unfocused energy

...

2012-01-02T00:16:00.000-06:00

let it be over...

2011-11-15T11:42:00.001-06:00

FFFfffffff... I have a 3D animatic due tomorrow. Along with a resume. And I need to do an assignment in After Effects. Oh, hello art history test and programming assignment next week. Nice to know you're both there, too.

It's the ever lovely Beginning of the End of the Semester.

Also, I for real need a haircut.

*for as much as I complain about my workload, just know, I pretty much love almost everything I'm doing. So it's ok that I kill myself doing it.

happy birthday, monsieur

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

via

I wish...

2011-09-28T02:39:00.000-05:00

...I could blog more. Too bad school is just killing me right now. One of my roommates has a birthday this weekend. She's turning 21. And I might not be able to go to the party. At my own house. Because I'll be working straight through this weekend if my asinine professor doesn't extend the deadline for this project...

The only reason that I tolerate this much stress is because sometimes, on occasion, in a really special moment, I remember I usually I love what I'm doing.

Look, I don't even have time to find a fun photo... :(

nerd

2011-09-13T23:47:00.000-05:00

Man, do I love being a Nerdfighter.

productivecrastination?

2011-09-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

I Y watercolors.

Week 2 of junior year down. And instead of doing my design homework, I did this. How good a student am I? Do not fret, the design homework still got done.

Happy Friday. Hope everyone has a wonderfully relaxing weekend, because I'm anticipating a hectic one.

P.S. I finally got a Twitter. I was on the fence for awhile, but slowly growing to like it a lot. I'm hesitant to say the L word because as soon as I do, I'll get SUPER addicted. Anyway, if you care to follow.... It's a bunch of nonsense, really... And I have an attractive profile picture. Just to entice you a bit.

faking it

2011-08-16T20:02:00.001-05:00

Have you guys heard of tilt shift photography or miniature faking? You can also see it in some videos, too. The traditional way to get the miniature effect in a photograph is by using a special (and I'm guessing expensive) lens for a SLR or DSLR camera. But you can fake it with Photoshop and it's surprisingly simple. I found a really good tutorial here and used it to do both of these photos I took a while ago. The one from Versailles was with my point-and-shoot camera and the Kyle Field one was with my old iPhone! I did the effects in under 30 minutes, lots of fiddling included. Other tilt shift photos seem a little more convincing with a high viewpoint, like from the top of a building or balcony and more people in the shot, but I think these looks pretty good, especially for the first time I've tried it. I plan on doing this more often when I'm in tall buildings or on top of parking garages!

Yeah... I just looked up the cost of a tilt shift lens: $2,200. For a lens. Only for a professional.

poll time: lame username

2011-08-01T03:03:00.000-05:00

Please, please, please give me your opinion on something, whoever you are, whether I know you or not. Even if this is the first time you've stumbled across my blog:

Which is a less lame username:

A. SevenRoses

B. melissmint

I've been SevenRoses on deviantart.com for 4 years. It's got all my work from high school and all the artists that I watch and comments and stuff. But last year I registered melissmint.deviantart.com, but there is really nothing on there. I just liked the name better at the time. But now I'm just confused. Help me. Please. *insert doe eyes here*

day 18: in which melissa reflects

2011-08-01T02:48:00.000-05:00

Wow. The end of the month kind of crept up on me! I blogged more than half of the days that I said I was going to. A little disappointing but what the hell. At the very least it was half. And it was a little bit harder than I expected I guess. It's tough coming up with different things to post each day. And editing photos is usually a pain in the ass. But I'm glad I attempted it and had fun with it. So I hope this will help me post more regularly than I have in the past. That was my intention heading into this lofty experiment: to push myself to share more here.

Here's a little peek at a sewing project I completed, too:

It turned out a little taller than I had anticipated. I'm going to modify the next one a little to make it shorter and skinnier, more like a pencil pouch, which was what I wanted make.

Tomorrow I'll be making a hard book-like cover for my Kindle.

day 17: let's try that again

2011-07-28T20:28:00.001-05:00

I feel like I'm going to be on a bit of a sewing kick for the next week. I want to get it all out of my system before I don't have access to a sewing machine any longer. Remember when I said that I was going to try my hand a making a cute clutch, and then failed to do so within a reasonable time frame? Well, I'm going to remedy that tomorrow! Going to the fabric store to find some suiting fabric I like and make this boxy zippered bag from see kate sew and a few other things. Take that, Lazy Mel! Creative Mel is making a serious comeback.

Although I did sew another skirt recently with my friend Aimee. I guess I'm not all that lazy... I'll post a picture of it tomorrow when I wear it.

day 16: i'm an addict

2011-07-26T19:29:00.000-05:00

So, I pretty much love it when I happen upon a new website that instantly draws me in with beautiful photos, a simplistic layout, and a killer title graphic. And then I spend practically all day browsing around, looking at the posts and wishing I could do anything as good as that blogger does. Oh, how The Selby does this for me.

link

This photo is from a sneak peek of a shoot of Karl Lagerfeld's studio. The whole shoot can be seen in The Selby book. How many books does one man NEED?!

Hello home of Andy and Kate Spade. Yes, that's the Kate Spade.

Yet another enabling website for my unhealthy obsessional need to see into the gorgeous and eclectic homes of creatives everywhere.

day 15: playing favorites

2011-07-25T18:00:00.002-05:00

One of the only things I like about Mondays: Sneak Peek from Design*Sponge. It's my favorite feature on Design*Sponge (even more than DIYs). I love getting a look inside artist and designer homes. I've noticed the majority of them have white walls...Coincidence? I think not.

day 14: pattern love

2011-07-19T22:20:00.001-05:00

What else is there to say? Good patterns speak for themselves.

Patterns from Jill Rosenwald via Caitlin Creer and LSFabrics

day 13: monday monday

2011-07-18T16:58:00.001-05:00

I hate moving boxes of my stuff, but moving into new places has its perks. Like this lovely quilt! Just ordered it from Urban Outfitters and I can't wait to put it on my (borrowed, for now) bed that I'll have at my new home. And I'll have to be a little crafty because it doesn't come with shams, so I get to make my own! Or buy some boring ones. Ha. When do I ever do the boring stuff? (all the time...)

Wow, I'm so behind on my every day blogging schedule. Whatever. At least I haven't given up completely, right?

day 12: all inked up, too

2011-07-14T23:17:00.001-05:00

I cannot even believe that this is the last Harry Potter movie. I never really got quite as engrossed in the movies like I did with the books, but these last two are just... I don't seem to have the words. I will be tearing up, if not flat out bawling, when I watch it. Just thinking about the trailer still gives me goosebumps.

And I don't believe I'm alone when I say that these books impacted me more than anything else I've ever read. Honestly, I don't believe that I would have my love of reading, books, and knowledge if my mother had not read me the story of Harry and his friends for bedtime. She would sit with me on the couch along with my dad and my brother and read to us a chapter. It was only ever me still awake by the end. And when our lives changed and my brother and I grew older, I carried on reading, devouring each one slowly, savoring each adventure as if I lived them. I'm actually the only one that finished the books in my family. Now they all hold a place of honor on my bookshelf.

So, wouldn't it be a great way to commemorate an irreplaceable part of your being with a very permanent tattoo? Maybe, maybe not. But I'm thinking about it. Those stories are one of the most memorable parts of my childhood, and as cliched as it is, made me the person I am today: a knowledge-hungry, fantasy-loving, imaginative nerd. With a slight passion for body art.

via hello, friend

other images from Harry Potter Tattoos submitted by members

day 11: all inked up

2011-07-13T09:00:00.004-05:00

I bet you've seen these around the Internet. Some goofy, some deadly serious. But always a meaningful transformation of news into art. They are just so lovely and romantic and beautiful and creative that they are worth repeating as many times as possible. And I will personally see to that.

These images and more at Newspaper Blackout

day 10: green (and pink, and yellow) with envy

2011-07-12T19:27:00.002-05:00

(This is my second post today. Trying to make up for lost days. Deal.)

Conrad's drawing from conrad roset on Vimeo.

This just made me die a little. Beautiful.

all images via Conrad Roset

day 9: more books

2011-07-12T16:59:00.001-05:00

I got the crown I've had for 10 years ripped out of my head today. Not really ripped, I'm just being dramatic. Hooray for Novocaine. Getting a pretty porcelain one put on in 3 weeks.

In other news:

Pretty much made my day when I checked this book out at my university library. Reminds me of that scene from Breakfast at Tiffany's in the library. Almost finished.

day 8: books

2011-07-10T22:41:00.001-05:00

Well, I guess I fell a little behind on the blogging every day, but I still feel like I'm doing decently well. All I've been doing the past couple of days is reading, hanging out with friends and seeing movies. Saw the latest Transformers movie (and I haven't even seen the first two) and thought it was really entertaining. Not mind-numbingly boring or a real brain teaser, but just good old blockbuster Hollywood fun. And I did not see it in 3D. I'm glad of that. I would have had a headache after two and a half hours of that.

Ender's Game via Tor

Speaker for the Dead via MacMillan

"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him."

