3 Americans, a Dutchman, and a Canadian

That's what ended up being at the dinner table tonight. I met up with a UW student and his friends in Kampala. It was great fun to be around people my own age, drinking a Nile Special, eating some protein for once. The steak at Tuhende Safari Lodge on Martin Rd- fantastic!!! It made my boring day 10x better. European men and their accents... fantastic!

workity work

I am officially coo-coo. I am going to work 3 jobs and do school full-time. This reminds me of a former roommate of mine and if she could do it, so can I! Though she's way cooler and more normal than I am, so that might factor in a little.

Job 1- Gourmet food store. It's a retail job selling chocolate, foie gra, caviar, tea and such. I will be an expert European chocolate seller in no time.
Job 2- Office wench. I do whatever I'm told, which will mean paperwork stuff.
Job 3- Education assistant. What does this mean? Not sure. But something about assisting trainings that go on at school... or something to that effect. I'll let you know when I know more.

But that's it! I'm going to be a busy bee for the next month and in the coming semester. And I hope to God it helps me focus and forget the funkiness and stupidity. Maybe I'll regain a smidge of normalcy back. Because right now I'm approximately 150% not. I'm in that abyss of not. So this will be good for me. Or it will kill me. Either way, I can't wait to find out.

So I'm not going to Madison for Thanksgiving. I kind of want to... but I'm going home. Close enough to Madison. Way closer than I am now. I WILL try to go there over winter break. I want to. And I have decided that I don't want to allow my parents to dictate what I do over my break. Nope nope nope. I want to see my friends and relax. So y'all who read this mumbo jumbo that I write and are in the Sconnie area, I'll see you in Madison... maybe for my b-day?! New Years?! Say yes because I need/want/crave a Spotted Cow.

Favorites right now:
Music: Sex on Fire- Kings of Leon
Book: Don't read anymore, so I have no idea (isn't that sad?)
TV Show: Brothers and Sisters
When I'm in the Apartment: Trying to wear the least amount of clothing possible... or as appropriate. hahaha
Thought: How it will be nice to have money to invest in a pair of shoes one of these days = First paycheck
Website: Perez Hilton, what better way to waste time than on trashy celeblogs

I hope Peace and Happiness follows you everywhere you go.

5 more days!!!

So... 5 more days until I get to go back to my alma mater for Homecoming!!! SOOO excited!!! I think it's kind of cool that now it's actually "homecoming" for me, being an alum and all. I am so excited to see all my friends! The one goal will be not to get TOO drunk. We all know how my liver works... not well... and I don't want to be super hungover any of the days I'm in Madison. We'll see how that goes.

So I'm currently in super procrastination mode. I haven't really done any homework all day, but I really need to. Since I'm going to be in Madison all next weekend and I have papers due the following week, I really need to get work done. Too bad I can never get anything done unless I'm under pressure. And right now, no pressure is being felt. Ugh. Someone needs to light a fire under my butt or something.

Alright, let's discuss some current things I like right now

Music: Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 CD, The Noisettes (a British Indie rock band), Marié Digby
Books: Honestly? I haven't had any time to do any pleasure reading, so I have no idea.
Food: tomato basil bread
TV shows: Grey's Anatomy (the new season rocks), One Tree Hill (it's not that great and I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be able to tolerate it), Gossip Girl (yes, I got into this show and I think its great)
Movies: Haven't seen any new ones recently- can't afford to go to the movie theaters.

Happy Sunday!

Some Weirdness and A Touch of Home

Yesterday, at one point, I managed to find myself in the presence of about 10 Asians. I was in shock, to say the least. I went out to the bars with a few friends (they're Asian) and they saw some of their Asian friends. It turned out that it was one of their birthdays, so it was a BIG Asian mixer in our area of the bar. And when I say mixer, I mean... 2 other girls and me with a whole bunch of Asian guys with more product in their hair than I had in my hair. CRAZY!!! I immediately thought of all my wonderful Caucasian friends back at home (or wherever in the world they might be) and missed them terribly. Guys, I'm totally white-washed. I don't know how I feel about being in the presence of so many Asians who I'm not related to. When I'm related to them, it's just a family reunion. Last night? That was just weird. There were just so many of them! I bet they're nice (sober or not) but... not for me!! I'm the Midwest-grown, dairy product-fed (no cheese) girl who usually turns out to be the token Asian in a group of friends, not that I mind at all. But I learned a few things (that I already knew but would like to re-emphasize):

