Brooke-Obsessed (Still)

Disclaimer: I have been working on my final paper for my seminar for the past few hours, so please forgive me for the fact that all I can currently think about is multiculturalism in Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita.

Yesterday was lovely but busy: a few hours relaxing lake-side at Agape's end of year cook-out, then driving straight to my professor's house on top of a mountain (with some adventures involving trees obstructing the road on the way and my professor's husband - also a noted professor at UVA - arriving with a chainsaw to hack it to pieces. P.S. if anyone is interested in taking one of Professor Ramazani's classes, just know that he has prowess not just in poetry but also in wielding a chainsaw.). Anyway, at my prof's house we workshopped part of papers and had Indian food and it really was just nice...and then I went home to get ready for BROOKE! (I apologize for how Brooke-obsessed my blog has been recently. But let's face it, my life is a little Brooke-obsessed...)

Y'all, she was beautiful, and she was good. And she has the best Kiwi accent, of course. She sang a lot of songs from Flags, and also a few of her classic older ones (C.S. Lewis Song, Deciphering Me, Albertine)...SO GOOD. It was so fun to be there with a group of about fifteen people I knew, and basially, it ended way to soon.

That being said, y'all can watch a little bit of Brooke's concert for yourself, as my friend Josh managed to capture just about all of it on video. (You can explore the playlist of videos from the concert here.) One that really stands out, however, is cover she did of Coldplay's Violet Hill. Because of course her songs were all spectacular, but they sounded similar to her CDs. This one was just so different and well done that y'all just need to watch it:

[pictures and video by Joshua Tran]

Tomorrow!

I am on a plane across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet

So excited to see Brooke tomorrow evening!

(And to have a cook-out/picnic for lunch. And that today was the last day of classes. 

And that I got to have dinner with my family tonight. And that I don't actually 

have a final for Exceptional Learner! And that, after being gone from home from 

9:15am - 11:30pm, I get to go to bed right now!!)

P.S. This video/song make me love Brooke even more, and it reminds me just how much
I really miss Ethiopia. Because sometimes I forget.

To Do

Currently Listening To: Love Song for a Savior by Jars of Clay

Quote Love: ‎"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr

My To Do List, now through next Monday:

• Final project for Exceptional Learner due tomorrow
• Final paper for EDIS5030 due tomorrow (max 12 pages)
• Last day of classes tomorrow (and Tuesday lunch!)
• Birthday dinner for my dad!
• Agape end of year picnic
• Paper workshop/dinner at my professor's house
• BROOKE FRASER CONCERT!
• seven hours of work on Thursday
• seven hours of work on Friday
• Exceptional Learner take home final
• Swing Dance!
• My sister's bridal shower (hosted by ME!)
• EDIS3880 coda
• ENMC4500 final paper due (12 pages)
• (More than a week away but I'm still putting it on this list:) Shakespeare final

So, yes, half of this is fun stuff. But it is still just so much happening that I feel a little daunted. Ever since I started work, I've been holding out for summer, for when I only have one thing (work) to focus on and life will be way less complicated. But at the same time, I'm scared that I'm going to get to summer and then wonder where it all went and be a little sad that everyone's gone. (And really. How is it the last day of class tomorrow?!) 

But right now I mostly just feel like this week is going to be crazy either way. And there's nothing to do but dive on in. And go finish my 5030 paper right now.

[image via Pinterest]

Sunday Night

Just Watched: President Obama's speech. (This college town has been celebrating with bottle rockets, people driving up and down the streets honking and hollering, and drink specials and  packed out bars and people donning American flags. We just took a midnight jaunt down the street to take it all in.)

I spent many hours in a library today. And the sad thing was that I really wasn't that productive on what I was supposed to be working on, though I cannot even tell you what I was doing for half that time I was sitting there. Ahh, finals. (Although finals haven't even technically begun -- I just have two final projects due on the last day of classes. Awesome.)

However, I did make one excellent decision: my Mumford & Sons pandora station. So many good songs were happening on that thing... And so I compiled all the songs I thumbs-upped for your listening pleasure here. Hopefully they will bring you more productivity than they brought me?

Edit: This listening experience was made possible (for me last night) by Hope's headphones. Gracias! Also, this player is currently displaying one of my BIGGEST pet peeves: uncapitalized artist names or song names. It's kind of bothering me. But what can you do? Gotta work with what you've got...

Royal Weddings are Tiring

...Both for the American Anglophiles who got up early to watch, and for any little Flower Girls involved:

[Source: Elle, via A Cup of Jo]

Royal Wedding Slumber Party Extravaganza!

Are any of you watching the royal wedding?

I am, and we are having a slumber party at the Shamba and pulling out the two couch beds in the living room so that when the coverage begins at 4am (or, let's be real, at 6, when the actual ceremony begins) we can just open our eyes and watch it without having to get up or anything! ...and then probably fall back asleep.

(This might be the worst decision I've made this entire month, seeing as I have to be at work at 10. But really, how often does a Royal Wedding occur? ...not often. Also, I feel like I need to live up to my self-professed love of England.)

P.S. Wedding blogger Kathryn of Snippet & Ink has been posting some wonderful Royal Wedding posts in preparation (hats, wedding gown predictions -- it will probably have sleeves -- tiaras...) One of my faves was this collection of photos of Royal weddings past:

Prince Rainier III of Monaco to American actress Grace Kelly, April 1956.

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent to Katharine Worsley, June 1961.

Charles, Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer, July 1981.

[images via Snippet & Ink]

I Love Scarves and I Love Ice Cream

Currently Eating: an M&M frosty. We might have gone through the Wendy's drive-through on the way home from finishing our final presentations in my class tonight...

Confession: I usually delete emails from stores, but I always look at Anthropologie's. Always. Because they are always so beautiful. (The emails themselves, I mean, let alone the fact that they feature beautiful items that I cannot afford. It is an emotional experience every time I interact with this store, let me tell you.)

This one on Monday blew my mind:

SCARVES disguised as ICE CREAM CONES?!? Oh Anthropologie marketing team, why are you so creative? Why can't I just be you, but minus all the actual business-y parts of marketing??

Actually, there was a sign in the window of our Anthro a few weeks ago that said they were hiring a window display maker (or something like that). I may or may not have momentarily considered dropping this whole Ed School thing and embracing a future of making this and this and this. Except, you know, I'm already kind of committed. 

But y'all should just know that when I am a teacher, I am probably going to have the best bulletin boards in the entire building.