Comments from my mom's professional director friends about Ink. Woo!

"I watched your daughter's film. She was a really good choice for the part, very sweet, natural and out of this guy's league, but she still played approachable enough to buy her response at the end. There were a couple technical problems, the editing could have been a lot tighter, and the characters weren't set up well enough through the direction at the beginning, but all and all a very good job and interesting twist, which is the basis for a successful short film."

"Yes, she did a nice job! She's as photogenic as her mom, you can see the resemblance. Is she an acting student?"

:D What a pleasant surprise!

Yesterday was a good day after I posted the previous entry--I went to Paper Moon for the tasty hamburger I was denied on Thursday, and staked out Charm City Cakes with Abi (John's English friend who leaves today :D:), John, Cara (John's friend with a propensity to overshare), and her new boyfriend (via OKcupid) Tevis (who is surprisingly handsome and half-Asian).

Cara was particularly entertaining at Paper Moon, and decided that it was a great idea to talk about past bad dates on her third date with Tevis. To make this even better, one of the dates was with a diaper fetishist, and the other ended up with her in hives (that one took place in the last month, I think). However, Tev seemed unphased, and even more attracted to her than before, so...good for them? Although this is only the start.

After lunch, we went into Fells Point and visited Killer Trash, this famous thrift store (John Waters loves it, apparently), where I found my wedding dress. Not really, obviously, but I saw this short-sleeved, scoopneck white dress with this long flowy skirt, and I guess it occured to me that it could be wedding dress potential for someone, but I just wanted to try it on because it's pretty. So, I did, and I was kind of blown away. It fit me almost perfectly (the top was cut wrong, or maybe my boobs just take over life), and I admit, I looked pretty amazing. Even Tev was like "You're radiating at all of us!" I never used to understand why people cried at the sight of themselves/loved ones while trying on wedding gowns, but in that moment, I understood (I didn't cry!). But, it was pretty cheap fabric and $34 that I do not have, so I left it there, but got some photo evidence via Cara's camera, which I'll post when I can.

After that, we went for Mr. Yogato Frozon Yogurt, which we each got for 10% off for answering a few history/art trivia questions. We had to name four 20th Century art movements (we helped each other out on that one), and I got "What is another name for the Mona Lisa?". This stumped me for a few minutes, until the girl gave me the hint that it was in another language, and all on my own, I remembered "La Gioconda". :)

John, Abi, and John's roommate Ari (a funny and endearingly awkward Jewish boy) came over last night and we watched Disney movies (The Emperor's New Groove and Aladdin) and had a few beers in honor of Abi's heading back to England. I conked out during both movies, and ended up only getting about 4.5 hours of sleep last night. Woo!

I also got an amusing call from John's best friend Dave, who I met when I went to New Jersey to see Harry Potter 6, and have kept in touch with since. Amusing is only a part of the call though, which was actually disarmingly honest (bordering on harsh) and well-appreciated by yours truly.

I had two conversations with good friends yesterday about life never being 100%--sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith. That is something I have trouble with. Fear of the drop, remember? :P Just got to pray and try. I hate being wrong. I hate not knowing what I want. But maybe the key is to let go of what I want and concentrate on what GOD wants. (What a novel idea! :P)

I've been told that I'm good at seeing "the big picture", that I can help people see past their own points of view to put things in perspective. I hope that's true, and if it is, I think that it only applies to others, ha. I'm not very good at seeing "the big picture" in regards to myself. I mean, I know it's there, and I can acknowledge it, but usually in a bitter, mirthless way until it all calms down and I smack myself in the head for being so immature four days later. Selfish.

Another bit of excellent news: The MICA Playwrights Club (now the MICA Thespian Club, due to lack of proper writers, I'm sure) is putting on Closer this year, which is undoubtedly one of my favorite films/plays. I'd probably never be cast as Alice (I look/act too old), but playing Anna would be AMAZING. The audition is next Friday. Wish me luck!

Hope you all have a good day--Love!

-A.

ETA: OKAY. I found an artist that I thought Marla would like, and I posted it on her Facebook wall this past week. It was her birthday party last night, which I wasn't invited to, but I get that--Robin attended, and I'm sure it was fun. Today, I went to glance on her page to see that she not only deleted my friendship (which happened in the last week, tops), but deleted my post about the artist! REALLY. REALLY. REALLY.

Even Melissa, the most generous and sweetest person in the world has been like "HELL NO" about Marla's recent behavior. I mean, I'm a little hurt by it, but I guess this is the path to this being done for good (as if it weren't already). Grr. That annoyance about being the only one held responsible is coming back.

Returning to the Recent Past and other kinds of Time-Travel.

Lauren and Abby picked me up from the bus station when Robby died, and one of the first conversations we had was about his idea of the afterlife. Lauren, being as close with Robby as she was, was lucky enough to get a packet of photocopied pages directly from Robby last summer--the packet, according to Robby, summed up his ideas and beliefs about God and the world around us.

I got the chance to skim it the day before the funeral--Lauren had left it out on her bed, having finally gotten around to reading it. I'm afraid I don't remember specifics, but I remember the bulk of it having to do with reconciling God and Science into Order--to be neither purely scientific or purely religious in name. The phrase 'God of Order' was used a lot.

The point is, Lauren was vehement about Robby's salvation--"I can't believe that he's in Hell. I cannot believe that." And I agreed. But how does one get around that niggling Biblical message? John 3:16 and everything we learned about in Sunday school?

I've been coming across a few interesting passages on this subject lately, including this entry from a blog called Growing Up Lane, written by two young Catholic sisters:

"Vatican II teaches that 'Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel of Christ or his church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their consciences—those too may achieve eternal salvation (LG 16).' Also, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) we find this: 'Every man who is ignorant of the gospel of Christ and of his Church but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity' (CCC 1260).

God has written Himself into all of our hearts, and this is known to most people as conscience. Those who seek and have a conscious desire to do good, to respond to this knowledge of God in their heart, are participating in God’s plan and serving Him as faithfully as is possible for them. Just because they are ignorant of the source of the graces and salvation they may receive, it does not mean that they cannot attain them. This, however, is not an excuse for settling for what you have and refusing to further your knowledge of God. We must continually work to join ourselves with God as intimately as possible. As Catholics, we believe that this is reached as a member of the Church that was founded by Christ, and participating in the sacraments He has given us, most importantly joining in true communion with Him through the celebration of the Eucharist.
So, 'no salvation outside of the Church' means that salvation only comes from Christ through the Church, not that only members of the Church are saved."

I am no longer Catholic, of course, but I think this is a good sum-up. While, yes, the Bible says that salvation is only for those who believe in Christ and the promises of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, this leaves a lot of holes and possibilities ('What about the pygmies who've never heard of Jesus?!'). Obviously, we can't rely on the idea that Robby didn't know anything about God or Christianity--his parents are Christians, and I know they attended a Lutheran church (I'm pretty sure it was Lutheran) as children. But, knowing that God is merciful and gave us a brain to explore, paired with the idea of God "writing Himself onto our hearts" as our conscience--the bottom line is, God doesn't want us to fail.

