halloweekend

trick or treat
smell my feet
give me something good to eat
if you don't
i don't care
i'll pull down your underwear

ew. did we honestly say that as children? who creates these little rhymes. anyhow. it's my first halloween in new york city - and it's insane already. the kids go trick or treating from store to store along the streets. the chinese place adri and i were waiting for food at was giving out fortune cookies. HA.

so my outfit for tonight changed like a million times today. and my two favorites were voted out due to money and time. SO. i will post pics later so yall can see what i was.

happy halloween everyone!

you can vote however you like

i had this passed onto me from my friend sara - and i think its great. i really do love that white boy up there in the top corner, just holding his own. haha. you can find the lyrics to their song here. happy thursday people.

a source of inspiration

let's just say i have pulled some inspiration from this classic 1993 hit (with the guidance from my roommate).... and i won't say it yet. but maybe its obvious what i am being inspired by. but that is all for now!

oh. and monkey is back in the freezer.

go out and buy a hat

chinae shared this with me this weekend. and at first i thought it was dumb and thought we obviously don't share the same kind of humor.... then it was really hilarious. and i thought i would share.

a well-rounded weekend. this one is lengthy.

i had such a wonderful weekend. i got to do so much and spend time with so many different friends in the city. thought i would run through all that i got to experience this weeken d- and why im still smiling about it.

fridays classes were the same as they always are - my attention level for the week seems to have been maxed out and i am antsy and ready to be set free. this photo below shows the collaboration of alex and i and our combined weirdness and slight sense of a.d.d. we decided we wanted to do a small collage dedicated to our friend peter. so we drew imgaes of peter and put this little thing together and pasted it on his locker. i wonder if he figured out that it was her and i. i don tknow. but whatever. it got us through the day!

here is tuten with her 'prostitute umbrella' - thats what she's calling it. she has been carrying this in her bag for the past week hoping that it will rain. doesn't she know that i do everything i can to avoid a rainy day in the city!!!


after class, adri, alex and i headed to safran for a late lunch. it is french-vietnamese cuisine and they have a great lunch special. after lunch we decided to head down towards soho to walk around and enjoy the city. this pic is adri trying on a new jacket at g-star. alex and i enjoyed the moment of being his stylists and giving him advice. then we both enjoyed a moment when we decided the way a fancy frou-frou poodle that we saw crossing the street would say if she could talk. once again. easily amused. we headed to houston and bowery for an art exhibit that some of our friends that are first year students told us about. the exhibit was called the outsiders and it was really cool and in an awesome space.





you can see more images than i posted here

when we were walking home - well towards the subway, we saw one of the banksy pieces - it was cool bc we've been talking about his work, but there we got to see one out of no where. i ran across traffic and stood in the median to take this photo for tuten bc i thought it would make her smile.

i wrote the post about seeing chris noth, right after it happened - but that was friday after all of this. me adri and kyle ended up going to public to have wine and appetizers. adri's friend dylan works at the restaurant. it is a really neat place, with such a cool atmosphere. it is themed after a public library. really cool. after dylan got off, the 4 of us headed to double crown/ madam geneva's where i had a really delicious (and slightly unusual) cocktail that tasted like ginger. the bar closed early, and we all parted and headed home.

saturday i dragged myself out of bed and headed to brooklyn to have lunch with chinae. we ate at a cute little mexican place and then got gorilla coffee and walked around park slope. there are the greatest little boutiques and everyone seemed so cheery. it began raining, so we took shelter and headed to nae and bobs apt where nae and i spent the rest of the afternoon facebook stalking and her catching me up on her love interests. yes. that is plural. . being silly and watching you me and dupree.

i hurried back to the city to come home and shower quickly before heading back out with mo to go back to brooklyn, but this time to sunset park. our old roommate kirby was celebrating her birthday. we went to her apartment for dinner, a mini dance party, play time with their cat, and then headed back to the city to go out at the dark room in the LES. we had a blast dancing and enjoyed ourselves at the dark room. always a good time.


