he left the bloodstains on the carpet

There's like...a lot of days in April. I don't think I'm going to keep going with the 'I Loves' just because I missed so many days. But I did love a lot of things, and still do.

I'll just make a non-descript list of things I love to even things out:

I love diet pop, I love Michael Scott, I love Twitter, I love tumblr, I love David Bowie, I love magazines, I love my parents, I love my cabin, I love riding my bike in the summer, I love my school chums, I love my home chums, I love my phone when it works, I love The Mighty Boosh, and I love my novelty t-shirts.

come on let your colors burst

And this one is a total contradiction to my last post:

32. I love the Christmas-Easter cheesy potatoes.

They were my favorite food growing up. They're really yummy, and I was excited to be able to eat them on Easter, although it took me awhile to work up the courage to eat dairy. I'm going to try to craft a vegan version this summer. We'll see how that turns out..

Who Dat Ninja?

Ugh, I know that I'M the one who set out expectations for this month, but things got away from me, as they often do. It could often be considered a good thing if I'm not blogging, because that means I'm of good mental health. Which I have been these past few weeks. Extremely good mental health.

31. I think my thing for this day was I Love Being Vegan?

This was the day before Easter, and I'm the type of person who does Lent all the way until Easter, so it was my last day of veganism. Although I can tell you that I've eaten some animal products since Lent has been over, I really really enjoyed veganism. I'll probably end up doing it for the rest of my life at some point. I know it's a selfish and lazy attitude to be like "I'll get around to doing it at some point, but it's not practical right now." It's actually quite practical, all the time, but I think in order to not drive myself crazy, I'm going to loosen up a little bit at least while I'm still not an official grown-up.

The amount of crap give Vegan diets is just so ridiculous and unjust. Have these people ever TRIED living vegan? It's wonderful, and you feel so much better all the time (you obviously have to be smart about it), but people cry if you take away their daily cheeseburger. People can act so entitled to eating animal products and it's just so backwards.

My poor parents are going to have to suffer through their youngest daughters "enlightened socially conscious phase" this summer. But they'll eat black bean burgers if it kills them.

Last night I dreamt somebody loved me

30. I love my cat.

He can be a total jerk sometimes, and really annoying, and he has really sharp claws, and he can be standoffish, and he kills squirrels a lot in the summer, but he's really the best cat ever. I think after that kind of description, only my sister and I could still love him as much as we do.

here in my car

29. I love being home.

I didn't post because I was home. And I was distracted. And I didn't really feel like it. But I really love being home. Mostly it's just associated with the feeling of not having any responsibilities, and sleep. Lots of sleep. Also, my house is bigger than my dorm room. Which is always a plus, I guess..

Earn It.

28. I love Spaghetti.

I know I've been doing a lot of food related things (remind anyone of the 365 project? I just read through some of those recently, and y'all had a right to complain- I did a bunch of food related ones) but I don't care! I love Spaghetti. I made like half a box for dinner tonight, and I'm currently eating it for dinner (and since the whole box only cost one dollar, that's 50 cents, my friends. Fiscally that's good, morally- not so much. More on that later) with spaghetti sauce. It's a perfect comfort vegan dinner since I already love it so much. Literally when I'm starving I could just eat a huge bowl of spaghetti and I'd be good to go.

And I'm in a really good mood today! Yayy. And I'm staying up all night, because I'm on a REALLY weird sleep schedule right now. And I need to get stuff done.

When I first came to London, I was only sixteen.

27. I love skittles.

Did I already do this one? I don't think so. But I love skittles. They're one of the few candies I can eat right now, as long as they're not the ones with gelatin. I'm in a weird, bitter, despondent mood today/right now, so roommate bought me some skittles from the machine downstairs. And, as I mentioned before, they were the tropical kind, but somehow they tasted a little better this time.

