day 033. [photoshoot]

Today started out with just a mile run. I think I'm going to work on my mile time rather than my overall two mile time. I'm getting it down, but I've still got a ways to go before it's finally down to where I need to be to run that 12 minute 2 mile.

Afterwards, I didn't feel like eating breakfast, even though I should have, so I didn't. Instead I just read a chapter out of The Adolescent. It's surprisingly a good book. Maybe had I gotten past the first few pages the first time I picked it up I might have liked it, but I'm glad I'm in a time and place in my life to just read it. Want to know what it's about? Ask me! :)

Once done with that though I ended up taking some of the bills down to the post office. Besides mailing those off I FINALLY got Tarra's present mailed off to her. Because I know she's going somewhere on the 7th of July, I decided to send it first class which means she'll hopefully get it by Saturday!! I can't wait for her to get it. For those that know what it is, if you leave a comment keep your mouth shut. Please & Thank You :) I hope she likes it, even though it's something that she can refer to whenever she wants.

My favorite part of the day was definitely getting to do a photoshoot of my good buddy Anthony Snyder. It definitely was nostalgic because we did the shoot in the same place where I first ever took portraits ... of him! (So, I know I'm posting up two pictures again, but it's to show difference, if there is any, haha.) The first time we did shots, I actually had no idea how to use manual focus, so I was using auto focus. Also, I didn't really understand how to use my shutter setting, instead I was using the portrait setting that was on there. It actually wasn't until after that first photoshoot did I actually learn how to take advantage of those. The manual focus was sometime while I was still in high school. As for shutter mode, that wasn't until college during a Women's Volleyball game. I realized then that the sport mode was just not fast enough, so then I messed around with shutter!

That first photoshoot though we were really just trying to do something classy. I was just trying to get some "sweet" portrait shots because it honestly was the first time I'd ever done any kind of portrait work. After that ... I was hooked. This shoot though, we kind of were going for the run down look, literally. Kind of that "bad-ass" feel if you want to think of it that way. So what better way to achieve that other than Anthony being: shirtless, looking like a thug (haha), and smoking a cigar. Put those all together and I'm pretty sure that's as run down as it gets. On top of that, my editing skills have totally evolved since then. So not only can I take a photo (in my opinion, you don't have to agree) that portrays a certain feeling, but I can also edit it to bring it out even more!

That was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to possibly doing more shoots with Anthony this summer. Oh yeah, last thing about Anthony, he's the first ever model where I've honestly felt comfortable just shooting photos of someone. Thanks Anthony :)

Once that was done I headed out to a camp ground to hang out with a few friends I went to high school with. It sounds like we were going to do illegal things, but we didn't, haha. In all honesty we were just celebrating my friend Caytie's 17th birthday, which is on July 1st! I found myself being the only guy there, haha. Also, I'm starting to realize just how old I'm getting. I'm almost 20, not anywhere close to turning 20 [6 months, give or take], but I'm getting there and it's actually kind of weird and it makes me feel ... old, ha. I was there until kind of late, which explains why this post is kind of late-ish.

Today was definitely a day to hang out, and it was tons of fun. Looking forward to more hangouts, but I'm definitely loving my personal down time where I can do what I want.

PS. Check out my flickr for some of the other photos from today.

PPS. Sorry for uploading two photos lately. haha. Luckily, the other photos just don't have to do with this project, or they are what I would call "out of date" in consideration to this project.

day 032. [reading]

Note to readers: This blog was inspired by my friend Tarra McCurdy's blog. I suggest that you guys follow her too as she's going through what we call, Post Grad life.

Most of you probably know who Tarra is, but for those that don't I'll tell you who she is, haha. Anyways, Tarra was a senior at the University of Portland and I met her briefly because of Senate. Getting out of it in the Spring because I wanted to focus more on my classes. Anyways, during our time this past spring semester we came up with this idea to write a blog about our adventures in the library. Check it out if you already haven't. As she said in one of her posts, our blog has become something bigger than we thought. It really has! I'm so excited to see where this blog takes us. Even if it doesn't take us anywhere, it's still awesome to know that we have quite a few people following us, whether it's public or purely because we post it up on our Facebook walls!

Alright, enough about that, to the actual portion of this blog. Seeing as I've come home from college, finally, I have a lot of down time. Although this down time could be filled with hanging out with friends, exercising, catching up on sleep, or even my internship/job, I surprisingly would like to use some of my downtime to just read. I've always been one to like reading, but being hampered by text book readings and assigned readings from school (both high school and college) I haven't found the time to really sit down with a good book and read it for all intent purposes.

So with that, I plan on reading a few good books this summer. Some of them might be related to biology/science, but are no way in the form of a text book. On the other hand, some of the books I plan on reading are definitely books that I either had to read in high school or never got around to. If you're wondering, which I hope you are, the books I plan on reading these next two months will be (as listed, not in order):

• Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky - I read this book in high school for AP Lit, but the thing is I had to read it. I didn't really have an option to read it or not. Now is my chance to actually just read it.
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - This was another book that I could have read, but I chose another book to read instead of it
• The Adolescent by Fyodor Dostoevsky - I honestly might not even get around to reading this because I just picked this book up seeing as our public library didn't even have Crime & Punishment. What a crime.
  
• Y: The Descent of Men by Steven Jones - I picked this book up at Powell's down in Portland and it's all about the Y-Chromosome. Me being a biology major and a science person in general, this just caught my eye. Oh yeah! I'm a guy!!
• The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston - In AP Bio my senior year, our teacher made us read The Hot Zone as a final project type sort of thing. At first I thought it was dumb, but I ended up really liking the book. So I figured if I got this book to read it wouldn't be that bad. Oh yeah, I own The Hot Zone.
  

As for what I did today exactly, it started out with an early morning run, another 2 miles. I think my legs are still a bit shot because my time was still somewhat close to what I ran yesterday. After getting off the phone with Tarra we discussed that I should just get my mile time down, which I need to get it down under 6 minutes.

Besides that though, I went to the post office to see how much it would cost to send Tarra's present to her; $2.24 to send it to her, not bad at all. I'll probably send that off tomorrow :)!

Afterwards that's when I drove up to the library to get myself a new library card. You can read all about that here. That was quite the experience being in the library. I enjoy the library much more now after blogging with Tarra!

I then walked down town from the library because I knew we had a little bookshop where you could obviously get books. It was kind of a like a really small Powell's, ha. Even though I checked out Crime & Punishment from another library, I also put an order in to get the book because I kind of like owning good books, even if I've read them before. It's just nice to have them laying around if I ever want to pick the book up.

That was it for today. Sorry this was so long guys, ha.