Another thing--and hopefully this doesn't come off as morbid--but Robby's death was one without fault. It wasn't a car accident or suicide (blessedly). It was an Act of God--I would say, a specific event that serves to further God's will. This doesn't make it a pleasant endeavor--Robby's death was intensely painful--but it offers some explanation: God's plan working through the life and death of a young man seeking knowledge. I can only hope that this explanation doesn't cause anyone to blame God.

I was flipping through my History of Silence course notes yesterday morning as well, and found two quotes I wrote in that apply:

"Because you seek Me with your whole heart, I will let Myself be found." -God to Man

and

"In my practice, actively trying to find something: it becomes there." -Keenan, (a classmate of mine)



In other news, I got a random Facebook chat message from Lacie's older brother Wesley night before last. We've never spoken ten words to each other, so this was surprising (I thought it was Lacie, at first, but the conversation quickly proved to me that it wasn't.) So, we had a game of Scrabble and we talked about my thesis project. After he beat me by 100 points, heh, we said goodnight, and he told me to let him know the next time I visit NYC (he lives there now and his pursuing his doctorate of philosophy). Hold your horses--he lives with his long-time girlfriend in the city, so no romantic interest from either side. As if.

Things with Hector are...progressing. Nicely.



:)



I also got the chance to talk on the phone with Paul for the first time in forever! It was really awesome in all--it's been a LONG time--but of course, we had to breach the Marla/Me/Robin topic. And here I thought Paul was Mr. Neutral, which is apparently not the case. He took the opportunity to knock my legs out from under me: "Then I heard Marla's side of the story and was a lot less okay with the situation after that...but I'm not getting involved. It's none of my business." GRAAR.

I actually let it slide pretty well yesterday, but today I found myself really angry. Like, REALLY angry about it. I was at the point where I was almost totally cool with everything, then that little comment threw me off. Which should be a big hint that I wasn't really okay about it. I guess it's just frustrating that I continue to be the sole perpetrator in this, that my name is the one getting kicked around eight months later. Hm.

ANYWAY. I have an awesome week-and-a-half to look forward to: Emily W. moves in tomorrow and Hector gets back Sunday, then I have my last week of work, and THEN SIX FLAGS with Colin, his girlfriend Katie, Robin, Jen, Jess, Ben, and BETSY! It'll be so fun! I can't wait. Then school. CRAP.

But I AM excited, and I can't wait to see everyone! :D Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm working on a very important conversation. :P



Love,

-A.

The Exception to the Rule.

Before I dive in to the point of my title, Ben came to visit yesterday and stayed the night. I owe a lot to Ben for his (baldly honest) insight into my personality. It's always a pleasure to hang out with him and especially to confide in him, because when we move past the snark and the disagreements and psychoanalysis and I just need a hug, he's always there for me 100%, on my terms. (Mostly. :P) It means a lot. Thank you, Ben. :)

(Also, did I not say Gossip Girl is amazing? Told you! :P)

I got a message from Marla today, requesting that I remove from Facebook the photos Betsy took of me in the corset Marla made. Apparently, asking me to remove them has everything to do with her wanting to preserve the artistic integrity of her "creative content" (the corset--as opposed to the images, which are rightfully Betsy's), and nothing to do with the fact that she probably sent me those nasty Honesty Box messages. (After all, I had those photos up for two weeks and she didn't say a word until my second response to the HB messages.) I'm not certain, but then again, I don't know anyone else who uses the word "rather" on a daily basis. I removed the photos, obviously. No need to start a fight. But, I did add in my return message that I hate how things have ended up between us.

Betsy and I had a girl's day, starting with shopping and culminating in eating candy and watching "He's Just Not That Into You", which I enjoyed far, far more than I expected. Now, I don't want to spoil a thing, BUT, there's a particular emphasis on the Rules of dating and the Exceptions. Like, the guy will call if he wants to be with you is a Rule. Or, he finally calls after a month and you end up happily ever after? Exception.

As I've said before, I've absolutely had my moments with boys where I over-analyze and mistake his intentions or feelings. Some not so serious, some heart-breaking. We all do it. We've all been on the other side as well. I've been more present to it in the last two weeks than I have in a while.

To be fair, it is a romantic comedy, and there were happy endings. BUT, people end up single. I was impressed at the honesty, despite the character exaggerations. The happy endings were wonderful and totally made me cry. They weren't altogether shocking, but just enough of a romantic twist to make me literally cry out with something like joy at the TV. :) It's one of my favorite things about romantic comedies, and also one of my least favorite.

We all want to be the Exception to the Rule, on some level. But, I think, what I want more than the thrill and drama of being The One to Change Him, is to be...happy. I would love that grand romantic gesture after all the struggle, but I'd prefer to work through the struggle from the start. It's like a song you might know: "I'd rather be working for a paycheck then waiting to win the lottery." I want romance and wonder and that thrill in my gut when He Finally Gets It. But why would I wait for a man that doesn't want me from the start? It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.

All of that aside, after watching a movie like that, I'm just ready to be in love. :P Because I am a girl who loves seeing joy.

Love you all!

-A.

P.S. Let's Go Pens! We've got a big game ahead of us!

A Semi-Solitary Weekend

With Betsy at home in New Jersey for the weekend, and Jen home for two weeks on Long Island, I have four long days by my lonesome. I had a wonderful visit with Ben, who drove up from Virginia at short notice to be with little old me. :)

Ben and I have bonded amazingly well lately--two phone conversations in the last three days lasting over 3 hours. They've been informative, funny, and sometimes difficult, but always rewarding. It's nice to have a friend that challenges me. It's good for me.

I had two shifts yesterday, and at the end of my second, a DA I've known for years, Tiff (not Marla's roommate!) came in with a boy I don't know and I ended up talking with her about the events of the past year (I told her about my upcoming date with Mark and she inquired about Robin and I).

The most fascinating part was, the guy she came in with, Jie, ended up being Mark's best friend! He didn't have much info to offer about Mark--save a little insider stuff about his ex (they've been done for awhile, and were on-and-off for almost their whole 4 YEAR RELATIONSHIP. Yeesh.). I am a little wary that this is just a rebound thing, but I'm not going to make any decisions about that until the actual date!

In other news, I applied to City Cafe (Donna's has been flaky and silent), and I've been mostly holed up watching reruns of Gossip Girl: Season One. Seriously. Everyone needs to watch this show.

Tonight is up in the air--I don't have a shift and I'm uncreative. :P

But Betsy is back tomorrow, and then my date on Wednesday! Maybe I should enjoy the relaxation. :P Also, I'm hoping to secure this gorgeous dress on eBay--




Wish me luck! :)

Love,

-A.

I am popular lately!

Since I returned to Baltimore, I have been chatted up by three different guys! Maybe four, but that remains to be seen.

