Ghetto words/art

Guys. Someone should slap me.

Because I swear, if I heard anyone say any of the following out loud, I would want to slap them.

But seriously.

"Wut da hayell" = "What the hell" and "Errthang/boday" = "Everything/body"  Is probably uttered from my mouth at least once a day.  Last time I checked, although brown, I'm not black.  My mouth needs to stop having these slip ups.

Also, I forgot to mention in my last post that I now have a quasi-job.  My dad has this teleseminar coaching thing going on and recently his tech guy quit on him so I am now the replacement because my dad was like, "You like messing around with coding. Here, run our website. "  The job isn't hard, it's just tedious and time consuming because I'm pretty much just taking care of the website, fixing any glitches, setting up links and downloads, creating new events and pages... You know. Typical webmaster type stuff.  My dad and his business partner said that they would pay me for all the work I've done, but I made sure that I stressed to them that I'm not a trained professional.

I mean, guys. In middle school I watched the movie Hackers (Jonny Lee Miller still makes me swoon) and went through this phase where I actively sought out learning hacks and coding, but much like my anime phase, it sort of fizzled out.

But yeah.  I'm not going to complain about getting money.  The only thing that stresses me out is when there's a live event going on and I have to make sure everything is posted IMMEDIATELY after the event is over, meaning that I have really odd 'work' hours. Luckily, my hours are 100% flexible and my boss also happens to be my dad.

Another thing I forgot to post about was the fact that I added more things to my Etsy shop!

Dalek/kitten cards

Hedwig inspired chain scarf

Fanart for the movie My Blueberry Nights

Random tea cup painting

So yeah.  I sold another wand yesterday, and I'm really excited about making it because the buyer requested that the handle look like a wolf, so it was definitely a fun thing to design.  I'll post pictures when I'm done with it.

Also, this entire week I've been following the Blogger Family Reunion--- I AM SO GOING NEXT YEAR. I don't care if I have something important going on, I WILL RESCHEDULE. I can't wait for my shirt to come in the mail... I'll wear it with pride and know that I was there in spirit, sort of, because I did so much Facebook stalking.  To everyone that went: I'm glad you guys had fun! :)

Weekend Shenanigans.

This weekend was centered around my friend Rebekka's 18th birthday. We continued on with our (3 year?) tradition of having a sleepover at her house and watching a movie. Every year I hand make her a super awesome card and since her birthday is in the middle of summer I usually get her gift while I'm on vacation.  Sadly, I didn't go anywhere special this year so in order to maintain the epicness level of her gifts I decided to do a little online shopping.

I ended up getting her a Merlotte's Bar and Grill shirt (from the show True Blood) and matching honey badger t-shirts for us, as seen below:

Look how long my hair is!

Then for the rest of the night we ate a shit-ton of gummy bears (seriously, like half of a LARGE bag), laughed about people that we graduated with who are now preggers, and all around had a good gossip session while we watched Downton Abbey season 1.  We were so sugar-high that anything that was even remotely funny sent us into a fit of giggles.

The next morning I had to wake up early and work-out, which was a severely bad idea because I was so tired. BUT I made sure to work my ass off extra hard because I knew that I would be eating a lot of junky-type food today when I went to my friend Andria's house.

We had a mini 'art girls' reunion and pretty much chilled on her bed from 2:30-7:30 eating vodka gummy bears, oreos, white chocolate chips, and drinking screwdrivers.  Despite drinking more than the other girls and eating A LOT of gummy bears, I didn't even get a buzz.  I found it hilarious, because besides the few sips of alcohol that my parents let me drink for holidays, the last time I had a serious drink was maybe the beginning of junior year...? I've never been shit-faced, but I've always chalked that up to my "social" drinking habits that dictate me only having 3 or 4 drinks tops. I guess I have good self control?

Andria apologized to me repeatedly due to the fact I was the only one not buzzed, but it was all cool.  I have to work-out tomorrow so it's better that I do so without a massive migraine.  Anyway, we're in the process of having another 'art girls' reunion before we all part ways, and there will probably be drinking, but hey, we're all of legal age.  Well, if we lived in England we would be....

