valentine's

so it's the first "alone" in a few years, but I'm actually looking forward to valentine's day this year. Tomorrow my friends and I are getting dressed up (yes, actually) in celebration of V day to bake cupcakes and drink wine & champagne together. I got a package from my mom the other day and she sent my cupcake liners and boxes as my valentine, which will enable me to financially be able to make cupcake valentines for all of my friends, which i'm really looking forward to doing. i love my friends here and i've recently realized how quickly time goes...i don't want to take any moment for granted because it's really likely that life will take us into very different places as soon as next year (several friends are looking to leave SAIC because of financial issues, some of us may be RAs whereas most will move all over chicago into different apartments, some are even thinking of taking a leave of absence to travel). I have always been very good at adaptation, but sometimes it's very easy to get nostalgia for the present when things are so great now and i'm aware that the future could be vastly different.

i had my RA interview this past weekend and i'll know whether or not i've become a part of reslife on february 22. my group interview was absolutely fabulous. members of my group, when prompted about who in the group was a leader, pointed to me when i didn't see it in myself, and that felt really great. my one-on-one (or really two-to-one)interview could really go either way. i could tell that a lot of what i said was the "right" answer by the reactions of my two interviewers, but i was incredibly nervous, almost to the point of crying at times (and then, of course, i felt stupid for crying and was yelling at myself in my head about it, which only made me want to cry more). I think my interviewer could tell, because at times she would draw me off on tangents to the conversation about what music I like and telling me about funny posters that related to a comment I made about my RA. Which helped, a lot. I guess I really can't feel bad if I don't make it (there were literally 75+ people who interviewed, and only 15 spots are available) but I would really, really, REALLY love to be an RA. It's a stressful job, but it takes off the stress of 1.) finding housing and 2.) finding a job. And it's a developmental experience, which is what I want from college. I want to be better than I am when I leave here. Some pros to being rejected: housing with friends (likely alea). GITSY BABY IN CHITOWN <3. visitors without limit. job opportunities (neighborhoods = more small businesses in need of help). incense! parties! music! what the fuck ever! studio space! being able to make encaustic works in my own studio! etc, etc.

~~~

things are good here. stressful, but good. katie and i are having a few bumps (she hates my alarm clock, i hate that she doesn't wash her toothpaste spit out of the sink after brushing her teeth, we are both messy and don't like doing dishes) but it's much better than how forced things were with sarah. i'm creating artwork that i adore and that is compelling. i'm working on setting up an etsy shop and selling at a local store (wolfbait & b-girls) as soon as I decide what exactly i'd like to sell. i've been making sketches for future projects and living a generally very happy, quiet life. things are a bit lonely, i guess, but in general everything is looking up. i've been talking to my mom a lot more, which has been good. it's weird to think that i've only been back here 3 weeks; it already feels as though i never left. which is nice. it's as though i have completely separate lives in chicago and evansville.

anyways, i've been writing this during my art history survey & i'm sure i've missed lots of important things about 20th century architecture