Is it over yet?

Saw City of Angels last night, then went to South Street Diner at midnight with Diana and Heather. Haven’t started writing final papers yet (though I do have topics). Three papers. My comedy show is Thursday. My last day of work is today (THANK GOODNESS). My photo final project is due Wednesday and all I have left to do is print 12 pictures; I’ve got four days to do it. Health is continuing to be a problem (I’m constantly shaky and yucky feeling) plus I’m having REALLY bad allergies right now. Hanging in there with all the stress. Hopefully I’ll be home for this coming weekend, then fly back to Boston for final exams, then fly back home for a short couple days before I head off to Ireland.

I’m out of clean socks; down to only a couple pairs of underwear; neither of my jeans fit anymore. but i refuse to do laundry.

I bought my apartment for next year on Friday. I’m living on Newbury Street next year with is about the coolest thing in the world right now.

Anyways, as part of my current craziness, I cut my bangs yesterday. I don’t know why. The scissors were in my hands so I just started snipping. I realized I’ve literally had the same style of bangs since Mom and Jerry’s wedding, but I’m 20 now, so it’s probably time for a change.

For better or for worse?:

And OH, hi Mom!

Chilling at TSU

I have only one round to go before I am finished with my forensics season, though the competition continues through tomorrow. Yesterday was certainly better than the day before, but still lots of downtime, lots of eating, lots of silliness. Finished reading my book for Honors and contemplated kidnapping a really cute baby with Corey; reading about maternal instinct tends to make your biological clock go bonkers.

Everyone has been overall kinda cranky and stressed; I think because I’m cranky and stressed which colors my perception of things, and because Meredith is cranky and stressed which colors the team. Overall, though, not any drama (at least none that I’ll write about on here). Got Wendy’s for dinner, then had a lazy night in the hotel rooms. Went to bed around 12:30 since we got to sleep in until 6:30 today.

Anything else . . . nothing, I guess. It rained all day yesterday and was pretty cool, but today it’s warmed back up a bit.

Meh, I guess that’s it. Probably going to go eat lunch eventually, and then my last round is at 2pm. Whoot! So darn ready for this season to be OVER.

NFA Day #1

So TSU campus is definitely not as nice as Barry. Performed really poorly today. Whatever; I’m over it. I’m embarassed by how bad I performed. Everyone else is better than last year, and I’m worse than last year. Lame.

Had fun chilling with Shawna, though. Got a lot of reading done, but I still have half the book to read before I can write my papers. They’re going to rock my face off, though, and the book is EXTREMELY interesting. I keep reading to the people around me, so I’m raising everyone’s IQ, teaching them about ethics and maternal instincts.

I forgot how big bumblebees are in the South.

I was in the bathroom when I heard this girl say, “They’re here for speech and debate nationals.” This boy answered, “Oh, so that’s what all these white people in suits are doing.” She was horrified and yelled, “Oh my God, don’t say that, they’re right outside.” So I yelled, “We’re in here too and it’s okay, you can say it!” When I came out, she was so embarassed and apologized, but I assured her, “It’s okay, we are well aware.”

Went to Kroger’s this evening and a kind lady in line ahead of me let me use her Kroger card. Turns out that’s common policy for all women who come through the store, haha. I feel like all I’ve done all day is EAT really bad food.

It’s raining sooooooooo hard outside. The roads are rivers. Oh, and apparently there was an earthquake in like Illinois last night, and apparently many people felt it here. I did wake up during the night, but I’m pretty sure it was just my bladder, not an earthquake.

Other than that, though, the weather was superb. This older gentleman came up to us while we were waiting for our van and gave us flyers to eat at his restaurant, then suddenly went off on this tangent about how we should go get our home states to boycott gas, particularly Exxon-Mobil. Which is funny only because Meredith’s grandfather used to be the CEO of Exxon and that’s how she’s paying for college, haha.

Anything else? Not really. Texted lots of home people all day. It’s lots of just sitting around and eating, which the occasional performance which I dread with a fiery passion because I’m so bad. Today was my long day, so I’m glad that’s out of the way.

Pretty much it, I guess. Time for bed!

We arrived

safely in Nashville. It’s good to be back in the warm, polite South, where people tell you have a “blessed” day, and there are Christian stores, and familiar accents. Met this woman today who talks EXACTLY like Grandma, haha. Weather is great.

