Note To Self!

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“[I]t is actually more expensive to be poor than not poor. If you can’t afford the first month’s rent and security deposit you need in order to rent an apartment, you may get stuck in an overpriced residential motel. If you don’t have a kitchen or even a refrigerator and microwave, you will find yourself falling back on convenience store food, which — in addition to its nutritional deficits — is also alarmingly overpriced. If you need a loan, as most poor people eventually do, you will end up paying an interest rate many times more than what a more affluent borrower would be charged. To be poor — especially with children to support and care for — is a perpetual high-wire act.”

— It Is Expensive to Be Poor | The Atlantic

awwwwwwww, here it goes.

the last time i went on a major trip outside of the country, i went to england and france during my junior year of high school. when i boarded the plane that would take us from france back to the u.s., i thought to myself:

"wow. what an unforgettable experience. i'm gonna remember this for the rest of my life."

unfortunately, beyond what i can remember by looking at the few pictures that i took with my digital camera, i really don't remember much about that "unforgettable experience." i can remember what the paris skyline looked like, but i don't really remember what standing on the top of the eiffel tower felt like. i remember that we ate authentic fish and chips in london, but i don't really remember what it tasted like.

i don't know if the "let's-see-how-much-we-can-do-in-two-weeks" nature of the trip, my poor memory, or just the fact that it's been three years is responsible for my inability to remember that trip. it's probably a combination of all three. i wouldn't expect this issue to get better with age.

HENCE, THE TRAVEL BLOG.

in case you don't know, or if you couldn't tell from the ridiculous title of this blog, i'm studying abroad in AUSTRALIA. for four months. that's way longer than two weeks. so, this blog isn't only gonna contain what i see and what i eat; it's gonna be a document of what i feel; what i taste; what i hear; what i think. yeah, it sounds a little corny--but that's okay. i want to remember every single detail of this trip. i hope you'll read this often and enjoy reliving the experience with me, even if i italicize and bold my words excessively.

so, in the weeks leading up to my departure, i'll be making posts about how i'm preparing to survive in another country for an entire semester. i'll talk about places i want to visit, things i want to do, any traveling tips i come across, and how much i'm freaking out/hyperventilating/sh*tting my pants/crying as july 15th approaches. STAY TUNED, MATES.

A hork-baijir hhsgsfsfsgshdhdhshsf

an entomologist rates ant emojis

Beautiful big almond eye, realistic and full of expression as she gazes gently at you. Elbowed antennae and delicately segmented legs and body. Gorgeous pearlescent sheen like she is glowing. This ant moisturizes. This ant is round and huggable. This ant is a star. 11/10.

Beautifully detailed, lifelike pose but with an unexpected neck and odd antennae, perhaps scared straight. Her eyes suggest she has seen things. Her expression confirms she has seen too much. She is haunted and I want to know more. 7/10.

Floppy antenna, pointy muppet face, oddly posed legs. What is she? She has no waist. May be she is some kind of bee in disguise? I find her unsettling. 3/10.

This ant has an unexplained, double-jointed thorax, and no evidence of a waist. Her four-footed pose suggests that she a centaur rather than an ant. Centaur ants would be cool. I’m not sure what was intended here. 2/10.

Good first impression, kind of bland in the details. This ant has no particular waist to speak of, floppy rather than elbowed antennae, and an inexpressive face. Her color scheme is soft and hazy. I like the sharp angles of her stylishly sophisticated legs. This ant may not know quite were she is going, but she knows how she is getting there. 6/10.

Were you even trying. 0/10

Gasp! This ant is elegant. This ant has a beautiful tapered thorax, a segmented abdomen, alert, elbowed antennae, and a light-footed pose. This ant’s face suggests curiosity and a desire to explore the world. This ant inspires me. I want to be like her. 10/10

3-legged, waistless centaur-ant with strange, limp antennae and a beak. I don’t know what this is? It kind of reminds me of a Hork-Bajir. 1/10, not an ant.

This ant… makes me sad. All of her legs are broken. The MS Paint art style and gradient abuse convey distress. She has a duck beak. Despite this, her expression suggests perseverance and determined cheerfulness. I want this ant to have a better life. I am rooting for her. 3/10

This ant is a bold and challenging mixture of photorealism and caricature. She is broad and low-built and seems very sturdy. She looks like she would help you move. This ant is a dependable friend. 9/10

A picture of an ant from a children’s book.  She is wearing little boots.  This ant is wrong in every way, and yet I can’t stay mad at her.  7/10

An interesting, top-down view of an ant; her legs are positioned with slightly jarring symmetry.  Nevertheless, her overall impression is that of a graceful, stylized design, like a pictograph.  She is suitable for adorning fine garments and jewelry or perhaps gracing the walls of a tiny ant church.  I like this minimalist ant.  8/10.

This is a termite. -10/10

whos granny smith where shes getting all of these damb apples.