College Rumors: Dispelled!

So, I don't actually think anyone here is starting college, but I'm writing this anyway. Partially because I should probably start posting more and partially because the idea struck me. If it helps anyone out when starting college: fabulous. If not, I mean, you're not really here for college tips anyway are you?
RUMOR 1: College Cares Who Your Roommate Is
I have yet to hear of one person who got assigned a roommate based on a survey, mutual interests, or the school making any effort whatsoever to match people based on literally any commonality other than gender. It's just a fact, college doesn't give a crap who you live with, even if they are a crazy goat-loving serial killer whose only goal this year is to make a three piece suit out of your flesh (at here at good old MU you'd have to keep that skin on you for two weeks during the housing freeze until you could move out...). People skills, it's all about people skills....but keep a hatchet, can of mace or chainsaw on hand just in case...

RUMOR 2: You Don't Have to Go to Class
Okay, I guess this one is more of a 'depends on who you ask' kind of rumor but honestly, class is two or three times a week cushioned by at least a few hours of nap time before and/or after. It's not that hard. Granted, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who have stories of 'Oh la de da I'm a bad ass and didn't go to a single class and got an A.' Good for you jerk face, I hope that you have as much fun paying the loans you took out to go to college as you did not going to the class you paid that money for. Am I saying I've never skipped class? If you're my mother or grandmother reading this, YES THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M SAYING, WHO ME? SKIP CLASS? NEVER. But for those considering, set yourself some boundaries. As much as I hate going to class in the rain, I like to wait until the opportune moment to skip class, usually on a day without a test, quiz or due date as professors are usually less forgiving about making that stuff up later.

RUMOR 3: Everyone Drinks and You Will Look Like a HUGE SOCIAL OUTCAST If You Don't.
Not to be cliche, but this is false*. I know a ton of people who don't drink at college. Granted I used to know more....but there are certainly a percentage of college students who don't and have a perfectly peachy college experience. This is not me commenting on underage drinking or preaching you shouldn't - do what you want to do, just I beg you to be smart about whatever it is you're doing. And don't do anything absurd, like make a three piece suit of your roommates skin or something. This is just me saying that if you don't drink I promise that this does not mean your college experience will be awful.
*Except maybe at Penn State

RUMOR 4: Upperclassmen Hate Freshman
So this is another one that I might be wrong on, and I'm sure that in some instances, yes freshman might be singled out for 'special treatment' especially in some clubs and organizations, but it's not like they hate you. Most times it's tradition for new recruits to do some unpleasant task, mostly as bonding (although, Greek life, I have my suspicions...). But most upperclassmen are friendly, helpful and don't really hold anything against freshmen. It's not like you can do anything about being a freshman anyway, you've got to start somewhere....

RUMOR 5: Gen Ed Classes are Exceedingly Stupid and Pointless
This is more of a half-rumor. In that yes, I've taken some INCREDIBLY STUPID AND POINTLESS general education classes (World Lit, Botany anyone?) but I also got to take some really cool ones (Psych, Music). I think the biggest thing with gen eds is not to waste them - don't just let your advisor shove you into whatever, look around a bit. Now that almost all of my gen eds are done, I miss having a little wiggle room in my schedule. And there's so much I never got to take that I would have LOVED (science fiction literature, costume making, Latin, photography, History of Math...the list goes on and on). So bottom line is that there are some pointless gen eds, and some that are downright TORTURE either because they're super hard/picky/boring but there are also a lot of chances to take some stuff that you've always wanted to check out. Trust me, MAKE THEM COUNTTTT.

RUMOR 6: Dining Hall Food is Gross/Great
I've had two years of dining hall dining under my belt now, so I think I can be considered a decent authority on it. In my experience, it depends on what you eat. Random things can be yummy while normal things can leave you praying to the porcelain gods for the next hour and a half. My advice: don't eat anything you think looks suspicious and/or undercooked and nonchalantly try and make your dining companions taste-test things you're iffy about.


