Food Friday #005 – Johnny Rockets Burgers

#obsessed: Monsters (Acoustic) – Timeflies ft. Katie Sky

Timeflies is one of my favorite music groups, so I am surprised that I have not done a post about them yet. They are an East Coast duo that mostly does covers of popular songs with freestyle raps, describing themselves in a genre they call "Electro Hip Pop Dub-Something". Rez is the remixer, and he plays too many instruments to count; Cal is the rapper, and his freestyling skills are mindblowing. They started on Youtube, and I was introduced to their channel by a friend last year. Since then, they've grown so much, releasing another full album of original songs and touring all around the United States.

Even without all of the amazing digital beats that Rez puts in, their raw talent is extraordinary. It's incredible to think that they are basically completely self-made, reaching #1 on the iTunes chart before even having a label. Here is the acoustic version of "Monsters ft. Katie Sky," of one of my favorite original songs they've made. Enjoy!

Other favorite songs/covers include:

• Royals
• Save Tonight
• All The Way
• Just Can't Get Enough
• I Need Your Love

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Happy Birthday Cawran "MOUM" Kolander!

Happy birthday, buddy! You're an adult now. Yay! Don't freak out! You're pretty cool and rad and super nice. Though I haven't known you as long as some others, you're one of the people that know me best and of the few people I trust completely. I'm so glad I got to know you and I'll be extremely sad when you leave for your next adventure in college, but we'll still stay in touch through the internet, right? Careful with the ramen though, and remember that you don't always have to be an apologetic hummingbird, even though I know you can't help it sometimes. PMT and scarves must be good stuff, because I don't know what you're made of, to stay calm while letting two semi-insane teenage girls invite themselves into your house, and demand salad with ranch, then also eat all of your ice cream. In all seriousness, thanks for being there when I needed it most; I honestly don't think I would still be here if it weren't for your help. You've done so much for me and I really can't thank you enough, I just hope that I'm at least an ok friend in return.


Thanks for being my friend :) Have fun and good luck in life!

[Hype.]

Start of School

School started today, so I'll be blogging a lot less, maybe only once per week or two weeks. I'll probably also go back to some older posts and edit them to look nice, because doing so always puts me into a good mood. These past few weeks I've actually been blogging more than once per day, so I've been staggering the posts to keep them separate. I still want to make it a goal to update regularly, because this blog has grown to be a project that I'm quite fond of. I've just gotten it to look exactly the way I want and I have lots of plans for it in the future. I'm also thinking of changing the name and URL again, but that can wait until at least the end of the year. First semester senior year is probably going to be the most stressful experience thus far in my life, so I'm a little worried about what's yet to come, but mostly ready to tackle it head on. Wish me luck, and thank you so much for reading! ◊

Little Things

I woke up this morning on the right side of the bed, feeling the most well rested I had for weeks. It honestly felt like nothing could go wrong for the rest of the day. I should be feeling super stressed because so much has been going on, especially with school starting soon as well, but I guess being busy has been good for me. I've been doing a lot of cleaning up in my room, answering emails, and running errands; being productive spurs on more productivity. Here are a few of the things I've done that put me into a good mood, to share with you, as well as for my own future reference.

»Improve Your Sleep
I find that every time I change my sheets, I fall asleep much faster and get a better night's sleep. I'm not sure why, but it just feels more clean and comfortable. Finding a good configuration for the pillows is also a very effective way to sleep better. I've spent countless nights lying awake late at night trying to get the pillows just right, but I finally seem to have found a good way to stack them.

»Treat Yourself

The thing about shopping is that you never end up just getting what you had on your list. Instead of feeing guilty about little splurges, set aside a certain amount of money that you're willing to spend on random things each time you go out. Makeup shopping always cheers me up somehow. I validate it by saying that if you don't have to worry about what you look like on the outside, you can focus more on who you are on the inside. I also find that office supply shopping is also quite therapeutic, but maybe it's just the illusion of productivity.

»Eat Well
At Costco, on a whim, I bought a bag of bagels. They were plain, fresh sesame bagels, but I had forgotten how good bagels could be. My favorite way of eating them is with creme cheese, or with vinegar and olive oil. It's filling and healthy and convenient. If you couldn't tell from the a lot of recent posts, I'm also quite obsessed with smoothies. I actually had frozen a whole bunch of strawberries that were too sour, a few bananas that were almost black, and some other fruits in little Ziploc bags, which is extremely convenient any time I want a quick, cold, refreshing drink. I simply toss in a few pieces of frozen fruit, add some juice, and blend. It satisfies my food cravings but is also super healthy.

