Finals Week

This is what I feel like... and I don't want to be a polar bear! I want to be a three toed sloth ;) that lives in Costa Rica


ahhhh! This has literally been the longest and most unproductive week of my life. Boone has once more decided to kick us all in the butt with what's promised to be another terrible winter. Even with the weather proofed tape I can hear the wind coming in from my window.

And I know that almost every time I blog, I mention how I've not it in a while and I've also noticed that almost every one of my posts occurs very early in the morning.

Tomorrow at three I have my next to last exam... finance. While I'm not very worried about it, I'm just ready to be done with all of this mess. I don't even have my snow pants up here so I can't go sledding! :( I've watched an obscene amount of netflix (psych, monk, veronica mars) which totals an amount I'm not even comfortable displaying.

The only problem is, when I go home I have just as much stuff to do. Granted it's not graded but I still have almost every day scheduled out to a T. I don't have any christmas presents yet and it's almost here. Like seriously, it's so soon. I really had no idea until I looked at the date about ten minutes ago. HOLY CRAP.

I really could use some time to lay in my big bed (not this stupid twin... grrr) and read a good book. Hmmm a book sounds nice. But really I have to go to bed I suppose. Considering I have my alarm set for 9 am... don't think that's going to actually happen. I'm the queen of the snooze. (ie today snoozed for almost two hours! which is almost my record!)

Ummm so one more update: I've not actually mentioned that I've begun to use regular shampoo again. Well sort of, it's organic and doesn't have the amount of sulfates that normal shampoo has. To be honest I was just tired of having my hair feel weird. Also, I'm not vegan anymore. It's kind of painful to admit to be honest. Because the way that I feel about the environment hasn't changed so I feel like I shouldn't either. But it just got to be too much. It was almost a year of bland, expensive alternative foods which sometimes weren't healthier because of the artificial additives like partially hydrogenated oil.

I feel like my blog is dominated with food talk, but what's that saying? "You talk about what you love"

Okay honestly, I just made that up, but would you have really known the difference?? I think not... Alright... bedtime.

Lazy Saturday - Stop Motion from Whitley Covington on Vimeo.

I haven't posted in a LONG time, but here's a video that I just finished. It's my first attempt at stop motion. Enjoy!

Edit to the Experiment

I caved, I just don't think that I can go cold-turkey like that. I became addicted to baby powder which isn't really a good look is it?

So I decided to make my own shampoo. It's super simple and so far really really effective. I just take some baking soda and put a little bit of water. Not a lot of water though otherwise it'll be useless, it's supposed to have a paste like consistency.

And... I LOVE IT! My hair looks like it did when I used shampoo, not a hint of grease anywhere! But I'm also loving it because it's simple, natural, and easy. I just realized after a week of no shampoo that I wasn't really willing to wait who knows how long before my hair returns to it's normal state. I have to go out in public you know?!

Anyways, so far I'm very pleased with the results. And since it's much cheaper and easier, I'd say that this could really catch on!

No Shampoo Experiment.

okay, so before you think I'm crazy, there is actually quite a large following on the internet of so called "no-poo" people. I know, not the best name but what can you do?

I'm currently on the third (maybe fourth) day of the experiment. Right now, it's slightly greasy but from what research I've done it will supposedly take one to two weeks for your hair to "transition." Since I do shampoo every day I consider this to be a pretty unusual task and is something I never thought I would do.

So, my parents heard that I was doing this, and didn't even bother to hide the disgusted looks on their faces. Which I'm sure you're doing now. Anyways, this leads me into my reasoning for doing this. As you may or may not know, the environment is important to me. As is my health. Shampoo, in my opinion isn't neccesary, in fact I think that it's harmful.

I mean really, think about it. You're paying six dollars for a bunch of chemicals that claim to have green tea extract and other good things. NO! What you just bought is an unreadable list of chemicals that seriously, seriously destroys your natural hair.

Shampoo is a harsh detergent that does remove dirt, but along with dirt it strips your hair of all natural oil and healthy goodness. Conditioner was only invented as a result of the harm to human hair from shampoo. (can you believe that?!)

So, that's pretty much my reason for this experiment, of course it also saves: money, time, water, waste. So I thought, why not? I have a few weeks where I don't really care if my hair looks a little greasy, so I'm gonna give this a month or two and see how it goes.

