Spring Break, and much much more...

So, ummm. I haven't blogged all year. How crazy. It is now 2012, the last year of earth, according to they Mayans, and the year that I graduate from high school. Who knew? Not only is it 2012, but it's also the last day of spring break. Aaaaaand, I have a boyfriend. It's like a whole new Becky or something. So lets break this post into three sections: What's Happened, What's Goin' On At Present, and Coming Soon!... We'll even add a "Just 'Cause" section at the end, instead of credits.

What's Happened?
Well, my birthday, for one. I am now 18 years of age... I be legal, scary stuff. Semester Tests have happened. I ended the semester with a 3.5 cumulative GPA. I got an acceptance letter from Arkansas State University, and Virginia Commonwealth University, and an A-State Pride Scholarship from the former. I got my prom dress, which I can't really breath in, but air is for losers anyways, right? I also got my prom date, who is also my boyfriend. And I shall tell you bought him later. That is about all the important stuff that's happened of late.

What's Goin' On At Present?
SPRING BREAK, THAT'S WHAT!!! Granted, today is the last day of said break, but still. I am currently typing up this blog, and arguing with the boy, on which on of us is the crazier (that would be me, heehee) and procrastinating, as I should be studying for a unit test in AP U.S. History... I reaaaally don't want to study. I'm trying to maintain my GPA so that I can keep my scholarship from A-State, as well as waiting to here from VCU, on whether or not I have a scholarship to go there. If I don't have nearly a full ride, than there is no way I could afford to go there, which is a real bummer since their art department is soooo wonderful.
Now, for all you saps out there, lets talk about the boy: He's got a rough-ish half-smile, which I adore, he's EXTREMELY tall, and has a horrible habit of calling me shortness, and for whatever reason, thinks I'm cute. He's brilliant but wont admit it, and has an odd taste in cereal. And I like his eyes, a lot. I know more about him, but I shall reveal no more, 'cause you'd get all jealous and such if I did (because this thing definitely has an audience... right).

Coming Soon!
Prom, Graduation, word from VCU, AP Tests, a wonderful art club field trip to Crystal Bridges, and lots and lots of essays. Also, a little bit of kissing (EWWW COOTIES!!! heehee)

Just 'Cause:
You know how there are all those 'Women belong in the kitchen' jokes circulating the internet? Well to me they seem a little... stupid. Any smart woman knows that the kitchen is the epitome of armories. You've got frying pans and iron skillets, a large assortment of knives, and a stove. Cook up something real hot to throw at the poor insulting bozo, and tah dah, new weapon. It's practically an in-house torture chamber, and still men say, "Go to the kitchen and make me a sammich, woman!" Stupid men. And there ya have it folks, Becky's life at present, and a strange interpretation to go with it. Enjoy!

A Paragraph about Frisky Clocks

I have come to the conclusion that throughout my house there are many commonplace electronics that have developed their very own personalities. The best and primary example is the relationship between my clocks and thunderstorms. The night before last – or rather, early morning before last – a thunderstorm caused the power to go out. Most of the electronic clocks, such as the clock on the electric stove, decided to assume that the lack of power was merely a flicker and that they would only be a minute or so off from the correct time if they simply continued linearly from the last known time they portrayed before the shortage. Where-as my alarm clock gives up all hope, and upon the return of electricity to my house, it restarts to 12am, midnight, and continues on time from that point in time. When I awoke at 6:45, my alarm informed me that it was only 2 in the morning, and that I should go back to bed, while my stove clock told me that I had previously been misinformed and that it was actually 5:30, however my alarm was correct in the fact that I should go back to bed. Luckily, my cellular phone is not quite so melodramatic over temporary loss of power, and relayed the actually time to me from a satellite, and that I should not go back to bed, because I was in great danger of being late. Now, after a day of calm, dreary, nimbostratus filled weather, it has begun thundering again, and I’ve decide to rely on my cell phone as an alarm system rather then the usually, although louder, methods of enforced wakening. Thankfully my mom got up this morning, or I would’ve slept in till noon. 

