Life, love, & design.

Listening to: "Waking Up" by Olin & the Moon

(I love websites like NoiseTrade and Brite Revolution. So much great, free music to be discovered. I've found some of my now-favorite songs through them. Definitely something to check out! This song in particular is one of those chill, rainy day-type songs. For whatever reason, songs like that tend to be my favorites. Anyway. Get it on Brite Revolution.)

Hello again! I think it's time for a real update. There are so many things spinning around in my head at the moment, but I think most of them can be classified under one of three things, hence the title of this post.

Life
First: A quick breakdown on what's going on with me. Overall, life is good. However, I've decided that spring semesters just aren't as good as fall semesters (though much less dramatic, which I am perfectly okay with). Oh well. Currently...

• Spring break! Yay! After changing plans 85 times, I decided to come home until Wednesday night. Mike's going to pick me up in Atlanta and after he gets off work on Thursday, we're heading to Kentucky to see his parents for a day. I'm actually kinda excited about that.
• Ridiculous reviews on Amazon. Today, I discovered this gem of a review for Mae's (a)fternoon EP:

"This is music. If you like music, buy this. This is not a box of croutons. If you want croutons you are looking in the wrong place. In Pieces is a good song. Better than Prince, or anything from the 80's. If you are from the 90's you would probably rather listen to croutons shaking around than 80's music. If that's the case, buy this Mae album or a box of croutons, but not 80's songs."

Ummm...what?! Hahaha! People are so ridiculous.

• Advance Class Selection. Oh my gosh. To think that I'm registering for classes for my senior year of college is mind-boggling. How on EARTH am I this old?* 27 hours to go, and only 9 of those consist of required classes. Hello, fun electives!

Love
Two things: 1) relationships are hard and 2) I don't love other people anywhere near as much as I should. Both have been bothering me lately.

First of all, relationships. The give-and-take side of love can be a hard thing, I'm finding, but at the same time, I wouldn't give it up for anything. My biggest problem right now? Dealing with all the petty criticism from other people. I never thought I'd say this, but it's making graduation look sweeter every day.

Photo Cred: Julian Bialowas

Second, I've been reading this book called Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol for my Child Development class, and I can't stop thinking about it. It focuses on the lives of children growing up in the South Bronx district of NYC, and while I do think the book has a bit of a political agenda and possibly overstates a few things, I also think it contains a good deal of truth. And that truth is slightly heartbreaking. I guess I just don't understand why we (myself included) feel that we have the right to treat certain people worse than others, simply based on social standing, be it economic status or popularity. We're all human. We all have hearts that can love and hurt with equal depth. We all have hopes and fears for the future. It's cliché to say, but underneath all of our differences, we're so similar. So some of us make bad decisions. Who doesn't? It's like no one cares to look a little deeper to try and understand the reasons behind the undesirable things we see in others, yet we're so resentful of those who judge us on a surface level. Why do we expect something from others that we aren't even willing to live up to ourselves? The book also has me thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life--and what I'm currently doing. I'm not completely sure what, specifically, I'm planning to do, but I do know that I want to make it a point in both my career and my everyday life to love the people that the rest of the world seems to deem "unlovable," no matter what. That I am sure of.

Design

Anyway, switching gears: I have been so obsessed with design-related stuff lately. Not that this is anything new, really--I'm always up for some good design. But I'll also go through phases where I seriously cannot get enough of it and now is one of those times. Blogs, magazines, anything. I love it.

Pro: It gets me thinking about creative ideas to implement later (i.e. future home, designs for my future freelance design business--or maybe just design classes, but hey, I can dream--or, you know, just whatever).
Con: I have to wait to implement them.

Anyway, here are a few things I've been liking lately:

Julian Bialowas' 365Q Photos
Seriously gorgeous-yet-simple photography/typography, and I like the quotes, too. After seeing these pictures, I kinda want to visit Alberta, Canada. You'll probably be seeing some of these show up in future posts (one of which can be seen above).

Rue Magazine

It's a fairly new online magazine devoted to design of all types (especially interior). There's some really great stuff to be found! I mean, seriously, I even like the ads. Since it's an online magazine, if you see something you like, you can usually click on it for a direct link to buy. Pretty cool! As far as particular favorites, I'm kinda liking the modern-rustic design in the Brooke Giannetti article on page 37 of the latest issue. Seems like a good combination for me.

Random Collaborations of Other Cool Stuff**

I just like things. Like these:

1. Firefly wedding invitations 2. "Me & You" engraved pencils 3. Ventricle vase 4. "Things To Do When Bored" poster 5. Chalkboard paint

So! That's my life lately. Hopefully, I won't go so long between "real" updates next time, but with me, you never can tell. Until then, I hope things are going awesomely for the rest of you!

*No, I don't actually think 20 is "old," but I do think that it's old for me. How can I possibly already be an "adult"?! What the heck, life? Stop going by so fast!
**Ahem. In case you didn't pick up on this, every word in that subtitle is a link to a different design-related blog. Enjoy!

Thinking, over-thinking...

Listening To: You're Not Sorry by Taylor Swift

I have recently come to the realization that I think entirely too much.

