I Need a Hero

I saw this sign and thought maybe I needed to be rescued so I stood underneath it and waited and waited to see what would happen.

No one ever came for me.

I guess finals are my fate, then.

On a side note, Marcia's gotten really into portraiture recently:

Brittany Loves Engineering.

Also, she gave me this adora-bleh keychain, called a dooKey. However, I prefer to think of him as ice cream. My little hipster ice cream.

SlapHappy

Um, so it's finals. And I think everything is hilarious right now. I'd like to say it's because I'm sleep-deprived, but, in reality, I tend to operate fairly well on four hours of sleep a night. Perhaps I'm just a slap-happy kinda person.

Anyways.

I laughed.

1. Professor B. read us his old class evaluations. He picked three glorious golden reviews (seriously - someone was kissing MAJOR bippy), and then, out of false modesty, read one horrible  review. So...he saved class evaluations from years ago (these were handwritten, and evals have been online for quite some time)...and then brought them to class to read to us. Okay. Sure.

2. I found this in the parking lot in my complex:

 Why would someone put grass on a truck? Is this a redneck thing?

3. Things David says: 

           "David, is she hot?" 

            David: "She looks like a respectable member of society." 

David - what does that even mean.

            David: "www.getonmylevel.com"

David - I will be using this.

4. Ok - so this is hilarious. This week we all presented our simulations projects. Essentially - we all had to collect data by observing the processes within a system and then model the system in Arena. My group's was pretty straight-forward - we modeled the Best Buy Customer Service Queue. However - one group wanted to model the Auto-Bell car-washing process. And one of the boys began the presentation in this manner:

"So - if you want to collect data from an establishment, you should probably get their permission first. Otherwise, they do  have the right to kick you out. And if you try and collect data while standing across the street, they do have the right to call the authorities."

Haha - I bet my instructor about choked.

5. Our library has a HUGE display about the 4-H (club? society? cult?). I don't know why. I don't know that too many students particularly care about 4-H...or do they? Do you? 

Moving on - there's this little guest book where people sign and talk about how much the display means to them. I was procrastinating instead of studying and decided to read the riveting things people wrote, which include:

"Your library looks like a cruise ship." It's true. It does.

And this:

 QC wants to get a girlfriend. Best of luck, QC. Perhaps using proper grammar would be a step in the right direction.

-------------------------------------

Also: CHECK IT

Made a wheel rim.

I'd like to see a Computer Engineer do THAT (Natesworth).

As you can see, it cast really poorly. Our design wasn't ideal...and if you'd like to know more about that, you can read the 18-pg report Carrie and I wrote. 

Nothing came out - the spokes, the bottom hole. It took FOREVER to freaking pocket mill the bottom out.

But after over twelve hours in the lab and lots of machining, we got it looking like this:

Sweet, right? Sort of?  A little bit??

I'm picking manufacturing. I like it a lot.

-bRob

Hipster Nonsense

I love indie, singer-songwriter, alternative music. I really do. Throw in a banjo or a ukelele and you've won me - heart and soul. But I absolutely balk at the idea of sitting through weird awkward concerts in pretentious coffee shops/bistros or dirty warehouses, and I just don't have it in me to fork over the money I am currently not earning to go to some over-priced crowded music festival held in a muddy field that reeks of marijuana and outhouses and hippy-dom.

In the words of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, that's just "hipster nonsense!" (I tried really hard to find a clip of this on youtube, but apparently no one else thought it was as hysterical as I did.)

Surprisingly, however, commercials have come  a long away in the past decade and are now featuring a lot of singer-songwriter music.Cause I love you, InterWebs, Imma hook you up and list some of the cooler commercials. PS - I can't take credit for all of this  - some friends have shown me some of this stuff as well. 

You've probably heard this song before:

artist: Joe Purdy

song: Can't Get it Right Today

This one is my all-time favorite. Heads up, future hubster: you should learn how to play this on the guitar and sing it to me when you propose. That's not ridiculous, is it?

artist: Kyle Andrews

song: You Always Make Me Smile

While this isn't my favorite song here, it is really great, and this is  my favorite commercial. Oh my goodness it's so adorable.

artist: M.Ward

song: Here Comes the Sun Again

artists: Daniel Johnson and Brie Stoner

song: Don't Fence Me In

too sweet.

artist: Jesse Harris

song: The Secret Sun

I know you know this one.

