Double life

Sometimes I wish I was a writer.  I read my favorite blogs online and think, "What a life!"  Don't get me wrong; I love engineering!  I know you're all  thinking it --I'm a nerd.  But I can deal with that.  It's almost like I live a double life.  Grade-obsessed, problem-solving, calculator-toting engineer by day (or, to be more technical), most of the time, and photo-taking, coffee-loving, artsy blogger by night (or whenever I  can spare a few minutes away from my homework).  Not to be cheesy, but I truly have the best of both worlds.  I get to be the fashionable engineer, one of a few females in all my classes.  As one of my KKY brothers pointed out, I am the girliest engineer they know.  I'll take it!  Hate to disappoint, but I'm NOT going to be the socially-awkward engineer incapable of talking about anything other than equations or optimizations.  I admit that I do relish the moments when my program finally works or my Solidworks drawing suddenly transforms into a curved wrench (oh, yeah).  But I also love seeing my favorite pictures posted to my other blog (lisaswaleofatale.blogspot.com) and reading various fashion blogs that my amazing sister and I have stumbled upon.  So, to blogspot and all my favorite bloggers (Krista included), thank you for giving me a creative outlet!

Breaking down

I wonder if I'm falling apart.  Or at least getting sick.  That's probably more likely.  I got back from a trip to Bath (so gorgeous!) yesterday, and I was just so tired, even though it was not even seven o'clock!  I put my pics on Facebook, wrote a blog about my trip to Bath, Skyped with my boyfriend, then tried to read and go to bed.  It was midnight by the time I turned off the light, but I could not sleep.  I was hungry, so, since I was still awake at one, I got up to have some cookies and Nutella (not too healthy, but it could be worse).  I was shaking as I went down to the kitchen, got my food, and went back to my room.  I was a little unsteady, too, which really worried me.  I just felt like somewhat was so wrong.  I'm worried about it because the same thing (so far) has happened today.  I walked to Mumbles with my girlfriends, and throughout the day I had plenty of energy.  Now that I'm "home," though, I just feel entirely drained.  I hope I'm not getting sick :(

99-pence perfection

What better way to spend a Thursday afternoon than to hit up the amazing City Centre in Swansea?  We dined at a pub called the Potters Wheel on the edge of the City Centre; my burger (I am sooo American) and chips gave me all the energy I needed for an afternoon chock-full of shopping!  My first find was at some bookstore that was going out of business.  The past few days I've just had this crazy desire to buy a sketchpad in order to (attempt to) sketch some of my fashion ideas.  Even in my class this morning, I thought about how much I wished I had somewhere to sketch out some designs!  So, when I saw the sketchpad on sale for only 99 pence, I could not resist!  I guess this counts as part of my "make-myself-happy" resolution, so it was a success; I left the store feeling quite exuberant.  We browsed through the Swansea market, and while some delicious-looking pastries caught my eye, I was too full from lunch to buy anything.  Primark, a popular store in the U.K., provided an opportunity for me to buy a lot of items without breaking the bank.  It was here that I purchased the wallet shown above (I needed a new one that was thick enough to hold all the coins they have here in Wales) and the flowered headband.  Add a striped button-up shirt, and the grand total comes up to 8 pounds.  I love shopping but hate spending money, so this was perfect for me!  I finally bought a pair of jeggings at a store called New Look and was pleased to receive 20% off my purchase with my Swansea Student ID.  At my request, we ended at H&M.  How I love that store!  I managed to walk away with a long white button-up blouse, which I know will look great with tights, leggings, or my new jeggings, and a gray cardigan.  With just the purchases I made today, I feel that I finally have a wardrobe (thank goodness!).  I'm excited to be in pictures flaunting my new European style.  Now off to reading 1984 or sketching my first idea... oh, the possibilities!

