Sunday Confessions

Yay, I'm back! And with my return some confessions:

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1. I had a dream about Essie's Fall 2012 collection, which is a little sad. But look at this amazingness...now I just have to wait for my local CVS to get the collection and I'll be set.

2. I have nothing to wear as the temperatures cool off. I thought I'd be going home sometime in September so I could pick up all my sweaters then, but it turns out I can't. Guess I'll be the only one on campus still wearing a mini skirt at the beginning of October. Gonna be outfits like this for the next couple weeks, just with jeans.

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3. My roommates are now all obsessed with Downton Abbey! And we pretty much want to live there--if anything, for the clothes and for people to cook all our meals for us. Apparently Season 3 premieres in the UK tonight, but the US doesn't get it until January.

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4. J.K. Rowling's new book is coming out soon, and I don't know how I feel about it. On the one hand, even though it's not Harry Potter, I think she's a great writer and I want to read something else from her. On the other hand--what if it's bad?

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5. I cleaned up the beach next to my apartment on Saturday for Ecology class extra credit. My favorite items found? A planter, full cans of beer and an iPod Nano (that still works!) Guys, the rocks are not your personal garbage, just so you know (but thanks for the iPod)...

Any of you have any Sunday confessions? Cheers to a new week!

Sunday Confessions: Back to College Edition

Forgive me if this post turns into Tumblr, but the pictures and the gif aptly explain the conflicting emotions I have with the fall semester starting. And they're fun...fun's always a plus.

1. Really? I originally wrote something very passive aggressive here, but no one needs that negativity! I'll just keep it short and vague: when I saw the class rosters for my classes, this was my reaction:

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Love this SNL skit! I miss the two of them being on the show.

2. I spent the past week being a Welcome Week Leader: helping freshman getting to know each other and tell them how great my college is.  However, this week I definitely wasn't in the mood to be all bubbly and happy-happy-cheery-cheery-college-is-AWESOME! But I sucked it up and did my job. Hopefully I helped a few freshman out.

I just wanted one freshman to ask me this. Just one.

3. I feel guilty that I have a lake view out of my dorm/apartment/I-don't-really-know-what-to-call- it window. Really, I don't deserve it. I'm not worthy.

Lake Michigan beats the ocean anytime.

4. I'm totally going to become a slacker this year. I can see it already. Now that organic chemistry and my hard biology classes are over, I'm just going to slide by. But I can't let that happen! I'm not in medical school yet! And I still have that pesky MCAT to take next April.

WEBSITE COUNTDOWN

Countdown to the MCAT...maybe it'll give me some motivation.

5. I didn't buy any textbooks this semester! Hurray! I know karma's going to come around and I'll have to buy twenty next semester, but for now, my debit card is very happy.

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I Googled "happy debit card", and this is what came up.

What are some of your "Sunday Confessions"?

End-Of-Summer Activities

I go back to college on Sunday, and my sister leaves for her college on Friday. Therefore, this weekend was all about celebrating the end of summer!

Every summer we try to go to a play at a place called American Players Theater. It's an outside, in-the-round stage located about an hour outside of Madison, WI in the middle of the country. The views are fantastic!

We saw a play called The Admirable Crichton, which was about a wealthily, early 20th century family who travel overseas with their servants and get shipwrecked on a desert island. It was really funny, but probably the best part of the performance was, as it got dark outside, watching the bats fly around over our heads!

We spent Saturday at the Irish Fest in Milwaukee. Every summer there are all kinds of cultural tests that take place on the Summer Fest grounds: Polish Fest, German Fest, etc. Even though we don't have a single bit of Irish in us, we went anyway!

Irish stew & potatoes

Carrot cake cupcake and Irish coffee

The Punch Brothers: a bluegrass band who made a single for the Hunger Games soundtrack

What are you all doing to celebrate the end of summer?

"Gone Girl"=Best Book of the Summer?

I think yes. 

Via Goodreads

Book Description from Amazon:    "On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 
   As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?'

Judging by the brief synopsis, I figured I'd get bored quickly by this book. Wife goes missing, husband gets accused? Sounds like an episode of Nancy Grace to me.

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But no. There is so much more to Gone Girl than that. The editors clearly don't want to spoil the book and have made the synopsis vague on purpose. The twists and turns are what make Gone Girl the best book of the summer. They're part of the adventure of reading it, so they can't be spoiled.

 The whole point of the novel is that nothing is what it seems to be. You don't know who's lying, who's telling the truth. You're presented with a clear idea of who the two main characters are--Amy and her husband Nick--but those ideas continue morphing as progress further into the novel.

And...that's about as much as I can tell you without spoiling it for you. My advice? Pick up Gone Girl now before someone else spoils it for you! If you were aware of the twists beforehand, I don't think the book would be interesting at all.

I still haven't finished it, but I probably will by the time the night is over. The book might just have kept me up till 2 last night...I couldn't put it down! Thanks for anyone who suggested this book for me, whether you did on your blog or you did via a comment on one of my previous posts. I love it!

So, since you all have good taste, what do you think--what's the last book I should read before the fall semester begins? Any suggestions?

