Just Like A Woman

Me in Qatar?

2011-06-22T16:55:00.001-07:00

I really need to limit the amount of time I spend surfing the web on the weekends because without much thought or research, I've fallen in love with studying abroad in Doha, Qatar over winter break.

Studying abroad hasn't ever seemed like an option for me because I'm so immersed in my life on campus. I feel like if I took a whole semester off I would end up behind in my studies and have fewer opportunities for leadership. But still I want to explore... I think that's why the U offers these "Global Seminars" which are special classes taught abroad by UMN faculty for a few weeks during the winter break or May term. So I found a seminar called Arab Media: Al Jazeera in the Time of Revolution.

I think it would be fascinating to analyze the media coverage of the revolutions that rocked the Middle East earlier this year. And perfect timing too, I would be there less than a year after it all began!

I'm a little concerned about safety, but they wouldn't offer the program if it was too much of a risk for students. Many colleges like Northwestern University have schools in Qatar. And I also want to be a little adventurous. I want to go somewhere that I would never think to visit for a vacation.

But it actually looks like a nice place to visit? Check out this picture of Doha's Corniche which is like a boardwalk along the bay.

I'm going to meet with a study abroad adviser to talk it over, but I'm pretty sold. What do you think? Where would you want to travel if you could?

It started with a chair...

2011-05-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

In the fall, I'm moving into an adorable single room in my sorority house with a little nook that you can see the Minneapolis skyline from so I decided I wanted to invest in a good reading chair.

I started looking for chairs online that would match my bedroom colors and checking out thrift stores for re-upholstering opportunities. But finding a chair to match my damask black, white and lime green bedroom set has proved difficult. I've had it since 10th grade and I brought it to college with me.

First, I paired it with hot pink jersey sheets which made it even more juvenile. So this summer I made dark raspberry and gray throw pillows to add some more colors to my room that might make it seem more adult. To be honest, it still doesn't look grown up enough for me. I don't want to buy a piece of furniture that will stay with me after college that belongs in a little girl's room.

So I'm growing up and buying new bed coverings so I can in turn get a new chair! Unfortunately, I've fallen in love with this adorable and expensive quilt from Anthro. I love it because it will match all of the rehabbed furniture I've been storing in my mother's basement and my eclectic art, storage, decorations, etc. I'll also be able to keep the throw pillows I made.

What do you think? Worth saving up for? Can I use this after college?

If I really want to get it, I have to start to saving up money, big time! First, I canceled my HuluPlus subscription that I never really used. I think I will end up seeing less movies this summer unless it's the boyfriend's buying. I have no idea where to go from here. I don't have a lot of necessary expenses just rent on my storage unit, groceries and food and travel to and from home. What's killing me is the amount of money I spend on beauty products/treatments. I just splurged on a summer makeup routine, I'm tanning again and I really need a haircut. Any money saving tips?

I'll keep you updated on the room changeover. I'm pretty much hellbent on it now, but only if I can comfortably afford it.

On my list: Summer Movie Time

2011-05-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Since I already made my first summer movie mistake by seeing Thor last weekend, I thought I'd make a list of the summer blockbusters I will pay to see and those I'd rather wait to see.

Films I'd pay full admission price for...
The Hangover Part II
The wolfpack is back. Even though there's a pretty good chance it'll never be as good as the first, Bradley Cooper is worth at least $7 and Ed Helms is pretty attractive in a sexy dad way. Zach Galifianakis and Ken Jeong shenanigans make it a good deal for my dollar.

Hesher
Another one of my favorite actors, Joseph Gordon Levitt, as the world's worst role model. Tagline: Loud music. Pornography. Burning shit to the ground. These are a few of Hesher's favorite things. Should make an awesome film.

The Green Lantern
Ryan Reynolds in a digitally created body-hugging green suit? I'm there. I'm hoping DC Comics got it right and it's not as boring as Marvel's Thor. They hook you with lots of muscles, but I'm not just interested in looks, I need substance in the plot.

Bridesmaids
I can't get enough of Kristen Wiig so I can't believe I haven't see this yet. I hear Bridesmaids is just as raunchy as the Hangover, but for women. I'm there.

Wait to rent...
Midnight in Paris
Unless the boy wants to take me out for a repeat of our awesome Vicki Christina Barcelona 1st Anniversary date. That's right. I remember.