As for what I've been reading: Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. I had been told by lots of my friends that Ender's Game was one of their favorite books, ever, but never picked it up because I didn't really identify with science fiction. Fantasy was my thing. I bought it about a month ago because it was only $5 on Kindle. And then I fell in love with Ender's Game from the very first sentence.

Now I'm within 10 pages of finishing Speaker. Gah. So good. A little verbose, but so beautiful.

When I write about books, I feel a bit weird about it. I always feel like I hype stuff up or I don't get across the greatness or whatever of what I'm trying to describe. So I'm really not going to try. But I'll tell you that Ender's Game is definitely one of my most beloved books now, and it's beautiful and tragic story will never leave me.

"Welcome to the human race. Nobody controls his own life, Ender. The best you can do is choose to fill the roles given you by good people, by people who love you."

What books have you read that left an indelible mark?

day 7: bokeh bokeh bokeh bokeh rockin' everywhere...

2011-07-07T23:35:00.007-05:00

via lunatickio

via filthyhandss

via lunatickio

Not much makes me happier than seeing good bokeh photographs. They are so calm and serene, yet full of light and energy.

Here's how you can make your own if you've got a DSLR camera, like my mama let's me borrow. And here's what came of 30 minutes of goofing off with it:

I want a DSLR so badly.

day 6: here...

2011-07-06T23:40:00.000-05:00

I'm using one of my get-out-of-jail-free cards.

Lady doctor appointment early this morning. Necessitated a nap. Went to see Midnight in Paris with some good friends. Hilarious and adorable. Mozart's for drinks and sweet things. And now I'm back home, typing it up.

Look, I even fleshed that out to a couple of sentences and a few fragments. Look at me go. Look. That's such an odd word.

day 5: lookie lookie, i made a cookie

2011-07-05T18:32:00.001-05:00

I'm about as french as a bag of potatoes, but that doesn't mean I can't bake french macarons!

They are not as difficult as they may seem, if you know your way around the kitchen. As you can see though, I still had a few problems. That just means I get to eat them right then and there!

Filled with raspberry jam. Yum!

The little baby ones were the first batch. I thought they were going to spread out some, but they didn't. Oh well. They're just little mini sandwiches of sweet deliciousness. Crunchy and chewy and sweet and tangy. Awesome.

Recipe and techniques from Giverslog

day 4: spike says...

2011-07-04T14:32:00.001-05:00

day 3: cool in the clutch

2011-07-03T20:03:00.002-05:00

via ali foster patterns

via bhg

via elisharon

So, I think you may know me well enough that I fancy myself a crafty girl. My mom started me sewing when I was little, but I didn't sew much in middle or high school. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I got back into it with a free skirt pattern I found here (I've got another currently in the works with a friend. It's red striped seersucker! Perfect for summer.) So when I saw Sharon's cute clutch purse and saw that she made it, I knew I had to try it out! So I've been looking at free patterns today online and pondering fabric prints. I'm really liking the stripes on Sharon's and they're so classic, but floral is always feminine and adds something special to any outfit. We'll see what the fabric store has for me this week!

And I think I can get into using a clutch... I'm usually more of a messenger/cross-body type, but with something this adorable, who couldn't get into using one? And maybe I can modify it to make one to fit my Kindle!

day 2: taking it easy

2011-07-02T19:41:00.001-05:00

Let's take this nice and slow. Ease into this posting-every-day-thing with a few pictures
Watercolor pencils = make everything more awesome. But I don't really know why I put an eyeball in there... things like that happen sometimes...

Inspired by Alisa Burke.

day 1: revamp

2011-07-01T17:40:00.001-05:00

Blog Every Day in July project has been declared! I'll be posting something, no matter if it's one sentence or multiple paragraphs, every day in July. Why? Because I'm a nut. And it's hot outside. I'll use this as my excuse to stay inside where it's cool, even though I'll be as pasty white as I am in December.

So to begin, I revamped my blog. Revamped. Does that have anything to do with vampires? I'm tired of vampires.

2011-06-30T22:25:00.001-05:00

Wow. Ummm, it's been WAY too long since my last post. I apologize profusely for that. The end of my sophomore year of college kind of kept me busy. As did summer school. But it's almost over! Tomorrow is my last day, and I would like to commemorate its end with some photos of the work I did:

I actually really enjoyed perspective drawing. I love the clean lines. But really, who can deny pastels? They will always have a special place in my creative toolbox. Love them.

Signing off in hope of more regular blogging. Later, gators.

cute enough…

2011-04-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

… to be a fashion blogger? Maybe. We’ll see how long I can keep this up. Who knew a hair cut could be so inspiring?

Happy Easter and such.

Pardon my clothes being flung every which way. Early morning. You understand, don’t you?

I love my new hair. So easy.

P.S. My shingles episode is starting to go away, but I’m still having a little pain and starting to get ITCHY! And I’m getting some pain on the left side of my face and the middle of the left side of my back. But nothing I’m really too concerned about. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes.

my life is crazy

2011-04-20T22:41:00.000-05:00

And getting sick just makes it crazier. Who get's shingles when they are 20? This one does. Yeah.

Fun fact: in the 2 years I've been at college, I have had 2 freak, out-of-left-field medical occurrences. I would say this is not coincidence: college is bad for your health.

Hope everyone is doing better than me. But I guess that's not really saying much. Hope everyone is having a good week and looking forward to the long weekend.

2011-04-07T01:16:00.000-05:00

also posted at my tumblr

A project in my graphic design class. Color version coming next week!
Adobe Illustrator CS 2 (so old...)

I'm in desperate need of more sleep, but alas, the homework has not been completed and I can't go to bed yet. On that note, I hope everyone is well and enjoying early April. I hope it rains some more here in Texas. I love me some April showers and May flowers!

still getting to know my computer

2011-03-21T23:33:00.001-05:00

I’m trying a post using Windows Live Writer. Just getting seeing what it’s like. Maybe it’ll get me to blog a little more.

But really, who am I kidding?

Spring Break was good and relaxing. Just what this busy college girl needed. I finished reading Water for Elephants and am halfway (trudging, although moving more quickly now) through 1984. Can you believe I escaped high school without reading it? I know. Public education system fail.

And here’s a finished project!

Yeah. Kind of impossible to see what’s there. I have to photograph it for my portfolio, so when that happens, you guys will be the second to know. The first will be the unfortunate person helping me photograph it.

Ok. Bedtime.

learning stuff!

2011-03-01T15:58:00.001-06:00

I learned how to do lighting in the 3D modeling program I'm learning. Blender is still evil, but these scenes turned out pretty good, I think. Just wanted to share.

Midday

Overcast (it kind of looks more like it's raining, but whatever)

My favorite: Sunset

Next assignment: box-modeling a human. Making a human out of boxes. Great. It's a good thing I'm in life drawing.

2011-02-24T17:27:00.001-06:00

Yeah, you should never really count on me to post regularly. It's really not going to happen. Sorry.

I've been busy. Really, really busy. School tends to be like that.

Here's some stuff I've been doing.

A P.O.S sculpture project:

A P.I.T.A. paper diorama:

Life drawing:

And working with an evil (yet free) 3D modeling program:

I'm using my computer a lot more in visualization than I did in engineering. Here's a shot of what my desktop looks like:

Hopefully I'll think of some cuter stuff to put on here soon. Sorry it's just a crappy dump of stuff I've been doing.

2011-01-11T16:48:00.002-06:00

A few things that I've been up to in this new year. Sorry the image quality sucks!

Some shoes for me.

I decided I needed some blue-green pumps. I think they're pretty awesome.

Jennifer and I went to Blanton to draw. It was my first time there. Ever. I know, it's been open for years and this sorry excuse for an artist and art lover that I am didn't get my butt up there until last week. What can I say? I am who I am.

She was my favorite.

Again, sorry excuse for an artist here only did 2 pages. How pathetic. But it's definitely a good start to the year.

And some shoes for my very patient and accommodating friend Laura, who's been waiting for these for at least a year. I am such a fail, but I think they are turning out nice. Can you guess the themes?

It's dinosaurs and Where's Waldo.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope everyone's year has started out nicely. I feel so much better with my new major and I can't wait to get started! Leave me some comments if you feel so inclined.

2010-12-24T19:00:00.000-06:00

visions of sugarplums and delusions of grandeur

2010-12-07T16:24:00.001-06:00

via anyonecanquilt.typepad.com

I'm ready to be a little bit more girly. It's the holiday season, and that just brings out the dreams of baking cookies, watching classic Christmas movies like Miracle on 34th Street and Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, and pretending to be the best 50's housewife ever, as anti-feminist as that last bit may sound. All this talk about the holidays and family has me wanting to snuggle up next to a fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a quilt.

A quilt that I don't have.

A quilt that I want to make.

Too bad I don't know the first thing about quilting...

via anyonecanquilt.typepad.com

via anyonecanquilt.typepad.com

Who are you kidding, Mel?! You don't have time for this! You don't even know your way around a sewing machine that well anymore! (Yes, at one point, like in 5th grade, it was a damn good seamstress. As good as a 5th grader could get, I guess.)

via housewrenstudio.typepad.com

Maybe embroidery. I can do that, right?

via housewrenstudio.typepad.com

Even if my embroidery would be something more like this?

via craftycrafty.tv

Probably not as cute as little flowers and houses, but more me. Geeky, internet-lovin' me.

