A Wonderful Day! :D

What a happy follow-up! I'll have photos soon.

So, last night was the MICA Senior Party: 'Gala Obscura'. I picked out a sexy outfit (low-backed lacy corset top [with cardigan, just in case] and black high-waisted skirt with my sky-high Nine West heels) and met John, then Katie, Colin, and Robin on campus to catch the shuttle to the Wind-Up Space, where the party was held. We arrived first (yeah, we're THOSE people), but we got first pick of the seating, free beer and wine [woooooo], and the delicious food (lamb [LAMB!], spinach dip, yummy fruits and veggies...but no desserts...awwww). We met Jessica there. Everyone looked so good! Katie wore this AMAZING black kimono-esque tunic from the 70s (her mom's) with studded booties, Jess looked perfectly classy in a belted black sheath, and the boys dressed it up with ties! (With a cardigan, in Colin's case; and a vest, sans tie, in John's case.) Yay for pretty!

It was low-key, but really fun! Some of us got more than a little tipsy (ROBIN AND JESS :P), but there was dancing (Colin dances! I never knew!) and it was so, so great to see most of the cool people from our class together (making people pay $20 for a party is a sure way to weed out the dirty people--aka the ones who drink PBR :P). Plus, I got a lot of compliments on my outfit!

Bethany (a rather large-busted graphic designer): "OMG YOU LOOK GREAT. YOUR BOOBS ARE OUT! HAHA, MINE TOO! *points to herself*"

Haha, Bethany.

Katie and I had a great heart-to-heart during the party about our respective boyfriends and futures. It's really nice to have a girlfriend who WANTS to talk about these things! It's a refreshing break from people who are unserious about life/don't really know where I'm coming from.

The party went from five to eight, although we got out of there around 8:30--The Super-Six (Me, John, Colin, Katie, Jess, Robin) piled into Colin's Volvo and headed out to a duckpin bowling place where we played three games under our 'bowling names'. We averaged the scores--John (J-squared) won by a landslide, then Katie (K-Dizzle), then me (A-Bomm...Woo, bronze!), then Jess (J-Whaat), Colin (The Explosion), and Robin (Mondo Boss). It was really, really fun. :D I drew cartoon portraits of all of us, with John lending some awesome lettering skills to our names, and Colin offered some helpful advice in morphing the unsatisfactory drawings into hilarious characters. (Ex: Colin became Agnes de Goodwood, and I became Gus the Trucker.)

It's nice to have a niche. Better than nice.

Time for homework, then John and I are going to his aunt and uncle's for dinner. :)

Love,

-A.

A Frustrating Day.

This morning, John and I were supposed to drive back to my hometown of Sewickley so I could see my little brother KJ in a musical for the first time. He had a supporting lead in The Sound of Music--one of my personal favorite shows--and I was SO EXCITED to go and support him.

Unfortunately, last night it decided to snow--not much in Baltimore or Pittsburgh, but the snow decided to plop itself right in our path--6 to 10 inches, apparently, although I have no idea what the weather was ACTUALLY like on the Turnpike, as we never left. Both of my parents warned me about the danger of driving on the Turnpike in snow (the travel speed was reduced to 45mph there), and if we were only going to be there for one day it wasn't worth it. Of course, Mom left the decision entirely up to me (Dad basically told me not to come), which (of course) means that I knew I had to stay home. I was furious. I cried for a few hours, had John call Mom to tell her--because I didn't want to talk--and had John tell Mom to tell Dad, and tell him not to call me.