X-Men First Class
Seems like Sky High for the X-Men series, but James McAvoy is one of my favorite actors so I'll have to watch.

Bad Teacher
Apparently Justin Timblerlake is co-starring in two big movies this summer, but I'm in it for Jason Segel. It can't be too awful if he's on board...or maybe there will be more puppets!

Skip altogether...
There's a lot of movies I won't be seeing this summer but I'm just adamantly opposed to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
I'm not a huge Johnny Depp/Capt. Jack fan, although Michael Bolton makes an appealing case for the series, I'm not convinced this is worth my time or money.

And I'll wait to read reviews of the summer indies before I commit any further. Looks like I'm spending at least $40 at the multiplex this season. Bring on lazy Sundays and cool summer nights.

Looks like I fell off the wagon...

2011-02-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of my lofty goals for 2011 was to watch Netflix less. It's true that I haven't started any new shows on Netflix. Apart from the occasional film on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I am doing well.

But I didn't account for the amount of damage Hulu Plus would do to my productivity. I subscribed to get my free week last Sunday. I watched an entire season of Law and Order: SVU between Sunday and Monday. It's just unhealthy. So this afternoon I am going to cancel Hulu Plus because paying another $10/month is a little excessive.

On a lighter note, I think I have added every single Hugh Grant romcom to my Netflix cue. After that I think I'll try John Cusack. March is going to be great.

On my list: Weekend

2011-02-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

Depending on my week, I usually start my weekend on Thursday (never mind the three-hour Friday film class) because I work every Friday night in St. Paul. But more often than not, I don't get into what I really want to do until Saturday afternoon.

Here's what's on my list for the remainder of the weekend:

Listening to Bright Eyes' latest (and perhaps final?) album The People's Key
Finding my desk chair under the pile of sweaters I've worn the in the last two weeks
Unpacking from my trip to Madison last weekend
Checking out one of the Oscar contenders at St. Anthony Main Theatre or the live action shorts at Lagoon Cinema
Buying an enormous purse that's a bit unique...because I'm too creative (and too cheap?) to carry a Longchamp Le Pliage.

And here are tonight's top stories

2011-02-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

I'm relaxing for the evening to celebrate the end of the week and catching up on Saturday Night Live.If there's anything journalism girls like myself love more than real news, it's the fake stuff. I mean, I love fresh whipping cream but that doesn't mean Cool Whip isn't as sweet.

Besides, how cute is Seth Meyers? Meow. He's probably the hottest of the current news satire anchors, although Colbert has great hair. I love Minnesota, but I sometimes wish I had gone to Northwestern University like Seth. If not for the Medill School of Journalism, I'd enroll in comedy classes and get good at faking it.

Back in action (hopefully)

2011-01-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

So it's a new year and I've once again resolved to write more---in spiral reporter's notebooks, between the carefully printed lines of my canvas journal, across the backs of worksheets and meeting agendas, on napkins and coffee sleeves, up my arm and down my legs if I must. And here, of course.

As I was searching job sites looking for reporter positions, as I periodically do to gauge the opportunities out there for me upon graduation in 2013, I noticed many of the employers wanted applicants to submit links to their personal blog and social networking accounts. Probably a good idea to get on that. I think with two years of practice, I should have a solid online presence by the time I need it.

But besides the blogging, I've got some more big goals for the new year.

1. Efficiency: I want to get the most out of my days that means less wasting time making trips from work back home for food or whatever. If you have any suggestions on how to get into the routine of being prepared every day for whatever college life throws at you, I'd love them.
2. Limiting my Netflix exposure: I got Netflix in mid-November and I had watched all six seasons of Nip/Tuck by the time I came home for Christmas. I'm not quitting my TV binges...I am just going to let them interfere with my life less.
3. Extra Effort in Ethics: From what I hear, the professor for my ethics class this semester is a great instructor but tough and you have to put in a lot of work to pull a good grade in her classes. I hope to do so.
4. DIY Weekends: One project a week might be a bit of stretch...but I've saved so many links to great ideas that I just have to try myself. And I can already tell I won't have enough time this summer to get around to them.

Hopefully, this post will be the first of many blog posts for 2011.

