Music and Mood

Okay, here's the deal. I've been in a pretty relentless bad mood for the past few weeks. Combine a new semester with family stress and a dash of the ol' job search for luck and you get me, unwilling to leave my nice, warm, cozy bed. I may be a little pathetic and I'm okay with that. 

So for the past few days I've been watching Netflix pretty relentlessly. Turns out constant tv watching does so little to help with the whole mood thing. On top of that, work is not getting done which just adds to the stress. It's a relentless cycle. I decided today to make a change. I stepped away from Netflix.
(was I the only one to hear the trumpeting in the background just then?)

Instead of watching tv under the covers I decided to listen to some music as I started to clean up my room. Music is such a mood booster. For me, it gets my imagination going, it gets me thinking again after I've totally shut it down. The mood buster for the day? The Pixies.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am a roommate's dream. Who doesn't love a little alternative rock on a Wednesday afternoon?

On the whole music front, Springsteen is releasing a new album soon! March 6 to be exact. That really has nothing to do with the rest of this post, but come on! How can you beat that news? Oh, what's that? That's right you can't! That video up there? That's the new song.

I actually have stuff to share with all of you. Pictures of pictures and patterns and paper. I am loving the Ps. I'll  be back later this week with some fantastic old-timey photos, but until then...

Anecdote of the Week

So what do you talk about when there's nothing to talk about. It was my first full week back at school this past week and while it went by fine, I did my work. Absolutely nothing interesting to share. Okay that's a lie. There were moments. Best story of the week? The ceiling falling in on one of my classes.

Yes. That's right. The ceiling.

There are these working who have been working on the roof of my building forever. Not kidding. Forever. It's like if you combined renovations with Tuck Everlasting. Well my classroom just happens to be in the attic area of this building, the very top of the building. So as soon as anybody starts working the roof starts shaking and before you know it. BAM. Ceiling in your coffee! Not going to lie. There were moments I thought I was going to die.

So in other words, all classes should be that exciting.

Funnily enough, I was still nodding off. God this post needs pictures.

Pencils and Books and Pens

                                                   
It's back to school time again, my final year of it. That's a weird feeling. Most people I know have graduated (this whole two degree things takes a little extra time) and I'm trying to figure out how I'll fit back into the swing of things (as I do every year) without everybody around. But that's all for later. Denial is a great thing.

The most important thing on my mind right now? School supplies.

Seriously, who doesn't love scouring the aisles of Staples for the latest and greatest erase-better-ers or the smoothest writing tool this side of the twenty first century? I get sucked in by the hype, what can I say. The pencils freshly sharped, the pens still working, the miles and miles of white out tape at the ready, it makes me think that this is the year I'll be organized. So what if that falls through by the end of semester, it all gets done doesn't it?

On top of all the school supplies university means (for many) dorms, apartments and basement suites. I remember the first year conundrum of what to bring, what to bring. I read horror stories about tiny rooms that wouldn't fit a quarter of the average person's closet; I witnessed some of these horror rooms first hand. I was determined not to over-pack.

I managed to fit my entire life into a single suitcase. I brought nothing extraneous. Five shirts, one pair of jeans, one skirt, runners, flip-flops (for the shower of course), and a pair of ballet flats. One rug because the floor would obviously be disgusting. No prints, there was no room for decoration. An extra box filled with text books and my school supplies were in one case in my pure along with my ID. Bare bones living, that's what I envisioned and yes I still got made of for over-packing by my family.

But you know what? I overdid it. Sure rooms are small, but they're not so small that you can't make yourself comfortable. Bring you favourite clothes, bring some photos for your walls, bring a mini-fridge. Trust me, you'll want to make room for that fridge when the floor thief starts taking things out of the communal one. Making your dorm room comfortable is essential; you'll be living there for the next nine months.

Those ads that are in all the papers right now want you to bring way too  much granted. But aren't they fun to look through? I love picking out my favourite things and buying maybe one, the cheapest one. Back to school is a great time to surround yourself with things that you love, that will make you comfortable and prepare you for the grind ahead. I've got my text books and pens at the ready and maybe I'll sneak in some contraband candles this year, because that seems safe.