Oh, before I forget, while I was at Andria's she gave me the souvenir she got me while she was in San Francisco at the beginning of summer. IT'S AN OCTOPUS CUP!

If you click the picture and enlarge it you can see my rainbow graffiti nails!

It's freaking awesome, and I've already brewed 2 cups of tea just so I could use it... My family thinks that I'm crazy. Oh well.  Personally, I think that it looks a bit like Cthulhu, which makes it even cooler.

Needless to say, I'm going to be drinking more tea/coffee.

This is what happens...

...when you have a Facebook conversation with someone that you don't really know.

Honestly, this is the most fun I've had talking to a quasi-stranger in quite sometime.  Usually when guys chat me up on Facebook they usually just tell me I have a nice profile picture and try to get my number (I usually promptly delete said fellows from my friends list), but this conversation was purely fun, random banter.

Anyway, it all started when this guy posted a status that said "EVERYONE HATES ME TODAY, OKAY."

To which I responded: "Maybe you should change your name to Chris."  I mean, a status like that was begging for a smart ass comment.

And then he unexpectedly IMed me:

T: That wouldn't help, I'm not black...

Me: Swim in Nutella. Problem solved.

T: That sounds legit. And profitable.

Me: Also delicious.

T: Never had Nutella, soooo...

Me: Boy, you cray. Also, you have no idea what love is.

T: Really? And Nutella will teach me that?

Me :Among other things, yes.

T: What are the other things?

Me: 1. Happiness can be found in a jar. 2. Hazelnut is superior to all nuts. 3. Under no circumstances is it ok to willfully listen to Nickleback.

T: I hate Nickleback.

It is the scourge of music.

Me: Tell me about it. It's a good thing you don't like them because if you did I would have to send you a letter full of anthrax.

T: I already decide if I'm friends with someone or not based on if they like Nickleback. I've also moved that up to dating. I don't care how long I've been dating you, if I find a single Nickleback song on your iPod I'm gone

Me: That's the best way to avoid heartache. That, and Nutella.

T:...but I've never had Nutella...

Me: Have you ever experienced heartache?

T: That's debatable. 

Me:Ok boi, I'm just gonna be straight up wit chu. You need to go out and buy yourself a jar of overpriced Nutella so that you can enlighten yo ass wit wonderment.

T: Will that console my broken heart?

Me: Yes. And put meat on your bones. And motivate you to work out. And help you meet the love of your life.

T :I don't need any of those things.

Me: Well maybe there's a reason everybody hates you today.

T:...what would that be

Me: I was alluding to the fact that you haven't ever had Nutella.

T: Maybe that is the reason everyone hates me...

Me: I am a Ravenclaw. I know things.

T: So am I!

Me: Birds of a feather...

T: And what are you alluding to?

Me: Nothing... I was just making a Ravenclaw related follow-up comment.

T: I appreciate that.

I was surprised when I was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Me: What house did you think you were going to be placed in?

T: Slytherin...

Me: Well it's a good thing you didn't get the Dark Mark tattooed on your forearm yet. That would have been awk.

T: Well, I quickly became the leader of Ravenclaw. So it's cool

Me: What do you mean?

T: I took over the house, didn't you hear?

Me: No... I graduated Hogwarts and I'm now an Auror.

T: I assassinated Flitwick and took his position...

Me: Impressive. No Slytherin would ever be smart enough to think of that.

T: So I am a Ravenclaw...huh

Me: Ay, as much as I've enjoyed talking with you, quasi- friend, I'm late for a very important event. Just kidding. It's time for my bubble bath. SWEET DREAMZ.

T: Hahahahahaha

Quasi-friend

You're intelligent.

Goodnightz

The beauty of this conversation stems from the fact that we were indeed strangers (despite attending the same high school) and so we had the liberty to say whatever we wanted.  Gosh. If only all of my Facebook IM conversations were like this.