Unglamorous Summer Work

2010-07-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

It seems a lot of people I meet absolutely hate their customer service jobs. I never understood their complaints because I adored working at the video store in my hometown. I felt extremely professional because I got to wear dress clothes and stand behind an elevated counter and laugh to myself when some skeezy old man rented Emmanuelle. It was fast-paced but fun and I felt useful. Even after a particularly long day, I had a stack of new releases to ease the pain of rude customers and sore feet.

I started working at a gas station for the summer which isn't awful...I just like it a lot less. There's not enough time during a convenience store transaction to have a good conversation and really, what is there to talk about? Gas prices? Weather? I have to wear a uniform and functional shoes. I don't get anything for free. While my list of petty complaints is pretty long,I am grateful to be working this summer. I know the unemployment rate in my county is high and some work is better than no work at all.

My biggest problem is that I feel like I am an enabler. I sell people things they don't need and things that are detrimental to their health, society and the environment. Powerball and scratch-offs, cigarettes, beer, energy drinks... and the gasoline. I am not against gasoline but watching people fill up Hummers and XL SUVs is pretty sad. At least I don't work for BP.

I think I will survive the summer with enough money to fund all of my craft projects and online shopping sprees. So I suppose I will grin and bear it and drown my sorrows in a 44 oz Coke slushie but they can't make me eat off of the roller grill.

Super Cute (and Easy) Hair Flowers

2010-06-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

If you've seen me or Stacey or Elizabeth around lately, you might have noticed our unique hair accessories. The June/July issue of ReadyMade gives great instructions on how to turn ugly old polyester blouses into little flowers you can glue to a headband or hair clip. I wasn't able to find the instructions on their website so here is what we did!

Supplies:
Polyester fabric
Medium sized candle
Tongs
Beads or buttons
Needle and thread
Headbands, hair clips, pins, etc.

Stacey and I found these HUGE bags of polyester squares from the Bethesda Thrift Store for 39 cents each! Some of the colors and patterns are really cute and surprisingly, some of the ugly 70's patterns turned into pretty flowers.

First, pick some pattern/color combos you like or make a solid flower, those turn out nicely too. Then, cut three or four circles with the largest being about 3" to 3.5" in diameter. Size and amount of circles really depends on how large and full you want your flower to be. I recommend that the smallest circle not be smaller than 1" because when the polyester burns smaller circles can turn out pretty wonky.

You should probably head outside for the second part which is burning your little circles. Light a candle and hold the polyester circle over the flame with the tongs until the edges start to curl. You will need to rotate the circle to get an all over curl that makes the flower look more realistic. We found that the way the polyester curls really varies so you might need to play with it for a little while until you get what you want.

After you burn the circles, you can arrange them until they fit nicely together and sew them through the middle. Thread a bead or button into the center of the flower and secure the knot in the back.

We used a hot glue gun to attach the flowers to little clips which worked pretty well. The other day when I was wearing one of the flowers in my hair, it came unglued and I just thought I would just change the flowers on the clip instead of buying a ton of clips for the 20 or so flowers I made.

These coral ones are my favorite because I think they almost look like a real poppies! I plan on attaching them to a headband as soon as Walgreens has the kind I like in stock. I love the thin, Goody Ouchless headbands. They really are ouchless and they don't overwhelm my head.

So, ta-da! I also think these simple flowers make great gifts. You could turn them into brooches and pin them to your jacket in the fall. Once I get some more materials, I will probably make a nice statement necklace. I like to wear them at the nape of my neck wear I tuck in my mullet hairs because I am too frugal to get a haircut until I absolutely need one.

Reed's Un-Birthday

2010-06-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today was my younger brother Reed's Sweet Sixteen. Reed likes to complain that he always gets the shaft when it comes to birthdays. Mostly, I think he's exaggerating: last year was his "Golden Birthday" so he got quite a bit of money from Mom, an ice cream cake with a topping bar and even a present from my boyfriend. I don't think that's such a bad deal.

This year, however, things couldn't be worse. Tonight we were supposed to have Mom's BBQ ribs, corn on the cob and roasted baby potatoes (pretty much everyone's favorite meal over here) but Mom woke up pretty sick. The saving grace of the day should have been the homemade birthday cake I made but it was a disaster.

