Fickface

“Over here!!!”

2012-02-21T00:04:00.001-05:00

Wednesday a few of my friends and I went into Boston for the Celtics vs. Pistons game! I’m not a huge basketball fan, but going to Boston sporting events is always a good time. We got there a little early so we could sneak down to the floor seats and take pictures while the teams were warming up, but when the game started we had to trudge all the way up to the balcony where we were sitting. (I’ll sit in the good seats one day!) The Celtics ended up losing 88-98 and we didn’t even get up on the jumbotron (my favorite part about being at the Garden!) so it was a pretty unsuccessful night, but I always manage to have a good time wherever I am! :)

On a more serious note – this past week and weekend have been really rough for me. I’m going through some issues in my personal life, as I’ve mentioned before, and I came down with a pretty awful fever on Saturday which I’m still getting over, and the most part I’ve felt like I’ve gone through everything alone. Luckily my friends Caitlin and Michiel have been checking up on me and cheering me up along the way, and I’m very thankful that they’re in my life right now, even if one is 3,000 miles away from me in Holland. I am so thankful for them. If by any chance either of you are reading this, you guys mean so much to me. <3 Thank you!

Valentine’s Yankee Swap

2012-02-19T13:28:00.001-05:00

Since I’d never done a Yankee Swap before, a few of my friends decided to do one for Valentine’s Day. There was only one rule – make your gift really awkward or hilarious. I made what is now known as “The Asshole Crown”, Meghan bought a Jigglypuff scarf & hat set, Solange brought a chocolate box full of energy gels and sponge animal capsules, Christina brought an awesome walking unicorn, and Tyler brought a candy G-String, hahaha.

Chillin’ with Politicians

2012-02-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

Last Monday a few other Lasell students and I had the opportunity to go see Senator John Kerry and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speak at Emerson College about the future of college tuition and how the government is working to lower it for future college students. I’m not a particularly political person, but it was still interesting to see government officials in person.

Sorry I haven’t been on point with keeping this blog up-to-date. I’m going through some lame stuff in my personal life that I’m trying to work though, and on top of that I still have school, work, lacrosse, and I’m getting sick. But! I have a happy story to share with you before I go.

Today I was feeling a little down in the dumps about everything that’s been going on over the last few days. I knew I had a paycheck waiting for me in my mailbox which I hadn’t checked in a few weeks, so I decided after class I’d go pick it up so I could deposit it and pay off a few bills. When I opened up my mailbox I found my check and was surprised by another envelope waiting for me – a card from Holland! Michiel sent me a Valentine all the way from the Netherlands, and it was very sweet and thoughtful – the best kind of Valentine! The outside read “Een speciaal kaartje voor…” and the inside read “…jou!”

Riley!

The card says: “A special card for you”. I have to say that I am happy that I “met” you. Sadly there is an ocean between us, but I hope that ocean isn’t big enough to change our friendship. I am sure we are gonna meet soon! And I am sure that is gonna be a great time!

From Holland, with Love! xx Michiel
Happy Valentine!!!

He is so sweet. It’s too bad he lives in Holland :(

Superbowl Sadness

2012-02-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

I’ve been falling behind on my life updates over here! Bad blogger!

Last weekend was Superbowl Weekend, and although the outcome of the game was disappointing, getting together with friends to have a few drinks and a few laughs is always a good time. The night before Jen, Ashley and I decided to put together a couple dips to bring to the party the next day. We made taco dip and buffalo dip and they were both SUPER delicious!

We went a little crazy waiting for them to cook, hahaha

For the actual game we went over to Antonio’s suite to hang out with a bunch of our friends. There were a bunch of people from track there, and by the time we got there they had already mowed down tons of chips. We were so bummed that they didn’t wait for our dips! But that meant there was more for us so we got over it pretty quickly.

Being from New England, we were obviously all rooting for the Patriots. I was decked out in an 2011 AFC Championship shirt and Pats socks. (We think Tyler was a little confused – he wore all Maple Leafs gear. Uhm… wrong sport.) Obviously the end of the game was a huge disappointment to all of us, and I ended up going to bed pretty angry. But looking back on these photos, it’s clear that we all had a blast together regardless.

Oh! And we can’t forget my favorite commercial of the year – puppy workout!

(Also, check out the behind the scenes video!)

The Importance of Social Media: A Communication Student’s Perspective

2012-02-12T14:55:00.001-05:00

For those of you who may not know, I’m a Communication student at Lasell College. A lot of people kind of brush off the study of Communication, thinking that it isn’t useful to society. As a COM student, I get a lot of criticism from adults and fellow students alike for studying the media instead of a trade that will actually benefit others, especially when they find out how often I use social media. Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and blogging platforms may seem like a waste of time to the untrained eye, but as a Communication student, I know that there are some huge benefits if social media is used in the right way.

Not everyone is proficient in social media, and many businesses these days are suffering from it. In a world where young adults are constantly on their laptops, smart phones and tablets either in their homes, at work, or on the go, businesses that fail to use social media are also missing a huge audience. As of today, Facebook has a global audience of about 812 million people, and is growing every day.* It’s only a matter of months before 1 billion people are registered worldwide. If a business isn’t on Facebook in one form or another, they’re missing about 1/7 of the world’s population. (Imagine what that means when you translate that into dollars!)

The use of social media is just as important to someone who is looking for a job. As a second semester college senior, I’ve been on the web almost daily looking up tips and tricks on how to get myself noticed by perspective employers. There are countless articles out there on how to clean up your online identity and to make sure that employers can’t see your social media profiles. It’s almost as if having a Facebook, Twitter or a blog that you update on a regular basis is seen as a negative thing, and can prevent you from getting the job of your dreams. But since I’ve studied the media closely for the last few years, I know that this isn’t always the case.** When employers know that their business could be bringing in thousands of new customers through the use of social media, they want to hire someone that knows how to use it. What better way to show them you know what your doing than to have social media profiles that you can show off to employers?

Last week in my senior capstone course, my professor made a good point. If your profiles are private, there’s no way an employer can see that you know how to use social media effectively. That doesn’t mean publicize your Facebook page and Twitter profile that you’ve probably had since freshman year of college. You can show off by creating separate, public accounts that you can use professionally. If you decide to do this, there are a few things that you should remember:

1. Keep it professional – Save your personal posts for your personal page.
2. Keep it organized – Potential employers will be looking at it, so you want to make it easy for them to navigate.
3. Keep it relevant – Make sure that your posts have to do with either you or the industry you’d like to go into. Relevant articles, recent projects, or blog posts about your career and what you learn along the way are great examples.
4. Keep it updated – Post one photo a week. Tweet once a day. You never know when an employer will look at your page, and it won’t look good if your last post was 3 months ago.
5. Keep it in your name – For your public pages, make sure they’re registered as your first and last name.*** It’ll be more likely that your public pages will show up in a Google search.

Personally, I have a public Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Tumblr, in addition to this blog which isn’t private****, but is marketed as my personal blog. I also have private Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accounts, as well as a personal Tumblr, 2 blogs I run that study music (Boston Out Loud) and advertising (Ad Lens), a Facebook and Twitter page for BOL, and personal Pinterest, DailyMile, Last.fm, and DailyBooth accounts. Having so many accounts can be both overwhelming and confusing, so I try to keep them organized into folders on my favorites bar, and double check that I’m logged into the right accounts before posting anything.

Social media is often used as a way to connect with friends, post updates about your personal life, and meet new people. It may seem like using social media on a daily basis is a waste of time, but using these platforms is now actually considered to be a skill to many employers. When used in the right way, social media can play a huge role in finding a new job, so don’t be afraid to get out there and use what you know to your advantage!

*Twitter is also growing rapidly, and has approximately 462 million users as of mid-January. Twitter expects to hit 500 million in March 2012.

**Obviously if every single photo of you on Facebook is falling down drunk and every tweet is about how much you hate your job, it’s not going to look good to employers. If you like to post party pictures and you like to complain on Twitter, make sure your Facebook is private and your tweets are protected!

***Come up with a different username for your private profiles. For example, for most of my private profiles I use rmfickfack. People know that it’s me, but it’s not my full name.

****Since there are no privacy settings on this blog, I try too keep it as clean as possible. I know that anyone can stumble upon this little website, including future employers! The same goes for other “personal” accounts that aren’t private.

Dom Mazzetti vs. Second Semester

2012-02-07T22:25:00.001-05:00

Phone Photo Dump #3: London Edition!

2012-02-05T23:08:00.007-05:00

If you’ve been a reader of my blog for a while, I spent a semester in London in fall of 2010. I wrote and posted pictures here throughout my experience, but I’ve never shared the photos I took on my phone! So, without further adieu, I present to you London, through my cell phone’s camera!

1.) Thames River cruise
2.) Tourist night with Heather
3.) Crazy dress at the V&A
4.) Awesome contest on my chips – “Win £10 every day it rains!”
5.) There were awesome cars all over Londy!
6.) Pink Mini
7.) Chocolate Shots at the Chocolate Bar in Harrod’s
8.) Me with my Milk Chocolate Shot
9.) Halloween! Riana and I as the Prom Queen & the Nerd
10.) Playboy bunnies
11.) Sailor & Country Girl
12.) 3 blind mice
13.) I was craving lasagna really badly, so Anthony and I decided to cook some
14.) Nom nom nom!
15.) Stonehenge
16.) Stonehenge
17.) The Roman Baths
18.) Nemo’s
19.) First annual Paw”turk”away 5K!
20.) Icebar
21.) Inside Icebar
22.) The view of Parliament from the top of the London Eye
23.) Tower Bridge :)
24.) Crazy Heathrow Airport on the day I was supposed to go back to the States
25.) Anthony’s Weymoth Youth Basketball tee, hahaha
26.) Plane to take me to Iceland, then home!

