Additional Hell Week Notes

[[I'm clearly tired from two-a-days, which is why these added Wednesday highlights, er, lowlights were not posted til now]]

So Wednesday came and I was dreading it. On top of a 9:30am midterm that I barely studied for, but I had a 2k test to make up after missing it on Tuesday. I was NOT mentally nor physically prepared for it. I knew I wasn't. All I knew was that I was going to do no matter what. There was no point to putting it off any longer and I just wanted it over with so I wouldn't have to deal with worrying about it later.

My coach and Tor both agreed that I hit a wall. They both coxed me through it and where I hit my wall was at the 750 meter mark. I could not recover from that wall. I missed my PR by 4 seconds and to me that was a lot. But what can ya do, right? I told myself whatever the outcome, I'm gonna deal with it. And I did. I'm not fazed by my results at all. I'll just have to make up for it on the next test.

Thursday was bad from the start. The e-mail system was down in the office - no incoming or outgoing e-mails, and the guy that interns the same day with me didn't show up and I became aware that he would no longer he coming in when my supervisor told me he's not going to intern there anymore due to "family reasons." No matter what the reasons were really due to, I knew I'd be manning the desk BOTH days I intern, which means I'm on trash duty on both days and I have to answer phones and listen to really bad feedback where I can't understand the person on the other end. Huff!

Oh, and the phones were sucking much more than usual on Thursday. The transfer button decided to stop working so I had to take numerous messages and tell a guy to take two calls at the reception desk. And since the e-mail system wasn't working on top of that, I was getting more phone calls then usual. Awesome.

They have this thing every other week where employees pitch ideas to the CEO. My supervisor encouraged the interns to take part in this event as well. I would have worked on my idea with my partner, the guy who ended up quitting, but I was home all last weekend for my Mommom and had no time or energy to give our pitch idea any thought. He said we would work on it when I return but since he's not coming back I guess its up to me to see this idea through. On my own. In a room full of employees and the CEO. All of whom probably don't take me seriously because I'm an intern. But while I worked the reception desk, I could see the huuuuge crowd of people in the conference room, two people who were interns and did awesomely on their presentations. How can I compete with that? Eh. I didn't really hear much about their presentations, considering the door was closed and the new miniature schnauzer running around the office was playing with his chew toy. This was the time of day where I said to myself, Maybe I'm not right for the Advertising industry. I just wanna go away and volunteer abroad or sell churros on the beach. I don't mind public speaking - in front of those I know well or am comfortable in front of or when I know what I'm talking about. But there are those times where I feel intimidated and don't really know what to say, forcing me to bullshit with humor or sarcasm. That usually works. Sometimes.

VHATEVA! I'm building my bridge and getting over it. When I came home, I had a quick night class to sit through then went home and crashed.

Some highlights about Thursday...

• I forwarded two dated articles to a woman I work with at my internship. Despite being 3-4 years old, the articles were "stupendous!" according to her. I'm glad I was able to do something right.
• I kinda lied about getting certain information for one of the guys in the office. He asked me if so-and-so said what company she called from. She did, but the fucking phone sucked and I couldn't really understand what it was called after I asked her twice. I said no, she didn't say it. The guy told me to always ask what company and what not. So I bounced back from that karma-induced fib set back thinger and the next message I got for him, I got the company name along with the other info and he said, "There ya go! Thanks!"
• The intern that always works upstairs and never has to work the reception desk took the trash out upstairs so I didn't have to :)
• There was a bunch of trash that hadn't been taken out so I took a few trips back and forth down the elevator to take it out. And my supervisor said I was "the best!" I guess hearing compliments here and there put me in a good mood. 
• I think the new miniature schnauzer, which belongs to the CEO, likes me :) He didn't bite me yet and he hasn't barked at me after never seeing me before that Thursday. 

I won't be interning this week due to two-a-day practices for rowing. Yummyyyy. I can concentrate on working out multiple times, being exhausted allllll day, and getting fresh calluses and blisters on my paws. Oh, and being m-effing sore out the ying yang. Oh well, this is my third "spring break" at Glen Island and it's pretty fun overall. Who needs to get shitty on a beach in 70 degree heat when the wind can blow boats over to the opposite side of the course and there's geese shit all over the place? And don't forget that wind/sun burn too! A night cap is usually needed at the end of each day. 

And I say I've done this three times considering my only spring break during my collegiate experience occurred in that beautiful country Australia :) God I miss it. 

One week.

[[I wrote this at work yesterday morning, then got caught up talking to some pals, then had actual work to do for my superiors before I was done my shift. So just assume that this was posted yesterday, Friday, March 11th]]

Since being back at school, I am RELIEVED that the week has ended...sort of. Or, at least I got over the humps that I've been dreading, preparing myself to deal with.

My grandmother passed away a week ago from yesterday. It's still a little new, like a fresh wound that has to scab over and heal. So, in a sense, I'm that wound trying to scab over and heal.

The weekend was rough, kind of awkward: not knowing how to console some of my family members, being on the outs with my dad, just dealing with loss in general. Monday night was her viewing, which was tough. I remember seeing her casket from far away and just thinking, I don't wanna go over there. I don't wanna see her. My aunt was a wreck - my Mommom was her best friend and they did so much together: shopping, traveling, laughing, so many things. Seeing my step-grandpa cry was new to me. He truly loved her and he sat near her casket for majority of the viewing.

I was even shocked to see my Grandpa, Mommom's ex-husband. He came to both the viewing and the Mass/burial the next day. I assumed he would come to one or the other. But as my mom said, "That was the mother of his children, you know...so it makes sense that he shows his sympathy."

As more and more people showed up to the viewing, I realized how loving my Mommom was. She never dislike anyone and made a new friend wherever she went. She was actively involved in her local library and church. She was a happy, vibrant woman who could strike up a conversation with even the crabbiest of people, who would grow to love her too. She was caring and always made sure that you were comfortable and always knew what to make of those random canned goods in her cupboard.

I got to finally meet two of Mommom's best friends at her viewing. At separate times, they each came up to me and said, "I know exactly who you are...Anne told us all about you. She was so proud of you..." I broke down. Lost it. I could hardly get out "Thank you" without crying. One of them, Iva, came over and hugged me and just held my hand while she told my mom and I how much Anne spoke of me and my achievements. Her other friend Mickey greeted me in a similar way. She had a hard time talking though because she missed Mommom a lot and like it was for us, it was shocking to find out of her passing so suddenly.

So for two hours at the viewing, I cried, struggled with the new eye makeup I put on, wiping the corners of any smudges. My mom and I drove back to Wilmington while my dad stayed down in Greenwood with my aunt and other family members.

