Man Love.

People you need to pay attention to

I randomly met these people over the summer, and it turns out that they are insanely talented. 

Paul McDonald

http://www.myspace.com/hightideblues

Jonathan Purvis

http://www.jpurvis.com

Bren Isbell

http://www.brenisbell.com

Note to self

Note to self: Learn how to write in pen.

Note to self: Buy that shirt for Neal.

Note to self: Don't type "Nate to self."

Note to self: Vary camera angles.

Note to self: Get over it.

Note to self: Enjoy being free from the stresses of school.

Note to self: Know that people just think that the camera is cool. 

Note to self: Don't go out with guys with girlfriends. No good can come of it.

Note to self: Paint toenails.

Note to self: Think of a clever phrase to e-mail to Cody Barracuda.

Note to self: Figure out how to spell barracuda.

Note to self: CNN.com has a link to The Onion on its homepage.

Note to self: "It's" is not possessive.

Note to self: The day always goes slower after lunch.

Note to self: Make a better effort to stay in touch.

Note to self: Keep reading Miranda July.

Note to self: Go to a zoo or aquarium as soon as possible.

Note to self: Buy more books with lime green covers.

Note to self: Don't try to cram so much stuff into that black backpack.

Note to self: Visit Nashville.

Note to self: Find out if the DN ever paid me for that story.

Note to self: Give any future pets good names.

Note to self: Get a car someday. Maybe.

Note to self: Write more postcards.

Note to self: Stop buying so many Cup Noodles.

Note to self: Focus on attention span endurance. Focus.

Note to self: Learn to draw something other than a stick-figure dogcowcat.

Note to self: Quit being so boring.

I was on the Jumbotron.

To anyone I photographed at the baseball game--please leave a comment if you would like me to send you the rest of the pictures that I have of you. I only post a limited few on my blog, but I took many, many more. Even if you don't have a blogger account, I believe you can leave a comment as "Anonymous." Then you can just leave your contact information on the comment. Otherwise, e-mail me at nrichar5@gmail.com. Thanks.

a giant bird has invaded samford.

This bird is crazy. If you click on the pictures to make them bigger, it makes it easier to see the squirrel's tail beneath the bird.

drinking cokes in the grocery store parking lot is totally my jam.

~First two photos by Jonathan Purvis.

Thank you, Matt, for telling me to use the other lens.

I've found that my writing tends to flow better when I put together my stupid lists. So yeah.

• I still don't know where I'm living when I get back to Lincoln. Yay for adventure. Or yay for people with couches who might let me crash.
• Christen's new hair cut is beyond amazing.
  
• I enjoy riding my bike to work. Especially because I always ride with a giant backpack, which looks hilarious, I'm sure. I find a lot of things funny here in Alabama. I always, always have reasons to smile.
  
• Boo to you, Blogger, for being so difficult every time I try to upload pictures. Fickle, fickle.
  
• I've been eating next to my computer far too often. The keys are getting a bit gross.
• Both Britney and Sarah have requested that I move to the South. And maybe I should. I left a message on my gparents' machine tonight, and my Gma told me that perhaps I'm developing a Southern accent. Look out.
• I keeps it real. And so does Christen.
  
• My hair continues to influence my life significantly every day. Seriously. Both good and bad things. Some guy--who I believe was pretty sober--came up to me at WorkPlay Saturday night, and he seemed really shy, but he was all, "I keep seeing you around tonight, and you're the hottest redhead I've ever seen in my life." In a real soft, I'm-nervous-to-talk-to-the-cute-cheerleader voice. Ha. Not the hottest girl. The hottest redhead. So I beat out the three other redheads he's seen in his life. Yes. And then, nothing. He just kind of stood there. Ha ha. In addition to this, some hot lesbian hit on me in the bathroom because of my hair. Wow. The stories go on and on. Britney and Scott can vouch for this. In other exciting and much more substantial news, the band we saw, Dread Clampitt, was hella fun!
• Men do not pay attention to me in Nebraska. Why here? This is a question I have asked myself over and over again. And I still don't have the answer. Anyone who knows me knows that I typically wear the same three t-shirts on rotation, and my attention to detail with my looks is on par with that of a sixth grade boy. The smelly sixth grade boy in the class. You remember those ones, yeah? Whatever. People here are out to make me vain or something. Well, you know what? Forget it! And start looking at me as the nerdy girl, please! Because that's all I've ever been.
• Friday lunches with co-workers are interesting. And entertaining. And surprising.
  
