Saturday, December 26, 2009

Spoons and metal pipes

Merry Christmas from my pipe wielding family to yours. Eat your hearts out, Partridge family.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Gingerbread galore

The small army of gingerbread men and women can only mean one thing: it's Christmas and I'm home. More so than eating the cookies, and we all know my penchant for sweets, I enjoy decorating them. I've finally gotten close to my mother's skill level. The poinsettias are among my proudest creations.




And keeping with the season's current fashion trends, I could not help by make a studded stocking.


My mom's girls and boys are perfectly frosted little clones, each one exactly like the next. Literally, they are perfect. It seems an engineering mind is the perfect tool for frosting cookies.






Now that the cookies are done, I'm only a few days away from Christmas Eve, my favorite holiday. I wish everyone a happy holiday and bellies full of good food and delicious desserts!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Two posts in two days brought to you by finals.


This is what I imagine is going on at my house right now, minus the fact that this is not exactly an accurate representation of my mother. Yet, at the same time, it's really so perfect.

Only four more days until I'm home and can say, "Awww, look at the tree!"

Monday, December 14, 2009

Procrastinate. Check.


I love making to-do lists. There's nothing quite so satisfying as crossing off each assignment as I complete it. Of course, because I want to feel on top of my homework and studying, I always include items on my to-do list that I've already accomplished. This morning I woke up, showered, went to breakfast at The Paramount with Eileen, came back and made my to-do list for the day. The first five items?

1. Wake up
2. Shower
3. Go to breakfast
4. Come back
5. Make to-do list

By the looks of my list, I've already had quite the productive day. My friend Zach even showed me a new website TeuxDeux (pronounced to do) that allows you to make a task list online. Is it really necessary? Not for me, but I made an account anyways and planned a to-do list for every day of the week.

Perhaps it's counterproductive to make a glorified "I already did it" list (eh, and to blog when I should be studying) but I have to keep my sanity somehow and feeling at least a little organized helps me do that.

Plus, I'm tired of reading about if monkeys and fish have a moral code. I think we can all agree that no matter how ethical monkeys act toward one another, they will still fling their poo at you if you upset them. And we eat fish, so I don't think anyone really cares about their emotions. I mean, not that they are exactly fish, but in my family we name and play with lobsters before dropping them into the pot of boiling water on the stove. Fun, yes. Humane, not so much.

But, in an act of procrastination, I digress.

It's time I get back to prepping for philosophy and revising my to-do list to include blogging. I like living in a world where productivity and procrastination can be one in the same.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Who says I can't do science?

As a magazine journalism major, science really is a foreign language. That's why it's wonderful to have a friend who finds all experiments fascinating. Eileen shows me and I don't have to sit through the long lectures to understand why it happens. I really don't care, it just looks cool.

Haven't had your daily physics fix today? Watch Eileen and her water pressure experiment. Trust me, I wouldn't be posting if it wasn't really interesting.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Best Thanksgiving ever?

Absolutely.

Not only did I feel more well-rested on this break than ever before, but the food was amazing. Literally everything I ate last week was delicious. The minor exception being "grilled" chicken, which was actually "caught fire in the grill" chicken. Love you, Mom!

For Thanksgiving, we went to my Auntie Erin and Uncle Tim's house for one of, if not the, best Thanksgiving dinner I've ever eaten. This post is heavy on pictures, so enjoy. They show the food better than I could ever describe.

Here's Uncle Tim serving the turkey. He was responsible for most of the food, but Auntie Erin, who's sitting next to him, cooked her fair share. The two should open a restaurant or write a cookbook. Trust me, they're good.


Here's Nana, Dad and Pat passing around the turkey.



And here's mom with some mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.


Also, the eyeballs made an appearance. It wouldn't be a Kavanaugh dinner without them. I believe they are a kind of creamed onions, but really, I've never been able to bring myself to try them. Uncle Tim used to pay me $1 to try exotic foods like whipped cream and shrimp cocktail sauce. If he were to, ahem, up the ante a few bucks, I may consider trying some of the eyeballs, but until then, I'll just keep passing them around the table.


