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Day 30: February 16th

It’s an unusual Thursday because I’m staying at my apartment. Normally I go home because I work every Friday morning bright and early, but tomorrow is portfolio review! It’s also the last day of journalling. I simply cannot believe that 30 days have come and gone this fast. It’s unbelievable. 

I slept in this morning, ate a big breakfast, and planned on doing homework but it didn’t really work out the way I wanted to. I get so distracted by my phone and I think that’s my biggest downfall. Technology is toxic in a lot of ways. I’m always checking to see if I have a text, but then I just check the time and realize how much time I’ve wasted just sitting here doing nothing or getting consumed by my phone. 

I went to photography and learned way too much information at once (like usual). I like my photography class but oh my goodness my instructor doesn’t clearly give instructions at all and then expects us to just show up outside of class to develop film. We literally got one demo and he just expects us to figure everything out on our own time (It’s a three hour class!). So that was stressful. I bought an iced coffee on my way back to my apartment. And it was mostly due to the stress I felt from that class. I immediately wished I had gotten an iced mango tea lemonade because it was so warm out. But I didn’t want to ask because I don’t want to be that person. 

I spent my night finishing up preparing my artwork for portfolio review and thinking about how much I’d rather be at Target than sitting on my apartment floor shading an interior space drawing. 

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Day 29: February 15th

Today was a long day of classes (because Wednesday). And today I stayed at school all day- from 8:30 am until 7:30 pm. I brought a few snacks but knew that I was going to have to buy food while I was here. And I don’t have very long breaks between class so I spent each of them writing papers and catching up on homework. I bought Subway for lunch but could hardly eat it because I was so focused on finishing my paper. 

Before Design and its Discontents I bought a honest tea- it was the first time I’ve had it but I love tea with lemonade so I thought I’d give it a try. I also bought a page of pretzels. Both kind of served as a makeshift dinner. But because I’ve been so busy and stressed I didn’t feel very hungry but I still impulse bought it. And I definitely didn’t need a tea because I had my water bottle with me. 

After class I stayed up later than my roommates (which is totally unlike me) to work on homework. It’s definitely easier to do homework now that Riley is in Norway because we don’t get to talk much. Don’t get me wrong, it sucks so much. I’ve been so busy this week that I couldn’t imagine having to schedule in a Skype call with Riley. All we can do is text because he works all day anyway. 

I noticed I’ve been craving caffeine all day. I refuse to buy coffee on the St. Paul campus though. I really only like chain coffee because I know their coffee beans were thoughtfully picked and sourced and they are way more flavorful.

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Here’s the end of my collection of consumable drinks (plastic cups, bottles, and cans). I know there were at least 3 cups that I ended up throwing away on accident, but I always tried to consciously keep them in a bag in my room. 

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Day 28: February 14th

Me and Emily volunteered to work at a different Caribou this morning because it was buy one get one free. I wouldn’t have volunteered but she said I should work with her (and I love working with her) so it all worked out in the end. We had a lot of fun.

I consumed coffee and natural bliss coffee creamer at work. Stopped by at home to pick up art work for portfolio review (I need to analyze them so I can talk more professionally about my design strategies), and drove back to campus for class.

In photography I spent three long hours learning how to use a 35mm film camera and so far I’m really enjoying it. We learned how to shoot and then develop the film. I believe we’ll learn how to print on Thursday, but really I have no clue. It was information overload.

I cooked pasta after class that I didn’t end up liking (it was dried four cheese tortellini from Target). I find that I always buy things I think will taste good and they never do. I guess I should just stick to mac and cheese.

I spent the majority of my night with my roommates. We explored the guthrie while I took portrait shots of them (on 35mm film) for my photography project.

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Day 27: February 13th

My morning class was canceled, which served as a huge relief for me because I’ve been incredibly stressed with school work. I slept in, ate a good breakfast, and worked on homework in the morning. After Web I came back to my apartment and showered (I really needed a good long shower to help ease my mind). 

Normally I can prioritize my assignments better but lately I’ve just been overwhelmed more than anything. It helps to write it all down in my planner. 

