Here I am again...

I find myself, once again, writing here instead of working on thesis. Blah. I just cannot get motivated today. Thank God last night went okay. I thought I would have alcohol poisonings all over the place, maybe a few lockouts thrown in for good measure, but no. Well, there were a few lockouts and one ugly incident with a foam bat and someone's car, but overall it was a slow night. I kept checking the pager, thinking it had died or something. Not that I am complaining-- far from it. But now I don't have any exciting stories to recount, although I am technically under a confidentiality contract, so I couldn't reveal too much, even if there was something to disclose.

Anyway, Chelsea and I moved our movie/junk food night over to Serena's house (she's our Hall Director [read boss] and was also on duty this weekend). We watched the Charlie Brown Halloween movie and Clue, both of which really put me into the Halloween spirit. We didn't get to Scotland, P.A., but Analia is coming over tonight and I am going to try and rope her into watching it with me. Again, instead of doing thesis. Ha, it's not like I have 10 pages due Friday afternoon... oh wait. Eh, it'll get done. Somehow it always does.

But, yes, I am so excited that Analia is coming by. I am going to take her to dinner in the Village (probably the Press because they have amazing vegan food) and then we're just going to hang out. I am not holding out for watching the movie, though, because whenever she and I get together we spend the whole night talking. I prefer talking anyway. Any of you who know me well know that. :-) I'm a chatterbox. I freely admit it.

So, this coming Thursday is the Balancing Career and Family Panel that Jenny, Paige and I have been working on. I am really excited, although I will have to miss Lindy Groove for the first time in over a month, which makes me sad. I have really come to look forward to it every week. It's great exercise and a good excuse to socialize off campus. Oh well. If anyone wants to go out dancing somewhere this weekend, that would be awesome. Let me know!

Okay, I really need to do work, although I really don't want to. I hope you all are having a good weekend and I hope you all have super fun Halloween plans. I have a meeting. Nat and I are dressing up like Lindsay and Tobias from Arrested Development for the meeting, so we'll see how that goes. Don't worry-- I will post pictures. Bye for now!

Jess

I'm so bored!

Well, it's my second night on duty and therefore forced on campus. I did get a few hours off campus today, but they were spent at the library. At least I got a lot of research done. Actually, it hasn't been bad at all *knock on wood*. Of course, tonight are all the Halloween parties-- yay. Chelsea is coming over at 9 and we are going to watch movies and eat our weight in junk food. The pizza's already on its way.

I have gotten a lot of work done, so that's good. But now, when I should be working on the first draft of my first thesis chapter, I am so unmotivated and bored. All I want to do is watch the Fraiser episodes I borrowed from Sara. I didn't think I would mind being banished to my room tonight, but as I was walking around I saw everyone getting ready to out and I felt a pang. It's my last Halloween in college, and I am going to be sitting in my room-- albeit, with great company. I know I went out on Thursday, but that wasn't a typical "college" Halloween. But, compared to my past three college Halloweens, tonight should be awesome. I rented It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Scotland, P.A., and Clue for our viewing pleasure tonight. So, barring alcohol poisonings, it should be a fabulous night.

In the interest of living vicariously through all of you, please comment on this post and tell me about your favorite Halloween memory. It could be something that happened, a costume, anything. I am really curious, so please take five minutes and help a girl out!

I hope everyone has a great night and I hope I get some sleep!
Jess

Lindy Groovin'

Last night was such a blast. Nat and I went to the Lindy Groove Costume Halloween Party. We thought we'd gotten into it, but wow. Some people were crazy! Here are some pics so you can see for yourself. Nat and I went as Greek Goddesses-- she the goddess of wine and I the goddess of love. We made our costumes from scratch, and not only were the cheap but I think they turned out great! Except for some fraying by the end of the night, they were awesome. They also didn't fall off (although, I do think I indecently exposed some of my upper half at one point). We even had a motto: "I'm the goddess of love and she's the goddess of wine. Put us together, you'll have a real good time!" We thought this was hilarious. It became less funny as the night wore on and more people called us a drunken hook-up. *sigh*

