Saturday In the Park

I have had some fabulous weekends the past several weeks, but I cannot even pretend that I wasn't super excited about having a totally free Saturday today. I didn't have anywhere to be; I wasn't going to do any school work (I've made a pact with myself... no weekend homework!), and I had a whole day of freedom ahead of me.

What to do... where to start?!

Well, those of you who know me well can probably guess where I started off my day.

After sleeping a little late this morning, I strolled right up the street to one of my favorite Starkville eateries, City Bagel Cafe. I had my favorite breakfast (spinach and cheddar bagel with eggs and cheddar cheese and a hot chocolate, for those of you who were interested), and read for hours. (Read for pleasure, might I add.) I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I read all the way through breakfast, early lunch, regular lunch and into the late lunch. What can I say, I was really into my book (s). (Yes, I finished one and started another... I'm a megadweeb, I know.)

Anyway, so seeing as I read right through lunch, I got a turkey sandwich to go, and headed off to my next destination. I have been itching to see (500) Days of Summer since I first saw the preview earlier in the summer, and I just knew it would never come to sleepy Starkville. Surprisingly, though, I was proven wrong, and it came last weekend. So, I made my way to the theater (turkey sandwich in towe, of course--sneaking City Bagel into the movies is one of my favorite things to do) and settled in for my movie. It was so, so good!! It was funny, sweet, sad, hopeful... so much all rolled into one. If you've seen it, I hope you'll agree; if not, I highly recommend it. Check out my movie blog for my full review of it; it's one of my better reviews I've written, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, after that, I headed out to take some pictures. I hadn't been able to take any pictures in a long time, and seeing Rachel's blog really made me want to go out and take some. So, I headed to Mississippi State's rose garden, a place where I have always wanted to go but for some reason have never visited. It was gorgeous, and I think I got some pretty neat pictures. It felt good to be out playing around again, anyway. (I put some more from this series on Facebook, if you want to see more.)

Finally, I'm sitting on my couch watching Mississippi State take on the Auburn Tigers, hoping we can pull out a victory. The first half was kind of a rollercoaster, and the second half has started of rather slowly; I'm still rooting for my Bulldogs and my favorite new head coach, Dan Mullen, though!

I hope everyone's had a great Saturday and you've been as laid back as I have. I've been beyond worthless, and it's been beyond fabulous.

Just Buy It

Okay, confession time.

I have been on a bit of spending spree for the last, say, 48 hours.

I think it all started earlier in the week when my teacher told me I had to buy this:

I know it may look like just a book, nonthreatening and uninteresting at that. However, this tome way worse than it looks. First of all, it's over 1000 pages long, and it weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 lbs.

Seriously.

And I can't even bear to type what it cost, for my gag reflex kicks in just thinking about it. (As if I didn't already spend hundreds of dollars on books this semester...)

Oh, grad school, how I loathe you.

Anyway, so after adding this future doorstop to my cart, you know I wasn't going to leave the Barnes & Noble website without getting myself a little something. So, I bought a few more of these (because I have so much spare time for pleasure-reading, you know):

And just like that, it's like I just couldn't stop.

The next thing I fixated on was new boots, for fall is swiftly approaching, and I refuse to be caught unaware. So, after spending a whole day at work scouring the internet, I settled on these:

They are presently en route to my humble abode, and I'm ready and waiting for them.

Then, Zappos being the magnetic force that it is, I became entranced with these little beauties:

I wouldn't rest until they were on their way to my house, too!

Let me take this moment to give some major kudos to Zappos, for I ordered these last night about 6:30, and they arrived on my doorstep today at 12:00 o'clock on the nose. AND, they upgraded my shipping and my priority at no extra charge. Dear Zappos,
I loved you from the start, but in me you now have a neverendingly faithful customer. Forever.

All my love,

Spring.

Anyway, after my purchase from Zappos, I swore I was done. I was laying on my couch, leisurely flipping through InStyle (which, I have realized, is often my downfall), and I spotted Julia Roberts looking tres chic in these fabulous Ray Bans. Pulling up the website on my trusty laptop, I discovered they really weren't very expensive, and before I knew it I was getting a confirmation number and the order was complete.

These little beauties are on their way to my door as we speak:Let me clearly state that I by no means have the money to have bought any or all of these things. I am a poor, struggling student and live on a meager student's income. I eat Hamburger Helper and occasionally I even have to resort to Chef Boyardee. I live in an apartment barely big enough to turn around in, yet I just blew my entire pay check on these online purchases I "just couldn't pass up." I did get really good deals on everything, so that's definitely a plus, but I was like an unstoppable force. I had to have all of them. It was like if I didn't have them I would die; my life would be incomplete. How awful is that?!

And here's the clencher, I have not one ounce of buyer's remorse for anything I've bought (except for the stupid textbook that started this whole frenzy, of course). I love them all, and I can't wait for the rest to arrive!

I'll probably be eating Ramen noodles and SpaghettiOh's for God knows how long, but at least my feet will look good, and I'll be able to keep the sun out of my eyes.

Power In Me

Y'all know how goofy I get about the stuff I'm studying sometimes, but I saw something in class today that I just had to show y'all. This video might be the single most powerful instrument I've ever seen to demonstrate the powerful influence adults have on children.
It seems to me that, in many cases, kids today have the deck stacked against them from the start, and when their parents are not providing the appropriate guidance and positive examples they need, they are practically guaranteed to end up in a bad place.
Anyway, just check the video out if you're so inclined. I'm looking at a future in education, and even I forget sometimes how easily children are influenced. The images in this video gave me chills, and its impact will undoubtedly stay with me for a long time.
It's pretty powerful... but you don't have to take my word for it.

