Too School For Cool.

I drew that colored Devil with crayons and felt unfulfilled.
I've been listening to Pink a lot lately.
Good luck at your interview today, Matt Benyo!

My First Vlog!

Things Mentioned In This Entry:
1) I decided not to post the picture of me holding the wishing bone.
2) Matt Benyo's blog for extended Black Friday reading!
3) My Lady Gaga montage on THIS Tumblr (Thanks again, Kirsten)!
4) Photo of my Shamrock tattoo as per Blake Bradley:

AY GOVNAH!

I just spent 14 hours with my best friend and we:
watched Hairspray
played Karaoke Revolution/American Idol
sang My Heart Will go on 5x on various difficulties and got 100% every time.
ate chicken nuggets
said we were thankful for each other at midnight
watched Pink live in concert
and
ended up at Meijer's where we walked around for 2 1/2 hours talking in British accents and read books, commented on the people forming lines, and much more.

MB: <4

Moulin Rouge!

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

I just saw Moulin Rouge! for the first time with Matt Benyo. I can't stop crying; this is either because it hit me emotionally or because in the past 40 hours, I've slept 3.

I tried BUTTERBEER today. For those of you that don't know, it's a beverage from Harry Potter that they're serving in one of the U of M cafes (I think it's in the Shapiro library). It was not what I expected and that made me sad. I had an idea of what it would taste like. Sometimes the idea is better than the real thing.

Decisions.

Explode or Implode?

Sketches.

I need to draw more. I'm RUSTY. I switched things up tonight. I took a break from watching Jurassic Park and I'm watching Batman Begins. I forgot how good it is.

Shenanigans & Chan.

Today Matt Benyo and I were mischievous.

We saw the amazing CODY BUEGE; he was guest starring in a play and made it the only reason worth watching. He stole the show AGAIN. I told him he did an amazing job and then he played with my hair and said it was so white. I'm pretty sure I was giggling like an idiot, but I can't help it; he's so adorable and charming.

We visited Nate at the Moose Lodge and trying to get in there was the first of many feats. It's like A CLUB HOUSE with a hidden door! We got inside and I was able to meet Nate's aunts and mom and they were lovely! Then Matt and I came up with a plan to steal pizza because our stomachs wanted nomz. We stole the pizza, ran out the back door, and jumped into the car. DEVIOUS. We were dying, but Nate was disappointed. We offered to return the stolen goods, but the damage was done.

We played a movie game at Betsy's and I won 2x because I'm COMPETITIVE.

Brother Chan & I spent quality time together and took photos. Click photo to see!

HARRY POTTER!

Tonight is the night I've been waiting for since July 2009; part 1 of the finale of HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. When this posts, I will be eagerly making my way into the theatre and most likely peeing my pants from excitement. I will also be adorned in Slytherin garb, but I will, additionally, be wearing Gryffindor knee socks. I think of myself as a member of Slytherin and Gryffindor. I identify with both Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter because I am mostly good, but sometimes evil, but I digress, I can't wait to talk about how much I love(d) it when I get home!This is my post-potter face. WHAT AN AWESOME MOVIE! I went with Brother Chan and at MJR Southgate Cinema 20, they converted all 20 theatres into Harry Potter theatres. Chan and I had tickets for theatre 5, but we bounced to 15. Sister Shelby was in there, but that theatre was a baby. I found out my friend Dave Roldan was over in 3 (which was huge) so Chan and I joined Dave and Jessica in prime seats. While theatre bouncing, people pointed at me and whispered; probably talking about how awesome I looked. A few people thought I was LUNA LOVEGOOD. Wrong. Do I look like a nice nutcase? No. I'm DRACO MALFOY; a mean jerk. One lady came up to me and asked me how old I was to which I answered 23 and she gasped because she thought I was 17. Then she took my picture for something and said I was an excellent Draco. Chan and I settled in theatre 3. It was amazing because the screen was huge, someone started throwing a beach ball around, AND EVERYONE DID THE CLAPS!!! (That's where you clap 3 times at the jingle; epic). The movie started and my heart was racing. I couldn't believe IT WAS FINALLY TIME. I teared up 3 times and cried full on once. It's been amazing watching the series unfold and to see the actors grow. Mind blowing. I am so excited for the second part of the finale. I KNOW I will be crying from start to end. Thanks Harry Potter for making my night, to Brother Chan for joining me, to Dave and Jessica for being awesome sports and to the guy in theatre 5 that held my seat while I went to the "bathroom"!

