defensive driving.

well, is there really much more to say?

long story short, i rear ended someone, but didn't get a ticket. so my parents made me take DD to lower insurance costs. that's cool. they support me, so i really didn't mind.

anyway, going into DD, you know there are going to be any number of ... characters. my experience was no different. the usual/stereotypical suspects were there. cue the visuals:

location:

instructor:

annoyed waitress:

character examples:

i kid you not. i had to do a double take to make sure one guy wasn't actually eminem.

8:50am - well, i arrive at golden corral and find my way to the back room for my 6 hour adventure. i pay and find a seat, do the double take, and tell the waitress i want water with lemon.

9:15am - the class finally starts, and the instructor starts out with his jail story. at this point, i knew this was a complete joke

9:30am - superman, well Christopher Reeve actually, walks in. someone seriously named their kid christopher reeve. why? you give him no chance. so, after the instructor and superman have a "who can act more like a douche" exchange and several superman jokes are made, the class continues.

11:45am - we break for "lunch". i ate a roll and a slice of pizza. yum?

12:15pm - i actually learn something! you can only legally turn right on red if it's curbed-lane to curbed-lane. (too bad a broke that law today. oops)

2:00pm - we take the "test"

2:30pm - done.

all in all, it was worth it.

i was tempted to ask for a commemorative group photo at the end.


-blur.

my life this semester. in one blog post.

hang in there. i believe in you.

first up, my favorite class this semester. media photography:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHj97qv8mwE

Kindly ignore the lie at the end where it says "documentary by lauren woodruff." This was a group project. Yes, she was the one who knew how to use final cut pro best, but bitch, please. I helped shoot interviews and sat in the editing lab with you for hours helping you make decisions in your sleep deprived state. But whatever. I guess she didn't feel the need to give credit where it's due. rude.

anyway, here are a few of my favorite photographs i took:

studio:

ehhh. i'm just not meant to do contract design, except retail. anytime we had a retail component to a design, i got pretty excited. BUT i'm still excited nonetheless about an opportunity to design one of the conference rooms in the business school. i'll be coming up with a design over christmas break, so i might post that later. i'd die if my design was chosen.

golf:

done. i was TERRIBLE. and ironically enough, the only hp i could get into next semester? intermediate golf. how cruel.

greek:

i love my professor, but i am sooo relieved to be done (i take my final monday).

mrs. class:

DONE.

art history:

i surprisingly enjoyed this class, except for the awkward days when dr. jensen would say erection at least 15 times.

so classes were overall ok. nothing groundbreaking.

other baylor life:

WE GOT INTO A BOWL GAME! wooo! buuuutt i'm not going to it, even though it's in houston. i'll watch from the comfort of my couch at home. i love my bears, but i can't pay to watch RGIII play with his head up his butt. when i know i could make better decisions on the field, having never played a game of football in my life, there's a problem. don't get me wrong, he's a great athlete and has resuscitated the football program, but there's clearly an issue with his ever growing ego.

i'm thankful everyday for my roomies and other close friends. i've grown even closer to them all this semester, and am a little sad it didn't happen sooner.

on the boy front: big surprise! nothing. : / i just can't handle the guys living in fratagonia. your croakies make me throw up in my mouth a little. i have faith that it'll happen when it's meant to. i'm just getting a little impatient, you know?

i have a love/hate relationship with graduation. nothing new there.

personal life:

my birthday month was INCREDIBLE

round top = eccentric things paired with even more eccentric people. the whole thing reminded me of this odd carnie lifestyle. it was intriguing.

state fair = tons of fun and the best corn dog of my life. if you ever get the chance to eat fried cookie dough, do it. it's life changing.

asid student symposium = really informative and reassuring

maroon 5 concert = too good to put into words.

homecoming = chaos. i loved it. a massive storm hit as the football game started and people panicked. some of the best people watching i've ever encountered. it was a great bonding experience.

i was oooooing and ahhhhhhing over baby clothes and my mom asked me if my "biological clock" was ticking. i gave her the "blair look". i want my sister to have a baby, not me. can you imagine me with a baby? funny.

well, i'm fairly positive i skipped over 90% of the interesting things that happened to me over the past few months, but i was "going big" and living life. i hope and pray that you do the same.