The photos really do justice to the night. There's not much else to say, except that we saw all the usual suspects (none of whom showed at Memories last week :-P), and it was fun. Kelli looked beautiful although I am not sure what to call her costume. Sam also looked great a a flapper. Kristi was an 80's punk chick and it looked amazing! You can't see in the pics, but she had on fabulous homemade leg warmers. Eric came as Clark Kent, and I am not sure if he was trying to be clever, but there were at least three other Clark Kents there. There were also two other Greek goddesses there, but I think Nat's and my costumes kicked their costume's ass. All over the room. But, I'm biased.

After the dance, Eric, Nat and I headed over to the Sherton, as per tradition, and had a drink. It was mostly fun just chatting with Eric and getting to know him outside of LG. He's a great guy, and I'm so happy that we are making all kinds of new friends. He also gives amazing back rubs, but that's beside the point...

It was a great night. Everything I hoped it would be. Never have a worn a toga for any extended amount of time, but I feel as though it is something I should experience as a college student. Maybe I have just seen Animal house too many times.

Anyway, no good night goes unpunished, and as such I woke up this morning (afternoon) with a head cold. Yay. Especially because I am on duty this weekend and probably won't get much sleep. I have to say, I am quite nervous about tonight and tomorrow night. I am on pager one, which means that if anything happens (which it inevitably will) I am the first one they call. Those who know me well know I don't "do" vomit, and, unfortunately, most of the calls I anticipate are going to be alcohol poisonings. Woot.

All right, this weekend is also going to be dedicated to thesis and fiction writing. I just hope I actually some work done. So far today, all I have done is play aroud on my computer. Hence this update. Ahhh! Must do work... must do work...

Hope you all have a grand weekend!
Jess

A Weekend with Friends...

I go for three years with barely anyone coming to visit me here at Scripps, then two people decide to bless me with their presence in one weekend. Not that I'm complaining-- quite the opposite, in fact. It was wonderful!

Friday afternoon, Chris drove down and we went swing dancing with Nat (the co), Nat (from Bako), and Kristi. It was fun, but the music was pretty fast and the crowd was... well, different. Chris ended up having to protect us from creepy guys for a lot of the night. To be fair, it was mostly one guy. Kristi thought he looked like a bear, so we'll call him Yogi Bear. Yogi just wouldn't take a clue. Apparently, he remembered Bako Nat from Memories over a year ago, and latched on to her in the first few minutes she was there. After she refused him, he moved on to the rest of us. I danced with him once, but refused several times after that. He just didn't get that we didn't want to dance. Afterwards, he walks about with us like he's with us and asks Bako Nat for her email address and if she wanted to go get coffee sometime. Maybe I missed something, but nothing in their interactions suggested to me that she was at all interested in getting coffee with him, or even talking to him. I think he might have had something wrong in his brain. At least, I hope there was. Otherwise, he has no excuse.

Saturday was a nice, lazy day. I watched Blood Simple, the first Coen brothers film which was inspired by the Evil Dead movies. I really enjoyed it, even though it was pretty violent and suspenseful. I recommend it for anyone who likes thrillers, the Coen brothers, or Evil Dead. That night, Kira, Lisa, Brigid and I went to the Press. There was some weird punk band playing, which is so out of character for the Press, and so we left. From there, we headed to Hero's, where I enjoyed a Black & Tan. It was good, but I don't think the rest of the girls enjoyed their drinks as much. So, we headed back to the Press to brave the music and get drinks everyone likes. I had possibly the best lemon drop of my life. Unfortunately, the band was still rocking out and the crowd was still weird, so after creepy guys started hitting on us (and offering us jobs... hmm... not that desperate yet), we left.

