#56

Fall is here.

I went on a helicopter tour of Ann Arbor last week! It was my first time flying in a helicopter, and it was great. Though I must admit that I did get a little queasy halfway through the tour. My seatmate made an observation: Ann Arbor has a lot of trees. It just hit me that we should have played “I Spy” while we were up there.

Links you should visit today:

1) Sandra Juto. A photo blog.

2) Ruthi Auda. She does the store displays at the Anthropologie in Newport Beach. I want her job.

#55

It’s Fall Study Break here at the University, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. A four-day weekend is just what I need to catch up on all my readings. I have an exam the day we get back from Fall Study Break, and I plan on studying for it tonight or tomorrow.

Reading for class and enjoying some tea. I’m growing to like tea.

I’m staying in Ann Arbor over the break, as I never get anything done when I go home. And when my brother left for college in September, my parents turned off the wireless internet at their house. It makes sense–my parents are the only ones at home right now and can make do without it, but I don’t think I’d be able to survive for four days without wireless internet.

A lot of my housemates went home for the Fall Study Break. There’s about 6 of us in the house right now, and it’s really quiet. I can’t wait to see everyone again, but I’m also appreciating how calm it is around here. Though the calmness feels creepy at night.

Speaking of creepy, some of my housemates saw Paranormal Activity, and it really freaked them out. I get scared way too easily, so I avoid scary movies altogether.

My roomie got me a gift certificate to Hollander’s for my birthday last month, and I used it a couple of weeks ago. I bought art supplies and a map of the world. @sara_bee has the exact same map–I saw it at her house, and she mentioned that she got it at Hollander’s. When I went to Hollander’s and saw it, I wanted to get it too.

Hollander’s is known for its supply of decorative paper and bookbinding materials and classes. They have a really great and beautiful paper inventory.

A small sample of the paper available at Hollander’s. There’s a whole room at Hollander’s devoted just to paper.

One of my housemates and I went to the Salvation Army for a couple of hours on Friday and both left with some good finds. She got a couple of skirts and dress shirts, and I got a belt, some tops, and a skirt. One of the tops and skirt is a tad too big for me, so I think I’ll give them to one of my sisters.

I went to the Michigan Theatre later on Friday with my roomie, @sara_bee, and @jasminezoo to see The September Issue. I really enjoyed it; it was everything I thought it would be.

I shot the University of Michigan vs. Delaware State football game yesterday. The photographer that I was supposed to shoot with woke up feeling sick, so I shot the game all on my own. It was really cold, but I had a good time.

After shooting the game, I went to the yearbook office to upload the photos. I got back to my co-op a little before 6pm, had dinner, and started working on a piece that I’m thinking of including in my portfolio for art school.

Here’s what my piece looked like at 8pm yesterday.

Here’s my completed piece at 2am! I pinned it to my bulletin board, right above “come-visit-our-school-for-more-information” letters from grad schools that I’m thinking of applying to. This will all serve as a daily reminder to get on those applications! How I’m wishing those letters were acceptance letters.

For the past few months, I’ve been looking for a jewelry stand. I came across a few that I liked, but they just weren’t what I was looking for. Last week, I saw that one of my housemates puts her jewelry on a bulletin board, which I thought was genius. I ran out to pick-up a bulletin board as soon as I had some free time.

I’m really happy with my jewelry bulletin board. On a side note, I’ve had that pink flower for a little over two weeks now, since the day of my tea party. It’s starting to wither, but I’m happy that it’s lasted as long as it has.

rambling #9 @ 6:02pm

@ the fishbowl

Currently listening to The Bangles.

Skipped my 8:30 class this morning. I just couldn’t get out of bed. That makes it the second class I’ve skipped this week. Daylight Saving Time has thrown me off. But it’s nice that it’s still light out at 7:00pm.

I’m working on an assignment for my American Sign Language class. I need to put together three story cards of fairy tales, folktales, short stories, etc. I’m thinking of The Princess and the Pea, Jack and the Beanstalk, and…not sure about the last one yet.

I am pooped out.

The list:

1) Gap and Old Navy: Gap is a great place to go to for skirts and sweaters at a fairly reasonable price, and Gap’s sister store, Old Navy, has a nice collection of tank tops and blouses. These are usually the first two stores I hit when I’m in need of business clothes. I really like sweater vests, skirts, and layering.

I ordered the suede skirt pictured below from gap.com and wasn’t expecting much. Before it actually arrived in the mail, I had already started thinking that I’d probably have to return it. But once I got it and put it on, I knew it was a keeper! I must admit though, that the skirt does smell kind of weird. It doesn’t stink–it just smells weird.

2) Detroit’s Beautiful, Horrible Decline (Time.com)

rambling #2 @ 9:23pm

@ the fishbowl

It’s wet out, and it’s really cold, but it’s refreshing. I managed to get a good amount of work done today for classes, and my to-do list is becoming shorter and shorter. I love crossing out things on my to-do list–it makes me feel very productive.

I had some red bean mochi ice cream today! I haven’t had mochi ice cream for a few months and forgot how delicious it was. I’ll have to have some again soon. If you haven’t tried mochi ice cream before, you’re missing out!

Here’s the round-up for today. Enjoy!

1) Chris Spooner is a graphic and web designer based in the UK and has compiled this amazing list of tutorials: 50 Illustrator Tutorials Every Designer Should See. I’ve found the “How to Make a Map in Illustrator” and “Design with Swirls and Flourishes” tutorials to be very useful. And best of all, the steps are simple and easy to follow.

2) Isn’t this photo gorgeous? I saw it at ilovetypography.com (a website “devoted to fonts, typefaces, and all things typographical” that you should need to check out). Now I want a wax sealer. Click on the photo to visit Andy Clymer’s flickr account.

3) Speaking of type, you should also visit vimeo.com to see “sturdy typography, motion and kinetic type explorations, and other typographical niceness.” Basically, there are a ton of videos of type! It’s a great distraction, and a great way to put off that American Culture assignment (I’m speaking from experience here). Make sure to check out the Technologic and School of Rock videos.

4) Alexander McQueen has a line at Target! I haven’t bought anything from his line (yet), but from what I can see at Target.com, the pieces seem to be of high-quality construction. I’m not very fond of some of the pieces, but the Alexander McQueen® for Target Studded Denim Jacket in Smoke looks really nice. I love the dramatic collar.