tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68659528957023745432024-02-20T18:25:27.671-08:00Adventures of a Slightly Insane Grad StudentColleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-10143972042509025012011-07-28T13:12:00.001-07:002011-07-28T13:17:25.339-07:00Vacation Time!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECkURlcUBWsf06weaL75hkY6T-pFGGfNdxfsX1pKJNCcs7_uquNRNB5ObKVPvWlrDnTnMql-OlVP-Zu0UCreCGktaQk5IgiKY72J8ncWh_ih1cBqc6K6n_Ebigwu7dRh_qRuD4eH3tW0d/s1600/ainsley.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634499302924569858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECkURlcUBWsf06weaL75hkY6T-pFGGfNdxfsX1pKJNCcs7_uquNRNB5ObKVPvWlrDnTnMql-OlVP-Zu0UCreCGktaQk5IgiKY72J8ncWh_ih1cBqc6K6n_Ebigwu7dRh_qRuD4eH3tW0d/s320/ainsley.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Well, almost vacation time. Where the summer went, I have no idea. (Well, that's a lie. It went to working 2 jobs, choreographing a show, and getting ready for school. That's exactly where it went.) But now the summer is about to come to a close (anybody else notice that August happens in 3 days?). And that means-TIME FOR END-OF-SUMMER VACATION!</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Exactly 2 weeks from today, I'm heading down to Miami to hang out with friends, celebrate some birthdays (not mine), and introduce my Goddaughter Ainsley to the awesomeness that is Universal Studios. Yes, I realize she's a one-year-old and will never remember any of this. But I don't care. Start 'em early, raise 'em right. Behold the cuteness I get to hang out with in Orlando (pictured above). Come on. Admit it. She's the cutest thing you've ever seen.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Needless to say, I'm uber-excited. Roller coasters, water parks, Harry Potter World (!!!!!), comfy Universal hotel room...I could get used to that. </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-32570682701023565772011-07-25T07:24:00.000-07:002011-07-25T07:36:21.921-07:00When Did We Get So Old?Remember back when a year seemed like the LONGEST WAIT EVER? When that 4 months between getting your learner's permit and your full license seemed like an eternity? When the idea that you'd know anyone with kids seemed laughable? Yeah.<br /><br />I don't know why, but today the fact that life is just flying by hit me particularly hard. My sort-of Goddaughter/pseudo-niece (if they're not baptized but I'm in the will to gain custody if her parents both die, does that make me her Godmother?) Ainsley turned one last week. The fact that it's been an entire year since she was born is one thing. But now she's walking, talking (sort of), and displaying personality traits. In my head, she's still a barely-conscious lump of baby. But nope. She's like a mini-person now.<br /><br />As of today, Matt and I have been together for 2 years. When I told Arianne that during one of our ritual marathon phone conversations yesterday, she said, "Oh my God! You moved back from the UK that long ago?" I hadn't even thought of it in those terms, but yeah. It's been almost 2 years that I've been back-the same amount of time I spent in London. Which is crazy to me. That was such an influential period of my life. And although the last year and a half has been fun, I feel like pretty much nothing happened to me in that time. And suddenly, in a blink of an eye, it's gone.<br /><br />I realized the other day that if I wait until school is over (roughly in 2016/2017) to have kids, I might be on the brink of being too old to have them safely. And that's terrifying.<br /><br />I'm no longer at the age where it's weird to get married (though I still feel WAY too young for it). In fact, people are starting to look at me funny and go, "You guys live together? You love each other? You know you want to be together? So...why aren't you married?"<br /><br />Three of my good friends are now mothers or expecting. None of them are young enough for it to be weird.<br /><br />Exactly when did we get this grown up? Did anyone else miss that happening?Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-3606124398414852692011-07-20T07:11:00.000-07:002011-07-20T07:28:40.712-07:00Back in the Saddle Again...So it's happened...I'm finally back on the wagon. (The school wagon, to be exact.) A lot has happened since I stopped posting regularly. I moved back to DC from the UK, Matt and I are living together (and hopefully moving to a reasonably-sized apartment soon), we'll be celebrating our 2-year dating anniversary on July 25th (2 years without a single fight! Who knew?), I now have a full-time job with insurance, and I'll be starting school on August 30th at Catholic University.<br /><br />I realize that as of the last time I posted regarding school, I was supposed to be starting a year ago. However, life doesn't always work out the way you want it to. Unfortunately, my program doesn't have enough money to fund everyone, so only one student per year receives full funding. Needless to say, I was not that student. And although I was approved for student loans, it wasn't quite enough to get me through the program full-time, and I decided to actually make a good financial decision for once in my life and not sink myself even further into debt than I already am.<br /><br />Hence, I spent the last year trying to figure out what to do with my life. I continued to work at a museum part-time (in fact still worked there on the weekends), and although I loved it, and may choose to work in a museum field after I've completed my PhD, I had this nagging feeling that school is where I'm supposed to be-that I would never be completely happy unless I pushed on through and finished my degree. So I set about trying to find a way to pay for school. Savings was out, loans were out, funding was out. My only options left to me were either A) kill an obscure relative for the insurance money, or B) get a job at the university I want to attend so I can go to school for free as an employee benefit. So, after reviewing murder and insurance fraud laws and deciding on the latter course of action, I did some snooping around and I found an open position as an administrative assistant at Catholic. And lo and behold, I got the job! Now, don't get me wrong, a trained chimpanzee could do my job. But it's not the job I care about. It's the free tuition for attending school part-time that's my main concern. My boss is great about letting me out for class during the work day as long as I make up the time by giving up lunch or getting there early, which is perfectly OK with me-on the scale of personal sacrifices, I can think of bigger ones.<br /><br />So that's where I am now. I've signed up for my classes, bought my text books, and now am just ready and waiting for the school year to start. And because I'm the biggest nerd EVER, I naturally went to the library the other day to do some homework for a class that hasn't started yet. (You can never start too early, right?) And as I found what I'm sure will be my regular library seat for the next 5 years, spread my stuff over the desk, breathed in the smell of musty old books and listened to the sound of pages turning and index cards flipping and students sighing, I couldn't help but think, "Now I'm home."Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-32397978936196496892011-01-29T13:36:00.000-08:002011-01-29T13:49:22.731-08:00You Should Read TheseSo I've decided this year to start making a list of books I read as I go along. I'll be totally honest, it's mostly for narcissistic purposes so I can bask in my smart-ness and productivity. But it's also just fun, and really interesting to see my shifting moods and reading tastes. Thus far this year (2011) I've read:<br /><br />Mindhunter-John Douglas<br />A Month of Sundays-John Updike<br />The Cases That Haunt Us-John Douglas<br />Mapping Human History (currently reading)-Steve Olsen<br /><br />I've got to say, Mindhunter and The Cases That Haunt Us are among the most interesting books I've ever read. They're both by John Douglas, the man who single-handedly created psychological criminal profiling. (Ever seen <em>Silence of the Lambs?</em> The lead investigator character, Jack Crawford, is based on him.) In Mindhunter, he describes his interviews with such killers as the Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, and Charles Manson. (But beware, because he spares no gory details in describing crime scenes.) It's a fascinating look at the inner psychology of killers. In The Cases That Haunt Us, he goes deep into history's most famous unsolved cases, such as Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer, and the Lizzy Borden case, and looks at them from a profiling standpoint. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone who's not squeamish.<br /><br />A Month of Sundays? A little weird, to be honest. Extremely sexually graphic, which doesn't bother me, but for anyone who's offended by language or explicit sex, it's definitely over-the-top. Also, Updike uses words like "prestidigitoneous" in everyday language, which to me is just weird. I'm all for an extensive vocabulary, but there's a fine line between good vocabularly and being pretensious. (I KNOW I spelled that wrong. Pretensous? Pretencious? Why am I blanking on that?)<br /><br />As for Mapping Human History, I personally find it fascinating. Although, I will be the first to admit I don't understand most of it. There's a lot in there about mitochondrial DNA. I got a C in 9th-grade chemistry. But it's fascinating nonetheless.