Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in jwake82's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, January 15th, 2006
11:08 pm	It's been awhile... Wow, It's been just about forever since I updated. My bad. I've been busy. Since last time, I turned 23 (scary), started and quit a job, and have finally decided my future. I just sent in grad school applications for the Masters of Public Health programs at Kent and U of Arizona. Scary, but strangely liberating. I feel like everything's finally coming together. I've been doing a lot of travelling, since May I have been to Mexico (Puerto Vallarta), Boston, Baltimore to visit Diana, and Tucson for my cousin's wedding. Hence my application to the U of A. I'm still working at the winery, and still loving it. To be perfectly honest, there's really not much else newsworthy going on. I'm back at home in P-town for the year, and I'm really glad the year off is going well and has been productive. I really would like to say something more profound, but that's something for another day I guess... Hoping this new year will bring some exciting changes :) Current Mood: optimistic (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 17th, 2005
7:37 pm	A very untimely but much needed post So here's the deal. I'm supposed to be writing my term paper for Injury Management. But naturally, I don't ever feel much like doing what I am supposed to be doing for several reasons: 1. It's a relatively nice day, and I am getting Spring Fever. 2. My spring fever is but one component of my larger problem, which is a nagging case of Senioritis. 3. Having to write a five page paper is usually no problem... until you realize it has to be written single-spaced. 4. I have a writer's block... Hence the journal, hoping to get my brain and typing fingers working so I can make a huge dent in this paper tonight. 5. Finally, I allowed myself to have fun this weekend, and it makes me want to do it more. Now, the story of the weekend. We went to Pittsburgh to visit Sarah at Duquesne. I haven't been anywhere interesting... well, pretty much since Boston in September. And we've been promising Sarah a visit for 3 years now, and time is running short. So we went to Pittsburgh, which was a first for me, other than driving through once at 2:30 AM because we missed the Penna Pike on the way to Virginia and then on the way back from the wedding last fall, which is nothing more than a blur since we were so exhausted. So it was exciting to actually be in the city and not just driving over some random bridge on the way through. The drive down was excrutiating, for one because we got into Fri afternoon rush hour, but also because we seemed to be trapped in a giant pack of really lousy drivers, the queen of which being some airhead in a black neon that couldn't seem to regulate speed to save her life. We definitely passed and were passed by her numerous times in the hour that we travelled together against our will, which culminated in her jamming her breaks in front of a big line of traffic in order to illegally turn around in the emergency access, nearly causing a chain reaction rearending. It was a close call. When we finally battled the traffic and made it there, we took a bit of a scenic route b/c we missed a roadsign, and ended up on a one way dead end. That was fun. The car in front of us did the same thing, so it was kinda funny. We managed to make it to Duquesne and the building we were looking for, so all was well. And on the way, we definitely saw Maroon5's tour bus, so that was cool too. We went out to a great Chinese dinner and did some shopping while we waited, the weather was beautiful... it made it difficult to want to come back to Erie. Then we went back and got ready to go out. Due to the concert, there was serious traffic at 10:30 on our way to the bar. This was yet another first... first time in a cab. That was interesting. The driver was a little itchy because of the traffic, so it felt like we were bouncing around with hydraulics the way he kept pumping the break. But he was pretty cool otherwise. We even called him for a ride home, which was much more pleasant. Thanks to the traffic, we racked up a pretty good cab fare, so he gave us a Senior discount. HAHA. So once we got to the strip, we went to a bar called Deja Vu which was pretty cool, and I found out that I enjoy Long Island Iced Tea :) We didn't stay long before an alley hike to Touch...another first: dance club. It actually turned out to be pretty fun. I even danced for the last half hour, and enjoyed it. I probably could have done without the bar tenders in bras and the shortest skirts I have ever seen, particularly when they got up and danced on the bar, but I learned to ignore that, and had a really good time. Definitely woke up with a sore throat and very little voice though... :) So it was a pretty fun night on the town. Much different from Erie, I must say. Thanks to our arrangement with our Cabby,we got a cab right away and made it back around 2:30, and then to bed by 4. It was kinda rough getting up in the AM, we wanted to go to breakfast before it got busy, so the alarm went off at 7:45. But, breakfast was excellent at a diner downtown, so it was all good. Then after walking around Pitt for awhile in search of a postcard, we went back and took a nap before we attempted to drive home... definitely a good thing. The drive back was much more pleasant, I must admit. All in all, it was a great weekend, I'd love to redo it. And coming from a native Clevelander (close enough), I really like Pittsburgh :p I'd like to go back some time for sure. It's just confusing with all those bridges. And we had a great tour guide and lots of fun! I wish we'd managed to make it sooner! Ok, back to this paper. And to Sarah: "I love cherries, but don't give them to me in a pie" :p Thanks for an awesome weekend! Current Mood: jubilant Current Music: my clicking keys (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 10th, 2005