Here's my finished plate, with none of the foods touching since I'm weird like that. The squash, turkey and sweet potatoes must stay separated, but the mashed potatoes and corn are allowed, even encouraged, to touch. I'm made fun of at every holiday, but they just don't understand.


Then came the desserts. Oh, the desserts. My Nana made four, count them one, two, three, four, desserts. Apple pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie and lemon cake. The lemon cake is made specifically for Patrick, but I was able to steal a few slices...and a slice of apple pie...and a slice of the pumpkin pie. Yes, I ate three desserts after a seriously filling dinner. I know you're judging me, but once you see the pictures, I think you'll understand.






After gushing over the food, we really had a good time for ourselves. Patrick and Papa definitely share some goofy genes. Those are salt and pepper shakers on Pat's face and, yes, that's a knife in Papa's mouth if you can't tell.



Some of us are relatively normal. Or maybe we're just better at hiding the crazy.


For the rest of the evening, Pat and Uncle Tim had a bit of a jam session. Pat's been taking a guitar class at school and has really gotten much better since the last time I was home. He tried to teach me a few chords, but I don't think I was made to be musical.


After we left the Kavanaugh dinner, we went to the second show, which was dessert at my Uncle Ray and Auntie Kristen's house. I didn't take nearly as many pictures because I was having way too much fun playing with my cousins. Pat and my cousin Ryan played video games all night, of course.


My cousin Kate and I played Barbies with her younger cousin, also named Meghan. Barbies are always fun. I don't care how old I get, I will always enjoy changing their outfits, playing with their hair and searching for the ever elusive matching pink heel. It was funny to see the aftermath of a few creative decisions that Kate made a few years back. Some of the Barbies had a little work done, to say the least. Yikes.


Then, on Saturday night, we headed up to Nashua, New Hampshire to visit my Auntie Jo and Uncle Bill's new house. During the night, Sarah, Amanda and I came to the realization that we could be replaced by a few toy trains that Matthew had set up for the little guys. I guess the cousinly bond was a bit weak, because the trains really did the entertaining.


Ben and Sam could not be torn away. I'm sure you can imagine the fun of taking twin three-year-olds away from a train set so that they can go home to go to bed. Oh yes, it's a joy. Actually, it's pretty much the same reaction you get when you tell a college student she has to leave home to go back to two weeks of cramming for finals. Sure, I love being back in the city, but after such a much needed break full of relaxation, food and family, I could have used a few extra days to sit and play with the trains.


Saturday, November 21, 2009

Such a tease

In hindsight, heading home for a night when there are only a few days left until Thanksgiving was probably a mistake. Going to Rhode Island where there is home cooking and no thoughts of looming due dates only made coming back to Boston that much harder, but I'd say that it was well worth the time to recharge and be ready to push through these last few days before break.

I took Eileen home and showed her the ins and outs of Cumberland. She got a grand tour of the house and a kick out of the old pictures we have hanging up on the refrigerator. My brother had the most adorable chubby cheeks when he was a toddler. They make pictures both cute and hilarious.

Then, of course, we went to Cumberland House of Pizza with my parents. We left them with the check and headed to Providence for some mall time. Little did we know they would stay there for another three hours mingling with the usual Friday night crowd. We actually got home before they did. Lame!

So Eileen bravely entrusted me with her life as I drove into the city. More importantly than going to the mall was a special trip to drive by the New England Pest Control's big blue bug. Eileen had never seen it, so it was a necessary detour. As an added bonus, it was already decked out in its Christmas gear. Needless to say, she was excited.


So we wandered around the mall, drooling over the new winter sweaters and boots. Eileen indulged and bought herself the softest scarf ever made from the Gap. Then we went upstairs and got carded before heading into Dave & Busters, where you have to be 18 years old to go in without a parent. I told the guy we were 2o, but he didn't believe us. Hey, you win some, you lose some.

To top off the weekend, we slept in this morning and woke up to my mom preparing hot tea, warm banana bread and homemade pancakes. Blueberry AND chocolate chip. Oh yes, I'm ready to go home.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Is it time for turkey yet?

Last night I had a rare feeling of homesickness. When the bright city lights kept me from seeing the meteor shower after I stayed up until 4 a.m., I missed my backyard, my lawn and my ability to see a sky full of stars.

