welcome back winter once again

IT'S COLD. right now weather.com tells me it's forty-nine degrees. that's freeeezing. tonight our street had our annual block party where everyone puts their christmas lights up. the street looks so cute! I'm so excited to drive down it every night and feel all festive :)

also, I have three days of class left until finals/winter break. I am really going to miss my tuesday/thursday schedule next semester when I have to go to class everyday. boo hoo. but before the death schedule of spring semester, I have basically a whole month off of school! which is good news for me, and even better news for pebble. here's the basic schedule for me & schmeb when I'm off of school:

10:00 - if I'm not going out, pebble and I get in bed. she gets super comfy right in the middle of the bed and gets all snuggled up in a blanket. I read a magazine or something while pebble makes a little nest.

11:00-11:30 - pebble starts hassling me to turn off the lights so I try to get comfortable in the 3 inches of the bed she has left for me.

the next morning:

8:30/9:00 - pebble and I wake up, usually from my phone ringing or something like that. I have to scratch her for at least ten minutes before she can move from the bed.

9:30 - I go to eat breakfast and peb trots out into the kitchen to snatch up some of my dropped cereal or a bread crust.

10:00 - I migrate to the couch to work on some homework or watch tv. as soon as pebble senses me unfolding a blanket she materializes on the couch and makes herself comfortable in the most inconvenient spot. 

life is good.

also, I understand that the last blog I posted was a little extreme, but it did come with a disclaimer AND it was obviously a joke. I was kidding, mostly. I'm not a psycho man-hater complainer, that's what taylor swift is for. :)

cheers,

lauren

wednesday night

I don't have a guide on the tv in my bedroom, so I just have to channel surf. Which usually ends me up on some pretty random channels. I have watched some weird shows in the past. I think tonight is a wonderful example. I'm holding apolo right now and I flipped on my tv. Every channel seemed to be on commercial so I kept changing. I decided against criminal minds and settled on a spanish soap opera. I think it was called alguien a mira. It was super confusing and didn't really make any sense so I changed to a spanish concert. I watched some commercials in spanish, including that starbucks commercial. I got bored with that too so I started channel surfing again. I somehow found my way onto C-Span which was showing questions for the prime minister in the British house of commons. It was actually so interesting. They yelled and booed at each other, talked in 3rd person , but mostly they just sat up and down a lot. I watched that until it was over & a thing on infectious diseases came on. I then turned on my old stand by for not having anything to watch, mash. As of right now I still really don't have anything to watch but I know now quite a bit out the current standings of british politics.
I just heard vampire weekend on a fricken honda commercial. Kill me.
cheers,
Cayla
ps happy thanksgiving!

Today

was just one of those days. You know those days when you're not 100% sure it was the right decision to get out of bed. It's not that you're depressed, it's just that it would be better for the safety of you and others that you stayed home, or at least didn't move from your seat. First off on Saturday my mother, Lauren and I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. We put up ceiling drywall. It doesn't sound dangerous, but leave it up to me to injure myself when my family took every precaution to make sure I did not. I was not allowed to work on the roof, I was not allowed to use powertools, I was not even allowed to climb up a ladder. I got the job of turning the lift that hoisted the drywall up to the ceiling so it could be screwed in. I smashed my finger twice in the lift and I have bruises on my knees from kneeling under the drywall to turn the lever. I dropped a hammer on my wrist, which doesn't really seem possible (I was not swinging the hammer in anyway, I was just holding it and it managed to fall perfectly on my wrist), but the giant bruise on my arm begs to differ. I also smashed my finger on my water bottle right before we left because I was running around going "ceiling, ceiling!"
So needless to say, I was kind of sore today. Which seemed to effect my ability to do things. In chem we were putting compounds into flames and observing the different colors. Chemicals + fire + Cayla = bad outcome. So I only caught a few wood splints on fire, which almost caught me on fire. Not that bad. To be honest I don't even remember what happened in English today so I guess that means nothing bad. I destroyed our chances at winning candy in Child Development because I picked a "bomb" in the game we were playing and we lost all our points. I didn't really care, but the freshman next to me really seemed to be upset. Whatever.
I forgot about my test in Spanish so I was freaking out at lunch and a little frustrated because I was trying to eat yogurt with a fork. In Spanish I was taking said test, and I finished with some uncertainty. I went to turn in my test, but I sit in the back and the rows are really close together and the kid in front of me had his elbow kind of in the aisle. Maybe it was because I was sore, maybe it was because I was still a little high off the natural gas from the bunsen burners in chemistry, but I almost fell right on the kid. No joke. It was a quick save by me, and when I returned the kid had pulled his elbow in, apparently he didn't want me to fall face first on top of him. But anyway the rest of the day went as usual, me being confused in math and bored in history. Honestly, these type of days happen to me more often than not and I'm starting to wonder if I'm not actually having "bad days" but am just generally kind of a fail. But I know I am not alone because there are directions on the back of my box of jelly beans and I know that they are there because of somebody.