PS. I know I can only put up one photo a day that I took, but the thing is, the picture of Tarra was for you guys, so you knew what she looked like if you didn't :)

No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance. - Confucius

day 031. [sunset]

Wanna know something cool? Today marks the end of the "first month" of this project! 31 days later and I've got one month down and 11 to go!

Anyways, you know how during the summer the one thing EVERYONE wants to do is ... hang out? Well, to be honest with you, hanging out can get old and sometimes I really like to just stay home and just chill and bum around the house.

So that's what I did today, haha. Just did some chores around the house, although I hate chores. I did some more cleaning around my room and just getting rid of old things or packing stuff up so it can go in the garage. I definitely spent some good time in front of my keyboard just playing it and having tons of fun. Of course, because of my new found love for crafts, I obviously did that.

But there's only so much one can do in their house when it's summer. I found myself later wanting to go on a run. So I did, a 2 mile run. Start out small you know? haha. I'm not an XC runner, so I don't do 10 miles as a starter, bahaha. I realized though that I like running. Despite that I do sports where running isn't the main thing, I enjoy running. Something about how my body feels after I run just feels SO good!

I'm more of a late night runner though or early morning runner. Seeing as I woke up kind of late, I didn't do my run until later tonight.

I was able to do my run, but I also caught the sunset at west beach. If there's one reason that doesn't deal with my friends living here, I would come home to Oak Harbor definitely because of our sunsets! They are gorgeous, beautiful, and amazing. I sometimes suffer from Island Syndrome [hating the fact that I live on an island] but the thing is, I have yet to see a sunset anymore gorgeous than the sunsets here! Man, I love being home :)

PS. Ran my 2 miles in 14:05. Got to take photos of the sunset with my buddy Steven Welch. If you haven't noticed, I'm now tweeting. Follow me if you have one!

day 030. [lyc]

After missing church this morning because I was up until the sun rose, literally I was up until then. I don't think I can do that often. I need to reboot [robot term!] from school and catch up on sleep while still have the time in the day to enjoy summer, haha.

Although I missed church the best part about today was getting to go to Youth Group! If you're wondering what LYC means, it stands for Legacy Youth Church. Although, when I was in the youth group just a year ago we were known as 701. We never started at 7:01, more like 7:15 or 7:30, haha.

There have been some major changes since I was in the youth group just a year ago, for instance the biggest change has been time. Junior High Youth Group used to be on Tuesday nights and High School Youth Group would be on Wednesday nights. Both are now on Sunday, starting with Junior High at 5 and High school at 7:15 [see, we never started at 7:01, haha].

Unfortunately, because of the day change, I actually never got to go to Youth Group the other times I was home on breaks. Fall break, Thanksgiving break, and I only got to go once during Winter Break. As for second semester, I wasn't even home until the end of the semester, so there went time to go to Youth Group.

But you know what, I've come to realize it has nothing to do what day Youth Group is on. God is working and moving through all of those guys in the Youth Group and that's all I could ask for. You know? That God is creating a movement in people's lives. After all, God moved me two years ago and to this day he still means to world to me. Even if I fail and let people down. If you want to know more, ask me [I'm free to share], or read this post.

Anyways, tonight was like any other night of Youth Group ... AWESOME! You could definitely feel the Holy Spirit in the room and you could just feel the presence of God. The message was great and it was one that touched home base for me. Feel free to ask me anytime why it hit home.

Oh yeah, worship was, as usual, awesome. I really enjoy a good time of worship seeing as it prepares our hearts for the message. You know what I mean? O_o

Because of tradition, the best thing, other than youth group, is our after youth group activity!! We almost ALWAYS go to Applebee's after youth group as a tradition. When we go, we go ... in BIG GROUPS!! We tend to make it difficult, but we always try to be really courteous of the workers there, we could improve on that, but you know we try ...

Awww man, I'm going to be looking forward to these Sunday nights for the two months I'm here. I love all of you guys at LYC!! Keep letting God move through you and just trust in him!! Night everyone :)

day 029. [jordan]

I had so many photos to choose from today that it was actually hard to really choose which one I'd use. My day isn't even over to be honest with you. Long summer days call for long summer nights!

Anyways, I had breakfast with a good buddy of mine from high school. Jordan Kingma. He and I have an interesting relationship, that has only gotten better since we've become friends. We absolutely despised of each other freshman year, but sophomore year things started to turn around. Come junior year we started to go to breakfast with each other. It was something he did with his dad, so he decided to do breakfast with me. Senior year we managed to keep it going. Sadly, we've gone to breakfast twice this past year, but I guess that's what happens when both of us have college lives. It's alright. We spent today just really catching up with each other seeing as the last time we saw each other was literally 6 months ago. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to doing breakfast with him with the two months we have left before we go back to college!

Tradition, he always picks me up, which means he always drops me off back home. So after he dropped me off back home I finished up on a project that needed to get done now so I could ship it off to someone. In fact, there's another portion of it that I need to get done, but that won't take too long. I just cleaned, unpacked from not only the summer session but I ended up going through some stuff from fall and spring, and then I just did other little crafts whilst watching the World Cup. Good job today USA!!

The best part about today though was a home cooked meal. THANKS MOM!! After dinner though I went out to get some ice cream at DQ with another good friend of mine, Pam Dupa. We were there from 7 to about the time it closed. Just catching up and talking Photography. Things will never change the way I see it, ha.

Pam had to get going and I decided to go stop by Wal*Mart to see if they had embroidery floss. Unfortunately, they do not. Fortunately enough for me though I ran into another friend, Paul Jewell. We go back to 8th grade. Paul, if you read this, I'm sorry for killing your Machoke as it was evolving into a Machamp back during sophomore year. If there's any way I can repay you [besides my first born child] let me know, haha! Good times with that kid during high school.

Now even though it seems like my night is about to end, it's only about to begin. Just waiting for a few friends to get back into town from watching Toy Story 3. Once they get back ... it's all fun and games from here until the sun rises.

First day back in Oak Harbor couldn't get any better. This summer is totally shaping up to be a good one!

day 028. [packed]

First off ... HAPPY 4 WEEKS TO THIS PROJECT!!

Anyways, the day has come where I leave Portland and head back to Oak Harbor. Today kind of failed in comparison to yesterday, but then again yesterday was my last day in Portland.

I stayed in bed for quite some time today to avoid packing, but I eventually got around to packing :)

I'm kind of glad that it was only six weeks because I didn't bring nearly as many things compared to when I was here for the school year. I still cannot believe some of the things I had when I was packing up to go home after Spring Semester.

I'm really going to miss Portland though. These last six weeks were some of the most fun weeks I've had here in Portland and on campus. I guess that's partially due to the fact that I'm familiar with this place for the most part. Portland has seriously become home for me. I really cannot see myself anywhere else other than Portland right now.

