Video Update #2: Life can be Boring sometimes

- Cassie M

Song of the Week: a bit late.

School caught up with me, but here is the promised Song of the Week that would normally be posted on Monday but now is on Wednesday for this once, and my video blog update will be posted up tomorrow, as well! 


I am not one for songs that involve relationships, or generally for the undertone of a country vibe but this song makes me want to sing along and move around. It's the type of song that you remember and sing in the shower the next night. Both of their voices run smoothly together, and the touches of piano add such an interesting twist. The lyrics can hit home to anyone, with their woes of a relationship and personal emotions that correspond with them, and those emotions can be felt by someone having feelings for someone that isn't returned.


Need You Now by  Lady Antebellum






- Cassie M

Am I a tourist? Or resident?

For the first time in my year of living in Chicago, I went to Millennium park!

Weird, right? It was an amazing day out today, even though it was so windy I had to rub sand all from my eyes. I dragged my roommate Sarah out because even though I've lived here nearly a year, I've yet to do the typical, tourist-y like things. We started off wanting to go to the beach, but since I stepped outside and simple dust blew in my face and even in my mouth several times, the idea of a place filled with sand didn't seem too appealing anymore. So, instead, we went to Noodles & Co, where I eat a delicious, amazingly yummy and wish to have more of Mac 'N Cheese. It was vegetarian! Which I am still on, and starting Monday it'll be a full week but only several days in and I am feeling great!

There has been some hard moments where I remember foods that I especially love - Mom's delicious home made tacos, or Subway, Subway, Subway! Yes, I am still stuck on the whole Subway thing but eventually it'll pass, or so I hope. I'll buy myself so many delicious food this summer which will hopefully kill any lingering feelings of wanting a meat filled, pickle and pepper drowning sandwich that happens to be an amazingly appealing price. It'll pass, it'll pass! Now back onto my tourist-y day. After we ate at Noodles & Co, we found that Millennium park was mere steps away and so was The Bean! Not that I believe The Bean is capitalized like so, but it makes it look much more appealing than the bean.

Or maybe that's just me.

Even though we took a picture of the side that typically isn't taken pictures of, as the other side of this amazingly huge, reflective surface is the city Skyline. It was much fun to run underneath, look around and lay underneath like a typical tourist. I've seen The Bean many times before, but this was in nice weather and that is such a rare occurrence! It was a panic induced visit though, as the camera was dying and we had to quickly get as many shots as we possibly could before it died and when it died, we merely sat there till its juices started running again and snapped several more photos! And yes, we even did take the reflection photo and yes, I did start my sentence with an and.

Then I just ended it with one, crazy, huh?

After staring at The Bean, we went to go lay in the grass.

I have such an intense love for being in the grass and rolling around, as I demonstrated by rolling around. It was nice to feel the breeze and to be surrounded by the city but not to have to smell it, instead trees and grass and flowers, as the city is blooming with all these purple and yellow tulips! It's so gorgeous and reminds me why I am really loving living in Chicago and how I really need to learn to take advantage of it. There is so many chances to go do things, to experience things and sometimes I get wrapped up in wanting nothing more than to sleep around when I get the chance - yes, sleep, I find myself sleeping more of the time than stepping out my door and into the city.

Then as the day was moving on, it started feeling damp in the air and smelling like wet grass, so it was obviously that it was going to rain. We walked back to our dorm, walking around and just talking, experiencing all of these shops that we've never noticed before and I have now made it my mission in the next two weeks that I am here, to look at most of them and to once more, spend time just laying around in the grass, doing nothing but enjoying being outside. When we got inside, we settled in for some more food and watched the storm take place outside, it was amazing! It was my first storm in Chicago, as somehow I always managed to go home for them but this time, I was here, finally!

The rain was almost crazy mad, slamming against the window and the lightening looked so pretty against the city skyline. 

