A Quickie

This morning me and Curtis started packing for our trip to Texas for the holidays. After a couple of hours, this is what my suitcase looked like:

And this is what Curtis's looked like:

For a four day trip, I'm honestly not sure which is more ridiculous.

Finals

Well, apparently this is all I do anymore. I just blog a brief summary of my life every time a school semester ends. No reason to be creative or anything.

But well... better than nothing I guess. This school semester was fun. Though not as fun as the one before. Things are always more fun when they are new. I also had such a hard time in one of my classes this semester that I do believe I'm going to get a B in it. *gasp* The horror!!!!!

My other classes were wonderful. My US history teacher frequently quoted from my essays, (while not identifying me of course... I know what I wrote...). My drawing teacher was, as usual, kind and encouraging, and my Graphic design teacher gave me better grades on my projects than even I felt I deserved. She once told me that I was "easy", which is a good thing, if taken in context. You'll have to take my word on that. You obviously weren't there.

I will now decorate this blog with my final projects from my graphic design and drawing classes. I know I don't post very many pictures these days, but seeing as it's just me and Curtis, you can probably just make up your own pictures of us from memory. (I'll give you a hint, just think of how we looked last time you saw us, and then imagine us a little bit fatter.)

This was my drawing final:




And Graphic Design, the assignment was "Life and Death":

Way too much fun

Well, I have a lot of homework to do this weekend, so naturally, I spent the last two days doing all kinds of other things.

For one, I've been having a blast using what I've learned in Photoshop so far. By that I mean I've spent the last two days making pictures of hamsters doing all kinds of things.

Enjoy!

Final Countdown

Well, my first semester at Cameron University is coming to a close. Next week is finals. It's been a good ride, all in all.

Cameron is a pretty cool college. With Art as my major, I found myself stuck with the same students over and again, which suits me just fine-- It's really the only way I ever get to know people. And my teachers were AWESOME. My drawing teacher in particular was very nice and helpful. She's the kind of person that operates on positive feedback, which I thrive under.

My English teacher was also pretty cool. I wasn't sure about him at first, but now I think he's great. Partially because he likes my essays, but also because he's funny in a dorky way that I can relate to. He also likes Zombie movies and books, proving him a man of good tastes.

So I have one busy week ahead of me. I have 4 essays, 2 art projects and 4 tests to finish. But I feel that I have used my time wisely (something which I never managed to do in high school or while I was at DLI) and thus, I will be well prepared for the week ahead.

I just love how anytime I am in an art class my drawing ability improves exponentially. Here is the proof: my last homework and in-class drawings.





Cool huh?

I am excited about the summer. In two weeks and two days I will be flying home to visit my family. In June I will start my summer classes. I will be taking Chemistry, with a lab. It is an unpleasant subject, I'm afraid, but having only one class will give me plenty of time to do it right, and hopefully I will also have some time to do some illustrations for the novel Curtis is writing.

I may draw some at home (is it strange that I still consider PA my home?) Charcoal is my new favorite medium for drawing, so if anyone, meaning mostly my mom or my sister has a photo they want drawn in charcoal, they should ask me when I'm there.

I Can't Blog Right Now.

Sorry, I just don't have time to blog today. I've got a stupid paper to write, a design project to work on and an Art History test to study for.

And to top it all off, Curtis and I won't be home at all Saturday because we're driving down to Texas to play role-playing games with some friends.

So yeah. No time for blogging.

So I'll just post another drawing and that's all I can do:

I just bought an ATB cd for 10$ that has 40 songs on it, three of which are more than an hour long. Now THAT's value! I didn't even have to listen to it before hand. With 40 different songs by the best DJ on the planet there's bound to be at least a few that I like.

I also got 9 pretty decent shirts at the thrift store the other day for 11$! This has been a good week for good values I guess.

But wait. I'm not supposed to be blogging. I'm supposed to be writing a paper.

Ugh.

Done!

Spring BREAK? Not really...

I don't really get how normal college students spend spring break going on vacation and partying. I have way too much homework for that.

So far I've had to write a 5 page essay for American Federal Government, a 7 page essay for English Comp, plus a revision of a previous essay.

I had to paint this stupid thing for Design class:

And now, the last thing I have to do is finish most of my 3rd Pastel Homework drawing for Drawing II.
I know, it seems like I'm almost done right? Just one drawing to go. But no... these drawings can take anywhere from 25-45 hours to finish. So yeah, I'll be working on it all weekend.

In other news, Curtis started on this low carb kick lately, so I was thinking. Maybe I should give the Atkins diet a try, you know, maybe lose 10 pounds before summer.

Well, I've been sticking to it for 4 days now. I have felt next to death the entire time. I'm exhausted, my heart pounds when I do the slightest physical exertion, and my today my muscles started aching. And I'm pretty sure I haven't lost an ounce of fat. Not even water weight. If anything, my muscles have depleted slightly, making my fat look that much flabbier.

And to top it all off, if I have to even look at one more piece of meat today, I'm going to die from excess vomiting.

So in other words, I officially quit, starting now.

