Friday Fix: Dreaming

Where I want to be:
Where I am:
Three more days until I will have four months away from Davis Library (and the Undergraduate Library, and the Park Library, and any other study setting).

Three more days of motivation.

Almost there.
Whitney

FASHION :: The Love Language

I am a fairly preppy person. Most of my closet is devoted to J. Crew and I'll admit that I even have some Lilly Pulitzer dresses. Sometimes, though, I have the desire to completely change my look.

Last night I went to one of those great indie concerts where everyone was cooler than me. The best part was looking around at all my fellow concert-goers in awe of their unique, creative, free-spirited outfits.

I'm young. Now is the time to have fun with my clothing choices! Here are some of the things I've got my eye on...

Free People, Henna Cotton Skirt $78

Urban Outfitters, MinkPink Florence Cami $54Free People, Embellished Tube Dress, $188

Francesca's Collections, Square Root Dress

Also, if you have a minute, check out The Love Language (local, amazing NC band!) and St. Vincent. These bands inspired the fashion-360 that I'm considering.

I'll let you know if I buy anything. I've got the itch to shop.

Whitney

LIFE :: How Not to Study

I have mastered the art of procrastination. After final exam #1 today, I had ambitious plans to study for final exam #2 (which is in less than 12 hours, eek) and go ahead and get started studying for final exam #3.

This did not occur.

I rocked out final exam #1 and proceeded to spend the rest of the day wasting time in any way possible. I Facebooked. I tweeted. I Stumbled Upon. I YouTubed. I did anything and everything that did not include looking at my notes.

My lovely friend Megan, the mastermind behind the food blog The Oatmeal Diaries, made my day by giving me a 'just because' cupcake from Sugarland.

It was beautiful. And the chocolate curls on top were scrumptious.

Before:


After:


Since I was feeling pretty lame about my inability to learn important information for tomorrow's exam, I thought it would be fitting to learn more interesting things. May I please introduce you to one of the most brilliant Youtube video series of all time: Drunk History

I spent my evening alternating between Drunk History videos and an all-time favorite show, Glee. I particularly enjoyed the reference to our rival school, Duke. All UNC students and fans can now be validated because the writers of Glee also hate our rival. Sweet, sweet victory.

Alas, it is time for me to hit the books. Most likely I'll read through my notes once tonight and then wake up at an insanely early hour tomorrow to finish. Hello, sunrise!

The good news is that tomorrow is the official Last Day of Classes (LDOC) and the weather is supposed to be marvelous.

Sweet dreams!
Whitney

P.S. Have other ways to procrastinate? Feel free to share them.

ARTS :: The Goal: 100 Best Novels

Image from Domino Magazine

Summer is so close! I have my first of four finals today. By this time next week, I will have moved back home. Strange.

While I'm going to miss my friends like crazy for the four months (!!) that we are separated, I am excited to have more free time this summer. I love to read, but during the school year I only read textbooks. It's not as fun, I promise.

So, I've decided that this summer I'm going to start on The Modern Library's 100 Best Books List. The goal is to read fifteen novels before school starts back up in the fall! My friend Kristen, who will be across the world in Arizona, will also be working her way down the list--a perfect way for us to stay in touch!

Here is the complete list:

1. ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
2. THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand
3. BATTLEFIELD EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
6. 1984 by George Orwell
7. ANTHEM by Ayn Rand
8. WE THE LIVING by Ayn Rand
9. MISSION EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
10. FEAR by L. Ron Hubbard
11. ULYSSES by James Joyce
12. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller
13. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
14. DUNE by Frank Herbert
15. THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert Heinlein
16. STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert Heinlein
17. A TOWN LIKE ALICE by Nevil Shute
18. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
19. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
20. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell
21. GRAVITY'S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon
22. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
23. SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
24. GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
25. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
26. SHANE by Jack Schaefer
27. TRUSTEE FROM THE TOOLROOM by Nevil Shute
28. A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving
29. THE STAND by Stephen King
30. THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN by John Fowles
31. BELOVED by Toni Morrison
32. THE WORM OUROBOROS by E.R. Eddison
33. THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner
34. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
35. MOONHEART by Charles de Lint
36. ABSALOM, ABSALOM! by William Faulkner
37. OF HUMAN BONDAGE by W. Somerset Maugham
38. WISE BLOOD by Flannery O'Connor
39. UNDER THE VOLCANO by Malcolm Lowry
40. FIFTH BUSINESS by Robertson Davies
41. SOMEPLACE TO BE FLYING by Charles de Lint
42. ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac
43. HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad
44. YARROW by Charles de Lint
45. AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS by H.P. Lovecraft
46. ONE LONELY NIGHT by Mickey Spillane
47. MEMORY AND DREAM by Charles de Lint
48. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf
49. THE MOVIEGOER by Walker Percy
50. TRADER by Charles de Lint
51. THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams
52. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers
53. THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood
54. BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy
55. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess
56. ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute
57. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
58. GREENMANTLE by Charles de Lint
59. ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card
60. THE LITTLE COUNTRY by Charles de Lint
61. THE RECOGNITIONS by William Gaddis
62. STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein
63. THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway
64. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving
65. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury
66. THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson
67. AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
68. TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller
69. INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
70. THE WOOD WIFE by Terri Windling
71. THE MAGUS by John Fowles
72. THE DOOR INTO SUMMER by Robert Heinlein
73. ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig
74. I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves
75. THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London
76. AT SWIM-TWO-BIRDS by Flann O'Brien
77. FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
78. ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis
79. WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams
80. NAKED LUNCH by William S. Burroughs
81. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy
82. GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurell K. Hamilton
83. THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert Heinlein
84. IT by Stephen King
85. V. by Thomas Pynchon
86. DOUBLE STAR by Robert Heinlein
87. CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY by Robert Heinlein
88. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh
89. LIGHT IN AUGUST by William Faulkner
90. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey
91. A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway
92. THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles
93. SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION by Ken Kesey
94. MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather
95. MULENGRO by Charles de Lint
96. SUTTREE by Cormac McCarthy
97. MYTHAGO WOOD by Robert Holdstock
98. ILLUSIONS by Richard Bach
99. THE CUNNING MAN by Robertson Davies
100. THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie

As a starting point, I crossed out all of the books on the list that I have already read. Eleven down, 89 to go!

I think I'm going to start with Brideshead Revisited next week when I move home.

Want to join in?

HOME :: Green + White Delight

At this point in my life, I don't have a place of my own to decorate. I live in a sorority house, so the decorating has already been done for me. While I may not have a house to decorate yet, that doesn't mean I shouldn't be on the look-out for inspiration!

I've always loved green and white rooms. The white always makes the area feel open and light while the green evokes images of spring, regardless of the weather outside.

images from Southern Living and Better Homes and Gardens

Image from Country Living

Image from Country Living

Image from Better Homes and Gardens

Image from Southern Living

Introductions

Well, good afternoon!

I have decided to carve out a section of the blogosphere for my thoughts and inspirations. From clothing to cupcakes, furniture to art, music to movies, there are so many beautiful parts of our world that just make life more joyous.

I'm a firm believer that by surrounding yourself with happiness, you become a happier person.

Up first, a playlist to make the this cloudy April day a little brighter:

Enjoy!
Whitney