Retro Ritz? Request Redesign!

I had a big rant ready to go about a potential graduate school visit that is flat-out riddled with ridiculosity, but decided that more life-oriented updates are in order, and some links to keep you hap-hap-happy and prevent an uprising from lack of updates. すみません～

• On my calendar yesterday was “Make a well-informed electronics purchase,” and – not being one to disobey my schedule – I am now a proud iPod Touch owner. 8gb of space, named Abraxas and wearing a purple coat, he is a lovely little machine and I’m transferring a bunch of data over and going a bit crazy in the app store. Any favorite iPod apps, I’m all ears.
• I’m moving house at the end of the summer, so Chris and I are looking for a space. I get all dreamy about moving in to a new apartment, and have been scouring CraigsList for months, not so much to find the place, but to look at the kind of place that is available in our price range and with the amenities we need (we both hate washing dishes, so a dishwasher would be a big plus). I’m stoked with what’s available, and look forward to posting about the new place once it is secured.
• … which isn’t to say that I don’t live in a pretty awesome pad right now. A lot of that is attributed to my roommate’s collection of rock posters, but I think we’ve created quite a cool space. It warrants pictures. Also, Stinson the Cat lives there and he warrants more pictures.
• My cross-stitching hobby continues, undiminished in its fervor by the warming summer months. I have taken up with a group of knitters for craft-based support, and I knit my first Thing this weekend. It’s blue, diamond-shaped, and has strings at either end. The clear use for this was a cat saddle. The cat was unimpressed, tore the knitting off his own back, and glared at me from the sunroom. Jerk.
• As you may have supposed from the intro, I am considering graduate programs. Hopefully, the right masters degree can point me towards a career in higher ed academic counseling. The process is off to a good start so far, but the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) looms in the autumn. Guess I should remember how to do that “math” thing that I shoved aside in my brain to make more room for Modernist poetry during my undergrad.
• I have joined more ranks of the plugged in: you can now follow me on Twitter,  and join in for some Foursquare, which I found through the excellent local food blog Heavy Table. Foursquare is available in a number of cities on a trial run, and though I like the idea of racking up points and being the mayor of my favorite hangouts, it would be fun with some friends on there.

Link for the design-minded of you out there: The Dieline, a blog about package design. I found it after my roommate sent me this heinous picture:

They’re a “retro” summer-only package redesign for Target. Thank god they’re not permanent – that’s not retro, it’s just empty and sparse. It looks like something is missing off of the package, and it leaves me feeling confused and bothered. NOT feeling hungry to eat an entire row of Oreos, which is usually how I feel when confronted with a package of everyone’s favorite sandwich cookie. Bad move, Target – lucky for you this is only a one season blip.

More topic-oriented posts to follow in the days to come.