11:22 pm	I don't really know why I'm writing, I don't really have anything to say. It's getting to be that busy time again, before finals. Next week I have a quiz, a paper, two presentations, and a lab report, plus finals prep. And then finals. At least it's one a day this term and not 4 in one day... that was nuts. Classes for next term are finalized... I only have 2, and one is an Independent study. Rock on. Next term is gonna be great. And no doubt, it's gonna be fast. Tomorrow is the "100 days till graduation" party at the Cornerstone. Scary thought. I am planning to go home and work the weekends again, hopefully, so I have some mad cash for Cancun... if we go. Which we may not, and that would be sad. I was thinking that I really want to travel a lot during my year off. We were supposed to go to Cancun, we'll see how that works out. Then my dad wants to take a roadtrip to Charleston, which I am all up for, and in October, we're going to Tucson for my cousin's wedding. I can't wait for that. And I'd really like to go to Seattle and to Boston again too. I was thinking it would be fun to take a roadtrip wherever the wind blows, like take a few days and just drive and see where I end up. Of course, I'd probably never make it home, so that would be bad. Oh well. I think I am going to bed now. This was a totally useless post, and if anyone took the time to read it, not that I think anyone reads this at all...(other than Ali, which I can't quite figure out other than that it's something to criticize me for later) I apologize for the incredible waste of minutes of your life. Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: none currently (Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 1st, 2005
3:22 pm	Wow, this is the last time... I registered for my last term at Mercyhurst today. Wow. I feel an era ending. I don't know whether to be excited or nervous or scared or what. It's getting down to the nitty gritty now. Just a couple months left of being a college student, then it's on to the real world. And I wish I meant real world as in the sense of "this is the story of seven strangers picked to live in a house..." It's scary and exciting at the same time. Time to get on with it. I must comment on how much I enjoy online registration as opposed to waiting with a bunch of stressed out people in the longest line ever to register, praying that my classes don't close. HAHAHA. Anyway, I only have 2 more courses... Athletic Injury Management II and unfortunately got myself roped into Health Career Seminar. It'll be good for me, but it won't be easy. It's basically just medical terminology, but I was kinda thinking about taking Sign Language to make for an easy last term. But, when I asked the prof about it, he said "you better be taking it, you were the one that said you needed it"... not entirely true, I mentioned to my advisor that I was interested b/c some of my grad programs at the time required it, but being that I was unsure where i was applying, it might not be a bad idea to have it, although, I pretty much intended on taking it at home over the summer. But I'd feel bad if he offered it on the basis of me "needing it" and not having it, so I am signed on for a term of possible torture... On the bright side, if I take a coding class over the summer, I might be able to spend my year off working in a doctor's office or something, which really would be entirely ok with me. So we'll see. I'll know lots of Latin and will be able to decipher the medical jargon the doctor feeds me thinking he's all smart. Nothing else much new. We did find a great walking route in the development behind our apartments... quite extensive. I am thinking about bringing my rollerblades up, but there are massive potholes, so i may not. So other than that, life is pretty much usual. I have a 400 page book to read and write a report on due next Thurs. I am on about page 80. I guess I better go get working on that. Plus I have an Ex. Phys. Test tomorrow that I need to begin studying for. Busy busy night! Can't wait till this term's over. Current Mood: anxious Current Music: Ready to Fall ~ Connor O'Brien (Comment on this)
Friday, January 28th, 2005
12:51 am	Oh my You shall fall in love with a midget in showshoes. Add a fortune to your website or blog, click here. (Comment on this)
12:20 am	I really topped myself with this one... From time to time, I manage to have a good laugh at my own expense. And today, I think I may really have reached a new level. In an effort to be helpful to my roomie as she was trying to write her paper about environmental ethics, I looked back at a paper I had written for Philosophy with the same prof after reading Ishmael (which I thought was excellent, by the way). In my paper, I was talking about some of the things I could do to save our endangered environment, and as I was reading, I couldn't help but realize that my paper was very poorly written. The content was good, but I really didn't proofread like I should have, and although it was two years ago, I clearly remember writing a large portion of the paper the night before it was due, and experiencing a severe amount of fatigue, so needless to say, the delirium was doing much of the talking. Back to the situation at hand, there was something particularly interesting that I came upon as I read back through my paper. I am talking about things I can personally do in order to live a more environmentally friendly life. So here is an excerpt of the paragraph... "Another thing I can do is to be more conscious about the resources I am using. For example, I can try harder to conserve energy by using more blankets in the winter rather than turning the heat up so high, or by turning off the lights when I leave a room. I can continue to use appliances, but buy ones that are more energy efficient. I can work harder to use more efficient transportation, whether it be carpooling or using mass transportation when possible, or walking or riding a bike when possible rather than driving. This is not so much a problem at school as it is at home. I can support those who work to develop cleaner power sources, rather than burning coal and iron, which are destructive and nonrenewable, to further develop use of solar, wind, or water power that would be much more environmentally friendly. " First of all, I realize that it's very choppy, because every sentence starts with "I can." That problem aside, I meant oil, I really did. I know that. But apparently in the world in which I reside, rather than burning oil for energy, we burn IRON. Naturally, I realize how absurd this idea is... I know we melt iron to make steel, but burning it for fuel is apparently effective, but environmentally destructive. So please people, make every effort to STOP DESTROYING THE ENVIRONMENT BY BURNING IRON! For the love of GOD! Yes, I am a complete mental defect. And quite embarassed, I must say. I can only envision Dr. Snyder's reaction to my crack-fiend assumption that we burn iron. I wouldn't be surprised if he ran up and down the hall in Preston showing all the other profs the student who thinks we burn iron for energy. It is my hope that it was lost in the huge stack of papers that he had to grade along with finals, but I will always wonder if everytime I pass him on campus, he doesn't have a chuckle thinking that I live thinking that my iron-burning is destroying our precious environment. So go ahead, have a good laugh at my expense, I know I did. Current Mood: ditzy Current Music: Iron Maiden <-- that's me (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 15th, 2005
