just kidding.

i changed a few of the classes i was taking.

this is my updated schedule... not that anyone cares. well except for those two anonymous people who left comments asking me to look at their hot new pics on my last blog... (i need to change my commenting settings)

m/w/f 10-11 advanced art

m/w/f 11-12 the history of modern america

mon 2-5 advanced typography

wed 2-5 drawing:perspective

tues/thurs 2- 3:20 color, theory and application

online- web design, html and css

i have to take alternative chapel. which means i have to listen to the chapel podcasts and take an online quiz because my classes conflict with the chapel times.

i decided i should at least take one general ed class, that way next semester i will have a more balanced schedule of design/art/gen ed classes.

one of those weeks.

i don't know what it is but december has been hard.

today i had to do some photo retouching in one of my classes and im using a picture that i took in louisiana.

im really missing that period in my life. it was hard. but i just grew so much and learned so much about myself.

why do i get all nostalgic like this?

i just thought i spelled nostalgic incorrectly so i looked it up.

yep... nostalgic is fo sho how i am feeling.

–noun

1.	a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days.

2.	something that elicits or displays nostalgia.

in other news... my hands still have some gorilla glue on them. it has been three days. the napkin bits are mostly gone but my hands look all dry and peely but also shiny. and i can't snap.

glue.

yesterday i was scolded for neglecting my blog.

tonight i was working on my stupid model gallery project. i felt like i was in fourth grade building a model of a mission or something. only this time i didn't have my dad to help and give me guidance.

first i had to go to walmart (ew) (but thanks for taking me jackie!) because target was closed.

so i got home and measured and drew up the blue prints on the foam core. and then it was time to cut. i got all the walls and stuff cut out and i was ready to glue.

while gluing everything together i got a little gorilla glue on my hands. i tried washing them with soap and water. that only seemed to make everything worse. corinne suggested trying nail polish remover. that didn't remove the glue... instead pieces of the cotton ball that i was using to wipe it off just got stuck to my hand.

i ended up soaking my hands in hot soapy water and scrubbing with some exfoliating face wash for about 20 minutes. now my skin just feels rough and weird.

peeing in class.

ok, first of all i know "peeing" isn't the most ladylike term. i should say "using the restroom" or something like that. but i'm lazy.

although, explaining that probably took just as long. if not longer.

well.

i have a problem. i am totally not comfortable with leaving in the middle of a class to use the bathroom. there are a few reasons for this.

-i feel like its awkward to stand up in the middle of class and walk out

-its equally, if not more, awkward to ask for permission to leave

-i think it's kinda rude to leave while the professor is lecturing

-what if i miss something important while i am out of class

-what if i get back to class and the professor opens it up for discussion, then i will have no idea about what has already been covered

(side note: a pet peeve of mine is when people ask questions about things that have clearly been covered... just pay attention... you are wasting everyone's time)

-what if there is a line when i get to the bathroom? and then i have to wait? and then i get back and everyone wonders what i did in there... so awkward!

-

basically i just can't do it.

today in my christian social ethics class i had to go. i had to go bad.

it was 2:30. that three hour class goes till 5. the first week of school my classmates decided that instead of taking our allotted break halfway through the class we would rather get out of class 10 minutes early.

so it is 2:30 and i have to "hold it" till 4:30 at best.

around 3:30 im freaking out. i am probably majorly doing the potty dance in my seat. i am thinking that maybe i will have to break my streak of never peeing during a class and just excuse myself.

oh but i can't do that. if it was just a normal day maybe i would... but no. it is not a normal day, my professor's mentor came to talk to us. this is the man that inspired dr stumpf to teach. i can't just get up and leave in the middle of his lecture.

at 4 he has us break into groups to discuss something. and i think that maybe now is my chance. but just as i get up the courage to go he starts lecturing again.

i feel like i might pass out. i start picking away at my nail polish to take my mind off it. i don't know if i can make it. but now it's 4:15, wayyyy to late to get up and go. what if i leave and then class ends while im gone. and i have to come back to an empty class room. or what if all the students are gone but my professor stayed to make sure i was ok. maybe at that point i just wouldn't go back for my stuff.

finally the end is in sight. it's that point in class when it is acceptable to begin slowly packing up your stuff. i get everything together and put my backpack on. i can't sit still. the pain is so bad. i am planning on running to the bathroom, i have plotted my route in my mind.