Eat more chicken?

Unless you've spent the past few days watching nothing but porn on your computer, you should have noticed all the drama stateside surrounding Chick-fil-a, a popular fast food restaurant.  The entire issue started when the Henson company pulled their Muppet toys from Chick-fil-a's children's meals.  Henson's reasoning for their actions was because the Chick-fil-a chief executive stated that they personally "supported the "traditional family," and "the biblical definition of the family unit.""

And ever since then, things have gone batshit.  From online protests on Facebook, to entire cities voicing their disapproval and threatening to ban the fast food joint, it's become a war.  


To eat, or not to eat fast food chicken, that is the question.


Before this situation, my only qualms with Chick-fil-a were their absurd prices for a meal.  Sorry, but I'm not going to spend $7 on a tiny chicken sandwich, a tiny box of waffle fries, and a sweet tea when I could get twice as much from any other fast-food restaurant for half the price.  I'm a jew.  I also like tacos more than chicken sandwiches.


Now seeing the aftermath of this situation, I think the whole ordeal is a bit ridiculous.  People are ranting that if you buy from Chick-fil-a you are subsequently supporting the discrimination of gays.  A line has been drawn in blood implying that we as a consumer society must choose between tasty chicken fried in peanut oil and an end to discrimination due to sexual orientation.


A lot of people on my Facebook news feed are equating this to when blacks were refused service at commercial places, but has Chick-fil-a ever denied it's services to a LGBT member?  Not that I can recall.  I'm pretty sure they want as much money as they can get.  I mean, after all, THEY ARE A BUSINESS.  Also, Chick-fil-a does not hide the fact that they are a Christian business.  Hell, that's why they don't do business on Sundays. 


While I do not agree with the opinions of the Chief Executive of the company, I also must acknowledge that they are just opinions.  Business owners are allowed to be human too (although sometimes they seem like soul-less monsters), and we must not ignore the fact that they have the same free speech rights that we have.


So, to sum up how I feel?  Regardless of whether or not Chick-fil-a supports gay rights, I'm still not going to buy their food.  The fact that they don't support gay rights just gives me an excuse to tell my friends anytime they want to eat there.  It's my opinion and my choice to not eat their food.  It's your opinion and your choice if you want to eat there.


How do you guys feel about this?

Back on good terms.

So today I had another AF DEP meeting, and we did our usual business of heading out to a local park and doing some sit-ups and push-ups, and then run for a mile and a half.  We did our non-running stuff on the hot pavement. Yeah.  My hands are still burning. The gravel gave me tiny cuts on my hands. Fun stuff.

We have to have 'buddies' when we do our activities, and as per usual I paired up with my friend Skai, an old friend of mine.

I admire her so much because she is the sweetest, most hardworking, and optimistic person that I know.  She's been through a lot the past few years, and despite just graduating high school this year she's already living on her own and supporting herself.  I felt a bad for her because since she's been busy working full time at her job she hasn't had any time to work out or run for the past two weeks, meaning that she didn't do so well for our physical training. It also didn't help that it was a humid 101 degrees outside.

About three minutes into the run she had to stop, and I waited with her and encouraged her to keep going, but after running for a few more minutes she collapsed and fell into some bushes... She refused to go back, so I did my best to keep an eye on her.

One thing that I really like about my DEP group and my recruiter is the fact that it is heavily stressed that we are a family--- we don't leave anyone behind.  Some asshole left his partner behind while I was trying to help Skai, so we both went back to check on him.  He had a leg cramp so I told him to go back and explain the situation to one of the recruiters.  After that, Skai said she was up for running again, but like before, after a few minutes she nearly passed out. Luckily, by that time the recruiter was running by us and he made her stop because she was so out of it.

It sucked having to run without my buddy, but I kept on pushing because at that point I was well behind the others.  I managed to catch up with everyone, and towards the end I wanted to stop running, but then my recruiter came up next to me and encouraged me to push forward.  He said some bullshit about finding my inner peace and focusing my mind, but at that point I just tuned him out and thought about going home and taking a nice long bubble bath.  That was my inner peace, I guess.

