So here I am with lots of crap to talk about

So much to say. What a crazy series of events for sure. It will probably be a lot of details about parties, beer, and band so please bare with me.

Thursday night was the opening festivities for Halloween weekend. The roommates gathered all the ingredients (which happened to include 2 handles of Everclear which is illegal in Ohio so I had to drive to Kentucky to buy it) and I managed to almost cut my finger off. Now, I take full responsibility for this because I was being a little bit childish and playing with knives. I'm 21, you'd think I'd know that only bad things happen when you screw around with sharp objects, but I clearly had not learned my lesson as a child. I've always wanted to stab a melon. I have no idea why, perhaps its the sado-masochistic side of me, but I've always wanted to plunge a sharp knife dagger-style into a melon. Well, we had a melon, we had a sharp knife, how could I resist? So I did and was damn proud of it. I hoisted the melon on a knife above my head with a loud war cry and marched around like it was a head on a stick. About this point, I realized that perhaps running around with a knife plunged into a melon might not be the safest idea, particularly since the knife was long enough to be sticking out the other side. I decided to stop fooling around and turned the knife upside down with my hand underneathe it to catch the melon. The melon did not budge, instead, the weight of it pulled the knife tip INTO MY EFFING FINGERTIP. I didn't scream at first, I just sort of looked at it in horror because you know, I could feel it scraping my bone. I pulled it out and just sort of stared at the gaping wound that a few seconds later was bleeding heavily. That's when I started screaming and cursing whilst hopping around my kitchen. (The best part is, Robbie and Matt were in the other room playing Guitar Hero 3 but instead of coming to see why I'm screaming bloody murder, they had to finish that song!) I wasted a lot of words on the fact that I cut my finger, so I'll get to the point. I was too stubborn for stitches so I've been butterfly-bandaging it and there will most definitely be a scar. The bleeding stopped on Saturday thank goodness.

ANYWAYS.

Friday was spent skipping class (sheepish grin) to clean up the apartment and get it ready for the party. There was furniture to move, CDs to burn, Hairy Buffalo to taste (multiple times to make sure it's just right) and costumes to put on. Pictures to come. The party was incredibly collegiate with lots of drunken slutty costumes, people throwing up off the balcony, and tightly packed dancing people in my living room. It was quite entertaining, and I loved running around being a part of the chaos. Thankfully, our apartment was not damaged and clean-up was relatively easy despite the fact we served red punch with pieces of fruit in it.

A majority of Saturday was spent sleeping in and watching the Bearcats beat USF in a game we were NOT supposed to win. Somehow, when the game that's on TV effects you personally, you get antsy and irate. Of course the marching band is concerned with what bowl game we get to go to during Christmas Break. Bowl game possibilities for the Big East Conference are:

International(MAC No. 3 vs. Big East No. 4)- This bowl game is in Toronto, Canada and we happened to go last year versus Western Michigan and had an AMAZING time but something about going back doesn't sit right. If I get to travel for free, I want to spend time somewhere new. I wouldn't be utterly sad to go back, however. Toronto is a sweet city.

Meineke Car Care(Big East No. 3/Navy vs. ACC No. 5/6/7) - This is in Charlotte, NC. I was there back in May for the Coca-Cola 600 (not really Charlotte, but close enough) and wouldn't mind heading back into the heart of NASCAR country but again, how about someplace I've never been? As it stands this week, we are third in the Big East conference so this is our predicted slate for the time being.

Brut Sun(Pac-10 No. 3 vs. Big 12/Notre Dame/Big East) - This one takes us to El Paso, TX which 1. Would mean flying instead of driving in buses and 2. Warm weather. Ironically enough, we were in Texas 4 years ago for the Fort Worth bowl and the temperature dropped to 13 degrees at the bowl game and since it was Texas, NONE OF US packed appropriately. Wouldn't want a repeat, but could be a cool trip.

Papajohns.com(C-USA vs. Big East No. 5) -Birmingham, Alabama. Potentially another warm(er) bowl game than anything north of Kentucky and a state I haven't frequented very often. Probably driving however, and after the 12 hour trip to Toronto, I'd rather fly.

So that's it for boring football you don't care about. :-)

We started basketball season a few days ago so I played at the game last night and then our house went to P&P. I dressed like a little girl, I was feeling young with little pigtails on top of my head. Lots of cheap beer and a restless night of sleep later...here I am. I have to go to work today for a few hours, write some papers and do some Theta stuff.

