Tuesday, August 30, 2011

What? She's Alive?!



Yes, yes I pride myself in feeling as awesome as Wonder Woman after the first week of classes, thank you very much....

(nerd)

Well here it is folks, the beginning to a new school year. A fresh slate. Full to the brim of Northface jackets, UGG boots, fake tans, and scandalously tight clothing accompanied by high heels you shudder to walk in.

Campus is alive and well, teaming with students from all over sporting as many fashions as there are blades of grass. I am proud to admit that I am not including myself in the popular phenomenon of “what is totally hip right now”. I’m that common, everyday person you don’t think twice about. Yet I think about you. Yeah…that sounded creepy.

But just as I state in this blog’s description, I notice the tiny details and see what other’s don’t usually see, thus the flashes of inspiration. And this year, ladies and gents, will be full of flashes of inspiration, I can feel it!

Updates on this year overall, the living situation this year goes splendidly. I enjoy living with my lady friends and cooking and baking while listening to old pop music such as Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.

Last night I went to the grocery store with two of my roommates and bought some gorgeously ripe strawberries that gleamed like rubies.

I couldn’t resist.

I sliced those jewels up, put them into a bowl, sprinkled some sugar, and dove right in to pure bliss. I then cooked up a batch of macaroni and cheese and completely stuffed my face. As is the way it should be! I have also fallen madly in love with hummus. Is that odd? To fall madly in love with ground up chic peas seems a tad odd….but I was introduced to a certain brand of hummus recently and it was DIVINE. So I had to pick some up along with whole wheat pita bread and baby carrot sticks for dunking. So good my friends, so good….

Ahem.

As a side-note, I am proud to announce that Castle is doing better. His belly is a little less noticeable and seems to have gone down in terms of size. Hopefully it will continue to progress so that he returns to his normal self. So let us all cross our fingers, click our heels three times, spin around, make a wish, and hope that Castle is on the road to recovery and that his new diet will serve him well.

Other than that, he is a happy and wiggly fish that never ceases to make me smile when I enter my room. The moment he sees me, he becomes the epitome of excitement. Who knew that beta fish could have such wonderful personalities and be so awesome at cheering you up?

Enough of fish tales (get it? hehe) for now, let us continue this journey which I have been putting off for far too long….

My short story blog.

Yes, yes, I know I haven’t updated in a while….it is quite sad. Well, I intend to post a new story up there tonight, so keep an eye out for that here: http://short--flashes.blogspot.com/

As for right now, that is all I have to say really. I hope you are all doing splendidly and smiling often!

Love you bunches,

~Piper

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Belly of a Fish




...rather, the belly of my beta fish.

Rick Castle is my dorm fish, as you know from previous journal entries. And this morning I discovered he has grown a bit of a belly. Nothing too outrageous, but just a tad noticeable. He lives by himself, and is a HE no less, therefore he is not pregnant unless the store managers forgot to tell me something....

I have to preface this by saying that he is by far the cutest thing since sliced bread, especially when I get up in the morning and his fins flap extra quickly and he is wiggling all over the tank. So....with such a wonderful greeting to the day, I feel compelled to reward him for such behavior. I feed him just a tiny pinch of food. No biggie.

Well over the course of the summer, his tank was stationed in the kitchen. And because my family is going through some serious pet withdrawl, Castle was as close as they came to having a pet. So both my mother and my sister would feed him, and then I would feed him, unknowing of their already having fed him.

He has become a little piggy. Guess who is going on a diet pronto!

You can definitely hold me to this, because I am only feeding him ONCE a day from now on.

Castle, prepare yourself. You are about to trim down and become a slim swimming machine rather than a pudgy little fish.

For those of you who have fish, do not be sucked in by their cute little wiggling and extra speedy fin flapping and big shiny eyes! Take control and say no to the cuteness and deny them that extra pinch of food.

Hope you all are happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise!

I'll update on more college-ness in a future post. In the meantime, smile!

~Piper

Friday, August 19, 2011

A New Beginning



A fresh slate.

No one could ask for a better thing.

To begin on a completely new foot that is both curious, cautious, as well as rearin' to go. You don't know what lies ahead, but you sure as heck are ready to take a peak and see!

As I look out of my new window watching the sunset, I see that the fountain is still running and each and every drop is illuminated like a tiny facet. Each and every bedroom light in the surrounding apartments are on, showing that their inhabitants are also settling in to their new and temporary nest.

It's a nest away from home and I already feel strange and just a tad lonely despite my being surrounded by lovely roommates. I am ready. But there is always that hesitancy of having to spread your wings and count on a good wind to take you away from the nest, and keep you in the air rather than plummeting to the forest floor.

