Aw Shucks

Guess who oh so inconveniently locked her keys in her car when she had a billion and a half errands to run, not to mention the fact that she was supposed to drive to Dallas tonight? Yup, that would be moi. Soooo Dallas is being postponed till tomorrow as is picking up this awesome chest i found at a thrift store yesterday ($19 bucks!!) that would make a great windowseat in my boudoir. As for the rest of the day, i intend to be wildly productive. :-)

More Pink Palace, Craftiness, & Anger Management

Above are pictures of the bathroom here in the pink palace. Kind of hard to see from the pics, but my faves about it include the gorgeous mirrored 2-drawer table, leopard print towels from Pottery Barn (thanks, Ma Soeur!!), and shabby chic hydrangea shower curtain. Things i don't like are the litterbox under the table (dunno what to do 'bout that one..) and my complete inability to fold my towels properly.

On another fun note, the black framed corkboard was a fun little project of mine. The black frame is from IKEA and is actually meant for pictures. But I desperately needed a place to post important messages and fun pics in my "office" so I decided to get a little crafty. Removed the original glass and bought a roll of cork board from Office Max. Cut out the oval shape twice (for thickness), stuck it in the frame in place of the glass, and voila! A chic and cheap corkboard! Now if only i could learn how to sew my own pillow covers and curtains...

On a slightly less upbeat note, i've been struggling with many things since returning to the States, and one that really got to me today is my anger. Well.. my anger and inability to forgive and let go. I can definitely be one to hold a grudge (a quality i don't admire at ALL), and though i've gotten much better about it over the past few years, i am unable to get past something right now, and it's really starting to affect me. This kind of anger is toxic, and i can feel its poison spread through my body. I don't like being this person! But you know when you get hurt SO badly that you just don't think you could ever forgive and forget? Yeah, it sucks. Still struggling with anger management... luckily i have great friends and yoga!

Pink Palace Part 1

The rest of the apt is a MESS, but i pulled the living room together so you can see my new hot pink wall! Behind the couch is my desk/office area. Muffin also strolled in last minute and made the shot. Enjoy!

Apt

My mattress cover for the daybed/couch should be arriving today, and so pics of my own little pink palace will be coming soon!!

Belated Post

Wow. I know i've been so MIA, but i truly do have good reason. Aside from my 7 classes, i've been struggling with this gosh darned cough for about a month now, and last night was the absolute worst. As i was getting ready for bed, i was suddenly unable to breathe, feverish, coughing up a storm, and then coughing so hard that i threw up. Ew!! I didn't even know that was possible! This went on for about 25 minutes, until i was finally able to quiet myself enough to fall asleep. Woken up again by my own coughing this morning, i called the University Health center AGAIN, spoke to a nurse who suggested i try "Claritin" (OBVIOUSLY I'VE TRIED CLARITIN), and finally convinced her to let me see a doctor. Went in, waited forEVER, and left 1 1/2 hours later with 3 new prescriptions. 2 inhalers and 1 nasal spray thingy. I see Dr. Day again in 2 weeks. I hope i can breathe by then.

In better news, my apartment is near done, and i'm tickled pink (literally)! My bedroom is a soothing light green (Grecian Green by Benjamin Moore), and in my living room is a hot pink accent wall (Pink Corsage by Benjamin Moore). I have pale pink bookshelves in my "office", a pretty blue/pink Shabby Chic bathroom, and a ginormous closet which has yet to be organized. I am LOVING this space.

Have not journaled, read, or dabbled in any creative "work" since moving back to Austin. It feels wrong, oh so wrong. I plan to get back into it ASAP, otherwise i am sure to lose whatever semblance of sanity i'm currently maintaining.

Hate all my classes. Hate school. Hate being a student.

Time to go inhale. XOXO

Class...

Day #3. Day #1 didn't count since i didn't leave the house. Day #2 was slightly unbearable. Day #3? I have a feeling this is gonnna suck. Too many things going on today... class till 5:30, Medley meeting at 7, and hopefully hanging with M after that. Called University Health Services yesterday to make a doctor's appt, as my cough has progressively gotten worse (plus Pony made me). Talked to the nurse and apparently everyone's been calling with the same symptoms - blame it on those Austin allergies! The cedar count is ridiculously high, and i just need to buy some Zyrtec (now over-the-counter!) and be patient. Well considering i'm wheezing up a storm and can't speak without coughing, and this has been going on for almost a month now, it's really hard to be patient.

Last night the Londy gals and i had a petit roomie reunion at J, L, and M's new pad. It's a darling house, tucked away in Hyde Park, and only minutes away. On the way home, S and i discussed how great it is that we all lived together in London and how close we all are now. I couldn't agree more. Living in a tiny prison-like dorm together in one of the most expensive, and at times overwhelming, cities in the world will either make you or break you, and i'd say the entire experience definitely bonded us in a way we could have never bonded here in Austin.

P.S. I'm never showing up to class early again.

Domestic Goddess

This is a rare moment, and i want to savor every delicious second of it: i have successfully painted my bedroom! All by myself!! My first time painting ever!!! It looks great, and i'm sooo glad i did it. Now i can't wait for my pink wall! It'll be MUCH easier, considering it's only 1 wall. Perhaps i will take on this project this weekend, as i really need to be getting to my classes for the rest of the week. My couch was also delivered today, and although the bed slats were the wrong size, at least the couch is here, and i officially have a living room! Also got a twin mattress from Craigslist (love that site) this morning for only $45 - and he delivered! Took a nice long nap on my new couch/daybed after a long hot shower post-painting this afternoon. It was divine, and it's good to know that it's as comfy as i had hoped. Also got these amazing lucite-esque nesting tables from CB2, and i love love LOVE them. Lucite is so hot right now, but why oh why is it so expensive?

