Lottery.

If I won the lottery (of a hundred million) I'd do a few things....

1. Buy a Lifetime Supply of Trident Tropical Twist Gum. I'm obsessed.

2. Travel to Ibiza for a weekend on a private jet with my closest friends.

3. Donate to the American Heart Association, in honor of my father.

4. Invest in oil. Have you seen gas prices? 

5. Read more books.

6. Create my own restaurant, a trendy one. Or maybe two? Los Angeles and Milan.

7. Finish my degree

8. Hire a personal chef

Wouldn't it be nice.

My Momma's Muffins

There will always be certain tastes, smells, and sounds that remind me of my younger years. After my fathers death, it is extremely surprising, yet amazing that my mother still would cook incredible meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. A vivid memory that I have is my Mom waking me up before church on Sunday mornings and asking me what I wanted for breakfast. It would always be the same. As I would sleepily roll out of bed, a warm, yummy aroma would always hit my nose.

Here is a recipe I love and that reminds me of my childhood. My mother's Banana Bread Muffins recipe. :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Sometimes my mother would put honey in the middle of the batter in the muffin container to make the muffins extra sweet. If desired, add about a dime size. :)  

• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place muffin cups in muffin tin, or grease with a little butter.
2. Mix sugar, oil, and egg until creamy and light yellow. Add bananas and walnuts. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until completely smooth. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.
3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until toothpick poked in center muffin comes out clean.

Let cool and "nom it up" 

Heart-Attack-Grill

Dallas just lost a little bit of credibility.

Heart-Attack-Grill is coming to the West end of Dallas. Shoot. Me. In. The. Face.

Are these people fucking kidding? In case you are unaware of this new "trendy" or disgusting restaurant that is slithering into our city May 13th, let me inform you.

Heart-Attack-Grill offers repulsing high-fat content foods that targets obese people, as well as just average joes, to come make the world a worse place. The waitresses are dresses in nurses costumes and serve their "triple and quadruple bypass" burgers as well as lard-soaked fries and butter-fat shakes. (Might I add they happily claim the highest butter-fat content worldwide on their website). And hey, if you weigh in over 350 pounds, you get a free meal. Isn't that just fucking great.

GROSS. DISGUSTING. Hey, let's add to the growing epidemic of obesity. 1 in 4 adults in Dallas are already overweight, according to SMU's Daily Campus.

Idea: Let's put in a hospital/clinic down in the west end, preferably right next to this new joint, so that we can wheel our fat friends in there to receive their actual bypasses and increase our medical and healthcare costs! It's a win-win for everyone! Maybe Heart-Attack-Grill will even deliver so that they can get their lard-fill post operations.

(Heart Attack Grill's Quadruple Bypass Burger)

Club Fondren Re-vamp

Ever felt like you could call Fondren you're second home? I'm sure each member of our student body has spent late hours at our library, even all nighters. Many students watch the sun rise over Dallas Hall when studying into the morning on Fourth Floor, AKA Social Hour. (Which is probably why we never get anything done until 2 AM when many of our peers have passed out and said they DGAF and go home to their beds.)

However, those of us who have spent the night at Fondren have probably noticed the architecture and design (or lack there of) of this building.

I mean... have you seen those repulsive 1980's curtains? Or the ugly linoleum tiles? Or the carpet that has stains ALL over? Or the desks with "I'd rather be drinking" scratched all over them?

I could go on for days.

However, my complaining wont change anything. I have decided that I am going to approach the Student Senate with a proposition to make some minor changes in our common sleep-over spot, Club Fondy.

I'd like new curtains, maybe ones that aren't surrounded by moth balls, and more color. I feel like this would make for a more creative and productive place on campus.

(This might be too much to ask, but hey, its pretty damn awesome)

Group Projects

You know when you have to do a group project with people that you absolutely want to punch in the face? Or who literally doesn't do anything at all? Or the one who does too much? Here are a few tips to combat the bad group members.

1) Establish a set of rules early on. Let Sally-Talks-A lot know that she isn't the only one with good ideas, this way the other members of the group don't feel inferior to this beast. 

2) Set aside a rewards system for a job well done at the end of the project. This reinforces the need to do great work, and also pushes the slackers. If a cookie or some type of sweet doesn't satisfy their needs, screw em'. 

3) Always end on a good note. Even though you may not have enjoyed this (or these) group members' company, you don't want to burn bridges. Just in case you have to work with the assholes again.

A Whole New World... Literally

I discovered contacts. This is the song I immediately thought of upon being able to ACTUALLY see what is around me.

