more 80s return

So I'm innocently watching tv, and a commercial comes on...

"I've searched all over New York, and couldn't find a Bedazzler"

WHAT? What? I haven't even heard that term since I was in the 3rd grade.

Appeaently the Bedazzler is back. "Sparking rhinestones and gleaming studs" (How great is the product when you're advertizing the thing holding the "stone" to your clothing?) The ad goes on to say you can Bedazzle cardigans and jeans for under $30 each, saving tons of money from the designer versions.

I wonder who will buy this. They didn't even say New and Improved.

Almost the holidays

But alas, sure doesn't feel like it.

a) I'm sick. Its been coming and going for the past 4 or 5 days, and I think has firmly settled itself in my head. And neck. Basically I feel like my sinus cavities are going to explode. It's not too bad when I'm up and about, but when I go to bed (and I'm extra tired!) I can't breathe and it makes sleeping awkward. Major, major dry mouth. Yuck.

b) Its rather warm out. Like Christmas-in-Texas kind of warm. And its supposed to rain on Saturday and be around 50 all through Christmas (which stretches, sans gifts because I've gotten to old for the relatives, from Sat till Monday)...Weather.com insists north jersey has a 38% chance of a white Christmas, but I only have one in my memory of 25 years, so I think they're full of crap (unless a random flurry or snow on the ground counts).

c) I'm not done for the semester yet. This school has finals/class-&-papers-for-grad-students through Dec. 20. WHO PLANNED THAT?!? And we go back on Jan. 8!!

d) I haven't done any baking really. I'm hoping to reinstate my old tradition of cookie-trays for holiday functions this year (which means 4 trays, so around 6 batches of cookies)...Thurs and Friday I'll be in the kitchen. In the meanwhile, I'm going to remind myself what an awesome job I did on my first ever double-crust apple pie at Thanksgiving...

can't say it better

than Katy

I downloaded and cropped my photos as a writing break last night. Tonight, the upload. You have no idea how much restraint this requires.

when opportunity knocks...

make it lemonade!

Normally fairly frugal and practical to a fault, I signed a check this morning to put a deposit on a study-abroad excursion (a 10ish - ish due to the lengthy flights-- day trip led by my history professor) to South Africa for this summer. Now, one may ask, how does a graduate student living on loans pay for a trip like this? Answer: another loan! My insides drop and twist at this, but lets be realistic -- when am I ever going to go to Africa? I'm way too practical. And travelling to countries/continents of this sort really require organized tours. Its not the sort of thing one books on the spur of the moment via Orbitz. And besides, its an education expense and I have the next, oh, 10 to 15 years to pay off the massive amount of debt I'm accruing this year, right?

I keep spinning around in my chair with excitement. Good thing I have the office to myself today.

Guess What? We can vote too!!

Saturday's A Rugby Day posted a letter that was published in this month's rugby magazine. The magazine was nice enough to put in an editioral bit response about women's rugby along with it.

It amazes me that in 2006 there are still people out there who appearently believe a woman's place is limited to being at home in the kitchen.

i'm a youngin!

So according to realage.com, I'm not quite fully legal...

Calendar Age 25.4
Difference -5.1
My RealAge 20.3

I think this is terrific. That's a full 20% off! The test gave me recommendations for better health, like flossing more and cutting down on the red meat I have a couple of times a week, but I'm not too concerned. Wearing my seatbelt and exercising regularly keep my age down way more than flossing would!

Speaking of exercise, I ran a 5 mi race (43:07) this weekend at a better pace than my last 5k in March (27:45)...guess all those intervals on the treadmill are paying off! I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with running.....I don't like it much in general, but where else are you just competing with yourself (seeing my blazing speed, its not like I'm an Olympic contender)? I'm still patting myself on the back a little bit about this little victory : )

the kitchen

I got here yesterday right as my parents returned from the grocery store with enough supplies to make dinner for a small town. And I know everyone will come bearing a veggie and possibly a dessert. I'm kind of excited about this, as it means leftovers!!!! I did my part yesterday afternoon with crab stuffed mushrooms and a homemade apple pie. This is way no easy feat, as my mom has a small kitchen, and was also trying to cook. It was fairly major chaos, especially as the puppies wanted to help. So three hours, 4 pints of mushrooms and 7 peeled-by-hand apples later, I finished. And I went to see a couple of friends of high school....right before I was about to come home with a splitting headache, my mom called to tell me I needed to buy a new pie. Let's make something clear here before I go on: I don't buy pie. I don't buy cookies. I don't buy baked goods!!! I don't even buy pie crust (its really not hard to make!) I take some pride in my baking skills! How, why, you ask, did she tell me to buy a pie?

