Summer: A Retrospective

Okay, so I'm just here shamelessly listening to Lizzie McGuire-era Hilary Duff (she reminds me of my childhood, alright?) after a two-hour long figuring-stuff-out session for the next school year, and I've been thinking to myself "Shit, man. I haven't blogged in a while." No time like the present (12:34 AM on Labor Day), so here we go.

Summer is winding down. If I had decided to return to Ashland, school would've started almost 2 weeks ago. I'm still at home, waking up whenever the hell I want to and generally being a lazy bum. By the time I'm actually in school and going to classes, working, and participating in whatever I decide to particapte in, the life I'm living now will sound like paradise. But right now, I gotta tell ya, I'm itching to get back to school. Structure is good.

I had made a previous post in April detailing my hopes and plans for the summer, which at that point, seemed like a beautiful dream just a bit out of my grasp. For this post, I'd like to go back to that post and see if I accomplished all I wanted to accomplish, as well as offer a few other details about my summer, which has been pretty dang kick-ass.

(First off, I said that I planned on getting a job. Yeah, that didn't work out so well. Let's cross our fingers for next summer!)

1. Go to concerts

I did go see Crystal Castles in August with my sister, which was so fun. They are crazy live. The whole thing was like a rave. Loud electronic beats, colorful strobe lights, and glow sticks made it feel like a huge dance party. And dance I did. I'd definitely see them again.


2. Grow my hair out

Beginning of summer...

End of summer!

I didn't cut my hair all summer! I AM VICTORIOUS!!!!

3. Exercise every day

Ha. Ahaha. Hahahahaha. Yeah... I did not do this.

4. Swim

I did do this! And swimming is exercise, right? *hopeful expression*  

5. Read

I read like 2.5 books. I fail.

6. Visit Ashland friends

I had the pleasure of seeing many of my Ashland friends this summer, and all experiences were quite fantastic.

Posing in Meredith's kitchen

First Indians game! Woot!

 

Enjoying the most foodgasmic brownies EVER, courtesy of Liz's mom



7. Catch up on music intake.

Most definitely did this! My ears are very happy.

8. Watch (500) Days of Summer.

I think I did this like the day after I got home from school.

9. Spend as much time with my niece and nephew as possible

:D

It makes my heart happy that I've got to see them both a whole bunch this summer. They're growing so fast, and I feel priviledged to get to spend time with two such cute, wonderful kids.

10. Do some soul-searching

This is an ongoing process, of course, but I fell like I've made progress this summer. I've gotten a lot of things sorted out, and I feel very happy and excited about the path I am walking on.

ALSO. Let me share a few things that made Summer '11 what it was:

Foster the People- "Pumped Up Kicks"

                                     

If I had a dollar for every time I listened to this song this summer, my students loans would be paid off. Seriously. And I'm still obsessed with it. I'm listening to it right now, in fact.

Runner-Up: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

Bridesmaids

This movie was so hilarious. Melissa McCarthy made this movie, I tell ya. She's come a long way from being Lorelai Gilmore's sidekick. (Although I still see Sookie whenever I look at her).

The '90s are All-That on Teen Nick

Who woulda thunk that in 2011, I'd be able to watch Doug and Kenan & Kel? Whoever thought of this idea, I sincerely love you.

Columbus, Ohio

My future home and the capital of Ohio gave me some memorable times this summer. Whether in a good way (Crystal Castles @ Newport) or in an effing awful way (being towed and having to walk into the ghetto in order to retrieve my vehicle), or in a fashionable way (just got my first pair of Ray-Bans at Rag-O-Rama, hellz yeah!). Oh Columbus, I can't wait to be able to see more of what you have to offer. (By bus, of course, I don't trust Columbus parking any longer.)

Friends & Family

Not to be mushy, but what can I say? The best part about this summer was having awesome people to share it with.

Salutations, summer of 2011!

-tjms

5 September 2011

Forever Young

Yay, finally legal!
Photo credit: Meredith Liedtke

It recently dawned on me that I am eighteen years old. Yes, I've been this age since September of last year, but it really just clicked in my brain that I am no longer a child. I'm an adult. I can buy cigarettes and lottery tickets, and I can vote. And I no longer have to answer to my parents about everything I do.