Ok must go and get "organized" for school tomorrow. I go from 9:30 to 5:30. Blah!

Just Breathe

Greetings from Austin! This past week has been a whirlwind of packing, moving, unpacking, shopping, building, organizing, and i'm still SO far from being finished. First off, my living room is tres incomplete as i do not yet have a couch. West elm is supposed to be delivering tomorrow, but they never called to give me a time, and i have a pretty busy day full of, yuck, class. I also don't yet have a rug for the living room (leopard has gone in the entry way), but i think i found a fairly inexpensive one from west elm as well to order. Bedroom is a complete disaster, minus my beautiful four poster bed. Have bought pots of paint for the boudoir and am pretty much decided on my pink living room accent wall. Wish that i could just hire painters and people to assemble my furniture, but alas i am still a student and currently quite poor. Mom had yet another meltdown RE: me and my money spending. This one was extreme and almost destroyed all sense of emotional stability that i've gained over the past year. Luckily, she left and i realized that as much as i love my mother, our relationship will continue to suffer until i earn my own income and prove to her that i can live on my own. Sigh.

The weather here has been GORGEOUS, and i'm loving Austin more than ever. Am beyond excited that i will be here for at least the next couple of years. Hope the new year has been going well for you. Have a couple of resolutions in my bed, but have yet to sit down and really spend time reflecting on 2007 and creating goals and action plans for 2008. Considering i'm about to embark on a 17-hour, 7-class semester... i'm not quite sure when that will happen. But i guarantee you i will find the time. ;-)

Alternative Medicine

Tra la la, i'm still getting ZERO packing/organizing done as i should be. I leave for Austin in THREE days, and my room is still a wreck. I've got stuff in here, in the kitchen, in the garage, in the game room, in storage in Austin, in Linz's apartment... I mean where isn't my stuff? Really hoping to start the new year in a new apartment freeee of clutter! Ok let's be honest, i don't know that i can ever be completely clutter free, BUT at least an organized apartment, oui?

After quite a late sleep-in this morning, err..afternoon, I met up with Mom and Auntie at the acupuncturist. Mom wanted to see if she could do anything about my horrible sinus problems and allergies. After filling out a long questionnaire and showing the doc my tongue, she handed me a paper gown and proceeded to put needles in EVERY part of my body. I'm talkin' head, face, neck, chest, stomach, hands, legs, feet, back... everywhere. Surprisingly the only ones that kinda hurt were the ones in my little bitty hands. Other than that, the others were... interesting. Thank G there wasn't a mirror around! After handing me ten (yes, really, TEN) bottles of various herbs, i was on my merry way. We had a nice girls' dinner at Houston's, complete with a tres cute waiter and a petit argument about tipping (i insist on 20% for good service, and my mom thinks i'm whack), i said au revoir and headed up to IKEA. Spent a good time perusing, getting ideas for the new space, and wondering why oh WHY can i not seem to find the perfect coffee table. Anyway, hit Blockbuster on the way home and picked up "Provoked," a little film, starring Aishwarya Rai, based on a true story about a woman who set fire to (and therefore killed) her husband after 10 years of abuse and rape. It was surprisingly really good, and i actually kinda sorta knew what all the law talk was about. Imagine that! 2 1/2 years of law school, and i kinda sorta know stuff about the law. Sweet money.

So now it's only midnight, and this entire house of old fogies is asleep. Sigh. Makes it tres difficult to really get any good packing/organizing/dancing done, but i guess it's my own fault for not being productive during the day. Plans for tomorrow include more packing, shopping @ the Galleria, and seeing The Kite Runner (guaranteed to be a HUGE tearjerker). I'm off to be "productive"! In the meantime, enjoy these fun pics from Christmastime... my darling kitties and me and Mom's joy upon receiving the warmest most comfy slippers ever!

Angry Little Girl

Ugh. This cough is draining the life (and fight) outta me. It's been... a week now? I can't even keep track because i keep trying to convince myself that it's getting better, and then i go and do stupid things like party all night for New Year's (which btw, was TOTALLY worth it!) and then i'm back at square one, sipping yummy (read: disgusting) theraflu, chugging Nyquil, and sucking on cough drops. I feel like 2007 has been the year of sickness for moi. Honestly i feel like i've spent almost half of the year being sick, and it's sooo annoying. I used to be one of those people who "never get sick, honestly!" Truth be told, I think the big D took a huge toll on my body, and i'm still in recovery. On top of that, i've never fully regained my energy and joie de vivre from before, and i find myself easily tired and needing more sleep than i used to. I don't like this feeling at all. I used to be the type of person who couldn't sit still for more than a minute, and now i find myself wasting hours on end just... chillin. Argh! Needless to say, one of my goals for 2008 is to GET MORE ENERGY. I plan to try all the tricks in the book, from going veggie to working out regularly to cutting out caffeine, etc. None of these things sound like much fun to me, as i do adore my cafe au lait's and hearty fettucine bolognese from La Traviata, but if it promises me more energy, i'm willing to try anything.

Had a lovely girl date with my darling Laoura this afternoon/tonight. We exchanged Christmas prezzies, watched some of The Tudors (SO FREAKING HAWT), laughed at how pink my room is, discussed our respective past semesters (she's in grad school in southern Cal), hit up Chik Fil A and Starbucks, dined again for dinner, and did a little shopping. It was good times all around. :-) Stopped by CVS on my way home, loaded up on meds, and plan to spend the next 24+ hours at home resting and getting better. Mom wants to take me to the Chinese herb doctor/acupuncturist on Friday morning and i have wild plans of shopping and movie watching on Saturday so i really need to get better!

Hope you all had a fabulous time celebrating the New Year!! Can't wait to get to Austin and jump right back in the mix. Bonsoir, darlings!