10:27 pm	Just Checking In... So, it's another new year. I am in a state of disbelief that five months from now I'll be saying goodbye to all the friends I've made over the last 3 1/2 years and going on with my life after college. Enough thinking about that for now. So what's new? Lemme think. I am 22 now. Not that different than being 21 really, except that it makes me feel old. The holidays were good. Now I am working on trying to get back to eating healthy instead of eating all that junk there was so much of over the past 2 months. I am trying out a cereal/fruit/vegetable diet during the day, then something reasonably healthy for dinner. Gotta look good for Cancun in May after graduation. What else?... hmmm. Oh, I got my hair highlighted, which was really exciting because now I look blonde again. I like it :) My winter classes are going ok, I want it to be spring term though. I am taking World Geography (which is somewhat of a total joke), Health Psychology, and Exercise Physiology. Only 5 more weeks before Winter finals! It's going pretty quick. I am hoping to go back to the winery for weekends during spring term. What else... OH! My big excitement the other day... It started when I was woken up by a phone call. The barely understandable woman on the other end told me that I was on a list of those qualified to recieve a guaranteed minimum $8,000 government grant to be used for purposes like education, home improvement, credit card debt relief, etc. I was kinda excited. But in order to get the application and info packet, I'd have to pay $257 dollars, which was disappointing, but still not a bad deal. So then, she says that in order for the grant to be recieved, it must be deposited directly into my checking account, so she preceded to ask my bank branch and routing number for my checking account. So I told her I didn't know where my checkbook was, and all my bank statements were sent home, not school. So I told her I was interested, but I'd need to talk to my parents before committing to anything, because I didn't have the $257 to put up for it, which she thought was odd, that I would turn down a "guaranteed $8000" for only $257 to her company for all the work they did. So I ask if there is some number I could call her back at, since I could not proceed without the routing number and handing over $257. She says her name is Chris Lewis (although her strong hispanic accent would suggest otherwise) and that she is calling from the "Federal Grant Information Center" in St. Petersburg, Florida, that I couldn't call her back until I had completed the process and had a customer identification number that would be given to me after they had all my info including my routing number because the call center would not take my call without it, and that my guaranteed $8-25,000 grant was Federal Reserve grant money. So I asked her how I got on the list, and she says that many students are on the list because of the need to pay student loans. So I thanked her for her time, and made arrangements for her to call me back Monday after I could talk to my parents and find my checkbook. So before I called my mom, I was thinking...hmmm... that was weird. And she asked me for my bank account info over the phone... maybe I better do some research about this grant. So I started looking online, and my search for "federal grant information center" turned up several interesting results. First was an AARP Elderwatch warning to senior citizens to be aware of a phone scheme in which the caller identified themself as calling from the federal grant info center, stating that you are eligible to recieve a minimum $8,000 government grant. There were also several warnings from various state governments with similar warnings, as well as stating that the "federal grant info center in St. Petersburg, FL does not exist" and that you should never have to pay up front to recieve a grant or prize, and that in addition to seniors paying between $250 and $500 for an information packet that is availible free to the public rather than the grant, they also found that large sums of money had been taken from their checking accounts. Other hits said that there were pending lawsuits against this company for using deceptive business practices. So, extremely thankful that I hadn't provided any personal information and that I had taken down info and done research, I called my mom to tell her about the situation. Then, following her advise, I called campus police and safety to see if they may know of a hotline or something where I may report the call. Then when the woman calls back, I can tell her that I have reported the call, and know it's a scam. So I call Campus Police and Safety, who took a lengthy report and suggested that I called the Millcreek police to make them aware of the situation since I am off campus and in their jurisdiction, and that he'd do the same. So I called the Millcreek PD, and after taking down much of the information, the man on the other end of the phone says, "Ok, we'll send someone over to take a report" CLICK. I sat there for a minute with my mouth hanging open. Apparently this was a much bigger deal than I thought, all I wanted was a hotline to report the scam. So I start scrambling around to clean up the apartment and threw on my robe and put my hair up in a towel, being that I had not yet showered. Within 10 minutes, there's one of Millcreek's finest knocking on my door. I was so embarrassed, what the neighbors must have thought. So