<br /><br />Any book recommendations for an avid pretensious (?) bibliophile?Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-6966641000894596742010-12-31T08:09:00.000-08:002010-12-31T08:29:46.097-08:00New Year's Post!So I know it's been about a millenia since I've posted on this poor, long-forgotten blog. But I have traditions to keep. So, in honor of Arianne and Manny C. (who are probably the only ones who have ever kept up with this blog to begin with), here is my annual "List of Things I've Learned This Year"!<br /><br />1) Job satisfaction is so much more important than higher pay checks. I should know-I've worked for a pittance for the past year, but I love my job so much I can't bring myself to care.<br /><br />2) Once you set your mind to it, you actually can pay off debts. Even when you're poor. It just takes a LOT of discipline to not spend your extra money on frivolities and send it to Visa instead.<br /><br />3) America makes you fat. New diet, here I come!<br /><br />4) Despite the fact that it made me fat, I really do belong in the States. Don't get me wrong-I wouldn't trade my experiences in the UK for anything, and am so grateful for the friends I made and lessons I learned there. (Could've done without the swine flu, though.) But my real home is here, with my family and the people who've known me for years and love me in spite of it all. :)<br /><br />5) Babies are SO CUTE. Ainsley, this one's for you. I'm going to spoil you ROTTEN in February.<br /><br />6) Friendships change. But that doesn't mean they have to end. Just let them evolve, and everything will turn out exactly the way it should.<br /><br />7) Stuff is just that-stuff. It's material, and not worth crying over.<br /><br />8) I don't need a PhD to be smart. Yes, I'd love one, but it's not worth another 100k in student debt just to feel like I have a brain. To shamelessly quote Good Will Hunting, I can get the same education "for a dollah fifty in late chahges at the public library". If I want more knowledge, I can take responsibility for that myself.<br /><br />9) A lot of tourists are really stupid.<br /><br />10) So are customers. I think everyone should be forced to work in customer service at least once in their lives just so they understand the crap we go through.<br /><br />11) Relationships take work, and compromise. But that's OK. It's when you stop working and compromising that you should be worried.<br /><br />12) I no longer recognize anyone on MTV. I think that means I'm officially old.<br /><br />13) Living near your family? Not actually a bad thing. As an adult, I still have all the independence and autonomy I practically demanded in my late teens and early twenties, but I also have the support of my family and can see them whenever I want.<br /><br />14) You don't need a lot of friends to have a full social life-a couple of close ones will do just as well.<br /><br />15) Sometimes it's OK to blow off your responsibilities to dance to Newsies and eat ice cream.<br /><br />16) Real Christmas trees are a lot more difficult to deal with than I remember them being.<br /><br />17) Winter. Sucks. Ass.<br /><br />18) There's nothing so comforting as having someone by your side who will always support you and take care of you. Whether it be a significant other, a best friend, or a sibling, it's the most important thing in the world.<br /><br />So there you have it-my list of 2010 life lessons. Feel free to share yours in the comment section!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-22423028728921810672010-06-26T18:59:00.000-07:002010-06-26T19:13:45.648-07:00Stupid Is As Stupid DoesSo it's finally starting to hit me that I'll be going back to school in the fall. Objectively, I had accepted it as soon as I got my admissions letter, but I hadn't thought about the realities of it. The chief reality, of course, is an overwhelming feeling of intellectual inferiority. The more educated I get, the stupider I feel. Which I suppose is a sign that I'm becoming more objective and intellectual, as the true intellectual is able to admit they know nothing. Or something like that. I'm back to the way I felt 2 years ago when I started my masters, namely "what the fuck am I doing here, and who the fuck let me in here in the first place?" Pardonnez-moi pour le francais, but you get my drift. I wish the other people I know doing doctorates weren't so smart. Why can't there be some ditzes getting PhD's so I don't feel so alone? I mean, I can't be the only mental klutz to pursue higher education. (And good God, am I mentally clumsy. For example, my to-do list for the afternoon went as follows:<br /><br />1) Follow up with financial aid office.<br />2) Look over list of required courses.<br />3) Pick courses.<br />4) Realize the courses I picked are all held at the same time.<br />5) Pick different courses I don't care about, such as "Theology and Hermeneutics".<br />6) Find a dictionary. Look up "hermeneutics".<br />7) Realize I can't sign up for courses until I pay my enrollment deposit.<br />8) Look at bank balance. Bang head on desk, burst into tears.)<br /><br />Is it just me, or are these not the actions of someone who deserves to be called "doctor"? Maybe I'll just change my first name to doctor, then everyone will be forced to call me that and I won't have to spend the next 5 years feeling like the brainless wonder.<br /><br />(Sidebar: I use the "change my first name to doctor" pun all the time. It always gets a laugh. I'm waiting for the day that someone finally realizes it's a quote from "Sleepless in Seattle", and that I am not only not witty, but don't even pick obscure movies from which to steal puns.)<br /><br />Please tell me someone else out there feels as mentally unequipped for higher education as I do.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-26009353233441716582010-06-23T06:31:00.000-07:002010-06-23T06:41:41.779-07:00Playing That Funky MusicI'm in a funk today. (Nothing like the funk I was in last fall, thank God!) But still. I'm playing that funky music, white boy. I think more than anything I just miss having a group of friends. Don't get me wrong-I've got friends here. And I've got Matt, which is amazing. But I don't have a solid group of friends who always hang out together and think of each other as family. I think this might be the first time in my life I haven't had that. I totally get why people say it's so hard to make friends after you graduate. Everyone works, gets tired early, and wants to go home to their significant other. And I'm DEFINITELY no exception to that. I know once I start school again, things will be better. True, there are only four incoming students in my program, but I can always join the graduate students' association or something. And I'll be auditioning for the shows that Georgetown Law School puts on every year. And I'll be flying to Miami once or twice a month to choreograph a show. (P.S. I got hired to choreograph Chicago in Miami...way excited about that!) So I'm sure it will get better. But right now, I just wish I were with my friends.<br /><br />I wish I was in Miami helping Manny move, and helping Shana plan her wedding, and helping Arianne and Kevin get ready for their little girl to arrive. I wish I was in Dublin sitting around with Fiona watching Supernatural and drinking wine, and in London eating burgers with Adnan, and drinking with Clovis, and dancing with Chris, and eating ice cream with Alicia and Joe, and sitting on the couch in PJs watching a movie with Alicia Crane. I wish I was in Tennessee with Grace helping her babysit Parker. And in a million other places with a million other friends. It makes me sad that I can't be all these places at once. I wish they would just perfect teleporting, already!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-52644025184695335082010-06-15T16:02:00.000-07:002010-06-15T16:24:03.194-07:00The Doughnut HoleSo this one's been coming for a while. Yes, friends, it is time for a rant about US health care.<br /><br />I never realized how horrendously awful health care in the US was until I moved to another country. Now, I know the NHS has some problems, but the point is that every citizen (or visitor) to a country has a fundamental right to at least basic and emergency health care. I thought the US had a decent system in place. I really did. (Chalk it up to upper-middle-class naivete.) I was under my parents' insurance until I graduated college, and then I immediately got a full-time job with health benefits, after which I moved to another country where I didn't need insurance. Then I moved back to the US.<br /><br />Before I rant, I will say this-I understand how a person could not see the problems with the health care system in this country. Much of the population is working-class union members. Mr. Bob Everyman who joined the Steel Worker's Union (or whatever) right out of high school, worked for 40 years, retired, and had union insurance for when Mrs. Everyman got pregnant, little Johnny Everyman fell off his bike, and little Suzie Everyman had her tonsils out, probably sees no problem with the system. And I get that. It works for most people.