Hokie Bucket List Update

With my final semester drawing to a close, it's time to revisit the Hokie Bucket List. Due to the weather, the hiking-related items on my list will probably no be completed. However I have been working on a few others!

• Go to the Blacksburg Farmers' Market✔
• Use the Pamplin Tunnel ✔
• Use the stepping stones across the Duck Pond ✔
• See the koi fish at the Hahn Horticulture Gardens ✔
• Find all 13 Gargoyles ✔
• Swim a consecutive mile (36 laps) in the McComas pool 
• Go to a Burnt Creative event ✔ 
• Eat at every establishment at Turner Place:

        ♦ Atomic Pizza✔
        ♦ 1872 Fire Grill
        ♦ Q'doba
        ♦ Origami
        ♦ Dolci e Café ✔
        ♦ Jamba Juice✔
        ♦ Bruegge's Bagels ✔
        ♦ Soup Garden ✔

• Hike the Cascades ✔
• Hike the Cascades when it's frozen 
• Hike Dragon's Tooth
• Hike McAfee Knob
• Eat at Gillie's✔
• Eat at Sharkey's
• Eat at The River Mill
• Eat at Castle's Kettle and Pub ✔
• Eat at The Underground
• Eat at Rita's ✔
• Eat at Cookout ✔
• Get a photo in front of the lit campus Christmas Tree
• Ride every bus route:

        ♦ CRC ✔
        ♦ Hethwood A &B  ✔
        ♦ Hokie Express ✔
        ♦ North Main
        ♦ South Main
        ♦ Patrick Henry
        ♦ Tom's Creek ✔
        ♦ Progress Street ✔
        ♦ Two Town Trolley ✔
        ♦ University City Boulevard ✔
        ♦ University Mall Shuttle ✔

• Visit Mosaic and buy some yarn ✔
• Visit the New River ✔
• Make a snow angel on the Drillfield
• Go into Lane Stadium when it is completely empty ✔
• Go to a Hokies football game at night ✔
• Sit in the student section at a football game ✔ 
• Graduate

**BONUS: Grad School** 

There are only a few weeks left, so hopefully I can manage to finish the doable items on the list. I really can't believe that my time at Virginia Tech is almost over. I truly love it here and, if I could, I would be a student for the rest of my life. However, it is time to start a new chapter that I am sure will be equally if not more exciting than college. I am terrified, but I am ready to check off that last item on the bucket list :)

Hokie Bucket List

As many of you know, it is my final semester at Virginia Tech. As such, I thought that it would be appropriate to make sort of a last hurrah bucket list of the things that I've wanted to do (or should do) before I leave. This is long overdue and probably a bit incomplete, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

• Go to the Blacksburg Farmers' Market✔
• Use the Pamplin Tunnel ✔
• Use the stepping stones across the Duck Pond ✔
• See the koi fish at the Hahn Horticulture Gardens ✔
• Find all 13 Gargoyles ✔
• Swim a consecutive mile (36 laps) in the McComas pool 
• Go to a Burnt Creative event ✔ 
• Eat at every establishment at Turner Place:

        ♦ Atomic Pizza
        ♦ 1872 Fire Grill
        ♦ Q'doba
        ♦ Origami
        ♦ Dolci e Café ✔
        ♦ Jamba Juice
        ♦ Bruegge's Bagels ✔
        ♦ Soup Garden 

• Hike the Cascades ✔
• Hike the Cascades when it's frozen 
• Hike Dragon's Tooth
• Hike McAfee Knob
• Eat at Gillie's
• Eat at Sharkey's
• Eat at The River Mill
• Eat at Castle's Kettle and Pub ✔
• Eat at The Underground
• Eat at Rita's ✔
• Eat at Cookout 
• Get a photo in front of the lit campus Christmas Tree
• Ride every bus route:

        ♦ CRC ✔
        ♦ Hethwood A &B  ✔
        ♦ Hokie Express ✔
        ♦ North Main
        ♦ South Main
        ♦ Patrick Henry
        ♦ Tom's Creek ✔
        ♦ Progress Street ✔
        ♦ Two Town Trolley ✔
        ♦ University City Boulevard ✔
        ♦ University Mall Shuttle ✔

• Visit Mosaic and buy some yarn ✔
• Visit the New River ✔
• Make a snow angel on the Drillfield
• Go into Lane Stadium when it is completely empty ✔
• Go to a Hokies football game at night ✔
• Sit in the student section at a football game  
• Graduate

**BONUS: Grad School** 

 Again, if you have any suggestions, please let me know! I want to make this a very full sememster!
 

Un-Hip(ster)

I knit, I bake, I craft, I read a lot of books, I love antiques and "vintage" things, old maps make me smile, and I love photography. What does this make me? Not a hipster.

The recent development of the term "hipster" and the culture that follows it seems to be no more than the latest fad. It's now cool to like things before they became popular, things that are old, and overall being creative. Funny how when I did all of that a few years ago, the only thing I could claim was being an "old soul" (hence the name of the blog). I wasn't cool, I wasn't a pioneer in a new wave of culture. I was geeky. I was the weird girl who knitted in class. I was the girl who read the strange fantasy and sci-fi books. I was the nerd and I was different.

Imagine my surprise when I come to college and all of a sudden what made me an outcast is now widely considered cool. I get amazed looks when I pull out my knitting. I get asked my opinion on the once-strange  books I read and have read. People actually like the crafts I make and I've even been able to sell a few. It seems that the traits that simply make up who I am are now a widely accepted and sought after way of life.

Widely being dubbed "hipster", this "lifestyle" covers a lot of ground. It encompasses anyone that may have a bit of an old soul and/or a creative knack. The overall concept was to have liked something or have been doing something "before it was cool". Well, it seems that being a hipster is now cool and, with so many people trying to jump on the wagon, it is loosing its value and overall becoming quite an annoying phenomenon.