- They need LESS hair product, LESS! If your hair doesn't budge at all, no matter what you're doing, how much head shaking there is, how hard you jump on the dance floor, how much you run around, how horribly you're puking on the street, you need to seriously reassess the amount of hair product you're using.
- They need to not try to hit on me. It's never going to work; I'm not attracted to you. No matter how much alcohol you try to give me... which, by the way, if I ask for WATER, don't bring me more alcohol. Doesn't make me want to take off my clothes for you, dance up on you, or go home with you any more than I wanted to 10 minutes ago. No means NO.
- There is no need to be vain. Yes I can see the veins popping out of your buff arms, but hey, white guys have that too... actually lots of guys in general have that.

Movie shooting seems to happen throughout Boston recently. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were shooting a few blocks from my place during the week. The movie will be called Wichita, I think. Let me tell you, at some point when Cameron Diaz is in a yellow dress and boots, that's close to my place. And I believe they filmed a car crash scene there too. Today I happened upon the set of the new Ben Affleck movie, something about bank robbers? I was told the film is called The Town. There were cops, FBI, and some gun fire. A girl I talked to said she saw Ben Affleck smoking somewhere and was starstruck. I guess Boston is the place to be to try to get a glimpse of a few new movie shoots.

Today was also a very nice day for a taste of home. I went to watch the Badger game at a bar with the UW alumni association- Boston people. It was fun!! All of us in our Badger get-up in the middle of Boston. But I sure did miss Madison and being in Camp Randall. Pretty cool! I ended up running into a guy who took Biocore with me on the T. Turns out he was also headed toward the bar... crazy small world we live in! I guess he moved to Boston and is working and applying to med schools. I was just so amazed that I ran into him... on the T!

Pretty solid weekend! But tomorrow will have to be a day of studying. I need to be productive BECAUSE my weekend in Madison is coming up!!! I don't want to have work to do that weekend! 19 Days before my feet return to Midwestern soil!!!

Short and Sweet

After going out Friday night, I had 2.5 drinks and woke up with a major hangover. My liver is regressing even more and my tolerance is nil. That's just embarrassing. I should have SOME tolerance. I'm a Badger for goodness sake! But no... I can't hold my liquor at all.

I spent some time yesterday with my roommate in Cambridge and can I just say, it's gorgeous over there. All those Harvard students looking all prepping makes me wrinkle my nose a little in disgust. BUT the area is amazingly beautiful. I'd want to move out there sometime. Maybe. I'm getting used to our semi-scary corner of the city. It's not as intimidating anymore. I usually just throw on my ipod and sunglasses and am out the door.

Today I plan on doing lots of homework. Boo. But it must be done!

Popcorn Thoughts

I've had such depressing posts recently; I decided it's time for some positivity. Here are some bouncy thoughts from me.

TV Shows:

• Roommate and I have been on a total Gossip Girl kick. Crazy, I know. I never knew I'd enjoy drama about the Upper Eastsiders... but it's kind of fun when I have no social life.
• One Tree Hill!!! Last season came out on DVD and I borrowed it from the library. WONDERFUL
• Grey's Anatomy... NEW SEASON starting September 24th. WOOHOO- previews looked awesome

Books:

• I've been reading Africa Doesn't Matter- great book about Africa and why aid isn't helping
• For class, I have to read The Wisdom of Whores- I love it so far
• I really want to read a book called My Prison, My Home- look it up, sounds fascinating and the author sounds amazing

I really want to go shopping but I can't afford it. Ahh the life of a poor grad student. It's even worse than the life of an undergrad. That's probably because I didn't worry about money all the time.

I MISS My Wisconsin Buddies!!!

Leaving... not on a jet plane...

