12/24: Holidays!

First of all...

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

For all my family and friends within the state: I'm sorry I won't be there to celebrate the holidays for you, but know that I am thinking about all of you, miss you, and hope the warmth and care we give each year to one another is still glowing for the holidays! And not just for Christmas, but also for the remainder of the year.

As for me, job searching has become an ultimate failure, seeing as I've spent most of my time catching up with studies (Chinese, internship applications), commissions (for artwork, yay!)...and for me being lazy and sucking in the free time for once.

That just makes me a successful procrastinator. Hm.

I do need to get into gear though, despite my hesitations of summer internships (meaning I'd only be able to keep a job for six months. Is it worth it?) I'm still looking though, don't get me wrong about that!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a merry weekend, and I'm thinking only for the best for everyone!

Merry Christmas! I love you all~

12/17: Vacation catch-up time

First week of the vacation and I cannot deny how much I'm enjoying catching up on things that needed to be done.

Amongst looking for a job, I've also been reorganizing my living space, cleaning the garage, setting some priorities straight and...of course, catching up on all the drawing that I've missed so dearly. Aah, it feels good to pick up a pencil again.

Unfortunately I haven't had time to scan my sketches nor embroider my shirt, so showing off my costuming skills will have to wait for another time. Sorry, guys!

And my grades have come in, though I cannot say that I am entirely proud of them this year. I passed, but some grades were worse off than some. Which is why I've begun my studying earlier this year so these dire circumstances won't happen again. I have always been a good student, and I plan to maintain that reputation up until I graduate with a degree in my hand.

Anyway, today is a day mostly finishing up everybody's gift, so I hope y'all are having a productive day yourself and hope to talk to all of you soon! Later~

12/10: MMM.

Hey, remember last week when I said I was prevailing through my studies with high spirits and confidence?
Unfortunately, my finals did not turn out for the better, despite my hard work towards studying for them.

Although I feel pretty good about my construction project (which hopefully I will post pictures later this month!), everything else seemed to have slipped out my mind. But I suppose studying for three days straight on four hours of sleep will also contribute to my lack of thinking for the finals.

Today is the last day of finals for me (Costume Design; hopefully I can get some of those up, too!), and I am exhausted and frustrated with the outcome of this week. So pretty much after today's final, I will be hibernating for two days.

My plans for Winter Break have not been entirely finalized. While I do miss everyone back at home and it was a pleasure to see you all during Thanksgiving, I unfortunately do not have the funds to come back up for a few days. I'm still in search for a job, and my aspirations lie in being able to work some solid weeks in so I can prove to be a good employer.

At this point, it's either find a job or go back to Wendy's. And I'd rather not have to go back there only for the managers to tell me, "Told you so."

But for now, I have a final to attend to. I hope everybody else's week turned out more successful and I hope only the best for y'all next week. Later~

12/3: can't sleep, finals will eat me...

Well. Back to school for another week and a half. UHHM. So many things to get done before next week.

Anyway, for those I have seen during my Thanksgiving Break: It was good to see you all! Good to know that everyone is doing well and I hope this winter will treat every single one of you just as fairly!

And for those who have no idea: MY GOODNESS, so much good food. It's a shame I didn't get a chance to snag some back home with me. But nonetheless, I had a very stuffing and thankful Thanksgiving.

Despite this week being the dragged out week for Finals, I still have many things to prepare myself for. I need to finish my shirt by Tuesday, perform an 8-minute monologue in Chinese, study for my Astronomy final and finish all my costume sketches and still apply watercolors to them. All within the squeezed hours of searching for a job and working on everybody's Christmas gift.

Just as I had thought would happen: I waited until the last minute before working on everything. How very, very stupid of me.

But regardless of personal frustrations and lack of sleeping, I am still prevailing through with a high head and confidence that I will surpass the challenges set before me. After all, it is December, my favorite month of all!

So I hope for all of you that your lives are running smoothly and that you get the chance to sit back and enjoy warming yourself up in this progressively cold weather! Later~

11/19: Thanks for the break...!

WHELP. It's that time of the year again. Time for the students...to have a week break to be thankful for what they got. And believe me, I am so thankful for the people I know, have worked with, and cherish dearly.