If I went to school in California I honestly think that I wouldn't have as much fun as it sounds like it would have been. If I went to school in Seattle or anywhere in Washington for that matter, I think I'd be miserable. Like I said, I've come to the point where I feel like I belong in Portland. Portland has become home and it has replaced the love that I had for Oak Harbor. Don't get me wrong, Oak Harbor will always be home, but Portland seems to be my home.

After a day like yesterday, I can't help but feel a little sad to leave Portland again. You know what though? I'll be back in August for Fall Semester! Can't wait!! As for now though, I'm going to enjoy the two months of summer that I have left. BRING IT ON SUMMER 2010!!

day 027. [kurt]

So today was my last day of classes :)

On top of that I got to see Kurt today. If you didn't know, he went to Australia for study abroad this past Spring Semester. He's now an RA in Villa and I'm super excited to know I can give Kurt hugs to Kurt and not other people, haha

Anyways, I got an A on my BibTrad Paper that was turned in on the 17th of last week. Knowing that I wrote that paper in a rush made me a bit more confident for the two final papers I had to write for the class.

The History final, I figured that I could get a B+ and still get at least a 93 in the class. But I didn't count on that for an accurate reading on how I should do my final.

When I finished my finals I went to Panda Express with Melanie just for a quick bite because we were kind of hungry. When we got back I decided to start packing. I say start because I never got around to packing my stuff. I ended up needing to go to the bathroom and I ran in Teige (AHD in Villa next year) and Geoff (a fellow Villan). We all chatted for a bit in the Corrado hall way. Geoff had to get going, but Teige invited me to come to his apartment in Villa. Let me tell you, I was super excited to go into Villa seeing as the last time I was there was when I left for Oak Harbor before I came back down here. He and just hung out for a bit and then the next thing I know Kurt and Chris came by to hang with Teige, this was all before Caitlin and I went to dinner with Kurt.

Come dinner time, Caitlin and I let Kurt choose where we were going to eat. He chose Thai Ginger. I can't complain with that seeing as I love that place. Rather than it just being Caitlin, Kurt, and me having dinner, we invited Chris to come with us as well. It was a lot of fun hanging out with other Villans! If you can't tell, I really love my fellow Villa men. We're just so awesome ;)

When Kurt brought Caitlin and me back, we took some photos (obviously). Afterwards though Caitlin and I decided to walk near the train tracks. I'm pretty sure we walked a good few miles there and back. I know I was exhausted from it and totally felt gross, so I took a shower, bahaha.

It was a good day. Nice weather. Got done with classes and finals. Crossing my fingers hoping I did well, which I'm not too afraid of. Getting to see Kurt and hanging out with other Villans in Villa!!

As for tomorrow, I need to pack seeing as I leave tomorrow :(

It has been a lot of fun in Portland, but for my followers, get ready for some posts about my home life. Might not be nearly as exciting compared to what I've done down here, but it'll be in my environment :)

PS. I think the best part about today was when Melanie and I were driving back from Panda and I saw Kurt getting into his car. He was going to get coffee with Andrew Hansen. If you're also a follower of the library blog then you'll know who Andrew Hansen is. Anyways, I made Melanie stop in the middle of the road so I could run up to Kurt and give him a giant hug. It was the best :)

day 026. [doodles]

What's the one thing college students don't look forward to?

- Having to buy new books, that are expensive, for the new semester?

- Having an 8:10 Organic Chemistry class?

- Worse, having a night lab that runs until almost 10 pm?

- That first test in a class?

I think there's something even worse than all of those together that most college students probably don't look forward to ... FINALS.

Granted, my finals aren't nearly as tough as they would be compared to during a regular semester, I'm still in the midst of them. This is what we call a study break from studying. Luckily, I finished all 12 pages of my BibTrad final, which was a relief to my being.

As for studying for my History final, I'm getting there, haha. As I was looking through my notes for history though I realized one thing: I have a tendency to doodle ... a lot. It's not a bad thing, if the doodles were pertaining to what's going on in class (like what I did in high school), but these doodles are purely for the sake of me being bored and not wanting to pay attention in class. Sometimes I realize that the doodles are during a time when I REALLY should be paying attention.

As for what I doodle, I have a habit of doodling robots. Now if you're reading this Tarra, I've been doodling robots since my junior year of high school, not because of a certain someones obsession for robots. That goes for you too Caitlin :P

I also draw people and sometimes clouds. I know back in high school I used to draw this one picture of a guy walking into the woods and the caption would say "where are you going?"

I'm pretty sure I would draw that picture in my agenda, especially during times when I really didn't know what route to take. You could say that some of my doodles have depth and meaning behind them while others are just purely for fun and boredom and my way to escape the ever so boring lecture. Not that all lectures are boring, just I tend to zone out.

I should get back to studying for history.

PS. Tomorrow is my last day in Portland and then it's off to Oak Harbor for me. It's going to be bittersweet, but I cannot wait to get home!

PPS. I call my recent doodle "iRobot" ... after the movie, haha. I failed to mention that it was sunny today! Thank you Dr. Els for cutting class short so I could get my daily serving of Vitamin D ;)

day 025. [nom nom nom]

To save you guys a recap, here's what happened today:

Woke up and got ready for BibTrad. Listened to our seminars we had to do.

Went to history and took notes. Although I'm pretty sure I was falling asleep a tad bit. Luckily for us, Els cut class early because of car problems

I then went to the library to really haul ass on my final papers for BibTrad. I've got 8/12 pages right now!!

The whole point of this blog today was about food excursions!

Normally as a University of Portland student I, and my fellow UP classmates, would get food from the good ol' Commons. That's under construction right now seeing as the whole food dealio for next year is changing. Finally, we're going to be up to speed with some of the other schools that have the same food vendor.

Because of that the summer session kids are kind of left to go get their food at The Cove. If you eat there just once, you kind of get sick of it. During the school year it's alright because there's other places to eat, but right now on campus The Cove is the only place we can get anything to eat. During the summer though, you get sick of it. Surprisingly, Melanie and I managed to eat at The Cove only a total of five times this summer.

As for the rest of the time, we either: 1) went out to eat 2) made something for food 3) went to go get some fast food.

Here's a list of places we went, things we made, and places where we just wanted to grab a quick bite of food.

Sit-Down Places:
1) Thai Ginger (once)
2) P.F. Chang's (once)
3) Sushi Land (three times)
4) Yo Cream (twice)
5) Spaghetti Factory (once)
6) Little Red Bike Cafe (together we've gone twice, this summer though I've gone about 6 times)
7) 1-2-3 Thai (once, that's when we were at my house)
8) Applebees (once, again when we were at my house)

Food we made:
1) Broccoli Pasta (three times, that's what I took a photo of today by the way - I made it!)
2) Quesadilla's (once and I made them)
3) Fried Rice (once, that was the time we went to Trader Joe's to get the stuff for it)
4) Scrambled eggs (twice)

Fast Food:
1) Chipotle (twice)
2) McDonalds (three times)
3) Wendy's (once)
4) Panda Express (three times)
5) Ikea (once)

To explain Ikea, it was the first time I'd ever gone there and we decided to get some food there.

