My spillful life.

I'm kindof notorious for my spillage abilities. In high school I had a coach who called me "Mouth" because there was water all down the front of my jersey after every water break.

The reason I have a functioning computer at all is partially because I only drink from water bottles at my desk and keep them closed any time I'm not drinking from them. Although even that's not guaranteed (see below when water bottle gently leaked into everything in my bag including a week's worth of casebook readings).

Another time I had to call in sick to work because I was bringing my breakfast to my room and as I walked through the door my glass of milk went deluging EVERYWHERE. I mean everywhere. I was really glad that I elevate my laptop on a cooling stand because everything on my desk was soaked in milk. I had to call in sick because it wound up taking me two hours to clean it all up!

Oh and this one time. I was riding shotgun in my mom's new Benzer and we stopped at Baskin Robbins for milkshakes. I had the cardboard drink holder in my lap with our two milkshakes in it caddy corner. Of course when I took my cup out the box plus mom's shake tipped forward onto the floor where my feet were. But whew it's a thick milkshake with a lid so barely any spilled. BUT THEN when I leaned forward to pick it up I forgot about the milkshake in my right hand and as I leaned I also tipped the whole strawberry milkshake into the side door pocket.

Needless to say I'm not really allowed beverage privileges. The Starbucks mug I take on my commute is empty until I get to the cooler at my office.

Anyway what started this lengthy monologue was an incident this morning. Today I was super thirsty heading out the door so I stopped to put in maybe 6 oz. of water into my mug. It's spillproof by the way. We get in the car and I open the sipping lid. The side mirrors are fogged up so I roll down the window and take a napkin from the glove compartment to wipe it down. Then I get the creeping sensation that something is off. WHY OH WHY IS MY CROTCH WET?!?!?!!!!!! Oh right. I opened my spillproof mug and then somehow spilled the whole thing in between my thighs. :( I had to hover with my butt above the seat the whole way to where I get dropped off to take the bus to work. Somehow the water did that magic thing when it creeps up a string that has just one end dipped in the water and it crept up the whole backside of my butt. And my mom tells me my blazer is too short to cover it as I climb out of the car. Great. So glad I look like I have swamp butt so early in the morning.

On that note, Happy Rosh Hashannah!

Do's and Don'ts.

DO try to set a sleep schedule from 11pm to 7am.
DO take properly prescribed Ambien to help set sleep cycle.
DO follow instructions and lie in bed after taking medicine.
DO wake up refreshed and alert after a good night's rest.
DO make a good 2nd impression at previous internship site.
DO take advantage of relationships already in place to learn essential legal skills to get ahead in career.
DO build on known interests and strengths to engage in field of law you find interesting.

DON'T try to stay awake after taking known sleep medication.
DON'T pretend you are a great writer who must share what seems like essential thoughts before embarking on a new phase in life.
DON'T make a fool of yourself with horrific autocorrect and other typos especially when you are a known hyper-critical grammar Nazi.
DON'T fool yourself into thinking blogging under the influence will yield heretofore hidden thoughts and unleash secret talents.
DON'T name your new employer in a drug-addled post so they can fire you before you even begin.

And most of all:
DON'T do drugs, kiddos.

(re)new beginnings?

Today ways lsst day pf freedom. Tomorrow I'm starting my 6-month fellowship at the REDACTED Office of the REDACTED. Secisidng to blog after taking an AmBien was not art and everything ia so difficult right now. Ek I'm surethoa is aess. Cleanup tomorrow!!!

Many many thoughts. Many many many. O wish you could www me phone machine. It's fuzzy like a doll
Monster. Keys are teeth and fuzzy like felt. It's all glowing and shimmering. I think I snood let the drugs do they thang.... Sleepy sleep timesss

An(other?) Honest Confession.

On more than one occasion (and especially by blunt or close friends) I have been engaged in discussing why I act dumber than I am or why I say things that make me seem dumber than I am.  I have been met with the observation that I "dumb [myself] down" and then asked why do I do that.  Usually I give a semi-honest answer: it makes me more approachable/likable. 


