Things to Do

If you haven't noticed, I've been doing a little mini-series of blog posts. (Do you guys like the series thing? Or mini-series? I think it's easy to write about and find topics with. But I want to know how you guys feel. Is it boring? Or nice?) They're all in regards to New York, and, more specifically, Manhattan. Now, you know what I'm packing and where I'm going. However, you do not know what I shall do once there!
Well, let me start by saying: in these dreams I have a limitless, Kardashian-esque bank account. So I stay where I want, go where I want, do what I want, and have zero regard for cost. The way I see it, I'm not going anywhere, because I have no money. So, why should it matter? These are not even possible plans. Just dreamed up. Now that that's out of the way, on with the show!
Thanks to my mother, I have been endowed with hoity-toity tastes. In my dreams, I'm staying at the Four Seasons. (Since that's the only place I'll ever be able to afford a room there.)

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Now on to the main events! There are some old favorites, mixed in with classics, mixed in with new favorites. Everyone wants to go see Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty. I've seen her. It's quite boring, as is Ellis Island. Nothing fun about it. I mean, yeah, it's a part of history and how the majority of us came to be in this country, but it's boring as crap.
Instead, I'd like to:

• drive over the Brooklyn bridge, especially at night

• go to Dylan's Candy Bar

• pick up something really awesome for Bug at FAO Schwarz (okay.. So I really like that store, too...)

• go to Tiffany's (duh! what self-respecting female AND/OR Audrey Hepburn fan WOULDN'T go to the Manhattan Tiffany's??? Not I.)

• walk down Broadway, maybe go see a show. (I'd totally go see "The Lion King" again. It was AMAZING! I cried.)

• spend an afternoon in Central Park. I've eaten a pretzel there but I've never really been to Central Park. I'd love to see the zoo.

• walk down Fifth Avenue

• check out the Rockefeller Center

• go to the ginormous Macy's there. It's been the site of too many Christmas movies for me NOT to go.

• at least go stand outside of the Empire State Building and look at it

• visit the New York Public Library. Yes, the ones with the stone lions outside of it.

• check out Little Italy, Chinatown, and Greenwich Village just because

• walk through some of the museums. And really walk through them, not just run in, look at everything as fast as I can, and run out

• take a train. Whenever we go, we stay with my aunt on Long Island and I just love riding the train. It feels so vintage and fabulous and home-y. Plus, I love to people-watch and that is the perfect place. I'm fond of Penn Station myself.

• And, of course, the one thing you MUST do in New York, visit Times Square.

Pictures from Pinterest. 

Destination

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Now, in my last post, I packed for my lovely adventure. Many of you are probably wondering, where is she going? Well, my dears, I won't tell you outright. But here are some hints. (all photos are from Pinterest)

Still haven't gotten it? Fine. I'll give you one last hint. If you don't get it by then, (you must live under a rock..) I'll tell you.

Got it yet? Good. I want to go to New York! And, more specifically, Manhattan. I. LOVE. MANHATTAN! As if it wasn't enough that "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was shot in New York, there are so many other excellent movies from there.

• Miracle on 34th Street
• Sabrina
• Seven Year Itch
• Funny Face
• West Side Story
• Funny Girl
• Ciao! Manhattan
• Grease
• Annie
• Ghostbusters
• The Muppets Take Manhattan
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Home Alone 2 (which is funny, because he wasn't actually home..)
• The First Wives Club
• Zoolander
• Elf
• Cinderella Man
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Madagascar
• August Rush
• Enchanted
• Bride Wars
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
• Get Him to the Greek

And those are just the ones that Wikipedia listed AND that I've seen. But there are a bajillion and two movies shot in New York. Many of which are excellent (Seven Year Itch, Cinderella Man). Some of which are okay (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs). And some of which just.. suck, but they're still funny (Zoolander, Elf). (If you've noticed, I'm a movie snob. And not a fan of comedy. Especially not slapstick.)

Ha! So, now you know where I'm going. But, what shall I do once I get there? Let's find out. One. Two-hoo. Three.

Ideal Spring Break

Bath and Body Works is having a little Pinterest contest for their Twitter/Facebook followers to create a board with their ideal spring break. (Read about the contest here, if you're interested.) I created mine, and decided to share it here. Let's start with:
Packing!
Clothes are from Modcloth and my Pinterest boards.

Okay.. So, this is going to be a multiple-part post, since it would be crazy long if I did it all in one shot. So, now I'm packed. (Well, mostly. I shan't show you my intimate apparel, since that would be weird. And there are no cosmetics. My "beauty bag" would be filled with Bath and Body Works products-- tons of lotions and sprays.. They smell so good!-- and Hard Candy cosmetics, with my boxes of Ulta shadows thrown in. Plus, I'd never leave home without my flat iron, curling iron, heat spray, hair spray, tons of bobby pins, bows, and, in my dreams, I have nice, bright teal hair.)
Later, tomorrow, some time this week, I shall show you where I'm going and what I shall do there. Toodles!

