Fandangled Phones and the Relativity of Productivity

Just picked out my new phone today! It is so high tech that I am fearing my ignorance will bring about its untimely demise. (Thus I am keeping it inside a thick sock in my purse for safe keeping) For you technically inclined people, it runs on a Windows OS and is called the Samsung Focus. (more info here: http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I917ZKAATT-features ) I feel so spoiled with it; I am just pulling out the manual to educate myself on how not to kill it. In other news, I had a great yesterday at home doing laundry and watching old home movies on the VCR; I finally located footage of my great aunt dancing tango!!! So much (or comparatively little) was accomplished during my stay that I am inclined to stay up late doing nothing in particular. Long baths with ambient candles, bringing everything but the kitchen sink to my dorm,  and doodling on the wall in our soon to be complete remodeling of the upstairs bathroom. Yes: Life is good.

Priorities

This past week has felt a bit of a strain. It feels as though I have made enough small mistakes to fill a relatively large pitcher with ill-preparedness and numerous relatively harmless bungles. At times like these, I find myself compelled to re-evaluate my outlook and reorder my priorities. I would like to move towards focusing on:
1) God
2) School
3) Relationships
(Though I suppose I could put mental or emotional health as the first, I find that both can be managed through nurturing and enhancing my relationship with God.)
To help, I plan to write "A stitch in time saves nine" on my message board and focus on not overloading myself. I have already gotten excited (?) about making my to-do list and ordering it (thankfully I finished cleaning my room and doing my laundry today) for efficiency. Wish me luck!
Here is a fun link for you: breadartproject.com

Ramen and Rainy Days

Thank goodness for all the rain we have been blessed with as of late! This drizzly grayness makes for perfect ramen-eating and attempted "r" rolling (like "rr" in Spanish) fun with my lovely friends from the sixth floor. Experiencing Texas weather really puts into mind the various colors of life. Tango is passionate; boldly and elegantly draped in red and black. Libraries are green (not literally green, like my outfit today, but "green") and smell like curiosity (in my opinion). Japanese is pink and gyms are orange. I wonder what color tomorrow will be? If you haven't, read Dr. Seuss' "My Many Colored Days" (cover art pictured below).

The Fragile Transition from Summer to Autumn

The weather has been so nice as of late that I have little desire to do anything inside and find myself sprawling lazily on shaded benches reading Diana Wynne Jones and watching leaves fall in dizzying spirals from the trees overhead. This time of change is nostalgic, and it is all too easy to fall into a daze of golden memories and put forget the present. Of course, the present also edges in; parties in black-lit rooms, dancing on neon tempera paint and sliding across the floor in shiny rain boots. Loud music and quiet afternoons spent painting and studying for classes. For these feelings I would like to give you a poem I like, from Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill (This is from my memory, so it may not be entirely accurate)

The colors live between black and white
In a land that we know best by sight
But knowing best isn't everything,
For colors dance and colors sing
And colors laugh and colors cry
Turn off the lights and the colors die
And they make you feel every feeling there is
From the grumpiest grump, to the fizziest fizz
And you, and you, and I know well,
That each has a taste,
And each has a smell,
And each has a wonderful story to tell.