A Weather Fail (And a Song!)

So remember how I was so excited just a few days ago?

When I actually thought there might be snow in California, in my sunny town?

That was a COMPLETE fail.
I looked out the window in the morning, hoping to see big clouds just ready to pour snow on us (or sprinkle- I'd be okay with that, too) and I saw this:

Really, California, really?
And the weathermen- I personally blame you. Because I wouldn't have put this little idea in my head by myself, YOU gave me the illusion of hope.

Ah well, at least we had a nice Sunday after-church walk from it.

And a song:

My sweet and hilarious Calculus buddy, Sandia, introduced me to this band less than a week ago, and goodness, I'm in LOVE.

They're called Young the Giant (as you can probably infer from the cover art) and they're just so rock-y and fun without being "mainstream and stupid".
(in quotes because sometimes those things go hand in hand- sometimes, not always)

This song is called "My Body" and I think I've listened to it about 6 times on repeat just sitting here writing this post. It's that good.

The best part? There's none of that overly-autotuned poop.
They have genuinely catchy voices, fun chord changes, and head-bobbing songs.

Can it be?

Really, truly, be?

Can there actually be- wait for it- snow in California?

If it happens, we will have broken a THIRTY FIVE year curse!

Please, don't taunt me with this talk of "snow chance".

I want it, darnit, and I want it now!

A CSN Giveaway!

Now, I don't know if it's just me, but I've been seeing these CSN giveaways popping everywhere.

MAN, they move fast.
Let me just start out by saying though, the CSN network is crazy. It's like the Target of the internet or something, but it has over two hundred stores. That's a lot of stores.
And naturally, with those two hundred or so stores, it sells a LOT of stuff- everything from a swing set complete with turrets and slides to a ridiculously chic wine-holding dog bed!
Crazy, I tell you.

Anyways, they e-mailed me a few days ago asking if I'd like to participate in a giveaway, and of course I had an emphatic "Yes."

Because, please.
Vintage-styled clocks for under $15?

Chandeliers for under $30?

And- can it really be- Barbie guitars?
Oh, be still my beating heart.


If you'd like to win $15 to spend at any one of these 200-something CSN stores, just comment below telling me your favorite childhood toy!
Giveaway ends next Monday, February 29th.

GAH. It's All I Can Say.

Okay, this post is probably going to sound incredibly cliche and canned... and for that I apologize.
Sometimes when I get really excited about something, I tend to drone on and on about it, and the occasional lines such as "power of love" and "vitality of spirit" and stuff spring forth from my mouth before I can keep it shut.
So I apologize beforehand.

What I DO hope, though, is that you actually take the time to watch this video.
I know that while reading people's blogs it's really easy to skip past the videos they post (I admit it, I have done this before) but I'm sincerely asking you to see this.

Also because this is what I want my future child to be like... and hope that's not weird at all coming from a 17 year old.

Okay, what's so ridiculous about this is that this boy, Jonathan, is THREE YEARS OLD.
I was just learning how to tie my shoes then!
You all know that I love me some music. And as a musician and piano teacher, and basically overall lover of music- seeing the (here comes the cliched statements) passion in this boy, the excitement for CLASSICAL MUSIC makes me cry.
Yeah... kind of sad, but I actually cried at the end of the video when he dropped his baton and then started laughing hysterically. Because that (to me) showed me that he's not just some random prodigy whose parents pushed music into, he's a KID still, and an amazing one at that.

GAH.
Can I please have a kid like this?
Please?

Poster Child

You probably THINK you know me...

I bet you believe I'm some sweet innocent little girl who laughs a lot and makes silly jokes.
Too bad you're basically in the company of a cold-blooded killer.

I was caught-

dun dun dun....

- on camera.

So here I was, posing with the innocent little styrofoam case.
Little did it know it would soon be destroyed.
Little did I know that I would be caught.

It began with random scratch marks.
Actually, I believe that those cross-hatchings were in reaction to Karina who attempted to write my full name and phone number on the box to be shipped out to the unknown.
Stranger danger, people, stranger danger.

Pretty soon though, the soundtrack for "Psycho" was playing in my head and the poor little styrofoam container gained some holes.
(I look at this picture and my blurry hand and just think that "ER ER ER" stabbing sound. I would link to the clip or something if I could, but I'm too scared to go through the Youtube videos. So just picture me making the noise- I do it very well, actually.)

