Boxes and boxes and boxes!

I just moved back from college a couple weeks ago. I have the bad habit of never unpacking suitcases when I get home from vacation - this also applies to unpacking boxes of dorm stuff.

In addition to me moving back home, my parents have been in the process of converting our "craft room" - right across the hall from my bedroom - into an office space so my dad can move from his work office to a home office. This moving process began before I got back, so where did all those miscellaneous bags and boxes end up? Yup, my room. Up until today, my floor had been crowded with four or five different stacks of boxes, as well as at least four garbage bags full of craft room items and even more small bags and boxes of papers and binders and notebooks. This is basically how my room looks, and this is basically how I feel every time I try to attack it.

But I've been gradually trying to get into the swing of unpacking. It's no fun. I'm an expert packer, if I do say so myself, but my packing skills far exceed my unpacking skills. I think it's because when you pack up, you're usually going somewhere exciting. And once you're unpacked, the adventure is officially over. It's really sort of depressing if you think about it.

Anyway, I think today I finally finished unpacking my college boxes. No, that doesn't mean the unpacked items are neatly put away. It's more like I've always lived in a messy room, so having general clutter all over the floor is less stressful than having large boxes towering up and trying their best to trip me while I walk around. Therefore the boxes have left but the junk has remained. But I'll sort that out eventually. Although I have the feeling a lot of it can go back in boxes for next year... Funny how that works, huh?

My Wonderful World of A Capella

So I like to sing. A lot. I sing - or hum at least - while I walk around and while I eat and while I shower (of course), and while I brush my teeth, and quite possibly while I sleep.

I got to college and hadn't looked at joining a group of any sort. I have an awkward time meeting new people, especially if I'm on my own, so I generally shy away from new experiences that put me out of my comfort zone. So basically any new experience at school.

One of my suitemates introduced all of us very early on to an amazing group called Acappology. They're one of the premier a capella groups on campus. They did mini-performances outside the dining halls every couple of weeks, so she would bring us around to watch em. I fell in love. Prettymuchbasicallyyeah. Sometime later that semester she heard me singing while I was in my room, and immediately afterwards she started talking to me about auditioning for a group, be it Aca or another one on campus. She even kept me updated with concert dates and audition times for a few of the different groups. I carefully avoided going to auditions (I kinda have a phobia), but she finally dragged me out to the Acappology winter concert, buying my ticket as my Christmas present. I mean really, how could I not accept that as a Christmas gift?

So I went to the concert. And fell more deeply in love. And watched the youtube videos. And learned some of the choreography. And danced around my room singing along, daydreaming about joining and how much fun it would be, realizing more and more that I really really wanted to be an Acappologist.

Christmas break came and passed, and I was still seeing little music note-shaped stars, and a few days after we returned to school, my friend posted on my Facebook a link to a page with information about the upcoming Acappology auditions. Long story short, she got me to go audition after my class the following week. I showed up late after power-walking a decent ways across campus, answered every awkward question they fired at me ("If you were a donut, what donut would you be?" I'd be chocolate frosted. Yes.), and then sang part of "Turning Tables," by Adele. Hey, I felt like being gutsy and belting a little bit.

So I made it to callbacks and then had to learn the alto part for one of their songs, then sing it in front of them. Also very nerve-racking. But apparently I did well enough, because they called me that night to tell me I got in. Best phone call ever. I literally hung up and ran screaming into my friend's room to tell her and whoever else was around that I made it. Then we happy danced. It happened.

I love this group so much. We spend a lot of time together, in and out of rehearsal time. We strive to be one big family, and, although we're definitely dysfunctional in our own way, we're also definitely a family. It's been one of the best experiences of my life. So you should experience the joy and check out samples of our songs here! On our website!

That's all for tonight =^)

Oh wait, lil' bit more. I know everyone knows the song "Somebody That I Used To Know," by Gotye, featuring Kimbra. Well, there's this amazing professional a capella group called Pentatonix, maybe you heard of em when they won the Sing-Off in 2011, and they do an amazing cover of the song. I actually like it better than the original. So watch it now. Forreal.

My love affair with dancing

So one of my favorite hobbies is dancing.

I took ballet lessons when I was about six years old, and all I remember is:
1) I only stuck with it a year,
2) in practice they'd make us sit back-to-back and then try to stand up (my partner and I beasted!), and we'd also point and flex and make "pretty Cinderella feet" and "ugly stepsister feet," respectively,
3) I had a super epic tutu for performance, and
4) I drank an Orange Fanta right before dress rehearsal and really had to pee the whole time.