We all have to learn how to fly at some point in our lives, and sometimes, we need more than a nudge. We literally have to be pushed from the nest and rely on pure instinct. This method is not always encouraged, but the end result is definitely worth it!

To all you new "flyers", be glad that you left the nest even if it's for a short time. You were kicked out of it for a reason and you might as well not make that reason half-assed. Put all your energy into it and make sure you succeed.

I believe in you.

In fact, I am the one encouraging you to keep flying.

Fly until those little wings cannot keep up with you anymore, then take a rest, and then give it all you got again and again.

I'm with you all the way!

~Piper

Monday, August 15, 2011

All Aboard!



Ladies and Gentlemen,

The time has come for newly sharpened pencils (do people use those kinds of pencils anymore?) fresh notebooks, blank planners, and lots and lots of excitement to see all the people you have missed over the duration of the summer.

With the determination and strength of a lion, I am ready to leave the nest once again in order to gain a better education and prepare myself for the world. Needless to say, this will be a fun year filled with cooking, friends, outings, photo-shoots, dancing, and lots and lots of homework and study time.

Move-in day is the 19th so we are running around gathering things that I shall need for my room in the apartment. That also involves me rooting through my room trying to decide what nick nacks and clothes to bring....ALL of them of course! Am I right ladies?

So without much further ado, I am off to stuff my belongings into black trash bags that will make traveling much easier and more space efficient.

In the meantime, I hope you all are enjoying your last taste of freedom and are enjoying every last ray of sunshine this summer has to offer before school/work/life starts.

Keep smiling!

~Piper

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Cha-Ching!


There is nothing quite like a day where you and your girlfriends go shopping.

Shopping, what a word. What a beautiful, glorious, amazing word.

Nothing in the world that can compare to that intense estrogen connection; which sparks urges to drool at shoes and purses and super cute fashion trends.

They will always be honest with you. Telling you that you “deserve” those new boots, or that you look “amazing” in that dress, or that that necklace is “definitely” your style.
Plus, school is on the horizon, so the need to buy some new articles of clothing was definitely a must.

I am very proud of the loot that I found yesterday, and now have sitting in my room, patiently waiting for me to sport them and look fantastic while doing so.

Those shopping sprees relieve huge amounts of stress and make you feel unstoppable. You feel as though the entire store is one big adventure, and in it are goodies just waiting to be discovered. Like your own personal treasure hunt. And at the end of the hunt, you feel as though you have conquered the world with that receipt showing just how much you actually saved.

Well played.

The best part of shopping is being able to touch everything, sift through every hanger and instantly decide whether or not it is something that would suit your taste. The process is instantaneous. You have to quickly make a choice between “OMG YES!”, “Absolutely not!”, or “…..maybe….let me try it on first….”.

It’s such a guilty pleasure.

Truly it is.

And us girls love every minute of it.

Though, it is interesting to think of all the different guilty pleasures we have. Some of us like to get manicures and pedicures. Some of us like to get our hair styled. Some of us like to have facials. Some of us just like to sit in bookstores for hours on end.

To me, shopping is like chocolate. It’s bad for you to indulge in all the time, but every once in a while, you just got to have it.

So yesterday could technically be considered my chocolate fix.

Yumm.

I hope you take some time and invest in your guilty pleasure. Believe me, it's worth it!

~Piper

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

It's the crazy simple things....


So….

I found a new recipe this morning.

I religiously watch this woman’s cooking blog called "Joy the Baker" and try out her fantastic recipes. Today I was delighted to find a Lemon Almond Meringues recipe that looks divine.

I had to try them.

My fingers twitched, my toes curled, and this growing urgency to make these cookies became too irresistible to ignore. So I printed the recipe and moseyed around the kitchen and gathered all the ingredients I needed.

The only problem…I did not have a lemon.

I have this thing about improvising on recipes. It can be a fun thing to do and is highly encouraged for experimentation of flavors, but when trying a recipe out for the first time, I find that improvising is a forbidden thing to do. So instead of making the cookies, I dug through every crevice of the refrigerator, looking for a leisurely lemon that might aid me in my cookie making, but to no avail.

I concocted a daring scheme to run to the store in my pajamas with no trace of makeup on my face. In a college town the “just rolled out of bed” sight of me would have been easily forgiven. However, I then talked myself out of this spur of the moment affair and simply told myself to wait until after work to go and get a lemon, saving on gas and not limiting myself to a serious time crunch.

About an hour later, when it is almost time for me to go to work, my father and grandmother enter the house with a load of groceries…and in their possession…was not just one lemon but TWO lemons.