Boyfriend jeans

All day I've just been dying to write a post exclaiming how excited I am to be wearing my boyfriend jeans.  Favorite pair of pants.  Ever.  I think it's because of the perfectly worn-out style.  Not to mention that they are super comfortable and stylish!  I wore them with my black mesh Toms and loved how the shoes looked with the jeans.  I'm still debating on what to wear tomorrow because my girlfriends and I have a shopping date set up after our class.  I absolutely cannot wait!  I need to get more clothes so that I don't feel like my closet is totally empty!  I was complaining about this to my boyfriend when we were skyping late last night; he is so amazing because he let me go on and on and on about clothes.  I showed him my new Swansea University sweatshirt, which is the same color as my new warm slouchy hat (can hats even be slouchy?), so we also had a discussion about all the pink things I own.  To say I have a lot of pink things would be an understatement; I'm talking iPod cover, camera, bookbag.  The cheap phone I bought to use while in Wales?  Yep, that's pink, too. While I was trying to fall asleep (it was one a.m. when I finished talking to him, so this should not have been a problem), I realized what a wonderful boyfriend he is for listening to me talk about such insignificant things without complaining.  I'm so lucky!

Fashionably European

Less than two weeks in Swansea and I'm already in love with the fashion here.  It's this crazy mixture of dressy and casual, carefully planned yet thrown together.  I've been fortunate to have multiple opportunities to people-watch, so I've noticed a few trends I want to try out while abroad.  First off, boots are a must (I think this is a sign that I chose the right place to study!).  Good thing I brought my thigh-high riding boots from home!  Due to the rather amazing City Centre in Swansea, I have already picked up an adorable pair of black ankle boots with tarnished gold accents for only £8.  Boots are the footwear of the season, and tights/leggings are the perfect compliment to them.  Girls wear them with shorts, tight skirts, and even just blouses.  I used this style as an opportunity to pull out my cuffed shorts (in January!), wearing them over my black patterned tights with my new boots.  I love that wearing leggings and a shirt is not only acceptable here; it's popular!  Along with the tight and leggings craze comes the jeggings.  In the States, I was rather leery of this new clothing item, but as the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" goes, I think I'll give them a try while in Europe!  Of course, cardigans are a must for the cool weather in Swansea.  And a great addition to any outfit, of course, is the scarf.  Scarves are practical as well as fashionable; they're a must-have accessory!  Again, I've already picked up a new scarf to add to my collection.  It's tan and blue with fringed edges and was super cheap (the best kind of fashion!).  I guess this blog post will commemorate my first day of rocking the European style!  I'm excited for an entire semester of dressing like this; I may even have to bring my Swansea style back to Iowa.

Good start

So, as I was Facebook-creeping today (not to brag, but I'm pretty decent at it), I was looking at other girls' profile pictures and thinking about how pretty/funny/cute the pictures were.  And I made a great first step towards resolution #1 (see previous blog) by going through my previous profile pictures.  I realized that, to someone who doesn't know me, I look pretty or funny or interesting or popular (What? I know, right!?).  When I logged off Facebook, I was rather happy with myself.  Resolution #1, prepare to be vanquished!

2011 Resolutions

I know it's a bit overdue (with ringing in 2011 in Chicago and starting to pack for my study abroad stint, I haven't much time to blog), but here are my resolutions for 2011.  I know that goals are supposed to be measurable, with set time spans and noticeable checkpoints along the way.  But my goals are just a little different.  Soooooooo, without further ado, my goals for 2011:

1) Love who I am.  While this is especially directed towards my physical appearance (no more hating photos of myself or worrying about being fat), it also includes being OK with my beliefs, opinions, and thoughts.  This isn't exactly an easy resolution, but I believe it's one that will make me a lot happier.

2) Do things for myself.  From here on out, I want to make myself happy.  This was mostly prompted by a not-so-little incident with my friends and family that lead to a lot of stress and tears (I was shaking I was so angry and frustrated!).  So, in 2011, I am not going to worry about pleasing anyone else.

3) Focus more on my schoolwork.  I'll admit it; my classroom etiquette sucks.  I'm either texting away or nodding off during many of my classes, and that stops now.  I'm hoping that studying in a different country (Hello, Wales!) will help me get back on track.

I'm sure that there are many more things that I can to do "make 2011 the best year yet!"  Cliché intended.  But with these 3 resolutions, I feel like I'm headed in the right direction to being the person I want to be.  I honestly can say that I don't think I've found myself yet.  I don't know who I truly am.  But these 3 steps are in the right direction.  And I love that I'm taking charge.