my sunday morning was another 'drag me out of bed' moments - i woke up and went ot meet adri at the station to head to the upper west side for brunch with several of our first year friends. we went to the greatest restaurant called 'calle ocho' - the best part was that they had free, unlimited sangria. sounds too good to be true. i know. they had like 8 different flavors, and you could come and go as you please to refill. my favorite (and the only one i stuck to) was the mango,pineapple,honey and lemongrass blend. amazing.

after brunch, adri, stephanie and i opted to walk through the park instead of just hopping on the subway. it was an absolutely gorgeous day. we walked across the park to the east side, and then took the 6 to union square. i got out there and walked home. amanda was shopping in the area, so i met her at shoegasm, and we grabbed coffee at starbucks and caught up on life. it was good to see her and just hang out and talk.

at church last night they spoke about marriage. wow. the heavy stuff huh. it was really good though. and the sermon applied to all of us, each in our own ways. it kept the busy wheels of my mind spinning. our group of friends headed to the village afterwards for dinner and margaritas at bennys.

what a weekend. thats the summary of it all, in the condensed version. all in all it was really nice to get out and about and really try to be social. i got to see so many different friends, make a few new ones, and got to get out and enjoy this city. last week followed up by this weekend was just so perfect for me. i know i've been saying this lately - but it all really was just what i needed.

oh also - even though i had such a wonderful weekend, i really wish i could have gont to tcu's homecoming this weekend. i loved your pics al, and i want to go next year!! i hardly recognize the school and all those renovations. whoah. i miss tailgating. and my tcu girls.

mr big stuff.

i was just walking home to my apartment with my friends adri and kyle, and as we passed by the pizza place (that i always go to) on the corner of my street, we saw a girl taking a picture with a guy. she walked off, and i looked into the pizza place to see who it was. <--- THIS GUY! yes. mr. big. it was so crazy. i had a celebrity moment. but of course chickened out and didnt want to bother him. so we just kept walking. BAH. wow. that was neat.


well it's finally friday. hooray. i am jealous of my friends that are all flying home for tcu's homecoming this weekend! aw man. i really could use a girls weekend. next year i will have to make sure i go. going out tonight with my pratt friends. changing it up a bit. okay going back to my wine now. just wanted to blog about mr big!

loooook at me

i received this blogging award from my sister in law (hipmomofboyz) yesterday - and so i am posting my response today. you're supposed to 'tag' 6 of your friends and give them the award, then have them do the same... but considering i don't have too many friends on here, and the ones i do would probably hit me for making them do this, i'm not going to tag anyone... haha. so it's been a long day and im tired, so i thought this would be a simple blog to do for the evening....

6 things I value
1. the grace of God
2. my amazing family
3. friends who make me smile and speak honestly
4. my opportunity in nyc
5. technology and its' endless abilities
6. breathing fresh air and feeling the sun shine on my skin


6 things I can live without
1. bugs. mosquitoes. spiders. etc.
2. doing the dishes
3. doing laundry
4. lies and deceit
5. sarcasm
6. mean people.

and i quote.

"We must learn to accept life
and to accept ourselves ...
with a shrug and a smile ...
because it's all we've got."

-Harry Mindess

NoiseTrade GRO

cloisters & g.r.o.

Day trip with my graphic design class to the cloisters - an old nunnery that is now a museum owned by the MET. We took the A train all the way up to 190th street.

my view of the hudson isn't this pretty....

dana. sean. brandon. odge. tut. and me.

Green River Ordinance is in town!
I got to attend their showcase at The Cutting Room tonight before my evening class. It was great to see this band (from Fort Worth) play. The last time I saw them play was at the Aardvark. I went with Chelsea and Makayla and Julie. Ah. I miss those days.

[[i wish i had better quality photos. these are from my cell phone, and are actually screen shots of the mobile uploads. i havent figured out how to get the actual images - like through bluetooth. whatev.]]
im tired. bye.

and i quote.

