Out of the mouth of a fish

Today, i read the book of Jonah. I'm not much of the bible reading sort but the book interested me in its dealings with mercy and the value of life. Sometimes, we can be to quick to make judgment on others. Furthermore, i found it interesting that god "repented" for his quick judgment against Nineveh. Meaning, that god himself makes mistakes. although some would argue that a perfect god new that in order to instruct a lesson he must demonstrate superior mercy through repentance of his perfect ways. Who knows?

Suessical the Musical!

I auditioned for a role in my school's Suessical the Musical. I hope it goes well. My audition, as usual, was racked with nerves.

The Day Before the "Welcome Home!"

Today, my mother, brother and I head down to Norfolk. We are spending the night in a hotel so we can welcome my father back from his naval deployment (he went to Africa) tomorrow.

One thing after another

I love Friday. I need some relaxation. Yoga, hot tea and a good book for me, please!

Lists

Music:

Favorite Vocalist: Christina Aguilera
Favorite Music Artist: Lady GaGa
Favorite Music Group: Black Eyed Peas
Favorite Upcoming Artist: Miley Cyrus

Literature:

Favorite Male Writer: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Favorite Female Writer: Maya Angelou
Favorite novel: Brave New World by Huxely
Most read novel(s): Hawksong and Demon in my View (both young adult fiction books written by Amelia Atwater Rhodes)

New things I did today:

I tried the diet lemonade at Chickfila.
I tried an Arnold Palmer (half sweet tea and half lemonade).
I joined the academic team.
I actually woke up at 5am to complete a homework assignment.
I realized my greatest passion is literature.

Zach Braff...in a movie?

Today, Carlos and I witnessed the comical JD and adorable Cottonelle dog (Zach Braff) in his movie The Last Kiss. The movie followed a 29-year-old man Michael who cheats on his pregnant girlfriend and desperately tries to win her back. Zach Braff's performance met expectations. Personally, I am very opposed to cheating and watching movies where someone cheats on their signaficant other really makes me both very angry and very sad.


Yet, the movie did lead to an interesting conversation with my boyfriend on whether or not cheating was forgivable. The conclusion is still pending.

So Long a Day like Today

I woke up before the sun at 6am today. At school, i did wonderful things like watch Obama's national address to students. After school, i went to my friend's to work on a AP Statistics project. Quite fun, a comedic video on bias. (We'll see how the fellow students react tomorrow). Then, I went to work. Long long day.

Nothing More Painful than Boredom

I spent my entire day doing the little homework my teachers assigned over labor day weekend and watching cheesy soaps. Who knew The Secret Life of the American Teenager could be so mesmerizing?

Oh well, I wish I could have worked today. I am basically waiting for Carlos to get off work so, I can go out and have some fun. Kinda pathetic.

My cat Sugar is asleep on the chair beside me. I think she's dreaming. So adorable!

Into the Woods

Today, Carlos and I attended a party of one of our closest friends. Unfortunately for my skirt-and-cute-shoes-outfitted-self we played flashlight tag at night in the wet grass. Who knew that such a tom boy could turn into such a city girl?

Lesson Learned: Sometimes, your roots make an unexpected appearance.

So far...

Today, my life did not feel like my own. So strange.

TGIF and Thank God for NAPS!

today, I swallowed up my Friday night with much needed rest and relaxation. Sleep is God's greatest inanimate gift. I worked a ton on my college essay during my down time at school today but, it still needs work. I'm off to gather up some more hours of slumber before heading off to work at 6:30am tomorrow.

Stand up and be counted

I'm watching this stand-up comedian Kyle Cease on comedy central. HILARIOUS. Check him out on youtube.

www.youtube.com

In the land of significant others

Today, my boyfriend Carlos and I celebrated our two year anniversary. TWO YEARS. Can you believe it? I can't. One of the amazing things about time is it gives you special dates and excuses to show your appreciation for those you love to the utmost fullest.

I can confidently say I have never been more happy in my life.

Tomorrow proves to be a great day as well (with a field trip in store for us nerdy CGSers) provided I get a good nights sleep.

Sleep soundly everyone!

The Lastest Gym Fashion

Today, I worked out at the gym with Kasey. While, I ran I realized that every woman, even the most beautiful model on the planet, must dress out in sweats and go to the gym.

Just a comforting thought.