Because I left my pans on top of the stove to cool, and somehow, in a sequence of events that's not totally clear and I don't care to try to repeat, in the trip from stove top to refrigerator, mushrooms were spilled, filling side down, into my pie.

She apologized at some length. I think she thought I was going to be really pissed. I was sort of flabbergastered instead. How does that happen? And did she SERIOUSLY think I would buy a grocery store pie??

I'm making a new one today, with apples peeled by mom, after the turkey gets out of the oven.

Additionally...

Ugg boots were NEVER attractive, especially not with short skirts (how is chopping off one's calf and one's thigh around the widest part of each flattering to anyone?). Hence, the new furry version of the Ugg is ALSO not attractive. Not with short skirts. And not with spandex pants.

Seriously people. Spandex pants (except on a track or in the gym, possibly) were a bad idea in 1986. They're STILL a bad idea twenty years later. Only like 0.5% of the population can pull them off. The very skinny look extra emiciated in them (if you can see your knee tendons through your spandex, you're too thin. Are you reading this, girl-who-I-keep-thinking-is-going-to-keel-over-on-the-treadmill?). The rest of us just look like sausages, for one reason or another. If you happen to be in the 0.5% that has amazingly well proportioned legs of good tone et al, well, spandex away, but please have the curtosy to do it with a tunic (::stiffling a gag::). I don't want to be able to read the tag on your panties.

Media Fury

I refer you to Blondie's Post about the latest and greatest.

As I need to go write to the editors now, I will refrain from further comment at this time.

spotted

I saw a few things on my way to campus this morning that demand comment. (And as I am obviously a fashion queen, I feel entitled to do so). Sometimes these moments make me I had a camera, but I find it a little creepy to take photos of strangers. There's been several of these semi-creepy people on the river trail lately, making me wonder if there's a huge art class somewhere requiring action shots of joggers. But I digress.

Seen today:
1) girl wearing cropped tights (sigh), pointy flats, a jean mini, and a teeshirt declaring "Dare to be Different". Ironic, no?
2) girl who was very obviously coming from the gym, smoking a cigarette. As she was already immensely thin, I have a feeling it was lunch.
3) (this was actually a week or so ago, but its noteworthy) homeless lady in my neighborhood yelling LOUDLY at random people, including some in cars, as she passed them. She called me a "DIRTY COLLEGE WHORE". Guess the rugby teeshirt and running pants tipped her off.

soggy sunday

I came home early on Sunday to go to a conference (which I am making my first appearance at this morning now) to find my cat deceased on the living room floor. On the upside, I have good reason to believe he died peacefully in his sleep of something congential and unpreventable (he was only 3, and not appearently ill). And it was the weekend instead of first thing Monday morning. Even so, I couldn't move him and had to call for help from someone amazing. The cat was "buried" in his carrier in a bin around the corner along with his toy and a pair of socks. He had a weird obsession with socks, clean or dirty. The poor guy (not exactly named) would even dig them out of my bag sometimes.

Happy trails little guy, and hope there's lot of dogs for you to chase and socks to be tossed around in pet heaven.

news?

I cannot wait for tomorrow to be over. Actually, Wednesday. I am SO TIRED of the election ads/polls/"news"/etc. Gag me. Don't get my wrong -- voting is important, and I am registered...but not in PA, and I'm not going through the effort for a absentee ballot for NJ's senate race. Maybe I'm a bad citizen, but call it a side effect of grad school -- I'm good about voting even in the locals normally. But right now...give me normal news! Normal commericals! Anything not involving an elephant and a donkey!

update: This morning (Tuesday) I was passed by 2 pickup trucks blaring "vote for "so and so"". This are the first F150s I've really noticed in the Philadelphia area, and it might be a smidge ironic that they were advertising the Republican candidates.

Props to NJ

and how often can we say that??