The most recent was a guy named Mark--he graduated in '08 and built the sets for Good Thing, the play I stage managed last spring. We never really talked much during the show--although we got along well--and all of a sudden he contacts me on Facebook and invites me to dinner! I suspect it has something to do with the fact that my profile picture is me looking model-hot in a corset. (Sources also say he's only recently single out of a long-term relationship, so we'll see.)

Since he invited me in a message, I told him I can't accept online invites and gave him my number. I intend to accept if and when he calls. Why wouldn't I? :) He is really handsome--not my usual, much broader and muscular--and from our limited and past interaction, totally nice.

We'll see how it goes over!

In other news, Ben (Bennett) came over last night and we went out to dinner. It's refreshing to have a person like him around--he's unlike any friend I've ever had, which is both awesome and sort of annoying. :P But we get along well and he's fun to be around. It's also nice to have a friend I can kiss goodbye on the cheek without feeling weird about it. I've wanted that forever! Odd desire, I know.

Also, I had coffee with John on Tuesday (he's the 'maybe four' mentioned above) and WOW, do we hit it off every time we see each other! Even better, we got to talk about faith (conservative Christian, w00t!) and he was on my page, even finishing my sentences! Very, very, very nice. And it's pretty clear that we want to spend more time together--he invited me to Boston this weekend (!), but I had to work--sorry Drea! :((( And he also offered to drive from New Jersey to Baltimore to pick me up and take me BACK to New Jersey so I can see Harry Potter 6 with him and his friends (we are nerds. love it.)! Generous and cool. There's obviously a lot of affection on both sides in a short time, but I like it! He's a sweetheart.

WHAT IS MY LIFE?! Lauren must have inadvertently passed along her hotness!

So! Anyway, I saw Marla again today, and it's looking like she's decided that our tactic for the rest of forever will be Ignoring. Classic. So, that's where we are now.

ANYWAY, enough about my social calendar--no response from the Walters yet, affirmatively or negatively. But, they did send me an e-mail that the internship was intended for grad students, but they'd pass my resume on anyway. So, it's looking unlikely, but who knows? I have a lot of cool stuff behind me.

Hope you're all doing well! Love you--

-A.

New York, New York: Where cute Jewish babies threaten to kill each other in the sandbox. Part Two. (With a dash of "Why I Love Brian")

When we left Our Heroes, they had ventured into Long Island. :)

After the bad news about my aunt, we stopped at Haagen-Dazs to get Ben, Betsy, and Jess a Banana Split Dazzler (*shhhing!*) and went to the park to eat it and saw five adorable Israeli kids in their underwear and smirking at us, then went to this restaurant called Pancho's for Mexican. Yes, dessert first. :P

Lunch was good, but the waiter was a jerky face and they added the tip automatically so we couldn't stiff them for their bad behavior. LAME. But we drew cute cartoons on the table paper, so we win.

After lunch, we worked off the calories at a local playground--we played on the swings (Ben took one particularly nasty spill and scraped his arm after Betsy and I both warned him on separate occasions about jumping from swings) and had an impromptu photo shoot on the grass. We overheard the toddlers responsible for my entry title--some gems from their mouths include:

"I'm gonna cut your head off!"

"My mother and my brother are gonna kick you in the ASS!"

"I'm going to get a bat and hit you in the FACE!"

Yup. Charming.

We drove around a bit more and went back to Ben's house to chill for a while before I met his dad more properly. Whew. He was intense! SERIOUS EYE CONTACT. But in a good way, although he wasted no time in telling me that if I don't learn Flash I'll never make money. :) He warmed to me more once he found out my interest in conservation, however.

The drive back to Baltimore was more pleasant that the drive from--we were all more awake and good-tempered. :) Not to mention the wide array of funny things that went down. More bridge-phobia for Jess (that trooper! :D), a great deal more Betsy-and-Alyssa-Sing-Along ensued, and during a rousing rendition of "Poker Face" by Lady GaGa, my personal favorite moment occurred:

Bets and Lyss: "P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face!"
Jess: "What is she saying? Poke her face?"
Bets and Lyss: "No, no. POKER FACE. Like the game. Have you heard that term? Poker face?"
Ben: "She's saying 'butterface'. You know, like a Butterface."
Jess: "Butterface? Poke? Poke-her-face?!"
Bets and Lyss: "NO! POKER. POKER FACE. Like the card game!"
Ben: "B-b-b-butterface, b-b-butterface!"
Jess: "I don't understand! Why are you all saying different things?!"
Bets and Lyss: *Laughing too hard to correct Jess*

Hahahahaha. I can't even keep from laughing now!

Also, Betsy was foiled in her search for a Spock collector's cup--she is now in love with Spock since seeing Star Trek with me, Robin, the two Bens, Colin, and Jen a few weeks back.

It was a fantastic weekend all around. :) Thanks, you guys, for making it so awesome! :D

SIDE NOTE!: Eric, the Gossip Girl fan who came over last week, did come over and hang out. He also admitted that he wanted to ask me out on a date, but thanks to his return to Austin, no go. But, we made plans to hang out on Friday. He said he would call me and--Surprise!--did not. Well, that is, he called at 9:30pm, while I was on my way to New York City. And he only called to tell me why he couldn't hang out that day! Leave my hanging all day, then that! Lame. But oh well.

I also saw Marla on Monday. I got called in to work at the Meyerhoff desk that morning from 8 AM to noon, and posted a status update about it on Facebook. At about 11:30, Marla walks in. I look up and freeze, but she just says "Hi", her mouth in the hint of a smile, and walks to the computers. I felt my eyebrows fly up "Hiiiiiiiiiii..."

About twenty minutes later, she goes to walk out, without saying one word to me.

"Marla, wait."

She turned, and I saw that her eyes were red and moist.

"I'm sorry."

She almost smiled, but mirthlessly. "Thank you." Then she turned on her heel and walked right out.

Like any stalker, I checked her internet history. She only visited two frivolous animal blogs, no e-mail. It clicked. She has a computer at home. She saw my status update. She came to see if I would apologize.

Joey had a different theory: "She prob wanted to see if you gained weight in Italy and then got pissed when she realized you lost a babillion pounds!" (Unlikely, but funny. Except for the part where I had a babillion pounds to lose. :P )

So, relatively painless, and I guess that's that for now. We'll see if we see each other again any time soon.

I hope you're all well. Love you!

-A.

P.S. Why I Love Brian, Part 4? 5? Lost count.

Me: *Persuade, persuade, persuade*
Brian: Haha. You're like the little devil on my shoulder, except you have good intentions.
Me: So I'm the angel? Maybe a bit of both.
Brian: I can deal with that. Angel of gossip. :P
Me: Angel of human interest!

P.P.S. GO PENS! Lord Stanley, here we come! :D

New York, New York: Where cute Jewish babies threaten to kill each other in the sandbox. Part One.

This weekend, I went to Glen Rock, New Jersey, New York City, and Great Neck, Long Island.