Meep Men.

I finally found this and had to SCAN IT. Little men. Fun men all wearing hats.

I'm A Jerk.

Perhaps I shouldn't have made fun of this girl, but Satan & Satin are 2 very different words with 2 very different meanings. Click the image to enlarge & see.

FINAL ADVICE.

My friend, NIKKI DESAUTELLE, called me out on being a cheese ball with all of this advice so I won't prolong the advice anymore. I had like 200 left, but I whittled it down to these ones. The final pieces of advice from Love and Learn and Pass It On: People ages 5 to 95 share what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I've learned that...
ultimately, takers lose and givers win. -Age 58
a person's greatest need is to feel appreciated. -Age 45
time does seem to go faster the older you get. -Age 48
an insatiable curiosity is important to never getting old. -Age 71
big problems always start out small. -Age 20

moving away from my closest friends was much harder to do than I ever thought it would be. -Age 26
what a child learns at home lasts until the grave. -Age 85
there's no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. -Age 48
the only thing you owe life is to become the best you can be. -Age 31
if you smile at people, they will almost always smile back. -Age 81

it's better to be decisive, even if it means I'll sometimes be wrong. -Age 51
learning to forgive takes practice. -Age 15
it's better not to wait for a crisis to discover what's important in your life. -Age 45
we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel. -Age 51
I make the little decisions with my head and the big decisions with my heart. -Age 52

there is always someone who cares. -Age 75
choices made in adolescence have long-term consequences. -Age 49
a fulfilled life is not possible without friends. -Age 39
you should invest in your family first and your career second -Age 48
if you depend on others to make you happy, you'll be disappointed. -Age 60

the most creative ideas come from beginners-not the experts. -Age 62
everyone has something to teach. -Age 51
envy is the enemy of happiness. -Age 73
making a living is not the same thing as making a life. -Age 58
you can't please some people, no matter what you do. -Age 35

if you wait until all conditions are perfect before you act, you'll never act. -Age 64
you either control your attitude or it controls you. -Age 47
the best advice you can give anyone is, "Be kind." -Age 66
even the happiest people have down days. -Age 27
the greatest risk is thinking too small. -Age 61

you should fill your life with experiences, not excuses. -Age 51
a good feeling gets even better when it's shared. -Age 14
you can have a fancy education and still not be very wise. -Age 69
you can't pay somebody to practice for you. -Age 52
worry is often a substitute for action. -Age 50

you can have fun regardless of how little money you have. -Age 63
people don't want advice, but understanding. -Age 40
failures always blame someone else. -Age 62
nothing very bad or very good ever lasts very long. -Age 66
you should treasure your children for what they are, not for what you want them to be. -Age 39

the important thing is not what others think of me, but what I think of me. -Age 38
my worst decisions were made when I was angry. -Age 62
you can always get more money, but you can never get more time. -Age 65
you often take out your frustrations on the people you love the most. -Age 29
when people aim for what they want out of life, most aim too low. -Age 75

you can love someone and still not like him very much. -Age 26
if love isn't taught in the home it's difficult to learn it anywhere else. -Age 51
people are more influenced by how much I care than by how much I know. -Age 54
hatred is like acid. It destroys the vessel that holds it. -Age 56
a woman would rather be complimented about her intelligence than looks. -Age 39

regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow are twin thieves that rob us of the moment. -Age 29
plotting revenge only allows the people who hurt you to hurt you longer. -Age 40
there are still some things I haven't made up my mind about yet. -Age 91
the trick is to live a long time without growing old. -Age 73
when someone gives you free tickets, don't complain about the show. -Age 45

the trip is often more fun than the destination. -Age 62
to get the right answer, you have to ask the right question. -Age 39
it's never too late to improve yourself. -Age 85
when visiting, it takes five seconds to say "hello" but about thirty minutes to say "good-bye." -Age 48
fame is written in ice and eventually the sun comes out. -Age 57

many people give up just when they are about to achieve success. -Age 48
the best way to appreciate something is to be without it for awhile. -Age 14
we grow only when we push ourselves beyond what we already know. -Age 53
you can never have too many friends. -Age 16
there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it. -Age 41

when things get easy, it's easy to stop growing. -Age 53
people are in such a hurry to get to the "good life" that they rush past it. -Age 72
money is a lousy means of keeping score. -Age 71
you can inherit wealth but never wisdom. -Age 51
it's never too late to heal an injured relationship. -Age 57

you have little chance of finding the husband of your dreams in a bar. -Age 29
every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. -Age 85
to keep looking ahead. There are still so many good books to read, sunsets to see, friends to visit, and old dogs to take walks with. -Age 86
you shouldn't do anything that wouldn't make your mother proud. -Age 51
I still have a lot to learn. -Age 92

Betsy's Card.