Since I went to grad school, I've been pretty out of touch with the news, so I about fell out of my chair when I got a text about this this afternoon.

The State Supreme Court in New Jersey said today that same-sex couples are entitled to “the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes.”...The court’s eagerly awaited decision found that an arrangement akin to that in Vermont, which authorizes civil unions between same-sex couples but does not call them marriages, would satisfy the New Jersey constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.

and I'm ok with this :) Its certainly a step in the right direction!

and this week

My neighbors seem to be having a party right now, rather than a screaming match. Its definately the one above me. Its 11 pm on a Tuesday night. I have a 50% completed (just 4 page) paper due tomorrow. And have to be at work by 9. I haven't finished the reading for any of tomorrow's 3 classes. Oops. I really shouldn't have gone to rugby tonight, or played on the internet for 2 hours today, or spent 2 hours at the gym (between cardio and lifting for the first time in ages and the walk to and fro) yesterday. This staying up late thing is become a theme for me, a theme I need to end ASAP. Oh well. Tomorrow, we shall end it. Tomorrow we shall begin being ahead of schedule. I'm even going to bring stuff with me to Nationals to read this weekend. Somehow I feel like I'll have a little time, as the people who are playing will be wrapped up in their rugby thoughts. Actually, I am not sure about this since I haven't traveled with this team. If I were playing (this is the realist in me writing here) this weekend, I'd be on a serious tightrope in my mind, and would likely be blasting angry music via headphones to myself. I used to do this back when I was in shape and (somewhat) confident and all that, but there was more on that last week and I'm sure will be more on that in the future. But right now, I need to finish that paper....


update: we're currently listening to "Can't Touch This". Normally, I wouldn't care but its really distracting right now. And annoying. sigh.

crazy?

Is it normal to do things you're not good at? I don't mean things like cooking when one's skills limit them to mac and cheese and hamburgers. And I don't mean the essential things in life either, like a part of your job you struggle with.

Rugby has always been such an uphill battle for me. I wasn't an athletic kid. Hell, I was the "easy out" kid. The one that was continually picked last in grade school gym class; the one noone wanted on their team because she was slow AND couldn't catch (or see for that matter, since glasses weren't allowed in gym without goggles, and THAT wasn't going to happen). I picked it up in college for a variety of reasons, the most obvious being that rugby accepts everyone, which is important if you're looking to play a sport and have literally zero athletic experience. Hell, compared to the fall of 2000, I'm an Olympian these days.

But lets be honest...not so much. I have a good grasp of the rules, the strategy, the game in general. I'm not THAT out of shape. I'm reasonably strong for my size (though admittedly weaker and slower than when I graduated college, though I plan on finishing fixing that this winter). I'm dedicated, passionate, and a pussy. I've been giving this a lot of thought lately, as it's occurred to me its been about 6 years....and I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing by still playing. Is it time to move onto somewhere where I have a real shot of improving, like running (not that I'll ever qualify for Boston, but I'm pretty confident that I could make some improvement on my current times, and I do want to do a marathon), or triathlons (though I'd need to improve my swimming...and buy a bike)? Or do I keep sticking it out, and find some way over this big huge mental block that keeps me from running and hitting with the vigor that I know my body could handle, the vigor that happens on the (rare) occasion I stop thinking and just go. How do I capture that vigor, make my body just go instead of holding back and letting people push me around (and I mean that in the physical manner)?

And back to my original statement, is this normal in general? Do other people put themselves in these situations, make themselves look like jackasses on a regular basis, work hard for minor victories that are a huge deal to them and inconsequential to anyone else in their immediate vicinity (ie. when I somehow tackled the wing (right off a breakdown) on Sunday, even if it was a smidge high)? Am I crazy for not pursuing a hobby I'm better at, like scrapbooking or crocheting or baking?

where I've been

This is a fun little tool.

Here's all the states I've ever physically been in, including airline connections and driving through.



create your own visited states map

And the list dwindled a bit by omitted drive-throughs/non-final destinations...




And further refined by omitted places I've only been to for rugby (I'm hesitantly leaving Washington on here. Technically I've been there, but I was around 2 and have no recollection of it. I was 7 or 8 when I went to Vermont and Wisconsin, so at least I remember the pretty fall leaves and the snow, respectively!)