Busy Busy Artist (and Nerd)

... Well, it's been a while. As a matter of fact its been a little over two months. But school has been an extremely hectic environment. I've found myself caught up in building a (hopefully) successful portfolio, and being bogged down by the classes I'm taking this year. Which are:

1. World Civilizations (A dual-enrollment college class)
2. Chemistry ('cuz I was stupid and didn't take it last year)
3. AP U.S. History (BRAIN KILLER)
4. Pre-Calculus (I despise mathematics...)
5. AP English Literature (fun but difficult)
6. Digital Media (also fun... but kinda boring)

Thus far I have liked all of my teachers - save one, who I don't really dislike: she's a sweet heart really, I just want her to return to retirement - and my classes haven't been terribly overwhelming, but I use so much energy in them that my brain hurts, like physically hurts, by the end of the day. I have two study halls, which I ussually fill by escaping to the art room, where I have lived for the majority of the year this year, and working on my portfolio. I have finished and scanned in a TON of artwork. Which I have posted on my DeviantArt account and on my personal website. If it's not on one, its on another. Hopefully I'll have everything on the same page again, but I'm not quite sure when that will be...

Anyways, over the past two months I've finished one painting, and created another... Aaaand I've created quite a few gesture drawings which I'll see if I can upload soon. I've worked pretty hard on my portfolio, and I'm being very particular on what I plan to put in it. I need to finish up some digital work I've been working on, draw a realistic face in graphite, which will probably be a rendering of P!nk, 'cause I love her, make a water color of my cat, which will be extremely cute if it works out the way I want it to. I've also got a sculpture finished, which is currently drying out, and waiting to be put in the kiln. I'm so excited!!! The sculpture will probably end up being my mommy's Christmas present as well. After the VCU deadline, I'm going to finish up a commission for a friend, and art trade with a fellow artist, and hopefully get my self-portrait done. But some of it might have to wait till second semester... I've got a term paper to do, and semester tests to study for! UGH!!!!

After school started I had to abandon my hermit-hood, and regain some social standing. I've slept over at a friends for the first time since, probably junior high... and I attended the "Fall Formal" dance... a replacement for homecoming. I wore, get this, a long flowy white dress, with red nails, red shoes, and a little red clutch. I had my hair done up beautifully, had on silver hoop earrings, a pretty ring, and a necklace sporting the letter "B." Not to mention the ever glamorous red lipstick. I f like a princess, and danced like a ridiculous person. Hopefully I shall have pictures of said nonsense early next week for you crazy creepers. 

Yep. And with that I shall send a question out into the void and say good night.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words are worth a painting?

Good night all. 

Temperamental clothing?

There are a series of mysterious occurrences that happen in my house on a daily bases. One of theses said occurrences takes place quite often, and usually in my room. This is the mystery of temperamental clothing. Today I scurried about my room picking up clothing to wash for the next couple of days, and usually socks are the temperamental creatures of this ritual, scampering off, as if to say "NO! I refuse to have a bath, I would much rather remain stinky and sweaty and intolerable!" but today, my white top went missing instead. Like a small toddler, stomping off into who-knows-where, refusing to be worn, or even be considered to be worn.

Another interesting mystery that takes place, is that of the disappearing, reappearing cat of mine. His name is Gus Gus, and he is a hyperactive orange fuzz-ball who enjoys romping about the house in a very noisy fashion (the noise makes quite an alarm clock at three o'clock in the morning), agitating the dog by sitting in his food bowl (does he want to be eaten?), and demolishing boxes by chewing off bits and pieces and littering them about my living room (Not fun to clean up.) I have observed his tunneling through bed sheets, and blankets, and have begun to wonder if he has created a tunnel system beneath the floor. I have theorized this based the fact that he pops out of nowhere, and the retreats in the blink of the eye without making any noise what-so-ever. Which leads me to conclude, he is either mimicking the behavior of gophers and meerkats, or he is some form of orange ninja. He also has a knack for finding things around our house that we did not even realize existed. Such as long lost ribbons, or bottle caps from two years ago. Where does he find these things? He is also a little thief, who steals bottle caps, and HAIR TIES. My. Hair. Ties. And he has a stash, a fortress that I have not yet been able to penetrate. But I shall! Even if I have to involve battering rams, grappling hooks, or spies.