Cheers,
Cayla

men are pigs.

that's a little harsh, right? wrong. I know cayla already wrote a whole entry berating hipsters, but I was already thinking about this one so it's getting posted.

I'm always trying to think of some way that I could put my english degree to use after I graduate. everyone always tells me I'm going to have to be a teacher or a professor, and that sounded so dull until I thought of the perfect idea. what is one class that every college is missing? you might be thinking a lot of different things, but the correct answer is a class called "how to talk to girls 101" a mandatory class for every male freshman. at most schools, this class is a semester long, with the first half covering "what to say to get kicked in the balls", which would advise young men how NOT to act around women. the second half of the semester would be "what to say to get laid" in which the boys would realize how girls actually want to be interacted with. of course, in more prestigious schools where the boys have a 4896.269 GPA but only a false sense of what they think "social skills" are, this class will be an entire year long, with a semester focusing on each topic. trust me, it's needed.

this idea struck me after having the lucky (yeah right) opportunity to watch boys try to interact/impress girls throughout my first two years of college. it's pathetic. so, obviously, they need a little help.

WHY WOULD YOU EVER THINK ________ WOULD MAKE ME WANT TO HOOK UP WITH YOU

*disclaimer: this list is not about just one boy, but many put together. some are things I've just happened to see, but using "I" to explain them is just easier. 

• spitting: IT'S GROSS. yesterday this boy rode up on his bike (strike one, bicycle rider) and stopped right next to me at the crosswalk. he then proceeded to spit all over the place, which landed centimeters from my shoe.
• ignoring me: I know it's hard for you to think of words to make into sentences that constitute a conversation, but talking to me for 2 weeks straight then not making any contact for the next week and a half doesn't exactly earn you brownie points. it'll give me time to think of all the reasons I hate you so that by the time you actually do contact me again I'll be ready to push you into traffic
• smoking/drinking in excess/doing drugs: I get it, you party. that doesn't mean you have to be in a semi-concious state of drunken haze when I come to see you. chances are if you're smoking, you probably taste like an ash tray, and if you're shooting something up then you obviously have some issues that I don't want to deal with.
• acting WAY overconfident: that's great if you have good self esteem, it means I won't have to constantly remind you you're still good enough to live. but if you're acting like God personally sent you here himself as his own special gift to mankind, it probably means you really have no confidence whatsoever. yes, girls do know this, so it's time to cut the act. we know you're not perfect, IT'S OKAY
• whistling at me while I'm walking down the street: this also includes yelling/ pulling over/ honking/ making a fake pair of binoculars out of styrofoam cups. why would you think that harassing me is going to make me want to jump in your truck?
• talking about your ex: this one seems pretty simple, but guys still can't seem to get it. even if we're just friends, there's still a very high chance that I don't give an eff about your ex-girlfriend.
• making fun of me: so what if I still name my stuffed animals? and, for the love of god, when I say something that I think is cool, "wow, that's so gay" IS NOT the correct answer. there is a very fine line between teasing and making me feel dumb, guys don't seem to know where it is.
• freaking out when I say something personal: obviously I get that you don't want to hear when I'm on my period, but if I say something like "I'm really upset because my pet died" and you short circuit, it's over.
• bragging about hanging out with other people: PLEASE by all means, have other friends, but if you spend an hour telling about some party you went to with really hot girls, it doesn't make me jealous, it makes me angry, which makes you lose your chance. 
• criticizing my driving: I obviously passed the license test. you will get out & walk if you complain one more time.

alright, there's a lot of more things that could go on the list, but I have things to do today. so, obviously if a guy shouldn't do all that stuff, they're probably drawing a blank about what they should do. 