Sunday was dedicated to my Alcohol Awareness Program which is tonight in Seal Court. If you're a Scripps student, I expect to see you there around dinnertime. That night, Rachel came down and she and I helped co-ey Nat with her Alcohol Awareness Program. I think Rachel had a good time, I know I enjoyed having her here. By the way, she is the quietest sleeper I have ever encountered. Most of the night, I completely forgot she was sleeping next to me.

Over all, a great weekend. I didn't get much work done, but it was worth it. Although I will have to play catch up for the rest of the week. Oh, and here is a random fact I came across while working on my program. The average college student spends about $900 on alcohol every year. The average college student spends about $450 on books every year. Think about it.

Have a great day!
Jess

Fall Break Rules

Okay, before I begin my post recapping Fall Break, does anyone else feel like nature is really mad at us? As if Katrina and Rita weren't enough, here comes Wilma. This is supposed to be the worst storm to ever hit the East Coast. Wow, I am glad I am in California. All we have to worry about are earthquakes, but the way things are going, we're due for one soon it would seem. I'll keep the East coast people/friends/family in my prayers.

Anyway, on to break. Natalie came home with me this weekend which was awesome. We had so much fun hanging out with the gang and just doing Bakersfield stuff. We also got to spend a lot of time with Abby and Ashley which made me really happy. I think-- no, I know-- everyone really liked Natalie. I took her to MLI, a random house party, BHS and Harvey Auditorium, the Crystal Palace, and all kinds of eateries like Mexicali, Luigi's, and Woolgrower's. It was fantastic. We also shot golf balls at Jose Arradondo's driving range, which I had never done before. It was really fun. Now, I am going to go out to the Claremont Club and practice. Maybe I have found a new hobby...

Saturday night was definitely the most... interesting... night of the weekend. After MLI (Major League Improv for those of you not in the "know") we met up with Rachel, Chris, and Gabe and went to a house party with Ronnie, a guy I knew years ago from theater and who is awesome. The house party turned out to be not so much a huge bash but rather a family gathering for someone's birthday. It was pretty awkward, but we made it fun. Ronnie read my Tarot, and it was eerily accurate. Of course, that could just be the fallacy of self-reflection (like horoscopes-- everything seems to apply). I don't know, though, I had Nat come listen to it and she also agreed that it was eerily accurate. After the party, we met Rob and Becca back at my house and played games for the rest of the evening. I do believe everyone had fun-- some more than others! ;-)

So, I think Nat's visit to beautiful Bakersfield was a complete success. I really need to figure out how to post pictures to the web. I have a lot of pictures to post. Anyway, I get out of work in 9 minutes, so I had better wrap this up. Rachel is coming this weekend (Sunday) and I am stoked. I hope that someone else will come visit as well, but only time will tell. Have a great day all!

Quick Post

I am running a virus scan on a faculty computer, so I only have time for a quick post. Last night, Brigid and I went to see Cary Brothers, Josh Radin and others on the Hotel Cafe tour at the El Ray Theater. It was awesome. The other acts were great as well, but I have such a crush on Josh Radin. He's so talented and so nice. We talked to him a bit after the show and he invited us to his show at the Hotel Cafe on the 26th. You better believe we'll be there!

Also at the show were Zach Braff (sans Mandy Moore, hmm...), Donald Faison (and super gorgeous girlfriend who also happens to look 15), Heather Graham (beautiful, but not how I expected her to look in person), a ton of musician guys, and Britney Daniels (from Sweet Valley High... Brigid saw her, I didn't, but I have seen her before on the Paramount lot). One of the musicians (named Adam, played keyboards for Timmy James) was super sweet and chatted with us for a while. The bartender was also nice and talked to us. He's a musician at the Hotel Cafe as well, but I didn't catch his name. Oh, and apparently according to Josh Radin, I look like a Tracey. Huh.

Okay, so I am bringing Natalie (Co-ey) home this weekend for Fall Break. We will be in Bako from Friday through Tuesday morning, so all you Bako people, we are going to hang out. A lot. Seriously. I can't wait to introduce her to everyone, though. I'm really excited.