I'm very much looking forward to going home and seeing family this next week, I have missed every single one of you since...well, I can't actually remember the last time I saw everyone. So this will be exciting!

This week has kind of been a slow one, but if not relaxing. Have finally been able to get home before 6 pm as of late, allowing me time for reading, drawing and catching up further with homework. Ah...post show vacation is always a good thing.

For those of you expecting me home, I will not leave until Wednesday morning for I still have some homework I need to finish that requires a sewing machine and looooooots of space for sketches and what not. Oh, and looking for a job to have when I get back from vacation.

So for the remainder of the weekend, I am sending good thoughts and wishes towards y'all and I hope you guys have a good weekend! Later~

11/12 ...Wow.

What. A. Week.

WELL, A Streetcar Named Desire finally opens tonight, but SOU sponsored a student preview night filled with mardis gras masks, food, and fun, so technically I consider opening night last night.
Had to watch the show five times beforehand, but other than that I think it went swell.

It has certainly been a while since I've been a part of dress rehearsals and tech week, so this week has been more or less like an elevator towards Heaven and Hell. One day I'm manic depressive, the next I'm bursting with confidence, and then there are 'meh' days.
To say the least, I went a little crazy this week.

But the show finally opened, which means my job as an Assistant is over for this term. Next couple of terms will be primarily focused on other costume practices so that I may expand my skills even further.

So what other plans are there left in the term? Well I need to find a new job (now that I have the time) and get caught up on my homework. That is about what is going on in my life as it stands. Hopefully, relaxation will come back to me.

Anyway, I hope all of you are doing well and prospering with good fortunes! Enjoy the rest of your weeks! Later~

11/5: Moments of Truth

I remembered this time to post on a Friday, ha ha!

Ah, well we're moving right into the true Autumnal months as the leaves fall into the gorgeous color palette. Definitely love this weather, but cannot wait for Winter to come. Fireplaces, snowing, CHRISTMAS...Ah, a magical time.

Anyway, things are certainly speeding up again. The show I'm working on opens up next week, which means for the next few days is definitely last-minute adjustments and fixing the kinks and knots of the production.
Am I excited? Of course I am.
Did I really do anything to support this show? ...not really.

Working with two assistants must be nice for the Designer, but for someone who has never helped run a show such as this, I had no idea what to do or expect, or even when it was appropriate to speak up. Even with what ideas I did had, the other assistant thought of them first before I got the chance to say something.
So, essentially, I was really a third wheel in this production. I suppose something that should have been expected, but it's something I also have to learn from.
Still, had been feeling useless as a theatre student for a majority of this production. Oh well.

Academics seem to be doing well, I'm well caught up for the time being and have time to sleep in every once in a while (WHAAAT? You may question me later about how pleasurable this was).

OH. And my housing situation, yes.

Managed to find another roommate just in time, but the deal is that I will be sharing the master bedroom with another friend of mine (Rebecca Denley, I'm sure many of you may know, but for those who don't: High school/colleague of mine) so that we can all save some money. It would be nice to pay less than what I'm paying now, but we'll see.
The important thing, though, is that I will not be homeless. Yay!
On the other hand, this does mean I need a job soon. Something different. Probably retailing since the holiday season is coming around the corner.

So that is how my life has been so far. I hope everyone is having a good week and hopefully a better week to come! I will let you know how opening night goes and there may even be some pictures involved, ooh la la! Later~

10/23: Almost There...

Another day late. Hm. Expect updates now on either Fridays or Saturdays. Sorry, guys!

Anyway. More Hectacity ensues. This week hasn't been so much of a homework overload as it has been a time-consumption for other things.

The Assistant Designing thing has obviously been taking some time. We're now closing in on our Technical week, which I will have to start squirreling food around in the theatre building (I will find hidden cracks to hide cookies in!). It has mostly been figuring budget numbers and accounting for what the show needs and what it doesn't need. Ahh, to be a skillful accountant...

What has been taking my time, mostly, is Construction Class.

Mostly because our class is in the process of patterning pieces for the final project (An Edwardian/Victorian shirt fitted to ourselves) and the process takes several hours outside of class to finish the patterning.

