Girly Things

It's been a rough few days. This semester just needs to be over already. For reals...

I'm looking forward to days when I'm not hunched over my computer, alternating between editing my thesis, working on drafts for SBC, and banging my head against my desk in frustration. I'm especially looking forward to wearing my new suede ballet flats, which I nearly ruined after leaving them out on my porch overnight, not realizing that the light rain and wind I fell asleep to would turn into an apocalyptic storm (by Oregon standards), dumping buckets of water onto my sparkly purchase. Luckily, I'd sprayed leather protectant on them earlier (the smell is why they were on the porch), so while they aren't as soft as they were before, they escaped relatively unscathed. Until then, I think I'm going to make myself feel like a girl again and paint my nails. That way, at least I have something pretty to look at as my fingers are typing furiously on the keyboard for hours on end...

Sigh...

I Just Discovered Pandora...

...and I'm officially hooked. Unfortunately, my Death Cab for Cutie station is putting me in more of dream state than a thesis writing state. Oh well, 36 pages in the can, I think closing my eyes and pretending that Ben Gibbard was my husband instead of Zooey Deschanel's is allowed...

Instant Karma

A few weeks ago when I was stuck on the couch with an infected tooth, I stumbled upon a 'House' marathon on Bravo. I had totally forgotten how awesome this show is! I only wish I could be half as sarcastic as Hugh Laurie portrays Dr. House to be. I guess I have a few years to perfect the art...

Anyway, I was watching an episode called "Instant Karma" tonight. It was about a billionaire whose son was dying and after dozens of doctors couldn't figure out why, he took him to House. It was looking pretty grim for the kid and his dad was convinced that he was being punished for all of the good fortune that had come to him over his life (remember, he was a billionaire). Even after they were sure that the son only had 24 hours left to live, the dad decided that if he sold off his company, effectively throwing his fortune in the trash, the karma would work its magic and cure his son. Miraculously (and through the magic of television), House figures out what's actually wrong with the kid and is able to save him. The dad, no longer the rich business tycoon, was convinced that he had restored balance and that's why his son was saved; he believed he'd proved that you can't have it all and he had to sacrifice one thing in order to save another.

I've wondered about this concept for some time. Can we really have it all or is there something out there making sure that those of us that are lucky in one area are unlucky in another? If that were true, wouldn't it just encourage us all to be mediocre at everything? I wonder about this in my own life because I feel that there are a few areas of my life where I've been particularly lucky while other areas have been nothing short of disastrous. If I had sacrificed being successful in some areas, would my life be at all different?

I keep hearing about this Best Actress Oscar Curse in the wake of the revelation that newly minted Oscar winner Sandra Bullock's husband had been cheating on her for a year with a tattooed white supremacist "lady" (the quote are there for a reason). If you look back over the past several years, most of the women that have won the Best Actress Oscar have ended up getting divorced from their husbands within the year (see: Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Winslet). These women are at the top of their careers and as if the universe is trying to correct the imbalance, they suddenly lose something that I'm guessing might have been pretty important to them. It might just be a conspiracy theory, but it kinda makes you wonder...

Maybe it's just that when things are going ridiculously well in your life, anything that happens to mess with it seems slightly more epic than it really is. Maybe, like the father on 'House,' we need these things to happen so that we can evaluate what's really important. Maybe I'm already suffering from spring break burnout and have had way too much time to myself today. Either way, it's something to think about...

This Is Spring Break?

Today was the first full day of spring and it started out in typical Oregon fashion: rain. It seemed almost fitting that I lugged my computer over to school and spent four hours working on my thesis in the SBC office.

I got nearly five pages of writing done, putting the grand total up to 30 pages of thesis-goodness. If I keep this pace up, hopefully I won't be scrambling at the end of the week to get it done (since the goal is to get this puppy finished by next Sunday).

Vacations are lame. Is spring break over yet? Is this semester over yet? I'm ready to fill my brain with CA bar prep and hopefully push out all of the unimportant stuff that's taking up space right now...

I'm the Happy Gilmore of Mini-Golf

I have always been ridiculously competitive. Unfortunately, I can be a bit of a jerk when I'm winning and a sore loser when things go south. Actually, the first time my mom caught me swearing, I was around eight years old and playing Sonic the Hedgehog on my Sega Game Gear. My little hedgehog died and I yelled "Damnit!" Needless to say, my temper and my four letter vocabulary hasn't gotten much better over the past twenty years...

