White Blank Page

First and foremost...

... aren't we cute?

This week has been pretty darn productive. A recap, you ask? Why sure, I guess I can oblige...

Monday: Studied like a maniac for my history test.

Tuesday: Took aforementioned maniac test. Began to furiously write my English paper about art's status in Victorian era literature. I could barely limit myself to a page solely about Robert Browning. Dinah Maria Mulock and Christina Rosetti made their appearance as well.

Wednesday: Finished the last few pages of my paper. Unfortunately ran out of time to actually study for my English test the next day.

Thursday: Encountered a really bad wreck on the way home from work in which I sat in traffic for an hour. Three hours of sleep and ready to take an exam I hadn't studied for!

Friday: Met with a group of people in my Spanish class to discuss our project presentation Monday.

Amidst all of the arbitrary schoolwork which took up the majority of my thoughts this week, I did have other quite wonderful insights:

1. I thought my new conditioner was Old Spice-scented. Turns out it was just rosemary and mint.

2. My friend Julie and I have a guilty obsession. After our minds turn to goo after writing approximately seven pages worth of analysis for our English tests, we partake in the wonder that is...

3. I encourage everyone to check Mumford & Sons out. They are a new British band with a slightly Irish sound. I would love them even if their lyrics weren't profound just because of their beautiful melodies. But lo and behold, their lyrics are wonderful too! Here is Rolling Stone's review:

If Dexys Midnight Runners aged into boozy pub-session romantics, they might sound like Mumford and Sons, a banjo-pickin', waltz-grindin' English folk-rock quartet. Marcus Mumford sings of London lonely-hearts on "Winter Winds" with words like "pestilence" and "plague" — loverman, where could you be? Yet Mumford's desperation, elevated in TNT dynamics, can be thrilling: These guys turn the mea culpa "I really fucked it up this time/Didn't I, my dear?" into a pint-sloshing refrain. The band members are only twentysomethings — imagine the rousing heartbreak ahead.

Their key tracks for me are:

"Winter Winds"

"White Blank Page"

"Dustbowl Dance"

You can check out the video for "Winter Winds" on my right sidebar, if you hadn't noticed it playing already. I love the images of the chair being dragged through the meadow with the sun setting through the reeds. And the addition of four Englishmen trouncing about in three-piece suits makes me absolutely giddy.

So, Wednesday it was 70 degrees here and fabulous.

But then, at work

last night a tsunami happened.

And then it started to snow.

A guy on my crew, whom I will refer to as "B" asked everyone why they were wearing gloves because it was March. Apparently, to him wearing gloves in March is like wearing white after Labor Day. It was unfortunate that the temperature dropped to 30 degrees and wind speeds were enough to lift a house from Kansas all the way to Oz. After "B" bundled himself up outdoors with his hands stuffed in his pockets, we all inquired as to where his gloves were because his hands looked pretty cold.

I recently asked my boyfriend, Frank, if he thought I'd changed lately. He said, "Yeah, I think you have. You've finally stopped worrying about what people think and have just been yourself." This made me feel better because I have a tendency to bend to other peoples' expectations. Lately, I've laid down my opinions, taken command in school situations, changed my hair color for the first time, and bought headbands with big bows on them. I've never been happier! Sometimes even small change can inspire great things in your life.

For now, I await my second English test grade and hope for the best so Julie and I can celebrate with Hot Fudge Sundae pop-tarts again.

And of course, I plan to enjoy a slight break from...

My English Life.

Avoidance + Love

Does anyone ever do a "warm-up" to get themselves in the mood to do homework? For instance, you just wake up and that crushing feeling is heavy upon your chest but you can't just jump in. One must ease themselves into life's precious burdens. I consider this my warm-up.

I feel as if it is necessary to share my obsession with you all in order for us to be truly on the same page.

Gilmore Girls.

The affair happened by chance. The first three seasons were marked down to $15 each and although never having watched an episode, my mother and I piled them into the cart. After watching the first episode, we were addicted. I recall lying on the couch for hours after school with my mom, two mini Christmas trees glowing on either side of the fireplace. There had never been a show so real and full of the awkwardness in life that I truly appreciate. I laughed out loud when Rory recommended Dean try a cake from the bakery because they were "round." Each character brings something special to the table, and you can be darn sure that I will reference and overanalyze this show each and every time I can.