I made a REAL CUT OUT instead of a photoshop one. It had been some time since I made a legit card. Here's the birthday card I made for Betsy. She loved it!

More Advice!

I'm gonna talk about what I did yesterday (Saturday) on Monday so I can post the art that goes with it. Until then, enjoy this advice from Love and Learn and Pass It On: People ages 5 to 95 share what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I've learned that...
going the extra mile puts you miles ahead of your competition. -Age 66
you should keep your promises no matter what. -Age 81
love will break your heart, but it's worth it. -Age 26
talking on the phone long w/a girl makes your parents suspect something. -Age 11
everyone can afford to be generous with praise. It's not something available only to the well-to-do. -Age 76

Fine Advice.

From Love and Learn and Pass It On: People ages 5 to 95 share what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I've learned that...
you can keep going long after you think you can't. -Age 69
my success stops when I do. -Age 58
if you stay focused on yourself, you are guaranteed to be miserable. -Age 71
any place I haven't visited offers the same potential for adventure and excitement as any other. -Age 45
if you can't forgive and forget, you can at least forgive and move on. -Age 77

Almost Famous.

It seems somehow fitting and ironic that I am posting this Almost Famous drawing. Congratulations on your famous-ness, Matt Benyo ;) Click to enlarge images!

MASH UP!

Matt Benyo did this mash up of Pink/Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want From Me" and it's really NEAT. Check it out by clicking HERE. Perez Hilton said it was amazing; how cool is that? Anyway, Matt did a great job mashing the two songs up so enjoy it!

THIS JUST IN! PEREZ HILTON POSTED IT! OH MY GOD! CHECK IT OUT!

Slow It Down.

Adventure!

If they're too small to read, you can always click on them to make them bigger.

I Don't Know.

If they're too small to read, you can always click on them to make them bigger.

Handwritten.

If they're too small to read, you can always click on them to make them bigger.

Motivation.

I went to a play with Matt Benyo over the weekend at his old high school and I met this actor named Cody. He plans on going to NYU next year and this guy has IT. I was so captivated by his performance. I'm telling you, this one has the IT factor that will make him a star. His dream is to be on SNL and I swear, he's gonna do it. He has the passion; I can just feel it. I hope he doesn't lose that passion and motivation as he goes through life. I feel like that's my problem. I was once that wide eyed girl that believed the world was my oyster, but I feel like I've gone astray. Something about meeting/talking to Cody stirred something in me. It's time to get things together. It's the end of the year and I want to start the next one off right. You can't soar with the eagles when you're surrounded by turkeys. That's the first step; surrounding yourself with motivated and passionate individuals, but to also surround yourself with people who support your endeavors. It's not impossible to make it without support, but it sure makes the road a hell of a lot easier when you've got people behind you.

From Love and Learn and Pass It On: People ages 5 to 95 share what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff by H. Jackson Brown, Jr:
I've learned that...
it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the truth, I've seen several. -Age 73
the more material things you have, the less freedom you have. -Age 62
a good reputation is a person's greatest asset. -Age 74
you shouldn't look for romance where you work. -Age 31
everyone is attractive when they smile. -Age 51
you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It could be the last time you see them. -Age 60
attractiveness is a positive, caring attitude and has nothing to do with face lifts or nose jobs. -Age 56
the secret of growing old gracefully is never to lose your enthusiasm for meeting new people and seeing new places. -Age 75

Weekend!