Anyways, it’s late and I’ve got to get up at five. It’s going to be a looooong day at Tennessee State tomorrow.

And we’re off!

Isn’t that how I always begin my entries when I travel?

Anyway, case in point, we leave for Nationals (speech&debate) in Nashville, Tennessee in approximately five and a half hours. I overslept so I didn’t get to go to the gym today, which is sad. But there’s so much still to do! Eek!

I will probably be blogging at nats because I’m sure the hotel will have internet. Don’t they all these days?

Back to B-town

Came back to Boston this afternoon, as uneventful as Friday wasn’t.  Slept late in the AM, then made French Toast and just hung around the house watching chick flicks and packing.  Heather’s dad dropped us off at the train station in Kingston, then we just chilled and listened to music during the 55minute ride.  No lost wallets.  I’m thinking about going and buying a new, smaller wallet.  That way, at least if I lose my wallet, I don’t lose EVERYTHING.

Didn’t feel like doing work or anything productive once back to my room, so instead I went walking for two hours, then spent MORE money at the grocery store to buy some dinner.  I’m over dining hall food.  I can’t do it anymore. 

Now . . . it’s 8:13pm, I have to open at work in the morning.  There’s a lot i should do, but I really just want to lay down and watch a movie or something . . . maybe sip some tea.  Oh, I did put pictures up on my webshots (link to the right).  Most of my good shots are on my film, though, so we’ll see how those turn out.  My digital camera was just an after thought; I’ll add Heather’s pictures when I get the chance.

Anwyays, I leave for Nashville, TN, on Thursday for Grand Nats (speech and debate).  So get ready for that.  I know I’m not.

OH just remembered some funninness.  So Heather was my chauffer yesterday, my photographer’s assistant if you will, driving me around to various places.  She’s as good as Jerry now at humoring my photo taking.  As soon as I raised my camera, she would slam on teh breaks or slow down.  We were driving along at one point and I found this picture I HAD to get.  Unfortunately, it was by a really busy, narrow road.  So we drive by three times, then finally she stopped a distance away and I ran out in the middle of the street to shoot the picture.  Kudos to her for putting up with me yelling “WAIT I HAVE TO TAKE THAT PICTURE” every fifteen minutes!

BLAAAAAAAAAAAAH the next few days are going to be hectic, stressful, and un fun.

 

But did I mention it’s spring time in Boston?

How can THE ROCK be under construction?!

Another long day, but great! None of the badness of losing my wallet, haha.

Slept laaaaaaaaaate this morning, then got up to make pancakes with strawberries, which we consumed in the living room while watching Disney again. Then set off, heading first to downtown Plymouth. Unfortunately, the Rock is somehow under construction, so even though we wandered down to the sea level, we could hardly see it. Saw the Mayflower Sequal though, and a bunch of statues and old cute buildings, the Brewster gardens. Played on a playground but I was on spinny things too much and got a headache. Made friends with a cute little girl; we talked about how fast is too fast when spinning. Continued to photograph people and places. Visited two beaches, an old mill that’s been turned into a restaurant, saw Heather’s old schools. I’m sure there was more, but I can’t remember it all now. The pictures will say it all when I process them later this week

 I bought Heather soft serve at a place she said her mom used to take her — yummy!!– then we visited her aunt, uncle, and little cousins. Their house is very different from Heather’s; newer, and they’re remodeling currently. Her little cousins were cute but wandered off after saying hello, and we just sat and talked to her Aunt, who was really nice and really funny.

Came back to have dinner; steak, potatoes, and broccoli that her dad made. Very yummy, but the red meat made me uber sick (it’s probably been . . . I don’t know; I can’t remember the last time I had steak) once we hit Best Buy and Target, where I bought four movies and spent almost fifty dollars. Eek!! Bought: A Walk in the Clouds, Edward Scissorhands, Robinhood Men In Tights, and Blackhawk Down. Each movie was under $10. But still.

Now we’re back at Heather’s house, watching GIlmore Girls with her friend Chantelle, eating Oreos, drinking hot chocolate, and playing with Cat.

Other random stuff: I’ve had a pretty bad heaache all day, I think from sleeping too much last night. It’s been beatufiul most of the day, though rain has come and gone all day, and some fog rolled in tonight.

