2012.09.13 - saint ed's with the ladies

Pictures from my short hike/dip in the lake with my lady friends.

Harriet, myself, and Audrey

Audrey, Lauren, and Harriet

Me inside the giant, hollowed-out tree holding my shoes, which served as a phone holder.

"I wanna get up there!"

Heave

Almost there...

Victory!

Headed back up after an awesome afternoon at the lake.

I'll miss you, Harriet! Looking forward to hearing all your stories about Northwestern <3

~ April Baldock

2012.09.18 - my week in condensed form

It's been a little while! I practically haven't been home this past week except to sleep, and sometimes not even for that. I've been getting a lot done and having tons of fun with friends. To save you from the longest post imaginable, I'll try to summarize each day and pick the highlights to share.

Tuesday the 11th

Just some interesting street sign art on the Burke-Gilman. Seattle is covered in interesting art and I love it.

Definitely captured this picture while driving...but here's the Space Needle with an American flag in honor of September 11th. 

Wednesday the 12th

Someone left a gorgeous dahlia on the trail, so naturally I had to pick it up. As you can see, there was clearly no one else on the trail at this time, so it must have been meant for me. I walked all the way to the medical center before deciding I should leave it for the next curious passerby to pick up. I wedged it between two stacked signs across from the med center. I should have taken a picture, but was trying not to awkwardly stand in the middle of the trail any longer as bikers and runners stared at me. 

I had a few other outings planned for after work, but decided to cancel them all and go home to relax. I was really glad I did this because I ended up collapsing and sleeping for around 13 hours when I got home.

Thursday the 13th

I went on a short hike with three of my lovely lady friends, but will make a separate post for those pictures. My dear friend, Harriet, made her way to Chicago today and I had to see her before she left.

After the hike, I went to my friend Dan's apartment to see my buddy, Justin! It was a really chill night and we went out to Enemy Tattoo to get our friend, Brad's, appointment confirmed. He already has a number of tattoos, but this will be his biggest yet. I'm hoping to go in with him on Thursday and will definitely post pictures of how it turns out. 

Friday the 14th

One of my best friends in the world, Steven, surprised me when I was at work. He called me and told me he was on campus, so I went out to get bubble tea with him and help him track down his school books. We walked a few blocks off the ave to Half Price Books, where the super helpful staff led us to all the literature he needed. To celebrate, Steven took me to Shinka Tea, the bubble tea shop that he used to go to with his sister.

The tea here was much more authentic tasting than most other places I have been and they used small tapioca. I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the tapioca, but the tea was amazing. Also, I'm not sure why, but I really prefer this type of cup when I get bubble tea. It surprised me that they didn't use the normal, sealed cup. That might just be the hipster in me coming out... Also, that is Steven; he hates having his picture taken.

Here's some of the fancy teas they use. Steven and I both got jasmine milk tea. The decor was more rustic and muted than the regular, colorful bubble tea shop.

Also, this was my last day working at the lab!! And I spend a good chunk of it out with Steven...it was a great way to spend my last day not at work c:

Later that night, Steven went back to Dan's with me to meet Dan, his girlfriend Serena (suchh a sweetheart), Brad, and Justin. We inadvertently spend the night and groggily went home at 8 the next morning to sleeeep.

Saturday the 15th

Saturday was amazinggg. I got to catch up with my old friend, Cameron, and see a super sick concert with him. We went to the Paramount and saw The Head and The Heart. There were two opening bands: Curtains for You and Bryan John Appleby. All three groups were superb, but my favorite was probably Curtains for You; their energy was crazy contagious. They were also the most interactive with the crowd. The keyboardist, Peter, looked at me a few times and the frontman, Matt, smiled at me! It was definitely an experience I won't soon forget. If you haven't heard of this small band before, and I wouldn't be suprised, check out their song Daisy. You'll be hooked on their catchy melodies and perfect harmonies. 

The Paramount is gorgeous! This was my first show there. I didn't get any pictures of Curtains for You; security guards were still strolling back and forth in front of the crowd, trying to prevent people from filming :c

Bryan John Appleby mesmerized the whole crowd. His music was tranquil and a little eerie, but completely addicting.

And finally, the Head and the Heart took the stage! Here's Jonathan and Josiah, the two male vocalists.

Charity is the other main vocalist and I literally could not take my eyes off her the entire show. She was incredibly captivating and obviously a fan favorite. She was showered with cheers during every solo. Their set was amazing and I would not hesitate to see them again.

