7.27.2003

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.)

7.21.2003

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.)

7.19.2003

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.

7.18.2003

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.

7.17.2003

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.

7.11.2003

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. ;)

7.09.2003

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.)

7.07.2003

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

7.06.2003

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.

7.03.2003

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!