Saturday, July 31, 2010

before and after

So here it is, my new hair! I'm still getting used to it, and the fact that I feel ten pounds lighter. I'm getting used to it, which is good considering I was pretty iffy about it after I left the salon. I have to keep in mind, though, that I won't be straightening it everyday, so it's not always going to look like this. Normally I just put in a bit of mousse or spray gel and let it air-dry. So, once I shower and wash my hair, then I'll see how it looks normally.

Friday, July 30, 2010

ch-ch-changes


See all this hair? In a matter of a few short hours, it will be gone. I'm cutting it all off, finally! I've found a haircut I really like, and am going to donate the majority of it to the Locks of Love program. Then afterwards, it's shopping for clothes and necessities for Michigan with my mom and sister!

It's just a quick-update, photos will be up in the next few days of the new 'do.

Friday, July 23, 2010

nerd alert,


Let the Right One In, movie poster and book cover, respectively. (I posted the Swedish book cover rather than the English one because I like it more. It's more interesting looking, I think)

Finally read the book
and watched the movie! I would definitely suggest both, they are amazingly amazing. If I were talented at writing critiques, I would. But, with my writing/critiquing abilities being how they are, it would just turn out like this: "OMG IT WUZ SO GOOD!!!!1!!!111!!!one!! <3" Clearly eloquent. But seriously, they were both wonderful. My only complaint is that I wish the movie included Eli's background. It was very briefly hinted at, but nothing more. I don't think it detracted from the film, though. But that was something I was hoping to see (I always liked flashbacks/back-stories). Oh, and the whole Hakan plot was sort of chopped out, as well. I didn't mind that so much, though.

Anyways, just a quick blog update, nothing new happening. I did clean the house and cook, though, which I consider to be a feat of no small means.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

in which Catherine likes to play dress-up




I just joined lookbook! Feel free to friend/add me, or whatever it is you do on there.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The District

I recently went to DC for the first time in about five years. It was a little strange to be back and get my bearings and everything. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't blazing hot - 100+ degrees all day, brutal sunshine, and humidity that was so thick, you could probably swim in it. I had sweat rolling off of me and must have drank three gallons of water every couple hours. Oh boy, the mid-Atlantic is a lot warmer than I remember. But hey, at least I'm tanning again! After being in Germany for so long, I thought I was incapable of any skin tone other than white.


Thursday, July 15, 2010

checking in

I've finished Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, and it was pretty good. A little slow at times, but I liked the story, in the end. I've moved onto Let Me In (Lindqvist), and I'm pretty sure that one will be quite good. Other than that, I have been completely useless. But that is precisely what summer vacation is for, right? Right!

Speaking of vacations, I'm set to visit my family in Michigan this August! I'm really excited, these trips have been the highlight of my summers since I was a kid! All my mom's siblings and their families all travel down and stay in my grandparent's tiny rancher outside of Detroit. We're cramped and usually despise each other by day three, but we love it all the same. It's just so much fun, with all the delicious food (Arabic food is by far my favorite) my aunties and grandma make, the family gatherings (which typically consist of about 40 or so people), the adventures we go on, continuing our tradition of having a massive picnic/barbeque at Lake Eerie while all the kids go swim in the wave-pool and play on the grounds - the list could continue on forever. But I've got so many wonderful memories there, and I'm happy to go back! After all, I haven't spent a summer in Michigan since 2007, I believe.

Anyways, to keep this from being a massive text post, here I am camera-whoring in Target.

And I actually did buy the pair of shoes in the box under my arm. White canvas lace-up's, which I plan on decorating with a punch of sharpies later, for $9.00 is not too shabby of a deal.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

summer reading

I've always enjoyed reading, even as a kid. I remember plenty of times in the summer, there were days where I'd prefer to stay inside and read than go out and play with all the neighborhood kids. I was even banned from reading when I got in trouble, as punishment. I don't know what it is, but something about having a book you really enjoy and just immersing yourself in it has always been something of a haven for me. You know how some people have a sort of secret-spot or place they go to, and it's all their own? That's how I am when it comes to reading, I suppose. It's my personal hideaway whenever I need it.