Well, I hope everyone is having a nice day. Feel free to comment people, because so far all I have been getting is posts from weird commerical things (except for Rachel and Abby-- keep it up guys!)

Productive Weekend

Well, it's about 5pm Saturday afternoon, and I feel like I have gotten a lot done already. But first, a recap of the last few days (I know you are on the edge of your seat, breath bated). Thursday night, Nat (Co-ey) and I again travelled to Pasadena to attend LindyGroove. This time, instead of Cate who had a birthday party to attend, we brought Kristy, who is a fabulous dancer and overall sweeatheart. Nat's friend Benna, from Oxy, joined us there. It was a great night. I brougt my dancing shoes back with me from my last trip home and I avoided the blisters I experienced the first week. We met up with a guy named Eric who we met the first week there. I think he has a huge crush on Nat, and he invited us to go to Swing Fish last night. So we decided to go.

Before our big night out to Los Angeles to go to Swing Fish (held at the ever enlightening Masonic Temple in Westwood), Nat and I hit the Monclair Mall to find swing outfits. It was a blast. We both found super cute dresses and got all fancied up. As soon as I can figure it out, I will post pics. Anyway, so Kristy, Nat and I headed out to Swing Fish. It started out slow, but picked up as the night went on. Eric was there and he danced with all of us and kept us company. Zeke, whom you may remember from a few posts back, the creepy old man, was there as well. Fortunately for us, he avioded us like the plague. About an hour in, a beautiful, tall, black woman named Kelly came up to me and said, "Woman to woman, I really feel like I should warn you about this guy. His name's Gene and he has an affinty for grabbing girls and being inappropriate." She then pointed across the dance floor to Zeke (who's name is apparently Gene). Apparently, he has quite a reputation, and has even been banned from The Derby. I told her that I was already acquainted with Gene, but thanks for the heads up. We chatted and she introduced me to her friends Allen and Samantha. I introduced Nat and Kristy when they got off the dance floor, and we formed a bit of a group. They were really cool and had all the scoop on the swing regulars.

Kelly is an aspiring actress who has guest starred on several television shows like CSI, Cold Case, and ER to name a few. Her husband (who does not swing dance) is also and actor and was just on the last episode of Arrested Development. If you saw it, he was the Army sargeant who talked so fast that Buster didn't realize he was re-enlisting in the Army. I saw that episode, so when Kelly told me this, I was thrilled. He's cute, too. Samantha is a personal assistant to her brother, Ethan Suplee. When I found out who he was, exactly, I was, again, thrilled. You know how I am with celebrities. Totally lame, I know, but I can't help it. Anyway, she was a sweetheart and apparently, he brother is as well. I didn't find out anything interesting about anyone else, but Sam and Kelly filled us in on who the creepy guys are, who the good dancers are, who the show offs are, who the swing kids are, etc.

After dancing until the wee hours of the morning, we were all starving, so we headed over to Jerry's Famous Deli, right near UCLA. It wasn't very crowded, but we had a rather unpleasant run in with some UCLA frat boys. They asked Nat her name (because I suddenly became invisible, which, at the time, was fine by me) and she said Beverly for some unknown reason. When they caught her in this lie, they wouldn't leave us alone, so we ate and left. Which was unfortunate, because the waiter was super cute and I was enjoying flirting with him. Oh well.

We finally got home about 3am, but I was so worked up I couldn't fall asleep. All in all, the mark of a good evening. The great thing is, because there is no alcohol involved, I always wake up the morning after these adventures in good spirits and ready for the day. Which is exactly how I woke up this morning and was able to get a lot of things checked off my to-do list. Nat, Kristy, and I are planning on at least going to LindyGroove as much as possible, so if anyone out there wants to come along, you are more than welcome. I want to try out Memories also, as I have heard good things from several people, but that's an adventure for another time.

