turns out college keeps you busy

Yes, so this past month (wow! has it been that long?) has been incredibly busy. And honestly, I am no less busy now but I felt like I should pop in for a quick note. I spent my lovely Friday afternoon walking along river and then trying a new burger place that has popped up on South Congress called Hopdoddy. If you are an Austinite, you NEED to try this place! The burgers are so delicious, by far the best I have ever had and they are only $7 or $8. The service is really good too. Now, its time for me to work on a Grapes of Wrath paper!

By the way, aren't these earrings from etsy amazing??


Until next time... (Hopefully sooner than December!)

new haircut!

I got my haircut at a place called Bird's Barbershop on South Congress. It was a cool, uniquely Austin salon with names such as the "Ladybird cut" and "Girly Bird" to describe their various haircuts. While it was only my third time cutting my hair by someone other than my Aunt Gwen, things turned out okay. I am surprisingly not freaking out at the shortness of it, which last time my hair got semi-shorter (and it wasn't even this short), I cried. I actually like it, but the bangs are going to take some getting used to. Anyway, here's my new hair!

I'm off to do some reading and then my friend Stephanie and I are heading out for a girls night out on the town! Until next time...

a good night.

An old friend (I like to leave names out if possible so as not to upset anyone, and yes "old friend," I know you're reading this and you probably would not care but I like to be somewhat secretive about my life) and I got dinner tonight at a cute Thai place that my mom would love. They don't have a menu, instead they cook foods throughout the day according to veggies that are in season. It was very uniquely Austin, and a bit overpriced. I got a yellow curry that was very spicy but pretty good.

After dinner, this friend and I sat outside my dorm and performed several songs that we both love or are just good to dance to, including Times A Wastin, Rave On (Buddy Holly of course we were doing the twist to!), and Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. If you don't know this song, go listen to it. It's very good. I almost broke my ankle because being the fashion forward girl that I am I was wearing three inch heels and dancing on a low stone wall. Probably not the best combination but when the dancing foot strikes me, I can't stop it.

New stuff that I've learned:
1. Pool isn't just for bachelors at a smoky bar.
2. Werther's Original Chewy Caramels are delicious and addictive.
3. Trying to make a film for your Honors class in the school coffee shop is next to impossible because of the large amount of people that claim the coffee house as their hang out place.
4. Austin really isn't that much colder than Houston. Unfortunately.
5. You might think you have money to spend, but trust me, when you're in college money just evaporates.

until next time...

a good weekend

This weekend I went home and saw my lovely and dear family, including my two outrageously cute cousins Sophie and Chloe. Seriously, kids shouldn't be allowed to be that cute! I baked three pumpkin breads...Why three you may ask. Well, in my family it is customary to eat anything I bake within about a three hour time span. So one of the breads was gone very quickly. The second we ate for breakfast Saturday and today, there were actually still some leftovers. And the third travelled the 150 miles to Austin back with me so that I can have a bit of homemade pumpkin bread. It came out pretty well considering I didn't really use a recipe. Let me say this, if you ever want cookies, cake, brownies, breads...basically anything sweet baked, ask me to do it! Not only do I love it but I have a secret talent for it. Although I suppose it's not secret anymore since I have posted it on this blog.

Tonight I am going to have an adventure. A new friend decided that I needed to see this "Austin site that is really pretty at night." That was all I was told. Should be fun!

More later...

just a quick note...

I thought I'd just write a quick to let you all know that it is gorgeous outside and you absolutely must go outside and enjoy it! I am off to take pictures of my new favorite city: Austin. I plan on getting a few of the bats emerging from the Congress Bridge. Also, maybe a few of the interesting characters on South Congress. Wish me luck, get off the internet, and go outside! Texas doesn't give us beautiful weather often, we must enjoy it while its here!