I now can't stand the term "vintage", Instagram photos make me cringe at their wide misuse (though every once in a while, a rare gem can be found), people speed-read through books and horribly misunderstand them, and the internet is now over-saturated with people trying to be something they are not and shoving it into peoples' faces. Honestly, if I hear one more person say something along the lines of "I liked that before it was cool" or "you can't have an opinion on this because you didn't like it before it was cool", I may lose it.

So, I will take my knitting and books and back away from this mess of a fad. I don't want to be a part of it. I never did. I just happened to be doing the right nerdy things at the right nerdy time. I am not cool. I am not a hipster. I am just me.

DIY: Twig and Mason Jar Vase/Candle Holder

We recently have had some intense storms in Blacksburg (a "land hurricane). One result of this was broken twigs everywhere. So, naturally, we found a use for the debris! My good friend is having her wedding soon and it is very nature themed. With our knitting club together, along with the bride-to-be, we found an excellent craft that is absolutely perfect for her theme.

May I present the Twig and Mason Jar Vase!

The materials for this were simple: A mason jar (though we will need about 20!), yarn (of course), and A LOT of twigs, which were easily procurable. After fiddling with various weaving techniques, we found one that was strong, easy, and pretty, resulting in a simple craft that will be perfect for table decor.

Here is how you can make one:

What you will need:
-A mason jar (chose a size that will suit your needs)
-Yarn, hemp, embroidery thread, or any strong string of your choice (thin works best)
-Twigs cut to size, just above the lip of the jar (cut at varying heights for a more natural feel)

1) Lay your twigs out in a line side by side.

2) Cut four lengths of string. Each length should be about twice the length of your row of sticks.

3) Using two strings, place one under your first twig and the other over it near the top edge of the twig. Repeat on the bottom edge.

4) Tie a loose knot on the right side of the first twig (both top and bottom), leaving tails.

5). One pair of string at a time, grab the loose ends (to the left) and cross them so the the first twig is now wrapped in a closed loop.

6) With strings still crossed in pairs, place a second stick next the the first one in between the two pairs of string. The "X" of the crossed strings should now lie in between the two sticks.

7) Cross the strings again to form a closed loop around the second string.

8) Continue in this way until you have enough twigs to cover the mason jar. The structure should be sturdy enough for you to gently lift it from one end to wrap it.

9) Tie off the loose end and double knot both ends to keep the structure tight.

10) Wrap the twigs around the mason jar. At this point, you can bow or simply tie the tails of the strings together at the top and bottom.

Voila! Your very own nature-inspired vase. I can also see this being a very pretty candle holder as well!

I really enjoy this project. It allowed us to re-purpose a lot of items that would other with be thrown away. The twigs are now being recycled, scraps of yarn make good binding, and mason jars are always everywhere (I am certain that they are in everyone's house). If you are really bent on using new jars and yarn, this still is about $1.05 per project. Pretty thrifty if you ask me!

I hope that you enjoy making these as much as I do. If you have any questions or suggestions for this tutorial, please leave a message below.

Happy crafting! :)

The Summer of Blacksburg

So, here I am, 2 weeks into my Summer stay in Blacksburg. I must say that it is very weird to be in Blacksburg, but not have any homework to do or classes to go to. While my job is full time and takes up the greater part of my weekdays, it just has a completely different feel from the school year.

One thing that I was very surprised about is that there are still so many people here, even a few that I know. I looked it up and over 8,900 students are enrolled over the summer. I can't believe it! Looks like Blacksburg will still be a bustling college town during the off semesters.

I really am enjoying my job. I am gaining great experience in my field and have very kind and intelligent coworkers who make working at our small office incredibly fun. We all work together so well and I couldn't have asked for a better work environment.

All-in-all, I believe that this will be a wonderful Summer and I can't wait to see how it progresses!

Les Autres Soi

Today in my French Literature class, we finished up the book "Nord Perdu". This is a short autobiographical novel where the author, Nancy Huston, describes the trials and tribulations of living in a country where the national language is not your maternal language. You are an outsider. You are different. You are "expatriote". And when you return to your country, you are an outsider, you are different, you may have gained an accent and habits that are not common for your country. When you have these troubles and try to fit in (or re-fit in), you put on a mask or become "another self" (un autre soi).

What is "another self"? How can I be anyone but just me? Think about this for a moment: Is who you are in class the same "person" as you are when you hang out with your friends? Are you the same person at work as you are when you are at home with your family? We all play different roles in different situations and are represented differently to the people around us. I am a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend, a student, a co-worker, a friend, a best friend, an acquaintance, a member of countless societies, circles, and clubs and I am not the same "person" in any one of these roles.

This is natural and everyone does it. You adapt to your surroundings, the people you are interacting with, and what the situation calls for. Reading this in the book, especially in a language that is not my first language, really struck me and made me reflect on myself. I sat down and compiled a list of all of my "selves", all of my roles, and, needless to say, it was quite extensive:


I have met so many people and I am different to each of them, just how they present a different self to me. I certainly don't know everything about everyone that I have met, just what is important, interesting, personal, or relevant. You can never know everything about a person (you are not them) and so the self that they present to you is who they are in your eyes. That is the role that they play in your life and it may not be reciprocal of the role you play in theirs (not everyone can be everyone's best friend).

All of this being said, what roles do you play? How do you feel when you go to a new country or learn a new language? What are some difficulties you face? What "self" do you think that you most represent?

This was a very thought provoking book and, if you are up to reading 115 pages of French, I would highly recommend reading it. It really is relevant to those of us who have studied multiple languages or traveled/lived in a different country.

Hope that this inspires a little reflection.

Until next time!