As much as exercises in positive thinking can help improve your mood, it sucks to force myself to love something when there are so many things I don't love. I don't love having a really late registration date; I get inconvenienced every semester when I'm registering for classes because certain classes I need are offered at stupid times or are filled up, or classes that are listed that I can take that I get really excited about don't show up when I search for them. You get these professors who get mad at you for taking their class just to fulfill a requirement, which I get, but if I have no choice, and I'm stuck taking a class that was not on my radar at all, I feel like I'm completely disadvantaged. I don't like taking classes that I would not choose to take, and I'm sorry, as much as I try to improve my attitude about it, there is a certain level of my mental health that I have absolutely no control over. I guess I get to look forward to another semester taking classes I don't enjoy. Although, I shouldn't say that, I'll be taking Letterform, which I'm looking forward to, and Beth is taking it too, and I'll be taking Pres. Tech. at the same as one of my other roommates, which is always nice. It's always convenient to take classes with or at the same time as your best friends/roommates.

Conflict of the Orders

26. I love having the luxury of being able to sleep in until one in the afternoon four days in a row.

Scoff if you will. You'll recall my earlier post on loving to sleep, and loving having fridays off. This is like a culmination of those two. Sue me, I stay up late, and I sleep in. But this is exactly what happened this weekend. I stay up later than I should- I'm fully aware that it's a contradiction to the healthy life I try to lead. HOWEVER, when you have a roommate and other such external forces, it's difficult to always keep yourself on a sleeping schedge. That being said, even after staying up until 3 am on Saturday watching Bourne Identity with people, I still chose to stay up until 4 am to finish watching Raiders of the Lost Ark on my laptop.

Oh and in case anyone is wondering, I don't have class until 2:30 on Mondays, which is what makes this little arrangement possible.

waiting for a flash of enlightenment in all this blood and thunder

25. I love Amy's Organic.

I love this brand. I don't think I've ever eaten an Amy's product that I haven't been satisfied with. For those who have never eaten Amy's, it's an organic frozen and prepackaged food company that only sells vegetarian meals (and vegan). I always really liked their Mac and Cheese until I realized it had about 15 grams of fat. They make really good non-dairy bean and rice burritos and sell a variety of different cuisines. Currently, my favorite product of theirs would have to be the California Veggie Burger, which is the best Vegan burger substitute I've tasted, and maybe the best burger substitute overall (maybe just besides Morningstar Farms' Spicy Black Bean Burger). If you've not tried Amy's before, I'd totally recommend it. Although I'm not super into the idea of advocating buying stuff with a lot of packaging, (and it's a little more expensive than normal frozen fare), it's really convenient if, like me, you live in a dorm room and don't get the opportunity to cook quite that often.

Also, I went grocery shopping today and I'm proud of myself for being able to get so much stuff on the cheap: a box of whole wheat spaghetti, pasta sauce, 2 cans of chili beans, flatbreads, and spinach= 9 dollars. I was going to get bananas, too, but I put them back, and this is the time when I regret that decision, especially since they were so cheap, but I was worried about running out of money. It's my goal to not eat from the food place at school this week (funds are low there, too) and force myself to live cheaply and happily on my healthy food victories.

Dear I fear we're facing a problem

24. I love ridiculous dreams.

I had a dream last night where I was in New York maybe for some reason? and I had to go move the car, so I was driving around, and I think maybe the mob might have been after me, but it wasn't a big deal at all. And then I guess I might have been at school or something, and my cousin Sam went to Stout and lived across the street, and cousin Maggie lived with him, and cousin Sarah visited them a lot, too. And Sarah had given birth to a goldfish, but Sam took care of it. And then he made me babysit it, and it told me it wanted an ice cream cone, so I fed it some ice cream with a tiny teaspoon. I realized how ridiculous this was even in a dream, so to be really self-aware and ridiculous I put as my facebook status: "just fed my nephew goldfish ice cream with a tiny spoon, and now going with a bunch of giraffes to go see Gattacca in the theaters- guess which one I actually did?" If that seems confusing, then good. I don't want to live in a world where that dream makes sense.