Maybe I'll start using shampoo again, but hopefully not. Some people even use a little bit of diluted apple cider vinegar which I heard really gives your hair a nice sheen to it.

Do some research if your interested. A lot of people will swear by it, some don't so why don't you be your own judge?

Today is the first day of the rest of my life...

WITHOUT WORK!

And I could NOT be more excited! I can't even tell you how much I want to be done with waiting tables. It is not something I plan on EVER doing again in the future. But I definitely think that everyone should do it once, it's something that will really help you in life.

I'll come edit some more later... maybe.

What day is it now... ???

It's almost one in the morning and I have to work tomorrow. ALL day. I'm not too happy about this. Two doubles in a row is really making me feel burnt out. Thankfully I have a fun Saturday planned. And yes, I'm looking that far ahead because I really don't have time for anything other than work.

And you know.. I've been thinking, work is really a paradox isn't it? You work extremely hard, only make a few bucks to afford things that you can't enjoy because you work constantly. And what? This cycle continues until you retire? And by that time, who cares? I don't really want to be 65 and only NOW beginning to enjoy my free time. I'm working from 10 in the morning until ten at night for shitty tips, shitty customers, and what do I get for in return? less than $100 and an incredibly sore back.

Okay, okay, I'll stop whining now, but for real people. Tip well. I NEVER even thought about what my waitors got paid until I became one. I literally make $2 an hour. My entire Income is based off of what you people decide that I should get. And lemme tell you smiling and acting all nice isn't always what I want to be doing. Especially tonight when you get some rednecks in pajamas at nine o'clock at night throwing spit balls at each other. TRUE STORY! ($2 tip too) bitches...

I'm gonna stop with the profanity too, I apoligize. It's really unneccesary...

So what's new with me?? Ummmmmmmmmm.... well there was this time last week that I spent some money on this super cute heather grey cardigan with pale pink flowers on it! Very urban vintage, if that's even a style, and I say it is so it is.

Oh yeah! I bought this bag made out of recycled second grade cotton or something like that... I'm not really sure but it's bright blue and has these really cute designs on them.

The fact that I'm talking about the new things that I've bought should tell you how little I've done since I've been home for the summer right? right. So I'm just gonna stop writing now and go read my book. (Perfect by Sara Shepard!!!!) OMGEEEE soo good. :D

Until next time.

ps. I forgot! Me and Kellie got season passes to emerald pointe! And even though I'm currently burnt on 85% of my body oh boy was it fun. Seriously stop guys. night!

Cartoons are funny

ahahahaha

CORNISGOOD . by BeesKnees. on Polyvore.com

inhalelove_exhalehate's Xanga Site
floralscrapbook.xanga.com

This oil spill quickly grew to be out of hand. Here Jon Stewart offers his take on it, all with his usual bit of satirical humor with a poignant underlying message. Enjoy!

See more funny videos and Entertainment Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Tough Kid Gets Shot

Isn't this the most adorable thing ever? ...And by adorable I mean tough and manly of course!

Man walks on Water?

See more funny videos and Funny Videos at Today's Big Thing.

I don't know how to not embed something and not have the side of it not cut off. If anyone knows.. please tell me. haha but enjoy this little video of man walking on water

YAY!

YAY! It worked! And now since I now know how to use this amazing technology I can hopefully make my blog a little cooler! look for more to come. oh wait... it may be here sooner than you think!

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

An Experiment in Embedding

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

I've done the Impossible

Okay, so I've officially done the impossible. I've become even more of a hippie than I thought possible. But I really don't like the term "hippie" so let's just call me conscientious and "modern." okay I like modern, modern it is.

Anyways... I recently watched two other documentaries. Don't judge, documentaries are an exceptional way of gathering information. Anyways, the first one is called No Impact Man It follows a man and his young family on a year long journey of trying to live a life in the crowded New York without making an impact on the world. That's right folks, no grocery stores, out of season fruits, a/c, electricity, and kind of store bought product at all. The family only bought and ate local in season fruits and vegetables from their local farmers market.