Dorm Kitchen Dinner Party

2012-02-02T12:10:00.001-05:00

A handful of my friends had been begging me to have Matt cook dinner for them, so this week on his weekly Tuesday visit, he did! There was tons of deliciousness to be had, and even Solange, who has a very limited diet, walked away full and happy. This was also the first time Matt’s spent a extended period of time with all of my girlfriends (minus Sarah and Noble) at once. They all got along really well! We had such a nice time. I hope we can do it again soon!

#ModelSwag

2012-02-01T13:31:00.005-05:00

Lasell College is a really big fashion school, and each spring the seniors present their lines in the senior fashion show. My friend Colleen asked me to model for her line, and yesterday we did our first photoshoot! I didn't get to wear the dress that she designed for me since it isn't done yet, but I did wear the dress my friend Solange is wearing. It's pretty awesome!

It was my first time ever doing a photoshoot, so I wasn't really sure what to do. (Most of the pictures I take just involve saying cheese!) But I had a great time and I can't wait to do it again when the dress I'm wearing for the show is done!

Phone Photo Dump #2

2012-01-29T20:14:00.001-05:00

Well, it’s lucky that I got all of the photos off my phone last weekend, because my phone finally croaked on Thursday. I finally turned to the darkside and got an iPhone which will be in my posession sometime this week. So, in memory of my Samsung Impression, here’s round 2 of my phone photo dump. R.I.P. Little Buddy <3

August 2010

La Festa Date with Sarah :)

View from the top of the Welch-Dickey loop in the White Mountains

Tanning on my deck… typical summer activity for Riley!

Going away dinner… lasagna, obv.

The day I got my beloved Pandora bracelet :’)

Got my boarding pass… off to London! I can still remember how nervous I was that day. Little did I know that it’d be the most incredibly positive experience that I’ve had in my life so far!

Next photo dump: London, through my cell phone’s camera!

RDCSG: Be an Awesome Roommate!

2012-01-27T16:34:00.001-05:00

Be an Awesome Roommate!

Most college freshmen who live on campus end up living with a roommate. Most college freshmen have never had the experience of sharing a living space with another person. This can lead to a wide variety of sticky situations that can end badly. Living with another person can rank high on a new college student’s anxiety scale, but many of us have gone through it and survived it, so there’s really nothing to worry about! Read some of these tips on how to be an awesome roommate, and everything will fall into place.

1. Initiate Pre-Move-in Contact

Most schools will notify you of who your roommates will be before you move into your dorm. Use this to your advantage to get a feel for who you’ll be sharing a room with! Try looking them up on Facebook and send them a message letting them know who you are. If you live near each other, don’t be afraid to set up a hang out session. If you live far apart, talking over the web or the phone works just as well.

You can use this initial contact to find out anything you may have in common with your roommate. What’s their major? What’s their favorite TV show? What do they like to do on the weekends? A lot of housing offices match roommates based on interest surveys you may have filled out when submitting your housing forms, so chances are you’ll find common ground sooner or later.

You can also figure out what supplies you’ll need for the room, and what you should bring. You usually only need one of any major appliance for the room, such as a TV, microwave or fridge, so figure out who can bring what before you both splurge on something you can share.

Being the one to initiate conversation makes your roommate feel like you’re excited to live with them, and may quell any jitters they may have as well. If they’re the first one to contact you, be open and friendly. You’re going to be living with them, so you want the experience to be as pleasant as possible.

2. Set Room Rules

This may sounds lame, but it’s definitely helpful. Take out a pen and paper and sit down with your roommate to set down some ground rules in the room. Things to be considered when making the rules include what time you’d like to be asleep by, use of common appliances, guests in the room, keeping your side of the room clean, etc. If any problems arise during this process, your RA or another neutral party can mediate and help you come to an agreement. When you’re done writing the rules down, hang them up so you both can see them every day. Having rules is a great way to keep the peace in your room and also maintain respect with your roommate.

3. Exchange Numbers

Even if you’re not super close with the person you live with, it’s always handy to have their number. That way if they’re out of the room and an issue arises concerning them, they’re no more than a text or call away. There’s been plenty of times when I’ve locked myself out of the room and needed to call my roommate to let me back into the room!

4. Always Ask Permission

Remember, this isn’t only your room, it’s your roommate’s as well. If you’re hungry but you’re out of snacks yourself, be sure to ask permission before jumping into your roommate’s lifetime supply of Top Ramen. Before you host an all night Call of Duty marathon, make sure your roommate doesn’t have to be up early. You don’t want to step on the toes of the person you live with, so always be sure to ask!

5. Include Your Roommate!

A relationship with your roommate should be a positive one, and the best way to make it positive is to befriend them. Whenever you enter the room, say hello. (May sound cheesy, but it’s the little things that really count when you’re living with someone, and they’ll really notice if you don’t!) When you’re leaving to go do something on campus, invite them to come along. (They might want to join in, but are too shy to ask.) If you have something you’re involved in, like a soccer game or an art show, ask them to come out and support you. Doing all these things will help build your relationship and give you more common ground, making for an awesome relationship!

I’ve had 3 different roommates throughout my college career and have never had a negative experience. In the end, it’s all really about respecting one another. Anyone can be an awesome roommate – just be open minded and friendly, and your experience will be positive!

YouTube Love: Sh*t (insert plural noun here) Say

2012-01-26T00:17:00.008-05:00

I know I’m a bit late finding this internet trend, but these videos are SO ADDICTING. I legit sat on YouTube for like 2 hours one night just watching them.

Uh… I mean…. I have a life… *cough*

Here’s a few of my fave:

Everything about this one is true, hahaha

Aaaand, my absolute favorite...

Phone Photo Dump #1

2012-01-22T15:41:00.001-05:00

After almost two years with the same phone, I finally figured out how to get all of the pictures off of my phone and onto my computer! (#technologicallyimpared) I’ve had this phone since June 2010, so with this photo dump, we’ll be taking a little trip down memory lane. :)

June 2010

Antonio’s game face… >_>

Clay Buchholz warming up, and Fenway Park at sunset

July 2010

Shot of Boston before going into work one morning.

On top of Mt. Carrigain

Lindsey throwing a stick for Kiwi; Mikey unsure of whether or not he wants to swim, haha

Driving the boat like a champ!

August 2010

Waking up to a cute kitten in the morning! :)

George and I went to breakfast one morning and these cute characters were on the menu!

I could always put Nicole’s kitten to sleep!

Out on a ride with Seth

Raspberry Lemonades, yummm

Snugging with Monty <3 Miss you buddy!

A cool car that was on my street one day. I took this while driving (not safe!) so it looks distorted.

I don’t want to load a ton of pictures all at once, so I’ll make a few more of these posts over the next couple weeks! :) Hope you’re all having a relaxing Sunday, and if you’re a football fan, I hope you’re rooting for the Pats!

75 Days ‘til Graduation!

2012-01-20T22:42:00.001-05:00

…well it’s 74 days now, but whatever! Last night was the 75 days ‘til Graduation party at Franco’s! Being at Lasell for 4 years, I always heard of the “100 days”, “50 days”, etc. parties that the seniors got to go to, and they always sounded like such a blast. Last night I finally got to attend one of my own!

Franco’s was packed wall to wall, and it took me about 30 minutes to grab the bartender’s attention to get a drink, but other than that it was a great night. My residents bought me drinks (you guys are the best!), I sang karaoke with Sarah (You Oughta Know – Alanis Morrisette), and caught up with old friends from freshman year.

Last night made me really look forward to senior week. It was nice hanging out with people from my own class for a change. We’re all in the same boat, just like we were when we first got to Lasell. It’s good to be around people that understand the anxiety of a soon-to-be college graduate! Love my fellow 2012ers! :)

Riley’s Declassified College Survival Guide: Picking a School That’s Right for You

2012-01-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

Remember Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide? (Such an awesome show! It’s on Netflix so you should totally check it out if you haven’t seen it.) It’s a kid’s show that aired on Nickelodeon back in the early 2000’s that basically gave tips to pre-teens on how to survive middle school. I loved watching it growing up and not only was it entertaining, it was actually pretty helpful. Since I’m a college student now and getting pretty close to graduating, I think that I’m a pretty good candidate to give some tips on how to survive college, and what better audience to share my tips with than the entire internet? So, internet, I give you:

Picking a School That’s Right for You!

With college application deadlines quickly approaching (and this being the first edition of RDCSG) I figured the best topic to write about today is how to pick the right college for you. Picking a school can be a difficult and scary task. Aside from marriage, picking a school is probably the biggest commitment that you’ll make in your life. After all, you’ll be spending the next 2-4 years at the same institution! There’s a few factors that you need to consider when picking the right school for you.

1. What’s your budget?

We all know that college isn’t cheap, so it’s important to know what kind of money you can spend while you’re shopping around for higher education.

Community colleges and other 2-year schools are usually the most affordable institutions you can attend. Most students on a budget or those that need to work full time in addition to being a student go this route because classes are usually cheaper and at more flexible times than at other schools.

State universities are colleges that have state funding, and are typically more affordable for students that live in the same state.

Private colleges are typically the most expensive out of all types of colleges. They do not have state funding, so the majority of their income is coming from student tuition.

Take into consideration financial aid packages you may qualify for at each school and always apply scholarships (even if it’s for $100. Every little bit helps!) You may also want to consider if you’d be willing to take out a student loan in order to attend your top choice of colleges.

2. College is for education.

Although there are thousands of other aspects to college life, the number one reason that you’re there is to learn. It’s important to feel that you’re going to get a great education while going to college. Some questions you may want to ask when considering each school are:

Does this college have my desired major?
Are the class sizes too big/too small?
Is there a place I can go to for extra help if needed?
Can I succeed academically in this environment?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you’re going down the right path!

3. What are your non-academic interests?

In high school, you may have been involved with a lot of different clubs and organizations, and if you weren’t you may be looking to get involved in college. It’s important to know what kind of extracurricular activities a college offers and if they would be something you’re interested in. Most schools offer a wide variety of clubs, organizations and sports teams, and many also provide facilities like pools, fitness centers, and game rooms to keep students entertained. It’s good to ask what kind of student activities are offered when you visit a college.