It's been quite a food adventure finding different outlets other than campus food to eat this past summer. Luckily, we'll be home soon and before we know it our parents will be cooking food for us again. Or in my case, I tend to eat less while I'm home. I don't understand why that is. I don't understand why I didn't gain vast amounts of weight this past school year! haha

I should get back to work on my finals. That's it for tonight though.

Speaking of food ... Caitlin and I are going out to eat dinner with Kurt Berning (who just came back from Australia) on Thursday!!!

day 024. [summer]

You know how they say that June 21st marks the first day of summer. Well, whoever said that forgot to tell that to Mother Nature. We maybe got about 5 minutes of sun today, and that was it. The worst part, I was in class and didn't have an opportunity to snap a shot of the 5 minutes of sun we did get. Oh the North West, how I love you so ...

As for today, it was pretty uneventful. I'm in the 6th week of my summer classes which also means I'm in my last week of my summer classes. I woke up on the later side and had to get ready for BibTrad quite quickly, I did make it. I made it on time. Gotta add that in there.

History was ... well ... history. ha. Don't have much to say about it, other than since Dr. Els turned in his tenure application he's been at ease a little. It's quite nice having him not be so high strung, especially in our final days of classes!

Afterwards I went to go eat some lunch before I headed to the library to do some research for my BibTrad final. I wasn't there for too long seeing as I was getting all antsy and couldn't really focus/sit there anymore. Hopefully tomorrow will be better luck at studying/writing/researching in the library. Wish me luck!

Anyways, for the real fun of the night, I guess (haha), I watched Toy Story 3 ... AGAIN! Just not in 3D this time. I realized that the movie wasn't all that different from 2D and 3D. I mean, the toys were in 3D, but that's not what really is important. The message of the whole movie is what's important.

Well, that's it for today. I'm obviously taking a writing break from BibTrad and dare I say it, I need to get back to work. Later guys! Hopefully tomorrow shapes up and is better than today :)

day 023. [father's day]

This really won't be a "highlight of my day post" more like a "tribute to my dad" :)

This one's for you Arsenio B. Baleros!

I wish I could be back in Oak Harbor to simply just tell my dad, "Happy Father's Day!" But I think he can wait another five days to hear those words. I could call him, but I do want to tell him in person.

To think, I haven't seen my dad for about a year! I don't know how I've managed that one. We might not have the greatest relationship at times, but you know, he's my dad and he's taught me some of the things I know now.

You know, if it wasn't for my dad's love of technology, especially cameras I wouldn't be so into photography. In fact, at first my dad didn't even want me to have my own camera. He'd get mad at me sometimes because I'd take his digital camera to do some photography work. That's when he finally bought me my first digital camera (sometime in 5th/6th grade).

Since then, I've been hooked. Other than the artsy side of my dad, he's definitely the athlete. He got me into tennis, with a little help from my brother who played as well. Also, because he was a distance runner, I thank him for that because I definitely have the build of a sprinter, but I've managed to hold my ground when it comes distance running all due to my dad for passing down his genes for slow-twitch muscles.

Putting aside the "materialistic" side of my dad, a lot of people can't tell, but I'm a Navy Brat. I happened to be a Navy Brat that got moved once, and I got moved pretty young. So I was lucky enough to live in one place for most of my life, but let me tell you something. It wasn't easy being a Navy Brat kid, especially when I was a boy and my dad was the navy parent. The times he would go on deployment felt like FOREVER! I remember one time though he was on deployment for a good 3 months. I would cry when we would drop him off and I would sometimes cry in the morning when he wouldn't be by me in my bed to wake me up for school. What!? I would miss him! :)

I think the hardest time was when my dad got deployed in Afghanistan early after the 9/11 incident. Man, did that shake my world. I don't remember how long he was gone for, but it definitely felt like a long time. Luckily, we got constant updates as to how he was doing. That was good and always put me at ease.

At times, we definitely didn't see eye to eye, but isn't that the relationship of a teenager with any of their parents? Now that I'm 19 and I've spent almost a year on my own, I appreciate all the times my parents and I didn't see eye to eye, especially the times between me and my dad. They were only trying to teach me the right things to do, but I didn't catch on then, haha. It obviously took some time for things to click, haha.

Despite the times when my dad and I didn't see eye to eye, I can't help but think how lucky I am to at least have a dad and a father figure. I'm not talking about those people who literally don't have dad's, I'm talking about those that have them, but it doesn't seem like they have one at all.

Although for awhile it seemed like I was fatherless and I was having to look to other male figures in my life to be like a father figure, things turned around. We have to back-track a bit, but my senior year of high school my main father figure was God. He was the only thing I had, besides other male figures, that was like a dad. Last summer at summer camp (best time of my life) God let me know that it was my time to shine for my dad. This separation my dad and I had this past year did wonders on our relationship. We're getting there, but I am so lucky to have a dad that is there. Thanks for everything, dad :)

Sorry for the randomness in this entry, haha :)

day 022. [saturday market]

After yesterday's epic-ness of a day, I decided to make today and relaxing day. How'd I do that you might ask?

Well it's a little something called Saturday Market. Around 11:30 this morning Melanie and I went to Saturday Market. I went for the sole purpose of getting myself a new little toy for my key chain. He's a little surfer dude and I'm so excited to have him on my key-chain.

I was really close to getting the ninja one, but I know someone else who has that one and didn't feel like getting that one.

After Saturday Market, we had brunch. Scrambled eggs and potstickers. haha.

When we were done having brunch, Melanie and I just chilled for a bit before she left to go visit a friend. I stayed behind, obviously, and just watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off, ha. I probably should have done some homework, but that's definitely what Sunday's are for!

Today's obviously been short lived, the real fun is definitely tonight!

day 021. [bittersweet]

Today was a REALLY good day! But at the same time a day that just seemed to be a bittersweet one :(

Anyways, this morning Melanie and I decided to go Little Red Bike Cafe because we wanted to go last week but didn't have the chance because I was still sick last week. I was definitely in for a surprise when we got there.

There were so many people there and I began to think to myself, "it's like it's their last day being open ..." Right when I thought that a letter caught my eye that said June 18th, 2010 would be their last day. That was today! Melanie and I had managed to make it to Little Red on their last day. Definitely a day to remember, but a sad one at that.