Needless to say, the all lost some considerable weight and saved a lot of money. These changes that this family made are very drastic, and of course it's unreasonable to think that everyone is going to make these drastic changes but it's worth a go isn't it? What have you got to lose if you go change your lifestyle? But we have the world (literally) to lose if we don't.

So, the second documentary I watched was a frontline presentation of a once dying practice called "Bacha Bazi." This documentary chronicles a powerful man in Afghani society as he buys and trains poor young boys to be dancers. These boys dress up in women's clothes and are often no older than 14. After they dance in a room full of men they are often gang raped in a ceremony that none of the men find unacceptable.

It is one of the most backward and disgusting things that I've heard of in a really long time. One man says that he has had about 2000-3000 young boys. That means that 2000-3000 young boys lives have been ruined by these men. The families that sell their children are done so only by the say-so of the man. The interviewer asked one husband what his wife thought about their son being sold and he scoffed saying that she has no say in the matter, whatever he says goes. It's not really surprising considering this has been the custom for probably thousands of years. But when does this change? It is NOT okay that this custom still exists and authorities do nothing about it (they often participate) and it is not okay that women are continually treated as second class citizens.

Food Network is Irresistable

Today I was watching the food network. You know, the channel that is devoted to FOOD. 24/7 this shiz is on. And I'm talking about GOOD food too. Were not talking Stoffer's family style lasagna. Therefore I have come to the realization that I want to be a chef. Except not. I want to be able to make delicious food out of local, organic, fresh food. There. That's my goal and I want to stick to it.

Any ideas of where to start? Should I cook my way through the vegan's cookbook? If such a thing even exists! Maybe Waldenbooks will have it on their clearance rack. On a related sidenote. Why ARE cookbooks always on sale? Do people never buy them? But they always seem to be the same cookbooks. The same "Tuscan Italian" and "American cooking."

Anyways, I want to be able to whip something delicious out of just some crap that I have in my cabinet. Maybe this could last a while.

Stop! Hammock Time!

I'm curled up on the couch after a wonderful afternoon with Megan Long! <3 haha We decided after class to walk to footsloggers! She got a nalgene, a pretty purple one! We then walked all over campus looking for a good spot to set up our hammocks. Alas, this terrible winter has done a real number on the trees around campus. For those of you who don't read the newspaper regularly, which also includes myself, crews have marked a lot of the trees for demolition. The ones with orange markings are being cut down and the ones with caution tape are being topped off. What a terrible weather and who knew it would affect the spring too? Debris is everywhere!

Anyways, me and Megan spent the past few hours laying in our hammock trying to soak up some sunshine on our pale, white legs. Well, Megan isn't really pale but I sure as heck am. It's sad really...

On an unrelated note, I got a daily booth! So follow me! :D

The Cove

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a while, but I'm very doubtful that anyone even noticed... anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

All kidding aside, my Spring break has been chock full of learning. Is that lame? Maybe so but this is definitely for the better. I want to talk again about veganism. When I made the decision to end my days of meat and dairy it was planned as a short term diet. However, now that I understand the terrible antibiotics, conditions, and food that the animals that become our source of food are fed it quite honestly disgusts me.

Tomorrow, I'm planning a trip to the farmers market where I hope to buy some eggs and home made cheese which I would be willing to make concessions for because of the sustainable nature which it's made. I don't believe that I'll be enjoying a McDonald's cheese burger any time soon however. I don't think that I, being more aware of how this food is processed, can stomach it's contents.

This morning I stumbled on a list of movies from 2009 that should be watched. The movie "The Cove" was on the list and even though I was aware of the movie I had no intentions on watching it. Basically, the documentary takes place in Taiji Japan where local fisherman scare dolphins into a bay where they are needlessly slaughtered. And when I say needless, I mean needless. This meat isn't popular in cuisine and shouldn't be eaten period. The dolphins high level on the food chain means that their meat is full of the toxic chemical mercury; oh and did I mention that the government recently began serving it as a school lunch meat? Yeah.

So basically Japan is overfishing the oceans. Not just dolphins (shark finning is also a major problem) but tuna and many other types of fish are being harvested at alarming rates. Their staggering demand and consumption of the meat has caused populations to decrease astoundingly which in turn throws the entire food chain out of whack!

