Where'd ya get those fancy clothes?

Even if I was wearing fancy clothes (which I am definitely NOT) my evening's activities were not black-tie worthy.

Sometimes I think I am the world's worst twenty-something. Seriously. It is Saturday night and I am in a grubby t-shirt and leggings eating yogurt, berries, and granola. Those are not Saturday night clothes or Saturday night foods. I'm so lame.

There was a moment tonight while I was scrubbing out the garbage can (yea. YEA. Eww.) when I realized I was growing up. Mostly, it was the voluntary scrubbing of a disgusting garbage can. Only adults do nasty things like that on a "oh, I suppose I should do that" basis. AND I DID IT ON A SATURDAY. Boy, hello Dorthy, Blanche, Sophia, and Rose. (That was a Golden Girls reference for all of you cool-kids who have cool-kid things to do...why are you reading this blog?)

All dreams-of-being-a-cool-kid aside, I like having days where all I do is laundry, wash dishes, and munch granola. It's relaxing and with a decent soundtrack (The Black Keys) it can even be fun.

Speaking of The Black Keys, they're the title of the day! Wahoo!

I must live with my quiet rage.

The rage applies to Facebook because I can't comment, add anything, or generally stalk people like I normally do. Something is amiss and it is bothering me.

Other than that, I know it is still Thursday but I have to get up early (on a Saturday, gross)for a meeting that may or may not be happening. I should really write things down better.

I am bursting at the seams with excitement. Close to explosion point. I'll share later because it's just so good!!! So SO good!

Enjoy the song o' the night, chums!

Themed Thursday: Don Draper edition

I feel a bit bad for agreeing to this Themed Thursday. But, let me state for the record, Kelsey suggested a pitch. This came after I had a shameful (wonderful) night of watching multiple episodes of Mad Men and desperately wanting to be Joan Halloway.

We both love Mad Men, as do most of my advertising and marketing major friends. OH YEA! I'm a Communication (former Advertising and Public Relations) major. Sorry, sweetie. I do this ish on a regular basis. BOOM!

Now I have to come up with something decent...crap.

The client, Yellow Pencil #2 edition, can be assured of Ruszat & Sons Creative Agency's understanding the importance of such a valuable tool. How many times does a brilliant idea for the next great movie, invention, or song pop into your head and you find yourself wishing for something to write with?


Yellow Pencil #2-- Always there at the right time.

Sweatin' to the oldies

What a lovely day! (to be sitting in an office.)

Recently I've noticed that all this sitting I do is making me uncomfortable and cranky. Apparently, there are studies saying desk sitting will be the death of us all.

NPR did a story in April about how negative sitting can be for our health. Great. Good thing I am laying down right now!

All joking aside, the highlight of my day on this balmy Wednesday was walking to lunch. It was refreshing and fun. Plus I was a super badass and walked across the "condemned" bridge. Awh yea. Hard core. I also looked up some desk exercises (and how to spell exercise) because I am sick of sitting. One of my bosses has a standing desk and a yoga ball to sit on instead of a chair. She knows what's up.

So, if you see me doing leg lifts or dancing by my computer, join in! We can deskercise together.

I've been tryin' to do it right...

More song lyrics! This may be a new thing.

You might have noticed the new layout. I had some time to fool around on PhotoShop and ta-da! According to my personal brand consultants, John and Whitley, my brand includes flowery skirts, bright colors, and glasses. Check, check, and check.

Personal branding is fascinating. It makes me think about what I will be remembered for. I think I'm okay with what was listed above.

My attempt is to get my blog as awesome as possible before leaving for Ecuador. I know it is full of nonsense, but it is my nonsense and I absolutely adore it.




This is where my title came from. It's currently my favorite song.

Age only matters in cheese

I am twenty years old. This means I have been a human being on Planet Earth for twenty years. Biologically, that is my age. But if we were to to figure out ages of maturity and the age of the soul, I think my number would be far away from twenty.