The houses here are adorable, and the people are really not any different than at home. I can see how the Strand is probably crawling with tourists in the summer; there were already quite a few there.   There are ice cream places and tourist shops everywhere in downtown.  It takes quite a bit of driving to get anywhere — like when you’re out in the country at home — but the roads are all winding and through forests.  Pockets of houses are tucked together in little clearings amidst the trees, though occasionally one stands alone.  We drove past several cranberry bogs, and Heather told me how those are utilized; apparently cranberries are only grown three places in the United States.

The Atlantic Ocean is pretty, though not overwhelmingly so.  It’s grey and not too rough, freezing, flat.  The beaches are currently nice nad sandy, but Heather says they get a lot of seaweed in the summer.  In the evening, when the fog started rolling in, the roads got really hard to see on.  People up here display just as many, if not more American flags that at home in Texas; I lost track of how many times people had painted their garages or the sides of their houses to look like the flag.  Overall, though, there’s not as much of a small-town sense of community as I had expected; things are very spread out, so while neighborhoods are relatively close knit, it’s pretty much identical to at home in Texas.

It only takes 55 minutes

plus walking time to get from Boston to Plymouth, Massachusetts.  I’ve been in some thirteen countries.  But it was during the four minutes it takes to enter South Station and get to Platform Thirteen that I lost my wallet.

But to backtrack.  Worked Friday morning, 6am-12:30pm.  It was whatever.  Work lately is horrible; the new coffee thing is causing big problems. 

After work, went back to shower, then picked up birthday presents! I got Grandma’s and Aunt Kathy’s. Grandma and Grandpa sent me a super cool and flashy purse and a necklace/earring set almost identical to a set I almost bought at So Good last week. WEIRD! Grandpa apparently picked them out, haha. The Greenes gave me an awesome necklace/bracelet/anklet set that also came in a box that I’m actually going to keep and use as a jewelry box.  Packed and remembered how much I hate packing.

Then enter the wallet drama. 
Heather and I got off a few minutes later than we had planned, and even though we hauled through Boston, by the time we reached the station we only had four minutes to get on the train. She asked if I had enough cash to pay for us both and she could pay me back, and I did, pulling my wallet out because I thought we would have to do it then. But she said we could on the train, so I stuffed it back in my purse and we took off sprinting through the station and boarded the train.

Unfortunately, my wallet didn’t make it back in my purse. Once on the train, this man told us that some other guy had been yelling after us, that he thought one of us had dropped something. Immediately I knew, just KNEW, it was me and my wallet. So I went sprinting off the train but couldn’t find it or anyone who had it or knew where it had gone. I didn’t want the train to leave without me because then I would be in an even worse position, so I went sprinting back, but Heather and this nice kinda nerdy guy had gotten the conductor to HOLD the train — they and this nice ticket woman were all hanging out the doors waiting for me. Heather said that after I went sprinting through the train to leap off, she followed a couple minutes afterwards to get them to hold the train and someone in the cabin sighed, “Not another one.” HAHA

Anyways, the train started moving.  The nice nerdy guy who was helping us had a little schedule with all the phone numbers on it, so I could the Lost and Found at South Station — no answer — then called the emergency police.  Meanwhile, the NNM helped Heather figure out some alternate routes.  We got off the train at the first stop, JFK, then took the redline (subway) back.  Of course, Heather had a HUGE suitcase that we had to lug up and down stairs to use the subway.

Got back to the station and went straight to information, which sent me to Lost and Found. The lady was very nice but didn’t have it, so she sent me to security. The security lady was horribly rude, though, would hardly even listen to my story, and only flippantly said, “Go to information.” So I went back to Lost and Found to leave my phone number and she suggested i go back to information and ask them if someone had turned it into Amtrak. They sent me to the Amtrak ticket counter, but I stepped out of line to call mom and tell her to check the answering machine to see if anyone had called, because I couldn’t remember if on the emergency contact information in my wallet I had put my cell or house number. Heather apparently talked to ALL the ticket people in my absence.

On the phone with Mom, I finally broke down because she seemed to utterly refuse the idea that I might still get it back, and she kept telling me to calm down.  Up until that point, I had been perfectly calm, but I had exhausted everything I knew to do, and I’m bad at waiting, and when someone keeps telling you to calm down, it only gets your more worked up. She was saying she was going to call and start cancelling cards, and then kept telling me to calm down and go back to my dorm — but I didn’t want to leave the station. I was actually holding it together really well, plus there was the nagging stress that I HAVE to get my project done.  Without my wallet, I couldn’t go to Plymouth, but the whole point of my trip was to shoot my photography final.