Good luck to those that are taking finals, like me!

content, yet terrified

2010-11-23T22:00:00.002-06:00

An octopus I drew last year. This is the extent of my digital work, for now. I'll be doing more stuff like this with my new major.

I got accepted into the program I applied for...*nervous smile* I'm happy, but I'm also scared out of my mind. It's different from anything I've ever considered doing as a career and I don't know if it's stable in the job market and I don't think my parents are exactly happy with me leaving engineering and there are just a lot of concerns/reservations I'm having. Like how I slipped that one in there, the parents one? Yeah, me too.

On the kind of not-so-confused side of this, I was told by the department coordinator, an extremely nice guy that helped me work on my courses that I'll be taking next year, that I was 1 of 2 change of majors that was accepted... what? Come again? Well, I must have done something right on that application... that is just amazing to me. I just can't comprehend that I'm good at art. I never have been able to. A person can't be good at math and science and art; it's just not the way things work. It doesn't make sense. Well, I kinda take that back. Leonardo da Vinci. But he didn't know calculus because it hadn't been invented yet. And yet that's what this major is about: joining those two seemingly irreconcilable subjects into this major.

Anyway, philosophical rant over. Everyone have an enjoyable Thanksgiving. I'll be chatting with my parents and extended family about this... And charming and persuading them to let me live in an awesome town home with my 3 friends... for nearly $100 more than my brother gets for an apartment...

i think i've found my soul mate

2010-11-15T02:33:00.004-06:00

Last week my mom, in a rather roundabout way, called me an Anglophile. That accusation is completely true. I love all things British. Allow me to demonstrate:
Favorite band: Muse
Favorite TV show: Doctor Who
Favorite climate: cloudy and rainy (yes, weird, why would anyone like that...)
Favorite books: Harry Potter (altough that might be at the top everyone's list)
Favorite type of humor: dry, British......can I say that? Is that a type of humor. Whatever, just go with me on this one.

And now, I've added one more notch to this hypothetical bed post of British-lovin': Meet Charlie McDonnell

Seriously. In. Love. With. Charlie. I've probably watched about 10-20 videos and in every... single... one... there has been something that he talks about that I love: video games, Doctor Who, Pixar, chemistry (???), general awesomeness. Reasons that constitute my rather embarrassingly adolescent swooning:
1) He's British. 2) he's got awesome hair (the red is dyed but I think it's cool. Like bowties. Dr. Who reference, sorry.) 3) He loves Doctor Who (please see above list). 4) He's hilarious, creative, clever. 5) He's articulate, which is something I greatly envy. That's probably why I don't vlog. Maybe I should work on that.
Forgot to also mention: SO HOT.

Definition of soul mate.

I love the way British people say "yogurt." And "trousers." And "fish custard." Sorry another DW ref. *Mel, stop being a geek, you are scaring away the readers!!*

sorry for the slack

2010-10-31T13:05:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been awhile since my last post. The middle of the semester always gets a little ridiculous, with tests and projects, birthdays and music festivals, so I'll give you a quick rundown of what's been going on:

My 20th birthday was about 2 and a half weeks ago. I'm no longer a teenager. I guess I had a tough time trying to grasp that, but now, it's all good. It's another part of life, getting older. But I'm really looking forward to all the things I'll do in the years to come. But to celebrate this passing out of childhood, we made s'mores and played Apples to Apples at my party.

I went to the Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 8, 9, and 10. I always have the time of my life there. The atmosphere there always helps me to remember to being loving and what makes humans human: love of beauty. Beautiful music, beautiful food, beautiful nature, beautiful people, beautiful friends! And thanks to Jennifer for introducing me to some new people and sticking with me throughout the masses of people!

And I've been trying to delay this last bit of info for some time... I still haven't heard back from the Visualization department about my application. This has me a little bit worried. I'm planning on trying to get in contact with them to know if I made it in or not. So as soon as I hear, I'll let you know what's going on. Thanks for thoughts and wishes during this process!

And I finally finished reading The Pillars of the Earth! What an amazing read! I was at a section about halfway through the book, around page 500, and I couldn't put it down! I swear I read at least 200 pages that day! If you want a book that you can read for a while but will never be bored with, this is it. Nearly a thousand pages of brilliant storytelling. Definitely one of my favorite books ever. And the mini-series is on Netflix, for those of you interested. I've been watching that, and it's just as breathtaking as the book.

So, this has been an attempt at a (quick) update on my life for the past month. I'm going to be better about posting everyday in November, I promise. And as for the giveaway that I'm planning, I'm still trying to figure out how to go about doing it. If you have any advice for me, leave me a comment!

the leap of faith

2010-10-01T23:49:00.000-05:00

I turned in my application to change my major to Visualization today. Whoa, big step for Melissa.

I was walking back when I thought, "Damn, I NEVER let people look at my work, like, not even my friends or my parents or anyone, and here I am, letting myself be judged solely on my work. What the hell..." It was an interesting moment for me.

So, the ball is in their court now. They are supposed to get back to me in 30 days, so I'll let everyone know what's going down then.

Guess I'm gonna have to change the title of my blog now, as I highly doubt that I'm going to be an engineer anymore!

P.S. My 100th post is coming up and I'm thinking about doing a give away. Just sayin'!

my dreams are coming true

2010-09-29T21:25:00.000-05:00

As some of you may know or have put together on your own, I'm not exactly normal (well, on second thought, nobody is normal....). I'm not the average blogging girl. I like crafty stuff and diy stuff and cute stuff. But sometimes, I need me a little something else.

So I love AMC. Love, love, love. But not for Mad Men, although that is a fantastic show. Breaking Bad is amazing, which I watch religiously when it's on. Every week. But even that's not the reason I'm going on this long-winded rant (is it a rant? I'm not angry...)

Why I love AMC so much right now? Forget vampires and werewolves. Zombies. Freaking zombies.

AMC is making one of my favorite graphic novels into a show. The Walking Dead.

Seriously, I can hardly contain my excitement!!! I mean, I'm writing two posts in one day! And like, this show is going to be up there with the X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer! And if AMC can do grizzly murder on Breaking Bad, it's going to be a hundred times more bloody in The Walking Dead.

So can I get a "hell yeah?" ...Please? I mean I know a lot of you probably aren't very into zombies and such, but the series isn't going to be a blood-drenched, intestine-gobbling, absolute gore-fest. Well, it is going to be that, but that's not all that the series is going to be about. There are so many plot twists and discoveries and betrayals, it's going to just like any other AMC show: stellar storytelling. And really awesome costumes and make up.

The Walking Dead priemeres at 9 PM CST on Halloween. Really, I don't think my Halloween is going to get any more awesome than if Pokemon and unicorns turned out to be real.

And if you've got a strong stomach, here's the trailer. But beware, I'm telling you, a strong stomach is definitely needed:

uh oh

2010-09-29T13:04:00.000-05:00

Friday is creeping up on me. It's making me nervous. Oh God, what if I don't make it? Rush, rush, rushing. Oh goodness, this is always happening to me. Actually, I keep letting it happen to me. Why, oh why, do I do that?!? Uuuugggggghhhh. Rush, rush, rush. Hurry up and write that essay and get that portfolio together and maybe add some new pieces and keep up with homework and don't forget to eat. Everything has to be done by Friday!!!

This is my life right now.

P.S. I am constantly amazed at how no matter how much I'm freaking out or stressing, drawing can always bring me back down. Always.

top five tunes of the week

2010-09-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Check out the Playlist.com set at the bottom of my page to hear what I've been listening to this week!

ummmm...

2010-09-20T23:26:00.001-05:00

Yeah. Life sucks right now. Timewise. Meaning I don't have a ton of free time. To post and stuff. School and all that is kind of a big deal. So. Sorry...? But as soon as I get through Wednesday, I'll be a happy(ier) camper.

For now, please enjoy a piece of work I'm submitting in my portfolio for my Viz major application:
My one and only life drawing piece in my entire drawing career and of my dear friend Sara-Jane.

I really do wish I was a more prolific artist. That would make finding pieces for my portfolio (due in roughly two weeks) so much easier. I will try harder.

cotton candy dream

2010-09-01T16:51:00.002-05:00

Omg, I am so invisible. I just got stepped on, pushed into a wall, and hit with a binder all in less than 5 minutes. My roommate says it's because I'm short. I think I've got an Invisibility Cloak that never comes off. Explains why I don't have a boyfriend!

-----------------

Hey, does anyone mind if I just leave school to live in one of these paintings by Will Cotton and dive head first into a sugar coma? Really? Kthnxbi.

Katy Perry, anyone? Will Cotton was actually the Art Director for her video, California Gurls, and did the cover art for the album Teenage Dream.