And just for kicks, the states I've lived in:




Heck, let's go all out...Countries too!



create your own visited countries map


Note to self: I need to travel more
:)

sigh

My neighbor is having a screaming match. I think she's on the phone, because no one seems to be yelling back. She also has a pronounced Indian/Pakistani/something accent, so all I can really make out is "fuck you" and "no you listen to me." This isn't the first time. Last time someone else was there, because I heard the door slam twice. I'm actually not positive if its the neighbor directly above me or next door (or maybe across the hall), because the arguement is strangely more audible from my hallway and closet/office/pigsty. Regardless, while she's not keeping me up (its 12:30, and alas, I haven't finished my paper because I chose to have two phone conversations in the vicinity of an hour, which while fun, were not academically productive), I do feel bad. Not bad exactly. Sad. For her. I've been there, in that awful screaming neverending fight about nothing or everything where all at once you want to make it all "poof" disappear and you want to make things "like they used to be" and you want your insides that are lying somewhere in the gutter of your intestines rather than your chest cavity to return to normal. And I don't, ever, ever want to be in that place again.

Things like this, that remind me of things that were, remind me that I'm a little afraid of life. I'm a little afraid I won't get happily ever after and instead I'll get a mid-life divorce, and having been through a (obviously, see above) messy early life break up (of a fairly long term for early life relationship), I have NO IDEA how people deal with getting divorced from someone they've been with for 10, 15, 25 years. No idea. Maybe that's why there's such a market for therapists.

Soccer

For some reason, the embedding isn't working....but this is terrific : )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxY7AsgOxBY

amen

While I was walking to yoga (gasp) last Friday, I passed by a church in my neighborhood advertising for their Sunday sermon. I stood in front of it for a minute wishing I could take a picture, and then it occurred to me I have a camera phone. (I think I'm just a little old for that to be a logical thought, since my first cell phone was in the days before free nights and weekends, when it was actually for emergencies (and in my case, LD) and not a primary line) Sadly, its not the clearest photo...

But you can read the main part -- "Suffer, Suffer, Suffer". Now tell me, who is going to walk by the church and think "oh, the reverend/priest/dude will be talking about how we are burning in sin in life and will continue to do so in the afterlife! What a terrific way to spend Sunday morning!" Maybe as a confirmed Catholic, who like many confirmed Catholics who never went to church outside a few random Holy Days and the brief period where we had to sign in during the Confirmation Class series (that's trust right there), I just don't understand the draw of the church....or maybe this is as ridiculous a concept as I think!

terrific reason for grad school

right there. mm. ha.

power

Power bridges the gap between responsibility and authority, as per the wisdom of my "Managing People" professor.

Regardless, I don't think I'd mind having this kind of power:

in the spirit of overheardinny

I've decided to create an occassional feature called (ever so creatively) Overheard At Penn.

Today's edition: Elitism at the Ivies

Guy: Are you kidding? I DID NOT sleep with her!
Girl: Why should I believe that?
Guy: Because she goes to BARNARD! I only have sex with PENN girls!
~Locust Walk

(question: Would anyone at A&M would ever have this conversation, replacing Barnard with, say, Texas?)

full

Recently there was a story in the news about the link between sleep deprivation and obesity. Appearently people who sleep less than 4 hours a night at 73 percent more likely to be fat. Now there's two points to make here: 4 hours a night is basically a long nap, and 73% is a HUGE jump. I generally sleep 6-8 hours a night, and prefer more like 9. However, last night I got a whopping 2.5 hours of sleep due to some poor planning on my behalf (::cough:: writing a paper ::cough::). Between last "night" and this morning (milk and cookies, a lot of them, at 2:30 am, and a full fat & sugar Starbucks Caramel Macchiato and pumpkin muffin en route to work, and four fun sized Smores candy bars) I have consumed about a full day's calories. Let's point out that it is 9:13 am. I have every intention of having lunch, and dinner. While I will not necessarily be eating (particularly at lunch) out of hunger, I will be eating in an effort to keep enough caffiene and sugar in my system to keep me alert, or at least reasonably functioning, through work, class and practice. Then I will go home and go to bed. Immediately.