Maybe I was overreacting (John insisted I wasn't), but I was SO disappointed. I've never seen KJ perform, especially a role like Max Detweiler, and I had my heart set on it. I hated having to surrender to something as stupid and changeable as the weather--especially when I couldn't see it myself. I'm still now sure if it was worth it to stay--if we'd have been in any REAL danger to drive down. Either way, it's done now. :/

John was instrumental in getting me through the day--apart from putting up with my tears, he was all too willing to stick around and make me lunch (after we fell asleep for three hours--crying always tires me out) and snuggle me up if I needed it. And, of course, offer me delicious Chinese food for dinner. Seriously, he knows how to show me love. :P

I also cut myself some bangs today--John initially brought it up--citing photos of me from Fall 2008. He thinks I'd look great in bangs again, and Robin quickly seconded this when I brought up cutting my bangs to Katie on Wednesday night when we all went out for burgers (and to watch Canada cream Russia--woo!). So, I decided 'What the hell?', and cut my bangs in the bathroom this afternoon. They need to grow in a little bit, but I'm happy--I just need to pay a bit more attention to my eye makeup now. :P

The senior party--entitiled 'Gala Obscura'--is tomorrow night. It's a cocktail party, and I have to decide what on Earth to WEAR. I don't want to go too formal, but I would hate to be overdressed. What to do?!

Hope you're all doing well. Stay warm!

Love,

-A.

A Brilliant Quote from Belle de Jour

"If there's one thing I've learned about men who practice yoga, it's that they come in two types: Passive-Aggressive Hippie or Barely Suppressed Rage. On the surface, these appear much the same until you do something they don't like. At which point Passive-Aggressive Hippie will withdraw, telling you 'that's your trip, man,' preferably while doing something to fuck up your life on the way out, like leaving your house keys at a homeless shelter. Barely Suppressed Rage, on the other hand, will snap à la the Titanic just before it sank, but is usually rendered incapable of doing any actual harm as a result."

Devastating for anyone who knows/has known anyone with an eating disorder.

Read this article, by Liz Jones (formerly the editor of British Vogue), and you'll understand the frustration I felt during the whole Lacie disaster. (Thankfully she seems to be doing much better--she's looking healthy.)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1191429/Fatten-What-happened-anorexic-Liz-Jones-eat-normally-weeks.html

From one of John's wonderful UK friends:

"Hello US John! How are you? Just had to email you to say that your girlfriend is beautiful! Much love from across the pond xx"

Things like that light up the dark places. :)

Race Relations in the Religious (and Mostly Political) Community

This past Sunday, John, Emily, and I got up early and went to a panel of church members talking about the issues of race relations that were raised in church last week (I covered them here). The panel consisted of:

A 60 year-old black man.

A white girl in her late 20s/early 30s.

A Korean-American boy in his 20s.

A black man, born and raised in Ghana, in his 30s.

A biracial woman (very light-skinned), married to the Ghanian, in her late 20s/early 30s.

A biracial woman (medium-skinned) of about 60.

I thought this was a really interesting group, and I was surprised by some things I heard, and very unsurprised by others.

The panel went in the order I put above--the 60 year-old man described his youth before the civil rights movement, described being envious of a biracial friend who could pass as white and swim in the white pool. He took plenty of pot-shots at the 'evangelical right', implying a racist attitude towards Obama by indicating that only a racist would vote for a Palin ticket. Later, he admitted that the fact that Obama, being biracial, had taken a black wife meant a lot to the black community--he admitted that if Michelle Obama were white, he would be treated differently by blacks.

The white girl had nothing that important to add (unsurprisingly), but she managed to make herself look pretty dumb by talking about how special other races had it for being called "Latin-American" or "African-American" or "Asian-American", while whites are just, well, "White". SIIIIIGH. She mentioned the 'privilege' of being taught by teachers who wanted to see Dr. King's dream through--I agree with her sentiment, but she misspoke. It's not a privilege. It's the way things are meant to be.

She also indicated that whites should make more of an effort to understand the other races and cultures around them. I appreciate her meaning, but why is it the whites' responsibility alone? Because whites are the only ones that "don't understand"? If we're trying to spread peace and understanding, we should all be learning about each other, regardless of culture. Either way, I'm more inclined to look at people as individuals.