Just some current thoughts of the day. School's ok. I'm going to pick up an application for the Visualization program tomorrow so I can change my major!! I'm kind of nervous about it. And with that, I'm off to Intro to Literature!

dark

2010-08-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Mockingjay which is the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I can't even begin to describe what I feel. I love the way books can touch something inside me, but it's not always a pleasant feeling that they leave with you. I could tell from the first book that they weren't the kind of books with fairytale endings. But all the same, I'm content with these books, the characters, the story they told, and how it all ended.

On a little bit of a lighter note, I start my sophomore year at Texas A&M University tomorrow. Bright and early with calculus at 9:10. Send me love on my first day back as a possibly non-engineering major. More on this development to come. And for those of you starting school, or with children starting school, or know someone starting school, I send you all my best.

i'm not dead

2010-08-22T14:21:00.000-05:00

Sorry for falling off the face of the earth. When I got back from Paris, I wasn't feeling good and I was really tired, so I slept and lazed around for a day or two. I went out on Wednesday for a friends birthday party, thinking I was in the clear of whatever was making me not feel so hot. The next day, it struck me down. Like flat on my back. Fever, sore throat, throbbing muscles. All the signs of being an idiot and not taking it easy. And this is why I still, after 1 week of being home, I still have no video or pictures up. And I'm trying to pack to move back to college. So you might see my adventures in, maybe, December?

nice, france

2010-08-11T15:52:00.002-05:00

Hello again, fellow Internetians! I'm in Nice, France right now and it is completely beautiful in every way. Beautiful landscapes and sea, beautiful buildings, beautiful people, beautiful weather. Amazing. I won a bottle of wine today! I was closets to the correct number of tunnels we traveled through today! I guessed 130. The actual was 164! And I went and gambled in Monte Carlo, Monaco! Tomorrow, I'll be on a train (pretty much all day) to Paris. I've got my (ironic) book Murder on the Orient Express, my Nintendo, lots of postcards to write, and a questionnaire to answer on the trip. The train leaves at 9 and I get to Paris around 3. Anyway, just a quick little update. Talk to you guys later. Ciao!

P.S. And a happy 22nd birthday to my brother tomorrow! How awesome is it that he's got a birthday during a vacation in Europe?! Jealousy...

week one in short

2010-08-07T15:28:00.000-05:00

So free internet is pretty hard to come by in parts of Europe, especially Switzerland, Germany, and Austria! I thought I was going to be able to post a little more frequently, but in between getting up early, staying out late, and the scarcity of interwebs, you see what can happen. Best laid plans, my friends...

Anyway,I have a few highlights for you!

Big Ben in London, England, on a typical cloudy day

Unique cornices on houses on the canals of Amsterdam

Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. The most massive cathedral I've ever seen.

Inside one of the spires in Cologne. Yes, we hiked up 533 steps to the top of the cathedral.

Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Ahhh I can see the Von Trapp family now...

Ok, waaaaaaay over on the left, the house with the brown roof, that was Audrey Hepburn's summer home! Yeah! This is also on Lake Lucerne.

Bluebells on Mount Pilatus in Switzerland. The first bluebells I've ever seen.

Another wildflower in the Swiss mountains. No edelweiss, however. Only in early spring.

COWS!!! From the Swiss mountains. If you look close enough, you can see their cowbells. They sound really lovely, actually. And don't worry, these are milk cows.

Venezia, Italia (Venice, Italy)!! By gondola! Favorite architecture in Europe so far.

And just look who I found when I turned around in Saint Mark's Square in Venice!!! I had no idea they were here!!!

Me and the fam. Picture taken by our awesome serenader!! Love him and his accordian buddy that made funny noises and knew he was "bravo." I love Italians...

I have some video, but I think I'm going to wait until I get home and have a proper computer to post that stuff.

Anyway, I hope I get to post again soon! Arrivederci!

london, england

2010-07-31T18:14:00.001-05:00

EDIT: So I just noticed I uploaded the wrong video here. So I deleted it. Sorry. It was bad anyway.

'Ello, Gov'nah! This is Melissa, communicating with you from London! Wow!
I don't have the obligatory telephone booth shot yet, but it's ok, because I'll be here for one more day!

PS I totally hope to improve my terrible video communication skillz and make this way more exciting to watch, so please stay with me while I mightily attempt to surmount this obstacle!! And leave me some comments while you're at it! Love you guys!

freakin' decisions

2010-07-27T22:18:00.000-05:00

Ohmigah ohmigah ohmigah....

Do any of you have one of these little pocket camcorders?

Flip
Kodak zi8
Vado HD

I'm trying to acquire one of these before I leave for Europe on FRIDAY. (Yes, I'm stupid for waiting this long...) So, if you have any opinions about which one I should get, SEND THEM TO ME!!!

Kthnxbi

diy shirts

2010-07-26T18:51:00.000-05:00

So I haven't posted in a while. Being out of sorts sucks chiz. It was a weird weekend... again. Familial issues.

Anyway. Yesterday was Gabby's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! You're 19 now!!! Which means you're almost 23, which means you're almost dead! Ha ha ha ha. *cough*

Last night, Jennifer and I went down to the lake to go running. We usually go in the morning, but Jen had the brilliant idea of going later so we could go to Barton Springs after for FREE!! Who doesn't like free stuff?! Nobody. And on top of that, it was a full moon. Now, you ask, what does that mean, Melissa? Well I'll tell you! It means people pretend to be wolves and howl at the moon! In the pool! WOW! EXCITING! But it really was a ton of fun. Except when you stop swimming because you then start to freeze because that water is so cold.

And now for something completely different: First. Tutorial. Ever!

I LOVE making graphic designs on t-shirts. If I see a simple t-shirt in a store with a design on it, I try to think of ways to recreate that on my own.

I get my t-shirts from craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's and from Goodwill. Goodwill is a more environmentally friendly choice, so I try to do as often as possible.

Here's the finished shirt:

I designed this one. Nothing in a store inspired me to make it.

Materials:

t-shirt
scissors
tape of desire width (I'm using electrical tape, but masking tape would work well, too)
3D fabric paint
a permanent marker
a piece of cardboard or stiff paperboard

I'm showing the process on the back after making sure that it worked a looked good. I also reused the tape just to be a little more eco-friendly.

So first, you need to cut your tape pieces and position them on the shirt anyway you like. All the tape can be one length or different lengths, evenly spaced or randomly spaced. It is completely up to you. I really liked mine being all over the place. Very dynamic.

Tip: Smooth out the tee and simply place the tape down. Don't pull the tee because the tape will wrinkle.

Start scribblin'! Oh but first put that piece of cardboard in the shirt. You don't want the marker to bleed through to the other side and it makes it easier to scribble on. Scribble. I like that word.

Tips: Start right on the edge of the tape and fill in that line and work your way out. It will make a really sharp, defined line. And stretching the fabric really helps the lines dark.

And you don't have to stick to black! Pick any color(s) you like! Imagine how rad it would like with 3 or 4 colors! Black was just I had on hand.

Keep going until you reach the last piece of tape you have put down, but don't go around it yet. When you move the tape, you won't have to worry about place tape over a part that's been colored in already, if that makes sense...

Next, start going over the permanent marker scribbles (hehe) with the 3D paint. This just makes a darker mark that the marker and give the design texture.

Peel up the tape carefully (there is still wet fabric paint on it!) and move on to the next section!

And finito! A completed shirt! Well, I then proceeded to cut of the collar because I had gotten paint on it, but minor details matter not!

Here's a more fashionable, trendy shirt that I made:

Looks like something you would buy in a store, yes? I made this. It was very simple and free flowing and fun! All I did was find a picture of a peacock feather and copied it as best I could, first with chalk, then with permanent marker. Very. Simple.

Enjoy your newly altered shirts! Have fun with them!

whatever a sun will always sing is you

2010-07-19T00:10:00.003-05:00

Title courtesy of ee cummings.

Feeling very "hopeless romantic" today.

Just a little preview of a personal piece that's been in the works for a while.

Lyric for today:
"Wishing you could keep me closer. I'm a lazy dancer; when you move, I move with you."
(see the first song in my playlist at the bottom of the page)

And here's a picture of the green smoothies I drink now that I know how to make them really well:

Delicious. But I'm now out of spinach.

in two days

2010-07-16T01:37:00.004-05:00

I don't think I have ever read two books back to back so quickly in my life.

The Hunger Games and it's stunning sequel, Catching Fire.

If you haven't read them, get your butt to the library or Target and get them!!

I don't even remember who recommended them to me, but whoever it was, you suck and you're brilliant and I love you. Thank you. And curse you at the same time. Because these books are romantic, violent, realistic, agonizingly cruel and so damn amazing. But the next one doesn't come out for another month... :(

melissa the foodie & the green smoothie

2010-07-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

Some may know that I am an adventurous eater. I will try anything once, and I especially like to try health foods. Today, I thought I would try a green smoothie, made with leafy greens along with fruit based off of the recipe in the video. I put in 1 frozen banana, about a cup of fresh strawberries and blueberries, about half a cup of orange juice and a splash of water and 4 leaves of romaine (I didn't have any spinach, a rare occurrence in my house. We're big on spinach.).

