So, now that I'm out of art school, people often ask me if I miss doing artistic stuff. Well, my answer, of course, is always "absolutely!" Recently, I've had a tremendous amount of sudden creative urges, but with exams coming up, there is absolutely no time. I thought I'd have so much free time being out of AFO, but no. I seem to have gotten even busier. Or at least it seems that way. At least summer will be here soon and I can finally satisfy my artistic urges!

I'm sitting here waiting for my mom to come pick me up from school to take me home for the weekend. I'm so excited to see my family! Last time I'll be coming home until summer.

Today, as I was working out at the gym, I kept casually glancing over at the television, which was featuring an episode of "The Price Is Right" with subtitles. A few minutes passed before a commercial for Bliss chocolates came on. Right after was a commercial for Vagisil. This was all fine and dandy, until I noticed that the subtitles from the chocolate commercial had carried over into the latter one, reading "A square inch of indulgence." Sketchy? Yes. Did it make me laugh? Yes.

Oh, the things that amuse me.

Some things I have learned from my time in college.

1. You'll be surprised by the amount of trash you produce once you start living on your own.

2. Meal plans are extremely overpriced, but are also a nice alternative to Ramen.

3. When eating Ramen, it is always best (and recommended) that you alternate between flavors, lest you get tired of a particular one.

4. Making friends is key. Get involved, be open, and don't be afraid to initiate the hello.

5. You're paying your school good money (most likely). Take advantage of everything it has to offer.

6. One of those things is the gym. Work out. You have the time, I promise.

7. Wear comfortable shoes. Always.

8. Write letters to your friends at other schools. It's better than a Facebook post.

9. Despite what I thought at the beginning, location does matter. Make sure you're happy with where you are.

10. You will always have that one professor who is completely quirky.

11. You will also always have that one classmate who eats during class.

12. Go to class. You'll be less stressed and you'll feel better about yourself that you went.

13. Skip class. Not all the time. But taking a breather and doing something fun is important too.

14. Get used to mass emails from classmates. Don't give them the notes, they should have come to class.

15. Taking notes on your computer is great. It's faster than hand-written notes.

16. Invest in a pair of (cute) rain boots.

17. Don't be afraid to come to class in sweats. Nobody cares what you look like.

18. People watching is some of the most fun you can have in college. Sit out on the quad and just observe the diversity around you.

19. Keep in touch with old friends. Just because you're at a new place and have new friends, doesn't mean you should forget about those friendships you already have.

20. Be open to new experiences.

So here goes another one of my rants. A sort of confession if you will. Lately, I've noticed that I often do things for other people, expecting something in return. But I'm starting to realize that my heart is in the wrong place when I have that mindset. I need to do things for other people simply because it's the right thing to do, and not expect them to reciprocate. I need to learn to want to help out others. Not because I want something in return, not because I'll look like a better person if I do, but do it simply because.

Now that that little spiel is over. I only have twenty-six days remaining of my freshman year of college. I'm completely overwhelmed at the moment with everything I have to get done in those four weeks. Seems like a long time, but it's really not. Oh well, like the famous artist, Chuck Close said, "If you're overwhelmed by the whole, break it down into pieces." In other words, I'm going to just take one thing at a time instead of focusing on everything that has to be done.

But other than that, I'm super excited about this summer and school next year. It's going to be awesome.

As strange as it sounds, I love being busy. Yes, it always leaves me exhausted and I complain quite a lot at times, but in the end, being busy helps me manage my time really well, so I actually get more things done. Even better, the more I have to do, the faster time goes by, which means that before I know it, school will be over! But I'm getting ahead of myself. One thing at a time. Ha.

In other news, I've started uploading my photography (old and brand new) onto my Photography Blog, located to the right of the page. Check it out. I dare you (not really).