Reed wanted a dark chocolate cake with white chocolate incorporated somehow. I hate white chocolate but I went for it anyway. I am a firm believer in using the recipe on the back of the box. If Nestle says this is how you make chocolate chip cookies, this is how you make chocolate chip cookies.

When I make regular chocolate cake, I usually use the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa Powder so I found the same recipe for dark chocolate cake on the wrapper for Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder.

I do not believe there is anything wrong with the recipe. The grave error occurred when I tried to improvise and use the white chocolate chips. The other day I made a chocolate fudge sauce for my banana dessert so I thought I would use the same recipe to make a white chocolate sauce for the cake. It turned out well but when I tried pouring it over the bottom layer of the cake ( I only intended to use it as filling) I poured too much and the poor cake was floating in a sea of white chocolate fondue.

I attempted to rescue the cake but transferring it to a different cake plate only made it crumble. It was weighed down by the white chocolate. I put the second layer on top and tried to glue everything together with frosting. Too much frosting.

The foundation was so crumbly and weak that the cake fell slowly over 25 minutes. We lit it with a candle and resolved to have Reed's real birthday tomorrow. To top it all off, it was disgustingly rich and sweet. Reed and I couldn't even eat it although Seth and Ian kept asking for seconds.

I think I will stick to the recipe tomorrow when I make black tie cupcakes.

Much Ado About Summer

2010-05-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

While I only have a few classes that I actually need to attend and quite a bit of project work before finals start, I can't quite bring myself to work done. Instead, I keep thinking about all the things I am going to do this summer and how much fun it's going to be. I am writing this Summer To-Do List as one final distraction before I begin really getting down to business studying and writing final papers.

1. Throw a Summer Kick-Off BBQ! (Already in the works, folks)
2. Go camping
3. Complete all the projects circled in my ReadyMade magazine including but not limited to: ribbon tote bag, dessert stand jewelry organizer, matchbox jewelry box and this skirt
4. Have date night at the Oriental Theatre and try a new restaurant.
5. Let Jillian Michaels kick my ass.
6. Make dinner with my Mom.
7. Catch the Brewers at Miller Park, you know I bleed blue and gold.
8. Read Book Suggestions?
9. Take my brothers to the WAC and get a tan.
10. Go shopping for my recruitment wardrobe.
11. See a band I like at Turner Hall or the Pabst.
12. Rent raunchy movies from Family Video with Elizabeth.
13. Visit Janelle at work and craft stuff!
14. Grow out my hair.
15. Go on long walks with the family and our dog, Maggie.
16. Bonfires
17. Drink coffee on the porch in the morning with my mom.
18. Sex and the City 2 Premiere (also with my mom)
19. Take in some family friendly flicks: Shrek Ever After, Toy Story 3, Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
20. Finish up some DIY home projects for my momma, like the kitchen painting I started...

That's all I've got so far, what's on your list?

Opening Day!

2010-04-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't really updated the blog world about my baseball project. As far as understanding the logistics of baseball, I think I'm at 73% which is probably all a normal person like myself without a Fantasy Baseball Team needs to know.

I thought it would be good to announce that I am officially supporting the Milwaukee Brewers. Although I have few loyalties to the state of Wisconsin or Miller beer and spend most of my time in the Cities, home to the Minnesota Twins and brand spankin' new Target Field, I would benefit more from a relationship with the Brewers. This is because, as a baseball fan, I would like to actually go to baseball games and this summer I will be residing in Wisconsin. I also like the colors blue and gold. I like the sausage races.

Throughout my baseball research in the past few weeks, I have come to realize that today was the opening day game for the Brewers. So I wore a yellow shirt and a blue shirt but I had work and unfortunately didn't follow the game. When I came home, I was informed that my precious Brewers lost to the Colorado Rockies by 2. I was absolutely devastated. Not really, but I am working on it.

I was hoping for a win though.

In baseball-fashion news, Victoria's Secret PINK made their own line of MLB shirts and I am quite thankful that my Brewers did not participate. The shirts scream "I know nothing about baseball and I just want to look cute but it's barely happening because who really thinks rhinestones are cute?"

I think wearing a shirt that says "I only kiss Brewers fans" would expose me for the baseball fraud I really am.

I'm working on it. I still don't know who C.C. Sabathia is.

