On A Chain, On A String

Phoenix shared this little reminder today:

...and directed us to Sur La Table to get our own little chained chalkboards.

But I've got another idea.

Have you heard of chalkboard paint? (And its sister, dry erase board paint?) It's a type of paint that you can add to most flat, clean surfaces like cardboard and wood to get that chalkboard (or dry erase board) finish that functions the same as its mother idea.

With this paint, you could make your own mini-chalkboards - chain them, string them, make them any size and shape to fit your desires and needs. The possibilities are endless!

Ode to the Indie

(via A Cup of Jo, downstream from Oh?)

Don't Stop Believin'...

When people say that life is a journey, they really mean it. It's been 5 years since I started my college journey and I've learned a lot about life, love, friendship, and, most importantly, myself. But even with everything I have learned, I've still got a lot to learn. Even with a direction to go in, I still don't know exactly what I want to do or how to get there. We never stop learning, never stop finding out new things, and never really finish becoming who we really want to be.

And no matter how tough things get, sometimes there is nothing we can do except keep chugging along because not moving forward means moving backward. And sometimes we have to take a step back, because leaping forward may require a running start.

You don't always start where you want and you don't always end up where you think you will. Either way, that's okay. That's life.

As Danette's mother says, "This, too, shall pass."

Giant Pocky

I went to Mitsuwa today with Sage and found something amazing.

Giant. Pocky.

Each stick almost the size of my forearm.

I should have taken a picture with the box but I was too eager to eat them all as I found them to be actually more delicious than normal Pocky! Luckily, there is always the internet:

(via RoG at i-mockery)

Thanks, internet, for helping my demonstrate the size of the giant Pocky. A quick Google search showed that Amazon.com also carries Giant Pocky. You know what would be the best thing ever? If Costco carried them in bulk.

Cleaning, Packing, Moving, Part II

I am sleeping on an inflatable mattress right now, as I have (or rather, Clement has) already disassembled the bed and arrangements have been made to sell it.

If you include moving in and out of the dorms, this is the 7th time I've moved in 5 years. Needless to say, I am tired of moving. I am tired of trying to clean out my stuff every time, putting things in and labeling boxes, playing Tetris with everything I own, and having the thought in the back of my mind that I'm probably just going to be doing this again in a matter of months.

In an attempt to comfort me, my mom was telling me that the year she was pregnant with me, she and my dad moved a whopping 6 times. In one year! That certainly puts some perspective on this move. After all that, my mom was adamant about them buying their own house and no longer having to deal with all that crap. (Boy, do I ever understand about housing drama but those are many tales for other times.) My parents are still in the house I grew up in and it's been almost 20 years since they last moved.

I hope I'm lucky enough to have no more than 2 or 3 more moves in my lifetime. I'm kind of envious of my friend Tammi, who just became a homeowner (and has been out of commission on her blogs for nearly a week) with her husband, but I'm reminded that she has a 5-year head start on me as far as establishing a household goes. I'm really looking forward to seeing the pictures of her new abode!

This week, I'm continuing to clear out the furniture via Craigslist and looking for/interviewing potential replacements. Hoping to have almost everything packed after this upcoming weekend and living out of a suitcase while sleeping on an inflatable bed in a nearly empty room. Heh, when you put it that way, packing almost sounds fun.

Also, I'm realizing that I have yet to write anything about relationships even though I was planning on having this blog geared partly in that direction. I will address this sometime this week as well.

Que Sera, Sera

Inspiration

What I took from this video isn't that whole "determination will overcome any obstacle" thing, but the fact that it really made me think "why do we let things stand in our way?" Just because we can't do something the way it's usually done doesn't mean we can't find a new way to accomplish something and possibly be even better than people who do it the "traditional" way.

I have to admit, when I first saw the title of the video, I didn't so much admire the fact that he wanted to play guitar despite having no arms as I was just plain curious as to how he did it. That was really the message for me -- people are remembered for what they have done but it's how they did it that really speaks to who they are.

5 of My Favorite Cute Animal Videos

Digging through my favorites list on YouTube, I rediscovered some gems I'd like to share. Here are 5 of my favorite cute videos of animals!

#5: Mama Cat Adopts Baby Rabbit

#4: Buenos Aires Zoo - "Together"

Ok, this one is animated, but still cute animals!

#3: Otters Holding Hands

#2: Tiny Piglets

#1: Ocelot Kittens

There you go! A big heaping dose of "awww" to take you through your Monday. =)