The Korean boy was the one that made the most sense to me in a lot of ways--he actually approached the subject from a Christian perspective, which none of the other panelists did. He acknowledged that we should treat President Obama as a brother-in-Christ, and pray for him no matter our politics. He also made the very important mention of Obama's campaign, run on the concept of faith and being a 'messiah' and 'savior'. "Obama is not our savior," he said seriously. "We know our savior is Jesus." Amen to that.

The biracial woman and her Ghanian husband both talked about reverse-racism--the woman suffers it at the hands of the Baltimore community. Her father is black, but she easily passes for white. She doesn't get the "How you doin'" that indicates the bond of being black when she walks down the street. Her husband echoed this--when he first came to the US, his black classmates criticized him for acting "so white". The only thing that irked me about their testimonies was the woman's hope that one day a black president with a black upbringing will be elected, "a black president who night not speak the way Obama does." What I take from this is that she means "speaks like a black man", maybe she means using ebonics, etc. This really frustrates me. Anyone who speaks that way sounds uneducated. Anyone could (and has) said the same thing about a Southern twang, haven't they, in the cases of Clinton and Bush?

The last panelist, the 60 year-old biracial woman, shocked me (and everyone, I think) with her response. She admitted how scared and uncomfortable she was to do the panel, and how hard it was for her to go up and say that she didn't vote for Obama.

I know, I was stunned, too.

She was moved to tears by this. She didn't talk for long--just indicated her fear and how alienated she felt from her peers, from everyone. :(

After the panel was over, I went over to the woman and assured her that I understood her position (being a conservative at MICA, or in my age group at all is practically a felony)--John backed me up, and she was really gracious and offered us her card. Her name is Carol, and she works at Hopkins in the Art Applied to Medicine program. What a dear. :) And brave. I've already felt the pressure of not voting for Obama at my age--can you imagine the pressure of not voting from your own RACE? Carol told us about a co-worker who'd said, "But he's biracial too--you have something in common!" She nodded fervently when I said (rather incredulously), "IT DOESN'T MATTER!" People, people.

It was a positive experience, and John and I may go back next week (if we're not still in Sewickley) for the youth panel.

In other news, I asked Facebook for some advice about my wisdom tooth extraction (my consultation appointment is on March 29th--so far away! I'm in pain!). I got some interesting responses:

Love you all--hope you had a good weekend!
-A.

Why I Love Brian, Part Twenty-One

Brian

woo

nothin like seeing middle school aged kids walking on stage heiling hitler

wearing nazi armbands and all

Brian and I are talking about him playing drums for my little brother's show, The Sound of Music. I think I mentioned he'll be Max Dettweiler. :) John and I are going home this weekend to see it.

At some point I'll do a blog about the race relations panel I saw this morning before church--keep an eye out for it!

Love,

-A.

Other Secret Diaries Than My Own.

I've been watching Secret Diary of a Call Girl online recently, to pass the time while I draw. It's quite funny, and based on an actual London call girl who kept an anonymous blog in the early 2000s about her experiences before being outed as Dr. Brooke Magnanti, a research scientist! I've been reading that lately as well--it's witty and well-written. and ran across this description of her close male friend:

"Have I mentioned N appears to be the secret hub of all knowledge in London? You know a name - he knows someone who knows someone. Is something you heard true? He can get the goods. He's a dealer, and his drug is information."

I've been described this exact way a hundred times. :P I am irretrievably addicted to information, I admit. John's pointed it out to me about once a week!

Went to the dentist this morning about my sore wisdom tooth, which is starting to erupt. MY suspicions were correct that it is indeed impacted (*groan*), and I'm calling the oral surgeon tomorrow to get a consultation. Hopefully it will be a very easy procedure (apparently they don't have to knock me out--thank God. GA scares the hell out of me), and I'll be able to recover quickly, with John steadily delivering me milkshakes. :) Wish me luck!

Love,

A.

ETA: Aw, look what John wrote in his bio for Midsummer Night's Dream! (He's Theseus.)