<br /><br />But then there's the doughnut hole-the 16% of US citizens who receive no health benefits and are ineligible for government aid. I am a prime example. I work 3 jobs at upwards of 65 hours a week, but as they're all part-time, offer me no insurance. I applied for private insurance, which is slightly cost-prohibitive, but I am fortunate enough that I can afford to pay for basic insurance. Like most people, I am a generally healthy adult-I have asthma, which is an easily managed and fairly inexpensive condition. Otherwise, I have no health problems to speak of. I just need insurance to get 2 monthly prescriptions and see my doctor twice a year. Sounds simple, right?<br /><br />Think again. First and foremost, the fact that there is no government health program for people who earn too much for welfare is a huge problem. As the insurance companies are independent, they can do things like what was recently done to me: I applied for insurance. A full month later, I was approved. Then, a week after I had already paid my first installment, I received a letter telling me that due to my health condition, the cost of my insurance would multiply by 4. A week after that, I received another letter saying that the insurance would still cost 4x the amount originally quoted to me, but they would not cover any syptoms or medications related to asthma, allergies, pulminary disease, chest pain, or cold and flu. Namely, all the symptoms and dangers I need insurance for. Now tell me-how can that possibly be legal?<br /><br />I stated above that I understand how some people cannot see the problems with health insurance. But the fact that cases like this (and infinitely worse) have come to light in the news time and time again, and the GOP refuses to acknowledge the problem, claiming that a public health care option is "socialism"? Give me a #$%&ing break! There's a difference between socialism and caring for your citizens. Buy a bleeping dictionary and look up "socialism", for God's sake! Because the GOP refuses to allow Obama to pass a public option bill, I now have to drive 3 hours and back to see someone for 10 minutes so that they will write me a prescription, and then pay upwards of $200/month just to get a couple of inhalers. And I'm lucky-the only reason I was able to find a doctor at all was because my boyfriend's mother works in a doctor's office and could get me in without either insurance or having to pay a few hundred dollars for the privilege of having a prescription written for me. Imagine if I wasn't so fortunate!<br /><br />Something else that rankled me-yesterday Congress overturned a law stating that an employee who is fired or layed off can remain on the company's health insurance for 6 months. Their reason? There is no system in place to help the unemployed, and it's unfair for a guy who's fired to have insurance while his neighbor next door who can't find a job in the first place has no access to health care. So the solution is not to give aid to the guy without, but to take away the benefits of the other guy? What are we, kids on a playground fighting over a piece of chalk?!?!?!<br /><br />Am I the only one who is seriously pissed off about all this?Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-33660218910200818572010-05-29T14:15:00.000-07:002010-05-29T15:07:14.443-07:00We Live to ServeAs is par for the course for many overgrown college students, I work in customer service. In fact, I work 2 jobs in customer service-one as a video store clerk, and one in guest services at a museum in a very touristy area. As a result, I spend 12 hours a day, 7 days a week dealing with either tourists or customers. And as you might expect, sometimes I need to vent. I have been tempted for some time to write a profane and vitriolic post just letting off some steam. But instead, I think I'll put it into a different context. Thus, below is my list of "Things the Person Behind the Counter is Thinking".<br /><br /><br />1) If you're between the ages of 13 and 19, we're already judging you. Yes, it's unfair. No, we're not going to stop. We've had too many days ruined by obnoxious teenagers. (Some people ruin it for everyone.) But if you're nice to us, we'll totally let go of our preconceptions and treat you with respect.<br /><br />2) You hid something under your jacket and managed to get out of the store without us noticing. Congratulations, you got away with you. You also just got us fired. At the very least, we've been put on probation and forced to pay for whatever you stole out of our own pockets. Guess we'll be taking cold showers and wearing a lot of sweaters for the next month, because there goes the money for the heating bill.<br /> 2a) Same goes for if you switch the price on something. Probation/fired. Forced to pay for what you stole.<br /> 2b) And if you walk out on a tab. You've just forced your waitress to buy you dinner and gotten her fired or put on probation.<br /><br />3) If something is genuinely wrong with your experience at our store/restaurant/site, please tell us. We do actually care. But we only care if you tell us nicely, without yelling, and use specific examples to explain the problem. The second you're rude to us, we tune out.<br /><br />4) We get yelled at all day. We're pretty much impervious to it now. We will not be affected or scared into action by your bullying. All it does is make us hate you more. And when we hate you, we will do absolutely nothing to solve your problem. In fact, if there's a way we can charge you more without breaking any rules, we'll do it. And our managers will back us up. They hate you just as much as we do.<br /><br />5) On that same token, we will never forget if you've mouthed off to us. If you are rude to someone at an establishment you frequent that has a file on you (your gym, your hairdresser, etc), they will put a note in the computer file about it. Every single time you walk up to the desk, the first thing the person behind the counter sees is the note in the computer saying you're rude and not to do you any favors. Sorry, but it's true. That one outburst will haunt you forever.<br /><br />6) Kids touch things. Kids move things around. We get that. And it's OK. What's not OK is to let your kids run rampant through our store, throwing things around, and then not pick up after them.<br /><br />7) And it's REALLY not OK to move things around yourself and not pick them up and put them back where you got it. You know how at the end of a long workday you want nothing more to go home? So do we. Except we've been standing up for 8 hours getting yelled at and now we have to go clean up your mess for an hour instead of going home. Also, there are surveillance cameras everywhere. When you make a mess, we see it. When you eventually come to the counter, we don't see you, we see the mess we're going to have to clean up at 11pm.<br /><br />8) For God's sake, don't treat us like we're unintelligent ignoramus'. If you had any idea how many customer service personnel were in management training, going to graduate school, or attending medical or law school, you'd be seriously humbled.<br /><br />9) If you treat us like people, we will like you. We really don't hate people. If we did, we'd be working in a warehouse or something. If you're a regular, learn our names. We'll learn yours. You never know-we may even become actual friends. And guess what our friends get? Free stuff.<br /><br />10) Most of the time, the person behind the counter has the power to fix your problems. We pretend like we don't. If we don't like you, we'll only do the bare minimum to help you and leave the rest to our manager. If we like you, we'll pull every string in the book. You have no idea the kind of power we really have.<br /><br />11) If we have a rule, it's for a reason. No food or drink? We've got light carpeting. No gum? We don't want to stay until 2am with a scraper removing the gum from under the chairs. We will not be happy if you sneak something past us and then stick the gum under something or spill your drink all over the carpet. It's annoying. And expensive.<br /><br />12) We know you want to be an exception to the rule. And we sympathize with whatever your plight is. We really do. But if I had a nickel for every person who asked me for free stuff because it was their birthday, or asked me to make an exception and let them into an exhibit without a ticket because they traveled so far, or wanted to skip waiting in line because they'd had such a long day, I'd be a millionaire and wouldn't be serving your french fries. Whatever your perceived "special circumstance" is, I've heard it before. Probably within the last ten minutes.<br /><br />13) If an obvious joke comes to mind about our uniforms, our nametags, our logo, whatever, please, take pity on us and don't say it. We've heard it at least 10 times today, and it gets less funny every time. We laugh because we're required to.<br /><br />14) Don't stand at the counter talking on your cell phone. That's a quick way to get "he's a douche" put into your computer file.<br /><br />15) If you do happen to lose your temper and are rude to us and didn't mean to be, apologize. We're real people. You're a real person. A heartfelt apology might help. It might not, but it certainly won't hurt you.<br /><br />16) Before you accuse us of making a mistake, think it through. If we did make a mistake, tell us nicely and we'll fix it and then some. But often, we did nothing wrong. (An example: the other day a guy checked out 2 movies from me. He came back an hour later, slammed one of the DVD boxes on the desk, and started to yell at me, accusing me of giving him the wrong movie. He apparantly had meant to rent a different one. Sorry that I'm not a mind-reader; I assumed when you brought "An Education" to the check-out counter, that's the movie you wanted.) Stop, calm down, and think about the problem for a minute. If it really was our mistake, calmly tell us, and we'll come through for you.