Sunday the 16th

Sunday started off with me giving my cousin a quick driving lesson. Unfortunately, it was cut short by a flat tire, which meant I had to quickly drive us home to change it.

The afternoon led to another day at the park, but with Steven and Connor this time. Connor and I decided to take a dip in the lake and swim out to a log for adventure's sake. While we dried off, Steven and I took turns playing tunes on his ukulele.

I believe this is the only picture of my from that day...Connor snuck a couple of Steven and I while we packed up our things to climb back up to the trail.

I finished off the day by hanging out with Justin again. He had to find his way to my house in the middle of nowhere because my mom didn't want me driving my car. I'll have to take it in to get the opposite tire changed as well because it is much more worn-down than the spare is. 

While getting driven around by Justin with his friend, Jordan (it was nice to meet you!), in the backseat, Justin surprised me by telling me I was going to learn how to drive stick. I didn't know if I should be nervous or excited, but it was a very interesting experience. Thank goodness for Justin's patience and understanding; anyone else would have yelled at me for killing their car a handful of times. According to Justin and Jordan, I did really well for my first time, but I can't help but to be skeptical of their praise. I'm actually looking forward to having another lesson, though!

Monday the 17th

Yesterday was simply an errand day for me. I finally got around to buying my textbooks and am now $220 poorer. I ran a couple errands for my mom then had the rest of the day for myself. I got back to a DIY project I had been meaning to finish for a while and posted a new video on my YouTube channel about it. Make sure you check it out here! Video editing is still taking me forever and I am far from satisfied with the results, but I want to get at least one video up per week, so I uploaded it anyway. I'm hoping to figure out some more effective ways to edit soon!

I made a pair of lace-inset shorts! I'm really, really happy with how they turned out and can't wait to wear them. I'll probably even wear them into the fall with tights and whatnot. 

Welllll, I'm totally pooped from this long blog post, so I'll let you go now. If you actually made it all the way through my week, thank you!! I hope you are having an amazing day and check back soon to see how my life is going. I am moving into my dorm on Thursday and will have plenty of college-y adventures to tell you about.

~ April Baldock

2012.09.10 - meeting the roomie

Today I went out with the intention of being at work from 9-5 with a short-ish break during lunchtime to meet up with my roommate for a quick bite. Instead, I pulled in to UVillage around 11:15, sat in my car taking pictures and videos of myself, and wandered around UW until 1:00, when I was supposed to meet my roommate. The two of us also got together with two other girls in our cluster and one of their friends, who was visiting from southern California. Once the five of us found each other at the U Book Store, we headed off to Thai Tom for lunch. 

Thai Tom was amazinggg; the serving sizes were great for the price and the staff was super friendly. All the entrees were the same price, which was about $7.95. Most of the girls, including myself, had to get a take-out box (you can see mine sitting on top of my phone d: ) even though we were starving going into the restaurant! I'll definitely have to head back there more often once I move into my dorm. But a quick warning; they only accept cash here, so come prepared!

Meeting the girls was great. Everyone was really nice and I didn't feel much awkwardness at all. Conversation seemed to flow pretty naturally and I'm insanely excited to move in with them and spend the year getting to know each other. Maybe I'll finally find a couple girls that I actually get along with. I might even hang out with girls instead of guys for once! I might be getting ahead of myself, but I'm very optimistic about our cluster. I'll be sure to keep you updated on meeting the rest of the cluster-mates and getting to know them all. 

Thank you so much for stopping by and check back soon for another update!

~ April Baldock

2012.09.08 - the best of seattle

I was out exploring Seattle all day yesterday, so I didn't have time to post, but here's a peek at what my friends and I got up to!

We started off the day slowly with some wandering of the shopping area. I had wanted to snag a cupcake at the Seattle Center's 50th Birthday festival, but my friends didn't want to wait around for the passing out of the treats. We walked down to Westlake, where a Trophy Cupcakes stand had been set up! My amazing friend, Quoc, bought individual cupcakes for me and himself. I love the boxes they come in.

Next, we swung by bobachine to get bubble tea. I tried the strawberries 'n' cream bobachino and it was beyond amazing. 

Here's my beautiful cupcake before consumption; I got chocolate peanut butter. Yumm.

On our way to the Seattle Aquarium, we stopped by a little bug-themed shop called Seattle Bug Safari. We used our aquarium tickets to get half-off admission to the bug exhibit. There was a little gift shop outside the 'safari' and I couldn't resist buying scorpion suckers for myself and my cousin. They also had larvae and cricket suckers, but we decided the scorpions were the most interesting. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep my sucker as a souvenir or eat it; I have eaten scorpion before, though. 

