1. I hate the word blog (Yuck)
2. I have a... blog.
3. I wrote stuff on the college spin-off but I think I'm just going to combine the two because it's... just easier, I guess.

Do my homework for me?

Things that I Think About in the Odyssey

There are some people who, thanks to the wonders of social media, share every thought that materializes in their beautiful mind. Then there are others who keep to themselves and refrain from sharing any of their thoughts. The key, I believe, is to edit your multitude of musings and select what to share from a myriad of items. But there's also Twitter, on which you can publicize whatever you want because it'll be barely noticed and it just feels good to get some thoughts out into the open.

Sometimes, though, I get moments when I'll feel compelled to publicize something but refrain to do so in an attempt to keep some of my thoughts private. In these instances, I imagine myself being engaged in conversation in which the other party will ask a question regarding whatever I was thinking at that moment in the car. Of course, the odds of being asked a question like "How does it feel to live in New York?" is fairly unlikely in my daily life because I primarily exchange conversation with New Yorkers.

In that case, I'll put my phone back in it's cup holder and try to carve the thought in my stone-like brain before I lose it to its deep recesses. However, I could also argue that this blog is my attempt to immortalize my thoughts, but what if the other party is like you, a reader? Then they probably won't be asking me questions about things that they already know the answers to, right?

So here I am, deep in the profound conundrum of my life: Should I share everything that pops up into my hefty brain? And what are the chances that I'll ever be the subject of a TV or newspaper interview that will ask the perfect questions to my thoughts? Maybe this is a lesson in itself: Share things that you don't think anyone would ever ask you, because if no one does, you'll never get to share it. Better safe than sorry, no?

I spent the afternoon acquiring and building a lovely particle board table from Ikea that has really ugly silver table legs. And no chair. That's right, folks: I have no chair to sit upon. My lack of furniture makes me a little sad.

fin.

La Deuxième Partie

I got registered for classes! Please commence wild arm flailing and squeals of excitement just as if Harry Styles knocked on your door. Scheduled for this semester: Physics, Lit & Psychoanalysis, and Studio. Pending: Français.

Who's excited? I am!!
I literally spent the day running back and forth the CCNY campus and made a few friends along the way. My bag is littered with business cards and notes that I've collected from my haphazard travels back and forth, back and forth. I will most likely be returning on Monday or Tuesday to take a picturesque ID photo (yeah, right) before classes start on Wednesday!

There are four days between now and the first day of school so I have to teach myself how to read and write again. Thank goodness I spent the summer at a prep school or else my brain would have completely rotted.

Side note to any SAT students that I may have taught this summer: I used the CYON method on my math placement test today, thus proving that those seemingly silly tactics worked.

Cheers to all, and have a splendid weekend everyone!

WEEKEND WAKEUP

It's Friday evening, friends, and the weekend is now upon us! Let us welcome it graciously with open arms and a warm hello.

I just finished reading Khaled Hosseini's newest novel And the Mountains Echoed and the first thing that went through my mind as the story came to an end was that I have to recommend this. It is a true crime that this is the first of his literature that I've read, but I am so happy that I did. He pens a wonderful story about childhood, adventures, love, family, and friends that brings you to tears. Now I have to get ahold of Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

More to come after dinner.

How to Prepare for your First Day of School

1. Wake up
2. Brush your teeth
3. Put on clean clothes
4. Pack a notebook and pen
5. Go to school

Wednesday Update

PET PEEVE: People who eat entire bars of Hershey's chocolate. It's just so... bleugh

School starts next week (what?)

I have to go to orientation on Friday (ugh kill me now)

Not looking forward to wading through an ocean of freshman with their parents

I am officially out of green tea.

TenRen's Oolong is very strong.

I much prefer my random Yamamoto Oolong (is that what it's called?)

SCHOOL NEXT WEEK.

School supply shopping?

No, I literally have enough notebooks and notepads to line the entire world with paper.

It's really hot.

I hope fall comes SOON.

Like tomorrow maybe.

Is NYC going through a heat wave or is it normally this hot? (I don't remember)

Currently watching the latest episode of Breaking Bad.

I'm freaking out.

BAH okay bye

Bloop de bloop

Summer is coming to a close and school is fast on its way.

I bid farewell to consecutive Breaking Bad and Mad Men marathons.
I bid good day to getting back in school. Boy, has it been a while.
I bid farewell to the annoying hoodlums down the block who have screaming matches with their parents.
I bid good day to crowded morning commutes on the beloved 7 train.
I bid farewell to 10 minute commutes to work, the shortest I've ever experienced.
I bid good day to JACKETS, SCARVES, HATS, AND BOOTS.

Boy do I love fall.
I miss New England falls.

School in a week
~yip yip yooray~

10 Reasons Why You Should Read Lean In

1. "It is a manifesto for the working woman." -OW
2. You want the world to strive toward equality
3. Women are fantastic
4. Men are fantastic
5. Everybody is wonderful
6. Sheryl Sandberg is wonderful
7. Mark is teaching her son how to fence
8. She refers to the revered Mark Zuckerberg as Mark
9. Sheryl Sandberg writes for the modern reader
10. You will cling onto every word she writes.

Well what are you waiting for?

5 Reasons Why You Haven't Read Lean In

1. You think Sheryl Sandberg is a scary boss lady straight out of The Devil Wears Prada
2. The notion of feminism makes you nervous
3. You don't think Sheryl Sandberg has anything good to say
4. You haven't been to the bookstore/library lately
5. You're broke from buying other things (books?)