<br /><br />17) If you've had a bad experience with one employee, don't take it out on another. Saying "I know it's not your fault" while continuing to yell at us does nothing. If you really knew it wasn't out fault, you wouldn't be yelling at us, now would you?<br /><br />18) Don't be afraid to ask for help or ask us for recommendations. We like to give advice about our work. That's why we work there.<br /><br />19) If you see another customer being rude to us in line, and either make fun of them after they leave or act sympathetic to us in some way, you're in. We'll love you forever.<br /><br />20) Don't apologize for putting $2.00 on a credit card. It makes absolutely no difference to us.<br /><br /><br />So there you have it. The ugly truth about customer service. If you've ever worked it, I hope you enjoyed this post and found something to relate to. If you haven't, keep these points in mind the next time you get angry at a cashier. They could save you a lot of headaches in the future.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-8784084414863176232010-05-13T13:26:00.000-07:002010-05-13T13:43:22.689-07:00I'm Baaaaaaack!Well, gentle reader(s), (are there more than one of you?) the time has come to start blogging again. I intended this blog to be a public record of the ups and downs of grad school. I thought that after completing my MA (by the skin of my teeth) that I would be done, and would be forced to enter Grown-Up Land. But, fortune has smiled upon me, and some admissions officer at Catholic University who must surely be addicted to mind-altering substances has accepted me to their PhD program in Religion and Culture. Whodathunkit? (Not me, that's for sure!)<br /><br />So here I sit, gearing up for school once again. And as I sit here, grinding my gears, I can't help but notice how different my life is now from the way it was 2 years ago, the last time I was getting ready to start school. Do you ever take a step back and look at your life and think, "Wow, if someone had told me a year ago that this is where I would be now, I would have laughed in their face?" I do that all the time. And no matter how many times I make that observation, I'm always surprised by it. (A fact which doesn't reflect too highly on my intellect....)<br /><br />It's not so much that my life is different (though there's definitely that-I'm in a different city, living with a long-term boyfriend (something I'd never even considered doing before), working a new job, going to a school I never expected to go to), but more that I myself am different. I feel like when I wasn't looking, I grew up, and I have no idea how it happened. Suddenly I'm eating vegetables, budgeting my money like an adult, filing my taxes on time, not drinking myself into oblivion a couple of nights a week, etc. And honestly? I think I'm actually OK with it. Which is weird. Has the "oh-shit-I'm-an-adult" epiphany happened to anyone else recently?<br /><br />But I digress. The point is, I'm back, and ready to start blogging again for the whole 2 people who care. Leenieblog 2.0 is ready for action!<br /><br />Yeah, that was lame. Some things never change.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-14388235599657423722009-12-25T12:39:00.000-08:002009-12-25T13:09:17.228-08:00Annual New Years' Blog! Things I Learned in 2009It's that time again. Three years ago, I decided that instead of making a New Years' Resolution, which never works anyway, I would reflect on the lessons I have learned in the past year (or at least, the lessons life has tried to teach me...whether I've learned them or not is an entirely different issue!) and publish them on the Net in the hopes that some of you may benefit from my failures, successes, and utter humiliations as well. So, without further ado, here are the top 25 lessons I've learned in 2009.<br /><br />-Commitment isn't scary-it's the unknown that's unnerving. Now that I've finally jumped into a committed relationship, I'm beginning to wonder what the hell I was so terrified of in the first place.<br />-There is no joy like that of seeing your students excel. Even if only one person in the world wants to learn from you, it's worth the effort to see them learn and succeed.<br />-It's OK to cry. Sometimes even in front of people.<br />-Rock bottom sucks. A lot. It sucks even more when you're alone. But no matter how bad things get, no matter how horrible life may seem, even when every tiny thing that could go wrong has, it will get better. Trust me. It may take months before even the slightest sign of improvement, but it will come. Just focus on any feeble rays of light you may be able to see, and you'll eventually pull yourself out of it.<br />-No matter what you think of organized religion, sometimes turning to God actually does help, even when you're not sure if you believe in God at all.<br />-Good friends will never abandon you, regardless of distance.<br />-Don't get credit cards. Just...don't. Trust me.<br />-Sometimes, just letting go and being completely reckless and carefree can result in the best memories. There's no harm in being spontaneous.<br />-Even smart people fail Latin. For a long time after I failed that class, I thought that I was just stupid and I couldn't possibly be intelligent enough to make it as an academic. What I really discovered was that I just wasn't playing to my strengths. Just because you're bad at something doesn't mean you're an idiot-it just means you're bad at that one particular thing. Nothing more, nothing less.<br />-Whenever you move from a place in which you were happy, you leave a piece of yourself behind. I left a piece of my heart back in Miami, and likewise, I have now left a piece of my heart in London as well (along with most of my books and half my clothes...). But as long as you leave it with good friends, it will be there waiting for you when you get back.<br />-There's no shame in asking for help.<br />-Working hard never fails to pay off. People will notice and respect you for it, regardless of what you actually achieve.<br />-Know your strengths. Likewise, know your weaknesses. It's OK to admit you don't know something.<br />-Don't get swine flu if you can avoid it.<br />-You can in fact live off of £4/week. It sucks and results in a lot of sauceless pasta, water, and walking everywhere, but it can be done. Trust me-I did it for 4 months.<br />-A boss who constantly gropes your ass isn't a good boss.<br />-Don't be petty. It gets you nowhere. The only thing it will get you is disgust from people who once had respect for you.<br />-When the papers say the economy sucks for job-seekers? They aren't kidding.<br />-Always remember who your friends are, and never forget to appreciate them.<br />-A true friend won't care if you can't afford to go out. If they really care about you, they're happy just to spend time together. £1 pizzas from Sainsbury's will keep you just as busy as a steak dinner.<br />-It's OK to need some alone time.<br />-Smoking is really bad for you. But it sure is fun.<br />-Facebook is great, but it's no substitute for human interaction.<br />-Using British slang in America isn't considered cool, just pretentious. Even when you're not doing it on purpose.<br />-It's OK to say "no" when absolutely necessary.<br /><br />On that note, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus, and the very best of New Year's to all!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-86542439193337842522009-11-29T01:54:00.000-08:002009-11-29T02:34:12.997-08:00Thanksgiving-less ThanksgivingAs I'm sure you're all aware, I'm still in the UK, for another 2 weeks anyway. Thus, once again, I spent this year sans Thanksgiving. True, it's a bit less depressing this time around as A) I'm now used to being in another country, and B) I'm only missing it by 2 weeks anyway, but I still feel I need to celebrate it in any way I can. So, here's my ever-so-cheesy, blatantly cliche list of things I'm thankful for this year.<br /><br />I'm thankful for:<br />-Fiona for coming to visit me-I didn't realise exactly how much I missed her until she walked in the door.<br />-Rebecca, Stacy, and Chris for always being so enthusiastic about coming to dance class every Saturday-you guys are one of the highlights of my week!<br />-Lili for always making sure I don't starve when I'm destitute<br />-Zee for letting me into the cabaret show last week for free just because I held his camera for him<br />-Mimi for just being awesome-I'm so glad we got to know each other better this term, and I wish we'd gotten closer earlier!<br />-Charles for keeping me amused with philosophical conversations at society events<br />-Seb for being my poverty buddy. And for cooking me dinner that one time. And just being my friend.<br />-Adnan for our burger trips, random text message conversations, and Buffy trivia contests. I love hanging out with you, even when you are 30 minutes late.<br />-Everyone who put up with me this summer when I was in a serious funk, including Joe (especially Joe-poor guy was stuck in a house with me alone all summer!), Lili, Betsy, Rachel, Fiona, Matt, and my poor mother who had to listen to me whine on the phone constantly. Sorry about that, guys. It was a tough couple of months, but it's behind me now. Maybe I'll start referring to it as the Dark Ages.