Z-Zen Garden

The campus has an absolutely beautiful zen garden outside one of the newer buildings (I think it is actually very new, but I am new around here as well and do not know just how new).

I think the idea of a zen garden is fun and pretty (I do not like the little sand zen gardens for bedrooms though, they remind me of litter boxes and just are not pretty).  If I ever have a lot of money and a lot of yard I think I would like to build one similar to this.  It is not very large, but it would be nice to be able to go in and sit and read in my back yard in one of these.  This one has benches, but it is in a fairly busy area of campus, so not so zen...

However, I might have to give it a go over the summer during a lunch break while there are not so many students around.

What About You?  What do you think about zen gardens?

Y-Yellow

The color yellow is something that I like to look at, I think it is bright and sunny.  However, I have one of those skin tones that I just cannot wear yellow, it makes me look sick and sallow and jaundiced...therefore I do not buy anything yellow.

However, oddly enough, when my husband and I started talking about paint colors for our soon to be new house...the color for the kitchen that popped out of my mouth was pale yellow.  I am not sure why this is, I think maybe because of the little red checked curtains and the fact that it makes me think of sunny days.  I am not rethinking the color either, I want yellow.  I just am not positive why.

This is the color we are looking at for our kitchen (http://www.kariandtom.com/2011_09_01_archive.html )

What About You?  Why do you think I want a yellow kitchen?  Do you like/look good in the color yellow?

X- X-Men

So again, I am kind of a nerd (or really cool, depending on who you ask).

These are the X-Men I grew up with.

I have loved the X-Men since I was a small child.  I used to get up early on the weekend, back when cartoons were awesome (because let's face it, cartoons now are crap), and watch cartoons with my brothers.  We would watch everything: Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, Batman, and X-Men.

There was something even then that drew me in and made me want to be special, to be one of the kickass female powerhouses.  I even had my first ever crush on anyone (and it was a cartoon character!) on Gambit...still have a soft-spot for him (and I must say that while Taylor Kitsch is attractive, he did not do the character justice in the movie).

I read the comics, I watched the shows, I watched the movies, I watched the X-Men Evolution series, and I even own a book about canon.  They have been a part of my childhood and my adult life (I dressed as Rogue for Halloween a few times and the movies are a must see for me...but so are most Marvel movies).  I think having the strong female characters as a role model from a young age was probably good for me.

The newer, not as good, version.  X-Men Evolution

My favorite characters are Gambit and Rogue...though Phoenix was close and  Lady Deathstrike always piqued my interest.

What About You?  Who is your favorite X-Man character?  What super power do you wish you could have?

W-When Shall Spring Return?

It’s cold outside 
it should be snowing, but it’s not. 
Each and every season fades into the world, 
leaving gray, wraithlike emotions-- 
haunting every year of passage. 
I cannot allow myself to feel 
anymore. 


My brain—hot 
especially when thoughts screech out, 
like ravens, trapped in a black slate box. 
A cacophony, which I’ve known far too long… 
since I placed silver nails, firmly, 
in those cedar, one way doors. 


My heart—tepid 
the moon waxes and wanes and re-cycles.

http://04varvara.wordpress.com/

V-Very Merry Unbirthday

We take birthdays way too seriously...

Grant Wood's painting American Gothic

either that or we do not take every day seriously enough.  

http://ania-tomicka.webnode.com/products/silly-paintings/

I feel like everyone should celebrate unbirthdays a few days out of every year (depends on how many you want to do)!  I think setting aside an evening to exchange small gifts, cook dinner together, and watch a movie or have friends over is a wonderful way to celebrate life and the gifts it brings.  So the next time someone asks you to do something and you think "Oh, I don't have time" you should pause and think, this person wants to celebrate an unbirthday and I am special enough to be invited!  You will not always be able to go, but it will put things into perspective and turn a lot of "Oh, I wish I had done that"s into "I'm so glad we got to do that together"s.  

If you want to go all out, you could even have an unbirthday party and invite lots of people and have a silly gift exchange and go all out (maybe even Alice in Wonderland costumes would be fun if you are a costume party person)!  You might make some dear friends and have unforgettable memories.

And for those of you who have no idea where I got this idea:

What About You?  What do you think about celebrating unbirthdays?  How would you celebrate your ideal unbirthday?

U- A pair of Untitled Sonnets

I.
Unease entangles my stomach, nausea 
uncoils. Could I house a secret so bold?— 
Fear rimed my heart—if so I knew the cause. 
“Is anyone there?” my voice felt so cold 


and stupid. Then thought I felt a small beat- 
a feather-light sense, just out of my reach 
of reason. Heart pounds, reeling defeat: 
I murmur prayers, hoping maybe I’ll see. 


Despair sets in— greedy talons, razor 
sharp. Sobs clash through the silence. How could this 
be true. Eight weeks ago…the truth blazes— 
Numbness. Tingle: my mind is amiss with 


violence. Can you hear that echo, Cadence, 
ripple-effect vibrating soul?...Silence. 




II.
It curls itself around my heart, darkness 
cocoons. A secret soul, waiting to bloom 
‘neath a garden sprite’s angelic address, 
extolling my loveliness, I assume. 

Joyous psyche, my blood thrums its adoration- 
a symphony, echoing a deeper, 
parallel humming. An intonation: 
a star’s voice—whispers…lulling into sleep. 

Neurotransmitter overload. Yank the 
serenity. Discordant, atonal, 
musical grief—a ghastly aria. 
It withdraws, and I clutch hard, unable 

to bear the thought—how close our life could be. 
Would you? Could you? Please share your life with me. 

http://solework.wordpress.com/2007/05/24/reflexology-babies/

As a sort of framework for reading these--I wrote these during college during prolife month.

T-Tubs

Despite the fact that I loathe taking baths (I mean seriously...ew!), I am oddly fascinated by the variety of bathtub styles there are/have been in this world.  Everything from vintage, to ultra-modern , any shape, color, variety you can imagine.  Seriously, just google image bathtubs...

Here are some of my favorites:

This one is very modern, yet sort of natural and earthy at the same time.

http://homedecor7.com/bath-tubs-for-bathroom/

This one reminds me of a nautical theme, if it were mine I would paint the walls blue with little fishy decals!

http://aboutchineseantique.blogspot.com/2011/06/short-history-of-antique-bathtubs.html

This is so Grecian and pretty, it makes me creeped out and a little in awe at the same time.

http://www.lyring.com/vintage-bathtub-designs

This is a sleek throwback to vintage!

http://www.sterlingplumbing.com/baths-and-showers/bathtubs/

Who doesn't love a traditional bathtub?!

This one sort of reminds me of a futuristic sleeping pod...

http://www.decordir.com/2010/10/08/relaxing-natural-bathroom-design-inspirations/natural-bathtubs/

This one is what I imagine to be country-esque: cute, little, and wooden :)

http://roundhottub.net/2011/08/30/bathroom-tubs-3/

This one is very zen, I could see enjoying a cup of tea and just relaxing here.

For some reason this reminds me of a plate, I'd feel like I was going to be eaten!See some other VERY cool and interesting bathtubs!
What about you?  Do you have any odd fascinations?  What do you think about these bathtubs?