I got 99 problems and City College is all of them.

1. They didn't have my e-mail on file.
2. Thus, I never received notification of admittance.
3. They should have contacted me by other means.
4. But they didn't.
5. I was never notified about the registration process.
6. So I am not registered.
7. I have to go there in person to remedy this.
8. CUNY also sent me an email saying that I didn't get accepted as a transfer student.
9. But I applied as a freshman.
10. The Assistant Director of Admissions is not in the office today.
11. I called the Admissions office at least a dozen times over the past two days.
12. They never called back.
13. I emailed them thrice and never got a reply.
14. But the Registrar replied to two of my emails.
15. They can't help me.
16. The student advisor for architecture students doesn't know what's going on.
17. He's just as confused as I am.
18. But he's a nice guy, so I'm okay with that.
19. I have to be registered by the 27th.
20. But I work Monday to Thursday.
21. And the Admissions office is closed on Friday.
22. I'm also going on vacation this coming week.
23. Leaving two days to get my shit together.
24. Because I'm supposed to go there in person, right? (Who knows)
25. I thought my problems were solved when I gave them my email address to login to the MyCity thingy.
26. Nope.
27. Am I a transfer student or a freshman?
28. Spitzer doesn't take transfers, so I applied as a freshman.
29. But technically I'm a transfer because I have a semester's worth of inapplicable credits.
30. So what am I?
31. Do I have to send a tuition check?
32. How do I not know any of this information?
33. Why is this system so unorganized?
34. Why am I so out of the loop?

WHAT'S GOING ON?!?!?!?!?!?!
Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just very confused and frustrated and I JUST WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL T_T

This Weekend in Photos

The weekend started with a morning at the golf course... Solo putting and chipping for me, and two hours of practice in the rain for my sister. (I ducked in for 20-minute bouts... twice)

While I have no photographic evidence, here's something that caught my eye on the way to the car...

Then we took a trip to Barnes & Noble (for the third week in a row, I know) and I spotted this at the New Paperbacks table.

But I don't think anything went wrong in the last election. pic.twitter.com/l2jtRo0kc0

— Julia Lu (@juliamlu) August 3, 2013

After wiping out my total book allowance, I instagrammed this:

(Not seen but equally loved: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Lexicon)

I have finished zero books.

After that, I went out to the garage in search for my missing beloved lob wedge which has proven to be a mighty aid on the course. I didn't find it out there, but I instagrammed this jungle in my backyard... 

Later on, my self, sister, and mother were en route to Jackson Heights when this happened...

Pulling an @evachen212 with ADVENTURE Chucks pic.twitter.com/32ffnNC474

— Julia Lu (@juliamlu) August 3, 2013

After picking up my auntie, we ventured out to Astoria and dined a delicious French dinner at Café Triskell where we ogled at wonderful paintings that were begging to be brought home. I had a food adventure and went for the foie gras. I gobbled it up before realizing it was intended to be eaten with the slice of bread it was resting on. This picture is also horrendously out of focus. I apologize.

and we shared a Croque Madame...

After dinner, we were finally bound for a fave LIC park for a Hip to Hip Shakespeare in the Park production of Love's Labour's Lost. While waiting for 6:45 to roll around so that we'd only have to pay for 15 minutes worth of meter fare, I realized that I was fully adorned with red accessories...

Then while on the way to the green, I realized that this fancy banner that I had previously instagrammed covered the fence that surrounded the new Queens Library LIC location (!!!) Notice that all the characters are holding books. I would be the one on the far left.

Then I stole my sister's phone and captured this lovely sight. 

Because I took that picture on my sister's phone, I didn't see it until this morning. Then I took it and played around with it and these happened...

Here's are snaps of this evening's Hip to Hip Shakespeare in the Park production of the Tempest at Socrates Sculpture Park. I enjoyed it much more than Love's Labour's Lost. Especially Trinculo.

Thank You Notes.

1. Thank you to Mananny B. for being a wonderful friend and an amused reader! Without readers like you, there wouldn't be anything to read. (I owed you a s/o, didn't I?)

2. Thank you to my brother for being a debate nerd and going to debate camp. I've been occupying your room. (Don't be mad, it's cleaner than when you left). I also really like your pen. (Can I have it?)

3. Thank you to GoDaddy.com for the new URL. I'd also like to thank the kind customer service guy who called me today and tried to convince me to shell out another $7. You tried.

4. Thank you to Barnes & Noble for providing literature that has been purchased with money that would have been used for clothing.

5. Thank you to American Apparel for sending one purchase in three different parts. My mother thinks I spend more than I actually do.

6. Thank you to Netflix for distracting me from online shopping. Breaking Bad has saved me a lot of money.

7. Thank you to KAA Prep for not paying me for lunch hours that I didn't take. I have now vowed not to do any work between 12 and 1 PM. I will not make copies of anything.

8. Thank you to the City College of New York for not having my email address on file. I would have gone to school on the 28th not knowing where the hell to go if it weren't for a fellow classmate. That would have been very very bad.

9. Thank you to Mr. Melendez at Spitzer who made my heart stop while he made sure that I was accepted to the program over the phone.

10. Thank you to Sheryl Sandberg for teaching me how to Lean In. It is truly a "manifesto for the working woman."