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In which Ceiridwen relates a little too much with Muppets: Item 35

Sometimes the universe aligns and Avenue Q, which you’ve been wanting to see for years, is on in Sydney while you’re there for the weekend anyway, and your parents agree to buy you a ticket for your birthday. And then you get to go and sit in a dark theatre for a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon and giggle at the Muppets singing about porn and racism and the fact that BAs are freaking useless degrees, all the while thinking “This speaks to me on a personal level. Should I be worried by that?” (I ended up opting for no).

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Fine holiday fun.

#item 35 #Ceiridwen #do something virtuous

Thilo and Ceiridwen make friends with each other while at a Farmers Market (Items 17 and 33)

Since Ceiridwen was making the trek to Sydney for Yellowcard, she decided to make a weekend of the whole thing, and therefore had some spare time while she was there. So she sent Thilo a message suggesting that if she was free, they could actually meet up IRL and have coffee or something. Coffee or something turned into the Eveleigh Farmers Markets (Thilo’s suggestion), where they have fantastic crepes (no photo evidence. Too delicious to think about that sort of thing), fresh juice (pictured here: orange and passionfruit and hot apple and ginger) and brownies that will put you in a chocolate coma (also pictured here), among other things (like tea. Which Ceiridwen definitely didn’t spend nearly $100 on. And organic dog treats. Which she also definitely didn’t buy, because that would obviously make her a crazy dog lady).

Much fun was had, much food was eaten, and there are some actual photos of the markets floating around, but uploading requires effort, so they’re coming soonish.

#item 17 #item 33 #Thilo #Ceiridwen #do something new #do something social #do something virtuous

Ceiridwen does item 19: go to a concert.

Last night, I saw Yellowcard. I am not sure I have a voice today. Totally. Worth it.

Things I learnt last night:

The lead singer of Mayday Parade, who were the support, is better live than recorded.

I know the first two lines and nothing more of a LOT of Mayday Parade songs.

There are a lot of underage Yellowcard fans, and it makes me feel really old.

There are also a lot of people whose parents let them go to concerts on school nights, and I very much judge said parents (post script: it has since occurred to me that it was school holidays, so I probably don’t judge them any longer).

#Item 19 #Ceiridwen #do something for yourself

Kari tries to dry a flower in a book & writes to her aunt (items 50 and 25, respectively)

I found this pretty leaf while on one of my afternoon walks with Adarsh and I thought the edges were all cool and pretty so I nabbed it for drying in a book. Then I decided leafs aren’t anywhere near as pretty as flowers, and I like colourful things a lot, so I also picked a flower and hid it away in another book.

Sadly, the evidence speaks for itself. No, I did not pick a ‘pretty’ brown flower. The flower did not like my book :-(

But the least still looks pretty cool. And it’s all dry now and papery. Yay me!

I also emailed one of my aunts today. It was the closest I am going to get to writing without seeming like I’ve actually lost the plot because my parents still speak with all their siblings so they’d realise I was acting strange if I wrote one aunt a letter and not the others. It may have initially been motivated by my Dad’s email not working from America so I had to be his secretary. Totally still counts though.

#item 25 #item 50 #do something social #do something virtuous #do something creative #dry a leaf #dry a dead flower #kari #thanks nay

Kari tries a new work jam soundtrack (aka. item 64: listen to an album one of your parents was obsessed with when younger)

I asked Mum for suggestions a few weeks ago but every time I started playing this YouTube playlist in the background I’d get distracted and pause it for one reason or another and never actually listen to the album. Mum also wasn’t explicit about this album but she mentioned three or four songs by Cyndi Lauper and I extrapolated from there.

My learnings from listening to this while trying to do some adult work - it neither hindered nor improved my productivity but it did provide some happy background noise apart from the sound of my fingers pounding the keyboard. Overall, a fun trip into the 80s. Thanks Ma!

#item 64 #kari #trip down memory lane #80s music #cyndi lauper #youtube playlist #she's so unusual #do something old

Kari learns to count to ten in Spanish (item 82)

Atlanta is pretty close to Mexico, which means that most public signage and announcements are actually bi-lingual in Spanish and American English. For this reason, and the fact that I already kinda knew up to six from the lyrics of Pretty Fly by The Offspring, I decided Spanish would be my language of choice for this challenge. Spanish now joins my counting to ten repertoire of English, French and German. And I can get up to six in Japanese (on a good day).

