Visitors!!!
This weekend was great. It was work weekend for the boys of Phi Sig so... Tommy and Todd made the trek down 81 to fix up their house and make it livable for Fall 2006. I was so excited to see them. :) Todd was especially excited because he wanted to go to Joe's Diner (as did I). In Blacksburg, Joe's is known for it's shitty service but pretty amazing food at 2am. Well... what we didn't know was that a lot of places downtown shut down for the summer (go figure) but Todd and I figured... no way, not Joes! It's a 24 hour diner and it's tradition after a good night so of COURSE they had to stay open. We decided Friday night that we wanted to beat the rush so we made our hommage to Joe's around 12am only to see that their 24-hour diner sign lied because the lights were off and there was a huge sign in the door that said CLOSED! We were defeated. It was a really sad moment in the history of Joe's Diner night journeys. :( The next day the Phi Sig guys came out with me to Shesha after they drank and we got some hookas and played chess and connect 4. Nerdy, I know... but completely fun. I had a really good time with them. I also randomly saw Brandon and Travis downtown this weekend and they let me know that they were here this summer too so now I'm pretty excited because I actually know a few people! :) Today my good friend Kathryn called me saying she was going to be visiting me this Thursday! I am so completely thrilled. She's like a sister to me and she's leaving for Spain in about 2 weeks and even though I got to see her in New York when I was there, I never really got some 1 on 1 time with her. So now I have that to look forward to. She told me on her flight from Newark to Atlanta her pilot played the harmonica and it was awesome. The last time something like that happened to me on a plane was when I was flying to LA and there was a boyband (or a hopeful boyband) moving to LA in hopes to make it big (to my knowledge, they never did) but they did sing for us. That was pretty interesting. I think things like this should happen more often. It would definately make a memorable flight. Okay so back to Kathryn coming... I'm not sure what I have planned for us yet but I know it involves downtown and Bollos and Shesha and lots of 1 on 1 time. I'm stoked. Also... I'm going home this weekend for Father's Day to surprise my dad! I can't wait. I'm already looking forward to this week and it hasn't even begun yet.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Duper Sessions
I've had Sondre Lerche's semi-new CD Duper Sessions on heavy rotation for the past few days. I have such a big crush on the new music. I highly recommend it. It's so jazzy and fun. I listen to it (namely the song 'Everyones Rooting For You') and it reminds me of being in a house with all the windows open, dancing in your kitchen with the breeze coming in. I love Sondre Lerche for being a modern artist who stays true to that Frank Sinatra era. That music isn't very popular anymore but it's so good. His voice just reminds me of all that is old. I listen to this and think that my Grandpa would have when he was my age. If you haven't gotten a chance to yet, check it out. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Favorites on the CD include "Minor Detail" and "(I wanna) Call it Love."
I've had Sondre Lerche's semi-new CD Duper Sessions on heavy rotation for the past few days. I have such a big crush on the new music. I highly recommend it. It's so jazzy and fun. I listen to it (namely the song 'Everyones Rooting For You') and it reminds me of being in a house with all the windows open, dancing in your kitchen with the breeze coming in. I love Sondre Lerche for being a modern artist who stays true to that Frank Sinatra era. That music isn't very popular anymore but it's so good. His voice just reminds me of all that is old. I listen to this and think that my Grandpa would have when he was my age. If you haven't gotten a chance to yet, check it out. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Favorites on the CD include "Minor Detail" and "(I wanna) Call it Love."
Friday, June 09, 2006
Tired.
This week has been incredibly long. I've been running on empty for the past few days. The pace here is undoubtedly triple what it normally is during the year and it wouldn't really be a problem for me without all this MCAT prep I'm doing but honestly trying to juggle both at the same time gets pretty hard. Especially when I do MCAT stuff from 6-9 right after a full day of classes and then come back at 9 realizing that I still have other homework to do and a quiz or test to study for. It gets stressful but I mean... it happens. So far things have been going really well despite this fast pace. I'm doing well in classes and somehow finding time to go to the gym with Fisch 2 hours a day. But I am so completely worn out at the end of the day - it's rough... but I guess that's what summers in Blacksburg entail. The good thing is the end of my week has just gotten so much better seeing as all Friday Chem labs from here on out are non-existant. They decided to cut them which is great because I can just come back from class on Thursday and Friday and sleep. It's great. There's not much else to report from my side of town. I mean pretty much trying to balance school with everything else... typical struggles. I think I may be headed home in 2 weeks or so... DC anyone?
This week has been incredibly long. I've been running on empty for the past few days. The pace here is undoubtedly triple what it normally is during the year and it wouldn't really be a problem for me without all this MCAT prep I'm doing but honestly trying to juggle both at the same time gets pretty hard. Especially when I do MCAT stuff from 6-9 right after a full day of classes and then come back at 9 realizing that I still have other homework to do and a quiz or test to study for. It gets stressful but I mean... it happens. So far things have been going really well despite this fast pace. I'm doing well in classes and somehow finding time to go to the gym with Fisch 2 hours a day. But I am so completely worn out at the end of the day - it's rough... but I guess that's what summers in Blacksburg entail. The good thing is the end of my week has just gotten so much better seeing as all Friday Chem labs from here on out are non-existant. They decided to cut them which is great because I can just come back from class on Thursday and Friday and sleep. It's great. There's not much else to report from my side of town. I mean pretty much trying to balance school with everything else... typical struggles. I think I may be headed home in 2 weeks or so... DC anyone?
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Sunday, June 04, 2006
So GLAD they're here
The saving grace of a Blacksburg summer is undoubtedly Fiji. Honestly, summer here is bad enough as it is and because these guys are here and throwing ridiculous get togethers and making flyers like the one above, my life is a little more bearable. Last night's party was great. Granted it was a little awkward because it wasn't packed to the brim with people - it made it a lot easier to meet people. Jerry and I had water guns throughout the night and would randomly get into water fights with people. A lot of people worked up the courage to jump into the pool. All in all a pretty fun night. I'm really glad that I went and I'm so glad they're here. Every weekend I've been here so far, I've seen these guys and it makes me look forward to spending the rest of my summer here. It's nice. Earlier in the year when I talked to people who had stayed in Blacksburg previous summers and asked them what their experiences were like, almost all of them would tell me that Blacksburg sucks unless you're with a good group of people. I'm finding it more true everyday. The closest friendships you'll make are going to be with your group here this summer namely because they are the only people around to hang out with but aside from the obvious, I think it's because there is more of a "direct connection" of sorts that you can make with someone. Rather than having to meet friends of friends before meeting them. I don't know if that made any sense... but I hope you're catching my drift. I guess what I'm trying to get across is that normally you'd be acquaintences with someone (like during the school year) - you may meet them at a party but here in the summer you actually get to know them and that's what I really like about being here now.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
More Derrick Brown lovin'
So... yesterday, I got an e-mail from Derrick Brown with some pictures of poems he put up various places in town written on Postal Service mailing stickers which I thought was funny but my FAVORITE picture was the one above. I love the art. I sent him an e-mail back about who did it and where I could possibly do something like that. I think the townhouse would look great with that type of stuff in it... Anyway, he got back to me and gave me the rundown of how it works and now I'm all sorts of inspired. I want something like that in our living room and one for my room as well. It looks great! I love the black and white over the green background. Looks great!
Friday, June 02, 2006
Sorry, we close at 8
Fisch and I have decided we'd be good workout buddies so for the first time this summer and hopefully the first of many, we got motivated enough to go to the gym. The last time I was there, I had a trainer so this time, the training wheels were off and I had to figure out what I wanted to do. We got there around 6:30 and I started off by running 2.5 miles and then rowing for half an hour and then running another 2.5 miles. What I really wanted to do afterwards was get into the weight room and do some ab workouts but as Fisch joined me in running at the end of his workout, two staff members came up to us and told us that the gym closed at 8! What?! During the school year, it doesn't close until 10... we had gotten so motivated and were doing so well until our fitness dreams were crushed.
Anyway, the good thing is - I can feel it in my legs. They are already sore. I will probably not be so happy int he morning when I wake up to a body that hurts to move but you know what I mean right? It's that burn of accomplishment... I guess that's the best way I can describe it. I find it hard to motivate myself to go to the gym so I always have to go with somebody or else I won't do it. And once you're there you can't just NOT do anything the after-gym feeling is one of the best. Fisch and I were talking about this on the drive home - you feel so accomplished because you got it over with... not thinking that you have to get motivated all over again the next day. :: sigh:: Ha ha, it's good that he's here though. On the way home we stuck half our bodies out of the car and "flew" - for some reason it came to mind and I brought it up and was like hey, did you ever pretend to fly as a kid and stick most of your body out of the window with your arms out? And he gave me this look and we immediately did just that right then... good times.
I guess summer here isn't so bad afterall.
Fisch and I have decided we'd be good workout buddies so for the first time this summer and hopefully the first of many, we got motivated enough to go to the gym. The last time I was there, I had a trainer so this time, the training wheels were off and I had to figure out what I wanted to do. We got there around 6:30 and I started off by running 2.5 miles and then rowing for half an hour and then running another 2.5 miles. What I really wanted to do afterwards was get into the weight room and do some ab workouts but as Fisch joined me in running at the end of his workout, two staff members came up to us and told us that the gym closed at 8! What?! During the school year, it doesn't close until 10... we had gotten so motivated and were doing so well until our fitness dreams were crushed.
Anyway, the good thing is - I can feel it in my legs. They are already sore. I will probably not be so happy int he morning when I wake up to a body that hurts to move but you know what I mean right? It's that burn of accomplishment... I guess that's the best way I can describe it. I find it hard to motivate myself to go to the gym so I always have to go with somebody or else I won't do it. And once you're there you can't just NOT do anything the after-gym feeling is one of the best. Fisch and I were talking about this on the drive home - you feel so accomplished because you got it over with... not thinking that you have to get motivated all over again the next day. :: sigh:: Ha ha, it's good that he's here though. On the way home we stuck half our bodies out of the car and "flew" - for some reason it came to mind and I brought it up and was like hey, did you ever pretend to fly as a kid and stick most of your body out of the window with your arms out? And he gave me this look and we immediately did just that right then... good times.
I guess summer here isn't so bad afterall.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Bon Chic Bon Genre
Will somebody please go to the last Bonapartes concert of all time on my behalf? It's on June 2nd at the Black Cat (stellar combination, no? - great band, great venue). Ten dollars will get you through the door and on the way to a high-energy great night. I sadly can't make it home and so maybe someone can go and send them off on my behalf. I'm sad their calling it quits... they wern't around for very long and it's sad because they were getting a lot of good press throughout DC... but I guess it's better to go out while you're "hot" so people remember you that way. I think I just summed up a whole Jay-Z song in that last sentence... anyway, what I want to say GO go Go to the concert - the last one is always the best.
Until Derrick Brown
So, as you probably are all aware, I'm a huge huge fan of Derrick Brown's work and since forever, and as of the past few months I've been trying to get him to come do a reading at tech. Dylan got him to come to his place a few years ago - Derrick brought his band and everyone had a good time. I was actually able to contact him (i know, it surprised me too) and he agreed to do a reading here at Tech so long as we could pay for his roundtrip airfare to get here. Problem # 1: how are we going to pay for his airfare? I talked to my friend Josh who is the head of the English Society here and he said he'd bring it up and see if the school would pay for it... sadly that request was vetoed (of course). Derrick Brown may not be the most well known guy, but I think his work speaks for itself. So basically what it comes down to is... we need to fundraise and I need some ideas. Shoot me an e-mail/IM/leave a message if you have an idea. I think we need to raise in the neighborhood of 600 dollars (at most). I was thinking we could do a string of parties and charge for cups but then I realized, I would probably just be breaking even with all the money that would be spent on alcohol. So that's out... well I mean, I guess we can try it but I don't think we will make 600 from it. I also don't think it would be a good idea to join the Drillfield Inferno and ask people for donations or even do a bake sale. I guess our other option is to just have it at venue and charge an entrace fee, but then again that means we take money out of our own pockets to get him here, and then I'm sure the venue would keep some of the profit so now I'm really all out of ideas. Help?!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
In Review
- I have my first Physics test tomorrow. It's our first of 3 tests for this session which means that we are already a third of the way done. That just amazes me, seeing as I just got here a little over a week ago. I'm beginning to realize what "fast summer pace" really means. It's not bad. I can keep up, it's just wow. Time flies.