It was so much fun I can only begin to describe it. :) (Be warned, this is a detailed account!)

Betsy and I picked up Jessica and Ben (friends of Betsy's, acquaintances of mine [not this Ben]) and got on the road at about 9 pm on Thursday night...and drove in the wrong direction for 45 minutes. WHOOPS.

Thankfully, we were heading north to New Jersey in short order, and Betsy and I went ahead and sang along (perhaps annoyingly) to the songs on her iPod (for those who don't know us, we have virtually identical tastes in music)--we knew almost all the words to every song, as Jess pointed out (I'd like to think admiringly :P).

We stopped in Delaware for a late snack around 11 and observed some of it's fine patrons and employees (including a freakishly tall blonde woman and an uncomfortably flirtatious clerk) and got a very strange blend of foods (hamburgers, trail mix and Starburst) for the last half of the trip.

We finally made it in to Glen Rock, Betsy's hometown, by about 1 AM--we were all exhausted, but still stayed up meeting and greeting Betsy's adorable parents and puppy until about 3 AM. (In the midst of this, Ben drops the unexpected news that he is very allergic to dogs...ooooops!) Finally, we crashed in Betsy's basement--Ben and Jess on the couches with the "fluff blankets", as Jess coined the term, and Betsy and I on the air mattress on the floor.

We set our alarms for 8 AM, but then reality kicked in, and we woke up at 11:30. :P

But, we got a treat for our laziness, which was a DELICIOUS bagel breakfast with cream cheese and lox and tasty jellies. :) And who doesn't love tasty jellies?

We took the NJ Transit (and had a sighting of Betsy's ex's best friend) to the Path, and ended up on 9th street, outside of Betsy's brother's apartment building. I got my first taste of Pinkberry a few blocks later (YUMMY) and at Ben's suggestion, we went to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum to see the sustainable design exhibit, which was really, really cool. Even better, because we got in for free, thanks to Ben's previous employment there!

By the time we got out of the museum, the temperature had dropped to frosty, which was awful for us girls, who were dressed in shorts and dresses and tee shirts. So, we sought warmth in a Mexican restaurant on 83rd that we still can't guess the name of! The type on the awning was really hard to read, and the receipt was labeled 'Percy's Bar and Grill'...wtf? Either way, we had some tasty sangria (serving the underaged, gasp!), and mole sauce (made from chocolate, not moles).

It was even colder when we left the restaurant, so we stopped into a Gap to see if they had some cheap sweaters, but alas, even their sale prices were positively ridiculous, so we forwent that and decided to head back out of the city--Ben and Jess went to Ben's house in Long Island for the night, and Betsy and I took the train back to Glen Rock, where we made brownies and watched the ends of Runaway Bride and Little Women (I cried when Beth died, I'll admit it!).

The next morning, Betsy and I rode with her dad into the city to pick up Ben, Jess, Betsy's sister Katie and brother Tom, and brother's girlfriend Amy. It was a surprisingly quick and easy pick-up, and when we got back to Glen Rock, we basically sat on our asses watching movies all afternoon until the pre-Memorial Day, Memorial Day cookout! I swear to God, best scallops I've ever had. Also, we got delicious homemade ice cream from this little place called Van Dyk's. :D

We also met Betsy's former neighbor and childhood friend John, who, aside from mild racism and lack of tact, is very nice and funny. The five of us were 9 years old for a couple hours and played on a nearby elementary school playground, earning such nicknames as "Baller Ben" and "Jenius (or 'Jeanius', as Ben prefers) Jess", and getting shown up by smaller kids climbing on the jungle gyms.

Then we tortured the boys and watched Dr. Horrible (less-to-no-torture) and Hitch (medium-to-heavy-torture) and went to bed.

We shot for 8 am again, and were slightly more successful--we got up at 9:30 (well, Ben managed to get up at 8, and decided to poke Jess in the head in order to wake her :P).

We got another pleasant breakfast surprise from Betsy's mom, who made us plain, blueberry, and chocolate pancakes serves alongside strawberries. OMG SO GOOD.

We drove to Long Island, which was, again, very easy and short, and got to know each other a bit more, concentrating on phobias. They ranged from the less serious (spiders for Betsy), to the funny in theory but actually valid (bridges for Jess) and the scary and tragic (small spaces/confinement and bad news for me, hurting others for Ben). It was really pleasant to get to know Jess and Ben better--they're both really funny and thoughtful and fun to be around. :)

Ben's neighborhood of Great Neck was adorable and Jewish and reminded me of Sewickley in a lot of ways (as did Glen Rock, for that matter). We met his parents--his mother was adorable--and brother, and after looking at some baby pictures and witnessing a funny water fight between Ben, his brother and their dad, we hopped in Betsy's car and headed into town.

Unfortunately, at this point, I had missed a call from Dad, and his voicemail gave me that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that said there was something wrong (although I'd chalked it up to some disappointment in me he had). I got a text from Mom as well, so I answered that, and she asked if I'd spoken to Dad. I said no, and the sick feeling intensified, so I asked why. Apparently, my Dad's older sister was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, and was given about 8 months. :( My aunt and I aren't close, but she's the closest family to me that's died while I've been old enough to understand. I was shocked, and I cried a little, but mostly out of being overwhelmed--I love my aunt, and she was absolutely the most invested and attentive of my Dad's siblings to us, but the closeness just isn't there to feel the loss for myself. I feel the loss for my Dad, though. Very sad.

Thankfully, I was with three supportive, wonderful friends who were nothing but helpful.

Okay, this has to be continued...part two coming up!

BTW, I just had contact with Marla for the first time in, oh, 6 months. It was uncomfortable, but a breakthrough. I got to apologize in person. More soon.

Love,

-A.

So many things go on in my life--

Thankfully, they are mostly awesome things.

I am back in Baltimore, which has been great--the drive down with Lauren was largely unproblematic, Robin and I are more than fine, Betsy and Jen are both great (still bickering), and Lee, the girl who I sublet to, is pretty absent from the apartment usually. BUT, in an awesome turn of events, I came at the perfect time--she is paying two rents, and with the advent of my return, she is going to move out of my room earlier than expected! Pretty good timing.

Ben came to see me yesterday, which was also lovely. He brought me roses--two red, two yellow--and opened the car door for me and all of that gentlemanly awesomeness. We had a good day--low-key but fun--and in the evening, we got to talking. Debating, in one, about our opposing religious viewpoints. And then, discussing the possibility of a relationship.

At first, I was sort of relieved--it seemed like we were on the same page: we liked the other, enjoyed the other's company, but in the end, we aren't really what the other is looking for, mostly based on sex, politics, and religion. Sure, fine. But all of a sudden, there was this wacky deal where I figure out that he likes me a WHOLE lot more than I though he did, and that it's really hard (read: impossible) for him to just be friends with girls he likes from the outset.