4. What will your living situation be like? -or- What will the commute be like?

If you’re planning on living on campus, the living situation is a critical aspect to the decision making process. When considering the living situation, here’s a few major things to think about:

Roommates – First year students typically have 1-3 other people sharing a room with them. You should know how many people you would feel comfortable living with, and see what kind of options there are with first year housing.

Bathrooms – This may seem like a silly thing to consider, but you should also know what kind of bathroom situation you’d be comfortable with. Most colleges use the communal bathroom system (one bathroom/shower room for the floor) whereas others provide more private bathrooms, shared between a handful of roommates.

Dining – If you’re living on campus, chances are you’ll be eating most of your meals at the cafeteria or other dining facilities on campus. It’s important to know what your options are at each college, especially if you have special dietary needs.

Health Services – You never know when you may get sick or hurt, and since the comfort of your mom and your own bed can be hundreds of miles away, it’s important to know that you’ll be taken care of. Find out what sort of health services each college provides.

If you’re planning on commuting, figure out how far of a drive it is from your home, and if you’d be willing to travel that far on a daily basis.

5. Can you see yourself going there?

One of the easiest ways to decide which school is for you is to ask yourself if you can see yourself on that campus for the next few years. You need to feel comfortable and at home when you’re on your campus visit. Sometimes, you can just feel like you belong there!

As I said before, choosing a college can be a daunting task, but if you make sure that a school can give you what you’re looking for, the right choice can pop right out at you! Happy hunting! :)

Best Year Ever So Far!

2012-01-08T13:06:00.001-05:00

2012 has been great so far! We kicked it off with a fancy little New Year’s Eve party at Matt’s house. We invited all of your friends and everyone dressed up and looked so nice. People were up partying until 5AM! We all had a great time. :)

I ended up catching a cold at the party. Apparently being in a basement for 6 hours in a skimpy little dress doesn’t do wonders to your immune system. Who knew. I’m still trying to shake it off, but it’s just one of those colds that will be hanging around for a few weeks! Blah blah.

Matt bought everyone Bruin’s tickets for Christmas and Thursday was the game! We all got into a LIMO (awesome) and headed down to Boston for the game. The game was so awesome – we beat Calgary 9-0! I had a blast, even though my cold was making me super tired. Thanks for the tickets, Matt :)

I hope everyone else is having a fabulous start to their 2012!

2011 in Status Updates [Day 365]

2011-12-31T10:14:00.001-05:00

So here we are. Last day of Project 365! I can’t believe it’s been a year already. This project was super challenging. Sometimes I didn’t know what to write, and some days I just plain didn’t feel like it, but it was a challenge that I can look back on in the future and a great way to document my life.

Another great way to document you life? Status updates. I feel that I post statuses in the heat of the moment – when I’m really feeling strongly about something. They’re little blurbs of your life that you’ll always be able to remember. I decided to look back on 2011 through my status updates, and share them with you all. :)

January

4th - Finally got my luggage back! Woohoo! :)
7th - New Hampshire is cold.
13th - EW I hate the new profile! I thought it was optional! Screw you, Zuckerberg :(
13th - Back at Lasell! Home sweet home :)
15th - So sick of sleazy people.
17th - Everyone: Give me ideas for things to put on a scavenger hunt list.
18th - I <3 LC
23rd - Clearing out your friends list always feels so good... Congrats, you made the cut! ;)
26th - "If u were a cigarette you would be a Kool. Cuz ur kool." -Michael Berndt
30th - So why don't you stay with me? I think you can save this beast, but I'll leave you with an empty room. Honey, that's what takers do. I'm a thief and I'll take you.

February

1st - Someone fetch me my sled dogs!
2nd - Origin of Fickett: Derives from 'Jean Fichet' arrived in Portsmouth, NH from France (Hugenot immigrant) in late 1600s. His son John Fickett and subsequent generations moved first to Scarborough and then to Cape Elizabeth, Maine and then spread around Maine.
2nd - Someone who watches Weeds should FB chat me now so we can die over the episode I just watched. K thanks!
3rd - Awww yeah Chromeo yeah! FINALLY!!!
4th - Dear whoever put gum in my hood at the Chromeo show: I HATE YOUUUU
6th - We don't sleep when the sun goes down. We don't waste no precious time.
7th - Yayy interviewing for the same job I just started a month ago! What?
8th - Someone send me cold medicine pronto! I can't afford to be sick this semester.
9th - Dear Artists: I'm thinking of putting on an art show sometime at the end of the summer or in the fall. Would anyone be interested in participating or helping out at all? Message me/leave a comment if you are!
14th - Be my Valenswine
15th - My teacher asked me if bromine or hydrogen came first in the periodic table. I said bromine and he said I was wrong. I said f--k that, it's always bros before hoes. He agreed, gave me extra credit, and we fist bumped. My Life is Bro.
15th - Can't wait to kick Ida's ass this season :)
16th - In American Government class... DeBole: "What other things might congress do?" Class: *silence* DeBole: "I'll give you two words: Roger Clemens." Class: "...Steroids?" Oh, Lasell.
17th - Go harder, live faster.
21st - Homework requiring me to watch TV? I love being a COM major. :)
22nd - Dear whoever feels that it's necessary to lay on their horn in front of Butterworth EVERY NIGHT, Please fail out of Lasell College. Love, Riley
22nd - Aww yeahhh credits finally transferred yeahhh :)
26th - My body decided it hates food. We're officially fighting.
27th - Dear everyone: CHILL OUT.
28th - Someone send me a burrito.

March

4th - Woohoo! Road trip with April McGrath to see my Jersey loves next weekend! <3
5th - Here we go LC Lax! Beat Westfield! BALLS OUT!!!
7th - No one's honest when you're asking for lies. Give me yours and I'll give you mine.
8th - Happy Birthday Dave Fickett! Love you Dad <3 :)
11th - Keeping Japan in my thoughts. :/ Hope everyone in Hawaii is staying safe.
12th - Jersey for the weekend! :)
14th - Happy birthday Lindsey Fickett!!! Love you seester :)
14th - "GTI: Gym, Tan, I'm not buyin' it."
17th - Celebrating my 1% Irishness ;) Happy St. Patty's Day!
19th - Just took the most incredible 4 hour nap. I love life.
21st - Lacrosse in the snow...
21st - Why would anyone want to read 6 pages on the Electoral College anyway?
24th - Can't wait until Saturday yeahhhh
24th - Yeahhhhh LC Lax! RIC sucks!
25th - Get me off this campus.
26th - It feels good to be back in the 603 :)
29th - This whole not being able to fall asleep thing is getting old.
29th - Date night with Jen Lemoine!
30th - Underclassmen laxers - come to the Butterworth common room tonight around 10 to help out with some top secret senior day things!
31st - Anyone want to go see Jason Derulo at MIT?
31st - I don't need love looking like diamonds :)

April

1st - Awww yeahhh opening day yeahhh. Here we go boys!<3
6th - Does anyone happen to have an extra Dell charger?
8th - Nice win tonight ladies! One step closer to holding that GNAC trophy high...
9th - Top 2 oh yeahhhh
10th - Turf all day? Yup.
15th - Hahahah byeeee Woodland! West next year :)
20th - 21 in 21 days :)
21st - Mafia Reunion Tonight :D
23rd - Well you might be a bit confused and you might be a little bit bruised but baby, how we spoon like no one else. So I will help you read those books if you will soothe my worried looks and we will put the lonesome on the shelf.
23rd - Oh it's April 23? No, don't worry about it. It's still snowing in NH.
24th - Finally bought a new cameraaa :)
24th - Back at Lasell, chillin' with the ants in the 1851.
24th - Gudda gudda gudda gudda gudda
25th - So much louder than words
27th - 2 weeks! 2 weeks! 2 weeks!
28th - "You need to learn to stand up for yourself and what you believe and sometimes, pardon my language, kick some ass." -Queen Elizabeth II
29th - All we need is one more win, ladies! GNAC Championship here we come :)
30th - Good luck today Men's Lax! Bring it home boys :) Good luck with the senior show tonight April McGrath, Ariel Walmark, and miss model Jen Lemoine! Love you girls<3
30th - Mount Ida: Home of the classiest people you'll ever meet. ...Oh wait.

May

1st - Man, I love my team<3 We kicked ass today, ladies! Heads up! On to ECACs!
1st - US Military, gettin' it done! Yeah boys!!
2nd - Good thing the manual to my new camera is completely in Spanish. If it were in English I'd be totally lost.
3rd - Last day of class as a junior! 1 event, 2 exams, 3 presentations, and 4 papers 'til summer :)
4th - Dear everyone in the Brag/Butters quad screaming "Cinco de Mayo!": It's only Quatro de Mayo.
4th - One week to go! :)
4th - Asked DeBole about the wording of a question on our take home final and he just gave me the answer to the question... Winning?
6th - Me: BUTTERFLY! Solange Spunky Hero & Meghan Missett: Awww...
8th - Lindsey Fickett and I got lucky - we wound up with the best mom in the world! Happy Mother's Day Lori Jean! I love you! <3
10th - Happy birthday Chelsea Cooke! Only a few more hours for me :)
10th - Probably the last one, but I'm officially a senior! :)
11th - Oh yeahhh, 21 yeahhh
11th - Thank you all so much for all the birthday wall posts/messages/phone calls/Skype calls/texts! I truly have the greatest people in my life :) Now enough with the sappy ish, TIME TO RAGE
12th - Made it through my 21st without dying... Is that even allowed?
12th - Last summer in the 603... Who wants to play?
15th - On second thought, let's not say names. I'll just be me and you be you. Two perfect strangers being sneaky with a flask of booze.
17th - Jury duty...