I've had problems with "peer relations" for as long as I can remember. I just found my 1st and 2nd grade report cards today. My 2nd grade teacher says of me:

"Christine is a very bright student who has a lot of enthusiasm for learning. She actively participates in group discussions. She works wonderfully independently, but can occasionally be critical towards others when working in a group."

Why am I not surprised? Not much has changed in the past ...math calculating noises... (what year was I in 2nd grade? Oh, geez, has it really been?) ...20 years. At least I'm consistent. The grading system was thus: C = commendable, G = good, S = satisfactory, and N = needs improvement. Needless to say I received at least a C/C+ in everything.

Except the following 3 areas (which shouldn't surprise anyone): Peer relationships, physical education, and music. Now, my lack of skills in physical education and music shouldn't surprise anyone. But what I want to bring attention to is that the lowest grade I received (even of those 3) was in "Peer Relationships."

Honestly, if I had to truly answer why I so often dumb myself down and make myself the "victim" in a crowd, it is because I know that it is really hard to like me.

Don't get me wrong. I know my good traits:
1. I'm loyal to a fault

2. I will personally cut out and give half my liver for a friend

3. I remember every little detail about each of my friends and use those to be the most thoughtful person I know

4. I never/rarely say "no," and 

5. I am really really good at giving great objective advice. 

However, I also know my bad traits:
1. I'm ridiculously stubborn and convinced I am always right

2. I'm the most singularly selfish person I know

3. I'm honest to the level of tactlessness

4. I'm super impatient, and

5. I'm keenly aware of just how smart I am (especially in comparison to the individuals around me).

There. I said it. Here comes the faux pas: I KNOW that I am smart. One of the biggest taboos, it would seem, in our culture.

And herein lies why I feel the need to dumb myself down. Smart people are deemed unapproachable and need some redeeming factor to make them more palatable. Usually an intelligent person who is also well-liked will have one or more of the following traits: niceness, humility, friendliness, and/or wisdom.

Although I am a good person, it turns out that I am not particularly good at being a nice person. And it turns out that I'm neither particularly humble nor wise. Neither am I known for my warmth and friendliness. Actually, I can be downright cold and awkward around strangers. Hmm... so out of the several likable traits an intelligent person must have, I possess... ZERO.

Therefore, I feel the need to dumb myself down. People love the friend they can always make fun of, right? I need to feel a niche and there it is. Someone you can make fun of is approachable, non-threatening. And since I'm so full of myself, I can take all the ribbing thrown at me. The ability to take a good jab is somewhat under-appreciated in my view. I had some more thoughts, but it's already 2am and tonight I was supposed to start setting my internal clock for starting work in a week.

Here you have it, dear readers. In my experience, intelligence alone, is too strong and raw for most people to handle. I'd say intelligence is best-served as a mixed drink; the best mixers being niceness, humility, friendliness, and wisdom. I dumb myself down because I'm not particularly nice, humble, friendly, or wise. My dumbing down is like pineapple juice, a blunt but effective mask for the bitter taste it's meant to hide.

Fisticuffs

While I probably could have more/deeper thoughts on this event, my main thought after reading this article in the New York Times is, "They used the word fisticuffs.  TWICE!!! Teehee."

Eeeps!!!

I'm clearly a little behind in my daily drawings ... will try to get back on that bandwagon soon.

In the meantime a little "before and after" post.

BEFORE: Dinner of marinaded chicken and asparagus/red pepper side

AFTER: Lunch of salad with leftovers cut up as salad fixins + croutons!

This first summer of no job and no student loans (coming IN) is making me quite frugal and creative indeed!

Day 4. Favorite Place.