- My parents visited this weekend. It was great seeing them! I had been a little homesick and my dad brought me a box of The Wall Street Journal subscription I had gotten! I'm pretty nerdishly excited about that. Anyway, this time around they were on their way back froma trip to the beach for memorial day weekend and made a little pit stop here at Tech. I got to take them downtown and we walked around some and grabbed lunch at The Cellar. My parents were pleasantly surprised. I've never taken them downtown, we always opt for a restaurant in Christiansburg or some other neighboring town but it's a lot more calm here in the summer and they had a good time. They also got to see my townhouse and we're all really excited about that. My mom's already planning furniture arrangements and decor so at least it's keeping her busy with my sister and I both gone.
- I miss Bollo's with friends. I went this past weekend and got a lot of work done - it's just not the same though. I stayed there for a few hours and there were a few people coming in and out but around 7:30 ish, aside from the people that worked there it was just myself and another guy. It felt weird. This isn't the Bollo's I know, but no matter how many people are in there at any given time, there's this comfort I feel when I'm there and I haven't felt that since I've come back here and started summer session so I guess that means I'm just going to have to go more often.
- My MCAT classes tonight consisted of 3 hours of straight up O-Chem. I'm pretty sure I never want to repeat those 3 hours ever again.
- I'm missing all of you guys a lot. I hope to see you soon whether its by me coming home or you guys coming here. I miss familiar faces and the carefree that should be my summer. I guess what it comes down to is... I miss campus with all my friends just a few feet away. I guess its still going to take some time to get used to. I don't know if I ever will be used to this, but it's getting better everyday. Hope all is well with you guys. :P
- I have my first Physics test tomorrow. It's our first of 3 tests for this session which means that we are already a third of the way done. That just amazes me, seeing as I just got here a little over a week ago. I'm beginning to realize what "fast summer pace" really means. It's not bad. I can keep up, it's just wow. Time flies.
- My parents visited this weekend. It was great seeing them! I had been a little homesick and my dad brought me a box of The Wall Street Journal subscription I had gotten! I'm pretty nerdishly excited about that. Anyway, this time around they were on their way back froma trip to the beach for memorial day weekend and made a little pit stop here at Tech. I got to take them downtown and we walked around some and grabbed lunch at The Cellar. My parents were pleasantly surprised. I've never taken them downtown, we always opt for a restaurant in Christiansburg or some other neighboring town but it's a lot more calm here in the summer and they had a good time. They also got to see my townhouse and we're all really excited about that. My mom's already planning furniture arrangements and decor so at least it's keeping her busy with my sister and I both gone.
- I miss Bollo's with friends. I went this past weekend and got a lot of work done - it's just not the same though. I stayed there for a few hours and there were a few people coming in and out but around 7:30 ish, aside from the people that worked there it was just myself and another guy. It felt weird. This isn't the Bollo's I know, but no matter how many people are in there at any given time, there's this comfort I feel when I'm there and I haven't felt that since I've come back here and started summer session so I guess that means I'm just going to have to go more often.
- My MCAT classes tonight consisted of 3 hours of straight up O-Chem. I'm pretty sure I never want to repeat those 3 hours ever again.
- I'm missing all of you guys a lot. I hope to see you soon whether its by me coming home or you guys coming here. I miss familiar faces and the carefree that should be my summer. I guess what it comes down to is... I miss campus with all my friends just a few feet away. I guess its still going to take some time to get used to. I don't know if I ever will be used to this, but it's getting better everyday. Hope all is well with you guys. :P
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
The Perfect Wedding
You know how girls spend their whole lives planning their weddings thinking about all the details of how they want it to be? I was never like that. I do admit that yes, I did look at rings Freshman year and dresses, and decided that I must get married in a beautiful church, but I was never the type of girl that planned the whole thing down to the details as most of my friends have. I never knew where I wanted to have it, what the color scheme should be, how to arrive there, etc etc... until, I saw this clip on Vimeo. THIS is a perfect wedding in my opinion. I love everything about it. It takes place in a Catholic church in New York City. That juxtaposition of such an old religion and such a "modernized" city (modern when compared to other cities around the world) is just so appealing to me. I love that part of it takes place on a rooftop, and the reception area is beautiful. The whole stairs leading down to the crowd after you get married is ideal. The sparklers at the end instead of rice, the old car. It goes with the theme of mixing old traditions with newer more modern things. I loved it. So there it is, somebody's wedding, but my ideal. I finally have an idea (but don't get me wrong, I'm not stressing over it or anything anytime soon - promise).
You know how girls spend their whole lives planning their weddings thinking about all the details of how they want it to be? I was never like that. I do admit that yes, I did look at rings Freshman year and dresses, and decided that I must get married in a beautiful church, but I was never the type of girl that planned the whole thing down to the details as most of my friends have. I never knew where I wanted to have it, what the color scheme should be, how to arrive there, etc etc... until, I saw this clip on Vimeo. THIS is a perfect wedding in my opinion. I love everything about it. It takes place in a Catholic church in New York City. That juxtaposition of such an old religion and such a "modernized" city (modern when compared to other cities around the world) is just so appealing to me. I love that part of it takes place on a rooftop, and the reception area is beautiful. The whole stairs leading down to the crowd after you get married is ideal. The sparklers at the end instead of rice, the old car. It goes with the theme of mixing old traditions with newer more modern things. I loved it. So there it is, somebody's wedding, but my ideal. I finally have an idea (but don't get me wrong, I'm not stressing over it or anything anytime soon - promise).
Pretty interesting...
From time to time I sit back and read Zach Klein's blog and not too long he posted "Websites as graphs" and from what I gather (being the least tech savvy person you guys know) they take aspects of your blog (tags, pictures, etc.) and assign them a color and through some formula create a graph... anyway, here is mine for this blog (the above picture is just one done for a sample blog). Like what you see? You can turn it into a poster.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Apple is the new Britney Spears
So the Apple store has been open in New York for a week now. I missed thie grand opening by 2 days as I cut my New York trip but Gawker does a good job portraying the madness with it's You Tube clip and HILARIOUS commentary on the Apple-types or shall we call them Apple-ites?
Hilarious! I love it. I wish I could have been there to see it myself. The little Apple nerd inside me is growing everyday. Lately I've been contemplating trading in my Vaio for the new Mac Book because it is so SEXCELLENT. The store has a great futuristic feel to it. It boasts clean lines, simplicity, and neutrals... much like the products it carries. They were also rumored to be giving away Mac Books to a lucky coustomer every hour for the first 24 hours of its opening. I would have LOVED to be there.
Okay well I guess I will stop talking about Apple and get back to five delicious chapters of MCAT prep work. :( I'm in Bollo's right now and the good thing about this place is no matter when you go, it will always feel the same. I guess I've needed this seeing as I haven't completely gotten used to Blacksburg in the summer yet.
"I wish they would hurry up - I've gotta check my Myspace."
So the Apple store has been open in New York for a week now. I missed thie grand opening by 2 days as I cut my New York trip but Gawker does a good job portraying the madness with it's You Tube clip and HILARIOUS commentary on the Apple-types or shall we call them Apple-ites?
a feeding frenzy amongst the city’s most obsessivevirginsnerds - Gawker
Hilarious! I love it. I wish I could have been there to see it myself. The little Apple nerd inside me is growing everyday. Lately I've been contemplating trading in my Vaio for the new Mac Book because it is so SEXCELLENT. The store has a great futuristic feel to it. It boasts clean lines, simplicity, and neutrals... much like the products it carries. They were also rumored to be giving away Mac Books to a lucky coustomer every hour for the first 24 hours of its opening. I would have LOVED to be there.
Okay well I guess I will stop talking about Apple and get back to five delicious chapters of MCAT prep work. :( I'm in Bollo's right now and the good thing about this place is no matter when you go, it will always feel the same. I guess I've needed this seeing as I haven't completely gotten used to Blacksburg in the summer yet.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
They offer me Europe.
So as of today, my crazy little self declined a trip to Europe. This is the second time this has happened this year and the second time I've said no to a Europe trip. So here are some statistics on my European trip offers that I have vetoed. One last November by a guy we will call J. He wanted me to go to Europe with him because he loved it and was planning on Italy over my Winter Break for a few weeks. Get this, EXPENSE paid. Whhhhat?! You may be thinking, who would turn that down? Italy with a friend for a few weeks, expense paid... you might as well decline a car from BOB BARKER on The Price Is Right. And to top that off, I have never even been on that side of the hemisphere and really did want to go and still do want to go one day. In my defense though... I must say that I turned down that trip because I felt guilty. There's a lot more to the story and the relationship and I don't really want to get into it because it's not significant. What it came down to is that he was going to pay for the whole trip, and I didn't want him to (I wouldn't let him, but he refused to let me pay for my part). Also, a long time ago I asked him what the most important advice he would give someone was and he said, "Always travel with somebody you love." I didn't love him - not in the way he wanted me to and going on the trip would have lead him on so I decided against it. I think it was a good choice on my part. Which brings me to my second Europe offer today which I got this morning form a guy we shall call G. I've known him for awhile, he's great but again... somehow I've embedded into my mind that I should travel with really close friends and well, we're not that close. Also, I'm here for summer session so that kind of hinders any ability to travel anywhere or do anything cool... I gracefully declined giving him a legitimate reason and things are fine between us (this was not as bad as the first Europe decline). Anyway, this brings me to my next question... why is it that guys want to make me to Europe aside from the fact that I've never gone. The thing with the guys that have asked me that really gets me is that I've NEVER even been on a roadtrip with them so how do they know my company in Europe (in some of the coolest countries on earth) won't be a bad idea on their part? If anything, I would say that a roadtrip would be a good start. Europe comes with the assumption that you will be staying for many days... roadtrips = short trips. Wouldn't you want to test your patience with me on a small trip before something of this magnitude? What I also realized is that neither of these guys have offered me friendship (well, that's kind of an understatement because I am friends with them, but not good friends, not good enough friends to want to go to Europe with). I don't like the thought of somebody trying to buy their way into my life. Of course a trip to Europe is a great gesture and you'd be an idiot to turn it down no matter who it was. But, I guess my reasoning for this have been that I do want to travel with somebody I truly enjoy the company of. I don't like guys just paying for everything especially when we're not "together" or at least at that point in a relationship you know? I have my own means to fund such trips. With the extra thousand or so dollars, do something more meaningful for yourself, don't waste it on me. I was thinking about this earlier today and I just find it odd that this has happened twice this year within 6 months of each other... it's a very strange coincidence.
So as of today, my crazy little self declined a trip to Europe. This is the second time this has happened this year and the second time I've said no to a Europe trip. So here are some statistics on my European trip offers that I have vetoed. One last November by a guy we will call J. He wanted me to go to Europe with him because he loved it and was planning on Italy over my Winter Break for a few weeks. Get this, EXPENSE paid. Whhhhat?! You may be thinking, who would turn that down? Italy with a friend for a few weeks, expense paid... you might as well decline a car from BOB BARKER on The Price Is Right. And to top that off, I have never even been on that side of the hemisphere and really did want to go and still do want to go one day. In my defense though... I must say that I turned down that trip because I felt guilty. There's a lot more to the story and the relationship and I don't really want to get into it because it's not significant. What it came down to is that he was going to pay for the whole trip, and I didn't want him to (I wouldn't let him, but he refused to let me pay for my part). Also, a long time ago I asked him what the most important advice he would give someone was and he said, "Always travel with somebody you love." I didn't love him - not in the way he wanted me to and going on the trip would have lead him on so I decided against it. I think it was a good choice on my part. Which brings me to my second Europe offer today which I got this morning form a guy we shall call G. I've known him for awhile, he's great but again... somehow I've embedded into my mind that I should travel with really close friends and well, we're not that close. Also, I'm here for summer session so that kind of hinders any ability to travel anywhere or do anything cool... I gracefully declined giving him a legitimate reason and things are fine between us (this was not as bad as the first Europe decline). Anyway, this brings me to my next question... why is it that guys want to make me to Europe aside from the fact that I've never gone. The thing with the guys that have asked me that really gets me is that I've NEVER even been on a roadtrip with them so how do they know my company in Europe (in some of the coolest countries on earth) won't be a bad idea on their part? If anything, I would say that a roadtrip would be a good start. Europe comes with the assumption that you will be staying for many days... roadtrips = short trips. Wouldn't you want to test your patience with me on a small trip before something of this magnitude? What I also realized is that neither of these guys have offered me friendship (well, that's kind of an understatement because I am friends with them, but not good friends, not good enough friends to want to go to Europe with). I don't like the thought of somebody trying to buy their way into my life. Of course a trip to Europe is a great gesture and you'd be an idiot to turn it down no matter who it was. But, I guess my reasoning for this have been that I do want to travel with somebody I truly enjoy the company of. I don't like guys just paying for everything especially when we're not "together" or at least at that point in a relationship you know? I have my own means to fund such trips. With the extra thousand or so dollars, do something more meaningful for yourself, don't waste it on me. I was thinking about this earlier today and I just find it odd that this has happened twice this year within 6 months of each other... it's a very strange coincidence.
