aWkWard
The family and I went to see Something's Gotta Give this afternoon. You know, it will always be awkward watching sex scenes with the parents. It's especially awkward when the woman's name is Erica.

i hope it gets better than this
I rolled into town yesterday evening and went straight to the mall to finish some shopping where I ran into a friend from high school. One of the first questions she asked me was, "So, you got a boyfriend?" When I said no, her response: "Oh. Of course." What's that supposed to mean?

Then, when I got home, there was my sister, sitting in the kitchen with the haircut I was going to get over break.

gyped
I just tried to sell back one of my poli sci books at the bookstore and they wouldn't take it because there's a new edition. This book was copyrighted 2004. HOW CAN THERE BE A NEWER EDITION?!?!?!?!?

in the spirit of the holidays
For those of you who enjoyed Elf Bowling, the Internet has many other holiday amusements. Thanks to coleagues Jeff and Jeremey for the office distractions.
item 1: Sober Santa
item 2: Carol of the Bells, Burger King-style

a warm bloggish welcome
...to roommate EZP. Miss Patterson will be following the footsteps of yours truly as she leaves for London next semester. I plan to read her blog and pretend it's me over there again. You should too. But you can rest assured that you can still call me at normal times in the States. If you want to call Erin, you might want to shell out a few bucks (pounds) and reorganize your schedule. Or you can just read her blog.

highlights from boston
* The workout that is the Freedom Trail and the Bunker Hill memorial tower.
* Quality time with Fiscus, of course.
* The requisite clam chowder.
* The Boston Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker. sigh....dance....
* Being mistaken as a prospective student by all of Molly's friends. I'm a senior in college, people. Do I really look that young and naive?
* The window of Dewey, Cheatem and Howe, office quarters of Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers of NPR's Car Talk fame.
* The Cheers bar.
* Studying for my final. Well, maybe not so much a highlight...but at least now I can say I've studied at Harvard. Think I can put that on my resume?

another fun thing to do in boston
Get phone calls from friends asking you to come over and laughing when they don't believe your response, that you unfortunately are presently indisposed in another time zone. My favorite: betting Protz that there was more snow where I was than where she was.

small world incidents
Incident no. 1: The girl/lady I met with at Boston magazine Monday is from the Little Apple. Our parental units work together at K-State. It was upon her influence that I started writing for the Mercury's weekly Youth Page in eighth grade and thus began my foray into journalism.
Incident no. 2: One of cousin Molly's block mates (read: suitemate) is from Jeff City. Who knew that the Midwest could grow 'em smart?

my dorm food is better than your dorm food
CDS beats Harvard food any day. But Harvard celebrities (Molly's dorm room last year was previously Natalie Portman's residence and Al Gore III lives in her current dorm complex) beat Mizzou's "celebrity."

many thanks to kate
Who is putting a roof over my head next semester. Be glad you missed the stress I was inflicting on my local friends Thursday when I had 24 hours to find a new place to sublease.
*mumbles incoherent obscenities directed at Pear Tree

hah-vahd
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. - Boston is my new favorite city. More to come.

ps
where have all the comments gone!?!?!?!?! *shakes fist at Klinks*

posted
Luke's thesis about blogs.

fighting naked
And other recent events.

Natalie's bridal shower was this weekend and her mom had the best anecdotal advice ever: "Every couple fights so don't think you and Jason will be any different. Even before the Fall, Adam and Eve probably still fought. They had one thing going for them, though. They fought naked." Repeat: this was advice from her mom. I don't think I've ever seen anyone's face go so red so quickly.

I think I'm officially an apathetic student. I turned in a final paper for my American Foreign Policy class this afternoon. I wrote it in about four hours last night and it is probably the worst paper I've ever written. However, that doesn't seem to bother me. Instead, I comfort myself with the knowledge that it's still probably better than a third of the other students' work in that class. *knocks on wood*

your advice, please
I have an etiquette question. A girl in my pledge class is getting married in January. Her close friends in the house want to get the seniors to pool money to get her some of the larger gifts on her registry. I am not invited to the wedding. How should I treat this? Do I chip in? How much? Or should I stiff her? I still get along with her great, we're just not close friends and I'm sure she's trying to keep costs low and not invite the entire house.

go 'cats!

overheard
If you were to have walked into the Vox office sometime this semester, you might have been witness to any of these lines:

Then I need to do laundry 'cause I'm wearing my bathing suit. I'm serious.
-Julia

How about crackers? No. I mean peckers. Wait, what are old people called?
-Astrid

Great. I just called my best lead and he picked up the phone, breathed and then hung up.
-Julia

I'm Scottish. Which reminds me, I need to buy a kilt.
-Ryan

What's a sex word that rhymes with demonstration?
-Corrie

Does anyone else think that looks like a uterus?
-Julia

Ryan, you should join our club - the triple nipple club.
-Amber

Jen, less wine, more cheese.
-Astrid

I just want one day where I'm not completely f****ed.
-Chris

Yes, that's me calling the fax machine.
-Julia

Barton left the building? He's allowed to leave?
-Cara

I think emails have become inconsequential.
-Brigette
Yeah, what they need is a good spanking.
-Cara

Oh my God, you guys. Does it hurt to ovulate?
-Rachel

Julia, you must poop all the time.
-Megan

This has been a really long day - and life.
-Elisabeth

so sad
When it's cold and the wind is biting, my eyes stream with tears. Thanks to the frigid air, my cheeks are also frozen. So when I arrive at my destination, I can't tell that it looks like I've been bawling until someone asks if everything is alright. I'm fine, just hand me a tissue, please.

not only do they not accept student charge...
but the Post Office in Brady won't send any mail to England. As if I have the time to go to the downtown post office during business hours.

benefits of working for administrative services
Free tickets to Cats.

wishful thinking
May-gun mentioned that she's taking an adult intermediate, non-performance ballet class next semester at Dance Arts. Oh so tempting.

Why is it that the high schools that give me the most problems are the ones that my friends went to? This time, it was JJ Pearce, alma mater of Sarah. Oh, and De Smet and Kirkwood are the only St. Louis high schools who have yet to answer my e-mails and phone calls regarding whether they actually placed the ads in their papers. Can't my friends pull some strings for me? How about you yell at your former journalism advisors, people!

lee hills hall is going down the drain
There is a toilet in the third floor women's bathroom that will not stop flushing. Once again I must express my great dislike for automatic flushing toilets.

what about guns in missouri?
I saw a van the other day that had the following written on the side windows:

END THE VIOLENCE. STOP THE SALE OF LIQUOR, DRUGS AND ILL. GUNS.

It made me wonder what made Illinois guns so much worse than those of other states. Or, maybe armed Illinoisans (is that the right word?) are just exceptionally dangerous.

other things i forgot
Thursday (a.k.a. Thanksgiving) was my sister's 19th birthday. In my effort to treat all family members the same (see Oct. 28), I take this opportunity to encourage you to e-mail her with your belated well-wishes: drummerbee[at]yahoo[dot]com.

sad
I had scanned many of my pictures from my trips abroad on another disc and I seem to have lost it. Bugger. Some of my best pictures came from Paris.

i made it through a week without guster
And now I sit in an empty Alpha Chi house, listening to "Come Downstairs and Say Hello." Having forgotten the disc in Columbia, I think this is the longest I've gone since July without the CD that has become the soundtrack to my semester. (I think there might be a dangling participle in there, but I don't feel like fixing it.) There's something about the peace of sitting in an unusually quiet sorority house that makes me loathe to call and find out if there are any other college students out in Columbia on a Friday night over break. I know some might chastise me for holing up in my room for the night, but I want to take advantage of this rarity and revel in the silence.

why i love going home
-The 5+ loads of laundry done for free!
-Doing crossword puzzles with my dad
-Sleeping in
-Feeling like a celebrity when I show up at church
-Hours in front of the t.v. - watching much football, several movies, CNN and catching some quality Cosby, Friends, and Simpsons reruns
-Orange sourdough pancakes after Thanksgiving Day. ooooh, yum!
-New contacts from the eye doctor. Finally, ones I can actually see out of!

what i could do without when going home
-#1- Our Stone Age computer and dial-up Internet connection.
-The fact that my bedroom above the garage is an icebox
-Dentist appointments
-The lack of new Ed, West Wing and Friends episodes when I actually have time to watch them
-The question: "So, do you know what you're doing after graduation?" No, I don't and please don't remind me.
-The singed hole in my pants, a result of the lit match that fell in my lap when trying to start a fire in our wood-burning stove. I didn't realize my own strength; when I lit the match it snapped in two and the fire landed on my leg. My favorite sweats are scarred forever.