The average for my fellow classmates is an hour minimum to finish this process.
It takes me five hours.
...I've been a little frustrated with myself, but I am determined to make sense of patterning with paper. It will happen. I may be slow with it, but with time and practice I hope to become more of a useful person.

I have been making myself step back and relax when I can, but some stress factors keep coming up. Mostly financing (what else is new?), finding a job, finding the hours for sleeping, and possibly finding a new place of residency before the end of December.

At this point, everything is literally up in the air. I have no control over what happens, so I am enjoying and taking everything one day at a time. I am having a wonderful time hanging out with my fellow costumers and friends and keeping in contact with the people I love. It means the world to me and literally makes the one-day-at-a-time thing such a possibility.

I hope all of you are taking your days one at a time as well, and I hope everyone has a fantastic week! Later~

10/22: Hectacity

I forgot a post last Friday...? DARN ME. I promised myself that I wouldn't keep doing that! I'm terribly sorry, everyone.

Well, I suppose now I should recap on what's happened in the past TWO weeks, ha ha.

Mostly? Assistant Designing.

The weeks have been consumed by pulling clothes out, purchasing period-styled garments and communicating with the director as to how many characters ARE in A Streetcar Named Desire. This is a worthwhile process and I am learning a lot from it, regardless of me doing mostly grunt work.

I definitely am aware, however, that it is going to take me a few more years before I can even consider being a Designer of a show. I might not get to design a show for when I'm in college...but someday.

In other news, have mostly been concentrating on Costume classes and Chinese. Astronomy is now a joke to me as the professor pretty much talks straight from the book material. A fantastic use of my money towards the man. I am not entirely worried about that class at all.
Oh but how I long for a Biology or Chemistry course...*sigh* One can dream, no?

And my birthday went pretty well. I have not gone out for a drink yet, but I am in no rush; being 21 doesn't exactly mean I have to jump the gun just yet. Although I may visit a bar with a billiards table and play some pool. I can finally do that now! I miss playing the billiards.

Within the next two weeks begins Technical Rehearsal for Streetcar, which means I will be strapped to the theatre building well into two o'clock in the morning. Hopefully, however, I will not forget to keep you guys updated!

Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend and a fantastic day! Later~

10/8: Elevator Days

Second week into the term, still incredibly tired. Both for good and for bad.

Bad first: I've come down with some kind of cold (it's foreign to me, though; I've never had a cold this demanding before), and it seems everyone else on campus has had the same symptoms I have, all stating how abstract the symptoms were from a normal cold.
UM. I'm sure it's nothing serious, ha ha. But it has made me more fatigued than before, as I force myself into bed by midnight regardless of homework content and waking up at 8 am. Someday, I shall sleep in.

But as far as homework goes? AMAZING. I have to make character sketches for the play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" with character analysis', I have a daily construction homework for my Costume Construction class and basically looking at the stars for my Astronomy class. Oh and practice my Chinese, of course.

我研究了很多，但我讲一点点国语 (Translation: I study a lot, but I speak a little Mandarin. Even though, technically, the Internet is stupid in not translating right. I will have to download something to make my character writing even more efficient and accurate)

Anyway. But I am also exhausted for good reasons, too. Tonight was my last night officially working at Wendy's, which means more focus time on all this Assistant Designing work! It is for the better, I believe.

Speaking of which, so far everything is going smoothly. But everyday seems like a test on my self confidence. The days alternate; one day I will feel like the most accomplishing person ever, and the next day I will have completely screwed something up and disappointing my Designer. It certainly is testing who I am and who I have to become to accept this career choice. Along the way, I will just need to know how to become a better helper and realize, in the end, that if I don't live up to someone's expectations, then I have to compromise with that rather than beat myself up consistently about it.
Or strive for improvement. Either way.

I am grateful for this opportunity and by the end of this run, I will have learned more than I thought I would have.

So I hope y'all had a good week and I hope you have a good week to follow! I'll let you know how everything goes on my end! Later~

10/2: Beginning of New Ends

...HA. I lied again, I'm terribly sorry.

It is time, however, for me to commence my blog updates once again! Now that the Autumn season is flowing back into the world as students continue their education, so must I in my feeble attempts in earning a college degree.
Well, we'll see how this goes.