Hmm, any more rumors you'd like me to address? I'm stuck for ideas.

Bucket List [UPDATE]

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Oh jeez. It's been a month?

Wow, this summer's disappeared, huh? Between work, class and the inevitable questing that's ensued I haven't posted in so freaking long! I think I'll warm back up with something small, how about a playlist? These are the songs playing incessently on my iPod this summer as I rove around where ever...

"Superbass" Mah girl Nikki Minaj
"New Soul" Yail Naiim
"Someone Like You" Adele (I cry everytime I hear it, and it makes me sad it's on the radio cause now I cry in public)
"Party Rock Anthem" LMFAO (really, is there any question? this is the best <3)
"Where Dem Moves At Judas?" David Guetta vs. Lady Gaga vs. Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera (epic mashup, look it up)
"Home" Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
"Mr. Blue Sky" ELO (just a great, happy song)
"When Will My Life Begin" Tangled soundtrack
"Blow" Ke$ha
"A-Punk" Vampire Weekend (just a great song)
"The Time (Dirty Bit)" Black Eyed Peas (how can you NOT love the catchy dance beats that they and LMFAO have?!)
"I Feel It All" Feist
"Last Friday Night (TGIF)" Katy Perry

Darkside Dubstep

Summer Project: How To

So, I realized that every summer I paint the oldest pair of my sneakers...this summer will be no different, but I'm undertaking a bit more complex designs. Two summers ago I splatter painted my green converses, last summer I adventure time-d my Vans and this summer my red Jr. Prom sneakers are getting the VIP treatment and getting my favorite first generation Pokemon painted on them. In celebration of my love for shoes, I've decided to share some of my tricks of the trade for maintaining, salvaging and revamping sneakers :) Most of them are pretty unexpected and can be done with stuff you probably already have lying around the house. Hope this helps and enjoy pimping out your feet!

[NOTE: These tips have been tested and perfected on Converse All Stars and Classic Slip-On Vans. Any canvas shoe can be expected to work with most of these techniques but I can't make any guesses about suede, leather or any other synthetic material]

Prepping Your Shoes (or just keeping them lookin' fly like a G6)

TIP #1: Nail Polish Remover

I know, it smells gross and burns like hell if you get it on any wounds, but this stuff is GREAT at getting anything and everything off of, well, anything and everything. I use it whenever I get any sort of paint anywhere I don't want it, from acrylics to nail polish to everything. It also works wonders on keeping the white rubber soles of your sneakers looking like new (or at least, not as old as they actually are). Just put some nail polish (AKA neurotoxin) on a cotton ball or Q-tip and start scrubbing.

TIP #2: Nail Glue

I try not to think too hard about the fact that all the stuff we put on our nails is also great on shoes. It helps me sleep at night. That being said, I do have to thank BeautySchoolDropout (BSD for short, like your nickname? lol) for the tip off about this wonder-substance. I've heard/seen it be used for everything from display assembly to creating pseudo elf-ears. It's also great at keeping the rubber of your soles together. Not to mention its like under two bucks for a bottle. I find the best kind for the job is the type with a brush instead of a squeeze bottle. Just brush a little bit onto one side of the rubber and hold. But don't get it on your fingers, this shit bonds FAST. If you do though, it comes off with a bit of nail polish remover, no problem. NOTE: If you're cleaning AND gluing your soles in one go, clean them first then let them dry well before gluing, otherwise the nail polish remover will ruin your glue job.



TIP #3: Brush Your Shoes (Ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch)

First off, if you can tell me what the name of this tip is a reference to, you win a bazillion Krysti-points.