the policeman came in with his little notebook to take the report with all the info I had, and agreed with me that it sounded like a typical phone scam, and assured me that it would be filed. He also attempted to *69 the call, but since we had local service, it wouldn't call back. So in the mean time, I am starting to panic because I have class in an hour and still had to totally get ready and scrape all the ice and snow off my car. I did manage to get there just on time :) But, then later in the evening, I check my email, where there is a Crime Alert message to all students, stating all the details: "College Police and Safety is issuing an alert to all students. This office was contacted on 01/14/2005 and advised that a student received a phone call from an organization identifying themself as Government Grant Information Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. The student was advised that they won a grant in the amount of $8,000.00. All they needed to do to get the grant money was to pay a $257.00 finder's fee by credit card. The caller also stated that they would accept payment directly from their bank account if the student provided their bank account and routing number. The caller correctly identified the student's address and obviously had a correct phone number. A web search conducted by Sergeant Patterson indicates that this is a scam. Other postings were found that warned of this type of call and two other hits were found where students were taken advantage of by this organization. All students are reminded that they should never release any personal information to any unknown person on the phone. Most companies that need that information will be known to you such as credit cards, bank loans, etc. They may ask for a security check and request a portion of an account number, social security number or other pre-set safety word or phrase. They will not ask for a complete social security number as they have that on file. Students are also cautioned when submitting information via the internet. Many well known companies will sell their contact lists. Less credible sources can buy these lists and obtain your student information. If you are contacted by this organization or others fitting this same pattern, get as much information as you can. Pretend to be interested but request a phone number to call back, get a street address where you can mail a response to or any other information. Then you should call Police and Safety at once. If you have Caller ID, try to log the number that they called from and provide that as well. For any other information, please call Police and Safety at 2304 or Sgt. Patterson at 2514." How funny is that? I feel like I'm taking a bite out of crime, haha. I totally wasn't expecting such a big deal to be made. My mom laughed at me when I told her they sent an officer over to the apartment to take a report. I hope that lady does call me back Monday, I can't wait to tell her I figured it all out LOL. I'm a dork, I know. So anyway, that's the recent news. Starting 2005 off right! So beware of phone scams! Back to studying for my midterms... Happy New Year! Current Mood: amused Current Music: Sweet Caroline (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 16th, 2004
4:48 pm	There goes another term at mercyhurst... Fall term is over. Hallelujah. Not that I didn't like fall term. I actually kinda ended up enjoying ethics, don't ask me why, especially after having to watch that terrible movie on animal testing...particularly since it was little monkeys being beat retarded with blunt head trauma... and we all know how much I like monkeys. How sad. Even though ethics made me thing about a lot of crap I didn't want to have to think about, I think it made me realize a lot about what i believe in, so in that sense, it was a success. And it was pretty amusing most of the time too. Never did quite get into world religions... it was interesting, but who can keep track of all those foreign words? Not me, that's for sure. Plus it was a monday wednesday night class, and that's just no good after having 3 classes earlier in the day. Pharmacology turned out being totally amusing and not nearly as difficult as I had expected, which is a total relief. I just might miss that class too. There's something about a bunch of seniors in an 8AM class that's lots of fun. We played lots of hangman, somehow always ended up talking about poop, and had a prof who did an excellent drunk impression. Then there was therapeutic exercise. I have to say it will help me leaps and bounds in grad school, but i pass failed it, so i think i got really lazy. The bad thing was, I think I would have managed a low B+ or possibly a B. Thinking I should have pass/failed religion instead, but oh well... hindsight is 20/20. One thing I can say for sure is I definitely had really cool profs this term, and that helped tremendously, because, not gonna lie, my motivation is plummeting. So, goodbye to the term of 4 classes, well over 250 printouts, 11 books(far more reading than I care to remember, not to mention serious online and blackboard reading), 8 papers... It was fun, but I am definitely ready for a break. Next term - Health Psych, Exercise Physiology & Lab, and World Geography... Then only 2 more classes at Mercyhurst!!! I can feel time running short... I have some HUGE decisions ahead of me. Time to go buy books, and sell back some old ones... gotta love it. In with the new... Current Mood: nostalgic Current Music: U2 -Stuck in a moment (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 12th, 2004
6:19 pm	HAHAHA Joanna What Office Space character are you? brought to you by Quizilla (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 7th, 2004