The irony was comical to me, but at least it saves me from having to run to the store after work. I have all the ingredients I need at home now and can finally put my twitching need to make cookies to rest.

Whew.

What a fine way to start the day, don’t you think?

So I shall definitely be baking some fine and dandy deliciousness in the kitchen this evening, and sending many silent and endearing “thank you’s” to Joy the Baker.

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!

Do yourself a serious favor. Actually, two favors.

1. Check out all of Joy’s recipes and ogle at her witty sense of humor and fantastic photography: http://www.joythebaker.com/

2. Make something fun in your kitchen today. Whip up one of your favorites and pretend that you’re on your very own cooking show, no one will ever know! :)

~Piper

Thursday, August 4, 2011

More like guidelines….



I am not a political person.

Let me just make that VERY clear before I get started.

Because this post involves Hogwarts owls as well as swashbuckling Pirates.

So to begin, let me just say that I have a voice just like any of you, and I would like to throw my two cents in. Food for thought, if you will.

Consider the following:

In 1776 a bunch of grumpy old white men locked themselves into an extremely hot and stinky room and would not leave until they finished writing the Constitution. A document that could technically be considered a second list of commandments.

The American people needed guidance, an outline, a rulebook, in order to bring some sort of sense into the world.

Without laws, we would be a very messed up place.

But that doesn’t mean that even WITH laws we aren’t messed up.

People try and scoot past the laws and extend and stretch them, just so they can see how much they can get away with.

I believe a famous Pirate said it best. “Thirdly, the Code is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner.”

In America, land of the free, home of the brave…

We are all Pirates.

Yes.

Pirates.

Yarg.

Think about it. When we do not get what we want politically, we get angry and start to blame the higher powers and rebel in ways that could be considered plundering and pillaging. With a lot less pistols and swashbuckling swords and compasses that don’t point North.

The world is falling apart bit by bit and there are a lot of bad pirates out there who want to see it burn and be thrown into a crumbling and shattering derision. There are countries that we don’t like, and don’t seem to like us in return. Therefore, the longer we hold a grudge the more likely we will be involved in a war. Our economy is getting worse as we try and pick up the pieces from past presidencies and try and work with the stubborn opposing parties. The Republicans and Democrats can’t work together, ever, so why are we letting them decide what is best for our future?

Clearly, they just want the treasure and gold all to themselves.

What can the American people do when the higher power clearly can’t present itself as respectful and trustworthy and fair?

Mutiny? No. Walking the plank? No.

Maybe just a mandate from the people would do.

Or a lot of letters. Lots and lots of letters written in green ink, delivered by Hogwarts owls.

Yes. I am in favor of this plan.

Well, I believe I have exercised the first Amendment well enough and made a few interesting notes.

Let me know what you think. Do you believe we should storm down the Whitehouse with our blades drawn and drink up me hearties yo ho, or should we send off a bazillion magical owls carrying howlers to said Whitehouse?

I personally think the second idea is the best. I mean, just look at these guys! D'awww


~Piper

(Any Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean references belong to their respectful owners. J.K. Rowling and Gore Verbinski.)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

I dub thee...Sir Clumsy!



This entry is in part brought to you by my natural sense of humor and my innate desire to please.

To begin, let me ask you:

You know those mornings where you wake up all groggy and wobbly due to a not-so-good night’s sleep, and suddenly the world is conspiring against you and your anatomical means of locomotion?

Suddenly your feet are your worst enemy, tripping over each other and blindly smacking into every hard surface while your thighs and hips manage to hit every sharp corner of furniture. There is no escape. Because this wobbly nonsense carries with you throughout the day.

Yeah.

It’s just one of those days….

I have a lovely collection of bruises that are blooming nicely, they are either in the purple stage or the sickly yellow stage.

I also have a trove of treasures untold, including a cavern of gadgets and gizmos a-plenty as well as whozits and whatzits galore. But that’s another story….

Ahem

You know what helps with days like this? Aside from building an entire fort of pillows and staying there until the following day.

Shopping.

It sounds terribly cliché, but when I am feeling blue and need some buttering up, I go shopping. I actually went therapy shopping the other day with the family. It was a glorious thing. Who knew that buying a new cardigan and ogling at ridiculously overpriced shoes for a couple hours would do the trick?

There’s also something magical about looking at big chunky diamond necklaces and imagining that I am Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. It sounds ridiculous, but it totally works. As long as you feel polished and shining, the rest of the day seems that way too.
So, with a full suit of armor and a pillow tied to every limb, I shall strive to make it through the rest of today without any further surface damage.

To those of you who are going through the same bizarre thing that I am, good luck! To the rest of you…you seem to know what you are doing. Well played.

~Piper