exercise

So this morning I got up at a timely hour (a shock I know) and I went for a short run (even bigger shock). During the semester I had all these plans of being motivated this summer and getting up and going running every day and then painting and knitting and accomplishing in general during the day. Well clearly that hasn't happened so far, but this morning I got up and decided to go running. I mostly just felt like I needed the endorphins. Let me tell you, it was horrible. I'm in worse shape than I thought because I felt like death after just one lap around the neighborhood (my neighborhood is quite small). But I suppose you have to start somewhere, and the endorphins really are great.

However, this is what I felt like doing after five minutes.

I'm not really sure what I wanted to babble about today, I just felt like I hadn't posted anything in a while. I'm finished entirely with school for the summer. I managed to squeak out some pretty darn good grades too. I got three A's, one A-, and two B+s. I was pretty happy with myself. But now that summer's officially here I don't really know what to do with myself. I had all kinds of plans to stay busy and motivated, but all I've done so far is sleep and lounge, with empty justifications heaped on top. I've just felt kind of off lately. I'm not really sure why, and I keep looking towards EFY as if everything will be fixed once I'm there but they won't. I think I just need to teach myself self-discipline. It's been a long time coming too. we'll see how that turns out, it's something I've never quite been able to grasp on to.
Anyway, here's a fun little bit of randomness to enjoy. I think Ella Fitzgerald is just amazing. She's just hilarious. What a fun woman.

Best Mom Ever award goes to...

Since today is Mother's Day, naturally I have been reflecting on my own mother and how she's basically the best mother in the world. I would not be who I am today without my mother. My father has had a huge influence in my life as well, but I'll babble about him on Father's Day. My mother is basically amazing. We don't always agree, mostly about what I wear, but I can think of no one else I would rather become than my Mom. She's my hero. She raised four well-balanced kids in exactly the way that we needed to be raised. She's not the kind of mother to hover or have a finger in all aspects in our lives, or know exactly what happens to us every single day, but she doesn't need to. If she had been any different when we were growing up then I don't think we would have turned out so well. She's a teacher by example, and she's the best teacher ever. She taught us to be creative by creating, she taught us to be good people by caring for others and serving. She has taught us countless other lessons, but she has taught us how to love by loving. Ours was never a super affectionate house, but I never doubted once in my life that my mother (and father) loved me. I knew I would always be safe, physically, spiritually, emotionally in our house. She's just the best. I'm still learning most of her lessons, but luckily I've inherited a lot of her personality traits, actually I'm basically turning into my mother. We both tend to be a little ditzy, we both cannot speak without our hands (she's actually legit though, I just look like I'm italian). There's this video of me doing something and halfway through I start laughing, and the scary part is, I look just like her. It's weird, let me tell you. But if I was to turn into anybody in the world, I'm glad it's my mom.


Happy Mother's Day!

Negative space?

So I was just randomly looking at the jumping pictures of myself that comprise my header for this blog, and I noticed the tiny little shadows I'm casting and I find them absolutely fascinating. They're almost hidden in the shadows from the trees, but when you find them they're like little treasures. They all have such interesting shapes. I feel like they're going to run away from me like in Peter Pan and I'll have to stick them back on with soap. I just felt like I found something super special when I noticed them. That is all.

So it just occurred to me as I was wasting time on the internet instead of going to bed like a normal person, that I have very little art on my blog. Well I do have a few fantastic black and white photographs, but I feel like many would get the impression that that's all that I like, because that's all that's there. So anyway, as I was killing time I google image searched Vincent Van Gogh because he's my favorite. Just the other night, too when I mentioned Van Gogh was my favorite, someone asked me which painting, and I realized I didn't have an answer for them. In general I love all of Van Gogh's work, I just love everything about it. So naturally I love some of his most famous paintings because they're great, they truly are. But I'm always drawn to some of his other stuff. I love the movement especially in his paintings of cypresses.

But then you look at his random still life's like this skull and you can't help but love it. He brings to life even the most dead, unmoving objects. I love that.

And then look at the color in this painting of a tree. It's just exquisite.


So there's my random gush over Van Gogh. He's just the best.

Last Day of School

So you know how in the beginning of Finding Nemo, Nemo's jumping on top of Marlin chanting "first day of school! first day of school!", today I feel like chanting "last day of school! last day of school!". I didn not however, but I did in celebration of being officially finished with classes (exams are still coming), take the most epic nap of my life. I was pretty soggy after dealing with the park and ride in the rain, so when I got home I changed into my toasty dinosaur footie pajamas, started my laundry and passed out for a few good hours. It was pretty glorious. The only real thing I accomplished today was the laundry and I'm worried for what this means for the next two months of my summer before I'm forced to be busy. I have wonderful plans to be productive and make things, do things, accomplish... anything with the time I have for myself this summer. But how incredibly slug-like I was on the couch all day today makes me a little worried that I'll fall back into my normal lazy patterns. we'll just have to see I guess. Though today can just count as my official recuperation from classes.
However, the high point of the evening was the great thunderstorm we got. Suddenly it started pouring down rain like nobody's business, and there was thunder and lightning. The power went out for like 10 seconds and everything. I love thunderstorms. One of my favorite things about them is how intensely green everything looks during them. All of the colors are caught up in the excitement of the storm and just glow brighter. I love it.

I didn't notice them today, but the clouds are my real favorite thing about thunderstorms. Right before it hits and the clouds are that dark periwinkle color with the sharp edges. I just can't get enough of that. and the genius of Ansel Adams captured a taste of the magnificence of the real thing.
This is random but I was thinking about it, and if I ever had to live in the midwest, I think I would survive the lack of trees, by enjoying the incredible skies that they have. I feel like all of that space just allows for some of the most spectacular clouds. They get some pretty beastly thunderstorms too.

So yesterday my family went on an outing to Raleigh for a reception for some contest my sister was entered in. It was great, except she was robbed! The cute little asian girl who won totally didn't have a good drawing. but I'm going to vent about it later when I have access to pictures, plus I'm sitting in the library at school and it's a little chilly, so I would rather rant about this later.
So in other news, I'm super duper tired. Today and tomorrow are my last days of classes for the semester. but since most of my work was due last week, this weekend it totally felt like the semester was already done. Consequently I hung out with friends far later than I should have last night. I enjoyed every minute of it, especially just chatting with the few leftover after everyone left, but it was not the wisest decision of my life, and I'm suffering for it a little today.

side note: Elder Bednar's talk for the CES broadcast last night was amazing. It made me want to quit facebook, or at least use it a heck of a lot less. Gotta love those apostles.

After seeing the new Wolverine movie I watched a few episodes of the old X-Men cartoon on youtube and thoroughly enjoyed the blast from the past. This was one of the shows we watched saturday mornings. funny how as children we never noticed how truly terrible the animation was. Now it's just part of the nostalgic goodness. What an epic theme song.

Chicken Run

So apparently my nephew Max is obsessed with the movie Chicken Run, because we're watching it for the third time today. At least the third time since I've been over at my sister's house. At least he has good taste. If I had to watch something truly moronic over and over again, I might be more upset.By the way, watching these two chickens kiss at the end of the movie is supremely awkward.