Moving onward, again, beauty product turned shoe (and clothing) care product. Just make sure that the brush you plan on using isn't the one you're brushing your teeth with (mine has big sharpie letters on it that say DO NOT BRUSH TEETH). Used toothbrushes are super useful in crafty projects, not only do they make great splatter paint brushes, they're also great at getting caked on mud and crap off of fabrics, specifically sturdier fabrics like canvas. If you've got dirt and mud on your sneakers, let it dry and scrub it off with a toothbrush. The same applies for wool. Last year I fell face-first into a huge mud puddle wearing my green wool peacoat. I saucily trudged home, was laughed at by my roommates, hung my jacket to dry, went back to lunch, and came back and scrubbed the dry mud off. You couldn't even tell anything ever happened to it (which is great, cause those suckers can be expensive).

Pimping Your Shoes (or anything fabric really....)

TIP #4: Tulip Fabric Paints

Oh my goodness I love this paint. I've used it a million and a half times on tshirts, dresses, sneakers, jerseys and everything in between. They work great, don't fade in the wash and are just like normal paint (fun fact, I despise puffy paint in most situations). Most of the things I've been doing recently with this have been free handed, which is great because you can mix and blend and fade colors just like you can with regular paint. But these little guys are also great for using with freezer paper stencils which, as my close friends who

TIP #5: Sharpie...wait for it...FABRIC MARKERS

Oh. Hell. Yes.

For anyone out there who's used a Sharpie to make/sign a great memory-filled tshirt and then have it completely disappear after one wash - here is your salvation. The folks at Sharpie must have finally taken a look at all the awesome projects the folks on DeviantArt and Craftster were doing on fabric with their regular markers and thought "hey, maybe these good people wouldn't have to check the weather forecast before wearing their creations if we made them some awesome fabric markers!" Great idea sharpie people! I just bought a pack of these at Walmart and have started using them in tandem with the tulip paints for crisp outlines and tiny details. The black one is (as should be expected) awesome, the others work a lot better on lighter fabrics. So since I'm working on red I'm kind of sticking with the black. But I cannot wait to get my hands on some plain white sneakers!!! However, if you don't feel like investing in these buggers (they're a bit pricey at @ 12.99 for an eight pack at Walmart) you can just stick with the crafters go-to tool: the classic sharpie.

TIP #6: ModPodge

"What the hell is this?" you say. And I was in your shoes too, not too long ago. Until I finally decided to pick some of this ish up last summer. Basically its like a combination glue/sealer that works on almost anything, wood, plastic, glass, fabric, and acts as an all in one for decoupage. Most recently I used it on my comic book heels:

But combine it with sparkles and you could create yourself some glittery heels a la The Wifey 

(or sneakers a la LunaLovegood - sorry, no picture of those). It's really easy to use and you can find a million and a half ideas for shoes and other projects on their official blog.

And for all you blog readers who have no interest in crafting whatsoever but stuck it out through this post because you love me, I'm sorry,  my life is eat-sleep-camp-craft. There's not a hell of a lot else to write about. But I love you all and as always, suggestions welcome!

Cutest Kids On The Internet

So that you don't think I hate children. Here are some of my favorites [WARNING- EXCESSIVE ADORABLENESS AHEAD]:











And debatably my favorite kid video of all time because it never fails to make me tear up with happiness:

Things I Learned At Comic Con

• Physical appearance is one of the last things to be considered when choosing a costume
• If you say what you want loud enough someone will help you find it
• Never comment on how stupid getting elf ears surgically done is until you check out the ears of the people around you
• Anything that can come unglued will come unglued
• The fact that Zelda is the female character in the Legend of Zelda series is less of common knowledge that I thought
• Reading Terminal Market is awesome
• LARPers are incredibly nice and super crafty
• Everybody loves Zatanna
• When buying props, you get discounts for being dressed as that character
• Comic book-collecting Jewish boys are incredibly nice
• Ex-cops from Texas should not host costume contests
• On the whole, nerds are extremely nice people
• We're recognisable as 'regulars' at PhillyCon
• There's something there for everyone, I found something my mom would like
• Nail glue is kind of the shit
• Electrical tape does not stick well to fabric
• If you see something you want - BUY IT
• Superman is kind of a jerk
• If a female character isn't already over-sexed, cosplayers will find a way to make her so
• It is possible to walk through North Philadelphia in costume and not die (however, not recommended)

