How well can you match your colors? I actually tried this last night when I was about to fall asleep at my desk and received a disappointing score of 5.5 – extremely happy to say that I have since raised that score since I took it when I was wide awake and alert. 6.3 is still pretty unfortunate, but it’s a whole lot better than the original.
If you are bored at work or trying to put off school stuff, this will do the job. Try the color test here.
UPDATE: 11:38 PM – I just got a 7.3
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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and a whole week (this week) put towards midterms, I have barely had any time to think about my own celebration for the big day. I had all of these plans that I have been writing up for weeks – jotting down inspiration for the Valentine’s Day cards that I was going to make my co-workers (that’s right – I’m bringing them back,) writing up gift guides for all of you, and ordering myself a box of Shari’s Berries…but it looks like I’m just going to order myself the Shari’s Berries.
I may not know what I will be doing yet for the big v-day, but I’ll take whatever happens. As long as I am with good company, I’ll be a happy girl.
I came across this adorable Tumblr yesterday though that I wanted to share with all of you called, “Nerd Valentine.” It’s basically a collection of products sure to make the nerd in your life fall in love with you. Oh my – just what I’ve always wanted!
Shapes. Circles. Color. Very Small Array is an extremely pretty website displaying trivia in infographics. It covers a wide variety of topics, but its minimalistic approach will probably keep me coming back from more!
I am so so proud of my friend John! Not even a week ago, John reached out to his friends and family to ask for donations for an extracurricular baseball program that he wanted to bring to his students and today he has finally reached his goal. With the help of his friends, he was able to raise $1,085 for students and now they will have all the equipment they will need to play baseball.
I am very lucky to have someone like John in my life. His dedication to his students and kind heart are just two of the many qualities that I am impressed by. Readers, I am very glad that I have had the opportunity to introduce him all to you.
Congratulations John! I hope you know how much everyone here in the community cares for you and how often we are thinking of you!
To continue following John’s adventures in Detroit, check out his blog here.
photo cred | Miho Aikawa
Sharing a meal has always been something that I valued. As much as possible, I allow myself to take advantage of this time to focus on food and not anything else that is preoccupying my mind. However, for a college student that is sometimes not possible. Naturally, I’m a slow eater – if I could, I’d take an hour long lunch break. Instead my days sometimes allow me just 25 minutes to grab something and finish it before I leave for my next appointment. It’s funny cause Evan and I were JUST talking about this the other day about how sometimes we are so busy that most of the time, we are multitasking as we are eating. It’s tricky stuff trying to balance a fork in one hand and a pencil in the other, but you do what you have to do.
Story of everyone’s life, right?
I thought this photo series developed by photographer Miho Aikawa captured this modern day scenario perfectly.
Check out the rest here.
Hello Yow-Yow enthusiasts!
I hail all the way from Baltimore, MD where I am currently a full-time volunteer through Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I am a caseworker at a homeless day shelter where I meet daily with an average of 10 clients. The services I aid with through casework include financial assistance in obtaining identification, shelter referrals, mental health and substance abuse referrals, handing out needed clothing, and helping clients find housing along with many other things that situations call forth. I’ve done something as simple as stick a band-aid on a cut of a man’s forehead to as complicated as finding assistance for a woman and her two children who were living in an “abondominuim”.
This work is tough and emotionally demanding, especially since there is a huge need from the homeless population and Baltimore City doesn’t offer enough resources. It’s especially tough as stories of homelessness are personalized for me; I see it in the faces, emotions, mannerisms, personalities, and hearts of each one of my clients.
I’ve come to dislike the term “homeless.” It lacks human dignity for a population that most needs it. With that term comes impressions of what that person is like- alcoholic, drug-ridden, mentally ill, dirty, lazy or even simply just out of luck. Yes, there are clients I see who are “chronically homeless” and may encompass one or more of these features, but the majority of my clients have potential for obtaining housing and simply need a leg up. They need someone who will advocate for them, assist with their needs when they don’t have the finances or spirit, or simply listen to them. Instead of “homeless”, and although it might not be the best solution for defining this population, I’ve thought of “without a house/apartment/a place to stay.” For me, this phrase indicates more of a transitional period in a person’s life when times are tough. It signifies that there is hope for that individual in moving forward in reclaiming stable housing, even if it might take a while. Moreover, “without a house/apartment/a place to stay” also signifies a lack of owning something tangible that society sees as almost necessary to being a “quality” citizen; something also defined by having a valid ID, a clean record, and able-bodied enough to work, all of which many of my clients do not possess.