This post is happy, I've been tormented about what to do with my life and I'm nervous about making the wrong decision, but that is a post for another time.

Cedar Point Vaca

I can honestly say I had an absolutely wonderful time this weekend. A handful of my pledge brothers and candidate sisters from the band sorority and fraternity took a trip up north to Cedar Point. It was just a great time spending time with all of them and laughing so hard I probably almost peed once or twice! William and I even showed them Fremont in all its glory which consisted of getting a beer at the Depot and eating cheese fries at Denny's. :-) The weather was perfect, even a bit on the chilly side. Quote of the weekend goes to Steph: "If I were to give a blow job on a roller coaster, it would be the Millenium Force because it's sooo smooth!" Good times...:-)

Hell weeks begin this week. Work will essentially be as chaotic as humanly possible as we gear up for band camp. Percussion camp starts Wednesday night through Sunday and Monday we leave for Camp Higher Ground. The frat and sorority are also working parking at Oktoberfest all weekend long. I also need to find time to go shopping before I pack, finish all my work stuff, do laundry, and just generally get ready to leave. I get anxious this time of year and try to take it all one day at a time. I'm a creature of habit and need my schedule.

Though sometimes I just want to stand on the edge of the world and look down...go wherever adventure takes me. But until then...band. ;-)

Smackdown on "The View" and NASCAR Weekend

This morning Z and I were watching Headline news on CNN when they briefly mentioned the fight Rosie and Elisabeth had on "The View" two days ago. This, of course, roused my curiosity (for I LOVE a good cat fight) and looked up the clip on YouTube (Oh the beauty of technology). Needless to say, I was not disappointed. I have always loved Rosie's outspoken, opinionated nature not to mention the fact that we share the same birthday, so I couldn't help but be on her side. I don't watch that show very much, but Elisabeth strikes me as sort of a whiny airhead. Most commentary on this issue thus far has mostly been political, but my two cents pretty much are cents of PURE JOY. I LOVE when celebrities fight, I think it is the most human and raw thing they can do for us. Elisabeth and Rosie were all personal and ridiculous on national tv. That is about as real as we get sometimes. I'm sure I have some political feelings on the subject if I reach way deep down but why ruin my good fun on a day like today?

Today, my step-dad comes down from F-town to get ready for our trip down south to Charlotte, North Carolina for this weekends Coca-Cola 600 At Lowes Motor Speedway. Lowes is one of my favorite tracks, 1.5 miles and 24 degree banking of Quad-oval goodness. I've been watching NASCAR for 9 years and this will be my first-ever real race. I'll be armed with a camera, a 40 of Bud and some good southern BBQ to truly live the experience of "hick". I'll be leaving at the crack o' dawn so happy Memorial Day weekend ya'll!

This Weekend

Amount of miles driven: Approx 600
Amount of money spent on gas: 85 dollars
Cities I was in: Cincinnati, Toledo, Fremont, Cleveland, Columbus
Hours of sleep Saturday night: 3
Colleges I passed (I was curious): UC, University of Dayton, Baldwin-Wallace, Ohio Northern, Bowling Green State, University of Toledo, Case-Western University, Wooster College, Ashland University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Ohio State University
BUT

When PSR opened his eyes at the sound of my voice grabbed my hand and squeezed it even though he couldn't speak...it made the entire trip completely worth it. If you want details about his condition, call me. He'll be allowed to have visitors in about 2-3 weeks

Interesting feelings in my stomach lately...

So I'm two days away from my 21st which is so incredibly odd.
I went to BG on Saturday to visit peeps. Despite the night's insane crisis (multiple) I think everything went really well. My mom and Mike took us to Jed's for dinner and then after we got Ash a ride to her party, spent time with Dan, Josh, Jackie and Eric then just me and Josh for the rest of the evening. It was quite entertaining as always. Spent Sunday with Dad and had birthday dinner and presents. Today was my day with Moozie...got my horizontal license and we shopped all day til we dropped. My grandparents and God-mother/Aunt had me pick out a ring from Osterman's for my 21st so I found a few I loved and will make the decision later this week. I'm excited for some "bling". I'm just spending time with the family tonight and then tomorrow I head back to Cincy to party like it's my birthday (oh because it is!)
I really don't know what to think about you. You blindsided me like a mac truck out of completely nowhere...and I couldn't be happier about it. You give me tickles in my tummy, anyone says your name and I grin, I get excited to see your name on the caller ID...this hasn't been me for such a long time. Where ever this goes and where ever we end up, I don't care because these past few weeks have been sweeeeeet. I'm glad we have our "thing".

