So, I went to Portland...

And I did some stuff, and I took some pictures.

I used Wi-Fi on a plane n' drank orange juice n' took webcam pics like a teenage girl.
(And then I watched The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, because you can do that on planes now)

I took some blurry pics.

Quite a few blurry pics, really.

I saw a real, live payphone!

I also saw a majestic waterfall.

Ate some foods.

Bought some things.

Then I flew home.

I also spent tons and tons of time with my homie, went to a comic con, and heard the same four Sailor Moon episodes playing on a constant loop. I had a great time and wish I could have stayed there for a million more days.

The Dream of the 90's...

Tomorrow at this time I'll be in an airplane flying across the country. I am going out to Portland, OR to visit my BFF from high school and I am so super excited. Portland has always been a city I wanted to visit, and now I finally can. Plus, right around my 31st birthday a month ago, I started to get ridiculously nostalgic for my teen years. That's when I booked my ticket. I miss the 90's. I miss my crew of best friends, and always having somewhere to go or something to do. I miss watching TRL, eating 3D Doritos and Hot Pockets, having really stupid adventures that seemed way more awesome. I miss the music, and the movies that all starred Jennifer Love Hewitt or Freddie Prinze, Jr. or Julia Stiles. I know that I won't truly get to relive the 90's, but it'll be awesome to spend time with my friend and buy cute things and see mountains and nature again. And she has adorable kids!

Plus I think I'm going to get a tattoo while I'm there... EEEEEP!

Tattoos

When I was 18 (or possibly 19? It was a long time ago!) I got my first and only tattoo, three stars on my right shoulder. I always intended to get more, but never really got around to it. A few years ago I decided that I definitely wanted a Charley Harper tattoo, probably an owl or a bird. I had the placement all picked out, and had it narrowed down to a few different illustrations, but kept putting it off. 

 The top two illustrations are by Charley Harper. The
bottom left illustration is by Mary Blair and the bottom
right is by Aliki.

So in the past few months I have been thinking a lot more about tattoos, and I think that I'm going to go for it soon. I actually have three that I'd like, but I'm not totally sure on the placement.

The top left illustration I would get on the front of my right shoulder. At the risk of sounding super lame, I like to think of sparrows as my spirit animal. I really love birds and the way sparrows hop hop hop around and are chill little dudes. This picture of the song sparrow has long been something I've wanted, so I really want to try to make it happen. 

I think all the other illustrations would work best on my arm. Not, like, all together, but if I picked one, that's where it would go! I love vintage children's book illustrations, and Mary Blair and Aliki are two of my favorite illustrators. These are just two representative pictures. There are millions of adorable pictures that I totally love. 

Harriet the Spy. If there was ever a book character
to identify with, Harriet M. Welch is my homegirl.

My very favorite book of all time is Harriet the Spy. Harriet is my spirit animal in imaginary child form. She's a little creeper, always getting in trouble, and manages to get everyone super mad at her. In the end, it all turns out ok and she learns some life lessons, etc. When I was a young adult, I totally dressed like Harriet (not on purpose): hoodie, t-shirt, cuffed jeans, black Chucks, black glasses. 

Anyway, that's a whole jumble of words to say that I feel like I need a Harriet the Spy tattoo. The big problem with this is placement. I have no idea where to put this tattoo. Walking around with what is to many people some random lil' girl on my arm or leg seems sort of weird. It's going to take some thought for me to figure it out. I think the picture of her writing in her spy notebook is where it's at.

Anyway, I'm going to work to make a new tattoo a reality. I'm in the process of writing up some goals for the coming year (my 31st birthday is a week away), and this will definitely be included. I'll definitely post pictures when it happens!

Internship news... And a favorite song!

My favorite band at the moment is Tennis, and Origins is my jam!

Yesterday I gave my notice at the Bux, because I have secured two awesome library internships. One is just for the summer, working for the state library on some pretty awesome projects. The other is in a public library, for the rest of my time in grad school, and I'll be working with kids & teens. I am super excited because I will be able to explore to areas of librarianship that I'm really interested in: services to youth and technology. The summer internship is unpaid, but it seemed like an opportunity that was too interesting to pass up. The funny thing is that I have stayed away from applying for internships and library jobs in the past, because I had convinced myself that I wouldn't even get an interview, let alone a job offer... But I ended up getting interviewed for everything I applied for. The interviews all went really well, even! It was a nice confidence boost, and I'm trying to keep it going!