Don't worry though, Comic Con isn't all serious learning and irrational purchases. Highlights included the very rational purchase of a Harry Potter replica wand, seeing the ever-grumpy Adam West, getting a picture with a portal gun, more Jedi fun, meeting the Boondock Saints (including Norman Reedus who was totally Judas in Lady Gaga's "Judas" music video) and seeing all the adorable kids in costume (OMG THEY KILL ME THEY'RE SO CUTE!)

Warning: Don't Read These to Children

A lot of times when I meet new people, or even are discussing my future with friends, they wonder (usually aloud) how the fuck I'm going to be a teacher with the mouth of a sailor and the sense of humor to match. To them I respond that I have an incredible sensor, always have. I've worked around kids/lived in my family forever and can turn my family-friendly self off in an instant. I just don't feel the need to if there's no occasion to. I think this might be one of the reasons I love this new wave of adult-version children's books that are cropping up. Written and illustrated like a children's book, they're just like me, seemingly child-friendly until you take a closer look. To be honest, I'm not to worried about the surprise I get from people. Having seen plenty of teachers behind-the-scenes I think it's funny to expose others to the fact that teachers have more than one dimension...

You can't actually 'click to read' that was just on the picture I used...lol



A kids-eye view of plastic surgury...oh, that's great...wait, WTF



This is older but the artwork is really cool.



OMG CLICK FOR AUDIO NARRATED BY SAMUEL L JACKSON



I also considered calling this post "More Proof I Shouldn't Have Children" but I think I may make that a separate post, considering it could be a long one.

Sorry Ladies, This One's for the Boys

You know, these titles are reinforcing the types of gender stereotypes that I A. am not a fan of and B. don't really conform to but because all's fair in love and blogging I wanted to make it even. So, here goes.

For those who don't know, E3 is short for the Electronic Entertainment Expo or "that giant video game conference." Basically Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and all other big companies announce their upcoming projects and games for the next few years. As a friends of mine put as his Facebook status "It's nerd Christmas." I figured since GLaDOS and I essentially spent the better part of this week doing nothing but watching I might as well write about it because currently my awesome life consists of just chillaxin with friends until real life kicks back in and subsequently kicks my butt. I would also like to preface this with this message: I wouldn't really call myself a gamer per say. I do have a much higher tolerance for video games then the average girl, but I also am just a great lover of subcultures; "gamer" being a personal favorite. Not to mention the awesome progress of video games is just STUNNING to watch, it blows my mind the things we've achieved in the field of entertainment. Now if we could only build a hover board I'd be really impressed....

COOLEST THINGS AT THIS YEARS E3

The WiiU

(no, that's not a typo)

So, the big deal this year was Nintendo's long awaited announcement of their newest console, named the WiiU. Yes, the name is stupid as all hell, trust me, I agree. But the console looks freaking COOL. Above is a picture of the controller, which has its own screen (so you don't need a TV to play but you need to be in the room of the main console...) AND BUTTONS! THANK YOU NINTENDO FOR RETURNING TO A BUTTONED CONTROLLER! For some reason the gaming trends recently *cough* Microsoft *cough* seem to be moving toward full body motion stuff like the Kinect. Let's be real, while being a cool party trick to play games without controllers or button mashing, if we wanted to run around our living rooms to control Madden or FPS games, we would go outside and play football/paintball. Just give us our damn buttons. There's a reason gamers game, and it's mostly because they're not coordinated enough for the real version of things....(myself included, haha). Other than that, the controller can be used as a second screen when playing on the TV, as a drawing tablet, or be used with a WiiMote. Go watch a demo, it looks really cool. And Nintendo is clearly hoping to use it to get back some of the hardcore gamers it lost with the family-friendly Wii, there are a ton of more mature titles coming out for it.