The next day was her Mass of Christian burial. I got to see my second cousin who I don't really talk to much or see, considering he lives in Denver now. I also got to see my uncle and cousin who came down from upstate New York. Mass was held at her favorite church that she always went to every week. It was a small, quaint Church close to her house. After the Mass, we began the procession to the burial. I've never been involved in one of those before: with the flashing hazard lights and brights on following car after car. It was brief and different than usual - no dirt was dropped onto her casket, we didn't see it lowered into the grave. I saw this huge concrete cover laiden in light bronze paint that would cover the top of the crypt. Before it was finished, we each put a flower on her casket, then proceeded to the Fire Hall for the reception that was held by some of her friends who made food for everyone.

The reception was awkward but nice. They made lots of down home cookin': Corn pudding, ham, lima beans, baked pineapple, sweet potatoes, and some yummy desserts. I caught up with some family I haven't seen, got to know Mommom's friends a little better, networked with a second cousin :), spoke to my dad. All before going back up to Wilmington an hour or so away to pack my car up for another two and a half hour drive to New Gross. But I think I was ready. I needed to get back into the swing of things and catch up on what I've missed, which was only three classes but I missed A LOT of practice/erging, which showed on Wednesday...

XXXclusive

When celebs go through that stage in their career considered to be a somewhat mid-fame crisis, or don't know how else to keep their fame going, they make sex tapes.

Jennifer Aniston has gone en route to sex tape fame!



If video does not work click dis: Jennifer Aniston SEX TAPE!

Not to say Aniston is going through a mid-fame crisis - she's great! And her famous is comfortably intact as of now.

But honestly, I think this water tastes like shit. I've had tap from NYC more refreshing than this $8 bottle of water that goes through some sort of photosynthesis type process. I think that process takes awayyyy from the water. I just don't like it :( But I like this sex tape :)

Firework

I have yet to find an epic remix/mashup of Katy Perry's "Firework". There's actually nothing wrong with the original. I love it. It's one of those songs that can be played fo'eva and never go wrong. It's inspirational, motivational, and downright sensational. The video is sick too. Who wouldn't want fireworks exploding from their titties?! A thought for next year's Halloween costume...I just need to figure out a way of avoiding third-degree burns on my chest and face.



MAKE 'EM GO UHH UHH UHHH AS YOU SHOOT ACROSS THE SKYYYYYY!!!!

Proof is in the Picture.

Okay, last post of the day. But seriously, it has been raining allllll day. And I haven't been doing this all day (big fat lie). I also studied and submitted a project to my professor.

Going back to the previous post about super cool model Agyness Deyn, I think I had more style when I was younger than I do now (which is why I'm trying to slowly but surely revamp er, enhance is a better term, my personal style). Granted my mom was the one who dressed me when I was a young tot, so props to her. Pardon for the resolution on these pics. They're in photo albums and I'm not about to climb onto the scanner for a better vision of myself as a young rascal nugget.*
*Going home does have it's perks. Looking at old family photos make for a good laugh.

Exhibit A: 

I was the definition of cool. Or at least thought I was. 

Exhibit B:

Sure, I was a little androgynous as a child and wore
suspenders. But my mom attempted to jazz it up by
keeping it girly with the Little Mermaid tee.

Exhibit C:

See? Femininity. I knew what it was. 

Exhibit D:

Either my mom got the date of Halloween
mixed up or that kid forgot to wear a costume.
But I dared to be different even at a young age.

Exhibit E:

The champ is here! I don't know who bought this
outfit for me. But obviously the hat grew on me.
To this day I sport some lovely head gear.

Exhibit F:

Bright & vibrant colors were and still ARE my forte.
Spiffy head band optional. 

Oh, Agyness.

There's always someone we wish to embody. Or we usually have someone lined up when someone asks, "If you could be anyone in the world, who would it be?" Well, I wouldn't necessarily answer that question dead on, considering I wanna be a bunch of different people depending on the day of the week or how I'm feeling. But this chick is so damn cool. Her style, her accent, her name, and her way of making short, spiky hair look cool: Agyness Deyn.

She has her own style that's bright and vibrant and eclectically cool. I'm a fan of bright and vibrant clothing. I'm guilty of wearing too many prints. I can't stay away from them, they're so cool!

Cover of Vogue. Get it, get it.  

This video tells you everything you need to know about Miss Deyn (she legally changed her name to it because she wanted to be DIFFERENT. As I've said, she's so damn cool). Plus, she dates Albert Hammond Jr. from The Strokes. Agyness, I wanna be you!!

"I do shots, I tan, and I drink. STDs, that's what we call it."

I need to get there...

Watch this...Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - JERSEY FLOOR

Musical Musings

Since there's nothing to do on a rainy day in Delaware - slightly due to the fact that I'm lazy and do not want anything to do with my homework && some unreliable "friends" I was supposed to see while I was home never getting back to me (I'm not really fazed by it though because I'll be busy with studying - ha! and I've come to realize which lemons are worth the squeeze. Moreover, I don't keep in touch with anyone here minus my mother, which I'm okay with), I thought I'd share some tune-formation with you all.

#1: Lykke Li's new album Wounded Rhymes

The Swedish singer's second album has a cool, unique sound. The genre would be hard to describe: a little bit of indie slowness with hints of upbeat time-machine jazz ballads. Kinda similar to Adele who I will get to in a few. And the way you pronounce her name, Lykke Li, I think is LOO-kah Lee. The first 3 songs on this album are sauce, one of which is "I Follow Rivers"

#2: Adele's new album 21

This woman's voice gives me chills, she's that amazing. Similar to Lykke Li, the Brit has come out with her second album. Her first, 19, introduced her vocals to the world with hits such as "Hometown Glory" and her cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love". Great listens on 21 include "Rolling in the Deep" and her cover of The Cure's"Lovesong".


#3 FREE TUNES on Urbanoutfitters.com!
How sweet of them to give out free tunes. Then again, they should. Although they have great clothing that lasts a lifetime, it comes with a hefty price. I do shop there once in a while for one-of-a-kind unique finds that I know I will cherish and get much use out of. Get these 23, yes TWENTY THREE FREE songs HERE. It's simpler if you have an iTunes account already because they just start downloading automatically.

Can't stop the rain.

So much for running outside this morning. And it's not like I can redeem myself in the later hours because it's still coming down.