See, I have the maturity of a four-year-old boy. I laugh at the dumbest jokes (Dad) and would rather be playing in the dirt than being at work (or really, anything.) Cartoons are favorite forms of entertainment and I love junk food shaped like a dinosaur.

My soul must be in the upper eighties. I love to knit, bake, and sit at home on a Friday night in my PJs and not socialize with peers my own age. That is just far too much effort and there is usually a Golden Girls marathon playing on Fridays.

Priorities people.

Waking up smiling.

Have you ever had such a good night that you wake up with a smile on your face? I did this morning. Maybe it was the thought of Pizza Luce brunch I would soon ingest. Or my night was just so pleasant that I couldn't be anything but happy.

My night wasn't even extravagant. I saw an awesome Duluth band, Yester (CHECK THEM OUT!) and went to a bar where my friends and I played card games. I learned how to play a Norwegian game called "Idiot" (except it is in Norwegian...I don't know Norwegian.) and had a grand time.

Goes to show how important it is to have the right people in your life.

Art rhymes with...

If you said fart, you posses the maturity of a five-year-old. We should be friends.

Most of today was spent strolling through the Park Point Art Fair and spending quite a bit of money on art. Which I can justify because it is all so COOL!

I have this obsession for awesome prints. Especially with bright colors. So I ended up buying one very large awesome print from The Medium Control that will hopefully be hanging in the kitchen soon.

Also, I purchased a few packs of note cards. One has Ms. Kelsey McSassyPants' name on it and I am going to frame one or two in small frames. The cards are about the same size as the cheapest prints, but because of their "card" status they cost less monies! I'm thinking with my noggin now!

Art is cool. Support artists. Or else.
(This is an empty threat. I'm a pacifist.)

If I had an orchard...

The title of this post has nothing to do with what I am going to write. It IS in the song I am listening to, though. Any guesses?


Today moved in slow motion. Which gave me the idea that I have time-bending powers. Awh yea. I was a part of a conference call regarding my study abroad program and the butterflies of excitement and nervousness are starting to form. Within MONTHS I am going to be living in South America! Right now, I'm trying to finish getting the required shots, fill out forms, etc. but I am also making a list of what I should pack and chatting up alumns of the program. Hopefully my internship and host family placements come soon!

Damn, this is exciting.

Also, I am stoked to be the first person on Kelsey's letter leader board. STOKED I tell ya.

Holy haberdashery Batman!

THEMED THURSDAY

My mission: What obscure superpower would you want?
Level of difficulty: medium
Favorite cheese: mozzarella

I if I could have any power in the world to use in my every day life, I would want to be able to look at something, anything and know what had to be done to fix it. Like my car, if it (continues) to make a strange rumbling noise I would be able to look at it, know I should probably get an oil change, and go on with my life.

This would be perfect for editing papers, seeing what else needed to be added to my soup, knowing what is wrong with people who only answer a, "Hey, you seem down. What's wrong?" with a "Nothing." (PS that drives me insane. If you want help/need someone to talk to just tell me! Social cues and I are not the greatest of friends.)

I could be a doctor with 100% diagnosis success and charge mega monies for my skillz. They (being my skillz) are so impressive, I have to spell it with a "z."



Is it a bird?! Is it a plane?! No! It's knows-what-is-wrong-but-can't-fix-a-thing Lady!

The name might need a little bit of work.

Dam, this is going to be a watered down post.

So where I'm living is infamous for being a ridiculously hilly city. We're also known for our snow and the band Trampled by Turtles. Duluth is awesome. Well, unless it's flooded. Then, it's a sinkhole. Seriously, we had major damage on our roads and many houses. A state of emergency was declared by our mayor and some people had to be evacuated.

Luckily, my house only has a foot of water in the basement and the roads in my neighborhood are fine. We didn't even see the escaped seal. Yea, a seal escaped from the zoo and was found on an avenue close by. She's okay, but many animals unfortunately died due to flooding of the zoo.

Even in this wicked disaster, many people are trying to keep a good sense of humor about it. I can't stop laughing at the picture of the escaped seal:








The look on her face! Bhaha! I may or may not have this picture as my computer background. I totally do.