»Shake It Up
If you ever find yourself aimlessly browsing the web, closing a tab and then opening a new one only to find yourself on the same website, just get up and do ten jumping jacks. Even that little bit of exercise will make you feel a lot better. Other things you can try are some fun, new, alternatives to sit ups, or go to Youtube and search for some quick Zumba workouts. It's the easiest thing ever, and you'll feel a lot more energized afterwards.

»Take Some Time
Whenever I'm feeling really stressed, I like to just lie flat on my back, listen to one or two songs, and do nothing but take deep breaths. I might also work on a small side project, such as customizing the appearance of my blog, which is always gives me such a great sense of fulfillment when I get it just right. By taking about ten minutes for a little reset, I finish more work later on and end the day feeling satisfied with being productive.

Of course, you can't always be on top of the world. I find that after every high point, there is the inevitable crash. Instead of dreading it, accept the fact that it's going to happen and just enjoy the happiness while it lasts. The low points don't last forever either, and there are always little things you can do to insert some happiness into your day. ◊

Not "All About That Bass"

Recently, a music video I had heard about popped up on my Facebook feed. I had known about this song for a week or so, and was happy to hear that it was about body positivity. I hadn't listened to it yet because I didn't catch the name of the song, but it popped up over a social media site again so I decided to take a listen. It's called "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor.

Mini Make-up Haul

It may be small, but it's still a haul!

Senior portraits are coming up, and while shopping for school supplies, I decided to drop by for a few random bits of makeup as well. My mascara has been getting old, and I didn't have any actual lipstick, so I thought I'd pick some up.

»Maybelline Volum' Express Turbo Boost Waterproof Mascara in Very Black

» Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in Ruby Star

» Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wine With Everything

Happy Birthday Wei-Wei!

You're one of the most kind-hearted people I've ever met, and you deserve a life full of sunshine and roses for being as great of a person as you are. Thanks for not judging little crazy me, whether I'm sugar donut high and generally doing weird crap, or discussing the injustice of women's clothing sizes in spazzy, incoherent midnight chats. You've made it thus far through all this messed up crap, and thank you for being there for me when I needed it most, you lovely, wonderful panda. I wish I had more to say, but today's been kind of hectic, and I'm a little tired, but I just want to let you know that you always put a smile on my face and I'm so lucky to call you my friend. I'm afraid I don't have any pictures with you, because as Snapchat buddies, those pics tend not to stay around for long, but that's just one more reminder to live life in the moment (I guess?). Here's a bunny for you instead :3 Happy birthday gurl, I look forward to another amazing year with you! Love you so much! ◊

The Definition of Chaos

Despite cats being known for being clean, self grooming animals, it had been agreed upon by the members of the family that Larry stinks.

After much debate and delay, we reached a consensus that he must be bathed thoroughly.

So today whilst in Walmart for school supplies, we decided to drop by the pet care section for some cat shampoo.

But first of all, look at this shampoo. The cat on the front is completely dry, and looks calm and generally non-harassed. I bet he hasn't even had a bath. Completely misleading marketing. Lies, all of it.

Food Friday #004 – #obsessed with Smoothies!

Today I made a smoothie and was very happy about it, so here it is on the blog. I really am quite addicted to smoothies, but at least it's a healthy addiction :)

The "Pleasantly Pink" Smoothie
2 cups guava juice
1/2 frozen banana
1/8 frozen peach
5 frozen strawberries
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Thoughts on Tumblr

About a month ago, I made a Tumblr despite all warnings and urban myths about the decay of one's social life and sleep cycle. If you don't already know, Tumblr is a "microblogging website" also commonly described as a "black hole of insanity". It wasn't immediately exciting, and I wrote a post where I quickly went over a few of its aspects but overall "was quite surprised at how boring it was."

Over time, Tumblr became substantially more interesting, and a valuable form of distraction during hot summer nights when sleeping was impossible. I gradually evolved into a Tumblr person, but my addiction was not too extreme due to the fact that I'm not in a lot of fandoms.

So for those of you who do not have Tumblr and are curious, let me introduce you. Opening my dashboard (kind of like the news feed on Facebook), I find the first post to be...

Food Friday #003

It's Friday again, but now it's August, which worries me because of the imminent threat of going back to school and college apps. Luckily, there is always yummy food to help relieve the stress.