no air, air

If you are a man reading this, thank you for all of those things you do for your wife, sister, girlfriend, daughter and girl friends that they don't want to do (and let's face it, can't really do well). If your a woman reading this, thank your respective man(s).

What's prompting this sudden display of gratitude for the (generally) hairier sex? Well, while my trip to Omaha this weekend was incredibly fun, stress-relieving and appreciated, it was also stricken with a temporary car crisis.

Before I left Lincoln on Saturday afternoon, I DID notice that the pressure in one of my tires was pretty low (shhh...don't tell my dad), but I figured I would probably be OK driving to Omaha, where I would find a place to fill it up with air. Meanwhile, Sunday morning both front tires were dangerously low and my friend Sara graciously offered to go with me to a gas station where we would try to figure out exactly HOW to put air in a tire.
Yeah, that didn't happen.

Two gas stations and two phone calls to each of our dads later, we were exhausted and had somehow managed to let air OUT of the tires...making them appear almost flat. Thankfully, when I called the friend I was supposed to pick up for shopping, she told me her husband would fill my tires with his personal air compressor. All we had to do was drive the five or so miles to her house, and somehow we got there without having to pull over on the interstate. He made it look so easy as he explained to me the nature of my tires and why I was lucky I got as far as I did with my carelessness while quickly and skillfully filling each tire. He reminded me of all of the great things my dad does for me, has done for me and probably will continue to do for me because he enjoys it.

I know that many women can and do manage their own vehicles, lawn mowing, branch cutting and bug killing very well. But I also know that men desire adventure and using their God-given strength and unique thought process, just like woman nurture and love with a fierce and fearless grace. Gender roles are OK, and I certainly learned that again this weekend.

So, thanks again dads, brothers and husbands of my good friends.
You guys rock.

Beck and Fred

I'm thinking about summer because it's so cold outside. Also, I was listening to Beck's "Summer Girl" yesterday because I thought it would make me feel better about the cold, but instead it just made me a sad and impatient.
Meanwhile, when spring/summer finally DOES come around, I want some new Toms. These in particular:



I know they aren't very summery, but you can't really wear Toms in the winter. Unless you were them with really thick socks like my used-to-be-roommate Emily used to do. Plus, I wouldn't want to ruin them with slush and salt and all of the grossness that invests the streets of Lincoln in the months of December, January and February (sometimes March).

OK, I'll stop being negative. After all, my blog is named after an optimist's outlook.
I like Tuesdays, because I get to go to my Great Hollywood Musicals class. Last week we watched "Flying Down to Rio," which happens to be the debut of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as dancing partners. They aren't the stars of the film, so I'm a little confused as to why our professor didn't choose "Swingtime" or "Top Hat" or any other musical where Fred and Ginger dance for the majority of the movie. *sigh* Oh, I love them...here, in "The Gay Divorcee"



What a dress.

Today, we're watching Busby Berkely's "Golddiggers of 1935." Should be nice and cheesy. Can't wait.

Abode

I would really like to take a nap right now, but for some reason, I can't sleep.
I cleaned my room last night...all night. And for those of you who know me well, you understand that an undertaking that was. It felt good, I guess. But one thing I hate about a clean room is that everything you do AFTER you clean your room makes it a little messy. And it sticks out like a sore thumb because the rest of the room is clean! This could be my excuse to keep my room messy, but I think I might be a big girl and try to stay neat and organized. Affirm me for my lofty yet noble ambitions.



I love sunflowers. I have some on my desk in a vase, and some in a vintage book bag on my new shelf (courtesy of Tia Peterson upon her moving out of Courtyards). I really like this new bookcase and what I decided to do with it (i.e. store books). But I also have my scarves and clutches "neatly" stacked on the second shelf.


I finally put my clothespin memories back up that I had hanging last year. If you give me a card or draw me a picture that I like, you can bet it will end up on the clothesline. I got the idea from InStyle, I think. Or Better Homes and Gardens? Maybe it was Real Simple. I like those magazines.

Lastly, my favorite part of my room is the front door (I guess I like to think of my tiny residence hall room of an actual house) where I have put up my signed David Bazan poster and Andy Warhol print to give the impression that I'm actually cool. I've also put up a bulletin board (against the rules) for my necklaces and keep my jewelry on the shelf under it.

So, now that you've all seen how cute this all is, you must encourage me to actually keep it up. It's your friendly duty. I think I'm ready for that nap now.

P.S. Sorry for the low-quality pics, but one of my friends who moved to New York also moved my digital camera with her.
Bummsville.

Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo

Something I've noticed about most of my friends, and younger women in general, is their inability to make decisions. Maybe it's not such an inability as it is a serious avoidance. Nobody wants to make anyone unhappy with their decisions and nobody wants to seem too picky or high-maintenance. I suppose I appreciate this characteristic of my friends, but when no one in a group can make a decision about where to eat or what movie to watch, it usually just leads to frustration and a bunch of annoyed girls. But, I think I found a solution.



This summer, I purchased a "Make a Decision" notepad at a gift shop in Omaha. I pledged to use it for petty and important decisions that would plague my senior year. So far, I've used it about four times...not exactly all of the decisions I've made this year BUT I think that it's been pretty handy. Recently, I made a decision of whether or not to accept an internship offer for this semester at the University of Nebraska Foundation (I did) AND I helped my roommate Amanda figure out which flowers to have in her wedding (poppies...for now anyway). My friend Sarah Santos aided me with another decision about a potential love interest and the pad was extremely helpful..kinda.
Overall, I wish my girlfriends and I were better at making decisions confidently and without fear, but the truth is, sometimes we need a little help. It would be great if we could challenge each other to grow in this particular skill, but since the invention of clever notepads, I guess we get a break for a while.
At least until we have to make a REALLY important decision.
That's what picking a tiger by the toe is for.

i don't really like...

New Year's Resolutions. I think they're kind of silly, and no one ever keeps them anyway. Or at least I don't, so that's why I have some goals for the year/life such as, becoming more organized, actually visiting the rec once in a while and hanging out with people more often. So far my goals haven't progressed significantly, but the year's off to a good start nonetheless.

As far as graduate school goes, I've officially applied to Boston College and the University of Maryland in College Park. My applications are completed and submitted...officially. My application for the UNL program is still in progress, but that's not keeping my mind from going 100 mph about the possibilities for next year. I also don't really like knowing there's the possibility of making a bad decision.
But I do like taking risks...so I suppose that balances out. Or at least that's what I'll tell myself until April 15.

I don't really like how two of my best friends are hundreds/thousands of miles away. It's weird waking up every morning and not pouring coffee for Emily and complain about the latest JSchool waste of time. It's weird not creeping into Tia's room to wish her a good morning and laugh at something stupid. I don't really like them being gone. But I do like my new roommates, and sticking with my old one, Amanda. She's pretty cool, I guess.

I don't really like water. But I'm trying to drink more of it, because my brother told me to. Also, I'm super blessed to be able to drink water, so I should probably do it.

I don't really like long blog posts about nothing much, but I do like you for reading this.