Here's the crew posed in front of the large scuba-diver tank at the entrance of the aquarium, sans scuba-diver today however. From left to right: my cousin Ling, Anu, Steven, me!, Paul. In front: Brandon and Quoc. 

Somehow, two of my friends found love at the aquarium. Here's Brandon locked in a longing gaze with his fishy lover. -muah!-

Steven's fishy friend looks more unsure about their relationship.

I, on the other hand, left without having formed any new bonds. :c

Later, I tried my luck with Sylvia at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, but she doesn't seem to be reciprocating my interest. I was able to move on, though, and still enjoy all the wondrous knick-knacks and exhibits at this strange, little shop. The shrunken heads, fortune-telling machines, and two-headed animals entertained us for far too long. 

Dinner time! We walked back up the pier a bit to stop at Red Robin for one of the most satisfying meals I have ever had. After walking around all day, I was definitely ready to sit down and stuff my face with bottomless steak fries and a Burnin' Love Burger. We were seated by the windows and able to watch the sunset as we enjoyed our food. 

And a final group shot in front of the Great Wheel, which was taken for us by the most adorable couple. The lighting is absolute crud, but the wheel was so pretty at night. The group agreed that we would have to come back for another adventure and ride it. 

This concluded our time in Seattle and we parted ways at various bus stops. I spent the rest of the night with my new friend, Justin. I met him on Friday night through two mutual friends. Justin and I went over to his friends' apartment, where I got to meet Dan, Serena, Brad, and all six of their cats: Mikey, Mocha, Dexter, Penelope, Angel, and Cocoa. 

Justin and I watched Kevin Hart on Netflix until the wee hours of the morning. When we walked out to my car, we saw something in the dark at the top of a flight of stairs. Having just watched multiple Slenderman videos, I was hesitant to go investigate. Thankfully it ended up being an adorable papillon named Moo. He was terrified and shivering, but we called his very grateful owners, who came to rescue him. Mission accomplished and it was finally time for me to head home and jump in bed!

I'm spending my Sunday with myself at home and catching up on some much-needed room organization (and blogging, of course). Tomorrow, I will be meeting my roommate and two of our other dorm-mates for the first time! Keeping my fingers crossed that our nine cluster-mates all get along. Will let you all know how that goes.

As always, thanks for checking out my blog and follow to see more!

~ April Baldock 

2012.09.06 - unicorn ride

Another day of nine to five, except I probably only went in from noon to four. 

That's the path I walk to work on normal days. It's usually packed with bicyclists and runners, but was strangely empty today so I thought I would snap a quick photo of the tree tunnel.

And here I am posing in a public restroom next to a koala changing station, hoping no one walks in on me. Why doesn't my room have a mirror as nice as this bathroom? Also, admire my lovely tumbler, which my friend Sarah decorated for me :) I love you and miss you, Sarah!

I walk over this road that points directly at Drumheller fountain everyday. Instead of walking back through the tunnel of trees, I decided to walk through the heart of campus. I started here by taking the sunny side of the path toward Red Square, the central area of UW. 

 

On my drive, I was stopped behind this Unicorn/Jeep hybrid. Now, you may be wondering why a curly, white wig is stuck to the extra tire. That hair and ribbon attachment is actually the Unicorn's tail! It took me a while to notice the horn stuck to the top of the Jeep; I was too busy checking out the massive collection of unicorn and cake stickers decorating the back. You can see it peeking over the top in this photo. 

Naturally, I had to get next to this magical Unicorn car to see it's horn more clearly. To avoid the inevitable awkwardness of pointing my camera at this creature from right alongside it, I zoomed ahead of it and quickly grabbed this shot in my side-view mirror. I apologize for the dirtiness of my mirror, but you can quite clearly see the horn and fuzzy base! I never would have guessed that I would see a real live unicorn, and just out in the middle of the road! Definitely one of those moments that made me glad I carry my camera around with me. 

Aside from the mythical creature sighting, my day was fairly uneventful. I finally got myself to film my first video for what will soon be my YouTube fashion channel. I did a simple haul from Labor Day weekend and am uploading it as I type. It was clearly not the best quality video, but I am already learning a lot about how I will want to shoot my videos. It was a bit of a test-run video, but I will still upload it for now. Maybe I will look back in a few months, realize how cruddy it is, and delete it. Maybe I will keep it up just so I can see how much I have improved. I will link it here when it is online if any of you are interested in seeing it. c: 

Update: here's the link!!