Getting Better...
So lately, things have been getting better. I got my schedule all worked out and I think I'm finally getting the hang of this. I'm finally settling in, falling into routine. Not as sad about not seeing thousands of people everyday. It's a calm, quiet, solitude and I guess in a way it's probably better for me. The weather here has been really nice and we have a 3-day weekend coming up. My parents are going to stop by at the end of the weekend so I'm pretty excited about that. In other news there are lots of fun people on tour this summer like oh I don't know THE SPINTO BAND. So if anyone here feels like roadtripping down to North Carolina to go see them with me, let me know. Company would be great! In other news I'm supporting the local (well I guess not so local since i'm in Blacksburg) music scene by listening to Georgie James, another wonderful product of the metropolitan area. Yeahhhhh DC! I like them and maybe you will too - give them a try!
So lately, things have been getting better. I got my schedule all worked out and I think I'm finally getting the hang of this. I'm finally settling in, falling into routine. Not as sad about not seeing thousands of people everyday. It's a calm, quiet, solitude and I guess in a way it's probably better for me. The weather here has been really nice and we have a 3-day weekend coming up. My parents are going to stop by at the end of the weekend so I'm pretty excited about that. In other news there are lots of fun people on tour this summer like oh I don't know THE SPINTO BAND. So if anyone here feels like roadtripping down to North Carolina to go see them with me, let me know. Company would be great! In other news I'm supporting the local (well I guess not so local since i'm in Blacksburg) music scene by listening to Georgie James, another wonderful product of the metropolitan area. Yeahhhhh DC! I like them and maybe you will too - give them a try!
Monday, May 22, 2006
I will never stay here in the summer again.
It's been 24 hours since I've gotten here and as much as I love my school and as much as it makes me happy. I have felt anything but. It is far too weird without anybody here. Classes are fine, and more crowded then I'd imagine they'd be but it just doesn't feel the same. There's a lack of formality (which I will not complain about). My only annoyance is that it just doesn't feel right. I don't feel right. I hate it here in the summer and maybe (hopefully) my feelings will change but going to campus this morning. Walking to class. I saw about 10 people. 10! Nobody was crossing the drillfield. It was terrible. Then again, I'm not sure how I expected it to be. I mean obviously there will be a significantly lower number of people here in the summer but I didn't think I would dislike being here so much. My roomates and some of the guys in the complex have been telling me it's really not that bad and that I'm just shocked because I'm not used to it. They tell me I'll fall into a routine and I'll be fine but I'm not sure if I can see myself doing that. I just don't like not having all my friends around. I miss everyone already and it hasn't been that long. I'm itching for visitors (we have an extra room in the apartment). I miss one on one time with people at coffee shops on or off campus. Everything is closed! It's dead downtown. It's eerie. I wish I were home. My reason for coming down here for classes is avoiding a terrible commute, but I look back and kind of wish I stayed...
Sidenote... currently listened to DC grown, New York based band The Walkmen.
It's been 24 hours since I've gotten here and as much as I love my school and as much as it makes me happy. I have felt anything but. It is far too weird without anybody here. Classes are fine, and more crowded then I'd imagine they'd be but it just doesn't feel the same. There's a lack of formality (which I will not complain about). My only annoyance is that it just doesn't feel right. I don't feel right. I hate it here in the summer and maybe (hopefully) my feelings will change but going to campus this morning. Walking to class. I saw about 10 people. 10! Nobody was crossing the drillfield. It was terrible. Then again, I'm not sure how I expected it to be. I mean obviously there will be a significantly lower number of people here in the summer but I didn't think I would dislike being here so much. My roomates and some of the guys in the complex have been telling me it's really not that bad and that I'm just shocked because I'm not used to it. They tell me I'll fall into a routine and I'll be fine but I'm not sure if I can see myself doing that. I just don't like not having all my friends around. I miss everyone already and it hasn't been that long. I'm itching for visitors (we have an extra room in the apartment). I miss one on one time with people at coffee shops on or off campus. Everything is closed! It's dead downtown. It's eerie. I wish I were home. My reason for coming down here for classes is avoiding a terrible commute, but I look back and kind of wish I stayed...
Sidenote... currently listened to DC grown, New York based band The Walkmen.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
It's a little too quiet around here.
Maybe I came into this being a pessimist and that's what's putting me in this downer mood. I got back to Blacksburg today. The drive was pretty nice - bright and sunny the whole way down. I moved in and all that good stuff. There just aren't many people around. It kind of makes me sad. I'm a people persona nd there isn't noise! It doesn't feel right. Maybe I'm used to living in a dorm where at any given point there are people around doing something. Maybe I just need to warm up to living off campus. I'm with the Collegiate boys and of course they're GREAT. I love them to death, but there are only 4 of them here. 4! Do we not remember the Collegiate boys of Halloween in all their glory? That's a huge drop. I think I'm also not in such a good mood because I'm having some scheduling issues that I will hopefully work out. SOON. I don't like when I don't have my classes in order (which I thought I did) - it kind of makes me panic. I also think that I'm feeling a little homesick because my friends got together last night to send me off and for a few of them - it was the first time I saw them all summer. I had such a good time and I'm so glad so many people came out. I felt loved. Kaj even came and stayed after everyone left and we just sat and talked for about another hour. He is my partner when going into DC and that was on my list of things to do this week but I never got around to it. Sad huh? Hopefully, I'll be able to make nice weekend trips home. It feels like my summer hasn't even begun yet and it's already cut short and in reality, that's exactly what happened. I was getting so used to being home. My parents have been GREAT to me and I miss them taking care of me and not having to think about anything. I'm kind of let down that I feel this way, but maybe things will work themselves out. It's just one of those nights... :(
Maybe I came into this being a pessimist and that's what's putting me in this downer mood. I got back to Blacksburg today. The drive was pretty nice - bright and sunny the whole way down. I moved in and all that good stuff. There just aren't many people around. It kind of makes me sad. I'm a people persona nd there isn't noise! It doesn't feel right. Maybe I'm used to living in a dorm where at any given point there are people around doing something. Maybe I just need to warm up to living off campus. I'm with the Collegiate boys and of course they're GREAT. I love them to death, but there are only 4 of them here. 4! Do we not remember the Collegiate boys of Halloween in all their glory? That's a huge drop. I think I'm also not in such a good mood because I'm having some scheduling issues that I will hopefully work out. SOON. I don't like when I don't have my classes in order (which I thought I did) - it kind of makes me panic. I also think that I'm feeling a little homesick because my friends got together last night to send me off and for a few of them - it was the first time I saw them all summer. I had such a good time and I'm so glad so many people came out. I felt loved. Kaj even came and stayed after everyone left and we just sat and talked for about another hour. He is my partner when going into DC and that was on my list of things to do this week but I never got around to it. Sad huh? Hopefully, I'll be able to make nice weekend trips home. It feels like my summer hasn't even begun yet and it's already cut short and in reality, that's exactly what happened. I was getting so used to being home. My parents have been GREAT to me and I miss them taking care of me and not having to think about anything. I'm kind of let down that I feel this way, but maybe things will work themselves out. It's just one of those nights... :(
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Things I noticed while in The City
- Everybody is beautiful, even the squares in their 50s look a little cleaner than the 50 year olds walking around in your suburbia
- Parks actually exist! They're small, but kept pretty clean
- It's hard to differentiate the sexual orientation of young men... you're not quite sure if they're gay or if they're the rocker type
- Models are sickeningly thin and for the most part flat chested (not that this wasn't a known fact before) but actually seeing it made it that much more grotesque.
- Again, everybody has a very well groomed dog
- There exists a place in lower Manhattan that is not sketchy where it's possible to have a family and lead a relatively normal life. This place is called TriBecCa and it is awesome.
- The food is actually pretty cheap. I mean yeah of course fine dining is expensive but you know just normal foods of the sandwich variety won't put a huge dent in your pocket. In fact the dent is smaller there than it is here. Who would have thought? I guess that's because we're used to the touristy part of the city. Once you go downtown - it's unique and pretty decent quality.
- Everyone wears Chucks - doesn't matter if you're young our you're old, you have a pair and you look damn good wearing them (how do they do it?)
- Speaking of clothes, everyone has great clothes. Even if they wear a plain white tagless t - it looks GREAT. I guess this is due to accessorizing; a concept completely foreign to us. Wearing a generic watch does not constitute "accessorizing." I'm talking fun flats, boots, or shoes with some Ray-Bin sunglasses, beaded necklaces, bracelets, rings, hairbands. It's very cute.
- Do I even have to say skinny jeans with knee high boots?
- They have really fun stores whereas in suburbia we are bombarded with chain restaruants and big name companies... don't get me wrong, NYC has it's fair share of chain companies, but if you want small boutiques - you've got them. You want hole in the wall bookstores? They've got it too. We passed by this great one right across from Magnolias - the prices on the books were also AMAZING. Kathryn and I hit the jackpot there - we loved it. Perhaps we were on a sugar high from Magnolia but... regardless it was a really great place.
- Duane Reade is EVERYWHERE
- McDonalds serves mozz sticks! Whattt?
- Everyone is really really friendly - despite what people say about mean New Yorkers, if you stop to ask for directions, you will most likely receive some help accompanied with a smile.
- Fact: everyone does walk REALLY REALLY fast - I guess it's true what they say about that New York minute... maybe you walk really fast just to keep up.
- The Subway is a lot more confusing than The Metro
- The front seat of a taxi is the best place to ride. You think suburbia has bad drivers? You wouldn't stand a chance in the city. These taxi drivers are wreckless but they get you where you need to go, and don't skip a beat. Never in my life have I felt that scared in a car.
- It's fun taking the time to get to know your taxi driver and hearing "his story" I met this guy from Senegal, he spoke French, moved here on his own, saved enough for a cab and now supports his family back in Sengal with they money he makes. He's been doing this for 10 years. - On that note, the people there just seem infinately interesting; everyone has a story and it's not your typical "I grew up in the suburbs in a middle class household with a sibling and we went to church on weekends." It's a melting pot of great stories! I hope to be able to hear a few one of these days.
- Street vendors are abundant. Whether it's sodas, penuts, bubble guns, t-shirts, jewlery, or flowers. The streets of New York has everything for a last minute shopper.
- Cafe's are EVERYWHERE
- Everybody is beautiful, even the squares in their 50s look a little cleaner than the 50 year olds walking around in your suburbia
- Parks actually exist! They're small, but kept pretty clean
- It's hard to differentiate the sexual orientation of young men... you're not quite sure if they're gay or if they're the rocker type
- Models are sickeningly thin and for the most part flat chested (not that this wasn't a known fact before) but actually seeing it made it that much more grotesque.
- Again, everybody has a very well groomed dog
- There exists a place in lower Manhattan that is not sketchy where it's possible to have a family and lead a relatively normal life. This place is called TriBecCa and it is awesome.