Maybe instead I can get myself to do some exercise now that the weather's getting so warm here. Or maybe I can just accept that fact that at age 28, 128lbs may be as thin as I am ever going to be. I clearly don't have the self-control (or the neuroticism) necessary to change that.

The Life and Times of a Sports Fan

Well, for the first time in my life, I have become a true sports fan. A couple years ago, Curtis introduced me to his favorite hockey team, the Dallas Stars, and I've loved them ever since.

I recognize all the players by number, name, and/or position, and I can watch a game, not only understanding all of the rules, but also able to evaluate the plays and form intelligent opinions about them. It is truly weird.

This Counts as a whole new blog entry

Being a sports fan is fun and exciting. It means you have something to look forward to two or even three times a week. And there are some truly glorious moments, like when your favorite player breaks his goal-less streak by scoring two goals- one to tie the game with less than a minute left in play, and the second to win it in overtime. Which is the kind of thing that can have you whooping for joy on an ordinary Tuesday night.

This is three Dad, now we're even!!

And then there's that freak out moment, when you go to a live game, and see the same players you've been watching on tv, and you can't help grinning ear to ear, to realize that they are actually real people.

Four... Sarah takes the lead.

But, being a fan has some down sides as well. Like the unbearable disappointment when your team seems certain to miss the playoffs three years in a row.

There's the overwhelming temptation to slap down 100$ a ticket for awesome seats, then pay 10$ for parking and 40$ for two cokes and the worst personal pan pizza you've ever tasted.

Not to mention the rage you feel when your team is down, and the bizarre compulsion to punch the faces of the apparently Canadian man, woman and 8 year old boy sitting in the seats behind you, cheering at your misfortune.

Yes, It can be hard to be a sports fan, but I am must say, I am loving every minute of it.

And... five!

In case anyone is wondering what I am up to. My dad agreed to write a Facebook status for every blog entry that I wrote. It was a terribly unfair deal, I thought, so this was an attempt to even things out. Still, before you call me a cheater, don't underestimate how time-consuming it really is to split one blog entry into five and then post them in backwards order!

More Art

Our latest homework assignment in Drawing II was to pick a horror movie poster and re-draw it with a few changes that make it your own, including putting yourself and a friend or family member in it. This is what I came up with:

This is what it looks like right now, hanging up at school, next to some of my classmates work.

And this is what I had to do for my Design II class. It is a planar sculpture.

I think it turned out well, but we'll see what my teacher thinks. (No grade just yet.)

Anyways, fun stuff. A lot of work, but fun.

Drawing II Homework

This was my first art homework. I think it's done, but we'll see what my teacher says on Monday. It is kind of a self-portrait done in pastels. Not the greatest photo, but you get the idea anyway. It was so much fun!

Christmas and More

Aurora came to visit us this Christmas. She's finally old enough to fly on a plane by herself, so for the first time we were able to have her stay with us in our own house-- which was absolutely wonderful, I thought.

We didn't have a lot of money to spend this year, so we spent a lot of time at the house. Aurora and I did a alot of fun little projects together-- we made beaded necklaces, paintings, and play-dough ornaments for the tree. She seemed to enjoy it a lot, and was always trying to get me to take her back to the "art room" to make some more stuff.

She and I got along very well this year. In the past, our relationship was a bit more complicated. This year, there was none of that. She seemed happy to be with us and happy to accept me as her "fun step mom", which is how I always hoped she would see me. I really liked having her here, and I hope we can get her back for a bit this summer.

This Christmas we also got to go visit Curtis's dad and his Aunt Jackie. They were very nice; they bought us all gifts, and Curtis's dad cooked a Christmas dinner, with an absolutely delicious ham.

Curtis's brother and sister in law were supposed to come as well, but their little baby boy was born premature and had to spend christmas in the hospital, so of course they stayed at home to be with him. (He is doing just fine from what I last heard.)

Now for the new year. I have high hopes for 2011, I think. When we first moved here, I thought I would not be able to go to school immediately because I thought I would not qualify for in-state tuition rates. Then I found out that the local university here participated in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which is where the VA and the school split the extra tuition costs to help out of state students using the GI Bill. While I was in the process of applying for the program, the school approved me for resident tuition rates after all.

So, put simply, I can go to school. I'm starting in just a few days, and I will be studying for a Bachelors Degree in fine arts, with a concentration in graphic design. I have a drawing class this semester, and had to buy all these cool pastel sets, which are very fun to look at, but sort of have me terrified, because I have never been all that good at pastels. Curtis says I will get better, and that's the whole point of going to school, and hopefully he's right.

But yeah, so here I am, happily married, having spent a great Christmas with Curtis's side of the family, looking foward to art school, my tuition fully paid for, and I'm thinking-- could life get any better?

Well yes of course it could-- I could live closer to my family in PA, Curtis and I could have more money and I could make some friends, and maybe we could buy a house, have a baby or at least get a dog. All in good time though, for now, my New Years resolution is to live more in the present, and I have to say, the present is looking pretty darn good.