I want to share this picture with you:
Get down with a little help from these posters of infamous dance styles in pop culture by Niege Borges Alves. From start to finish, these series of posters show you all the right moves. The Little Miss Sunshine one is my absolute favorite! Click the source below for the rest!
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You can never get tired of a good ‘ol internet meme. Luckily for us, London-based designer Stefan Van Zoggel has created a series of minimalist movie posters inspired by some of the best memes ever! Years from now, we’ll be able to look at the poster up on our walls and still have a good laugh.
During Snowpocalypse 2012, I remember telling Veronica just how excited I was over the possibility of snow days. When classes get cancelled due to unexpected circumstances, I am ecstatic. After I went on and on about how I much I couldn’t wait for the snow to eat up our campus, Veronica said to me, “…but we only have so many class days left!”
I’m sorry? Are we not on the same page here?
It’s been a few weeks since the snow days, but I haven’t forgotten about this conversation because Veronica was right. I’m not really going to miss the classes, but I am going to miss that entire college experience. If you think about it, four months isn’t a long time. It’s going to fly by. As I went about my day yesterday, this conversation kept coming back to me. Yesterday, I worked out of the bistro while getting a view of Mt. Rainier from the window and I haven’t done that in two years! It’s one of the prettiest sights seen from campus. It’s also the same kind of sight that brings my productivity level down to 27%. Mt. Rainier is pretty. It takes precedence over everything else. I also realized that I walk so fast that I am practically running into people all of the time and never catching my breath in time to say “Excuse me.” What I should be doing is taking it all in – walking slower and saying hi to the friends I see along the way. If that makes me late to my meetings and classes by three minutes – then so be it. There is no reason for me to be walking that fast.
For the past few months, I’ve been itching to get to the next chapter and skipping those pages just like I do with my own text books. When I was a kid, before blogs even existed – I loved to read books. I never missed a page; not even in Harry Potter. If my time in college has meant anything to me, I need to force myself to stop skipping. I’m not sure if anyone else feels the same way, but if you’ve been feeling like you’re missing a little bit of “life” right now, here are some steps I made up while I was in class.
Death and Facebook, though uncontrollable – when combined totally freaks me out a little bit. Losing a loved one is difficult. That anxiety can escalate when you come across their Facebook page every so often. What if you had the opportunity to control your last words though? In Facebook’s new app “If I Die,” Facebook users can record their last message to be revealed only after they have passed away with the help of a few select friends who will be responsible for releasing that message.
All I could think of when reading about this new app was that episode of One Tree Hill when the time capsule was released. That did not end well. I feel like a common problem most people would run into with this app though would be to constantly be changing it. How do you know if you’ve said enough? Maybe you’ve said too much!
When Katie sent me the email asking me to write a guest post on Yow Yow, I was incredibly hesitant. Unlike everyone who has written before me, I don’t actually like most people or things, and the highlights of my day include pooping and eating abnormal amounts of Mexican food. I loved absolutely everything I’ve read so far with the guest posts, but when Katie asked me to share something witty and insightful I blanked. Me? Wise? I thought that word was only for old dudes with beards like Dumbledore or Socrates. So I picked my brain and tried to think of something, absolutely anything, that would make me sound like a funny and intelligent 22-year old who’s getting her act together. Sadly, I’m not in a Scott Pilgrim novel, and all I could think about was my existential crisis: why is my love of Zooey Deschanel disintegrating? WHY?
The real fact of the matter is, I suck under pressure. I am an incredibly opinionated person who actually never keeps her mouth shut, yet if you ask me what my favorite book is, or what music I like, the only answers that pop into my brain are the Insane Clown Posse and Eat Pray Love.
But then it hit me: I’m going to write about a person who inspires me. So simple, right? When I re-read the email Katie sent me, she talked about how she’s lucky to have me in her life, and that I have helped shaped her experience at SU, and that she wanted to marry me because I’m so attractive and amazingly good-looking and sexy (I know, she won’t keep her hands off me). However, I kept thinking, “Does Katie realize she does the same thing for so many others?”
Unfortunately, I think the answer is no, therefore today I’m going to confess why I’m in lesbians with Katie.
In case you’re still trying to decide on a New Year’s resolution or have already forgotten your first one, maybe.
This print was designed by Under Consideration and is available to download here. This will be a great addition to my growing inspiration wall!