Afterwards he gave the entire group a small lecture about staying hydrated, knowing our limits, and staying together.  He called out the asshole that left his partner behind and then congratulated me in front of everyone for not abandoning my partner.  I'm pretty sure I'm on his good side again.  I hope I'm on his good side again.

Even if I'm not, whateves.  Imma go take me a nice, hot, long, bubble bath and listen to Hands Are Clever by Alex Clare  on repeat (I am seriously addicted to that song. I listen to it like 20 times a day) and read some Sherlock fanfiction on my phone.  I deserve it.  My aching muscles deserve it.

Funny things happen when I run.

If there's one thing that I enjoy about all of this running I've been doing lately, it's the opportunity to observe all the quirky things that people do.

For instance, today I went to a nearby neighborhood park and ran the adjacent trail and ran into a myriad of folks.

Aha! A picture of part of the trail that I ran today!

The first person I ran into was a man and his dog.  It was one of those situations where I was trying to calculate when it would be appropriate to make eye contact and move along.  Living in the south, and especially Texas, people do not simply ignore each other.  I was taught at a young age that you always smile and wave at people when they cross your path, even if you don't know them.  It's a shining example of southern hospitality.  I can always tell if someone is from up north or a big city because they tend to be the ones who give me a "WTF, do I know you?" look.

But I digress.  I found the situation a bit funny because as I  could see that the man was trying to calculate the exact same thing.  I could see it on his face, as I'm sure he could see it in mine, but luckily as we got closer (thanks to the velocity of my running) he smiled quickly, said hello, and I did the same.

For some reason, the fact that I was running made it less awkward.

Then a few minutes following that I saw a man and a woman walking.  The man was kind of puny looking, and definitely a backwoods Texan native (anyone that sports a confederate flag shirt automatically is) and the woman was taller than him, and about 5 times my size.  It was a bit comical because as the man saw me approach he immediately ducked behind the woman and walked behind her, a good 50 feet before I actually passed them.  As per usual, I smiled and waved because I was too out of breath to give a proper hello, and went on my merry way.  The woman warmly returned my greeting while the man just looked at me sheepishly.

When I was sure they were out of earshot I had a good chuckle at the silliness of the situation.  You could obviously tell who wore the pants in that relationship.

I passed a handful of snooty "power walking" ladies that looked at me with unwarranted disdain, but whatever.  They were just jealous of my defined calf muscles.

Little encounters like these make running all the more fun.  I enjoy people watching, and now that running doesn't make me want to hack up a lung or fall over from exhaustion, I can do it more often.

De-stress

deathly hallows!

A lot has been going on lately, and in order decompress all of my angst and sort of just relax I decided to spend the day with my friend Rebekka.  We hung out in her backyard "baking" in the wonderful Texas heat while listening to Alex Clare.  I got a sun tattoo, and I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  Since I didn't have any fancy sticker paper I just painted the deathly hallows symbol on my arm with puffy paint.  I love puffy paint.  And $6 bikini tops from Wal-Mart.

I tan so easily, we were only outside for maybe an hour and I managed to get the result that I wanted.  I'm so  incredibly excited about it, despite it being semi-temporary.  I'm sure I'll hate myself 20 years from now when my skin starts showing all the damage I've inflicted upon it, but c'est la vie.  I'll stock up on moisturizer.

After we couldn't bear the heat anymore we retreated into her house and had a fun time gossiping and doing girl things like make lists of people that we hated in high school that we hope to never see again.  Fun stuff.

Tomorrow I go back to my routine of working out and attempting to get actual work accomplished.... Meh.

Pluggin'

Ay, guys.

My friend Aria is having a writing contest type thing, and if you're competitive/into writing/like winning giftcards you should definitely check it out!