Adventures in Self-Tanning

2010-03-28T13:02:00.001-07:00

As many of you may or may not know, I am somewhat of a DIY-beauty fanatic. I'm also frugal and I can't really afford expensive trips to the salon. It's quite possible that these characteristics go hand in hand.

Despite how much I love the warm, relaxing environment of the tanning bed, I've decided for my health and my budget, I will forgo the urge to tan indoors. I wanted to try a spray tan at first because I thought I had a coupon for Planet Beach...but turns out, I could only use it for a massage (which I will certainly be getting after Casino Night). I briefly considered actually paying real money for a spray tan ($25 dollars at Planet Beach) but decided to go the self-tanner route.

I put a lot of research into deciding what product I wanted to use but Target's selection was surprisingly minimal, so I went with L'Oreal Sublime Bronze because it was only 8.50 and the other (albeit cheaper) variety looked sketchy.

As most magazines and beauty experts would tell you, there are two things you must do if you want to achieve a good at-home tan: exfoliate and moisturize.

My roommate/friend makes this awesome scrub from the Big Ass Book of Crafts and I think there's peppermint oil or something in it... Anyway, I scrubbed my whole body raw and removed a whole winter's worth of dead skin.

Afterward, I came to the conclusion that I probably hadn't moisturized my legs in a very long time. As Janelle said, "You should probably start a regular lotion routine" before attempting to self-tan.

I tried a quick fix by loading my legs up with Vaseline and then applied the Sublime Bronze.

This is what I got:

Streaky legs, bright orange hands and spots on my arms. I read somewhere that you can get rid of self-tanner stains by using rubbing alcohol so I sent out a mass text message. In hindsight, a bad idea. Most people assumed I was in some sort of medical crisis.

The rubbing alcohol didn't actually work. So I basically put on more self-tanner until the color was even and I think it turned out well. I'm supposed to apply it once or twice a week to maintain my glow.

You know you're completely codependent with your roommate when she's the person responsible for tanning your back.

I'm Minnesota Nice

2010-03-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

So today, working on day-desk I made my first trip to the Capitol but this not another opportunity to gush about how much I love my job. Today, I am addressing public transportation of the Twin Cities.

I love MetroTransit. I meet all sorts of interesting people and generally get to the places I need to be with little cost or hassle. I often assume it is safer than me driving as the last time I drove, I had a terrible fender bender that cost me $500.

But today was the first time I have ever felt completely uncomfortable. I was relentlessly harassed by TWO different men despite my best efforts to ignore them.

The 16---A Dialogue Play

Scene: A college student (ME:tall, blond, wearing a green coat and pencil skirt) boards the bus and finds a seat to herself. A man (short, about 55, wearing a black leather jacket) takes the seat next to her.

Man: Mind if I join you?

Me: (blinks) Oh no, go ahead. (I smile, not realizing it was a mistake)

Man:(mutters something completely inaudible, then turns to me)I mean, you're blinding me.

Me: Excuse me?

Man: I mean, that(pointing to me)is Minnesota Nice.

Me: Oh no...(slight laugh, looking down)

Man: Are you cold? It's cold right? You all bundled up.

Me: I'm not cold. Well, I was outside. It's cold waiting for the bus.

Man: We could make other arrangements.

Me: (I ignore this statement because I do not understand)

Man: You know, you're a flower. And I'm a weed.

Me: Excuse me?

Man: You know what weeds do to flowers? Choke them. I just wanna put my arms around you.

Me: No, thank you.

Man: Your phone is pink, you real girly. You need a man to rough you up. I need that feminine touch. (This statement is ignored)

Man: Are you a secretary? We can make arrangements and you can make a lot more money...(laughs)

Man: I can teach you how to shake it, girl. (Man realizes it is his stop and exits the bus)

And then, the man in front of me turned around and said, "Don't you just love riding the bus?"

I wouldn't ride the 16 alone at night.

Bases Loaded: The Beginning

2010-02-25T20:58:00.000-08:00

I have been struggling with this decision for awhile and trying to figure out how to go about it and I have finally decided I am officially a baseball fan.

This may come as a shock to you all. I have previously expressed distaste for all sports, including baseball and never really shown true interest in any physical competitions. But I've reached a point in my life where I realize, something is missing. And that something is complete and utter devotion to a professional sports team.