4:04 pm	Aye Caramba! Back to the grind again Wow, what a summer... I miss it already. So now that I'm back at Mercyhurst, here's the highlights. I started off the summer with my trip to Austin. That was great fun. (See Above for details). Then I started working. I went back to my school job, cleaned desks and chairs all summer. Great fun also, although this time in a sarcastic sense. At least I had good coworkers:) After I came home, it was back to the job hunt for a weekend job. I got a job working at a winery, which was honestly quite possibly my favorite job yet. I learned about wine, and I absolutely loved the people I worked with. I had so much fun, that I have temporarily comitted myself to a few more weekends that I am going home to work for. (Although I have said that I did not wish to work in retail or any type of food service, this is the exception). Mainly my job was to open and sell bottles of wine. And the tips just get better as people get drunker haha. So in addition to work, I had a few other interesting experiences. I finally got to meet my Aunt of 16 years and see my Uncle who I haven't seen since my first birthday, the last time he was home over 20 years ago. So that was interesting, and I really enjoyed it. I would like to go see them in Seattle sometime. Which brings me to the next point. I have decided that after I graduate in the spring, I am going to take a year off before Grad School. The top contenders right now are Simmons College in Boston, University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, not too far from the Aunt and Uncle in Seattle, which is another reason I'd like to go there :), Slippery Rock University here in PA, and Walsh University in Akron. So we'll see how that pans out. Speaking of Simmons in Boston, I was in Boston just last week to see my grandparents for the first time since my HS graduation, which was really nice. While I was there I went to see Simmons, and really liked it. I am kind of hoping that that is where I end up at this point. While we were in Boston, we also went to Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester, and Salem, which was kind of a whirlwind tour, but it was fun. All are small harbor towns, and Salem is big for the whole witchcraft thing, so that was always something interesting to do. When we go, my dad is big on the historical revolutionary war stuff, like the Freedom Trail, Lexington and Concord, and stuff like that... I always like Salem, because even though it is historical, it is for the witch trials, which I always thought was interesting lol. Strange history is more fun! We did see Lexington and Concord also. In Boston itself, other than the college, we saw Fenway Park and drove around Harvard. That was fun. I was traveling with my dad and uncle, hence the interest in Fenway haha. While we were driving around town, which I must say is a TERRIFYING experience because it is like total roadway anarchy--there are no rules, it's every man for himself there-- we drove through Northeastern too, quite by accident, and drove right by my dad's old dorm/apartment. So that was kinda fun for him, and fun for me too in a way, because it's the only time he's really talked about college, and we were looking for mine, so I was excited. Yeah driving, if i end up there, will definitely be a force to be reckoned with... scary stuff... I forsee LOTS of public transportation. I did pretty good on the trip- I don't usually like to drive on roadtrips, but I ended up driving the first 6 hours straight, from home to Utica... which if you know much about me and driving is a HUGE accomplishment. So anyway, enough about Boston. Let's see... what else? Oh yeah! I had a nice mini HS reunion when one of my good friends from high school got married in July. That was lots of fun...although it made me feel old haha. And in addition, my cousin Steve got engaged this summer too, the wedding will probably be in Oct. '05 which will be cool too... I forsee a trip to Arizona coming! YAY! We are also planning a trip to Cancun sometime in the next year, and my dad mentioned a trip to Charleston for next summer. I am very excited, because since I graduated, other than a weekend trip to Williamsburg, and a couple short runs to Niagara Falls, I hadn't travelled until I went to Austin this summer... and I have missed it dearly. Hmm... So I guess that's about it for the summer... I got a new computer since mine died... loving that! And I took my GRE this morning, I got a 550 on Verbal and 700 on Quantitative, so I was pretty excited. Classes start for me tomorrow, I have 4, one at 8, one at 11, one at 2, and one at 6. Yikes. Oh well. I guess that's all, Back to it... Current Mood: optimistic Current Music: Pina Colada song (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 3rd, 2004
3:14 pm	Summertime :) Well, Finals are long over... which is wonderful! I got A's in Physics, Physics Lab, and Kinesiolog Lab, a B+ in my sports management class, and a B in Kinesiology. Not bad I guess. I spent the first week (Wed-Fri) on a roadtrip to Austin to visit my uncle. It was great fun. We left Wed. afternoon (1:30 here), spent the night in the mall parking lot in Springfield, Missouri next to a semi haha, had a bit of a flat tire which was not too cool... but it held air fine after that, so oh well. Then we got to Austin about 6:00 pm (their time), so it was kinda long but not too bad. We got to see Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, and Waco on the way down so that was kinda cool. I like seeing cities :) So then when we got there Thurs., we just hung out for the evening, and went to a little depot cafe, so that was nice. Then Fri. we went and walked around downtown Austin around the area of 5th and 6th and Congress. It was such a nice city. 6th and Congress is the known hangout for a homeless drag queen that runs for Mayor and Council and such in Austin, he wears thong bikinis and rides a tricycle.... yummy. Unfortunately no sightings that night... Check him out at these websites: http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-03-14/pols_atlarge.html http://members.tripod.com/~steadfast/cochran.html http://tspweb02.tsp.utexas.edu/webarchive/11-20-00/2000112008_s02_Leslie.html Anyway, in Austin, we ate at this really good hamburger place, then went for drinks at Opal Divine, where my uncle dropped the drink specials table menu thing down off the top deck down onto the people below... oopsy. Then Saturday we went to Mount Bonnell (sp?) which overlooks Lake Travis, which is a dammed up part of the Colorado River that runs through Austin. It is also where rich people live, and you can see all the big houses on the river, and a view of downtown. From what I understand we drove right through the neighborhood where Matthew McCougnehey was arrested for smoking dope and playing the bongos in the nude. And Sandra Bullock apparently lives in the area too. Then we had some good Texas Barbeque on the outskirts of