I'll be making another Monday Video Blog, Song of the Week, and a little more about the Pixar vs. Dream Works debate! I'll slowly be getting more and more busy with school, moving out and trying to enjoy my last couple of weeks here before I am home for the summer, for three months! Oh, and I'll be painting my room orange and no, I am not reconsidering it. 

I'll be posting Monday! Enjoy the weekend.

- Cassie M

Hump day!

It is unbearably hot in my apartment! When did I wish it was summer so bad? How dare I think that I would love to have the sun shining and to wear tank tops, because in this apartment not even the most flimsy, embarrassing revealing tank top will do one bit to cool me down.

Hmph.

Now after that rant is done, I got a care package from home!

Which I believe this is my favorite package, besides the nerf gun I received in one of my care packages. Yes, a nerf gun and that is why I am, and my family is the way they are. Amazing. It has so many yummy, amazing, delicious things packed inside and that brown box contains delicious homemade cookies. Yes, homemade and even with sugar, oh, having sugar is such a treat. It’s nice to see so many things that I truly have a deep love for, such as sour patch kids. Those things, despite making me express the most unflattering expressions, make my heart filled with joy and make being here just a bit easier, especially when they’re from my mom. 

I’ll be home in seventeen days and I can’t wait.

I’ll miss Chicago, after all, it has really grown on me. I have fun running around, running into rude people, cool people and even though I am really struggling with my classes, I still am learning a lot - especially with writing. I know it wasn’t the smartest idea to go to school for writing, but I can see such a difference between my work before school and my work now. Though, some people would say why would I spend so much to just learn a few tips here and there. One of the things I would say is take a look out of my window and notice that once I lift my curtain, there is the city, right there. I may miss looking into my yard at home, seeing all the animals run around and the swing that I spent many years having memories with mom, friends and just myself.

I have the best of the both worlds, really, even though sometimes one of those worlds gets a little sad.

My journey of becoming a vegetarian is on it’s third day! It’s still feeling pretty easy, I haven’t had any accidents but many accidents when thinking. There is one thought in particular that almost gets me every time, one thing that always makes me want to cheat and just eat all of it! 

Subway!

I know, someone would say, “well, Cassie, they have veggie sandwiches!”

Oh, why, yes they do! But my sandwich is stuffed with meat and peppers and pickles and... mmmmm, it’s too good to resist! Yet, I will, especially since my credit card has seen better days and I will not waste many on fast food! I will spend it on productive things like paper, or ink, or for clothes as I still have so much laundry to do! I’m not too sure what I’ll find to wear to my classes, but I suppose we’ll see, won’t we? I am sure somewhere in that pile of clothes there is something that is decent to wear. 

Coming up in several video posts, I am going to begin my Dream Works vs. Pixar debate.

To begin to give a small insight on the two, here is each animated movie they produced.

Pixar

Toy Story 3

2010

  Up

2009

  Wall E

2008

  Ratatouille

2007

  Cars

2006

  Incredibles, The

2004

  Finding Nemo

2003

  Monsters, Inc

2001

  Toy Story 2

1999

  Bugs Life, A

1998

  Toy Story

1995

Dream Works

Antz

October 2, 1998

The Prince of Egypt

December 18, 1998

The Road to El Dorado

March 31, 2000

Chicken Run

June 23, 2000

Shrek

May 18, 2001

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

May 25, 2002

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

July 22, 2003

Shrek 2

May 19, 2004

Shark Tale

October 1, 2004

Madagascar

May 27, 2005

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

October 7, 2005

Over the Hedge

May 19, 2006

Flushed Away

November 3, 2006

Shrek the Third

May 18, 2007

Bee Movie

November 2, 2007

Kung Fu Panda

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

November 7, 2008

Monsters vs. Aliens

March 27, 2009

How to Train Your Dragon

March 26, 2010

Shrek Forever After

May 21, 2010

I’ll leave it at that for now, don’t forgot to vote on my poll, and within the summer, look for the video blog of the debate!

Have a good Wednesday.