Me and Nancy ran to target quick to get eggs and walk around. I was really good and didn’t impulse buy anything... but last night I bought a jar of nutella as a “reward” for Lord knows what. I mainly just justified it by saying I deserved it because I’m stressed. But besides that I’ve also been drinking the iced coffee I bought. 

I stayed up late doing homework and not waking up my roommate when I went to bed (that’s a first). Other than that today’s consumption wasn’t too out of the ordinary.

Consumed modern alternative music in the car, drank iced coffee, and mainly stayed in my head because I’m so stressed.

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Day 26: February 12th

I knew last night that going out would make me stressed in the morning, but I did it anyway. I have so much homework to catch up on and I’m a little overwhelmed by it all. I just feel like I haven’t been managing my time as well as I’m used to. It’s definitely hard to balance school, work, a social life, and sleep all at once. Also adult responsibilities? Like paying my tuition, rent, and worrying about how I’m going to afford to visit Riley. I want to be financially responsible but I also realize this is the only time in my life where I can probably afford to be irresponsible, since I’ll be working for the rest of my life down the line. It’s very conflicting.

I also would love to study abroad but I can’t help but stress out about how much debt that would put me in. It’s so worth the debt, but also, I don’t want to be in debt up to my neck. My goal is to be 100% debt free (excluding mortgage) before I’m 30. Ideally by the age of 25. 

Today’s consumption and notable activities: an omelette for breakfast, constant thoughts about coffee, the Helvetica documentary, web design homework (layouts for sites and personas), grocery shopping at Target, stress about homework, impulse buying a jug of Starbucks iced coffee and coffee creamer (but so worth it)

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Day 25: February 11th

I can’t believe how fast 25 days have come and gone. I feel like the semester just started a week ago? 

Todays consumption at work was mostly normal. I ate a turkey bacon mini sandwich that got made on accident and I made myself and my coworker Emiiy a fruit and cheese snack box for lunch. We tried a new coffee creamer today. She brought in International Delight Caramel flavor for us to try out. I personally didn’t care for it. I couldn't help but think that it wasn’t Coffeemate and that Coffeemate (especially natural bliss) tasted so much better. We both agreed that it was not as good as what we had last time. 

Work was long and exhausting. I worked with a few people that put me in a bad mood so I was a little tense throughout my shift (which really sucks since I work such long days). Emily came in to help me out though because she knew I needed it the day before because the people I was working with aren’t fully trained in. I didn’t resort to eating due to my stress though. Normally that’s what I’ve found I do during stressful shifts.

I’m so scared I’m going to get sick since I currently have a stuffy nose. But I feel as though it’s passing. My coworker Tegan came in to replace me and she has a sore throat. Just being around her for a half an hour made me nervous. After work I took a shower and did some laundry and consumed a TON of vitamin C. Hopefully I’ll kick whatever I feel like I’m coming down with. 

I ended my night by going out with my roommate Claire to a friend’s house. It was so much fun but I definitely should’ve had more water while I was drinking. We went to Claire’s boyfriend’s house (to see his roommates since he's currently studying abroad), and just being there made me miss Riley so much. I’m holding onto the fact that I will most likely get to see him at the end of May. That’s probably what drove me to go out and drink tonight.

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Day 24: February 10th

Another Friday in the books! A long day at work. I planned ahead and made food last night for my breakfast/lunch. I consumed another Bai Cocofusion drink, except this one was one of the raspberry coconut flavors. I had never seen it before but I had to snatch it up at the grocery store the night before. The Design aspect of the Bai drinks is what first drew me to them. The graphics on the bottle are so clean and simple. And clearly they’re tasty because I can’t stop buying them.

I used almost all of my hazelnut coffee creamer that I purchased yesterday as well. Me and Emily both shared it at work and basically drank it straight because where else would it have gone? We couldn’t stop laughing about how much we had used in our (multiple) coffees. I mentioned before but it’s Coffeemate natural bliss and I definitely purchased it because it was a brand name I recognized and knew I liked.

Among other things, I was overwhelmed about how many cups and how much plastic I used today, on myself. I normally fill up a large cup of water while at work, and a small cup of iced coffee. But I didn’t realize that I sometimes drink hot coffee too. That’s three cups a shift (at least). And if I work twice a week that’s 6 cups creating waste. I don’t consider myself a wasteful person, but after collecting all of my cups and consumable drinks I can’t believe how many I really use. 