artist: Amos Lee

song: Sweet Pea

artist: Joe Purdy

song: Wash Away

Ok I lied. THIS may be my favorite. Sorry - I couldn't find the original commercial.

artist: Basia Bulat

song: Before I Knew

Subaru has the winningest commercials. I would buy a subaru.  =)

Television shows are getting better soundtracks now, too...have you noticed that? While some continue to play "Sweet Home Alabama" and Katy Perry's "Firework" on loop, a lot of television shows are playing crazy cool artists. Grey's Anatomy soundtracks (freaturing artists like Brandi Carlile and Joe Purdy and KT Tunstall) are always really bomb, and Scrubs was decent, too, before it went and got cancelled (I'm still hurting about that one).

Anyways - what did I miss? Have you heard any other good music on the tube recently?

-bRob

being honest

 When I sat down today for my usual procrastination blog, this wasn't what I had planned on posting. It just kind of came out.

I had a really strange experience today. I had to present my term project for this graduate course I'm in, and I went in feeling marginally confident. And then I saw everyone else's work. It was ten times better, seven times more functional, and 22.3 times cooler. Ok, it wasn't actually cool. We had to grade each others' projects, and I about gave one group a really bad score just because I was hungry and they kept talking on and on and I'd lost interest 2 minutes into their presentation. Anyways - as I watched all these project demonstrations far more elegant than mine, I started schlunking way down in my seat. I'm not used to bottoming out.

And then I began to feel self-conscious...but truth be told, it wasn't just about my project. Out of a class of about 25, I am one of three girls. Out of a class of 25, I am one of three American students. Out of a class of about 25, I am the only American girl. 

Never before have I felt so self-conscious about being American and female. I'm used to being the oddball female in an engineering class. And generally I play it up and go all, "anything he can do I can do better because I'm high on flower power!" or something.

But I suddenly began to wonder if everyone would think I'm stupid because I'm American. Would anyone take me seriously? I was even wearing a skirt. Did they judge me for that? I am also the youngest student in the class. And the thing of it is, maybe I wouldn't have felt so self-conscious if I'd had a flashier project.

But ... why did I feel the need to validate my nationality and gender and age by having the sweetest project in the class? And what does it mean that I failed? And since when have stereotypes affected my self-image?


a little brutal bit of truth: I want to be the best. Especially because I'm a girl in a sea full of boys. Especially when I'm the one outsider in the class.  If that's the case, I feel like I have to fight that much harder. To prove something. To whom? To myself? To everyone else?

How broken is that? 

I think it must hurt God when I start to try and "prove" myself. I don't know much about kid-lings, but I guess, if  imagined having my own little daughter, it would hurt me a lot to know that she saw herself in that way: as if she had to prove herself. As if she needed to be better than what she is by performing well. And I think I would probably throw myself at her feet and beg her to stop because she never needs to do that and she is loved whether or not she ever does anything great or perfect or awful.

And knowing the little I know about God, I am pretty sure He wants me to know the same thing.

 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
   so great is His love for those who fear Him;
      as far as the east is from the west,
   so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  

As a father has compassion on his children,
   so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

 

-Psalm 103: 12 - 13

 



-bRob
 

Redemption

Luke 23:54-62
Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the  house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.

After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him said, "This man was with Him too."

But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."

A little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"

After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, "Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too."

But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

The Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the world of the Lord, knowing He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." 


And he went out and wept bitterly.


John 21:15-17 [Jesus has been resurrected]


So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend my lambs."

He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep."

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend my Sheep."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know how to say anything worthy of commemorating the Lord's resurrection. I pray for humility to understand how desperately I need Him, His death, and His conquering of our sins.

So instead I share with you this beautiful redemption. For each time Peter denied Him, Jesus gave Peter the chance to speak his love. And He didn't do it to get an apology, He did it for Peter. He loved Peter and wanted to heal him and forgive him. This perfect example of forgiveness and love melts me.

Jesus does that. He takes our broken selves, forgives each and every one of our messy sins, and calls us to join His kingdom. Despite our denials, mistakes, and brokenness, He wants us to join Him. He came that all might be saved.

This, then, is love.

John 15:13
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

-bRob

Museums

Calder, National Gallery of Art

I hated museums growing up. Oh good heavens how I hated them. And my mom would drag me to history museums, and my dad would drag me to science and aerospace museums. [this next sentence will sound cool if you read it with a british accent] Sorry, mummy and daddy, but I couldn't stand those museums. It was almost as terrible as my mom taking me to the zoo on the free day they had every summer. I figured the zoo was pretty much the most miserable place ever. All that walking, all those lame animals sleeping, and all that...hot. I only liked the puffin exhibit. The puffins were the zoo's only redeeming quality.