My mom tells me that I didn't like my teacher at all and that's why I stopped lessons. That must be the reason why, because I've continued to love dancing, and every time I see a ballet performance (usually the Nutcracker at Christmas time...) I come home spinning and twirling and determined that someday I'll learn pointe.

I'm realistic though. I know I'm not terribly flexible, and basically too old to learn ballet - especially pointe. But I can still do jazz, modern, and hip hop (and clubbing, but that's pretty straightforward, as seen here). Those are the ones I've mostly stuck with. I started choreographing when I was, oh, just a wee little thing (probably late elementary school or so). In seventh grade I started taking lessons at a very laid-back studio, and I was in a class of about 16 girls, all but three of whom I already knew. I absolutely loved it. I took lessons there from seventh - twelfth grade, and during those six years I had four different teachers, all of whom taught with very different and unique styles. I ended up doing a couple years of jazz, a couple of modern, and one year that leaned more towards hip hop.

I have to confess, it was never really a hip hop class though. My teacher told us from the beginning that she could envision the moves but couldn't dance them herself, so we tried to learn the motions while she awkward-white-girl danced them and then told us how to compensate for her whiteness. Now, yes, I'm white too, but I've been told that I don't dance like it. That's one of my favorite compliments to receive ^-^ Anyway, senior year I started dancing with my friend T, and we came up with this really awesome thing we call "puppeting." I'm the puppet and he's the puppeteer and he "attaches strings" to my arms, and, well, you can envision the rest. It's awesome. Maybe I'll put up a video at some point.

So I've been away at college for a year, and I haven't had much opportunity to dance. I've definitely lost some skills. But my friend Bradley really really wants to film a dance video. And I really really want to as well. He just showed me this video today, and he says he's got some ideas for it. So basically I've got to start practicing again. Fingers crossed we can follow through!

I really love dancing. So much. It's so freeing and relaxing and energizing and exhausting and basically I'd rather dance than walk. My parents can tell when I'm in a good mood because I spin around the kitchen while I'm getting food out of the fridge or glasses from the cabinets, etc. I just dance all the time. I can't help it.

So, dear readers, I encourage you to embrace your inner dancer. I don't really care how your dancing looks; I actually have mad respect for awkward dancers who know they're awkward and dance anyway. So do it. I'll love you. And give you props.

Madison Kate

Back for post number two!

Today I had the honor of acting as a model for my friend Madison. She's gotten into photography over the past year or so and is gradually learning the ropes, and becoming quite excellent rather quickly. Anyway, she bought a 1950's wedding dress for next-to-nothing a few weeks ago, and as soon as she had it she texted and asked if I'd model it for her. Ha! As if I'd say no!

So that's how I spent majority of my afternoon today: driving to different places around the neighborhood and wandering around, pretending like I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew my afternoons of watching America's Next Top Model would pay off someday =^)

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from this afternoon. Check out her blog! She's fabulous!

http://madison-kate.blogspot.com/

secret about this picture: her sister Mallory is actually sitting underneath the skirt, giving it that extra poof on the left side! Oh, and it was really really hot while we were shooting. So being curled up under 3 layers of skirt, she was getting the sauna experience. Sorry, Mal!

Hey hey hey!

Hello World!

I used to have a blog about four years ago, but seeing as I'm not... structured? scheduled? disciplined?... enough to constantly update one, and seeing as I had nothing interesting to post, it suffered. So I put it to rest. But I've decided to give blogging a second try. So here's the breakdown of what you might be seeing:

I'm a college girl. I talk a lot. About anything. 'Nuff said there.

I'm a fashion&textiles student. And I love to sew. "Sew" I'm planning on posting pictures of projects and such. (I also tend to think I'm punny. Probly not, but always worth a shot! And hey, a pity laugh is still a laugh.)

I write songs and play piano, so who knows? Some lyrics - even a video - may appear up here someday. But that's a pretty slim chance. So don't get your hopes up.

I think that's all I've got for now.

Oh, my blog title? What's 5 feet 7 inches? Well, I am! (betchya weren't expecting that, huh?) But if you want to go all symbolic - and I do, because it's late and I'm sleepy and I get analytical when I'm tired - I suppose you could say it's also my perspective of the world. Because seeing the world from different angles, or heights, can change your view.

Buh-bam. That's it. My view. Of the world. My thoughts. And perspective. All 5 feet and 7 inches of it.