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Day 23: February 9th

I pushed myself to go to the gym today (on the main floor of my apartment). Every Thursday Abby goes to the gym when she wakes up and I just never want to get out of bed. For whatever reason I did today, even though I got out of bed a half an hour later than her (haha). But it turned out that I got the gym all to myself after I did cardio, which is my favorite. Like a kid in a candy store.

I finished up my photography assignment and then spent 3 hours in an in-class  critique. My back was definitely aching after the three hours. Maybe that’s a sign I should work out more. 

After class I talked on the phone with Riley quick and then spent much of my time doing homework. I prefer to talk to him through Skype (see him face-to-face) but we talked over the phone. Most frequently we talk through Skype. The user interface is convenient, but there still are many glitches that are irritating (poor connection, video/sound lag, etc.)

Off to class again, and then to Steady Tattoo. Me, Abby, and Claire all got piercings. Me and Claire both got our noses double pierced and Abby got her helix (cartilage) pierced. The choice to go to Steady wasn’t hard for me, because I don’t necessarily ponder over quality of service. I prefer cheaper prices and if their service is good, then great. Now this doesn’t mean that I would go into a dark alley to get a piercing by any means. In mainstream America, piercings are more about freedom of expression than they are about tradition (like in other cultures) and I’ve always found that to be interesting. 

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Day 22: February 8th

For the first five and a half hours of my day I sat in McNeal Hall, room 316, directly under a fan blowing cold air. Needless to say, I spent the entire time in my winter jacket and gloves. Because of the conditions, I found that I was more compelled to buy myself lunch (and also because I haven’t grocery shopped recently). I bought a sandwich and tea because I woke up with a stuffy nose. Despite feeling under the weather, being incredibly cold, and hungry most of my morning, I was mostly in a good mood. I was surrounded by fun people in both of my morning classes and that consumption helps me to get through my morning. 

After class I got to Skype Riley (again, trying to get as much time with him as I can before he starts training in Norway. I don’t know how often we will get to talk). Talking to him is bittersweet. Afterwards, I hopped on the connector and really just wanted to get coffee. I bought a Starbucks iced coffee. After thinking about the circumstances and my emotions I feel as though I bought it emotionally. I know I’m an emotional spender, and on top of that, coffee. 

As a recurring theme, I find that the economic and societal aspects of my consumption are the strongest. In the lens of the economy, I find that my purchases are strongly dependent on the branding and package design of the product. For example, there were two different labels on blackberries at Target. I specifically chose the one with the better design (a clean brown label with black text, versus Driscoll’s bright yellow and green label). In the American society, coffee consumption is strongly romanticized. Consuming coffee makes a person appear put together and in marketing, I often see it tied to the working class. I guess these are just two observations that have stood out to me recently.

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Day 21: February 7th

Today was an interesting day. Me and Emily slept in this morning and then went to Starbucks for coffee. Being her friend is so much fun because we are always laughing together. She brought her own hazelnut coffee creamer into Starbucks and I just couldn’t believe it- it was so funny, but it tasted so good in my Pike Place coffee. We bought felt really crappy from all the food and wine we had the night before, but we still had enough energy to sit in a Starbucks and enjoy each other’s company.

I always hear great things about Coffee-mate’s Natural Bliss coffee creamer, but I normally don’t use creamer. I find it worth noting that I’ve always thought Coffee-mate to be a credible brand name (and maybe it’s because my mom always used to use it when I was growing up). I would probably buy it if I ever was craving hazelnut coffee creamer. 

After coffee I headed back to my apartment and got ready for Photography. I got prints done during class, which was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Because I haven’t filled in my planner recently I’ve been a little on edge about what I should be doing and it’s upped my stress. Not to mention I wasn’t feeling my best. I got home and sat on the couch and just felt really anxious. I deciding to take a hot bath and that helped increase my mood. 

After consuming hours upon hours of homework, I ended the night chatting with my roommates and doing homework.