signs that the little apple is evolving into a metropolis like its namesake
-We got a Target this fall
-We're upgrading the current Wal*Mart to become a Super Wal*Mart
-We've knocked down the unsightly pipe and steel buildings that great visitors on Tuttle Creek Blvd
-We got a Jimmy Johns, a Buffalo Wild Wings and a Chipotle all within the past year or so

more pics
As promised, more pictures from London

the worldwide war protest, the London contingent
PACE (pronounced "pah-chay") means peace in Italian
My thoughts, exactly well, the flag anyway, although that lady's confused face echoes my thoughts as well
The looooooooong line this protest was the largest ever. this line stretched for miles
The entry to Hyde Park the protestors gathered in Hyde Park where there were speeches and a concert. I was only there as people were arriving but even then, there was much of a carnival air about it all.
Voicing opinions i found the various chants, cheers and songs that people created for the protest interesting. As with the signs, some were derisive toward the U.S., Bush, and/or Blair. Some were downright hi-larious

warwick castle
Darwin and...Darwin? Our head professor, Jim Bogan looks a little waxy himself in the wax museum in the castle.
Princess Di So real it was freaky
Winston the roommates, Ell, me, MP and Meg with our buddy
The flat two boys Seth, Micha, Brandon, Jon, Matt and Justin in the stocks outside the castle
Micha the castle was a bit of a maze...it's amazing Micha got out safely.
Boys will be boys

beatles walking tour
At Abbey Road
Sarah and me
The cover shot Sarah, me, Emily and Sarah recreate the classic cover
Yeah, I'm a dork
The "Bea'le Brain of Bri'ain" Sarah and I with Richard, our guide, who came highly recommended by Luke

other places
Stonehenge
Outside Shakespeare's birthplace Meg, MP, Dave and I experienced the Bard's glory at the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance of The Taming of the Shrew that night in Startford-Upon-Avon
Canterbury Cathedral Russ, Dave, Ellen, Sarah and Megan. We thought the bell tower in the background looked familiar, much like a tower we have on campus
The Great Hall of Harry Potter fame is actually the dinning hall of Christ Church College at Oxford.

below: pictures!

first, a quick re-cap of the weekend
It was two days full of K-State athletics. I came home to the Little Apple Friday night and went straight to the women's basketball game, immediately followed by the men's basketball game. Things that are funny: about a thrid of the packed colliseum left after the women's game. They knew they'd seen the best game for the night and didn't stick around to see the men play. Take that, battle of the sexes.

Saturday, Maureen showed up at my house at 1:30 and we headed to the packed Ahern Fieldhouse for the women's volleyball game. Braving the cold, Maureen, Ally and I trekked to the football game. Maureen only had to brave the cold until she got to the press box. Ally and I braved the cold the entire game. If you didn't already know the outcome of the game, here it is:
my team won.
my other team lost.
Yes, I wore both colors: K-State t-shirt, Mizzou sweatshirt; both were covered by my neutral blue parka.

After the game, Maureen, Tom and I attempted to hit up Aggieville but the weather got nasty and we didn't stay out too late. We met up with Angela and her friend Lane. They were looking to a place to stay the night and I figured that since Hotel Brooks was already renting out rooms, why not have a couple more guests. Besides, my mom would be excited to have a couple of fellow Pi Phis in the house; she's overrun with Alpha Chis now that Ally's one, too.

So, that was the weekend. Fun times. I think I saw more Mizzou friends in town than my Manhattan friends. Most of my friends from home don't get off from school until Wednesday. Ha ha.

so i lied.
I don't have pictures. I have links to pictures. Yeah, I know they're about seven months late, but I finally had time to put together some of my London photos. Without a digital camera, they're a pain to scan and upload. You should feel lucky you get to see them at all. Maybe someday I'll find the time to learn how to put all the pictures on one website and have captions. Woah. For now, your mouse finger can get some excersise. Enjoy!

around London
Big Ben at day
Big Ben at dusk
King's Reach Tower, home of IPC Media and the office where I worked at Wedding & Home
My view from work
Westminster Cathedral
Tower Bridge (not London Bridge, for which it often is mistaken. London Bridge is now in Lake Havaseaud, AZ.)
Hugh Grant at the London premiere of Two Weeks Notice
Sandra Bullock at the London premiere of Two Weeks Notice
our flat Megan, Ellen, Mary Pat, Sarah, Careth and I lived in flat one, the first floor with the light on in the bay windows.

flatmates
the six of us: Sarah, Careth, me, Megan, Ellen and Mary Pat
me and Ell at a Parisian cafe in Montmartre
Meg, Ell and MP
Meg and MP at a pizza stand in Covent Garden
Mary Pat creates our voice mail message in her fabulous British accent. It was so real that Ellen's mom didn't leave a message the first time she called because she thought she'd reached the wrong number
Sarah and me outside Earl's Court before the Paul McCartney concert.
Ell, MP and me ready for a night out in London. We didn't realize until on our way out the door that we were all wearing red pant, black tops. We broke some British hearts that night. ;)
Careth
Ell, Meg and me

friends
Ellen, Elizabeth, Sarah and I before we leave Chicago for Heathrow
Ellen, Elizabeth and me
Elizabeth and Megan in the Parisian cafe
Happy Valentine's Day from Daniel, Laine, Ell, Brandon and me
Meg and Brandon at flat one's hoppin' wine and cheese party
the end of the night the killer wine and cheese party.
me and Doug (who attends SMS but whose brother dated my pledge daughter, Lane. he lived in the basement flat. small world, eh?)

Greenwich
Laine, Emily, me and Chrissy on the boat to Greenwich
Jon and Brandon straddle each other and the Prime Meridian
I do the splits across the Prime Meridian. I hadn't done the splits since dancing in high school. A bit sore afterwards. (and yes, I know the creep taking the picture of me....that'd be Jon.)

more to come later

I've been writing this on my dad's computer at work because ours at home takes about 3 days to boot up, when it decides to actually do so. I wonder what the students think about my dad having a pretty, young college student spending quality time in his private office.

i think a guy tried to pick me up at the artisan tonight
He came up to me with the line, "Hey, are you Molly from Stephens College?" When I let him know the sad truth, that I was not Molly, he pulled up a chair and asked what I was working on. He didn't get my real name or number. I'm such a tease.

speaking of molly...
My gracious cousin, Molly, is going to let me crash at her place - the Hah-vard dorm - when I visit Boston. Yeah, the smart genes run in the family.

get your fill of posts, j-dub?
Just trying to satisfy my hourly readers.

dude, settle down
According to my stats, some of you check my blog every other minute. Is my life all that exciting to you?

other stat info
Some of my favorite searches that have led to my blog:
-smelly pointe shoes
-s@r@h m@gill the ho
-where to buy a leotard columbia mo
-aberdeen steakhouse london
-p@t he@ly new york times
-pearl tampon pictures
-brighton bag erica
-stuloo
-c@rson d@ly phone

Also, besides Pat's blog, Luke's is the website that people use the most to link to mine. I find that interesting not only because he hasn't updated his since September, but also because he has admitted that he doesn't read my blog. That means one of YOU uses his link. And uses it a lot. Who are you? Maybe we can join forces and convince him to start posting again.

i think i aced my american foreign policy test
But that worries me. I thought I aced our last test and got an 83%. I guess we'll see.

live from gannett
OK, not quite live, but maybe as J Dub would say, this report comes to you tape delayed from Gannett.

Dan and I represented the sarcastic, cynical, apathetic, yet wisened seniors in the back row of what was supposed to be the J-Scholars class representative election night. (We were the only two in the room not discussing the recent J200 lecture.) The night was not a waste as we gleaned fabulous info on what will be happening to and within the J-School over the next two and a half years. Read and weep: (you will cry, either because you are not hear to reap the benefits or because they are fowling up something cherished....cast your vote.)

Completed by fall semester 2006:
-Gutting the former Sociology building and creating within the old shell a four-story, glass building-within-a-building
-This will house the Reynolds Institute (think Poynter Institute, says Dean Brooks - not me, silly.)
-The Reynolds Institute will work to "connect the industry to education by adding a research element" and will house much of the school's graduate programs.
-The building will include an expanded journalism library, an auditorium, several seminar rooms, capabilities to broadcast CSPAN at all times and a coffee bar.
-It will also house the new convergence sequence.
-An underground walkway will connect Walter Williams to the Institute.
-This underground walkway will contain the facilities for all the online media the school does, meaning that the KOMU, Digmo and KBIA Web sites will all be produced from the basement of the Walter Williams-Reynolds Institute walkway. (taking digmo, et al out of their respective newsroom will definitely improve internal communication, won't it? yikes.)

other aspects of the plan:
-Adding another story on Neff Annex (the Neff Annex-squared).
-Definitely an updated press. They've already found a donor for a used press and think they might have found someone to donate money for a spankin' new one.
-Souping up the newsroom with a new frontline system. Whether this system will be PC- or Mac-based is yet to be determined. (The new building will be totally Mac, dude.)
-And - drum roll please - new computers for 214 Lee Hills Hall.

totally unrelated
I wondered this weekend who made the awful mistake of putting the "Gay Heat Wave" cover models in white on this month's cover of Vanity Fair. Of all people, the fashion-conscious gay community would know that wearing white is out of the question after Labor Day. Thank you to Details, for clarifying for me that this is ceasing to be a faux pas: "At the fall menswear shows, there was more bleached cloth on display than at a Klan really."

