Amanda

A few months ago my roommates and i decided to get some friends together and have a garden party. With the help of everyone, we built two raised beds, which we planted various vegetables in. Some include: kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, carrots and onions. Along with some herbs: parsley, oregano & cilantro.

Everything is nearly done and its so exciting. We harvested some kale a few nights ago and it has to be the BEST kale i have ever eaten. There is such a HUGE difference between kale that you buy from the market and kale that you pick fresh from your backyard. I dont want to get into a long schpeal but i would like to say that there should be much more focus on households growing their own food. I think it should be a requirement that people all over the country should grow their own seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables. Its easy and there is no reason not to.

Go get dirty!

Posted by Amanda at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly has become my favorite book ever. I know that sounds pretty extreme but it is beyond amazing. Both the movie and the book are phenomenal in different ways.

In short: it is a true story about Jean-Dominique Bauby who was the editor of Elle magazine in France and in December 1995 he suffered from a massive stroke, resulting in the very rare Locked-In Syndrome. He eventually learned how to communicate by blinking his one working eye (his left) and wrote a book about his experience.

Both the book and movie are pieces of artwork on their own. The book is well written and very beautiful to read and the film is spectacular. The director is a painter which definitely shows throughout the film. His use of layers and effects.

Take my word for it: read the book, see the movie. You wont regret it.

Posted by Amanda at 08:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday i planned to have a yard sale to raise money for my European travels. Thing is, after two hours of sitting in cold-ish weather, only making $1 it started to drizzle. Usually this wouldnt be a problem but if im trying to sell a bunch of stuff, i cant have it all be damp. So i had to pack in the yard sale for the day. I was a little upset only because i had put so much effort into preparing for it, but what can you do?

So instead, my friend Borja came over and we watched a movie and made some lunch and lied around my house for a while. Then my friend Brendan came over and we watched another movie and thus, we lied around even more. Then later that evening i met some friends to see The Dark Night, which makes 3 movies in one day. Two of which being 3 hours long.

When all else fails, watch movies.

Posted by Amanda at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This week has been a drastic change from last week. Sunday my two best friends got back to olympia from various travels. They have lended some distractions which is always nice. I am having a yard sale at my house tomorrow so i can get rid of some stuff and hopefully make a little money to put into my Italy account.

Speaking of Italy, i officially have my ticket to Europe. GAH! I leave September 2nd and return March 9th. Oh dear me, its so much time! Hopefully i will have more than enough stuff to keep me busy and homesickness will not hold me back. Im usually good in those situations, as long as I make good friends to distract me. The only thing i can compare this trip to is Israel and Europe is going to be completely different, thus, i have NO idea what to expect. Im starting to get REALLY nervous.

I leave for Chicago two weeks from today. I will be there for 15 days and then I head to Kansas City for my cousins bar mitzvot. Chicago is going to be spectacular. The same friend that accompanied me to Israel is going to Lollapalooza with me. So exciting!

Posted by Amanda at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Summer is in full swing! Its already July 10th! If someone were to ask me where June went I would have no idea how to respond. I know I keep promising to post pictures of the art show and of my work and now of my trip to Israel. I plan to do it before the week is over because I actually have time now! Sadly, my other two jobs ended due to the academic year coming to a close. Being an ambassador is my only job and to be honest, there arent many hours to dedicate my life too. Which is nice. now i can devote more time to learning italian, working on my artwork, sewing, playing guitar, cooking and updating my blog!

Okay, so Israel! It was the most amazing experience of my life. I still cant believe the ENTIRE thing was free. I dont know if you got that: ten days, airfare, room and board, transportation, private security, private guide ALL FOR FREE! The only thing one has to do to qualify is to have at least one jewish grandparent and to have never been to Israel before. Anyways, we hiked through basically the entire country, stopping in major cities including (Tzfat, Tel Aviv, Galilee, Jerusalem, The Dead Sea...). Our days were so packed it felt like a month. We were up from 7 am til about 2 am. I met 40 other amazing people and had a blast.

Upon my return, I met my mom in Los Angeles and together, we got my student visa for Italy (only a month and a half away!). From L.A. I flew to Las Vegas for a few days to spend time with my dad, and then flew up to Portland to spend the 4th of July weekend with my best friends from Las Vegas. Now I am back in Olympia, situated and enjoying my relaxing summer.

Posted by Amanda at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)