To say the least, my first week of school demanded MUCH more time than I anticipated. For some of you who may not remember, I was assigned to Assistant Design the Main Stage production for SOU's "A Streetcar Named Desire". And with our school system's shortened term, we had to basically hit the ground running. This week mostly consisted of:
-Production Meetings
-Review Meetings
-Pulling costumes from the stock racks (about two rooms worth of clothing)
-Measuring Actors
-Color palette/swatch shopping

And that's just the first week. November will look amazingly more busy, ha ha!
But for now it goes well. I am not taking as many classes this year (mostly costuming classes!), so it'll lighten the load from the amount of work I need to do for this show.
On top of all this, I am quitting the Wendy's job (at laaaast!) in exchange for possibly another job at a local theatre for an Assistant Costumer's job. It will pay as a stipend, but it's a step forward! I am excited.

As for how my summer went...? Let's just say it was filled with many changes, epiphanies, and...WELL it was just a BIG metamorphosis project, all together.
Was the change for the better? I honestly believe so.

Anyway, with how hectic this term will be, I will do the best of my ability to either post my blog BETWEEN Friday through Sunday. There are no guarantees though, so watch out!

I sincerely hope that all of your had an interesting summer and I hope only the best for y'all this coming Autumn and Winter seasons! Later~

False advertisement

I am such a bad truth teller. Sorry, guys.

So finally the school year is over with! I think I did well on my finals and it seemed to have paid off: I have passed all of my classes with flying colors! (with the exception of my dropped class, but I'm going to wipe that out of my memory). And I have moved slightly into my new abode for the school year, though this weekend I will finally be able to unpack most of my stuff as the people who were living in my room are now moving out. The tangles are starting to unravel themselves, and all it took was some time. Go figure!

In other exciting news, I will be an assistant costume designer for this fall play's production of 'Streetcar Named Desire'. Even though I will be in charge of the budgeting, still, EXCITEMENT! I cannot wait to get started on my research for this play and be able to help out the designer!

And in other miscellaneous news, I have dropped the idea of working two jobs, as I had figured the result would've been me ending up in the hospital from exhaustion. Better to find this out now than when it actually happens, I suppose. So I will just be working as much as I can over the summer to ensure my education for the following year.

That's about all the news I have as of late, I'm sorry I haven't been posting regularly! I will try my best to get back on the Friday updates, but nothing should be set in stone at this point. But I hope y'all are having a fantastic week and I am thinking about you all! Later~

End of Search

AH-HA...I'm just...I'm just bad at doing this.
So here's my excuse for last weekend why I didn't post anything up: was looking for apartments and trying to figure out roommate situations as well as finances. By the way, Ashland has a lot of expensive places to rent out to! That and the market for rentals is unbelievably competitive.
THIS WEEKEND...
Well, I just decided to become a vegetable. Why? Because I had talked to a recent friend of mine who just had two rooms opened up and offered me and my friend Rebecca Denley $600 + 1/2 of utilities (Originally the rooms separately were $450 and $500). So I took him up on that offer and I've just been packing ever since. It's so nice to know that I have somewhere to live down here; my last resort would've been to live in a storage unit. Or a tent.

Anywhooo, classes are going great, finally got my illustration project printed! There's only one copy, though, but I am thinking about going to see another printer to print off the file into more books. Who knows.
And really, the only classes I have to worry about now is Chinese. I've been more strict with myself and have glued myself to my desk for two hours a day studying the language. It's really been helping, but I guess it helps more now that every other stress factor is out of the way :)

So for many of you, I won't be coming home due to working like a dog over the summer for schooling next year. But I will try my best to come home when I can...I just need to know exactly when, now that I'm balancing two jobs. Hmm.

Anyway, so I hope y'all had a good two weeks, and I should be able to keep you updated (on time, might I add!) from now on! Later~

May Madness (pt 2?)

See, I can't even remember if I had labeled another blog like this. Huh. Not a problem.

Anyway, the school year comes to another close here at Southern Oregon University for many of us who cannot afford the summer classes. But for the closing of the academic year comes many complications, including (but not limited to):

Finals
Opening of plays/strike
work schedules
finding more adequate jobs, and the eternal favorite
finding a house/apartment to stay in for the next few years.