"thank God every morning when you get up
that you have someting to do which must be done,
whether you like it or not."
-Charles Kingsley-

exhausted.

i am wiped out. zero sleep last night. stayed up all night working on things that are due this week. bah. ridiculous i know. but it was necessary. and i'll be fine. today however was my first day to work. i am working a few hours a week as a personal assistant. basically i run errands and do administrative tasks. it may sound like a pain, but since i spend most of my days in labs or in front of the computer working on things, it's nice to just get out and walk around the city. maybe i will appreciate it more next week when i'm not so tired... but it was nice. a nice alternative to a regular tuesday. plus i can make a little extra money. can't complain there.

well in the spirit of things, and me feeling so down and out, i am posting this image bc it makes me smile. stay tuned another day and maybe i'll give some explaination about it. hmm. maybe not. AND thanks to my sister in law, mal, who reminded me about this silly photo. it is just what i need to see on this night. oh i sure do love that little monkey.


xo

keep on keepin on.

'somebody's got a case of the mondays'

yea. today im making a promise myself to get it going, and get out of this 'creative block' and make the most of what is left of the semester. i love my life in new york city, but when it comes down to it, i am here for one reason, and one reason only. and that is school. it is unfair for me to continue to half-ass my way through the week and through my courses, just wishing for the weekend. the time is now, and it is going by quicker than i can imagine. i came to new york to learn and to develop skills and ultimately pave my way for my future. i gotta get it together. if i am not excelling and being the best that i can be each and every day, i dont deserve to be here.

this city presents so many opportunities and inspiration - and i should be taking advantage of this. if i want to be the best i can be, then i need to start working harder.

today was the reality check i needed to set me straight. i am here because i want to be great. and i have to start working hard to achieve that goal. so here's my promise to myself (and to anyone who is out there reading this) that it's time for me to step up. so let it be known.

positive feedback and prayers are greatly appreciated :D

lauren

just what i needed.

after my pitiful posting earlier, i decided i had to get out of the apartment. so, i showered, got ready, packed up my handy satchel and headed to starbucks. i found a spot near an outlet, plugged in my laptop, opened illustrator and dove head first into my typography assignment - a timeline of classic typefaces (baskerville, bodoni, century, garamond and helvetica). our goal is to create a non-traditional type of timeline. there aren't many boundaries (except for the fact that it has to be an odd 8"x25"...) so pretty much have free reign. this should be a fun assignment. too bad i have been so indecisive that i find myself going in a direction, then get frustrated with the way it looks, and delete my progress. bah.

i finally managed to get a tiny bit of progress... and was scared out of my mind when my friend brad showed up and thought it would be funny to 'surprise me'. whoah. he got me good. the starbucks i went to is 2 blocks from my apt, and one block from church - so i wasn't too surprised to see someone from tgc there, just didnt expect to be surprised that way!

tonight's teaching at church was over ephesians 5:15-20.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Considering how I felt earlier today, the part about making the best use of your time really struck a chord with me. Caleb called attention to how it easy is for time to slip away from you that if you are not careful with your time and intentions. He also said that without great attention, things break down - as in relationships, and every day things. He applied this message to missing out on God, but I also felt that it applied personally to the funk I am currently in. I thought about my lack of passion currently in what I am doing. I know that I love what I am doing and where I am at, but have felt uninspired and unmotivated. It really made me think about my days and how I spend my time. I've become disconnected with my work and it is showing. SO. I am aware of where I stand, and need to shake this offffff! again, i'm working on it. [[side note, yes i love wine. and yes i love drinking wine... and no, i'm not trying to be a hypocrite... but there is more to that scripture than you might think if you're just quickyl reading over it... okay. just had to add that.]]

The whole teaching was really great and spoke to me in more ways than just the example I gave above. I also really loved when Caleb referenced Colossians 3:16 - let the word of Christ dwell in you richly - letting the staggering love of God intoxicate you. I love that.