I haven't forgotten!

Wow.. I have not blogged in forever.. I'm sorry! Life's just been quite busy. Funny, because I haven't actually been doing anything, but, somehow, I haven't found time to blog.
We recently went to Maine/New Hampshire for my aunt's(?) wedding. (I dunno what she is to me. She's my grandfather's sister.. So.. Yeah.) It was quite fun. We went snow tubing.
For the wedding, I dyed my hair black and shaved a little more of it. I quite love it.
I came across this on facebook the other day and I love it! I think more people should see it, and the truth in it.

I really can't think of anything to talk about right now.. I'm kind of all over the place in my thinking, forgive me.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I love this holiday. It's super cliched, but that's really a big part of its charm. So what if everyone gets roses/chocolate/cute stuffed things/engaged/various jewels and bobbles? That's really part of the charm! It's so cute and sweet. And cheesy. But so what?
However, there is one part of Valentines Day that I find to be silly.
Roses.

Except this one...

So... If roses are supposed to be a sign of love, no wonder so many relationships fail. I mean, they're half-dead when you buy them, covered in chemicals, picked so only the prettiest survive, and genetically mutated. I'd much rather have a gourd than roses. I mean, what can you do with roses? Nothing. Stick them in a glass of water and watch them wilt and cover your table in gunk (or drive your cats crazy, if you have flower-eating cats like I do). Now a gourd? Those things are hearty, flawed, have little patches of dirt, and are quite pleasant, hearty little things. Plus, you can eat them! You can't (well, shouldn't) eat a rose (not rose hips.. Just the actual rose). But a gourd? You can eat them!! And they're good! Plus, they don't wilt and turn gross in three days.
That's just my little thing on roses vs. gourds (personally, I'd prefer a nice, hearty pumpkin). 

Soul Mate

So.... Being the age I am in the decade I'm in, it's not always easy to find somebody that you share a lot in common with. Kind of sad. Expressing my loves, I get a lot of weird or blank looks. Many of the kids at my new school *shudder* think I'm crazy. Well, at least that's the vibe I get off of them.
(It kind of hurts to meet someone and have them instantly think that you're crazy or catty. I absolutely loathe one of my classes because I have no real friends in it. They all think I'm crazy and pretty much tease me for simply opening my mouth. Even the teacher, at times. And it kind of hurts. Yeah, I laugh it off, because, really, what else am I going to do? They don't think they're doing anything wrong, and, the comments I make to them aren't supposed to be offensive, but, somehow, are still taken that way. So, sorry if I offend you with what I say. If I want to hurt you, you'll know, just watch my eyebrows. But I really don't try to hurt anyone. Honest.)
So, I'm going to create my own little "dating profile." But, instead of finding a significant other, I'm looking for a friend. So, here goes it!
A friend needs to:

• know how to think, probably critically, definitely on a "deeper level." I don't want to know about what you think on Ryan Gosling's newest relationship. I don't even know who he is! Which leads me to my second point.
• Not needs to. MUST HAVE a knowledge and love of vintage things. This means: red lipstick, victory rolls, winged eye liner, fifties and sixties style dresses, and anything that Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Dita Von Teese, stuff like that are either part of your life or a much desired part. Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand pretty much have to be known to them. Audrey Hepburn movies must constantly be in or near their DVD player. (Not so much Marilyn.. I like her, but she's very slapstick comedy, which I'm not a fan of. But "Seven-Year Itch" is great and I do recommend it.) Burlesque can't be taboo. I rather like it. It's cute and fun and feminine and flirty.
• know the lyrics to most of the Disney songs. All of the princesses, many of the Disney-Pixar movies, a few more here and there. I adore Disney.
• want, if not have, tattoos. Or, really, just be really, really, really cool with tattoos. I want some so badly. Actually, I want a lot really badly. And I could never be really good friends with someone who didn't want or like or accept tattoos.
• have or be cool with or want piercings. Ears don't count. I have my navel done and want my nose and cartilage done. (Mom won't let me do my nose until I'm 18. =( oh pooh..) Ben wants snake bites. I want to be a kindergarten teacher so I don't want 40 bajillion piercings. Plus, while they may look really, really, really cool, I don't like them as much as I love tattoos.
• adore rainbow hair. I love it. To death. And, if my hair wasn't so stupid (as in, breaks at EVERYTHING and is stanky and dark), I would have rainbow hair 24/7. But, alas poor Yorick, I do not. And it makes me sad.
• like literature and love math. I'm a huge geek, as shown in pretty much all of my posts, and can't stand people who don't get many of the references I make. Whether to 80's songs or popular movies or novels, they have to have a basic comprehension level. And, if you don't like math, go away. I never want to see your face again.
• be kind of out-there. I wear petticoats and drool over blue lipstick. I belly dance and have half of my head shaved. I adore vintage and dislike Dubstep. I have no clue who any of these "popular" stars are. I believe in gay rights and don't really have a problem with the legalization of pot (though I do not, have not, and never will experience the "joys" of cannabis). (You must be OK with gay rights and remain above the influence to be a really close friend. More so the gay rights, but I prefer to have sober friends.) I could never deal with the anorexic, blonde, softball player, who plays dumb so boys will like her, and puffs out her chest so the boys will admire her bosom and bottom and ignore the brain beneath.