- The food is actually pretty cheap. I mean yeah of course fine dining is expensive but you know just normal foods of the sandwich variety won't put a huge dent in your pocket. In fact the dent is smaller there than it is here. Who would have thought? I guess that's because we're used to the touristy part of the city. Once you go downtown - it's unique and pretty decent quality.
- Everyone wears Chucks - doesn't matter if you're young our you're old, you have a pair and you look damn good wearing them (how do they do it?)
- Speaking of clothes, everyone has great clothes. Even if they wear a plain white tagless t - it looks GREAT. I guess this is due to accessorizing; a concept completely foreign to us. Wearing a generic watch does not constitute "accessorizing." I'm talking fun flats, boots, or shoes with some Ray-Bin sunglasses, beaded necklaces, bracelets, rings, hairbands. It's very cute.
- Do I even have to say skinny jeans with knee high boots?
- They have really fun stores whereas in suburbia we are bombarded with chain restaruants and big name companies... don't get me wrong, NYC has it's fair share of chain companies, but if you want small boutiques - you've got them. You want hole in the wall bookstores? They've got it too. We passed by this great one right across from Magnolias - the prices on the books were also AMAZING. Kathryn and I hit the jackpot there - we loved it. Perhaps we were on a sugar high from Magnolia but... regardless it was a really great place.
- Duane Reade is EVERYWHERE
- McDonalds serves mozz sticks! Whattt?
- Everyone is really really friendly - despite what people say about mean New Yorkers, if you stop to ask for directions, you will most likely receive some help accompanied with a smile.
- Fact: everyone does walk REALLY REALLY fast - I guess it's true what they say about that New York minute... maybe you walk really fast just to keep up.
- The Subway is a lot more confusing than The Metro
- The front seat of a taxi is the best place to ride. You think suburbia has bad drivers? You wouldn't stand a chance in the city. These taxi drivers are wreckless but they get you where you need to go, and don't skip a beat. Never in my life have I felt that scared in a car.
- It's fun taking the time to get to know your taxi driver and hearing "his story" I met this guy from Senegal, he spoke French, moved here on his own, saved enough for a cab and now supports his family back in Sengal with they money he makes. He's been doing this for 10 years. - On that note, the people there just seem infinately interesting; everyone has a story and it's not your typical "I grew up in the suburbs in a middle class household with a sibling and we went to church on weekends." It's a melting pot of great stories! I hope to be able to hear a few one of these days.
- Street vendors are abundant. Whether it's sodas, penuts, bubble guns, t-shirts, jewlery, or flowers. The streets of New York has everything for a last minute shopper.
- Cafe's are EVERYWHERE
Sunday, May 14, 2006
I left my heart in the Financial District
This weekend (as I have been ranting and raving about for the past x-number of months) I was in New York. Needless to say, it was a complete blast and I leave it more in love with it this time around than ever before. This time, I decided to have my parents tag along. I always tell them that I will one day live there and they haven't competely warmed up to the idea... 1) because I am their little girl and for as long as I live, my Dad will always be over protective of me 2) everytime they've visited New York, it has been cold and disgusting 3) They only see the touristy parts of New York City (we always spend time in upper Manhattan). I decided this time, I needed to show them the New York that I love. I also decided it was time I visited lower Manhattan, where the World Trade Center once stood. I've been to New York numerous times over the past year (I'm obsessed, what can I say) and never have I ever been able to bring myself to go there. So I guess that's where I'll begin. Kathryn and her sister met up with me in New York and we decided to make a fun girls day of it. We went to Magnolia Bakery and got the most delicious cupcakes on this side of the hemisphere. We waited in the line that went out the door and EVERYTHING. They are completely worth the wait - one bite and you'll be hooked. If I lived in New York, this place would be the death of me. They are truly great though - go if you ever get the chance! Next we did some street shopping in NoHo/SoHo/The Village. It was a georgeous 72 degrees outside, partly cloudy - just an all around perfect da. Everyone was sitting outside at the cafes, we had our sunglasses on, ready to rule the world. It's one of those days where any song that you hear playing automatically becomes the best song you've ever heard (even if it's Clay Aiken... well, that's a stretch). It takes you to that place, you know? We worked our way down to TriBecCa to have dinner at Hoi An, and despite it's lack of authenticity, the hispanic waitresses, and japanese cook, to the not even close to Vietnamese decorations... I guess I can say that it was good. Not authentic, but will make you happy. Perhaps because we decided to explore lower Manhattan by foot, anything we ate at a place where we could sit down and rest was "good." We then decided to make our way to ground zero, not far from the restaurant. There was a huge void in the sky so uncharacteristic of the buildings that are piled on top of each other in New York. It was a weird feeling. The sun was beginning to set but my sunglasses remained on. There were a million things running through my mind as I walked closer and closer to the gated area. The street I was walking on, once covered in a cloud of debris was as spotless as it could have been for New York. Looking at the pictures, you never think that you could clean that up ever. I thought about all the images I saw of people in suits running, covered in grey dust and I imagined them on the exact street I was on - they were the lucky ones. Once we got up to the fenced in area, we could see "survivor staircase." The one reminant of the World Trade Center... the stairs that survived the building collapse... the set of stairs thousands were trying to make their way through. I can't explain the feeling - you must go in order to get the full effect. I couldn't imagine that was all there was left of two buildings that were so magestic. I couldn't believe that people could still live there, seeing that everyday. How do you move on? You don't. Kathryn began talking to me about the memorial plans for the site. Some said they wanted to get rid of the staircase. And I'm sure whatever they do, will be thoughtful and meaningful, however, I believe the stairs should stay. They have such a presence - they symbolize so much. To get rid of them would be like erasing the only thing that was left. Sure they may not be aesthetically pleasing and I know they probably don't fit in well with the new plans for the 16 acre lot, but I have a hard time letting things go and personally I don't think the stairs should. The next thing we saw completely broke my heart. Beneath the World Trade Center is an entrace to the subway as well as another fenced in area where you can see more damage. On a wall papered with clouds, children of victims made titles in memoriam of their loved ones (mostly fathers). This brought me to tears. I took pictures of it (guilty that I was being such a tourist, but you have to see it to believe it and I wanted to share it with people who couldn't make their way to New York). You think about families and what runs through a father's mind when he knows he is going to die. I imagine he thinks of his family and wishing he could hold his son or daughter one last time. This is the feeling that has made me avoid this area for so long, but I am so glad I got to see it. I think it's important that people do. I left my heart here. I tell my parents I am going to move to New York in 2 years, and though they don't like the thought of it, they will support me (seeing as I don't completely have the means - most college students don't, this will be a brief 2 month stint before med school calls). I find that if I am ever to live anywhere in New York, the finantial district would be my top choice. There is a calm that it boasts. It's not an area with heavy traffic (which is completely unheard of in New York), it's less congested, it seems more family oriented - it's eerie. You don't normally think of New York like that. The first word that comes to mind when I think of New York is electric! The ghosts of 9/11 subtly haunt the area (I don't mean that in a creepy way) - but a huge gaping void is present in the sky - you can never forget it. It reminds you of what it is to be American, what it is to keep dreaming and keep going no matter how much tragedy life throws your way. I want to live in a place that reminds me everyday to keep striving and to keep going. I want TriBecCa.
There is no good transition I can use after an experience like that, but I later met up with my parents and we spent the next day together touring the parts of New York I love such as SoHo, NoHo, I even took them to the finantial district/ TriBecCa, we passed by ground zero, but did not make a stop (I don't think they're completely ready yet). But, at the end of the trip, my parents did really warm up to New York and thought it to be beautiful (what I have been trying to tell them all along). My Dad especially loved it and I think he's feeling a little better about his little girl one day leaving for a place like this. He now understands why I love this place, he can see my eyes light up when I get out of a cab on 42nd street. He finally understands the feeling of "electricity" that I always talk about. I think it was important that I went on this trip with my family. They "get it" now - and though they were 100% behind me before in my choice to move to the city, they were also skeptical. That's what parents do, they support you even though they don't exactly love your decision. But now, I think I can say with confidence that they are less afraid and more willing to let me have my love affair with this place I speak so highly of. This is something they needed. This was something we all needed.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
All in the Family.
This morning I took the car out to the Mercedes dealer and when it was time to get a temp car for the day, turns out the guy who was processing my car went to Tech. We kind of flipped out and had one of those moments while all his co-workers stared (and were secretly SO jealous that they can't boast Hokie-ness). The guy was just trying to make small talk while entering in all my information and getting me to fill out some papers... and he randomly goes so, do you go to school around here? And i'm like, no I go to Virginia Tech and he's all "Dude, me too - class of 2003!" And then I proceed to tell him I'm class of 2008 and then we talked about where we lived and then talked about downtown. It was good times. I love that connection you have with a complete stranger right away when a school is brought up or a sports team, etc. You know the feeling. Because at that point, they're no longer just "some guy" they're your fellow "hokie" or "Cubs fan." It's serendipity. I love serendipity.
In other news my cousin Dane and I met up for lunch today. It was great seeing him. It's been a really long time. He tried coming down to visit a few times this year but life gets in the way sometimes and he was never able to come. It was hilarious catching up with him though. We got really nostalgic and laughed about the embarassing things that we used to do as kids and how crazy and amazing our family is. I was also glad to see that he's in a good place in his life right now. He hit some rough patches in his younger days but it seems he's got himself together and I am his number 1 fan.
Okay well that's all for now... I'm off to New York tomorrow!
This morning I took the car out to the Mercedes dealer and when it was time to get a temp car for the day, turns out the guy who was processing my car went to Tech. We kind of flipped out and had one of those moments while all his co-workers stared (and were secretly SO jealous that they can't boast Hokie-ness). The guy was just trying to make small talk while entering in all my information and getting me to fill out some papers... and he randomly goes so, do you go to school around here? And i'm like, no I go to Virginia Tech and he's all "Dude, me too - class of 2003!" And then I proceed to tell him I'm class of 2008 and then we talked about where we lived and then talked about downtown. It was good times. I love that connection you have with a complete stranger right away when a school is brought up or a sports team, etc. You know the feeling. Because at that point, they're no longer just "some guy" they're your fellow "hokie" or "Cubs fan." It's serendipity. I love serendipity.
In other news my cousin Dane and I met up for lunch today. It was great seeing him. It's been a really long time. He tried coming down to visit a few times this year but life gets in the way sometimes and he was never able to come. It was hilarious catching up with him though. We got really nostalgic and laughed about the embarassing things that we used to do as kids and how crazy and amazing our family is. I was also glad to see that he's in a good place in his life right now. He hit some rough patches in his younger days but it seems he's got himself together and I am his number 1 fan.
Okay well that's all for now... I'm off to New York tomorrow!
Luxury Sports Car Day? Sign me up!
Today my dad told me that I had to take one of our cars back to our dealer because every so many miles it has to be serviced. Apparently they bought some type of million mile service deal on this thing and probably got ripped off... but anyhow, I have to wake up tomorrow at 8 and join the rush hour traffic to take this thing out there. I'm not completely thrilled - you know, being a college student, it is in my blood to sleep in for as long as humanly possible. It's about 2 am now... 6 hours of sleep isn't going to cut it. Okay well... actually, I've been extremely misleading. Although, yes, it does suck to have to wake up early and be stuck in the morning commute... while my car is being worked on, I do get a temporary replacement of my choice. Which means that if the weather is nice out tomorrow which the forecast says it will be, I'm gonna have to go with a convertible benz. I mean why not right? You might as well have your fun if the Benz dealership is going to let you. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I'll let you guys know what I end up having as my temp car. With my luck it will be a station wagon.
Today my dad told me that I had to take one of our cars back to our dealer because every so many miles it has to be serviced. Apparently they bought some type of million mile service deal on this thing and probably got ripped off... but anyhow, I have to wake up tomorrow at 8 and join the rush hour traffic to take this thing out there. I'm not completely thrilled - you know, being a college student, it is in my blood to sleep in for as long as humanly possible. It's about 2 am now... 6 hours of sleep isn't going to cut it. Okay well... actually, I've been extremely misleading. Although, yes, it does suck to have to wake up early and be stuck in the morning commute... while my car is being worked on, I do get a temporary replacement of my choice. Which means that if the weather is nice out tomorrow which the forecast says it will be, I'm gonna have to go with a convertible benz. I mean why not right? You might as well have your fun if the Benz dealership is going to let you. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I'll let you guys know what I end up having as my temp car. With my luck it will be a station wagon.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
And in the end, it's always okay.