After finishing my homework a little after one o'clock this morning, I decided that trying to sleep for a few hours and wake up would be harder than just staying awake. I don't have a problem staying up late, but 4 a.m. was a tough time to stay up for, especially when I knew I had to wake up four hours later for class. I had ELLE magazine and snacks to keep me company while I waited. Sure, I could have been doing more homework, but who wants to start a new project after midnight? Plus, the picture wouldn't be nearly as entertaining.


So at 3:30, Eileen and I bundled up and headed outside in the freezing cold. She even tore herself away from studying for an exam because this meteor shower had promise. After half an hour of shivering and yearning for some fragment of space rock to soar across the sky, we returned inside a bit defeated. I even stayed up a little longer, staring out my window in the hopes of validating my decision to stay awake until the early morning hours.

Unfortunately, my view was obstructed by the abundance of light. This meteor shower was nothing like the one I watched with my family a few years ago, when my mom woke us up so we could lie on blankets in our backyard. We saw so many shooting stars that night!

Some things just aren't the same in the city as they are in the 'burbs. In this last week until Thanksgiving, now all I can think of is heading back to Rhode Island. Because sometimes we all just need a slice of homemade apple pie.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Ace bandages and ice packs

Yesterday, on one of the most beautiful fall days I have ever seen, I was supposed to run a 5K. But instead, I was stuck inside, tortured by the view outside my window. The cause of this frustration? An utterly embarrassing move on my part during a flag football game, where I jumped up in the hope of intercepting a wayward pass, only to land on the side of my right foot, rolling my ankle. The embarrassing part was that there was no one within 10 feet of me. Yup, it was all me.

The race was a goal I had set for myself early this summer when I signed up and paid the $20 fee. While I wouldn't say that I'm out of shape, I definitely miss the days of high school track and the ease with which I ran every day. So this summer, I gave myself a goal of running a 5K with months and months of preparation time. Right on cue, I arrived at school in September and started running every day before class. Getting up early wasn't easy, but I loved it. I felt accomplished and energized.

Fast forward a few weeks and I was in the middle of midterm exams, a nasty cold and a number of different projects. I avoided the gym like the plague, not that I really had a choice. The race was always in sight though, looming ominously in my future. I did start running a bit more, but nothing close to what I would have liked. My goal shifted from running the race well to running it without embarrassing myself, just crossing the finish line without any major problems.

Well, this past Thursday night happened. A failed attempt at an interception and a swollen foot. It was the championship game for Victorious Secret, the co-ed flag football team I played on for the past two years, but took a break from this year because I knew I'd be too busy to fully commit. Well, after a few injuries and people not being able to show up, my friends asked if I would come and play. Of course I would get hurt in a game that I wasn't even supposed to play in.

In fact, in all my years of playing soccer and running track, I have never rolled my ankle like this. Today, five days later, my foot is still bruised, swollen and the cause of some major pain. I'm icing, resting, elevating, drugging myself with Motrin, but it's simply not healing fast enough for me. This limp is starting to annoy me and my ace-bandaged foot cannot fit into most of my shoes.

So here I sit, a hostage of my stupid foot. Today, oh joy, it even started to feel like something was popping in there. I should probably go to Student Health to get it examined, but I'm not willing to risk catching the dreaded swine flu by sitting in the waiting room, so I'm keeping my distance.

But on the up side of all this? A pretty impressive bruise, lots of crossword puzzle time and the fact that I'm now more determined than ever to get back in shape and race.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

A rant

So, you're dating someone special, someone you love. That person gets down on one knee, pulls out a big diamond and proposes. After the tears and hugs subside, you begin the wedding planning process, every bride's dream. The dress, the flowers, the food, the band. Chicken or beef? Where will we sit that crazy uncle? It's the Steve Martin movie "Father of the Bride," two families preparing to come together and act as one, however dysfunctional it may be. The deposits have been made, the dress found. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue? Check, check, check and check.

Now stop.

Mere days before your big day, your wedding is cancelled. No, your fiancé didn't leave you at the altar, your neighbors did.

