10 Things I Love

I love to write. Writing is a cathartic and natural process for me, which is why I started a blog in the first place. Unfortunately, I have not exactly been blogging, as of late. I really want to get back into the groove of it, and not only to write, but to also post my photographs. I have not taken many photographs with my DSLR in the past few months; another habit that I have grown out of. The good news is that I'm not blogging because there is an overabundance of things that I'm doing in my life, vs. not having anything to talk about. There's just so much to experience in South Texas, some good and some pretty trashy. But maybe that's just Texas.

Anyways, here's ten things that I'm loving in life right now!

1)



Orange is the New Black

BAHAHAHA this show is absolute GOLD. From every facet of my life I heard people discussing season 2 with such fervor that I decided I had to give it a chance. I love it. It's complicated, powerful, funny, and sad. Everything you could want from a TV show.

2)



Polaroid Cameras

I impulse bought an Instax mini polaroid camera the day I got a 98% on my physics test. My parents, who I lived with at the time, told me it was impulsive and silly and that film was expensive, etc. etc. WHATEVER, I DO WHAT I WANT. I love using it, though to be fair I hadn't used it in a while UNTIL I decided I was going to do a summer project with it. I am taking a polaroid every single day of the summer (June 1-August 31, in my mind) and posting it in my journal so I can remember the memories I have of my crazy life here. Beach bonfires, country dancing, free shots, pool days, Game of Thrones parties, bar crawls, and everything else life has to offer.

3)



Peach vodka and iced tea

Jess taught me this fantastic combination! Seriously, try it. It tastes even better when you combine the alcohol with a lemonade/iced-tea mixture. For best results, pour over ice in a tumblr and take to the pool or beach. You'll thank yourself for it.

4)





Little baby totems of some animals that I work with! Danielle's shop is a treasure trove of adorableness.

5)



Game of Thrones Sunday Fundays

I have been LOVING this season of Game of Thrones (though everyone trying to teach Khaleesi "lessons" like "it's okay, you're learning but through pain and death, yeah okay...). Every sunday, me, Elise, and Laura all get together for Sunday Funday and watch Game of Thrones, eat food, and generally wreak havoc. This past Sunday, we all gathered at our friend Kevin's house for macaroni and cheese pie, smashed red potatoes, and cinnamon braised peached with vanilla ice-cream. Also the finale was fucking INSANEEEEE!!! Happy Father's Day, indeed, Tywin Lannister MWAHAHAHAHA

6)



Piano Bars

(I use the word "bar" FAR TOO OFTEN in this paragraph because I didn't proof-read this before I posted it and I thought I had a concussion today so BEAR WITH IT YOU GUYS)

When I first started going to bars, I was truly uncomfortable. For some reason, I constantly felt like I was on display and that people were judging me for not knowing what to order at the bar. One of the only places I felt comfortable was a dueling piano bar we happened upon during my 21st birthday bar crawl. We sat down, a cocktail waitress took our drink orders (no standing awkwardly at a crowded bar), and cheered and sang to songs played by the two men competing against one another onstage. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that bars are literally just another play to hang out, just with a full bar alcohol nearby and sometimes pool and darts. Now I'm as bar pro (if I do say so myself), and shove myself into the fray surrounding the bar, obnoxiously waving my card and demanding shots of tequila (just kidding, that only happened once). I still LOVE dueling piano bars though. Even though this particular instance was not "dueling pianos", but just a piano singalong, it was still super fun, and it had the same set-up as dueling piano bars. You write your request on a napkin complete with a "donation" (aka tip) and the highest donations win a song on the piano. We went to Brewster's Ice House, a cool bar with a giant open patio right on the train tracks. Unfortunately, I forgot my ID so I was outfitted with a minor's wristlet, complete with neon orange smiley-faces. I had to hide it conspicuously beneath the table every time I drank one of the beers someone else had to purchase for me (I have great friends). It was a great time complete with 80s rock ballads, purchasing the piano player a shot so he would play our song, and screaming, "YOU BITCH, YOU SLUT, YOU WHORE" (a piano bar favorite).

7)



A teeny tiny laptop for my birds!

Natal sent me (aka Manny and Maeby) a tiny apple laptop so my birds can browse tumblr with me! Bonding activities! She understands my love of birds pretending to do people things, so this gift is on par with my weird hobbies.

8)



The Last Halloween

I have recently got into reading web comics that have an actual storyline, vs. Toothpaste for Dinner. My stipulations are that a) they have to be interesting to me (obvi), b) they only started a little while ago so I have time to catch up before I get real-time updates, or c) they can be long, but they also must be over so I can just read the whole thing like a book (things that have been going on forever and are still CONTINUING TO BE A THING really intimidate me, for instance DOCTOR WHO, how does anybody even know what's going on anymore??). The moral of this story is that The Last Halloween is fantastic and I LOVE IT. Especially since it has the whole spooky/cute thing going on, which I'm really into. Which is why I adore bats. Check it out and also Abby Howard's other stuff, because she is dupes funny! DO IT.

9)



Beach bonfires

I just want to have beach bonfires ALL THE DAYS. I can't get enough of them. My favorite thus far involved crisp white-wine sangria, playing in the bioluminescence at midnight, and then attempting to get mozzarella sticks at 4 AM. That part didn't work very well...

10)



Memories of cool mountain nights, drinking out of aluminum, blue-speckled cups filled with powdered apple cider complete with a slight metallic tang, crowding around a small, crackling campfire popping with sparks. Basically just having a place to escape the heat in general, as everywhere here is swathed in a 103 degree heat index. I miss the mountains :( Though beach camping is an experience I still look forward to.

I really want to try posting photos again, as well as taking photos. I haven't touched my DSLR in months (part of the reason is my favorite lens broke, waaah), so I need to get started with it again! Photography is one of my passions and I need to remember that!

I'm having a sick day today because I hit my head really hard THREE TIMES in one of our exhibits yesterday during morning husbandry and I feel like I might have a concussion :/ So hopefully I feel better soon!

(all the photos not from my instagram are from weheartit.com)