Coffee and Pie

Two girls, two coffee shops, one day, one Dillon.

My recent obsession with pie has sprouted from my recent obsession of a certain cancelled T.V. show so it really shouldn't be a surprise that one of my coffee dates ended up being at a pie shop. I had a slice of rhubarb pie while Taylor got a slice of blackberry pie and both were delicious. I plan on making a pie myself later this week, soley because a pie has never been baked in my house and it's about time someone around here bakes a pie! (Also, this place serves up a big slice of remembering-last-summer-shenanigans-with-bloggers.)

Between the two reunions countless stories were told and memories unearthed, and nostalgia has overwhelmed me. Perhaps it's the large amount of caffeine flowing through my system right now (I had a hazelnut macchiato at Starbucks, and a vanilla latte here, at Shoofly Pie) but I am really curious about all of the people that I haven't seen or heard from in a while. Getting back together with people who live in different places and experience different ways of living has prodded me into wondering what other people who I used to be in cahoots with are doing with their lives. Not that I actually want to see some of these people, but rather just know what they've been up to. Sure, facebook does that, but only to a certain extent.

I just want to read the back cover of the biography of their life so to speak. Is that strange?

<<wearing: boots by florsheim ><black jeans by levi>< button-up by j.crew ><hoodie by american apparel >

< jean jacket by levi >< mug from briana >>

Things I Don't Need & Can't Afford

Part 1: CB2

1. Industrial Wood Storage  2. White Chick Candleholder 3. Oliver Mint Cooler 4. Torino Grey Side Table

As I am moving into an apartment once I arrive back onto campus in the fall, the inevitability of having to own my own things is approaching quickly. So of course instead of looking for things that I need to live on my own, I found the coolest little things that I want and most definitely cannot afford. 

CB2, or Crate & Barrel 2, is the more modern version of the traditional Crate & Barrel and has some really awesome pieces of furniture that I probably do not need and really can't afford. I've always wanted a wingback chair and although this one is perfect, it has one flaw; I can't afford it (like really, it's ridiculously pricey). I don't even know where I'd put it even if I could afford it. So the pieces above are completely unnecessary but I find them awesome/aesthetically pleasing nonetheless! 

First Day

 

Today I start coaching again, and I'm actually pretty excited about it. There is really no reason not to be excited about it unless we recall last summer and how overworked I was starting at 5 am every morning and going until 3 pm at the earliest and 11 pm at the latest. A lot of time spent at pools. This pool in particular. But this year is different. I will not be life guarding at all this summer which will take out the 5 am bit and replaces it with 6:45 am which is much more manageable. The best part about this all is that the president of the pool felt so bad for me last year that I'm getting paid the same amount, but technically doing less. So I'll be getting paid fairly for my duties this year.

That being said, money is stressful. As we grow up everything seems to get more expensive (and no I do not mean solely because of the economy) with college, buying a car, paying for rent, buying furniture, etc. It takes a lot more thought and money than having to choose between video games.
Oh to be a kid again.
But also whoa-I-turn-twenty-one-in-five-months-where-has-the-time-gone. It's a weird feeling knowing that it's almost your turn to be functioning person in society. A lot has happened in the past month, but one of the most impacting was knowing so many people that are graduating and going to start working in their respective locations. It's kind of a bright light at the end of a tunnel scenario, and even though I plan on trying to take in my day to day experiences, I need to be looking forwards in order to get through the grimy stuff.

All that being said, today is a beautiful day. Not only because the sun is out (finally!) but I was able to take care of some business that has lifted a lot of weight from my shoulders.
- I'm on better terms with a a friend from school (if you happen -because apparently you do just happen upon things like this- upon this Adam; yes this is about you) and although it took an awful situation to prompt it I'm glad we cleared the slate.
- I've been watching a lot of Pushing Daisies recently (and if you have never seen an episode go watch it right now. It has also prompted me to decide to bake a pie. I'm thinking strawberry-rhubarb.)
- Money stuff is getting figured out which included returning an unnecessarily pricey case for my new phone, cashing some old bonds, and receiving a bonus from my manager last year.
- Maggie is living in Seattle this summer and arrived today! We plan on meeting up in this magical city later this week.
- I (just) received an envelope of mix CD's from Melany which is beyond awesome (especially considering one one the mixes was supposed to be a Halloween mix..)