Roommate situation has been fluctuating like crazy over here. Some people are willing to share an apartment with me, and others have complications of their own. For sure, me and another college buddy are all prepared to move into somewhere different. Now we just have to find the right place...

In other news, I had to drop a class (unfortunately, Environmental Studies) because I had failed the midterm, which accounted for 35% of the final grade. I will admit it: I screwed up. I didn't put as much effort into reading the materials or studying the necessary items, that doesn't scare me. What does scare me is the withdrawal from this class has shown me how lenient I have become with my academics. And I am not okay with that. So now I'm setting up goals for myself next year to put my classes expectations before my own needs. That's how it has been before, and that's how it should be now.

Other than those pieces of excitement it's been planning for next year and figuring out my current situation via finances, residency, academics, etc. I am sure a kitty will make up for all of these worries, though. Oh, and family and friends always help, too :) love you guys!

So I hope y'all are having a great Friday and I will come by next Friday to report my current position! Later~

Busy weekend. Busy indeed.

Hello all!

What a week this has turned out to be. Not in terms of academics, but the weather has just been ridiculous! First thing it's raining, then hail, then there is ten minutes of sunshine...and we're back to stormy rain.
It's a privilege to be able to experience all four seasons of the year in one week in Ashland. We're so lucky.

But in terms of academics is a little stressed. Not only am I pressed for time with increased work schedules at work and theatre practice, but I have also become dumb enough to not come up with a project for my environmental studies class. The project is due monday.
...yes. Yes, I'm an idiot.

So this entry will be short as I have work in the next 50 minutes and I still need to find a topic to discuss. This lesson will be thoroughly thought through as the weekend progresses. I hope everyone else's Friday is full of excitement, though! Later~

It's a beautiful morning...aaah

At least that's what I kinda thought waking up at 6:30 this morning to see the nice, cold weather.

Anyway, this will probably be the only time I post this early as I do enjoy my sleeping habits as of late. And yes, I totally realize college has broken my strict discipline in getting up early for class. When did this revelation happen? ...probably during Winter term, when waking up at 7:30 was bad enough for me. OH COLLEGE, WHY HAVE YOU BROKEN ME?!

...*a-hem* onto other news...
Coming along on my illustration class, hopefully I can make copies for everyone. Or get it published and then everyone can just buy it! Isn't that selfish of me?
Musical Theatre Workshop has degraded my aspirations for being a part of the class; it's kind of like being in high school choir again, where there are some parts I enjoy about it (the people, the teachers, the learning process) and then the not-so-great parts (no solos...). Again, selfishness.
And work is still a drag, especially when they schedule me to work on a day I have a class. After all the cleaning I do for them and...
...
WOW, I have been really selfish this week! I definitely don't mean to, but...huh.

In other news, still trying to figure out what to write about for my Environmental Studies class. It has to pertain to something about a depleting resource and its impact on the environment.
So it's either going to be about the costs to produce coins such as pennies, nickels and dimes, overpopulation of the white-tailed deer, or fast food waste. But I need to decide soon, it's due in two weeks...
And other than that, just been looking for apartments/2nd job/planning my future out, which I really hate to due. Especially if I don't know where I'm going now.

Ah well, it's time for me to get breakfast. Can't finish a coat on an empty stomach! Hope everyone is doing fine and I wish you a good day! Later~

3rd week - nice weather?!

So the forecast proclaimed that Ashland would have been swarmed with clouds all week, and what happens yesterday?
BOOM.
Instant sunshine and 60˚ weather all weekend long. Kind of a sudden shift, but I'm okay with it. Not that I would do anything within the nice weather, but still.

