Leely the Laptop Slayer

So...I should definitely be studying right now for a MONSTER EXAM I have tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM. Yet here we are again crossing paths in the vast blogosphere. Honestly though, I can justify my current lack of drive because this professor's exams are impossible to study for. I go to class. I take good notes. I participate in class when all of the other girls are suddenly in mid-gulp out of their Starbucks cups every time a question is posed. For lack of a better word, I am what they (not really sure who they are) call a gunner. Minus the part of the Urban Dictionary definition about being willing to compromise peer relationships/reputation in order to obtain recognition and praise from superiors. Of course. But, I have yet to earn a perfect score on any of the quizzes or exams in this course. So, I'm just chilling here trying to distract myself from my current academic slump.

Anyways, so today was interesting. I almost murdered my laptop with a knife. Backtrack to this morning at 6:45 AM which is the ungodly hour that I leave for school every morning. I was running late per usual by chance and instead of taking the time to make cuts in my orange (to make it easier to peel) I threw the orange and a trusty knife into a plastic bag and ran out the door. I put the bag and my laptop near each other in my car and unintentionally gave them some valuable mingling time. Anybody can probably guess that the knife was sharp enough to poke through the plastic bag and well...you know the rest. It's almost too painful to write. I now have some pretty SUBSTANTIAL scratches on ma guppy wupps (3 month old) LT :(

Now, I know what you're thinking. Aneela, there's this #amazeballs invention called a LAPTOP BAG. And yes, I'm aware. I have another heartbreaking story about that for a later post.

I swear there was something else I was going to tell you about, but I can't remember what it was so for now I think I'm going to be a big kid, down a cup of coffee, and study for the inevitable and impossible monster exam.

Wish me luck y'all! Happy hump day!

xoxo Aneela

Consumption Of Cookies Before Purchase Is Stealing

One of the things I miss most about Germany and Europe in general is being able to go to the small local bakeries and eat anything my little heart desired made fresh that same morning. We definitely don't have anything like that where I live! But, sometimes you just have to settle. We recently hosted a pretty large event and my mom found an amazing variety of cookies at one of our local grocery stores. For that event, we served cookies with tea for three days and we bought a whopping 55 POUNDS OF COOKIES.

Today, I went to have a look around and "interview" the baker for my blog. The woman who helped me pack my cookies was very sweet and enjoyed my excited questions about the bakery section. She told me that they actually don't bake the cookies or breads at the store. But, they do get frequent shipments, so the cookies are pretty fresh whenever you make a purchase. The company that makes the cookies is called Voortman and she told me that they are carried by other grocery stores in the United States as well. So, if you like what you see, inquire at your local supermarket! Or if you're European, as many of you are, you may as well skip this post because nothing we bake can ever reach your superior level of deliciousness (of course that's a word...darn spell check).

Now, it's no German bakery, but it's something for those of us who get the short end of the stick ;)

Here are a few shots I took today:

I thought this was funny because hello! Common Sense!

Aren't these photo "stickers" the cutest?!

My favorites are the coconut cremes!

Friday Night Arm Party!

Today, I played around with some new tangerine accessories. I mixed them with my rose gold coloured (Doesn't it just look more sophisticated spelled with a 'u'?! ) watch and a silver bangle with a single rhinestone. All of the accessories are from the department store, Kohl's. My watch always gets mistaken for a Michael Kors until people come closer and see the ginormous Minnie Mouse etching on the face. I love it!

I feel like I should add some clutch advice about creating wrist stacks, but whenever I come up with a good combination, it's the result of coincidence mixed with raiding my mother's jewelry collection. Literally, the majority of the accessories I own are things my mom let me keep because I was OMG OBSESSED. Maybe one day I will also acquire my mom's taste in fashion. Amijan, I know you're reading this and I just want to say I think you should keep letting me call dibs on your pieces because it's all part of my plan towards style nirvana. I am simply thinking to the future;)

So, while I definitely believe that the perfect stack is a chance encounter with the right pieces at the right time, I do think this post by Carly (the college prepster) is a great starting point for the novice stacker!

xoxo
Aneela

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind

Today was a hugely important day in the history of my home state of Wisconsin since its founding in 1848. Yes folks, April 3rd, 2014 will go down in history as the date that the cheese state finally got its first taste of some sharp fashion. Haha, did you get that attempt at a joke back there?