Things I've noticed about myself: I subscribe to more men's magazines than women's magazines. Is there something about myself that I haven't figured out? Also, when I shop, I measure my purchases in magazine subscriptions. (Is this $15 belt worth more to me than a subscription to Esquire?)

check that one off the list
I just balanced my checkbook. This is significant because I haven't done so since London.

a semester smothered with estrogen
As the time comes to start looking for ideas for a date to our formal, I've realized that this semester more than any other is seriously lacking in the guy factor. It amazes me how few guys are magazine majors. My two j-classes (newspaper design and magazine editing) have a total of eight guys between the two of them. And Dan accounts for two of those eight. (Props to him for putting up with me every day in our classes.) Sociology of the Family has seven guys in the class of 70+. The only class with substantial male representation is my American Foreign Policies political science class. And most of the guys in that class turn me off because they think they're so smart and aren't afraid to spout off their opinion, no matter how off the mark or off subject it is. I hate asking guys out. I'm such a chicken.

help me out here, please
Do you know anyone who needs a place to live next semester? I need a roommate.

london, actually
After initiation on Friday, a group of us girls went to see Love Actually. It was perfect for the place I am right now. I've been really missing London lately and my attempts to ease my "London-sickness" have failed. Seeing pictures of Big Ben, beefeaters and the Tower Bridge just don't do it for me. That wasn't the London that I spent everyday at. My London was the Earl's Court tube station, Blackfriars Bridge, Nandos, the IPC Media tower. Love Actually was my London. There were Walkers crisps, Ant and Dec, britpop group Blue and plenty of British pop culture humor. The best part however, was when the character, Mark, walked out of his flat, rounded the corner, and I knew exactly where he was: right outside King's Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LS. They didn't show the shop, but directly out of view was EAT, the cafe where my editor treated me to a birthday lunch. He walked through the OXO Tower, out onto the South Bank and there was Blackfriars Bridge! (notice the picture: the tall building is Kings Reach Tower; I worked on the 27th floor. To the right is the OXO Tower above a bunch of shops. To the left is the hotel with a bar where the art director, assistant editor and I spent Valentine's Day afternoon drinking three bottles of wine.) sigh. It was a nice reminder that my London did exist and still does.

Now, was that enough links for you?

already packing
I'm going to Boston. Although, if I were living in San Francisco, I could have bought a ticket to London for less. Or if I were in NY, I could go to Paris for even cheaper. Why do I have to live in a land-locked state, far from any good international flight deals?

what's up with the "district?
Two days ago, I saw a six-car police chase on Broadway. Yesterday, our house mom witnessed a bank robbery at Commerce Bank downtown.

it's cold
I broke out the pashmina today.

I miss London.

interrupted from my late-night, last-minute study session...
...by the ATO pledges, streaking Greek Town. For ten minutes.

-----
Yesterday morning I realized I didn't have a Halloween costume, didn't have money to buy a costume and didn't have time to create one. So based on what was clean in my closet (which is a lot since the weather keeps changing from hot to cold), I fixed myself a rockin' costume. In all black and a white strip of fabric with "CENSORED" pinned to my clothes, I was a censored bar. My pick-up line for the night: "If you lose your clothes, I can cover you with my body." Totally in character, I know. Maybe Sarah or Meh-gen can hook me up with some of their photos to link here. ;)

boo!
Happy birthday, Dan!

s@r@h m@gill looks like a rockstar
Well, because she is a rockstar. S@r@h M@gill (I still can't call her S@r@h Mue||er and forget about calling her just by her first name) was in town yesterday and at the Artisan. Her new haircut caught me off guard and it took a bit before I recognized her. Who is this person thinking they are my friend and looking at me with a big, dorky smile? was the thought running through my head when she said my name....twice. In the short time I had between classes, we talked about her rockstar gig in NY with Cheating Kay, her rockstar husband and how no one recognizes her with her new rockstar haircut.

you can't call me stinky
I like it when the weather can't make up it's mind whether to be hot or cold because it means my wardrobe lasts longer and I don't have to do laundry as much.

while we are in the mood to celebrate our parents' birthdays
If you feel so inclined, you could send my dad an e-card (kbrooks@ksu.edu) wishing him a happy 52 birthday and telling him what great contribution he has made to society (namely, me, of course).

sad
The worst part about this display was that I saw that a mother had brought her four 4- to 8-year-old children to gawk at the bloody pictures. It was too much. And likening abortion to Hitler's Holocaust, now that's obscene.

a Dan-esque post
Our quality publication has decided not to send a reporter to the Sheryl Crow press conference. Apparently, there's been enough coverage already. (Check out that cover, yo.) Wah wah student journalism.

just call me a lemming
Fiscus has done it. And Maureen has done it. So I've decided, in lieu of my own wit, I'm going to follow their example and offer to you all some of the funny sentences in my inbox right now.

+ This is your fair warning...don't freak out if I randomly show up at your home or place of employment.

+ Some of you have shown concern over an email regarding risks related to use of tampax pearl tampons. I have investigated, and have found this email to be an unreliable source of information (a mass email? Unreliable? Shocking, I know) and that pearl tampons are just as safe as any other tampon.

+ Remember the forms I passed out FOREVER ago? Why have you not turned them in? Search your soul, and hand the forms in to my mailbox. I know you can find it in your hearts to do this.

+ I know, I know, death to me for asking college kids to work Saturdays.

+ Just wanted to send out a quick reminder about Vox's "What do you mean that compound modifier doesn't need a hyphen?" Stress Release Party. (Yes, we are a bunch of nerds.)

+ If I start talking about law school, please slap me.

+ The directions are below and please feel free to bring friends, special friends and very (damn) special friends. Or else we'll sit around and talk about ice cream all night.

+ That's about as funny and sarcastic as I can be at 7:26 a.m.

+ Well, i need to go to glassblowing class! I hope i dont burn any phalanges off!

+ These problems are easy to fix, sometimes all you have to do is sign your name!

+ Twits with wings. all those boys have been infested with twits with wings.

+ Anyways, so now im just sittin here drinking some soy milk, getting ready to do some ceramics homework. I need to MARRY jerome my ceramics teacher.

+ I have been so antisocial this year. Its like DO I KNOW HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE? I totally forgot how to talk to people.

+ mostly im just takin it easy from the male species. We will see my friend. we will see. Love, Blob

+ i love my eze! everso easy! everso e!! i love you!

O.K. So the last one there was not so much funny as it was just a chance to show my lovely readers that someone loves me.

i almost bought a ticket to boston today
Seriously. I'm feeling antsy. I just want to be somewhere I've never been before. And for some reason Boston is calling my name. Maybe it's because the Red Sox had been in the news until a few days ago. Maybe it was hearing about Luke's trip there this summer. Maybe it was the jealousy of seeing Holly take a weekend trip there last weekend. Maybe I just want to get out to the East Coast in any way I can. But I restrained myself.
This time.

ho-de-hum
Holly and I have been bored tonight. Can you tell?

the sky is falling
Chicken Little was right. Or maybe that was just an acorn that landed -SMACK!- on the top of my head as I was walking by the Quad today. Ouch.

in memorium
The sign outside the Heidelberg says reconstruction will be done by Spring 2004. Just in time for graduation celebration, J-School-style.

where in the world...
We used to have an old-school computer game of "Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego" when I was little. One of the notorious criminals was named Justin Tyme. ha.

bravo, UM curators

high school update
Desmet is officially on my hit list, pushing Kirkwood out of the top spot.

will you bleed for me?
The annual Homecoming Blood Drive is today and tomorrow. If you don't have alcohol still coursing through your veins after this weekend's celebration and if you don't carry the possible threat of Mad Cow disease, you should give. (I fit in the latter category. Three months+ in London and I'm ineligible the rest of my life.) The Red Cross will be at the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. today and tomorrow. Go and tell them you're supporting Alpha Chi (because you know you love it).

more greek news
It happened in New York. It happened in London. It happened in Italy. And this morning it happened in Greek Town. A power-outage today meant that too many girls couldn't blow their hair dry. The out-of-commission minifridges meant this morning's beer too warm, leaving many a frat boy without breakfast. What a travesty.

maybe i was spoiled
Jamie Weaver, a senior at my high school and sister of a friend of mine, visited Mizzou last week, interested in the J-School. The wonderful ambassador the the Missouri School of Journalism that I am, I showed her around, answered her questions and introduced her to some people. Our discussion about our high school's newspaper, the Mentor, made me realize how great a background I got in journalism in high school. Especially compared to some of the high schools I'm working with for my job. I create custom, half-page ads for high school publications in the St. Louis, Chicago and Dallas areas. Some of those people -- advisors as well as students -- have no clue what they're talking about. An all-too-common response from a student: "Dimensions? You need to know exact dimensions?" My gut reaction when the adviser would give me an unclear submission date, "What do you mean you don't know your publications schedule and if you're going to have an October issue?!?!?!" The school at the top of my bad list right now is Kirkwood. THEY GAVE THREE DIFFERENT DIMENSION SPECS IN FOUR DAYS!!!! That's enough to drive a girl nuts. And communication between the adviser and the student business manager was messed up, leaving me to chase dead-end phone calls, faxes and emails for three weeks. Other schools on my hit list: Ladue Horton Watkins in St. Louis, and Chicago schools Hinsdale Central and Adali Stephenson.