This upset me more than the revelation that we aren't actually right for each other romantically. I wasn't hurt, but sort of sad. For some reason, I got this fire in me--it became essential to cultivate a lasting friendship with Ben. It is essential. Hm.

Anyway, we had that talk, and I told him I was still going to make an effort to remain friends, and he said he'd try. But, sure enough, when all of us (Jen, Betsy, Robin, Colin, Ben2, My Ben, and I) went to see Star Trek (pretty fun, I gotta say), he got all affectionate and hand-holdy again. Since the midst of a blockbuster is not the best place to talk it out, so I waited until I was walking him out to the car as he was leaving last night. When I asked what the deal was, he did what I wanted Robin to do back in February--he said 'I'm going to ignore the differences/odds against us for now."

I was surprised, and pleased, but not because I have any urgent feelings about being with Ben. In fact, as I'd said before, I was sort of relieved that we'd agreed to just try friendship. It was just nice to feel like I'm important to someone--especially someone who doesn't know me that well. But I don't want to hang this relationship on my own feelings of self-worth--that would be stupid and, doy, selfish. He deserves better than that.

He told me it was my call. Because of the above paragraph, I didn't say no. Not right away. I told him yes for now, but I still had to think about it. But, as I do, I knew as soon as I turned and watched him drive out that I should've drawn the line. He invited me to stay at his place on Friday--that probably won't happen, but again, I do want to stay in touch.

Whew. Also, darn. It was like a taste of an attentive boyfriend who is making an effort to honor me, and I've wanted that for a while.

I still haven't seen Marla--hopefully today.

School stuff is sneaking up on me a little, which is stressful, but I can take it. Now to get a job! Wheee!

Wish me luck--

-A.

P.S. Go Pens! Game 7! Bottle the Caps! :D

A Useless Little Filler Post.

I don't have much to report on, really, but I feel like I should be better at updating. Ab Fab is kicking my ass!

This weekend has been pretty uneventful--my roommates were away again: Melissa and Christine in Paris and Emily in Naples/Capri. So, I was alone. The first night was a little lonesome--I've been alone at home a lot lately--but it wasn't too bad. I spent most of my weekend at SACI screwing around on the computer (kind of like now, hm), which is lame of me, because I have a lot of work to do!

Last night was more successful, socially. I went to Sarah C's place for dinner, and we just talked for a few hours. It's been nice to catch up with her--we hung out all the time freshman year (I practically lived in her apartment), and we'd barely seen each other since then! She gave me a little perspective on the looming and inevitable conversation with Marla coming in the next weeks. It's nice to have someone who knows her sympathize, I guess. Most people I consult don't know her at all. Sarah, who has a little fear for Marla's temper to begin with, can at least share in my discomfort.

Today will (hopefully) be spent finishing a couple comic sketches, then this week I get down to the finals! I also downloaded Pocahontas and Beauty and the Beast as a little surprise gift for my roommates when they return, so hopefully we can watch one of those. :)

I live a boring life. :P

BUT, something sort of funny did happen yesterday. I was snooping through this one studio, and looking at a girl's notes and sketches, and this one HUGE painting--it was near the door, and so big, half the room was obscured. I decided to move around it to look at the neighboring studio space. As I stepped around it, I was startled by a guy sitting on a stool directly behind the big painting, one earbud hanging out. I gasped and one hand flew to my heart, like a cartoon. I stammered and apologized a few times, then, like a GOOF, I apologized for startling HIM. He unsmilingly apologized for startling me, then changed tack and started chatting me up!

As it turns out, this guy, Jordan, is roommates with Nice!Joey (have I mentioned him here? Great guy from Ohio, really cool), and goes to Alfred (he knows Maddy Crawford). He then invited me over to his place for dinner, "because, you know, me and Joey cook all the time". I'm not about to turn down a free meal with some nice guys, and Joey knows I'm taken and can fill Jordan in, so I accepted for a future, undetermined time.

I told Sarah about the embarrassment and comedy of the whole deal, and she proceeded to inform me that this was the Jordan who had made out with Michelle-The-TA-I-Hate in Venice! I mentioned this incident at the end of my March 11th entry. Minus major points, man. MAJOR points.

But, on the upswing, I'm going to see Watchmen with Nice!Joey on Thursday! This local place called the Odeon Cinema shows American movies with Italian subtitles. I am SO EXCITED. If you've already seen it, shut up, because I've already heard too much!

Ab--did you ever finish reading Watchmen?

Em's mom recently sent me our itinerary of sorts for Corsica, which is really exciting! I'm totally looking forward to it. :D

Just, a final note. Seeing the way God works in the lives of people I know--not just me--is humbling. I see people doing 180s. I see amazing things happening, and I can't help but be completely joyful. I can't really be detailed, but, God, you are so awesome! I can't help smiling! :D

Love you guys, and I'll talk to you soon,

-A.

To-Do Today.

Dentist Appt. (My top wisdom teeth have erupted, but they look small enough to keep. Hooray!)
Post Office (I sent my apology letter to Marla AND ran into my paternal sort-of-grandfather and his big ol' dog.)
Bank (Still not enough money for me! :D)
Packing (And I'm still SO nervous about being over the weight limit!)
Haircut (You'll all see it soon enough. :P)
Gossip Girl (If you haven't watched this, we're not friends. >:( :P)

So, now I tackle packing, then at noon, haircut, then more packing, then Gossip Girl. I will never finish Breaking Dawn at this rate! :P

I can't even believe I head out tomorrow. OMG.

I said goodbye to Robin yesterday night. It was about as hard as I anticipated--I cried a little. I'm going to miss all of you SO much, but Robin was the guy I've gotten the closest to over the past months of planning and stressing. I love you guys. :)

Okay, seriously have to start now. :*

Love,
A.

ETA: 1/6/09, 12:25AM

The To-Do List is done, I get a last China Palace lunch with my family tomorrow, and then my plane leaves at 3pm! OMG!

Love you.

A.

For those of you who were wondering why I changed the URL...

Marla knows. The secret somehow got to a friend of Marla's--a MICA girl--via my blog. This is a mystery I don't quite understand, because the girl would've had to get it from our mutual work computer at MICA, and it's been two weeks since we left MD, meaning this girl either A) magically acquired the URL on her own on Thursday or B) has been reading it for awhile since Fall semester and decided to wait it out instead of tell Marla right away. Either way: shady. Marla is in NYC with this girl right now, and she told Marla on Thursday.

So, she's furious, naturally. Hurt, upset, and insulted.

I am deeply sorry that I hurt her, of course. That was the LAST thing we wanted, obviously, because we kept it on the DL. I get the feeling that Marla thinks we were laughing at her behind her back somehow--like, "Oh, look how dumb she is, haha", which was NOT the case, as you all know. Our only concern was about her feelings, because we knew that, for some reason, she was very not okay with the idea of us getting together in ANY way. Robin said she was almost more mad that it was me he got together with than the fact that we lied. (ETA: Upon their second conversation, Robin says that she seemed more upset about the lying, which is a relief, in the sense that she's being rational and not just passionate.)