I'm not exactly sure why it took me so long to warm up to these friendly eye-inserts. My life has drastically changed. It's like I'm living in HD. No longer do I have the awkward squint-across-the-boulevard to people who are waving at me while making my way to classes.

No, I can see you guys crystal clear. Which also gives me the decision as to whether I will casually greet, throw a head nod, or leave in the dust. My options have multiplied from the mere, I have to wave, to a buffet of alternatives. I wonder what else my new-found eye friends can do for me?

However, I do believe the colored contacts are a repulsive way of trying to enhance one's looks. Maybe scientists should create a chemical/tear drops that can be dropped into ones eye and change their eye-color? Maybe I'll invent it!

Not-so-normal Ice Cream

This ice-cream made out of breast milk at London's "The Icecreamists" seems extremely odd. I feel that although it is said to not be a publicity stunt, how many people will actually purchase this flavor? I know when I visit London for my study abroad program, I will not be sampling any breast milk. However, this ice cream shop has drawn quite a lot of attention from this flavor. Perhaps this is working in their favor. What will they come up with next, all natural booger flavor? No thanks.

Tweet Tweet

As of late, I have had some strange activity occur on my Twitter page. 

Here's the story. 

Back in the day, Demi Lovato, (the Disney Star who appears in her own show and is also a recording artist) and I were best friends. Now that she is a widely known individual, she has many fan followers on Twitter.

One of which randomly found me and posted pictures that I never knew had made it to the internet. 

(Don't judge my atrocious blonde hair, I was 15). 

I found this extremely creepy because I am still unsure of who this Twitter follower is. The internet just keeps getting weirder and weirder everyday. 

What will happen next? Will people be able to see me live through my bed room window? That's it, I'm getting black out curtains. I suggest you do the same, my many blog followers. (Haha)

nAiLz

These nails rock, these nails suck. These nails rock, these nails SUCK. 

(tune from "Shoes", the ever-so-popular youtube video)

I am a self-proclaimed nail freak. Recently, I ordered a tool online that allows you to paint perfect designs on your finger nails. Designs such as stripes, poka dots, squiggly lines, and even pictures (watermelons, palm trees, stars). I have been trying out my talents, or lack there of on my friends. Here is probably one of my better ones. I'm still practicing. 

C-a-l-i-f-o-r-n-i-a Girls, We're Undeniable.

Alright, I'm a poser.

I'm not from California. However, I do have a deep rooted love for the golden state. Prior to coming to SMU, I was a student at San Diego State University. I fell in love with the pink, purple, and yellow sunsets, the towering palm trees, and the stacked-on-each other homes. I miss driving up the hill to get to my house, which over-looked all of San Diego. While living there, I got extremely into photography. I mostly would take pictures of the beaches. These are a few of my pictures.

The Starbucks Addiction

After speaking with my fellow classmate, Ian, I have gained the knowledge that there are many in this country, and even this world, that treat their daily coffees like crack cocaine. (Sorry Ian, ya had it coming). Ian used to work at Starbucks, where he saw coffee abusers use double, or even triple the amounts of sweetener, load on extra caramel, and request more whipped cream. No wonder 75% of the country is going to be overweight or obese by 2015. (Fact found from one of my Nutrition classes at San Diego State University).

I have never gotten into drinking coffee. I find the taste disgusting and bitter, and have decided to do all that I can from ever starting this never-ending addiction. My stance against this brown, murky beverage has held strong in my 3 years of college, which is a feat considering most begin because of late nights in Club Fondren, the hottest club around. Studying late early into the morning is common for Fondren go-ers and coffee normally is included.

I pledge to myself and my tummy that I will not start the coffee addiction. Starbucks, you can't have me.

My Sacrifice

While walking to class yesterday, I passed by a few SMU students with this odd black mark on their forehead. I kept seeing this trend all day and then it finally dawned on me that it was Ash Wednesday. I have never partaken in this activity, nor do I plan to. However, it got me thinking.

Maybe I should give up something for lent? What would really be a sacrifice for me?


And then it hit me. 3 words, 2 hyphins.

Chick-Fil-A.

Dare I say it. Chick-Fil-A is the God among fast food chains, and there are times that I absolutely crave the crispy waffle fries covered in Polynesian sauce. This sweet sauce has been an addiction of mine since my early days of Chick-Fil-A exploring. I realized that this is something I would actually have to "sacrifice". It's day two now, and I am craving Chicken Minis thanks to the damn free card I received when the "Eat Mor Chikin" cows visited us from the farm here at SMU. Normally I would be thrilled about the free food, but not now. Its eyeballing me from inside of my wallet. I think I can, I think I can.....