June

1st - Laying out all day & Bruins all night. I'd say I have the perfect day ahead of me :)
2nd - Oh it's gorgeous out today! Here's an idea... let's spend the whole day inside working at Hannaford!
3rd - Wish it was this time last year wahhhh :( Have fun OLs, I'm jealous of your lives
5th - You go, Glen Coco!
9th - Off to see my Jersey loves for the weekend! <3 :)
12th - I'm gonna scissor kick you in the back of the head!
12th - Solid weekend! Missing Jersey already :'(
15th - And now I can exhale... WAY TO GO B'S!!! Cup champs babyyy!!! <3
25th - I caught 20 fish today!

July

8th - One week :)
14th - Best weekend of the summer starts at 3PM! Working 11-3 then Deathly Hallows Part 2 midnight premiere with Meghan Missett, Solange Spunky Hero, & Zachary Thomas Pepper :) Nerd Night!
15th - Seriously folks, they're the best.
22nd - If you ever need a reason to delete your Facebook, watch Catfish. Thoroughly freaked out.
23rd - R.I.P. Amy Winehouse. Such a talented musician.
25th - lol ~passive aggressive Facebook status~

August

2nd - I got an internship for the fall!!!! :)
3rd - RIP IPS
9th - When someone walks out of your life, let them. There’s no use in wasting your time on people that leave you. What you make of yourself and your future is no longer tied to them. Yeah, you may miss them. But remember that you weren’t the one that gave up.
15th - Werewolf Bar Mitzvah, Spooky Scary
23rd - Last day at Hannaford for the summer, awww yeahhhh :D
24th - You're Harry Potter. Go to your profile and look at your friends on the left side: 1st two people are your loveable sidekicks: Pat Slight, Clark Coderre 3rd person is your Slytherin enemy: Courtney Jarek 4th person is the Dark Lord: Becca Stanton 5th person is a follower of the Dark Lord: Kristen Noble 6th person is your white-bearded mentor: Solange Spunky Hero 7th person is your owl: Katie Carlson 8th person is a rockin' Potions Master: Cheryl Stark
25th - Feels good to be back at Lasell! :)
26th - West = Antarctica.
27th - Wearing Under Armour to bed.... Gotta love living in an ice box, also known as West Hall.
28th - I wish Dunk's delivered
28th - Pretty sure something just fell off of West...
29th - Wow, I'm in absolute shock right now. RIP Jimmy... I was very lucky to have met you. Chuuuu<3

September

2nd - Thinking about you today, Jimmy. We all miss and love you. RIP<3
18th - Going to Church ;)
19th - Can someone please come to my room and make Cisco work on my computer?! Love, Riley from her iPod. Wahhh!
19th - When they come knocking on your heart's door, choose the one who loves you more.
22nd - I ain't here to do anything halfway. Don't give a damn what anyone might say. I just wanna free fall for a while.
24th - You knew that I was a pushover, so you pushed me right over the edge.
25th - Rawrrr I'm a Gryffindor
26th - Got 100% on my first Bio exam! I'm really smahhht
30th - Being a Red Sox fan is like being in an emotionally abusive relationship.

October

3rd - It's time to make yourself proud, and everyone else a little nervous.
4th - Radiosurgery is gold! NFG can not fail :)
5th - "That movie was a freshman." -Ashley Clary
6th - New Found Glory with Christina Annicelli is offishhhh!!! Can't wait :)
7th - Kristen Noble and Jeff Brown are coming to play today! <3
10th - My single "My Single is Dropping" is dropping.
16th - Who needs football when you can watch rugby? ;) Off to watch the boys kick the shitake out of Mitchell!
21st - Don't look ahead, just run to me. Each step will find the next one recklessly. We'll find ourselves on the safest ledge, when part of me couldn't help myself but fall into your light here. If only for a while, I'm here.
23rd - LCRC is unstoppable! Congrats boys! :)
24th - Afrojack is going to be at UMass Amherst tomorrow, hlakjghaskjdg Why do staff meetings have to be during everything awesome?! :( :( :(
28th - Wow, some people in this world are just so inconsiderate. Thanks for stealing my camera, iPod and money OUT OF MY PURSE. I really appreciate it. Special shout out to campus police for keeping a great eye on the coats and bags you didn't allow us to bring to the dance with us. Ughhhhhhhhhhhh. >:(
29th - Off to go see LCXC take over GNACs :D
31st - It's the best day of the year! :) Happy Halloween!!! <3

November

2nd - Glad Lasell waited until my last semester to be a total pain about registration.... Fingers crossed I can still graduate on time.
12th - Good luck LCRugby! <3 Wish I could be there to witness that massacre ;)
15th - So entertained by all of these junior FB statuses. #neverdealingwithregistrationagainswag
15th - Love the people that treat you right and forget the ones that don't.
20th - Be careful what you say. You never know how it can affect the people around you.
23rd - Road trip back to the 603 with Ashley Clary and Aidan Watson! We're coming home :)
23rd - 10 in a row!!!
27th - I can't hear anything and I'm losing my voice... Another successful Streetlight show with Christina Theresa! :)
30th - Interested in Studying Abroad? Come by West at 8PM for an information session! :) (or I mean... you can at least come to procrastinate on homework and eat free food)

December

2nd - What will you do when there's no one to fall back on? I won't be there, I've learned my lesson. What will you do when there's no friends to fall back on? Because they've all been stepped on.
5th - Happy birthday to the best mom in the world! Love you Lori Jean :) <3
7th - Internship complete! Graduation here I come :)
11th - Fatassalon with the team :)
13th - Spencer & Hill tonight! :D
15th - Flavor of Love is on Hulu. Life is complete ahaha :D Trashy TV night with Christina!
16th - That awkward moment when you're the only one not on break yet... Da hell!
22nd - LC & 2012 family... I love you all. I can't believe we've lost another one of our own, but know he's still with us. We'll get through this together. Keep your heads up<3 R.I.P. Jon
28th - Just applied to a job at NBC! Meghan, Solange, and Christina, I will be Liz Lemon one day...
28th - If people are trying to bring you down, it only means that you are above them.

I can honestly say... 2011 was awful. I lost two of my classmates, I was screwed over by countless people, and have been more stressed out than I’ve ever been in my life. I’m ready to put this year to bed. 2012 will be great – I’m closing a huge chapter in my life and taking some pretty huge steps this year. I want to be positive and hopefully positive things will come back to me. As for resolutions, I don’t really have any. I just want to be successful in what I do, and try my hardest ALL the time, not just because it’s January 1st. I’m going to take this year a day at a time and enjoy the ride. And of course, I’ll be writing about it here to remember it.

I know my readership isn’t huge, but I do appreciate everyone that does read my blog, and want to say thank you to you guys. Thanks for sticking around during this project and maybe even beyond! Hope you all have a fabulous New Year’s Eve and be safe!

Until next time… ;)

New Project [Day 364]

2011-12-30T23:14:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I had mentioned that I had gotten an idea for a project that I was really excited about! Since my Project 365 is coming to an end, I figured I’d share my new project with you!

A few other Lasell students and I are launching a Boston-based music blog called Boston Out Loud on January 1st! We will be posting show reviews, album reviews, other opinion pieces, music news, and interviews all surrounding music and the live events that happen around our city. I will be posting there every Monday! I’m very excited to launch this project and get it off the ground. Mostly I’m excited to see what people think of it! It’s listed as a private blog for now, but come Sunday it’ll be open for all to see! I’ll post a link here on Sunday so you can check it out if you’re interested :)

New Year’s Eve Hair! [Day 363]

2011-12-29T16:18:00.000-05:00

On New Year’s Eve, Matt’s throwing a classy party! We’re all dressing up really nice an ringing in 2012 together. I’ve had my dress all set for a while (my friend was supposed to have a birthday party in October but had to cancel last minute due to family issues, so I’ve had this cute purple dress stashed away for a few months just waiting to be worn) but I’ve been having trouble figuring out how to wear my hair – until yesterday! I stumbled upon this pretty up-do on Pinterest and fell in love. Hopefully I’ll be able to put it together!

Words to Live By [Day 362]

2011-12-28T21:32:00.001-05:00

Thinking of You… [Day 361]

2011-12-27T23:17:00.000-05:00

For JC & JG… We miss and love you both.

Pinterest! Apartment Edition [Day 360]

2011-12-26T22:51:00.001-05:00

I know… I’m super tardy to this party… but Pinterest is AWESOME! I just started using it yesterday, and I’m so hooked. I love all the ideas! I’ve been dying to find some inspiration to get creative again, and with graduation just a handful of months away, I’m going to need to start thinking of fun ways to make my future first apartment my own. Here’s my five favorite ideas for cute apartment accents as of today!

Lamp made out of a wine bottle & Christmas lights

Framed favorite places

Decorative drawers

Colorful banners!

Faux firefly jars – would look especially cool on a window sill!

Looking at all of these things makes me so excited to get my own place and start adding little details to it to make it a home of my own!

Merry Christmas! [Day 359]

2011-12-25T23:36:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful day, regardless if you celebrate the holiday or not.

My Christmas was great this year. My whole family was together (My parents, sister and I) for the first time since June, which is always great since it’s such a rare occasion. (My sister lives in South Carolina) We opened up stockings and presents in the morning. I didn’t ask for anything specific this year, so all my presents were surprises! I got:

-My parents paid in full for Senior Week, so this was my big gift. Senior Week is the week leading up to graduation, where just the seniors are on campus and the OSA sets up a bunch of alcohol-induced activities for us to enjoy, including:

-Trip to the Greatest Bar! This bar is fun, but it’s the bar my camera got stolen at soooo… not bringing my camera.
-Overnight trip to FOXWOODS! Bye bye, money.
-Dinner at Hard Rock Café, and show at Improv Asylum. Gonna be hilarious!
-Boston Harbor Cruise! (This is on my 22nd birthday… May or may not fall off the boat. I can’t wait!)