Still at home. Looking forward to going back to school and getting back to the daily grind. Surprising as it sounds, being home is tough. Although I am grateful I'm able to see my mom after many months (and just my mom for now because I'm not on good terms with my father yet again - let's just say I wasn't even home a full 24 hours and I was already screamed at. Cool I guess. I'm provoking it seems), it's under sad circumstances that I am home. I'm in better spirits than I was the past few days. I have my moments here and there when I think about Mommom but I think that's normal during the loss of a loved one.

Lazy Sunday fo' real. Within the last few minutes, I caught up on my blogger pal's blog posts then proceeded to RAPE her wall with a post and two additional comments (Sorry, to you!), "made a phonecall"*, and started this post. Nothing productive as I had planned - send my professor my assignment since I won't be in class to hand it in and study for same professor's midterm that I will be taking on Wednesday. Huff, my motivation went out the window where the rain is. I'll find it when it stops raining.
*If you know what I mean by this term, then by all means let me know. But I'm sure you won't because it's a term I made up mahself. And no, it is nothing sexual. 

But here are my much needed new sneaks! If you've seen the pictures from my Picture Book post, you'll see why I needed these desperately. I can't keep borrowing my friends' sneaks anyways...

Gel Keyano-17. Compliments of Mama <3 

I believe they are the latest in running technology made my the amazing people over at Asics. And don't worry I didn't steal them - the sensor was removed. This is my second pair by the brand. I was very satisfied with my first pair that I got HEAPS of mileage out of before the backs started to wear out. Amazing sneakers that take me miles and miles away. To learn more about this model (which is highly unlikely) click here: ASICS Gel Keyano-17

Florence + The Montage

The photos & tats. The photos & tats. The photos & tats. Booful.

Should you ask yourself the question Florence poses in the song? Hmmm...
If video does not work click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5BwdDaz7Xs

Mommom.

The feeling of loss is not too familiar to me. Although I've supported friends when they've lost loved ones, I couldn't exactly relate because I've never lost someone so close to me. Until now. Yesterday morning my grandmother, Mommom as well all call her, passed away. She had been in the hospital for close to two weeks. Her husband, my step-grandfather, sent me an e-mail telling me she was in the hospital with fluid in her lungs. I assumed it had to do with the cold weather and maybe she caught pneumonia. I was concerned but figured, Its Mommom, she'll bounce back. But when a few days in the hospital turned into a few weeks in the hospital, my concerns grew into worry. Her husband had been keeping us up-to-date almost every day with her status. I even got to speak with her for a few minutes on the phone last weekend. I just didn't realize that that would be the last time.

Yesterday morning was all a blur. I woke up to get ready for my internship and four minutes later, I received an e-mail about her being taken off of life support, which I hadn't even known she was on. Apparently, there were cancer cells found in her liver but it was unknown to where it was coming from. According to doctors, it "had spread throughout."

What baffles me the most is that she was completely fine 3 weeks ago.

This feeling of emptiness like a hollow tree was new to me. As if I didn't know how to feel. I called my parents after I received that e-mail. They were driving on their way down to see her, which is an hour and a half away from where we live. I moped around my apartment, not knowing what to do with myself. I tried to nap, but couldn't. I ended buying $38 worth of nail polish on Amazon and decided to go to the gym to clear my head. I figured I'd be at home in Delaware for quite some time so should get a work out in just in case I don't when I'm at home. I nearly started crying on the treadmill...twice. I spent 2 hours at the gym yesterday, with 15 minutes spent walking around the gym as if I had no clue where I was going. I moped. In the gym and back to my car. That's when I broke down.

I've cried. A lot. And I will probably cry some more. I cried on the way home today.

Although this post will be somewhat emotional compared to the crass or random things I usually talk about, it's like fresh air. I consider this a part of me that I probably wouldn't share other than with some close friends. I know it'll be hard as it comes closer to her funeral. But what friends have told me is to remember all of the good times I've had with her. She is still around me and will always be with me. And I'm glad to know that she left peacefully and pain free. I felt destroyed when I found out I wouldn't be able to say bye but my dad said, "She knows." I have no doubt in my mind that she's in a better place and yes, it will be different knowing she won't call me once in a while to see how I'm doing, or come to Thanksgiving dinner with green bean casserole knowing I'd be the only one to eat it but she'd still make it anyways. I know I will struggle with the loss of my grandmother but I know I have all the support in the world through family and friends who will help me remember her as the lively, smiling woman I've known all my life.

Anne Marie Adams
November 13, 1934 - March 3, 2011

My Senior Speechur

Last weekend was the Annual Rowing Banquet. Alumni rowers, family, and friends of us rowers come out on this Saturday night in February to celebrate our college's Rowing family and success. It's always great to see the families of our teammates and alumni we've missed. So much support and fun and good times. Captains and seniors give speeches. And this year, the banquet was quite crowded. I spoke eloquently and with poise...surprisingly. Names have been taken out to secure the identity of the institution and members of said institution. I know I'm not saying anything shitty, but I'm not sure if they would want their names in my blog. Except Tori. She thrives on the publicity she receives here. Areas with brackets are personal notes for me as I said the speech. Here's my speech:

Good evening,

First off, I would like to thank everyone for joining us tonight. It's great to see familiar faces who have been part of the team and continue to be part of the team through their never-ending support year after year. It is also great to see several new faces who have become part of the XXXXXX Rowing family. Through donations, fundraisers, and the support we receive at races, you are all an important entity to this team and college.  

I would like to thank the alumni who continue to be great mentors and friends to us all. It's always great to see them and know that this team played an important role in their life at XXXXXX College. I would also like to thank the coaches who continue to push us to our limits and reassure us that we are stronger than we think, especially in the weight room. Thank you to Brother XXXXXX, who's constant support and moderation of our team keeps XXXXXX College Rowing intact and ever-growing as years progress. Along with what Tori said, I'd like to thank former coaches XXXXXX and XXXXXX who I've had the opportunity to work with in the past. They played an important part in my becoming an XXXXXX College rower. And I owe a lot of my improvements and successes to them both. 

Thank you to all of the parents, not only for cheering us on at the finish line but also for encouraging us in our athletic and academic endeavors. Although some of us including myself, do not live close to home, it's still a good feeling knowing our families are supporting us from far away. You're remembered in spirit and your generosity never goes unnoticed. And as a sidenote to all of the parents, you mean a lot more to us than just being the caterers at our races. The fruit, drinks, and bagels are greatly appreciated by us all. [[Emphasize bagels w/Delawarian accent]]

And finally I'd like to thank my fellow teammates. You all have shown a tremendous amount of drive and passion for the sport. You continue to impress me with your improvements on the erg and I have no doubt that you will constantly strive to achieve your personal goals both on and off the water. You truly are an amazing group of young athletes with all of the potential in the world to become the future of XXXXXX College Rowing. I am very fortunate that I am able to see this team grow in many different ways even when I, myself was a novice rower four years ago. 