The people you see every day while you are walking your dog or shopping for groceries have said that you aren't allowed to get married. In fact, you are wrong to even want to.

That's exactly what happened last night in Maine, where 52.7 percent of the state voted to repeal the state's same-sex marriage law, which had been a part of legislature for six months.

The reasons? In today's Boston Globe, Mary Conroy, spokeswoman for Yes On 1/Stand for Marriage Maine, was not shy in sharing her feelings of joy that the sinful gay people will be reduced once again to second class citizens.

According to the Globe, "Conroy said most of the Stand for Marriage supporters are ordinary families who are worried that children will read stories about same-sex couples in schools, that teenagers will be encouraged to experiment with their sexuality, and that same-sex marriage will be widespread. She said that gays and lesbians have won antidiscrimination protections and should 'leave marriage alone.'"

"No one's antigay," she said. "It's just whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa....Not so fast."

I have a few issues with this.

I am a product of 13 years of public schooling, and heterosexual relationships have never been taught to me, so who is to believe that homosexual relationships would start to be part of the curriculum? And even if relationships were taught, I'm sure teachers would have a more difficult time explaining to little Johnny why he doesn't know who his father is than explaining to the class that Timmy has two moms. In a time where the divorce rate of this country is at a whopping 50 percent, a steady home life of two loving parents, no matter the gender, should be praised and welcomed, not shunned. If the sanctity of marriage is most important, we should ban divorce and people getting married on TV.

As for the teenagers, look around, Mary Conroy. According to StayTeen.org, three out of ten girls in the United States gets pregnant at least once before they turn 20, and I'm pretty sure homosexuality is not to blame. MTV has a show called "16 and Pregnant." Jamie Lynn Spears, of Nickelodeon fame, had a baby at 16. Bristol Palin had a baby at 17 and look who her mother is! That's good old fashioned heterosexuality right there. For this woman to think that same-sex marriages will contribute to the problem of teenage promiscuity is utterly ridiculous.

As for Conroy saying that homosexuals should "leave marriage alone" because they already have antidiscriminatory protections, I have to wonder if she cannot see the parallels between this issue and the African American civil rights movement. Is it not the same? Gays and lesbians want to have every right that straight people have. Blacks wanted the same rights that whites enjoyed. Don't we look back on that generation and wonder how anyone could have looked into the eyes of any of the African American students trying to attend Little Rock Central High School in 1957 and told them no? No, you don't deserve to get an education because of your skin color, something you were born with and have no control over. Today, the dialogue has not changed much. No, you don't deserve to be married because of your sexual orientation, something you were born with and have no control over.

As a generation, we will look back upon this time with shame and regret. We will be embarrassed of our intolerance.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

My Gagalicious Halloween

Halloween on a college campus is more of a circus than a holiday. There are no jack-o'-lanterns, there's no trick-or-treating. There are only costumes.

Most are of the skimpy variety. Immortalized in the movie Mean Girls, "Halloween is the one day a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." Well, I'm saying something about it. It might be appropriate to take a feminist stance to criticize the objectification of women or something of that sort. Really, it's just funny to see groups of girls in October, in the rain, running down the street in a napkin and 6 inch heels. They may be dressed as angels, but they're dressed to sin. The sad thing is that I don't think most realize the irony.

For my costume, I opted for pants, even though Lady Gaga herself is known to go without them. It was so much fun to get dressed up and be blonde for a night. Plus, I got to hang out with Miss America.


Here are some of the girls in my suite before we all headed our separate ways: a nerd, Jupiter Moon, a cat, Lady Gaga and Miss America.


Eileen and I spent the night at our friends' house, where there were some pretty hilarious costumes. This year's popular H1N1 costume of a pig with a surgical mask and scrubs on was pretty funny, but the best of the night may have been Ben and Justin as Ali and Erica.

Ben showed up as the usually bearded Ali and Justin showed up dressed in drag. Supposedly he is Erica, but saying they look alike would be a bit of an insult to the pretty blonde.

Let's hope you can pick out the real couple.




This week, I successfully refrained from buying bags of chocolately trans and saturated fat bathed confectionary treats. So though I missed out on a self-induced sugar coma, I enjoyed my Halloween, fully clothed from head to toe.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

No more green leaves!