Reed and I had a long conversation the other night (when I should have been studying for a final - it's amazing how ADD you can get during this time of year). Anyway, he's been getting pretty nostalgic recently about an ex and I mean who's to say they don't from time to time. Like I've said time and time again, I don't think you ever "get over" anybody. Even though you say you're over it and you believe that you are over it, I don't ever really think that you really are. You will never get over it. I think the factor that does change is the amount you miss them. You find other people, you "move on" with someone else and your focus shifts and that's your way of being more okay with it becuase you are happy. If you were completely over it you would never think about it and be completely indifferent which I don't think is possible for most people to feel that way towards somebody they once felt so strongly about. Get my drift? Okay so with that said, it was really nice just talking to him and both of us just kind of getting it all out there. It's been awhile since I've a) talked to Reed (which I am going to make a point to do more often because he is great) and b) had a conversation like that with someone. I guess lately I've been getting to caught up in my work (actually, all year I have) that I've kind of neglected to really sit down with friends and do this kind of thing. Sure, I always went out with friends but that's completely different than one-on-one time. Like the late, great, Mr. Warhol once said,
On a lighter note... school's out and I'm home (not for long because I'll be doing Maymester) but... a well deserved break is here at last! :) Also, last night I randomly got a lot of people in the hall obsessed with Derrick Brown (and I mean, honestly, was it really that hard to fall in love with this man's writing?) They all wanted a copy of "If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Wrong" and sadly it's out of print, BUT the good news is, I'm working on getting him to come next fall. He already said he would, so I guess in which case he is but I'm trying to get the English department to let him do a reading on campus so lots of people come and get to experience him as we once did in Dylan's basement senior year. Phenomenal. VTU kinda sucks with taking chances on people so I guess I try to counter them sometimes by using my own means to get people to come (usually those that do hear about these shows say they loved them). Next fall, with my own place, hosting should not be a problem. I just want to get the word out. It's hard doing it all by yourself so I'm thinking if you want to help me get some bands and people to come play/do readings. Let me know, I will need all the help I can get...
Reed and I had a long conversation the other night (when I should have been studying for a final - it's amazing how ADD you can get during this time of year). Anyway, he's been getting pretty nostalgic recently about an ex and I mean who's to say they don't from time to time. Like I've said time and time again, I don't think you ever "get over" anybody. Even though you say you're over it and you believe that you are over it, I don't ever really think that you really are. You will never get over it. I think the factor that does change is the amount you miss them. You find other people, you "move on" with someone else and your focus shifts and that's your way of being more okay with it becuase you are happy. If you were completely over it you would never think about it and be completely indifferent which I don't think is possible for most people to feel that way towards somebody they once felt so strongly about. Get my drift? Okay so with that said, it was really nice just talking to him and both of us just kind of getting it all out there. It's been awhile since I've a) talked to Reed (which I am going to make a point to do more often because he is great) and b) had a conversation like that with someone. I guess lately I've been getting to caught up in my work (actually, all year I have) that I've kind of neglected to really sit down with friends and do this kind of thing. Sure, I always went out with friends but that's completely different than one-on-one time. Like the late, great, Mr. Warhol once said,
"People are always so boring when they band together. You have to be alone to develop all the idiosyncrasies that make a person interesting."I wholeheartedly agree and I've realized now that I need to take more time to really get to know people. Okay anyway, back to the subject here... I came across a story that a friend of mine had sent me and given my conversation with Reed the other day - this jsut seems perfect. The bittersweet nostalgia and the fact that we are perfectly happy with where we are now and the frustruation that the two could never coexist... this story kind of just explains it all... Anyway, I thought I'd post this for you guys to read. Maybe you're feeling the same way, maybe you're not, but one day you will and I hope this helps. Here's Jake Bronstein's "Ex's and Oh's"
On a lighter note... school's out and I'm home (not for long because I'll be doing Maymester) but... a well deserved break is here at last! :) Also, last night I randomly got a lot of people in the hall obsessed with Derrick Brown (and I mean, honestly, was it really that hard to fall in love with this man's writing?) They all wanted a copy of "If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Wrong" and sadly it's out of print, BUT the good news is, I'm working on getting him to come next fall. He already said he would, so I guess in which case he is but I'm trying to get the English department to let him do a reading on campus so lots of people come and get to experience him as we once did in Dylan's basement senior year. Phenomenal. VTU kinda sucks with taking chances on people so I guess I try to counter them sometimes by using my own means to get people to come (usually those that do hear about these shows say they loved them). Next fall, with my own place, hosting should not be a problem. I just want to get the word out. It's hard doing it all by yourself so I'm thinking if you want to help me get some bands and people to come play/do readings. Let me know, I will need all the help I can get...
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
I love the FiJi Boys...
Peter, Phil, and K made this rap and it's so embarassing with an underlying hint of awesome.
FratpacK - Frat Hard
I love how it ends with "in 'da house - pop ya colla" Don't even get me started on the line about the Burberry polo...
Peter, Phil, and K made this rap and it's so embarassing with an underlying hint of awesome.
FratpacK - Frat Hard
I love how it ends with "in 'da house - pop ya colla" Don't even get me started on the line about the Burberry polo...
Sunday, May 07, 2006
K.Fed/PoPoZao dance moves/Matt being a Dancing Queen
My housemate next year is a Dancing Queen on Vimeo
My housemate next year is a Dancing Queen on Vimeo
Thriller, Thriller Night...
Last night was TNT's end of the year semi-formal. It was great to be with everyone again. I've been such a nerd the past few weeks with the semester coming to an end that I've missed a month or so worth of Thursday nights with these guys. Anyway, we all got dressed up and had a good time for the most part. Pictures will be up soon on Flickr and I have some hialrious footage of Matt and I dancing that I will put up on Vimeo sometime today so stay tuned... it's coming. This morning, Sharon picked up The Washington Post from Bollos and we sat in the lounge over brunch just reading it. It was great - I haven't read The Post like that in what seems like forever. I've always wanted to subscribe but doing it on campus is really difficult. I'm glad that I'll have a permanant address here that I can have this paper sent to come Fall. In addition, I think I will also be subscribing to The New Yorker as well. But anyway, reading it this morning made me realize how much I miss just having a paper in my hands on weekends. My dad and I used to fight each other in the mornings for The Post. We'd try to wake up earlier than the other on weekends and race down the stairs (we have 2 sets of stairs in my house that lead you to two different ways to exit the house) and try get the paper before the other one could. My sister has now joined this decade old tradition now because she's a huge fan of the Post's comics now giving us more competition. We're thankful that mom has no interest in waking up early to join us in our ridiculous obsession with this paper. I miss this. I'm spending my summer here in Blacksburg but I will get a few days at home and I can't wait to wake up in the morning and participate in The Post olympics.
In other news... check out Ben Gibbard's cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
Last night was TNT's end of the year semi-formal. It was great to be with everyone again. I've been such a nerd the past few weeks with the semester coming to an end that I've missed a month or so worth of Thursday nights with these guys. Anyway, we all got dressed up and had a good time for the most part. Pictures will be up soon on Flickr and I have some hialrious footage of Matt and I dancing that I will put up on Vimeo sometime today so stay tuned... it's coming. This morning, Sharon picked up The Washington Post from Bollos and we sat in the lounge over brunch just reading it. It was great - I haven't read The Post like that in what seems like forever. I've always wanted to subscribe but doing it on campus is really difficult. I'm glad that I'll have a permanant address here that I can have this paper sent to come Fall. In addition, I think I will also be subscribing to The New Yorker as well. But anyway, reading it this morning made me realize how much I miss just having a paper in my hands on weekends. My dad and I used to fight each other in the mornings for The Post. We'd try to wake up earlier than the other on weekends and race down the stairs (we have 2 sets of stairs in my house that lead you to two different ways to exit the house) and try get the paper before the other one could. My sister has now joined this decade old tradition now because she's a huge fan of the Post's comics now giving us more competition. We're thankful that mom has no interest in waking up early to join us in our ridiculous obsession with this paper. I miss this. I'm spending my summer here in Blacksburg but I will get a few days at home and I can't wait to wake up in the morning and participate in The Post olympics.
In other news... check out Ben Gibbard's cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
I am still in love with Saturday
As you can hopefully gather from the pictures below. Saturday was a complete blast. I can probably go on record to say it was one of the most fun and memorable weekends of my year and I cannot wait to do it all over again next year. I met a lot of great people, got to catch up with a lot of old friends, went to an acapella concert, laughed, hugged, smiled, got nostalgic - it was perfect. Just what I needed after a stressful week and a perfect get away right before exams. There's really not much else to say about it, but I do have a short pretty insignificant clip of one of the horse races up on vimeo so check it out if you feel inclined to do so. In other news, today (perhaps I'm a little late on this) I found out that 9 of our football players got drafted! This is huge for us and it's a great reflection of our program under the guidance of Frank Beamer. I think this is great - these guys played their hearts out for the Hokies the past few years and they really deserve this and I wish them all the best and will forever remain a loyal fan to all no matter what team they're on... although I do feel that the Atlanta Falcon team is an extension of our Hokie team. :P One last thing before I go though... Marcus Vick wasn't drafted - go figure. And an important lesson we can all learn from this is that character is everything (okay, maybe not everything but it can certainly make you or break you).
As you can hopefully gather from the pictures below. Saturday was a complete blast. I can probably go on record to say it was one of the most fun and memorable weekends of my year and I cannot wait to do it all over again next year. I met a lot of great people, got to catch up with a lot of old friends, went to an acapella concert, laughed, hugged, smiled, got nostalgic - it was perfect. Just what I needed after a stressful week and a perfect get away right before exams. There's really not much else to say about it, but I do have a short pretty insignificant clip of one of the horse races up on vimeo so check it out if you feel inclined to do so. In other news, today (perhaps I'm a little late on this) I found out that 9 of our football players got drafted! This is huge for us and it's a great reflection of our program under the guidance of Frank Beamer. I think this is great - these guys played their hearts out for the Hokies the past few years and they really deserve this and I wish them all the best and will forever remain a loyal fan to all no matter what team they're on... although I do feel that the Atlanta Falcon team is an extension of our Hokie team. :P One last thing before I go though... Marcus Vick wasn't drafted - go figure. And an important lesson we can all learn from this is that character is everything (okay, maybe not everything but it can certainly make you or break you).
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Nerd Alert!
So I was studying in Torg Bridge this morning becuase I severely wanted to rock my Chem Lab and Chem Lecture tests like you wouldn't believe. Anyway, I'm going over my notes and sort of outlining them and when I finished I needed a stapler so I went into the library (you know cuz Torg is convienantly connected to it) and it was kind of embarassing becuase the librarian there was the one that I had help me look up some things earlier this week and she goes... "Hey, how's it going? How did your Animal Behavior paper come out?" As if that's not embarassing enough... we're on a first name basis now which tells me I have spent WAY to much time at the library this week. And sadly, this week was the first time I stepped foot in my library this year. We have this cool system called ILLiad where they can just scan the pages in books that you need and convert it into a PDF file and just send it to you via e-mail all within 24 hours. I love this system, it makes life infinately more awesome because 6 floors of stacks is practically impossible to sort through especially when each floor is the size of two department stores. Anyway, because of this I haven't left my room to library it up this year until now... Ugh my cool streak is done. over. gone. Anyway, that's all for now... I've spent my whole day taking quizzes and tests (I wish I were lying) so I think it's time I go outside and enjoy this weather or something to that effect. Heather and I are Bollo's-ing it up tonight for some more studying. I haven't even packed for Foxfield yet...