Of course, theses mysteries aren't really mysteries, just things I haven't exactly figured out yet. And there will always be things I haven't figured out, and there will always be things that my cat will find necessary to steal away. For "that is the way of things." (yay yoda)

It's The Little Things

Me, yself, and I are easily amused. More often then not I find myself drawn to small, yet ironic and humorous facts or happenings that have little to no importance to anyone other then me. Earlier today, during my World Civilizations class, while reviewing the military strength of the ancient Assyrian Empire, I wondered about grappling hooks and how they may have played a roll, however, my World Civ teacher didn't think they played a roll, despite the fact that Assyrian military was so advanced that they dug trenches, climbed over walls with ladders, and burst through doors with battering rams. I then became curious about the history of grappling hooks, and when I googled it (I love the fact that google is a verb) about five sites down, wookipedia, the Starwars Wikipedia, appeared, with facts about the Jedi grappling hook likentool, and an ewok princess who was known for her superb skill with a grappling hook. The fact that Starwars has made such an impact on history and society, that the make-believe history of the Starwars universe would appear for a serious search for a historical weapon. Some could say that this is a downfall of society, but I, being me, found it amusing, and it made my day. As sad as that sounds.
So that's what made my day today, and I hope you stumble across something, be it of great importance or small significance, that makes your day. Have a good one!!!

Matters of the Heart

There are a great many phrases that relate to the heart, and how simple, yet extremely complex it truly is, it is fragile, and prone to yearning for things it really doesn't need at all. It can be tricked, broken, pieced back together, and it can swell in your chest to the degree that you can feel your emotions physically. And despite all attempts to lock it away, to keep it protected in a fortress, and to save it from inevitable heartache, we still trip and fall into traps that seem set up specifically to ensnare our hearts and push us further into ourselves, two afraid to open up. I know my hearts been trampled on many times, but still it beats on, and it swells during the days I feel loved, or just days that compassion seems to overpower me. Today I received two lovely, and unexpected hugs. I was told that I'm beautiful, for the first time in a very long time, and was called an affectionate nickname I had nearly forgotten all about: Eckybear (a nickname which I shall explain a little later on). So just over the course of a Friday, my heart has swollen to the point that I can feel it beating against my chest, and spilling out of my eyes, down my cheeks. And I began to think about the phrases that deal with the heart, and evaluated them based on my own personal experience. 

• "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." 

This phrase makes sense to me, although I feel it may be a bit inaccurate. Through absence of a certain someone, the imagination can overpower your heart, which, although it knows the truth, gets so caught up in the romanticized version your imagination pours forth, that it forgets to reject your ridiculous ideas. And during this weakness the imagination glorifies the absent party, into a beautiful and delightful figment. Thus making the heart "grow fonder."

• "Follow your heart." 

Oh what a simple, yet complex phrase. I tend to relate these particular words to passion, and drive, to become something better, and to reach goals that seem beyond the bounds of reality. If you have a love for something, in my case art, go after it, with all you've got. 




But I don't its always a good idea relating to relationships, so as a follow up quote from Fireproof:

• "And don't just follow your heart, man; 'cause your heart can be deceived. But you gotta lead your heart" 

There we go! How easy is it to give in, to forget all you know, and just go with it? How easy is it to throw wisdom out the window, just to feel a moment of love, or a small dose of admiration? And in the process, throw away the chance for long term love because of a simple lack of patience. I'm a high school student. I see this everyday, and my heartaches for the girls who throw away their futures just to feel appreciated and cared for, for just a small amount of time.

Stress can take a toll on the heart as well, and just a few kind words can make all the difference. That's how I felt today, so stressed out, and so overwhelmed with everything life has been throwing at me. and those few kind words, as well as some wonderful hugs, helped me tremendously. The nickname Eckybear was given to me by a friend of mine named Joe. Joe enjoys Pig Latin, and so a couple of years ago he started calling me EckyBe, and one day it sounded like he called me Eckybear, and it stuck. Its one of the nicknames I actually enjoy, and I'm glad to hear it every now and then.

Comfort... stuff?

Many people, including myself, have an individual menu of comfort foods. Mine, for example, consists of cheesecake, chocolate (of course), mac-n-cheese, white rice, toast, saltine crackers, apples, and strawberries. These are not necessarily meant eaten together... Just so ya know. Interior designers are known to use comfort colors, such as light green, light purple, creamy yellow, and a variety of neutrals. But I, I have comfort music, comfort books, and comfort movies.

