This weekend was insane, what with the extended bouts of staying awake without sleeping to frantically finish projects, getting kicked out of home back to school because I lashed out at my sister for an offhanded comment, and it having it all snowball into further craziness. I exaggerate slightly, due to sleep-deprivation. Last night (Saturday) I told two other studio mates we should cut & mount our presentation boards that night (it was already 3 am) so we could avoid the frenzy later in the day (Sunday). So we spent hours painstakingly arranging, cutting, spray-mounting and re-cutting our boards until the wee hours of the morning. I went back to my apartment, showered, passed out for an hour and went back to studio to help people cut and mount their boards... pure insanity. Hours felt like days. We finally cut everything, got our models and boards together and took them to the Shrine.

Once there, we had to mount the already cut-and-mounted boards onto the larger 4'x8' presentation boards, which took even longer to coordinate. I still haven't done mine, and will tomorrow after my final. In the midst of everything I got a phone call, one I couldn't ignore, and ended up wandering out of the Shrine to campus, back towards my apartment all while talking to my friend. There was a breeze today, and amidst the stress of having to finish up a billion things, the dull throbbing pain in my body and delirious state of mind, he told me "I'm proud of you" for having finished 5 years of architecture school, and that made things a little better for a second.

it's been a long time...

I haven't seen daybreak in my room for a week or so maybe. Or when I have seen it, it's been when I was going to bed for a quick nap.

I think I was awake for 63 hours from Wednesday-Friday? I slept for ten hours Friday night, then I was up for another 32 today, until 6 pm. I think I'll backtrack on events and such now, in-between preparing for my last final exam tomorrow/final presentation stuff for Tuesday/portfolio documentation for Wednesday.

a kosher square.

Tonight was (is, because it's still going) the senior fountain run. I didn't partake because I had class til 11, still have tons to do for my final project and, to be honest have no desire to get drunk and run through the fountains all over campus on a chilly spring night for a few hours. Don't get me wrong - I don't consider myself above 'running', and I don't think I'm better than the participants. I honestly have too much to do to and no pressing desire to partake in this 'fun' tradition. For most other people I think this will translate to me being too uptight, needing to let loose/loosen up, have FUN, but I know myself and I know I wouldn't have fun. I've known ever since I went to dances in high school, and ever since I set up/ran events through the ASB, that I will never have the same concept of 'fun' as the hivemind (excuse the pretension...). So why pretend when it doesn't matter?

At the urging of a classmate of mine upon exiting class, I falsely promised I'd join up and splash in some fountains with her later, after taking care of a few things, only to have this other girl give a loud, fake condescending laugh and chortle 'Oh, you're so KOSHER!' I had several retorts flash through my mind but I just smiled at them and replied 'Have fun.'

Anticlimactic much? Sometimes, a lot of times, that's life.

studying with Isaac

This was last Wednesday, and we were actually working on our cinema papers due the next day. We watched 'In A Better World' which I still haven't posted on... but will eventually. I thought I had but I was clearly confusing blogging with paper-writing...oops! The good thing about working together on a paper for a film we had both seen was that we could jog each others' memories on certain details... tonal switches, musical cues and character development, woo! Other highlights include snacking on frozen grapes, watching weird clips of Entourage, listening to house and later drinking both a White Russian and espresso to keep going!

4 am I haven't done this in a while...

I saw these Mexican pastries (what are they called?) on a fence surrounding someone's house on the way to school today...

Just got back from a late-night work session after a haphazard surprise birthday for one of my closest studio friends. A bumblebee balloon ('happy BEE-day, get it?' announced a sleep-deprived cohort), an Oreo ice cream cake, an Easter basket full of goodies, and a hurried instance of everyone signing the birthday card led to the birthday girl finding us out! Leave it to an overexcited friend to call out another with a very unique name, only to have birthday girl hear us out on the street and come down in her PJs to investigate. Some things aren't meant to be a surprise! I have my fan BLASTING now (hard to believe it was raining only last week, but ya know, So Cal...) and it's going to be 90º tomorrow, crazy!

this is all I did today

I made BB last semester, and my old teacher's letting me make another, so of course I decided to make Max.

I also did stuff for my work-study job which I had fallen behind in, and went to my film class where we watched Ceremony (more on that later). We got back our midterms and I got an A! Usually I wouldn't make a big deal out of this but it was right after my car accident, and I hadn't studied, but to know that that day wasn't completely FUBAR makes me happier two weeks later. Plus I was idiotic enough to take this class for a letter grade and not pass/fail so trying is good. I walked back to my apartment in the rain, and I was going to stay up to get some work done, but I will sleep now and rise early instead. I hope Friday me doesn't make me regret it...

to a fresh(er) start

An amaryllis plant I gave to my mom for Christmas; a thrifted thermal that my sister found that became a sort of cocoon for me when I was feeling most ill - don't you wish all clothing labels still look like this?; a glass beaded flower I made.