Huh.

It feels like just yesterday that I was sitting on the couch watching Disney Channel eating Spaghettios. Now, I'm in college, taking part in the endless oh-so-joyful experience of job-searching, and I can watch R-rated movies.

Most of the time, being an adult is great- the liberating feeling of just being able to drive wherever I want to is thrilling. But being an adult has burdens too, you know? Searching for jobs sucks. Having to pay for gas sucks. Taking responsibility for your own actions sucks sometimes too.

One thing that I hate is that once you get to the age of eighteen, you're forced to act mature and serious A LOT. Don't get me wrong, maturity and seriousness definitely have a place in our society and should be used sometimes.

But other times, you just have to loosen up. Life is too damn short to be a stuffy, serious person who barely ever laughs and feels that everything in life needs to be approached soberly. And sometimes, by George, you've just got to act like a kid again.

Here are my tips for retaining your inner child:

1. Watch Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.
I'm proud yet occasionally embarrassed at the fact that I watch Nickelodeon and Disney Channel on a pretty regular basis. I don't enjoy small child fare- Yo Gabba Gabba is a bit trippy and weird and most shows are just repetitive and annoying- but iCarly, Good Luck Charlie, and Drake & Josh? Hells to the yes. These shows will make you laugh and you don't have to worry about sexual innuendos and cursing that would make it awkward if your parents were in the room with you.

2. Buy a Happy Meal.
It's a win-win, less food equals less harm to your waistline and you get a toy! What could be better?

3. Color.

Not gonna lie, I was so pumped when my friend
sent me this picture she colored for me in the mail.
Photo credit: Me

You know, coloring is very relaxing. Nothing calms you down from a rough, hectic day quite like a jumbo coloring book and some Crayolas (and if you really wanna be cool, get the 64 pack with the sharpener!) Color a nice picture of Winnie the Pooh and give it to a friend. I guarantee, you will put a smile on their face.

4. Dance and sing in a public place.
You know how kids don't give a crap about who sees them and how loud they're being? Yeah...do that once in a while. Just today, I broke out into the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song (iiiiiinnnnnn West Philadelphia, born and raised...) in Chipotle. Did people stare? Probably. Did I care? Nah.

5. Tell a corny joke.
Where is the best place to park a dog? In a barking lot! Commence the eye rolls and quiet snickering!

6. Watch a movie you liked when you were young.

Side note: Trunchbull used to scare the bajeezus out of me.
Photo credit: Glogster

Matilda is my personal favorite. I used to believe that I had special powers like Matilda, so I used to intensely stare at things and wave my finger in an attempt to move inanimate objects. Yeah, I was a little weird. And I'm damn proud of it!

7. Go to a playground.
My friends Katy, Meredith, and I just did this past weekend. We were a little big for most things, but when I get on a swing, I still feel like that 6 year old girl who felt like she was flying.

8. Go to the toy section of a store.

This is what happens when we go to Walmart at 1 AM.
Photo credit: Ryan Zalimeni

Kids these days have the coolest toys, I swear...

9. Act goofy!

It's a beautiful thing when you find people as weird as you are.
Photo credit: Me

Come on, let your freak flag fly! It's alright to act a little bonkers sometimes, that is what makes life interesting and fun!

10. Spend some time with a youngin.

Crazy kids.
Photo credit: Ramona Stansberry

I have a three year old nephew (who I love to pieces) and he teaches me about how to embrace my inner child every time I'm with him. Seeing him discover new things and be genuinely excited about life and new adventures is really beautiful and even inspiring. And when I play with him, I can feel myself regressing back to my own childhood, and I love every dang minute of it.

So, to whoever reads this, embrace your inner youngster. Go jump rope. Go build a sandcastle. Go watch The Lion King. You'll enjoy yourself, I promise.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go make some Spaghettios and watch the Disney Channel.

-tjms
28 July 2011

There once was a man from Nantucket: A Bucket List of sorts

Hello there, people of Earth, Jupiter, and Nebraska!