So with our sights set on this coming spring season on the water as well as getting out of that tank room, let's surpass the goals we set for ourselves and show everyone - coaches, alumni, our families and friends - that being a part of this team is what makes our college experience worthwhile and something to be proud of. Let's go get 'em this season and show everyone who's boss. Thank you.

I love the 80s

A mashup of film and song. One genre of films (yes, multiple GREAT films) and an epic song from a different generation of tuneage makes a baby in the form of one of the COOLEST videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, the embed file was disabled upon request of the person who uploaded the video so here I go with my HTML nerd herd link shit.

   ++ 

 

DUCKY!
= So Worthy of a YouTube Oscar

Food stories.

Not only am I turning into the worst blogger ever, but I'm falling behind with these posts! I'll think of something I wanna blog about. Then I'll get too tired or busy to post it, then forget about it. Then accumulate massive amounts of pictures on my phone, I'll have to shove them all into one post. Like I am right now.

It's late and I have much to share with my beloved followers, or soon to be ex-followers if I keep going on with this dry spell. What's so great is that I finally got a memory card for my phone.* Since I take so many pictures with it, and post them in my blog, it only made sense to get one. Plus, it allows me to film videos. Mmmmm even better. Once I find a geeky, computer science way of posting VIDEOS from my phone to my blog, lo and behold shit will get interesting :)
*Remember that sad time last semester when my shit got stolen at practice? Yeah, bye bye memory card with so many great videos and pictures. I hate thinking about it. SO MANY GREAT VIDEOS. Ugh. One of which included my getting sprayed with pepper spray by the biffle nugget. I wanted to see what it felt like, which was a hot sun burn/indian burn on my forearm for three days straight.
I'll try to do this in order...
Last week

As I've said before, I like to try new things. I've crossed the Greek yogurt bridge and survived and even grew to like it. So I thought, hmm why not try ICELANDIC yogurt, or what they call skyr (pronounced skEER). I don't even think it's yogurt. It's a dairy culture product strained like yogurt but is often described as a soft cheese. Cheese yogurt? Eh. As you can see, it was supposed to be flavored like pomegranate & passion fruit. I opened the container and see white yogurt-like culture. Hmm...is the flavored/fruit stuff at the bottom? I understand the simplicity of the packaging, which was part of the reason why I bought the product. And I also thought maybe Icelandic skyr would be the new Greek yogurt. It's has a watery texture like normal yogurt; not as thick as the Greek stuff. I spooned the bottom to see if there was any fruit compote. Nil. I stir it around and try a little bit on the spoon. NO. NO. ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY NOT. Jules, don't gag. Jules, don't gag. JULES, DON'T GAG is what I thought. I sat in that booth in the cafeteria by myself trying to stay composed and not draw attention to myself. $2.50 down the drain. Icelandic skyr: Never again. 

Sunday night

Who needs to go to Starbucks, when your roommate has Chai mix at home? 8 ounces of hot milk and three tablespoons of Chai mix, with some whipped cream on top, makes for some cozy, frothy goodness. The whipped cream ran out so it was simply a nice foggy touch to the exotic spiced elixir underneath. I should be a food columnist with these spiffy words I'm throwing out there. "Exotic elixir". I deserve to be punched in the face.

Earlier tonight (Tuesday)

Unbeknownst to me, March 1st marks National Pancake Day and to celebrate, IHOP's around the country give out free short stacks to all its visitors. My friend Katie, one of my traveling buddies to the city when I intern as well as a beloved and dear friend of mine for several of my collegiate years, mentioned this to me. We both agreed that today was such a blah day - we didn't wanna be at our internships, we were exhausted, and we just wanted the day to be over so we could get out of the offices. For some odd reason we thought today was Fat Tuesday aka Mardi Gras. According to old tradition Fat Tuesday was celebrated the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday where everyone could indulge in things that they would get rid of during the season of Lent. We certainly indulged on our twin date: Two short stacks each with a side of turkey sausage and a glass of water. Mmmm heaven :) and we only paid for the side of sausage and tip for our lovely waitress.
After dinner...

Katie & I went along with this Fat Tuesday theme (literally) and capped the night off with dessert...at Red Mango. I did something different with my fro-yo this time: I kinda mixed the shit up so it wasn't all sitting on the top, leaving the bottom fro-yo naked and alone. I guess I could've called this concoction "My Fat Tuesday Uh Oh": A swirl of White Peach & Coconut with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Raspberries, Heath Toffee bits, and wet nuts.

I called it the "Uh Oh" because we both found out midway through our sundaes that Mardi Gras didn't start til NEXT Tuesday. Huff. It was still a great night and much needed. We be some busy bees with lots of stuff on our minds and jam-packed schedules. We merely were training for the actual Fat Tuesday, which we will dominate next week. Plans pending. Besiiiiiiides....we went to the gym before this epic adventure anyways. Ha.

Frighteningly Interesting Music Video.

Kate Nash's "Later On." She's a great British singer who's lyrics about young angst are quite relatable and honest. A little bit of Halloween dontcha think? You be the judge. Leave comments below.

BBM Convo

F = friend
M = me

F: Would you be opposed to going out in the city? We could meet up with one of your friends
M: One of my friends?
F: The dates
M: Ha that's funny. I have nil
F: Danielle's friend or the one who you got lunch with
M: Yea no. I squashed both of them like tennis matches. Where's my trophy?
F: Lol no go?
M: Nope. I've come to the slight conclusion that I don't have time to date right now
F: Yea good conclusion
M: So I shall remain slightly bitter/comfortable with being single til I graduate. I hate my life
F: I shouldn't be dating. He takes up too much time
M: Ha! You couldn't stay single if you tried
F: Lol yes I could.
M: When was the last time you were single? Hahaha I can't remember
F: But they are nice accessories :)
M: Ew you just referred to your boyfriends as accessories. Fucking cow lol
F: Lol cow!



MOOO.

How to Entice Your Man

Easy as pie! Choke on something then get one of your girlfriends to resuscitate you. Red Urban Toronto agency made this advertisement for Canadian company Fortnight Lingerie.

Weather.

It snowed Monday through the night to early morning. We got about 5 inches. The roads were shitty but luckily (and surprisingly) the roads were cleaned.

I'm sick of the cold.

Happy Tuesday y'all.

Picture Book.