Every day's an endless stream of cigarettes and magazines

23. I love when the vending machine gives you two of something.

If that seems really random, then it is. I went down the vending machines in my basement tonight with the hopes of getting some skittles, and the machine spit out one bag, and the next bag seemed so close to coming out, so my roommate and I "coaxed" the machine a little bit, and what do you know? Free skittles. But too bad they were the tropical kind, and not regular. That would have been better. But I won't argue with free candy gifted to me by the universe.

It's not considered a very good idea to take a taxi to the scene of a crime

22. I love Skype.

I do not love Skype's technical errors. But last night Tianna and I had the chance to talk for about two hours. We had the video going for awhile, but it wasn't working, so we just talked. Which is nicer than talking on the phone, because you get your hands free. It was nice to just talk. I got to complain to her about a bunch of things, as did she to me. It makes me excited to think that I'll be home in less than a week, and when I come back I'll only have a few weeks of school left.

Control yourself- take only what you need from it

21. I love Indiana Jones.

I love him I love him I love him.

On Wednesday there was a hockey game that my roommate had on the TV, and since I worked in the art building after my class was finished, I didn't have any homework. I needed a distraction, and the night before I had gotten a ridiculous urge to watch The Last Crusade. Whenever anyone mentions optical illusions, or I see an example of an illusory correlation I automatically want to watch Last Crusade (there are examples of both in the movie) (and I know that's a really dorky thing to know). I just love Indiana Jones so much. Watching those movies gives me the greatest comfort I could ever ask for. Behind The Princess Bride, it's probably the movie I've watched the most in my life. Last Crusade, that is. It's my second favorite movie of all time. First being Back to the Future, of course. People always think that Star Wars is my favorite movie trilogy, and they'd be close, but Indiana Jones takes it. Although I do have a lot more Star Wars memorabilia, it's easier to have R2D2 t-shirts than to have a souvenir whip.

When I get lonely, I visit the Indiana Jones Wikipedia page.

Good luck, don't you feel so bad, just don't get your hopes up

20. I love surprises!

Caroline came and visited me out of the blue today. Apparently a few different people thought it was a good idea for me to have a visitor; this is what I gather. I was working on a project in my Design Theory and Methods class and I was kind of on a roll, and I had considered staying and working down in the art building until my next class. But that would have been three hours, and I realized that I literally forgot to eat today, and I wanted to shower, so I went back up to north campus to do all of those things. I had to get my spare keys because for the first time ever, I forgot my keys in my room, and then when I got to my floor I saw this little blonde creature cloaked in black (that's probably the best way to describe Caroline) sitting by my door. And she brought me good tidings in the form of Chipotle, which tidied up the whole "haven't eaten" issue. And then we talked for awhile about school and graphic design, and possible therapy options. And she gave me my Transmission t-shirt (transmish-ten) that I helped with screen printing. Then she left and I showered and went to class and am working on my aforementioned project for DTM. Productivity!!

Letters to a young poet

19. I love writing lists pertaining to literally anything and everything.

1. I'm "studying" and "doing homework" in the library right now, but it's so sunny outside I can't concentrate. Not in the way of "Oh gosh, I wish I could be outside right now, it's so beautiful out" but in the way that I'm really freaking annoyed at how warm it's making it right here, and how the sun is in my eyes.

2. However, I see from the reflection on my computer screen that it makes my hair look blonder; that's a plus I suppose.

3. I really miss writing things. I don't get enough written assignments these days that aren't technical or short write-ups about articles I read. Not that I ever wrote a ton for the Southerner (I miss movie reviews), but I miss writing candidly- article style. Not academic. It may force me to try to write for the Stoutonia next year. Or just blog more often.