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

(This is a picture of Zelda, she's the girl, Link's the boy)

So GLaDOS's excitement about this was a bit contagious to say the least, but there's a shit ton coming for the Zelda series in the next year and Skyward Sword is the newest child in the LoZ family. A bunch of new artwork was released for the game (including the gorgeous pic above) and trailers and game play were being premiered left and right. Little Zelda looks quite adorable, adorable enough in fact to finally force me to give in to GLaDOS's constant subtle hints that I should dress as Zelda for this year's Philly Comic Con (WHICH IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING OMFG) to his Link, of course. Also, Nintendo had a full orchestra onstage playing classic Zelda music, which gaming aside, is wonderful music.

Sony's 3D TV

(it might not look like much, but this thing is world-altering)

So you're probably like 'oh Krysti, that's a lovely picture of a TV, but don't you hate 3D?" And to you loyal fans and friends I thank you for paying attention to my pet peeves, but I also would like to explain what exactly makes this TV worth of my praise despite the scarring "Honey I Shrunk the Kids in 3D" experiences...Anyone who has ever played a split screen video game can tell you how annoying and 'cheap' the practice of screen-peeking is (that is, looking at the other player's side of the screen to see where they are, what they're doing etc.). With this TV, players wear glasses that allow for each player to see A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCREEN. To Player 1, the whole TV will be showing only their activities while to Player 2 WHO IS LOOKING AT THE SAME TELEVISION they will see only their own activities. A true gaming revolution that will probably make me significantly worse at most FPS games but will revolutionize game play. Just trying to explain it is blowing my mind. If this is the effort we put into out entertainment, can you imagine the shit that top secret CIA bases are making!?

New Super Smash Bros. Game

(I know this is a Melee picture, but I love Melee. Also, poor Luigi)

So other than a passing mention, not much was said about a new Super Smash Bros. at E3. But that passing mention was enough to perk nerd ears worldwide. Basically development has barely begun on the game, so don't hold your breath. BUT word on the street is that this version with come out as a portable game on the DS as well as being on the WiiU. Possible customizable characters. I'M SO EXCITED THIS IS SUCH A GREAT FRANCHISE. I think I've logged more hours this summer playing this than sleeping. In fact, I know I have, because I usually play Smash instead of sleeping...

Just Dance 3

(Ganna be okay da da do do Just Dance....)

So if you haven't played this new DDR-for-the-two-left-footed party game yet, call me. I will invite you over and blow your mind. A million thanks to Mrs. Bieber for introducing me. Basically you follow the moves on screen and dance around like an idiot. This is one of the few games that I am obviously not all for putting buttons back into, motion sensitivity is fine. But it's also just a party game. All I'm waiting on is the addition of the actual song "Just Dance." Microsoft also announced their newest Dance Central game, which is the same game without the WiiMotes, your body is the controller. I have yet to play DC but I've heard it's also great.

Fable: Journeys

(Yes, this is the cover of a previous title, I know)

So, I don't play Fable. I played Fable III once for about 10 minutes. I dressed my character and killed my boyfriend and that was about all I got through. I'm not opposed to playing more, but that was all time allowed. However, I am dying to play the new title, announced at E3. Why? Because it's Kinect compatible. Meaning you can literally sit in your living room, wave your arms around, and CAST FUCKING SPELLS. HOW AWESOME IS THAT. I would say that this fact alone assured a sale from me, but they also explained that your main mode of transport is a horse and carriage that you have to sit in your living room mock-driving...once again Microsoft, why do you assume gamers hate pressing buttons for some things??

