Today's a dumb day... I scratched my eyeball taking out a contact and thus I feel excused.

It's a rainy/snowy day today. One of those days when it's snowing but it's too warm outside to stick, thus the ground looks rained on, but the sky offers snow. I don't like snow too much. Correction: I don't like snow after New Years. All of snow's value is lost when no longer associated with the holidays. Or at leas, that's my opinion.

I love rain though. I LOVE thunderstorms. But mostly I just love puddles and the fact that sometimes the earth wants to get wet. (Totally random thought, but it reminds me of an elephant throwing water with its trunk to stay cool. That what I imagine mother nature is doing when it rains.) I don't understand why so many people have this cat-like fear of getting wet. Embrace it. It's a change of pace. (Unless you live in England I suppose.)

My absolute favorite is walking outside after the rain has chilled out a bit, and while walking you look down and watch the puddles and the reflections of the sky and tree silhouettes on the ground. Tree silhouettes always make me happy, but seeing them when I'm looking down at what usually is an ugly sidewalk... that just gives me another reason to get over myself and try and enjoy the day. And it doesn't just have to be a tree silhouette. People, buildings, whatever. I just love small puddle reflections.

So I think I will. I've got to go to three more classes today, :p, but between each one I'll try and forget about the disgusting cold air, and focus on something worthy of holding my attention.

Città Bella

In April I have plans. 

Siena! As in, Italy. :)

That's right. Beautiful Siena awaits me for 

a seven week study abroad. The first three weeks I will take an advanced Italian Language class, and travel around to villages, cities, and anywhere else I pretty much feel like going.]

Siena is only an hour away from both Florence and Pisa. And two hours north of Rome. So I'll probably be hitting up Florence a lot at first. 

But my school classes only last the first three weeks. The second half I get to choose whatever the hay I want to do for an internship and I've pretty much decided on culinary. 

That's right, I will be working as an intern in an Italian kitchen where I hope to be learning the many magical secrets to an amazing Italian dish. 

My Italian teacher from last year is from Genova and she made what was pretty much just a ragu on noodles with lots of cheese, and I am SO not kidding when I declare it to be the most delectable thing I have ever to have passed over my tongue. It was... it was beautiful. I nearly weep at the memory. 

So I hope that to be part of my future. I want to be the lady whom everyone wants to invite to their dinner parties in the hopes that I might grace everyone with one of my renowned Italian dishes. It's a beautiful future!

... Just realized that this means I'm probably going to be really fat if this is my future.

Too Much Time in Front of the TV?

Who doesn't love those classic movies? 

I've been CRAVING A Philadelphia Story; you know, the one with Katherine Hepburn, Carry Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. Yeah. It's a good one. That's for sure.

And thanks to netflix, I recently saw Shop Around the Corner, also with Jimmy Stewart. You've Got Mail was based off of this one. It is also VERY good. The lines are witty as they do a fabulous job of insulting each other. And it's just cute. So if you haven't seen that one, go ahead and watch it. It's worth it. 

On a different note. I've also watched recently Easy Virtue with Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, and Collin Firth. I really like that one too. It was maddening in sort of a Family Stone way, but I loved it. Plus Ben Barnes is stinkin' HOT. And he has these huge, brown, puppy-dog eyes throughout the movie that make you wish the camera never left his face. And it is very enjoyable aesthetically. But I'm a sucker for the vintage clothing and styles. But really, it's a great one. Chaotic, but charming non the less. 

Other movies I love and have revisited lately:

Family Stone (Rachel McAdams is one of my favorites right now. And this was the first movie I actually really appreciated Sarah Jessica Parker in. 

Sunshine Cleaning (Emily Blunt is the other favorite right now. Talk about versatile.)

I've also been on sort of a Friends kick lately. So I've been re-watching a lot of those.

Willy Wonka Jr.

I work at a chocolate shop. I don't really like chocolate, so I don't have to worry about gaining fifteen pounds or anything, but it does sort of put yet another ironic twist on my life. 

I've never had much artistic skill. I REALLY wish I could draw well. I have a load of images bumper-carring around in my brain that I desperately wish I could transfer to paper and actually view. But alas...

But when it comes to chocolate... It's just fun. And it looks pretty when I'm done.

See it's an art.

(not actually my photo, but our stuff looks just like this)

And it's fun. I also dip and drizzle strawberries, pretzels, oreos and cinnamon bears. It's a great job. 

The number one question is, "How do you stay so skinny working in a place like this?" To which I just laugh and don't really reply. It's probably not the best of advertising to say I don't like chocolate while working in a chocolate shop. So yeah. That's my job. Jealous? Because it IS pretty cool, and I totally won't judge you if you are a little.

PS. I can drink as much Dr. Pepper as I want while working. It's a definite perk.

The Rainbow Connection

So school seems to be much more difficult for me this semester. And I was actually really struggling recently as I tried and failed to stay on top of my homework. And then, ta da, miracle of miracles, I rediscovered my secret to good study patterns: colored pens. 

It sounds like a joke, and I'm sure you had to reread that line several times to make sure you understood it, but yes, I find myself much more driven to complete homework and to study when I write and organize everything with different colors of ink.

Yesterday, while studying my Italian vocab I used the colors brown, red and yellow. It was great fun. So while I was learning how to say iron in Italian, I also managed to make the page look pretty with beautiful fall colors, which suited my mood very well.

These are the pens I use, and I love them. Their Staedtler triplus fineliner. :) Incase you were interested.

I highly recommend this method to anyone who struggles in their studies. It gives your brain a good excuse to exercise its right hemisphere, as well as the left. 

So there you go. Happy studying to you. Let me know if it works for you or not.