The best part though, which I've been waiting to blog about was this couple Melanie and I met while sharing a table with them. After Melanie and I ordered our drinks and our food we were looking for a table to sit down at. We looked all around inside - no luck. We went outside and again, no luck. BUT this couple who was sitting at one of the picnic tables said that they'd be happy to share a table with us seeing as there's only two of them and they have such a big table to themselves. Boy were Melanie and I in for a surprise.

Obviously, we got to having small talk and what not. They managed to ask us if we were from the area. We told them we just went to school at UP ... funny thing is, they did too. Both were UP Alum from 1993 and 1994. I feel bad, I managed to not get their names, but he graduated as a History Major and she graduated as a Psychology Major. Melanie and I just talked to them about UP and how much we love it and they told us how much they loved it. It was so much fun getting to talk to this couple. In fact, they live in the house that he lived in his senior year of college. I think the best part about talking to this couple was talking about how much the campus has changed. I really do wish I snapped a photo of this couple and got their names. If I did, they definitely would have been the picture for the day, haha.

They had to get going because they were going to go pick up their little kid from school. It then dawned on me that today was Friday, ha.

Afterwards Melanie and I headed over to Lloyd Center so she could check out a Father's Day present and so that I could go buy me my TOMS shoes. I had my heart on those shoes almost all year! She got a Father's Day present and I didn't get my shoes because they were out. I wasn't ready to give up though because then Caitlin and I headed over to Clackamas Town Center where I knew there'd be TOMS shoes there because they were a much better mall. Did I mention, I bought some stuff from GAP as well at Lloyd Center.

Melanie was studying while Caitlin and I were at the mall, BUT once she was done Melanie came to pick us up because she didn't want us to take the Max back downtown after having to take it to the mall. The three of us then had dinner at P.F. Chang's. Did I mention, that was my first time eating there? haha.

It was a good day today, but bittersweet. Sorry if this post was long :)

day 020. [3D]

I bet many of you are wondering where the Day 020 post was. Well, it wasn't that I forgot to take a picture or that I didn't feel like posting up today. [I couldn't do that to you guys].

The reason that this post is late is that last night I watched a midnight showing of TOY STORY 3 ... in 3D!!

Let me tell you guys, it was well worth it! Totally made my day/night/week. The group of people I went to watch it with, well ... we ALMOST didn't make it into the movie, but we did. I seriously felt like I was 5 again when I watched the movie. But the funny thing is when I did watch Toy Story , which I saw in theaters, it came out in 1994 around Thanksgiving, meaning I was just about to turn 4. So ... I don't know how I felt like I was 5 again, ha. But seriously though, 16 years between the first and third one and it was worth the wait!

I loved the movie so much that I'm going to watch it again on Monday with Melanie and Keenan.

As for what happened prior to watching Toy Story 3. I finally turned in my BibTrad paper on my passage Philippians 2:1-11; I took a history exam [like usual of Thursdays]; Melanie, Keenan, Tynishia, and I went to Sushi Land for dinner after playing some Wii Sports; Melanie, Tynishia, and I bought some ice cream to eat during the scary movie we were going to watch before I left for the movies.

That was Thursday, it was quite the day, but let me tell you [because I know in advance now] Thursday can't even compare to Friday!

day 019. [exhausted]

Right now, all I want to do is lie my head down on my pillow. Which is what I'm going to do once I finish off the night's worth of photos :)

It's been a long day, working on finishing up my BibTrad paper and studying for my history exam tomorrow. I was also filling out numerous applications for internships. As well as looking for a place to work, even though I'll only be home for two months this summer. ugh. I probably won't get anything, but I guess I could try.

Among other things, I might be going to a midnight showing of Toy Story 3 in 3D tomorrow!! I'm so excited!! I hope that I get to see Tynishia tomorrow though before she leaves for Africa. I hope you have fun Tynishia.

Friday will obviously be Friday and I'll most like start doing my final for BibTrad. Saturday is going to be a party! If you know what I mean ;)

That's about it. Sorry it's not as "hey here's what happened today." With these last few days left of classes, things are starting to get rushed. Honestly, right now, it feels like the last few weeks of 2nd semester. ahh. Later guys :D

day 018. [half]

First off, Happy Birthday to Neil Patrick Harris (that was for you Keenan :P)

As for today, Happy [half] Birthday to me. To be honest with you, I don't normally celebrate my half birthday, nor do I even take notice of it. And today, that hasn't changed. Other than the fact that I did take notice of it, but that was for the sake of the blog :)

So, if you're wondering why i took a self-portrait of myself. It has to do with the fact that every 15th of each month, I will take a photo of myself. See how I change in a year from today. Well, a year from today I'll be 20 and a half! CRAZY!! I'm getting old and I do not like it one bit!

As for today, I accidently slept through BibTrad (fml) and I didn't even have history today. So I managed to read for history and work on some bibtrad. In fact, I'm taking a break from BibTrad to work on this post.

Melanie and I did some laundry today after she got out of lab. Then we went to Fred Meyer's to pick up some money that my parents sent me. Once our laundry was done we went to go get dinner from Wendy's. I chatted for a bit on FB and then did some bibtrad. Took a break from that, but now I'm going to go and finish up that good ol' BibTrad paper that's due on Thursday! Yay!!

Later guys, sorry this was short, but I've been busy!

PS. I made a reference to a year from now, but to reference from a year ago. I was not only 18 and a half, but I also graduated from high school! Congrats to you c/o 2010 graduates! Enjoy your summer!! But not too much :P

day 017. [crafty]

I want to keep this blog short, just because I should be heading to bed soon.

Anyways, I went to class today, well, not BibTrad - didn't have enough energy to go to BibTrad today, but tomorrow I will be there. As for History, went there (kind of like last Thursday) and was there for about 30-45 minutes before Dr. Els canceled the last half of class. Tomorrow, we have no class for history, haha.

Since I got out early I decided to read for history and I definitely should have worked a little bit on my BibTrad paper, but that's alright - I've got tomorrow. Afterwards I just decided to make some friendship bracelets, more that is. I'm quite crafty if I think so! I found this cool website where there's other patterns and I think I'm going to try some of the more advanced patterns over the summer.

In fact, after Melanie and I came back from Sushi Land I decided to try/practice one of the peace sign patterns. I actually did it! Took be about two hours though ... this will be one long summer, haha.

Night guys :)

PS. Happy Birthday to Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams from Glee)!!
[I know I only get to post ONE picture, but the thing is, I didn't take this picture, haha]

day 016. [fortune]

I was able to talk today without my throat being in pain, well there was minimal. Today though is what most would call a "Lazy Sunday"

No joke either. I just stayed in Melanie's room for the most part while she was studying watching/catching up on How I Met Your Mother. I can honestly say, other than needing to watch Season 2 since she doesn't have that one with her, I'm all caught up. I just need to watch Season 5, which is what's on right now on TV. I'll watch it for the remainder of the summer when I'm home just relaxin' and chillin'.