• Every time Christen and I go out and do something, it's a bust. Except for going to "The Sound of Music" at the Alabama Theatre today! I was in a state of Julie Andrews euphoria! I could not stop smiling throughout the entirety of the movie. The costumes were amazing, the songs better than I remember, the characters were all quite above-average looking and so on. The theatre itself was also beautiful. I took a lot of pictures. See above. Ha.
• Impromptu photo shoots in the park are fun.
• Rojo is a great place to eat.
• I forgot to mention a long time ago that Jonathan stole an incredible Raconteurs poster for me. Thanks, Jonathan.
• On the topic of photos--some people I encountered who work at Wolf Camera are a bit dim. To say the least.
• Experiencing the feeling of "what if" is not a good time.
• Some guy was playing bagpipes by the Samford football field today. Top that.
• This post sucks.
• I miss everyone from home. That includes you, too, Matt.

~First two photos by Christen Lewis

self-timer photo!

argh.

Nebraska Blueprint

So a new issue of the Blueprint just came out. I'm happy that it ended up working out because we really struggled with the Blueprint last semester. I don't think the new one will be up on the Web for a while, but you can check out the old one here. Cover of bike issue by Brian Watt.

I forgot one thing about Zac.

He has a throwing star.

i'm grounding myself from my cell phone.

I went to the beach over the weekend. It was amazing. Well, obviously. Allegedly. I'm evidently missing Scott Baier and Nick Baker and their "alleged" antics.

My decision to go to the beach was a bit last-minute, but that made it better because there was not a lot of anticipation and waiting to go--I just went. I had time to grab a couple essentials--SPF 70 for the fair skin of a typical redhead (haha), an extra bikini and a beach towel--but that was about it. The group I went with was a seasoned bunch of beach veterans, so I think my child-like wonder throughout the weekend was a bit startling and creepy to them, but I didn't care. As soon as I got to the beach, I walked down to the water and stood. Just stood. Soaked it all in. Stared into the distance for a long time.

Then I went off to take some photos. And while being in an entirely new environment is great for creativity, I feel like my technical skills are so lacking when it comes to photography. I'd really like to know what I'm doing and have solid command over what I want my camera to do. I'm in need of some guidance right now. I'm so new to taking photos, and I really want to get better, but in addition to my practicing, I think I need some structure. Anyway.

Beach-y things mixed in with various other observations:

• Before I left, I said I wanted to see jellyfish. I went on and on to one of the editors at the magazine about my absolute need to see a jellyfish. I was really disappointed when I heard that the jellyfish don't glow in the dark. But I was still desperately wanting to see a jellyfish or two. Well, when I got there, I saw, like, a jillion. There were so many that it was lucky we didn't get stung. Yikes! I didn't want anyone peeing on my leg, so I'm glad to have avoided that.
• At one point, the jet ski that Buster and I were riding "tumped over" (he he), and we fell into the water. And then Zac said there was a giant jellyfish close to us, so we needed to get out of the water ASAP. I wasn't sure he was telling the truth about the giant jellyfish, but when Buster and I cruised over to where the jellyfish was spotted, I saw the biggest one I'd seen all weekend. *gulp* Narrowly escaped that one.
• On the beach, I met Schyler and Bailey, two spunky kids from Louisiana on a mission to catch a whole bunch of jellyfish in their nets. Schyler was the girl. Bailey was the boy. They were both adorable and quite amusing. I didn't have an utter aversion to them like I do with most children, so that was nice. Ha.
• Geez, all these stories are about jellyfish. Wow.
• I got to go to the beach at night. It was one of the most romantic places I've visited in my life. Now I just need to go back when I find someone to be romantic with.
• I have a story that is quite funny and uncharacteristic of me that involves a Nike outlet store at 2 p.m. and a certain other key element. If you're curious, just ask.
• Chris and I were left for dead by the rest of our crew on Friday. Actually, they just took forever to come pick us up from the beach because of complications with the jet skis and whatnot. During our down time, we walked back toward Zac's place with a giant float, received numerous catcalls from passersby in cars, got attacked by bees and found some carvings on a picnic table that proclaimed some lovers' unwavering passion for one another. I had a good time. But Chris? I think his version of the story would be quite different.
• Sorry for that call, Marcus. It was because I wish so much that I could kick it with you in D.C. Ha.
• I ate some delicious softshell crab. Yum.
• When I was on the beach, I bumped into Britney, my friend I rode to Bonnaroo with! I was so excited to see her! Small world.
• I l-u-v being serenaded karaoke-style to the lovely song stylings of Tenacious D.
• Zac, aka Zac Efron, is one of the most interesting people I've ever met in my life. He falls in with the crew of vaulters I know here in bhm. Zac is the man with the grappling hook. And, oh yeah, he skateboards, wakeboards, competes in triathlons, was a sponsored mountain biker, goes rock climbing and can probably wield any number of firearms with the best of 'em. I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but you get the picture. And he probably has delivered a baby at the top of Mount Everest while grilling a delicious steak and doing complex math calculations in his head. In addition, he's been stabbed in the leg, his hair has an amazing swoop, his mother is all artsy, he's a playa pimp and he is known to sleep at night in his hammock. For real. A documentary needs to be made about this man.
• I received several mind-boggling text messages over the weekend.
• I heard the word "trashy" entirely too many times.
• Skate parks are great places to meet 14-year-old friends.
• I ate a lot of oatmeal.
• Buster is slow. Very, very slow. Like molasses in the winter, some would say.
• Someone proposed to a person called "Pea" on the beach on Friday. How sweet. Maybe.
• According to my new Samford friends, I am at the stage in life where dads become hot. Ha.
• So many good words were worked into the beach group's vocabulary this weekend, including, but not limited to: miffed, waft, excrete, hearkened, yore, perpendicular, irreverent, surmise and perplexed. Yay.
• I love the notebooks that Sarah gave to me. :)
• I am entirely too irresponsible with my cell phone usage as of late.
• I fall more and more in love with my red hair every day.
• I need to buy a shirt for Neal John Hahn.
• I love watching the Bachelorette with Christen and having sleepovers.
• Even I don't want to read everything I've written today.
• Ashley and I MUST make a trip to Nashville. It's essential.
• I met a man named Atticus. How is that possible?
• Thank you, Mom, for my beautiful face.
• .bring.your.camera.and.shoot.
• Claire's curly chocolate brown hair is beyond beautiful.
• I long for GCA Days.

And now, I would like to take this opportunity to write about all the wonderful southern things people say here.

• Might could: We might could run to the store later to pick up some jambalaya.
• Tump over: You best not rock the boat unless you want it to tump over.
• Made a grade: I made an "A" in chemistry this semester.
• Fixin': I'm fixin' to watch the NASCAR race on the TV this Sunday.
• Buggy: I'm going to be buying a lot of stuff, and I don't think I can carry it all. I better grab a buggy so I can put everything in it.
• "Ma'am" and "Sir" are used liberally.
• "Else" is pronounced "elts." And I like it that way.
• I enjoy hearing people say "Alabama" and "South Carolina." It gives me the giggles.

Ok, I've written way too much, and no one is going to read it all. Much love. Peace.

~Photos by me, except 9 and 16, taken by David Buster.