-blur.

go big or go home

that was supposed to be my motto for this year... so far i'm failing. minimal fun has been had. nothing excited has occurred. i had such high hopes : / i need to change that around asap.

today solidified that theories of family development is indeed an mrs class.
we talked for an hour and a half about mate selection... how are we looking for mates? do our families have a say in the matter? what different kind of "loves" are there? which of these are we seeking? i was a hot second away from leaving. since when is it appropriate to turn a lecture into a formalized slumber party? i'm sure i audibly sighed/groaned/patronizingly huffed/laughed to the point of being rude. but you know, i didn't come to baylor for this. i can see the significance of studying family interaction for psychiatric/therapeutic purposes, but really? why am i being subjected to learning the various way to select a life mate? via a lecture? from a woman with a doctorate?
groan.


-blur.

6 weeks until my birthday and maroon 5! eeeee!

grammatical fix of the week via my greek professor: loan is a noun, not a verb. you lend, not loan someone something.
now, i did check dictionary.com, and it lists loan as a noun and a verb, so who knows.

and so it begins

i finished the last first week of school of my last fall semester.
quite frightening. i'll take you through my schedule so when i reference classes later, you'll know to what i'm referring.

contract studio II - new professor. i think i'll learn a lot from her.
our first project is a mall kiosk inspired by a classic architect/furniture designer. i chose charles eames and am selling skateboards and related paraphernalia. i'm pretty excited since i've become fond of the idea of doing retail design. marketing/display/packaging/subliminal messaging fascinates me. any who, i'll post pictures of the completed project later.

greek II - gross. although, my professor may be my new favorite person. he's at least 75 and wears intricate bow ties like i've never seen. the real kicker though is the socks and sandals. normally i have a physical gagging reaction whenever i see this, but on him, it's rather endearing. and he's a grammar freak. each class he informs us of another grammatical error he hears on NPR, or of "dying" english words of which he's fond.

media photography - i die. i'm going to love this class. i'll post some of the stuff i shoot on here!

theories of family development - aka my mrs. class. i hated it within the first minute. the professor is a sweetheart, but i absolutely loath that we spent an hour defining 'family' just to come to the general consensus that everyone has a different definition.

art history - i'm enjoying it so far, so hopefully memorizing hundreds of works won't suck too bad. thankfully i have a somewhat photographic memory.

golf - another darling professor. he's from germany, so all his w's still have that slight v sound to them. i love it.


i'll be busy, but for the most part, it'll be completely enjoyable :)

-blur.

ps - oh don't worry, i won't become one of those people who go on and on about their lasts. i'm aware no one cares about the last time i register/buy books/stalk people for a parking spot on campus.

Frito Bandito

Meet my nephew, Sly, the frito bandito

A few weeks ago i got to dog sit this handsome little guy. let me just say, after this, i know i am NOT ept to look after another living thing for a long, long time.

but i had fun with him and all his snuggling and 5 minute bursts of gazelle-like leaping.

i'm now on the hunt for a baylor shirt for him, or a ridiculous mask because of his name.

-blur.

oh hey.

it's been a while. sorry. let me catch you up:

i took an online brit lit class. i got a 76 overall. oops. but you know, who cares? i passed and my grade doesn't count since it's a transfer credit.

i started my internship this past monday. it's... well... underwhelming. what i've done in a week, i could've done in a day. two days comfortably. but you know, i don't necessarily want to be comfortable. i want to be stretched and challenged, to push myself so that i can learn more. the pace is slow, and though i'm a pretty chill individual, i need more. i didn't sign up to do data entry, aka make an electronic rolodex. i certainly didn't expect to actually design anything, but i did expect more than what i've experienced so far. phone calls to check price/stock do not comprise a great internship.

this past fall, i got the fantastic opportunity to shadow a design firm in austin. i learned more in that single day than i have in 40 hours of work this week.

waco is HOT. disgustingly so. it's gross.

BUT

i'm excited for october! it's going to be EPIC:

state fair

+

daniel tosh

+

my birthday

+

maroon 5

+

baylor homecoming

=

FANTASTIC
.

-blur.

TWC

i. love. the weather channel.
i'm obsessed.
call me weird, but i have to know what's going on and i don't care that it's unpredictable.
nevertheless, i love that little zing of adrenaline when you know a storm is coming.
but besides loving weather in general, (my backup plan is to be a meteorologist. nevermind that i have zero training/knowledge in the field. minor details.) there is something particular about the official "the weather channel". the combination of jim cantore, l.l. bean gear, local on the 8's, and a plethora of storm chasing shows just makes me the happiest girl on earth.

and now that hurricane season is officially off and running, you know they are going to have an obscene amount of ridiculous "on the scene" coverage that i am going to eat right up. speaking of, i think i'll go check on t.s./hurricane alex.