Oh, How Pinteresting: Dorm Room Edition

For the third straight year, I get to live in a dorm room during the school year. The good thing about becoming an upperclassman is that the dorm rooms suddenly get a lot bigger. Does that mean I'm going to get more organized and decorate my little corner of the dorm room more? Probably not. But I can dream, right?

Source: google.com via Becky on Pinterest

This is my college bedding (yeah, things just got weird, my dear followers...you now know where I sleep.) So if I had a million dollars and more time on my hands, here is how I'd decorate my dorm...

Source: huset-shop.com via Becky on Pinterest

I'd spray paint a cheap doormat hot pink, just like in this picture.

Source: apreppyeducation.blogspot.com via Becky on Pinterest

I'd paint my old animal toys pink, black and white, then put them on top of jars like they do here. They'd hold all the odds and ends on my desk.

Source: gifts.barnesandnoble.com via Becky on Pinterest

I'd have this awesome Daschund bookend set...

Source: mydeco.com via Becky on Pinterest

...and this lamp.

Source: dormroomartsandcrafts.tumblr.com via Becky on Pinterest

I'd make something super organized like this, only wrap it in Lilly Pulitzer fabric.

Source: thecollegeprepster.com via Becky on Pinterest

All my chargers would stay on my desk via this little DIY contraption.

Source: mintlovesocialclub.com via Becky on Pinterest

This would be hanging on my wall...

Source: leslielovesmakeup.blogspot.com via Becky on Pinterest

And this as well.

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But above all, I can't forget the rubber chicken. It's a long story. But I can't live in a dorm room without it. It's kind of a tradition by now.

There you have it, my perfect, organized dorm room! 
--Becky

Sunday Confessions

Once again, I'm linking up with Alyx for Sunday Confessions!



1. I haven't posted much this week because I've been boggled down with schoolwork, research and making these little guys:

I'll be writing more about them in a future post!

2. My favorite part of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics was the Mr. Bean sketch. I don't know if that means I'm immature, or I just have a weird sense of humor.

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3. My sister says that I'm going to be like this lady for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Yes, I really want to see the Opening Ceremony in person, but hopefully I'm not that crazy?

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4. I bought my first MCAT book, and it's got me terrified. I'm planning to take my test on April 27th, 2013, so I've got nine months to study for it.

5. Is it bad that I'm done with summer? I can't wait to spend a fall Sunday at Starbucks, reading an epic book instead of a beach read and sipping on a pumpkin spice latte.

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How are you all liking the Olympics so far? What did you think of the opening ceremony?

Sunday Confessions:Featuring the Skinny Jean Dance

I've wanted to link up with Alyx's Sunday Confessions for weeks now and today I finally remembered to. Beware, folks, things are about to get personal...




1. I do the "skinny jean dance" to fit into my skinny jeans after they come out of the wash. Ok, please tell me I'm not the only one and that we've all been there: you've just taken your jeans out of the dryer and they seem to have shrunk a whole size.

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Pulling them on becomes a huge ordeal. I put my right leg in first, then my left, and everything seems to be going fine...until I get to my hips. I start praying that the jeans will fit, and then hop, wiggle and twist trying to pull them on. And when they do, I'm thanking God and promising him I'll go to church more often, since, you know, he helped me fit into my skin-tight jeans. So that, my friends, is the skinny jean dance. And I never end up going to church more often. Hell for me will end up being endless pairs of tight, starched skinny jeans.

2. I screamed as soon as I saw that TomKat broke up. Not my proudest moment. I think I'm one of the only people in the world who didn't see that one coming.

3. An oldie, but goodie: during my freshman year of college I told everyone on my floor that I would never get a MacBook Pro and that I thought Steve Jobs was ripping everyone off--PCs were obviously the way to go. Fast forward six months and guess who ended up getting a MacBook?

4. I saw it rain yesterday for the first time in a month and a half, and I seriously felt like crying. This heat is getting to me.

5. On the 4th of July I started complaining (in my head) that the fireworks were too loud and that I couldn't study. It's kind of pathetic. I mean, how can you be mad at people for setting off fireworks on the 4th of July?

So those are my confessions! Now you all know how truly crazy I can be at times. Hope you all had good weekends and are gearing up for another week ahead!

--Becky

Puttin' Nutella on the Ritz

One night this week, after all the nearby stores had closed, I was hungry. Hungry for something sweet. After looking into my dorm's pantry, I came to the sad conclusion that there was hardly anything edible in there to eat. I had to experiment a bit.

I love the combination of sweet and salty (pretzel M&Ms, anyone?) so I spread some almost-expired Nutella on Ritz crackers. I topped them with either almonds, dried banana slices, walnuts or cashews from a trail-mix box.

I recommend the almonds. The dried banana slices didn't really taste like anything at all (but that could be because I bought them last November...) and the walnut takes away from the Nutella. With the almond you have the tastes of salty, sweet and buttery all wrapped into one little cracker!

And the whole snack would've looked much better if the Nutella hadn't been half-melted and watery. News flash: almost-expired Nutella isn't the greatest.

 

P.S. This post's title was inspired by this awesome 20s song "Puttin' not the Ritz". I don't know why, but I feel the need to share this with all of you. I'm a sucker for anything from the 20s era.