However, I kind of found my museum niche with art museums...especially modern art museums. I took A.P. art history in high school. I like to remind my family and friends of that any time we go anywhere.  After all, a one-eyed man in  a village of blind people is king. For five minutes, I actually wanted to be an art history major. Anyways - I never thought I could enjoy modern art. It isn't so easy to follow, and a lot of it is straight-up weird. But I really love it. It's bold and bright and makes a statement. Though 99% of the time, I don't know what that statement is.

But I'm really just writing this so I can share with you Molly's take on museums:

"Gah you sound like my mother. My parents love museums. No, literally. Anything with the word museum on it. One time, we were driving to the mountains, and we HAD to stop to go to a rock museum. And I was like, 'Well, I like rock music. Ok.' But no. It was chunks ...of rock. And then my parents got a pamphlet and kept talking about it."


-bRob

PS. I am grateful my parents did things with me, like museum-ing. Honest. I still don't like 80% of all museums, though.

TechniColor: Color Thirsty

Judging by the bold colors peppering this post, I would say my soul is color-starved. And also, I'm in love with open spaces and converted living spaces.

St. Jakobus Church in the Netherlands has been converted to a modern residence by Zecc Architects. And I am loving it - the juxtaposition of the personality of a house and the austerity of a church.

via toxel

"True justice  is a banana peeling a human."

-on-campus grafitti 

what does this mean?

Read more at 24Flinching

Artist Jason de Caires Taylor submerges his sculptures in a Mexican underwater museum.

via apartmenttherapy
source: Domino Magazine

incredible.

via bumbumbum

Pedro Campos painted these hyper-realistic images. Painted. Oil on canvas. 
awe-struck?

Highly Trusting People Better Lie Detectors
I don't think I believe it.

via apartmenttherapy

A pretty trendy DIY mirror tutorial. If you have it in you. I'm going to marry someone really handy who can make all this stuff for me.

Anthropologie

Rich and vibrant. Oh, Anthropologie. I can't afford you and it makes my heart hurt. Like, the opposite of heart bubbles. Not being able to afford Anthropologie is like acid reflux-induced heartburn.

A mad tea party with alis

Julia

Airy outdoor spaces via apartment therapy.

I don't like this miniature library. It hurts my feelings. Books are for reading. Not....shrinking.

via contemporist
source:  Velichko Velikov.



via a mad tea party with alis
source: Alexandra Angle Design

Last Two Speakers of a Dying Language Refuse to Talk to Each Another
I don't know if this is heartbreaking or straight-up dumb.

Is symmetry as beautiful as we think it is? Read about Julian Wolkenstein's picture series.

"The Kiss" via apartment therapy
source: inaluxe's etsy shop

Did you honestly think I would leave you without a weekly addiction?
Create your own snowflake.

Architect: Ricardo Bofill

 "A former Cement Factory is now the workspace and residence of Ricardo Bofill" via yatzer. As you know, this is just the sort of thing I go crazy about.

I saw this girl on the bus today. She was holding an unopened box carrying what I assumed to be one of the world's best cupcakes, judging by  the logo of my favorite cupcake shop emblazoned across the top. Being raised by a father with an underutilized sense of shame and a gregarious personality (and a mother, too), I finally asked her what kind of cupcake she had gotten. She told me she hadn't picked it out. She had been dumped on Monday, and her friend bought her a cupcake. I assured her it would be a wonderful cupcake, and while breakups are terrible and terrifying, the cupcake might help a little, because it is awfully good. She smiled a big, beautiful smile and told me it was chocolate, with chocolate icing, sprinkled with chocolate chips.

Sometimes this world is a special place.

-bRob

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.- Thomas Chisholm

A Lifetime Supply of Bread

Give us this day our daily bread.

via Replacements, Ltd.

I'm guessing you know that this is from the Bible. In fact, since most of my readers are friends who got bored on facebook and accidentally clicked on the link landing here, you're probably definitely from the Bible belt. Which means that you have The Lord's Prayer either cross-stitched on a pillow or next to a picture of a little blonde-haired androgynous Precious Moments toddler kneeling beside a bed on a ceramic picture frame.

.

