Pretty Things

We went to the farmer's market last weekend, and it was lovely. I found a booth selling won tons and crab rangoon...not something one would usually eat at 10am, but fantastic all the same. After picking up our normal produce, we bought a bouquet of flowers. There was a 20 minute wait, but there was much to look at and it was completely worth it. I was fascinated by both the art of putting together bouquets and the three different patterns in the woman's outfit, not to mention the adorable little boy running around behind the table.

We've had a surprisingly large crop of tomatoes this year. We grow heirloom ones, which are all beautiful. They're different shades of red, and some are even striped. They sit on the windowsill to finish ripening, while with my Buddha statue holds it open.

This is what I wore to my OFA healthcare meeting on Tuesday. The blouse is cream colored with little red flowers and it's adorable. Cute blouses/shoes/accessories are the only time I'll post outfits with jeans on here.

Blouse-Charlotte Russe. Jeans-Kohls. Bag-Target. Bangle-Thrifted. Earrings-Target. Moccasins(not shown)-Minnetonka.

These are "Chinese meditation balls" my friend bought me in Chinatown while visiting her sister, who lives in San Fransisco. They have little bells in them, and you're supposed to rotate them in your hand. I haven't quite got the hang of it yet, but I do really like the design.

Relief

I met the school's new orchestra teacher today, and I'm so relieved! Everyone loved Mrs. T, and we were so worried her replacement wouldn't match up. However, she seems really nice, and she's primarily a cellist. Awesome. I don't have anything else to say...I'm just so relieved and I had to express it!

Photography, School, and Coffee (As Usual)

I'm returning to photography class once my independent study is worked out, so I've started to re-inspire myself for upcoming projects. I discovered a German photographer named Patrick Runte, and I love the whimsy and geekiness of his work. (I would love to show some of it here, but the URLs seem to be protected.)

Speaking of school, it's all I can think about lately. I haven't been very busy this week, other than having a "movie day" with a couple of friends today, and I'm honestly just ready to go back. There's something I absolutely love about fall. Even though it's a time for nature to begin hibernating, it's a time of new beginnings for many of us. The school population shifts, changes are made, new friendships are created, and people are excited to learn (or I am, anyway.) I miss tights and can't wait to wear them again. I'm also looking forward to more experimentation with outfits that can be worn while playing the cello; I've picked up a couple skirts that are long and flowy enough, as well as some more tunic-y tops that can dress up jeans a bit. It's going to be a great year.

OH, and I had my first blogger recognition today! It's supposed to take a year or two (right?), so I was definitely surprised. I went to apply for jobs, and I stopped in this cafe (as mentioned in this blog post) because I have a friend who just quit in order to leave for college. After taking an application, filling it out, returning it, and staying to sip coffee, the own approached me and said that he recognized my name from what I wrote about them on here! He seemed pleased, but mentioned that he doesn't actually live above the shop (though the previous owner did). After my initial surprise, I was pleased...hopefully it'll be positive in my potential for being hired there! Knock on wood. Though I'm not actually superstitious.

P.S.-Photos soon of the farmer's market, my awesome striped tomatoes, and other aesthetically pleasing things I've come across in the last couple of days.

Sounding Off

There are many things I love about my city, but the amount of closed-minded conservatism drives me insane. Our newspaper, The Freeman, fuels this. While most papers have editorials, we also have "sound-offs." Editorials are generally long, thought-out, and held to a bit of a standard. Sound-offs, however, are usually short or obnoxiously long, and don't seem to be held to any sort of standard. People write in about all kind of things (Obama, Wisconsin governor Jim Doyle, and garlic!) and most have been about the evils of socialism lately. So, I decided to bring in a sound-off from the other side and write about all the beneficial socialist programs in the United States government. It's hopefully going to be printed tomorrow (the don't print on Mondays), and here it is!

"The Republican Party and its followers have done nothing but complain about the evils of socialism recently. However, socialism is what drives most of our society. The fire department is a government program; the FDA makes sure our food is clean and our medication is safe; public libraries provide us with free books to read, free movies to watch, and other resources; Social Security assists the elderly and disabled; the city fixes roads, and keeps them clear and safe to drive on in the winter; we have sidewalks to walk on; there are parks and public pools for us to enjoy; children can get an affordable education; we can use the Amtrak or buses to get around; there are ramps for those with physical disabilities; there are regulations on buildings so our houses and shops don't collapse; and that's just the beginning. So, have any of those services benefited you? Thank socialism, and try to be less closed-minded about it!"