Anyway, third week, right? Lately I've been feeling like my own character has been slipping. Not so much personality wise but my study skills have become atrocious. It probably doesn't help that

•most of my metalsmithing projects need to be done during class/lab time
•most of my illustrations for Digital Illustration can only be done in the computer lab
•most of the songs I'm learning in Musical Theatre Workshop has to be practiced inside the classtime
...and
•all my lecture notes for Environmental Studies are posted online

...whatever shall I work on when I come back from classes for the night?!
Granted, I've always wanted more freetime to finish other projects, but this term it feels like everytime I come home there has to be something school-related I have to do. So...it feels a little weird.
I'm just going to have to toughen up my life and cut off my free-time expenses.
So hard on my self...*sniff*

So what else has been going on? Um...
Theatre practice crew leader probably thinks I'm an idiot, not sure why.
Thoroughly enjoying my Sunday game night (in which I partake in gaming with my friends and we enjoy a nice dinner)
and planning for the summer where it's come to the conclusion that I need to work two jobs AND find a cheap-o apartment to rent with friends AND maybe take a science class to get ahead of my degree requirements.
...I'm...not really looking forward to the summer.

But anyway, I hope y'all are having a good Friday and I will talk to you later! Later~

Sick, sick, sick...

Hey all. So nothing much has happened this week except three things:

1) Severe cold
2) fever, and
3) my time of the month

All simultaneously happening. Fantastic.

Luckily, only missed one day of class, but missed out on my work schedule of the week. NOT THAT I'M COMPLAINING, but...yeah. It's been not a great week, sort to say.
What's more, we had auditions for solos for my Musical Theatre Workshop class...and both days I had lost my voice. So...that was interesting.
Anyway, mostly today will consist of staying low and not being so active. Other than seeing How to Train Your Dragon in 3D (which was AMAZING!). Oh, and outlining my illustrations for the book I'm making. Chances are, once the class is done I will send my project to a publisher since so many people have asked for a copy. Soooooooo hopefully my story will get through...? I'm not sure how the whole process works.

Oh, and Grandma and Grandpa: I haven't received your letter/mail yet. I am concerned, especially when I just went to the mailroom today and saw a notice about mail theft. UM...yeah.

So I'm off to try and beat this stupid cold...I hope y'all are having a much more successful Friday and I will talk to y'all later! Later~

April showers brings more power

Ah, I love it when I totally break my own promises about keeping up my blog during Spring Break.

Well, I apologize about not posting during the break. So let me just sum it up in a few words: relaxing, depressing, and overwhelming. Mostly because I spent time outside my dorm room, worked ridiculous hours and traveled basically all of western Oregon.

Anyway, Spring classes seem to be off to a good start. While I am taking 18 credits, most of these classes are...well...easier than last term's:

Environmental Studies - mostly about what it is and the environmental changes effects on society. Mostly reading. But less so than the last two terms (English, History...)
Digital Illustration - I GET TO MAKE AN ILLUSTRATED BOOK! Enough said.
Metalsmithing - I GET TO MAKE METAL SCULPTURES! and get to think outside the box moreso than usual.
Chinese 103 - advanced lessons, not sure if this will be continuing on to next year as more people have dropped out of the class.
Musical Theatre Workshop - I'm actually disappointed about this class. Last year I heard about how students were challenged to pick their own solos/duets, choreograph it themselves and then perform it before an audience for their final project. Instead, this year all solos/duets/group songs are focused on anything written by music legends Kander and Ebb (who brought us Chicago, Cabaret, etc.)

And I'm not really a big fan of Kander and Ebb. BUT this will be a challenge so we'll see how this goes.

Still work at Wendy's. Taking more bold steps into realizing how silly customers actually are. Someday I will find a new job.

Speaking of work, I should probably get going; I close tonight. Ugh.
Anyway, so I hope y'all have a good Friday and I'll talk to you soon! Later~

Finals week, Final day

Ahahahahaha...SO. About last week's blog...
I still apologize for the dark, brooding feeling the blog sort of set off, but really last Friday wasn't all that great for me. So what did I do to change my spirits? Cut my hair and actually spent quality time with friends. My hair is not as short as it was for Peter Pan, but the important thing is that it is short and I love it.

Anyway, today is my final day for Finals and it just so happens to be the only final I'm actually worried about. I had prepared an outline to write off of for my History final, it took me 45 minutes to complete my Art History final, and I was absolutely slutty for my Acting Aesthetics final (FYI (For Your Information): I played a Russian prostitute for my final scene). And I feel pretty confident about the grades I'll get for those finals.

But now, I have four writing segments, two auditory segments, and an colloquial exam (at random given topics) for my Chinese final. With little time to study. SUPERB!