Every girl who loves this show can come up with a hundred reasons as to why she is more like Rory than any other girl. For now, I will desist. (Be forewarned, a list may appear in the future!)

Also, everyone has an opinion as to their favorite boyfriends of Lorelai and Rory. Here is my list for both, #1 being the best, and descending thusly.

Lorelai

1. Luke Danes
2. Max Medina
3. Christopher Hayden
4. Jason Stiles

Luke

Everyone knew Luke was the only one for Lorelai. He

was a constant in her life and supplied her with her life force: coffee. He kept a Chinese fortune from her in his wallet for years, as he pined for her.

Max

Max was a great runner up. He was Rory's English teacher, which was certainly strange for her but in the end, she ended up really liking her mother's choice. I still love the message he left for Lorelai as she opened the windows anticipating the first snow one night. "This is Max Medina... Maaaaaaaaax Medina."

Christopher

Christopher is Rory's dad so it's understandable that he's semi-present in their lives. It just always seemed like he couldn't help but be a relationship ruiner. Every time Lorelai was finally happy, here comes Christopher and a parade of disaster not too far behind.

Jason "Digger" Stiles

Would you let this man into your home?

Did anyone else scratch their heads in dismay at "Digger"? He was pretty much shorter than Lorelai, hairy, and wouldn't even let Lorelai sleep in the same bed as him. Oh, and luckily his suing Lorelai's father helped sever those ties.

Rory

1. Jess Mariano
2. Dean Forester
3. Logan Huntzberger

Jess

Jess certainly had his flaws but I think Rory was most herself when she was around Jess. They both consumed books like air and so many of my favorite moments are inspired by Jess. He always got himself into trouble, especially living with his uncle, the aforementioned Luke. I still love when he outbid Dean at the picnic basket auction and when Luke pushed him off the dock and keeps storming away. He was ultimately the one to give Rory a wake-up call in season 6 to go back to Yale and quit hanging out with neanderthals like Logan.

Dean

Dean was a good first boyfriend (and not so good guy to sleep with for the first time, whilst he was married). He was sweet to her but he was also able to fly off the handle if another guy so much as

coughed in Rory's direction. I sometimes miss their cute moments, like the kiss she thanks him for in Doose's Market, the corn starch she steals "for her thickening needs," watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with a table full of junk, and falling asleep at Miss Patty's after Rory's dance and running home shoeless in the snow.

Logan

Can't you just see how unhappy she looks?

Logan=death. Why Rory?! Her very being with Logan is an acceptance of all those values Lorelai left behind when she started her life with Rory in Stars Hollow. He's affluent, irresponsible, and way too much of a playboy. I just can't even describe all of the reasons Logan is the wrong guy, except to say Rory declined his proposal. :)

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried during the last episode. We all watched Rory grow up before our very eyes and here she was about to launch herself into the real world.

Gilmore Girls is my favorite show because I can relate to the characters, I love the rapid-fire pop culture references and witty repartee, and because it defines much of...

My English Life.

Bring on the Stress

My spring break has been jam-packed. I haven't had much rest, as I've still been getting up early while working at night. Luckily, I haven't had the stress of my studies and impending homework, projects, papers, and tests but it's all piled up.

Friday & Saturday: Spent recovering from the past week with my boyfriend. Our weekends typically consist of:

Sunday: Went to lunch at Panera and to see Alice in Wonderland 3D with my friend Julie!

Monday: Stayed up until 4 AM obsessing over the newfound wonder of blogging and slept in the rest of the day. Cold and stormy out.

Tuesday: Went to an art museum with my boyfriend but found out it closed 10 minutes before we got there. Went to Red Robin and snugged (not a typo) at home watching Ghost Hunters.

Wednesday: Spent the day out with my friends Sarah and Lauren. We partook in giant snickerdoodle cookies, window shopping, and finished with Gilmore Girl-esque conversation at Qdoba. Helped my mother organize her closet. Cut my head open on a metal can at work. Doing fine, but it's awkward putting antibiotic cream on your hair.