I'm conflicted. I mean, of course I'm horrified that I hurt her. I never intended it to go this way, and we probably shouldn't have lied. That was where we were wrong--the lying.

But truthfully, after Marla was the one who initiated the break-up talk, and now that's it's been over 6 months and she's been dating other people--well, it's not her place to tell us whether or not we can see each other, and it's not her place to be mad that we got together. It's not like I helped Robin cheat, it's not like he dumped her for me, and it's not like this was a weird rebound thing a week after they broke up. But of course, I can't say this.

Yes, I knew Marla would be mad. She'd made me aware of how she would feel if it were to happen. Maybe I should have been more loyal, I don't know. But what I do know is that I don't regret a second of the time I spent with Robin. This drama may be undesirable, but it is worth it ten times over. I care about him a lot, and I don't think either of us are sorry for the closeness we've shared.

Of course, Marla would punch us in the soul if she heard that, so we're downplaying it to "we just kissed from time-to-time" status. Maybe we should just come out and say it, but at this point, we're salvaging the friendship as best we can.

So, disloyal friend and dirty mistress I remain until further notice. :P

Love,

-A.

P.S. I'll try and update about New Year's in the next day or so. :)

Yay, new friends!

Last night, Robin got home from Buffalo and picked me up to hang out with Sam and Jessie and another high school friend Casey. I have to say, I really love his friends. They're just so fun to get to know, and they've welcomed me so readily into their little circle. In fact, we figured out some New Year's plans, and we basically had to invite Marla, which is fine, but it boils down to Robin's friends keeping their mouths shut, and Robin and I not kissing at midnight.

So, we passed this along to Casey and Sam while we were eating at the O, and then we got into our separate cars to meet at Jessie's. We arrived after Sam and Casey, and later found out that as soon as they arrived at Jessie's house, they all formulated a plan to distract Marla at midnight! So cute. :P

Anyway, those of you who do NOT have New Year's plans yet and will still be in the country should come expand our group! You're absolutely invited, and you get to meet some cool kids. :D

Not much else to update--just wanted to touch base. LIKE YOU ALL SHOULD DO ONCE IN A WHILE. HINT, HINT.

(10 days!)

Love,

A

How could I forget?!

This morning, I totally forgot to tell you guys how awesome my MICA friends are!

Last night, Paul, Marla and Robin came over, and me, my roomies and the others ate some Chinese food to celebrate the end of the semester. I worked from 9-12, amd Robin visited and then walked me back to my apartment, where I found the door locked. That was normal, so I turned my key and tried again. The bolt was done. Again, not too weird, but it was awfully early to be locking up for the night. So, I unlocked that and tried again. The CHAIN lock is done, too! So, then I figure there's something up inside that is not meant for me to see yet.

Me: "Did you know about this?"
Robin: *grin* "Know about what?"

So, Paul comes to the door and says "If I let you in, will you go STRAIGHT to your room?" So, of course, I do. Robin comes in after a few minutes and faces away from my window with me (my window looks straight into the kitchen):

Me: "How long have you guys been planning this?"
Robin: "I have no idea what you're talking about." *grin*

Finally, Betsy knocks on my door, and I turn around to see Paul, Betsy, and Jen ushering in a MASSIVE cake shaped like an alligator's head, covered in green M&Ms with a little sign saying "Cya Later Gator!" and "In a while, Crocodile!" Apparently, they all went to the supermarket as soon as I left for my shift. :) (Minus Marla, who went to a yuppie party in Federal Hill with her fellow fashion designer.) Aww, they're so sweet! So, we all changed into red-and-green (Italian colors, you know) and watched Pineapple Express (or slept though it :P), and Ryan showed up during the movie, which was nice.

___

Robin just called me to tell me he'll miss me.

:)

I'm really going to miss him, too. Not just the kissing part, obviously, but he's really grown to be my best friend this past semester. I don't really talk to anyone the way I talk to him (mostly because he's the first close guy friend I've ever really had). I think we're both like "Who are we going to confide in now?!", because while I love Melissa dearly, I can't talk to her about things with Robin, because she's even more pristine than me. And I she doesn't know the history of my roommates, or my friends at home. I won't have any more Robin to come around or to go to whenever I want to see him, and that's sad. It's like moving away from The Boy Next Door that I grew up with and shared everything with.

:(

Aw, now I'm sad.

Either way, my friends and roommates showed me how loved I am, and how much I'll be missed, and I'm SO grateful for them and their love.

But, I admit, I can't wait to get back to all of you. I've missed you guys, and I feel like we've been deprived of each other since Summer '07.

I love you all, and I'll be nearly home by this time tomorrow! :D

Muah!

-A

P.S. www.betsyvanlangen.com

>>Portfolio
>>Interrobang
>>I'm the third one in: white face with black text. :) Betsy is the first one, with the paint. Jen is covered in eggshells, Ryan in crayon wax, and Robin is PB and J.

102

I realized that my Worst Day EVER post was my 100th post. Ooops.

But I'm still worrying. :(

Anyway, I have one more week of MICA. I'll be home Sunday the 21st. You all better be home so I can call you up immediately and come see you!

I can't even believe I'll be getting on that plane (hopefully on time) in three weeks.

That's nothing. No time at all. God damn.

I'm going to miss you guys so muuuuuuch! :( But I know I'll get to talk to you a good bit since I have Skype now, so. :) DOWNLOAD IT SO I CAN SEEEE YOU.

As soon as I get home, I have to launch myself into packing properly (you're all welcome to give me tips on traveling lightly abroad :P), seeing all of my friends, tying up loose ends, etc.

Basically it will go like this:

Dec 21st: Return Home.
Dec 21-23: See you guys as much as I possibly can. Pack.
Dec 24-25: Christmas with my family.
Dec 26-31: See you guys as much as I possibly can. Pack.
Dec 31-Jan 1: Go into Pittsburgh with Robin to see Jessie and Sam and perhaps Marla. Maybe we can make a huge, blended party out of it? What are you guys doing for New Year's?
Jan 1: Say goodbye to Em! :( Pack more.
Jan 2-Jan 5: Say all my goodbyes and have last-hang-outs. Watch the new Gossip Girl with Abby M!
Jan 6th: Get on a plane to New York! OMGGG! Then to Frankfurt, then to Florence with Melissa!
Jan 7th: Cry all the way there, arrive, and have a fantastic time! :D

Sound good?

Finals are almost done--I have one exam today, one tomorrow, a project due Wednesday (basically finished), and 2 pencil drawings and a typed story I've already written due Thursday. Nothing too exerting, thankfully. At this point, my biggest anxiety are those visa forms, and how Mom needs to get then back to me NOW.

Okay, deep breath. God's got this.

I love you guys! I can't wait to see you. :)

-A

(ETA: Mom called--the forms will be here tomorrow by noon, then on Thursday morning I can get it sent out. Whew. Dear God, let this be timely!)