#item 82 #do something educational #count to ten #learn spanish #minions #despicable me #kari

Kari “shops” at New Orleans Farmers’ Market (item 33)

The New Orleans Farmers’ Market actually doesn’t have a lot of fresh produce, but it does have a bunch of little food stalls. It was a hot and humid Saturday afternoon (as is pretty much every day at the moment in Southern USA) so we were looking out for ice-cream or a cold drink. Spotted this tiny little table selling ice-pops for $3! I ‘shopped’ the sweet corn & blackberry flavour. Pretty sure it was actually just icy cream. Couldn’t taste the frozen pieces of corn and blackberry at all. But I enjoyed trying something unique and local at the farmers market :-)

#item 33 #kari #shop at a farmers market #farmers market #new orleans #ice pop #thanks nay #do something virtuous #do something delicious

Ceiridwen is an idiot who did this 2 weeks ago and managed to post to her tumblr, not the group one (the item previously known as 12: learn to meditate)

This was something I added to the list because I’ve been meaning to do it for a while, and this would give me motivation to do it. I am just about incapable of single-tasking (that’s the opposite of multitasking, right?) and I am constantly getting part way through a sentence and losing my train of thought because I’ve got too many others happening at the same time, because my mind is just insanely busy, and I very strongly relate to the dog from UP. Which has some benefits, but is mostly a giant pain in the ass. I always find the relaxation part of yoga, which I quite enjoy, to be really difficult because they’re all like “Clear your mind…focus on your breathing…” and I either end up going “Breathe in…and out…and in…and out… and…holy fuck, I’ve over-thought this, and now I can’t actually remember how to breathe. This is BAD. HOW DO I BREATHE AGAIN???” or “What am I having for dinner tonight? I could have pasta, but I had that last ni - oh, wait, I’m supposed to be clearing my mind….right…mind cleared… … …I can’t believe that Jason Segel and Michelle Williams broke up. They were so cute together and I was just so happy for them! DAMMIT. THAT IS NOT CLEAR, MIND!” (this genuinely happened to me during a yoga class not long after they broke up. That is both how terrible at clearing my mind I am, and also how over-invested one of my housemates and I were in a relationship that involved two people that neither of us knew).

Anyway. Meditation. It’s good for stopping stuff like that. I was terrible at it. I used Smiling Mind (based entirely on the name, but it later turned out to actually have a pretty good reputation) to try and learn how to do it properly. I can now proudly say I am no longer shit at it, but I am still pretty damn average. I’ve now managed to master the art of concentrating on my breathing without forgetting how to do it, and I can stay focussed on not being focussed for several minutes before my mind starts to wander and/or I get antsy and fidgety.

#do something for yourself #do something new #Item 12 #Ceiridwen #Meditation

Kari hopes for unicorns and writes a ten years from now essay (item 78)

It’s a cloudy Tuesday in Atlanta. What a perfect day to finish the essay I started on Friday last week and achieve another something! Finished writing my ten years essay. I know it probably requires me to re-read and edit that codswallop but I absolutely cannot bring myself to do that without coffee.

My main hope for the future is that genetic engineering has advanced enough to make unicorns a thing.

#item 78 #do something old #do something creative #me ten years from now #could i own a unicorn?#kari #do something educational

Kari is a little disappointed by Turkey Perkey Jerky (item 53: purchase and eat something you’ve always been scared to try)

I haven’t always been scared of Turkey Perky Jerky. But I have always been pretty freaked out by jerky. After walking past this way too many times at the shops, and giggling at the name whilst shuddering at the thought of it, it was time to bite the bullet and try it.

Doesn’t look like much, and tastes like even less. It kinda felt like eating plastic with pepper on it and a bit of sweet soy sauce. Not vomit inducing but just not really enjoyable. Icecream was needed to wash my mouth out with after.

#turkey perky jerky #jerky #item 53 #eat something you've always been scared to try #thanks naomi #kari #aussieinamerica #do something new #do something delicious #i always forget to add the 'do something' hashtags

fotoluv

augustarambles

Being an adult is scouring the Internet for blueprints of the perfect pillow fort and being absolutely delighted in seeing that they actually exist

83in183

Blanket forts 101

#item 46 #blanket fort #inspiration

Kari and Ceiridwen send postcards with varying degrees of success (item 28)

Postcards were definitely placed in the mail from Atlanta. And have apparently arrived in at least two of the three locations.