town, and went downtown for some icecream... needless to say, I probably put on a few pounds from all the food, but it was excellent! Two thumbs up for Austin cuisine! Then Sunday, after my uncle looked at a house, we went down to San Antonio... what a nice city. And lucky for us, Gabriela has family in the area and knew her way all around. We walked around town and saw the little Mexican villages and homes, and walked around the city on the RiverWalk, which was AWESOME! If you ever get the chance to go to San Antonio, go and do the RiverWalk. It was mainly the entertainment district with all kinds of bars and restaurants running along both sides of the river, and you can take a boat ride around the whole thing, and it goes down to the giant mall as well. Very nice. I think we need one here :) hmm, I almost forgot to Remember the Alamo. We went to see that too, very nice, but I must admit, much smaller and different from what I had expected. But definitely holy ground in Texas. We also walked downtown, and there was a Mexican part of town, where we walked through by the marketplace and ate in an authentic mexican restaurant. Fortunately for us Gabriela grew up in Mexico and knew what was in all of the dishes. I played it safe with enchiladas, haha. Monday we just kinda chilled out, and my uncle took us to the HEB (which is the prominent grocery chain down there-- he says it stands for Harold E. Butts, but I am not sure if that's true or not) in his old pickup (I felt like a true Texan), and we got some food and did a barbeque on his smoker. It was quite a feast. BBQ brisket, shrimp, sausage, potato salad, cole slaw, my uncles famous beans (which I avoided due to jalapenos, haha), it was good times. Then after dinner we went to the Oasis, which is a bar/restaurant on Lake Travis where everyone goes to watch the sunset, but we were definitely about 20 mins too late, but it was still fun times. I had a bacardi and coke, and discovered I'm not the biggest rum & coke fan. Bummer. I also got two shots of tequila and fruit juice, but my uncle drank those and I just kept the shot glasses as a souvenir haha, I'm a big loser. That was a lot of fun, a good way to end it all off. Then Tues morning we started back for home, and went through Dallas, and Texarkana and stayed the night in Little Rock, which I must say I was not too impressed with. Then Wed. we drove through Memphis,and Nashville, and stayed in Elizabethtown, Ky, which seemed nicer. We definitely ran into a big huge nasty storm between Louisville and Bowling Green, which actually was put under a tornado warning just after that. Not surprising, I think that was the hardest rain I've ever seen. Then Thurs. we went through Louisville, Cincinati, Columbus and got home late in the afternoon. Overall a great trip, I'd say. It was a good way to wind down after finals. Some new things I learned/heard repeatedly: 1. There are A LOT of Fed Ex Trucks on the free ways. I'd say we saw upward of 1,000. 2. Weinershnitzel is tawdry. 3. Oklahoma is a lot greener than I thought. And the soil is red. And there really is no tumbleweed. 4. There aren't nearly as many hillbillies/rednecks in the Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas/Tenessee/Kentucky area as I had imagined. 5. Everything's better with bluebonnets on it. 6. Everything's bigger in Texas/ Texas is bigger than France. 7. Gabriela's brownies "are entirely too fudgy" but I sure liked 'em. 8. Texas has excellent food. 9. The pinkie gesture 10. Remember the Alamo. 11. It is difficult while traveling to see an armadillo... unless you see it belly up on the side of the road... poor armadillos! So enough of that. Summer update: I am working at the school again, but they put me at the middle school rather than the CFC :( I start Mon on Lawn Crew, then inside the following Mon. I think I kinda got a job today working at Debonne Winery, behind the bar and possibly waiting tables. I start next Fri. night and she said we'll see what's up from there. Sounds good to me! A little extra cash is always nice, and maybe I'll get a discount on wine haha. Hopefully I'll make enough to be able to afford my new computer since mine's become a piece of trash (when it even decides to turn on) Ok, that's it I guess. I hope everyone has an excellent summer. Current Mood: excited Current Music: the loud obnoxious humming and clicking of my parent's comp (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 12th, 2004
4:18 pm	Gettin to be that time again... I just finished my last big project for the year. And it couldn't have come soon enough. Yay! Now I just have one more day of classes, then finals, and then I'm off to Texas! Yay again! I wanna get outta here! Guess that's all. *BIG sigh of relief Yea, so definitely got 2 1/2 hours of sleep last night. Not good. Current Mood: blah Current Music: Busted - What I go to school for...haha I love cable radio (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 4th, 2004
11:27 am	Yikes OMG, can I just say that power cleans SUCK! Who makes girls lift power cleans anyway, let alone inexperienced weightlifting girls! Oh well, at least I am getting buff I guess... FYI:today was the last time I will EVER lift a power clean, and if anyone wants to make a wager, bids are welcome. HAHA, because my technique sucks, I definitely can barely lift my arms. That may also because he made me "push the limits" on the bench press too. And do power clap pushups. HAHA, wow am I gonna be sore tomorrow. I'll be lucky if i have enough strength to roll outta bed. GRRRRR! Thank goodness there are only 2 weeks left, I want outta this place. Outta here and on the road to Texas. I am getting all prepped for these next two highly stressful weeks... I guess I better go, I have lab in a half hour. uggh. Almost there... I am nearing the end of the tunnel, but the light is still rather dim. :( Current Mood: sore Current Music: singing "This Love" in my head (Maroon 5) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 28th, 2004
9:47 pm	HAHA carrie91293: dammit! terry caught me with teary eyes carrie91293: so i went "american idol!" and ran haha (Comment on this)
