Well hello there, interwebs! Nice to talk to you again.

Ok. I know. It’s been a while, and I’m sorry. You deserve better than what I’ve been giving you. Which is nothing.

But here! I have chocolate and a kitten for you!

Forgive me now? Good.

I have been busy while I’ve been gone, I promise. I was touring the west side of the nation for a while… And then I went to some rugby games… And then some other stuff… So not a lot of activity that should have kept me. But what can you do?! The past is past. Ain’t nothin’ you can do about that.

But I promise I’ll be better from now on.

<3 Beth

augsburgcollege:

That time of year…

Sorry about the neglect, blogsphere. But it is…. ^^

I love the internet.

Well, it’s more that I love social media. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest. I’m all for it. I love that people can now so easily share their creativity with the world. Seriously. Just a few clicks and you can send things around the world!

More and more people are getting recognized for their talents. Unfortunately… more and more people are getting recognized even though they have no talent at all. That may be a majority… but maybe not. I dunno.

Social media is still a great tool, though. It’s almost therapeutic. The anonymity of the internet gives you so much freedom! It’s beautiful!

Anyway… That’s my two cents for the week.

littlelizbeth:

My view. It is SO pretty outside!

Murphy Park is hoppin’ in the warm weather!

Heyyyy, world…

So it’s been a while. I know. I will tell you that I have been super busy lately. It’s no excuse really, but it’s true.

Anyway, my roommates are doing some Zumba right now while I sit on the couch, typing away. A little voice in my brain tells me that I should be ashamed for not joining them, but to be honest, I don’t feel that bad. Probably because I’m not feeling that stressed right now. Exercises, like Zumba, are really good for relieving stress and keeping stress away. And believe me, keeping stress away in college is a survival skill.

How do I do it? I watch RuPaul’s Drag Race. Everyone is different when it comes to that sort of thing.

That’s why it’s so important to put yourself out there. That way you’ll find what it is that takes away your stress. Try cooking! Try rock climbing! Try pottery! Whatever you can do to let yourself get away from the world.

Just remember not to get too distracted by whatever is you do! You don’t want your stress relief to become the source of your stress.

bethmoy:

bookshelfporn:

solstice to solstice by Mountain Rose Photography

Ohhhh my.

So the other night I go out with a few friends to the club Too Much Love at First Ave. My girlfriend and I are hanging around Uptown because we are going to meet our friends at their apartment to prepare for the night. The friends are running a little late, so the gf and I decide to go into Magers & Quinn-this super great independent bookstore that sells discount new and used books.

We walk in and I geek out. We’re in there for about a minute and a half before I run without warning off to go explore. You see, sometimes it’s hard to read books for pleasure in college. There are just so many books you have to read for class! So suddenly being surrounded by these stacks of bound pages, I remembered how much one can get from reading.

So I’m scampering between bookshelves and I pause at the “Letters and Essays” section and I see this book that I had heard about on the radio a few years ago and I was so excited to go find it and read it. But I never did.

Well I pick up the book and I read the foreword and I get a couple pages into the first essay and I stop. These words sound seem so familiar. I think nothing of it and I flip the pages and I start to read the second essay and again I recognize the words. I have read this book already. The memory of anticipating the book overpowered the memory of actually reading the book.

Don’t get me wrong. “How To Be Alone” by Jonathan Frazen is not a forgettable book. It’s full of meaningful stories that I do remember now that had pulled at my heartstrings and made me reflect on my own life. I didn’t forget that i had read it because it an inferior work by any means. It was simply that I remembered being excited about reading it so much more.

I haven’t been that passionate about picking up a book in a while. And that makes me kind of sad. So I’m going to try and get back into it. There’s a lot of power in written words. And I have no problem letting that power take me over.

I love pizza. So much. My girlfriend is convinced that whenever I go home, all I do is eat pizza and watch zombie movies with my friends. And she’s not entirely wrong.

Being from the Chicago area, I am used to having really high quality pizza. It is a food close to my heart. So I am very picky when it comes to the pizza I’m eating. Quality of pizza was actually a real concern when leaving my beloved windy city for schooling. My friends here like Dominoes; which is fine on a rare basis, I suppose. But I prefer the more authentic stuff.

A lot of people around the school like Pizza Luce. It’s not bad I suppose. In my opinion, they lack in the cheese department and their sauce isn’t my favorite. But luckily I have found a pizza place here that will satisfy my craving. Mesa Pizza is big and it is beautiful. Oozing with cheese and a perfectly sweet but savory sauce makes this pizza place the perfect tide over until I’m back home where the pizza parlor is king.

So it’s my last full day at home. Tomorrow I get on a train to get to a bus that will drive 8 hours and then onto another train to get me back to school.

So what do I do today? I want to be with my friends but also spend time with my family and also see any last things around town that I want. But it’s just one day. There doesn’t seem to be enough time.

I think that I’m just going to relax. Maybe run to the grocery store with Mom. Watch a movie with my brother. Have my friends over for gossiping so I don’t leave without updated details of their lives.

Because that’s what is really one of the nicest things about break: just being there. All the outings and activities are nice, but it’s not what being home really feels like. Being with the people who made life before college at least bearable is the important part.

THIS IS A PLACE THAT I HAVE BEEN! This cute little knick-knack shop where everything (I think) is hand-made. You can’t miss it because the side is painted pink with I LIKE YOU written all over.

It’s on the north side of the city, by the old mill where everything is, well, old.

Minneapolis really is a wonderful city. There’s so much to do and it’s all so easy to get to. You want a quiet day of coffee shops and looking at cute things? Go to the north side. You want a night on the town with good food and dancing? Go downtown. It’s all at your fingertips. A big city with a small-town vibe. Mmmm mm.

Well folks, I predicted right. I’m already starting to miss the old Burg.

Not that I’m not having a swell time at home! It’s been so great hanging out with my family and friends. Just last night I went to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo with a couple people (don’t see that if you’re squeamish). It was so nice just being with these people who I hadn’t seen in so long that we managed to laugh our asses off even after seeing a movie that will put you off your breakfast lunch and dinner.

But then my roommate came and visited me in the city, and I was reminded of all the great friends I have back at school. A person can get pretty irritated with someone when they’re sharing a small space with them over an extended period of time. But distance makes the heart grow fonder, and a week away can make you remember why you love that person you were prepared to throttle only a week or so ago.

Friends are a huge part of college. Life, for that matter, I suppose. So make sure you have at least a couple really good ones. It’ll make your time bundles easier.