MY WEEKEND HAS BEEN AMAZING THUS FAR! I hope that everyone else can say the same. I love being in good company and lately that's all I've been. I haven't a single complaint. I thought I'd share some more advice from Love and Learn and Pass It On: People ages 5 to 95 share what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. as a weekend post. ENJOY!
I've learned that...
the greater a person's guilt, the greater his need to cast blame on others. -Age 46
you shouldn't look back except to learn. -Age 70
men who wear bow ties are usually great dancers. -Age 34
life sometimes gives you a second chance. -Age 62
anger manages everything poorly. -Age 53

Co, Sno, & Mo.

CONAN O'BRIEN RETURNS on Monday at 11:00 pm on TBS! His first guests are going to be Seth Rogen, Rachel Berry (from Glee), and Jack White's performing. I've heard Jay Leno won't be invited on the show and can still suck it. While Conan returns Monday, Tuesday (at 8 on Fox) Glee welcomes DARREN CRISS! This is the first time I will actually admit to watching Glee because I adore DC. He went to the University of Michigan and starred as Harry Potter in A Very Potter Musical. There's like 14 acts, but it's totally worth watching (and there's A Very Potter Sequel). So, Darren is going to be on GLEE. It's a big deal. This drawing is not an accurate depiction of him though. This looks like John Lennon dressed as Harry Potter. Darren Criss doesn't look like that so watch the show and see him.I've been a sno cone fiend lately. Blue is the only way to go. I had red, but I gave it to Matt Benyo and Nathan Bou. Actually, I have to say thanks to both of them because without their generous donation in the form of a sno cone machine, I wouldn't be as ecstatic as I am. I really do act this giddy when I'm eating sno cones, but I think the blade is getting worn down. When I make them, I have to crank the lever and I do it really hard and I feel like a lumberjack. So, I'm looking forward to when the snow starts falling because I will just go outside, scoop that up, and eat it all day.The weekend is upon us. No signs of snow yet. I heard rumors that it was supposed to snow. Let's see! Also, Matt and I have a bet going about when they're going to start playing Christmas music on the radio. He thinks by Sunday and I say by Wed. I actually think we're hanging out this weekend (right..?) I'm going to assume we are. Therefore, I'm excited..!! xx Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

I've learned that...
regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die. -Age 53
you should never go to bed with an argument unsettled. -Age 73
education, experience, and memories are three things no one can take away from you. -Age 67
it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be. -Age 51
self-pity is a waste of time. -Age 81
if you look for the worst in life and in people, you'll find it. But if you look for the best, you'll find that instead. -Age 66

The Jetsons!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Jetsons growing up. I always preferred The Jetsons to The Flinstones, but when they did that movie together, it was rad. The best episode was the one with Jet Screamer. He was a rockstar and he held contest for someone to write his next song and then they'd get to go on a date with him. Judy was all about him. I remember her song sucked: "Jet screamer is a dreamer." BUT Elroy was making up a secret language and that's what got mailed instead of Judy's lame song and then Jet Screamer picked Judy's and she won. Then THIS song gets sung!I've learned that...
regardless of color or age, we all need the same amount of love. -Age 37
a person's degree of self-confidence greatly determines his success. -Age 42
success is more often the result of hard work than of talent. -Age 59
if you care, it shows. -Age 30
animals can sometimes warm your heart better than people can. -Age 15

Tattoo #2!

It was around this time last year that I got my first tattoo of the robot (boogie bot) on my arm. I figured I should celebrate the anniversary by adding another. It says KEEP HOPE ALIVE because I never lose hope. What have you got if you don't have hope?I've learned that...
enthusiasm is caught, not taught. -Age 51
in every face-to-face encounter, we leave something behind. -Age 45
the ache of unfulfilled dreams is the worst pain of all. -Age 51
you can do something in an instant that will give you a heartache for life. -Age 27

Good Advice.

Snippets from Love and Learn and Pass It On: People ages 5 to 95 share what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
I've learned that...
the more creative you are, the more things you notice. -Age 51
it doesn't cost anything to be nice. -Age 66
a strong code of ethics is as reliable as a compass. -Age 43
a person is only as good as his or her word. -Age 90
trust is the single most important factor in both personal and professional relationships. -Age 20
nothing of value comes without effort. -Age 64
even the simplest task can be meaningful if I do it in the right spirit. -Age 72
it's better to be married to someone w/a good nature than a good physique. -Age 39
anticipation is often better than the real thing. -Age 46

Post Halloween/NOVEMBER!

