Yesterday I went into the ocean for the first time this year. It was chilly and a shock to the system, but I love those quick, freezing dips. I usually go into the ocean in early March with my friend Liz, but this year school got in the way and I didn't get to go until yesterday.
I've been so unhappy lately. What delicious, temporary, and inexplicable joy getting back into nature, if only for 2 minutes, can bring.

-Camille

MAC is launching a collaboration with Disney in September, called Venomous Villains, and the products are only supposed to be from $12 to $30. I am excited.
http://www.maccosmetics.com/vv_landing/index.tmpl

-Karen

Today I played with my kittens, saw my mommy, bought new pillows, went to the thrift store and found three great things (which you will see on Friday), and then I came home to my apartment and my Daria DVDs and a belated birthday gift were on the steps. I know you told me not to, but I couldn't resist because I have terrible willpower, and there's no stopping me. But I am super happy. And when you get here on Friday you can watch them with me if you would like.


-Karen

Does this look disgusting or wonderful? Because it was WONDERFUL and also what I ate for dinner 2/7 nights a week this year. Spinach + onions + quinoa.
Also, check out the stains I introduced to my roommate's rug. :)

The night I got back to Bellport, we made this. Paulina and Brian made stinging nettle-arugula-shiitake ravioli and I made tomato sauce and a blueberry almond cake and it was absolute heaven.

On Saturday night, Paulina and I drank gin and went on chatroulette. We showed people our mouths full of candy and not our tits. Then, after 3 hours of sleep, I woke up at 8 to drive an hour to some gallery in Nassau and help take down my mother's show. I smelled like horrors and looked worse but I appeared to all to be a good person and I think my karma points increased a little bit.
Also, I secretly thought to myself the entire time "see, now I can properly marry an artist because I know the ins and outs of the artist lifestyle. I am fully equipped to support them in all their creative endeavors, I've got the brawn to help them hang/unhang shows, and I am a decent schmoozer when in the right mood. The perfect artist's companion." Everything I think and do is related to marriage and babies and love and my own happiness. Camille's selfish utilitarian way of life.
and a p.s.
I have been in love with one person in my whole entire life and he invited me today to his wedding celebration. It'll be taking place in July in Bern. There were only 100 other people invited. Of the 50 people he chose to invite, I was one of them. Is this ultra-flattering or ultra-insulting, considering that 5 months ago he was my partner; his now-wife is the woman he left me for; and, most of all, considering that I still think about him constantly, cry over him, and am generally less fun to be around because of my inability to get over his dazzling self?
I don't know if the invite was out of pity or meanness, but either way
bummer, man.

-Camille

flowers, cubanos, abandoned dolls

-Karen

Lists

surprising things that my super Chinese relatives have enjoyed since coming to the states:
-marshmallows

things which I am excited for because of summer:
-coconut scented shampoo
-all my favorite street foods in Chinatown
-watching television shows all the way through on netflix
-persimmons

strange Korean things which are showing up in my house
-flat noodles
olive oil body wash
'hot spicy sauce for noodle', made specifically for Korean Air(lines).

-Karen

I had a really fun weekend with my family. We went out to eat twice in one day, once for dim sum and then for dinner, and then earlier today my mom made a huge dinner before heading back. She taught me how to make tapioca pudding with coconut milk and mango, which is the best, most summery, delicious, heavenly, ambrosia-like dessert ever. I dream about it all year.
And she shared some of her home remedies for cramps, massaged my hands with her crazy voodoo when I had a headache, and made hilarious fat people jokes. I had mangosteen for the first time, which my mother informs me is the queen of fruits, and durian is the king. The bag of them came out to almost twenty dollars. I love it when my mom splurges on food because it means she's relaxed



Also I'd just like to point out how similar our facial expressions are. Doesn't my mom look like a mafia boss?

I'd also like to say that, in an unprecedented show of kindness, my mom gave money to a subway saxophonist. The softer side of my mother is really quite adorable.

-Karen

Today is Mother's Day, which I was going to pretend to have forgotten until last night. When I showed up to babysit my baby her father said "Can you tell Camille who we're seeing tomorrow? That's right- we're seeing EVERYBODY! Papa and Nana, Grandma and Grandpa, both your aunt Jennys, and of course your own Mama" and I was thinking, "hm, why dat" and then he said "for Mother's Day!"
Of course. To some people, it's a real big deal.
So I was thinking about it in the library, whether to send off a "Happy Mother's Day!" email, and started thinking about my dad's mother, who raised Paulina and me until my parents bought their own house (when I was about 5? 6?). And I wrote her an email that sort of scraped the surface, but didn't do any justice to the emotions I hope to someday express to her.
Everything that I am, it is because of her. All of my thrifty, hard-working, patient, and assertive qualities come from her. She taught me how to knit, how to pick berries, how to appreciate birds and wild flora, how to reuse reuse reuse and recycle, how to get what I want (how to not beat around the bush), how to use a hammer/iron/gardening-shears/KNIFE, how to break into houses, and how to steam open envelopes so you can be a sneak. I love her more than anyone could know and I am so grateful that I had such a gorgeous, strong, tough woman in my life. If I grow up to be exactly like her, even with her negative qualities, boy would I be happy.
PS I'm on my own computer at school, so I only have the few photos saved here to choose from. I'll probably upload more later, because I know you are just DYING to see more pictures of my Gma Joan, Karen.

-Camille

Yesterday I was stressed, to say the least. I had one final from 9am-12pm, and then another from 12.30pm-4pm. And they were unbelievably difficult to study for.
The stress has now subsided, thankfully. I was shaking yesterday: there's no way that it could NOT have eased up, because I certainly would be dead by now.

So I'm opening up my books, starting to study for Monday's climate systems final when I see this:
These are the only notes I've taken for this class since the midterm. Because that was the only lecture I showed up to. Fantastisch.
I remember this class. I remember being sad that I kept making these enormous conglomerate berries with an unaesthetically-appealing number of drupulets. That's what I remember.

-Camille

re:

Pee Wee's Big Adventure - Breakfast Machine - Free videos are just a click away

-Camille

I just listened to a podcast with Ok Go which described this Rube Goldberg machine, and then I had to see it. It's really cool.

-Karen

Dear Stress,

Thank you for not being with me right now. I really appreciate it, although my grades would surely be higher if you popped in from time to time.

love,
Camille


-Camille

My mom's roses

-Karen

I'm typing from the library because this really seems to be the only place that I have the willpower to do work. Finals week is making me disintegrate. My grandma has been with me in the apartment for the last week or so, which means that I've lapsed into relying on her to make dinner, and also napping every time she naps, which is often. She is like a cat.
Every time I have some real work to do, I wander over to Cyndy's side of the apartment and we dawdle together. It is bad. Then we go food shopping and make lunch just so we don't have to do homework which we really really do.
This weekend I went up to the Bronx for Spring Weekend, and it was so hot that I almost stroked out. Also, had the millionth missed connection with someone I've had a crush on since Freshman year. Why do things get dangled in front of me like that?

-Karen