So I was studying in Torg Bridge this morning becuase I severely wanted to rock my Chem Lab and Chem Lecture tests like you wouldn't believe. Anyway, I'm going over my notes and sort of outlining them and when I finished I needed a stapler so I went into the library (you know cuz Torg is convienantly connected to it) and it was kind of embarassing becuase the librarian there was the one that I had help me look up some things earlier this week and she goes... "Hey, how's it going? How did your Animal Behavior paper come out?" As if that's not embarassing enough... we're on a first name basis now which tells me I have spent WAY to much time at the library this week. And sadly, this week was the first time I stepped foot in my library this year. We have this cool system called ILLiad where they can just scan the pages in books that you need and convert it into a PDF file and just send it to you via e-mail all within 24 hours. I love this system, it makes life infinately more awesome because 6 floors of stacks is practically impossible to sort through especially when each floor is the size of two department stores. Anyway, because of this I haven't left my room to library it up this year until now... Ugh my cool streak is done. over. gone. Anyway, that's all for now... I've spent my whole day taking quizzes and tests (I wish I were lying) so I think it's time I go outside and enjoy this weather or something to that effect. Heather and I are Bollo's-ing it up tonight for some more studying. I haven't even packed for Foxfield yet...
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Today was free cone day at Ben & Jerrys
End post.
Kidding. Free cone day - best idea ever. Since there is no need to explain how awesome the event itself was, I'll move on to the next topic which is... (insert crappy drumroll) I finished my safety research project. I'm pretty excited. I went to the cycling club meeting and for the most part they all participated. I was really excited, they are a great bunch of people and they welcomed me with open arms and were really enthusiastic about helping with this. So, I collected good data, and I'm happy about that. I'm glad I could participate in one of Dr.Gellar's studies - that's huge! :)
In other news, I've been kind of obsessing over Gnarls Barkley lately and I'll have to admit - I do like Cee Lo. Anyway, moving along with other music related news, Dylan talked to John Vanderslice (immediately sky rocketing his street cred) on his radio show last Sunday and you can download the show in it's entirety by going to Dylan's website, The Jolly Holiday and clicking on "radio" and the page will explain what you have to do to listen to this previous broadcast and all that good stuff. I have also been listening to a lot of OK Go, specifically the song "A million ways" - The music video for this is hilarious and it only cost them $25 to make proving that you don't need platnium and diamond encrusted mouth guards (cough Nelly cough) in your music videos for them to be good.
I'm going to Foxfield this weekend in Charlottesville and staying with some friends at UVa so I'm pretty excited about that because what is more fun than steeplechase horse races? - Nothing. Dressing up will also be fun - I haven't in awhile and I feel like being really girly for a day. I also planning at stopping by the Tea Bazaar while in Charlottesville. I haven't been there in awhile because I obviously haven't been to Charlottesville lately but I cannot wait to reunite with this place. A friend of mine introduced it to me a year or so ago and I'm kind of hooked and I've been waiting to go back for so long and finally I'll have the chance to so I'm completely excited about this.
I guess that's all for now, I've been pretty busy lately and will probably be spending the remainder of my life this week in Bollo's. Alex is working Wed and Thurs so I promised to go in and visit. Plus, I will be forced to be productive.
End post.
Kidding. Free cone day - best idea ever. Since there is no need to explain how awesome the event itself was, I'll move on to the next topic which is... (insert crappy drumroll) I finished my safety research project. I'm pretty excited. I went to the cycling club meeting and for the most part they all participated. I was really excited, they are a great bunch of people and they welcomed me with open arms and were really enthusiastic about helping with this. So, I collected good data, and I'm happy about that. I'm glad I could participate in one of Dr.Gellar's studies - that's huge! :)
In other news, I've been kind of obsessing over Gnarls Barkley lately and I'll have to admit - I do like Cee Lo. Anyway, moving along with other music related news, Dylan talked to John Vanderslice (immediately sky rocketing his street cred) on his radio show last Sunday and you can download the show in it's entirety by going to Dylan's website, The Jolly Holiday and clicking on "radio" and the page will explain what you have to do to listen to this previous broadcast and all that good stuff. I have also been listening to a lot of OK Go, specifically the song "A million ways" - The music video for this is hilarious and it only cost them $25 to make proving that you don't need platnium and diamond encrusted mouth guards (cough Nelly cough) in your music videos for them to be good.
I'm going to Foxfield this weekend in Charlottesville and staying with some friends at UVa so I'm pretty excited about that because what is more fun than steeplechase horse races? - Nothing. Dressing up will also be fun - I haven't in awhile and I feel like being really girly for a day. I also planning at stopping by the Tea Bazaar while in Charlottesville. I haven't been there in awhile because I obviously haven't been to Charlottesville lately but I cannot wait to reunite with this place. A friend of mine introduced it to me a year or so ago and I'm kind of hooked and I've been waiting to go back for so long and finally I'll have the chance to so I'm completely excited about this.
I guess that's all for now, I've been pretty busy lately and will probably be spending the remainder of my life this week in Bollo's. Alex is working Wed and Thurs so I promised to go in and visit. Plus, I will be forced to be productive.
A typical conversation with Matt
(Drew is going to get so sick of us next year)
Matt: youve had that away message for the past 3 nights
Auto response from Me: I found you
the way your foot finds your other arch
when you dream on your stomach.
- d. brown
Matt: whats the dilly
Me: there is no dilly
Me: just some derrick brown i've been reading
Matt: lies and propoganda
Me: what's up with all this speculation and away message stalking
Matt: meh im bored
Matt: i get wild ideas when im bored
Me: yeah i'm in love with derrick brown stuff
Me: i know i'm a weirdo
Me: but it's so good
Me: it's like chicken soup for a stone cold heart
Matt: lol
Matt: i should read it
Me: you really should, it's great- we'll have it at the house next eyar
Me: he even signed it
Matt: score
Me: it says, "i hope this charges your eyes at night and your mouth in the company of lovers"
Me: um thanks derrick brown. - it's perfect
- completely irrelavant part of conversation deleted -
... it gets really Dr. Phil - ish right about now
Matt: i like chicks that dont like me back
Me: i like boys that don't exist!
Matt: you cant make up your mind on what boys you like
Me: no, i know who i like - i'm just very specific and i don't ever want to just settle.
Matt: its a shame
Matt: i hate girls like you
THE USUAL. Ha, this is going to go on all the time next year. Brace yourself Drew, you will hate our girl talk. :P
(Drew is going to get so sick of us next year)
Matt: youve had that away message for the past 3 nights
Auto response from Me: I found you
the way your foot finds your other arch
when you dream on your stomach.
- d. brown
Matt: whats the dilly
Me: there is no dilly
Me: just some derrick brown i've been reading
Matt: lies and propoganda
Me: what's up with all this speculation and away message stalking
Matt: meh im bored
Matt: i get wild ideas when im bored
Me: yeah i'm in love with derrick brown stuff
Me: i know i'm a weirdo
Me: but it's so good
Me: it's like chicken soup for a stone cold heart
Matt: lol
Matt: i should read it
Me: you really should, it's great- we'll have it at the house next eyar
Me: he even signed it
Matt: score
Me: it says, "i hope this charges your eyes at night and your mouth in the company of lovers"
Me: um thanks derrick brown. - it's perfect
- completely irrelavant part of conversation deleted -
... it gets really Dr. Phil - ish right about now
Matt: i like chicks that dont like me back
Me: i like boys that don't exist!
Matt: you cant make up your mind on what boys you like
Me: no, i know who i like - i'm just very specific and i don't ever want to just settle.
Matt: its a shame
Matt: i hate girls like you
THE USUAL. Ha, this is going to go on all the time next year. Brace yourself Drew, you will hate our girl talk. :P
Turning up the pressure...
Anyway enough ranting - I promise I will post better things in the near future.
The Heat is on
I'm pretty good under pressure. I find myself to be a pretty organized person. Not so much when it comes to organizing my things. But when it comes to doing work and organizing all my work, I will flip out if I do not have it done AT LEAST before the week it is due (ex: final papers). Anyway, I have a paper I'm supposed to turn in on Tursday (which in my life means it should have been done this weekend) and it's not done yet. Therefore, I am flipping out. It's been really hard finding emperical evidence for this topic which is annoying because this is all my own doing seeing as I made up this topic and got it approved. The topic is "animal instinct for disaster" - i figured it wouldn't be impossible to find emperical evidence but alas... i've found two good sources after spending hours seraching our databases. :( I need four. I've written half my paper with what I have, I just need to fill it in with TWO more articles so I've set a deadline for myself. This needs to be done at 3:30pm tomorrow. My classes end at 12:15 so I can go grab a quick lunch and live in the library for a few hours and crank this sucker out. Then study for the 3 tests, and quiz that I have on Thursday. My life is grand! I've never had 3 tests overlap before ever. One is a lab final so hopefully that won't be ridiculous, but we'll have to see. I've actually surprisingly done well in lab this semester so I'm pretty happy about that. I know I sound like the craziest academic obsessed person in the world, but I assure you I am not a loser all the time. Crunch time is here and it's moving full force. After Thursday, I should be able to breathe but since I am making a bad life choice by going to UVA for the weekend for the annual Steeplechace horse races... I won't be able to do all my work, plus I have inductions into AED on Sunday when I get back so that will take up most of my night... So I guess this Thursday will be spent nerding it up in a corner of Bollo's while appearing extremely sketchy as my social life expontentially declines. I feel that this is only going to get worse next year, but... for a good cause. Med school applications = the light at the end of my tunnel. Just another exciting endeavor that is in the works for this little one.Anyway enough ranting - I promise I will post better things in the near future.
Monday, April 24, 2006
This is how I feel about TheFacebook...
First off, you know facebook is getting ridiculous when people devote an entire entry to it. I don't know if anyone has noticed lately, but there are these stupid away message things that you can put up. As if you actually cared about how much D-bag dave was drinking, don't worry, with this new away message feature of sorts, he'll tell you. And he'll write in gramatically incorrect and broken english and spell things wrong so you can know exactly how "wasted" he is. Jerk, he's probably sitting in his room on the phone with his mom who is reminding him to take one of his flinstone vitamins. Loser. Secondly, as of today Mark Zuckerberg has decided to lump all your friends together in one big happy family. I'm not gonna lie. I don't like that. I liked having friends separated by school - it was much easier. I mean this is like saying you and your 300 friends all attend the University of College. Clearly, some people like their University more than others so why lump everyone together in one big homogenous group of neg? (Yes, I know, that was a terrible sentence but the ridiculousness of the situation annoys me so much I can't even compose sentences in my head). Anyway, that concludes my bitching for the day.
First off, you know facebook is getting ridiculous when people devote an entire entry to it. I don't know if anyone has noticed lately, but there are these stupid away message things that you can put up. As if you actually cared about how much D-bag dave was drinking, don't worry, with this new away message feature of sorts, he'll tell you. And he'll write in gramatically incorrect and broken english and spell things wrong so you can know exactly how "wasted" he is. Jerk, he's probably sitting in his room on the phone with his mom who is reminding him to take one of his flinstone vitamins. Loser. Secondly, as of today Mark Zuckerberg has decided to lump all your friends together in one big happy family. I'm not gonna lie. I don't like that. I liked having friends separated by school - it was much easier. I mean this is like saying you and your 300 friends all attend the University of College. Clearly, some people like their University more than others so why lump everyone together in one big homogenous group of neg? (Yes, I know, that was a terrible sentence but the ridiculousness of the situation annoys me so much I can't even compose sentences in my head). Anyway, that concludes my bitching for the day.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
I <3 Earth Day!!
On April 20th we celebrated Earth Day (early) on the drillfield! It's one of my favorite celebrations in the spring. Everyone has their tents out and the Environmental Coalition does a really good job organizing this. We have all sorts of merchants and people with really cool displays come in. We had people who brought their cars that ran on vegetable oil. With the gas prices sky rocketing, it was a focal point of the fair. And I know you guys are saying, wow, Mary we all know you hate nature - and well, yes, I am not a huge fan of the wilderness and I could never be paid enough to go camping. However, I am really concerned about ozone layer depletion and global warming. And I think that we really do need to pay more attention to these things. In World Regions, Boyer had a great slide about what would happen to the world and how long our resources would last if there wern't countries with people living below the poverty rate. I think that we should do this more often. It's going to be a problem in the semi-near future and our families (younger siblings, cousins, kids) will have to deal with this in their lifetime if we don't do something about this now. I mean I know my little blog entry isn't going to do much to change how everybody behaves but hopefully it at least gets you thinking about how much you consume.