After church we went with a group of friends for thai food. there was 12 of us and i truly enjoy and appreciate the time I spend with these people. Mo and I were considering not going, and heading home to get things done and prepare for the week, but we changed our minds at the last minute. I am so glad we did. I realized how genuinely happy I am when I am in the presence of these wonderful people. I find it very cool that this same group of people that I can seek fellowship with are the same ones I can find myself surrounded by at a bar, out on the weekend, dancing and being crazy. Such a delightful group, with such dynamic and unique personalities, intriguing conversations coated with cheap laughs and silly commentary - it's all pretty wonderful. i

The night was topped off as we all stood outside of the restaurant after our dinner, standing in somewhat of a circle, beginning to depart in our own directions... we were all just dancing and laughing and loving the moment. We concluded the evening, with a hands in (yes, teamwork style) and breaking out with a 'go team' or something of the sort. i dont know. it had me laughing. as we headed home I couldn't help but think of why i love these people so much - and i think a big part of it (besides their crazy good looks of course) would be that I can see the holy spirit in them all, and how beautiful it is when everyone comes together. as we laughed at ourselves, someone jokingly said -you would have thought we were all wasted... i couldn't help but think again about letting the staggering love of God intoxicate you... all in all this evening was just what i needed as a source of strength, rejuvenation and motivation to turn myself around and getting me going full force into another week.

God is good.
I am so blessed.
Friends + fellowship = the perfect rx.
I will be a happy girl when I lay my head down to rest this evening.

xo
low

just wasting time.

its sunday. and its a gorgeous, sunny, fifty-three-degree day in new york city. and what am i doing? sitting inside. well by the window, if it makes it sound any better. i've found myself bouncing from one project to another, scrolling down my to-do list, beginning one thing, and then jetting off in another direction. my intention is good. i am trying to be productive. really, i am. i realize my website kind of sucks, and needs major improving. i have a big comm d final project due wednesday. i could finish up those last two loads of laundry. have an assignment for electronic page design i should be working on, but illustrator does not sound alluring right now. i have sketches to do. and comps to complete. but it's just one of those days. i can't get my mind right and i have a million thoughts running through my head.

i've also come to a point in the semester where my passion and motivation is slipping. it's bad when you realize you're at that point and you don't know how to get out of the slump. i need to be inspired. remind myself why i've moved to nyc. remember the sacrifices my parents and i have made to get me here. decide what i want to do with my life. work hard towards the career i have envisioned -- and i need a big reality slap to the face to get me back going.

i'm working on it though. don't you worry about me. i'm working on it.

the tradition continues.

just yesterday my sister-in-law linked me on her blog because she posted pics of my nephew on spirit day for homecoming. my nephew, cody, is a freshman this year at reagan... and i can't believe it!! this pic below is my sister, lindsey, giving cody the garter from the two of us... whooo RHS alum. haha. it's so crazy for me to think that it's been nine years since i was a freshman at reagan.
oh the memories i have from that school. four years of volleyball (2 years jv and 2 years varsity),class officers (2 years historian and 2 years vice president), good times with some of my best friends in the world and everything in between. i'll never forget my first day of school freshman year - it was the first year that reagan was open. the volleyball girls had already been up at the school for at least a month, practicing and having tournaments and i guess i never really felt nervous on my first day as a 'fish'. i remember it was cool back then to do this thing with your hair - it looked like you were wearing it half up, but the top part were little braids that you either tied with small bands or bobby-pinned to your head. i thought it was so cool, but looking back i recall it looking stupid. i met with several friends at my friend jordan's house so that we could all carpool together on the first day (okay so maybe i was a LITTLE nervous). i can't wait to see photos of cody and his date before the dance tonight... i didnt even go with a boy my freshman year! haha. i went with three of my girlfriends - morgan, lauren, and jordan... and we got a limo and took photos at canyons springs. ha. wow.
WELL ANYWAYS. cody is stepping right up and continuing the family tradition at reagan - he plays on the freshman football team and is now serving as freshman class treasurer! it's so exciting to hear about him and my other two nephews (kyle will be class of 2013 and connor will be class of 2016) doing such big things... way to keep the tradition alive boys. i LOVE yall and can't wait to see you when im home.

video ichat strikes again.

montage.

- photos from this weekend -
[[jon & me in nyc]]

google goggles

mo and i are watching chelsea lately (who is hilarious) and they were talking about this new gmail feature called 'mail goggles' --- you fill out what time you are most likely to be drunk, and then whenever you get on during that time, it asks you a series of math questions before you can proceed to send an email. HAHAHAA. seriously?! really funny. i thought it was even funnier that on chelsea lately they made a comment about how we are using technology to prevent 'drunk emailing'....but what about real issues like drunk driving?! how true huh? looks like someone needs to come up with a program for cars to prevent silly drunk people from gettin behind the wheel and hurting themselves and others...hahaha but seriously.

aw man.

i wish it were still the weekend.

post more pictures and write later.