Until next time...

sorry for the delay devoted readers

So three times today the topic of my blog came up. I knew that I had fallen behind on my writing, but for good reason I promise!! Friday I went to my first live concert in Austin at Emo's. It was a really intimate venue. A large part of my LLC went and we saw three bands, one of which was The Givers. Apparently they're a big deal in Austin, who knew? While they weren't my favorite bands ever, it still felt awesome to be out in the city, listening to music, and being with some really fun people.

Saturday I caught up on sleep mostly, and got pizza at Home Slice, a local favorite. If you haven't had it yet, you need it. It's quite delicious. I also watched The Life Aquatic, a Wes Anderson film that I had yet to see. Basically anything Wes Anderson does is amazing, although I think Fantastic Mr. Fox and Royal Tenanbaums are still my favorites. Here's a picture of my new favorite pizzeria.

Sunday, ACL. Austin City Limits. If that still doesn't ring a bell think huge park with six or seven stages with various bands performing simultaneously for three straight days. Also, think great food. Overpriced and bad for you, but very good. Oh and don't forget the massive amounts of pot that will be smoked. Not by me personally but of pretty much everyone else around me. Oh and while walking to the festival, don't be surprised to see multiple venders selling "pieces." Someone told me about all the "pieces" that were being sold and being the naive college freshman girl that I am, I had no idea what they were talking about. For those other naive persons who may or may not be reading, a "piece" is something that you smoke pot out of. I really have no idea how any of this was legal. Well, I guess it wasn't but seeing as it is so widespread I think the police give up on doing anything about it. Still, despite getting second hand munchies and feeling a bit sick during Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, it was a great experience. I saw Portugal the Man, The Morning Benders, Flaming Lips, Yeasayer, Edward Sharpe, and The National (my favorite). I would recommend it to any music lover.

So that dear readers is why I have been unable to update my blog. While it appears that no one reads this, I did have three separate people tell me today that I needed to write. So here you guys go. An update into my now-not-so-mediocre life.

Now, onto writing a paper over The Circle, an Iranian film!
Until next time...

a good day....

Today was wonderful. I finally slept for a full 8 hours, which made it a little less harder to get up in the morning. I bought an almond croissant and strolled across campus for a bit before heading off to my first class.

Classes went by fast and I was able to spend my afternoon reading for my classes and even managed to start Crime and Punishment, which I have been meaning to start for a while now but have not had time. Some might ask, "And yet you have time now? Aren't you supposed to be studying?" No, I don't really have time to be reading a book for pure "fun" so it will probably take me this entire year to finish it. Gosh, I miss the good old days of senior year when I literally had nothing to do. Actually, I don't. I love college. And especially St. Edward's. There is always a breeze up on the hilltop and every half hour the church bells ring from the chapel. It's especially nice if like today, you are walking by the soccer field and a light breeze is blowing and the late afternoon light is filtering through the trees just perfectly...and then, the church bells start ringing. It's always quite beautiful.

Some new things I've learned this week:
a. Do not wait until the day before a paper is due to start it. I never thought I'd be that person. Well guess what? I was. Twice. (It all turned out okay and the papers were actually quite good if I do say so myself)
b. There are some really nice guys. Not many, but some.
c. If your food gets stuck in a vending machine, you are out of luck. No matter how many times you hit it, it's not going anywhere.
d. Community laundry rooms get smelly really quickly.
e. If the earth's population was only 100 and if we kept the same proportions, only one of those one hundred people would have a college degree.

Be thankful for what you have!
Until next time...

new social life + two analytical papers

Yes, it happened. I made friends. It happened sometime last week when half of the Honors LLC (Living Learning Community) was cramming for our test the next day. We were all just sitting in the dorm hallway, talking. Okay, you caught me, hardly any studying was going on at all. But honestly, it was kinda worth it. We trekked over to the library to try to find everyone else in our class and instead decided to stack chairs one on top of the other...We are freshman after all, shouldn't we act like it just a bit?