(oh, let's be honest, if anyone reads this, they are most likely from Ohio)

Ok. So. I've been having trouble sleeping at night. Like, for real. Last night, I didn't fall asleep until like 4:30 AM. And then, an hour later, we had a thunderstorm with the loudest effing thunder I had ever heard. Needless to say, I woke up and wasn't the happiest camper.

But I haven't come here to bitch about my janky sleep patterns or moan about Ohio's bipolar weather.
Oh no. You see, these sleep-less times have inspired some deep thinking. Not "what is the meaning of life?" kinda deep, but deep nonetheless. Last night, I was thinking about things I'd like to do before I die. I'm stuck in the lovely town of Upper Sandusky this summer and all you can do in this damn town is dream of the things you're going to do and accomplish once you say "sayonara" to the corn fields, close-minded townfolk, and hot, stinky factories.

So this, my bloggy friends, is my bucket list- the things that I want to accomplish before I push up daisies.

See Radiohead live.

Everyone should have the chance to see their favorite band live. Radiohead has made such an impact on me and they will always be my favorite band no matter what. Thinking of seeing one of my personal heroes, Thom Yorke, as well as the rest of the band in person is so exciting. If I saw them live, I'd most likely pee my pants. Here's to hoping that they go on tour soon. (pleasepleaseplease!)

Live in California.

I have absolutely no intentions of staying in Ohio once I graduate college. My dreams belong in a place with more excitement.

Become a journalist.

Ideally, I'd write for a music magazine, such as Spin, Rolling Stone, or NME. That way, both of my passions would converge- writing and music.

Fall deeply in love.

I think I may want this more than anything else.

Learn to play the harmonica.

The world's most underappreciated instrument.

Learn to tap dance. 

Don't ask me why, but I've always wanted to learn this.

Backpack across the United Kingdom.

I'm an Anglophile who is more interested in English culture than American (seriously, better music, movies, and clothes). I can't wait to experience this place.

Write a screenplay.

I love movies. And I would love to become the next Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, Cameron Crowe, or John Hughes, but I really want to write a screenplay featuring elements of my own life.

Read poetry aloud.

I would love to read poetry aloud, whether it's my own or by a poet I admire. Poetry is beautiful. 

Inspire someone to go vegetarian.

Becoming a vegetarian is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I would feel so good if I inspired someone to try a meatless lifestyle!

Get dreads.

What can I say? I'm a hippie at heart.

Go to Chuck E. Cheese's.

It was always a dream of mine to go to this fun eatery when I was a wee child, and I still want to go. Just goes to show you that a dream deferred doesn't just dry up like a raisin in the sun.

Pay off all of my debts.

 Oh college, you're taking all my money- real and borrowed. I can't wait to get rid of this debt.

Own a record shop near the beach.

Ultimate goal in life.

I will accomplish these things at one point in life.

Just watch me.

-tjms

2 July 2011

<3 !

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Okay.

So.

 It has been a while since I've graced the blogging world with a sometimes inspirational, sometimes music related, always profanity-laced post, so today is as good as any. I could talk about life experiences that have occurred since my last post: started a job, work my ass off at said job, hated the job, found out I no longer completely needed the job, quit the job...baked a cake, etc. But why would I want to do a thing like that?

Today I want to talk about movies. Is it perhaps because it is a rainy day, which always either makes me want to listen to sad music, read a book, or watch an introspective film? Maybe. Is it because I haven't got to watch a movie in about 2 weeks because of my brief stint as a factory worker? Maybe. Is it because I have a $2.70 fine at my local library from returning movies back late? Mayb...eh, no, that just aggravates me.

For whatever reason, movies are on my mind. For this lovely and thus-far completely pointless blog post, I want to examine what we learn from movies. You know, the moral of the story. The point. The gist. You get the picture.

So, here we go.

(500) Days of Summer

First off, this movie comes first because I've been wanting to watch it all day. Plus it is amazing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is pretty much my dream man, and Zooey Deschanel almost exudes too much cuteness. Almost. Plus, the sound track is eargasmic.

Okay, I am done singing the praises of this movie and now we will proceed to the actual point of this post.

Point of story:

"The One" does exist, even though it might not be who you think it will be. There might be someone who "likes the same bizarro crap" that you do, but that doesn't mean they're perfect for you. Love can happen at the strangest of moments, like when you're going for a job interview and you meet the person who is competing with you for the job.