I had no plans, hopes, or expectations for Halloween and I think that's probably why I had the best time. Brother Chan hoed me on trick or treating, but then Matt asked me if I wanted to go and I couldn't turn him down. I went to his house, we both dressed like pirates, and we set off into the night! I also had my gold mask from LAST YEAR.We went to this INCREDIBLE neighborhood in Canton nicknamed THE VILLAGE and all of the houses are awesome and brightly colored and they were all decorated and it was THE BEST! I was really embarrassed at first because we were the only older people trick or treating, but then I got over it. One lady even said she was happy to see older people trick or treating because it meant we weren't out doing bad things. Almost every house told us how much they liked our costumes and I'm glad we were both pirates. A few children said my mask looked like: an elephant, a birdie, and a penguin. We got grimmed / the stink eye from two groups of people (including one bad looking Snooki) and I also ran down the street away from a Michael Meyers impostor. At one point, there were these two (probably 14 year olds) that WEREN'T DRESSED UP and they said, "Nice costume" sarcastically; to which I replied, "Look who's talking" and I seriously contemplated knocking them down and stealing their candy. We only trick or treated for an hour, but look at how much candy I bagged!Well, Halloween was a success. I did a lot this past weekend that I hadn't planned on doing and therefore my Halloween was made! NOW IT'S NOVEMBER 1st! The lay out on my blog has changed as I compose my Christmas header. I AM SO EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS MUSIC! Words cannot explain. AH!

I also recently read Love and Learn and Pass It On: People ages 5 to 95 share what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. It has some really great advice that I feel everyone can benefit from so I'm going to be posting 4-5 of those a day until I run out of them. There were at least 1,000 in the book, but I took the best of the best (or what I thought the most applicable would be). I have enough to last me until the middle of December or so. I hope you enjoy them!

I've learned that most of the things I worry about never happen. -Age 64
I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something. -Age 46
I've learned that the great challenge of life is to decide what's important and to disregard everything else. -Age 51
I've learned that getting fired can be the best thing that can happen to you. -Age 42

Happy Halloween!

This is my 365th post! WHOO! SO, Devil's Night was KINDA insane. FOR SOME REASON, Matt Benyo and I decided to have a scare-a-thon and scared each other all day. Actually, he scared me the whole time and I kept saying I was going to get him REALLY good at midnight, but he beat me to the punch by dressing up like Michael Meyers (full costume; looked IDENTICAL to him) and waited for me on the balcony. Well, I saw him through the glass and jumped like a track star over the couch and ran out the door. I finally came back in and went into the bathroom, which he broke into with impressive force I might add, and stood there like a creep and made my heart race faster than it ever has. Needless to say, I couldn't compete with him so he won. I didn't even end up doing anything which mildly bums me out, but WHATEVER. I have no idea what's going on today. Brother Chan and I may go trick or treating, but that's TBD. Here's a montage. Happy Halloween, everybody!

Devil's Night.

I'm watching 28 Days Later. I adore this movie and Cillian Murphy. I've been watching a variety of Horror films to get me ready for Halloween which is 10 1/2 hours away. I also carved my FIRST PUMPKIN EVER the other day and made Halloween cookies. The pumpkin carving turned out horribly. I was going to do Harry Potter and then I underestimated how difficult it was to carve a pumpkin so instead I just stabbed it a bunch of times and may or may not have attempted to write Taris. I have mild OCD and I HATE getting my hands dirty so reaching inside of the pumpkin to de-gut it, was terrible. I was also forced into eating my first pumpkin seed and I didn't like it, but at least I tried it. Halloween fest continues while I'm being held HOSTAGE. Who knows what dastardly deeds will ensue this eve.

The Banshee.

If you've never looked at Matt Benyo's blog, now is a good time to do so. He took a picture of me from New York City and made me into a ZOMBIE. LOVE IT!

I was idly drawing when I drew this. I was trying to figure out what she was. At first I thought Skatha, but then I came up with the banshee. A banshee: "In Irish Mythology is a female spirit, usually believed to be an omen of death or a messenger from another world." I wanted this banshee to be mean and evil. Then I did some research and found out that the red poppy would make a great hair accessory because it's associated with death during WWI and WWII. I found out that the swirls in the hair meant death in some culture that I clearly didn't write down. I was going to add things like dripping blood and a clock, but I didn't want it to get cliche. I like the sketch. I enjoy the way it turned out, but I didn't really know what to do for the finish so I just messed around with the coloring and used two different backgrounds. I figured I needed to do SOMETHING Halloween related. Tis the season, right?