Well, today marks the grand opening of the Mayfair Collection in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. And might I add, this place is a literal 30 SECONDS away from campus. I already brag to my family about going to school in the best shopping/restaurant/entertainment area that I know of, but the new Mayfair Collection just adds another destination to my lunch break spots! I predict admission numbers will also be going up in the coming years...I wonder why;)

The shopping area is not fully open for business yet, but the most exciting destinations (Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off Fifth, and Ulta) opened for sales today. Now, I have to say that we Wisconsinites are a bit slow to catch onto trends. We don't start wearing styles until a few months after they've been introduced in the bigger cities and major metropolitan areas. I don't think we will be getting an actual Nordstrom or Saks anytime soon (probably not in my lifetime...depressing, I know). I did predict that if the elite designers did ever make their way over to Wisconsin, they would come in the form of discount stores like Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth. I should have documented my prediction because I could not have been more right! I guess I have incredible foresight!

So, onto the experience! I decided to go between classes and meet up with two of my good friends, Colleen and Becky. I went around lunchtime and it was opening day, so it goes without saying that parking was a pain. I think once the initial magic wears off, the parking lot is large enough to let people make it to the shops comfortably. Fox News and a few other T.V. stations were also there to report on the grand opening.

The line to Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth

Once I stepped into the shops, everything was a blur. Like, y'all that live in big cities can't even understand the feeling. My friends and I couldn't get over the fact that we were touching brands we had only ever seen printed on the glossy pages of our favorite magazines. I ACTUALLY HELD MIU MIU LOAFERS IN MY SMALL TOWN HANDS. At one point, I think I saw a mannequin smile at me from the corner of my eye. It was a nice little tribute to 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'. By this point, I'm sure you are convinced that I have completely lost my mind, so I'll stop "talking" and leaving you with the cutest shot of opening day through my eyes!

A very HAPPY Colleen post-Saks!

xoxo
Aneela

Current State of Crazy

So, I've been doing this crazy thing lately where having a huge amount of work just makes me want to put things off and write on this blog. So, here I am, typing away when I have a gajillion and one thoughts running through my mind. It's like my creative juices don't flow unless I have so much going on that I actually walk out of the house in the morning without shoes on my feet. Yes, this really happened to me last week.

Also, my room has been super clean lately because I've decided it's a vital stepping stone to feeling like a "grown-up". Well, other than now having an unobstructed traffic flow from my dresser to my bed, my world is pretty much falling apart! I keep feeling like I've misplaced things (but they're just where they should be) and have an overall feeling of paranoia about the superior level of cleanliness being exhibited in my living space.

Lately, I have also been wanting to diversify (ooh big word, fancy) my blog content by branching out into cooking posts. I've been photographing my food as I make it as of late to possibly post it on here, but my food just isn't that photogenic and nothing looks deserving of its fifteen minutes of fame yet. I have done cooking posts before though here and here. Maybe I need to make more extravagant food choices before I can whip out the camera and start snapping away?

Hmm what else? I have a photo shoot today between classes with Diana Yokes. I have to say I am pretty excited because I really like her work. She does a lot of fashion photography for magazines and is known for completely transforming her subjects and creating dreamlike images. I feel like I should be nervous, but I'm just too exhausted for nerves today. Oh and did I mention she will be airbrushing my makeup which has the designer bags under my eyes oh so excited.

To end this unorganized scatter brain of a post, I do appreciate all y'all that have been commenting on my posts lately. Really it's great. But, for the love of God, please don't be rude. Or be rude. I'll just delete anything that is blatantly offensive or a weakly crafted humor-coated insult. Honestly, I don't get why people hate. I mean, I write a BLOG for crying out loud. I don't claim to be sitting behind my computer screen with the cure to cancer (I wish) for you to be sitting behind yours passing judgment. Cool? Cool.

Aight, I'm off to lecture #3 of the day.