My on-campus job sent everyone home because campus was getting a bit soggy.








That is the entrance to Scholastica and under (on) the bridge is Chester Creek. Yes, a creek.

At home, two of my roommates and I made flood playlists to pass the time. Seeing as I am obsessed with the renegade seal, I just had to make it my cover. Hehe, seriously, I crack up every time.

The Flood is here, the seal has broken. from ChelleMary on 8tracks.

But, in all seriousness, my thoughts and prayers are going out to all of those impacted by the flood. Nature can be devastating.

**These pictures are not mine, but those shared on the Twin Ports Flood 2012 Facebook page**

Never get involved in a land war in Asia...

and never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!

I was very busy this weekend. You know, job, family, meeting world-famous baseball players, driving (a lot of driving), and then going back to work. Full time. That's quite the plateful for such a young girl. But, does the blog-off care? Would there be an ounce of compassion shown?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!


In order to regain the ground I have lost, I will be creating the best blog post EVER.

EVER

First: Play this video.



Kazoos, rock.

Now, as the dulcet sounds of two kazoos, yes two, serenade you, proceed to look at these pictures of small animals in cups.

Is your heart melting?! Because it should be. If you don't like small animals in cups, good luck in life without a soul.

This past weekend was full of celebrations, which was wonderful in my mind. I had frozen yogurt with Samantha, played games with my parents, went to a Twins game, watched the Twins lose, and partied hard-ied on Sunday for my mom's birthday and for Father's Day. Perfect weekend, if you ask me. I also took a picture of former Twins great, Tony Oliva. Check out my dad's blog for the complete story -- A Chef's Musings

Wasn't this one of the greatest, if not THE greatest blog posts of all time? It has everything one could and should desire in a post. Beautiful music, adorable animals, Princess Bride quotes, yarns from my daily life, and unicorns. Oh, you didn't see unicorns?

It's just so fluffy, I wanna die.

THEMED THURSDAY!!!

Wee! I am so excited! This week Kelsey and I decided to go all short-story on yous. We came up with the line: After class, I was sitting the in the school bathroom when someone shut the lights off on me.

Now, I'm not saying that this happened to me on Tuesday, but the number one rule of writing is "write what you know." And I'll find you, you light-turning off monster!


Will to Survive
After class, I was sitting in the school bathroom when someone shut the lights off on me.
“Uhm, hello?! There is someone in here still!” I cried out in the pitch-black room. No one answered and the song “Mr. Cellophane” from Chicago swelled into my mind. How the hell am I going to get out of here? I was sitting in the third stall from the left on the third floor of the library. No one goes up here. It’s abandoned and that’s why I like it. I’m not saying I’m pee-shy, but an audience is not required for my every action. Hastily I readjust to be publically presentable, that is, if I ever make it back to the public. This school seriously needs to update the lights in here to sense motion. Groping around for the door lock, I find nothing. My eyes refuse to readjust in the darkness.

I’m going to end up living in this bathroom, which is a convenient place to be, given natural bodily functions, and I have a few granola bars in my backpack hanging on the hook in front of me. Usually, in a fight or flight situation, I opt for flight. It’s safer and less likely to cause me to flex my insane lack of muscle. But, there was the time I went camping with friends. I chopped wood and canoed like a lumber Jane. We, as animals, have a natural instinct to survive and mine was beginning to kick in. Yes, I could become a bathroom hermit. It will be a bit unsanitary, but life is messy. Feeling empowered I screamed at the forces of darkness that have trapped me here, “Bring it on bitches! I am ready to take you down!” Cue theme from Rocky.

As I jabbed the air with my fist, trying to float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, I smacked my shin on the toilet bowl. The pain brought me back to the reality that I am stuck in my library’s bathroom while I should be studying. Ugh, I should try to escape.

