I decided to really make 2010 a change for my life. Not in terms of writing down goals (though I did get a few down a few, the usual promises to go to the gym etc) but actually make PHYSICAL CHANGES in my life. And I got to business doing it right around the eve of the New Year by making my bedroom a clean & newly beautified space I can rock out to life in. I managed to through out five or six (SERIOUSLY!!!) bags of old memories & trash — why on earth I thought I’d need math homework from tenth grade is beyond me! I am so incredibly happy that I decided to do this since it really has made me feel like I have a room of my own rather than one that I have to a) jump around piles of junk to get around or b) cower and hide from. Though it’s more on the lived-in side of tidiness, it is really so much nicer now that I took time to care for the space in which I’m living.
the poster hanging above my desk
I also decided to make posters to reflect what I love and want out of life right now to be a constant reminder (when I’m at home, at least) of my hopes and dreams. I am a bit of an addict to making collages – I do it in my diary, everywhere. I’m so happy to have something a little bit more artistic (or at least creative) hanging by my Franz Ferdinand poster, my Sandman poster signed by Neil Gaiman and – yes, of course! – my pictures of Prince Arthur. By the way, if you want a Get Excited & Make Things picture for yourself, I got it here! There are lots of colors available, though I edited mine for the the violet.
I’m aiming to start having these changes start a bit closer to myself by both upgrading my wardrobe (I am determined to have a wearable pair of heels soon…for winter in Massachusetts) and, as I mentioned earlier, going to the gym. I actually love going to the gym (the endorphins make me obnoxiously cheerful according to some of my friends) so I think the wardrobe is a trickier thing…!! I’m decided whether or not to limit the number of sweater vests I get, or to let myself lead a glorious argyle filled life.
As a side note, I ended up redoing my layout here to spice things up. I think that as much as I do love The Beatles (that is, a LOT) a medieval BAMF and a Cupcake felt oddly appropriate for my life at the moment.
I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be
your affectionate Godfather,
C.S. Lewis
I truly hope I am never too old to appreciate magic.
Ah, 2009. You were a sadly unremarkable year for film, and only one or two of you will make their way into my list of favorite films. Anyway, here are the top ten 2008/2009 releases (aka, those I saw in theaters or those that were released this year and I subsequently saw on DVD. In the past I have done my top 10 that I saw altogether, but I feel 2009 releases is more appropriate right now):
10. Defiance (2008)
9. Public Enemies (2009)
8. Invictus (2009)
7. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
5. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
4. Inglorious Basterds (2009)
3. Up (2009)
2. Tropic Thunder (2008)
1. Star Trek (2009)
Below the cut is the list of all of the films I watched in 2009, not including repeats. Enjoy!
With my looming finals, you’d think that would be pressing on my mind. Alas, it is the far more spoiled thoughts on study abroad that plague my mind.
To avoid a completely unnecessary ramble, I will boil to down to my somewhat recent realizations: I love Italian, but I want to spend the rest of my life in the UK if possible (two words: jaffa cakes). Now, I have to decide if I love Italian enough to spend a year there and if I have the patience to wait until after graduation to set off for the British Isles.
Do I spend a year here?
Or a semester here?
I feel so blessed to be able to make this decision, I really do.
In other news, I re-started a Tumblr account where I post silly pictures/music/etc that makes me happy. Check it out.
As the semester winds down into the insanity of finals, I find myself itching more and more to get home and get my Christmas grooving. I am very lucky to have an extremely Christmas-oriented group of friends here, which makes this holiday shine through even the darkest of finals, but there is something special about being home with my parents. One of my favorite things to do is to curl in bed with them and watch a film from our growing list of Christmas movies that we regularly watch. These are the top 3 I’m looking forward to seeing:
Love Actually is one of our absolute favorite Christmas films, and is one of my favorite films ever, hands down. It just captures everything I love about Christmas and is so romantic and just so perfect. It doesn’t hurt that it takes place in London, where I hope to live someday!
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has become a holiday staple for us. C.S. Lewis is very popular in my family (extended included) so it seems inevitable that he would be included in our Christmas joy.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is kind of self-explanatory, isn’t it? I grew up on it and I still love the music ridiculous amounts (Holly Jolly Christmas & We Are Santa’s Elves = win!)
Okay, now I really wish that I could watch some of these now! Some of my other favorite Christmas movies are National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A Muppet Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause, A Christmas Story, and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (okay okay not strictly Christmas…but awesome.)
“We’re auditioning for every role,” Jackson said in an interview, adding he is a big believer in casting a wide net to better match actors with the roles. “What we’ve done over the years is discover a lot of interesting actors, like Orlando Bloom (in ‘Rings’), Kate Winslet (in ‘Heavenly Creatures’), Saoirse Ronan (in ‘The Lovely Bones’). So if you start looking and auditioning seriously, it’s amazing what incredible talent you’ll find out there.” (from The One Ring.net)
I love these notebooks designed by Archie Grand. They’re just so colorful and for everyone. I am a big fan of doing what you want to notebooks (no rules!) so I may have to get one of these (eventually).
The Christine Dress from ModCloth.It looks so elegant and delicate and yet something one could definitely wear to tromp around in a foreign (or comfortably native) city. Luckily it’s sold out, so there’s no temptation to avoid.
This Cake and Tea necklace is so adorable. It also basically combines two of my favorite things in the world, and with the addition of being a Small Thing it get an A in my book.
The 