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Maybe I am too much of a hopeless romantic, but I believe every week should start off with a whole lot of love. After the show last night, Michelle and I walked past Pravda Studios where a wedding had just taken place. Friends of mine know that I am obsessed with weddings. Dear friends of mine will tell you that I have been waiting for the chance to check out that venue space for a very long time. Throughout the summer, I would sit at Auto Battery, one arm up with my hand rested underneath my chin looking hopelessly up at the venue space decorated in twinkling lights and hearing the bass of the DJ. It was so sad; it was like Cinderella waiting to be invited to someone else’s wedding! I wanted so badly to see the space, but I could never muster up the courage to just ask.
Well, I’m not sure what happened last night – maybe it was the high after the Andy Grammer show – but I decided to take that chance. Twinkling lights in the window and paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling of Pravda Studios? THE TIME IS NOW. I dragged Michelle over there with me where a few straggling guests were hanging outside and immediately went for it.
“Was there just a wedding up there?”
“How was it?!”
“Did you have fun?”
“Oh my gosh, it must have been beautiful!”
“Cute Tory Burch flats!”
[And that...is how it is done. The key is to just keep talking.]
“I have always ALWAYS wanted to see that space up there. Do you think it would be alright if you gave us a tour?”
I should have taken a picture, but I was so caught off guard by my own bold move that I became flustered and under the spell of the breathtaking venue. This is the best picture I could find to describe the atmosphere inside:
Congratulations to the happy couple that I never met!
And also, we haven’t had a wedding related post in awhile so the other night while taking a break from work, I totally spent part of my day watching wedding short films from Moetic continuously. Ugh. I love love.
Picture me at 18 years old. Actually put some valiant effort into that, because I was much skinnier then, so this will be a more flattering place to start.
At 18, I live my entire life in practicality and reason. I approach things as a realist, sometimes to an alarming degree. I don’t like breaking rules. I don’t like the idea of getting into trouble. I don’t drink or try any drugs through my entire childhood and rambunctious teenage dome. You get the picture—I wasn’t the kind of kid to paint graffiti on the sides of buildings or get caught making out in the closet at somebody’s house party. I was never good at being indulgent or a risk taker. Don’t expect me to be the first to jump into the deep end of the pool. Hell, don’t expect me to be the first one to suggest going into the pool. Me in a bathing suit? In public? Do you want an entire collection of people to be simultaneously horrified and blinded at the same time? I didn’t think so.
Now, let’s move on from those chilling thoughts and settle into the now. The present Maddie, who is 22 and thought she knew exactly what she was doing. Thought she had created a practical college plan to follow and is instead staring into the future like it’s a San Francisco fog. I declared my business major at Seattle University because I thought it was a responsible step. I knew one day I wanted to own my own business and become an entrepreneur.
Now I’m two quarters from graduating, and on paper, I’m satisfactory for the business world. I’ve had work experience, two internships, and a handful of leadership experiences. I even have a leadership and mentoring position at the business school. In fact, to my current employer, who may be fully willing to hire me after graduation, I look fancy and clean-cut and like I’m ready to take on new responsibility.
So whoop-de-doo, put a cherry on top. The pie is baked, decorated, and ready to go, right? Wrong. Here’s where I hit the road-block.
What if instead, I took all that practical planning I’ve been assembling, molding, perfecting into the damn Mona Lisa, and, well…threw it out the window? What if I based my future goals on the one part of my life where I’m impulsive and indulgent: singing publicly.
Why would I do that? Well, here’s some context: Ever since I was about 4, I’ve been singing. Now, I’m fully aware that EVERY performer you come across will say something like that. Something along the lines of “I’ve basically been performing since the day I was born.” Oh sure, you came tap dancing out of your mother’s womb. I get it. What I mean by starting like that is to say that ever since I was young, it’s been one of the only things I felt good at. My first solo was in the 5th grade musical, where I tested out my a-bit-mature-for-my-age big voice. Later, I performed in middle school talent shows and watched tiny pubescent heads turn from the audience to try to figure out where that loud (not yet very controlled) singing voice was coming from. As I got older, I tried so hard to sound like famous pop stars and divas of soul and rnb. I sang at talent shows and sporting events in high school. I joined the choirs. I pretended like I knew how to write good songs and recorded demos when I was 15. That was and remains my identity to most people. I’m Maddie Cary: the girl with the big voice.