On a semi-related note. The Earth Day Shirts this year were bang'n yet again. I mean I have to say I was a huge fan of the Giving Tree shirts of last year but I really like these ones too. And of course in true earth day style, they were made in the US and they're sweatshop free! (Pictured above)
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
You would never guess
A grad student teaches my Criminology class and it is quite possibly one of my favorite classes this semester. She is a warm, bubbly, caring, and infectious person. Completely, normal, just like you and I – comes from a good background. Today we learned that she was a victim of domestic violence. Obviously, we were completely shocked. Why anyone would ever want to physically hurt such an understanding, caring, and beautiful woman is completely beyond me, but the reality is that it happens all the time, to our friends, and to the people around us. Her story made me so angry. She is a smart professional woman, and I guess I blame the media for stereotyping, but you would never guess that a woman like this would ever be a victim of this type of crime. You always think of people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds and it just didn't make sense. We had always wondered why she wasn't married yet - but it turns out she got married when she was 24 to a seemingly nice guy and over time he became really jealous and would emotionally abuse her and accuse her of adultery etc etc... anyway I guess you could say she was never really happy when she was with him, but because her family is Catholic, I can understand why she would try to keep things going and try to stick it out. Divorce is frowned upon in Catholic families. Anyway, one day they were having a heated argument and he ended up picking her up and throwing her outside and that was the first and last time he would ever lay a hand on her. She got help that day and promised herself never to go back. That day, he also fled. Hearing this was so completely surreal, on the surface you would never know that something this traumatic happened to her. She was married to the guy for 4 years and it has since been 7 years since this whole ordeal ended. I see her in a new light now and I'm so glad she shared her story. It takes a really brave person to speak up and inform her class and let them in on something so personal. The mood in the class today is one I can't explain - everyone could just feel her pain; she was shaking as she told us. I've learned a lot from this experience to say the least... I don't like to date, but I guess when I finally get over myself and join the rest of the college kids, I will be very cautious of the warning signs. And I'm not saying I'm going to think that every guy I meet will beat me or anything, I guess I will just pay more attention. It happens to so many women and they don't report it because of a strong religious background, or because they think they can make it work, etc. The bottom line is that it's wrong and unnecessary and nobody should ever be subjected to that.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
You don't want no drama, drama
Via Sharon (one of my neighbors). Kid singing "My Humps." So cute and hilarious. It's going to be funny when his parents tell him what the first song he learned was. I hope my kid's first song is a Frank Sinatra song or something.
In other news, the new version of Vimeo which the creators have been working on for a good quarter of the year was launched today and I have to say that I really do like it a lot. It's more asethetically pleasing and I like the way it is organized as well. So, I'm guessing it's been a pretty exciting day for the Vimeo community. Check it out if you get the chance to, it's great. I have such a huge crush on this new layout.
Via Sharon (one of my neighbors). Kid singing "My Humps." So cute and hilarious. It's going to be funny when his parents tell him what the first song he learned was. I hope my kid's first song is a Frank Sinatra song or something.
In other news, the new version of Vimeo which the creators have been working on for a good quarter of the year was launched today and I have to say that I really do like it a lot. It's more asethetically pleasing and I like the way it is organized as well. So, I'm guessing it's been a pretty exciting day for the Vimeo community. Check it out if you get the chance to, it's great. I have such a huge crush on this new layout.
My Vimeo clips |
The Racon(AWESOME)teurs:
Matt got me an advance copy of The Raconteurs' CD "Broken Boy Soldiers" and it's pretty much amazing and I'm really glad I have these sweet connections. CD comes out May 16th - you should definately go buy it - it will be your summer soundtrack. Or if you can't wait that long (as in you've stremed the music on their website and it makes your heart thump really fast) let me know, and I'll send you a copy. Seriously, I have a huge crush on this CD like massive. I like this CD more than I like Anderson Cooper and that's saying a lot because I adore Mr. Cooper.
Matt got me an advance copy of The Raconteurs' CD "Broken Boy Soldiers" and it's pretty much amazing and I'm really glad I have these sweet connections. CD comes out May 16th - you should definately go buy it - it will be your summer soundtrack. Or if you can't wait that long (as in you've stremed the music on their website and it makes your heart thump really fast) let me know, and I'll send you a copy. Seriously, I have a huge crush on this CD like massive. I like this CD more than I like Anderson Cooper and that's saying a lot because I adore Mr. Cooper.
Spring Fling...
It's funny how Spring Flings are so ephemeral. Every Spring you notice relationships falling apart and people hooking up. I think it's ironic how such a happy time can bring so much sadness. I also think it's sad that this is the trend for Spring. It's happened for as long as I can remember and it's most apparent this year. It seems like everyone around me has some part in this... and I'd like to go on record and say I won't be participating in any of it this year.
It's funny how Spring Flings are so ephemeral. Every Spring you notice relationships falling apart and people hooking up. I think it's ironic how such a happy time can bring so much sadness. I also think it's sad that this is the trend for Spring. It's happened for as long as I can remember and it's most apparent this year. It seems like everyone around me has some part in this... and I'd like to go on record and say I won't be participating in any of it this year.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Some things never do change...
Last night my dad came in my room and brought me medicine because he heard me coughing - he also closed my window. It made me happy because he used to check on me when I was a little kid in the middle of the night to just pull my covers up - and as cliche as this sounds, no matter how old I get, I will always be Daddy's little girl.
Last night my dad came in my room and brought me medicine because he heard me coughing - he also closed my window. It made me happy because he used to check on me when I was a little kid in the middle of the night to just pull my covers up - and as cliche as this sounds, no matter how old I get, I will always be Daddy's little girl.
I really miss what really did exist.
I'm home to celebrate Easter with my parents and my Dad's birthday was also earlier this week and being together is a big deal with us on birthdays so though my parents went to the beach last weekend to celebrate with my sister, we essentially spent the whole day together today and it was great. I forgot how much I've missed this place - lately I've been getting pretty homesick at school and that's normal for a college kid, but I think I've been especially homesick because I know I will be spending my whole summer minus 2 weeks spread out here and there in Blacksburg taking summer classes and preparing for the MCATs. Unlike most of the student population, I really don't have summer to look forward to so I'm not exactly rejoicing or counting down the weeks until school gets out. Anyway, this weekend was great, it was just what I needed. We had brunch this morning and then went to down to the Occoquan River and marina and the weather was perfect for it. Sunny and 70 with the most delicious breeze ever. And of course we sealed our outing with some shopping... overall, mission accomplished. I had a great day.
In other news, Matt and I went over to Keirn's and that was great. She just got a teacup yorkshire terrior who is strikingly cute. It was really exciting. I'm not a huge fan of animals, but I loved her dog. It was so good to see her and her family today. I've missed them and I've missed just talking to her so it was good to catch up and see that she's doing well.
I'm home to celebrate Easter with my parents and my Dad's birthday was also earlier this week and being together is a big deal with us on birthdays so though my parents went to the beach last weekend to celebrate with my sister, we essentially spent the whole day together today and it was great. I forgot how much I've missed this place - lately I've been getting pretty homesick at school and that's normal for a college kid, but I think I've been especially homesick because I know I will be spending my whole summer minus 2 weeks spread out here and there in Blacksburg taking summer classes and preparing for the MCATs. Unlike most of the student population, I really don't have summer to look forward to so I'm not exactly rejoicing or counting down the weeks until school gets out. Anyway, this weekend was great, it was just what I needed. We had brunch this morning and then went to down to the Occoquan River and marina and the weather was perfect for it. Sunny and 70 with the most delicious breeze ever. And of course we sealed our outing with some shopping... overall, mission accomplished. I had a great day.
In other news, Matt and I went over to Keirn's and that was great. She just got a teacup yorkshire terrior who is strikingly cute. It was really exciting. I'm not a huge fan of animals, but I loved her dog. It was so good to see her and her family today. I've missed them and I've missed just talking to her so it was good to catch up and see that she's doing well.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
318 Shenandoah!
Rumor had it that Kendall's pictures were erased from the night we all went to Josh's... but alas, that proved to be false. She took a lot of pictures of myself and my housemates next year and this is our favorite and because we are infinately awesome, I felt the need to post this... plans to have it blown up and put in the house are underway - what can I say? I'm a girl, I live for home decor.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Snapshots!
I played tennis with Josh and Tommy last Thursday and Drew and some of our fans came out to watch our little game of Canadian doubles. Anyway, Drew found out that his camera (like most) take pictures in an action sequence so we decided to test it out. This was shortly after we finished our game and I was about to leave. You can click the image block above to enlarge it. I think it's pretty funny/neat. I really enoyed these.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Surveys are lame, I know...
(but, I felt like it was time to do one, hang in there champ)
Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. AE retail (suckkkked! I worked a grand total of 4 times, bought all the flip flops I wanted, and quit)
2. Tutor/driver for these 2 awesome kids
3. Student
4. Daughter/Sister
Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Jeux D'enfants (I love love love this movie)
2. Garden State
3. Chocolat
4. Amelie
Four places I have lived:
1. Farifax, VA
2. Loudoun County, VA
3. Blacksburg, VA
4. hopefully New York or North Carolina in the near future... where are you going to send me Med school?
Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Arrested Development (stupid fox cancelled the show)
2. The OC (although it's beginning to be too ridiculous)
3. Project Runway
4. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Cancun, Mexico
2. Orange County, California
3. Niagara Falls
4. Miami
Four Websites I visit often:
1. Facebook.com
2. Cnn.com
3. Vimeo.com
4. Weather.com
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Homemade Fetuccini Alfredo
2. Salad with poppyseed dressing
3. Caesar Wraps with organic caesar dressing
4. Mom's breakfast
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. New York City!
2. Home
3. London, England
4. California
(but, I felt like it was time to do one, hang in there champ)
Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. AE retail (suckkkked! I worked a grand total of 4 times, bought all the flip flops I wanted, and quit)
2. Tutor/driver for these 2 awesome kids
3. Student
4. Daughter/Sister
Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Jeux D'enfants (I love love love this movie)
2. Garden State
3. Chocolat
4. Amelie
Four places I have lived:
1. Farifax, VA
2. Loudoun County, VA
3. Blacksburg, VA
4. hopefully New York or North Carolina in the near future... where are you going to send me Med school?
Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Arrested Development (stupid fox cancelled the show)
2. The OC (although it's beginning to be too ridiculous)
3. Project Runway
4. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Cancun, Mexico
2. Orange County, California
3. Niagara Falls
4. Miami
Four Websites I visit often:
1. Facebook.com
2. Cnn.com
3. Vimeo.com
4. Weather.com
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Homemade Fetuccini Alfredo
2. Salad with poppyseed dressing
3. Caesar Wraps with organic caesar dressing
4. Mom's breakfast
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. New York City!
2. Home
3. London, England
4. California
Thoughts before bed...
I've been reading about this story on CNN the past few days and it horrifies me that something like this could even happen. First off, this really really bothers me because it is the 911 operator's JOB to treat every incoming call as though it were an emergency. I know this first hand because when I was younger (this is before we had to dial area codes before local numbers), I would sometimes mis-dial my grandmother's phone number. The first three numbers were 914 and sometimes my little fingers would slip and 911 would accidently be dialed instead. I would normally just hang up, but every single time I misdialed the number - it was traced back to my house and there would always be a cop that showed up minutes later just to make sure everything was okay. This wasn't a common occurance, but sometimes I would slip. I would hate to think that this is not the protocol now. People are not only getting lazy, but they are getting sloppy at the expense of other people and it bothers me to no end. It's so unfortunate that something like this happened because of negligence but, let's get real... this type of stuff probably happens all the time - maybe not on such a grand scale, but you know what I mean.