-Gorgeous Lia Sophia earrings!
-A Pandora charm – my first initial! “R” So cute :)
-Nice purple winter gloves
-A Patriots long sleeve
-2 Aeropostale tees – one with a lax stick on it! Hollaaa
-GORGEOUS aqua/blue scarf… absolutely love it!
-Awesome new Minnetonka mocs!
-Adorable nautical tote from South Carolina!
-$25 Panera gift card
-$25 Dunks gift card (will be gone by the end of the week probs)
-$25 Forever 21 gift card
-$50 cash
-Operation!
-Mario Kart DS
-Bruins hoodie from Matt!

I’m very thankful that I’m able to receive all of these things from the people I care most about. Thank you all so much! <3

I was also pretty pumped about the gifts I gave this year!
-A bottle of Moscato for Jen
-A stocking for Ashley (more on that later!)
-Mario Kart Wii for my family (We totally think alike!)
-Dustin Pedroia shirt for my Dad
-Adrian Gonzales shirt for my Mom
-“Believe in Boston” flag for my sister to hang in her apartment
-A moustache book for Matt

Everyone was super stoked on the presents I gave, which made me so happy! Giving presents that people like makes me so happy. :) I was also lucky enough to have not one, but 2 huge Christmas feasts. One with my family, and one with Matt’s. I’m gonna be full for a year! I actually weighed myself at the end of the night and I was around 152… not normal for me at all. Guess I was super full! Haha

Hope you all had as good a Christmas as me! :)

Top 5 Christmas Activities [Day 358]

2011-12-24T22:53:00.001-05:00

Christmas is a time where you have an excuse to eat like a pig, spend ridiculous amounts of money, and stay inside all day. Everyone has their favorite Christmas activities – what are yours?

5. Watching Christmas specials! I talked about movies yesterday, but I really love watching all the Christmas episodes of my favorite shows. Especially 30 Rock!

4. Giving presents! I put a lot of thought into what I give my loved ones for Christmas, and I always like to see how they react when they open them. Sounds cheesy, but giving is definitely better than receiving in my book :)

3. Holiday treats! I’m gonna be honest – I’m a total fatass during the holidays. #noshame

2. Decorating the tree/house! Making it all cute and Christmassy really puts you in the mood for the holidays! (Also, side note – I use a text editor for my blog posts sometimes and it always does the red squiggly under lines for misspelled words, and Christmassy is apparently a real word! So is squiggly… huh.)

1. Openning stockings! Stockings are probably the most fun part of Christmas. There’s so many random trinkets and toys in them that they’re hilarious most of the time. I enjoy these more than regular gifts! Ashley and I are making each other stockings this year – I can’t wait to see what she puts in mine!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Hope Santa is nice to you all :)

Top 5 Christmas Movies [Day 357]

2011-12-23T22:37:00.000-05:00

Watching Christmas movies are the best way to get into the spirit of the holidays. They make you smile, they remind you of the true meaning behind the season, and they awake the inner child in you. Here’s my top 5!

5. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970) – Tells the story of how Santa Claus comes to be, and teaches you to be kind to one another, even if they may not be kind to you in return.

4. The Santa Clause (1994) – Reminds adults that it’s okay to believe in Santa! What a classic.

3. Home Alone (1990) – Lets us know that being around the ones you love is the greatest Christmas gift of all!

2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966/2000) – Teaches us that even though there may be no gifts or decorations, the spirit of the season lives on in everyone.

1. Elf (2003) – Reminds us that it’s always important to have Christmas cheer! “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”

What are your favorite Christmas movies?

Foamy Sparkly Door Tags [Day 356]

2011-12-22T17:57:00.001-05:00

Today, being bored, I took a little trip to the dollar store and found a bunch of foam shapes and letters. I decided to buy a few packs and make door tags for my residents next semester. Loving the sparkles, but I’m getting glitter everywhere! Ke$ha would be proud.

R.I.P. Jon [Day 355]

2011-12-21T23:52:00.001-05:00

Today, I lost (we all lost) another classmate. Jon Glenn passed away this afternoon. I never knew him personally, but Lasell is a small school, so I knew who he was. He had a good group of friends who loved him dearly and was always out and about on campus. From what I saw, he was always down to have a good time and make people laugh. I can't believe 2012 has lost another member so close to graduation. He will definitely be missed. My heart goes out to all that were close with him.

Truth [Day 354]

2011-12-20T23:39:00.000-05:00

10 Favorite 90’s Things [Day 353]

2011-12-19T23:40:00.001-05:00

Who grew up in the 90’s? I was born in 1990, so I remember most of the mid-late 90’s. Remember how terribly tacky/AWESOME everything was? Here’s some of my favorite 90’s things:

90’s Nick

Disney’s original programming, when it was good.

MK&A movies

Goosebumps

N64

I was totally an NSYNC girl

This whole craze!

Sooo many hours spent on this.

Hand-drawn Disney movies

Jellies! <3

I can think of so many more, but I’ll leave the list at 10 for now. What were your favorite things of the 90’s?

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 352]

2011-12-18T20:35:00.003-05:00

"Love yourself first and everything falls into line."

- Lucille Ball

Guilty Pleasures [Day 351]

2011-12-17T21:40:00.001-05:00

We all have them, and we all love them. As I was flipping through the channels tonight, I found one of my favorites, so I decided to share a few of mine. :)

1. Legally Blonde

2. Country music
3. Skins
4. Clubbing

5. Netflix marathons that last hours on end
6. Playing DJ at parties
7. Pedicures
8. Celebrity gossip
9. Wine, wine, wine
10. And of course…. Sex & the City. Like every other girl ;)

What are your guilty pleasures?

Fall Semester (aka The Semester from Hell) = DONE! [Day 350]

2011-12-16T21:43:00.001-05:00

Today was the last day of the semester. I took my last final exam (British Lit… Da Hell!) this afternoon and I’ve felt like a free woman ever since! Let’s be honest with ourselves here – this semester sucked. I was stressed literally all the time. To the point where sometimes I wouldn’t event be able to fall asleep at night. I’m so glad to say that doesn’t need to happen any more, for at least another month before we come back from break!

Christina and I celebrated tonight by NOT going to the café, haha. We cooked a pizza and watched the trashiest TV we could think of – I Love New York – hollaaaa!

Yes. That is what we do with our free time.

Anyways, I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that I don’t have to wait until Sunday to head home for break. My AC (boss for my RA job) is doing our hall walk through with me tomorrow afternoon and I can just leave after that! So stoked to see my family, my puppies, catch up on sleep, and actually have a good time! :) Happy, happy, happy!

Love these girls :) [Day 349]

2011-12-15T23:47:00.000-05:00

Dream Log: Rat [Day 348]

2011-12-14T12:29:00.001-05:00

Last night I had a dream where we had a giant pet rat…. da hell? It was the size of a small dog and we treated it like it was Kiwi or Mikey. So weird!

To see a rat in your dream signifies feelings of doubts, greed, guilt, unworthiness and envy. You are keeping something to yourself that is eating you up inside. Or you have done something that you are not proud of. Alternatively, a rat denotes repulsion, decay, dirtiness, and even death. The dream may also be a pun on someone who is a rat. Are you feeling betrayed?

Well we’ve all done things we’re not proud of, and we all have guilt. I’m not really sure why it’s coming up now at of all times, but my dreams haven’t ever really pointed me in the wrong direction before. We’ll see how the next few weeks go!

Spencer & Hill Booth! [Day 347]

2011-12-13T17:08:00.000-05:00

Track Par-tay [Day 346]

2011-12-12T23:31:00.000-05:00

The track team had a little party yesterday! We all got together and watched football, had a few drinks, acted stupid, and had a wonderful time! I loved it :) Some great people on the track team!

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 345]

2011-12-11T23:06:00.001-05:00

The secret to getting ahead is getting started.

Winter Break To-Do! [Day 344]

2011-12-10T09:59:00.000-05:00

Since classes ended yesterday and I only have a handful of exams and assignments to complete next week, I’d like to declare myself pretty damn close to being on winter break. (FINALLY!) I’ve noticed lately that on my down time, I don’t really do much of anything except lay in bed and watch Netflix. I feel like it was pretty acceptable when I was the busiest person I knew and barely had an hour to myself each day, but I practically spent the entire day in bed yesterday watching 30 Rock and as much as I love that show, I got bored and antsy. I like to feel accomplished at the end of the day. I really don’t want to spend my entire break in front of the TV or computer being lazy, so I decided to make a short list of things that I’d like to accomplish during my time off from school:

1. Update my resume and portfolio
2. Make a list of jobs I’d like to apply to/Apply to any that are hiring college grads & can wait until May
3. Read Wicked
4. Do something ~crafty~

I don’t want to make the list to long so it doesn’t become a chore, but I really hope to accomplish these things in addition to relaxing and working at Hannie’s.

On a different (blue) note, it’s the little things like this that make me so happy :)

Christmas Cupcakes!/Testing out the new camera [Day 343]

2011-12-09T23:47:00.001-05:00

Ashley was cute enough to make me a Christmas cupcake, and while I was about to take a picture of it for today’s post, I decided to fool around with a couple of the settings on my camera. My friend Mike showed me how to change the settings last Saturday at the meet and I wanted to try a few out!

“Miniature” Effect

“Kid’s Camera” Effect. I really like this one!

“Vivid Color” Effect

“Poster” Effect

Just taking photos with these four settings just made me so excited to take this camera around with me. I think I made a pretty good choice for my new camera!

Birthday Presents from the USA! [Day 342]

2011-12-08T11:21:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was my friend Michiel’s birthday! I sent some Oreos to him for his birthday because he said he’d never had them before, and I also sent him a Bruins shirt so he can represent over in Holland! He loved both of his gifts :) Happy 24th Michiel!

One Less Stress [Day 341]

2011-12-07T23:31:00.000-05:00

Today was my last day interning at the American Cancer Society! It's sad saying goodbye to something that had such a significant role in my life these past few months, but I'm beyond excited that I'll finally have some time to myself. All I need to worry about now is school and in comparison to how busy my semester has been, that's definitely something that I can handle.