Hung up and just sat down to stare blankly into space because I just literally had no idea what to do. My entire life is in that wallet . . . Heather went off to ask some of the food places if anyone had turned something in when suddenly Mom called me back. Someone named Abdul had left a message on the voicemail!! But she coudln’t understand the number, so she had to give me all the voicemail information so I could call and listen. Some guy from church had left Jerry this loooooooooooooooong message that took FOREVER, adn I kept accidentally hitting buttons that made it repeat.  It was comical; I mean, seriously, the guy was THE stereotypical slow-talking Southern man and the message just went on and on and one, meanwhile my hands are shaking with anxiety.

Finally I got to the final message, and it was a man named Abdul saying he lived in Boston and had my wallet and she should call and give me his number. So i called him and he answered on the second ring. When I told him I was at South Station, he told me to walk over to the sandwich place by McDonald’s — Cosi’s — and then to go to the counter and tell the employees there to call Rasheed from downstairs. I felt kinda like in the movies when you’re carrying on this covert operation in the middle of a bustling train station. So, still on the phone with Abdul, I did so, and the employees wanted to know which Rasheed, the manager or the dishwasher? The dishwasher. So they called him while I chatted with Abdul on the phone.

Turns out, he and Rasheed are from Morocco, and Rasheed doesn’t speak English. So when I dropped my wallet, all he knew was to say “Miss! Miss!” which I didn’t hear. He then called Abdul to find out what to do, and Abdul walked him through finding my driver’s license. When they saw my Bedford Texas address, Abdul called Texas Information and got Mom’s number, called, and left the message! We talked about travel and Morocco and how I’ve traveled the world without losing anything, but Boston did it!  He was telling me how he tried to make his message to Mom sound as unfrantic as possible because he knows how moms are and didn’t want her to panic.

So the manager went downstairs and got Rasheed — at this point, all the Cosi’s employees could see the drama unfolding — and a few minutes later came out with Rasheed and my wallet!! I was beside myself. Rasheed explained through the manager translating that he had tried to call after me, that i was running with my friend in the green sweatshirt. He then told me himself — i hadn’t realized til just now that he said this in English — that he hadn’t opened it. I was sooooooooooo beside myself; I honestly expected all the Cosi employees to break out in applause. I hugged Rasheed, which threw him off completely, then went bustling back because Heather and Mom had both been calling me the entire time. Heather said she thought I had been kidnapped. We went by lost and found to let the woman know I had gotten my wallet back (and I had already told her how horrible security was to me, so hopefully that mean guard will get spoken to), then we bought our tickets admist the cheers and teases of the ticket people who apparently all knew what had happened, thank you Heather. Then finally we were on the train and spent the 55minute ride watching Madagascar and laughing out loud.

Heather’s dad picked us up and brought us back to the house; it’s quite a drive, so I can’t imagine her making the commute every day. THeir house is orange and dark wood, cluttered, messy, and adorable. Cat is crazy and likes to sit on your shoulder like a parrot. 

Anyways, for dinner got seafodo from this little buy-n-go fish and chips place that was really cute. Ate in the living room while watching Hannah Montana. Afterwards, went for a drive to visit her work, this adorable small pizza joint where the manager was eating dinner and let me take a few pictures of the place, though I don’t know that any will really turn out. Then drove out to the beach which is free because it’s off season. It was dark and kinda cold, but it just felt so good to be by water again. We crawled around on the sand, then onto the rocky outcrop.

Afterwards, exhausted entirely, we came back to drink hot cocoa and watch the Disney channel. I really do love their house, and this area of New England is adorable. Lots of trees, lots of space, and even a little red school house!!! Apparently it now houses AA meetings, hahaha

The first day of actual spring

Today was a beautiful day in Boston.  I was up literally ALL night last night writing my Honors paper with some friends (and we kept stopping to dance and eat), and just barely made it through my first two classes of the day.  So I decided to skip my last class and instead went to lay out on the Common with Heather and 75% of Boston.  David and Jessica and a few other MTs showed up to play frisbee.  Two strange boys came over to flirt with Heather and I for a few minutes before we akwardly turned down their invitation to join them on a walk.  Then Jessye and Amand appeared independently and they, Jessica, and David sat on our blankets with us.  For all of two minutes I was ecstaticly (sp?) reminiscent of Kasteel Well.