THINGS TO DO SO I WILL WANT TO BE SEEN IN PUBLIC WITH YOU

• have good style: now this isn't true for all girls, but I can't get enough of boys that know how to match and occasionally will wear the same color hat and shoes. wearing sweatpants and some hole-y shirt shows you obviously put a lot of time into yourself...
• shower: boys are smelly, but thankfully by now most have learned how to use a toothbrush and turn on the hot water. some are still looking for a hairbrush.
• argue with me: obviously not about EVERYTHING, but please don't agree with absolutely everything I have to say. like if I say I think stoplights are a bad idea and people should just take a chance and drive into oncoming traffic whenever they feel brave and you agree with me, that was a test and you just failed it.
• say nice things: you don't have to compliment absolutely everything that I do, but if you think I look nice, tell me. I understand that my life isn't a michael buble song, but if I took three hours to do my hair, I'd love it if you said something about it.
• hang out with me: no, I won't think it's creepy if you ask me to get frozen yogurt. I will think 'oh, how nice of him' and most likely go. unless you're actually creepy
• do stupid things: this does NOT, I repeat DOES NOT, mean do anything that would fall into the other list above. this means things like dancing or quoting a line from spongebob or something. don't be afraid to look at little stupid, but also don't embarrass yourself. 

alright boys, read up!

cheers,

lauren

indie? hipster? scenester?: A Guide to the Alternative World

 it is important to distinguish between these 3 labels/stereotypes. When navigating the music world and even the real world you have to be able to quickly size up a boy and place him into one of these generalizations.

Indie: We're talking music here. So I am going to tell you how to spot someone who truly plays indie music. To be honest, you can't . They look just like you and me. You could be sitting next to an indie boy on an airplane, in class, behind one in line at a coffee shop (this one is a very high possibility). Okay, so it's not that hard, they probably dress a little strange, just the slightest thing off about them. They are probably in a band with group of eclectic looking boys that seem to have absolutely nothing in common except that they all play in the same band. Their band plays witty music that may come off as snobby because they use words that you don't understand because they are more educated than you. Their band name doesn't make any sense and is most likely an inside joke that you were never meant to understand. Their lead singer has a distinctive voice and they are all really good at playing their instruments. They are from a big city and they played in underground bars before (kind of) making it big. They "aren't in it for the money"
ex: Vampire Weekend and Death Cab for Cutie (they like to take pictures sitting on couches?)

Hipster: Mainstream thinks that they're indie, hipsters wish they were indie. They have long, greasy hair that falls in their eyes and 5,000 white v-neck t-shirts. They are small, skinny and white and sing songs about how beautiful girls broke their hearts. All these girls have really strange names. They are probably from a small town or a suburb, they have never suffered in any way. They are all networked together and all know each other somehow. They might have a girl in their band, but she is always the lead singer. They have probably had a change in line-up and went through a major change in sound during which they changed their hair and their throngs of tweenaged fans freaked out. They cite old classic bands that sound nothing like them as major influences. They like hip-hop and rap. Their band name is weird and too long and wear hoodies with neon shirts, flannel or vests.