Follow and check back to see more of my life and possibly Sasquatch? Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day! 

~ April Baldock

2012.09.05 - typical, lazy days

As I was walking to work today, I decided to take a slightly more scenic route through the middle of campus and snap a few shots.

Behold the jail-like building, which I will be calling home for the next year. At least I get to be on the nice, sunny side with a view of Lake Washington! And we'll get a balcony, as well. I've been told by many people that this is the nicest dorm on campus, excluding the ones which are just opening up this fall. 

The beautiful Drumheller Fountain. Although I must admit, her waters are looking quite green, murky, and laden with goose poo. Nonetheless, still a very postcard-worthy part of campus, surrounded by the President's Rose Garden and multiple gorgeous buildings.

All the way home I had to be blasting this wonderful CD that my best friend gave me. I think it was supposed to be our preparation for the Freaks of Nature concert, but she ended up having to go without me :( I do still enjoy the mesmerizing sound of Kaskade as I sit in traffic for almost two hours everyday!

Today was a more typical day at work; I sat at my desk and tried to get actual work done between facebook and phone game breaks. Other than the lack of the usual Wednesday pizza lunch, work was quite boring. 

Yesterday, on the other hand, was much more enjoyable. I arrived a bit late for work and left for a long bubble tea break with my good friend, Tony. 

That's Tony! ^^^ Cruddy lighting, but he's a cutie. This is from about a week ago, when we were doing the Amazing Ring Race in Seattle. Yesterday was actually the first time I had hung out with him alone for whatever reason. We got delicious bubble tea at Yunnie on the ave and sat in the Quad for a good two or three hours. We talked, snapped a couple pictures, and ran away from a jumping spider before I finally dragged myself back to work. 

After work was over, I met back up with Tony and his friend Duy. I drove the three of us down to a choir audition! We met our friend Brandon there as well; he was already in the choir and suggested we come check it out.

Here's Brandon! ^^^

Duy was just spectating, but Tony and I auditioned and were placed in our sections. I'm a soprano and Tony is a bass. Neither of us were really planning on joining the choir this day; we were only there to get a feel for it and decide if we wanted to return. Somehow our casual visit committed us both to joining. So, say hello to the two newest members of Diverse Harmony! It seemed like a really nice crew though, so I'm excited to return next Tuesday. 

After our long day, Tony, Brandon, and I wanted to relax a little and meander the streets. We strolled Broadway singing and chatting. We ended our wonderful night by getting a snack at Dick's and sitting in front of Seattle Community College enjoying it. We sang a couple more songs while finishing off our fries and we discussed our plans for Halloween (early, but these things require preparation!). 

All in all, this week has been great so far. I'll be keeping my camera around my neck to capture my daily life and hope you all check back in to see more of it! Thanks for reading and have an awesome September, especially for those of you that are headed back to school :)

~ April Baldock

2012.09.03 - i get a good feeling

This will be my personal blog for documenting my everyday life. I want to be able to look back at my adventures with friends and family, but mostly the changes I will experience myself.

I am about to go off to college at the University of Washington. Start the journey with me now, a month before classes will begin. Get to know me and my life. I hope you stick around to see where this all heads.

Saw the sickest car while headed to Seattle. I swear I wasn't driving while taking photos...this time.

Me and one of my best friends, Steven. We had the most exhausting day looking for the perfect pair of jeans for him. Obligatory full-length mirror pic in the fitting room.

Westlake Center in downtown Seattle. Pretty clocks and no tops.

Sunset over the outskirts of Seattle. 

Poor photo quality, but I'll admit the city can be quite beautiful.

I thrifted a bunch of clothing for myself this morning (Labor Day sales!), drove myself and Steven to Seattle to meet up with our other friends, Brandon and Paul. We shopped around downtown Seattle for a couple hours before slipping down to catch a bus to SouthCenter. Got crept on by some old, white man at the underground bus station. He said I was pretty in Chinese and complimented my hair, clothing, and skin tone. Multiple handshakes and a side-hug later, I was thinking I should pretend to be dating one of the boys I was with... Eventually our bus came and we made it to SouthCenter; it was somehow the first time I had ever been there.  Bought the most delicious Mexican food in the food court before shopping more. Headed back home to try on all the new clothes and regret eating so much Mexican food. All in all, a great day! Too bad Tony, Donte, and Joseph couldn't make it, but they will all have to be introduced later. 

I may write a better introductory post for myself soon, but for now I'll just thank you for reading. I hope you stop by again to watch my life unfold. Here's to good friends and crazy adventures!

~April Baldock