<br />-Betsy, Rachel and Fiona for keeping my chin up with the Latin fiasco and making me see the funny side to everything. Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.<br />-Rachel for our Tuesday night pizza and wine dinners. They're the high point of my week.<br />-Clovis for being my new drinking buddy. We definitely should have started that sooner! Oh, well. Make your way to DC over Christmas and we'll make up for lost time!<br />-My sister Leigh for being not only an awesome sister and promising me Taco Bell immediately upon my return, but for being the bad kid so that everything I do looks tame in comparison. ;)<br />-My brother Adam for listening to me yammer to him endlessly on the phone when I'm bored.<br />-My dad for providing me with an outlet to bitch and moan when I need to.<br />-Will, Lizzy, Clare, and Mimi for working to make Honk! so much fun both times around; I really enjoyed that show!<br />-Caddy for letting me tag along on his Amsterdam trip without really knowing me. That's one way to become friends with someone!<br />-Lili for organising the France trip this summer, and everyone who came along-what an awesome experience! (And an extra shout-out to Fern for consistently feeding us in France!)<br />-Alicia Crane for always being willing to snuggle up in our pjs with teddy bears and watch a movie with me when we're both home.<br />-Betsy for being awesome, making my workday bearable via g-chat, bringing me trashy magazines when I was a depressed zombie, and putting together a ready-made group of friends for me in DC. Good work on that! :)<br />-Alex for being my London buddy for a while. God, that was fun. When are you moving back to DC?<br />-Stephanie for our Copenhagen adventures. Let's have more adventures when I'm back home, yes?<br />-Charlene for taking me out and buying me tea out of the blue-that was so much fun!<br />-Rhys, Gemma, Kendall, Rick, Rob, Dave, Daz, and Lou for always filling my Oxford trips with rip-roaring hilarity and never letting me get away with sobriety. (Particularly thanks to Rick for always letting me invade his house whenever I'm in town!)<br />-Shana for being so sweet and reaching out when she knew I needed it most.<br />-Manny A.F. for being my best friend, even from 3000 miles away. I'm so glad things haven't changed even after a year apart. Although this whole lack-of-a-dance-partner thing is starting to make me twitch....<br />-Grace for remaining not just a friend but truly family after all these years, and for making sure I was updated regularly when Parker was being born. That meant so much to me!<br />-Arianne for not only being such an awesome friend all the time, but for being so enthusiastic every time I call to the point of crying when I leave a voice message. That's love!<br />-Manny C. for our seldom yet always awesome phone chats. Talking to him always makes me smile!<br />-Nick A. for always randomly reminding me that he misses me in his own special way.<br />-Nick Osborne for still sending me random forwards that he knows I'll like even after I skipped off to another country.<br />-Liam for continuing to amuse me with random texts at odd hours of the night.<br />-Iona for being my friend-I always have fun with you, and so what if people always think I'm your big sister? Is that a bad thing? Huh? HUH?<br />-Dan Groz for being my halls buddy last year and for never exposing the dirt he has on me after countless drunk walks home (not that he could, given my dirt on him, but still!).<br />-Jeff for consistently walking home with me every night for an entire year. I miss me some Jeff.<br />-Matt for being the sweetest, most supportive man I've ever known. I would never have made it through the last 5 months without you. I love you. But you knew that.<br /><br />I'm sure there are people that belong on this list that I've for one reason or another forgotten to include. I promise if I did it wasn't intentional! You all mean the world to me, and have made this past 18 months some of the best of my life. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-50102083560372980782009-10-04T09:18:00.000-07:002009-10-04T09:34:29.220-07:00In the Belly of the BeastSo my last post when I said that sometimes when it pours, it tsunami's? Well, sometimes when it tsunami's, it also hurricane's and earthquake's and Ice Age's and God knows what else.<br /><br />I've never been a big believer in karma. I mean, yes, if you're horrible to people, eventually you'll find yourself alone, and if you're good to people, you probably won't. But I don't believe in the more mainstream idea of it where if you do something bad, nature will throw it back at you because that's the right thing to do, and if you do something good, riches will rain down upon you. And I hope I'm right, because if I'm wrong, then I must have taken to sleep-walking and butchering people in the night or something.<br /><br />I know I have no real right to complain. As Matt, my boyfriend and the eternal screenwriter, says, I'm in the "belly of the beast" stage of epic storytelling, where the hero or heroine hits total rock bottom before things get better. And I know that most people do have to go through a phase where they've hit bottom. Hell, before they made it big with South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker were living in a one room apartment under a freeway, and watched the homeless guy outside their window make more money begging than they did making movies. And now look at them. I'm not saying I'm going to suddenly become famous and make millions, but I certainly hope this is all leading up to something good. I'm terrified that after all my hard work I'll fail my masters because I can't pass one stupid Latin exam, I can't quite seem to kick the last of this bug that I've now had for 3 weeks and counting, I'm so poor I actually can't afford to buy food (which I can handle for a while, but I've now been this poor for almost 3 months...bread and water is getting old). I don't know how I can afford to fly home in December, but I've got to because I REALLY can't afford to stay here. And I've been making an effort to reach out to people and reconnect with acquaintances so I'm not so lonely, and it's been going well, but it's hard to hang out with people when you're too poor to go out and do anything with them.<br /><br />I'm sorry. I know my posts have been nothing but bitching and moaning of late, and the worst way to try and make people want to hang out with you is to constantly whine. But I can't help it-I think I've actually hit bottom. The only good thing in my life is Matt, and even that has it's torturous side, as we had 3 days together before being separated by an ocean again, and it's another 2 months until I can see him.<br /><br />One day at a time. The only comforting thing I can think is, "This too shall pass". In the past, that's always been a source of comfort for me. But right now, it doesn't have quite the punch for me that it usually does. I guess just because I was hoping this period in my life would "pass" sooner. Guess I was wrong. 2 more months....somehow, I've got to make it two more months.<br /><br />Wish me luck.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-2498028499672440832009-09-04T04:31:00.000-07:002009-09-04T04:52:36.288-07:00When It Pours, It TsunamisYou know the expression "when it rains, it pours"? Well, sometimes it feels like when it pours, it tsunamis. I know everyone goes through slumps and bad times, but I feel like this one just won't end. It's not even that big things keep going wrong (well, they do), but then it's little things on top of the big things that just keep adding up. Pretty much the only thing that's going well right now is my love life, except that it's 3,000 miles away. School went to the shitter when I found out I failed my Latin exam and my advisor decided when telling me about it to also inform me that I'm a terrible writer and I'm lazy, which didn't help the situation. Then I got a job, but couldn't start for a month because my boss was out of town. He's back now and contacted me, but I have no idea when he wants me to start, and in the meantime I have literally no money and credit card bills are due in 2 1/2 weeks, with rent due the week after. Most of my really close friends all moved to different countries last week, and the ones who are still here are for the most part out of town. And the health thing-well, you don't want to know. That's the big stuff. But it's little stuff too-like the dance class I teach once a week that pays for my groceries has now been cancelled 3 weeks in a row by the woman who hired me. Teaching wouldn't have really solved any major problems, but it would have at least solved the problem of "how do I eat for the next 7 days". The season change, as per usual, caused my asthma to start seriously acting up. Things like that. Normally I'm not one to publicly complain, but I just had to vent somewhere.