- Cassie M

Video Update #1: School, Vegetarian

Hey, soul sista'

Recommened song of the week:

Hey, Soul Sister by Train

This song really gives me a happy feeling deep down inside, with its summer time rythme and light flowing, tapping foot notes. It's overly pop, but has a sort of reggae soul to it. I am not the largest fan of Train but I have been peeking around for a while to what the band was up to, but this song certainly hits back into the charts with a smile sure accompanying it to those who listen.

Chicago Land

I’ve decided to become vegetarian.

• I suppose most peoples assumptions would purely be based off of the fact I may or may not love animals, with my household fill of them, but the main concern for becoming a vegetarian is to become healthy! Though, with the possibility of growing more pale than I already am and with the occasional loss of a pound or two which I don’t think I’d necessary mind that too much, I feel I have the will power to do so. So here is to today, twenty-sixth of March and making a journey to myself to no longer indulging in the sometimes delicious, however yet unhealthy red meats and its delicious tendencies to please my taste buds. I will no longer fill myself up with hormone induced meals, however tasty they may be, and I will now begin to rid my body of all of the toxins which are currently punishing me with countless stomach aches and nausea.
• 
  
• Other than my new revelation, I baked muffins today.
• 
  
• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup oil 
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• Oven at 360, bake till they're soft and not gooey. 

Delicious muffins at that, bananas, sugar, soft bread and just the tad kick of something sweet. As well as watching Lost. Yes, I have become one of those people, the kind where even though they may be entirely confused and sometimes frustrated with the plot flow, which however choppy or indecisive it may be, still loves the show with her complete and utter heart. Though I haven’t been following Lost from the beginning, I’ve finished the final episode of season four tonight! Not that I want to be putting an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence, since I am more than displeased with everything that had taken place in this season four finale.

Displeased indeed. I am now only two episodes through season five and it’s picking up a little. Just a little.

Though I may be leaving just blocks away from Magnificent mile and all of the most tourist like spots, the most interesting thing in my life that had happened within the past couple of weeks was being humped by a drag queen. Not that the drag queen part is the bothersome part, but the jumping and thrusting against my thigh and the constant urging of, “do you like that? Do you like that?”

I suppose that is what I get for going out past midnight in the Chicago area.

It wasn’t as dangerous as people would assume, it was calm with the occasional drunk fellow human being waving their arms, cursing loudly or as one flashed me a peace sign, which is friendly enough. My roommate Sarah and I decided to go to Clarks.

It’s the only twenty four hour diner around here, which I don’t blame most restaurants for not staying open till ridiculous hours. Clarks was a perfect place for drunk hungry people, which I was not and merely wanted a hamburger in a nice, fun environment. It was loud, crowded and smelled a bit of tobacco but overall, it was fun and that’s the point. The food was a little expensive, a sandwich with some fries on the side could run up toward fourteen dollars and the desserts, well, let’s say I wasn’t going to put my poor credit card through the process of buying a five dollar ice cream drink. So, instead, I would just steal bites from my roommates root beer ice cream float (which happened to be a delicious five dollars spent). After leaving, we headed back to the Belmont train stop where we waited in the cold for twenty-five minutes, as on March 31 they turn off the heat lamps at each station.

Apparently.

Once back on the train with overly full tummy’s, we sat behind these rather overly affectionate girls and watched the girl in front of my lovely (sarcasm), velvet padded plastic seat proceed to throw up onto the ground, which soon tried to make its way toward my foot area. I, however, was lucky enough to be one train stop away from my school and moved toward the doors, with Sarah in toe, and managed to not seem too entirely rude. I’m not sure why my manners kick in when it evolves not obviously moving away from someones dinner that resides on the floor, but I felt the need, I suppose it’s how I would want someone to handle it.

That’s how we’re suppose to act, right?

I arrived back at my dorm safe and feel like I’ve cured any cravings for a 3:00 AM adventure.

- Cassie M