There are a few downsides to leaving my coffee job (like losing awesome health insurance, my stock options, and the major pay-cut I'm taking), but the one that makes me the saddest is leaving behind my little group of bros on the night crew. For a long time, we all worked together just about every night, and I feel really close to those kids! So close, in fact, that I call them my kids, but, y'know, I'm not crazy. I am going to miss working with them, talking in a British accent for hours on end for no good reason.

I'm going to have to cut down on my spending this summer, because my income is going to be cut in half... I'm trying to come up with creative ways to make it fun, but I'm coming up short. Luckily, working in a library, I'll have access to lots of books! I'm taking the summer semester off, so I hope to read a million books, catch up on all the craft projects I haven't been able to complete, and work on my web design and coding skills.

Photo a day April, Day 2: colors

Photo a day April, Day 2: colors, a photo by hello jenny on Flickr.

I used to make and sell plastic headbands for Blythe dolls. It was a lot of fun; I had always wanted to have an Etsy shop, and running one that was popular for awhile was definitely an awesome experience. It could be very stressful sometimes, because for certain sought after headband sets, or some of the unique embellished pieces, people would buy things as soon as I was able to list them in the shop. When I first opened, I had an avalanche of orders; I was not really prepared to make and ship fifty sets of headbands in a very short amount of time. It was exciting, though, and for a while I was able to work from home on something that I loved.

Things slowed down a bit, my dad got sick (and eventually passed away), and I started to have trouble keeping up. I didn't have a lot of time to make new headbands, to take photos, or to write cute descriptions. Once I started graduate school, I decided to put my shop on vacation for awhile, assuming that once I got into the swing of things, it would be easy to start back up again. That was almost a year ago. Sometimes I think about starting up again, because I have a huuuuuuge stockpile of supplies that I don't really have any other use for, and because I love the hustle and bustle of packaging things up cutely and making a million post office trips. I just don't know if it's ever going to happen, though.

This picture has some of my favorite bows, cabochons, and other cute embellishments that I used in my headband making. They were the first thing I thought of when I saw what today's Photo A Day challenge was. I love color, and it was a lot of fun to group these together and dream up different ways that I could use these... Maybe some bow pins and barrettes?

Photo a day April!

Photoadayapril, my reflection., a photo by hello jenny on Flickr.

I am going to try this challenge for the third month in a row, maybe I'll actually follow through this time! Today's challenge was "your reflection".

It's been a busy couple of weeks. I've gone on quite a few internship interviews; I am waiting to hear back on two of them and I've accepted one position for the summer.

I'm off to work for the evening, blergh. I spent the day cleaning and organizing. There is so much to do! In addition to my cleaning tasks, I have a small stack of schoolwork to catch up on. It never ends!

The (un)luck of the 1/8th Irish

It's a beautiful day and I am stuck inside working on schoolwork. I think that I'm getting my master's degree in group projects, not library science. Here's a quickie post because I needed a break/distraction!

Check out these cute sandals:

This week, I ordered them from ModCloth, where they're known as the On Your Wavelength sandal. I know that with ModCloth, you really need to shop around first, since they mark everything up like it's their job. Although I am an expert searcher of the internets, I couldn't find the brand or style anywhere... Since they were only $29.99, I decided it give up and just buy 'em.

Yesterday, I discovered UrbanOg, and what do you know, there are my sandals. In three colors. For only $18.40. Never again, ModCloth!!! You may have cute pictures, and good customer service, and twee descriptions for your products, but I'd rather save $11!

Anyway, I've got to get back to sippin' on some sizzurp iced coffee and writing about how to search scientific databases.

Have an amazing St. Paddy's Day! I'll be working, slinging lattes until midnight!

What's in my March Birchbox?