AND NOW I'M A SCARY KILLER!


Yeah. I'm like creepy Leighton Meester in "The Roommate" poster. Except I'm also too scared to post that picture, because her eyes look really scary.


The moral of this story essentially is that you don't want to see the scary side of me.
Because it's really scary.

The end.

Lovey Dovey Day.

In other words, the day on which every couple brings their mushy level to just under "intolerable", everyone eats piles and mountains of candy (whether that action is induced by infatuation or frustration), and we listen to songs about love all day long.

No wonder everyone loves Valentine's Day!
Okay, maybe that's just a BIT sarcastic coming from me, but I do think that it's a good day to celebrate. Love is important, people, and although we should be sharing it every day, today's our one day to really... commercialize it.
Yeah, that's the spirit.

Well, it's a tradition at my high school to deliver "Singing Valentines"- one minute songs sung by our very own choir- to your loved ones, friends, and people that you want to embarrass. Statistically speaking, since there are only 300 delivered, and there are around 2,600 students at the school, less than 1/6 of the school will receive them.
Actually, even LESS than less than 1/6, because the couples usually buy multiple cards for their significant other... I guess it's romantic and cute to be sung to every single period of your day? Who am I kidding. It's cute.
And I'll be honest with you. If I got 6 each year, I probably wouldn't be grumpy. If I got one each year I'd probably not be grumpy... old maid, that's me.

A few pictures of the embarrassing goodness that is a Singing Valentine. Whether it's a group of boys dressed in slightly questionable boxer shorts, or a group of "nerds" (and there were some girl groups too, I just didn't get any pictures!), the experience is fun for the whole class.

If you'd like to experience your own SV, one of the groups kindly made them accessible to the general public!
Here.

BUT-
Valentine's Day isn't just about sweets and boyfriends and girlfriends and Singing Valentines, no matter what image Hollywood and consumerism puts in our heads.

It's about love.
REAL love.

I see love in the heart-shaped balloons that my dad buys for me and my brother every single Valentine's Day that I can remember.
I see love in the stew that my mom spends all day preparing for us to eat as a family for dinner.
I see love in my family and my friends every day- true love.

Make every day (not just Valentine's Day) worth it.
Show your loved ones that you love them, and hold them dear.

Goodwillin'

So a few days ago I went onto Goodwill's website to find- well actually, I don't remember what I was looking for- something, and I saw that a new Goodwill had opened.

Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side (or whatever that saying is), and those pictures looked mighty more interesting than my Goodwill, so I decided to investigate.

Emily and I drove in her Christmas present to the great unknown.
Even more unknown to me was her gift- this was my first time driving in any convertible on the freeway, and I have to admit, I was rather squeal-y. And many heads may have turned while we were driving on the streets on account of me putting my hands up roller-coaster style and screaming- but hey. It's a CONVERTIBLE.
I think it's practically the rule to scream and play obnoxiously loud music, right?

We got a little over excited with what we were finding and our shopping cart was piled high with clothes within the hour.

I pulled a Vanna White and attempted to showcase our overflowing cart. Unfortunately, the sequined tube-top thingy that I was modeling at the time gave me the awkward appearance of love handles.

Even more awkward, however, was this picture that was captured right before I was about to pop a foot. Seriously. Worst of both worlds.
I could either have chosen [smile + bulges] or [maniacal face + long hair].... I guess I just chose to show you both.

And last but not least, our hottest item of the day....

Oh yeah. It even rivals the black suspender skirt of last trip.
How I didn't walk away with that beauty still confounds me!


PS: I realize that I never post anything GOOD that I have gotten at Goodwill... and for that, I apologize. You probably think that all there is is a bunch of ill-fitting jumpsuits and sequined tube-top dresses.
Fear not, my friends. Photo evidence is on the way...

Nothing Bundt Love!

Okay, you know I have a bit of a sweet tooth.

In fact, that's probably a bit of an understatement seeing how much I crave chocolate and just how many trips to the ice-cream machine I can make at a buffet. But yes.
Sweets rock.
My mom recently bought a bunch of mini cakes from "Nothing Bundt Cakes", a chain of shops that specialize in Bundt cakes- lemme tell you- they're AMAZING.

First of all- they're miniature. You don't have to feel too bad about how much you've eaten because it's nothing compared to an entire cake, right?
(Thankfully, I split this one with Mathew yesterday night.)