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Day 20: February 6th

I’ve found that when I begin my morning with breakfast I feel wide awake when I sit on the bus during my commute. It also improves my mood because I feel a lot happier and motivated (again, I’m not used to eating breakfast regularly). 

I’ve been getting along really well with the girl who sits next to me in Web Design. Today she offered me a ride home and we had a really nice talk. It’s always refreshing to be able to meet someone new that you get along with.

After my two morning classes I got back to my apartment and immediately laid on the couch. Knowing that I had plans that night I did not have any motivation to do homework. Even though it would make sense to do it beforehand. I ended up Skyping Riley for a little bit and then left for my friend’s house. Having something to look forward to influenced my productivity. 

Me and my friend Emily have been planning to have a girl’s night for a long time. We started off the night by going to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and spending WAY too much money. And we over bought for sure. We definitely didn’t need all of that food (or wine) but it was so good. We spent most of the night with stomach aches because we ate so much. But it was all in good company with plenty of laughter. I’m definitely a social eater. I will eat whatever is in front of me when I’m with other people. It was also nice to have a night full of good conversation and to have that “consumption” of companionship. I feel like I don’t get enough of that, being that my boyfriend is nearly 4,500 miles away.

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Day 19: February 5th

I’ve mentioned before, but Sundays are the best days. I spent most of my morning stressed out about catching up on homework. My mind just wouldn’t stop putting a list together of everything I needed to get done. I worked on homework and in-between assignments I Skyped Riley (even though I really didn’t want to because I felt like it was a waste of time when I could’ve been productive- I know that sounds bad but I was having a rough morning). 

After we talked, me and my roommate Nancy decided to go to a coffeeshop to try to be more productive. We went to two different Spyhouse Coffee locations and BOTH were packed. Literally every time I go to Spyhouse it’s packed and it’s so disappointing. We ended up going to Penny’s in the Warehouse District and I’m so glad we did because it is such a gem. I had never been to North Loop/the Warehouse District but I’m so glad we went because I felt so inspired, motivated, and in love with the area. The architecture of the buildings was gorgeous, parking was free, and it was a beautiful February day in Minneapolis. All I kept thinking about was I need to find out how much it is to live here. And I’m sure it is really expensive but it would be a dream. 

I worked on homework and then walked around and took pictures for my photography class and it was so refreshing. Going out really put me in a better mood and put my goals and aspirations for my own life into perspective. I always make up excuses for why I’m not doing something more with my life right now, but really I’m the only person stopping me.

This got really deep but I guess all it took was for me to go out and consume a latte in an area I’ve never been before. It was rejuvenating. 

Afterwards we went to McNeal so I could print a poster design, an Asian Market, and eventually went out for Chinese at Lucky Dragon, just down the road from our apartment.

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Day 18: February 4th

Today my emotional state was kind of everywhere. I was rather moody because I got my period unexpectedly the day before, plus I had another long day at work. My mood at work tends to shift depending on who I work with. I have really good days when I work with my coworker Emily because we always laugh and enjoy each others company (which I think is the best kind of interaction/consumption with others. We had that yesterday). But I worked with mostly new people, which meant that I had more responsibilities than normal because they don’t know what they’re doing the majority of the time. So I was rather exhausted mentally after they left. I work long days to get my hours in, so I technically am working until the night shift comes in. On my break I just sat in the backroom and drank my cold press and ate my snack box. I was upset with my food consumption the day before- I felt like I didn’t make the healthiest choices.

I came back to my apartment a few hours after work and forced myself to caught up on homework because it was causing me a lot of stress. Stress definitely motivates my homework consumption. Then I watched Make it or Break it on Hulu with two of my roommates. Television consumption is such a strange thing because we actually never watch cable television anymore. I remember as a kid always watching cable. I don’t remember how old I was but there was a movie that was going to be on Disney Channel and I wanted to record it on VHS. I don’t think I would be able to figure it out now, but back then I knew how to do it- which I find amazing. 

I also like to think that I created the concept for being able to pause, rewind, and record television shows at a young age, except I just wasn’t born early enough to invent it myself (insert winking emoji here). I remember being really young (maybe 4 or 5) and pushing pause on the DVD player and was frustrated that the television show wouldn’t pause. I just really had to go to the bathroom. 