All in all, I really need someone ten years older than I am to be my friend.

Food for Thought

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Audrey Hepburn

I really love this quote, especially being in high school. I think it's a fantastic thing to remember every day. And by a fantastic woman that I would love to be like, even if it's just in one tiny way.

Husband Numero Dos

So, I posted about Fibonacci earlier and my love for him. My intense, raging love. However, he is not the only mathematician that I adore. I also have a burning passion for Monsieur Mobius.

A mathematician and astronomer that kind of looks like a fish, Mobius was German and lived in the 1800's. He's known for a few things. But, what I admire most, he created the MOBIUS STRIP!!! This handy little thing is quite impressive.

Go get a thin strip of paper. Go on. I'll wait. Oh! And tape. Or glue. And scissors. Or, you can do what I do, and just go get a Fruit By The Foot.
Now, take the strip and bend it into a loop. Before you glue/tape it shut, twist it once. Now, tape or glue it together. Oh! You'll need a marker, too. Or a pen.

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What your Mobius strip should look like after you fold it

Now, draw a line around the shape. You aren't done until you meet with your original starting point. Notice something cool?
Yeah. You just drew on both sides of your loop without flipping it over. That's because Mobius strips are one-sided figures!! These things are pretty handy and actually found everywhere.
Conveyor belts, typewriter ribbons, and fashion. A huge trend lately has been scarves. They're wrapped in Mobius strips.

Now! Take your scissors and cut right down that line. Now, a normal loop would just cut in two and you would have two loops. Mobius strips, as we should expect, are MUCH cooler than ordinary strips. Done cutting? Good. Now I can spoil it. It will make ONE GIANT MOBIUS STRIP!!! So cool. What happens if you cut around just the one edge? (There's only one edge to it. Test it. Make a new strip and draw a line around just one edge.) Well, it makes a huge Mobius strip and a tiny one looped around the middle! So cool.

For some more Mobius fun, check out ViHart's videos. Quite stellar.

Quite stellar, I must say. Check out her website for more!!

My Hubbie

Sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER.. I feel terrible about that. However! I am back! And plan to post more frequently. Don't be afraid to give me ideas for what to post. I had so many before I started to blog. Now... Nothing.

Onwards and upwards, today I'm going to post about something that I'm quite passionate about!! Math. And then, getting a lot more narrowed, Fibonacci.
So, Fibonacci was an Italian mathematician in the 1200's. (Wo0t! Go Italians!) He wrote some books. But that's not why I love him (don't get me wrong. I love English and reading and Literature and stuff. However, as much as I love books and refuse to go anywhere without them, I love math more. A lot more.)

Fibonacci is well-known (amongst the mathemagicians, anyway) for his set of numbers: The Fibonacci Sequence. The very name just makes me smile.
The Fibonacci sequence is a lovely little sequence that starts with 1 and 0. To get the next integer, you must add the two prior. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, etc., etc. What's so cool about that? Not much. It's what it does/where it is that's the cool part!
So, pretty schnazzy, the numbers actually approach the Golden Ratio which is the most eye-pleasing ratio there is. They actually make a pretty pimp little spiral. To make this spiral, take a 1x1 square. Stack another 1x1 square on top. To the right, add a 2x2. Above that, a 3x3. To the left, a 5x5, an 8x8 goes beneath, and (though this is nowhere near the end, but just to round it out,) add a 13x13 to the right. Now, draw a line in the diagonals. This should make a pretty cute little spiral that is wondrous!

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How your blocks should be set up

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What the spiral should look like. This one's upside-down but it's the same spiral.

Starting to recognize it? Well, if you've been to the beach lately, you should. This spiral is INCREDIBLY common in nature. As are the numbers. However, instead of writing it all out, I will give you three videos to explain. ViHart does a pretty swell job of explaining it.

If you're still confused or have something else to say or add, comment. I'll be glad to either explain it or find the answer for you!! Or you can check out ViHart's website, it's a pretty swell place.