Like most people, I really, really love getting fun things in the mail. About six months ago, I was watching a lot of random YouTube makeup tutorials and stumbled across videos of girls displaying the contents of their Birchboxes. Seeing them showing off all their cool loot, I immediately began doing research. To my surprise, there are a number of monthly subscription beauty boxes out there, and it seems like more and more pop up every day. I decided to go with Birchbox because it had mainly positive reviews and seemed like a good deal.

Birchbox is $10 a month; for that $10, you get a handful of samples of high-end beauty products, with an occasional full-size product. All the products you receive in your monthly box are available for purchase on the Birchbox website. For every dollar spent you earn points that can be redeemed for more stuff. I have yet to buy anything from the site, so I can't really comment on how well that aspect of the service works.



I have to admit that the Birchboxes I have received so far have been pretty hit or miss. I was REALLY disappointed in my first box, which I received in November. In that one, I received two sad paper coasters, a teeny-tiny tin of foot salve, a Borghese mud mask that made me break out something fierce, the most microscopic container of lip gloss you've ever encountered, and a super smelly perfume sample. At the time, I asked myself, "ten dollars for this?" and considered cancelling. Ultimately, I decided to continue taking my chances, because many other subscribers had received really awesome stuff in their boxes.

I have now received five Birchboxes, and each one has gotten better than the last. Some products are amazing, but for every bottle of lavender Zoya nail polish, there's a tiny packet of powdered mouthwash (?!). The best items I've received up until now (pictured below) have been the Zoya nail polish, a pack of Eye Rock instant eyeliner tapes, and a small sample of Benefit's The Porefessional, which is something I already used and loved.



Today when I got home from running errands, my March box was waiting for me. I have to say that this month's box is altogether the best box I have received so far! Now, that's not to say that any one product is a must-have, but the samples were of a good size and I can see myself using all of them. Here's a look at my March Birchbox!

The box itself is very cute, and everything is nicely wrapped. Each month when you open your box, there's a little card with a letter from the Birchbox team. On the flipside is a list of the products in your box. I never look at that until later so I don't spoil the surprise!



Removing the card and folding back the tissue, I found a tube of Miss Jessie's Quick Curls curl creme, J & E Atkinsons I Coloniali shower cream, a little wrapped bundle, and a packet of body cream.



Inside the little wrapped bundle was a little bottle of Color Club nail polish in Jackie Oh! (a really bright hot pink), a jar of One Love Organics Skin Savior beauty balm, and a little pouch of WEI Pomegranate buffing beads.



All told, March's Birchbox definitely gets an A+ from me. The samples I received this month were of a nice size, didn't smell particularly like old ladies, and will definitely be useful. No powdered mouthwash, paper coasters, or tiny packets of weird granola this month! Yay!!

30 Days of Lists: Even more lists!

A bunch of lists that I've done this week:

Day 10: Today I...


Day 11: Right now I am...


Day 12: Superpowers I'd like to have


Day 13: 10 years ago I...


Day 14: Tools and toys to try


I really need to find the battery charger to my point-and-shoot, because I feel bad for constantly posting Instagram pictures. Sorry!

Catching up

I've been really busy with work and school for the past week and I haven't had much time to devote to blogging, let alone taking pictures of my lists. Today's my day off and I'm not feeling very well, plus I've got a rather full plate, but I'm going to try to catch up on some non-school and non-work things. So in the middle of reading a chapter of my reference textbook, writing up a few summaries, and applying for an awesome internship, I'm going to write a few blog posts in advance, take pictures of all of the lists that are just chillin' in my Smash book, catch up on some blog reading, and hopefully make a few more crafts that I saw on Pinterest.

Or I might take a nap.

Here's a handful of lists that I haven't posted here yet. I'll post the rest soon!









As you can see in the last list, from day 9, I bought myself an Instax Mini! It was delivered a few days ago, and so far, I really, really love it. Next on my list is to order some Hello Kitty film... So cute!

30 Days of Lists: Days 4 & 5

Two days worth of lists to post, since I spent yesterday working and doing research for a paper that was due today!

I spent all day writing a paper about doing research. It was actually pretty fun, but now I just want to lay in bed, eat snacks, and watch cheesy movies. I think I am going to watch You've Got Mail, as I am a major nerd for romantic comedies. I can't help it, I love movies about love!