class dismissed. i sprint to the bathroom. relief.

gallery methods.

my favorite class this semester is gallery methods.

the 8 of us in the class are responsible for maintaining our on campus gallery. so far i have learned how to hang art, i have filled tons of nail holes, and i have painted a few walls.

the other thing my class does is put together the student art competition. we were supposed to put a poster together for the comp. and this is what kelly and i came up with.

my website.

for one of my classes we had to make a website.

its my first time using dreamweaver so i learned a lot.

check out my site. 

a few of you are even in it.

feel honored and loved.

here it is.

and again. 

first class, spray paint.

yay school.

like i really love learning. in the past i had always been excited about school because of the social aspect, but i finally am excited about the learning.

why the switch?
well i am only taking art and graphic design classes.


we got a new guy for graphic design and im super excited about where he is taking the program here.

some of the course materials i need for my classes are things that i totally wanted for my life anyway.
like a self healing cutting board and spray adhesive.
because i am totally in love with making stencils and spray painting.that's me with a little lamb (rachel means ewe) i ended up outlining the spray paint with sharpie just to make it stand out more.

freshman flash back.

my room is almost clean.
while i was sorting through papers in my room i found a paper from focus.

i had to take a strenghts quest test (personality test).

INDIVIDUALIZATION

People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.

EMPATHY

People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations.

IDEATION

People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.

STRATEGIC

People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

INPUT

People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.

What are your strengths?

SO basically this is so true about me, "Empathy can be challenging because you may become overwhelmed with all of the emotions you can pick up in a day" its true. i feel so much.

and sometimes i wish i could just take a break. like i wish i could just be numb.

i was reminded why i only drink water.

i can not handle my caffeine. at all.
some people do not feel its affects. i am not one of those people.

i had two cups of coffee around 730. becuase i was trying to be all college-y. and i have massive amounts of work that needs to get done. in my head i thought, "i will drink some coffee and stay up real late working on my homework and projects."

nope. did not happen.

what did happen is this:
worked on homework for a while. took a break to watch the hills. some more homework. lots of myspace lurking. then at 1am i decided i would go to bed and wake up tomorrow to finish my group paper that is due wednesday.
but then i just laid in my bed for two hours. tossing and turning. and thinking about everything i need to get done.
oh did i mention the coffee i drank (is drank really a word? it looks so wrong) makes me pee non stop? well it does.
so im laying in bed and have to get up to use the bathroom. and then i decided i might as well do my homework now becuase im not falling asleep anytime soon.

lame.
and i really don't even like the taste of coffee.

an unusual purchase.

so i hardly ever buy movies. i see them all the time. but i don't usually have the urge to by every movie that comes out. because of these reasons:

1. collectively my friends have a pretty complete movie library. my room mate basically owns every movie a girl would want to see.
   
2. i tend to fall asleep during movies
3. i have decided to spend my movie money on movies in the theater. i love watching a movie with 100 strangers. i laugh much more when i i am surrounded by random people's laughter.
   

but i just pre ordered juno at amazon. i am pretty sure i have already talked about the awesomeness of this move.

more than re watching the movie i am excited to see the special features. the directors commentary. deleated scenes. outtakes.

thats another thing. if im going to buy a movie im going to get the extended version ever time that is an option. go big or go home, right?

in other movie news in my photo shop class i had to make a vector image using the pen tool. i hate the pen tool. its so hard for me. i have done so many tutorials. but i still have to stop and think about what im doing. which way i need to pull the little bar guys. ahhh.
well the theme of the project was you favorite movie. i never know how to answer that question. and i figured i had already lost all respect in that class when i turned in this project that i would just go for it and do sisterhood of the traveling pants.

so here it is.
kinda similar to the original, right? so if you have any images that you would like vectored i need the practice.
:]

my school is so werid.

today in my graphic design class we spent the entire hour photo-shopping an old man's wrinkles away. i have this problem where i am easily distracted and easily entertained. so after i was done de-wrinkling i covered up peoples eyes with skin. (this one was quick, just to illustrate a point, the others were better). (well as better as skin for eyes can be).

and then in my youth ministry class tony steward talked about social media. it was sweet. i love wikipedia even more than the next person so the info was right up my alley.
stuff i enjoyed:

1. wikipedia is written by millions of people who have a specific area of expertise while encyclopedias are written by ten really smart people.
   