FRAT

Click here for Douche Bag Satire


Here at SMU, greek life is an extremely large part of our culture. This video definitely represents a large portion of the men that are a part of our fraternities on campus. This, in my opinion, is a ridiculous way of life. This video is obviously making fun of Greek life, but some of this behavior ACTUALLY happens, and that is mind-boggling. However, what this video doesn't portray is some of the southern style among fraternities.

Are they kidding?

Fishing shirts, yes, fishing shirts, and boots are the "steeze" of some of the more "southern" frats here on campus. Who told these guys that this was attractive? If I wanted to date someone who looked like they lived on a farm, I would leave DALLAS and go to Odessa, TX. Along with fanny packs, fishing shirts should be left off of the "Hot" list.

Pardi Gras

Venturing down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras weekend was definitely one of the crazier times in my life. Slurping on highly alcoholic drinks and watching the crowd of wasted, diverse people on Bourbon Street has now gained a spot as one of my favorite past times. However, I couldn't help notice while sipping on my "Hurricane Katrina" drink, that this title is an extremely sensitive topic in the city I was in.

....is it weird to say "too soon"? Perhaps I am being too touchy on the topic, but am I mistaken or did thousands of people not lose their homes and life due to this storm? The name of this drink along puts me on edge for the amount of havoc that it caused, and I noticed it from a state away. Maybe the Orlean-ies make it a joke? This does not sound right...

Wouldn't it be extremely odd for Greenville bar to have a drink called "Kennedy Assassination"? I don't find that light. Whatever, I drank it anyways. Blackout, bye.

Sheen-isms

Charlie Sheen has exploded inside my cable box. His crazy antics have literally taken my eyeballs out of my head and glued them to my TV. I can't get enough of this idiot. I now closely follow his twitter, and marvel at the posts on his feed. Like, how did this guy test positive for drugs? Something must obviously be working for him, because all of America is allowing Sheen to make millions by tuning in to his crazyness.

Instead of giving up something for Lent, I have decided to take on a task.

Each time something good happens in my life, I would like to include
"Winning"

as a tag line. I was told that taking negative speech out of my vocabulary will increase my happiness. Well thanks, Charlie Sheen, maybe you are good for something.

LMFAO

LOL, JK, OMG, OMW, IDK......






^All of the above are commonly known in cyber world. We can take these small and ridiculous looking worlds and mold them into sentences. I always wonder who started such "small talk" (ha, see what I did there ;) ) in the first place, and how they made these viral. I've decided that I want to start one by myself and test it in the SMU community. Three simple letters.... (idea stemming from DTF, which is "down to f@!*)


DTP
This simple phrase can be translated as... "down to party".. or you can even twist it and say, NDTP, "not down to party". On your average Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, and pretty much every other ending in -day, SMU students want to rage. My new phrase can allow you to tell your friends if you are down for a night of debauchery or not in a few short letters.

In 10 years I wonder if....

Fanny Packs will make their way back into fashion. This disgusting around-the-waist bag that sometimes portrays sorority and fraternity names has a chance at coming back and becoming a hot commodity when we analyze other embarrassing things that have come back into style during recent times....

1. Dressing like a Grandma is hot. Cardigans, turtlenecks, and leg warmers are baaaack.

2. Stripes (which I love) have made a return. Back in the day if you wore strips, particularly during my high school years, people would ask you "Where Waldo was?"

3. Hippie is the new black. (Or uh, has been for the past 4 years). Still, making an epic comeback after the 70's. It's cool to look like a stoner 24/7 now.

Ridiculous fashions have made their way in and out of society. I wonder if someday beater cars, fanny packs, and other various items will make a return into our culture? Will I like them as much as I leach on to the trends of today? Or will I think back to the times when Fanny Packs, which are and always will be as of this point in my life, disgusting? Hopefully gravity, and time, wont change me that much.

Library Bunnies

Sometimes when you sit in Fondren Library for too long, I swear the dust bunnies on the floor come to life. The mesh into one giant super dust bunny and you can't help but get mesmerized by the collected hair and loose-leaf paper bits. Sometimes I wonder why they couldnt make the library a more interesting place....

Maybe a playground and swings in the middle of the building would be a nice way to release some pent up tension. Or perhaps a steam room to sweat it all out. Then again, I've heard some steamy secrets about the "West Stacks"...

