Look & Feel

...how do we feel about the changes?
(I really love the header)
Feedback is welcome... (as per usual)

Plan v1

Met with the mentor yesterday. I was tasked with making a list of grad school programs that interst me. I was told not to go further and figure out where I'd go with them... but I did anyway. I love lists.

I realize it's kinda hard to read but it's a plan... sorta and I kinda like it... sorta.

Breakthrough

...It might've been due to the fact that I was listening to my "breakthrough" music (a title that has appropriately been given to one of my favorite bands, Muse... listen to them... you'll agree w/my title, it's most apparent in their most recent album)... but my car and I are now friends. At first, the wobbly stick and I did not get along. I hated driving it and wanted my Crayola back. Consider this history my friends... This weekend, Saturday I went to Los Lunas for a friend's Graduation party and then to Corrales to Kate's parents' for a going away bbq for one of Kate & her mom's co-workers. I drove Subbie (still trying to figure out the correct spelling) quite a bit... when I was on Alamedia, on my way to the bbq it hit me. I like my car. I've learned how to work the stick and really enjoy driving my little Subbie. I thought this was a noteworthy event. Enough about cars.

Straight up

Augusten Burroughs

I'm sure you've probably heard of him... Wrote that one book... has a boy with a box over his head on the cover... A New York Times Bestseller... they made a movie of it... movie had a lot of great actors... everyone I know hated it... I loved it...

Anyway... His 5th book came out last year, I was excited (of course) but couldn't read it right away. Books are first published in hardback and I don't like hardback so I had to wait 'till the paperback edition was released. This is sorta good cuz paperbacks are usually cheaper than hardbacks unless of course it's used at Hastings... then the hardbacks are like $4.99 and the paperbacks are somewhere around $7.50... this doesn't make too much sense. I think they do it to drive people like me nuts... whatever. I'm think I'm just extra bitter because I didn't want to spend $7.50 on a used, better edition of Dave Egger's AHWOSG that has the cool appendix of "Mistakes we Knew we Were Making" when I already own the book and have (somewhere) a photo copy my aunt sent me of the appendix. So the better edition of Burroughs' was released on April 17th this year... I was a month late in purchasing it cuz A. I'm poor and B. School was still in session (and I don't read during school... I mean "for pleasure")... so I bought it yesterday... or maybe it was the day before... yeah it was, so I wasn't really a full month behind (yesssss!). I'm about 22ish pages into it and love it, I actually wish I was reading it right now... I just love his voice... wonderful. I actually forgot the part that I was planning on mentioning in the blog... probably because I can't stop thinking about that Eggers book I can't find anywhere that they have at Hastings...for only $7.50... I'm gonna go buy it when I get off work. Oh yeah, Burroughs is awesome and makes me want to go to London even more... he's so cool... and great... maybe I'll read more after buying Eggers book. I hope it's still there. oofta.

A great day

So, dad and I had a "shooting" trip to the zoo planned for today. The weather this morning wasn't really the weather we were shootin' for... aside from the rain, the sky was a boring gray so we figured it wouldn't make for very good photos. It worked out though cuz dad is super busy this time of year and had a lot he was putting aside for this. I was also able to save Amy some day care money and spend time with my favorite. :) We had a great time!

Mom doesn't believe I feed him so I had to document it. He's kinda goofy.
We hung out at home and played with TMNT for a while. It turned out to be a beautiful day so we went to the park... ...and climbed the "super rock" Although the zoo with dad would've been a blast I'm kinda glad I was able to take time off of work just to hang out. The mission of "de-stressing" myself from this past semester was definitely accomplished.

Addiction, discovered.

I hear the first step is admitting you have a problem...


It's unreal how much emotion can be surfaced from the subtle activity of listening to music. One of the albums that repeatedly has a strong effect on me is the Postal Service's Give Up. This is the CD that I predominately listened to when moved out of my parents' house. So many "big changes" happened during this time as if moving out for the first time wasn't enough, my boyfriend (of 3 years) and I broke up. Every time I hear this album, I am reminded of these changes in such a strong way. I get very potent (sometimes painful) bursts of a wide variety of emotions when listening. They're not quite long enough for me to fully marinade but it's just enough. I love it, hate it and want more. It's an addiction and I have a problem.

Mom

You'd be lucky to know her... and she's my mom.

Mom and grandma (dad's mom) on Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day mommy, you have given me more than I could ever ask for.
I love you!

Another reason...

...why I should pursue ASL...

After the end of the first final I begin to obsess over checking my grades. I find it interesting that one of my classes that ended last was the first to post a grade. This class ended around 9am Thursday and the grade was up Friday evening. I realize that Bonnie is extremely on top of things and more organized than any other professor I've come in contact with but really, come on now. Why don't I have a grade for the class that ended the Wednesday of the week before final's week? Ridiculous I tell you.

I want my grades.

10 Kudos to Bonnie. ASL's lookin' pretty hot right now. Lame, I know.

Dom and Shay

School's out? Let's hang out on campus!
Taken yesterday Friday, May 11th...

Dom bein' gay

LIttle Sister

I don't care what anyone says, little sisters are the best! One of the things I look forward to the most is sister time. Another thing I really enjoy is taking photos. Put 2+ 2 together and you have a happy Nichole. Sister and I climbed a rock, "Super Rock" (in flip flops) on Thursday
... here are some of the good (relatively speaking) photos....

She's pretty. I absolutely love this one!
I have appropriately titled it "Squishy go zoom"

Suby Smiles

I was messin around with dad's fisheye and caught my Stinky Suby smilin'

...I see a positive relationship being built! :)