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Day 17: February 3rd

I worked another 10+ hour day. I am now physically exhausted as well as emotionally exhausted. But it was also pay day today and that helped. I got paid more than I was expecting which is great because I could comfortably pay my tuition bill for February (early, even). I’ve been financially stressed with tuition this semester. That’s another long story. 

At work I had an iced green tea with honey, a Mediterranean snack box, coffee cake, and plenty of iced coffee. After work I went to Cub to pick up a can of diced pineapple (I wanted to make Hawaiian pizza) and I literally bought a bunch of stuff and left WITHOUT pineapple. How devastating, really, that I got so distracted in the grocery store that I left without the one thing I needed. I didn’t want to stay there long, but I needed some food for the weekend. I am just amazed by the marketing strategies of super markets now after last weeks readings. 

I spent my afternoon working in Adobe Illustrator and eating homemade pizza (I swear to God I’m going to be done making homemade pizza). My dad is truly obsessed with our new oven and he makes pizza every weekend now. I sipped on some more iced coffee. It’s fair to mention that when I work I get free coffee, but I still consume it just as much when I’m not working. 

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Day 16: February 2nd

I spent my morning stressed, which isn’t a fun way to start out a Thursday morning. I ran to Coffman after while and put $50 on my gopher gold account (for printing in the McNeal lab) and I grabbed Starbucks iced coffee on my way out. I should’ve just walked to my apartment on Westbank but instead I was lazy and wanted to take the bus. I probably waited for as long as it would’ve taken to walk, but I was so damn stubborn I just waited more. I justified it by saying I didn’t want to walk in the cold, but yet I stood in the cold. I ended up walking to Bruininks just to take the Campus Connector (instead of the University Circulator). Moral of the story, quit being stubborn and just walk.

When I got back I made an omelette, drank my iced coffee. Before class I ate an apple with almond butter, and triscuits with swiss cheese. I feel like my food consumption is the lesser part of my overall consumption, but yet I still record it. I don’t purchase much other than food and lots of coffee. Which I think is significant. I’ve been asking myself why I feel the need to spend so much money on it (mainly coffee) and I haven’t seemed to pin the reason yet. I’m becoming more and more aware of my spending habits though. It’s very true that consumption in America has a lot to do with choice. After reading that article I wonder if my consumption is primarily social. As though I purchase coffee to subconsciously say hey, look what I bought, I’m really cool because I drink iced coffee when it’s -5 degrees out. Okay, I’m only slightly making fun of myself. But I feel as though there’s a lot of truth behind it. 

I FaceTimed Riley quick and took a nap. He convinced me to go work out and I can’t believe it worked because honestly nothing has been motivating me lately. When I get stressed, working out is literally the last thing on my mind. 

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Day 15: February 1st

Today was full of classes, classes, and more classes. Do you ever type out a word and question whether or not it’s spelt right...or even a word at all? The word classes just doesn’t look correct right now. It’s probably due to my exhausted state of mind.

I’ve had a rather emotionally exhausted day. I find that to have led me to buying a footlong sub rather than a 6-inch, so I could have half for lunch and half for dinner (because I was on campus all day). Other than breakfast (which wasn't much, I grabbed an apple and ran out the door), I basically didn’t eat today. I spent my morning Skyping Riley for a little bit since he got back from Italy. After class me and my roommates all went on a grocery trip to Target. Usually I go to the Target in the Quarry’s because it’s closer to our apartment, but when we all go together we go to the larger Super Target in Roseville. I spent under $15 which was impressive- especially for a Target run. 

I also had an “as if” moment today and found myself rather amused by it. Apparently there’s an overhead light by the front door of my apartment that I never knew existed. My roommate swears that I have asked her where that light came from before (and I don’t doubt that I said that). It’s as if I noticed it and was surprised, forgot about it, and then rediscovered it yet again. There’s just a series of lights that are in rather strange places on the ceiling of my apartment. If we’re being honest, they’re very poorly laid out. 

Nonetheless it was refreshing to discover it for the first time. It has made me more aware of my surroundings tonight.