I hope everyone is having a good, exciting, weekend as well. Love and other indoor sports!

Crazy Wednesdays

I can't believe it is already Wednesday again. Crazy, crazy. Though, I must say that I am glad this week is going by so quickly. Right now I am at work, sitting in a digital media class acting as their consultant. It seems like a really cool class. They make movies and learn how to edit them using iMovie and other, more advanced, programs. It kind of makes me mad that I am in my second to last semester of college. There are all these super cool classes I wish I had known about-- but honestly, I wouldn't have taken them earlier because I was working on my majors. Oh well. Digital media is so interesting, though.

Anyway, this weekend was fun. Hung out with Chris on Friday night and watched Kontroll. It was awesome. For those of you who don't know, it's a Hungarian film about the metro system in Budapest. Very darkly shot and many of the themes are dark, but it's not without humor. Tarrin and Jason-- you need to watch this, you'll love it. But, besides that, it was fun hanging out with Chris. It's so nice not being tied down to anyone because when I come home for the weekends I get to hang out with people I never used to get to see because I was always with Tony. I'm not blaming him, of course, because I made that choice, but it is nice seeing other people. My nieces are another example of that. We spend so much more time together now and I think our relationship has grown as a result of that, and it makes me so happy. More about them later.

Saturday, Carly's sister, Erica, tied the knot. It freaks me out when people I know so well and are so close to my own age start getting married. I mean, I know she is old enough, etc., but it is such an adult thing and I really don't feel like an adult yet! The ceremony was beautiful. They had it in the backyard of their house and the only problem was that it was blazing hot. But, the decor was lovely and the food was great, so it worked out. Jessica Dale (a friend of mine from high school who graduated with Erica) was there and I hadn't seen her in at least four years. So, it was nice to catch up. She kept mentioning Ben (my high school ex) which was strange because I hadn't really thought about him much . Later that night, he and his roommate showed up drive Jessica home (she had been hitting the champagne pretty hard). She dragged his roommate, Nick, into the pool (it was really weird) so that left Ben, a whole lotta drunk people, and me. So Ben and I spent about half an hour catching up. It was nice. But, it was such a blast from the past. He seems to be doing well, but with Ben you never know sometimes.

After the reception, Carly and I headed up to Robert's house where Rachel, Chris, Becca and Tim were playing Settlers of Catan (Katan?) and drinking. It was fun. I love hanging out and talking with them because I laugh my head off the whole time. It was great. However, Carly and I were exhausted, so we took off. All in all, a great day.

On Sunday, I slept and did homework the whole day. That night, I hung out with Abby and Ashley, which is always amazing. Per usual, we got a snack and then just drove around talking. Later, I took them back to Shana's and she and I stayed up really late talking. I had to fill her in about this past summer and she had a lot of tell me about, too. It was so nice hanging out with her.

Unfortunately, my nice weekend was topped off with a visit to the dentist Monday morning at 7:30. Turns out, I have two cavities. I have only had one other cavity my entire life and it was really small, so I can't help but feel like a failure a little bit. So, yay, I get to go back and have it drilled soon. Woo hoo. That kicked off my week. Fortunately, since then my week has only improved, although I feel like I might be coming down with something as my throat is a bit sore. Makes sense since I didn't get much sleep this weekend.

Sorry, Abby, for such a long post. I actually really enjoy writing these, as lame as that may be. Beth and I had a really interesting conversation the other day about blogging. She thinks it's a generational thing, with out generation needing to let everyone know our every thought and thinking we are so important that everyone is interested in everything we have to say. I can't say I disagree with her, but I'm not sure. Either way, I enjoy writing here and I am going to keep doing it. So, :-P Also, I love reading other people blogs and I figure I have to give back. So there it is. Sorry to keep rambling, but when I am done here I have nothing to do for another hour and a half. Sad...

Well, I will end this now, I suppose. Hope you all are having a great day!