On a Jet Plane

In exactly one week, I'll be on my way to New York for the summer!

I am so excited for my summer adventure. As much as being lazy in either Athens or Atlanta sounds nice (and I might end up just staying in Athens next summer to goof off after I graduate), I know I would get ants in my pants after the first week or so. I am kind of scared about my new job, but hopefully it turns out well!
The main obstacle in my way right now is my two finals on this coming Monday and Tuesday, which are looming very big and scary in my way at the moment. I am trying to take deep breaths and avoid panic attacks but it isn't going so well. This peaceful airplane picture just seems so unattainable right now... But hopefully that means it will be even sweeter when that time finally comes!
I'll try to channel the Little Engine that Could, and as my mom always tells me, "I think I can I think I can."

Bon Voyage!

Waitey Katie Gets Her Man, and Keepin' it Classy Wins Again!

It should come as no surprise to any of those who know me that I am blogging about the royal wedding. I have only been looking forward to it since the day they announced their engagement. The engagement day was completely unproductive, because I just repeatedly watched their press conference and interviews all day, and then when that got boring I just read about them online.

Similarly, on Royal Wedding day (ok, the whole week leading up to it), I thought, ate, and breathed the royal wedding. I woke up at 3:30 in the morning, had royal wedding cupcakes, scones, and mimosas. The early morning sacrifice was well worth it--the wedding was everything I dreamed of and more! I cried multiple times during the service and throughout the day as I watched replays of the wedding and read more about it. "Does this girl have no friends? Why is she such a freak of nature?" You may ask yourself these questions, understandably, I have no answer to give you...but I will fill you in on some of my favorite things about the day!

Personal touches:
For one, I love how personalized their wedding was, even though it was obviously not an intimate affair, since the whole world was watching. The couple was very hands-on with the planning. For instance, Kate picked the specific cake she wanted, and she obviously had a lot to do with the design of the dress (we'll get to the dress later, it deserves its own paragraph). They wrote their own prayer, which was read during the service. Even the details like Kate's bouquet were special, because it included several symbolic flowers, including sweet William, for her prince.

Big Win for England:
As a creepy Anglophile, I of course loved every historical/cultural aspect of the wedding. I LOVED that it was held in Westminster Abbey,which I thought was a perfect choice, and that William wore his uniform of the Irish guard. I loved the traditional English hymns and wedding ceremony, especially when the congregation stood up to sing "God Save The Queen," and Prince Philip, next to his wife the Queen, was singing so enthusiastically! It was so sweet. That was one of the many tear-jerker moments for me. I also loved the tradition of the "joining of the hands" ceremony during the service, when the bride's father passes her hand to the priest, who then passes it to the groom, and then he says a prayer over their joined hands. I'm a nerd. But seriously, even for the snarky, cynical types who were sick of hearing about it, I think that even they can agree that it was a lovely, happy day, and that for once something making the headlines was hopeful and not depressing.

The Dress. 'Nuff Said.
The dress blew me away. It was not at all what I was expecting, because it was definitely retro and Kate's style is usually so modern. I loved that she chose such a modern, edgy designer, (Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen), yet stayed true to her classic personal style with the design.

This is one of my favorite moments from the day, right when Kate stepped out of her car at the abbey, and we got to see the dress for the very first time. I just love the sweet, happy expression on her face.

I could go on forever, but I'll spare you. Yay weddings!

A Day with Jane

Today is a paper-writing day. I'll be rummaging around in Jane Eyre for new and interesting things to say for the next several hours. I think I can I think I can!

Major: English. Minor: Man-repelling.

I apologize to you, dear reader, for temporarily backing out on the promise that this blog shall provide pretty things to look at and think about, because what you're about to see ain't pretty, in the conventional man-attracting sense of the word. 
I stumbled across this jewel of a blog (or is it a website? I don't know, damn you confusing internets!) called The Man Repeller, and it has got me all fired up and inspired. The chica who writes it defines a "man-repeller" as...

MAN·RE·PELL·ER1  [MAHN-REE-PELLER]
–noun
outfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include but are not limited to harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls (see: human repelling), shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.
–verb (used without object),-pell·ing, -pell·ed.
to commit the act of repelling men:
Girl 1: What are you wearing to the party?
Girl 2: My sweet lime green drop crotch utility pants!
Girl 1: Oh, so we're man repelling tonight?
*DISCLAIMER: the above conversation is not a dramatization, took place in this room 5 minutes ago.