<br /><br />I've never been a depressed person. The longest I've ever stayed upset or down about something is probably 2 days, max. But it's like this month I can't find one single thing to cheer me up. The first couple of weeks, I was down, but at least I had my friends. But now they're gone. Matt's obviously supporting me as best he can, but sending thoughtful e-mails and letters isn't the same as hug when you really need one. For the first time in my life, I actually just feel defeated. A huge part of me just wants to move home now instead of December, but not only can I not afford a flight, but I can't back out of my housing and I have this stupid Latin test to re-take. I'm trying to see the positives, I really am. But I've never felt so alone in my entire life, and it's hard to look at the meager bright side when you have nothing but a stuffed dog and a ticking wall clock for company. I just feel completely isolated and lost, and I know that I'm pushing people away with my depression-the few people I have left here are no doubt sick to death of me being down in the dumps all the time. I'm trying to be cheerful when other people are around just so I don't lose everyone because I'm sucky company lately, but it's really hard. I wish just one thing would go right, like my boss would call and tell me to start tomorrow. We'll see.<br /><br />I'm sure things will start looking up soon. I look at it this way-there's really nothing else that could go wrong. It can only get better from here, and bad things always pass in time. It just sucks while waiting for them to go on their merry way.<br /><br />Sorry I'm a Negative Nancy.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-67466276778888878572009-08-31T01:09:00.000-07:002009-08-31T01:40:44.207-07:00Change of DirectionAs many of you have no doubt seen on Facebook, I'm considering moving back to the States come December. In response to the various "huh?"s and "what?!"s, I'm going to use my poor neglected blog as a vehicle to explain.<br /><br />Due to recent events in my life, settling down here isn't really an option anymore. At least, settling down here permanently isn't. I've fallen madly in love with someone, and while I can work anywhere, he can't work here. If we're ever going to be able to be together, I'm the one who has to move. Please don't think this was his idea. It was entirely mine-he'd move here if I asked him to, but I never would. And to be honest, I don't know that I want to spend my life here anyway. I love it here, and the people are great, but culturally, I don't fit in. Also, as much as people in the UK preach tolerance and understanding of other cultures, there's not only a universal judgement but almost hatred for American culture here. I'm more than willing to adapt to other cultures, but constantly being judged for where I come from is exhausting. The US may have it's problems, but it's still my home, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life being treated as if I'm "less than" just because of my nationality. For both those reasons, a move back to the States is imminent.<br /><br />Knowing that, I have 3 options:<br /><br />A) Stay here for a year, then spend another three getting my PhD here, and then move back to the States.<br /><br />B) Stay here for a year, apply for PhDs at home, and get a Tier 1 visa in the meantime so that I can work until August when I would leave for school.<br /><br />C) Stay here through January when my visa expires, and go home to live with my mom and save up money until August when I move to wherever I get into school.<br /><br />Originally, I was going with choice A, with choice B as a fallback. But honestly, the option of going to school here is pretty much gone now. I failed my Latin exam, and though my advisor has worked out a way for me to make it up without re-sitting it next June, I have to accept what that means. The reason I was looking at Kings (originally my first choice) was because I wanted to go into their History of Religion program. But that program requires Latin, and I have to accept that regardless of how hard I work, I'm not going to get in with a failed Latin exam, and I'm certainly not going to get funding. As Kings was the only school in the UK I was looking at for a doctorate, that eliminates choice A.<br /><br />Choice B then became the plan; I got a job and was going to work on doctoral applications all year for programs in the States (I changed my PhD focus to something more modern that doesn't require the 5 languages my first choice did). But then I started running the numbers, and I just don't know if it's financially feasible. Right now, I'm making enough to support myself just fine. But the extra costs of living here are really adding up. First of all, a visa application is £450, and would need to be paid by October at the latest if I want to have my passport back by December to go home for Christmas. Then, there's the council tax that is due in January. I'm the only non-student in my house, which means I am entirely responsible for paying it. Yes, you do pay less if it's one non-student, but they only knock off 25%, which means I'd still be paying a least £1000. That's in addition to the fee for my visa and a round-trip flight home for Christmas. (Going home for Christmas is something I won't sacrifice...I only get to see Matt twice a year as it is, and I'm not going to give that up.) So altogether, that's around £2000, all shelled out by January. Then take into account the fact that my student loan payments start up in February at $500 a month, and you see the problem. I just can't afford to live here. I've made a lot of decisions in my life that financially weren't the best but provided me with great experiences, and staying here was going to be another of them. But I need to grow up. I need to be responsible and get out of debt sooner rather than later, and going home will certainly facilitate that. I would live with my mom (no rent, visa fees, or council tax), and could just put all the money I earn waiting tables or something towards paying off student loan fees and credit card bills. Then, if I get into a good PhD program and get funding, great, I'll move to wherever it is next August. If I don't, then I can start hunting for a more serious job and an apartment.<br /><br />I won't pretend like Matt isn't a big part of this decision; he is. If he's willing to commit to a serious relationship knowing that we probably won't live in the same city for the next 6 years (US doctorates are 5 years long), then the least I can do is spend the 8 months I was going to spend putzing around here with him so we can actually spend some time together. We've known each other for 7 years, and the longest stretch of time we've had together is 3 days. E-mail is no way to start a long-term relationship. I've never been one to let a relationship affect my professional decisions, and I won't. I'll still go wherever I have to for school. But that doesn't mean I can't make any decisions with him in mind, especially if they're financially beneficial.<br /><br />Lastly, most of my closest friends have officially moved to other countries as of today; Betsy, Jeff and Christine back to the States, and Fiona back to Ireland. I still have friends here, very good friends who I adore. But once the people you're closest to are gone, a place kind of loses its hold on you.<br /><br />Thoughts?Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-12406060347590052992009-07-30T01:58:00.000-07:002009-07-30T02:07:19.981-07:00I Finally Get ItWell, it happened. It took 25 years, dozens of good dates, more bad dates, and a lot of self-loathing, but it happened. I finally understand what all the love fuss is about.<br /><br />I was always a cynic, too. I never believed that you could love someone unconditionally, or that you could have a relationship that was as natural as breathing, where even the difficult conversations come easily and stress-free. But I get it now. I finally understand that the cheesy songs, the lame poems, and the crappy rom-com movies have, if you're really lucky, got it right. And it just so happens, I'm really lucky. Despite the fact that, as we're on different continents, I miss him wretchedly, and as a result also understand exactly what the term "lovesick" really means, I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything.<br /><br />I'm not trying to be a hopeless romantic either; I've always been very level-headed in pretty much every aspect of my life. I don't believe something exists unless I am given solid proof. So forgive my cheesy lameness...it's just that I've finally found the proof.<br /><br />Feel free to go and vomit now if you like. I've said what I needed to say.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-88146528110224096302009-04-12T04:42:00.000-07:002009-04-12T04:56:49.175-07:00DistanceI've recently been missing my Miami friends a lot. I mean, I always miss them, but for whatever reason, I miss them so much this week it almost makes me want to drop out of school and move back there just so I don't have to miss them anymore. I'd imagine the homesickness is so intense of late because it's Easter week, and pretty much all of my London friends went home for the holiday, resulting in a pretty lonely Easter for me.<br /><br />But the point of this entry isn't to bitch and moan and try to earn pity. On the contrary; I hardly deserve pity if I'm lucky enough to have developed such close meaningful relationships with people that after 9 months I'm still affected this strongly by the distance. My point is, I can now see why some people think it's better to just not get close to people in the first place. I personally am not one of those people, but I see the logic. I lived in Miami for 6 years, which is a pretty significant amount of time-certainly long enough to build relationships that go beyond mere friendship. Arianne, Lucy, Manny C, Nick, Shana, Kevin, Monica, Manny (especially Manny)-these people were my family. Still are. But it's hard to separate from that kind of network. I naiively thought that maybe it would get easier over time, that we would grow apart, that after almost a year I wouldn't still want to call them every time something significant happens in my life-but that's not the case. I wouldn't trade these relationships for the world, but I am starting to understand how a less optimistic person than myself would choose to not build them in the first place so that when they inevitably separate they won't have to feel the pain.