I'll have the Hudson Valley Foie Gras, please.

There are times in college when the most bizarre, ridiculous or unusual things happen and you wonder how on earth you got yourself in this predicament and what you intend to do to get out of it. Sometimes these rival the extreme, or they can be much more subtle. (This feeling reminds me a bit of the night when Anna, Z, and I were discussing why I hated the movie "Labyrinth" so much, and I mentioned my childhood fear of David Bowie and that very second I mentioned my loathing of the Bowie, he appeared on the TV screen. Not only was this freaky, but he looked as scary as ever and the only good thing that man ever created was "Ziggy Stardust"...but I digress.) Yesterday was pretty normal up until the point when Jon got here and then everything seemed off. First, we decided to go grab supper when he arrived. So out to his car we went, and much to our dismay, it had already been towed. His meter was set for 10 minutes and he was in our apartment a grand total of 11. Irony. So we spend 1/2 hour looking for Anna's keys so we can drive to get the car which costs 110 dollars to bail out. We get to the tow place which happens to be on the shadiest part of Sycamore St. and the door is actually in an alley. Jon and Anna went to get the car while I sat in the drivers seat as we were illegally parked in front of a fire hydrant. Afterwards, we decided to eat at a diner we saw up the street. You know, one of those awesome 50's diners that is metal on the outside. We were thinking, "Mmm. Grease". So we walk up and after we go into what appears to be a restaurant out of the twilight zone, feel we have no choice but to sit down. We should have known it was fishy when the hostess asked us if we had a reservation (at a diner??) and then asked if we wanted to be seated in the "back room". What a freak show it turned out to be. The lighting was dim, the booths were made of SUEDE, there were backward egg chairs at the tables and everything on the menu was organic. So we after looking at the menu we completely freaked out but we had already ordered water, how could we make an exit without looking incredibly ridiculous? We couldn't. So we stayed. We were served by a waitress who wore a 50's diner dress with the armpits cut out, and the pulsing techno music that played in the background seemed to help us conclude that we were in a restaurant that can only be described as the rich man's Denny's. Or Steak and Shake. Take your pick. It was also a cross between 70's Art Deco and Post-Mod what with the green, white, and tan motifs of the menus, the flat, square appetizer dishes, and the purple and black tiled bathrooms with floating lilies in glasses of water which I'm pretty SURE was Evian. Moving on to the menu. It was "cute"? It seemed the upperclass society of Cincinnati was content poking fun at our choice of foodstuffs through their menu because everything was named normally. Until you looked at the description.

Observe:

Mac and Cheese - $24 Nantucket Bay scallops, macaroni, preserved lemon, szechuan peppers, mascapore, cauliflower

Oh it gets SO much better.

Lollipops- $16Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Port Gelee, Fier de Sei, Ahi Tuna, Watercress Pepper Mayo, Cranberry Mustard, Micro Mirepoix, Oregonzoia, Walnuts, Telicherry Pepper.

And the crowning glory:

Byrd Mills Grits- $18Porcini Mushrooms, Wilted Rainbow Shards, Marcona Aimonds, Mushroom Essence.

Now you TELL ME WHAT THE HELL A WILTED RAINBOW SHARD IS!!! Needless to say, we all ordered "burgers" which came in various types such as moroccan chicken, goat cheeseburger, and crab cake...we sampled them all because they were 3 mini-burgers. All had random ingredients and flavors I couldn't recognize with a gun to my head and last but not least was the "cole slaw" that accompanied every meal. It was pretty much a bit of grass, some clover and orange rind. And I burped up grass taste all night. Not to mention how ridiculously under dressed I was. Everyone there was in "hipster business casual", and I? I was wearing ripped jeans, sneakers, my band jacket and a black tee shirt that said "Kiss Me I'm a Pirate". So much for diner food. www.vinylcincinnati.comWe then left as soon as we could because the techno music was starting to make our ears bleed and went home where things made sense like Guitar Hero and Kings. It was sort of a "you had to be there" kind of night. And while it was classy and upscale and random and organically delicious...I was reminded of my lack of culture, lack of style, lack of money, and lack of a hard-core intestinal track after eating some of that food. But man do I love college.