I think the lady is on to something. Some of my favorite fashion friends could definitely be classified as man-repellers.
For instance, my girl Mary-Kate gets hated on a lot for her style, and hey, maybe guys aren't into the teeny-tiny-black-feathery-dress-wearing witch look, but I sure am! You go girl. 

Long hair, don't care.

Another furry fave of mine, from the Pucci fall 2011 show...

Is it man-repelling? Gonna go with yes. Is it awesome? Definite yes. 

Now this is just rude...

This philosophy is something to think about as I head to the Big Apple in the next few months as a strategy to ward off the oodles of creepers Mr. Big types dying to date me while I focus on having adventures. 

Ta ta for now!

That Gypsy Blood

During a recent conversation with my grandmother, she informed me that her mother (my great-grandmother) had gypsy in her blood, because she was constantly moving the family around when Grandmother was little. She also likes to say that she (Grandmother) and my mom have fish in their blood, because they feel land-locked when they're not near the ocean, and they love the water. I have always loved my mom's stories about when she was growing up and the family went to St Simon's Island every summer, and my grandfather would make an anchor for my grandmother's float, and she would bake in the ocean all day, floating in her bikini, covered in baby oil. My grandmother is the most glamorous lady I know.
I love the water too, (although I've never mastered that art of effortlessly floating on my back in the water which all the other women in my family seem to have been born with), so maybe I have a little fishy in me, but I think that gypsy thing skipped a few generations and landed smack on me, with a vengeance. I don't really believe in astrology or any of that, but when I read somewhere that as a Sagittarius I easily get restless and I have a constant need for change and adventure...well, I think they had something right. I call it my "ants in my pants" syndrome; I get into these phases where I just want to hop in my car and drive somewhere far far away and never come back.

Maybe it is the change in the weather? Or maybe it's that gypsy blood after all.

Maybe it would help if I had a sweet motorcycle like Mr. Dean here. Or it could be that I just love an excuse to look at a picture of him whenever possible.

Happy pollen season everyone!

The Low Country Calls

I've tried something new lately. With all the classic, stuffy (occasionally wonderful) books I have to read for my English classes, I sometimes feel like I've lost my love of reading. It's not that I don't love spending my nights slugging through Bleak House, but the combination of being forced to read in a certain window of time and also actively being on the lookout for the themes and other nonsense makes reading a chore. So, I've made a resolution to take some time for myself and make a point of reading for pleasure. My sister recommended Pat Conroy's novel South of Broad, set in the beautiful Charleston, so I'm giving it a shot and really enjoying it so far.

This was an appropriate book to read leading up to Spring Break, because I am headed to Hilton Head Island for the week. That marshy smell is calling me!

Sweet Success! Adele's New Album

In 2008, I became a big fan of the British singer Adele when I saw her give a powerful performance of her song "Chasing Pavements" on Saturday Night Live. Sister sang like she meant it, and I was hooked. With all the soul-sucking awful kill-me-now music out there right now, I love to hear a great female singer with a lot of talent and soul, and Adele has more than enough of both. Her voice reminds me of a combination of Amy Winehouse (without the drug problems) and Duffy, who I also love, with a bit of an old-school vibe mixed in as well. Her debut album, entitled "19," reached the number 1 spot on the charts in the UK, and won her the prize for Best New Artist at the Grammy's. Dave FM, my favorite radio station in Atlanta, also caught on and started playing her stuff, but she somehow didn't seem to find the same widespread success here as she did in the UK. Her songs "Chasing Pavements," "Hometown Glory," and a beautiful rendition of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" all reached acclaim with the Brits and her fans in the states. Here is a link for "Chasing Pavements:"
http://www.youtube.com
Try to ignore the video and just listen...

Adele's new album, "21," was just released yesterday, and I am already a big fan. Her song "Rolling in the Deep" has been released for several months now, and I've been listening to it on repeat, so I can't wait to see what else is in store on the rest of her album. I can tell it is about to be a big hit, and in honor of Adele's album release, Dave FM's lunch hour theme yesterday was "Best Female Voices," a category in which Adele most definitely belongs. Dave FM's website says "Adele is everywhere now- we knew how fabulous she was a long time ago" and so did I, but that's alright, I'm willing to spread the love!
Check out the whole new album, "21," here:
http://www.npr.org

Happy Listening!