So unfortunately, I will not be coming home for Spring Break as I am in desperate need for finances. But I am taking a weekend off at least to go to the beach and manage to slip off my snow tires...somehow.
I hope you guys have a good rest of March, though! Chances are I will be able to keep updates on this blog since adventures in Ashland will be pursued during Spring Break.

So don't forget about Daylight Savings Time this Sunday, and I hope y'all have a good Friday! Later~

Ugh...I'm really bad at this.

Sorry guys...it's been another two weeks. I don't know what to say this time.

There's been an off and on balance between helping others with their own stress and studying and working on class homework. Now it seems like this is my week to stress out.

Why? I don't know.
What caused it? I honestly don't know.
How can I get over it? I'm still working on that.

Not to mention the coat I have been working on has not been cooperative with me (that and I'm a terrible stitcher, so...)

I think my self-esteem has also plummeted once again. I can't tell if this is a side effect of Winter term or what. All I know is, something's wrong with me and I need to figure out what it is.

I'm sorry this journal couldn't be any more uplifting, but...I don't know. I'm sort of lost right now.

And I'm still sorry for not posting a blog every Friday. I'll try and remind myself when every Friday is so I remember to make a blog.

Hope you all are having a good Friday, though. Later~

Two weeks

I think that's a new record: not posting up a blog in two weeks.

I apologize for not posting one last week; that weekend was hectic enough with my work schedule conflicting with my academic schedule and what not.

Anyway, like I said, things have been pretty busy, despite me being off from Costume Crafts (all the hats look fantastic, by the way! I will take pictures and post them up in the next blog) and I managed to sign up for some of my classes next term. I finally got into an art class (Digital Illustration), and I know I should be taking more general Ed classes, but I figured this was something I just needed to do before I lose my insanity in classes. But I have a good feeling about next term, I really do.

Still hate my job and I'm getting to the point where I might be looking for other kinds of jobs. The local bookstore is hiring and I will try there, but for now I will just buck up what I have going for me and keep my sanity in other forms (drawing, making fun of horrible movies, etc.)

Speaking of horrible movies, I went to go see one of my favorite book series as a movie: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief and was sourly disappointed by the interpretation of Chris Columbus' directing. If anyone had seen Eragon and had read the books, then this movie is far worse then that interpretation. But it's only inspired me to read the series again and satisfy my nerdiness of bookworming.

Anyway, I'm off to eat dinner/finish some sketches, so I hope you all are doing well and I hope to have time to post a blog next Friday! Later~

Everything's getting set up...

WHOO I remembered to post up my blog on time this week! Ah, such an accomplishment.

But anyway, another stressful week. I'd hate to keep bringing it up, but I swear with the shortness of this term and all the classes I'm taking plus work, everything's just cramped for time. ...which, I know, I need to learn my lesson about, but somehow it evades me. Huh.

So I had midterms (somewhat) this week in half of my classes and I have a monologue to study for in Acting Aesthetics (which I have come to hate; it's hard for me to relate to it AGH). And hopefully by this Saturday, a majority of our hats will be finished. Hopefully.

Really, there's nothing much to report. Today I hope to work on my commissioned coat, but I don't think that will happen as I have so much reading to finish before Monday and Tuesday.

Anyway, this will be a short entry today- I need to get back to my homework and whatnot. I hope y'all are trying to relax as best you can and I'll talk to y'all later next Friday. Later~

Week...3? 4? Shoot.

Wow, I almost went two full days without posting my blog. That's pretty bad.

Actually, this past week hasn't been working so well in my favor. My schedule for both class time and work time have basically collided like a train wreck. Once I'm done with classes I jump straight into work and get very little sleep during this process.
And I feel like I'm doing worse in my classes, for some reason. Whether it's waking up for my 8 am history class or not getting my readings done for Art history or Chinese, everything just kinda seemed to slip out of my fingers lately.

And to top it off, social life has kind been on a roller coaster again. Friends were disputing with each other, problems occurred with the roommate (but we talked about it, so we're good), and the majority of the people at Wendy's still don't think I can do a good job with what I do there. I've had about enough of it...but it's a paying job. I can't quit now.

...SHOOT, I'm doing that complaining thing again. Sorry, guys. I don't mean to, it was just a really bad week for me last week.