Fall has arrived! That snow a few days back tried to trick us all, but thankfully, autumn is nowhere near ending. Overnight, the leaves on the trees seemed to have all changed colors, reminding me why I love New England. I've never lived anywhere else in my life, but how can you not love this time of year?

I got up this morning and went to have breakfast with Corey at his apartment in Beacon Hill, where I made pancakes all by myself for a second time. I know I'm no Julia Child, but I'll take my culinary victories where I can. I'm going to have a kitchen when I go to Dublin, so I've got to start somewhere otherwise I'll wither away due to lack of food, or gain 30 pounds from eating all things packaged.

After breakfast, we walked to Starbucks for some much needed caffeine and then we walked through the Public Garden where the sunshine and turning leaves were gorgeous! I sincerely regret not having my camera on me. Otherwise, I'd include pictures of the swarm of toddlers around the "Make Way for Ducklings" bronze duck statues. So cute! I'd like to challenge anyone who is feeling grumpy to go see the kids and ducks and not be cheered up, even a little.

Being the good boyfriend that he is, Corey walked me to the T so I could head back to my dorm and do the annoying Sunday chores of laundry, cleaning and immersing myself in homework. Blech. So instead of spending the day outside, I'll be hanging out with dryer sheets, liquid detergent and Socrates.

Three cheers for higher education.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The journalism diet

I procrastinate. There's no way to sugar coat it. The problem I'm facing at this moment is that I have a story due tomorrow and no one will call me back.

I'm sitting in a corner of the student union, too afraid to go get lunch. Because of course, the second I get in line for a sandwich, my phone will ring and the source will give me brilliant quotes, only for me to frantically run back to my table to grab a pen, accidently stealing said sandwich in the process. Or, I could bring my notebook with me to the sandwich line, but then if someone calls, I will do the awkward tango of holding my phone between my shoulder and ear (which with a cell phone is nearly impossible) and cradling my notebook in one hand, writing with the other. That precise moment would be when my name would be called to pick up my lunch. Would I grab the sandwich by my teeth? I don't even want to think about it.

So here I sit. Hungry. So I've decided to blog to keep my hands busy and away from the container of grapes the girl sitting next to me is enjoying. But if she gets up from the table, so help me, I will steal one.

Anyways, here's a little story. So I'm going to be Lady Gaga for Halloween, which requires some major costuming. I love dressing up, so I don't mind spending a little cash to give my impersonation a little something extra. Like a long blonde wig.

I will never wear this wig again. I'll probably look borderline revolting with blonde hair. Nevertheless, I trekked to the Garment District by MIT on Monday and picked out a perfect Lady Gaga wig. The wigs were all behind the counter, so I told the girl working which one I wanted.

"Oh, you're being Lady Gaga, aren't you? Good choice!" she said. Why thank you, I thought. I like you.

So she gives me the wig in a bag. I see it's blonde, but you're not really allowed to open the packages in the store, so I buy it and leave. Thirty minutes later, I arrived back at my dorm room, beyond excited to have a dress rehearsal and get all dolled up.

I take out the wig. It's a mullet. A business in the front, party in the back, platinum blonde mullet.

The Garment District, specifically poor Ron, received a phone call with the tone of someone who just spent their afternoon on the T only to have a bad haircut to show for it. I was eventually able to get him to reverse the rule that all sales are final, and got his name just in case there were any issues. I think I get this from my mother.

So I'll head back Friday and buy the correct wig, but I'm blaming my stressful week on that bad piece of synthetic hair I have sitting in my room.

Mullets are no way to start a Monday.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Snow

That's right. It's currently snowing in Boston. October 18 and it's snowing. And the flakes are the size of large cotton balls, they're huge! Now I'm a New England girl so I do love me some snow, but come on! Having snow before the leaves have even changed colors is just flat out annoying. It just seems so unnatural, looking out my window to see snow blowing by trees full of green leaves.

I feel for the girls playing a soccer game on the field (and their devoted parents in the stands) who are subjecting themselves to this weather. I don't think I've ever played soccer in the snow. Sometimes I miss the sport, but today is certainly not one of those days.