Once Melanie was done studying we decided to take a break and get some food. I love me some Asian food, so I don't understand why we went to Panda (cheap). From Panda though I got this really awesome fortune cookie that actually made my day.

Melanie went to Open Lab, I stayed in her room and watched the rest of Season 4 of HIMYM. Again, I'm caught up for the most part!! When she came back I was working on some friendship bracelets, completed my first one. I took a break from that though because we went to Safeway to get some eggs to make ourselves breakfast for dinner!

Afterwards we came back up and I finished the rest of the friendship bracelet while she studied.

That was about it. Now, I'm heading to bed because I, most likely, will be attending class tomorrow. After all, it's Monday and I do have class. If anything at all I'll miss out on BibTrad, nothing is really going on in the class at the moment other than the fact that I should finish up my paper which is due on Thursday. But yeah, night guys :)

PS. I'll address my homework load in the next blog, haha. Other than a slight touch-up there's no real major Photoshop edits done to the photo. That's two photos now!!

day 015. [sunny]

First of all, I just want to thank those who have contributed (at the moment that is) to the 250 views. I don't think I would have made it to these past 15 days without the support of you guys :)

Anyways, if you can't tell by the picture, it's SUNNY in Portland!! In fact it's 90-degrees here!! It doesn't feel like it, but I could tell you a bunch of biology-related/science reasons as to why it doesn't feel like 90 here compared to if it was 90 in California.

Today though, Tynishia came by to visit Melanie and me. We ended up going out to lunch to Buffalo Wild Wings. Surprisingly they had vegetarian options there for me to eat :)

Afterwards, we ended up going to YoCream for dessert. That was Tynishia's first time going and now all three of us are proud owners of a punch card!! Yippee!!

From there we found ourselves in Jantzen Beach at "Toys R Us." I'm pretty sure the last time I was there I was still a single digit when it came to my age, so like 9, haha. After being bored there the three of us wanted to go to the mall and instead of going to the infamous Lloyd Center, like we usually do, we ended up at the Clackamas Town Center. It was definitely nicer there and it also felt cleaner as well. We bought some stuff there, but that was about it.

We ended up back in Corrado to watch a scary movie, The Collector, and I kind of missed most of it, haha. Oh well, the makers of the movie are the same guys that made the Saw series, so I guess it's good or something. Scary or something it what I meant.

As for what we did this evening, just watching some movies. If you're all wondering how the cold is going ... sore throat still exist and I'm not going to lie, it sucks. It's been a silent day for me for the most part and it's starting to get annoying/painful for me to swallow. Again, it's not strep throat, so that's a plus!

Thanks again guys for following and adding to the numbers on the count! Love ya guys :)

PS. For those that don't know, the photo has no Photoshop edits to it!! :) It's all camera work, and the sun/shade that was provided!

day 014. [trader joe's]

TWO WEEKS TO ME :)!!

Unfortunately, it's been interrupted with the third day of having a sore throat. My energy is back, and the fever broke sometime in the middle of the night last night. But this sore throat has yet to go away. It's getting better, but I just wish it was gone. It's hard to swallow my food and even drinking any kind of liquid hurts. Ice cream on the other hand is a different story - that not only taste good, but it doesn't hurt to swallow, bahahaha.

As for today, it for the most part was pretty uneventful ... woke up around 10ish, and took me about 3 hours to finally get myself up to go over to the Health Center and see if I had strep throat or anything. LUCKILY for me, a runny nose does not indicate strep throat. According to the nurse practitioner, i just ended up getting a cold that ended up traveling down into my throat and chest area.

While Melanie was in open lab, I just stayed in her dorm and watched Season Three of How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) - I'm almost caught up!! Keenan then came over and we watched a few more episodes of HIMYM and then we ended up watching the Season Finale of Glee!! (Matt, I LOVE MY GLEE!! My addiction for it is even worse than my addiction to Ke$ha :P!!)

Afterwards, Melanie and I went to Trader Joe's to get some food so we could make dinner tonight. We had Asian Food, bahaha. I found vegan hot dogs there (so excited!!). FYI - that was the first time I'd ever gone to Trader Joe's, so that was exciting, just wish I wasn't so sick, bahaha.

As for tonight, Melanie and I have decided to watch two movies: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and I Love You Beth Cooper. Let's hope that my sore throat will either be better tomorrow or gone completely!

Ciao everybody! [Simpsons reference, ha]

day 013. [airplanes]

cough drops + sierra mist + hot soup = sore throat and bed ridden ...

I hate getting sick, let alone over the summer. I woke up early this morning to study for my history exam - I didn't go to BibTrad this morning just because I barely had the energy to even want to get out of bed. Although, I did end up going to history, for the last half hour seeing as I had an exam that I needed to take. By the way, I got a 98/100 on my exam from last week. HECK YES!!

Anyways, when I got back to my dorm room I decided to just lay down and listen to my iPod. Did I mention, I barely spoke a word all day, and as I type right now I'm speaking in my head, ahaha. It just hurts to talk. For the hour and a half that I was in my bed though I was listening to ONE song ... Airplanes. Give it a listen, it's a really good song! I can at least attest for myself that it isn't Ke$ha, who for some reason I've had a really bad addiction to, ha.

Melanie and I ended up going off campus really quick so that I could get some ink for my printer (black ink, when I run out of all the other colors, I can still print ... not when it comes to black though ...)

As for now, I'm watching UP. Probably going to head to bed early seeing as I should rest as much as I can :)

day 012. [cough drops]

Today has been a weird day. Waking up to a sore throat that came out of nowhere. Going to BibTrad and having a paper that really didn't have anything written on it except for "be more specific"

I guess I shouldn't be complaining seeing as I guess everything else was in order and the information was there. I do need to at least finish the last sections of my paper and touch it up just a bit.

As for history, I'm still waiting on that test to come back. I know he has a life and that he's applying for tenure, so again I'll give him a break.

I'm now in the library studying for my history exam tomorrow as well as working on the Library Blog. If you don't know, I'm doing this "Books you didn't know where in the library" segment. For further reading about this book click on this link :)

It was an interesting read, thanks Tarra :)

As I was in the library though, it all of a sudden just started to pour like no other. Granted it's the Northwest so what I saw was usual of here, but it took me by surprise. It was perfectly sunny and then out of no where, rain. It really killed my dying mood that I'm already in, ha.

Once I left the library though, it got all sunny!

Being Wednesday means ... HALL MASS IN CORRADO!! Hall Mass in Corrado means ... PIZZA DURING AFTER MASS SOCIAL!!