I am aware that today basically be a huge binge. I'm not about to fight it, as I'm way too tired and too concerned with not falling asleep at my keyboard, not to mention managing to not only finish my work but also edit my paper prior to 1 pm (note to self: is this an appropiate time to blog?). However, I also realize our bodies are pretty self regulating and I'm not going to wake up having gained back the 20 lbs I've lost this past year (though the water retention will indicite otherwise I am sure). And I can eat like a normal person again tomorrow. But what about those people that don't sleep? If they are regularly self medicating as I am today, no wonder they are obese.

Also, what the hell are they doing only sleeping 4 hours a night? Go to bed!!

the good life

I love postsecret. I've discussed this before, but every week it amazes me. On occasion, I get an urge to send a card in. I realized this afternoon though that my "secrets" are, by and large, very benign. This is obviously a good thing, and makes me feel pretty damn lucky....

I should just speak up

So walking home today in my favorite (also only) fall skirt (its pink corduroy and just above the knee) some guy riding his bike in the other direction said (not called out, but said, in a speaking tone) "big legs, big legs". I KID YOU NOT. I freely admit I have big legs. In fact, while I prefer to think of them as sturdy and lightly padded, like a good dining chair, I will even admit my calves don't really fit into knee high boots (except the ones from the "women's" store, disturbing since the rest of me is a couple of sizes and a few stones too small to shop there). However, this does not forgive the audible commentary of a complete stranger (think it all you want, heck, I do it too) talking to himself (had he been pointing them out to a friend or something, I'd somehow be less annoyed, probably because I make inappropriate remarks too loudly sometimes, or so I'm told anyway).

Too bad my mouth was full of pretzel at the time, or I'd have said something.

rolling, rolling, rolling..

So I've moved to Philly officially. Two+ weeks ago. I've started my assistantship, and started class yesterday. I have a paper due next Wednesday....that requires 6 chapters of reading prior to writing. I'm a little stressed already (in some part because I haven't written a paper since, oh, 1998, at least not one that wasn't scientific/lab-ish).
Anyway. There's lots and lots I've been wanting to write about, but alas, I don't have internet at home...and I've been busy during the day...but I'm settled in at work now and I think I can catch up in some downtime (on the job, heh).

: )

Speaking of downtime, I had some at work this morning and took the time to catch up on the Eagle's World Cup blogs (fabulous, I'm totally living out my dream being an international athlete via the internet) and via the great women's rugby blog, found a blog of a new teammate that I also greatly enjoyed reading!

World Cup!

The women's rugby world cup kicks off this week with the US playing England (actually, I don't know if this is the first game, but its the first one that matters, right?)
I haven't been online much as of late, so I was excited to see all the updates to the Women Eagles page (which is, of course, more current than USA Rugby's page, which hasn't gotten around to posting the roster for the first game yet). I was also pleased to see daily training updates by the scrumhalves on their personal blogs (Lee and Claudia)-- bringing us all a part of the action! Just reading these things makes me excited -- I canNOT imagine what it must me like to be a part of it!! I'm so excited to see the US v England game via webstream...now to decide to cheat and check the score/recaps/etc on Friday or wait and watch it Friday evening! (I have to admit, I'm pretty jealous of all those -- including some current and former teammates -- who are making the trip to Canada to see things live!)

time flies

Its already Friday. And not in the TGIF sense (I've been off all week) but in the "where did the week go?" sense....this is the only day this week I've really bummed around too. Well, if your defination of bumming around all day includes a tetnus shot and nearly passing out in the doctor's parking lot (fabulous).

So I've spent some time this afternoon uploading teammates' Saranac photos to my Yahoo site for one-stop ordering, and started thinking about the gift I got at my going-away roast (see below).

I've posted this photo not for your amusement, so quit laughing : ) , but to illustrate my thought/advice of the afternoon: always be proud of what you do, and who you are because your past will always be with you.

Even after 7+ years and living in 3 other states : )
Also, now you may laugh, because I just looked at the photo again, and the pirate bandanas + the lei from the guys who invaded our dinner + the sunburn + yearbook marching band photo ala (strange shade of brown) teeshirt = one hot chick. mmmhmm.

the muffin

I've developed a dangerous affinity for muffins. I've always liked them. When I was in HS I regularly made batches of blueberry muffins (ala Betty Crocker) for breakfast. But its gotten worse. At my last job, the one thing the cafe did right was muffins -- specifically cranberry walnut. They were amazing. And huge. And I hold them responsible for keeping at least some of the post-college-misery pounds on my extremities. I'm two days out of that job, and will no longer be headed to the cafe for a monster muffin at 9 am 3 days a week. I thought about this this morning when I got up, and proceeded to go to the Stop and Shop and buy myself a (n equally fabulous and huge) banana nut muffin for breakfast. This could be a problem.