I also definitely was not asked for my mailing address while half-asleep for postcard purposes. Sadly, I have to check out of the hotel before AusPost/USPS managed to cooperate.

But I believe Thilo does have a nice stash of postcards now ;-)

#item 28 #send postcards to each other #kari #ceiridwen #do something social #10 points to gryffindor

Kari sees a movie at an actual cinema (item 22)

Upon a high recommendation from Ceiridwen I decided to take myself out of the apartment for the afternoon and go to the movies. The tickets were incredibly tiny. The inside of the cinema was absolutely no different to Australia. Prices for food & drink were just as ridiculous as back home e.g. a ‘small fizzy drink was $5.25. No I will not pay an extra 50% on my movie ticket for a bucket of fizz thank you very much.

Otherwise a very enjoyable experience. Much Rebel Wilson, Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and a small amount of Skylar Astin goodness.

#item 22 #go to a real cinema #do something for yourself #kari #thank you ceiridwen

Schnitzel Burger, Punjabi Chai and Rolling Stone: Ceiridwen does item 79

I adulted the shit out of this morning: woke up at 6:30 for no real reason; caught up on the internet that happened while I slept; did 2 hours of uni work; made breakfast (poached eggs, courtesy of a friend’s thesis research chooks); called Medibank to sort out health insurance since I get booted off Mum and Dad’s when I turn 25 later in the month; went to see the psychologist, who was super proud of my adulting this week and told me to do something for myself today. So I popped in to the newsagent and discovered that this month’s Rolling Stone had an interview with Frances Cobain that I’d heard interesting things about, bought myself a copy, and then took myself to the cafe a few shops down and got lunch. I can’t say that I have the pathological fear of eating alone in public that a lot of people have, but it’s definitely not something I do very often, because I get way too bored. I also very rarely actually get a chance to just sit down and read anything non-uni related at the moment, so this was a nice, relaxing change and a good way to spend half an hour.

#Item 79 #Ceiridwen #Do something delicious #Do something for yourself

Kari does item 51 and 77 (go to a zoo and have a ‘bad’ singalong on a roadtrip)

Today’s adventures to Athens, GA took us to a Bear Hollow Zoo. Bear Hollow Zoo is a fee wildlife park filled with a small assortment of Georgian animals. It is VERY well hidden away from the main roads, with absolutely no signage to help tourists find it. This is kinda awesome (as long as you have a GPS) because it means it is nice and quiet.

Athens itself (aka. “fake Athens) is located 65 miles north-east of Atlanta. So this was just over an hour’s drive on the Highways to Hell. Other terrible sing-a-long tracks included Mmm Bop, Livin’ on a Prayer, Doo Wah Diddy Diddy and Murder on the Dancefloor. Scarily enough we weren’t even listening to my iPod.

Initially I was most excited to see the bears, but because they were so sleepy the turkeys overtook as my favourites. Gobble gobble gobble.

#item 51 #item 77 #gobble gobble #bear hollow zoo #roadtrip singalong #do something for yourself #thanks ceiridwen #thanks naomi #do wah diddy diddy #kari

It’s a Crochetdile (Ceiridwen does item 27)

This little dude is for an English assignment. I somewhat regret deciding to make my stuffed animal rather than buy it, because they’re fiddly little bastards to make, but he’s pretty damn cute.

#do something creative #Item 27 #Ceiridwen #crochet #amigurumi #fuck you single crochet

Kari learns what a nosegay is (item 71)

I’ve been signed up to Words of the Day for a while now, waiting to find a perfect new addition to my vocabulary. Whilst I’ve found some fascinating ones (balloonacy, obnubilate, petrichor) they didn’t seem like words that I would actually remember within 30 seconds of writing this post.

But, at long last, I found something bizarre and giggle-worthy. I’m currently reading Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell (Naomi would be SO proud right now). Yesterday I finished a long scene where Molly, Mrs Gibson and Miss Kirkpatrick are all getting ready for a dance and they were talking incessantly about ‘nosegay’, which left me feeling very confuzzled.

Once I finally decided to stop being lazy, reached out for my phone, and Googled this strange word, I discovered it’s actually just another word for a posy. Or a tussie-mussie (according to Wikipedia).

I would love a little nosegay to brighten up our apartment.

#nosegay #new word #vocabulary #word of the day #do something educational #do something new #wives and daughters #the things you learn while reading #kari #thanks naomi #item 71

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