Allow me to brag about the Mentor for a bit. Even though I was on the yearbook staff, I was in the journalism room enough that I felt like I was just as much a part of that publication. The Mentor is weekly. It's online. It's on real broadsheet newsprint and has real news, sports and feature coverage. Mrs. Wika may have been eccentric, but she gave us good experience.

ps
Jamie talked to Dean Brooks (no not me, silly) who told her that she'd be part of the J-Scholars program and could participate in that FIG (FIG 59, what-what!). So I showed her Mark Twain where she'd live. She thought it was the coolest dorm ever and was ready to move in immediately. I tried not to laugh too hard. Mark Twain, tut-tut. We all know the hard-core J-Scholars were when the FIG was housed in McDavid.

take THAT! huskers
Oh happy day. Last night's game was (in the voice of Tony the Tiger) "Grrrrrrrreat!" Smith and Outlaw's game of backyard catch and Sonny Riccio's field goal fake-out were like practical jokes deservedly played on Nebraska. Hi-larious. After the game, the voice-activation on my phone didn't work because I was hoarse. Not that I would have been able to get through to anyone; all of Sprint's services were jammed with the ecstatic phone calls of fellow Tiger fans calling friends/family/alums. It took me nearly 45 minutes to get in touch with Sarah to figure out where we were going to meet up and celebrate. The lucky few with whom I was able to connect and share in the game's euphoria at some time during the evening: my sister (although, her response when I asked her if she was watching the game was "Game? What game?"), Tim, Pat, J-Dub, Scott, my dad. (Many apologies to Scott for waking him up for the second night in a row. What a wacked-out work schedule, dude.)

funny moment of the night
Seeing new acquaintance Jay (Jeff? Josh? Jason?) drop Megan M.'s phone in his beer. Oops! Gives a new meaning to the term "drunk dial" as Megan will be sniffing beer for the next week every time she puts the phone to her ear.

movin' out
Despite Erin's generous offer to let me continue rooming with her when she goes to London next semester, I found a place to live so I can move out of Alpha Chi. Former flatmate Megan C. is graduating in December so I'm going to finish out her lease. It's going to be so nice to have my own space again! I went over last night to see the place (in Pear Tree), and Meg and I spent some quality time looking at pictures and wishing we were back in England. sigh...

*c*o*f*f*e*e*
I had coffee twice today. Actually, I lie. I had coffee with May-gun Crowley before classes and then decided to forgo the coffee and just have a lemon poppyseed muffin with E. Tut. between classes. (I love lemon poppyseed muffins, but I'm still digging the seeds out from between my teeth.) It was so good to catch up with each of them. I hadn't seen May-gun practically since I lived with her this summer...and she skipped out in mid-July to go to camp. We talked about the realities of being a senior; the efforts of trying to hang out with and spend quality time with the great friends we've made in the past three+ years conflicting with the pressures we feel to make new friends with incoming members of our respective "groups." Hers: Crusade. Mine: AX. As shown by challenge it's been to get together with both Erin and May-gun, the efforts to make new friends seems almost pointless. I'm going to be gone in just a few months. I want to spend my time with the people I really care about.

funny incident of the day
Seeing a bird relieve itself of Tuttle's leg. Yummy.

oh my goodness oh my goodness
Luke has posted.

query
Do self-flushing toilets freak anyone else out?

what is in a name?
I met Sarah and Ruth my freshman year. They were friends with fellow FARCer friend Will. The two were always together so they were always Sarah and Ruth. For the past two and a half years, however, I've only seen one of them. And I see her all the time. Which one is she, though? I was always really good at calling Sarah and Ruth by name, but now I can't think of her as anyone other than SarahandRuth. It's like the twins in Lord of the Flies. They become Samneric, one unified individual in two bodies. Instead, this mystery girl is one body that is two individuals. surreal, dood.

is this what they mean by letting missourians carry concealed weapons?

what makes going home good:
-Three loads of laundry -- free!
-Going outside during an ad break during the K-State-Texas game and knowing when to run inside to return to the game because I can hear the neighbor's reactions to Roberson's fumbles coming from all directions.
-Steak and fresh vegetables for dinner.
-The drive. I love the peace of driving long distance in Charlie, my trusty '88 Honda Accord.

of note
On the way home from church with the fam on Sunday, we ran over a screw and got a flat tire. Wrestling the spare into its place, we then realized that the spare was flat as well. As Dan would say, wah wah.

home sweet home
I went home for my sister's initiation into Alpha Chi at K-State this weekend. She had no idea that I was coming, so it was a fun surprise. On the way to Manhattan, I stopped in Lawrence to see Cecilia. It was a fun, albeit brief, coffee break. We rehashed some fun memories (our less-classy moments caught on video...yikes) and bemoaned the downward spiral of the quality of our high school yearbook. Cecilia: "I took one look and the first thing I saw was trapped captions. Trapped captions! I thought, there's no way in hell Erica would have let me get away with that!" Clearly they miss us at the good ol' Blue M.

score!
I talked with Tuttle tonight.

who has webbed feet?
And who is Oscar, Ian, Tim and Terry? (see: comments)

what is not going on the cover of the vox "water issue" this week:
A very phallic-looking water droplet.

heartless? maybe. funny? hell yeah
Last night, in the only free hour of my day, I had to run all over town trying to get stuff done before my Missourian shift. You might say I was a bit stressed. It was great comic relief, then, when I saw not one, but two separate instances of grown men fall off their bikes. Each time, the guy was just riding along and then all of a sudden, the bike seemed to crumple beneath him and -BAM!- he was biting pavement. Maybe I have some kind of bike-possessing super powers. Or maybe, it's karmic justice for the four bikers that nearly ran me over in one day last week. I swear that Thursday I had a target on me somewhere because the bicyclists kept popping out of nowhere, heading for a straight-on collision with yours truly.

the week (and a half) of reunions
Last week it seemed like I kept running into people (not literally, I save that for the cyclists) I haven't seen in forever:
*Beth, from Manhattan, at church
*Craig, also from Manhattan and a fellow Wika School of Journalism grad, outside the J-school
*Mark, on the quad
*Ben, who stopped by the house and I was actually here for once
*Jill, for a movie date (Under the Tuscan Sun, fabulous girly movie)
*Andy, outside the education library
And talked with people I haven't spoken with in a while:
*May-gun, summer roommate-turned permanent out of towner
*Elizabeth, my Nice trip buddy from London
*Liam, from Manhattan
And tomorrow (today by this clock) is another London reunion with the program directors who are in town, interviewing next semester's interns. (My roommate and Pat being among that group.)
However, in spite of all the fun people I've seen in the past week...

i think i'm being ignored
Here's my public plea to try to get Tuttle to return my phone calls. Where are you?

speaking of tuttle
It's time for Blogger to add to its collection of blog templates. Too many of my friends have the same ones! I check blogs before I go to bed, often half asleep. I have to remind myself whether I'm reading Tuttle's blog or Tim's, Kate's or Scott's, J-Dub's or Natalie's. I'm tired of trying to figure out why Holly is talking about Seattle baseball, Katie's discussing her Sweedish roommate and treks through Hollywood, and Courtney's conversing with Tom via blog. Get a bit creative, Blogger and help out your patrons.

the commercial
Let me know if you can get it to show on your computer. We seem to be having bad luck with it at the office. Quality MU technology at work.

MU v. KSU
Mizzou takes on K-State the first Saturday of Thanksgiving break in Manhattan. Anybody interested in attending with me? You'd have a place to crash (we have plenty of floor space) and there'd of course be a tailgate. Tickets are $40, but I'm going to see what we can do about a group rate. Right now, though, I need to know who might be interested. Any takers?

sometimes i'm a bit behind the times
Last Friday was the University's big fundraising kickoff and I forgot to post a link here so you all can see one of my summer projects. I selected the still photographs for the "For All We Call Mizzou" "music video." I'm expecting Carson Daly's phone call asking me to personally introduce the video on TRL any day now.