Another weekend recap. What do you know, you should be glad I'm posting it on a Monday night rather than 4 days after today. The long Presidents' Day weekend was eventful. Lots of activities, friends, fun times, and laughs. And of course some drinks to keep everyone merry.

Thursday - Got let out early from my internship because the Internet was down. Woof. Saw Brooklyn for the first time and was able to make it down there via subways all by myself. I'm a big girl :) Went to dinner at a place in Murray Hill called Pio Pio. I think it's Peruvian food, which is interesting because I've never been to a Peruvian restaurant. There was fried calamari, fried plantains, half of a roasted chicken, yellow rice, and two amazing additions: Sangria and a PLATE FULL OF SLICED AVOCADO. My love of the uncanny fruit (yeah, it's actually a fruit, folks) is quite...intense.* Okay, not creepy intense but I fucking love avos. I'm surprised I'm not green from eating so many. I have been abstaining from buying them lately though because I'm budgeting :) I've been a little hectic with spending this past weekend, taking care of bills, paying people back that I've owed for a very long time, and just getting groceries that I haven't gotten for 3-4 weeks.
*one weekend in Jersey at Tor's house, Mama G was fixing us up some snacks before we went to the first Irish dancing benefit I went to. She said, "Do you guys want some avocado with the nachos or are you good for now?" My ears immediately perked up at the word "avocado." "Mom, you had Jules at avocado," Tor said. She was absolutely right. Whenever someone even says the word, my attention span increases to something higher than what it normally is (which is not that high in general...I have a really hard time focusing sometimes). 

A plate full of heaven. 

Friday - B-E-A-UTIFUL WEATHER. Perfect for running outside, which is what we did for practice. A 3.5 mile run from campus to the boathouse. We were there from 2:45ish to 6:30ish at night re-rigging boats. Woof. Picked up the biffle nugget at the train station and we made homemade pizza with McKeon, Quinonerz, & Frump! We were definitely successful too! I popped open some red wine and was very satisfied with my first time helping with homemade pizza. I was in charge of rolling out the pizza dough on a baking sheet. Whole wheat crust, sauce, shredded mozzarella, sauteed onions, green peppers, pepperoni, and turkey sausage. Add the bottle of red wine I won last weekend in Jersey with some great company and you've got yourself an awesome Friday night dinnah with some fwiends :)

Oh yeah. Communal-made heaven better than Digiorno. 

Frumpy wants some homemade pizza! Nom Nom

Saturday - a erg/aerobic/run relay for morning practice. Saw the movie The Roommate with Quinonerz & Frump. It had those jumpy, scary movie moments but it was overall kinda funny, a bit dumb, and you could totally tell is was low budget. But one has to admit, having crazy bitch, bipolar roommates is not okay and could totally happen in real life. I remember I went to a high school alum social a few years back and a girl I had homeroom with was telling me she had a bipolar roommate who keyed her car. Holy shit! Saturday night involved bowling, an activity we haven't done as a group before but it was nice to mix it up. There was a place in Yonkers that had a Saturday night special: $20 for 3 games and shoe rental. And there was also a myth that this place also had $3 pitchers. But it was a rumor because the pitchers were $8.50. Huff. We still had fun anyways. I went but simply watched. After bowling ended at midnight, we all drove back to my place for some beer pong and some chill hanging out. I envisioned a huge rager (not really) since my two roommates would be gone and I didn't wanna spend a Saturday night drinking alone. The night was fun.

Sunday - sunny enough for a run but spandex were definitely needed. Around 35ish degrees outside, almost got attacked by a stupid Jack Russell Terrier. Little shit. Good thing his owner had the little fucker on a leash. WoOoOoOof. Oh, and I need new running sneakers. My Asics that I usually wear when I run were too gross from running to the boathouse on Friday. We worked in the mud and walked through huge puddles of mud/melting snow. I used my old Nike Shox...eh painful.

Friends tell me I also need new socks. But I have a problem getting rid of socks if just one out of the pair is messed up or has a massive hole in the back, bottom, or toes of the sock. I have about...hmm...a shit ton of pairs with holes in them. Anyways, I need new shoes more importantly. Ones that don't have revealing hard plastic rubbing against the skin on my achilles causing blood to get on said socks, and causing me great pain when I walk. Now, I have socks that have holes AND blood on them. Cool. Kinda makes me look like a hardcore runner though, which is pretty badass.

Sunday also involved some sushi and ice cream with some friends. A great deal: any 2 rolls (from a list of certain rolls), soup & salad for $8.95. Holla. Washed it down with some Kirin Ichiban, Japanese beer I never had before. I like to try new things. But I must say it doesn't beat my beloved Blue Moons.

On our way to get ice cream at a parlor in Pelham called Double Rainbow (yeah, just like the YouTube video...you must watch, this guy is famous now for what seems to be him having an orgasm after spotting not 1, but TWO rainbows in the sky in the backyard of his California house. Old bear hippie man. Huff), we witnessed a group of cop cars with flashing lights speed down a side street with a row of houses. It was creepy but we followed in hot pursuit to see what was going on. We all had our own guesses at to what was going on: drug bust (after seeing about 4 of these cars drive on said street), Meth lab (after seeing a fire truck drive by with sounds and lights), overdose (after we saw an EMT drive toward the same area). I'll have to check the newspaper for more deets. We went back to the guys' house to play some Monopoly. I was the first to get a Monopoly, the first person to get the massive Free Parking pot, the first person to buy hotels for my properties, then get another monopoly, put more hotels on those...then I was the second person out. I never had a handle on my spending. I went home around midnight, with 3 of my guy friends still playing. Frump texted me around 1:30ish in the morning. After 5 hours and 18 minutes, the token Turk of our clan won.

The champ is here!

Hope everyone else had an eventful long weekend :) Happy Presidents' Day y'all.

They really don't give a shit...stupid!

Randall. A funny guy who I do not know. But his Nat Geo commentary is hilarious. These are a few of my favorites.

Hands No Speak Americano

Jersey weekend recap

I notice an on-going theme with my weekend blog posts. I end up talking about last weekend at the end of this week. Huff. I'll still blog about other shit but I never find enough time to sit down and do a weekend re-cap until the new week is finally over.

Last weekend was set in Jersey once again for a FUNtabulous weekend of fwiends, family, Irish dancing, and great food, with a side of uncontrollable coughing* and lots and lots of tea. But before I delve into the awesomeness of last weekend, I started my Saturday with a lovely 2k massacre - an indoor rowing monstrosity with other colleges in our conference. I did well...sorta. I met my old PR. I didn't beat it but I'm right there, which is good. So God willing, maybe I'll get over my mental hump and finally break 8 minutes. The dream lives on.