At least this weather has nice timing. My parents and brother came up to visit yesterday, and despite being a bit chilly, the weather was more than cooperative.

They showed up bearing gifts of apple cinnamon Nutri Grain bars, Tazo tea, some winter gloves and two batches of my mother's delicious congo bars. The last time she baked me some treats, I left them in the common room and they were gone within 24 hours. I should have known that desserts in a room of eight girls would not last long. This time, I had her make a couple of batches to ensure that everyone in the suite gains at least a few pounds this weekend.

I'm certainly not stepping on a scale anytime soon. When my family came up, they took Corey, Eileen and I out to Joe's American Bar and Grill on the waterfront where we stuffed ourselves with warm bread. Oh, and dinner. Then we trekked over to Hanover Street in the North End for dessert from Mike's Pastry. I felt for my mother, who for the first time as far as I can recall chose fashion over function, wearing black flats with pointed toes and metal studs. Not only were the tops of her feet exposed to the cold night air, but she had no fewer than 12 bandages on each foot. I'll say her sacrifice was worth the gains as she looked pretty fierce.

It was nice spending some time with my family, especially taking them on the T at 10:30 at night where they witnessed a packed train of college kids all heading out for the night. My brother got quite a kick out of a chatty girl in a tank top (sans jacket) who stored her camera, cell phone and bottle caps in her bra. Yes, Patrick, welcome to college. And my parents heard the full account of a girl's failed attempts at maintaining a relationship. It was early, too. The really entertaining don't come out until after midnight.

While I may have to resort to wearing elastic waistband pants for the next few weeks until I work off the 23 pounds I most likely gained this weekend, it was certainly a treat.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

A new PSA is in order

Click here and substitute the word "drugs" with "college". 

So the script should read:

"This is college.
This is your brain on college.
Any questions?"

I've never done drugs, but this perfectly represents what is happening inside my skull at the moment, so I can only guess that they're one in the same. 

Except that your parents pay for your college. 

Saturday, October 10, 2009

The day Eileen and I were tourists

In terms of the weather, this past Friday was crappy. It was that drizzly rain that makes it awkward to carry an umbrella, but still makes your hair frizz. Despite what you may think about our abilities to make smart decisions, Eileen and I decided that Friday would be perfect for spending the day walking around Boston. Certainly the rain wasn't ideal, but Eileen had three (!!) exams this week so for the sake of her sanity, we had to get off campus and away from the books.

While I initially made fun of her for making me stand in front of the statue of Samuel Adams, acting like tourists and taking tons of pictures ended up being really fun. 



We walked to the North End to get some treats from Mike's Pastry. I usually get the chocolate covered strawberries because I'm a creature of habit and they are beyond delectable, but Eileen talked me into trying a double chocolate cannoli, and I am forever indebted to her for doing so. It was my first cannoli experience if you exclude the sad excuses for desserts in the dining hall, which thankfully are not even close to representing the delicious taste of the real thing. 

I think the picture speaks for itself.


We went to the waterfront, where it was so windy! Of course, Eileen and her blue umbrella dealt with it like professionals. 



The cloud cover provided for such a bright background for the pictures, so I'm quite proud of some of the shots I was able to get.




It was such a fun afternoon, one we need to have more often. Next time, though, I'm going to need some sunshine.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Newsprint

Part of my news writing and reporting class having a pretty extensive knowledge of current events. While I was up to date on issues prior to the class, I've taken to reading the entire Boston Globe every day in order to really stay on top of the news. 

It may not come as a shock to hear this from a journalism student, but I'm enjoying spending my lunches buried behind a newspaper. There's something cozy about drinking tea and holding the paper in my hands that obviously can't be attained through reading the news on the Internet. Since I often read about stories in the Globe the day after I've read them online, I understand the drawbacks to relying on print. Regardless, I love reading the paper.

But my favorite part? I eagerly read each article, always with the daily crossword puzzle in the back of my mind. Some days are better than others, but I've been progressing quite well. Today, I only had 15 blank letters and I didn't even cheat! (This isn't Candyland.) 