When they finally supply it, I'll include a link for the commercial I helped out with this summer. If you're in the KC or St. Louis area, keep your eyes peeled for an MU commercial about "Billy" and his family with Brad Smith in it. Those props you see...all under my control...

made for struttin'
I feel exhilaratingly confident when I wear my knee-high London boots.

advertise this
Have you ever paid attention to the ads at the top of Blogger pages? I wonder how Blogger matches them up. There has to be some kind of system. After my olfactory post, I have ads about removing "that rotten egg smell" and citrus oils that eliminate odors "naturally." Other blog ads of note:

Natalie's (who is getting married in January): all about honeymoons
Dan's (with a near-enough confirmation of the Pat Healy-Jayson Blair rumor - see eversoE post from 9/15): all about the New Yorker
Meh-gen's: "Know God" and a "Haunting song" about heaven
Holly's (who hasn't written much since her Twilight Festival post): Columbia Missouri Hotels
Courtney's (who trains horses out in LA): Horesback Riding Vacation
Tim's (who has just added a photolog to his links): all about photo sharing and prints
Erin's (who recently blogged about National Talk Like a Pirate Day, which was last Friday for those of you who missed it): "Get the latest translators for 100s of languages!"

The most amusing:
What are all the hangover ads supposed to say about Fiscus?

If you were design your own banner ad, what would it say?

i think i'm the fourth to post about this conversation
Erin asked me the other night why I still post to this blog. I guess in a way, I'm a bit of an egomaniac. I want to think that people are interested in what I do and say and at least with my blog I can think that the world is reading my musings. Then I met the world, or at least a piece of the world, and my postings for at least the next semester or so are confirmed. Saturday night, out with Fiscus et. al, I met Maureen, who promptly confessed to both me and Sarah that she is an avid reader of our blogs. Repeat: I met Maureen - meaning that her readership existed before any personal contact between the two of us. So apparently people in the world are reading this site.

In the effort to keep from sounding too egomaniacal, if you take a look to the right, you'll see a list of my "friends," half of whom are in places other than here. Reciprocal Blogging has been a good way to keep in touch...even to make friends.

additionally...
Today I'm wearing perfume from a sample I got in London (Ralph Lauren's Romance) and it's almost like I got ready next to the bay window in Flat 1, the BBC giving me my morning news as I sipped my cup of Twinnings tea and ate a crumpet. I'm almost out of samples but can't justify the $40 for a new bottle of Romance. sigh...

furthermore
I met with Jill McWretched this week and found out that I only need 10 credits next semester to graduate in May: two journalism classes and two gen eds...which I can take pass/fail. ! The end is reachable.

now that my olfactory senses have returned to normal...
I think I'm getting over my cold and now I'm noticing smells again. Have you ever thought about powerful a smell can be? I don't mean in the Ace Ventura "Whew! Do NOT go in there" kind of power. I mean powerful in the way a scent can take you back to things/people/places in your memory. The hallway connecting the Artisan to the building's bathrooms smells exactly like my dance studio growing up. Every time I go out there, I forget that I'm not wearing a leotard, tights and pointe shoes and have to keep myself from doing combinations across the tiled floor.

Instance no. 2.
I passed a girl in the halls of Lee Hills caught a whiff of the perfume that Gracy wore our freshman year when we were roommates. Wow. All of a sudden, images of 311 McDavid hall rushed back. The Christmas lights we had up all year in a desperate attempt to avoid using the horrid overhead fluorescent light; my pathetic black and white pictures from high school photo projects overshadowed by her fabulous photography; the two of us going out on photo shoots of our own around campus; trying soy peanut butter on raisin bread...and liking it; talking about mix tapes and what it means if a boy makes you one.

The final evidence that scent is powerful.
The summer after freshman year, I met (and crushed on) a guy who always wore a certain cologne. A semester and a half later, I sat next to a random guy in my child psychology class who happened to be wearing that cologne. It was the biggest struggle to pay attention to the lecture because I wanted to do nothing but take deep breaths of the guy sitting next to me. Talk about distracting.

Any smelly stories you'd like to share?

*sniff sniff* *cough cough*
Have you ever held your hand against a balloon as it's being blown up and felt the pressure of the plastic expanding? That's how my sinuses feel. Just thought I'd share.

mmmm...digestives...
Mary Pat's British beau got into town this weekend for his three-week visit. He brought with him four packs of McV's chocolate caramel digestives and MP brought one pack with her to class today. She'd better be careful; Sarah and I are going to begin to expect no less than two cookies a class for the next few weeks.

can anyone confirm this?
Rumor has it that J-School boy wonder P@tr!ck HeAly has taken Jayson Blair's desk at the New York Times. Can anyone corroborate this story?

a bit more
For Luke's enjoyment, if he ever reads this anymore, and for Sarah: I think the alternate name for the SNDC conference last weekend was "Mac enthusiasts unite." Beautiful iBooks were simply everywhere.

beyond what they teach in the classroom
I learned that I have a lot to do still before I'm ready to start seriously looking for a job.
On the list:
-make business cards
-create a website of my portfolio and resume
-put together print-outs of a handful of my best work
-get some color into my portfolio
One thing that I found everso interesting was the variety of responses I recevied about various layouts in my portfolio. There were about two or three pages/spreads that received the most comments. After one reviewer would praise my choices in design, the next would tear it apart. It fascinates me how subjective design can be. Overall, I think the most important lesson from the weekend was learning how to be more confident when talking about my work and what I want to do with design.

a quick rundown of the sights
I spent most of the weekend in the Omni Shoreham being inspired and learning how to schmooze, but at night we hit the main sights of DC. You know them: White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, the Mall (which is huge, by the way), the Smithsonian (just the buildings, no time to go inside) and the Capitol. Sunday morning before we had to leave for the airport, I ran to the National Gallery. My intention had been to get to the Phillips Collection, which houses Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party, my all-time favorite piece of art. As my luck would have it, the painting is somewhere between Buffalo, NY and Denver on a traveling exhibition. Instead I saw a lot of VanGoghs, Degas, Monets and a few other Renoirs so at least I got my fix of Impressionist art. Next time I go, though, I want to have enough time to go see some of the more modern art like Matisse and O'Keefe.

a sighting of another sort
The Rev. Al Sharpton was on our plane from DC to St. Louis. GQ had a page in this month's issue about his style and running for the Presidency....which I just happened to have on me. So before boarding, I so graciously asked him to autograph his page. And he so ingraciously (ungraciously?) scrawled his name without so much as a "Have a nice flight." Nice campaigning, buddy. No vote for you.

to forewarn my parents
This will probably be my worst semester grade-wise. I am so overwhelmed with reading for classes I couldn't care less about and these readings compete with the time I'd rather be spending doing stuff that matters (i.e. building my portfolio with Vox clips). My posts will probably be sporadic or else very brief from now on. (No Garvin-length posts for me.) I'm sure you can deal with that.

a late update
DC was great. Fabulous. Wonderful. Inspiration that was much needed. Sometimes I used to wonder if Mizzou was the right place for design and last weekend was confirmation that while the MU J-School might not stress design, the connections within the journalism world are beyond what I could get elsewhere. I don't think I've ever been with so many people that love design so much. Total encouragement, baby.

was i only dreaming?
I have the pictures on my walls. Pictures of Big Ben, a cafe in Paris, the piazza outside the Vatican. I share conversations with Protz, Sarah, Emily, Mary Pat, Ellen, Russ, Seth. I get calls from Michael and emails from Careth and Elizabeth. I wear my Dublin pants and Nice shirt while carrying my British purse. I share the memories of last semester with my friends and flatmates who experienced London and abroad along my side. But the day-to-day of Columbia living and the familiarity of school has made those memories seem like fiction. I cling to the daily conversations with flatmate Sarah, laughing over the un-packably huge Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock movie poster that we left for our summer Flat 1 successors to enjoy, and dancing to the Madonna and Britpop that plays in our head. Ah, the Flat 1 dance parties...

Seriously, though, it almost feels as though last semester has faded from existence. I know that I talk about London too much. I appologise. Sometimes I'm afraid that I might appear as though I'm flaunting my experience in the faces of others. But I don't mean to flaunt or boast. If I can't shut up about London, it's because I'm afraid that if I do, the term will turn out to be a dream after all.

ready to check this one off the list
I came to college with a list of cities I wanted to visit before graduating. In January, I spent a couple days with Erin in Chicago and crossed that city off my list. This summer, my hopes of visiting New York with my family were thwarted...by none other than my family (see June 12 post with the head "meanwhile...in mid-missouri"). But I'll get there, mark my words. After all, after this weekend, NY will be the last of the big three.

I'm headed to DC, guys! The annual Society for News Design workshop and exhibition will be there...and so will I. I'm really excited because this will be my first "professional" thing to do as a designer, albeit it's a group of newspaper designers rather than magazine. But hey, experience is experience and connections are connections. Ron Johnson from K-State (and our former neighbor on Newbury St. in Manhattan) is giving the opening talk for the student members of SND. And then there's Sara Jackson (also from K-State) and Tim. And I'll be in DC. After visiting the capitals of five different countries last winter, I'll finally be able to say I've seen my own.