I think sports fans have a quality that I admire: faith. As a fairly agnostic college student, I think the ability to believe in something---anything is a quality I would be lucky to possess. So I have decided to embark on this spiritual-baseball journey.

I have decided on baseball for these reasons:

1. Baseball is played in the spring and summer time. I don't have to endure the hardships of a Minnesota winter to like this sport.
2. I look cute in raglan-tees
3. I like hot dogs
4. I like it when boys wear their hats forward.

There are probably many other terrible reasons as to to why I should like baseball that you will judge me shamefully for. But truthfully, when I start liking things for shameful reasons, it usually turns out well for me. For example, my 10th grade crush on my English teacher resulted in what I would consider a lifetime affinity for Bob Dylan. I hope that my baseball endeavours will be equally successful.

Vices

2010-02-21T20:03:00.001-08:00

My name is Cali and I'm an avid nail-biter. I don't have many of the vices that plague normal college students (alchohol troubles, numerous sexual partners, inability to make it to class etc) but I like to bite my nails. I think the longest I've ever gone without chewing is 6 weeks but I jinxed my own achievement by constantly running my teeth over my long, brittle nails.

I bite my nails mostly when I'm nervous or stressed, often times so bad that I need to put band-aids on my thumbs to function. Try text messaging with sore-thumbs wrapped in adhesives.

But I'm proud to say, I have not bitten my nails since my first week back from break. That's over a month, and it's really starting to show. The thing that really keeps me going and curbs my urge to run my teeth underneath my fingernails is the beautiful work of my friend Alaa.

Since the first week of school, Alaa has been doing my nails for me at the beginning of the week and she does a beautiful job. We've done a lot of great color combos and Alaa paints these magnificent little flowers on my ring fingers and thumbs. The girls in my class think she should get a job at the Mall.

So as I told Alaa and Lexi today, I've been having wet dreams about how gorgeous my new nails would look with a French manicure...and voila!

I'm quite happy. Another one of my vices is going into too much detail about vain things such as nails, hair and make-up. I apologize.

Janelle returned home this weekend so I had the opportunity to have my first real TV binge of the semester. Some people may think watching 2 or 4 episodes of Dexter in one night is a TV binge. This is false. For me, a TV binge is completing one season of a television show over the course of a weekend without pause for social activities, bathing or accomplishing anything.

So starting late Friday night and ending Saturday at 10 pm, I watched the entire third season of Gossip Girl. As a result, my room looks like this:

And unfortunately, Janelle is one of the devoted readers of my blog, so she's bound to find out how I trashed our room no matter how hard I clean it tomorrow afternoon.

Another of my vices: liking teachers, specifically teachers of English. I thought by going to college I would be able to cure myself of my teacher fetish. Not true, my creative writing TA is so adorable that I should probably work on my poetry so as to get in his good graces...

So pleased with a daydream, now living is no good.

2010-02-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I revisited one of my favorite albums---Cassadaga by Bright Eyes. I was listening to "Milk Thistle" from a different Conor Oberst album and I starting thinking, "Damn, this song is so good," and I love how it's placed at the end of the album and then I thought, "Hey, wait. Isn't there another album that ends on a similar, beautiful note?"

There is. It's Cassadaga and the song is "Lime Tree" and I hadn't realized I didn't have the album on my new computer, so I dug out the CD and put it in my library.

It was like this amazingly important part of my music collection has been missing and now that I have it back, I feel more complete.

So now, onto more interesting things.

The semester is, of course, picking up with papers and tests and whatnot but overall, I'm enjoying school. The most interesting class so far is my creative writing class. Right now, we're working on our poetry portfolios. Poetry is not really my thing but I think I've managed some good work. I'm excited to start on my fiction and memoir. Prose is definitely more up my alley.

My tutoring job is going great as well. I help out after school two days a week in a fourth-grade classroom. It's delightful being around children and makes me miss my little brothers less. I love it when my friend does my nails because the girls in my class are all, "Dang girl, who did those nails?"

I also got Valentine's Day advice from the boys who said I should take my boyfriend to McDonald's and let him order off of the dollar menu. They said to blindfold him, lead him into McDonald's with roses and candles all around and he wouldn't even notice.