Just a few examples.  I also wanted to draw "high places" because I really like the view from on-high but I thought it might look more suicidal a la "Wing Tips Over the Edge" by Kaplan (mentioned in Kaplan v. Stock Market Photo Agency, Inc.) (tried and couldn't find a photo online - if anyone can, please link me!).

Day 3. Favorite Food.

 

I don't have a favorite food.  I have LOADS of favorite foods!  It was hard to pick just a few - I almost just resorted to drawing a cow - b/c I love steak and milk and all dairy products (cheese, ice cream, yogurt, milkshakes, chocolate, etc.).  The lemonade is a new/recurring love.  My mom just bought a juicer and now she makes homemade lemonade with lemons and apples and it's UH-MAAAAAAAAAZING!!!  I have to drink some EVERY day!

Day 2.

For my favorite animal - I sat thinking for a good 5 minutes.  I don't have a favorite animal - I might've liked bunnies when I was younger but not anymore.  There's no specific animal that I have photos or figurines of.  No animal that ppl always buy gifts of.  So I sat and puzzled.  And I remembered that I have a specific favorite animal.  My puppy Rocky - he was only mine from 2004 to 2006.  But I loved him more than I've ever loved anything else (other than my family).

The photo below is the one I had in mind when I was drawing.

 

(I thought my drawing looked passable - 

but now that you can compare, it's really sad and actually quite laughable...)

Day 1 (late).

 

"yourself" 

This is me.  Wearing an awesome trapeze blouse I wish I owned with shoes I wish I owned (or even existed?).  That is a purple Elliott Lucca bag I do own with my black iPhone G4 in its pink Kate Spade case.

Bad start!!!

Today was SOOO busy and it wasn't even my fault!!!

No one in my family could pick me up from the park-and-ride stop where I get off in NJ so I had to putz around the city all day (actually I sat at school and did Barbri homework).

So today's a bit of a cheat - but tomorrow - I promise - TWO pictures!

But not today.

I thought today would be June 1st.  I'll be starting my drawing challenge tomorrow - so the days and numbers match up!

=)  Just handed in a 40-page final paper.  Now I'm FINALLY done with law school!

And onto the BAR EXAM!!!
(listening to the 3 hour lecture I missed this morning now...) BOOooooOOoOoOOoOoOOoo~~

New things.

My sister (over at her blog) has started a summer challenge of trying something new everyday.  I saw the image above on imgfave and decided I need something to kickstart all my promises of reinvigorating the blog.  I figure this was a good way to start getting my creative juices flowing.

Today is Day 0 (finishing up edits on one last little graduation requirement).  I will start tomorrow.  Look forward to it.

New uses for other things.

One of the most creative/useful of these types of lists I've seen lately.

Found on Elle:

1. Old Buttons
Repurpose spare buttons by using them to keep pairs of earrings together: Most buttons have at least two holes in them, so simply place an earring in each opening to neatly store when not wearing. Photo: Jupiter Images

2. Eyebrow Brush
Stuck without a lint-remover? Use this handy makeup tool to remove unwanted fuzz from your shirt. Photo: Courtesy of Sephora

3. Dryer Sheets
No time for a shampoo? Rub a dryer sheet on your hair to tame flyaways and make your hair smell shower fresh. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com

4. Unused Stockings
Create a chic shrug by taking a pair of tights or stockings and cutting off the feet (or use a pair of footless tights to save a step). Place arms where legs would normally go and—voila!—you’ve created a sleek spring alternative to a shawl or cardigan. Take it a step further by cutting slashes into the fabric, à la Monique Lhuillier’s ballerina-inspired fall 2009 collection. Photo: Imaxtree

5. Shimmer Eye Shadow
Between visits to your colorist touch up dark roots by spraying a light hairspray onto them and—depending on what hue your highlights are—brushing a shimmering gold or brown eye shadow over the top. Photo: Courtesy of Nordstrom

6. Toothpaste
Have yellow nails? Scrub them with toothpaste to remove stains and add shine. You can also add a few drops of lemon juice for extra whitening; it’s a natural bleaching agent. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com