I don't really believe in guilty pleasures. I like to feel pride in whatever I like, whether it's my non-ironic love of 90's teen TV shows, cheesy pop music, or my giant Spice Girls memorabilia collection... But for some reason, I feel a little bit of shame for my love of romantic comedies. Pffft. I know every line of Sleepless in Seattle, and I am constantly searching Netflix to see if any of my favorites are available to watch instantly. Now you know my dirty secrets. Time for me to go watch two people fall in love using AOL! There will be misunderstandings and zany hijinks!

30 Days of Lists: Day 3

Ok, I promise I won't just blog lists! I have some different posts planned, I promise! But for now, it's list time. I don't really love how this list turned out. I'm not a big fan of the background, but it was the next page in my Smash book, so I worked with what I had.

Recipe for the Perfect Weekend:
+ No work
+ No schoolwork
+ Sleeping in (which, when you regularly wake up for work at 4:30 am, can just be sleeping til 8:30)
+ Netflix & Hulu
+ New jammies
+ Estate sales
+ Tasty snacks
+ Lots of time to craft!

Unfortunately, most of my weekends are filled with working and catching up on my classwork. If I'm lucky, I might get two weekdays off in a row, which is always a nice treat.

30 Days of Lists: Day 2

My goals for the month:

+ Pack my lunch everyday (I am REALLY lazy about this, I always end up buying garbage for lunch)
+ Refine the design of my blog
+ Complete all of my assignments ahead of time
+ Organize all of my craft storage
+ Apply for a job or internship every week
+ Read 4 books for pleasure (I read constantly, but lately it's just journal articles and textbooks. Major sadface!)
+ Pay off 2 credit cards
+ Clean my room and go to IKEA to buy my new bed

30 Days of Lists: Day 1

Today was my second day off of three days in a row, and it was nice and relaxing. I wore my pajamas all day, ate awesome snacks, did a little bit of cleaning, and mostly just hung out with my pets and listened to music. It was awesome! I worked six days straight before this little mini-vacation, so I'm trying to appreciate the time off as much as possible.

Since today is March 1st, I was able to begin the 30 Days of Lists challenge. Here's my first list:

Six challenges for me to accept are:
1) Blog three times a week (at least!)
2) Find a library job or volunteer
3) Do something creative every single day
4) Complete the 30 Days of Lists challenge
5) Join the gym already
6) Master HTML and CSS

I had a lot of fun creating my little list page in my Smash book. I am excited to have an excuse to use some of my washi tape collection and all of the papercrafting supplies I have stockpiled. My mom bought me a cardmaking kit at Christmas that had all of these cute woodland creature cutouts and stickers, and I was finally able to put them to use today!

I sometimes have a hard time sticking with things, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to complete all 30 days of lists... We'll see!

hi!

It's been a long time since I've updated my blog, but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things. School and work have kept me very busy for the past few months, but I'm trying to learn how to organize my time a little better. I get so much more stressed out when I don't make time for myself and the things that I enjoy.

This semester I am taking classes in reference services and software productivity tools. Lots of reading and playing around with Microsoft Office! I've been doing some on-site observations at a local library, and I feel like I've learned a lot. Being in the library has really driven home how much I want to do this as a career, and has pushed me harder to look around for more opportunities to start working in a library. I've probably written 15 cover letters this week, and I've been applying to jobs and internships left and right.

I got some really awesome new glasses from Coastal a few weeks ago! I had been dying for a pair of the Ray-Ban cat-eye glasses, but I couldn't find anyplace near me that had them and had them cheap. I saw a link to Coastal on a random blog and started browsing and came across the most bomb pair ever!!! They're by a company called Love and they have little hearts on the corners! They come in a bunch of different colors, so I think I'm probably going to get a few more pairs. There was a coupon code to get your first pair free, so I only had to pay for shipping. Best impulse purchase ever!

Tomorrow is the beginning of March, so I've signed up for 30 Days of Lists. I'm pretty excited to start out, and I really hope I am able to stick with it. I'm going to get off the internets now and get to work on making a super-cute notebook to put my lists into. XO!