"You want a McChicken? Too bad, that ain't on the dollar menu."

So today I skipped journalism class to do real journalism. I was working on a profile of one of the candidates for Minnesota governor. I came into the office at 7. I was supposed to interview this gubernatorial candidate between 7 and 9. It didn't happen. Instead, he called me at 10:30. I bought myself a cinnamon-sugar bagel for the inconvenience. I spent 10 hours in the office. It was quite nice, aside from my oatmeal explosion in the microwave. I think the story turned out well, since it was my first 'profile' and I hope everyone enjoys it.

The rest of my time has been spent watching Dexter with Janelle while researching apartments for next year. I've become quite obsessed with having an apartment with a beautiful kitchen, entertaining areas and walk-in closets. I have this vision of myself having very elaborate dinner parties and drinking wine while discussing literature. In this fantasy, I also have a cat.

Affordable student housing near campus is not living up to this expectation, unfortunately.

The CP...and other things I learned about journalism yesterday.

2010-01-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

So before I go into great detail about my journalistic exploits, I wanted to explain a few things about my blog that people have asked me (not via comments, as no one has commented which is sad...)

1. What does the name of your blog mean?

Just Like A Woman is my favorite song by the almighty Bob Dylan. I think it's a relevant title because not only am I just like a woman (okay, I am definitely a woman) but the song is about being like a woman in a lot of ways, but still being naïve and vulnerable sometimes. And also my good friend Bob went to the U of M.

2. Did you take that photo?

No, I stole it from Createblog.com's stock photos. I will eventually change it to a photograph of my own.

3. Who is this fabulous roommate you keep talking about?

My roommate, Janelle, is fabulous. We met at the beginning of last semester through mutual friends and started attending lots of Gophers After Dark events together to craft. Janelle had lots of problems with her roommate last semester so when mine moved out, I invited Janelle to our floor. And that's that.

-----------
So, now for more important things: my journalism career.

Yesterday, I worked on a story (despite the frigid cold and the fact that I was wearing tights and fell on the ice and scraped my knee) but my hard day's work paid off because I got CP, or as what we like to call it at the Daily... the center piece!
That means: Front page with a huge photo!

I felt extremely proud and excited and so privileged to be working for the Minnesota Daily. I feel as though I'm a real (student) reporter and I'm doing real work instead of wasting my time just making money.

I learned yesterday that stories take a lot of patience and dedication. I started working on it Thursday, but somehow it all came together with interviews and writing and edits on Monday night.

I learned that the editing process isn't as cruel as I thought it would be. It's all meant to clarify and ultimately, make the story better. I felt it was very constructive and helpful.

I learned (once again) that I have a lot to learn and I can't wait to figure it all out.

So...that's all mushy...sorry...I just feel really good.

The First Weekend

2010-01-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

My first week is finally over. I was very excited to check out all my new classes and start the internship but I was really busy. Next week will probably be even busier because I start my tutoring shifts and Gamma Phi activities next week. But I'm sure I can handle it all, especially if I get a head start on some applications this weekend and finish my homework.

So quite obviously the most important thing is, my story is finished! It ran yesterday in a small, Friday issue (The Minnesota Daily is usually online on Fridays) so I got to cut a little clip of my story and put it on the Wall of Fame which I am sure is soon to be filled with all of my work. :) So if you'd like the story, here it is: my story!

There's an error on the website, they forgot to put Taryn's name on the story. We actually wrote it together and she was a huge help and didn't make fun of me because I was nervous about calling the Hennepin County Commissioner. So, I'm not trying to take all of the credit.

So yesterday after class my roommate and I went over to Rosedale Mall because I needed a new pair of jeans. Every pair I own right now has holes bigger than golf balls on the inner thighs and my mom found this unacceptable and gave me some money for new jeans. We also ran by Target so I could find some hair dye. I meant to go back to my natural dark, dark blonde hair color but the color turned out more gold-strawberry blonde. It looks more natural than before so I'm quite pleased...

And last but certainly not least...our loft has finally arrived so we could put our room together just the way we like it!

The view from the door

Our wall of posters, my desk, the sofa

We're big fans of PDL--Public Displays of Literacy

Better view of the sofa and coffee-table-basket

Janelle's little cave

My new bed

Food central plus Janelle's Ferret shrine.