-blur.

p.s. i don't watch al roker and i think he should go back to the today show.

traditional role?

i've always had the classic idea of romance, but the women in my family have put an interesting spin on it. here are some examples of michalsky-bloodline-ball-busting:

my grandma - she went to a dance with a date. there, she saw another guy who she was far more interested in. she then proceeded to dump her date off on one of her sisters in order to get with the other guy. end of story, they got married.
my mom - she was on her way to a date, when she stopped by the fire station. instead of going to meet the original guy, she picked up someone else, and they had an impromptu date, driving around crosby talking. end of story, they got married.
my sister - an old friend of hers was sort of off and on/convenience dating a newer friend of hers. well, she realizes he's the one and "breaks them up". end of story, they got married.

see a pattern?
i'm not sure what's happened with me. it's not that i want to get married tomorrow, more of just being a little weirded out about being nearly 22 (yikes) without any prospects of even dating someone. i suppose it will come in time.

wal-mart

is always such an interesting experience. this past week has been particularly entertaining.

example one:
i went in for cold medicine, kleenex, and a ddp. the ddp took me a good five minutes to find. i looked in every check-out point/aisle to no avail. the coolers were all coke or pepsi! as i peeked into each aisle, a cashier surprised me and asked if i was ready. the reason for my surprise is obvious: since when do walmart employees practice customer service? it was just so unexpected, i felt stupid and stammered, "umm.. no? not yet" because i hadn't yet found my ddp. so, needless to say, the dr pepper cooler was on the last. aisle.
annoyance.
so as i grab my much needed drink, and i hear someone call my name in a distinct accent. it was my friend nadia's mom, who is either columbian or moroccan, i'm not sure which. we then proceeded to have a lengthy conversation while i was checking out (well as lengthy as one can get while buying three items).
questions included: have you met nadia's dog? did you know that she moved? don't you think nadia and chechi (chelsey) were good roommates? do you have a boyfriend?
it made me laugh quite a bit.

example two:
meredith was getting our supper at charming cafe, while i ran to walmart to get a ddp (it's getting bad. i'm aware.) and some ping pong balls for mer's house warming party. i was in line and this little old lady was almost cutting me out of the long check-out line. well, first a girl i had a class with in high school recognized me and said hi (i recognized her, but cannot for the life of me remember her name), then started talking with the old lady. after their conversation, the old lady started talking to me, which i didn't mind at all, as older people 9 times out of 10 brighten my day.
first she pointed to the starbuck's double shot display and said because of her diabetes, she could never have something like that.
then, she told me about her 3 yr old granddaughter had great manners, at which i told her i was glad to hear that.
then, she patted the depends in her buggy and whispered to me that she wears them to church, as you never know. i told her that was a smart plan. she agreed and said that it is better to be safe than sorry.
lastly, she asked me if i played golf, nodding toward the ping pong balls in my hand. i chuckled and said no, and that i was getting ping pong balls for ping pong. the guy in line in front of me laughed, as it was fairly obvious these balls were not intended for table tennis.
i checked out, and told her to have a good day. she had just made mine, so i can only wish that hers was well.

if you know me, you know i don't just walk around smiling. but i'll have you know, i smiled the whole way back to my car, then burst out laughing.

so i find it rather interesting that a place a loathe more than most, has provided me with two experiences that brightened my day.


something else i find interesting is that some items are called by brand names rather than the product name.
example - chapstick for lip balm, kleenex for tissues, coke for any soda.
weird.


-blur.

I don't do politics

but today, i just have to climb atop my soapbox and rant.

i saw on the news a few days ago that some british official is getting lip about a comment he made on the oil spill. in summary, he simply said that all this political banter, arguing, and finger pointing does nothing to help the situation at hand. well sir, i agree.
i don't understand why all these politicians are running their mouths about who's "at fault".
GET OVER YOURSELVES.
two examples that really ate my lunch:

• obama saying he's going to "kick some ass". ummm, first, who's ass, and what exactly is that going to solve?
• fox news essentially blamed it all on obama. while i don't think he's handled it to the best of his ability, there is no need to spin some sort of twisted conspiracy.

to both of these parties i say, get your head out of your butt. why not let the engineers continue to problem solve while the rest of us do something more constructive, say, like help the clean up efforts? call me crazy, but i'm sure the animals wouldn't mind a few extra hands cleaning the oil from their bodies or their homes.

this concludes my rant.

thanks for reading.