Matilda



Point of story:

There are many valleys that could be explored here: sometimes a book can be your best friend, the good guys really do win in the end, never leave your hair ribbon at a place where you've stolen something (you will get caught) but I think the most important morale of the story is that we may go through hard times in our lives, like living with a family who just doesn't "get" you, to being treated badly by someone who thinks you are stupid and beneath them. And during these times, it may seem like you are trapped, like you can't do anything about it. But the truth is, it'll get better. Look at Matilda, she grew up with an awful family who would rather watch mind-rotting television than spend time with their 6 1/2 year old daughter. And she went to school where the principal was the devil in knee-high socks. But she overcame it. She found a place where she belonged. We all belong somewhere. Sometimes it just takes a while to find it.

Trainspotting



Point of story:

Heroin. It will take you to the moon and back, it will take you to euphoria and keep going, it will make you feel as if nothing else in life is as important. It isn't a drug, it is a lifestyle. As Renton says, "I chose not to choose life. I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?" The problem with this? It will mess you up so bad, you'll wake up wondering how the hell you ended up where you are, it will take you to the dirtiest places you've ever been, like "The Worst Toilet in Scotland", it will take away your money, and you'll still come back for more. And when you try to cut the ties between you and the almighty scag, you'll be hallucinating and feeling as if anything, even death, would be better than what you're going through. Moral of the story? HEROIN IS BAD. Easy enough, right?

Harold and Maude

Point of story:

Harold is 20. Maude is 79. They're in love. How the hell does that happen? Harold is a young man who lives a joyless existance. He's obsessed with death, and stages elaborate mock-suicides. Maude is a free-spirit who acts more like she is 7 rather than 79. Through her, Harold discovers joy and happiness for the first time. They fall madly in love. Even by today's standards, this is considered very odd by society, and it must've been even more socially unacceptable back when this movie came out in 1971. Although it may be hard to see how two people with little in common and with such startling age differences can fall in love, the fact is, love is love. And love is beautiful. I think the point of this movie is to show that any love is right, and when is comes to relationships, it is really only the business of the people involved.

Pretty in Pink

Point of story:

Andie is a poor girl. Blane is a rich boy. This is one of those "I like someone from the other side of the tracks" stories that can really even be related back to the classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Andie and Blane have feelings for each other, but their differences in social classes make their relationship doomed from the start. But by the end of the film, Andie and Blane realize that the feelings that they feel for each other are enough, and no matter what other people say or think, social classes do not matter.

My Girl

Point of story:

Vada and Thomas J are best friends, but Vada doesn't treat him the best and would rather fantasize about her teacher, Mr. Bixler. With an unbelieveably sad turn of events, Thomas J passes away and Vada has to live with the fact that someone who she had always spent time with and who loved her had been stolen away from her. The point of this story is that sometimes we don't know what we have until it's gone, so we need to appreciate what we have in front of us.

The Breakfast Club

Point of story:

The criminal. The basketcase. The athlete. The popular girl. The geek. What could these people possibly have in common? I mean, for Pete's sake, Bender's dad abuses him and Claire's dad buys her diamond earrings! Allison eats a Captain Crunch and Pixy Stix sandwich, while Brian's mother packed him a nice, wholesome lunch where "all the food groups are represented". And Andy and Claire are of the chosen ones at school while the rest are socially awkward and ostracised. BIG EFFING DEAL. You know what they- no, we all- have in common? We're human. We all have to go through shit in our lives. We all go through those days when we screw up on our final shop project (or Calc test, or anything) and we don't know if we can take the dissappointment on our parents' faces. And we all have our times when we act really, really weird. All humans are 99.9% alike. We're really aren't as different from each other as we seem. Just look past the stereotypes, and you may be surprised how similar the prom queen is with the emo girl who never talks. Look closer.

American Beauty



Point of story:

This is my favorite movie ever and I don't want to give away any of it's secrets, because I firmly believe that everyone should see it at least once, so all I will say is sometimes, things are not what they seem. You need to look beyond the surface to see the truth.

Saved! 