Here are the rules, just in case you're interested:

1) Everything must be completely original.
2) Each short story must fall within the theme/genre/prompt given at the beginning of each round.
3) Stories will be due for each round on the following Friday by midnight CENTRAL USA time.
4) Stories wil be posted on a seperate page on Saturday.
5) Theme/genre/prompts will be supplied by an outside person not in the competition 
6) The winning stories for each round will be choosen by whichever story recieves the most votes in a Duel, MEANING two stories will be displayed going head to head and simply whichever gets more votes moves on.

This is how a Duel will look:

Authors: Toby vs. Jenna

Stories not posted in specific order

Story One Title: The Blah in Blah

{insert story here}

Story Two Title: The Blah-ness

{insert story here}

Voting is now open!!

---------------------------

Both authors names will be displayed above the two stories, but there will be no clarification of which story belongs to who. Just because Toby's name came first doesn't mean his story was the first one and vice versa. 

7) The winning story/author will be announced on Sunday along with the new theme/genre/prompt for that week's round.
8) Everyone will get to write at least two stories.
9) In response to a comment: Short stories must be entered. Stand alone little scenes. Nothing more than 1000 words. 
10) They must tie into whatever theme (Ex. World Hunger, Racism, Forgotten Love), genre (Ex. Horror, Romance, Sci-fi), or prompt (Ex. Write about a girl who talks to fairies...) is given at the beginning. 
11) In response to a comment: You can enter previously written stories if they fit that week's TGP and it's less than 1000 words.
12) The 1st place winner gets a $20 giftcard to either Starbucks or Barnes and Noble while 2nd place will recieve a $10 giftcard!!!!

 SOOOOO... If you're interested, check out her blog and sign up! :)

A little bit of what's going on (in bullets)

• My dad apologized for pushing me too hard, but still thinks that I have a lot of growing up to do.  I know he's worried about me because I am the oldest child and the first one to leave "the nest", so I can sort of understand where he's coming from.  He just wants me to be successful, and wants me to show more initiative and responsibility. I am going to start training with this guy from our gym once a week for leg-work and running, which is a small start.
• Yesterday I received an abrupt phone call from my recruiter informing me of a job opening in the mechanical field, HOWEVER the ship date is August 14th, despite my contract stating that the earliest I could leave would be October.  When I declined the job offer he called me in for a face to face meeting and tried to convince me to take it.  His commanding officer was there and he was a bit... overzealous.  As someone once put it, military recruiters are the best used car salesmen around, and they will use every tactic in and outside of the book to fill their quotas.  They made me feel guilty, selfish, and all around an awful person for trying to decline the early ship date and even tried to turn my family against me.
• After a lot of discussing with friends and family (and a little bit of stress crying from me) I decided to turn down the August 14th ship date.  No matter what anyone says, I do not feel mentally or physically prepared to enter basic training in less than a month.  My contract states that the earliest I can leave is in October, so in no way am I being penalized for not taking this opportunity.  When I called in today to tell the recruiter my decision he was more understanding and even a bit apologetic for the misplaced "passion" his boss had for the Air Force.  If I wanted to feel guilty for saying the word "no" I'd go live with my mother.  I would like to make a career out of the Air Force and forcing me to take a job that I don't want is pointless.  I understand that the needs of the Air Force come first,  which is why I want to be around longer than four years.  I want to enjoy my job and take pride in serving my country.
• All of the aforementioned earned me a lecture from my dad about how I need to start thinking and acting like an adult, and less like a teenager.  I understand where he's coming from.  I do need to be more responsible.  I do need to re-prioritize my life.  I am entering a new world full of consequences and disappointment.  I'm used to working hard and having rewards for doing so, and the realization that hard work won't always be rewarded is a tough concept for me to understand.  My dad made it very clear to me that I now live under his roof with an expiration date that coincides with my ship date (whenever it is).  I don't take any of this for granted.  It still sucks to hear it, but it's the truth.
• And finally, I have to re-iterate how thankful I am to all of you for reading and supporting me.  As silly as it sounds, I share more on here than I do in real life.  As an introvert it's easier for me to communicate through this medium.  I appreciate all of you guys so much for being here for me.