Learn where your food comes from, after all you're the ones putting it into your body! Your apple from Chile, the hamburger patty with meat from 20 different cows, is that healthy? I'm not just talking about loosing a little weight and not even necessarily saving the environment but when it comes to the health of your body... that's something that you shouldn't really compromise on.

I don't suggest that everyone stop eating meat ever. But just make smart choices, go meatless for a meal every now and then and visit the local farmers market for your in season vegetables and fruits.

If you want more information about where your food is coming from visit this website:
http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php

For more information about the dolphin slaughter in Japan visit this website where you can also watch the trailer for "The Cove" which I highly recommend.
http://www.takepart.com/thecove

Sign the petition that will be sent to Barrack Obama via TakePart here:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/252#

Bucket List

I'm tired of someday wanting to do this. Why not now?

1. Go on a road trip.
2. See the white cliffs of Dover.
3. See some blue ice. (It's freakin awesome if you didn't know)
4. Hold my breath under water for a minute.
5. Go to Argentina.
6. Pet a sloth.
7. Attend a good concert.
8. Put a sugar glider in my pocket.
9. Run a mile in under 5 minutes.
10. Design a T-shirt
11. See Peyton Manning play in Colts arena.
12. Hold a picket sign.
13. See (and maybe shake his hand) President Obama.
14. See an olympic game.
15. Go to Africa.
16. See a constellation and know what it is.
17. Jerk.
18. Type over 100 words per minute.
19. Make all A's one semester.
20. Go on a mission trip.
21. Holi festival.
22. Finish a sporcle quiz without cheating. (DONE)

Ohh bang bang

The Olympics are here and have brought with them me not wanting to do anything productive. But that's probably not because of the Olympics... I don't usually enjoy watching winter sports but how can you not? Vampire diaries isn't on until march and the office has been postponed because of the games (which frankly makes me a little angry!) so there is little else to choose from! I really enjoy curling but many people... cough cough my roommates think that the sport of scooting a rock is boring! What? Curling MAKES the Olympics, its makes them!

Anyways, spring break is coming up and I would really like to go on a road trip, where? I'm not sure, someplace different and fun. It's not often that I travel, honestly it's never when I travel but I would really like to change that! America is full of some of the most interesting places in the world and I would like to get a taste of that! ha, ideas anyone? For the three people that occasionally read my blog maybe you can enlighten me! For now, this is all.

Valetine Schmalentine

So keeping warm from the freezing cold weather outside has done nothing to thaw my feelings toward Valentine's Day. In fact, it's done the complete opposite. Myself and most single people in the world feel that this terrible holiday was made for our own personal torture. The paper mache hearts and cupids only serve as a grim reminder of the desperate search for a significant other. Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but the sentiment is still there!

Apart from of course work, my weekend is looking pretty dull, oh wait, that should include work... I'm planning on going home and getting my new computer, joy. Maybe this one won't be a complete piece of crap! Word to the wise, do not buy dell and do not buy through staples.

Looking Forward

Apart from lack of sleep, constant hunger, and the permanent layer of snow and ice on the ground school is going pretty good. I work a lot and it doesn't leave me a lot of time to be lethargic. And I really enjoy lethargy, a lot.

It's currently snowing big fat snowflakes and I'm counting on classes and Wednesday's accounting test to be canceled. I need some time to chill out. To put my feet up and enjoy a good book, eat a vegan friendly meal and laugh. Maybe that sounds really stupid but it's what I need most in my life right now.

And now to go off track a little bit, I want to speak about the impending release of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." I'm sure people have heard about the movie coming out but they may not know about the series of books that it is based on. If you haven't read them I would highly encourage it. I'm almost done with the second book in the five installment series.

The book follows the life of a boy named Percy who's father is Poseidon, god of the seas. In the book, the ancient Olympian gods still live on a mobile mount Olympus that is stationed over the Empire State Building. Oh and Hades is in Los Angeles, go figure.

Going green?

So everyone talks about the benefits of going green. What does green actually mean though? Eating green, living green, buying green. There simply can't be a way to buy everything "green." I recently made a drastic diet change to veganism. While it's quite possibly one of the hardest and most challenging tasks I've ever done I'm proud to say that I'm making one small change to help the environment.

The effects of going green...