We were off to Tor's again for another Irish dancing benefit and her boyf Andy Pants and our friend Frump came along with us. Frump has never seen Irish dancing up close and personal and didn't have much experience with the Siege of Ennis. Okay, he actually hasn't had any experience doing the Siege of Ennis. But he still had a great time sweating his nuts off on the dancefloor.
*Since I had a bad cough, Mama G, Tor's mom, made me a Hottie Tottie. A shot of whiskey, hot water, and honey. But a "shot" in Irish terms is more like 1/4 of a cup of whiskey. It's supposed to knock you out and have you wake up refreshed the next day. Like a nightcap with medicinal benefits.

While we were at Tor's house, we checked out her old Irish dancing dress. These things are elaborate and expensive. Glittery goodness, bright and vivid colors, and funky wigs. The wig part is still a mystery to us all.

Look! It still fits! 

We left the benefit with some prizes too! Frump won a donut maker, I won a gift basket with two glasses, a bottle of Red wine, and a $30 gift certificate to a restaurant in Jerzey. Tor won a Superbowl gift basket with trinkets from the game, and Andrew...well, he cheered us on for winning things. Oh, and without even being there, Mama G won an Amazon Kindle. No big deal.

My prize :) It's not a Kindle, but it makes ya feel gooooood. 

The next day, we ate some leftovers from a benefit that Tor's parents went too. The leftovers, a tray of yummy Italian goodness, was brought home. It included the cutest heart-shaped ravioli to celebrate that horrible "holiday" endorsed by Hallmark and sappy, romantic couples all over the universe: Valentine's Day. Better known as Singles Awareness Day by those bitter, single, folk. Even though I'm single, I managed to get 3 boxes of chocolate from 3 friends. Yeah, I'm cool like that. I'm gonna be fat too...that's a lot of chocolate.

How cahuute! That weird thing is an eggplant rollitini. 

We relaxed, hung out, laughed (I coughed), watched the Grammy's, and then drove back :( I didn't wanna leave. I was completely content with coming back to New Gross for graduation and staying in Jersey until then. Huff...that dream lives on too.

Such a cool ad!

Balls...everywhere. Color. I'm in heaven. The cover of The Knife's "Heartbeats" was precious as well.

This looks reliable...

On my way to the bank earlier today. It's one of those branches located in a local grocery store near my house. It's a nice grocery store. They have great deals (usually) and it's clean. However, they need to touch up on some of their exterior features. This can put their customers off. Oh, and their staff can use some polishing up as well. They're not as nice as the people in ShopRite.

Just saying.

Sorry Day

On February 13, 2008, Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd made a speech, moreover, an apology in the Australian House of Commons. The apology was toward the indigenous people of Australia, particularly those of the "stolen generations". Children of Aboriginal and Torre Strait descent were removed from their homes by federal and state governments throughout the country from 1869 to 1969. At the time, White Australian policies encouraged those of Aboriginal and Torre Strait descent who were not "full blooded" to be assimilated into the rest of society as to rid the country of indigenous culture. Aboriginal children were encouraged to take on "white" lifestyles, oftentimes being placed with white families. Some children attempted to run away, either being successful or finding themselves back where they started after being captured by the Aborigines Protection Board, who ironically, was a government board who had the power to take children from their homes without parental consent.

It wasn't until the 1990's that the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission inquired about the removal of Aboriginal children.

Since I'm in the company of my good friend Tor's home with some friends, I won't go into the historical aspects of such a troubling time in Australian history.

Here is Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to the Aboriginal people in February 2008:



I highly suggest you try to find the film Rabbit Proof Fence. I saw it in my Australian History class when I was abroad and it was truly a great film. It's based on a true story of escape, survival, and culture. Here's the trailer:

Preview of my weekend (not really)

No but seriously...this sport is the shit. Yes, I'm calling it a sport. People take it seriously and finally it is getting the credit it deserves. I have Tor to thank for this fascination I have. I told her I'm enrolling my children into this and they will be awesome at it. And we'll eat potatoes and biscuits and cheer for them during competitions as they become champions...WORLD CHAMPIONS.

Can't wait to see this



I just got GOOSEBUMPS.

More appropriate for my Ad blog

YES! I have anotherrrrrr bloggggggg. I had to make one for my Ad Campaigns class, which I love because it's full of the same rascals I had another Ad class with last semester. And then there are that handful of other people who weren't in our class who probably think we're weird.

The blog is called...ADVersaurus.

I didn't know what else to call it but at the time I was thinking about dinosaurs. So that's how it was conjured up. Please read it and follow me! ADVersaurus

But anyways, here are some funny TV spots for no reason other than sharing them with you. Hope they make you smile or laugh or pee.



"THE TICKETS ARE NOW DIAMONDS!"

So true, so funny. You should watch all of these commercials...


I couldn't post this ad on my wall. It was banned in England I think. But it's so cute! Watch
Banned VW ad "Bollocks" (2008)

This is so wrong
Watch if you dare

Follow my ad blog!

Dirty Girl Confession #2

As I've said in earlier posts, I currently have a reallyyyyy bad cough. I'm battling a cold/infection/flu-like symptoms/whatever.

I tend to do this every time I have  bad cough: buy cough medicine. Preferably syrup. I did it last year. My friend's dad is a doctor and sometimes if she was ever talking to him on the phone, I'd always have a medical question that I'd want to ask him. What can I say? I'm a Grey's Anatomy fan. One time I had a cough so bad, I asked her if she could ask him what helps with an uncontrollable cough. He said codeine. He asked for some basic info and about 45 minutes later, I was paying five dollars for codeine syrup at the local CVS. It helped.

Well, I wouldn't necessarily call this a "dirty" kind of confession. More like, "druggy" kind of confession. But I'm not a drug addict. I just sound like one. When I take cough medicine, I don't use those dainty, plastic cups the medicine comes with, even though they help when you're giving yourself the recommended does

WOW SIDENOTE
Some weird, Russian mob looking dude just approached me at the desk asking where the bathroom was (I think that's what he was saying). He had a blue-tooth thing in his ear (wow, he's so cool). And he slowly zig zagged to the bathroom down the hall. Uberrrrr creepy. Like scary almost. Ew he's coming this way. Eek! I hope he doesn't turn into a werewolf. What a fucking creep, he's walking so slow out of the building. Rahh!! Go away werewolf Russian mobster!

Back to my confession about cough syrup...