Anyway, I'm off to work again tonight so I thought I'd type this before my leave. Hopefully my Friday won't be bombarded with so much schedule conflicts that I forget about posting my blogs!
Later~

I'm all for civil rights, but...

If it affects the school week by having a day off to commemorate its importance, then it's no bueno (bù hǎo (不好), for you Chinese speakers).

I learned that because SOU had Monday off because of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, classes that were missed on that day will have to be made up by having Monday classes on the week Finals are supposed to be given out. This does not bode well for us academic nuts.

So having Monday off was both a blessing and a curse (much like FDR's New Deal, I'm crudely relating to); it was beneficial for me 'cause I got what homework I needed to get done that day, yet this week I've been crammed with more reading from my History classes because the week had shortened. And the readings have increased for this weekend as my Midterms approach in the next week or so.

BUT.

I'm smart enough to finish the majority of my homework today before going to work. And I will finish what I can on Saturday so I can do absolutely nothing but relax on Sunday. Yay!

Speaking of work, the managers have decided to move me to the cashier to *gasp* interact with the customers! It's such a wonderful thing to know that some Ashlanders have mercy for those who have never worked a cash register in their life.
(So of course they try to put me on backbox to take Drive-Thru orders last night, but that was like committing suicide for perfect attendance)

So it's been a rather packed week and I'll be glad when my readings are done and out of the way.

On a side note, I went to go see some sort of cake exhibition at the Rogue Art Gallery in Medford. Basically, there was cake to eat and cake portraits to bid for. It was rather fascinating and I enjoyed a few selected pieces of the cakes. One of my favorite portraits was one called Chocolate Raspberry done in Acrylics and it was painted in such a way where I had to look at it for two minutes before noticing it was a type of cake.

Well I'm off to do more reading before I am off to work, so I will see you all on Friday (I promise I'll keep remembering)! Later~

Week 2: Aaaah...

...I did it again, didn't I?
Sorry folks, yesterday was a day full of readings and seeing a movie (spontaneously) later in the evening. I was rather surprised at the price of the ticket ($4.50!!), but the theatre is in White City (about two minutes away from Medford). Still, unbelievable.

Anyway, another week survived! I've learned a lot of new things this week (for example: I never knew Oregon was an intolerable state in the 1920's and even had their own Ku Klux Klan. Huh.) Saw too many things this week (Annunciations for Art History: Please stop appearing before I make a movie out of you), and still scattered about an upcoming scene for Tuesday (my partner seems inclined to NOT respond to my calls/emails. Hmm...)

And so I also started my theatre practice this week with a new goal: make 40+some hats before February 12th. Or even before that. And our crew only has about 7-8 people working on this project. WELL, at least I'll get to learn how to make hats, even though I have a strong distaste for papercraft now!

So today commences the 3-day weekend, which I will spend on homework, most likely. And reading. And working. But I will keep in mind why we all have this wonderful short vacation in the first place: to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s leadership and influence on the people that really needed to hear what King, Jr. had to say.

I will sign off by saying have a great Martin Luther King Day, everyone! Later~

Commence the reading! ...moreso!

Hello all, and welcome back to another exciting term of college life! Winterbreak was more or less interesting as I became a literal "traveling circus" (Shift sleeping places from Phoenix, OR to Portland to The Dalles and back to Ashland in the course of three weeks). But my Christmas Break was good nonetheless and I am prepared for my upcoming classes.

...or so I believe.

As we all know, Winter Term is the time where professors assign numerous amounts of readings to the students, assuming that because of the cold and wet weather students will be cooped up in their rooms.
While it may be easier than last year for reading, my History 251 books contain many documents due every week or so and my Art History 205 book is over 1,500+ pages.
SO.
Reading will be interesting this term.

Other classes include Chinese 102 and Acting Aesthetics with David Kelly (which I have a feeling I will only squeeze by with just a passing grade, for some reason...)
And this term I am determined to balance out great grades with work, so we'll see how it goes!

BUT tonight will mostly consist of Cosplay meetings, seeing a play (The Secret Garden) and relaxing. Perhaps reading homework. Hope y'all enjoy the rest of your Friday! Later~