The thing that was so cool about this night was that I talked to people who I have been living next to, attending a common class with, and seeing every day...but who I've never really gotten to know. We've got all kinds of people in our group. There are athletes and people who love film. People who love The Beatles and people who love Black Sabbath. (This person claims that Black Sabbath is better than The Beatles. Said person was defeated in a debate over this topic and lost horribly). We have a guy who shaves his legs and a guy with a beard. We've got a psychic and and an amazing make-up artist. We have people who are really good at taking care of people who have had a bit too much to drink, and people who are good at staying up all night (by choice). We have people who are funny and people who have a great laugh. We have people who are Muslim, Catholic, Christian, even a self-proclaimed Buddhist....but no Jews. At least I don't think there are any Jews. There are English Literature majors and Art majors and Global Studies and Psychology and a whole lot more. We are quite a crowd.

Basically what this means is that I have friends now. And so even though I have loads of homework which consists of two analytical papers and a billion pages to read, I'd rather hang out with my newfound friends. It's a good feeling to feel at home, and like you've met some people that you have things in common with. Hopefully though I can learn some good old fashioned time management!

I was worried at first that we wouldn't all bond...but I was wrong. For now, things are working out pretty great.
Until next time...

I'm a night owl now??

I never thought I'd be able to do it, but college turned me into a night owl. I know, it doesn't seem possible. But for the past two weeks I've gone to bed no earlier than eleven (and that was once! Most of the time, its much later).

Now, for someone to fully comprehend how drastic a change of lifestyle this, they must first understand my family. My grandfather wakes up at 5:30 in the morning to ride his bike for anywhere between 60 to 120 miles each day, and then does crunches. He goes to sleep early, around nine. My grandmother arises at six am each morning and goes to bed around the same time as my grandpa. Everyone likes to tell the story about how my aunt would go over her friend's houses when she was a teenager and call my grandparents to come get her in the morning because all her friends were asleep. My mom wakes up early and stays up late. Whats more, it's not just that we don't sleep. Even when we manage to drift off into something that resembles sleep, we are restless and awoken by the sound of an alarm going off in a room down the hall (that would be me).

Naturally, this inability to sleep makes my family members and I very protective over what sleep we can get. My stepdad teased me for weeks before my departure for college, convinced I'd be begging to come back, just so I could sleep in my own bed again. I admit I was skeptical as to how I'd be able to sleep, but somehow, it happened. I got used to the sound of the water constantly moving through the pipes, the cacophony of teenage boys living right next to you, the guitar music floating across the hall, and of course the occasional college breakdowns. All of it eventually blends into a sound that is more like white noise than bothersome noises that keep you up at night.

Needless to say though, this whole staying up until 2 am, just talking to people, wandering around campus, shivering in the new fall weather....While it may give me bags under my eyes, I like it a whole lot better than sleeping.

Until next time...

3 october 2010

My mom has always told me (and everyone else in our family) about how much she hates myspace, facebook, twitter, and personal blogs. She says that they are self-centered, ridiculously stupid, and presumptuous. Presumptuous that anyone would care to read about what is going on in your life. This is true. Now that I have acknowledged that it is highly unlikely that anyone cares about what is going on in my life, I am free to write. I am currently half way through my first semester at college in Austin and as I start off on "life's next great adventure" (thanks for the cliché graduation cards Hallmark), I hope to write honestly about the unique and eccentric experiences I could encounter by going to college. For today, I leave you with a few key things I have learned...

a. Six hours of homework is normal. No, not for the weekend, for the week day.
b. I can write a 3 to 4 page paper in an hour. Sometimes less.
c. A Meyer can learn to sleep through the sounds of a college dorm.
d. Almond croissants are delicious with vanilla steamers, especially if enjoyed while walking across a beautiful campus during the first few days of fall.
e. A lot of college kids smoke and have tattoos. Actually just a lot of people in Austin smoke and have tattoos.
f. Just because you speak English, doesn't mean that you speak American (American's have A LOT of accents).

And that's not including all of the academic lessons I've learned so far, which have been plentiful as well (No really, they have been). 

Until next time...