Or maybe something like Wieden & Kennedy's "nest"... If we had a "nest" in Fondren, I would study for days, maybe even months. I definitely feel that the setting your in greatly influences your learning ability. If I had a "nest" to visit, I would feel as if I could fly far far away with my imagination, soaring through cotton candy clouds and gumdrop raindrops. My creativity would be reach pinnicles, my brain would be on fire.

But I'm at a cubicle, under the worst lighting that shows every pore, writing to you my friends. You're welcome.

Casual stalking in Umphrey Lee

Naturally I was listening to a conversation in Umphrey Lee Cafeteria about Mardi Gras.... Here is a feature story that I had to write about my eavesdropping.

Multicolored bags and pillows littered the floor. The tiny corner booth was filled with anxiousness and chatter. There was an unusual buzz in the room this morning. The overcast grey outside was not enough defense against the students happiness. The smiles stayed in tact, because this weekend was different from any other, this weekend was Mardi Gras.

Sara, a twiggy blonde, tossed her Iphone on the table after sending a text. “What are we getting ourselves into? Like, where are we even going, Lousi-what?” she said. Her calm and collected friend Jillian fired back and said, “It’s Lousiana, and I don’t know, your guess is as good as mine.”

Both of the girls hail from the northeast, so Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Lousiana is a completely foreign term in their vocabularies. This week long party is held on the streets of New Orleans, and packed with people from all over trying to catch a glimpse of this eighth world wonder. Beaded necklaces are thrown at you on the street like bombs, “Hand grenade” drinks, along with their infamous “Hurricane Katrina” drink, flow freely, and people gather to experience the madness that is Mardi Gras.

An eight hour drive from Dallas, New Orleans offers a weekend that SMU students have increasingly been attracted to. Students are searching for a good time like Christopher Columbus was in hunt of America, and nothing will stop them from getting there.

As they mashed up the rest of their omelet from the Umphrey Lee cafeteria on SMU’s campus, they made use of their thumbs and dialed another explorer in their troop.

“Where are you?! I’ve been sitting in Umphrey Lee for the past hour. I’m ready to gooooooo,” Sara said.

The unknown member of their group informed them that he/she would be there in five in to grab their things and head outside. A silver Mercedes sedan rolled into Umprhey Lee’s parking lot and the girls shoved their Louis Vuitton suitcases and Vera Bradley floral bags inside. The trunk door shut and the explorers were on their way to conquer new territory.

Apple is taking over the World.

Along with a frenzy of .01% germs in the world, Apple is also on track to taking over the world. It is now the fourth year that the company has made its way onto Fortune's "Most Admired" list. This company is not losing steam, releasing its 2nd edition Ipad in the next month.


This company worries me for the other computer and techonology companies out there. I realize that I have jumped on the bandwagon that is Apple and will never return to the standard PC, but I do feel some sympathy for those companies who are still out there.

For instance, who has a Dell anymore? It's always like a big elephant in the room when the person next to you is sporting a dino-Dell. This may sound snobby, but I really do not intend it to be. Our world is so filled with everything Apple these days that it is not the norm to see PCs anymore. I wonder if anyone can hose down Apple's fire, or if we will have a monopoly in the technology industry in the next decade. I guess time can only tell on this one.

The monster that is Purell.

Yesterday I read an article on Purell and the evil that it is bringing to our world. This clear liquid that we douse our filthy fallangees might be the cause of a super germ that will kill us all.... (unlikely, but still an interesting thought).


Can you imagine a germ the size of Fondren Library just noming (Nom, Nom, Nom, eating) all of us SMU students right up? A big green germ, with fangs, and a jerry curl. (*Note: Jerry curls are another source of evil in this world). Purell claims to kill 99.9% of germs, along with the other leading brands.

....Where is that pesky little .01% germ left over on your hand, you might ask?

It's off fornicating with the other .01 germs on other hands you may come in contact with. Multiplying and noming with its mates, having secret meetings and plotting how to take over the world. The truth is this .01% could be extremely dangerous. Then again, I could be a hypochondriac.

However, studies have shown that this .01% may affect us later in life. I guess we'll have to deal.

Bieber Fever... revisted.

Okay, I might have been a tad bit harsh and I have a small confession to make.

After seeing the "Never Say Never" flick.... (I was dragged by my sorority sisters), I kinda love the little guy. Images of his childhood and how he got to his multi-million dollar image flashed on the 3D screen. Of course, I was extremely annoyed by the teenage babies in the audience who were almost brought to tears by the sight of Justin's smile and obnoxious mop of hair, but I got over my haste against the little man. I feel that through the 3D hand extensions, winks, and smiles, little Biebs was reaching out to me and saying....