<br /><br />Please don't misunderstand me-I would take a lot more pain than this as long as I got to keep those relationships. And my life is infinitely better for having them. And I'm not going to shy away from building those kinds of relationships here in London. But the pain I feel right now does give me pause-I don't intend to leave London anytime soon, but chances are it will happen eventually. Even if things do go as planned and I do my PhD here, what about after that? Academic jobs are so hard to find, it's almost definite that I'll have to move back to the US to find work. And by then, I will have been here 5 years. And I'll have to go through this separation all over again. I know most people fear starting out in a new place. They fear lonliness. They fear completely starting their life over from scratch. None of that scares me. What scares me is having to repeat this pain all over again with a whole new set of people, all the while still missing the old set no less than I did the week after I moved.<br /><br />Like I said, it's not enough to make me shy away from getting close to people. But it's certainly no picnic, either.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-6046812948426311032009-04-11T03:09:00.001-07:002009-04-11T03:48:07.857-07:00Dictionary for AmericansIt has recently come to my attention that I've started to pick up so many British-isms that I don't even notice anymore. This is good for me, as I am now starting to fit in, at least as far as my vocabulary and slang are concerned. However, as most of my readers are American, I figure I should probably put up a vocabulary list so that you can decipher my musings. Enjoy!<br /><br />Tube (n): Metro<br />Trainers (n pl): Sneakers (they can be any kind, not just running shoes. For example, my Converse sneakers are called trainers as are my exercise shoes)<br />Flat (n): Apartment, though flats can be as large as a townhouse, or even a duplex. Basically, it's anything that's not a free-standing house (which doesn't exist in London, anyway)<br />Top-Up (v): To put money on something, i.e. your tube card or mobile.<br />Mobile (n): Cell phone. Most people do pay-as-you-go, forcing them to top up whenever they run out of credit.<br />Pub (n): Anywhere with a walk-up bar that serves beer and food. If they only serve alchohol and not food, it's a bar, not a pub.<br />Mate (n): Friend. Only used among men. If a guy calls you his mate, and you're a girl, there's something wrong with either you or him. Probably you.<br />Snog (v): Make out.<br />Lovely (adj): Same meaning as in the US; however, it can be used by the general public as opposed to just by pretentious assholes. Is often used to describe a person's character, as in "Oh, he's lovely!" (N.B.: this does not imply that he's gay)<br />N.B.(?): Note well, look here, read this, etc.<br />Loo Roll (n): Toilet paper<br />Pants (n pl): Underwear. Never, I repeat, NEVER describes trousers (see below)<br />Trousers (n pl): Anything Americans would call "pants". Slacks, jeans, sweats, whatever.<br />Trakkies (n pl): Sweatsuit, work-out clothes.<br />Chav (n): The English version of white trash.<br />Hot Cross Buns (n pl): A breakfast food. Very good when they have chocolate chips in them.<br />Bit: Singular (adv): little, as in, "I like him a bit", or "I'd only like a bit of sugar"<br /> Plural (n): 1) Orange juice pulp ("OJ with bits")<br /> 2) Chocolate chips ("chocolate bits")<br />Chips (n pl): Fries<br />Crisps (n pl): Chips<br />American (n or adj): An obnoxiously loud probably overweight tourist who wears a bumbag (see below)<br />Bumbag (n): Fanny-pack. Do not ever call it a fanny-pack.<br />Fanny(n): A rude word for the female genetalia.<br />Cheers (?): 1) The same as in the US, when toasting with drinks<br /> 2) Thanks ("Cheers for the pint, mate!"<br />Let's Go For a Pint: Let's Go Get Shitfaced. Does not necessarily mean you have to drink pints of beer. You can go for a pint and drink a bottle of wine if you so choose.<br />Bully (adj): Good, as in "Bully for you!"<br />Buggered (adj): Fucked (in the bad way)<br />Shagged (v, adj): Fucked (in the good way)<br />Knackered (adj): Tired<br />Gutted (adj): Exhausted to the point of feeling sick<br />Kings (n): Kings College London, aka The Most Evil Place in the Universe.<br />Uni (n): College (can also mean "campus", as in "I'll be at uni all day")<br />College (n): Last 2 years of high school<br />A-Levels (n pl): AP exams, except everyone has to take them<br />Well (adj): Very, way, as in "I'm well excited about this weekend!"<br />Fit (adj): Hot. Can also mean physically in-shape, but usually just means very attractive.<br />Society (n): Club, i.e. Drama Society, Chess Society<br />Professor (n): the head of the department<br />Lecturer (n): Everyone else who teaches at Uni<br />You all right?: How are you?<br />Fancy Dress Party: Costume party<br />Kebab (n): a pita-type thing filled with meat<br /><br />So, with this guide, you should be able to successfully translate the following exercise (Picture a guy on the phone):<br />"Hey, you all right? I just took the tube down to Uni to have a pint with my mates, and I saw this really fit girl out at the pub with her friends. They were having a fancy dress party, so she was dressed as a Chav. I think it was a party for the dance society. All her friends were well fit! I'm a bit buggered right now as I need to top up my mobile, but if you're not completely gutted after meeting with your lecturers all day, then we should totally go meet up with them. Just put on some nice trousers and come meet me; there's a kebab-and-chips shop right near where we're going, so we can stop there on the way back to the flat. You should be fine to just wear your trainers. Maybe if we're lucky we'll get to snog one of them, or even shag them! Don't worry, I don't think any of her friends were Americans or Kings students-I think they're all from our uni. Right, see you in a bit. Cheers, bye!"<br /><br />Once you can translate that passage successfully, you are officially competent in the art of British slang. Congratulations!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-61191558216848526992009-04-04T02:45:00.000-07:002009-04-04T02:54:59.696-07:00French FrolickingSo my friend Alicia had this crazy idea that for her 21st birthday, a group of us should go to a villa in France for a week this June. I thought it sounded like fun, but a little far-fetched. But, lo and behold, due to her massive type-A organisational skills and bargain-hunting abilities, we're going! From June 13-20, 13 friends and I are staying in this lovely villa for only £105 per person:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cottages4you.co.uk/sites/cottages4you/pages/PropertyDetails_C.aspx?QS=3E0F3DCD-882D-4738-9E61-B90EA3C005F2~C~F16184~HCG~64~GBP~10~7~06-13-2009~A~N~6~91EE03D5-4D7B-DD3C-DA18-50F548494F7A~21653~0~65~N~N~N~N~N">http://www.cottages4you.co.uk/sites/cottages4you/pages/PropertyDetails_C.aspx?QS=3E0F3DCD-882D-4738-9E61-B90EA3C005F2~C~F16184~HCG~64~GBP~10~7~06-13-2009~A~N~6~91EE03D5-4D7B-DD3C-DA18-50F548494F7A~21653~0~65~N~N~N~N~N</a><br /><br />Sometimes I love my life.<br /><br />Another exciting aspect of the trip-I get to drive! I drove a tiny bit at Christmas, but otherwise, I haven't driven since August, which is very sad. I love driving. Unfortunately, me and my groups of passengers have to rent a car, due to the fact that everyone in the group who has a car drives a manual transmission and I don't know how, and nobody else is willing to drive on the right side of the road for 6 hours. (Silly British people thinking you're supposed to drive on the left side of the road....). I am a little wary of that whole driving-2-hours-on-the-left-side-of-the-road-to-get-to-Dover thing, as well as the whole concept of driving on the opposite side of the car. But I'll manage. It should be great fun-road trips are one of my favourite things ever.<br /><br />I am well excited. (And judging my the structure of that sentance, am also picking up more British-speak than I thought I was...).Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-74060015871713973172009-03-23T12:09:00.000-07:002009-03-23T12:25:49.476-07:00Life's a Journey, Not a DestinationMy friend Fiona has a theory about me. She thinks that at some point in my unremembered past, I made a deal with God that I would be able to live a full life, but I would only have 25 years in which to do it, and thus I must live on hyper-speed. I hope she's wrong, because that means I'm dead as a doornail in 6 weeks, but I can see why one would think that. I'm always living for tomorrow. I have a list of things to do in life, and I try to stick to it like glue. My whole life up to this point has been conducted with the sole purpose of avoiding being one of those people who wakes up one day in their 50's and thinks, "Is this it? Why didn't I do more?". Of all the things in life I fear, that's the worst. I don't fear being alone, I don't fear an early death, I don't fear the unknown-I fear that. Regret for the things I didn't do.