<< wearing: boots by florsheim >< socks by uniqlo ><jeans by levi >< hoof pick belt by tory >

< shirt by j.crew >< dri-fit quarter zip by nike from rpi >< watch by timex >< bracelet from syed >

< sunglasses were  thrifted >>

Anecdote of the Day

It's too early for me to go to bed, and I've really had an urge to blog lately but haven't been able to (eat, sleep, process large words,etc.) for a while since finals has come upon myself. But, the night is young, and my workload is dwindling along with my motivation, and something happened today that I just haven't been able to fully process yet.

We were in line at the salad bar at the dining hall (this is really irrelevant besides to point out the fact that it was an extremely casual setting) and one of the graduate architecture students who my friend group and I have recently befriended had joined us, and he looked forlorn. I mean, I'm used to seeing him tired (I swear he doesn't sleep the hardworking fellow) but he just seriously looked... sad. So, in my sarcastic way I said to him "You look so happy today!", assuming he was just really tired and followed that up immediately with "I'm being completely sarcastic. Are you alright?"
He just kind of mumbled that he was really tired, long weekend, something else under his breath.
I sympathized, but since we were getting food it was a short-winded conversation that I had forgotten about soon after.
Later, when we had arrived back to studio, I was all set up at my desk -glasses on, headphones in blasting Temper Trap- when he tapped me as he walked past to go to the computer lab, and in the same forlorn sort of tone said "Thanks."
And then he stood there for a second because upon receiving a tap I have to spin around to see who it was, take off my glasses because oops they're reading glasses and I can't see more than five feet away from me when they're on and rip out my headphones to actually hear what he said. I had him repeat what he said.
"Thanks."
"For what?" (I said this almost exasperatedly because I had no idea why he'd be thanking me for something. Recall that I had forgotten the earlier conversation.)
"Thanks for caring."
(Confused look on Dillon's face)
"For earlier..." At this point he seemed almost embarrassed, and I also remembered the conversation that I reminded you that I had forgotten. I stammer out something along the lines of  no problem because I thought he was being sarcastic. He walks away and I'm stupefied at the situation, so, like any technologically advanced person I message him and a) ask him if he was being sarcastic and b) told him that if he ever needs to rant or talk that we're good listeners. Turns out he was being genuine.
He and his long time girlfriend had broken up that weekend, and he was saying that he was sad that he's not going to see us for a year (commence "awwww's") and that was showing up on his face. I again tried sympathizing and ended by asking if he'd like to join us to see The Great Gatsby on Friday. Once he responded in commitment to my invitation, I did what I felt like was right and got him a ticket online and printed it out and casually handed it to him.

It was at this point at time that I accepted that 2013 sucks. Like, it's just been really awful to me so far.
HOWEVER.
That doesn't mean that other people have to suffer as well. Why not give the person who needs a pick me up a pick me up. Because then maybe you'll get a pick me up too. And actually, that thanks for caring was my pick me up. (That and the ice cream that I was surprised with by another friend. That helped too.)

So just as a general message to my readers, thanks for reading. Thanks for taking the time to read, or skim, or even just glance at the picture at the top. It means a lot, even if you don't comment, that you took the time to read whatever words stumble out of my mind on any given day.

Inquiry

Is this my battle to fight
I understand that my actions have consequences, I have a utilitarian perspective to begin with
Sure things aren't always fair, these things I understand
Are you being unprofessional if you are not a professional to begin with
How come you all cower
Why are we afraid to confront authority if what we believe what they are doing is not advantageous
How come no one shares what they are feeling
Receiving feedback on yourself is hard to cope with
But it's meant to be a critique; something that you take into consideration from another outside view
Just because it's different doesn't mean its right
Or wrong for that matter
But take it to heart
Or don't
Listening and hearing have different definitions
And if you don't
Continuation becomes an exhausting feat
My expectations are high
And why should they not be
And why should that mean I should change them to compensate for another
Can we meet halfway, if only for comprehension
Perhaps negligence? I observe obstinateness
Ossifiy, obdurate
Fear drives your motives, I am almost sure of it
Trying to speak truth, to genuinely express concern
Should not result in distrust, doubt, dubitation
Yet it does
The consequences continue
As do I.

What. A. Week.

