The Pintester Movement!

There's a really funny site called The Pintester that I recently discovered (but everyone else probably knew about it lightyears before). Holla at ya, Sonja! I don't know why I said that and now I feel kind of awkward. Hmm. Awkward internet silence.

Aaaanyways, Sonja Foust, creator and writer on The Pintester, created something called The Pintester Movement which encourages people to finally break down and try that one pin from Pinterest that they've been meaning to do for ages but keep staring at longingly from afar. I signed up for it because I was bored and it seemed like a cool idea and I was feeling impulsive and I figured it would make for fun reading later. Plus Sonja Foust is really funny and provides amazing commentary, which I'm looking forward to.

Here's what I decided my challenge pin would be:

I've had it pinned for forever and kept meaning to get to it but didn't. If you link out to the instructions, it looks simple enough. The lady even let her young child do it, so I figured it couldn't be all that hard...but I was still skeptical because the internet is full of lies! No, it's not really full of lies. But this thing doesn't seem to be very well monitored so you never know if something is true or not until you try it for yourself.

So I did. I gathered an old white t-shirt that I never wear because I spilled bacon grease on the side (don't ask how that happened), my glorious collection of Sharpies, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol together to make this potential disaster happen. The instructions called for one of those wee little dropper things but I don't have one and I don't want to buy one since I've never needed one up until now. Also, I'm cheap. I figured using the tip of a paintbrush to make the alcohol drop would work just as well.

I got all the stuff together and then remembered I needed a plastic cup and a rubber band. I can only do so much at once, you guys. So I went and got those and started drawing designs on the t-shirt like the instructions said to. The small child looked like she was really into it so I thought it would be fun...or I'd inadvertently get high on Sharpie fumes. Either way, it's a win.

Yay, supplies:

(please note the dramatic lighting)

Yay, drawing designs:

After the alcohol was dropped on:

Results?

All in all I think it looks okay. The main thing is to stick with colors with similar tones and in the same hue family so you don't end up with brown blotches. I'm not sure how the 8 year old girl got her designs to spread and not show  random lines in the design like mine turned out, so if you figure that out do let me know.

So I guess this is kind of a success...it turned out like the directions said it would but I'm left somewhat unimpressed. It was kind of like seeing "The Great Gatsby" all over again because after it was all over I was left sitting in my seat thinking,"So...it's over now? That's it?" and then I walked away confused and twinged with disappointment. (FYI, the book is waaaaaaaaaaaay better than the new movie. The older movie was waaaay better than the new movie too, but not "waaaaaaaaaaay" better than the book.)

It's okay though, I got to smell Sharpies and sanitize my hands with all that rubbing alcohol simultaneously so it wasn't a waste.

The Plight of the Twentysomething Part 2

I decided my last post was stupid and whiney and a waste of a post so now I'm trying to redeem myself. It's not like I have any real problems anyway. My job has its share of problems: the stress is through the roof and the pay is awful but at least I have a job that enables me to have my own apartment and car and tasty foodstuffs. Things could definitely be worse, but it's just frustrating to feel like you're going nowhere professionally and it's easy to lose perspective (looking at you, Kardashians) of what legit hardships are.

Things will get better eventually and I'd rather struggle now and have all these experiences rather than when I'm older and too stubborn to learn anything from it. But sometimes I definitely deserve credit for managing to not be a violent psychopath, ahahaha. That was a joke, guys.

I can't believe it's almost June already. The year is almost half over! I've decided to do a review of my new year's resolutions (yes, I wrote some down. Yes, I'm lame.). Also, I don't have any finished arts or crafts to show you so I might as well do this. I put together some homemade pickles today so after they sit for a few days I'll test them and then that will be a more arty/crafty/foodie post.

Anyway, here we go:
-Be more creative- Working on it. It's more of a work in progress than a destination.
-Be healthier- working on it. I've been making serious strides to eat better and go to the gym like a boss.
-Get a new job that I enjoy and find fulfilling and like I'm contributing to something (which will lead to drinking less)- working on it.
-Broaden social circle- have definitely done and am working on broadening it even more.
-Dress better/i.e. look less hobo-esque- Meh, I'm working on it I guess. I need a new job that pays better before I can buy new clothes, har.
-Start a blog- Done!
-Be more self reliant and independent- I've definitely made strides in this area, like battling the Apartment Mouse all by myself. I won, by the way.
-Seek out new experiences- Well, I went into Forever 21 the other day. I say I owned this one.
-Make definite plans to travel to visit friends who live elsewhere- Seriously guys, get ready 'cause I'm coming for you! (Prepare fun activities (Funtivities!) Alex and MJ and Brittany and Kevin!)
-Be happier- I think I'm happier than I was a few months ago but I've learned happiness is never something you just are. It's something you have to work for and make happen along the way. Again, it's a work in progress and not a destination.
-Be more awesome- Totally owned.

I almost sound wise and like I have myself together. Psssh. Here's a picture of Birmingham at dusk from the night last April when me and my friend Kevin (he's an awesome musician by the way. Check him out!) snuck onto an apartment building's roof and ate potato chips and considered spitting down onto traffic. See, I'm really not all that wise.

The Plight of the Twentysomething

I hadn't realized a month had passed since my last entry. Such madness! Time goes by surprisingly fast when one is in the throes of a quarter-life crisis. Seriously, why is being a twentysomething so hard?? Aren't these supposed to be the "best years of our lives?"

 Maybe looking back one day they will be but right now things are just unnecessarily hard and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of having to stress about money because my big girl full time job pays pathetically little, I'm sick of constantly applying for better jobs and never hearing anything, or worse, actually getting to interview for my dream job and not getting it and I'm tired of losing people. It's like trying to claw your way out of a self-loathing stresshole of mid-twenties angst, only to fall right back down to where you started.

Should I move and try to start over? Should I remain optimistic that things won't suck forever? Who knows. I know I don't know.

I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant or pity-party but sometimes it helps to get these things out.

I don't want this to be a depressing blog, so here's a picture of me a few weeks ago (before my quarter life crisis began) owning at an Etch-A-Sketch.