I chose to study animation because it combines two of my favorite things: drawing and acting. Studying at MICA has taken care of the first, and I am glad to be able to satisfy my acting urge by being a part of A Midsummer Night's Dream. After acting all through high school, I only got into acting in college during my final year; taking part in the MICA Thespians Club's production of 'Closer' and now joining the Rivals of the West for Midsummer. I'd like to thank my family, friends, and sweetheart Alyssa for all their support, as well as my fellow cast members and the entire crew of Midsummer for putting together such an enjoyable production.

*heart* :D

Feeling Empowered.

It's a good thing. :D

Valentine's Day and a few churchy/cultural musings

Last year's Valentine's Day was a huge disappointment (even in Italy). This year made up for all that and more. :D

John and I went to church yesterday morning, then grabbed lunch at Sofi's Crepes with Emily and our neighbor Maggie before John had to go to rehearsal for Midsummer. I did laundry, showered and dressed for dinner before meeting John to go to P.F. Chang's in the Harbor. We caught the Light Rail and made it in time for our 6:30 reservations, which ended up being closer to 7:30 reservations due to delays. BUT, we got a super-awesome cushy VIP booth, so that made up for it. :) We got egg rolls (YES) and I got almond and cashew chicken, which was delicious, and John and I shared a banana spring roll dessert with pineapple-coconut ice cream. YUM! It was a really fun and relaxing dinner, and I just love him! :D

Nora (Robin's squeeze) and Dewey (Nora's elder brother and JEN'S recent romantic interest) also visited this weekend. Nora came to my performance at Coffeehouse of Luurrrve (I sang "I've Never Been In Love Before" from Guys and Dolls) and John, Jewey (as we nicknamed Jen/Dewey), Emily, Colin, Katie, Nora, Robin and I all gathered at our place to play Balderdash (for about three hours!) afterwards! Super fun and super silly. :D We'll just say--geese, swans, kakkerlak (kyaa-kur-lyaaaak), and The Stuff: DO YOU HAVE IT?

As I said, I woke up early yesterday, and John, Emily, Maggie and I went to church. The sermon itself was fine--about Jesus growing to learn and know His Father and His purpose, etc. However, there were two testimonies about 'Unity Month' in the church. The first was from a Korean woman who didn't really experience a racially-diverse church until she and her husband went to Paris for his job. When they came back they found Faith Christian Fellowship (where I attend), and knew that's where they wanted to belong because of it's diversity. Fair enough.

The second woman grew up quite sheltered--lived in Colorado, college in western Massachusetts. She decided to attend medical school in Baltimore, which was obviously a huge change. She started attending FCF and obviously found herself more integrated with non-whites. Okay, cool. BUT, then she used the phrase 'racial reconciliation', and spoke about how she realized we (as in, "we whites") have to repent for what our forefathers did to the slaves. "Our country was built on the backs of slaves and Native Americans," she said. "We need to stop overlooking and sugar-coating that aspect of history." She closed with, "Happy Black History Month!"

I was pretty annoyed by the whole testimony. Another thing--our bulletins explained Unity Day, and this sentence appeared: 'For youth who have grown up in a generation sheltered from the legal racism of our past, was the Obama victory a big deal?"

Firstly, it is important to remember that the US did own and use slaves for a hundred years before the Civil War. It is part of our history, and we teach that history in order to acknowledge that wrong to subsequent generations. I've never felt that the participation of slaves in the founding of our country was overlooked or underrepresented. In fact, I would say that that's an aspect of history we concentrated on. In my (Northern and mostly white) elementary and middle school, we absolutely observed Black History Month. It didn't make a big difference to me then--I was brought up to look at people as equals no matter what. (A side note--I despise the phrase 'African-American'. The first part of this article [vulgar though it may be] describes my thoughts on the subject exactly.)