I'm probably too excited about this. I'm also more than probably sleep deprived, so I think passing judgement upon me is unfair. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I didn't get around to starting yesterday's puzzle yet. I think I'll climb under the covers, do my crossword, watch the Food Network and continue to be an 80-year-old woman.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Dublin, here I come!

That's right, I have been accepted into the Dublin Internship Program for the Spring 2010 semester! I can barely contain my excitement. It has been about a month since I submitted the application, so I was beginning to suspect the worst. I'm so relieved! 

So I'll be studying at Dublin City University from January to April and I'll also have an internship, but classes and the actual job have yet to be determined. Ah! I'm just so elated to have finally received the confirmation email! 

As much as I didn't want to write my 5-page philosophy paper before, is nothing compared to how much I want to put it off and spend the rest of the day researching Ireland. But, alas, it's due tomorrow, so I must end this short post.

Slán go fóill! 

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Friends trump sleep every time

So way back in first grade when I had a bob and feathered bangs, I met Laura. My first memory of her was how I envied her ability to swing on the monkey bars during recess on school picture day because she was wearing pants. I had a whole blue dress with white tights and patent leather kicks ensemble going on and spent the recess sitting pretty. Anyways, that's when I met her. In Mrs. Dombrowski's first grade class. 

As birthday parties usually went at the age of six, the whole class would be invited. I'm going to take a stab that this is how we became friends, but it could have been from Girl Scouts, too. Regardless, having play dates with Laura led me to meet her twin sister, Christine. It's safe to say that since first grade, some 14 years later, we're going strong. I consider these girls to be the sisters I never had. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother, but he's just not nearly as talented in the hair and makeup departments as I need him to be.

Here are the lovely ladies, there's Laura on the left, Christine on the right. And, certainly you knew this already, but that's a microphone, not a bottle of soap. Duh.


So, this past weekend, the girls turned 20 and I made the trip down from Boston, stopping at home for a night, before heading down to URI to celebrate with them. Laura has an adorable house that overlooks the water and has a classic, picturesque view of a lighthouse. Plus, it's rocking some pretty extensive beach decor. It couldn't be more Narragansett if it tried. 

I'm going to take a stab and say that the three of us hanging out before a few of their friends came over was the most fun. The extent to which we classify as goofballs is far too embarrassing to share with the general public. Case in point, we spent a few hours trying to learn Beyoncé's Single Ladies dance, and documented the attempts. 

Here we are all choosing a different pose and getting all Sasha Fierce on them. 


Christine also tried to teach me the Thriller dance, to no avail. I basically just did this move throughout the entire song. Hey, it works, trust me. 



So while I failed to sleep enough this weekend, going home was definitely worth the heavy eyelids. Good friends are hard to come by, so if it means drinking a little extra caffeine this week to catch up, I'm all for it. 


Friday, September 18, 2009

Laughing at the gym and why you should avoid it

I'm just back from the gym and sitting down for a quick second because the steam in the shower I'm about to take would make me pass out if I were to get in now. I've been on a good track lately. I go to the gym and watch CNN as I run. That way, I'm catching up on current events and getting in shape at the same time. Flawless plan, no?

No, not at all, apparently. There are quite a few TVs at the gym, most of them visible from the treadmill I use. While I may get distracted, I'm pretty good at sticking to CNN. Even when Saved By The Bell comes on, I only watch it on commercial breaks from the news. Go me. But today, today I lost control. 

Fresh Prince of Bel Air was on the screen right next to CNN. I'm as much of a Fresh Prince fan as the next guy, but it has never been a show where I get excited to see that it's on air. Until today. I could not look away. I even moved from just reading the closed captioning while still listening to the news, to just changing the channel completely and occasionally glancing over to make sure our country isn't going to complete and total rot. 

Will Smith and Carlton (I really don't care enough about him as an actor to look up his name for he is and will always be Carlton) sufficiently distracted me from the steep incline I was running, but also made me chuckle a bit under my breath. That's always the awkward thing about watching TV while working out. I'll smile and laugh because I can't hear myself with my headphones. Oh, but I'm sure you can, girl doing crunches right in front of me. And you, guy working at the FitRec help desk. Yes, you heard that laugh. But me? I'm going to pretend it never happened. 