[9 more class days left and then it's freedom and relaxation!]

PS. If you clicked on the link thinking you'd get to a newly updated library blog, sorry :(
I was getting a headache while I was in the library had decided to leave. I told myself to make copies of the pages for the last and most commonly used swear word, but I spaced and forgot. I'll finish it tomorrow for sure though :)

day 011. [jenny]

First off, Happy Birthday to Cheyenne Tubo, Keenan Moore, and MY MOM!!!

Hope you guys had an awesome day :)

Other than going to both BibTrad & History (Yes, Tarra I went to both of them :P). Because Dr. Els is applying for tenure, we didn't get our tests back :|

I was really hoping for that, haha.

I decided to not go to the library because I didn't really have a need to go there. Tomorrow though I'll be there and I'll for sure update on a new book that you didn't know was there! Be ready for the surprise!!

The best part of today though was when Miss Jenny Gresham came by to give me my bracelet. That's not the only reason why she came by though. She's also here because her brother's high school graduation is today at the Chiles Center (that's pronounced Chai-els, not Chili's). We went to Starbucks where I got a Venti Passion Tea Lemonade. So good; it was like heaven in my mouth.

When we got back to the campus, she got some dinner at the Cove and we waited at the stairs for Alexa Olin to come by. We just chilled for a bit before they started to line up to go inside Chiles.

Once they got in, Melanie and I decided to go to Chipotle for dinner. That's about it though, but the best part about tonight is ... GLEE's Season Finale @ 9:00 PM!!!

day 010. [urban decay]

After not being able to finish all of my BibTrad paper for my rough draft, I turned it in anyways. Something is better than nothing right? Well, after BibTrad I decided not to go to history. Instead though I caught up on some reading for history class. So it's like I went to class, but didn't. Make sense? O_o

After reading and getting tired of reading I decided to work on a different blog. Check it out because it's quite interesting.

Not wanting to continue anymore homework or doing research for BibTrad I decided to truck on back to Corrado to get my camera (Sony a350) to do some photos. Why you ask? Well, it got all sunny from the time I was in the library to the time I left. I also wanted to give the new camera a spin and check out the works of the thing.

I ended up taking a walk behind the school near the railroad tracks. I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of signs that say "no trespassing" but I'm also pretty sure that there's not one University of Portland student who hasn't trespassed back there. On my way down there I ran into my buddy Jeff Makjavich who had just got done running. He and I chatted for a bit. I love Jeff! He's so awesome, bahaha.

As I continued to walk in the directions of the rail road I ended up running, well more like walking because they were running, into cross country runners. I have the best of luck with them ...

One of the reasons why I took this walk in the direction I did was because of the urban decay that was on the way down there. I really wish I could post up more of the photos, in fact I wish I could post up all the photos from today because one photo just doesn't cut it. As I continued walking something stopped me and forced me to turn around ... a bunch of dead possums. By a bunch I mean at least four. It was disgusting and it definitely smelled horrible. So I turned around and trucked back to campus.

On my way back I hadn't noticed the back of the signs from when I was walking down towards the tracks. Obviously having the camera and wanting to give it a spin, I decided to take some photos of the graffiti on the back of the sign. That's how I got today's photo, ha.

Later guys :)

day 009. [portland]

For the sake of readers, I've refrained from putting up a picture of books.

Today was the end of a good weekend with my friends. Couldn't have chosen a better bunch to spend a weekend with in my home state.

Anyways, to today's story/blog. Melanie has this GPS that she (we) call Bruce. When we were using him on our way to my house from Seattle, he unknowingly brought us to the Mukilteo Ferry (that would have brought us to the south end of Whidbey Island). We found a detour because we decided to stay on the road. On the way down to Seattle though (today) we decided to give the ferry a try. We barely made it, but we did. On the ferry ride though we saw that this sea-plane was down and out. That put us behind in traveling time a bit, but it was worth knowing that our crew on board was helping out this sea-plane.

We made it to Mukilteo and drove from there to Portland. When we got to Portland though Melanie and I decided to give Keenan some of his presents. Ask him what they were, haha. I'm sure he'll be excited to tell you.

This weekend though, I managed to do absolutely zero work on my BibTrad paper. As I've found out from tonight, that was dumb and it has bitten me in the ass real good. Luckily, it's a rough draft, but even for a rough draft this is rough ... (If you couldn't tell, this was a study break!)

Anyways, back to the paper. Hope you all had an awesome Sunday. Have an awesome Monday as well. After tomorrow, 11 classes left and then I'm home for the summer!

day 008. [home]

Lo and behold ... The next place my friends and I went was - Oak Harbor! I'm so glad that we're here.

The initial reason why we came up to here was because I needed to get my other DSLR, ha. Long story short - ask me :)

So when we got here we first ended up playing some Mario Kart after we all took our showers, separately. I also surprised Steven by being his birthday present! It was actually a lot of fun playing Mario Kart with more than just Melanie. Although the thing is, having the TV divided into 4 parts was kind of confusing and a little different.

After that Keenan, Melanie, and I went out to 1-2-3 Thai (saw some old band-mates there) to get some lunch food because we were obviously hungry. Then I took them to a park that I grew up playing on as well as taking them on a tour around my elementary school. Memories man! It was a lot of fun just filling them in on the 5-10 year old Rick!! :D

Then we went to my middle school which happened to be right next to Blockbuster where I rented the last two discs of Glee. While at Blockbuster I also bought three movies: I Love You Beth Cooper, 500 Days of Summer, and UP! I took them on a tour of my middle school too.

If you're wondering - I didn't take them to my high school because we just went to my house seeing as my brother was going to take us out to eat. Seeing as we ate though, we were kind of still full, so we all just got dessert because the three of us weren't all that hungry from the Thai.

Afterwards, I dropped my brother off at the house so that the three of us could go out and take some pictures of the sky at West Beach. If there is one thing I miss for sure about living in Oak Harbor is that the sunsets are just amazing. I then decided to go visit a friend on a surprise visit :)

I haven't seen Kristen since Christmas break, so it was a lot of fun getting to see her and just catching up for that little bit we were there. I'll definitely be needing to catch up with her when I'm home for the summer ... for good!

Now the three of us are catching me up on episodes 9-13 of Glee!! YIPEE!!

day 007. [seattle]

*First off HAPPY ONE WEEK to me and my Project 365!!

Today was seriously another day where it was hard to choose the photo because I had so many. This time though, none of them had to do with school! It's because all of the photos I took were all around ... SEATTLE!!

My friends Keenan and Melanie and I decided to take a road trip. Luckily for us Melanie's sister goes to Seattle University so we're staying in her apartment. For the sake of pictures,I decided to not include any photos of the campus, haha. (seeing as most of my other pictures in my posts are regarding to my schoolwork and school life)

As for what we did, we walked from her sister's apartment to the Pike Place Market.