I don't really like talking about being vegan because I feel like people's perception of who we are is so skewed that they don't know what to do with that
information. The conversation always goes something like, "oh you're vegan? so that means..." "yeah, it means that I don't eat anything with dairy, meat, or any animal product."

I think that people conceive us as these mindless pushy hippies who are trying to get people to agree with us. Maybe it's because of the notion that milk doesn't kill the animal, rather it saves them from infection and a lot of pain. However it's so much more than that. I'll spare you from pictures of animal cruelty but I encourage anyone reading this to take the time to search up some information for yourself, you be the judge.

I don't think that everyone should become vegan, that's not the point, plus it's a ridiculous notion. I do however, think that if people were to consume less meat and otherwise overly processed food a person's individual carbon footprint could be drastically reduced! Calculate your carbon footprint with this link below:
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

Okay, so I'm getting off my high horse now. I'm hoping that maybe I'll get some comments?? haha have some sort of modern public forum with a really cool discussion. Anyways, please follow!

Superbowl Sunday

Hey, so who knew? Today just kind of crept up on me! Usually when my beloved colts even come near the superbowl I'm breaking out my jersey and wearing it with pride. This year, I don't know what it was, but I had no interest. I don't like to admit that because I consider myself to be a die-hard Manning fan. Die. Hard.

Even with my lack of interest, I'm still going to forecast my predictions for today's game. Of course I believe that the colts are the far superior team to the saints. Manning is one of the best quarter backs ever to have played the game, not to mention a sense of humor most should be jealous of.

Random Findings on the Internet

Okay, so hopefully you're not drunk and reading my blog but if you are maybe this house looks normal. It's called "The Crooked House" and it's located in Sopot, Poland. It's pretty cool looking but it kind of gives me a headache just looking at it!

Here are some more random fun facts and bits of random information that I've found:

1. If your throat tickles, scratch your ear.Here's a better way to scratch your itch: "When the nerves in the ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm," says Scott Schaffer, M.D., president of an ear, nose and throat specialty center in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. "This spasm relieves the tickle."

2. If you're like most people, when you run, you exhale as your right foot hits the ground. This puts downward pressure on your liver (which lives on your right side), which then tugs at the diaphragm and creates a side stitch, according to The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Men. The fix: Exhale as your left foot strikes the ground.

3. "If you're giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep," says Candi Heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho. Since most memory consolidation happens during sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded as long-term memory.



Isn't this the cutest thing ever!? I really would like to have one of these so that I can scare people with my ice cubes!

Fun with Friends

We decided to have one last group picture before we came back inside! We were freezing and soaking wet from the sleet!



We tried to have fun even though the weather was beyond terrible!

Time for some photos

Today I woke up around 8 am. I always hate getting out of my bed but today was especially hard for me. When I looked outside I was immediately blinded by all the snow that covered every place I looked. I ran into the living room and checked my email only to discover that classes ALL day were canceled! I cannot even remember the last time ASU canceled a whole day's worth of classes. You can imagine how happy I was to just be able to climb back into my warm bed and sleep for a few more hours.

Today was filled with laziness and yet very fun. It's only 10:40 but I'm beyond exhausted! Playing in the snow and then taking countless photos and making videos with the coolest girls in the world!! The branch in the picture became victim of the incessant sleet fest that is going on outside the window and has been for an entire day.

Hopefully things will get better soon... I could really use a day where I don't have to wear 1134587 layers just to be able to stay warm here on top of the mountain.

New facebook?

So whoever uses facebook, which I'm sure almost all young people may have noticed a change on the website recently... After a recent total change to the networking site, they've changed everything about it again. While somethings are easier including photo upload which allows you to browse facebook while they upload in the bottom corner, some are going to take some serious getting used to. The creators have completely overhauled the home page! The search bar, applications, and online chat option are all over the place. Some people haven't yet felt the change of the new facebook and one can only assume that the change will happen in a trickle effect... yay.

Snow! (and nasty sleet)

Public Forums are so much fun and sophisticated... says who? Says everybody of course. I'm currently editing photos from today's most recent snow storm in my snuggie watching the Fun Run episode of the office. I don't even know what to blog about. I wouldn't want to read this, so why are you?