I've been so sick this past week... Growing up my mom always took great care to ensure that near the end of winter/summer vacation my sister and I were germ and virus-free, to start the new school term afresh, without absences or tardies. I didn't do so well this year. It's almost as if the fall semester finally wreaked its havoc on me by destroying my immune system. Loss of energy, constantly stuffed sinuses and cough, headache, body aches. I think several bugs overlapped because after feeling alright on Saturday I was useless on Sunday, and pretty much was on the road to recovery til now. I feel my strength coming back now, and just constantly drinking fluids and taking vitamins and medicine to combat whatever is lingering. I hope it goes away soon... I already have a lot of work I need to begin!

foggy morning

L.A. fog... I woke up at 6 this morning to get ready for a packed morning. Our final presentations for studio were finally finished printing yesterday (when they would ideally have been completed by Wednesday) and after work last night I made a mad dash to studio to trim my boards & mount them on foam core, then hang them up in the designated space downtown... Took a couple hours with us waiting for another studio mate to finish his stuff, then looking for parking, then carrying 10+ boards up to the 50th floor of the National Bank Tower. Then I went with my sister back home-home where we helped my mom with a ton of art stuff and now I'm trying to get at least half of my portfolio done tonight so I can work and hang out with my boyfriend this weekend. More on my day later, as I try to complete my portfolio in 5 page installments!

fall berries

So tired, but uploading pictures from the weekend while blow-drying my hair (lest I wake up chilly from damp locks) prompted me to comment on how swiftly fall arrived this past week. Rain over the weekend and temperature highs in the 60s! Cold for Southern California and almost unbearable for me. I found moth holes in two of my favorite woolen clothing items, which makes me kick myself for not having protected those pieces better, so this calls for a winter project or two once school lets out for the semester. Speaking of school, I just got back from an intense session of work with two of my best friends in my year. I think I finally have a strategy and form figured out for my final project, and now I just have to DO it. I am a day behind in my personal schedule so no matter what I'll have to bring it back up to speed today.

hell week 1, done.

This past week of working almost nonstop on my thesis paper (which at the end, stood alone fine somewhat but I probably could have worked out a few more things) and preparing for an adequate but disappointing pin-up today, has finally reached an end. So tired. I have a headache that was full-on raging during the afternoon but has now lessened to a dull throb. I just paid my credit card bill online and tomorrow morning I will feel poor... it doesn't help that I gave away my shifts all last week.

It's okay. The wall of work has been torn down. It's rebuilding itself as the minutes tick by, but I'll be ready for the next wave.

instead of working I was...

Typing a letter...

... and reminiscing.

I found a letter from my great friend Manny up in the Bay this morning! (Did that sentence make any sense?) Such a divine way to start the week, to start a MONDAY. Inevitably it elevated my mood which carried on throughout the day. The power of a letter! So tonight after dinner I started my response, which is typewritten on one side, handwritten on the reverse and full of doodles in-between.

Also last week unbelievably I attended three shows, which, after probably half a year of barely seeing any live music, was a tidal wave of such! Jonsi, Russian Circles, and Sufjan Stevens. All amazing and powerful, though for Russian Circles I cut out early.

I made myself a second cup of tea and now am going to put on some soothing/lively music and read for a few hours. I really need to crack down on my thesis stuff!

tea, my current best friend

After feeling the onset of a sore throat last night I rushed to the store to pick up hydrogen peroxide, Zicam, and Throat Coat; I came home, made myself a cup of Throat Coat (organic! delicious!), gargled the hydrogen peroxide (2/3 H202, 1/2 H20), and after waiting half an hour, sprayed myself some Zicam. I felt a lot better today, I hope I was able to stave off the sickness...

I had a successful desk crit today, which justified my going to see Jónsi last minute with my sister, now I need to produce produce produce...!

the calm before the storm...!

Working on last-minute assignments before Thanksgiving break while at work watching the phones, and munching on all-natural chocolate chunk cookies and sipping green tea. Desperately trying not to catch anyone's cold by periodically washing my hands with hot water and soap with spurts of antibacterial hand sanitizer in between.

Walking around campus I'm seeing lots of students waiting for their rides to leave for home and it's making me excited to go home too! Usually Thanksgiving is the most stressful time for the fall semester because I have turn-in during that time, which will be next Friday, but I'm not going to let this project kill Thanksgiving for me!

Pink's tonight with my sister, then hopefully inspiration will strike and I'll work my little tail off for Wednesday. Then, home!

changes

Essential polaroids that hang on my wall every year, but lately are threatening to peel off due to heat and bad tape.

It's September already?

Dumping out the contents of my mind starting...now.

- Today's studio desk crit had me fully cognizant of what I need to tackle for this pinhole camera apparatus project, and it feels great.
- The perks of working for the big guys on campus include delicious food that your bosses save for you after important meetings because they think you deserve it/know you are a starving college student.
- I'm back on track with the boy, for better times and a greater understanding of each other, I think.
- The fires all over Los Angeles and lack of sleep are leaving me exhausted and wheezing. I hope it's just the ash in the air and not a full-on sickness taking over my body.

I'm so tired and energized at the same time, because for the first time I feel like I am on track. Better posts ahead, promise!