As I got older, I heard about the movement to pay restitution to black families in our recent history (like, in the last thirty years), and it made me realize that it was a step backwards for anyone (of any race/color) to dwell on the mistreatment of blacks during slave times. Those who perpetrated those offenses (not to mention those who suffered them) are long dead. And not only that--private organizations were BOYCOTTED due to their connections to slavery. I'm talking as recently as 2005. Was the Emancipation Proclamation not enough of an apology? Freedom wasn't enough? I mean, I'm Irish--can I ask for reparations for MY ancestors being mistreated at the turn of the century? Can I boycott the places that denied them jobs until they apologize for their long-dead managers? What about Chinese History Month? Indian History Month? No? But I digress.

I do believe that racism is still alive and well--I'm not an idiot. I'm aware that several groups (racism does not belong to blacks, as it is unfortunately thought to) are being mistreated and prejudiced against in the US. However, I am a firm believer that this is an exception to the rule now.

The recent election is a whole other issue--the fact that it was so important that Obama was black (half-black--he's as black as he is white, people) was pretty sickening to me. WHO CARES IF HE IS BLACK? The important thing is if a politician is ready, competent, and if he or she in the best person for the job. Age, sex, and race/color DO NOT MATTER.

Obama's election could be an indicator that the US has reformed enough, and is 'ready', as a country, for a black president. Or, perhaps, we never had a more competent political option from another race/color in recent memory (Jesse Jackson? Al Sharpton? UGH.). Or perhaps, some people were voting for him because of his race and color. This CNN exit poll shows that the LARGE majority of every minority voted for Obama, including 95% of black men who voted voted for Obama, and 96% of black women. I think that it is just as bad to vote for Obama because he is a person-of-color as it is to vote against him for it. I could have cared less that Obama is half-black--I didn't vote for him because I think he was the absolute wrong choice.

It think it's time to stop singling out any race/color. The color of our skin is simply aesthetic. We are made equal. By paying more attention to one over another, we're moving away from equality and towards racism--however good our intentions may be.

I mentioned the testimony to my sister--her response was telling:

Lauren: Ahh, Black History Month. The most useless month of recognition...Me and my BLACK FRIEND FROM AFRICA were talking about that the other day. (Her emphasis--the friend is 'Jabbie', her neighbor from Sierra Leone. From Wikipedia: "Unlike most African nations, Sierra Leone has no serious ethnic or religious divisions. People often married across tribal and religious boundaries.")

Me: What did he say?

Lauren: He said that whenever they specially recognize black people then it's not equal, because they're trying to promote black people when they should be just like everyone else.

_______

Well, there you go.

When life gives you lemons...

I mentioned it here, and I posted it on my art blog--over winter break, I ran into a family friend, and he generously offered me a connection to a new online magazine-type site that needed an illustrator. I e-mailed the editor (his friend), who welcomed me enthusiastically and promptly. I sent her my ideas and sketches and then...nothing.

I called her four or five days later, and she answered immediately, praising my sketches and just claiming to be weighed down by the holiday season (fair enough) and negotiating about my payment (also fair). She said she'd get back to me the following week. So, I waited.

I sent her at least seven e-mails over this past month. I got zero response. I didn't call, because I have my own schooling to be worrying about, and frankly, the ball was in her court.

I saw her on Facebook today (where I've seen her frequently--she definitely has the time to be answering my e-mails), and decided to connect again. She just waved me off saying Valentine's Day is busy for the site, and when I asked her a direct question--is the project happening or not?--she signed off. BITCH. FACE. MCGEE.

So, we'll see if I decide to pursue this--on one hand, it's paying professional work for a resume. This is a very good thing. If the opportunity DID open to me, I would take it, but OHMYLORD would there be a contract drawn up. I want to be PAID, and this flaky behavior does not indicate prompt paychecks.

I sent another e-mail to a separate editor--clearly the one I was in contact with is unreliable--asking for some answers. Wish me a prompt response!

In other news, Alexander McQueen committed suicide. D: Sad.

