It's winter break, Cyberspace!

This morning I took my business law final. Then I took a five hour nap, got up and stumbled off to the bus stop on my way to the airport. And I am back in California.

Remember ITOTDs? I think I still like them. And I have a challenge for myself that I'm going to let you in on. Every day of this break is going to be fan-fucking-tastic, or else it's going to be a train wreck. How, might you ask? (I know, you're not asking.) I'm going to do something totally nuts every day of this break... or as long as I can keep it up. So today, I texted my crush that I liked him, which I've never done. But I figured that if I didn't say anything then I would just be thinking about it the whole plane ride, and that's some bullshit so I just sent it real quick in the bus terminal. Romantic!

It went like this:

          "Hey, I like you. Have a good break."

And then he responded with something like, "Good to know, but we should be friends."

Err, yeah ok. Here's the funny part though: I actually cared surprisingly little about this. I think I'm an adrenaline junkie, I was just excited about sending my thing and not really thinking about the answer. Another thing is that I like to think of myself (shocker) as a straightforward, laid back sort of person, and when something conflicts with that it will bother me until I fix it. So if a boy is taking up too much of my brainpower... well that won't do.

I realized that I tend to tell you about my failures, and it's mostly because I think they're funny. Failure can be a really spectacular thing. But maybe you should know that my ego does actually get a little support now and then. So, well, remember the bad-assery I mentioned a while back, involving a letter delivery? Two things:

1. The university president complied and cut the contract with Adidas. Read: FUCK YES

2. I was elected co-chair of our student group. +10 points

Also, my pants are sagging, and that means I'm getting fitter.

Read this thing I found: http://www.principiadiscordia.com/bip/1.php

Now go do something spontaneous.

Something Boys Should Know About

Girls get a lot of pressure from society, and from the media, and from other girls, but for a moment I have something to say about our looks, in particular. Every girl you know, every girl you've met, every girl you pass by on the way to wherever has a lot on her shoulders. I think it's something worth noting that you may look at a girl without makeup, wearing sweats, and think she's still beautiful, or she's blah, or whatever, but how she looks right now at 8:30 am drinking that coffee? That's still not natural. Odds are, there's a lot that you're missing.

Even this morning, with her don't-give-a-fuck attitude and hair to match, there are all these little things- those last two pounds she sweat over, getting the exact right haircut, her eyebrows, her knees, stuff you wouldn't think to think about- they drove her crazy once. And they made her what you see today, and I think it's a mess that this is the standard and not the exception. She's been through her whole life waxing this and toning that, all just to keep from being below average. Growing up, sometimes this message was discrete, but sometimes it was thrown in her face, and she internalized it.

So now she's sipping her coffee, thinking about that extra workout she's trying to squeeze in later today because she's so fixated on the lack of a little gap between her thighs, and the end goal is to look indistinguishable from any other girl. She's probably absolutely brilliant, or maybe she's not, but whatever her aspirations there is this lingering insecurity that has been beaten into her since the day she was born. It's a race without a finish line, and the crazy part is how fantastically unimportant it all really is. There are girls who rebel against it, and they don't buy the makeup and the overpriced clothes, and then the world is even more cruel. If this made any sense at all, I think maybe boys should start putting in a little more effort to level the playing field. You know, maybe start paying more attention to your haircut, eyebrows, fingernails... it might take the pressure off of ours, or at least make it more worthwhile.

I had the most brilliant idea, so naturally I'm sharing it with Cyberspace.

HI. New favorite thing just came into existence. This is the thing: HOT APPLES.

It seems like I should acknowledge that this concept was already out there, but I felt like a mad genius in the kitchen today and please don't take that away from me.

Ok, so here is the deal. You cut up the apples, toss them in a pan, saute with cinnamon and nutmeg and a teeny bit of butter and sugar, and you get this amazing edible thing that tastes like pie or apple cider or something, but it isn't very caloric because it's mostly just fruit. I put in two apples and about a tablespoon of butter and that's all it needed. Has anyone ever gotten a Nobel prize for snack making?

Anyway, this all came about because I was sitting here thinking I should eat something but all I ever eat is apples and cheese, so I was trying to think if I had anything else in the fridge. Fast forward ten minutes and I'm busy marveling at my cooking brilliance when it occurs to me that I should get something salty-ish that will compliment the apples... so then I got some cheese curds.

I'm pretty sure you can find apples and cinnamon recipes online, but I did not do that.

New idea: HOT CHEESE.

The very best teas I've ever had that I can think of right now.

4.) Sakurambo (Japanese Cherry), from Lupicia

3.) Cinnamon Orange, from Market Spice in Seattle

2.) Cherry Cream Tea, from Tea Republik

1.) White Ayurvedic Chai blended with Samurai Chai Mate, from Teavana

And I would add Chai Tea Lattes from pretty much anywhere, but that doesn't totally count.

This is my mouth one day:

More or less.

I just ate an actual purple carrot. Was not sure they existed.

So I just found out that I didn't get into the business school, and I'm not really sure what to do with that. I'm not as sad as I thought I would be. I had this career path I picked out when I was sixteen, and I was so sure about what I wanted to do. Now everything is suddenly up in the air. It's hard not knowing, but I guess it's time to leave it to God and hopefully I'll end up where I'm supposed to be, wherever that is.

Stuff I do not like: Rejection.

Stuff I like: Adventures.

Speaking of which, that carrot turned my tongue purple. What?

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/maroon.html

The more you know.

Out of caffeine, SOS

Click me. ;)  http://soundcloud.com/dj-rajzwyn

Right then. If you're still here, I guess I should say some things. So I had a speaking part in a letter delivery to the university president today. About a dozen of us marched into his office wearing pajamas with the theme of "All Day I Dream About Severance," referring to Adidas' recent labor violations while using a play off one of their ad campaigns. I personally handed over the letter and got us scheduled in to meet with the president soon. I don't mean to brag, but I'm kind of a bad ass. It's time you knew.

Well, I could tell you about bullshit professors and the stressful business application, but that's dull so I'll let you get back to your facebook-ing. Cheers.

What, then?

Oh, Honey, I love you in spite

Of the music you like,

Of the artwork you make,

Of the lyrics you speak,

Of the ways you spend your time

When you're awake,

And when you sleep; in spite

Of the things you believe,

Of the people you know,

Of the movies you watch,

Of the places you go,

Oh honey, I love you so,

I love you in spite.

--Then what do you love me for?

Let's live like free roaming souls on a highway of love, and listen to oldies often

So I started this small business selling ear cuffs, and I may just have to start promoting myself. See me here: www.stuffbyemily.etsy.com

In other news, I'm super excited about these jeans by a company called Machine. (Look them up! Or just go here: http://anonymousla.com/machine-jeans/?catid=2018) I got them a long time ago from who knows where and they were the most flattering jeans I've ever worn. It was a sad day when they didn't fit me anymore, how cool that they're online after all.

Today I got a $500 tax break from donating all my old stuff to Goodwill- a major cleaning project- so this is guilt free shopping. I highly recommend it. Rue La La, anyone?