Why I Hate Spring Break

Because it ends.

Well, at least it was fun while it lasted. My main qualm with the whole concept is that it just seems extremely negligent to give college students a week-long break and then expect us to actually go back to work afterwards. In my eyes that's just asking for trouble... 6 weeks of school left with no breaks and the heaviest workload of the semester coming up? Please, I was just in the desert killing a 5.10a rock wall, roasting weenies, peeing in the wilderness (like nature intended), scaring the shit out of tourists, and performing acrobatics that ended in self-brutalization (unintentionally, of course)- so pardon me if I'm not really in the mood to write an 8-12 page paper discussing the extent to which Women's Health Magazine is feminist at the the moment. 

 

Problem being, spring break is supposed to be some refreshing, rejuvenating lapse in school to give you the energy to finish out the semester without stabbing your eyes out with a pencil, but all it ends up doing is making me want to... stab my eyes out with a pencil. But even then, my professors would probably tell me that my braille comprehension skills are sub-par and I would have to find a more creative way to express my frustration.

It all comes down to what I like to call The Only Reason Worth Living: summer. If you can hold on for these last few (but exponentially painful) weeks, you're golden, Ponyboy. Then we're all free for 3 wondrous months during which we will do absolutely nothing of substance, and spend our time forgetting everything we pretended to learn about over the previous 9 months. And if you ever feel like you just can't make it any longer, do what I do and physically handcuff yourself to your chair until you get your work done (I'm kidding, I don't actually do that... but it's a brilliant idea). Base message: we're in the final stretch, and it's time to nut up or shutup.  So buckle down and put on your best focus undies: it's going to be a very uncomfortable ride.

I don't always rock-climb, but when I do I make stupid poses. Stay weird, my friends.

 

    

For Your Enjoyment

Huzzah!

For your enjoyment and no other reason. 

A Reason To Smile Today

I'm going to keep this short and sweet:

This man is one of my heroes. A musical genius with a damn good sense of humor (not to mention distinctly Russian good looks) if you will. I had a great time watching this music video... literally I was smiling and laughing and dancing (badly) in my seat the entire time. 

So go ahead and take a break today; this 2 minutes and 41 seconds will make your day that much better. I promise. 

I Spy- Mikhael Paskalev

Preface: I am Not an Old Person

Let me repeat, I am NOT an old person. 

That being said, I have recently decided that I want a garden. 

Obviously not now while I'm living in quarters small enough to be mistaken for a dog kennel, but sometime in the future, I will have a garden- and it's gonna be a damn good one. 

No, I don't know anything about gardening per say but... you know... I'm kind of hoping it's not as hard as it looks (if a community of 80 year olds can almost grow a jungle, I think I can manage to sprout a few tomatoes... I hope). 

Basically, the idea of having a perfect, tranquil place to read and watch the sunset and do yoga sold me. I know it sounds lame coming from an 18 year old college student, but when you're living in the concrete cubical which is Los Angeles you learn to appreciate things like that. If you're still not sold, check out what others have done with a little free space and a green thumb, you'd be surprised just how inspiring a garden can be. 

If You Don't Want Your Trash, I'll take It.

No, not your used tissues you disgusting person, you. I'm referring to

PALLETS

One of my favorite sources of fuel and inspiration.

We're talking multipurpose as heck here; pallets can be used for (but are not limited to) bonfires, construction, DIY crafts, a crappy fence, makeshift vampire-killing weapons, even a vogue accessory if you're into that kind of thing.

What, my ideas aren't good enough for you? Fine then, take a look at what these guys came up with as their

35 Ways to Use a Pallet. I'm impressed. 

Why People Are Afraid of Technology

Ever wonder why more and more people worldwide are becoming weary of technology? Shocking studies reveal that the answer is not what you think. A legitimate concern- and for a good reason. For the full story, Click Here.

The Wisdom of Chumbawamba

                              

Rejection sucks. I'm sure you didn't need any help from my infinite wisdom to come to the same conclusion, but honestly it's worth reflecting over. 

You put yourself out there. You do everything within your power to perfect yourself. You invest time, money, much-needed sleep, and a bottomless supply of stress. You savor the feeling of hope and excitement of the unknown. And then that moment comes where you're told that you're not good enough, and what little self-esteem you had to start with is duct taped, shoved inside a box, shipped to Kazakhstan, peed on by an overweight man, attached to about 9 pounds of C4, tied to a rocket, and launched into outer space where it becomes a black hole that eventually consumes your entire being. 

OK, maybe I'm being a little dramatic.

And to stave off any confusion, I'm not even taking about a boy. I know, right?

In the end, I see why so many people are unhappy with their lives though. They end up somewhere they don't particularly like doing something they don't love- they settle and then never leave their comfortable bubbles. I guess rejection is just part of the process of leaving your comfort zone, so in that sense I'm at least a little proud of myself. Then again, I'm also proud that I can recite the entire movie Transformers so take that as you will.

This is just life. As someone who has never really been denied anything important before this incident, I know I have a lot to learn about how the world works. We all hit these speedbumps (unless you happen to be Anne Hathaway or a dolphin), and the best thing to do is to put things in perspective: find out what really makes you happy, who your best friends are, or why you should love yourself. We tend to forget the big picture, but we shouldn't. It's the disheartening things like rejection that lead to the good things. At least that's what I keep telling myself...  

The Soundtrack to My Life