Heath Ledger.

There's something about that Australian man that makes my heaRt stop. He was so phenomenal. Why didn't I go to Chicago to try to meet him when he waS there filming The Dark Knight? I don't know, but how about those saucy Aussies?I'm sad because I always look forward to the holidays and then they come and I feel like I didn't have time to prepare for them. Halloween is in 3 seconds and I'm NOT READY. Maybe I can get that Halloween feeling back this weekend. I'm hoping I can seize Christmas by the hand and appreciate it. I'm excited for Christmas music. It's one of my favorite things; as is doing Christmas time things with friends! :)

Sue Sylvester.

I am not a Glee fan. Well, not really. I've watched it 1 1/2 times with Matt Benyo. However, Glee's versions of "Don't Stop Believing" and "Toxic" are top notch and I enjoy singing those with him. The one thing about Glee that I do enjoy is Sue Sylvester played by Jane Lynch. She is mean and it's hilarious. When I watched the only whole episode I've ever watched, Coach Beast wanted to sit at Sue's table in the teacher's lounge, but Sue said the seats were taken by her GHOST FRIENDS. I haven't let it go and I use that joke whenever possible. So, I decided in honor of MB, Sue, and Glee, I made this cut out. I overworked it a bit, but I'm pleased with it.

Things I Enjoy.

Today I thought about things that I enjoy.

I enjoy Micaela Ruiz's words and thoughts. She has a way with words: "I enjoy people because I have always seen possibility in every one of them. I see their greatness and their faults, people amaze me with their memories and dreams." I must also add that I truly enjoy making connections with people; whether those connections be spoken or unspoken. However, there is nothing greater than laughing with someone. I also love seeing and understanding what makes people who they are. A friend of mine said always acknowledge people. There's nothing worse than acting as if someone isn't there.

I enjoy Tim Gunn. He's such an inspiring human being. I sat at Meijer reading his book, Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work, and it was lovely. Here's a snippet that I enjoyed: "I often say in keynote addresses to college students that I figured out what I wasn't before I figured out what I was. The struggle to find out who you are is so hard. You have to keep eliminating things that you aren't and then see what's left over. Most important, you should never pretend. There's nothing harder than living life as someone you're not, even if being what you are is very hard, which is what being gay was for me for a very long time."

I enjoy singing so much. I get a real joy out of trying to sing like I can. The people that have LEGITIMATELY heard me sing: Brother Chan, Shelby, Alex, and Matt Benyo (and Nathan, but I thought for some reason he was sleeping each time). I never sing for real because my family has told me I can't. I sing when I'm home alone a lot.

I enjoy the senses; specifically smell. I recently read The Culture Code by this great french cultural anthropologist, Clotaire Rapaille, and he speaks about imprints. He says that 'there's a connection between learning and emotion and that without the latter the former is impossible. The stronger the emotion, the more clearly an experience is learned. The combination of the experience and its accompanying emotion creates something known widely as an imprint. Once an imprint occurs, it strongly conditions our thought processes and shapes our future actions. Each imprint helps make us more of who we are. The combination of imprints defines us and that every imprint influences us on an unconscious level.' I love the imprints we make with scents. For instance, I can't smell the Abercrombie men's cologne, Fierce, without instantly seizing up and remembering Taris hugging me and I can't smell pumpkin spice without thinking of our house. Sometimes, I will forget I was around a scent and I will faintly smell it on my clothing and I will instantly think back to a moment or person and a wave of emotion will sweep over me. This happened to me the other day when I put on my blue hoodie and smelled Hollister's room spray on me. Our senses are so powerful and they're something we don't think about. Any smell that we smell instantly becomes associated with something else and an imprint is made. I think that's amazing. I love that my first contact with something or the more powerful the contact is, will leave a memory in my mind of that particular thing. It'll momentarily paralyze me and make me nostalgic. I enjoy taking a moment to remember things like that because they are important to me.

I enjoy spending hours with a friend and losing track of time and not even caring that it's 4 am and you've been together for 10-12 hours. There aren't enough times like this in our lives. Make time for the people that matter to you. They're worth it.

I enjoy dreaming and the power of the imagination.