I had a really bad coughing spell on my way to night class. I had just gotten back from my internship, it was freezing out and I was making my way up the stairs. I have a hard time breathing in when I have these bad coughs. If I breathe in too much I start to cough and it hurts and it sounds really bad. I whipped out my bottle of cough syrup, listened for anyone in the stairwell. Nothing. Looked over my shoulder behind me. No one. I crack open the bottle and took a little swig. I felt better on the walk up. Kinda floaty.

Lil Wayne and his "drank"

Cough syrup. My medicinal flask. It kinda gives me upset stomach though. And gas. Woof. Its like something died in battle in my butt after drinking that stuff. Of course, I know this and still use it. What the hell is wrong with me?


This also reminds of the time I had a cough in Oz. What's great about the pharmacies (they call them chemists, it's so cool) down under is that you tell the pharmacist your symptoms and they give you what they suggest. It usually works wonders all the time because they're right and you don't need a prescription for most things. All of those syrups are behind them anyways so you can't get to them, which is good too. The Robitussin is in glass bottles and they don't give you those spiffy measuring cups. I cracked open this bottle in a public restroom while I waited for my friend to pee. Some woman looked at me with pure confusion and fear as she saw me swig from the bottle like a juice. I had no shame.

Soooo...I think it's a little late for a last weekend update

Didn't mean to rhyme but that's how it came out.

I've been meaning to fill you all in on my weekend a few days ago. "All" as in my followers who are probably going off to other cool blogs to read because they probably update theirs better than I do.

But if I could defend myself, which I will, the reason why I haven't updated this is because I've been sick. Deathly ill. Body aches, fever, chills, runny/stuffy nose, uncontrollable cough, sore throat, congestion. The whole nine yards. Tuesday sucked. Wednesday was better but still sucked. Thursday was okay but the coughing made it suck. Today, well, I'm hoping it'll just be okay.

Quick recap of last weekend...

Very enjoyable. Had something to do every day of the weekend.

Friday - hung out with old biddies; my old roomie's boyfriend and his pals were having a gathering in the apartment across the street from hers. I didn't drink because I had practice the next morning but I still had a good time sober. I saw some guy friends that I haven't seen in a long time or weren't expecting to see. Lots of laughs. I also saw my other roommates that didn't really care to see me. Meh, whatevs. They have a distaste for my old roomie that I'm still close with since freshmen year. Their loss :)

Saturday - Early morning practice, not too bad but still challenging. A late date, then dinner with same old roomie and other old roomie who transfered but came to visit for the weekend. We hung out in my old roomie's room before going to the bar around the corner. GREAT NIGHT. Saw sooo many familiar faces and friends and it was awesome because pretty much everyone I was friends with or knew well were in said bar. Don McLean's bar to be exact. I don't know if I went over that story about The Levy/Beechmont but I will in the future. I don't feel like talking about it right now. I even got to see my biffle nug who I don't see often on the weekends even though we live together :) $6 and lots of fun juice in my body later, I went on a McDoodle run with MK and friends. Oh, and a drunk dial ensued when MK and I called Muff Boobs. MK ate my fries. Quinones ordered the twenty-piece McNuggets for $5. And my roommates were summoned by a cab driver who came into McDoodle's to get them. Haha. Great moments.

Sunday - I crashed at MK's for the night. I basically had this whole Saturday night/Sunday morning thing planned out: park car in school garage, sleep at MK's, breakfast with old roomies, library, then gym. This was all to avoid having to drive home or pay for a cab. Everything is in such close vicinity to campus that I kinda wish I still lived near it enough not to need a car. A car makes things so annoying sometimes. And gas is fucking expensive. The biffle nug and I go to the Pelhamdale house for Superbowl fun with some close knit friends. Lots of grub, lots of laughs, lots of ooohs & ahhhs & ewws at the Superbowl commercials too. Biffle nug and I attempted to make a Midwest staple from her neighboring Wisconsin: cheese curds. Puffy, deep fried cheese. These didn't turn out like the authentic ones near her home but they still were okay. I'm not sure if I would want to fill my body with deep fried goodness next time. After Christina Aguilera butchered the National Anthem and the Packers won, for some reason nug & I get lost going home. My fault. I forgot when we were supposed to turn, making a five minute drive turn into a twenty minute drive home. It was foggy on the windows! Oh well, we shared some laughs.

Then this week came by and I got sick. Ew. I also had lots of work to do that I procrastinated on but still got done. I cancelled two dates, just so I can get better. Or hope to get better. Hopefully they'll be rescheduled. And I think they will be. No offense, but it's not like I planned on getting sick over getting free dinners. According to my internship supervisor, I was "pulled in a million directions" yesterday at the office. She had me doing lots of different tasks but I told her I enjoyed it because I was doing something different all day. I like being as busy as I was yesterday; no time to chat, I just kept on going with my work. And I even got a free massage!  A lady was hired to come in yesterday and gave everyone in the office a fifteen minute massage. Heaven. We all certainly needed one. I love not knowing what to expect at my internship...just these fun surprises at least. Oh, and the CEO was dog sitting for a friend so a lovely cockapoo was roaming around the office and barking from time to time.

I'll be off to Jersey tomorrow afternoon for some R&R at Tor's humble abode. We'll be Irish dancing again at some lovely function. Siege of Ennis, here I come! 1, 2, tree, 4, 5, 6, 7. Back, 2, tree, 4, 5, 6, 7. Circles! Circles! {all in an Irish/English accent}

I need to get my footing down by tomorrow night. AND I have the St. Valentine's Day Erg Massacre to look forward to tomorrow morning. 8 minutes of pure hell on an indoor rowing machine. Other schools in our conference will be joining us for this miserable event.

Got ran over by an 18-Wheeler

WAHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA AHHHHHHH UGHHHHH GRRRRAHAHAHAHHA WAHHHHHHH MOMMMMMMMM AHHHHHHH UHHHH AHHHA ARGGGGGGHHHHHHH MOM! I WANT MY MOMMMMMYYYYYY WAHHHHHHHH AHHHHHH WAHHHH


{cough, cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle, cough, cough}

That...is how I feel.

Hate being sick. And it's no fun when your body says to you, "I'm gonna make your day a living hell. I am going to ache and make you feel like shit."

Dirty Girl Confession #1

If you haven't read my post weeks back (probably late December/early January) I wrote about a book I read back then called "Dirty Girls." A woman's (and man's) guide...er, confession to what us beautiful creatures do when guys/significant others aren't around. We are slobs. We are gross. We are more than just pretty faces. We hawk loogies when we cough (kinda like what I'm doing now as I battle a dry/productive/hurtful/uncontrollable/let's fuck with Jules kind of cough). We don't take the trash out until after the garbage collector comes. And cleaning the bathroom is like pulling teeth.