There I go again, relating everything to London...I swore I'd never be one of those study abroad students. Oh well. Live with it.

movin' on up
All my graduated friends are getting jobs. It's quite exciting. Scott leaves for Seattle Sunday. Elise leaves for Waco Friday. Rumor has it that Fiscus and Erin have entered the real world as well. Go get 'em tigers!

black this out
The first thought I had when I saw the news about the blackout in London, that is, my first thought after, "I hope everyone is ok!" was, "I bet it's actually quiet behind our flat." (refer to section in Jan. 12 entry with the heading "a train runs through my backyard every 30 seconds") When CNN flashed to live footage of the city, my first thought was, "That's my work!" Yessiree, the fabulous IPC Media tower was front and centre. Ahh, the memories.

first i got a cell phone...
...then Luke got an iPod. And get this, these words came out of the previously self-avowed Macintosh critic: "I admit that Mac has actually put out a quality product....maybe some day I'll actually buy a Mac." Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! What's next? The five pillars of Islam being displayed in Alabama's state judicial building?

the proverbial beginning of the end
I filled out my application for graduation today. Yikes.

why erin will be fabulous to live with
She was bouncing off the walls last night, telling me about her first magazine design class and when I told her I bought this semester's new mag design textbook just for recreational reading, she didn't roll her eyes, unlike some people.

help!
i just created a new post and blogger won't let me put it online. why won't it?!?!!?!?

twinkies
Roommate Erin and I were out the door before we realized we were nearly dressed alike, both of us heading to Lee Hills. Fortunately, my destination was Vox orientation, and hers was MOian orientation so at least we wouldn't be seen by the same people. Just thought I'd share.

it wasn't the blackbird pub, but it was london relived
Last night was our London J-Studs reunion at StuLoo's house. The party was complete with Professor Bogan, our eccentric program head, leading us in the "London Program reunion ritual" mirroring the ritual he led our last night in London. Good times were had by all and the night ended appropriately with the last people to leave Professor Loory's house being the girls of Flat One and and the boys of Flat Two. It was the first time the group of us had been together since London and it was weird to be together in the heat and humidity of CoMo instead of the brisk chill of London. We've decided the next group outing with be to the new Cafe Gelato. Seth and I think we might make a couple trips in a night, just so we can pretend we're back in Rome again.

or am i the only target?
Is anyone else's email being ransacked by an inundation of email viruses? Every five minutes there are more messages in my inbox with the subject "Re:Aprroved" or "Re:My Details" (no exaggeration, I just checked and had two more after clearing my inbox just 7 minutes before). At least I'm smart and don't open them. But how do I get them to stop?!?! They're clogging my inbox and taking up space.

don't worry, i'm still alive
(But does anyone know if Scott, Bill or Colleen are?)
Recruitment started today. It's been crazy busy 'round these parts the past week and my Internet time has been limited. By the time I get caught up on everyone else's lives, I run out of time for my own monologue, blog-style. This week has had its ups and downs and I'm not going to go into detail because half of you would just roll your eyes and make some snide comment. And while some of those comments may be well founded, this week has been great affirmation that I do enjoy Alpha Chi. Maybe it's just something about entering my last year at Mizzou, but everyone just seems to get along a little better. I know that my senior year of high school, I just didn't care or try to impress everyone; it's a lot easier to get along with people if you don't try to impress them. The best part of the week came when I got the phone call from my sister that she pledged Alpha Chi at K-State. Yeah, yeah, roll your eyes if you want at the cheesy-ness, but I'm really excited that she and I are now, as my friend Stephanie says, "sisters of the womb and in the bond."

in other notes
ummm....there really aren't other notes. My life this past week and a half has been AX. Except for frenzied trips to Wal-Mart or Target, or to daily treks to the Chateau to pick up the things I keep remembering I forgot, I have been cooped up in this house on Richmond. Maybe I'll have more exciting things to write about come a week from now when classes start. Until then, I'll be starting all my conversations, "Suzy Q, this is Penny Poo. We were just discussing...."

i've signed my life away
Watch out Scott, you're next. I bought a cell phone today. I was going to hold out until I graduated in May, but at least four of my good friends use only their long-distance mobiles and I'm tired of the hassle of calling cards. I'd include my new number in this post, except I've seen what kind of wackos access Pat's blog and I don't want random creepy people calling me. They'd be using up precious minutes that would be better spent talking to you. So, if you'd like my new digits, zip me a quick email and we'll be in contact.

hell begins saturday
I should really change my attitude about moving back into the Alpha Chi house and starting Recruitment work week. I've just become so comfortable in my attic palace that having a roommate (wonderful person that she is - and a mag design major too!) is going to seemed cramped...not to mention that I won't be able to bring my half-drunk bottle of merlot. (I've already decided to stash a bottle of Bailey's at Sarah's and whenever I need to escape the house, I'll just head to her place.) And then there's the issues that come with Recruitment. Definitely not Greek Life at its most upstanding moment, I believe. I really truly am excited about seeing everyone again and getting to know the girls who were freshmen last year. I just wish that the unavoidable pettiness didn't have to come with it. So, starting Friday, this blog (and yours) will probably be my outlet to the real world. Relieve me, please, with stories devoid of matching toenail polish and synchronized walking. And if you want a good laugh, just cruise through Greek Town any time next week. You'll get a good show.

part of the entourage
Yesterday I was in Liberty with work, helping with a commercial shoot. It's an ad that will promote Mizzou in the KC and StL areas starting in Sept. It was nearly a 13 hour day. For 30 seconds. Not that I expected anything different; if a still life photo took 4 hours to take for the magazine, a full day for 30 seconds of hundreds of "still" shots seemed like no time. One of my roles yesterday was to meet Brad Smith, take him into the Liberty High School to change into his football uniform and then bring him out to the practice field where two pop warner teams full of 9-12 year old boys were holding their collective breath to meet him. That walk from the school onto the field was so awkward. Brad was between me and Frank Cuervo, MU Director of Marketing for the athletic teams and in front of us were two local t.v. crews and a hundred+ kids and parents, all focused on our arrival, a hush over the field as soon as the first kid piped up, "He's here!!!!" Now, I know that no one took a second glance at me. I mean, even the soccer moms' eyes were riveted to Brad's cut torso that was very visible under his official MU-Nike sweat-proof undershirt. But should I try to make small talk (the guy's really nice, but exceptionally shy), swing my arms, look at him with wonder and amazement, or simply drool like everyone else? Why all the fuss? And why did I have to feel so awkward? Man, that sociology class has warped me.

maybe my sense of humor is just off
On Wednesday, the Trib's lead photo caught my eye every time I passed the front desk in the News Bureau office. I laughed every time I passed and finally said to Tish, the lady who "mans" the desk, "This cracks me up: the guy lives at the corner of Square Cir. How funny is that!?!?!" Apparently not very. She just looked at me with a blank stare. "You know, it's a circle, a cul-de-sac. And its name is Square!!!" Still the blank stare. Maybe I was being inappropriate because the nature of the story was serious. Or maybe I'm too easily amused.

I do know that I can't control my outbursts of laughter sometimes.
When you abbreviate University of Missouri-Columbia, it's spelled "UMC" and you pronounce it "U-M-C." When you talk of the University of Missouri-Rolla, you say "U-M-Rolla." When you talk of the UM System school in Kansas City, you say, "U-M-K-C." So when I saw a guy on campus wearing a shirt from the University of Massachuesetts that said "UMASS," I burst out laughing. Uncontrollably. In the middle of campus. With no one around to share my internal thought process slip-up. So I had to share it with someone and my virtual audience seemed perfect. I can at least pretend I'm funny here.

So, you cast the verdict. Is my sense of humor out of wack? Or is this funny to anyone else?

sweet dreams are made of this
The psycho cat has invaded my dreams. You know those half-reality falling dreams, where you wake with a start and a muffled scream, fully believing that you've just tripped over the edge of a cliff? Well, it was like that. Except instead of me falling over a cliff, it was Cassie jumping up to attack my face. I screamed and jolted away from the edge of the bed. It took me a while to remember that I was in Ashlyn's apartment in St. Louis and not the Chateau on Paris Road. Must. Take. Deep. Breaths. Then kick the cat across the room.