A good good day

Today was a fabulous day with friends. I saw the time traveler's wife with my coworkers, then, i hung out with Kasey and Emily at Panara Bread for over 3hrs! We just sat and talked. I haven't had girl time like that since i was a toddler.

More than meets the eye

Today, i discovered the secret life of my boss. Jessica, a team leader at chickfila, is the most wonderful artist. After we closed we went to her car and she showed us slides of the paintings she did in high school, the looked professional, no, they looked better than proffessional, they looked like students should study them to learn how to paint.

Lesson: Even, the people closest to you can still surprise you.

Friends date!

So I set up a lunch thing with some of my peeps! I'm thoroughly excited. I haven't hung out with girl friends in ages. I also went out on a limb an invited this really cool girl (who says she loves New York City so I know we can be friends). I think senior year just might kick some junior year butt!

goodnight ya'll.

Cow vs. Treadmill

Today, I went to American Family Fitness with one of my best girl friends Kasey. Today, we decided to conquert he treadmill. The treadmill, the man substitute which causes half of the female population to walk swiftly away and the other half to obsess over the fact that they can run and multi-task at the same time, generally does not cause problems for me. However, today, my lesson was a basic mathematical formula for athletes...

Milk+Running= CRAMP!!!!!

The Upcoming Academic Year

So, I know my classes.

My "A" Day

Commonwealth Governor's School's AP English Literature
Commonwealth Governor's School's AP Physics
Spanish IV
AP Music Theory

My "B" Day

Commonwealth Governor's School's AP Human Geography
Commonwealth Governor's School's AP Statistics
Drama IV
AP Java (Computer Science)

After attending all my classes, I realized which subjects might torture me (either with bored or difficulty) and which will seem like godsends. Keeping it positive, I'll name the godsend classes: AP Music Theory, Drama IV, and AP English Literature.

Apologies for the Hiatus

I AM A SENIOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Working on the Weekend

I spent the majority of my time working at Chickfila today. I love work, especially when it involves diverse tasks and talking to new and exciting people. And...I know that realizing my dream of my own home place remains far off on the horizon but, working and *fingers crossed* learning to manage my income really stirs some excited butterflies in my stomach for my future home.

I always watch HGtv while i work on my homework (or in this case my only remaining summer assignment: the english essay *duh duh DUH*). After finishing a sufficent amount of essay for now, luckily enough for my imagination, Property Virgins appeared on my television screen!

Inspired, I decided to make my need list and my wish list for my barely affordable apartment in Manhattan.

NEED LIST

O affordable, comprable to yearly cost for board at college or 20-30% of yearly pay.
O non-clostophobic kitchen with sufficent space for food/pots/pans.
O open concept for floorplan
O studio with enough space for seperation between a dining set, living room set, & bedroom set.
O location close to subway station and within close walking distance of my school, alex's school, or alex's family.

WISH LIST

O 1 bedroom with 800+ square feet to have enough space for seperate dining, living, sleeping & office areas.
O hardwood floors and updated tile in kitchen and bath.
O view of beauty from a daring height.
O proximity to nice restruants, grocery, shopping and parks.
O location close to subway station and two or more of the above locations.

A Day Straight from a Romance Novel

Today, Carlos and I journeyed to Colonial Beach to see off the final days of summer. It was a beautiful day, full of kisses, laughs, and bottles of sunscreen (99% of which went straight onto my Irish skin).

Lesson learned: Love is life's greatest blessing.

My thought: Its all the presents added together that make the future.

I declare tomorrow "Hug Day." Give a hug to as many people as possible. I will be back with my tally tomorrow. Remember its not how many hugs you give but, how much joy you pass on with them.

Good night!

Who Framed Roger Rabbit.... An Evil Toon!

Last week's movie was the Animated Comedy "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1998) directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Fact: the Toon Tale holds a spot in New York Times' Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (prior to 1999). Honest Fact: the rabbit movie drags. I did enjoy a few good laughs; yet, each laugh reminded me of the movie's "glass ceiling" which appears when undercooked lead characters only rise to the thickness of a 50 cent pancake, or, incidentally enough, the width of the paper Toonville's characters live on.

The End of Movie Dialogue

ME: Hm, good. What'd you think?

CARLOS (My Boyfriend): It was good.

ME: Weird, too.

CARLOS: Yeah.

My personal taste runs less towards slapstick gas station diners and more towards the beauty of real people against circumstance, delightfully leavened with a light elegant twist of ironic humor.