So finally, my dorm room looks a little more comfortable and we have space for guests. Hopefully, people will start hanging out in our room more instead of 3E.

First Day of Classes

2010-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

This morning I reluctantly, albeit excitedly woke up at 6 a.m. for my first day of the semester (and my first of many 8 a.m. Spanish classes). I was actually very excited for school to start. My schedule for this semester is really great, I'm done every day at 11, with a creative writing lecture on Wednesday and a lab Thursday evening so I have a lot of spare time during the afternoon.

Unfortunately, this morning I realized that speaking Spanish at 8 a.m. is not one of my strong suits. I haven't been practicing my Spanish since Barcelona (and they were speaking Catalan anyway) so it was rather rough as I couldn't remember the preterite tense to tell my professor what I did over break and even forgot where I live... I meant to say, "Between Madison and Milwaukee" but I gave up on finding the words and just said, "Milwaukee." So not only am I unable to speak Spanish, but I'm also a liar.

After Spanish, I had an hour break so I read the Daily and asked Onestop for more money, they declined. Then I went to my first Gender/Feminism studies class: Women Write The World. It's a class for basically analyzing feminist literature: short stories, plays, poems etc. I think it's going to be awesome but once again I managed to sound like an idiot...

The professor asked us "Why write? Why do you read? What do you read? Where do you read?"

I raised my hand for all the questions, but she called on me for "What do you read?" Someone had already said magazines, newspapers, memoir so I said, "I have a really hard time reading fiction."

She told me that I should learn to deal with that because we would be reading novels and short stories in class. I had to explain myself. I didn't actually mean fiction. I like fiction, most of my favorite novels are fiction. I meant that I have a problem with science fiction, fantasy, with things that aren't real. I can't read something unless it's rooted in real life, a real time or place.
And I can't read fiction that's just too fictional, like I know it would never happen in real life that way....and this is why I can't fathom why people enjoy Nicholas Sparks.

My professor also asked if any of us were "writers." A tremendous amount of hand-raising and self-promoting ensued. Technically, I am a writer. I wrote a Christmas story that got published in 6th grade. I wish I would have been able to raise my hand and say, "I write for the Minnesota Daily," but as of yet, I am unpublished so that would have been unnecessary bragging.

So on the Daily front, I was supposed to bring story ideas to work on Saturday, work on my story this week, then get it published on Thursday but since I am void of all good story ideas, I'm day-desking on Thursday.

From what I understand, I go to the office...wait for breaking news to happen then report on it. So if any breaking news happens on Thursday, I might be a real reporter by Monday.
In any case, expect a fairly excited blog-post and link as soon as I get my first story finished.

The rest of the week is promising. Tomorrow I have my first journalism class and creative writing and I'm looking forward to a haircut (if I don't spend all of my $11 dollars on bus fare before the weekend).

And at the risk of this post running far too long to keep anyone interested, I just have to talk about my TV shows. My roommate and I started watching Dexter and I think I'm just as in love with Michael C. Hall as I am with Jon Hamm from Mad Men. If you didn't catch the Globes on Sunday, Hall beat out Hamm for Best Actor in a Drama Series but Mad Men took the Best Drama Series category. So I do have good taste in television, though last night I did watch the Bachelor shamelessly. I can't help it! Everything he says is scripted to make women like me swoon, and I do.

So expect an update from me shortly about the reporting or weekend fun or cute new hair.

2010-01-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

I am young woman from Wisconsin and a first-year student at the University of Minnesota. I have decided to write a blog to document my life in the Twin Cities for my family and friends Elsewhere (oh, and for high school acquaintances to read with jealousy, of course) and also to entertain the Blogosphere with my wit. A great idea, of course, but there are two problems:
1. I have decided to write this after I have already completed one semester of college. I really should have got on the blog train in September.
2. As I sit here typing my first blog entry, I am not actually in the cities because starting a blog was one of the goals for Winter Break that I have saved for my last week at home.

Here you can learn all about me and my…
Academic, extra-curricular and social life
Relations with my new roommate
Attempts at entertaining
Crafts
Adventures in the kitchen
Endeavors as a Reporter Intern for the Minnesota Daily
TV binges

So, commence Cali’s attempt at a popular blog.