Sorry Boys, this ones for the Ladies

Or the men who sew. I spent today in superhero pajamas watching a video game conference and at a baseball game indulging in dollar hot dogs. Who am I to preach about gender stereotypes? Point being, today was a very manly day for me, and my body more or less rebelled against such treatment by viciously attacking me with cramps - reminding me of my place in the world (for the time being of course...). So I needed to equalize a bit. I painted my toenails ("Thunderbird" by China Glaze -ooh! obsessed!) moisturized like there was no tomorrow (why has it taken me so long to discover coco butter? I SMELL LIKE THE HERSHEY FACTORY!) and now have decided to write a post on fashion. Well, my sense of fashion anyways. As I was stumbling around the Internet this evening and cleaning my closets of late, I've discovered a need for downsizing my tshirt collection. Now, as anyone can tell you (because everyone has drawers overflowing with the things) tshirts are so hard to get rid of. There are sentimental ones, handmade ones, ones you paid a lot for, ones from organizations, gifts, concert tees, team shirts....the list goes on and on. And really, how many tshirts can a gal (or guy) wear? My solution? Make them into something that's no longer your standard run of the mill tshirt. Oh yes, if you haven't already guessed, this is going to be a crafting post. Why I haven't already done one of these, seeing as I am me, is beyond my comprehension. Regardless, I've taken quite a few tshirts from ahh to AWESOME in my time (and trust me, I've taken a good many from bad to worse as well, but this is a post focused on successes, not failures) and I've hunted down a few ideas and tutorials (click on the pictures for the links) that are my personal favorites to help you do the same! Enjoy!!

We've Got A Jumper

So, I kind of find this jumper insanely adorable and love that it's made from a single tshirt. Plus it's a cute summer look. AAAND it'd also be great if you were trying to pull together an easy Lady Gaga "Just Dance" costume. Disco bra not included.

Ruffle My Feathers

This one comes straight off the site that inspired this post, basically because as soon as it's not 3am anymore I'm making it. The site is jam-packed with adorable DIY stuff that looks pretty high-fashion. Not to mention there's minimal sewing involved here. Seriously, as we speak H&M/Forever21/Charlotte Russe are selling this shirt for like $24.99.

Necking

Another design I'm in love with that's made all the easier by the fact that apparently the ruffles sewn around the neck of this shirt are available pre-made at fabric stores (she found them at Hobby Lobby, but I'm sure Joanne's has some, I'll ask Mama). She ranks it as a beginner level project, so great for starters!

Scarf It Down

These scarves were all the rage recently, and they're so incredibly easy to make, I don't see why anyone would buy them. Not to mention light, fun scarves like this one are great in the summer to give blah tank tops a bit of an edge. This is a great one to use with shirts of the wrong size, or with a weird stain cause chances are you can cut around it. While you're on craftster, check out the site, they have some incredible talent floating around.

Left Standing At the Halter

There are like three million ways to transform a tshirt into a halter top. I really like the professional looking outcome of this instructable though. It's a bit construction heavy, but just google "tshirt to halter top" to find a million simplified variations. There are plenty of no-sew variations that work well for beginners (just cut some more of the back of that first project of the second link for a no-sew halter) or those in a pinch, but trust me, put the effort in and you'll have a shirt you want to keep wearing. The more effort invested the more likely you are to actually wear the shirt (learned this the hard way...sooo many crappy recons...).

TeeBooks

I actually have yet to try this one, but I love it because you get to use the tshirts you love(d) that no longer fit, have weird stains, are too short/long/thin/thick/weird fabric-ed. I'll be trying these out next semester I'm sure!

Showing Some Skin (and Bones)
AKA: The Skeleton Shirt

Okay this is one of my all time favorite recons to date. I've made the variation on the left twice, once as a shirt I wear all the time and once specifically from a neon yellow tshirt for a rave party. I always get compliments and I love it to death, there may be another in my future. However, I got this idea from a book called "Generation T" and can't find the tutorial online (blah!) But, the Internet is a majestic place and as a replacement I've found this even cuter and less harsh version to the right. I will definitely be making it. It's a bit tricky to follow the directions, but once you get it, you get it. [NOTE: Only the pink variation is linked to a tutorial website]