On the way down there we stopped at different places and we ate at this place called "Specialty." We also stopped at this really cool record shop that had turn tables.

When we finally reached Pike's Place I actually got to visit the original Starbucks. It was actually kind of cool, not all that exciting, but it was cool. We met this worker there who was from Oregon and told us that we should come up and bring her an "I heart Oregon" sticker. I have one, and I guess I could take a picture of it one day, haha.

I'm glad to be in Seattle. I left out some details, sorry guys, but I think it's time to hang out with my friends and her sister.

Where our road trip will take us next? Who knows? ;)

day 006. [bib trad]

I really wanted to put the picture up of my sushi from Sushi Land, but that's not what my day was and will be about :(

If it seems like a lot of my posts are about school and school work, guess what? You're right. They are and that's partially because it's what encompasses my day for the most part since right now I'm still a student when most of my fellow classmates are off doing summer kind of things.

I spent most of my day in the library (what's new?) because of the infamous class known as [dun dun dun ...] BIBTRAD!!

Now being in it, I don't find it all that bad - granted I'm also taking it in the summer where the demand is still high, but the work load is a bit less. I guess it's because I'm familiar with the Bible enough to know that I'm not too worried about understanding my passage.

As for the researching though ... that's some tedious work right there. Going into the stacks to find your books and realizing you're too short so you need a stool to get your books [darn my height]. Then actually sitting down and not just reading the book and taking notes, but comprehending what the text says. It's tedious, I'll give you ex-bibtrad students some credit for spending vast amount of hours in the library. Again, spending time in the library isn't foreign for me. It's kind of like when I go down the school supply aisle, I love it. I don't know how that analogy works, because it might, but I think it does, haha.

Anyways, enough about school work. I got this email today from ResLife and to keep this blog short click on this link to read more about it. It really was the worst feeling of the day. Just horrible.

The rest of my night went as planned: Dinner with Melanie (like usual), finished up some research for BibTrad, pack for my road trip this weekend with Keenan and Melanie, and hang out ... with Melanie, haha.

*I forgot to mention, the library is FILLED with Dr. Butkus' students right now because our rough drafts are do on Monday.

day 005. [hard work]

First off, I want to say a quick "Happy Birthday" to Keriann Ashley-Chase and Steven Welch :).

Keriann - HAPPY 16th :)
Steven - HAPPY 17th :)

I hope you both had an awesome day!

I realize my posts are getting a bit longer (thanks for calling me out in my comments, Tarra - haha). So I'm going to try and fix that by keeping things shorter and more "highlight" like rather than "recap" like. Does that make sense?

This morning though started out with me reading for history because I never actually got around to it despite what my previous post says. FYI - post blood donation is going well. No soreness. No bruise. No flu like symptoms. I feel good about having given blood and again I'm proud of myself.

BibTrad & History were their usual selves. We did get our exams back today in History like Els said we would. I got on A- on my exam ... much better than my B- I got on my last exam. That puts my average in that class at B+!! Woot! Woot!

Spent some time in the library again doing some research for BibTrad on books I couldn't check out. Then came back to Corrado for Hall Mass. The best part about Hall Mass though is the AFTER MASS SOCIAL!! After mass social's in Corrado for the summer consist of chatting it up with people while eating pizza! Pizza Wednesday's, haha. Some things never change (University of Portland dinner reference).

As for the rest of the night, I've got a history exam tomorrow. I'll be studying for that!

day 004. [giving]

If you find the fact that I had classes today exciting, well I guess you're excited, haha. Classes resumed today after the 4-day weekend. It was a nice weekend if you can't tell from my previous posts. That's not the point though, what is the point is what I did today.

Amongst having BibTrad and Modern US today, I did something that I never thought I'd do in a million ... no a BILLION years. Before I get to that though, let's do a short and quick recap of the day!

With what I'm about to tell you, I kid you not. It is true. Anyways this morning in BibTrad my professor, Dr. Butkus, managed to tell us (with a straight face) that our papers were stolen out of his unlocked truck. Again, I kid you not, our papers were really stolen from his truck. He said it might have been because he kept the papers in a case that looked like it housed a laptop. Jokes on the guy who stole our papers though, haha. I still need to email him my paper, seeing as that's what he wants us to do. I'll do that after I post :)

As for history today - dry like usual. I was expecting we'd get our exams back today seeing as we had a 4-day weekend (an extra day for my professor to grade). But alas, we didn't get them back today because of the 4-day weekend. I don't know about you, but how long does it take to grade 9 exams? I'll cut Dr. Els some slack though because he does have a life outside of teaching.

ANYWAYS! To what I did today that I never thought I'd do in a million ... no a BILLION years. I gave blood. That's it; I gave blood. I'm quite proud of myself though. That's because if you don't know me all that well ... I HATE NEEDLES. I'm AFRAID of needles. Yet, I want a tattoo and I want to go into dentistry, haha.

Needless to say, the overall process was not as bad as I thought it'd be. There was definitely a little sting in my arm when the needle went in (I was told before hand that it would happen), but other than that I was fine. I mean I'm here writing this blog now! I also didn't faint when the needle went in (that's a plus). I didn't cry nor did I hyperventilate. Again, I'm proud of myself :)

What I'm most excited about from this whole event is finding out my blood type once I get my donor card! Oh yeah ... BLOOD TYPE!! I can find out if I'm adopted or the wrong Asian baby X)

As for the rest of the afternoon/prevening (reference to Big Bang Theory) I spent most of it in the library doing some research for BibTrad and starting to read for History. Tarra wasn't kidding when she said that BibTrad requires time spent in the library. Luckily for me, I have some experience in spending time in the library. haha

For the rest of the evening I finished up some research/note-taking, homework, and watched Glee! Only one more week until the end of the first season :(

At this point I'm determined to get the full Season 1 on DVD. I'm hooked. I'm a Gleek!

I'll have to wait until the new season starts up before I get to watch any new episodes. Man, that'll seem like FOR-EV-ER!

Night guys :)

P.S. If any of you guys are doing "Project 365" let me know how it's going. I'm following a few people and it's quite interesting to see how different our projects are! I know right now it's been difficult to really know what to take pictures of or even choose a photo. Let me know how things are going

P.P.S. If any of you are planning to start a "Project 365" let me know that too! Let me know how you plan on getting the general public to see it. Are you going to journal like myself and others are? Or are you just going to upload the photos somewhere (Flickr, Picasa, or Facebook) and add a short caption describing the photo? Let me know your ideas? I'm really interested in this project/challenge and want to see what others plan to do.

Fo'realz yo .. I'm out :)