My supervisors were really sweet to me and gave me some ACS gear as a gift and took me out to a farewell lunch! I'll definitely miss how nice everyone was at the office. I hope to keep in touch with them in the future!

Good Ideas! [Day 340]

2011-12-06T11:58:00.002-05:00

You know what the best feeling in the world is? Coming up with a good idea. Nothing makes you feel more energized and excited than coming up with something that you know people are going to genuinely like. It can be something as big as a major project, or something as small as a birthday gift, but it always feels good to think up something new.

Over the years I've become one of those people that are kind of cynical around the holiday season. I don't really like Christmas music all that much, and the feeling of obligation to buying gifts for everyone I care about with the little money I have always stresses me out. I also get worried that my gifts will go unappreciated, as I always try to give really thoughtful, meaningful gifts that really defines the relationship I have with the person.

But today as I was driving to my internship I finally came up with two really great gifts to give to my good friends Jen and Ashley. I know they're going to like them and that just makes me so excited to give them their gifts! I don't want to wait to see their faces - it's such a good feeling to know you've given the people you care about something that they love! :)

Happy Birthday Mom! [Day 339]

2011-12-05T08:22:00.003-05:00

Hope you have a fabulous and happy birthday, Mom! :) <3

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 338]

2011-12-04T23:20:00.000-05:00

"Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how."

-Unknown

Track Meet @ Smith [Day 337]

2011-12-03T20:44:00.001-05:00

Today was my first track meet since my freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL. Yep, 7 years ago was my last meet. For being out of the game for that long, I think I did pretty well. I ran in the 600 (My coach wanted me to hit 2:06, I ran 2:08.23) and 200 (My coach wanted me to hit :48, I ran :35.18 – third in my heat!). Next Saturday we’re running at Brandeis. Hopefully I can improve on my times for both events!

YouTube Love: We Have Girlfriends [Day 336]

2011-12-02T19:02:00.000-05:00

Dream Log: Car Accident [Day 335]

2011-12-01T11:53:00.004-05:00

I keep having dreams about getting into car accidents when I'm driving. The car always ends up flying off the road and I end up dying. This has been happening all semester.

"To dream of a car accident symbolizes your emotional state. You may be harboring deep anxieties and fears. Are you "driving" yourself too hard? This dream may tell you to slow down before you hit disaster. You need to rethink or re-plan your course of actions and set yourself on a better path.

This is definitely accurate - I'm always under a lot of pressure and my schedule is pretty physically and emotionally taxing. I can't wait for this semester to be over and to have time to relax until graduation!

Buildings as Advertisements [Day 334]

2011-11-30T23:51:00.002-05:00

Advertising is so cool sometimes.

Love from Holland! :) [Day 333]

2011-11-29T23:36:00.001-05:00

My friend Michiel from Rotterdam sent me a package last week and it came in this afternoon! It has these BOMB cookies in it that I've been snacking on all day, and tons of chocolate! I guess it's a Dutch tradition to give the chocolate version of the first letter of someone's name to them for Christmas, but Michiel decided to spell out my whole name, haha. I love it! Thanks Michiel! Definitely made my day :)

Zero Fux Giving! [Day 332]

2011-11-28T22:48:00.001-05:00

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 331]

2011-11-27T09:57:00.001-05:00

“The best way to predict your future is to create it!”

-Abraham Lincoln

Live Music [Day 330]

2011-11-26T23:53:00.000-05:00

There’s really nothing better than seeing one of your favorite bands perform. I just got back from seeing Streetlight Manifesto & Reel Big Fish play at the Palladium. It was my 4th time seeing RBF and my 5th time seeing Streetlight and it literally never gets old. There’s just something about being there, being part of the music and the crowd that’s loving it so much. It makes you feel like you’re part of one giant family. I love it so much.

Since my college career is coming to a close, everyone’s been asking me what my next step is. I’m at the point where I’m kind of tired of what I’m studying, and I’m not really sure if I’d love going into the field for the rest of my life. If I could find a way to get on track to become a tour manager, I’d absolutely love it. Live music is something that I haven’t tired of yet, and I’m not sure if I ever will. I have such a short attention span that I need to be involved in something that changes every day, and that’s exactly what music does. If I could get involved with that in some way, I’d be totally content for a long, long time.

Thankful [Day 329]

2011-11-25T23:16:00.000-05:00

Did you guys see this? We saw this yesterday when we stopped at Dunkin's for coffee. I can't believe that the pilot and everyone around survived something that scary! It truly makes you thankful to be alive, and reminds you to cherish every moment that's given to you because it can be taken away in a heartbeat.

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and a successful black Friday! I was planning on going out to the stores last night at midnight to buy a new digital camera, but I figured out that the sales were online too, so I just ordered one from Best Buy! It's a lot nicer than the one that got stolen, and it was $80 off, so I'm pretty pshyched about it. :)

Canon - PowerShot ELPH 300 HS!

Happy Thanksgiving! [Day 328]

2011-11-24T10:34:00.001-05:00

We’re headed out the door to my grandmother’s house in Maine, but here’s a funny Thanksgiving video :)

People from your Past [Day 327]

2011-11-23T23:54:00.000-05:00

I’ve been running into so many people from my past lately! A few days ago I wrote about Taylor, a friend of mine that I grew up with and haven’t seen since I was 14. Well, last night I ran into Matt, another one of my middle school friends at Throwed! It was the most random thing, but it was so good to see him again! We spent the rest of the night dancing and chatting (to the best of our abilities – it’s hard to catch up over dubstep!) and when I left I made sure to get his number. We have plans to eat dinner and catch up Friday night, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Running into people that you haven’t really spoken to in years is one of the weirdest but most incredible feelings in the world. It’s good to know that you made an impact in someone’s life and that no matter how many years go by, they still have memories of you and fondly look back on the time that you spent together. :)

Giant Chip! [Day 326]

2011-11-21T23:35:00.000-05:00

#CTFxCWedding <3 [Day 325]

2011-11-21T23:27:00.000-05:00

Charles & Alli of Internet Killed Television are two of my favorite YouTubers and yesterday they got married! <3 Tears tears tears :’) Congrats guys!

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 324]

2011-11-20T19:50:00.001-05:00

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road...
unless you fail to make the turn.”

- Unknown

Stevie Shakes: The Movie (Caution: There’s some gross parts to this.) [Day 323]

2011-11-19T23:50:00.000-05:00

Friday Night Lights [Day 322]

2011-11-18T23:31:00.001-05:00

Haaaaaaaaaaaa.

Burnt Out [Day 321]

2011-11-17T11:03:00.002-05:00

I think it's finally hit me - I'm over going to school. I've always been the kind of person that has genuinely enjoyed going to class and learning new things and doing projects. That's not really the case any more. Going to class is pointless half the time. I'm not really learning anything that's interesting to me, or could be really useful in my future, or isn't something that hasn't been told to me a million times before. I'm just over it. I'm not really looking forward to having to go through a whole new semester, taking classes I'm not really interested in. Luckily it's my last one. I wish I could just be in college without going to class. I want to be Cappie, basically.

I just think I'm burnt out. It's the same thing every day. Every week. Monday-Friday. 20 hours of internship. 15 hours of class. 10 hours of practice. At least 7 hours of RA duties. 2 hours of work study stuff... It's just not all that useful to me anymore, and I don't really see the point.

I think I just need something or someone new to come into my life to spice things up a little. Make me excited about something again. I love all my friends, but I'm going to be leaving a lot of them behind in 6 months.

Then what?

As of now, I'm by myself. I'm really not ready to sentence myself to 40 hours a week sitting in cubeville, but I'm desperate to get out of my parent's house and start living on my own, doing my own thing.

Ah, the classic senior year Catch 22. I'll figure it out eventually. I'm hoping one of a few different things work out, and I won't really know until next year if they will. Time to play the waiting game!

On a completely different note, Facebook has reunited me with an old childhood friend recently, Taylor. He popped into my head randomly one day, so I decided to see if he had a Facebook. Turns out he did, and I added him. A few days later he accepted and sent me a message! We're planning to go out and catch up when we're both home for winter break. So random, but it's always nice when a friend you haven't seen in years comes back into your life!

Flashback: Bug Juice! [Day 320]

2011-11-16T23:23:00.000-05:00

Stay Strong... [Day 319]

2011-11-15T12:06:00.005-05:00

This breaks my heart. One of the sweetest kids you could meet made a huge mistake last year and has to pay the consequences. Not only for the duration of his sentence, but for his whole life. I can't imagine what he can be, and has been, going through. Stay strong, bud.

The Little Things [Day 318]

2011-11-14T08:59:00.003-05:00

It's often said that it's the little things in life that matter the most. A note from mom in your lunch box when you were young. Holding hands with your significant other that you've been with for years as you walk around the park. Your dog wagging his tail off and jumping up and down in excitement when you come home from work. These are the things that we love the most, and never really realize it until you haven't seen it for a while.

I've always been a fan of the little things. Life's small details that sometimes can go unnoticed, but can always mean so much to us. After a long day or week, these are the things that truly make us the happiest. Sometimes we forget to stop and appreciate all that joy that we have in our lives, because we're so focused on a bigger problem we might be facing. If we just take a second to breathe a look around for a moment, we might be able to see the positive drown out the negative.

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 317]

2011-11-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I would join a team in a heartbeat… [Day 316]

2011-11-12T22:23:00.001-05:00

Happy Veteran’s Day! [Day 315]

2011-11-11T21:38:00.001-05:00

Thanks to those who have laid down their lives for our country. <3

P.S. It’s my half birthday!

SangriaBooth [Day 314]

2011-11-10T22:21:00.000-05:00

Personal vs. Professional Blogging [Day 313]

2011-11-09T10:11:00.002-05:00

Being a Communication major, I've been encouraged throughout my college career to be active online. I've been told to know the ins and outs of Facebook. I've been told to tweet. I've been told to blog. I'm a member of most all social networking sites - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Blogger, Flickr, LiveJournal.... to name a few. I still even have a MySpace account, even though it's sitting in it's own little corner of the internet collecting dust with a few of the other aforementioned accounts.

