Dear World,

I'm sorry I look so crappy today.

Tuesdays I work until midnight, which means if there's any homework to be done, I'm pulling a late night. And boy was last night a late night.

See, World, we have to sign a children's story in ASL this morning, and you should know that I've had very little time to practice. So I came home from work and--like the dilligent student I am-- I worked and worked on my story so that, hopefully, I don't embarrass myself today... and keep it under 8 minutes. (Do you know how hard it is to keep a story under 8 minutes for me?!)

All of this translates to going to sleep at 3 am, missing my alarm, and having exactly 12 minutes to get ready.

So try not to look at my unwashed hair and bloodshot eyes. Try, if it's possible, to not notice the day old makeup, covered with a layer of powder and extra eyeliner.

Thank you World... I'll do better tomorrow!

Photo shop fun!

So we had an assignment in my computer graphics class called "smoke and mirrors". We were required to put together two or more pictures and make them look right. So... I took this:

And this:

 

And this:

 

And came up with:

TA-DA! I'm a genius! I also have to thank Tiffany and Brian for being willing models as well as Lacey, who let me borrow her ballet clothes!

Trips to Costco

So if you could buy anything in bulk... anything at all what would it be?

Me?

Garlic.

Lots and LOTS of garlic. Like this:

Somehow the process of using garlic when it's already peeled and cleaned is so much easier, my garlic consumption has risen by about 200%. If you were worried about my dating life before, you ain't seen nothing yet!

(For the record, I did also invest in several packs of gum. Pretty sure I'll have to get some more though!)

The Unedu-ma-cated

It never ceases to amaze me that people seem to have NO IDEA how to use a library. I've been looking up and finding my own books since I was ten. I wondered why every year in school we were taken into the library to be explained to--in very simple language-- how to search for a book and find it. It really wasn't that hard. You get the weird numbers and look at how they numbers coordinate with the shelves. At some point you'd come across a general topic and start looking for the specific book. It doesn't take a PhD to understand. Or so I thought.

Working at the library has been an eye opener. I'm sure half the people that can't figure out the call numbers would be able to stalk their favorite celeb with ease or search through facebook with great skill, but they have no clue how to find a novel by Charles Dickens (scratch that--they've probably never even HEARD of Charles Dickens!)

Really, though... what beats it all... when you point out the reference desk with the big sign above it that says REFERENCE and they start looking around asking "where?" Has education gotten to this point? Really?

Gone! Gone! Gone!

My hair's gone, that is. Yup, chopped it all yesterday. This weekend I will be sending what would fit into a ponytail off to Locks of Love because I hope that some kid who is having to face all sorts of other ordeals won't have to feel awkward with people looking at them because they've lost their own hair.

Besides this, I get these random urges to change things up once in a while. It hit about a year ago with the chopping the hair. See how much self control I have? I waited a whole year to make sure there was enough to donate! So... here's the before, during and after!

This is how long my hair was....

There's the donation...

And TA-DA! Were you worried there for a moment? I wasn't! One... this isn't the first time I've had it short and two... I had the amazing Tanya Heaton Moir doing all the styling for me!

P.S. To all the moms out there: When you're daughter is 25 and decides to do anything with her hair, a simple "that's nice" will do. You're both too old to be dealing with your mourning over the loss of her long hair and the ability to put it in a ponytail.

The Age Game

So yesterday I was told twice-- that's right twice-- that I look younger than I am.

The first was a girl from my ASL class. She mentioned that she was eighteen and when me and the other girl in our small group called her young, she said we weren't much older. When we asked her how old she thought we were she said I looked twenty-two.

The second was a co-worker who, when I mentioned something about my mission in Florida, gave me a funny look. "You're not old enough to have already been on a mission," she said. Again, when asked how old I looked, she said twenty-one or twenty-two.

The amazing part in all this? I've surpassed the age when being told I look younger is actually a compliment!

Oh the discoveries!

Long time, No Blog

I realized the other day that it's been a while since I've posted anything. This isn't so much because I'm busy (although I am), but that my life has been rather mundane as of late. Most of what's exciting are events I'm looking forward to. Then I realized it's somewhat ungrateful for me to think of all my little blessings as mundane.

So here's just a few things I'm excited and very grateful for:

~Going to Italy in May-- made possible by a VERY generous and annonymous donor. I hope someday to have the means do to the same!

~Getting a new digital SLR. I love film, but I'm looking forward to getting to play around a bit without the cost of film. (Plus the time in developing.)

~Enjoying the rest of this semester. I have great teachers and I'm finally getting used to the new schedule.

Other things I'm grateful for? My health, my shockingly good looks, great-grand friends and family, and warm days in the midst of snowy ones!

Life may be a bit same old right now, but all the same I love it!