It is finally hitting me that I am leaving Madison officially with no idea if I'll ever be back. Tomorrow is my very last day. This is really hard to deal with. I love this place, this city, this school, the streets, even the construction, the bars, the people... all the memories that have been created here. I am really going to miss it. A lot. Nostalgia has set in. It's also very difficult saying good-bye to all the friends that I have made here. The people here are why I love Madison the most. I have met some of the most wonderful friends here, and I will miss them constantly.

Highlights:

Freshman Year

• Drinking for the first time
• Running across campus drunk
• Knowing I had new friends who would take care of me, no matter what mess I got myself into (There were a lot of them)
• Meeting the girls, the boys, the people who would touch my life for the next 4 years
• Going to my first Badger football and hockey game

Sophomore Year

• Having an awesome roommate with our weekend hangover mornings on the futon, watching One Tree Hill... promising never to drink again. Only to repeat the same thing the following weekend
• Hosting a few crazy parties
• Watching friends get themselves in trouble
• My awesome light-up heels
• The car accident

Junior Year

• First official apartment: complete with accidentally breaking a window with a newspaper when trying to kill a bee, squirrels in the walls and floorboards, fun roommates, no TV
• Making Thanksgiving dinner for friends
• Beer pong
• Being the most hungover I had ever been in my entire life
• Turning 21
• Figuring myself and what I wanted to do next in life

Senior Year

• My Own Room
• Going out with a bang, bloopers and all
• Finding out way more about close friends than I ever wanted to know
• Learning even more about myself than I ever though possible and finding that inner confidence that is necessary to stand on my own 2 feet
• Enjoying my last year in Madison
• GRADUATION

Madison, it has been amazing. I thank you for everything I have learned and experienced here. I have more stories than I ever thought necessary thus far in my life, but I enjoy every one of them. I will miss it all!!!

A Chapter In My Life Is Coming To An End

Sometimes I can’t help but marvel. After 4 years of college, I am still working a job that could be done by a robot. I am essentially an office worker bee. Can I just say it’s frustrating and boring me to tears? I’m pretty sure I have more brain cells, brain power, and overall intelligence to do something more than type information into a database, sort and send out mail, and do mundane tasks that my boss doesn’t feel like doing on her own. I have to keep telling myself: 3 more weeks until it’s over. BUT it is some good experience- letters of rec, you know? And it’s true; I have 3 more weeks until I move out of my apartment. I’m going to move to my parents’ home for a little less than a week and then I’m leaving the Midwest!! The knowledge that I’m moving away from the only state I’ve ever considered home has been slowly sinking in, but I don’t think it has fully hit me yet. Maybe once I’m actually moved into my new apartment (which I’m paying a horrifying amount of money for), it’ll hit me. And knowing myself, it’ll probably hit me on the head with the same feeling as if a sledgehammer landed on me. Then I’ll probably finally figure it out that I’m officially moving on to a new chapter of my life, one I will title: Grad School.

In life, most of us have the standard chapters: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and College. After college though, everyone’s chapters start to differ. Actually people’s chapters usually start to change after high school, but for generalization purposes, I’ll say college (of any sort). After graduating college, some people go on to join the workforce, others take a year off from school before returning again (working, running around the world, or just relaxing for a while), while still others jump right into more school. I would fit into the last category. I can’t say I’m completely happy with this decision, but it is a means to an end. I would love to take some time off, travel and learn different things that aren’t always taught within the confined 4 walls of a classroom. But I’m still not stepping outside the boundaries set by… oh let’s say, my parents… quite yet. They seem to have this idea that right after college, I should go to grad school in order to keep the momentum going. After a long of thinking about it, I decided not to fight them. It wasn’t worth it. (If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my family and how to deal with them, I know when it’s smarter and easier to just not start the fight.) Plus, I knew what I wanted to go to grad school for and they would be willing to help me out a little financially. Thus I will be attending grad school in the fall. The one decision I made for myself was to leave the comfort zone of the familiar Midwest. I decided to spread my wings a little and try living somewhere completely new for a while. Maybe I’ll love it, maybe I’ll hate it, but at least I’ll be able to look back and say I tried it.

We’ll have to see what I have to say after a month of classes- maybe I will be freaking out and will look back on this post and say, “Psh, biggest mistake ever.” Or I could possible say, “I love it here! Best decision ever.” Guess I’ll have to wait and see.