ex: The Maine and The Ready Set

Scenester: a couple of years ago the scene um, scene kind of died out and everyone either went hipster or broke up. But I guess you could almost say that scenester were the misunderstood suburb rats that just couldn't quite go goth. They actually ended up a little emo. Except that they never had anything bad happen to them, they are just under the impression that they have the worst life in the entire world and no one in the history of the world will ever understand them. This movement was very popular among middle class teenagers that listened to hardcore music but couldn't bring themselves to live an entirely hardcore life. So they ended up wimpy and scene. Then they all formed bands where they dye their hair and sings songs about how no one likes them. Ones that made it big during this time are now looked upon as heroes of every little scene/hipster kid that is also in a band. They probably had a side project and a lip ring. They were the infamous wearers of skinny jeans. Sometimes they can still be seen slinking around bars with live music at night, reliving the glory days of their existence. oh and don't forget the guyliner

ex: just one, the most infamous scenester of all time and possibly one of the worst people in the entire world: Pete Wentz.

ugh he is entirely unpleasent. But there you go, now you can successfully judge any boy in this currently thriving alternative music scene. Of course I could go into detail into another stereotypes that have nothing to do with music, like bro, but that would take forever and I've got a paper to write.

Cheers,

Cayla

p.s. I was reading over this and I got a little harsh in the end, but you know it's pretty much true and someone needs to provide this information. also, no offense to the bands above, they just all happen to be good examples, I actually do like some of them, but not pete he's a tool.

sailboats wish that they were stars

we finally got a new layout! hence the adam lyrics referring to sailboats title.

this blog is not about sailboats, but #78 that has recently been added to and crossed off of our list. we realize that doing something and then putting it on the list is a very buried life thing for us to do, but the actual list item was very buried lifesque as well. here's what happened:

cayla gets home from school on wednesday and freezes next to the couch with her phone in her hand. "lauren," she says, "have you seen the buried life's facebook?" from the tone of her voice I'm dreading what she's going to say next- one of them married taylor swift or their show's getting cancelled or something. but then she informs me that duncan & dave are repelling off a building in downtown phoenix. ?! so we obviously jump in the car and fly down the freeway.

please note, my car was completely on empty, we got stuck in traffic there & back, I missed the deadline to register for my spring semester classes, and used all the change in my wallet to pay for a parking meter.

so, we get there and see someone getting ready to repel down this huge building. ! could it possibly be one of them? finally, the person gets to the ground and we realize it's baxter, the mascot for the diamondbacks.

 baxter dances around then heads inside the building. thinking that the buried life must be in there as well, cayla and I nonchalantly follow baxter into the building. as we enter, a lady asks us if we're here for the cocktail party. looking down at our sweatshirts and ripped jeans, cayla and I aren't really sure what to say. we try to convince her that we are definitely allowed to be in there, and then she informs us that this is a private condominium. then she asks us if we're looking for the buried life, and tells us that they're gone.

SO CLOSE.

unbelievable? not so much, more like typical of our luck. creepy? no, not that either, just dedicated.

dear the buried life,
just meet us already.
cheers,
lauren & cayla

I've been to the dentist a thousand times, so I know the drill

Today Lauren and I (Cayla) went to the dentist. We hadn't been in a while, so we started out on our usual journey of getting lost, panicking, calling our mom, then finally finding our way and being very late. Going to the dentist is an unusual experience. You wait forever, read bad magazines and brochures about how you should not go to Mexico to get your teeth fixed, go back and suffer through those terrible x-rays where they stick those gross cards between your jaws that cut the top of your mouth. Then the dentist comes in, pokes your teeth, does the little swirly cleaner and sprays water in your mouth that seems to be mostly pointed at the rest of your face and not your teeth because that is where most of the water goes. Finally if, like me, you are under 18 they rub that infernal fluoride on your teeth that was invented simply to torture young children. Then it is all over. Maybe it is so strange because it all happens so quickly. It is like a car wash for your teeth. Except there is no rinse at the end and you can't eat or drink for 30 minutes afterwards.
After that we stalled so I wouldn't have to go back to Spanish, then my sister drove me back to school to attend 2 uneventful and essentially useless periods. During the ride I chugged my yogurt because I didn't have a spoon and there was still a disgusting taste in my mouth. So I guess the dentist isn't so scary, but I might have an allergy to fluoride because my gums hurt so bad and I have hives. Oh dear.

Cheers,
Cayla