4:51 pm	Yikes I just had the most bizarre dream(s) when I took my nap. A sure sign that the 4.5 hours of sleep last night just didn't suffice. And I have to say that it is rare that I even remember my dreams! Anyway- In the first part (I am not sure if this is part of the same dream or 3 seperate dreams) I am getting ready to go on vacation. Some place in Connecticut or New Hampshire or New Jersey or something, which is odd, because we don't really have any reason to go to any of those places- but anyway we are getting ready to leave, and my dad is urgent to get going because there is supposed to be some big event that just happens to be going on the same time we will be there. So we are trying to get out the door, and everything that could happen to delay us does... and the house we're in isn'tm our house. So we are getting ready to go, but someone has to go to the bathroom, then there's a phone call, and someone spills something all over the floor down the steps, and all kinds of things, and in the mean time my dad is getting more and more impatient. Eventually he pulls out this lawn chair that had "New Hampshire (or wherever we were going) Or Bust" painted on it, and is sitting there waiting for us because of all the delays. So we are trying to get going but we just can't no matter what we do. And I am standing at the top of the stairs (which we don't have any of) with my luggage all ready to go, and then our two big dogs (I think it was a golden retriever and a black lab-- which we also don't have) kept ganging up on me and trying to shove me- I'm not sure if it was down the steps or what- and I was getting really worried that they would do that to me the whole car ride, so I was asking my mom what we could do because it was making me very mad. In the mean time, my dad had crossed out the message on the chair like a whole bunch of times, and it had been saying "Hurry up or we'll miss it" and "the {event} is in 15 hours!" and "We just missed our chance" It was very strange. And then I was trying to capture this big red bug for some reason, so it could come on the trip, but it ended up getting away, which was really sad to me for some reason. I am not sure we ever actually got in the car before that part of the dream ended... although we did get to the bottom of the steps and my dad had disappeared, and we were laughing about the messages he had painted on the chairs-- odd. So then in the next part of the dream, which was more than likely totally seperate from the last part, because I was in an odd place and no longer with my family, I was with a big group of people in this big auditorium, and some of the people were people from college, and some were from home. And we were playing this game where these people came in and gave each person or pair of people a big wad of cash, and had all this stuff "for sale" and you had to go around and make bids on the stuff you wanted to win it. So the people that brought the stuff to bid on really did not understand at all how this worked at all, and they were just totally confused, and all of us (except me) seemed to know how it worked, and they were all getting frustrated because things weren't working out right. So my partner (no clue who it was) started getting rude to the sales people, so one of my professors told everyone to sit, that the bidding was over because it wasn't working right. Then this started the third part. We are sitting in the auditorium and are about to see a movie or a presentation of some sort and we are sitting in the chairs like they have in the stadium movie theatres with a high back and headrest, kind of leaning back a little. I am sitting in the very back next to some girl... apparently one of my friends, maybe my partner from the bidding game, I don't know. Then as they are about to start the movie, they fill the room with fake smoke-dried ice or something, which then set off all the fire alarms, and all these red lights start flashing and the alarms are going off, and I am in total confusion, and it's like I'm hypnotized and being pulled into the chair. Everyone's getting up and running out, and apparently my chair was malfunctioning, because it is some high tech chair that is supposed to hold you back in the chair, like one of those rides where they spin you real fast so you stick to the wall, then drop the floor... which apparently was supposed to make you more comfortable. So here I am stuck in my chair and everyone else is running out of the auditorium. Then in the dream I woke up in my bed and couldn't sit up, like when you play that leadhead trance game at sleepovers and can't lift your head. It was weird. So then I actually woke up and I was all tense. So much for a nice peaceful nap. Anyway... lots of stuff to do, back to it. Current Mood: groggy Current Music: NERD on the adelphia "hit list" music channel (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 20th, 2004
3:42 pm	Feelin' the stress We are in the home stretch- This week is nuts I had an interview yesterday a proficiency and a quiz today a midterm and review due tomorrow my computer's being a buttmunch I have a chapter outline due Fri. and giving 2 interviews... Job apps to turn in this weekend Tons of laundry... Choosing classes for fall term. WHERE does it end? At least there's only a couple more weeks of classes... of course then there's finals and final projects. YUCK! I want it to be May 19 already! Then all I'll have to think about is packing and preparing for that 26 hour roadtrip to Texas! YAY! Oh well Ha. It's 4/20. That's funny. Current Mood: stressed Current Music: The ticking of my failing computer (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 14th, 2004
5:08 pm	HA. Back at school after a much too short Easter Break. And currently, I think I am developing a new addiction, to my sister's school's student radio station--- perhaps because from what I know of ours, they (at least they used to be) kinda big on classical music--- but this radio station actually plays decent music. I especially enjoy the "Adam Foxx Radio Experience" show. I told Al that I am gonna go to her campus and find them and totally be like, hey, I found you guys and I listen to you all the way from Erie, will you sign my Lake Erie College T shirt? Like some kinda wierdo or something. She challenged me to do it, she said they'd love it. Maybe I will, Maybe I won't. Ha. They even take requests, although if they don't have it, they might sing it. Like just a few minutes ago, they didn't have any Dashboard Confessional, so the kid sang his rendition of "screaming infidelities" Niiiice. Now it's "At Last" by Etta James... definite variety, that's for sure. I give it 2 thumbs up... Ha. You know it's sad when you tune into some other college's online radio station. LOL. Oh no, now it's AM talk. that's no good. They should definitely bring back the show. bummer Ok, that's all, I'm outta here. Oh yeah... in case you are interested, it's at http://www.wlec.net Enjoy. Better check the schedule, because if it's not a show it's boring AM talk radio and ads. Current Mood: amused Current Music: At Last on WLEC ha (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 31st, 2004