What do YOU enjoy?

Froggy.

I've decided I'm not going to update on weekends anymore. Well, for now at least. I'm taking a break. I need to get things together. However, I will post for today because I feel like this post isn't good enough to take up one of my weekdays. I'm going to do a series of portraits on these raffle tickets Brother Chan brought home after a laser tag lock in. Here's the trial head of Froggy. Froggy was this guy from Real Steel that talked like a frog and claimed he was a director. Tiny drawings on tiny tickets.

NYC: Part 3 of 3.

Read Matt & Nate's blogs to get all of the details I missed! MATT POSTED A VIDEO OF SWATCH! Their blogs are so funny. This picture is from the first night, but for some reason I didn't post it. It's a nice picture with Nate!So, the night before, Matt and I were up til 4:30 and Nate tried to wake me up at 10:00 am and I was a MONSTER. I was screaming and probably hissing and spitting fire and I told both of them I wasn't going to go out. It was probably Matt's calm demeanor that got me to finally get up. We got ready and headed out and went to this little cafe for brunch. Matt and Nate got sandwiches (barf) and I got a fruit salad, french fries, and pop. PICKY EATER FOR LIFE. Breakfast of champions.This cafe had halloween decorations cleverly placed so that when you walked in the bathroom and shut the door, you went to the bathroom on yourself from the shock of seeing such things in the bathroom. After brunch, we headed to some stores. By this time, I was feeling the real PAIN of having a BUM FOOT from playing soccer. I don't know what the hell I did, but I felt like I had a zombie foot and each step I took was the pain equivalent of having a sledgehammer dropped on my foot. MIZ! Sidenote; Matt was wearing everything that I love so I was in love with him this day.Then we headed towards Times Square because that's where Mood was and our goal was to see Swatch the dog! However, Christopher Columbus aka Nathan the all-star navigator made us walk for at least 20 minutes in the WRONG DIRECTION and then I had a meltdown and started crying because my foot hurt so badly and I didn't want to move; I wanted to die. I was all about taking a cab, but these babies wouldn't let me. So I hobbled on. Finally, we got to Mood and I FOUND SWATCH! Matt and I were giggling and petting him and we went to lay down on the ground, right by the register, where there was a huge line, so we could get a picture next to Swatch, but he got up and ran away so I put my face in the carpet and laughed on the ground like a fool. We got up, found him again, laid down and I tried to take a polaroid, but the whirring from the camera made him run away. One more try and it was a MAJOR SUCCESS. WE WERE SO HAPPY!I finished up my Vitamin Water and we were about to leave when Matt saw a sign that said Swatch loves water bottles and he told me I should give him mine. I threw it down and Swatch loved it! His little ears shot up and he started running around the store with it. Isn't he the cutest little dog?!After Mood, we went to China Town and had the scariest encounter ever. Well, at least in my life. People sit there and say, "OH! DETROIT IS SO SCARY! DETROIT IS BAD NEWS!" Wrong, people. You are SO wrong. NATHAN was looking for a wallet and this place was shady central. Thank GOD it wasn't dark out. There were a bunch of scary characters asking us if we wanted various things. I don't think I've ever been happier to have Matt Benyo by me. This one guy was like, "You wan' some WEED?" "NO WEED! NO THANKS! BYE!" My little feet were scampering. Finally, we get by this Popeye's Chicken and this guy tells us to go WAIT INSIDE while he goes to find wallets. We get inside and it's like the black mafia just posted up shop. All sorts of deals going down. I looked wide-eyed and terrified. I wanted to reach across the table and punch Nathan in the nose, but we kept it cool and after awhile, they both got wallets and we left. Another guy tried to sell us weed and I basically ran around the corner because I noticed he was following us. I told Matt and Nate I didn't want to go back that way and that I'd rather go around the block, but Matt suggested we just go across the street. Okay. That seems better. So we cross the street and we're walking and I had my head down as Matt guided us along the street. I looked up for a split second and made eye contact with a husky man on a stoop. He had 4 teeth. FOUR. And he went NUTS. He started screaming, but he couldn't talk so it was basically barking and guttural sounds. I DIDN'T REALIZE FEMALES AREN'T ALLOWED TO MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH A HOLES. He didn't leave the stoop. I hope it's because there were lasers around it. This caused me to basically run to the subway. My foot was KILLING ME, but I'd rather be in pain than dead in China Town. In the midst of this, Nathan was like, "Take a picture