Note: It sounds kind of lecture-y? Hm. I guess I'm doing more of the sound-off writing style than my own...except for the correct use of semicolons.

"And even though we ain't got money...

...I'm so in love with ya honey,
And everything will bring a chain of love.
And in the morning when I rise,
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes,
And tell me everything is gonna be alright."
-Danny's Song

That has nothing to do with anything in this post...I just heard it sung at the farmer's market this morning and fell in love with the chorus a bit.

Anyway, I'm just quickly writing this to let you all know that I'm going to be gone for longer than usual. My family is cutting back on technology, and any time I have on the computer this weeks will probably be used making sure I can hang out with all my older friends before they go to college. So, I could blog from my iPod touch, but this is waaay more trouble than it's worth, and I can't put pictures with it, so I guess I'll just take a break. See you in a week or two!

Mexican Food

I went out for Mexican with a friend a couple days ago. There are a ton of Mexican restaurants in the area. Most of them are fairly authentic (and cheap!), but a few are a bit fancier. La Estacion is one of those: the menu is huge and the building is an old train station, complete with refurbished train cars to sit in. I guess I was really happy about the food, because I took pictures of everything...

I love guacamole. I eat avacado on everything: burgers, chili, and more. It's the wonder food.

We always request to sit in the train car.

This is in my top two amazing local restaurant salads. It has: lettuce, spinach, strawberries, goat cheese, dried cranberries, shrimp, and amazing dressing. I'm very much a taco person, but I can't resist this every time I go to La Estacion.

Happy/Sad Things

Happy.

Finishing my summer AP Economics homework. This resulted in putting on a hat and dancing to Girl Talk. By myself. Completely the highlight of my day.

New earbuds. My Apple ones were completely falling apart. I love my iTouch, but I really feel like their stuff is made to be disposable.
School starts in a couple of weeks. I know, I know, but I'm pretty excited to start and finish my senior year. My classes are going to be interesting, hopefully...I have a lot of new teachers, so we'll see.

Sad.

Scheduling Problems. I had to drop AP Art History to fit everything in my schedule, and I'm taking Photo Seminar as an independent study, which means not having class with everyone I've had class with for the last three years.

Les Paul Dying. The "Wizard of Waukesha" and quite an innovator in music. I'm proud he's from my hometown.

I can't stop thinking about school. It IS soon, but I need to enjoy the last two weeks of summer!

Fooling Around With Makeup

Green! What do you think?

(This is totally the comic of Ghost World, which inspired the movie.)

This is my turntable. I bought it at a rummage sale for $15. I talked the guy down from $20 because it was my 15th birthday that week. I'm still pretty proud.

Tuned to either 88.9 or 90.7...independent radio is awesome.

Janis Joplin, if you're curious.

I love summer...

...but I'm almost ready to be done. I'm craving tights, and I'm not crazy enough to wear them in the summer. Also, all the "back to school" stuff has started to pop up, and I'm just ready to go back. However, summer sunlight does produce some fantastic pictures.

My cousin's balcony.

My brother, hanging onto the balcony.

We "married" her to Robert Pattinson.

One of my grandpa's paintings. The fish is real!

We went to Phantom. I couldn't take pictures during the show, but the set at the beginning was amazing.

This is from a while ago. We visited my cousins in Illinois and went to a "Dog n Suds" drive-in on the way back.

These are all pictures from my bike ride. We stopped in a town called Wilton before the ride.

Get it? Like pi(r^squared)..the area of a circle!

And it was cute! And they had antiques! And the pie was awesome!

I bought a mug...because I don't have more than my cabinets can handle already.

Awesome jacket.

Then, we went on our bike ride. This was a giant stone flume for runoff from these huge old train tunnels.

My bike. I am in love with it.

The "light at the end of the tunnel."

closer...

closer...

closer...

closer...

almost there...

Sweetest bubbler ever. (That's a water fountain, for you non-Milwaukee folk.)

Overall, a fun day.

We stayed in La Crosse that night, so I could tour the college. This is off Grandad's Bluff...apparently we could see Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

I'm driving now! (with parental supervision...) Look out, world!