2. facebook is a mall (you have stores you shouldn't go into and some books you shouldnt read. there is a limited amount of mischief going on because there is mall security to break it up but for the most part you see happy families with children in strollers).
   
3. myspace is a red light district. prostitutes are constantly soliciting you and asking you for sex and money. the advertisements are not g-rated at all.
   
4. ask a ninja is the most watched podcast. and no one in my class had heard of it. im like the only nerd in there.
   
5. rss stands for really simple syndication. who knew?
   

i start my sentencs with i because i am egocentric.

i am not going to junior high tonight.

i have to read jacob have i loved. and write a paper on it.
i have to read a bunch for film class. watch several hours of film. and write a few papers.
i have to read hurt. write a paper on that.
i have a some photoshop project to do.
i need to read a wrinkle in time and write a paper on that.
i have no homework for my aesthetics class.

i want to clean my room.
i want to wash my sheets.
i want to do laundry.
i want to make some valentines cards for people.

i have been listeing to the aquabats! and that puts me in a good mood.

i am going with cindy to do some homework at coffee depot.

film class.

so at first i wasnt sure what to think of this class. i was kinda intimadated by my teacher and the other students. on the first day we had to tell everyone what our favorite movie is. most people had these really deep movies that are commended for their cinematography. so i was getting pretty nervous, what should i say? i couldnt possibly be honest and tell the whole class my favorite movie is sisterhood of the traveling pants. so i said fight club. in hindsight i should have listed a few movies so people would think i was well rounded.

so my teacher is totally a member of the writers guild. so in my opinion class should be canceled while they are on strike. professor kevanos has this passionate rich voice. i just want him to narrate my life.

we started out watching thiss horrible racist film, Birth of a Nation.aside from being so dumb and promoting the reclamation the South after the uncivil blacks had destroyed the great southern values. the black cast members are portrayed as lesser beings. white supremacy is shown trough dialog and behaviors. even though the southerners had lost the civil war they retained their honor and dignity by caring for one another, and working hard for the cause. they were shown as the victims of slavery in America.

aside from that it was three hours long! and silent! ew.

then we watched battleship potemkin. i originally thought we might be viewing some russian version of pokemon (gotta catch em all!). but i was wrong.
the next movie was the german film metropolis. eh. nothing really to say about this one.

then we got to watch gold rush. a great charlie chaplin movie.
so funny!
like for reals laughing out loud.

then today we watched It Happened One Night. clark gable and claudette colbert. so cute. so funny. i was impressed. i still have about 20 minutes left that i still have to watch. but i am actually looking forward to doing that homework.
:]



so im looking forward to the rest of the class. now that we have gotten out of the silent era.
:]

i love mail.

so i just checked my mail box for the first time this month. it was stuffed.

its not like i have a million friends who are constantly sending me letters pouring out their hearts to me or anything.
i love to get mail so i fill out surveys and such online.
today in my mailbox:
a hpv information packet
and a sweet orange bracelet.

i also got a letter from the washington state potato commission and a temporary tattoo of a potato with a mustache and a cowboy hat.

a graduation announcement from kimie. a thank you card from kimie. and a party invitation from her as well. as far as my mailbox goes she was a good choice in friend.

i got five issues of tv guide.
three issues of us news and world report.
one issue of harpers bazaar.
and one issue of redbook.

and then i went to the book store and spent 400 dollars on books.
i still need to buy two more but they are out of stock right now.

if anyone wants to send me money you will make my day on multiple levels:

1. i will have mail
2. i will have money
3. i will have knowledge

8432 magnolia ave
box#1213
riverside ca 92504

geography.

i am really terrible at geography.
i was just looking at my google analytics map and i couldnt figure out which states were which untill i scrolled over them.

ohio. who knew it was so far east? i surely had no idea. i would picture ohio by wyoming and nebraska.

its not like i cheated my way through geography or anything. i just never had to learn that stuff. partly due to taking summer school history all throughout high school.
but ill blame it on all the standardized tests i had to take.


i can name all fitty states in alphabetical order, so i have that going for me. alabama, alaska, arizona, arkansa, caliornia, colorado, connecticut....
and im alright when it comes to world geography.
just dont ask me where minnesota is.

school update.

so i know i said no more school realated posts after finals.
but i got my grades. a, b, c, c.
which is better that i did last semester.
but still not great.
i tend to do better in the classes im excited about and i am super excited about the classes i will be taking:

1. young adult lit- im thinking i will have to read sisterhood of the traveling pants, and gossip girl books. right?
2. current trends in youth ministry- christian studies class about summer camp and youth group.
3. film as art/film as culture- movie dates with my class twice a week.
4. graphic design- i dont remember the title of this course. but its with pardee again. so that will be fun.
5. photojournalism- i was going to take art and the bible. but that class was canceled. so last night i had the hardest time finding a class to replace it. but i am excited about this one.
6. aesthetics in the classroom- im hoping this education class will be about teaching art. but i could also be about making pretty bulletin boards.
   

in other news. i was planning on taking an online class at rcc. but there are zero classes left. i mean there are classes but none of them would benefit me. at all.

time to get ready for junior high.

weird day so far.

so i woke up this morning to holly printing something on my computer. it was just weird. i was so confused. like i totally dont care that she used my printer it was just weird to wake up to that.

and then i fell back asleep and cindy came into my room. i have no idea what she was doing. i feel like she just opened the door and looked at me.

then i fell back asleep.

and i woke up and my clock alarm said 1:10. i started crying. and freaking out. my anthropology final was from 11-1. i walked over to holly and monica's room and told them i had slept through my final. they were sympathetic and asked what time it was. i said it was from 11-1.

then holly said, "rachel, its only 10:15"
i was so confused. my clock clearly said 1:13 at this point.

so i put on clothes. did a little last minute review. and went to take my test.

i think i did pretty good. but now starts the waiting process.

graphic design final.

i woke up and went to class.
pardee had written on the board:
"good graphic design is _____ "

and we were instructed to email him our answers.
this is what i submitted:

good graphic design is a teacher who says on the first day of class "there will be no final"

or good graphic design is a student who raps her final:

on this stage i will not preform
this, but my projects always had good type form
good use of space contributes to the layout
continuity is important or else people will stay out
of the restaurant i did design
but its all good, i did just fine

i always thought adobe was mexican clay
but now with illustrator i can play
i alwasy thought adobe was mexican clay
but now with photoshop i can play


you talked about good use of the grid
but now its time to put a lid
on this class
i hope i pass

i think i win. and i think i deserve an a.

luck of the irish.

this week i had two major projects due.

in my lit class i had to present my final paper. you might remember i was up late procrastinating.
well the presentation was all good. most people seemed to be genuinely interested. because after about a million speeches about downs syndrome, autism, no child left behind, the importance of pe, welding, and classical music who wouldnt want to hear about graffiti.
honestly tho, some of the topics were interesting.

but i HATE when people read off the power point. ughh! seriously. there is no need to read straight off the screen to a class of university students.

so my most embarrassing moment is...
we have to evaluate each person who gives a speach and there is this boy in my class and he is from ireland and he is on the soccer team (run on sentence much?). his topic was the importance of welding. but every time he said welding it was actually weldin' and it was so adorable. so my evaluation of him totally said "his irish accent is so cute"

and i turned that in to my teacher. what was i thinking?

a blog is a great excuse to procrastinate.

so i have a big presentation due tomorrow (technically today).
in my english class i am writing a research paper about the value of graffiti as art. the paper is not due for three more weeks but for some reason i have to present my findings to class tomorrow.

i am almost done but i cant stay focused.

i feel more pressure to deliver an interesting presentation because graffiti is cool and edgy. and i am cool and edgy. so of course my presentation should be cool and edgy.

i wish i had just written about nuclear physics so people would just tune me out and not actually listen to what i have to say.

i sat down at my mac to start it yesterday but didnt get very far. i found some more research so now i have about 20 articles (but i really need to actually read them now).

and i am a professional procrastinator so all day i have found things to distract me.
mostly things normally wouldn't do: reading for other classes. cleaning my room. making the bed. doing dishes.
and then i had a legitimate excuse:
chelsea and hannah! (pictured below at my last beach trip with the high school (we were playing some crazy picture game))
today there are about a million high school seniors at cbu for the preview day.

so right now as i "work on my presentation" they are sleeping on the floor behind me.
SCRATCH THAT. chelsea is sleep talking and hannah is telling her to stop sleep talking and go to bed. haha. that was funny.

ok. well i have checked my email, facebook, myspace, google analytics, my blog roll, and written a blog. its time to get back to work.
i realize that was not parallel structure, sue me.


actually i am going to get one more glass of water. then work some more.
well i might as well use the bathroom one more time.