2.5 days left

at work. if I stay all day Friday. Needless to say, I'm not doing much. Certainly not a full day's work. So I'm filling out stupid myspace polls (here) instead.

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be.

1. Who was your best friend?
Jackie

2.What sports did u play?
haha. marching band doesn't REALLY count...

3. What kind of car did you drive?
a red '91 VW Fox

4. It's Friday night, where were you at?:
football game, or in my room with my friends playing Gestures or similar

5. Were you a party animal?:
see above.

6. Were you considered a flirt?:
right.

7. Ever skip school?:
i took a couple of "sick days" senior year, does that count?

8. Were you a nerd?
pretty much. not like a creepy Star Wars type, but definately a nerd. maybe dork is more appropiate.

10. Did you get suspended/expelled?
no

11. Can you sing the fight song:
I'm sure I could with the band's accompaniment

12. Who was your favorite teacher
Mr. Saint

13. Favorite class?:
Calc

14. What was your school's full name?
Clifton High School

15. School mascot?:
Mustang

16. Did you go to Prom?
yea

17. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
not if I had to relive it as it was. It wasn't too bad in the scheme of high school sucking but still.

18. What do you remember most about graduation?:
that I was deathly ill at Project Graduation and spent half the night hiding in the bathroom.

19. Favorite memory of your Senior Year?
um....?

20. Were you ever posted up on the senior wall?
what's a senior wall?

21. Did you have a job your senior year?
yea, i worked at Soups and Scoops.

22. Where did you go most often for lunch?
the band room. we weren't allowed to leave and the cafe was grossssss.

23. Have you gained weight since then?
yes.

24. What did you do after graduation?
see 18.

25. When did you graduate?
1999

26. Where are most of your classmates?
mostly in the NJ/NYC area, I think. Seeing as my two trips to Clifton bars in the last 7 years has involved me running into numerous classmates, I think this is a reasonable assumption (I only remember about half of the ones I've run into who the people I was with insist we went to school with, which is a little disturbing)

27. Are you going to your ten year reunion?
is it free?

28. Who was your home room teacher?
whomever my second period teacher was that year. I think it was Mr. Saint.

29. Who will repost this after you?
Someone really bored at work (Katy, you are right!!)


and onto more fun before I do a little work....

Repost this survey with memories of your college days. If your college isn't listed on the survey, change it so it is. Pass it along to see what you remember, and to see what other people remember.

When you attended college, where did you live?
Year 1: Kruger 306
Year 2: FHK - Fowler 419
Year 3: FHK - Fowler 419
Year 4: FHK - Keathley 1xx (120?)
Year 4.5: Treehouse Apts #711

Who was/were your roommate(s)?
Year 1 - Sara(h?) Farris
Year 2 - Courtney Cox
Year 3 - Courtney, then Brandy then Katy Gann
Year 4 & 4.5 - Me!

Do you still talk to them?
I talk to myself frequently

Ever get in trouble in the dorms?
I was an RA, so no : )

Something you remember when you lived on campus?
the train. 100 yards from my door.

Your campus phone number or other number?
My first number (the extension) was 63something, and my number in FHK was 3something

First party attended?
It was an "ice cream social"

Favorite Pizza Place?
pizza in Texas sucks

Favorite place to go out to eat?
Los Cucos, but I know I spelled that wrong

Did you go to the library?
not much

What was your Favorite Floor you'd always be on?
we had an ugly library

Where did you buy your books?
the MSC or Loupots

Play any sports?
rugby

Ever attend a sporting event?
I went to a lot of football games

Ever attend a concert or comedic performance?
Dixie Chicks, Matchbox 20...I was poor in college, I don't think I went to any others...

Favorite professor(s)?
not offhand. A&M isn't stellar at focusing on education. the guy (dr. lepori i think) who had us build catapults was pretty cool.