But I think we often miss the significance of this prayer because we've heard it so much. Context: The disciples ask Jesus how to teach them how to pray, and Jesus absolutely rocks their world with a lot of the stuff that goes down in the Lord's Prayer. But for now, I want us to really think about what it means to pray for daily bread.

It's easy to become overwhelmed and daunted by the road that lies before us. Especially when I'm struggling - all I can think about is how hard things will be in the future. How I might fail again. How much it's going to hurt if this or that happens.

Truth be told, sometimes it's all one can do to get through today; tomorrow's too much to think about.

So instead of worrying about tomorrow's failures/blessings/struggles/heartbreaks/challenges, focus on today.   No one ever prays for a lifetime supply of bread. You know why? Because that's not what Jesus tells us to do - He prayed for daily bread - just enough to get through this day.

And this isn't just New Testament stuff. It's pretty Old School too. Go check out Exodus 16. God literally rained down food from heaven for His Israelites. Every morning they would go gather enough for that day. However, when they began to get greedy, when they began to worry about tomorrow's portion, when they began to overgather - the food spoiled and was garnished with maggots.

Get it? The God who provided for you today, will He not provide for you tomorrow? Do not worry about tomorrow, for each day has enough goin' on. (Matthew 6:34 - bRob parahprase). That's part of faith.

You may not know how you're going to handle something in the future. You may be scared as all get-out about what comes next. Maybe you barely have the strength to deal with your current situation. But the Lord's made it clear that for right now, you just need to get through today.

Pray for the strength, grace, and courage for this day's trials. And do it again tomorrow. And that's how we'll get through - not by freaking out about the future, but by glorifying God in how we handle today.


I can't decide whether or not taking it one day at a time is a relief or a challenge. I think it's both.

-bRob

The Carpenters were right about Mondays

Today was Monday. Today developed character. Today tried my patience.

{Whinefest: someone was in my secret bathroom today. That is MY bathroom. It was extremely unnerving, and me and my potty-shy self go out of my way to find the perfect isolated bathroom. Only on a Monday would this happen...)

On another note, would anyone like to hire an adorable (?)  industrial engineer for part-time work next year?

I have lots of skills including but not limited to:

-eating like a full grown man.

-typing a lot of words per minute. By my estimate, a billion, give or take some.

 -blogging with mostly excellent grammar.

- giving terribly mean glares. If you for whatever reason need a glower-er, I'm your girl. I glower and give snobby looks all the time.

Instead of being glum about how awful Mondays are, let's look at everything that went well today!

1. I ate a cheeseburger, fries, and diet coke. And my sweet combo came with FREE strawberry ice cream! And as we all know, calories count half on stressful days, and then half again on Mondays. I had cheeseburger/fries/ice cream for one fourth the normal tax on my health.

It was almost like eating a salad... a very juicy, flavorful salad.

2. I operated a lathe all by myself. While this did not make my day less stressful, it does make me feel very accomplished and strong. And I have a feeling you're probably a little bit impressed, InterWebs.

3. Ok - this is yesterday's news, but I discovered the beauty of a soy latte. Caffeine with soy is pretty delish.

All it takes is good food to make me feel better, apparently.

4. I bought this song (that's right...I download my music legally. Mostly because I feel better about it, partially because I don't know where to download it illegally. I'm still a little overwhelmed by the shadier side of the InterWebs).

Long Walk to Never

"And the long walk to never surely takes forever and ever."

5. My parents agreed to take me on Easter vacation. Mostly they don't take me with them on vacations anymore. For the past two summers I was in summer school...which is kind of like vacation...except for all of the schoolwork and not being anywhere cool and not doing anything fun.

PS - would anyone like to pet-sit some adorable rats?

Look at this li'l nugget! He's so sweet!

oh good heavens. i've turned into one of those people.

6. The lab man, Dan, whom I *may* have rolled my eyes and huffed at last week in a moment lacking grace and Christianliness, helped me with stuff. I would like to think we kind of became not enemies today, if not even almost friends.

I wish I had a picture of Dan. That would absolutely make this post. 

-------------------------------------------------------

Encouragement

"You love your God and Savior because He first loved you. The time will come when the character of your love will become changed into one which sees and feels the beauty and perfection of its object; and if you could be assured that He no longer looked on you with favor, you would still cling to Him with devoted affection." 

- E. Prentiss

-bRob

Sometimes...

Some days require more encouragement than others.