HAPPY MONDAY.

xoxo Aneela

Wordless Wednesday

Legally Exhausted!

Long time no talk y'all! I say this as if I am usually pretty regular about posting on here. I swear I have been making an effort! I have four almost completed entries sitting in my drafts that just need a little formatting here or word choice editing there. I pinky promise I will make those changes ASAP and get them published in the coming days.

Anyways, I really wanted to write about today while everything is still fresh in my head. If you are a regular reader of my blog you may know that I am currently studying for the LSAT. Well, since we last "spoke", I have become even more obsessed with the law and have committed to immerse myself into the culture by networking and meeting people working in different areas of law. I am finishing up undergrad and have been lucky enough to take two law courses this semester because I had not yet used up my electives. Both of my professors are insanely energetic, inspiring, and supportive even though I didn't discover my passion for law until my last year of undergrad. I expected some judgment based on my "late" realization and current area of study, but everyone has been so supportive through my transition. I have to admit I'm actually a little saddened that I will only get to be with these professors for a few more months.

So...on to the point of this post. My professors having been working in law for a number of years and have a slew of connections in the legal field. When I told them I was interested in getting to know legal professionals working in different sectors, they were very helpful in sharing contacts and encouraging me to reach out to people in the area.

I was able to set up a time for today with The Honorable Magistrate Judge at the U.S. Department of Justice. For some reason, I was extremely nervous about it. Last night, I had a chain of nightmares with different scenarios. I dreamed of everything from not finding parking, my outfit being drenched in dirty rain water, getting trapped in the elevator, and getting lost downtown. After each nightmare, I would wake up relieved to find that reality wasn't nearly as horrific as what I had just seen. At about 4:00 am, I gave up on sleep and tried to do everything I could to prevent any of my nightmares from coming true.

After a nervous morning, I am happy to report that I reached the Federal Magistrate's office at exactly 9:00 am (on time) safe and sound. Funny story: When I finally got to the correct door, I assumed it was an office and the door was closed, so I did what any reasonable person would do. I knocked on the door. Precise, pronounced, knocking. After hearing no reply, I turned the doorknob and walked in only to find that I had just walked into the Magistrate's courtroom! There was a proceeding in progress and it was dead silent. Every head in the room turned around to glance at me (only for a moment and then continued on with the hearing). These people were dressed in a palette of browns, grays, and bored facial expressions. And here I was, wearing rhinestone ballerina flats, a watermelon colored hijab, and an overzealous toothy smile. I have to say, I think it was a total 'Legally Blonde' moment!

I got to sit in on five cases. Each of them were very different from one another and so interesting. I did take thorough notes and could write about them on here because it is all public information, but I don't want to bore those of you who aren't interested. After the hearings, the Assistant United States Attorney who was representing the U.S. government in the cases came over to me and told me about what he does on a day-to-day basis. He was very informative and told me all about his journey to his current position. He also gave me insight into the District Attorney's office and how they differ in the types of cases they represent.

I also met a 2L (second year) student from the law school I am hoping to attend. He was also sitting in on the same cases. It was comforting to know I wasn't the only newbie in the arena and from this point forward, I felt like there was someone else there to answer questions that I couldn't. Let me tell you, the DOJ environment is not for the timid or the weak at heart. There is a constant expectation to keep proving that you know what you're talking about and everyone asks A LOT of questions. I was trying to answer questions intelligently AND "translate" legal terms that I have only had little exposure to AT THE SAME TIME.

Over the course of the work day, I did get a chance to sit down with the judge, a parole officer, warrant officers, and a lawyer working primarily on intellectual property cases. They all told me about their positions and some of them gave me tours of their departments. The building itself definitely makes it onto my list of some of the most beautiful architecture I have ever seen. I would have taken some pictures, but I was afraid the security guards might say something. Besides, I was asked to come back, so I figured by next time the guards will be more familiar with me and I will have a chance to get my photography fix eventually :)

Aight, I wish I could fill you in on every detail, but it's getting late and my fingers be weepin'! Let me know if this type of content interests you and I would be more than happy to post about my future legal adventures as well!

Hope you have a splendid weekend!

xoxo Aneela