Mini-golf did cap off a pretty decent day. I finally got all of my bar loan stuff straightened out, so I won't have to resort to my alternate plan of selling non-essential organs on the black market. Phew!

To start my spring break off right, I plan on not setting any alarms tomorrow and try to catch up on the sleep I've been missing out on these past few weeks. Now with all the loan stuff straightened out, I think I may be able to sleep peacefully tonight...

Kiss Me, I'm Irish (Looking)

It's St. Patrick's Day (well, it was about an hour ago), the one day where everyone 1) informs me that I have red hair (because I hadn't noticed over the past 27 years) and 2) assumes that I'm Irish because of it. I'm actually half-Norwegian thank-you-very-much...


St. Patrick's day is pretty much lost on me since I don't drink. I went out with friends tonight and I'm pretty sure most of the people at the bar had been drinking since the early afternoon. The picture above is actually from last summer when I was in Vegas, where my drink of choice was a Shirley Temple. All the flavor minus the likelihood of turning into a hot mess by the end of the night. I think I can live with that...

It was a nice way to kick off the official start of spring break (at least it was the official start for me, since I was smart enough to schedule four day weekends this semester). I've been in a funk all week (it's actually a funk I've been in this entire semester, it just seemed to be extra funky this week) and this was a good way to just relax and not think about all of the things that have been keeping me up the past few nights. And unlike most of the people at the bar tonight, I'll be waking up without a hangover... :)

Motivation to Pass the Bar

While the fear of having to take the California bar exam for a second time is pretty good motivation to keep me studying this summer, I figured a little extra motivation couldn't hurt.

If I do end up passing the bar exam, I am rewarding myself with new shoes. Not just any new shoes though. I'm talking Louboutins (like the ones above), Manolos, or Jimmy Choos. When I am officially sworn in as an attorney for the state of California, I want to have a little bit of luxury on my feet. How am I gonna pay for shoes that cost a minimum of $400? A minor detail I'll figure out when the time comes. Either way though, these shoes can be mine if I pass the bar...

Bar prep can't come fast enough...

For Graduation, I Shall Be a Wizard...

Dear Lord...have you ever seen anything so hideous? Why? WHY???

This is what I have to wear to graduation. I'll be walking across the stage of the Hult Center to receive my juris doctorate looking like a dropout of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I tried on this sexy little number and not only do I look like a major tool, I look like a 500 lbs. major tool. To add insult to injury, I had to rent an extra large hat because I've got a big head. Awesome. What I don't understand is why Jostens didn't include a magic wand with the rental fee? It would totally complete the outfit...

After looking at that, I need a palate cleanser. Behold the cuteness that is Cooper. He finally decided to look in the general direction of my camera...unfortunately, he blinked right when I snapped the picture. I have a feeling he did that on purpose...

Coco Invades Eugene!

So I was lying in bed this morning, groggily checking my e-mails on my iPhone, when I clicked on my E! Online app to see if any more washed up former 80s teen heart throbs had kicked the bucket overnight. The first news item that popped up:

"Half-Assed Conan O'Brien Tour Better Than No Ass at All"

I perked up because I'd been reading all of the rumors that Conan was planning a big comedy tour since he's contractually prohibited from appearing on television until September 1st. I was hoping he'd at least make a stop in Portland. Hell, I'd even make the trek up to Seattle to see my precious Coco. What I read next was even better:

"The 30-city theater crawl kicks off on April 12th in Eugene, Oregon."

When I read this, I screamed (sorry neighbor who shares a wall with me) and bolted out of bed and straight to my computer, and sure enough, The Hult Center is the first stop! I didn't even stop to think, I bought two tickets right there and then for me and my sister. I posted the great news on Facebook and as the morning went on, one status update after the other read: Got tickets to see Conan! I like to think I helped spread the word. :)

I'm so excited! The only thing that would make this better would be scoring a picture with my favorite ginger comedian. I've got a month to figure out how to make this happen (besides purchasing the Meet and Greet tickets, which at $595, are a little out of my price range).

I'd settle for a picture with Andy Richter. Or La Bamba. :)