Weekend Warrior

What a crazy weekend.

And by crazy I totally mean so-much-fun-I'm-not-sure-where-to-start.

It all started Friday afternoon in the Junction (or, as we like to call it: The Crunktion), hanging out with some of my favorite newlyweds while we waited to set up the tailgate tent. We told ridiculous stories, laughed a lot (shocking, I know), and took it all in. Mississippi State was a totally awesome place to be on a gorgeous Friday afternoon in September.

After that, Becca came and picked me up, and we headed to Bin 612 (one of our favorite Starkville eateries) for a fabulous dinner with her dear ole dad. Mr. Steve kept us in stitches, and we bumped into several friends. It was shaping up to be a fabulous weekend, indeed.

After we had eaten all we could eat, and we couldn't eat anymore, we picked up Paige and headed downtown (after Becca almost killed us driving the .27 miles to the bar). Barrister's was a great time, and I had a few laughs talking to some friends I had been missing forever. We decided to call it a relatively early night (to be in top form for Saturday, of course), but not before stopping in at Old Venice for a minute and being immediately transported back to my true college days. That place was my home away from home for a pretty good chunk of time, and being there always takes me back.

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful as we prepped for a day of fun, friends, and football. I bumped into so many people and laughed until I could hardly stand up straight, and even a sudden mid-afternoon downpour wasn't enough to dampen the spirits on campus this weekend. Saturday night was spent downtown once again, swapping stories and laughing until I was hoarse.

I feel like I should probably take this opportunity to offer up a word or two of apology to anyone and everyone that I came into contact with over the weekend, for I'm pretty sure I was like a person with a weekend pass from the looney bin, and I think I was a bit of a handfull. I was laughing like a crazy person, snapping pictures with every person I've ever met, and goodness knows what else. The excitement definitely got to me, and for that reason I think I got a bit carried away...

Sorry...

That brings me to Sunday, during which, with the exception of a brief foray to Umi to fill up on sushi, Becca and I layed around my apartment until 5:30 in the afternoon. Never have I ever been a part of such utter worthlessness, but it was secretly wonderful.

Today was spent in Columbus with the mom, who I had fun catching up with and solving the world's problems. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay as long as I would have liked, for critiques, and textbooks, and group projects were beckoning me back far before I was ready.

I'll leave you with just a few of my favorite pics of the weekend (I'm telling you, I took mountains of pictures... I couldn't post all of them), and I hope everyone has enjoyed their holiday weekend!

Got the Spirit

Mississippi State University is puuuuuuuuummped up.

It's seriously intense and seriously awesome.

In my seven years on campus, I've never known of this much hype before a football season even begun. The student section is totally sold out (at the fastest speed in the school's history) and the overall ticket sales are at a record high, as well. New head coach Dan Mullen has the whole student body as well as alumni bringing excitement to a fever pitch. There's support for the team all over campus and Starkville, and it's a pretty invigorating place to be at the moment.

(And nobody's complaining about the highly-anticipated half-time show of Jackson State's band [the Sonic Boom of the South] either.)

I can say it all day long, but the pictures speak for themselves.

For those of you who are headed into town, it's going to be a great time and hopefully a great game. For those of you who can't make it, we'll ring those cowbells extra loud for you. Go Dawgs!!

I'm Left Wonderin'

So... question.
I cannot figure out how some blogs get so, so many readers.
I mean, I love my blog, and I love the people that read it (and that, cough, cough, comment on it), but I just can't help but wonder how some blogs do it. How do you go about getting hundreds of thousands of readers everyday??
For example, I was reading a blog at work today that a girl I work with recommended, and there were something like 547 comments today. In my blog's year-and-a-half existence, I don't think I've cracked a hundred comments.
Granted, the blog I was reading today has been established for eight-and-a-half years, so she's had a long, long time to establish followers and build up her readership, but 547 comments?? Seriously??
I'm honestly not complaining... I'm just in awe.
I mean, what catapults a blog to that kind of popularity? Daily postings?? Giveaways?? Risque subject matter?? Relatability?? I really can't figure it out.
I'll admit it... I wish I could say that about my humble blog.
But, maybe in seven years I'll be able to. I mean, it's possible, right?
In other musings and wonderings, I am ready for the majority of girls at Mississippi State University to dig to the back of their closets and brush off their fall clothing. Shirts-worn-as-dresses, the miniest of mini skirts, the deepest of v-necks, and the shortest of short shorts have rained abundant this back to school season, but it seems that this week has been especially... er... fleshy. I think everybody's trying to milk these last few days of summer before these threads have to be retired for the year, but I for one will be glad to see a little less skin.
I know... I'm ninety two years old and counting.
In one final archaic thought, since when do people dress like Early United States History at eleven a.m. on a Wednesday (or whatever other required class they're all flocking into) requires the same ensemble as a night out downtown? For those of you who have left your campus days behind, just use your imagination and take my word for it. Red lips, expertly coiffed and tousled hair, accessories to sink the Titanic, and of course the outfits on which I've already presented my diatribe.
I walk across campus, and I just can't process the questions fast enough. My brain's on overload until I can come home and unload my observations and queries onto all of y'all.
What's that?
Oh, no problem.
You're more than welcome.