Slinging my backpack over my shoulders, I gently caressed the door from the top along the sides until I felt the cool, small metal lock in my right hand. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I opened the door and, with my hands outstretched trying to find the wall, I slowly crept out of my stall/cave. After eons my fingers felt tile and I quickly threw myself against the wall, giving new meaning to “hugging the wall.” Gingerly, I slid along the wall, arms outstretched, hoping to find the door. Creep, creep, creep. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I barely noticed the sound of the door knob turning, but I did notice the blazing light now being emitted, with me, still hugging the wall, inches away from the door.
“Oh, sorry…I thought I heard screaming from the bathroom. Are you, okay?” asks a freshman girl who is giving me a rather quizzical look. I would have rushed over and given her a big hug, but I really needed to wash my hands. Survival is gross.

Make Chili, Not Excuses.

We're heading back to my blogging roots, folks. That's right. I'm in the kitchen. Only this time I don't have an apron. It's lost. I'm sad.

I bet a large bowl of turkey-chili would cheer me up.

 



I was right.

Because I have a rather hectic life, I like to plan my meals for the week on Saturday, Sunday, or (on an especially crazy week) Monday. Then I go and buy the ingredients to prepare culinary masterpieces. For example, I've made caprese pasta, cucumber-dill sandwiches, and Po' Boys. Oh yea, you're all kinds of impressed right now, aren't you!


My culinary talent is all thanks to my new cook book The BrokeAss Gourmet. Seriously, if you're a foodie-college kid (I know, narrow market...but hey, we exist!) go purchase this book. 86% of my recent meals have stemmed from this book. The other 14% is take-out. Like I said, college kid.

In anticipation of my upcoming study-abroad trip, I have started eating meat again. My digestion doesn't really like it, but hey, gotta be done. Research told me to eat lean meats, like fish and turkey, for a smoother transition. So I have been! This recipe is fantastic and I highly recommend it to all non-vegheads.




ridiculously easy turkey chili

by the BrokeAss Gourmet

prep time 10 minutes | cook time 20 minutes (this seemed fairly accurate, but I had to thaw my turkey in the pot [always pre-plan])

(I also suggest throwing on The Black Keys, especially "Act Nice and Gentle" to cook to. Perfect chili-making music.)

ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or sunflower oil...that's what I used)
1 onion, chopped
3 (or 6) cloves garlic, minced (I love garlic and showing off my knife skills)
1 pound lean ground turkey (thaw it. Lesson learned. Again)
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained (I used the 2 cans plus a can of white beans)
1 (16-ounce) container pico de gallo (whatever the guy at Cub gave me, is what I used. I recommend using more salsa for a more vegetable-y taste or use vegetables)
1 teaspoon cumin (haha I just shook the spice container over it)
1 teaspoon chili powder (ditto)
salt and pepper to taste
(SRIRACHA SAUCE!!!) Especially if you dig spicy chili.

directions
1. heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add ground turkey and allow turkey to brown, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes (time is relevant)
2. Add beans, pico de gallo, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10-12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If chili becomes too thick (not a problem seeing as I dumped a ton of water in the pot to cook my turkey...) add a little water.
3. Serve hot, as is (pfft) or garnished with shredded cheese (:D), cilantro, chopped onions, sour cream, avocado (oh that would've been good!), hot sauce (:D), etc.

Seriously delicious. I'm on my second bowl as we, erhm, type. After this, I must move our stove so I can grab the spoon which fell valiantly in battle with the frozen turkey. She will get a hero's scrubbing.

humenah humenah humenah

For some reason, the eloquent prose which normally flows from my fingertips and onto my keyboard isn't working today.

Neither is my blogger account. I've been trying to upload photos...no go. Sorry all! I'll try to work some HTML magic. Don't expect much. Except for you, Kelsey. Expect a letter because I mailed one yesterday.

What is this "free time?"

The play is over and I am sad. But, alas it had to happen. Now I have an abundance of this thing called "free time" which I have heard so much about.

Today I had an appointment to make my mop of hair into something presentable. This is how it turned out!



Wee! I'm cute!

The rest of the night included a trip to the grocery store, cooking and eating a po'boy sandwich (yum), and making tomorrow's lunch. I also attempted to unclog the drain with baking soda and apple vinegar. I think it worked! Wahoo science. Now, I'm filling out tedious paperwork in my 1950's house-wife kitchen with Edith Piaf signing in the background and a bowl of cheerios in my lap. What a night.