-blur.

sorry guys. it's summer, so you'll have to forgive me forgetting to blog!

i sometimes worry because what i like to do and do fairly well, aren't really things people notice/can be displayed. here's a story that might better describe what i mean:

monday night i went out and shot pool with some friends. i wanted so bad to be able to go in like a bad ass and be really good, despite never playing before in my life. needless to say, i was TERRIBLE. i hit one ball in. this had me thinking: what on earth am i good at?

• well, i'm decent when it comes to pilates, but let's face it, unless i wanted to be a freakshow, i'm never going to do that in public. nor would i say to someone: hey let's see who can hold their v-sit position longer.
• i'm confident in my design abilities, but again, i'm never going on one of those crazy tv design shows. and like the pilates thing, i wouldn't say: hey, i bet i can "outdesign" you.
• when given choreography, i'm not a terrible dancer, but put me on a dance floor sans choreography, and i ooze awkwardness. so despite having rhythm, i could never "show off" in a dance situation.

it would be nice, just once, to do a competitive activity well. it can be anything: pool, darts, any sport, cooking, blowing bubblegum bubbles. really, anything would be fine! maybe it's just that i'm so easy-going, that i just don't fell compelled to be publicly competitive. don't get me wrong, though, i push myself to do my best at things that truly matter to me. i guess it's just those things can't be publicly displayed?

i think my sister got all the competitiveness between the two of us. it's bad sometimes, especially when it comes to nintendo games.

oh well, i suppose the world needs balance, so i'll keep supplying those competitive natured people someone to beat!

-blur.

style me pretty

is quickly becoming my favorite website.
though marriage is no where in my near future, it provides such great inspiration for much more than just weddings.
hope you enjoy it as much as i do :)

http://www.stylemepretty.com/


-blur.

too soon?

i'm already planning my graduation trip.
though i don't particularly want to speed up the process, i'm pretty darn excited about a trip to VEGAS!(i've been once, but i was only 16.)
i'm not a gambler, but the many other experiences to be had are rather enticing.

Topping my list is the Richard Petty Driving Experience.
confession - i have a bit of a lead foot (i blame my dad)
unfortunately i don't know how to drive standard, so i can't drive the race car, but i'm going to ride shotgun :)
and this launched the idea of theme days, so here's what i have so far:

1. if you're not first, you're last day - inspired by ricky bobby
2. tacky college student day - think boat shoes, neon, and croakies
3. geriatric day - fanny packs and mixed metallics required

any other ideas will be greatly appreciated!

i'm currently painting meredith and ted's new house. she willingly took the role of guinea pig, and let me design her living areas. it's the first time a design of mine will be implemented. a bit frightening, but kinda cool, too :)

-blur

it's official.

i want my life to have a soundtrack/be a part time musical.

i recently told my roommates for my next birthday, i wanted a surprise flash mob to perform a choreographed number to 'happy birthday'. they just looked at me : /

i know it is completely unrealistic, but it's hard not to dream when i have things like this happening in my life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm5tVYyPJs4

i was devastated when i missed this. just so happens, my jazz class got out early, otherwise i would have witnessed it.

then tonight on glee, artie danced in the middle of a mall. and everyone joined in. i know it's a tv show, but still...

is it too much to ask? wish for? dream about?

well, until it happens i guess i can just continue to hope :)

sunday i went antiquing with meredith and we found really amazing dining chairs. i'll post pictures later when they're delivered and then once i refinish them! i wish i had had a spare $600 to buy the set of Hepplewhite shield back chairs the store had. hopefully one day, i'll own a number of classic furniture pieces. first on my list is philippe starck's ghost chair:

-blur.

i'll be hood forever.

confession: i love rap music.

please. hold your criticism.

i know it can be inappropriate and degrading, but all that aside, there is something infectious about the genius rhymes and incredible beats.
i admire rappers' confidence to be completely ridiculous and own it. the clocks, the grills, the obnoxious amount of jewelry. what person in their right mind would wear some of the stuff rappers do?
who else besides auctioneers can talk that fast? and with that cleverly insult people at the same time?
and on that note, who can do it off the top of their head, on the spot?

my hat's off to you rappers of the world.

with all that said... don't worry i still do thoroughly enjoy other, more classic art forms.