Point of story:

I think that the moral of this story can be summed up with one quote from it's main charater, Mary: "Why would God make us all so different if he wanted us to be the same?" I believe this is so true. Some people try to make it seem that you need to be a certain way to adhere to God's will. But I don't think God would make us the way we are if he wanted us to be someone else. I guess we could even relate this back to Gaga and say "I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes. I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way." Be yourself. And don't let anyone tell you that being you is wrong.

Oh, movies. You teach us so much.

And to go along with this movie-themed post, here's a movie-themed playlist that I made:

http://8tracks.com/tjms/a-trip-to-the-cinema?mix_set_id=3228658

-tjms

20 June 2011

<3 !

Websites That Take Up Way Too Much of My Time

I am a Generation Y baby, born in the 1990s but a child of the 2000s. I had no choice in this matter, obviously. If I would have, I would have been a teenager in the early '90s- listening to Nevermind, wearing Doc Martens, and dying my hair with Manic Panic. But tis not so. I've grown up in the years of Beyoncé, high heels, and hair extensions. Not to mention the internet. Sure it existed back in the good old '90s, but...not really, ya know? Not the way we know it. Angela Chase from My So-Called Life didn't have the option of Facebook stalking Jordan Catalano. Kurt Cobain didn't get to go on Twitter and announce tour dates and "communicate" with fans (not like he would've if he'd had the chance, it's effing Kurt Cobain). Matilda Wormwood didn't get to order her books online on Amazon. Nope. They wouldn't understand our obsession with the internet.

It isn't our fault. We've grown up with it. It's hard to remember a time when there weren't computers in school and people actually had to write letters instead of sending emails. The same way our parents' generation had television, we have the internet. It is the cross which we must bear.

Sure, it's great. It has done so much for medicine, news reporting, and other aspects of life. But, my god, it has also done a lot for the grown of procrastination and wasted time in our society. Here's a few websites that have contributed to my own personal procrastination:

The mother of all social networking sites. MySpace never knew what hit them.

1. Facebook
MySpace was just the beginning. It had nothing on Facebook. Who would've thought that "staying connected" would be so much damn fun? Making statuses, tagging photos, updating your relationship status (yup, hasn't happened for me yet), liking random pages with titles such as "The feeling you get when you understand something in math class" (a good feeling, I must admit), annoying the shit out of people by poking them, writing a nice, cute "About Me", and starting drama by not commenting on a post someone made on your wall? So enjoyable. Addicting, even. Why? The world may never know...

2. eBay
This also comes to another point I'd like to make. Not only have I wasted time on the internet, but I've also wasted money. CDs, shoes, band shirts- I love 'em. And eBay's got a ton of 'em. Not a good combination.

3. Youtube
The Lonely Island SNL digital shorts alone have taken up like 3 hours of my time this week. Here's my favorite ;)

4. Wikipedia
I look things up constantly. What's that song that was the themesong of Freaks and Geeks? Wikipedia. ("Bad Reputation") What's that second book in the Twilight series? Wikipedia. (New Moon) Who is that guy who made all those people drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid? Wikipedia. (Jim James)
Thank you, Wikipedia, for giving me so much useless knowledge.

5. Urban Dictionary
I don't think I could have ever went on if I hadn't figured out the meaning of "nbd". Urban Dictionary, thanks for explaining random words and phrases that I wouldn't have known otherwise. Kudos to you.

6. Pitchfork Media
Music news and reviews about bands I actually care about.

7. Sleeveface
As a music fan fanatic, I find this site to be extrememly enjoyable and interesting.

8. Picnik
Photobucket is sooooo 2007. Today's amateur photograph editor should use Picnik. Not only can you make your favorite photo of you and your dog look like it was taken in the '60s, but you can also make it look like you have white teeth and a zit-free complexion. Who could ask for more?

9. Damn You Auto Correct!
Today's goofy website of choice. Love it.
Here's a choice favorite:

Hahahaha dildos.

10. Awkward Family Photos
 I love these. The make some of the photos my family has taken look normal.

I feel like I should add Blogger to this list as well, since I just spent like 2 hours making this post. :P

Well, now I'm gonna go do something slightly more productive and make supper.

Deuces.

-tjms

28 May 2011

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