Thursday: Got my oil changed, got a haircut, pedicure, shopped until I about dropped, had lunch at an Italian restaurant with my mother. We got friendship bracelets and dyed our hair (first time for me!) It was a Lorelai-Rory kind of day.

Friday: Went back to the art museum and was amazed by the pieces from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Also, made fun of pieces of cardboard put together and hung up in the Modern Art section. Went to O'Charley's then to Target for candy and movies with my boyfriend. Finished with a night at his partaking in our Target buys. Received email informing me that I missed the group meeting that I set up at noon for my Spanish class. Began hyperventilating.

Upcoming Saturday & Sunday: Immense stress and making up for my out-of-character laziness.

I love spring break. I really do. But there's something about the impending doom that makes it less enjoyable. I felt so frivolous but I just went with every whim of it! Now I've inconvenienced three people from my classes. I can't rest knowing I did that.

Sometimes I put unnecessary stress on myself but it's only because I want to succeed. This upcoming stress is necessary because it doesn't only affect me. There are five more weeks of school left and this stress is just a part of...

My English Life.

Bread and Butter

I had a deep thought before I conceded to the impending doom that is my job earlier yesterday. I love Easter candy. It is by far the best of all candies... the cream of the crop being heaven captured in a container. Runts speckled eggs!

These eggs contain the original lime-flavored runt that was abolished to replace two atrocious green and purple figures. I'm not sure what the green one was supposed to be, but the very mention of it brings back memories of choking upon whatever filmy anthrax is released upon biting into it.

...

For any of those who know me for a few days know that I complain about my job a lot. How does this relate to my English life you may ask? Well, upon discovering that may parents were not going to pay for college, I knew what I had to do. I am

an employee of a shipping company. This company offers a wonderful little incentive: work in exchange for full tuition, book reimbursement, salary, and many various bonuses (not too shabby!)

Kudos to those who get the reference.

Sounds too good to be true, eh? Well, all of those great things come with a price, which is basically my soul. The program in which those who want tuition is a third shift position 5 days a week doing what some may refer to as "heavy labor." We load aircraft cargo. Anyone who has ever heard a large plane flying overhead has witnessed my office space. My official job title is that of "package handler" to which I refuse to list thusly on my resume. My package handling is not just limited to boxes [abstain from chuckles]. In a typical night, a crew of myself and five other men (surprisingly this is a male-dominated trade) load two-three airplanes by operating heavy machinery and pushing thousands of pounds of cargo into place.

Pros

1. My tuition is free! When I leave school I will be free of debt.

2. In the summertime, my outdoor job feels fabulous because the weather is so perfect.

Cons

1. I have no soul.

2. I get about four hours of sleep every. single. day.

3. I am perpetually tired because of aforementioned lack of sleep.

4. The weather is unpredictable so sometimes I freeze to death (it has gotten in the teens out there) and sometimes a monsoon decides to happen.

5. I feel like the UPS residue never quite rinses off and I wish my job consisted of stylish clothes and a face free from the ravenous hunger of the wind, leaving me dull and flaky.

6. Oh yeah, I totally have no soul.

So I don't know how someone took a picture of this since, electronics are strictly prohibited, via metal detector upon entering the facility. But this is basically what I do with my life.

It's not so glamorous but at least it takes me a few steps closer to my aspired bread and butter, my hopes of bringing home far awesome-r bacon, and the aspiration to achieve the goals I set in...

My English Life.

Lofty Goals

Way back in August 2008 I was in the midst of novelty. I had just relocated to Kentucky with my family and started college as a biology major.

Although I succeeded in math and science in high school, it didn't take me long to realize that science wasn't my place in life. After having experienced my fast-witted and ever-knowledgeable British literature professor in Spring 2009, I knew where my path was about to turn. In January 2010, I was officially declared an English major in hopes of pursuing a Ph.D in English to teach college. I am unsure of what I would like to teach, as so many different areas interest me, but...

This is my journey: an ode to pop culture and other minor things, a hope to find the joys of literature in every day, in essence;

My English Life.