Have you ever spent the night on campus not in a residence?
like on a bench? no

Favorite night to go out on, and where did you go?
thurs night at Duds was fun, on the occassion I got to drop by

Where did you get coffee?
nowhere

Favorite Year of Halloween?
I vaguely remember getting leopard pjs one Halloween. but Halloween was never a big deal.

Go see a play or been in one?
I saw one at the little theater in the MSC once. But I can't remember who I knew in it. Or what it was.

Ever have a job?
yea, except for freshman year

What do you hate about your college?
how anyone who's not an ultra conservative wasp is looked upon

What did you love most about it?
the "school spirit"

Where would you believe is the best location to live?
in College Station? there's not really anyplace BAD there...

Graduated or still attending?
graduated

Year of graduation?
2003

Will you go back?
I visited for our first alumni game last fall...I'd go again...

I love youtube

Postsecret amazes me sometimes

Some are mundane. Some are amusing. Some are shocking. Some are sad.

Some hit home.


























(ok, so its not a huge terrific secret, but still!)

Goodbye Clark

So I've moved out of my Clark apartment. I lived there longer than any other place since I graduated high school in '99 (13 months!).

I'm already feeling a little sentimental about it, and I haven't even turned in my keys yet. Heck, when I was still (ok, starting to) pack last Thursday, I had a semi-irrational breakdown and started crying staying into the abyss of my overstuffed closet. Despite the perpetual traffic on the GSP, and the demon dogs next door, I had such a positive year there, my first really good year in a long time.

And then there's my roommate, or former roommate I guess. Once I move out of my interim housing (aka, mom's) and into my studio in PA, who am I going to talk to when I get home? I'm certainly going to miss going into his room when I get home from [wherever I got sweaty] and plopping down on Greg's bed to chat and being almost instantly shooed from the (supposedly) clean sheets to the carpet : )

I know there's good things to come...the new experiences of living IN a city...living in a NEW city...grad school, and the eventual new career...but for now, lets say goodbye to Clark, where the past finally became the past and I started living for today again.

argh

Moving sucks. a lot.

tbc.

I'm a pussy

It was near 100 degrees here in the Metro NY area the last couple of days, and we've been over 85 for longer. Its also insanely humid, like Houston humid. I walked out on my parents' porch last night, and with the addition of the chlorine smell from the hot tub my dad had openned to put, well, chlorine in, it literally felt like an indoor sauna. With a breeze.

Especially since I spent about 5 years in eastern Texas, I realize that I'm whining. For 75% of the summer the highs here are in the 80s (pretty much always humid though). I have AC in my bedroom and living room and car (sadly, the two rows around my cube at work have very lacking ac compared to the rest of the building, but its not like outside).

When I was at A&M, we played rugby in September, when its sometimes hotter than August. I remember one year it was over 105 for a week. The AC in my 40+ year old dorm broke. People were sleeping in the quad. (They renovated the following summer.) There was even 7s in July, and a 102 degree ocean breeze just doesn't do much. But this is my third summer back north. 75+ is considered uncomfortably hot for rugby here. I now think 80 is a bit too hot to go running and much prefer to sit in the AC. I'm such a pussy.

yahooo

I just discovered the Yahoo Avitar!


How fun is this? Now I can change where I am, what I want to be wearing, and my haircut and color as often as I like....all within the confines of Yahoo's graphics at least...

Irony

Yesterday morning I was driving to work in my mom's Jeep (I borrowed it to get some big things to her house from my almost-former apartment) and, since I normally drive a small Acura RSX, I was enjoying the extra road-view provided by the lifted SUV. I like watching my fellow commuters while stuck in traffic. Since I leave approximately the same time every morning, I often see the same cars when the traffic is bad. (Actually, they're probably almost always on the road with me, but I only notice when in first gear for 55 minutes). There's the slightly balding guy in the convertible BMW who shaves around the Union tolls. And the hot purple Jeep Wrangler with the rainbow sticker, driven by a remarkably corporate looking lady. There's more I can't think of at the moment, but would recognize (the cars) if I saw them.