(I'm really not a cat-hater. If you know Cassie, you know the terror with whom I live. Need my sentiments corroborated? Check out Natalie's blog.)

hold me back
I have to restrain myself as I design sometimes. The high school yearbook copy editor in me rears its ugly head. Typos kill. (Except on blogs. I reserve the right to commit grammatical errors all I want here.)

oops
I walked through the MOian newsroom on my way to Vox and saw Joanna (of Scott's favorite FIG fame). We were chatting about Scott's surprise party Tuesday night an I mentioned that I want to see her pics of Scott walking through the door. "He looked like he was about to pee his pants!" I laughed. Just then, a TA rounded the corner and picked up the phone that was laying (lying?) on the desk...not on hold and therefore in complete earshot of every word we had just said. "Columbia Missourian, please hold while we stick our foot in our mouth."

a note to scott and rob
I thought of you when I saw this Sports Night quiz. Who are you?

it never fails
There's a family down the street from us in Manhattan who have me watch their cats when they go on vacation. Every time they have been gone, their Siamese, Indy, pukes on the carpet, pees on the carpet and finds other creative ways to leave me fun presents when I check up on him. This is my first summer in a while where I didn't cat-sit for the Ransoms (It's hard to justify the 4 hour drive for $15 when gas is $20). Oh, but my luck with cats has followed me to Columbia. Ashley B. is the only roommate about whom Cassie (that's the cat) really gives a damn and she's been gone for a week now. Last night, the feline decided to impress the company by giving us a show of her half-digested dinner. Many thanks to Felicity, Ben and Lindsey for helping me clean the kitchen floor.

a future for me?
So, my hometown paper, The Manhattan Mercury is looking for a page designer. "Long hours, low pay" and I'd get to work with Bi|| Fe|ber! Uh, no thanks. At least I'm not desperately searching for a job yet.

i feel cool
I know someone who works on every floor in Jesse. Just FYI. And today I added to my list of Jessians. I met the mythical Christi@n B@si, Assitstant Director of the MU News Bureau and the Missourian's primary contact for "the honest facts" about MU. (a.k.a. one of those slimy PR people). I've worked in the News Bureau for nearly a month now and finally met the man everyone at the Missourian loves to hate. (To quell any rumors....I actually am not working for the News Bureau itself, the computer and office that I use are just housed there.)

why i'm a nerd, exhibit a
Is there anyone else out there who thinks of blog topics, headings, etc whilst going about your daily business? I had half of this entry written in my head as I walked to class today. And yet why can't I get my K-Stater magazine article written?

nerdiness, exhibit b
As I walked to class today I saw a guy reading today's Vox as he was walking....reading the Scene and Heard story in Short Talk....which I designed this weekend. I had a deep desire to run up to him and interrogate him: "Why are you reading this? What drew you to this page? Do you think the illustration looks too big? You should have seen it before!" I've done more designing this week than all last fall in class. 3 ads, 3 Vox pages and a newsletter...all in one week! How great!

just don't expect me to start spewing off sociological theories
At least not quite yet.
It's weird to think that two weeks into my Sociology class, I'm half-way done. I'm really liking it (my aunt and uncle would be so proud!) It's making me think and we don't do busy work. My professor is pretty cool and our class only has nine students...all this and it's an entry-level class!

all by myself...
By now, all the roommates have left town and I'm here alone for the weekend. I'm trying to decide if this is a good thing. For one, it means that there are less distractions and I'll be more likely to finish my article. But it also means that dinners are going to be really boring...and the bed bugs might bite. Oh wait, that's Cassie.

one of the best feelings ever
....is knowing that simply your presence has made someone's day, week, month. I came home to Manhattan last night to surprise my mom for her 50th birthday. She had no clue that I was coming and was practically giddy with excitement. (I think the fact I came bearing a small t.v. and VCR for the kitchen, gifts from Ally, Dad and me, added to her excitement to see me.)

my 15 minutes?
While I was home, I went through a couple of my old journals from elementary, middle and high school. Most people write journals/diaries to get things out of their minds but not to let anyone else read them? I wrote as if my thoughts would one day be published and my literature read by thousands of people. You know, me, the next Anne Frank. I even changed the names so I could, you know, "protect the innocent." Of course, the fact that I added pictures ("visuals," so my readers could have an idea of how cute my crushes were) didn't really help that "protecting" much. But I think the fact that the unlikelihood that my pre-adolescent tribulations will ever be intriguing to anyone besides my near family (and maybe the guys who I had crushes on would find it amusing) is assurance that the innocent will remain sheltered from the paparazzi. Instead, the public (you) gets to read my thoughts as I think them, thanks to this blog. Just don't expect any snapshots of hot boys in this journal. Use your imagination instead. That's what I do. ;)

from the management
It has come to my attention that I printed an error in my previous post. The "Evil Missourian" to which I published a link was created by Goodloe, Fiscus and Sonderman. I apologize for any misrepresentation that might have been insinuated by the omission of the first two names. Lord knows Sonderperson wouldn't have been able to come up with all that. I make this correction in honor of Fiscus' 22nd birthday which was yesterday. How did I make it through 306 without such crass errors?

they like us, they really like us
We had nearly 30 people over here last night for our BBQ. I'd like to think that that's a measure of how cool we at the Chateau are, but it's probably more a measure of how cool Sarah is. I think she's the reason why half the people considered coming. At least, we figured there were four or more people who wouldn't have come if her presence wasn't promised. The best thing was that the four of us (Meh-gn has gone back to Minneapolis for a month to show British Boy Wonder Jon her home) have different circles of friends, so we had a nice eclectic group. It's fun to see how small Mizzou is, when you start getting random people together and figuring out connections. And I made several new friends!

when i finish this, i'm going out to buy leather chaps and gloves
Mom and Dad, don't freak out. I had my first motorcycle ride last night. Ooh! What a thrill! Ben took me out on his bike (he had an extra helmet, don't worry) and we just drove around town a bit. He tried to convince May-gun, but her "anal-retentiveness" forebade her to get on something whose only protection between her and the fast-moving ground were the gnats in the air.
Well, off to the Artisan to pretend I'm a journalist. (I was only kidding about the leather acessories. I know I had you fooled there for a bit.)

306ers, laugh your a$$ off
I was having a pretty crappy day (thanks to the consequences of my great ability at being an airhead) but the wit of Sonderman has lifted my spirits. Anyone who was formerly a Missourian reporter, or who is a Missourian critic (not mutually exclusive categories) will get a kick out of Jeff's Onion-esque play on Columbia's only morning newspaper. Enjoy!
front page....second front

the one with all the friends
This weekend was much needed for many reasons. 1) To see Sarah and catch up on our time apart. 2) To get away from Columbia for a while. 3) To relax by water and have no schedule. 4) To watch multiple episodes of Friends everyday.

back in the u.s. of a.
Sarah and I had such a great time catching up. We've been emailing every week since we last saw each other at the beginning of April, but it's always better to talk in person. We discussed our adventures in Europe and the States, reverse culture shock, the changes we've felt (yes, I'm starting to see how I've changed over the past 6 months) and our projections for the coming semester at school. We walked around Super Target and I laughed at Sarah's reaction to the overflowing aisle of cereals and the cheapness of a 2 liter bottle of Coke (39 cents!), knowing that her reaction mirrored my own just two months earlier. Skinny, green money was just as awkward for her as it had for me. And she and I found that we were both losing an inordinate amount of hair. (If you know of a study proving the relation between multi-country travel and the amount of hair one sheds, let us know. We could definitley be participants.)

KA-BOOM!
It was great to spend the Fourth of July with Protz, just two days after she had returned to the country. It really put perspective on the day, that's for sure. I definitely appreciated the Fourth of July more this year. We went sailing (my first time!), boating, sunning...in a word, relaxing. What was especially cool was watching the fireworks. We sat on the dock of the lake and watched the fireworks, set against the backdrop of lightning and magnified by their reflection in the water. It was amazing! Many thanks to Sarah and her family for their hospitality.

props to the protzes
I really enjoyed getting to know the Protzmans. And all the other families at the Outing Club for that matter. Before I left, the neighboring family gave me hugs and said to come again. Everyone was so friendly! In many ways, the Outing Club reminded my much of the Lair (the UC-Berkely family camp my mom's family goes to every summer for a week)...just on a bigger scale...the whole summer vs. a week in July. Thanks again, Sarah for a great weekend!

ps
I forgot to mention that Sarah will be back in town on Tuesday and at our BBQ.

leaving...
I'm leaving this morning to head to Clear Lake, Iowa. Sarah got back from her trek across Europe yesterday and she's invited me up to her family's lake house for the Fourth. It was so good to talk to her last night and I can't wait to see her tomorrow! But first I have to pack and then drive. SIX hours! I got two books on tape at the library: "Tuesdays with Morrie" and Al Roker's "Don't Make Me Stop This Car!: Adventures in Fatherhood" to keep me awake.

chez nous
BBQ. The Chateau (a.k.a. 1321 Paris Rd.). Next Tuesday, July 8. 7 p.m. Bring your meat to grill and a drink to...well, drink. Let me know you're coming!