On a lighter note, Taylor Lautner is legal! Whoop, whoop! :P

Stay warm!

-A.

On a brighter note...

No class tonight or tomorrow!

And I updated my art blog (finally).

I should really call Lemondrop.

Dear Lord.

NO MORE SNOW. PLEASE.

Love,

Alyssa.

(Amen.)

P.S. You know what I need right now. Help!

EFF THIS SNOW.

But in the meantime, laugh at my funny sister:

Lauren: I LOVE TIM GUNN. I want one for my pocket.

In case you haven't been watching the news, or you live in CA...

THERE IS THREE-PLUS FEET OF SNOW IN THE DC AREA. RIDICULOUS.

I think this says it all:

Weatherman Freaking Out Over DC Snowpocalypse
Uploaded by TheDlisted. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

I had a grave shift last night at the dorm building about three blocks from my house. Usually a six-minute walk. On the way there John and I were ankle deep in snow, and that was bad enough. Six hours later, on the walk back, we were KNEE-DEEP, almost up to our thighs in snow. It took us almost twenty minutes to get back. RIDICULOUS. And intensely beautiful, but so absurd a sight I can barely describe it.

Here's a photo from closer to DC, but it is entirely comparable to Baltimore right now:

This sounds so incredibly lame of me, but this freaks me out! It's scary not knowing when it's going to stop coming, especially when there's already so much! It's been snowing for nearly 48 hours already. But John and I are still trudging (trekking) through this mess to get to a friend's engagement party. (Usually a fifteen minute walk...an hour now?!)

Wish us luck--all of you stay warm and safe!

Love,

-A.

Yeah, yeah, we're losers. But we're adorable.

Okay, because John and I are sappy buttfaces, we came up with some cuddly creatures. Literally creatures who cuddle. Observe:

,.'o o'.,
(° uu °)

^^^^^^ This is the Cuddle Hippo. Behold his adorableness. (We collaborated on this one.)

{"°O°"} {''. o .''}

^^^^^^ These are the Cuddle Koalas (The original animal). John's original is on the right. My improvement is on the left. :P

_/____-_-\

(,_,_,/-\,_,_,)(O)° (,_,_,_,_,_,_,_,)(O)°

^^^^^^ This is the Cuddle Caterpillar.

He lives in the Cuddle Chrysalis. --> ||-=(IIIIIII)

I know. We're losers. But we're adorable.

Love,

-A.

As I said before...so much to post now!

YOU GO JOHNNY WEIR:

"I totally get the dirtiness of the fur industry and how terrible it is to animals. But it's not something that's the No. 1 priority in my life. There are humans dying everyday. There are thousands if not millions of homeless people in New York City. Look at what just happened in Haiti. I tend to focus my energy, if there is a cause, on humans. While that may be callous and bad of me, it's my choice.

Every skater is wearing skates made out of cow. Maybe I'm wearing a cute little fox while everyone else is wearing cow, but we're all still wearing animals."

Good, effing, boy. Seriously. This is what I think every time I hear about some stupid animal rights crusade. More people are willing to pay for ridiculous veterinary bills than they are for their own health insurance. JUST SAYING.

More family hilarity.

Why do I post so close together, then have these dry spells?

My younger brother (who will be 15 in April) has been on Facebook for the last five or six months. TOO YOUNG. FACEBOOK IS FOR COLLEGE.

But anyway. I was looking at the profile photos Facebook said he uploaded. I came across this beauty:

(Me, Lauren, KJ)

Aren't we cute? :) (Actually, this is one of the best recent pictures of me I've ever seen.)

So, I commented, asking "Where was this taken? And how long ago [Because KJ looks much older now, but I look the same]?"

Lauren replies: 2 years maybe... [Mom confirmed it was Christmas 2008, right before I went to Florence.]

Me: WEIRD. I feel like I look the same and you guys look so different.

Lauren: You're old. That means you'll start to look the same. Then it goes downhill.