7. Eggs
Strengthen hair by creating an egg yolk-and-olive oil hair mask. The protein in the egg yolk will toughen up tresses, while the olive oil will act as a conditioning agent. Photo: Jupiter Images

8. Toilet Paper
Don’t want to splurge on oil blotting sheets? Take a thin toilet-paper square and use it to blot excess oil on your T-zone. Photo: Jupiter Images

9. Facial Toner
Did you make a mistake applying your self-tanner? An alcohol-infused astringent or toner can help fix splotches and streaks. Photo: Courtesy of Walgreens

10. Honey
If your skin is sensitive and blotchy, apply a couple tablespoons of honey to your face and leave on for five to 10 minutes. The honey will moisturize, soothe, and help kill blemish-causing bacteria. Photo: Jupiter Images

11. Cooking Spray
Rather than spray quick-dry oil on your nails, reach for a cooking spray instead. Just be sure it’s the original, unflavored version or you might get grossed out by garlic-scented cuticles. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com

12. Nail Polish
Secure buttons by applying a thin layer of polish to the center to keep thread from coming loose. Coating the bottom of your shaving-cream can with lacquer can also prevent rust stains from forming on your squeaky-clean bathtub. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com

13. Flat Iron
A hair straightener works great for ironing between buttons on your shirt, where a regular iron doesn’t fit. You can also use it for minor wrinkles on your blouse when you’re in a hurry. Photo: Courtesy of ghd

14. Body Lotion
To tame unwanted flyaways, rub a dime-size amount of hand or body lotion in your palms and brush lightly on problem spots. Photo: Courtesy of Molton Brown

15. Antacid Tablets
All out of toilet cleanser? Toss in two dissolving antacid tablets, wait 20 minutes, and brush. This will help to remove those nasty stains around the toilet bowl. Photo: Courtesy of Jupiter Images

16. Clear Tape
Remove dry skin from lips by pressing the sticky side of tape to your pucker, or see what a nail polish color will look like without the mess by placing a small piece on your nail and doing a quick test. Photo: Courtesy of Jupiter Images

17. Petroleum Jelly
Help avoid blisters from those stylish-yet-painful stilettos by coating problem spots with petroleum jelly before slipping shoes on. Also: Neaten a nail job by dabbing on skin around your cuticles pre-polish. This way, if you make a mistake, the polish is easily wiped away. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com

18. Listerine Mouthwash
Have a painful blister that popped? To disinfect, dab a few drops of Listerine Mouthwash on—it’s a powerful antiseptic. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com

19. Yogurt
If you burn your forehead using a curling iron, slather plain yogurt on the wound—the coolness will help with swelling and the yogurt will reduce redness and speed the healing process. Photo: Courtesy of Dannon

20. Paper Towels
Don’t have rollers on hand? Wrap hair in twisted paper towels; you can use more or less leaflets depending on how large or small you want the diameter of your curls to be. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com

21. Vinegar
Considered a natural bleach and powerful cleanser, vinegar (just a dab) can reduce the blueness of bruise. This kitchen staple can also be used in your bubble bath to help prevent yeast infections. Tip: Try apple-cider vinegar for a less pungent smell. Photo: Jupiter Images

22. Rubber Band
Make room for an expanding waistline by hooking a rubber band through the buttonhole of your pants; secure the other side to the button, and wear a tunic top to cover up your handiwork. Photo: Jupiter Images

23. Hair Conditioner
When you’re low on shaving cream, hair conditioner can provide a smooth, slick barrier between your razor and sensitive skin. Photo: Courtesy of Pantene Pro-V

24. Cornstarch
Detangle a knot in seconds: Rub cornstarch into stubborn knots on shoelaces, string, chain necklaces for greater grip and control. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com

25. Oatmeal
Whether you have dry, itchy winter skin or discomfort from summer mosquito bites, mixing cooking oats into your bath will provide instant relief. Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com