I was talking to Mike the other night, having one of our usual Facebook conversations about nothing in particular, and we somehow got on the subject of thinking and the random stuff I think about. Well, now I can't stop thinking about those things. For example, the concept of Opposite Day has eluded me my whole life. I mean, if you actually say the opposite for everything, you end up saying something that's not really the opposite of what you mean at all. Like, for "Everything is beautiful," you would say, "Nothing isn't ugly," which doesn't really make sense at all. At least, it definitely isn't the opposite in meaning, which would be "Nothing is beautiful," or maybe, "Everything is ugly." But then you aren't really using opposites. Not only that, but how can you even tell someone that it's Opposite Day? If you say, "Today is Opposite Day," on Opposite Day, then by the very nature of Opposite Day, you're saying it's not really Opposite Day at all. But if you tell people that it's not Opposite Day, then everyone will be confused and everything you say will get taken the wrong way. (Oh, and "Today is Opposite Day"...what's the opposite of that, anyway?! "Yesterday wasn't a regular day?" That doesn't even make sense!) It's just a big problem, enough of one that I think Opposite Day should be abolished forever.

Another thing I've thought about a lot throughout my life is thinking! There's one that is guaranteed to give you a headache. Just count on it. Seriously, how the heck do we think? It doesn't make sense. Yeah, so there's a bunch of chemical reactions going on and electricity and whatever, but how does that form a concept in your mind? Not only that, but how can you think in concepts, even when you can't put it into words? I don't get it. That used to frustrate me to no end when I was a kid. And by kid, I mean like 5 years old. What 5-year-old thinks about this stuff?!?

Oh, and feelings! Where do they come from? How is it possible to physically feel an emotion? When you're sad, why do you feel a literal pain in your heart? Or when you like someone, why does it feel so weird in your stomach? Where does that come from?!

I don't just think about stupid random stuff, though. I think about people a lot. I like people. I like their differences and similarities and how they interact with each other. I like watching groups of friends, how each person within the group is a totally unique individual, yet there's this general nature or personality of the group as a whole that each person contributes to. I like how total opposites can complement each other and get along perfectly. I like how complex we all are, yet somehow fit together. People are just so cool. That's why I like studying personalites. I gave my whole family something similar to the MBTI test the other day, just for my own amusement. It was so interesting! Like, me and my brother were literally exact opposites (I'm an ENFJ; he's an ISTP). How did that happen? We both grew up in the same house, were raised the same way...yet we're completely different people. So cool. And just look at my group of friends--talk about diversity! We all have very different personalities, talents, and interests, yet we get along incredibly well. I love it!

Something else: How one tiny action on the part of one person can end up affecting another person's life in major ways with this ripple effect kind of thing. Small-scale example: When I was a lot younger, my musical tastes were very limited. There wasn't much range at all; it was pretty much confined to pop-related stuff. Well, I started liking this guy, and his tastes were definitely different than mine. In an effort to have more in common with him, I started trying to listen to some of his music, which introduced me to a lot of new artists. That just had this ripple effect to create my current musical tastes, which are very diverse. If my tastes had never been broadened, I never would have heard a ton artists that I now love. I never would have listened to so many songs that God has used in my life. And God definitely uses music in my life. He speaks to me through songs a lot, and those songs have helped me through a lot of difficult times. But that never would've been possible had I not liked that guy. (Okay, maybe that was sort of a lame example, but you get the idea.)

I also think about my own life and how everything interrelates. That's just a God-thing, in my opinion. It's so cool to look back at different experiences and to be able to see at least part of the reasoning behind why each thing happened. I'm going blank on examples right now, but trust me, there have been countless ones. I like thinking about this in regards to other people's lives, too.

Oh, good grief. Now I've set off about a zillion thought processes in my mind. Excuse me while I go ponder on all of this for the next 3 hours.

My Life and Thoughts: The Short Version.

Listening To: Enough For Now by The Fray

Every "normal" entry I try to write feels too weird and introspective and reminds me of someone I do not want to be compared to. Heh! Since I don't have much to say that I can go into any real detail on, here's the short version. 

A few quick points...

• I have recently discovered that some friendships aren't worth maintaining. I'm starting to see how it's a good thing that God took the relationship away. I am so over it. Sometimes, being acquaintances is better. (Even if it is a little awkward.)

• Taking things one day at a time is a good idea. Sometimes, though, I wish I could press the fast-forward button on life. But then, that would mean some of the greatest moments of life would never happen. The wait is a huge part of what makes them great, I think. That's hard to remember when you're still in the process of the wait.

• The words I speak matter so much. I can never know how they will affect someone, and once you say them, it's done--you can't ever take them back. I realized a few days ago that I am way too flippant with what I say. I can say something negative about someone and then realize that they're standing right behind me. Even if the particular person isn't around, I don't know who will hear what I say. I mean, have you ever realized how many random, unexpected connections there are between people? What if I say something bad about someone to someone else and it turns out those two are best friends who have known each other for years? Not only that, but words have major power. A mindless comment can change someone's life. Literally.

• You never, ever, ever know what other people are going through. Treat them well. Always.

• To go along with that, since when does someone being different than me give me the right to treat them with less respect? Just wondering, because I'm finding that it's the norm to talk about, degrade, and ignore those who are less "socially acceptable," and I'm not seeing how that's okay. I am such a jerk for allowing myself to be blinded to that fact and even participate. That stops here--people are people. We all deserve to be loved and respected. I want to be accepted for who I am, quirks and all (because I definitely have my share). I think I owe the rest of the world that courtesy, too.

Just a few things to remember. That's all.

P.S. Spring break has been good, but I wouldn't object to seeing my friends. :) However, I haven't been quite so anxious to get back as usual. I think that's a good thing.