With graduation looming over me, I've been told that blogs are a great way to show off your writing talents. If you've read my "about" section, you already know that I've been blogging from a really young age, so it's almost second nature to me. This blog is getting close to having 400 posts on it, and even before then I've had countless blogs and LiveJournals before settling on this one. Needless to say, I know how to blog.

But is Fickface something I really want to show off to potential employers? No, not really. This blog is what I intended it to be - personal. And although there's no real way to make it private, I still share some pretty personal thoughts, feelings, frustrations and stories on here. Not really what an employer is interested in seeing.

Blogging is still a valuable skill, though, and it's one that I have. I'd like to add it to my resume. I've been playing around with the idea of launching a more "professional" blog for ages, but I haven't been able to decide on a topic. That is, until this morning.

If you're an avid reader of this blog or know me personally, music has always been an interest of mine. I love going to shows, seeing how bands perform in front of large crowds, and hear how they match up to what they produce in the studios. So I've decided to launch a blog dedicated to music and live music events going on in the Boston area. Show & album reviews, interviews, photos, videos, artist news, show schedules, etc. will be on there. I'm recruiting a few friends to help out with the project to make it a bit more diverse than just me babbling on about music I like. I'm really excited about this idea and I can't wait to launch the site! I'll, of course, be letting you guys know once it's up and running!

Fingers crossed!

Out of My Mind [Day 312]

2011-11-08T23:42:00.001-05:00

Hello! Just popping my head out from under my piles of homework to say hi. I’ve honestly never been so busy in my life! I have every meeting possible this week, track started (did I mention I was running track? I’m running track. To get in shape for lax, duh), I’m stressed about getting my courses, my internship is super busy (The power went out today. Awkward.) and homework is piling up on me. Not to mention I’m in the middle of doing laundry and at Lasell, that’s never an easy task. So HI! I’m still alive and have the ability to write more than a few lines. Just don’t have the time or the energy to do it lately! So sorry :( Hope you’re all a bit more relaxed than me. Hopefully I’ll be able to tell you about my life when things settle down a bit. <3

FML [Day 311]

2011-11-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

Take one look at this schedule and pretend to be jealous. Oh, this is on top of daily class and internship.
I can’t wait for this semester to be over. I literally can’t handle this anymore.

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 310]

2011-11-06T23:12:00.000-05:00

“Always be a first rate version of yourself,
instead of a second rate version of somebody else.”

-Judy Garland

How to Appreciate the World [Day 309]

2011-11-05T12:33:00.001-04:00

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

ThursdayBooth [Day 308]

2011-11-04T23:05:00.000-04:00

Yup... [Day 307]

2011-11-03T20:16:00.002-04:00

She nailed it. I talk & sing like this to my dogs all the time, hahaha.

Sorry for trying to graduate... [Day 306]

2011-11-02T10:44:00.003-04:00

SO. STRESSED.

I love how I've been working so hard since freshman year to make sure all my bases are covered and I'm on track to graduate and it comes down to my last semester of college and I can't take basically any of the classes that I need to graduate because

a. They're not offered, or
b. They all conflict with each other.

What. the. hell. Seriously? All I want to do is get out of Lasell and stop burying myself under mountains of debt, and now that shimmering light at the end of this long, dark, tunnel is dimming rapidly.

The way that the head of my department is acting about this whole situation is extremely immature and annoying as well. I'm sorry I've emailed you more than one time about the issue, but you really don't have to yell at me. All I'm trying to do is leave this school with the little piece of paper my family and I have paid thousands upon thousands of dollars for. Is that so much to ask? You really don't have to get pissed about it. Get off your high horse and help.

I've spent the bulk of the morning emailing my adviser and calling the Registrar's Office, so it's not like I'm being careless about the situation. All I want to do is graduate and move on with my life, but now it just looks like that goal is further away than it ever has been.

UGH.

Halloween Booth, part 2! [Day 305]

2011-11-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

Just a few last Halloween snaps!

Happy Halloween! [Day 304]

2011-10-31T20:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone! :) Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday and I always try to keep the traditions from my childhood alive each year. This year I:

1. Participated in Trick-or-Treating! Although this year I was giving out the candy to the kids. Going door-to-door kind of looses it's appeal after you're old enough to go out and buy your own candy :P
2. Carved a pumpkin into Harry Potter. No big.
3. Dressed up in a costume from Thursday to Saturday! (Obviously) And I'll probably dress up tonight as well!

Foster and I were the Too Soon? Dead Celebrity club. I really hope no one took offense to our costumes because we both have mad respect for the people we dressed up as! (Well, Foster not so much with Amy Winehouse, but I love her!) Anyways, I thought our costumes looked pretty good. I had all of her actual tattoos and all! In fact, I still can't manage to scrub them off.

Best former roomie pic evahh. <3

Some photos from the dance Thursday!
(While someone downstairs was stealing my iPod....)

On a non-Halloween note, Foster and I were also the cheering section for the cross country team's conference championship Saturday afternoon. So much Laser pride. Pew pew pew! They were all so happy we made it out to see them, since they don't have a home meet EVER. I had never meet to a cross country meet for Lasell and I decided I should show my support since it's my last year!

Hope you are all having a faaaabulous Halloween and that you're all dressing up or doing something spooky to celebrate! <3 If you dressed up, let me know what you were!

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 303]

2011-10-30T23:10:00.005-04:00

"Ninety-nine percent of failures come from the people who have the habit of making excuses."

-George Washington Carver

Halloween Booth! [Day 302]

2011-10-29T21:24:00.001-04:00

Bad Luck [Day 301]

2011-10-28T09:31:00.007-04:00

It seems like I've come across a streak of bad luck over the past week. Last Friday Night (and no, not the Katy Perry song) I went into Boston with my friend Courtney and some others for her 21st birthday. Knowing it would be a fun night that should be documented, I took my camera out with me. I guess that wasn't a good idea because I got my camera stolen out of my purse, along with all my cash and my Charlie Card. Cool.

Then last night there was a Halloween dance on campus like there is every year. Since security at my school is super "strict", people aren't allowed to bring bags in so you have to leave your bags in the cubbies they provide that are watched ever so closely by a campus police officer that probably couldn't care any less about the safety of your belongings. My iPod was stolen. That thing had my whole life on it. Pictures, notes, music, appointments - everything. Thanks. Other people got stuff stolen out of their bags as well. Quality police officers being hired at this school. That's for sure.

Why are people such jerks?! Why is it so important that you have MY things. Work your ass off like everyone else and get it yourself. The HONEST way. Aklhjakljfh. >:(

Oh, and my iced coffee slid off my car while I was trying to get a bag out. Just to top things off. Guess the parking lot was thirsty...

Oh well, I'm trying to get over it. Not much I can do about people sucking.

On a lighter note, the Pop Punk's Not Dead Tour came to Boston last night! This Time Next Year, Man Overboard, The Wonder Years, Set Your Goals, and, of course, NEW FOUND GLORY played. It was an absolute blast! Christina and I went dressed in our costumes because we figured since it was close to Halloween a lot of other people would dress up too.

...Nope.

We were 2 of maybe 4 people that we wearing costumes out of literally thousands of people. Embarassing. Or awesome, depending on how you look at it. We went to Qdoba before to eat a delicious burrito dinner and I swear that everyone in Boston just thought I dressed the way I looked on a regular basis. "This chick..." Also I got lipstick all over my burrito, which was hilarious. I would show you a picture but SOMEONE STOLE MY IPOD. #notbitteratall ....*cough*

The show itself was out of control. Man Overbaord and This Time Next Year were both really good and catchy, but I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by The Wonder Years. I really need to listen to them more often. They had so much passion and energy and they got me so into the show and I really don't know much of their music. I've only listened to them a few times when they pop up on my Spotify. But they are faaaantastic. You guys just got a brand new fan! :)

I was really looking forward to seeing Set Your Goals live again, although I was bummed out that they only played a couple of their old songs. Guess I need to listen to their new stuff more often! But they always put on sucha good show. I can't get over how differently sized and shaped their two vocalists are:

Haaaaaaaa

New Found Glory was AMAZING as always. This was the third time I've seen them and they're always super fun to see. Probably because they're my favorite band and I know every word to every song, haha. Beautiful. I really wish I had some pictures to post!

Aside from getting things stolen from me, the dance was pretty fun. I only made it for the last 20 minutes but it was a good time and the DJ was from JAMN 94.5 so he played awesome music! :) Will was also taking Photobooth pictures so we had a lot of fun with that! (I'll post them once they get posted on the OSA Facebook!) It was basically Throwed but at Lasell College, haha. Weird.

Last night was a good start to my favorite holiday weekend of the year and I'm SOOO looking forward to what the rest of the weekend brings! :D I'll post pictures as they become available to me :P

My Halloween Costume [Day 300]

2011-10-27T23:26:00.000-04:00

As a tribute<3 Luhh you grrl.
Pictures to come!

Song(s) of the Moment [Day 299]

2011-10-26T23:50:00.001-04:00

Another Challenge?! Day 10 [Day 298]

2011-10-25T11:44:00.002-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves ✓
3. Eight fears ✓
4. Seven wants ✓
5. Six places ✓
6. Five foods ✓
7. Four books ✓
8. Three films ✓
9. Two songs ✓
10. One photo of yourself

Carving Pumpkin Potter :)

Another Challenge?! Day 9 [Day 297]

2011-10-24T21:38:00.001-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves ✓
3. Eight fears ✓
4. Seven wants ✓
5. Six places ✓
6. Five foods ✓
7. Four books ✓
8. Three films ✓
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 296]

2011-10-23T22:42:00.001-04:00

“Get mad, then get over it.”

