped me quite a bit... I always tried (key word, tried) to be nice to people no matter who they were... That's the well-liked part of the deal... and maybe in doing so, if I have become more popular.... (hypothetical here, people!) then I'm not just in with the people at the top. I am friends (ahem, acquaintances) with all kinds of people.


Freshman or senior. Fat or skinny. Girl or guy. Pretty or not.


Give me reason to like you, and I'll reciprocate. =)  (Whoo usage of vocabulary words from school in every day life!)


Alright, I've said enough. Tell me what you think, and be honest! Tell me if you're confused. Ask me for advice - I LOVE giving my opinion, obviously. =) Also, tell me if there's anything in particular you think I should blog about... I'm up for suggestions. Boom baby.
Thanks for checking in. Byyyyye! <3

Another Makeup Blog! YAY!

So I was checking out some of my stats on Blogger here, and first I would like to say thank you SO much for all the people who read my blog! My blog had like four views today, and I haven't posted anything new in like a week. Wonderful followers. =) Aaaand second, I noticed that (in looking at my stats) that my makeup blog had the most views of any of them. That might be a fluke, but I was like yo! I totally forgot about makeup blogs, and they make me super happy. Not to mention they are time consuming, and therefore distract me from what little homework I should actually be doing. Moving right along. =)


As many people who know me will say, I'm addicted to YouTube. Particularly the beauty community. I'm not saying this is good for me or improving me as a person AT ALL, but it's really fun. And I see all these tag videos where people talk about their favorite products, or their most reached for products... and I love them. They're so helpful. So, I think that's what I'm going to do today. I don't need a video just to help a brotha out. =)


So... without further ado(?), here are some of my faaavorite makeup products that I own or have owned in the past. Boom! (Btw, I'm trying to post a picture of the makeup, how it looks, the applicator, blah blah blah AS WELL AS the packaging in case you actually want to take my advice. Yay.)
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So, nearly everyday I put on concealer, and this bad boy is my favorite that I've found so far. It is Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer. I have pretty bad skin, so I need a decent one to cover up blemishes and whatnot. (fml) I have it in the lightest color I could find, but I don't think the color name/number is on the actual tube? Whatever. Okay, this is not a good review for concealer. Next! haha

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Alright, now this next stuff is the tops. Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner in black. Now I know liquid liner can be a bit scary, but when it's done well I loooove the look. This stuff is jet black, and when you put it on, it doesn't move. It stays just as vibrant all day, hardly fading at all. I don't know exactly what the tip is like? It's kinda stiff? I don't know what you call it, but I think it makes for very easy application as far as liquid liner goes. Word to the wise, keep a good makeup remover on hand, just in case. ;)

Btw, I have yet to find a good pencil liner that I like. I like them to be soft, black, and immobile. baha I don't like smudging... and I've heard that Urban Decay's liner in Zero is awesome, but I don't have the money to be throwing around on expensive stuff. I have Rimmel's soft kohl pencil, but it smudges too much. Any ideas? Oh, I'll throw a picture of that Urban Decay liner... I guess it's called 24/7, cuz it has good staying power. I've only heard good things about it. Sigh.

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Alright, honestly... this next guy is only my favorite in it's field (or whatever) because I've been too lazy to look for a better one. White eyeliner, from Wet n Wild's Coloricon line? Yes. I tried Rimmel's white kohl eyeliner because I kinda liked their black liner... and it was great! Until I had to sharpen it. It was too soft, so it just crumbled when you sharpened it. Sheesh. I tossed it. And then I found this one. Who am I to scoff at a 99 cent liner? baha =) It work fairly well, it's just not as soft as I would like.

By the way, I know some of you think I'm crazy... Darcy, what you usin a white liner fo? Yes, I am crazy. But I have a rather good tip. If you use the white liner on you water line instead of black, it opens up your eyes making them look bigger.  It actually gives you the impression that the whites of your eyes are bigger, if that makes sense, so it makes your eyes look more...dolly. =) I also like to use it as a highlighter, just basically coloring on my brow bone underneath my eyebrow and in my inner corner and then just blending with my finger. Very natural and pretty and such. =D

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And finally, we're getting to my faaaavorite part. The lips!

I own this particular lipstick... It's Revlon's ColorBurst in Raspberry. This is MY red. =) I think every girl needs (at least) one red lipstick, and this is mine. It's almost a true red, with just a hint of warm tones in it. The lipstick isn't too drying and it feels good, even just by itself, although I usually apply chapstick beforehand. One of my very favorites.

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EEK! Okay, this guy is probably one of my favorite lipsticks ever... but I lost him. =( It is the same brand and  line - Revlon ColorBurst.  The shade is Lilac. I didn't expect o like this so much, but it's a color that I wore everyday when I still had it. It gave me a reeeally pretty pinky lip with cool undertones to match my skin. Love love LOVE.

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Next up! Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in Bit of Berry! I really needed (okay, wanted) a berry lip color and this is the guy I found. I love the way these lipsticks feel, even more than the Revlon ones. They go on very smooth, and I feel like they have a nice sheen to them. The color is especially vivid in this line. Buuuut they have a bit of a a vanilla-y perfume smell? It's kind of weird, but it doesn't bother me. I love this color and I wear it often, applying it lightly so it's more like a stain. Love it!

By the way, I'm pretty sure that these two lines, Revlon ColorBurst and Maybelline ColorSensational, are competing lines. They are pretty comparable, I'd say. Revlon's does not have the funny smell, and I've heard that it has a better shelf life.  Maybelline's has a greater selection of colors, with almost too many to choose from, and is very smooth and moisturizing. Do what you want with the advice I give you. baha =)

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Last but not least, my favorite mascara that I have found so far... Maybelline the Colossal Volum Express. Terrible name. Good mascara! haha it gave me a lot of length and a lot of volume quickly without being super duper clumpy. I mean, it's not the perfect mascara for eliminating clumps, but I'm sick of stringy lashes. =P I need to buy this guy again. I miss it. One bad thing though, it has kind of a smell. I don't know why. What's up with that Maybelline, hmm? Stop making smelly stuff! lol but it goes away, so it doesn't bug me as long as the mascara does a good job.

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And so for now, those are my favorite products. Yikes. I'm open to suggestions. Give me things to try. If you've ever used any of these products before, let me know! Mini review in the comment section? I'd LOVE that.

Thank you so much for reading. <3