Me: Aaaaand, thank you. You do know if this was taken two years ago, you're the same age now as I was when this was taken?

Lauren: I've looked the same since I was born. It's been downhill for me since the 2nd grade.

This is pretty accurate, minus the downhill part. Lauren's face has been virtually the same since she was a newborn. :) Aw, bbs.

Love,

-A.

P.S. Another fun tidbit about my brother: he's in The Sound of Music at his school this year as Max Dettweiler. Woo! He gets to play the comic relief! And he has a duet with the Baroness! John and I are going back to Sewickley at the end of this month to see the show! I'm so proud of KJ. :D

I'm on fire, and now I think I'm ready to bust a move...

When John took me to visit Betsy over the break, she revealed herself to be my Secret Santa, and she gave me an adorable mug with this awesome letter 'A' on it, and a ticket to see Motion City Soundtrack, who is one of our favorite bands!

The concert was last night, finally, and I went with Betsy, her sister Mamie and their friend Nora (who has recently been snuggling it up with Robin!). We went right after my first senior/graduation meeting.

(STRESSFUL. I was getting really freaked about it, but John insisted that it just looked like a lot to take because I was looking at it all at once. He demanded that I have fun at the concert. :D)

We got there at the end of the first band, The Swellers, who sounded pretty cool. Then This Providence, who were fronted by this attractive Englishman with what was possibly a wedding ring? Pretty cool, and the band was great. The last opening band, Set Your Goals, was just a bunch of rapping/screaming, which was not so fun, particularly when the moshing started.

But then Motion City came on and they were super-great and really fun to watch. I've never been more rowdy at a concert. :D They played a bunch of my favorites. They played: The Future Freaks Me Out, Hold Me Down, LGFUAD, This Is For Real, Last Night, Broken Heart, Even If It Kills Me, My Favorite Accident, Perfect Teeth, The Red Dress, and a few songs from the new album that I didn't really know (I only heard the album existed about a week ago and I didn't listen to it before the concert): Atat, Her Words Destroy My Planet, Pulp Fiction, Hysteria, Worker Bee, A Lifeless Ordinary, and Delirium. Super fun. :)

The best part was at the end of the show--they played their last song and left the stage. A few moments later, a few kids started chanting 'One more song!' and within ten seconds the whole venue was one voice. "One more song! One more song! One more song!" Clapping and speeding up as we went. The whole place was in on it for a solid minute as we sped up, and I was worried what would happen if the chant culminated and they didn't come out for an encore.

Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed! They reappeared, and the lead singer was like "That was beautiful, you guys." It really was. Not to be totally cheese-tastic. :D I love stuff like that! I love groups of strangers coming together spontaneously for something awesome and fun! So, they played Disappear, another song from the new album, and for the last song, Everything is Alright, which is one of my favorites and I was hoping they would play it, so I was really excited!

So, naturally, when I got home, I had, like, seven hours of homework ahead of me and I didn't get to bed until 5:30. Oh well. :P Worth it, and it was a good warm-up for my grave shift tonight.

Today was busy, but rewarding. I had class from 1-3:45, then 4-8, just in time to get to Colin's for pizza and LOST with Jen, Robin, Nic, and eventually Katie and John (my teacher is a LOST fan, so we'll probably always get out before 9). I've watched maybe ten full LOST episodes, and most of those were from the second season, so I only know about 25-30% of what I should, but that's more than enough for me to follow, especially since I watched the last season finale last fall. It was just nice to be with my friends. :)

John kept me company for the first half of my shift (an hour and a half to go, wooo!) and read to me for awhile. Sweetie.

The snow has been TUMBLING down here! It's totally beautiful--night snow is the best kind; I love seeing it illuminated by the streetlights--and there are rumors of maaaybe classes being canceled (but I'm not going to jinx it!). I'm personally looking forward to sleeping in either way--my first and only class is at 7 pm!

Hope you're all doing well. :)

Love,

-A.