-low-

tomorrow. tomorrow. i love ya tomorrow.

you're only a day a way.....

these links.

okay so jon will be here on thursday! and i thought i would post my link progression... yes i began with i think 43 links... and today i have three! each night before i go to bed i take off another link. it may sound childish and reminiscent of the elementary school days when you would count down till christmas (and yes my roommate continues to make fun of me for it... like i care?) but i do it because it gives me a visual way to countdown. yes i am a very visual person. and a tactile person nonetheless. and getting to take down a link each night sure does it for me. so there. like i need to even explain or justify my actions.... just thought i would share!

now its time to get down to business and be a busy bee so that i can get all my work done for the weekend so when thursday comes its time to play!

another four dollars in change later...

SO. tonight we went down to the east village to allison's friends apartment. they were having a party on their roof top/terrace. it was a great apartment and really cool that these guys had such a sweet apt - but kind of a downer that it was SO packed. but after two really strong frat party type mixed drinks later, we had had our share of fun and moved on to another venue. we said we goodbye to al as she hailed a cab, and we caught the train up to midtown to mccoys. it is the bar that is right above (practically) annie and amy's apt. morgan, megan, amy, kathleen (whom i just met this evening), brad, nathaniel and nathaniels friend brian (who was visiting for the evening) were all there at a table in the back. it was good to see friends in a more roomy space and be able to talk and catch up. so mo and i just got home (i paid for my single ride metro card with 3 quarters and 12 dimes. classy) and i am ready to climb in bed. thought i would just wrap up the days events and proclaim how proud i am of myself for spending so little money, but still going out both friday and saturday night - this is not a frequent occurance for me people.

today is jonathan, my boyfriend's, birthday. YAY. so happy birthday cutie. hope you're having a wonderful time at the beach with your dad. and i hope your luck is better tomorrow and you catch lots of fish! :)

jon is going to be here in five days and i am ecstatic. [[p.s. that is why i am being so cheap with my money this weekend...]] this was a nice weekend, but i cant help but wish it was next weekend already......

your brains backwards.

my title was inspired from a conversation i heard on the train last night between a father and his young son. the father was frustrated that the his son broke his game and he couldn't "figure the damn thing out". i thought it was hilarious. NOT the fact that a father would speak to his young son that way... but the fact that THAT was his choice phrase. anyhow. on to the good stuff.

last night was the best friday night I have ever had in new york city. I spent 4 dollars total on the subway and 2.50 on a piece of pizza. other than that.... didn't spend a dime.

i was extremely lucky to be invited by my roommate to attend a birthday party for a woman who works in the office next to theirs. the birthday celebration was at pier 17 (at the south street seaport) at spiegelworld. we didnt know what to expect accept for the fact that we were maybe seeing a show? it turns out that the birthday girl had bought out that evening's showing of absinthe. mo and i found some seats... and then were completely amazed for the next two hours..

this show was the most incredible show i have ever seen! it was like a circus for adults! ha. the show has been explained as a 'cabaret circus' and it is like cirque de soleil meets rocky horror picture show.... with a vulgar (but hilarious) and sexual spin. the 'hosts' were hilarious, the music was amazing, the stunts and performances were OUT OF THIS WORLD. there are some pictures on the website - but it really can't be defined by those few photos. the show took my breath away, kept me laughing, and left me in awe.

after the show, mo and i decided to check out the scene outside of the performance tent. there was a band playing and people were dancing. and my most favorite part -- an area of about 12-15 HAMMOCK CHAIRS. i fell in love with the place right then in there. mo and i spent the next hour and a half, laying in the hammocks, listening to the music, watching the people dance, and gazing at the beautiful view of the brooklyn bridge.

ah. just what i needed after a very exhausting week. i love it. now mo and i are eating seven layer dip (i had a ridiculous craving for it) and watching bridget jones' diary. lovely. thats all for now.