"Tori, why don't you obsess over me like all these girls? It may be a little pervy and weird that you're uncomfortable watching me do my thing, but I can tell you like it."

Shut up, Justin. Get out of my head. You're 16. But I apologize for previously bashing you and expressing my disgust for your fans. I guess I might have been the same when Justin Timberlake was on the scene with his curly hot mess.

Is it weird if...

You watch the same show as the 5th grader you babysit? Because I really have found a love for ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars". It could be frowned upon that while I am taking the 10 year old I sit to tumbling, we debate what will happen on the next week of the show. The acting is absolutely repulsive, but I can't stop watching. Another thing that is extremely off about this show is the fact that ABC family allows lesbian scenes, a lesbian love affair, drinking and drugs to be shown. Like... what happened to the "family" part? The media is constantly getting racier and racier. I'm sure by the time I make the horrible decision to pop out a few little babes porn is going to be the new Barney. What a scary thought. Bye, bye cartoon characters. Hello Sex.

Definition in Pictures.

Tool is the word of the day. If you couldn't guess that by the first picture of America's biggest disgrace of "men", then I'm worried.

Oh no... I'm turning into my mother

When I was in the 8th grade, I was actually a decent human being. (Just kidding, I still am, just with a bit more... flare, or pizazz if you will) I attended church every Sunday morning and Wednesday night at an obnoxiously large church in good old Grapevine, TX. One evening on the way home from my goodie-two-shoes service, my best friend at the time, Demi Lovato, now Disney channel star, my mother and I stopped for McFlurries. As we were making our way to Demi's house, we crossed through an intersection, and everything went black.

We had been "t-boned" by a woman who was traveling at 60 mph in a 45 and ran a red light. The right side of the car was smashed in, which, lucky me, was sitting on. Demi was directly behind me, and the both of us took most of the impact. After waking up from our black out, Demi and I were whisked away in ambulances with multiple injuries including cracked ribs, out of place shoulders, and concussions.

After this accident, my mother became an absolutely horrible driver. She constantly slams on the break, worried about the car in front of her and anxious about every other driver. Before I got my license, I used to yell at her saying she was such an awful driver......

Until the day I started getting anxiety behind the wheel. Now, I freak out while driving. I no longer can tell my mom she's a disgrace to the road. This was a sad day in my short 19 years.

What did that dream tell me?

Recently, I had a dream that my two brothers and I were arrested and taken into an alternate reality. In this reality, we first walked over a long trecherous and foggy bridge where we were greeted by police swamp men. These men resembled the character of "Old Greg" in the ever so popular YouTube video. These swamp men explained that they were going to lock us up forever on account of using fake id's at Greenville's "Parkit Market". They then proceeded to take us into a swamp cell that was covered in moss and green Jolly Ranchers.

Naturally, I woke up in a frenzy.

This dream told me that I either...

A. Watch "Old Gregg" too much on YouTube.

B. Have been using my Guatamalen fake i.d. way more than a 19-year-old should.

C. Need to get my ass to the gym because Jolly Ranchers have now snuck their way into my dreams.

Thanks, subconcious.

Something that my mind map from my Intro to Creativity class says about me...

Is that I'm obsessed with California.

Welcome everybody to the wild, wild west.

Shake it, Cali. Many of the stems on my mind map terminated with words like "California, Los Angeles, Beach, or Life." I feel that it is because my mind is on vacation in California 24/7 but my body is stuck in concrete jungle, Dallas. Moving back from San Diego was one of the harder obstacles in my life because I had this dream that I would leave the Texas plains and never come back. Well, here I am again. But honestly, I can't knock on Dallas too much because I really have found a love for SMU. Along with my bed as motivation, California is also a big part of my life and who I am. I have a dream to move back to California and make a home out of palm frons on the beach.... well, not really. However, I would love to be back, seaside, rocking my Ray Bans and Vans. That's who I am.

A little thing that drives me is...

My bed. Mi cama.

My bed literally is heaven on earth. If clouds were to come down from the sky I swear they'd venture through my window and into my room, making a nice nest for me to collapse in. Its like the angels have a harp and halo on them while my bed and I first touch. During the day I day dream about lying in bed watching my favorite TV shows and drifting off into a nice nap. I reward myself after completing strenuous tasks with a nice snooze in my cloud. I know at the end of each day I have the privilege of collapsing on my pink striped sheets. This motivates me to complete all my tasks during the day so that my bed and I can have some quality snoozing time minus the "Oh no!" thoughts screaming at me inside my head.