Spring Quarter 1, Jenna 0

Yesterday was my first day back in class, and it was also the first day (for me) of spring quarter.

Spring quarter dominated me.

I began my day at 9:30am with a Shakespeare course and ended at 9:15pm with English literature. Essentially, I spent TWELVE HOURS on campus with only two breaks (nicely timed around lunch and dinner, I must admit).

I knew having five classes in one day would be rough, but I had no idea just how tiring it would be.

By the time I got home last night, I was hungry, tired, and really cranky. I basically had a total meltdown when I got home, which was totally unnecessary.

Source
Me, yesterday evening around 9:30pm

I hope I am woman enough to survive this term.

Things that are currently making me happy

1. My best friend is back from his spring break trip to London, and he brought me a gorgeous painting from one of the markets.

2. This scene from season four of Sex and the City (fast forward to 2:00 for the especially romantic part):

3. Blistex Silk & Shine

via Google Image

4. Going to sleep at night with my goldendoodle snuggled up next to me <3

5. The perfect organization and fresh school supplies of a new quarter

6. Milano cookies (Two cookies for 140 calories? Worth it.)

7. The fact that I'm taking a class entirely about Jane Austen this quarter

via Google Image

8. I am down 11.5 pounds!

Headaches are lame.

This morning I woke up early because we were having class picture day at the salon. It ended up feeling a bit like a senior picture session (and remember senior pictures? It is so fun to lie in the grass or lean into a tree as a creepy man tells you to "half smile"). Anyway. I woke up with an awful headache and despite the numerous Ibuprofen tablets I have taken and caffeine I've consumed, this headache is insisting on sticking around.

I have always been a chronic headache sufferer, and Ibuprofen is (usually) my best friend. I wish it was doing its job today.

Ugh.

via

Stylish Blogger Award Part Deux

Natalie, the writer of one of my favorite blogs (You can check it out here: Little Pink Book), recently passed along The Stylish Blogger Award to me. This is my deuxieme time receiving this award, and I'm excited to come up with another several facts about myself. Thanks so much, Natalie!

1. I have no peripheral vision. When I was a junior in high school, I suffered from a severe allergic reaction to an acne medication I was on. I had three times the amount of spinal fluid around my brain, and consequently, my eye nerves were permanently damaged. I (surprisingly) don't notice it!

2. Sleeping is one of my favorite things to do. Few places in this world are better than my bed. I take bedding choices (almost always a down comforter and jersey sheets) very seriously.

3. I am afraid of being in a serious relationship. I am so excited about all of possibilities I will be facing after I graduate next spring. I am looking at a number of graduate schools around the country (and even world). Even after graduate school, I want to be able to go anywhere and do anything. I am scared of being in a serious relationship because I don't want to become attached to anyone and compromise my dreams. I went to my dream school in Chicago my freshman year, and I transferred home largely because of my long-term boyfriend who still lived in Cincinnati. I became that girl I promised myself I never would be, and transferring home was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made (Note: I love my current university, but I wish I had stuck it out in Chicago). I am afraid of making that mistake again.

4. I watch an unhealthy amount of Sex and the City. I watch four episodes of SATC every day. The fact that it is now on E! is not helping the situation.

5. I hate Sperry's. I feel like if I said this statement out loud, I may be verbally (maybe physically) assaulted. To me, they just look like the boat shoes my dad has always worn. Sorry Sperry lovers, but I just don't understand this fad.

6. I love food. Oh gosh, I absolutely adore food, which is not a good combination with my bad genetics. I feel like I am always contemplating my next meal. In my third grade gratitude journal for school, I would always be writing about how thankful I was for whatever dinner my mom had made that night (pot roast was a big hit). You lucky girls out there with fast metabolisms? I'm jealous of you.

7. I am a hypochondriac. I hate this personality characteristic of mine. I worry about absolutely everything. It is exhausting and stressful. I wish I could stop it.

I would love to pass this award on to...

Candace at Together for the Better who writes another one of my favorite blogs.

Thanks again, Natalie!

New Quarter Too Soon

School resumes tomorrow with the beginning of spring quarter. Where did my break go? :(

I generally love the fact that my school follows a quarter system. It is amazing to have ten week terms- I don't know how I could last fifteen weeks with a horrible class/professor!

The only time I hate the quarter system is this time of the year. It's always rough to have to begin an entirely new quarter with new classes and professors after only a week of recovering from winter quarter. There is the entire summer between spring and autumn quarters and three weeks (used to be four, meh!) between winter and spring quarters. Only having one week between quarters = exhausting. And annoying.

It is also rough this time of year because while most universities are getting ready to let out for summer in early May, we have to go through the second week of June.

It is torture.

Wow, what a positive attitude I have starting the quarter!

French Pop Mishap

Yesterday I was driving in my car when one of my favorite songs came on my iPod.

Alizee's "Moi Lolita."

This song sparked my French Pop obsession(/phase) my senior year of high school. The first time I heard the song, I loved it. I would play it on repeat between school and tennis practices until even the girls I carpooled with loved (or at least liked) the song, too.

I was so excited to tell my French teacher about this song, and I told her we should listen to it in class sometime.

She looked over the lyrics and then laughed, "Did you translate any of the lyrics? Do you know what the song's about?"

Of course I hadn't.

It turned out that "Moi Lolita" was a song about a girl sleeping with her stepfather.

So class appropriate!

Is this from Forever21?

So when I was in Chicago last weekend, I forced my friend Matt to accompany me to Water Tower Place, which is one of my favorite places to shop. I like that it is a mall so I can get to all of my favorite shops without facing the Chicago cold between each store, and the American Girl Place has also moved its residence there, which gives me the perfect reason to pop in and make up some excuse to the sales associate about "needing a present for my neighbor's seventh birthday."

Matt wants to kill me every time I make him go in there, but I can't help it. I was obsessed with my Samantha doll when I was little, and I can't resist stopping into AG.

Anyway. Last Friday, we were meandering through Forever21 (after our visit to AG), and I came across this gorgeous scarf. It was gold and black with a beautiful pattern. Even though it was in a scarves basket, it was completely dissimilar from any scarf I've ever seen at Forever21. The material was thick, and the scarf was much longer and better quality than Forever21 items. There was also no tag.

I took it to the sales associate and asked, "Could you tell me why there is no tag on this scarf?"

She referred me to the register.

I felt bad at the register because I held the entire mile-long line up as the sales associate looked through her computer trying to locate this scarf. She finally gave up and said she had to go talk to her manager.

"You should have just taken it!" Matt told me, annoyed that I was causing us to waste so much time (and awkwardly hold the line up) with my scarf.

Of course, I could never have just taken it, even if it wasn't Forever21 merchandise. After all, I did go to Catholic school for twelve years.

When the sales associate returned, she said, "Um, how does $10.50 sound?"

$10.50 sounded fabulous!

So, what do you all think? Is this scarf from Forever21 or somewhere more exotic? Maybe Bengali?

This picture is creepy. Sorry.