When I feel the need for comfort music I ussually find myself drawn to Jazz. Tony Bennett, and his song I Left My Heart in Sanfrancisco, or Billie Holiday singing I'll Be Seeing You. If I don't turn to Jazz, I ussually turn to Folk music, like Priscilla Ahn's song Dream, or Don't Let Your Hair Grow Too Long by Oren Lavie. I really love these kinds of music, because they sound as if they come straight from the soul. They aren't superficial, they arent trendy. They're emotionaly, but not dramatic. Heartfelt, but not mushy either. Gotta love it. But if that just doesn't cut it, I'll listen to good old fashioned Rock n' Roll. The 70's and 80's are the best. Eurythmics, Meatloaf, Looking Glass: Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) is my favorite! Rock and Roll is American, and it's fun, and spunky, and it has a bit of an attitude. And of course, the comfort music of all 90's children: the Disney music. My favorite animated Disney flick is Oliver and Company: Why Should I Worry? Streets of Gold. Once Upon a Time in New York City. All time favorites. You can't forget Hakkunah Matattah, or Bare Necessities. Be Our Guest, Friend Like Me, and Just Around the River Bend are always great. Disney music is generally relaxing, and even though it's written for kids, it's got a lot of deep meaning to it, and some, kind of life advice, I guess. I'm not a big fan of A Whole New World from Alladin or Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid, like the rest of the universe is, but Disney music will always be among my favorite songs of all time. And music from the Sound of Music is also quite comforting, like My Favorite Things, and Edelwiess. Beautiful, and while fun most of the time, it's also soulful. Because of my love for it, music is aways playing at my house, and you never know exactly what it is I'll be singing next.

Me? A bookworm... naw! I just, ya know, live in books most of the time. That's not bookworm behavior, is it? Yeah. Yeah it is. I'm a big fan of the classics, Gone with the Wind, being one of my all time favorites. Rhett butler is one dreamy fella, and I aint ashamed to admit it. I also love Pride and Prejudice. Oh Mr.Darcy, you lovable, lovable jerk-face. Jane Austin has such a nack for writing deep, meaningful love stories. And not just another old Valentines Day, Roses and Chocolate, love stories. So superficial, and fake, and phoney, and full of fraud! (Holy cow, thats a lot of alliteration!) Another one of my favorites Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, and I've been known to read it once every year. It's so easy to get lost in the story, and the words, and the language of the author, I just can't help myself! It transports you into another world, where you can feel the steamy heat of the jungle, and hear the noise of the forest floor, and the calls of all the feathered friends, and chatter of the monkeys. The book I probably turn to the most for comfort is Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers, which ironically enough, isn't an old book, but a contemporary classic. And it's definately a must read! But beware, if you don't pace yourself while reading it, you'll find yourself emotionally drained, because you get so in touch with the characters that you stress when they stress, and when horrible things happen, you find yourself crying too! But when hope takes over, light shines, and you find it's so easy to be content with life. Another comfort... well series, actually, is The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. They're just so peaceful, and they fill you with awe, and wonder. Gorgeous. I just finished The Help, and although it's a wonderful book, I doubt it will be one of my comfort books. But read it anyways, it's a great story!

Comfort Movies!!! Lord of the Rings! Starwars! Gone with the Wind! You've Got Mail! And yet again, just about anything Disney. Lord of the Rings, while being violant and kinda scary, is a wonderful adventure, and, intesting fact, is actually based on Christianity. J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of Lord of the Rings actually introduced C.S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, to Christ. How cool is that? Starwars, because of the numerous amount of time I've spent watching it is an easy fall-asleep-to movie, but is always good after a long, stressful week. It brings me back to familiarity. George Lucas' wonderful imagination has made that film an immortal story, and I will love it for all time. Gone with the Wind is another movie filled with danger and violence, but Scarlett has such a strength about her, that it spills over, and gives a confidence back to the audience. Life doesn't end when war happens, it still goes on, it is possible to overcome, as impossible as it may seem som days. And again, Rhett is just dreamy. You've Got Mail is a contemporary classic, as far as I'm conserned, and I'm afraid it's terribly underrated. It's poetic, and deep, and a simple way, and it just fills you with true, heart-felt emotion. It also has wonderful sayings that make you smile and beautiful quotes. You must definately go see it!

So there you have it. Comfort foods, music, books, and movies. A nice list of some of my favorite things, and another glimpse into who this Becky person is. She's kinda wierd isn't she? Yeah, I think so too. =D