It's Always Sunny In A Rich Man's World

As I was stumbling around the internet, clearly avoiding the usual, lengthy to-do list, I discovered this gem:

Sadly, this is so true. Unfortunately, I don't know that much about finance, but as I'm slowly finding myself thrown headfirst into the world of bills and credit, this comic represents a sort of fear of mine. Up until now, I've been mostly of the mind that I could get by on just the principle of "Spend less than you earn," but apparently, I can't do that without first having large amounts of money at hand (Aaaah!). God forbid I end up with a big -$100,870 (Medical School) over my head for the rest of my life. Thus, as a way to assuage these fears, I have turned to my fall-back blog genre: money management!
A little while ago, Trent Hamm, of The Simple Dollar did an article recognizing the "Best Money Tips" from fans with notes. I thought most of this advice was fairly simple, common sense stuff, but a couple of them really stood out (with my comments in parentheses):

• Make friends with compulsive upgraders.Compulsive upgraders always have stuff they’re giving away. Another tip along these lines: look for yard sales and garage sales in upscale neighborhoods. They’re often selling stuff for $0.50 that I’d love to have in my home. (Friends-in-high-places has taken on a whole new meaning. It might seem like frien-abuse, but, hey, if they're offering...)
  
• Ask! Ask for a lower insurance rate. Ask for a better cable/deal. Ask for reduced interest. Ask about current sales/promotions. Ask for a raincheck.This works great if you’re an extrovert. (I am curious about how to reap the benefits of this for non-extroverts).
  

And, my personal favorite:

• Don’t drive home past the liquor store when you work at a job that you really don’t like and consistently frustrates you!

As you can imagine, being reminded that alcohol is not the answer made me suddenly feel more confident about my new fiscal responsibilities. Though, sarcasm is probably not the answer either. Darn.
A couple more good ones:
Think Your Way To Wealth
Financial Samurai(Cool name, good advice)
Frugal Dad (The monetary version of ShitMyDadSays, I like to think)

Although I am merely hoping that this blog binge will help my monetary skills, I can say for sure that it is making me feel better and better about returning this:

Airplanes

Good morning!
I am sitting at the airport, coffee in hand, with time until my flight to San Diego boards!
Now, I love the airport. There is a certain magical anticipation in the air in places from which people are whisked off to far of locations. But, we all know layovers can quickly get boring and even stressful. So, take advantage of the free wireless internet and check out some of this aeronautic awesomeness!
Stuck at the Airport is a wonderful little travel blog with all sorts of fun things to keep you busy while you wait!
And some must haves:

Airplane luggage tags for two!

A tie the men will surely enjoy! (though for the record, it's probably inadvisable to wear it through security)

A cute bracelet to wear on and off the flight!
Ooh, we're boarding! Ta!

(sources: Etsy and weheartit)

A Magical Vacation!

So the reason for my extended absence has mainly been that my brother and I decided it was imperative that we go to Orlando for the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

(photo from weheartit)

I grew up with Harry, having started reading the books at 8 years old. Harry Potter isn't just a kids tale to me, it's my childhood. I was always, and still am, amazed by the creativity and attention to detail Rowling had included in the books. Rowling's world is perfection! It seamlessly mixed total modernity with the age-old idea of witches and magic, which has always been absolutely mind-blowing to me. Hence, you can imagine that I was a hyperventilating, crying mess with a tacky grin plastered to my face for the majority of the trip. Evidence:

Obscenely expensive, but amazing purchases:

• Quick Quotes Quill + Notepad (will be using to take notes in class if I ever figure out this ink thing)
  
• "I must not tell lies" and "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" lanyards (already being put to use!)
  
• Dark Mark, Sorting Hat, and various other key chains
  
• Marauder's Map, Zonko's, and butterbeer mugs
• Chocolate Frogs, Sugar Quills, Pumpkin Juice, Hondeydukes jar + candy, chocolate wands, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (all were delicious!)
• T-shirt
• Hufflepuff tie and various things (for ditching dear daddy on father's day. Sorry!)

I may have forgotten things, but oh, the selection was to die for. Had I more money, I would have bought everything!

Fun in the Sun

One: Jello Melons!

I just made two watermelon halves of this wonderfully refreshing treat! I'm excited for them to solidify! And they were quick and easy which is good for sad, un-culinarily-inclined me. However, I do make up words like a pro.

Two: Check out Stephen Torrence. He does these amazing and amusing ASL renditions of popular songs. The adorable smile doesn't hurt either.

And though I dislike the song generally, his rendition of Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus is one of my favorites.

Let the Summer Begin!

I am home!
Sorry to have been M.I.A. for the last week, but as of Friday at 9 pm, I was done with finals and moved out of my apartment into the one I'll be in over the summer and on my way to stay with friends for the weekend. Then today, we left the Golden State to heat back to boiling heat and home! Honestly, I have never been more happy to see a cactus than I was today.

Now that I am home though, I feel sort of...restless. I mean, I have read 3/4 of a book since I got home, and now I kind of want to be done with being home. I want to be out and about with people I like. Things to look forward to:

• Native New Yorker! [This is important, really.]
  
• New Phone! [If you'd been stuck with a Go-Phone for 6 months, you'd be too]
• Camera repair [hopefully cheap]
• and last but definitely best: Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. [no comment needed!]
  

A Bit Of A Break

Good morning!
It's 7:30 am on the Sunday before finals week! I am about to be off to the library to study, coffee in hand.

But last night, I took the perfect study break! Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog is a short and brilliant way to avoid doing two more hours of OChem! The whole thing is under an hour long, so it's perfect to watch while you eat dinner. And it's Neil Patrick Harris singing, so, really, who could resist?

Watched the last few Gossip Girl episodes I missed of this season (guilty pleasure, what?). Not to spoil things, but if Chuck Bass is dead, I will stop watching this show.He might be a sleaze, but he has to be the "Ch" in "Chair". Also, dibs.

Quick study notes:
-If you don't need a computer, find the part of the library with no outlets to study/read in. It will be deserted.
-Bring sustenance to study. Coffee and food. Nothing distracts like a hungry tummy.
-You might tell yourself you'll study for a little bit when you get home, but you won't.
-Coffee is a man's best friend. Coffee will save you. Coffee solves all problems. Drink coffee.

Associations

My iTunes shuffled to "Stacy's Mom" - Fountains of Wayne last night. I make really strong memory associations to certain songs (like that one), which got me thinking about which other songs I have strong associations with. I chose a select few to collage together. Little pieces of me:

Diamonds from Sierra Leone Remix ft. Jay-Z - Kanye West: Takes me straight to a small room of the A-building of my high school where my debate coach once lectured us on how we could use panopticism to frame power struggle.
Dark Blue - Jack's Mannequin: Sitting on the concrete by the fence of the track waiting for my mother to pick me up and staring at the sky.
Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne: A huge cabin in Prescott in 8th grade where three boys acted out the song on blow-up guitars.
Konstantine - Something Corporate: Two memories of this one. First: driving down an Arizona freeway at night during a looming thunderstorm. Second: Standing in the back of a huge crowd at Anaheim stadium bawling my eyes out watching it performed for the first time.
Ishq Kamina - Shakti: Sitting on the middle school track during some sports showcase thing, claiming it was my favorite song.
Oops! I Did It Again - Britney Spears: Chillin in a friend-I'm-no-longer-friends-with's white bedroom in 5th grade and jumping on the bed.
Drops of Jupiter - Train: Sitting at lunch "observing" a friend's crush in 6th grade.
Just a few; some of which have easily become favorites.