Kindly, stfu

I don't know if it's all the testosterone from being surrounded by meat heads 6/7 days a week, or perhaps just part of my wonderful emotional bottling skills, but every time my dad speaks I want to punch him in the face.

And I mean, honestly, the only thing holding me back is the tiny voice in my head whispering "suck it up" as I grit my teeth and bear it.

My dad is utterly convinced that I'm not pushing myself nearly enough and it's gotten to the point where I've ended up pulling two muscles trying to follow his instructions.

I feel like he's constantly trying to get me to give up, but unfortunately for him I'm too damn stubborn to admit that I'm about to pass out from exhaustion.

Saturday my dad was giving me the usual, biting, "How bad do you want to be successful? Because right now you're not showing me anything." speech and as per usual I sucked it up and pretended to ignore him.  It's what I do best.  We were doing a particularly taxing core workout, and my dad's comments were really starting to get to me.  I was in pain.  A lot of pain, actually, and I could feel my left abdominal muscles tighten and pull.  My dad was determined to make me "go the extra mile" and add 100 sit-ups after our 45 minute core session, but it was too much.  I ended up pulling on of my ab muscles soon after I started my sit-ups, and it somehow ended up being my fault.

• I should have spoken up
• I'm not consuming enough calories
• I'm not drinking enough water

Yeah.  Pretty much all those reasons are BS.   If I would have spoken up my dad would have just told me that I wasn't pushing myself enough (believe me, I hear that phrase about 5 times a day), I consume high protein foods and I try to get at least 1800-2000 calories a day, and I drink water like a fish.  No really.  It's not unusual for me to go through 8 bottles of water in a day.

UGH.  I know that when I go to basic training I'll have asshole TI's dishing out worse things, but I can handle that.  I won't take that personally because it's their job to be an asshole and prepare me for everything.  My dad?  I take it highly personally when he acts like a douche hole to me.  He's my dad.  He's supposed to support me, not make me feel like a weak idiot.

As per usual, I will suck it up.

Postcard Update

Sooooo guys, it gives me extreme pleasure to inform you all that I've already started sketches for four of the postcards!

Since I've taken the picture, two more people have signed up leaving only two remaining slots left.  So if you haven't signed up yet, hurry! You can find the details in my previous post.

Since my brain has been full to the brim with ideas and inspiration, thanks to you all, I've taken to carrying my blue moleskin with me everywhere.  I recently attended an 80's party (which I will write about later) and I'm pretty sure the people thought I was insane when I would randomly stop and whip out my moleskin and start sketching like a madwoman.  I hate losing ideas.  My art teacher always told me that if you pass up inspiration it just re-enters the universe and finds someone with more initiative and drive.

Anyway, yesterday I finally got around to watching season two of Downton Abbey and I just now finished it up and all I can do is flail my arms around helplessly.

I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS.  When I was at the gym lifting weights all I could do was calculate how much of the series I had left to watch and whether or not I'd be able to finish it when I got home.  It was sad.  On the bright side, my 30 minutes of cardio passed by quickly as I analyzed the dynamics of Lady Sybil and Branson's relationship while trying to create the perfect playlist for them.  Eh, whatever makes the time go faster as I produce buckets of sweat.

Speaking of playlists, I've compiled all of the songs submitted to me thus far for the postcard project on my iTunes and I now have a wonderful little playlist to work to.  It may be a blogger thing, but all of the different songs really compliment each other.  It made me happy.

The Postcard Project

So.  I have 12 blank postcard size pieces of art paper.  And a lot of quasi-free time.  And a lot of repressed emotions that are just begging to be released in the form of art.  And I'm going into AP Studio Art withdrawals.  I miss working on a concentration. I miss-- deadlines. I know, I'm crazy.

So.  To remedy this I'm going to actively create art.