"I'm just CRAZY about Tiffany's!"

Well, our NYC trip was very, very successful.

Robin and I got dropped off around 12:30pm in the Upper East Side at Madison Avenue (no GG sightings--sorry!), where we walked and looked into shops for a little while, then crossed through Central Park into the Upper West Side to the Shake Shack, where we got some hamburgers and ate them on the chilly benches nearby.

We went to the Natural History Museum next ('fo free, because Robin had his Warhol Museum ID--hell yes), which was REALLY fun and interesting and it just reminds me how present God is. There was this one part of this display about the creation of the universe that was talking about what triggered the beginnings of life, and it was like "The reason is still unknown", and I was like *snerk :P

Anyway, we posed with this GIANT fossilized turtle ("I like tuhtles"--if you haven't seen it, YouTube it), then saw a prehistoric giant SLOTH.

It was cool. :)

So, then we got on the subway to Fifth Avenue, where we saw a ton on Christmas-themed shop windows. We stopped at Tiffany's, at my request, and I posed by a stuffed albino peacock (one of Lucius Malfoy's, I presume. :P). Inside, we saw this amazingly giant gold, diamond, and peridot necklace. As we were looking at it, a girl about our age came to the counter and asked "How much is this necklace?" With as much distaste in her voice as she could muster, the saleslady said, "$385,000." And the girl was like "Oh", all disappointed, like she was going to buy that GIANT necklace for a reasonable price! WTF? "Aw, mom said I could only spend $380,000 this year! D:"

Then we wandered into Starbucks and got a light dinner, then walked over to Rockefeller Center to see the tree, and nearly got crushed in the mob. :) The tree was lovely, and it reminded me how present God is, once again. :D

So, we caught the subway again to SoHo, and met the bus. Robin and I slept pretty much the whole way home, which was lovely. Then I slept for twelve MORE hours, and did some of my finals today. :)

Also, Betsy went to H-Mart (Asian food store) this morning with Paul, and apparently tried to convice him that Robin and I have a thing. :/ I'm not sure if he believed her or not, but he mentioned it to Marla, who in turn told Robin. Robin said that Marla was very, very skeptical, so that's good, but we really have to cool it.

It's sounding like Betsy needs to shut her trap, because Jen indicated that Betsy told her that I vent about Jen's relationship DUMBNESS to Robin. GOD. AS IF YOU DON'T, BETSY. I'll need to take that up with her.

Alright, I love you guys, and I'm going to direct you to my Facebook, where I have posted my birthday pictures.

OH, one more thing. Chase posted on my wall, wanting me to call him and catch up. What do you guys think? I'm curious about his doings, but not INTERESTED. I more want to gloat about how well I'm doing. :P

Love you,

Alyssa

N-Y-C! What is it about you?

Robin and I are going to New York City tomorrow, bright and early. (Marla was originally supposed to come, but she has so much finals work she backed out tonight. Convenient, hm?)

So, we're taking a bus with some other MICA students, and we'll be there all day, seeing the sights, etc. We intend to go see the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center all lit up.

Any other suggestions? Aside from watching Gossip Girl get filmed, of course. :P

Muah,
Alyssa

Loving. Living. Small.

Number One: Dan Wolf is now Facebook Official with Katie Campbell. Is that her name? Anyway, Abby if you know anything about her, please-oh-please dig the dirt. :) I am in no way interested in getting anywhere near Dan Wolf's lips anytime soon, but I AM interested to see her deal, because he told me he's already brooding about breaking up, because (this sounds familiar) none of them have time for each other/affection is waning. If he can't keep a relationship going while they go to the SAME SCHOOL, I had no chance. Although that shows that he made way more of an effort with me, which is flattering.

Number Two: I tried to update my status with something funny, but it was replaced when I hit the button with "Alyssa is everything I wish for will never come true." WEIRD. It turns out it was the girl's status who updated right before me, so there was some glitch or something, but it was still strange.

Number Three: Jen is a butt. She has three modes: "Betsy, I need you/r sympathy because Dylan is an asshole." "Betsy, you're a bitch for hanging out with Ryan." and "Betsy, we're friends again because now I get to hang out with Ryan." Damn that girl!

Number Four: I'm going to see Twilight with Bess, because Lauren didn't like it enough to pay for it again. I'm looking forward to this, though, because Bess is a longer-time/more rabid fan. and it should be fun and hilarious. :)

Number Five: Thanksgiving is this week. HOORAY! I get to see most of you! Is Bri coming home, by the way? Love you guys!

Number Six: I sang (not that well) and Robin gave a hilarious Donatello X performance last night at Coffeehouse. (Donatello X is a beat poet--he's super sexy and stylish [he wears all black and a beret and sunglasses] and his poetry [such as The Blind Watchdog or Incandescent Delight] is swoon-worthy). He was so cute. :D

(We barely freaking hide it anymore. We were all touching last night while Marla's back was turned. Well, of course, we were sure her back WAS turned, but she was in the same room for goodness' sake.)

Number Seven: I fell asleep on my couch last night, woke up at 4:30ish and went to bed, woke up at 8:45, and was running late for my nine AM shift. I thought I was ready, but when I glanced in the mirror, I had eyeliner and mascara smeared ALL OVER my face--a combination of falling asleep with it on, and the tears my eyes made because they were so dry from sleeping with contacts in. AWESOME. But now I am clean and cute again. :)

Number Eight: No new Gossip Girl tonight. :(

Okay, I have to write a paper. Muah. Love you!

xoxo,
Alyssa

P.S. What I want my life to look like: http://lovinglivingsmall.blogspot.com/

My birthday festivities.

I had a shift on the 15th from 9pm-12am, so I turned 20 while sitting at the Commons desk. I ACTUALLY turned 20 at 4:59pm, while I was in Robin's bed.

I woke up at about 10, and just laid there until my dad called at 10:30, then got up and got myself to CLEANING. Our apartment was pretty gross (piles of dishes, clutter, dust, hair), and even though it was my birthday, I was happy to get all the crap out for 1) my party and 2) the girl I may sublet to who is coming to see the apartment tomorrow evening. It's now a trillion times more beautiful, thanks to MOI. :)

Unfortunately, Jen had to take the opportunity to be a complete ASS and talk to her ex-boyfriend on the phone and get into yet ANOTHER fight and cry all over Betsy for twenty minutes while I forced myself not to go in and yell at her. I SWEAR. Jen--Dylan always warns you that he's going to treat you badly. Boys always warn us. Yes, it sucks that he treats you like that, but you choose to engage in it time and time again, so it's your fault. I'm unafraid to say that you getting hurt by Dylan is your fault. If you had just broken it off in the first place instead of fucking him when he visited over fall break, you wouldn't be in this mess. And yet she STILL intends to take him home for Thanksgiving and pretend they're still together. LAME.

