Inspiration...?

I just finished reading a couple of blog posts by someone I worked with this summer, and I was inspired to write because of it. Problem is, I don't really have anything I want to talk about. I have officially been accepted to the University of Leeds for a term abroad. I'll be there from late January to mid May. It is equal parts thrilling and terrifying. I'm excited about the chance to do some traveling while I'm there though (I have nearly a month long Easter break).

Not much else is new, other than I spent a good chunk of my day standing on tables with my professor. And then creeping said professor on Facebook (I'm still not sure whether I'm glad I did that or not). Less than a month to go, then I'm done the term! It's creeping up quickly and I don't know if I want time to move faster or slower.

368. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?
I'm a firm believer in the fact that your experiences shape who you are as a person, thus I wouldn't want to get rid of a horrible experience.

I'm sorry I give such BS psychological answers to some of these questions. Truth is, most of the time I'm too lazy to think of an answer. And sometimes you just need to give a BS answer. Better here than on an exam.

This is the story of a bride in white...

title taken from Holy (Wedding Day) by The City Harmonic

I love this song. I want it played at my wedding at some point, perhaps as I walk down the aisle? Speaking of weddings, I want my first dance to be like this:

My fiancé and I will learn this dance and we will perform it at our wedding.

Ugh. Give me a boyfriend.

367. You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?
There isn't a specific time that immediately pops into my head, but I think it would be interesting to re-live a moment from a time I can't remember, but if I could have the consciousness that I have now. The first half-hour of my life, for example, to learn what that was like.

Apple and U2: More Like Apple and Not Again

Upon hearing that U2 and Apple have collaborated again, I thought back to a paper that I wrote last year for an English course that I took. I wasn't a huge fan of the course content, but I really enjoyed my professor and she gave me a lot of confidence in my writing abilities. Ever since I wrote this paper, I've been proud of it. It got me a really good mark (93% thank you very much) and my professor loved it. She said I had a good use of subtlety and could get a point across clearly. So I'm going to share it with you (I suppose now would be a good time to mention that the paper I wrote is about when Apple gave everyone with iTunes U2's album Songs of Innocence).

Hello, can you hear me?

title taken from Adele's new single, "Hello"

A friend just told me about Mark Manson (specifically this and this article). I really enjoyed them both. And it made me think about what my passion is. Truth is, I don't really know. What I do know is that two days I really wanted to do something creative. More specifically, I wanted to create a font. Ever since I got my drawing tablet and found a website that lets you create your own font, I have had a bit of a thing for typography.

On the letters that I send out every week, I like to try and make the envelope a little more interesting than just a name, address, and stamp. This usually results in me putting a lot of effort into writing out their name (and then realizing I didn't leave a lot of room for the address, and therefore have to write it really tiny, but that's not the point). The past couple of letters I've done a geometric type font, and I was fond of it. I decided that I wanted to make the whole font.

When I actually went about creating this font, I realized that I didn't have my sketchbooks with me. I own 5, and I hadn't brought a single one with me to Stratford. Neither did I have my drawing pencils, nor my paints. Anything, really. (I do have some markers and colouring pencils with me). The sad part is that I distinctly remember packing for Stratford and thinking I wouldn't want to be creative, that I wouldn't need any of my tools. And that is where I limited myself. It's true that I don't often have the desire to paint or draw or create fonts. But when they do come around, it really sucks when you don't have the tools to do so.

I got my drawing tablet out (ok, so apparently I do have creative tools with me, just not the right ones) and tried drawing some letters straight into my computer. It didn't go to well. There were two reasons for that: 1) I used Illustrator, which I've only used a handful of times and am not completely aware of how to use properly and 2) it's hard to create a font when you've never done it before. I looked at some articles online about typography and creating fonts, which were enlightening.

But what I really wanted was my sketchbook and a pencil and eraser. Because that was how I wanted to be creative. "Being creative" is such a vague term and I'm lucky that I have so many different ways that I can be creative. Just not the right way, apparently.

After my disappointing first failed attempt at creating a font, I made some origami lotus flowers like the ones in an episode of Sherlock. It took me multiple tries to get it right. I could get all of the folds, but the last step is to invert the petals so they stand up, and it's a lot harder than Sherlock makes it out to me. My main issue is that the paper would rip because it was so thin. I eventually used some tape to reinforce the spot where it always tended to rip, despite the fact that I despise using tape, glue, or scissors in origami. Hopefully one day I can make one without the tape (and no rips).

I've been thinking recently about my term abroad. I am definitely going to blog while I'm away, and it will probably be the main way I tell people in general how I'm doing and what I'm up to. But I can't decide if I want to use this blog or create a new one. If I create a new one, well, I'd have two blogs. And I don't like the idea of having two blogs. It's like one person having two cars. Why do you need two? You can only drive one at a time. It doesn't make sense.

On the other hand, if I use this one, then I run into a bit of a situation. I want more people than the people who know about this blog to be able to hear about my adventures in England. But do I want those people to be able to read everything I've written here over the past 4 years? Because if they're anything like me, I know that they'd go through and read every single post. And I'm pretty sure I don't want that. Also, I'm pretty sure some people (really, just one person that I am thinking of) would get mad at me that I hadn't told them I had a blog.

Fortunately, I have 3 months to think about this. But I don't think the way I stand on either side is going to change over that time, and thus it really isn't that fortunate at all.

(I don't want to toot my own horn here or anything, and I know I've said this before, but I am proud of my writing skills. And I know that sometimes the way sentences sound in my head doesn't always make it to the keyboard, but I could probably be a writer for something. Like a blog that has a purpose, DIY Central or Recipes From Home, not just a personal blog. I think I have a good mastery of the English language, and know how to make it sound good. And using big words is fun. Although I have a tendency to overuse commas. I love 'em :) That's all I have to say).

366. What is your superpower of choice?
Those of Elastigirl, from the Incredibles.

This article is everything I've ever looked for in one of those "X number of blank you should blank".

All Alone...

Today was my first day completely alone in this house. It was all good (no worrying about strangers hiding in corners), but it was lonely. I wanted to go for a walk, but it was raining all afternoon, and then it was dark :( Hopefully I'll have the opportunity tomorrow. I've been positively bored all day, regardless of whether I was doing work or avoiding it. I might watch a movie. But to occupy more time, QOTDs.

361. Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "heart".
Body organ.

362. What's your favourite colour?
Green, but verging into teal.

363. What is your current desktop picture?

364. If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?
Although some people are tempting, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

365. What would be a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on?
What's your dirty little secret?

Let's Do The Time Warp Again

Last year, my New Year's Resolution was to floss my teeth each and every day. That didn't happen every day (but it definitely happened more often than it did previously). Luckily, I had a second resolution: take a picture myself every day. Unfortunately, that also didn't happen every day, but had a much higher success rate than the flossing did. I think I only missed a handful of days all year. And after taking a picture of yourself every day for a year it becomes a bit of a habit, so I continued into this year. I only stopped during the summer when my ipod broke and my phone at the time didn't have a front facing camera. My goal when making this resolution was always to put the pictures together in a slideshow to see them altogether in quick succession. And I've finally gotten around to making that video. So here is 457 pictures of me, taken between Jan 1st, 2014 and June 18th, 2015, in 40 seconds.

My New Year's Resolution this year is to write a letter every week, and it must be delivered through snail mail. So far I'm on track, although sometimes I have difficulty thinking of who to write a letter to. Hopefully I can make it all the way to the end, and I will have finally (100% successfully) completed a New Year's Resolution.