what's wrong with Bilbao

If you need to procrastinate: "Inhabiting a Piece of Art: It's Not Always So Pretty," Nicolai Ouroussoff in The NYTimes.

A complete flop in confidence:
I need to submit a writing sample for an application. Looking through my old art history files, recalling issues and objects in which I immersed myself at some point or another, there are very few examples of my written work that make me undoubtedly proud. Even with the A-papers, the Reread always pronounces flaws and leaves me disappointed with myself.
What am I doing here if I'm not building a body of work for which I have respect?

This just demonstrates... constant editing is necessary. So is a bit of chocolate, right now.

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Never mind. I bought chocolate and slept from 7:30pm to 6am. Totally dandy now.

From my roommate

The Two-Legged Sleeping Bag:


Laugh as you will - I think it's brilliant! The range of motion from a normal sleeping bag is too limiting - I'm a kicker. This maintains the cocoon affect within the head/torso. LOVE IT

Via Gizmodo

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Second day of classes. Never wearing raw silk again. Still combating jetlag: side of thermos bedecked with the strings and tags of five tea bags. Wish I had a two-legged sleeping bag for the library :)

And the winner is...

Melissa of Modge Posh! You'd better be excited about the apothecary packaging!

Thanks to Perricone MD and those who participated in this first giveaway!

And thank goodness for random.org because I don't remember how to assign and randomize on a graphing calculator :)

Back at school. Spent the day cleaning, crafting and redecorating, mostly to avoid my last study abroad application.

Could find neither broom nor functioning vacuum, so I wiped our dusty hardwood floor on hands and knees using old wifebeaters (how appropriate) and thought about this:

"With my eyes closed, I could hear hundreds of elves sweeping out my head with their tiny brooms. They kept sweeping and sweeping. It never occurred to any of them to use a dustpan."
- A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami

Because no dustpan either.

Best plane ride ever because of that book.

Speaking of sheep, don't you want this mold.

Sheep soap, by LostRiverRags, Etsy, 4

First day of classes tomorrow - excited, but soon it'll be ewe :)

After a month in China...

I'm having trouble telling stories in English.

I can't stop converting everything into renminbi. Balls - even Forever21 feels too expensive. The only thing that's cheaper is coffee and I'm so glad for it.

The corner has been revived by two redecorated cafes/restaurants.

The 5 Fulton still smells the same.

Someone has graffitied the ugliest gash of black, white and orange on the entablature of the Hibernia Bank.

There's a new mural on Market and 6th.

The ornaments I wanted to make into necklaces have gone on sale for $2, so I bought two and tried to memorize the ones that I can make.

I really am starting to like pink. Proof by this recent purchase.

Giveaway!

I actually remembered to take my (Costco) vitamins today. Was reminded that the giveaway for Perricone MD's Skin and Total Body ends Sunday, January 24th at 11:59pm!!
Comment on the original post by then to enter.


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Speaking of skin, we went to a bathhouse in Shanghai and got exfoliated to death - uhng, have never felt so fresh and so clean!