From Real Family to Royal Family...

So much wonderful was packed into this day! I'm sure you're dying for an account! Well, I'm happy to oblige.

It started with a wonderful brunch at Pizza Luce with my roommate Courtney and my lovely parents! Yes, they drove two and a half hours north to support and not see me in The Royal Family. We had a lovely walk to the Lake afterwards. It was a bit cool and getting warmer, so the temperature was ideal (in my mind...) I love seeing my mom and dad. If Samantha would've shown up, the day might have been even more complete.

Next it was time for the show. It was lovely, though everything that could have gone wrong for me DID go wrong. I did a lot of quick thinking and running around pounding on doors. We ended the run with a wonderful celebration at a local bar. I hope you, dear reader, have theater friends. If you don't, head down to the nearest audition, do a jazz-square, and make friends with some dramatic people. Your life will improve greatly. Never will there be a lull in the conversation or a moment where an odd facial-expression is inappropriate. Never. Speech kids will do as well. These are the people who are not afraid to be loud, make awkward eye-contact (or magical) across the room, and will always have a fantastic one-liner.

When I arrived home, Courtney and I decided to watch a movie. This required popcorn. TO THE STORE! So, we purchased the popcorn and headed back to my car in the muggy, stuffy air Duluth decided to produce. The only solution to combating this problem was to jump in Lake Superior. Which we did. It was so f@*!ing cold! But refreshing at the same time. I did slip on a rock and cut my knee pretty badly. I'm surprised my parents didn't name me Grace, because that's clearly a better fit for me.

The rest of the night included Casablanca, cookies, and couch time. It has been a most wonderful day.

Attention Neighborhood Bros...

I'm trying to sleep and your bro-ing out time, is really interfering with that! Don't you know I have a busy day tomorrow?! My parents are coming to see The Royal Family and they are kind enough to take me out to brunch! I must be well rested! The sun was so wonderful today that I had to go outside and enjoy it. This left a weird burn on my left arm and leg. Gentlemen, please take the bromances inside. Also, dear bros, I've had a long day of playing with my new camera! Please respect my sleepiness.

I guess I'll just let the sound of "Ya man" and the recycling of bottles lull me to sleep.

Burrito Friday!

That's right. Me and some other student workers have burritos on Friday. It is glorious. The tasty burritos were desperately needed after a really long afternoon. I am really tired and I feel like I have been up for hours. Which I have, but that's besides the point.

Last night the show went really well, but I didn't get home until 10:30ish and after working from eight to four, I was pooped. The marketing department hosted our local social media breakfast this morning. Being the wonderful student workers we are, John, Whitley, and I volunteered to help direct people to the room in exchange for sitting in on the discussion. It was really fascinating. Well, I think social media policies for businesses are fascinating... The only downside was that we had to be there at 6:45 am. Ew.

After the breakfast we had the photo shoot in a stuffy dorm. The pictures turned out really great and I am excited to almost cross one building off of the list. I had a blast staging the room and working with John and Whitley. The burritos weren't bad either.

Themed Thursday Triumph!

Alliterations are fun.

Kelsey and I are doing shared-themed days, so be sure to go to her blog to check out her cheeky response. Plus, she posted about me. Can you tell I'm blushing? Why, I do declare! (said in a Blanch Devereaux accent)

This week the theme is:
What is your ideal living room wall?

I love art. Also, I love having art and I couldn't live without being surrounded by explosions of color. So, in my living room (when I get settled in a more permanent situation) the wall will probably look like this:



I love the idea of an incredibly powerful wall color (and I mean, that white trim! Yum.) but it doesn't overwhelm with simple and beautiful prints, wall hangings, and art.

My favorite color is teal. It's so vibrant and yet, calm and beautiful. I love this color scheme that I found on Lovely Undergrad



Sigh--if only my landlord let us paint.