-blur.

sunday drive

What could be more therapeutic than being done with finals?
having a splendid dinner with my beautiful, amazing fellow interior design majors. they make it all bearable.
because i'm in SUCH a good mood, i'm going to share a number of therapeutic things :)

first up is Chili's Reggae Sunsplash (which i ordered tonight and was my best decision of the day):

made with - bacardi o rum, grand marnier, mango, orange juice, sweet and sour, and grenadine

next up is driving through central texas.

many people hate the drive between houston and waco, but i LOVE it.

my favorite parts are

• the quaint town of calvert
• the section of highway 6 just south of college station where there are tons of wildflowers
• then dispersed throughout the drive, there are these perfect little ponds, some with small decks, at which i desperately want to spend an afternoon.

the last time i drove back and forth was by far the best yet. that night before there was a big storm, so that afternoon was absolutely perfect with piercing cloudless blue skies and bright sunshine. it took a lot in me to not turn down one of the random side roads and just drive to who knows where.

luckily, now that i'm done with finals, i get to enjoy the drive again tomorrow! :)

-blur.

stop and smell the roses

oh wait... i can't.

my sense of smell is well ... fickle.

it's pretty bizarre. 95% of the time, i smell pleasant smells, while i can't smell unpleasant smells. this comes in handy sometimes, like when taking out the trash, because i don't smell a thing. {convenient}

other days i smell nothing, be it pleasant or not.

then... there was sunday march 28: the day that instantly added itself to my top 5 worst experiences of my life.

sarah anne and i were driving back from watching the elite 8 in houston and a wall of stank invaded my nose. i start gagging and, mortified, ask sarah what on earth is causing this reeking stench. she then informs me, that i have just experienced skunk.

whhaaaattt? whhhhyyyyy? what did i do to have to suffer this?

well, after about 20 minutes of stomach churning misery, we get a minute or two of relief. then, it happens AGAIN! and the cycle repeats FOUR TIMES.

it was tragic and was proclaimed "the worst smell day of my life".

so needless to say, i unfortunately got a lifetime's worth of skunk smell in one 3 hour car ride.

and here is picture documentation:

-blur.

worth a thousand words.

i love perusing through the internet and stumbling upon photographers' blogs and websites. while i enjoy taking pictures myself and am a bit proud of my macro photography, i am amazed at how photographers are able to capture the atmosphere and feeling of a moment. From the composition, to utilizing the location, to being able to garner the right emotion from their subjects, i am always in awe. i only wish i could do the same!

here are a few examples of my work:

and here are two of my favorite sites:

http://www.gabrielryan.net/blog/

http://joshgoleman.com/category/wedding/

so on days when i need inspiration or just an escape from my reality, i try and find new and interesting portfolios. if you know of any, share them please!

-blur.

name evolution.

i think i've decided how to schedule my blogs:

• "telling tuesday" where i will share a funny/informational tid bit about myself
• "therapeutic thursday" where i will share something i love/find relaxing/etc.
• then maybe sundays share what has happened the previous week/what i have coming up the next week. or just random posts... but for sure the tuesday thursday posts will happen!

so hooray for my first telling tuesday!

picture this:

second grade. music class. we're learning about syllables by saying our name and clapping with each corresponding syllable. it's going smoothly down the row: holly (two claps) nikole (two claps) heather (two claps) chelsey (two claps)... then it's my turn. i say my name and clap twice, making my name ba lair. this is when the teacher says, "oh no, honey. your name is ONE syllable: blair (one clap)".

DEVASTATION

i hated my name for years because of that day, and never told anyone of my trauma. in high school, i told my friends and family about this story. my mom felt guilty, i'm pretty sure meredith made fun of me, and my friends were shocked and reassured me that due to its single syllable, my name was really fun to say. this is where the evolution of my name took place, ranging from a drawn out bllaaaaaaaaaiiiiiirrrrrrrrr (think dory speaking whale in finding nemo) to blur.

the meaning of blair: in irish, the name blair means field or plain and also has celtic, scottish, english, and gaelic origins

i have grown to love my name, and all of its eccentric forms, and think it adds to my personality rather nicely.

-blur.

i had this itch awhile ago to start documenting my life via blog... so here it is!

first, i feel i need to introduce some pretty important individuals that have greatly impacted my life:

• my sister, best friend, and much more, meredith

• next my sweet parents who thankfully made sure i always had my head on straight
  
  



• next, a girl i feel truly blessed to know, my roommate of three years, whitney
  

• finally, another roomie, sarah anne. "old married couple" would probably best describe our dynamic
  

i'll most likely be referring to them often, so i thought it fitting to introduce them at the start.

and now, a bit about me:

my junior year at baylor is coming to a close, and i think i'm getting cold feet about graduating. ALREADY - yikes. i think this is where the pinch to document developed.

so through this i'm hoping to share insights, because frankly sometimes i feel the world needs to know what i think, adventures, stories, etc. for a purely lighthearted motive. i hope you enjoy!

-blur.