4. But since people never comment, maybe I'll blog less again.

5. I can't say enough how I want it to be summer.

6. But I need to make sure that I don't have anything hanging over my head.

7. My parents visited this weekend, but all the wanted to do was talk about school, and I don't think they realized how depressed they were making me. So I'm saying it now.

8. Annie Hall is one of the most overrated movies ever.

9. And Hannah and Her Sisters is an incredibly underrated movie. (So is Manhattan)

10. Woody Allen is a genius no matter what, though. (Those three went together)

11. I want some vegetarian chili right now, as I realize I haven't eaten since breakfast.

12. I would get more excited at the prospect of my legs being slightly skinnier right now, but I have no money to buy new jeans, so it's more annoying.

13. This wasn't a really traditional "I Love" post, but it did the job in a pinch, don't you think?

You know what all my faces mean

18. I love cooking/ general preparing food things.

I think it may relate also to my interest in health and nutrition, I like to try to make things that are healthier, or depending on what mood I'm in, far less healthy (this is usually on a saturday night when I've lost track of time and haven't eaten anything). In my dorm room, I generally find it much more interesting to cook and prepare my dinners because I have many more limitations. It's like "let's see what I can make for dinner tonight with quinoa, almonds, flax seeds, vegetables, hummus, and a microwave-- go!" Next year I'll be living in a suite with a kitchenette and a full sized (thank the heavens) fridge, and NO fire hazards to worry about (hello, toaster). And several roommates to cook for. I think I will really hit my stride, not to boast, but I have to assume I'll get super into cooking and I hope my roommates will allow me to make them my guinea pigs.

I made this tonight in my microwave:

An abbreviated version of an apple crisp. Peeled, chopped apple, cinnamon, vegan butter, and oats. Microwave for 2 minutes- voila. And it's num.

Hell is other people

17. I love Criminal Minds.

I think if you've seen my facebook or know me in person, you know this. I have loved this show for awhile, but then as I've mentioned, I had to give it up because I was getting paranoid. Then over spring break I got back into it because I couldn't stand not watching anymore, and my roommate and I have been obsessed ever since. So it's not a super recent obsession, but it's certainly been amped up in the past month. I'm completely caught up with the series, and they recently "killed off" one of the characters, and I cried so much. I think the only other time I've cried that much was when Lost ended. I know, that's a pretty huge comparison, the finale of my favorite show, which was sad in it's own right. But such is my life when I get attached to things.

There were too many colors

16. I love not having class on fridays

I love being able to sleep in and have a long weekend every weekend. I love being able to relax, or catch up on homework. Some people might look at how I spend my fridays and think I'm wasting an entire day, but I don't care. Everyone needs those days once in awhile. I need those days probably more often than most people. I'm too unpleasant without them.

We all go a little mad sometimes

15. I love Saltines and Sprite.

This is a really good 'I feel sick snack.' I was feeling sick yesterday, stomach flu-wise, and so I got myself some Saltines and Sierra Mist (I guess my school is too cool to sell Sprite) and had them for lunch. It's the secret to life. Although I still felt ill the rest of the day. Whenever I eat this sick snack, I think of staying home from school when I was younger, and we would actually get to drink pop, which we were never allowed to at home at that time, and I'd watch Star Wars (most vivid memory is Return of the Jedi.) I can think of nothing better to do when one is sick.

I'm feeling better now, by the way, but still not completely awesome.

It's so stupid and selfish all the same

14. I love this weather.

It's so warm out today. So pleasantly sunny and not too warm, but not chilly. I was walking back from class and the clock on the bank said 71 degrees. I have a hard time believing that, but still, SO nice out today. Although that made it all the more stuffy when I was in Anthropology which is located in the notoriously warm Harvey Hall.

I do NOT love being physically abused my my roommate. She slapped me really hard on the back and I freaked out in the hallway, and I ran and complained to my RA. I asked him if he would kick her out of the building, so she's on her way out now. I won't miss her at all.