One of my life goals is to befriend as many artists as possible. That way, I can have fantastic art all over my walls. Right now, I'm set on getting a Flo Doodle. She's incredible and you should check her out HERE!!!

I also really would love a print of my favorite state. If you didn't know (plus, shame on you! I wrote about this already!) I'm a Minnesotan girl. My wall will definitely have some home-state love on it.



Well, now we wait in bated anticipation for a) me to actually have a wall I can do this too b) Kelsey's response and c) for me to find a decent cup of coffee in this joint.

**images were taken from Pinterest**

Look! I'm Trendy!

Or a hipster, I can never tell.

Recently, I downloaded Instagram on my phone and have been fooling around with it. If you're a fan of nonsensical photos filtered to look cool, then check out my instagram (chellemruszat -- which is also my twitter tag...I'm interesting...kinda.)

Well, I'm falling behind on this blog-war (minor setback, don't think you're going to win Kelsey) but I'm also doing a lot of planning, sketching, and filling out of forms.

In other news, I purchased my ticket to Ecuador! I was very sad (looking at my bank account) but then I realized,
I AM GOING TO FREAKIN' ECUADOR!!!

There is nothing to be sad about. Time for adventure. Time for excitement. Time to start pawning off all of my things to pay for this trip.

I'm getting paid for this?

For the summer I'm working full-time in my school's marketing department. My task: create a new virtual tour. Easy right? Wrong. It's going to be a lot of work, but so far I'm enjoying the job. In order to do research, I went on numerous virtual tours for other schools. Word of advice for anyone ever wanting to create a virtual tour.

KEEP YOUR VIDEOS UNDER TWO MINUTES!

Seriously, it's obnoxious to have to watch a stroll of campus for over three minutes. After viewing over twenty schools, which look almost the same (Old Main, cafeteria, dorms, classrooms, etc. I mean, every school has these elements. No joke) I shut down after two minutes.

Today I'm working on staging a photo-shoot of dorm rooms. so, I'm surfing the internets to find dorm room inspiration and trying to remember what I have in Duluth and what is packed in boxes at home.

I created a board on Pinterest (seriously, they should sponsor me...) if you want to see my ideas and inspiration for the female's version of a dorm.

Soon I am going to try to create my own logo and make this a fancy-schmancy blog, but first I should get back to work.

Sleepy sleepy

All day I've had a wicked headache. Nothing has worked (medicine, caffeine, water, chocolate!) and wearing a headset for the play tonight caused a bit of displeasure on this end. I couldn't get those good-for-nothin' actors to whisper their lines either. Jerks. Overall, it was a fantastic show tonight (besides the dull throbbing going on in my brain.) I'll post some pics I took on instagram (I'm a super cool fake-photographer now!) when it's not 2am and I have the energy to find my phone.

I went to bed at 11pm and woke up at 1:30am. Yea, not the recommended eight hours I was expecting. So now I'm browsing the blogs I always read and wasting my time on Pinterest. I love Pinterest. Kelsey did a shout-out to stumble upon, but she's wrong. Pinterest is, and will always be, the best way to waste hours of time. So now I'm finding awesome DIY projects, recipes, and clothing I can't afford. If you'd like, you can follow me on Pinterest! Click the button on the right-side of my blog! It's that simple. I'm an awesome pinner, so you'll regret nothing.

This Week in Michelle

A lot of super-cool blogs do something like this, so I'm going to list what's been up for the week and become super-cool.


King Charles
His EP was constantly on repeat in my car, on my laptop, and my iPod. Now he as a new album! The best song is "The Brightest Lights" (I'm currently listening to it! So good! And, it features Mumford & Sons! Triple eep!) Check it out on Myspace (I can't believe that site still exists.)

Being Curious
I'm trying to figure things out with my life. Apparently I'm at that point where I should start doing that. No fun. So, I'm doing research, listing options, having tremendous daydreams, and trying to learn anything and everything.

FINALLY submitting my passport forms
It was a headache. Let's leave it at that.

and of course...
The Royal Family

Opening night went beautifully and I'm super excited to be apart of this show.