I didn't see any of my regulars on this commute, but I did see one gentleman READING THE PAPER. Now I'm not talking skimming directions, checking a text, peering at your teeth in the rearview...this guy had the morning paper fully opened on his lap. The other sections were in the passenger seat, awaiting the rest of the drive. Granted, traffic was moving at about 5 mph, but come on! We were in traffic waiting to pass accidents at the 280 on ramp and an overturned vehicle at the Essex tolls! Was he TRYING to be major accident #3 of the morning? arggh.

On a different note, I also noticed that there's hardly any American cars on the road around here. I was in a Jeep, and saw a few, and a couple of random Fords and Chryslers, but the vast majority of the cars were foreign. I love my little Acura...but this kind of startled me. I also remembered that when I lived in Peoria, IL, there not only wasn't an Acura dealer, I had one of 3 foreign cars in the entire parking lot at my plant. Perhaps the Heartland is more patriotic. Or the coasts just have better taste in cars ; )

girly men

This could be the funniest thing I've seen all week.

wrc

Write ESPN (see blurb here) and request WRC Coverage!! The women are ranked 6th worldwide and have a real shot at winning later this summer!

I did a head count on the roster (both Eagles and Eagles A) and there's 2 women from D2 teams (Braymer, Albany and McDonald, Hartford) which I think is awesome for D2. 3/5 of the roster (much higher for the WRC side) is from the Top 4 teams (NYRC, ATL, Berkley and MN Valks) which I guess is to be expected. I've been following this a little obsessively through Blondie's Blog (which is awesome and I have no idea how she compiles all the rugby news so efficiently) and I hope I will still have time to do so as the world cup will be played in my first few weeks of grad school!!

Whistler

I want to go snowboarding in Canada. I think it'd be sweet. And less crowded than even the fairly empty (compare to NJ) mountains of Colorado. But that's not the point of my post, just came to mind when I put up the title.

Why do men whistle at women?

This is the question of the day.

I am dressed for work today in summer work clothes, specifically black capris, wedges and a nice colorful shell. I do think its a flattering outfit. Appearently I'm not alone.
The shopping center where I picked up lunch today is doing some construction. There were workers gathered around the dumpster, several of whom whistled at me (well, either me or the rather chunky middle aged guy about 10 feet in front of me, equal opportunity perhaps?) What is their goal in whistling at women? Do they expect the women to stop and give them her number? Flash them? Grab one and plant a big wet one? I chose none of these and opted to ignore them and walk on by.

I've been whistled at before. A couple of times on the street doing [whatever], more frequenrly when running. There's also the occassional honker. I can only assume these are the obnoxious teenage boys that feel the need to call attention to the fact they are old enough to drive. (I am trying to give men some credit here). Honkers tend to startle me and I don't like them much.

I guess in general I should take the whistling as a compliment. But I still don't understand.

A Good American

So I was skimming the blogs today and ran into the Death Predictor on two sites. Fun right? Here's my prediction:

Emily: At age 80, you will die lonely and alone from morbid obesity

My friends get things like "At age 89, you will die fighting the Interplanetary War on Terrorism on Phobos, a moon of Mars." I get a completely feasible one. Fabulous.

My first reaction? "That's ironic". Ironic in that I am a little (ok, maybe more than a little)paranoid about my weight. I'm not a little petite thing. I never will be and never (except maybe one unfortunate year in HS) have been. However, I'm also not morbidly obese, but do harbor a definate fear of becoming so. Genetics (aka multiple morbidly obese relatives) and a serious chocolate chip cookie fixation are working against me, and despite a general awareness and efforts at maintaining regular workouts, I am really a bit worried I'll wake up one day and be startled to realize I'm wearing panties from that store on Rt17 for women who've outgrown Lane Bryant.

It also makes me sad that even at (almost) 25 I still have some of the teenage weight paranoia. Maybe it never really goes away. I'm a lot bigger than I was in High School but I'm also fitter and faster (despite an additional 25lbs or so) and happier in general. Counting calories constantly really puts a damper on things that should be enjoyable, like birthdays (aka cake and ice cream, also known in my current life as 3pm).

On a side note, I'm not sure I've ever seen a morbidly obese 80 year old. Maybe they've all lost mobility and do just sit at home all day, unlike the morbidly obese middle aged that trek out for shopping and similar.

blog = fun (?)

I decided to create a blog. They fascinate me. I also have been become something of a blog troller while avoiding my (icky stinky poo) job. So it's only fair for me to have one too, right??