I figure it would be time to let my followers in on some of my habits/doings as they occur. I don't know if I've ever confessed to doing anything "dirty" until now. The idea came to me as I was in the middle of said "dirty" act. So here goes confession numero uno:

I rush home after night class. I stop at CVS to get some cough syrup, afraid to even breathe in because I know if I try to breathe in, I'm going to cough and a little pee is going to come out. And I'll find myself in that awkward stance in public with my legs close together, leaning to one side. After purchase and parking my car on my street, I walk up my steep hill to my apartment, taking short breaths as I near the front door. I run up the stairs, drop all of my shit on the ground and cough/crawl as I go into the bathroom and sit on the toilet. I let out all of my inner dryness as I pee. I hawk a loogy into the toilet before flushing. I run back into the living room where I dropped all my stuff. I crack open the cough syrup and chug...maybe a good two tablespoons. I shower, clothe myself, make a quick salad in the kitchen while I boil water for tea. I rush to eat my minimalist/non-exciting salad with ranch, the only dressing I can find in our monster troll fridge (it needs to be cleaned/organized/tested for SARS/etc).

Instead of going along with the plan from earlier of making tortellini for dinner, I opt for the salad, tea,...and queso dip with tortilla chips. Yes, let over Superbowl grub. I quickly heat up the queso dip in a small bowl. I grab the new bag of Tostitos and sit on the futon against one of the walls in the living room. The lights weren't working so I sit in the dark and go to town. This is when I felt the most relax. It's not soup with warmth to cure this chest congestion but it hit the spot...sorta. My water boiled and a mug of cranberry tea and this post later, I'm done :).

I was going to blog about my epic sauce weekend but that'll have to wait, considering I had unexpected visitors come join me at work and watch YouTube videos of kittens, hair petters, and fat people falling. But I promise a weekend update will come in no time, just without Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey.

Where's my Nyquil.

Don't be scared..just pet some hair!

It's Superbowl Sunday and I'm in the library doing "work" before I get my wings, chips & queso dip, munchy face on in a few hours. My friend Katie told me to check out this video called The Hair Petting Game. On our way to our internships last week, we were on the train talking about something along the lines of tactile learning. I'm a tactile learner (as well as a visual one) and when I see something that appeals to my touching sense I have an urge to touch it (obviously). This usually is the case with suede, weird fabrics, and a majority of the time: FUR COATS. Like long, costume-like, beast masks covering one's entire body. I just wanna stroke them. I don't even like fur coats but they look uber soft and lovely to the touch. Sometimes I just go for it, not knowing the person and hoping they won't feel me touching them.

"We're doing it on the way to work Tuesday," Katie BBMs me.

The death of me...

Urban Robot

I was going to blog about this last night after my busy bee kinda day but I was pooped! I went from waking up earls for the commute to the city, interned all day*, commuted back to New Gross and went to night class til 930pm. Made a dinner fit for a famished gymnast (if only I looked like a famished gymnast...maybe I should have said, "made a dinner fit for a UNICEF baby." But that's just wrong).
*Today, I manned the spinach & artichoke dip one of my superiors put in a crockpot. She had to leave the office momentarily and put me on "stir" duty. I didn't mind it. The shit smelled awesome and all I wanted to do was call it a day and steal said crockpot and gorge on cheesy, spinachy, artichokey goodness all on my own. Also, a breadmaker was ordered for the office and same superior made bread yesterday as well. Both bread and dip tasted awesome! I love the ad industry - one never encounters the same things everyday in the office. It seems like ad people have to keep themselves amused for the sake of creative juices to continuously flow in their brains when they conjure up creative and innovative ways of selling/promoting goods & services. I'm glad I'm an ad major...so far. 

Whenever I'm in the city at the peak hours of absolute chaos - around 830am and 530pm - I get this feeling of rush and hurry, especially yesterday on my way back to New Gross. I was walking through Grand Central to get to my platform and felt like a robot. For multiple reasons:

1) I knew what it was like to work in the city - chaotic rush to get from point A to point B and it seemed like I only had five minutes to do so - when it actuality I had ten minutes to spare. I even got a cappuccino beforehand and scored a nice seat on the outside of the aisle. The fact that I ordered a cappuccino was also weird because I usually opt for coffee or chai but I needed a boost for night class and energy for the commute back.
2) I resembled everyone, or a majority of, the people in the main concourse of GC: in a hurry, bundled up in winter wear, and had headphones in blasting fast-paced jams as I scurried gracefully past other people in my way. Also, I don't really do that thing where you don't know where the other person coming in your direction is going so both of you sway left and right and get confused, and laugh nervously and look dumb as often as I used to.
3) I have a mastered the art of fast feet - as to not bump into people coming my way and bypassing any confuzzle from other people in a hurry and tourist taking pictures. I even took this skill out on the streets. I walk past/cut off people who are slow. This is something I learned fast upon my arrival to New York years ago. And I kinda sorta have a better sense of getting around the city.

In conjunction to my observations, it just seems like everyone in large urban centers are constantly in a hurry and it could be for no particular reason. Has the way of life in fast-paced environments, in a way, program people new to city life to embody similar patterns as those around them? Adaption theory, you know. Do people block out distractions around them so they can get to their destinations quicker? (hence, the iPod/MP3 endemic that has taken over New Yorkers and other city dwellers full force).



I've always been a victim to music. For some reason, I just can't go anywhere without it. Even if I'm walking across campus, which takes me roughly 5-7 minutes, I need to be listening to music.

When I studied abroad in the relaxing, worry-free country of Oz, I noticed how people just kind of moped happily down sidewalks and took their time getting to places (at least the ones I saw). The biffle nug and I would look at each other if people were walking slow in front of us. We both had the tendency to walk with a fast gait. It came naturally to us - maybe because we always walked like that or maybe because we were used to a fast-paced environment back in the states.

Whatever the case may be, I don't see my tendency for zooming by faster than the road-runner to settle down anytime soon. And I'm not letting my iPod leave my side either.

"Ya gonna learn JAVA?!"

My friend Tor just said this to me as some more Computer Science 101 possibilities were running through my head. I wanted to figure out a way to embed Facebook videos into other websites. Facebook videos do not come with embed codes like YouTube vids do. Before I get into the logistics of such a scheme I thought I'd give it a shot. So, this one's for you, Tor. Hope you don't get mad you have yet another social link that connects you to me :) tee hee. Gotta love the Catskills.



If you have trouble playing it. Log into your Facebook account. If you don't have a Facebook account, tough shit.

Who's That Chick?

A fun, colorful way to learn lyrics, huh?



DANCE!