It turned out a bit on the brown side (red and green make brown...), but was still very tasty. I could kind of taste the romaine through the fruit, but it was very fresh. And healthy!

Be adventurous and do something good for your body!

taking a day

2010-07-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

(because, obviously, being on summer vacation isn't enough)

For a nineteen year old, I have some serious body pain issues.

When I was about 16, I started having back problems. Like bad, debilitating back problems. I could hardly run and even walking was a burden. I went to physical therapy and used a lot of ibprofen and IcyHot and it helped. For a few years. Last year the pain came back. So I went to the doctor. X-ray time. I laugh. My back looked like an S. I wish I had that X-ray to show you. Anyway, he prescribed a muscle relaxer because he thought a spasm was causing the tissue to pull my spine to one side. Again, that worked for a while. Since then, it's come back with a vengeance, never letting me be fully comfortable.

When I was 17, I jammed my right wrist while trying to snowboard. More X-rays. Nothing broken. Unfortunately my wrist never felt quite right after that.

Today, at 10:30, I went to a myopractic therapist, which is like a chiropractor, but for your muscles and ligaments, but they aren't rough like chiropractors who yank and twist. He told me right when I walked in that he saw I had a problem with my hips and I was way too young to be having these problems. He said the likely cause of my pain was a rotated pelvis. Your body is supposed to be straight up and down for the most part. My hips were rotated to the right, throwing lots of stuff out of whack, like making my right leg shorter than my left, moving my spine. So he got to work, rotating my legs and arms and pushing and tugging a little. He rotated my hips and pulled them, and I could instantly tell that they were better.

He got to my hands and wrists, starting with the left one. He asked me which one I jammed and I told him the right. He laughed because the left one was really messed up too. When he got to the right one, it popped really loudly and hurt just a little bit, but oh baby, does it feel a hundred times better than it did before.

Among other things that were jacked up: right knee, collar bones, jawbone, right elbow, an intestine valve, my neck, and of all things, my uterus was moved over to my left side. Yeah. At least I have great abs!

So I had a lot of stuff to do today, but I'm going to take it easy and chill so I don't screw up what was just fixed.

And I'll leave you with a pretty picture. Look what I finished yesterday!!

Now I just need to actually hang it!

always tempted to dream

2010-06-24T13:02:00.000-05:00

Take it from Jen, this summer is a happy one, filled with delicious drinks, fresh and tasty fruit, and memorable sweets from memorable places.

Is there anything better than sweet strawberries and great friends?

pardon my sorriness

2010-06-23T15:37:00.001-05:00

I'm terribly sorry that I am such an incurable, regressive, ten year old nerd and loser. In a nineteen year old's body. I watched the entire Avatar: The Last Airbender series in a month. How completely pathetic is that? I know. Beyond extreme. Beyond even that, I think. So here is the child of this love affair with this amazingly clever cartoon: AANG!!!

Love this kid! Such a badass for only his tender age of twelve. He'll be finished in a few days.

Do you know how excited I am for the movie?! YES!!!

random thoughts collecting

2010-06-22T21:30:00.000-05:00

I love Woody Harrelson, especially after Zombieland, but did you know that his father was a contract killer? Yeah. Didn't expect that one.

I LOVE this online design magazine: www.lonnymag.com. It's so cool that it's online! Go green!

I'm starting to get back into my habit of drawing, which feels great. I missed it so much during school. Trying for three times a day. Hello 100 themes again!

I need a new camera and a new camcorder. Yes, I said need. They are essential to my life force.

So I don't know if you've heard, but Doctor Who is the best show on television, closely followed by Breaking Bad. Dr. Who is a tad bit more lighthearted than Breaking Bad, but, ya know, it's whatever.

The movie The Last Airbender is going to be amazing. Go see it.

Do you ever have conversations in your head with Facebook? You know in the sidebar, it has stuff for friends you haven't talked to in a while and it says "Reconnect with him/her." Today, in my head I said, "No thanks, I'd rather not."

I hate it when you go to use your mouse, see that it's not moving on the screen, and then realize that you need to plug it in to the USB.

Why are zippers on pants called flies?

I really want an Uglydoll. Please.

Don't ever call my house at 7 am. My phone is right next to my bed now and it's earsplitting loud when it rings.

fear, a problem

2010-06-11T02:40:00.000-05:00

I have a major problem with fear. I think it is the main problem in my life. Every other problem I have can be boiled down into a fear.

A fear of rejection. A fear of decisions. A fear of making the wrong decision. A fear of the future after aforementioned wrong decision. Possibly, a fear of living.

I need to stop fearing rejection. From others and from myself. I need to have courage to do what's best for me. Right now, my heart feels hardened because of these fears. Fears of being hurt and breaking. Literally like a stone in my chest.

*breath*

I need to create without fear.

I need to live without fear.

And I desperately need to love without fear. Love whatever I want to love.

No fear.

top five friday

2010-06-04T21:11:00.000-05:00

1. A day spent with friends at Barton Springs, relaxing, sketching, and preparing for a night of indulgence in body care (see #2 and #3).

2. Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub. A little too rough for some, but it cleans deep and I love how smooth my skin feels after. And it smells great!

3. Wen ReMoist Intensive Hair Treatment. I love Wen! It's so simple and this stuff leaves my hair soft and silky. Just put it on after a shower, leave on for 30 minutes, et voile! Glossy, soft hair! Can you believe this is from an informmercial? Yeah, and Wen is New spelled backwards...

4. Homemade Iced Sugar-Free Caramel Latte. Cheap and delicious.

5. Doctor Who. Oh, I do love a man with great hair, a bowtie, and a spunky ginger as his sidekick! New on Saturday!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

it just keeps coming

2010-05-25T16:37:00.000-05:00

Hello Lovelies! Sorry I've gone absentee on y'all. Been procrastinating and cleaning my damn room. Such a hassle. I'm still swimming in junk, but it is much better than it was before. I'm just going to keep on pushing through, and my (optimistic) goal is that I will mostly finish it by the end of today!

I've been trying to motivate myself to go running because I haven't since I got out of school. So this morning, I crawled out of bed, made my delicious breakfast of two fried eggs and wilted spinach, and forced myself to run. Boy, I'll tell you what, that indoor track at school has me so spoiled!! No hills, no concrete, air conditioning. But, you just don't get the same satisfaction as when you run outside and actually go somewhere and see different things while you're running. I ran through the park today. There were three people that had their dogs with them. All of the dogs were off leashes. If I did that with my dog, he'd split in two seconds flat and I would never be able to find him. He's such a brat, but such a sweetie. Look at that face!

People love the way his tongue curls when he pants.

He really likes fetch, but sometimes he won't let me have the ball when he brings it back. What a little rascal.

Anyway...His name is Spike. My brother named him. He's technically my brother's dog.
(I've never put up pictures of my doggy, so. There you go. That's where this is coming from.)

Have a lovely Tuesday! Don't miss Glee tonight!

i'm done!

2010-05-13T12:14:00.002-05:00

It's finally summer! I can't tell you how good it feels to be done with my first year of college. And I've got so many things to do. Two things on my list:

1) Find a job.

2) Get rid of 50% of my stuff.

Number 2 is the big thing for me this summer. The car was way too packed when we moved my stuff back home, and then I've got stuff at home. It's just a bad situation. So, I'm going to be really tough and get rid of a lot of stuff. My goal is half of what I own is either being donated, sold, or trashed. Half! Yeah, I've got too much stuff.

Anyway, just taking it easy today since I was pretty much exhausted from being up late the two nights ago and moving my stuff out of my dorm. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

nearing the end/beginning

2010-05-10T15:31:00.002-05:00

This is me after my calculus final. I'm so tired. So much studying. My chemistry final was ok, but my calculus final was absolutely ridiculous! So difficult! Everyone walked out of that test feeling like they just got beat on the head. We all just looked at each other and laughed that "I did what I could, but that was just stupid" laugh. You know what I'm talking about.

But summer is so close! So close!!! Aaaah, I can't wait to kick my feet up and read a book that isn't about engineering for a good while. I've got a ton of crafty, artsy projects to do that I'm so excited about. And working! I need to replenish my savings account. It's looking pretty skinny after this semester. It's all that hair dye that I've been buying. I think I'm gonna stop doing that now, too expensive for my measly college budget.

But my BIG story: Yesterday, my parents came to visit and move some of my stuff home (so my mother and I didn't have to all on Wednesday). We went out to lunch with my brother. My parents were asking me what I was planning on doing this summer. My brother has been looking for an internship, as he is about to graduate, and I said I was going to get a job, but I probably wasn't going to be a lifeguard. My mom had wanted me to be a lifeguard because it pays really well. But that really what the discussion was about. No, no, no. My parents then said "Well, we think this would be a good summer to take that TRIP TO EUROPE we've always talked about." Double take... WHAT?! "Yeah it seems like a good time to yada yada blah blah..." I nearly fell out of my chair! I've been waiting for this trip since I was 12! First it was when Melissa turns 16 we'll go, when Melissa graduates we'll go, but then my cousin was getting married in Mexico, so...