The idea for The Postcard Project came to me while I was walking my dog.  I had just gotten back my quality pieces for my AP portfolio in the mail, and while I was happy to have my artwork returned to me, I was a bit sad that I was finished with the first "structured" art thing I had ever done.  Before creating my portfolio I made art on a whim.  No rhyme or reason, no extended theme.  I was a mess.  With the start of summer I reverted back to my old ways of half-finished art projects/little easy crafts.  All of the, I guess you could say 'training' from working in the studio was lost.  I wanted to get back in my groove.

I resolved to start another 12 piece concentration.  Easy.

But.  Two problems popped up: 1. I can't create anything large scale because I have limited storage space & 2. The duration of this project cannot be extensive, because I have yet to get a ship date for basic training and I don't want to leave with the project unfinished.

This is where you guys come in.  Yes you, lovely, tolerant, blog readers/friends.

I am going to create 12 pieces of art, inspired by you, and then I will send it to you via post.  Since I am creating this art for you I am asking for a few points of inspiration.

• Your favorite song.
• 5 words you enjoy.
• (optional) a photo of yourself.

My goal is to complete at least 2 postcards per week, and then when I'm finished with everything I'm going to mail them all at once.

Obviously I'm limited to 12 participants, so this will be on a first come/first served basis.  All you have to do is shoot me an email at bookish.spazz(at)gmail(dot)com with the above listed items as well as your postal address.  That's it.  And by the end of this process you will get a tiny piece of art made with oodles of love.

So. Are you in?

7/7 8:05 a.m. 8 spots currently open
7/7 12:16 p.m. 6 spots currently open

Run-down

Because this post needed a picture, and I like being creepy.

1. To everyone that isn't blind and noticed my re-design, THANKS!  I meant to do a post on it, but alas, I sort of forgot.  Then again, whenever I change something (haircut, glasses, etc.) I usually forget to warn people ahead of time, so when they're all like: "Hey, cute haircut!" I'm all like: "WTF you talkin' about? I didn't get a hair--- Oh. Right. Thanks."  Anyway, I was inspired by my fellow Blogger Family  member Maggie who recently underwent a re-design as well.  Can you believe that the font she's using for her bio is her own handwriting?  NO ONE'S HANDWRITING IS THAT AWESOME.  Anyways, I got tired of the weird pastel thing I had going on and decided to take a few design cues from GQ, Urban Outfitters, and Nylon. 
2. If you haven't seen this video yet, you should.  With all the hateful people out on the internet, someone needs to step forward and call them out on their BS. 
3. I am a lover of infographics, and I found this one particularly interesting.  I'm glad I picked yellow as the accent color for my blog re-design.
4. I'm trying to get more into yoga.  Aside from a few basic poses for relaxation, I don't know that many, and I get distracted when I turn to youtube for help.  Does anyone have any specific recommendations as to where I should start?
5. With all this Obamacare hullabaloo I have reached an impasse with myself.  Although I've stated this probably a billion times, I live in Texas. The state that is constantly threatening to secede, but too damn lazy to do anything about it; the state that bleeds red, despite having a very blue and liberal heart. Texas.  Because of my geographical location a lot of my friends happen to be very conservative, which is ok, BUT there is only so much Obama bashing I can take.  I mean, threatening to move to Mexico because of a healthcare bill? Really?  Yeah.  Have fun getting decent medical care in a developing country where a lot of health and safety laws are nonexistent/ignored unless you pay mucho dinero for it.  I can only receive so many anti-Obama rally invitations before I start to question my friendships with the vast amount of people I deem "facebook-worthy acquaintances."  I mean,  what should I do?  Despite this singular issue, I genuinely like these people.  We grew up together, we have family in common, we often bump into each other around town, etc.  I just wish everyone would just shut up and be happy and drink a cool beverage.
6. I have recently developed an obsession with NCIS.  Forrealz, guys.  It's pretty bad, especially since USA has marathons that I DVR and watch while doing leg lifts and bicycle crunches.  Oh man.  Abby is my hero.

Happy Birthday, America

My family and I are celebrating this wondrous holiday by eating fajitas and watermelon. YUM.