Ima

A poem I wrote, hopefully will be compiled in a future collection:

Ima

When I was young, devouring 

books like sweet syrups and comparing

myself to the characters I read,

I wanted to find the power of a name.

SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS

First alcoholic drink on my 21st birthday! I thought I would do a mini comedy bit, because I think I'm so funny...

Birthday Wishes

Guess who's gonna be 21 in less than 3 days (March 7)?? It's ME!

I'm not much for the drinking, the gambling, or the partying. I did get to celebrate a couple weeks ago with my family and the Weisses (who surprised me in Santa Monica). Hopefully I'll get to celebrate with some knitting and a glass of good scotch. You know, like classy people do.

The drinking age in Scotland is 18

So although my love language is giving/receiving gifts, I am not asking for gifts this year. My mom made me a beautiful basket of 21 teal colored awesome things (teal is my favorite color), and I've got some great celebrations with family and friends.

So, in lieu of gifts, I am providing a list of 21 of my favorite random acts of kindness.

EDIT: I will not object in any way, shape, or form to gifts :D Feel no obligation to bestow them upon me, but, ya know, gifts are lovely and wonderful and awesome sauce. (She says as she casually links her Amazon Wishlist)

Note Taking Tutorial

This is my step by step tutorial for how I take my pretty, artistic, and eye-catching notes. Check out my last post to see what tools I use to take my notes.

Hopefully I can inspire some of you and maybe even motivate academic success.



Before You Begin

Get all your supplies ready. I like to arrive to class a few minutes early so I can be all set as soon as class starts. Here is my post on my favorite note taking supplies.

The notes are from my forensic psychology class, which I color coded red-orange. Each of my classes have their own designated zebra midliner color.

I like this color coding system because it is simple enough to not confuse me, but organized enough to benefit my brain.

My Note Taking Tools

Studying for my PSYC165 midterm

I have gotten comments from classmates that I take really good notes. I have neat handwriting and I'm artistic. I am creating a tutorial to show you how I take notes, and hopefully inspire some of you with my work.

Next post will be a step by step tutorial-- stay tuned!

From strength to strength,

Rivi

Tools

1. Highlighter/Marker:

Zebra Highlighter Mildliner, 5 Color Set (WKT7-5C)
Zebra NC5 Highlighter Mildliner, 5 Color Set (WKT7-5C-NC)

Mental Illness 101 (Free Printable Resources)

Every year at the Claremont Colleges in February, a student group called Splash hosts an event called Claremont Splash. It started at MIT and has since expanded to Stanford and schools across the nation.

From their website: Splash is a once-a-year (FREE!!!) event where high school students come to the Claremont Colleges and Claremont Colleges students teach classes on literally (yes literally) anything (math, poetry, long boarding, socks….) 

I was the volunteer graphic designer for a couple years-- I designed the table tents, posters, and flyers.

Full Attention; or, why I no longer jaywalk

My class at Pitzer begins at 8:10 am. To walk here, from my apartment, takes approximately 25 minutes. And yet, I walk out of my door every morning at 7:30 am on the dot, giving myself almost twice the time I need. I do this to avoid jaywalking.

You may be thinking, "Wait, I jaywalk. Everybody does it. I mean sure, it's technically illegal, but it's really just frowned upon. And how many streets to you have to cross that this could be an issue?"

I cross two streets (to get to a corner), and there are rarely drivers, much less inattentive speeding cars. The traffic lights are probably run on timers or by some formula based on city planning. There are pedestrian buttons, but I'm not sure how much I believe in their effectiveness.


The reason I leave so early, and the reason I do not jaywalk, has to do with my intention for focus, mindfulness, and attention in everything I do-- including the mundane.

The Value of an Umbrella

"The price is what you pay. The value is what you get." - Unknown

It's been rainy and drizzly here in Claremont the past couple weeks. I used to really struggle with it-- the wet, cold, icky feeling of the rain, putting a groggy damper on my entire day. Then one day, I suddenly discovered a solution: an umbrella.

I'm not here to claim I invented the umbrella, and I'm not here for you to ridicule my lack of obvious knowledge that a cheap umbrella from 7 Eleven has the potential to protect me from the rain. I am here to give my thoughts on the value of the little things that make your life better.

For so long, I scoffed at the idea of an umbrella. I don't know if I thought I was too cool, or if I assumed my hoodie could protect me from even the briefest walks between my apartment and my mailbox. (It could not)

Not My President/Protest

This is very bad.

Trump was sworn in to office yesterday. Women's march in DC, as well as protests across the nation, are taking over cities today. And here I am, sitting in a cafe in Claremont, wearing a pussyhat project handmade knit hat and writing this blog post that less than 100 people will probably see.

Is the pen mightier than the sword? Or, in this case, the amazing protest signs?

Let's take a step back. I knit the hat I am wearing. I made it with the full intention of getting up at the crack of dawn this morning and riding public transportation downtown and walking in the cold or heat or rain holding up masterfully designed signs with other college students. So how did I end up in a library cafe, far away from the action?

Hillary Clinton is not a Psychopath

Hey 2017-- I know you're all high on your horse because 2016 was so universally hated, but don't forget you're got like, 2 weeks left. Then it's innoguation day and the future becomes pretty fuzzy after that.

The year is ending with Trump demanding Americans accept the election results. Which is fair, I suppose. He did say he would accept the results if he won. The one thing he was truthful about, and this is what we're stuck with-- damnit, Donald!

Let me be clear here: I am not arguing that the election was rigged, or hacked, or the results are untrue in any way. I will say this, and this is important.

The people elected Hilary Clinton. The system elected Donald Trump.

The title of this post is regarding the constant allegations that Hillary Clinton is a psychopath, or a pathological liar, or literally the devil. I am not even going to begin to discuss my thoughts on Donald Trump's psychological health.

Because the political spectrum at my college extends all the way from leftist to liberal, I often stumble around conservative articles and podcasts to make sure I am hearing both sides. Partisan politics and biased news coverage concern me, and hopefully I can write more about that. In order to avoid getting sucked into my liberal bubble of Buzzfeed and John Oliver, I will push my comfort zone and purposely listen to conservative viewpoints. Specifically, I will tune in to Louder with Crowder (Steven Crowder), because he has a podcast and I can knit to that.