A Lesson from the Evil Pixies Who Concocted Nightmares

Tonight, I had one of the worst nightmares in my life. When I woke up, it took one hour of petrified, though imaginative, thought and the blue dawn for me to come downstairs.Ever since I was a little girl, I've always had difficulty separating reality from fiction; perhaps, that is why I am in love with the movies (minus the sub-category of horror for obvious reasons).

Well, everyday is a new day. Even at 6 am.

Life Lesson Learned: The fear that lingers on the fringes of our lives reveals to us the kernels of our true selves.

I'll check that off as self-discovery for today. Here's a cartoon to lighten the mood:

At Work All I Hear is the Music in My Head

Today while I was working at Chickfila, I realized the themesong for my life. Maybe you recognize the beachy tune...

"Wouldnt it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldnt have to wait so long
And wouldnt it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong

You know its gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldnt it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through

Happy times together weve been spending
I wish that every kiss was neverending
Wouldnt it be nice

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldnt be a single thing we couldnt do
We could be married
And then wed be happy

Wouldnt it be nice

You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Wouldnt it be nice"

Continously longing for the future... Ay me.

Some Favorites of Mine

Perfect Decadent Dessert: Cheesecake
Wish-It-Was-My-Closet Store: Anthropologie
Dreamland Place to Live: New York City

Jenny's Custom Tea

Today's Playlist: Aladdin on ABC's Family

Knowledge of brewing tea (check!). Knowledge of drinking tea (check! check!) Knowledge of creating custom tea blend (*crickets*). I have no idea how to create tea blends. But admitting ignorance and plunging into the unknown...well, that truly is the first step to learning.

After looking through my modestly-sized spice and herb cabinet, I decided on the following familiar and nose-pleasing ingredients: Mint, Rosemary, Basil, and Bay Leaves.

Materials: Coffee filter, ribbon, and measuring tools.

Jenny's Custom Tea blend:

1/4 teaspoon Rosemary
1/4 teaspoon Bay Leaves
1/4 teaspoon Basil
1 teaspoon of Mint

Put ingredients inside coffee filter and gently mix by massaging filter with fingers. Then, tie off mix with ribbon. Boil Water in teapot. Pour Boiling water into glass and place custom tea bag into the water. Let stand for five minutes. Add sugar, sweetener, or ice if desired. Lastly (and most importantly) Drink Up!

Mmmm....yum.

Fresh Tea-Scented Sundays

One of my favorite simple pleasures in life is a tall glass of freshly brewed tea. Warm tea sips perfectly after a stressful day, and due to its calorie-free fat-free nature is completely guilt-free. So, why not learn how to create personalized custom tea?

*drum roll please!* Presenting....

Challenge Number 2!

The Nail Debut

Last night, my boyfriend and I made the journey to Target to purchase ingredients for dinner and the green nail polish (above) called "Big Money Frost." Ironically, it was the cashier who was frosted with money and mine just seems to keep melting away...

Beginning with Green

What's Playing? Today's soundtrack:

1) "Where's the Love?" by the Black Eyed Peas.
2) "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
3) "No Air" by Jordan Sparks ft. Chris Brown
4) "Halo" by Beyonce
5) "Hush Hush" by The Pussycat Dolls
6) "Sexy Love" by NeYo
7) "Shut Up and Drive" by Rihanna

With the stress of senior year around the corner, I realized I need a simple escape from the mayhem; hence, my new blog. The point: to etch my plans for the future in cyberspace stone, all while embarking on new journeys of self-discovery and, fingers crossed, self-improvement. Quite the feat, indeed.

The promise: I write everyday & I try one new thing each week (at least!).

The key: The playlist demonstrates how long I spend writing each day. Setting the minimum length at one song, or approximately 3.5 minutes, and the maximum to my entire library.

Let the journey begin!

The first step begins with the feet, literally. My first journey to self-improvement and discovery is to embrace the smallest part of me: my toenails. I hardly ever touch my toenails, plus, i only paint them for speacial occasions and even then, i paint them clear. However, according to Beauty Reporter Jessica Prince in August's allure magazine, green is the color of the moment.

Green, the hue of nature and the most restful color to the human eyes, represents harmony. So in the way of harmony...Goodbye! I must go purchase this green nail polish. Details about the transformation shortly to follow.