You might have some idea how excited I am, you might not. I went to Paris Spring Break of 2009 (actually the reason I began blogging!) and I absolutely fell in love with Europe. Just the thought of going back over there is giving me butterflies right now. It's still not set in stone, but when my parents mention something to us children, it's more likely to happen.

Two weeks in Europe. I might die.

Yet another reason to save money and lose a little weight: souvenirs and pictures!

art & copy

2010-05-05T00:40:00.000-05:00

When I got onto Netflix about two hours ago, I thought I was going to be watching Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. But, the movie gods smiled upon me and granted me a long desired wish via my Instant Queue and made my night. Ask my roommate.

I've been waiting for the documentary for about 6 months, since I first saw the (ironic) ad for it on the internet. I don't even remember how I found it, actually. My English prof assigned a book called Amusing Ourselves to Death by Niel Postman about the proliferation of the image and pictures dominating the written word and how the computer and television are "taking over the world." Pretty grim stuff, but so interesting. Definitely a recommended nonfiction read. Anyway, when I researching for topics that were related to some of the subjects mentioned in the book for a paper, I immediately thought of advertisement. The epitome of the short, image saturated communication media. My art teacher during my senior year worked in advertising before she became a teacher, and we actually did a project that involved making a company identity and making an advertisement for it. And when I stumbled across this documentary, I knew I had to watch it. Unfortunately at the time, it was only screening in certain cities, none of them remotely close to where I get at it.

Advertising it just one of the most interesting phenomena. It's this message that a bunch of people create, then send out into space, the world, and hope for a response. Too bad a lot the advertising done these days is complete shit, pardon my language. There are really only a few that I like. Those funny Intel commercials, because I can personally relate to that, I think, and those new tampon commercials that point out how stupid tampon commercials can be. That's pretty much it. It's such a shame because an ad can be so much more than that. Think about it. Apple's "Think Different." Nike's "Just Do It." Both of those grew into so much more than an ad. They were revolutionary and became mantras to live by. It's an amazing thing to think about.

"The frightening and most difficult thing about being what somebody calls a creative person is that you have absolutely no idea where any of your thoughts come from, really. And especially you don't have any idea about where they're going to come from tomorrow." - Hal Riney (1932-2008)

You will be enlightened. And if not, at least you will have seen some good ads instead of the crap that's on TV.

crossing it off

2010-05-02T13:07:00.002-05:00

It started out rainy, and gross, and I was just not in the mood. My iPod wasn't working right, I was in a strange town with too many people, and it was really, really early.

It was hot, muggy, and I still just was not feeling it. But when I hit about mile 3, my anxiety started to melt away with the copious amount of sweat my skin was pouring out. I realized I was never going to finish if I kept thinking about how much it sucked to be out here, running for 13.1 miles. I needed to stop thinking about the negative things and focus on what made the day good: there was no sun beating down, even though it was humid there was a good breeze, and my day was completely free of obligations, no other thing to worry about than myself and this run. I remembered to just keep my mind off of the actual running and live in my mind to get through this, just like I trained.

I realized that is a good thought to have about life in general. Stop focusing on the negative and think about the positive. Everything is about perspective.

Like how I may dislike my legs, but they are strong. And how I may be at my heaviest weight I have ever been (thanks college), but I can run a half marathon.

Everything got better when a really good song came on.

Everything got better when I saw a mile marker.

Everything got better when people stood on the corner and cheered us on.

Everything got better in that last mile. So good in fact, we ran the whole last mile.

We finished in 2 hours and 52 minutes. Under 3 hours!!! #6 and #7 in our age division!

So that was my momentous day yesterday. Now I'm crossing off #28 on my list. Maybe I'll do the Danskin Women's Triathlon in June...

Thanks for reading. I love you guys!

stress

2010-04-28T17:49:00.001-05:00

Registering for classes is way too stressful...

And it really sucks when the one that you want fills up and no more spots open.

Why, oh why, Physiology for Bioengineers, why won't you put in more seats?!?

my life through hair color

2010-04-24T00:39:00.001-05:00

College is about experimentation. At least, that's what I've heard... See the story of my hair color from the beginning of my life until now!!

Completely natural, never ever dyed (my 18th birthday):

First blonde (just after I turned 19):

Second blonde:

And now (something I don't think I ever conceived I would do):

BROWN!!!

It's crazy how much I look like my mother now, but in a good way. And I kind of want it a little darker!
Yeah, and you can tell I should probably get a haircut soon. Maybe. I really love my long hair.

Have a great weekend everyone!

softly call

2010-04-20T21:57:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, April 21st, is a sacred day at Texas A&M.
We will be remembering our the ones we've lost this year from generations past and present.
And of all the things I love about A&M, the traditions are some of my favorite things.

Take time to be thankful for those you love in your life.

spontaneity

2010-04-18T00:31:00.004-05:00

......So......

I've had this craving for truffles since at least Monday.

And then I watched "Julie & Julia" today.

Inspired? Definitely. Mmmm.... truffles.
Here they are:

They may seem daunting and intimidating, but they are certainly far from it.
Here's the recipe I used: {link}
I find irony in the URL address considering my major.

And I definitely freaked out when I saw this in Julie & Julia:

When I went to Paris, this was Samantha's must-stop-and-browse places (find her in my sidebar!). Trust me, it was so worth it!!!

That's my shot of the inside. Books from top to bottom in that place. And if you stand in that doorway facing out, you get a spectacular view of Notre Dame. And it's English-speaking. Such a relief!

*ani-r

2010-04-14T12:00:00.002-05:00

a feature

One of my favorite digital artists goes by *ani-r on DeviantArt.com. If you watch my Inspiration photostream long enough, you'll see some of her peices.

What I love about her art is the intense colors, like you could probably never see in the real world. Perhaps, if you're lucky, you might glimpse them in a sunset or in the ocean or if the sun catches an object in just the right way.
Just look at the brightness of this girl's dress near the stairs and how it actually reflects all the way to the wall. The colors remind me of a goldfish, but so much more saturated.

And everything is perfectly messy. In a way that seems to be careful, but not really (if that makes any sense...). Colors are haphazardly layered and smeared together, but in a way that look natural. Lines don't really end where they are "supposed to but it just looks like it was meant to end there. The stringiness of the lines, their flowiness, the high contrast, the texture, it all makes every piece she does, whether it be an hour long speed paint or a piece that took 2 or 3 weeks. In the above painting, I love this water making it's way down and around in the stream. You can distinctly see the rocks it flows around. It also looks very luminescent, like it's creating its own light.

I also love her exotic landscapes. Again, something you could only dream of. The outline of that one rock face is what first caught me about this piece. It's just beautiful, like a sunrise in the desert.

Look at that blue! The only place I've seen anywhere close to that same color is the deepest part of the ocean with the brightest sun shining down. It seems really intense, but looks perfect in the piece.

Hope you all enjoyed a little eye-candy.
Want to see more, you say? Check her out at http://ani-r.deviantart.com/

get out of that shell, you hermit

2010-04-13T17:08:00.001-05:00

So unless you've been living in a hole for the past year, you should know that Glee is one of the best shows ever. And unless you have no taste in television and live in another hole, you know that it makes its grand, garrulous, gawky, glam, glorious return tonight at 8:28 on FOX!!!

Get your inner Gleek ready to jump and sing and be awesome!

And get ready to face the Sue-saurus!! Terrifiying!

AND get ready to shell out more money for those incredible soundtracks!

Can. Not. Wait.

top five friday

2010-04-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

1. Barbara Streisand Omar Sharif

2. My new waterbrush! So happy!

3. Vampire Diaries (I didn't have my physics lab so I finally got to watch)

4. iPod Shuffle for my long runs

5. Alisa Burke is my new favorite blogger!

sketching

2010-04-06T23:33:00.000-05:00

image via

I love these. Just leaves, nothing else. Nobody thinks of doing just the foliage, even though it's just as beautiful as the flower.

On a little side note, I really need to get back into sketching regularly. It makes me sad that I let it go this long. Drawing is a passion of mine and I've just let it fall away. Shame on me!

top five friday

2010-04-02T20:30:00.001-05:00

1. Paper Cranes

image via

image via

2. The O.C. Seasons 1 and 2

image via

3.Garlands

image via

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4. My new Musée d'Orsay book

5. Howl's Moving Castle

image via

just keep swimming...

2010-03-28T13:56:00.002-05:00

Oh my gosh.

I'm going to an eight mile run right now.

I'm going to die.

EDIT: Well, I didn't die. But I definitely feel about 60 years older with my hobble I've got going on right now! Oh well, gonna do some yoga tonight to work out some of those kinks. Love me some Warrior 1 and Downward Facing Dog!

artful wish list

2010-03-24T01:38:00.002-05:00

Well, it's 2 AM and I feel I am taking a well deserved break from homework.

I really want some of these pens.

It's called a brush pen (aptly named I think) and it's mainly used in line art and manga/anime. They make wonderful, dynamic, weighted lines as you can see. I love lines because you can use just lines and a piece will make sense. Weighted lines are even cooler because they give heaviness and a place for a drawing to sit on... I'm losing you, aren't I?