5:44 pm	HAHAHAHAH So I have a couple of amusing stories to tell for today. Let's go in chronological order here... Ok, first: Last night, 11pm ish... There were some DEFINITE bedroom noises coming through the walls from the people next door. And no, I don't mean the college girls that live next door, I mean the late 30's/early 40's ish couple that lives on the other side. I was in my room,(which doesn't share the wall - ha), and I hear Diana get totally grossed out in her room, so I go in there, and it was unmistakable LOL! Too funny! Hey... the way I figure, it's better than tables being thrown against the wall and breaking windows that we were so accustomed to living on campus... imagine that... that's one thing we never did hear on campus LOL! Ok, enough of that.... On to story #2: So there's this guy in our Kinesiology class, commonly referred to on campus as "Crazy Dave" He regularly comes into class about 5-10 minutes late (daily), and walks past the classroom, goes who knows where, then comes back into the room and sits down in the front row. Quite frequently, he is not satisfied sitting at the table, so he sprawls out on his stomach on the floor to take notes. Ok, whatever. So today, we are sitting there, and our teacher won a trip to Florida, so he's been having Brad, the Dept. Director come in to teach the class while he's gone. So today, Brad takes Harv's notes and puts them up on the overhead (I am not sure Brad has ever used the overhead more than a few times, which he said was evident by his lack of overhead savvy.) So anyway, we are just trying to take Harv's notes, as quick as possible, off the overhead so that we can have time to watch a video. All the notes we were taking was pretty much all stuff from Physics, so it was kind of a repeat. So this kid out of nowhere gets up in the middle of class, walks out... which no big deal, just assumed he was going to the bathroom or something. He comes back a few mins later with a newspaper (which I can only assume he had gone over to the union to get), comes back, sits down... opens the newspaper, and starts reading IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASS LECTURE AND NOTETAKING! So Brad's like... "what are you doing man? Don't read the newspaper, that's rude!" So we are all just like taken back by it... so he folds up the newspaper and pulls out his textbook and starts reading that instead! It was unbelievable! SO anyway, those are my amusing stories for the day. Current Mood: amused Current Music: Europe - Superstitious (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 24th, 2004
2:50 pm	Wow, what a day! So get this. This morning, I go in to Kinesiology to take a quiz, which was supposed to include notes from last wed. till today (last quiz was last wed). So he gives us the quiz, and like all the stuff on it was from earlier than last wed. So I was like, well crap, this is totally not what i studied. So naturally, there were some complaints, and he's like, oh i'm sorry, i did say that, give me the quizzes back, let's discuss our options. So he decided to make it a take home... HA! I love that. SO THEN, last week, class was cancelled because the dept. had to go to speak at some conference or something. So today, he says, oh yeah, we gotta go again Fri to another conference to speak... Class is cancelled. WOOHOO... and it gets better! Then my other sportsmed class was cancelled for Fri also, because she's going to the conference too. So that's 2 classes cancelled for Fri. How can it get better? Here's how. Since she won't be there Fri, our first test was pushed back to mon, but then she decides well, we better make it wed. so we can get a little more material in. SHUT UP! AND, for Kinesiology, our teacher is out not only Fri, but Mon Tues and Wed too... unfortunately we still have class though... But it's ALL good. ALL GOOD! WHat else is new... hmmm. Physics 2 is so easy it's ridiculous, we are going at a snail's pace, and everything is graded on effort and not our actual work HAHA! I love it! And our lab has no final, and we are graded on 60% attendence, and 40% on if we hand in a complete lab write up (charts, graphs and a few questions) which are also graded on effort. It doesn't get any better than that. I am currently preparing for life after Mercyhurst... Looking at Grad Schools, getting info on Grad schools, GRE's, and all that Jazz... and I am working with career services to get my resume together. It's nuts how it all creeps up... Decisions decisions. So last night i discovered radio blogs at radioblogclub.com I never heard of them before... i don't know if that puts me back in the stone age or if they aren't real popular or what... but I am really liking being able to listen to music without having to pay or download lol. I am a big loser, I know. It is exciting since I haven't been able to find a good (CHEAP!)legal download site yet. If you have suggestions, I'm all ears. Anyway, that's all for now. Hopefully more good news follows... Current Mood: excited Current Music: Outkast- Hey Ya **see note above (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 10th, 2004
8:50 pm	Update So things are maybe looking up a bit... I am over that first day of the term funk. I think that even though this term is gonna be busy, it will be ok. There's going to be lots of work to do, but I am looking forward to the fact that after one more day of classes, I only have 9 weeks left before summer :) I am kinda not liking having to be in bed by 11 and up by 6 4 days a week, but I am assuming that will be ok once I get into the groove. I guess that's all I really have to say right now. Later Current Mood: blank Current Music: American Idol in the background (Comment on this)