This cake was a "White White Chocolate" with an amazing cream cheese type icing.
My favorite part of the entire cake (well, of any cake with icing and a hole in the middle, really) is the very center where all the icing has dripped and it's like a fiesta for your taste buds.

GAH. It was not dry at all, and I'm literally salivating right now writing about it.
I hope that's not TMI. Because it was really really good.

The state of the poor cake after about 30 seconds.

The saddest part of my day. Literally.
And don't fret- despite all my training throughout my child, I went against all teachings and licked the knife. It was a butter knife, for crying out loud!
And that was some fine icing....


Now if you'll excuse me, I think I hear the lemon cake calling my name...

I'm a Woman, Phenomenally.

Lovely Kate over at Kismet & Kate proposed a challenge to herself: to "study and memorize some poetry this year", induced by her recent reading of Matched.
Well, Kate- I am ALL for this.
Today, in my lit class, yes, that lit class, we read a poem by Maya Angelou.
And guys? I'm in love with it. Head over heels.
It's called Phenomenal Woman, and I have never read a poem that is so strong, so bold, so proud to be a woman.

I'm a woman, phenomenally.

A snippet:

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

{via}

It's Muddy Brilliant!

So maybe I'm a little strange.

I'm sure that if you're reading this blog right now, you probably already know that. And hopefully love me despite- or because?- of it.

I'm not usually one to stick to social norms just because they're socially accepted. If I think there's no reason why NOT to do something (and I don't have bad judgment, really!), I'll probably try it out. Just to see.
That being said, I've eaten dog food before. And grass.
I digress...

Yesterday in my lit class, we walked in to find little piles of dirt on our desks. Our teacher told us to just "play with the dirt".
Most of us stared blankly for a couple of seconds. Some of us tentatively patted the dirt, careful not to get our fingernails dirty.


Me? I asked Emily for her water bottle, poured it on my dirt covered desk, and played happily for the next 10 minutes with my homemade mud. People probably thought I was crazy, people definitely laughed at me- but I had the funnest time ever.

My landscape of mud (mostly dried now) including a forest, a sun, clouds, and rain.
(The little mound of dirt on the left was the teacher's gift to the next class since I had essentially ruined the chances of the next student playing with some normal dirt.)

This is the after-washing up picture. My hands, fingernails, and arms were COVERED in mud.
Oh, the wonders of indoor plumbing.

Monday Melodies: Isbells

I hope you've gotten a little taste of what I like in music these past weeks.

I love harmonies, I love beautiful voices, I love soul, I love LOVE.
There's nothing more amazing to listen to, I think, than an artist who truly believes and loves what he/she is singing about.

This song, "As Long As It Takes", by the Isabells, is a reflective song, I think.
It's a story about the future generations and where this Earth and humanity has gone- and how it'll be humanity's job to hold Earth until it's mended.
Until WE mend it.

Listening to this song makes me want to cry a little bit (partially because of the lovely harmonies) because of its message, and the video montage really captures the heart and the longing that I feel in the song.
It's so beautiful!

A Mother's Love.

Just yesterday I got to skip school for an all-day field trip with my Physiology class (so I guess it's not technically still skipping... ) to the Tech Museum to see the infamous "Body World" exhibit!

I had seen it before, and was all prepared to ask questions about their supposed misuse of executed Chinese prisoners, but to my surprise, all the bodies were white! Who would've guessed?

We weren't actually allowed to take pictures in the exhibit (and I was way too chicken to try- I mean, those bodies were TOTALLY eyeballing us), so the only pictures we have are of the interesting events before...

One of the stations the Tech Museum has- I guess to attract kids and teach them more about the fields of science- was the DNA "lab".
Karina and I were given what we thought were pink lollipops (and we got really excited) but it turned out they were sponges that we wiped the insides of our cheeks with to grab the free-floatin' DNA.

We sponged the DNA onto our labeled slides....

.... and dyed the slides so that the DNA would be visible under the microscope.

Apparently I am a legit microscope-ist because I can focus under the largest magnification on cells in less than 30 seconds.

And the picture of my magnified nuclei! I felt strangely like a first time mother looking at her baby's ultrasound... it was very disconcerting.
(Those two blobs with darker spots in them are my DNA cells with their nuclei!)

Proud parents.