This, although a little difficult to see in this picture, is a waterbrush. It's used in watercoloring and is perfect for travel because all you need is paper, a watercolor palette and this waterbrush! No jar for water! No spills! What a relief! It's perfect for sketching and quickly filling in areas with color.
Here's an example of how it works.

Even after the color has been laid down, you can go back and add more water on to it simply be squeezing the brush and dilute the color. Isn't that fantastic?

Can you see why I want these?

Will someone please send me some money?

P.S. I've got a calculus test on Thursday night and a physics test on Friday. Wish me luck.... heh.

breaking bad is just too good

2010-03-20T22:37:00.002-05:00

Now I know that not many people that read blogs would be considerably interested in this little fact, but it is one of the best shows on television and I love it.

The new season of Breaking Bad starts tomorrow night!!!

I already called dibs on the sole TV between us four girls on Sundays from 9 to 10 pm.

The short version: A high school chemistry teacher finds out that he has terminal lung cancer and decides to start making crystal meth to leave his family some money after he is gone.

The long version: Really? Sorry. If you want the long version, rent the first two seasons! You won't regret it. You know the show Weeds? It's like that, but on steroids. Waaaay intense. I mean, we're talking about crystal meth here, not pot!

So this season, we may be seeing the Mexican drug cartels getting in on the action that's being dished out by the main characters Walter White, street name "Heisenberg" (who I just learned about in chemistry, theorized something called the uncertainty principle of electrons, which states that only position or momentum can be known about an electron, never both, and the more certain one is about one value, the less certain the other becomes... yada yada yada... I know. I'm sorry.) and Jesse Pinkman, his partner.

I am so excited for this!!! The last thing I saw in season 2 was Jesse was in rehab, Skylar just left with Walter Jr. and the baby, and two planes just collided over the neighborhood where the White family lives.

It seems like it's been forever since it's been on. I watched it religiously my junior year of high school when it premiered, not so much senior year, but I'm all caught up now and I'm super stoked for this season! I hope my roommates get hooked... :)

Are there any shows that you are so completely enamored with like me?

Drop me a comment because I would love to hear!

spring break finale

2010-03-20T02:13:00.000-05:00

Look at these sweet threads my mommy just bought for me from Urban Outfitters! I feel like such a hipster...

But enough about me!
How about MUSE?!? So awesome. Maybe, probably, most likely the best concert I've ever been to. They are so amazing. I think I sang to every single song and just soaked it all up. They have such a stage presence it's ridiculous. And the lead singer Mr. Matt Bellamy is such a goof ball! He was dancing around and spinning like a mad man! I wish I had caught that on camera!

They had the coolest stage I've ever seen. So you know when you are at a smaller sized concert and the stage is only four and a half feet off the ground and, if you're short, you can't see a damn thing? Yeah, it really makes it suck, especially the day after with the stiff neck. Well, I had always wished they would make the stage like 10 feet higher to fix this problem...

And they had some to the sickest graphics and videos. The crazy digital age, DNA, apocalyptic, revolutionary, new world thing that Muse is just should up in all the images and stuff they did. I just about died. And as I was sitting there (yeah, I got to sit the whole time! My feet were so happy!), I thought, "How do you get a job like that? Just making visuals for bands to play during their shows. I want to do that!"

Favorite images of the night:
If you look closely at the piano, you see little white dots. Those are actually the notes that he's playing! They show up on the lid of the piano! I want one!!!
Mr. Bellamy is also, in my mind, The Piano Master. And he really likes simple scales. Just throwing that out there.

This is the only picture that you can kind of see faces. We were pretty far back.And it was REALLY dark or REALLY bright, neither of which are conducive to good photography.

Of course they played most of my favorites! I was so happy! And I totally called that they were going to play Knights of Cydonia last. They were either going to open with it or close with it, but they opened with Uprising. Just the thing to get the blood pumping. And they played part 1 of Exogenesis, which is just incredible.

So AMAZING. I can now cross that off my bucket list and die a little happier.

i've been waiting for this

2010-03-18T02:30:00.002-05:00

In less than 24 hours, I will be on my way to Houston to see (one of) my favorite band(s) of all time (so far ;))...
MUSE!!!
I can't tell you how excited I am!!!
I started listening to Muse in 10th grade, probably. I was starting to get into "harder," more alternative music then. I just love their sound. Techno-y yet rock'n'roll. And who doesn't love British people?! And falsetto? Yeah, I know.

Favorite songs (I have too many for just one):
By Album:

Showbiz
- Falling Down
- Unintended
- Sober

Origin of Symmetry
- New Born
- Bliss
- Hyper Music
- Plug In Baby

Absolution
- Hysteria
- Sing for Absolution
- Falling Away With You

Black Holes and Revelations
- Starlight
- Supermassive Blackhole
- Knights of Cydonia

The Resistance
- Undisclosed Desires (#1 played song on my iTunes)
- I Belong To You (featured on the Twilight: New Moon Soundtrack)
- Guiding Light
- Exogenesis: Symphony Parts 1-3 (Matt Bellamy is a genius on the piano)

B-Sides
- Cover of "I Can't Keep My Eyes Off of You" which I consider playing at my wedding I love it so much!

Favorite Album:
Absolution. EVERY SONG is Awesome! EVERY ONE OF THEM (In my humble opinion).

My bf got us tickets for Christmas. Talk about impossible to top!
I'll post some pictures of my adventure tomorrow or Friday!!!

chatrt

2010-03-09T17:53:00.000-06:00

chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

Have you ever done Chat Roulette? Have you been "nexted?"

Women's Day

2010-03-08T20:46:00.002-06:00

Happy Women's Day!

Give thanks to the women in your life and those that came before you.

My favorite women in history

Firsts
Clara Barton - founder of the International Red Cross
Pearl S. Buck - First American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Good Earth
Marie Curie - First woman to win the Nobel Prize
Amelia Earhart - First female aviator to fly solo over the Atlantic Ocean
Anna Robertson Brown Lindsay - First woman to earn a doctorate
Sandra Day O'Conner - First woman to serve on the Supreme Court
Sally Ride - First woman in space
Margaret Thatcher - First female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Activists
Susan B. Anthony - Activist
Rosa Parks - Civil rights activist
Coretta Scott King - Activist and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Anne Frank - Young girl remembered for her bravery

The Arts

Grace Kelly - Actress and Princess of Monaco

Ingrid Bergman - Actress of acclaim

Jean Harlow - Actress

Bette Davis - Actress

Audrey Hepburn - Actress and activist

Frida Khalo- Artist

Emily Dickinson - Poet

Harriet Beecher Stowe - Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin

Jane Austen - Author of many beloved books

Mary Shelley - Author of Frakenstein

Mary Cassatt - Artist

Artemisia Gentileschi - Artist

Georgia O'Keefe - Artist

Catherine De'Medici - Patron of the arts in Italian Renaissance

Politics

Queen Elizabeth I - Influential, powerful Queen of England

Princess Diana of Wales - Remembered for her activism and kindness

Eleanor Roosevelt - Civil rights activist and First Lady of the United States during the Great Depression

Laura Bush - First Lady and advocate for children and reading

Michelle Obama - Advocate for American children and First Lady

academy awards

2010-03-08T02:18:00.004-06:00

The Oscars are so fun.

Interesting fact that I just realized while skimming my iTunes: I own at least one Oscar nominated score from the year 2001 until now, except for years 2003, 2004, and 2008.

2001:

Winning: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I own: Chocolat

--------------------------------
2002:

Winning: LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring
I own: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring

--------------------------------
2005:

Winning: Finding Neverland
I own: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

--------------------------------

2006:

Winning: Brokeback Mountain
I own: Pride and Prejudice

--------------------------------

2007:

Winning: Babel
I own: Pan's Labyrinth

--------------------------------

2009:

Winning: Slumdog Millionaire
I own: Wall-E and Slumdog Millionaire

--------------------------------
2010:

Winning: Up
I own: Avatar

Animated films are almost "made" by their music. Up is definitely no exception. One of the things I love to do with all the fabulous spare time that I have is to see who composed what and see the variety for movies these super talented people do. For instance, one of my favorite composers ever, Thomas Newman, cousin of Randy Newman, did the soundtrack for Wall-E and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, both more children oriented movies, as well as American Beauty, Erin Brockovich, and the Shawshank Redemption. This year's winner, Micheal Giacchino, for Up, also composed the scores to Star Trek and the TV show Alias.

That is serious talent!

getting sick sick

2010-03-02T00:50:00.002-06:00

Some of this would be fantastic right about now. Too bad I don't have any and I don't have a car to go get some. Some of these would be great, too:

My favorite cough drops EVER!!! Kind of a weird thing, I know, but a girl's gotta have standards. Maybe some of this would do me good as well:

But really, is there every a day when this wouldn't do good? I don't think so. :)

Hope everyone else is taking the changing of the seasons in better stride than I am!

snoooooww

2010-02-23T16:26:00.003-06:00

So we were sitting in engineering today, all pretty bummed out because that's what that class does to you. I mean, I have a friend that refers to our dorm, the engineering one, as the "Pillar of Sadness." Complete truth in that statement, ladies and gentlemen. Anyway. It started to

snow
.
.
.