Anyways, I’ve been taking more pictures lately with my new digital camera Mom got me for my birthday.  Last Friday Heather and I had a joint party at John’s apartment, which was a lot of fun! 

Sunday we took the commuter rail out to East Weymouth to meet her dad, who bought us dinner.  I’ve never been to anything in Massachusetts outside of Boston, so it was fun.  I also got to see her grandparents’ ADORABLE house (they’re just getting back from Florida, so I’ll meet them this weekend).  And her dad gave us both bags of suckers for our birthdays! Yay!

Tuesday, for my birthday, Heather, Diana, and I went to dinner in the North End at this cute little private restaurant.  We beat the dinner crowd, so about six waiters/cooks were just standing around the fringes of the TINY room, talking in Italian and laughing.  It was just so nice to NOT be eating dh food.  And Diana paid for my dinner!  Which was a lovely surprise.  THe chicken cacciotorri (I can’t spell; I’m too tired) was fantastic.  Then we headed over to Mike’s Pastry where I got some pistacio macaroons and a slice of German chocolate cake that Heather had to help me finish as we watched Aladdin in her room. 

So overall, not a bad birthday.  Kind of strange to not go home, and not have Mom’s cake, and not have a bunch of random little presents to open.  I got one card, a handmade one from Diana.  But it was nice to have a party, since I didn’t last year, and it was fun to kind of have a girl’s classy evening out with Diana and Heather. We’re planning on going back to that same restaurant again in May before we head home.

 

Other than that . . . tomorrow I’m going with Heather out to her home on the Cape.  I’ve never been and I’m SOOOOOOO excited.  I’m going to shoot my photography project there, and I’ll get to meet a lot of her family, and see the disappointment that I’ve been told is Plymouth Rock.

Getting ready for speech and debate nationals in Nashville, Tennessee next week.

Then it’s finals and home, though probably only for a few days until I jet off to Ireland.  As I learned last year, if I want to go, I’d better go in May to beat the tourist season.  I’m anxious that by the time I get home, I”m just going to want to crash for a while . . . but whatever.  I kind of need to decide NOW so I can let Jonah know how to schedule me for work.  Then in June we’ll spend a week in Rockport, and Thomas and I were thinking of going to Greece right after, but now maybe we’ll wait until July?  I don’t know.  It’s too much to think about right now.

Now a couple pictures and then I need to get to bed; I open at work in the morning, and then will barely have time to shower and pack before we head to South Station to catch the commuter to Plymouth!

 

Here are some pictures!  Me and Heather mostly, but also one of David and Jessica playing frisbee, and one of just some people hanging out chilling.

Oops!

I did kinda sorta forget about this blog.  Well . . . went home for spring break and got my wisdom teeth removed.  Things went wrong and I got “stuck” (being an operative term, because I did enjoy my extended stay) at home.  Then spent the past two weeks trying to get all caught up with homework (my professors were NOT understanding), working, and working out.  The weather is MOSTLY better lately — still often really really cold, but the days are often nice — so I’ve been going running at night which is nice.  As long as you stick to the shopping district, there are ligths and people are out pretty late walking home from work and stuff, but there are fewer people to dodge.

Forensics nationals are in a week and a half and I’m embarrassed by how bad my pieces are.  Me and Heather are having our birthday party tomorrow, and I work Saturday.  Sunday I’m meeting Heather’s dad and then have a work meeting.  But aside from those three things, I’m going to be practicing up a STORM!!  I also need to write papers for Brit Lit and Honors, declare my philosophy minor.  Registration for classes is tomorrow so hopefully I’ll get everything I want, considering I won’t get to register until two hours after my registration time because of work :/   Next week . . . have to have my proposal written for what I want to do my photography final project on; meeting with David Griffin to talk about going abroad for another semester; meetings with Heather to practice for nationals which I’m going to BOMB at.  Plus my birthday is on Tuesday and I need to decide if I want to go home the following weekend.  I would like to, to see family and celibrate.  But I also will be in the midst of preparing for nats.  Plus, there’s also the possibility of me flying somewhere fun to shoot photos for my final project.  I’ve been wanting to go somewhere for a weekend . . .

Oh, and tonight, a homeless man kicked me in the ankle as I was walking through the front door of my school.  It HURT!

That is all.