e|iza gorem@n is my hero
I'm in the Vox office, a half an hour behind in my designing because I was immobilized for twenty minutes by a wasp that decided to take a nap on the cord to my mouse. The presence of a wasp paralyzes me and the fact that the devilish creature was just waiting for me to awaken it with the slightest movement of my mouse, giving it reason to sink its stinger into my flesh, propelled me to the other side of the room. I couldn't get onto my computer to work on my layouts and I couldn't use a different computer out of wasp-range because my documents were held hostage by the cord-sitting beast. Dun dun da dun! Enter Eliza, a rolled-up Outside magazine as her weapon. Exit wasp. I have sworn allegiance to Miss Goreman if ever she should need a spider smited (is that a word?). I'm fine with spiders. Just don't get anything with a stinger near me.

wasp event no. one of the week
Jeremy and Jeff shot a rubber band at a rogue wasp in the news bureau on Thursday, perfectly slicing it in two. As payment for their noble deed, I have lent Jeff my copy of Order of the Phoenix. Jeremy already owned the book, so he got a heartfelt thank you.

has God sent a plague?
Cassie, our beautiful beast of a cat likes to hunt bugs in our house. I found a dead wasp on the floor of my room the other day. Can you guess how restful my sleep has been lately? I told her thank you and in return she bit my nose. Ben locked her in the basement to punish her. I think I would have preferred him to lock her in my room to finish off the horde of flying monsters I'm sure have infested the attic.

sometimes a week in which nothing spectacular happens can be a spectacular week
There wasn't one specific thing that made this week good. Nothing too exciting happened. I didn't accomplish any great feats and I didn't solve any foreboding problems. But it seemed like nearly every minute went well. To keep your interest from waning by making you drudge through paragraphs of mundane details, I'm just going to list some of the highlights.

friday
(a.k.a. Harry Potter Day)
That says it right there. Finally got to see Miss Tuttle at the 9th Street Bookstore book release.

the weekend
Chilled in Shelter Gardens with Lucy. We made friends with a squirril we named Fredrick and got in trouble with the park security guard for climbing a very sturdy willow.
Met up with Emily and George in Westport at an Irish pub called Kellys that bared no semplance to anything Irish or any pub Em or I had visited.

wednesday
A Vox-ful day. This was double production week as we put together two issues, allowing us to take the weekend of the Fourth off. I began to really feel like part of the magazine staff: for the first time, my name was added to the masthead as a designer; at the pot luck dinner that night we got to see that Thursday's issue coming off the press; Andrea and I joked about the Lionel Richie cake she brought ("Vox does it all night long..."); and Carolyn and Astrid and I gossiped about a certain former TA we'd all had last year. The best part of Wednesday came when Carolyn gave me an unfinished 4th of July page to work on for the July 3 issue. I worked on it for about an hour and was getting really frustrated, convinced that there was no possible way to arrange all the elements on the page without sacrificing some of the most important design principles. Just as I was about to give up and send layout convention to the infernal realm, everything clicked. Ahh...the joy of design.

Oh. And I finished Order of the Phoenix Wednesday as well.

thursday
Again, nothing all that exciting. Scott ditched our plans to go to the last Twilight Festival of the summer. (Something about a job interview. Hey, I understand that it's your top choice and they're putting you up for the night and everything, but you put that over handouts from the Peace Nook and free samples of strawberry milkshakes from Cool Stuff?) So May-gun and I joined Felicity, Ben and Mark in strolling along Broadway. I discovered a London store. It was closed. I'll be back.

friday
I spent the evening surrounded by engineers. The only non-engineer at the BBQ was a pathobiology student. I felt unqualified to be in attendance. The food and the sand volleyball made for a good time despite the fact that I didn't join the conversations about statistics and the difference between inversion and reversion...or something like that.

'till next time, yo.

the entry about books

by day, one of those slimy PR people
Yesterday, I helped write a quote for Chancellor Wallace to say at some Columbia One Read program. You wouldn't think it'd take two of us a half an hour to string together three sentences promoting To Kill A Mockingbird. All for a quote that no one will blink at. Next stop: "President" Bush's 2004 campaign speeches.

speaking of books
Do you have any? In particular, Aldus Huxley's Brave New World? I'm beating the system for my summer session Sociology I class and not buying my books at the bookstore. I have two already (Lord of the Flies and 1984....I think all I'm going to have to do for this class is copy my book reports from middle school) and I ordered my textbook online for $8. Now if only I can find someone with Huxley's masterpiece, I'll be great. $8 or $51 from the MU bookstore? No contest.
*I do have "Brave New World" the British pop song on my Brits Hits compilation CD...does that count?

i think this makes me an official member of the columbia community
I got my Daniel Boone Regional Library Card in the mail a couple days ago. Old movie nights are about to become a regular event at the Chateau, thanks to the power of free movie rentals at the modern artwork that is the Columbia Public Library. I think this makes me a Columbia resident, right? So I should only pay in-state tuition, right?

the priorities in my life
As I was driving to work today, I had to stop quickly at a light and did the soccer-mom-arm-save. To protect my sack lunch from sliding to the floor and squooshing my strawberries.

a wordy release
Two nights ago I unloaded my jumbled thoughts into my personal journal. Eighteen pages later I realized that there were some very interesting thoughts down on paper. Because I am too lazy to write new material for this blog, below is an excerpt.

I have so many thoughts fighting for my full attention right now that I just have to get them out and down on paper. I sit here in a hammock that has become my most favorite part of a house that I have begun to simply love. The night is perfect (as long as the mosquitoes keep their distance) and I feel like just about the most blessed person on this tiny planet right now. I am conflicted, but in ways that only show how God is just too good to me. I sit here in a town that is beginning to feel like home (a year before I am again homeless) totally happy for where I am.

Have I ever felt this? I don't think so. Not that I don't have dreams and things that I desire for my life. I'm just so happy with what I have, happy like I don't think I've been before. I just spent the most amazing semester in a country that I yearn for and have returned to some of the best friends ever; new, old, resurfacing friends. (Is it possible to long to be someplace and yet love where you are at the same time?) I'm finally doing what I want with journalism and loving it. I'm attending a Bible study again...and not one that I have to prepare for. I'm making new friends there and feeling encouraged by their stories and supported by their prayers. I have roommate that are great.

The jobs are going great. The Brady kids can definitely be a challenge. I'd say they are the trying part of the summer. Their adorable-ness, however counter-balances my moments of frustration. just as I feel like I've had it, Amelia will tell me she loves me, or Jackson will crawl into my lap, or Avery will cry out, "Ecka!" with the glee of a child so proud that she can remember my name. Touching. And a real reminder that frustrations are temporary. (Let me just say, thought, that nap time is just lost on twins who sleep in the same room. Their collective energy fits that cliche equation that the whole [energy] is greater than the sum of its parts.)

Business Services would have to be the biggest blessing of the whole summer. I never would have thought that by mentioning the fact that I really needed to find another job, I would end up with a 40 hour work week....just from the University. And what's more, this raise is a promotion that works right with design. I get to promote a university that I love by doing what I love. Who would have thought? I'm working directly under two of the most influential women on campus: J@ckie J0nes (Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services) and Chris Kouko|a (Assistant to the Chancellor). And I have my evenings free!

...those: my thoughts...at least some of them. I of course edited out the more personal thoughts and random sentences that were exceptionally stream of consciousness and that paid no attention to grammar. (Boys are not to be discussed on the Internet, that is my firm belief. Too much like passing notes in middle school: the message could be intercepted by the teacher and read aloud for the whole class --and him!-- to hear.)

there and back again
I'm doing another quick trip to Kansas City again tonight. I'm picking up my friend from camp, Lucy. She's coming to spend a couple of nights with me here in CoMo.

and let us not forget
Tomorrow night. Midnight. 9th Street Bookstore, population: May-gun, me, Lucy, Tuttle....and a certain Harry.

moore thoughts
I'm in the midst of reading Michael Moore's Stupid White Men: and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation. I had prepared myself for radical liberalism out the wazoo. No way am I a staunch conservative, but I usually get annoyed with way-out there activists of the other "persuasion" as well. This book, though is so practical that I'm finding that I agree with a lot that he says. I'm even
*gasp!*
thinking of voting Green next presidential election. Not solely because of this book, mostly because it really seems like this nation needs a shake-up in politics and getting government support for another political party would make things a little more interesting and maybe things would get done around here. I especially found his chapter on education interesting. I don't think Moore talked about anything that my Mom hasn't critiqued at some point. Mom has the classroom experience backing her thoughts...Moore has the figures to prove those thoughts.

in the spirit of a well-rounded self-education
Next on my reading list (after OoP, of course...and All the President's Men which I've been struggling through since February): Bush at War (If I can make my way through another Bob Woodward book...not doing so well with AtPM.)

nice kitty
Cassie, the psycho cat is being uncharacteristically nice to me lately. We've made it through the weekend without the usually ritual attempted biting that usually comes when I try to pet her. Normal cats (like Ally Cat) purr, Cassie bites.