!!!

I don't think I've ever wanted to drop whatever I was doing and run outside quite as much as I did at that moment. Big, huge flakes just blanketing the ground. I don't think I have ever seen flakes as big as those ever, and I've witnessed blizzards.

Snow definitely agrees with College Station.

A winter wonderland right before spring shows up!

weekend of fun after a week of tests

2010-02-22T00:18:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I was a Target this weekend and was browsing through the purses and fell in love with this print... Sorry I can't get a picture of the actual bag, it isn't up on the web, much to my dismay.

Is that not such a sophisticated print? The bag comes in this ultra fresh green or in a lovely muted yellow.

The trouble is I can't decide which color I love more! I went ahead and bought the green because I love green so much, but I really don't know which I like better!

Help Miss Meliss out on this one! What do you think?

I also got a lovely coral tee, a shirt with a large graphic flower that I absolutely love, and a really cool graphic lace shirt. All in all, money well spent! I love it when I feel good about purchases instead of hating that I just spent money. :)

1.via 2.via 3.via 4.via 5.via

And also this weekend, the BF and I went to see Shutter Island with some buddies. SO GOOD. I was a little confused about what was going on at some times, but beauty of it all definitely made up for that in full. For a somewhat creepy suspense movie, it's gorgeous. My favorite scenes are when Leo DiCaprio's character's dreams because they were like real dreams; things don't quite make sense but they are so vivid and colorful and symbolic. It is a definite recommendation. And honestly, who doesn't like to watch Leo DiCaprio for 2 and a half hours? That's what I did when I watched Titanic and Romeo+Juliet. Plus, 50's fashion? Need I go on?

p.s. I have also started my roommates custom shoes. Teal with penguins! I'll post pictures when I've gotten further than the base coat. ;)

2010-02-20T20:56:00.004-06:00

Created by Oatmeal

teamwork ftw!

2010-02-19T15:43:00.000-06:00

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

One of the coolest I've seen in a long time. Amazing.

quite a week...

2010-02-17T17:40:00.002-06:00

Judith Slaying Holofernes
An almost perfect representation of how I am feeling right now.

Love for
Artemisia Gentileschi
the Original feminist.

Sorry, this just came up on my Art of the Day and I though it appropriate for the mood I am in. Today has not been a good day for me... More than just today. This whole week. And it's is only Wednesday.

Wish me luck on my Calculus test and Physics test because I will surely and desperately need it.

january

2010-02-09T00:00:00.004-06:00

1. My boyfriend and me at Lake Amistad in Del Rio, TX for New Year.
2. My engineering boy Javi!!! Love him!
3. The Del Rio Crew, plus adorable little Elena and wonderful Jessica.

4. Em, Sam, Tiff, and SJ at the Cathedral of Junk Day!
5. JLew at breakfast before Cathedral of Junk.

6. My ballin' pink ski pants. I know. Not very Meliss. It's my yearly dose of pink.
7. Dan and me, Park City, Utah.
8. Incredible view from the summit.

9. Delicious white chocolate, cinnamon and sugar apple.

10. Schedule for Spring 2010 at TAMU-CS

11. Where's Waldo?! @ Aggie basketball game vs. Tech

The Secret of Kells

2010-02-03T14:38:00.001-06:00

I'm sure everyone of you has read (and possibly researched) the Oscar nominations. Every year, my personal favorite is Best Animated Feature. And this year is of special interest because one film combines two loves of mine: animation and art history.

The Secret of Kells

"Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world, and in here is the dream. "

2010-01-24T16:53:00.001-06:00

Sorry for my long absence. School. It's getting ridiculous again. I'll try harder to stay on top of things!

I think most people know about my strange obsession with orchestral soundtracks. I've got lots. And I picked this one up yesterday from Walmart. Delicious. Lot's of light strings, marimbas, choir. Very ethereal and completely other worldly. Perfect for studying!

P.S. It has been a very long time since I left a theater so pleased with a movie. Avatar is simply genius in just about every way. Groundbreaking.

Favorite song: The Bioluminescence Of The Night

James Horner also did the music for Titanic. It's got the same Celtic piccolo/flute influence that Horner is known for, but with touches of tribal and even some electric synth thrown in. It's simply gorgeous. I really recommend it if you are into film scores.

2010-01-16T21:50:00.000-06:00

I for real miss my long hair. Why doesn't it grow faster?!

I May Be Crazy, But I'm Moving to Oregon Someday

2010-01-15T00:50:00.000-06:00

It's been raining.

I love the rain.

I love the atmosphere; cozy, romantic and safe and dark. I love the sound; asymmetrically rhythmic and calming.

I'm getting a shower like this just to turn it on and sit there, listening.

I guess if I had that, I could live in Arizona if I wanted.

...one of my home priorities is a badass bathroom.

Sorry to ruin a poetic post.

A Comfy Chair

2010-01-13T03:12:00.000-06:00

I've decided I need a big, comfy, fully stuffed, proper arm chair for reading and throwing stuff on (like clothes that have been tried on) and chilling out.

I think I want to go with black because my color scheme is blue, white, and black with touches of silver. Most of my furniture is white, so I think black will contrast nicely. I'll throw on some white pillows or a white blank for balance.

Unfortunately, they are a tad expensive when buying new. This one from IKEA is $350. A bit pricey.

This one, also from IKEA, although it doesn't come in black, is $200. I could just get a slipcover for it.

And although this isn't the style of chair I want for my room, I just had to add this into this post about chairs. I absolutely love wing back chairs! They are just so classy and versatile! With the right fabric, they can be super sophisticated and chic.

I can't wait to get my own house to decorate...

I'm thinking about checking out some thrift stores, but those are a bit sketchy, I think, when it comes to furniture. Estate sales are good places, I've also heard.

Is there anywhere else that's good to get cheap armchairs?

Bundle Up, Babies!

2010-01-08T23:34:00.000-06:00

Who's ready for the chills? Would you just look at this map?! Look at Brownsville! I wonder if anyone down there is prepared, with their usual high being somewhere in the 70's or 80's in the winter.

Ski Trip!

2010-01-06T23:34:00.002-06:00

And I thought I was already chilled to the bone here in Texas!

But I'm really looking forward to freezing my buns off for a little fun! YAY SKI VACATION!

Skiing is so much fun! I'm lucky that my parents took us on trips while we were still young and taught us early. I barely remember learning how to ski. We started off in New Mexico because the mountains are smaller, less chance of us little'uns getting lost or stolen, ya know?

But our vacations aren't just about the skiing. My mom cooks almost all the meals on the trip because food elsewhere is very expensive, so meal time because a family thing. We spend so much time together and sometimes even break out the board or card games. One time, my mom taught us how to play Hearts. Too bad I don't remember anymore. My brother isn't always playing his XBox, my dad isn't always on his Blackberry dealing with work, my mom is constantly trying to clean the house or do laundry, and I'm not always on the computer. We just get so much closer, even as close as getting under each others skins.

Here are some photos from previous years:

These were in Breckenridge, Colorado. One of my favorite trips. Colorado is one of the ultimate places to ski because of the huge open "bowls"at the tops of the mountains. You can criss-cross those things all day. The other thing about Colorado that's nice, I think, is that you can still drive there. Air travel is such a hassle now that sometimes I wish I could avoid it.

The city of Breckenridge is also, like most small ski towns, adorable. Lots of little shops and mom and pop restaurants.

And these are from Park City, Utah. This was the unfortunate trip that I nearly broke my wrist on the first day. I tried to ski the last day but I was just absolutely miserable because it was super cold and super snowy. I'm surprised I was actually smiling. The one thing I did accomplish on that trip: watched all of "The Godfather" movies. Awesome.

Apparently I hadn't discovered makeup yet. Sorry!

Park City is also a very cool place, no pun intended. It's home to one of the major film festivals in the US, like Sundance. And again, being a seasonal place, small and cute stores everywhere. And it's also fun to fly into Salt Lake City and see that area. It's a really beautiful place. We drove by the Mormon temple last time and it is quite a site.

Is It That Time of Year Already?!

2010-01-05T00:21:00.000-06:00

Everyone in my family except for my very lucky mother has the feeling that their head is exploding and their noses are actually waterfalls.

Allergies? In JANUARY?! I mean come on, I know about global warming, but this is getting ridiculous...

Say thanks to the wonderful cedar trees next time you see them for me.

Another Song on Repeat

2009-12-29T15:16:00.001-06:00

"This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof."

They're big over in England. I wonder if I can even find they're CD here...

Recovering...

2009-12-27T22:08:00.003-06:00

Check out me and my hispter headphones! Beck is on.

Christmas is always full of love, happiness, and way too much food and chaos. I think I gained 5 more pounds and got 5 wrinkles...

It's nice to be home, relaxing for a few days.

It's also time to start thinking about those New Year's Resolutions, which I have never really been good at. On my self-improvement list, read more, draw more, listen more, open up more, and shed that freshman 15!

(I was kidding with that 2nd to last one... I'm being facetious)

Keep having wonderful holidays if you have them, and just wonderful days if you don't!