Sure it's only Thursday night, but the last couple of days have been long enough to count for an entire week. Today marked the due date of our giant quarter scaled model (which means one inch of our model equals four feet on the real building proposal) and ours just ended up being massive. Like 4 feet tall and wide and it was just a massive piece of model. That took several days worth of work to complete. And I got a bit dirty in the process. And the only thing I listened to was Woodkids' new album The Golden Age.

In addition to that I've been selected to have my project from last semester get sent somewhere to be built on a 3-D printer and it's going to be in an exhibition in a museum, as well as published in a book that our school made. So on Wednesday I had to go to a meeting where we were supposed to fix our models but instead I had to run to the pool to have an end of the season meeting with the coaches who are still unhappy with me. So it went like this:
Coach: "Are you still as miserable as you were the last few months of swimming?" (I was really miserable, I legitimately thought I had depression, went to talk to a psychologist who just told me that maybe I had unreasonable expectations of everything in my life, and of course that's true but why is it just getting to me now, and it seemed to sprout from swimming.)
Me: "No."
Assistant Coach that I like: (under his breath) "Because he's not swimming anymore."
Coach: "Well I don't really know if I want you back next year. I feel like I can't trust you after you ripped me apart during our meeting in February (this is true, but it was completely professional, she just hates having peoples opinions told to her that she doesn't agree with) so I'm going to have to rethink somethings before I decide."
Me: "Um... Okay." (I don't actually remember what I said to that but you can't really respond to that to much.)
Anyways, it's clear we can't work together because she is emotionally vulnerable and has never had anyone tell her that they disagree with her, and if they do, they get kicked off. I love the team and they love me and actually most of the team wants me to be captain, but the coach rarely does whats best for the team, only what is best for her.
So that was fun.

Last weekend I attended a swim team formal that I helped organize and set up, which was a blast, but there isn't much to say about that besides the fact that I finally got to wear the bowtie that Ben and Eva got me for Christmas. Bulls and Bear for the win.

Tomorrow we are getting recruits for the swim team which means team bonding activities (sarcastic enthusiasm inserted here.) But it should be fun to get away from studio and all the drama that happens there. I'll save that for another post.
Saturday I volunteered to give tours and talk with prospective students at out accepted students day, which I'm very excited about.

In other news I'm thinking about applying to work as a part time intern at any one of a local design magazine this summer. Seems like a cool gig.

I hope you enjoyed that disjunct, out of chronological order description of my past week.

Lessons

Random street art I saw in NYC

Things that my high school English teacher taught me that aren't really about English

You aren't allowed to go to the bathroom in college classes. Well, times must have changed because we can go the the bathroom freely, in any of my classes. However the mentality of this has stuck with me, that you really shouldn't feel the need to leave class for any reason. You pay an (unreasonable) amount to attend the school so you might as well go to all of the classes, and actually pay attention in them. Sure it's inevitable that drowsiness might overcome even the most strong, but try and pay attention.

So what? I suppose initially this was in regards to our essays, as in, we should read with the lens of "so what" in order to make sure everything we wrote had a purpose. This is a skill I have taken far past the idea of analytically essays. Really, I take it to heart in my architectural work, where I want to make sure everything has a purpose. So much in design currently is left up to the arbitration of a person - and much too often they make decisions that are pointless, and not thought out.

Go to class drunk. I mean, I don't think I'll ever do this. Nor is it the literal point of the anecdote she told anterior to this advice. What she was really getting at was that we shouldn't forget to have a little fun, to enjoy ourselves amongst all the stress and expectations of a student. Too often I forget that although the work I'm doing is important, it is perhaps not as important as my emotional well-being. I am able to have a wide range of friends and willing to make more, allowing more opportunities to take.

There is no shame in obsessing over what you're passionate about. Although this statement stand by itself, the way it came about was just too funny not to share. This English teacher of mine is a hard core fan girl of Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam and practically stalks him. Over the course of a week she saw him 3 times, one of which was at the gym and she was wearing a tee shirt with his face on it, the second time was at a convenience store in which she proceed to duck below the aisles when they made eye contact, and I believe the last time was a meet and greet gala event with the band, and she got a little too tipsy and cried at him because she was overwhelmed with emotion for him (meanwhile her husband just watches the whole scene go down...)
So yeah. Even though I don't think she's recommend obsessing over a person as much as she did, it's still important to find that something that really gets you going.

If she finds this post and decides to read it, I just want her to know that I probably choice some of the most ridiculous things to share, but she's one of the most influential people that was in my life. So thank you.