-Colin Powell

Another Challenge?! Day 8 [Day 295]

2011-10-22T12:42:00.001-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves ✓
3. Eight fears ✓
4. Seven wants ✓
5. Six places ✓
6. Five foods ✓
7. Four books ✓
8. Three films
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

Another Challenge?! Day 7 [Day 294]

2011-10-21T23:27:00.000-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves ✓
3. Eight fears ✓
4. Seven wants ✓
5. Six places ✓
6. Five foods ✓
7. Four books
8. Three films
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

Another Challenge?! Day 6 [Day 293]

2011-10-20T23:20:00.000-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves ✓
3. Eight fears ✓
4. Seven wants ✓
5. Six places ✓
6. Five foods
7. Four books
8. Three films
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

Food #1

Tacos/any Mexican food

Food #2

Croissants

Food #3

Lasagna

Food #4

General Tsao’s Chicken

Food #5

Homemade Pizza

Another Challenge?! Day 5 [Day 292]

2011-10-19T22:30:00.001-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves ✓
3. Eight fears ✓
4. Seven wants ✓
5. Six places
6. Five foods
7. Four books
8. Three films
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

Since I’m graduating in the spring, I think I’ll pick six of my favorite places at Lasell.

Place #1

Grellier Field/the Turf – So much blood, sweat and tears are left on this field. I’ve made friends on this field. We’ve defeated enemies on this field. This is a place of hard work and pride, and probably the place I’ll miss most on campus.

Place #2

Campus Center – partly because of late night hunger satisfaction, mostly because of Orientation 2010.

Place #3

The Café – Obviously not for the food. This is where we all meet at the end of the day and talked about how our days went. Where we share jokes and stories and worries. We consoled each other and related to one another. If you really think about it, it’s where our friendships were really solidified.

Place #4

The locker room – There’s this sense of pride when I walk into the locker room. It’s a privilege to be able to go in there. I work hard to be part of my team and to be able to step into them and feel the sense of anticipation before each game is something I’m grateful for.

Place #5

Bragdon – This is where all my best party memories lie. Be it the lacrosse room my sophomore year or the rugby room this year, this is where those blurry nights surrounded by good friends originate from.

Place(s) #6

My various rooms around campus – Woodland 216, Rockwell 316, Butterworth 301, & West 301. My homes for the last 4 years.

Another Challenge?! Day 4 [Day 291]

2011-10-18T22:37:00.001-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves ✓
3. Eight fears ✓
4. Seven wants
5. Six places
6. Five foods
7. Four books
8. Three films
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

Want #1

Cute heeled booties! <3

Want #2

A one way plane ticket back to Europe.

Want #3

To be Pauly D’s best friend, ahahaha

Want #4

*drooooooooooool*

Want #5

I would also settle for an Xbox and Portal so I can play all day instead of doing anything else, haha.

Want #6

To watch Superbad. I haven’t seen that movie in foreverrr.

Want #7

A PUPPY SIZED ELEPHANT! I would die of happiness.

Another Challenge?! Day 3 [Day 290]

2011-10-17T23:54:00.001-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves ✓
3. Eight fears
4. Seven wants
5. Six places
6. Five foods
7. Four books
8. Three films
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

Fear #1
Being alone. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy my time to myself, but after a while it just gets boring and lonely. I don't think I'd ever want to live by myself. Be it with a roommate, a friend, my family, a boyfriend or husband - I'll always want to be with someone. I can’t imagine spending any part of my life in solitude.

Fear #2

HEIGHTS. Put me up too high in the air and you’ll see me just itching to get back on the ground.

Fear #3

Having a major health complication. This is sort of a new fear. I blame my Human Bio class because we always talk about diseases and complications of the organ system, so being myself, I over analyze and think what woud happen if I ever got any of the diseases we discuss in class.

Fear #4

Growing old. Time always seems to go by so quickly that life sometimes seems like a blur. It freaks me out to no end.

Fear #5

Drowning…. what a scary way to die.

Fear #6

Failure. I have this huge fear that once I graduate college I’m not going to find a job and wind up homeless. It’s a little extreme, yes, but I can’t say that I don’t think about it.

Fear #7

The health and safety of my family and friends. I got my dad’s worry wart gene and I’m always so concerned about the people that are dearest to me. If anything were to ever happen to them I would be totally devistated.

Fear #8

Being unhappy. My ultimate goal in life is just to be happy.

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 289]

2011-10-16T23:50:00.001-04:00

“Sometimes the questions are complicated
and the answers are simple.”

-Dr. Suess

Another Challenge?! Day 2 [Day 288]

2011-10-15T22:38:00.001-04:00

1. Ten secrets ✓
2. Nine loves
3. Eight fears
4. Seven wants
5. Six places
6. Five foods
7. Four books
8. Three films
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

Love #1

Reading. I can never find anytime to read for fun while I’m in school, but during the summer, there’s really nothing better than getting lost in a good book while lying in the sunshine.

Love #2

Everything French! I don’t know if it’s because of my family heritage, but I’ve always been attracted to French things. French foods, the French language, France itself… it’s always all been so appealing to me!

Love #3

Finding random fuzzy memories from nights out that I forgot about on my camera. Like these!:

Love #4

When things go better than expected. Like how I totally thought I was going to get like a 65 on my biology exam from last Friday and I ended up getting a 93. Hollaaa!

Love #5

Getting food delivered to my dorm room. It’s a rare occurrence, but when it happens, it’s amazing.

Love #6

Being right. Lezbihanest (lol), everyone loves being right and throwing it in everyone’s face. Muahaha.

Love #7

Trashy reality TV. In particular, Jersey Shore and Teen Mom. They entertain me to no end, and most importantly, they make me feel better about my own life. 0:)

Love #8

Netflix instant watch. Sooooo many awesome shows. Soooo many ways to procrastinate.

Love #9

Laughing. Such a simple act, but when I’m laughing, I know in that moment that I am genuinely happy. :)

Another Challenge?! Day 1 [Day 287]

2011-10-14T11:53:00.001-04:00

We all know how much I love blog challenges – I’ve been doing one for 287 days for crying out loud. Of course when I stumble across a new one I’m going to want to take a swing at it! Here’s one I found on one of the most entertaining personal blogs I’ve ever read – The Mean Girl Diaries.

1. Ten secrets
2. Nine loves
3. Eight fears
4. Seven wants
5. Six places
6. Five foods
7. Four books
8. Three films
9. Two songs
10. One photo of yourself

So cool, ten secrets about myself. Starting this thing off awkward….

Secret #1

I’m a huge HP geek.

I guess this isn’t really a secret to those who read this blog, but it’s probably not something that someone would expect from me if they met me in “real life”. I’ve read all the books, I’ve seen all the movies, and I even got into Pottermore early to Beta test the site. I had a bit of an identity crisis when (now this is really nerdy) I was sorted into Gryffindor as I always thought of myself as a Ravenclaw, but when I think about it now I sort of see it. My friends always assumed I was a Gryffindor as well! Guess I just don’t have a strong sense of myself, haha.

Secret #2

My sister and I don’t have the closest relationship. This is always something that I wish would change. We’re such different people that growing up, we could almost never see eye to eye and we’re sort of going through the consequences of it now. In the end, though, we’re still sisters and I’m still going to be there for her through thick and thin.

Secret #3

I can’t picture myself having kids and being a mother. The thought of it absolutely terrifies me because I think I’ll be a bad mom.

Secret #4

I have trust issues. Because of this, people usually only get one shot with me, and if they screw up it is extremely difficult for me to let them back in my life. If I do trust you, though, I would literally take a bullet for you.

Secret #5

I can touch my tongue to my nose.

Secret #6

I keep everything in. There isn’t a lot that people know about me, because I’m not a huge fan of sharing my feelings. If I can’t talk about it with someone else, it stays inside. If it really bothers me, I’ll write it down, but no one will find out, usually.

Secret #7

I sleep with a teddy bear still. Most of the time he just sits in the corner of my bed or acts as an extra pillow, but sometimes I just need something to cuddle with.

Secret #8

I feel like I know what a lot of my issues are, but I don’t know how to fix them. This makes me very frustrated and makes me feel lazy that I’m not trying harder.

Secret #9

I’m not very good at video games, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Portal. It’s so challenging and entertaining that it just sucks you right in and you can play for literally hours on end. The makers of this game are geniuses.

Secret #10

My online life. I almost never tell people I know about this blog, my Tumblr, or my Twitter. It’s almost like I’m ashamed of them, but I don’t think that’s right because I love blogging and logging my life. I think it has something to do with my trust issues and being nervous what other people will think about me.

Daily(Nightly?)Booth [Day 286]

2011-10-13T21:16:00.001-04:00

Sooo, I wrote a love sonnet... [Day 285]

2011-10-12T11:23:00.003-04:00

...to iced coffee. We're covering sonnets in my English Lit course and we all had to write them. In true Riley fashion, I put it off until the last minute (aka this morning) and the only thing that really inspires me at 8AM is my coffee, apparently. Anyways, I thought it was pretty clever. :P

You are the one I look for in the morn,
And the one who picks me up in the eve;
You fix my heart whenever it is torn,
And never once threatened me that you'll leave.
When you and I first met a few years back,
I was fearful that we would not connect;
But if there is a day with you I lack,
My life, it seems, is far less than perfect.
There are others that have tried to compete,
But I truly don't give a second glance;
My love for you is far more than elite,
And imitators just don't stand a chance.
As long as there's a beating heart in me,
I will adore you, Dunkin's Iced Coffee.

Spoken like a true New Englander! ;)

Throwed, Round 2 [Day 284]

2011-10-11T23:21:00.000-04:00

Happy List #7 [Day 283]

2011-10-10T23:45:00.000-04:00

Margaritias – Both the Restaurant and the drink! <3

Positive Thought Sunday [Day 282]

2011-10-09T11:16:00.008-04:00

“If the grass is greener on the other side,
maybe that’s because
you’re not taking good care of your grass."

-Unknown