Encouragement

The LORD is near the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

-bRob

Isaiah 43

Encouragement

Postcard from Ashley, picture of downtown Greenville, SC



When you pass through waters, I will be with you;
and through rivers, they will not overflow you
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, 
Nor will the flame burn you.

Isaiah 43:2

-bRob

Entirely

I don't like a lot of poetry (or any, for that matter)....which is probably why I bailed on a liberal arts degree. However, this poem is special. 

If we could get the hang of it entirely

   It would take too long;

All we know is the splash of words in passing   

   And falling twigs of song,

And when we try to eavesdrop on the great   

   Presences it is rarely

That by a stroke of luck we can appropriate   

   Even a phrase entirely.

If we could find our happiness entirely

   In somebody else’s arms

We should not fear the spears of the spring nor the city’s

   Yammering fire alarms

But, as it is, the spears each year go through

   Our flesh and almost hourly   

Bell or siren banishes the blue   

   Eyes of Love entirely.

And if the world were black or white entirely

   And all the charts were plain

Instead of a mad weir of tigerish waters,

   A prism of delight and pain,

We might be surer where we wished to go   

   Or again we might be merely

Bored but in brute reality there is no

Road that is right entirely.

-Louis MacNeice

Technicolor: Music, Lights, Fairy Tales, Design

My week in links, pictures, and articles. Except my week looked a whole lot more like the inside of a library and lots of economics, circuits, and manufacturing. But I'll spare you those pictures.

enjoy, InterWebs.

Suggested listening while you read : 

I can never get enough Ingrid.

---------------------------------------

via Unstitched

Isn't that gorgeous? The lovely Lillian of Unstitched and talented Danni of Oh, Hello Friend took their boys and put together this beautiful table for a rooftop date night in Mexico. Lillian was kind enough to share her photos with us, InterWebs!

This sweet setup leaves me speechless. I would SO eat just about anything at that table.

Read the article about this single person submarine. Maybe I should trade in my jet-pack...

OH MY GOODNESS. I am begging you to go read this note and other ridiculous Notes from Chris. They absolutely slay me.






via Lovely Package

Yunyeen Yong designed these colorful juice boxes. A) I want kiwi juice, B) These are bomb. If they had had these around when I was a kid, CapriSun would've been toast. 

via PostSecret

That's what I always tell myself, too! [because otherwise nasty road-rage bRob comes out...and no one wants that,]

The Ten Most Revealing Psych Experiments
Interesting.

via Alyssa @ mymodernmet

Artist: Matt Sartain

The dream-like photographs are part of a dynamic series entitled Misadventures.  Don't they make you want to go exploring? Go visit Matt Sartain's website to view more, and learn how the photo above was compiled at Mr. Sartain's blog. 

Each one of his photographs feels like its own fairytale, no? 

Your Weekly Addiction

I love passing on little InterWeb addictions =)

this tiny house (i think my new favorite blog!)

ellmania

I am such a fan of twinkle lights above a bed. They are so sweet. Fun fact: I plan on having twinkle lights at my wedding. I think. Pics via apartment therapy.

...And speaking of lights:

Check out these beautiful and modern lights. I wanted to post a picture, but I couldn't figure out how...It's ok. I trust that you're curious enough to go check out Bocci's incredible lights on your own.

...And speaking of lights...again...

via this tiny house
source Kara Paslay Designs

This is pretty amazing. Apparently, in theory, this is a DIY project. I don't imagine I could ever really create this chandelier without a lot of injury, sparks, and property damages.

"There was so much in you that charmed me that I felt I must tell you something about yourself. I thought how tragic it would be if you were wasted." 

-Oscar Wilde

via Refinery29

Would you be able to live here??

via apartment therapy

Another creative use of small space. In case you haven't noticed, living in small, tiny spaces is the new megaTrend. It's greener and cheaper and, honestly, cuter. How fun is that lofted bed?

via apartment therapy

While minimalism is far from my aesthetic (does clutter count as a design aesthetic?), I think we can all agree this is a pretty cool setup. 








10 Stylish PC Home Offices Without An Apple in Sight
Because I'm on a vendetta against macs.
[at least until I can afford one...]

I'm pretty sure working at InventionLand would drive me bonkers. What a wacky and creative work environment... I couldn't handle it. Read the article at mymodernmet.

via toxel

Sarah Jane Williams

---------------------------------------------
Encouragement

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

1 Cor 13:12

-bRob