Well I guess I should probably end on a good note. Link Via Dylan of a Sufjan video that should make you pretty happy. I have such a crush on this man, it's kind of ridiculous. While we're on the subject of Mr.Stevens, he has a new CD coming out, and by new I mean Illinoise outtakes... which I am pretty excited about. I'm going to make a promise to myself right now to go see him live. He hasn't been doing much touring - I think the only shows he's played have all been in New York so with that said, I think I am going to make a homage to New York to see him this year. Please hold me to it, because this will be for my own good.
I've been reading about this story on CNN the past few days and it horrifies me that something like this could even happen. First off, this really really bothers me because it is the 911 operator's JOB to treat every incoming call as though it were an emergency. I know this first hand because when I was younger (this is before we had to dial area codes before local numbers), I would sometimes mis-dial my grandmother's phone number. The first three numbers were 914 and sometimes my little fingers would slip and 911 would accidently be dialed instead. I would normally just hang up, but every single time I misdialed the number - it was traced back to my house and there would always be a cop that showed up minutes later just to make sure everything was okay. This wasn't a common occurance, but sometimes I would slip. I would hate to think that this is not the protocol now. People are not only getting lazy, but they are getting sloppy at the expense of other people and it bothers me to no end. It's so unfortunate that something like this happened because of negligence but, let's get real... this type of stuff probably happens all the time - maybe not on such a grand scale, but you know what I mean.
Well I guess I should probably end on a good note. Link Via Dylan of a Sufjan video that should make you pretty happy. I have such a crush on this man, it's kind of ridiculous. While we're on the subject of Mr.Stevens, he has a new CD coming out, and by new I mean Illinoise outtakes... which I am pretty excited about. I'm going to make a promise to myself right now to go see him live. He hasn't been doing much touring - I think the only shows he's played have all been in New York so with that said, I think I am going to make a homage to New York to see him this year. Please hold me to it, because this will be for my own good.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Literally, bookbags...
(all puns intended - i'm gonna have to pat myself on the back for the title today)
Rebound designs can turn your old O-chem text book or actually, any old book you have laying around for that matter into a stylish purse. Ladies/nerds, rejoice. DCist talks about it in this article here. It's a little pricy seeing as you probably paid upwards of $120 for your science book to begin with, but it's a pretty neat idea.
For Your Entertainment
I found a video clip I took while on a roadtrip with some friends earlier this semester. We found the style section of The Washington Post in Drew's car with plans to invade Canada from the 1930's. It was completely hilarious, you can view the clip by clicking here.
(all puns intended - i'm gonna have to pat myself on the back for the title today)
Rebound designs can turn your old O-chem text book or actually, any old book you have laying around for that matter into a stylish purse. Ladies/nerds, rejoice. DCist talks about it in this article here. It's a little pricy seeing as you probably paid upwards of $120 for your science book to begin with, but it's a pretty neat idea.
For Your Entertainment
I found a video clip I took while on a roadtrip with some friends earlier this semester. We found the style section of The Washington Post in Drew's car with plans to invade Canada from the 1930's. It was completely hilarious, you can view the clip by clicking here.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Innocent Bystander
NBC - News Clip - this man was my firend's cousin. Everytime something like this happens, I think about Thoreau's "Walden" and how he says that you should only read the newspaper once because events are cyclical. I think about this and for some reason, I am drawn to the news even though it is the same thing over and over again. Everytime it seems as though it just hits closer and closer to home. I don't know, I guess just a thought for the night...
NBC - News Clip - this man was my firend's cousin. Everytime something like this happens, I think about Thoreau's "Walden" and how he says that you should only read the newspaper once because events are cyclical. I think about this and for some reason, I am drawn to the news even though it is the same thing over and over again. Everytime it seems as though it just hits closer and closer to home. I don't know, I guess just a thought for the night...
Weekend in Review
I'm a little sick so it was pretty low key. Thursday AED had a social as did the Sigmas (as usual) and I really wasn't feeling well before the AED social so I felt kind of bad because I was pretty lame. I only stayed for a few minutes. Oh well, there will be more socials in the future so hopefully I won't beel like crap then. The Sigmas were fun... it was nice getting together, it feels like we haven't in so long. Friday night I was supposed to go to a bonfire and we were supposed to have some live music which would have been great but... the tornados down south gave us lots of rain and thunderstorms so the bonfire was off. :( I ended up going to Phi Sig that night which was pretty low key. It was just the brothers and a few of us. No huge party or anything like that which was good. I wasn't in the mood to be around a bunch of drunk people. And last night, I went to a highlighter party which was fun because I've never been to one. For some reason every highlighter party I get invited to always falls through. I had a good time though, all the girls were out so that was great but I left a little early because again, I wasn't feeling well. It was funny reading the shirt this morning and see that people wrote things like "now accepting applications for ALL positions" strategically placed on the shirt.... oh the joys of college. So I guess all in all a good weekend for me at least. I got lots of sleep and now it's time to catch up on some work or at least get ahead. :P Who's a nerd? Ha ha. I'm going home for easter next weekend which I am really excited about. I'm actually really really homesick and then... before we know it FOXFIELD weekend will be upon us. I'm so excited. I have my dress and everything and the kids of UVA have made plans for us to stay and I haven't seen them this whole semester! I'm so excited! It's going to be a great weekend and before we know it, the school year will be over and I'll be in New York for a week or so before I'm back in Blacksburg taking summer classes and preparing for these MCATs! Life is moving so fast right now... I need some time to just stop and breathe but I've been having so much fun so far I feel like if I take some time to stop and breathe I'll miss what's going on... wow that sounded very Ferris Bueller... ha ha. Anyway, hope you guys had a good weekend too!
I'm a little sick so it was pretty low key. Thursday AED had a social as did the Sigmas (as usual) and I really wasn't feeling well before the AED social so I felt kind of bad because I was pretty lame. I only stayed for a few minutes. Oh well, there will be more socials in the future so hopefully I won't beel like crap then. The Sigmas were fun... it was nice getting together, it feels like we haven't in so long. Friday night I was supposed to go to a bonfire and we were supposed to have some live music which would have been great but... the tornados down south gave us lots of rain and thunderstorms so the bonfire was off. :( I ended up going to Phi Sig that night which was pretty low key. It was just the brothers and a few of us. No huge party or anything like that which was good. I wasn't in the mood to be around a bunch of drunk people. And last night, I went to a highlighter party which was fun because I've never been to one. For some reason every highlighter party I get invited to always falls through. I had a good time though, all the girls were out so that was great but I left a little early because again, I wasn't feeling well. It was funny reading the shirt this morning and see that people wrote things like "now accepting applications for ALL positions" strategically placed on the shirt.... oh the joys of college. So I guess all in all a good weekend for me at least. I got lots of sleep and now it's time to catch up on some work or at least get ahead. :P Who's a nerd? Ha ha. I'm going home for easter next weekend which I am really excited about. I'm actually really really homesick and then... before we know it FOXFIELD weekend will be upon us. I'm so excited. I have my dress and everything and the kids of UVA have made plans for us to stay and I haven't seen them this whole semester! I'm so excited! It's going to be a great weekend and before we know it, the school year will be over and I'll be in New York for a week or so before I'm back in Blacksburg taking summer classes and preparing for these MCATs! Life is moving so fast right now... I need some time to just stop and breathe but I've been having so much fun so far I feel like if I take some time to stop and breathe I'll miss what's going on... wow that sounded very Ferris Bueller... ha ha. Anyway, hope you guys had a good weekend too!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Newww
I get bored when things are unchanging so I decided to change the blog template. I know, I know, you're thinking "ohhhh, how you live on the edge of danger, mary." However, I was really getting annoyed with the other template because a) I didn't like the default font, and yes, I know there's a way I could go and change it but I just didn't feel like scrolling through pages of code to do it and b) it never underlined my link so people had a hard time figuring out where to click. Anyway, I hoping this will be easier. I think in the near future I will try to play around with the colors and see what I can do. But I really like the layout right now and I hope you do too.
In other news, I just want everybody to know that I have the biggest crush on The Raconteurs' song "Steady, As She Goes." It's been on repeat all day so if you get a chance to, DO check it out, it's great and you can do so by going to their awesome retro computer site here: The Raconteurs.
I get bored when things are unchanging so I decided to change the blog template. I know, I know, you're thinking "ohhhh, how you live on the edge of danger, mary." However, I was really getting annoyed with the other template because a) I didn't like the default font, and yes, I know there's a way I could go and change it but I just didn't feel like scrolling through pages of code to do it and b) it never underlined my link so people had a hard time figuring out where to click. Anyway, I hoping this will be easier. I think in the near future I will try to play around with the colors and see what I can do. But I really like the layout right now and I hope you do too.
In other news, I just want everybody to know that I have the biggest crush on The Raconteurs' song "Steady, As She Goes." It's been on repeat all day so if you get a chance to, DO check it out, it's great and you can do so by going to their awesome retro computer site here: The Raconteurs.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Myspace - The Movie
I was browsing the posts on Curbed.com this morning and found this video. It's a short on the Myspace experience and I thought it was hilarious... "the angles" is my favorite. I also liked "Tom" at the end - that was glorious as well. Anyway, I'll link it below... check it out, hope you like it just as much as I did.
Click this!
I was browsing the posts on Curbed.com this morning and found this video. It's a short on the Myspace experience and I thought it was hilarious... "the angles" is my favorite. I also liked "Tom" at the end - that was glorious as well. Anyway, I'll link it below... check it out, hope you like it just as much as I did.
Click this!
Monday, April 03, 2006
women's suffrage
My friend nassar sent this clip just now i guess in response to my away message where drew says "i am all for women's suffrage." Anyway, have a look if you can, it's almost appauling and hilarious how ridiculously dumb these girls are. It pains me to think that people like this will graduate and go to great schools like Harvard. How do you not know what women's suffrage is? Maybe they thought it was a petition to end women's suffering? I guess I'm trying to justify such stupidity but it's not working... this is just ridiculous. Watch it to have a good laugh.
Link here: Women's Suffrage clip
My friend nassar sent this clip just now i guess in response to my away message where drew says "i am all for women's suffrage." Anyway, have a look if you can, it's almost appauling and hilarious how ridiculously dumb these girls are. It pains me to think that people like this will graduate and go to great schools like Harvard. How do you not know what women's suffrage is? Maybe they thought it was a petition to end women's suffering? I guess I'm trying to justify such stupidity but it's not working... this is just ridiculous. Watch it to have a good laugh.
Link here: Women's Suffrage clip
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Kick Starting Greek Week with The Big Event.
This morning was The Big Event and festivities started at about 8am this morning when I woke up to music blasting on speakers. I had my alarm set but the music woke me up and also annoyed a lot of people in my hall who wern't participating in The Big Event. I'll have to admit, I really didn't want to do it this morning. Nobody wants to wake up at 9am on a Saturday morning to do Community Service but I'mg lad that I did. AED had about 30 people come out today. But even better was the fact that over 2,1000 students came out from various greek organizations as well as clubs. That puts Virginia Tech in the top 5 for largest turnout to The Big Event. That's kind of exciting right? We're well rounded kids. Anyway, I went out to Pembroke and helped some people at a church do yardwork. I haven't done yardwork... ever, but it wasn't that bad and they were really nice people and really appreciated us being there to help. I'm glad I went. But as for now... I have tons of work to do and I'm hoping to make it to the gym sometime today and maybe do some running and rowing.
This morning was The Big Event and festivities started at about 8am this morning when I woke up to music blasting on speakers. I had my alarm set but the music woke me up and also annoyed a lot of people in my hall who wern't participating in The Big Event. I'll have to admit, I really didn't want to do it this morning. Nobody wants to wake up at 9am on a Saturday morning to do Community Service but I'mg lad that I did. AED had about 30 people come out today. But even better was the fact that over 2,1000 students came out from various greek organizations as well as clubs. That puts Virginia Tech in the top 5 for largest turnout to The Big Event. That's kind of exciting right? We're well rounded kids. Anyway, I went out to Pembroke and helped some people at a church do yardwork. I haven't done yardwork... ever, but it wasn't that bad and they were really nice people and really appreciated us being there to help. I'm glad I went. But as for now... I have tons of work to do and I'm hoping to make it to the gym sometime today and maybe do some running and rowing.
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