Since I've begun University, however, I've been reading a lot less, tragically enough. All the schoolwork and distractions, as well as moving here and taking a while to get accustomed to the library itself has kept me away from my beloved books for far too long. And I couldn't go back and read personal favorites I own either, since I couldn't find the box they were packed up in for the longest time. But all that's over now - I've found and unpacked all my books, bought a few new ones, and have made a few successful trips to the library! Here's my most recent catch:

From Bottom to Top:
- Let Me In, John Ajvide Lingqvist

-
The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer
- Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

Thursday, July 8, 2010

I won't try to mask my pain

I'm so sad that Germany didn't make it into the final. Oh, how lovely it would have been to see them play and win the cup! I have to admit, I was so excited (and very nervous) before the game, just take a look at this photo:

I was all pumped and ready for Germany to destroy Spain. And then the game happened. I was just so sad. But I love that team so much, and I will continue to do so. I'm so very proud of them for getting this far when no one expected them to, and I'm going to cheer for them just as hard when they play Uruguay for 3rd place!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

sweet deal,

If there is one thing you must know about me, I'm a spend-thrift. To the extreme. So when I saw this goose-down comforter at IKEA, I knew I had to get it. It was marked down from $200 to $40. That is what I call one very sweet deal.
It's minorly beaten-up - a torn off tag, partially opened, etc... - but I don't mind! Especially not at that price, :)

After walking around all the displays in IKEA yesterday and looking through the catalog this afternoon, I'm strangely antsy about decorating my future apartment (whenever I get one, that is). Does that happen to you guys, as well? All the little gears in my head start cranking and I can't help but think about color schemes and styles and paint and furniture. The same thing happens to me after I watch wedding shows (I really only watch one wedding show, Say Yes to the Dress on TLC. I really shouldn't be allowed to, it makes me crazy). Hah, it's rather strange, isn't it?

Happy Fourth of July!


Hope everyone has a lovely Fourth! I'll definitely be enjoying the barbeque and sunny weather today. And the fireworks, of course! But I'll probably be covering my ears most of the time for those, :P

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Shorts, I'm gonna wear you forever

I am really into these grandpa-style linen shorts I bought recently! I'll definitely be using these quite a bit this summer. They're so light and at a rather decent/modest length, which I like a lot. While I know pants-shopping isn't generally a pleasant experience for anyone, I always have such difficulties when it comes to finding pants/shorts/bottoms that fit! (Having an ass is definitely not beneficial in that sense. Actually, I don't really see it being beneficial in any other sense, :P) So I was really glad that these are nice and loose and only need to fit my waist. Anyways, here's a photo, but please excuse the horrible camera flash, as well as the wrinkles.


shorts from Forever21, $19.80

Auf Geht's Deutschland!

I am so unbelievably proud of the lovely, lovely German national team! They performed beautifully at today's game against Argentina and ended with a score of 4-0. So, in honor of this wonderful victory, here are a few photos of the Mannschaft:






Friday, July 2, 2010

ah, sweet success!

I don't claim to be any kind of talented when it comes to HTML, CSS, or whatever other acronyms that have to do with designing stuff on the computer. But I feel terribly proud of myself for this meager blog layout that I've managed to get, and partially customize. OH AND LOOK AT THAT HEADER, AIN'T SHE A BEAUT?

Yeah, I really just wanted to brag about the header I made...

summertime, time, time

So Katelyn and I had a lovely time hanging out these past few days! It was basically the epitome of summertime - swimming, eating ice cream, watching movies, chilling out on the porch under the big umbrella, talking about everything, reminiscing/being nostalgic, laughing at funny internet things, prank-calling people we know, etc... It was fun, fun, fun! And we'll be going to Busch Gardens in a few weeks with a couple other friends from high school that are in the D.C. area, as well. The specifics are yet to be settled. We were originally going to have it this coming week, but that didn't work out because Katelyn has Chemo this week and I've got family from oversees coming to visit! We'll figure it out, eventually! :P And now, for some photo-documentation of the Katelyn and I's adventures:



We missed out on the typical American shopping experiences in high school, so we're unleashing our immature high-school selves at Barnes&Noble.

Exhibit A

We were strangely enamored with the children's story corner...

I have the maturity of a bucket.