ANYWAY, I vented about it to Betsy for an hour or so while Jen ran out to get brunch, and then at about 2:30, Robin called me to tell me that his bus got in 45 minutes earlier than expected--a lovely birthday surprise. He had been in New York to see Andrew WK perform with a string quartet. So, Betsy and I picked him up, and I hung out at Robin's while Betsy and Jen started the cake.

I made it home around 5:30, then helped a mopey Jen dress (she looked all gorgeous :D), then Betsy (who has the most bomb-ass [to borrow a Lauren Term] gold Dolce high-heeled oxfords I've ever seen), then, at about 6:30, I started curling my hair. I was ready by seven, and Robin showed up around 7:20, then Erin and Melissa a few minutes after then. But, of course, my birthday seems to end up being the day people have the least respect for showing up to places on time, so Marla, Paul, and Tiff didn't get there until 8:30. And THEY had the menus! Grrr. So, we ordered our food (only five of us ended up eating out of the group of eleven), and started cake while we were waiting (Hot!Ryan [looking HOT] and Colin joined us for that). The cake was SO rich and tasty. :)

Our food showed up, and we laughed A LOT, about art kids, mostly. :) It was an incredibly pleasant evening, and I have leftovers to look forward to when I get home. :D

I'll try and have some pictures of my HAWT outfit and my AWESOME shoes by this afternoon. :) Thanks for the birthday wishes, you guys! Love you!

-Alyssa

WashingTON, WashingTON.

I went to Washington, DC today with hopes of applying for my student visa. It was a pleasant trip, but let me elaborate:

I woke up at 9:40, and lazed in bed 'til 10, having stayed up until four with Robin at the desk. I finally rallied and dressed, then checked MARC train times and DC maps to make sure of where I was going (Embassy Row in Dupont Circle).

I got to Penn Station to catch the 11:40am train, and two girls about my age asked me if I was part of the Johns Hopkins Pre-Law DC visit to GW and Georgetown. I, obviously, was not, and they were distraught that they wouldn't find any more members of their group. I introduced myself to Kim and Leah, and managed to embarrass myself quickly by knocking the gorgeous iPhone out of Leah's hand trying to give her a handshake. UGH.

We walked down to the train together, and they waited outside of it for any potential stragglers. (Or perhaps to avoid my iPhone-Destroying Hands of Crazy.) I ended up sitting across the aisle from two nerdy but nice-looking guys who looked like law school-types. I asked, and they were, and we struck up a conversation about MICA and Italy. The boys, Alex (with really pretty blue eyes and a big Greek-style nose, although he's Romanian) and Nick (tall and lean with the signiture "dork" haircut) were shortly joined by Elias, who had, coincidentally, spent the semester before in Italy.

Also coincidentally, Alex and Nick were from PA, and Nick was from Mount Lebanon, and the three of us have November birthdays, and Alex's birthday is the same as Lauren's! It was very weird but really cool. We talked a lot about Pittsburghese and art and art school (which they found incredibly curious--it was very funny), Alex was chatting me up BIG time. It was really sweet.

We separated once the train pulled in, without exchanging last names, but I figured Elias was an unusual enough name to find on Facebook without to much trouble (I was right). I did end up running into Nick on the Metro though, and he missed his stop because we were talking about the Pens. :) It was very cool.

On to the frustrating part. I got to Dupont Circle and got a little lost, but with the help of a nice bank teller, got turned around and back on track. I found Embassy Row, but ended up walking probably a mile and a half to the Italian Embassy. I felt SO GROSS, but I didn't want to take my coat off and carry it.

SO, I finally get there, and the guy at the gate, an older Italian guy, asks my why I'm there. It goes a little like this:

Him: Alo, what can I do a-for you?
Me: I'm here to fill out a visa application.
Him: You are a-too late. (It's one-thirty pm, by the way.) The office is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from a-10AM to 12:30pm.
Me: REALLY. Is there ANYTHING you can do?
Him: No. You a-live in Washington?
Me: No, Baltimore.
Him: Oh. You will a-have to come back, then.
Me: *frustrated tears* Oh, okay. Thanks anyway.

WORST EVER. It just stressed me out a lot, and it's That Time, so I'm even more emotional than usual. SO, I walked the mile and a half BACK to Dupont Circle, and decided to stop for coffee and something to eat. I spotted a Books-A-Million store, and walked in to find two of my favorite things: books (who'd've thunk it?) and coffee. So I grabbed New Moon off the shelf and got a coffee and piece of caramel coffee cake from the really nice guy at the register, who, coincidentally, heads out to Rome next week to sing at the Vatican, because he's in some men's choir.

I read until almost 4, which was SO unbelievably relaxing, then decided to head back to Baltimore, so I bought the book, which I was about half-done with (the check-out guy was ALSO really sweet, which was SO nice), and got back on the Metro to Union Station, bought another ticket to the MARC train, which ended up being so packed with commuters that I had to stand for the first 20 minutes of the ride.

Robin called me as they called my stop (he's in New York to see an Andrew WK show), which was a nice 'Welcome Home'-type greeting, even if he's not in Baltimore. I got home just in time to see Betsy ice a brownie cake for a classmate's birthday, then fly out the door to a Post-Bac dinner, and Marla called to ask me to model the corset she made (Jen was supposed to, but Marla made it too big--also, the photoshoot calls for me to be the character of a "Showhorse" [Corset=saddle] and Robin is my "Groom". God has a sense of humor. :P).

NOW, I'm going to finish this entry, take off my shoes and NAP until Marla calls me to watch a movie.

Whew, and then I have a grave shift, then I take a shower and meet my Illustration Concepts class at the bus at 8:15 AM to go to the Brandywine Museum, then get back at six or seven, THEN go to my 9-12 at the Commons, then it's my birthday! :) Damn, eventful weekend! But I'm looking forward to it. I won't be a teenager anymore.

(Also, I didn't get to mention the LOVELY birthday gift I got from Brandon, the new Chris Ware book. Don't know Chris Ware? Google is your friend. Thanks, Brandon. :D)

Seven weeks 'til Florence. Wow.

Love you all,

Alyssa

P.S. This entry has SO MANY tags.

ETA: P.P.S. "I remember wishing [he] were my brother. I realized now that all I really wanted was a claim on him. It didn't feel brotherly when he held me like this. It just felt nice--warm and comforting and familiar. Safe. [He] was a safe harbor."

-New Moon, page 375

:)

Yeah, things are going pretty well.

Although I'm getting a LITTLE behind on work, but I'll be fine.

I'm getting all geared up for SACI, which is both scary and intensely exciting. Although, I fully realized yesterday how much I'm going to miss MICA, or more accurately, my closest friends here.

Speaking of, Marla got a puppy! She named him 'Howard', but we re-Christened him "Booster Gold' after we realized that no one wants to say the name 'Howard' multiple times a day. :)

Okay, lunch break is over--back to Ceramics!

I have a photoshoot with Betsy today--the concept is my faith--I'll get a hold of some photos and post them. Muah!

-Alyssa

P.S. Four days 'til my 20th!