Because laughing at the gym is not normal laughing. You're running fast on a treadmill with an incline, sweating and thirsty. So what escapes as a laugh is more just a groan. A confusing noise, I'm sure, to those who don't understand it was meant to be a laugh. I guess the next time I go to the gym, I'll wear a sign that says, "Yes, that was a laugh. No, I'm not dying or contagious."

Or maybe I'll just stick to CNN. 

Saturday, September 12, 2009

A productive pause

Since I arrived in Boston at the end of August, I have been strangely motivated and productive. I'm proud of the fact that I wake up early six days a week and head to the gym or the track for at least a half hour of exercise. I take Sundays off and reserve them for sleeping in, feasting on breakfast and doing homework. I'm all signed up for a 5K this November and it really has me excited about getting back into shape. 

I'm also really excited about becoming the arts and entertainment section editor for BU's first lifestyle magazine, The Buzz. The idea came to fruition last semester when two girls in my class came up with the idea to make a magazine that would be distributed on campus and let students know about events, culture, nightlife, fashion, news and all things college related going on throughout Boston and the BU campus. We worked last semester on putting out a mock up issue to shop around to advertisers and this semester, we're working on our first official issue to be put out sometime in December. I was on the writing staff last semester, but I've moved up to section editor this fall. It's been an exciting endeavor to take on and I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

However, my productivity is a distant memory tonight as I've immersed myself in a CSI:Miami marathon on A&E. While this is my least favorite of the CSI's, I'm in such a lazy mood. It feels good to relax for the first time since I've been back. But, even laying in my bed, watching TV, I feel the need to do something useful.

So here I am, blogging the mundane. Another wild and crazy Saturday night. 

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Hello from Boston!


It feels like it has been absolutely forever since I posted something, so this one will be good and have pictures, I promise. 

So what have I been doing the past few weeks? Well I moved into my gorgeous dorm, which the Boston Globe seems to love almost as much as the residents themselves. You can read the praises here, but try to ignore the snarky comments from jealous readers. Yes, we realize how lucky we are and no, we don't expect to live like this ever again in our lives.

Here's a picture of my room, which has (surprisingly) been this clean every single day since I moved in. I even take out the trash and clean the bathroom. I guess I'm finally trying maturity on for size.


I live in an eight-person suite with a common area and two bathrooms. I went in only knowing my good friend Eileen, but I've come to find that all of my suitemates are really, dare I say it, suite. Gah, I'm such a dork!

Anyways, here is a shot of my decorations. 


I've got an Alice in Wonderland picture of Alice doing a fierce walk down the runway, rabbits looking on, as well as two mugs and, of course, a drinking glass with the original illustration of the unbirthday party. I've got a few other odds and ends including my framed four leaf clover and my Beanie Baby "Dublin," who was a gift from my Nana and Grampa. I'm hoping he's my good luck charm to get into the Dublin Internship Program for this spring semester. The application is submitted, so now all I can do is cross my fingers!

And because it's my favorite part of the room, my IKEA bookcase full of books and complete with a magazine holder made out of recycled magazines sitting on top.


So, today was a special day. My good friend, Sydney, finally returned to Boston after transferring back to a school in her home of Washington state after our freshman year. I haven't seen her in over a year, but it seems like time has barely passed.

I went with Alicia to pick up Sydney at the airport, where we really had no clue what we were doing or where we were supposed to go, but Alicia made a beautiful sign for the arrival, so that pretty much makes up for the fact that we can't read maps.


At long last, Sydney and Dactyl are reunited!


We reminisced about our freshman year for the rest of the night, spending some time at Alicia's apartment to cook pasta and collectively inhale every last bit of it. It was so delicious and we were so hungry! 

Oh, and Alicia has a really beautiful, yet Tower of Terror-esque elevator in her apartment building. This is more just a funny picture of Alicia than actually relevant.


It feels so good to have gotten my first blog post up since I've been back. I've been really productive in other aspects of my day-to-day so far, so I'm really going to try to update regularly. 

And it really puts me in a great mood, so I'd be utterly silly to flake.