of me!" Clearly HE blacked out while all of this was happening.We then went to Central Park and a bunch of other places that I'm blacking out on and we decided to jump on the subway only we realized we were on the wrong side so we had to go up all the stairs and down the OTHER side, but our passes wouldn't work for 18 minutes because they were just used and this was when we had a big fight. Nathan and I were yelling at each other and people were staring and I was like, "THIS IS NEW YORK, NATHAN!" He walked away. I walked away. I didn't care; I was in NYC. Then I started singing impromptu songs about being stuck and also telling people not to come out of the Subway and other fun things. Matt and I were just laughing as always because I think in order to be in the subway laughter is necessary though it does let people know you're not from there because New Yorkers don't laugh or smile they are just mean. After 18 minutes, we got on the subway and walked around. We found this really incredible place called Prime Burger. It was this throwback 70's decor style restaurant, kind of a hole in the wall, and totally affordable. I got a hamburger for $6! AND it was black as a hockey puck! The waiters were sassy and the best part of all, YOUR SEAT WAS LIKE A BIG HIGH CHAIR! So cool!After this, we decided to head out, but before we started towards home, we were going to make a detour to the town of SLEEPY HOLLOW. You know, where the whole Headless Horseman thing went down? We arrived at 9 pm and the town was small, quaint, and mildly spooky. We parked the car and walked around. We found this path in the park that we walked down and at one point, I swear there was a girl standing a ways off. Matt and I were just standing there TERRIFIED and trying to yell at 'her', but she didn't move. Nate was just walking around like it was NOTHING. After a bit, we came to the cemetery and we hopped on this stone wall and just ran into the cemetery like maniacs. We were dodging graves and going towards the center. It was pretty spooky and my adrenaline was off the charts. Then we started hearing noises so we trekked back. While on our way back, we stopped at a gas station and got SLUSH PUPPIES and of course I got blue raz because that's my flavor. We noticed the town was FULL OF PUMPKINS which I'm guessing is sort of like a sacrificial thing; if you don't put a pumpkin outside, you're gonna get your head chopped off. Well, unfortunately for the auto shop, we took their pumpkin which I put into my satchel which resulted in my satchel dragging the ground, basically. Matt helped me carry it back to the car. We then drove/kind of walked to the sign so we could get a picture with it, but not before Matt stole a pumpkin which we took back with us because we are two rebels and don't believe in curses (like Nathan).It was 10:00 pm and we decided to head back. Nate went into the back of the van to sleep and Matt and I set out on the open road. It wasn't long before we stopped and I decided to buy a 5 Hour Energy drink. I got into the car and I said, "Matt, we're gonna both drink half of this. It's the worst thing you're ever gonna drink, but we're doing it." Good thing he didn't decline. It's disgusting. We did our 5 Hour Energy shots and I chased mine with Strawberry milk. It was comparable to doing some sort of drug I think because we were WILD and WIRED. We also basically sang songs THE ENTIRE WAY HOME. I lost my voice from singing so much and so loud. We sang Glee's version of "Don't Stop Believing" at least 30 times and we sang it GOOD. We also sang some High School Musical and at first, Matt pretended like he didn't know it, but he did and that made me the happiest person in the world because I'm all about duets and he's a real good singer. We also sang Rocky Horror and Repo and came up with this great idea to pitch to the Jackman's called The Rocky Horror Repo Show and it's going to be the best thing to ever be put into motion. We stopped awhile later and I got ANOTHER 5 hour energy and we did shots of that too and then we were refueled and good to go. It was SO FOGGY that at times I was terrified, but Matt drove like a champion. He drove the entire way home! I was so impressed! I was the co-pilot the entire time too. We talked, we sang, my legs kept getting cold, but it was one of the best parts of the trip. I'm really glad I know Matt. Nate is great too despite the fact that sometimes we fight. He woke up at one point and we watched some funny youtube videos and sang some songs together. Sing alongs are the best. We arrived at my house around 9:45 am. A successful 24 hours of being awake! We told Janine some of our stories and then my two dear friends left my house. New York had come to an end. This was my 5th time being there and it was an amazing time. I still can't stop thinking about it! So many memories and laughs and inside jokes. I'm excited for my next adventure with these two!