<br /><br />But just recently I've started to wonder if maybe I'm not taking it too far. For example, the topic on everyone in my programme's mind right now is PhD applications. I will be honest-I don't really want to do one. It sounds nice in theory, but I'm not cut out to be an academic. I have the brains, sure, but I don't have the work ethic when it comes to studying or the competetive edge. I don't have the patience to sit inside studying ancient languages all day. I wish I did, but I simply don't. If I've learned nothing else from this year, it's that. However, I find it intensely difficult to reconcile myself with this, because getting a PhD is on my list of things to do in life. I really, really, really want to be called Dr. Prior someday. But honestly? That might be the only reason. Yes, I would love to teach at the university level, and I would love to write books on religion, but I don't need a PhD for that; I'd be just as happy teaching at community college and writing popular non-fiction for a less educated audience as I would teaching at UCL or NYU or somewhere and writing for academic journals. More than that, I don't want to spend the next three to five years still in school. But, I do want to be able to say I got my PhD.<br /><br />I won't lie, it's probably a vanity thing. I want to be able to say I did it more than I actually want to do it. So which is better-ticking something off my to-do list or just accepting that maybe I won't ever have a doctorate and sitting back and enjoying life? Objectively, this shouldn't seem like a hard question to answer, but for me, it rather is. More than anything, it's made me reflect on other aspects of my life; am I too busy accomplishing my goals to spend the proper amount of time with all my friends? Or to meet a guy I might actually date for more than 3 months?<br /><br />Of all the aspects of my life that have suffered, I think my love life is probably the worst. I've always just been too busy to date, and every time I do start seeing someone, I wonder if I won't get stuck in a rut and end up with the wrong guy and-you guessed it-wake up in 30 years regretting it. What if I do meet Hypothetical Dream Guy and am too busy to notice? What if he asks me out and I say no because I've got plans that night? What if I could have this amazing life with someone with a relationship that other people dream of having, but am too selfish to rearrange my life in order to be with him because he wasn't part of the original plan?<br /><br />I know this all seems very far-fetched. But still...what if?Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-17193812794909643732009-03-18T01:49:00.000-07:002009-03-18T02:05:48.571-07:00All Shook UpAny of you ever get completely and totally stressed out for no reason whatsoever? For whatever reason, I woke up at 7:03 this morning freaking out. About nothing, about everything, I'm not exactly sure. It's like every little thing I should have been worried about this past year but wasn't suddenly built up and exploded.<br /><br />What if I've been goofing off too much and I flunk out? What if the last paper I wrote wasn't at the MA level? What if I don't get this job I really want? What if I do and then I discover I don't have time to do my dissertation as well as I want to? What if I can't find a job at all and I just become another sob story, a casualty of the failing economy? What if all these new friends I've been making actually don't really like me at all? What if I'm fat and don't know it? What if I never find a decent guy to date because I seem to have a sign on my forehead that says "Socially Awkward Guys Stop Here"? What if I keep having uncontrollable asthma attacks and something bad happens? What if I can't get my visa sorted out? What if I can't afford to fly to the US to see all the people I love anytime soon? What if I don't get to meet Grace's baby until he's not even a baby anymore? What if I lose touch with Manny? What if I should be practicing my religion more than I am? What if I haven't studied enough? What if I'm the personification of the American stereotype? What if I'm actually a talentless ass-clown? What if I don't graduate? What if all my friends move away after school's over and I end up alone in a country where I have no family? What if I end up alone, period? What if I'm drinking too much? What if the occasional cigarette is worse for me than I thought? What if my diet is so bad that in ten years I'll totally regret it? What if my bad hip gets worse and I'll need a hip replacement before I turn 30 and I'll never be able to dance professionally again? What if I go broke and ruin my already-questionable credit? What if everyone actually hates me? What if I'm wasting my 20's just waffling around while everyone else in the world is actually working towards a career? What if I regress to my teenage self? What if I never recover from the horrors of high school? What if I die before seeing the Grand Canyon? What if I never write my crappy un-publishable novel? What if I'm actually dumb?<br /><br />It's days like this that make me think I should probably allow myself to get stressed/upset/sad/angry when the mood strikes, and not brush it all off until it builds up to an explosion twice a year. I never take my explosions out on anyone else, but it's probably not healthy for my mental well-being.<br /><br />Does anyone else ever feel like this? Or is it just me?Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-75145124110397290732009-03-15T15:11:00.000-07:002009-03-15T15:53:44.981-07:00Maybe Grandma Was Right...When I was a kid, every time I would complain about being bored, my grandmother would invariably respond, "Boredom is reserved for those who aren't intelligent enough to entertain themselves."<br /><br />If she was right, then my IQ must be about 47.<br /><br />You know when you get to that state of boredom where you don't even <em>want</em> to do anything? Where every possible activity sounds boring as all hell? That's where I am right now. Latin homework? No way. Research for my paper on medieval Islamic scholarship? Not a chance. Shower? Too much effort. Eat? I feel fat. Call someone? No one to call. Go on Facebook? Been on it all evening. Watch a movie? Nothing to watch, despite the fact that I own probably 200+ DVDs. Go to sleep? Not tired.<br /><br />Le sigh.<br /><br />On the bright, non-complainy side of things, it was really nice out today! It got to almost 60 farenheit, which just made my week. I took my book and my ipod and went to the park across the street from my dorm and just sunbathed-it was fantastic. And, it's odd, although I adore living in the middle of a city, I never realised how much better it is when it's warm. The entire tone of the city perceptibly changes; people are just a bit more friendly on the street, there are couples out walking their dogs and playing in the park with their kids and people reading on the grass and out strolling just to be outside-the entire town just came alive today. I in no way have seasonal affective disorder (I rather like the gray damp dreariness), but being able to actually sit outside and enjoy it today just made my entire weekend. I hope the sun doesn't go into hiding again. It's such a rare visitor to Britain, it would be nice if it stayed around for a while.<br /><br />In other news...let's see...not much other news to report, actually. I went to an acting workshop today which invariably reminded me once again how shit an actor I am. Nothing I didn't already know. Which I'm totally comfortable with; I'm ok with just being good enough to get to the next song or dance (things I'm actually decent at). Still, it was good to get some pointers. The guy teaching the workshop was really really good. (And really really pretty, which helps.) I did learn a lot...he didn't magically turn me into a decent actor or anything, but not everyone can work miracles. ;) Also on the performing front, I'm starting to build up a following of dance students...I'm teaching ballroom, tap, ballet, and musical theatre dance techniques for the musical theatre society at my uni, and I've got a lot of demand for more lessons. Mayhaps I can use this for future income...'tis a possibility.<br /><br />I've also decided it's time to do a makeover on myself. I've always had a reeeeeally low opinion of my looks, but I do recognise that I can be decent looking when I actually make an effort to be so. Thus, I am going to the eye doctor this week to get contacts, I'm going to the salon next week to get my hair back to the red it used to be when I lived in a place that was distantly acquanited with the sun, and I'm going to do some serious dieting. There's no reason for me to be all bummed out about my physicality when there are things I can do to improve my self-image. More than wanting to feel attractive, I want to stop being all low-self-esteemie when I look in the mirror. Maybe not the healthiest way to go about it, but it's a start, anyway. So-makeover time! Also, on the dieting front, I'm starting to realise that if I don't get healthy now, I'll seriously regret it later in life. I already abuse my body in ridiculous ways with all the dancing I do, the least I can do is keep myself properly nourished and healthy so my insides are in better shape than my joints.<br /><br />Speaking of nothing having to do with that whatsoever, I only have 2 more weeks of class! Less than that really, as I have no class the thursday or friday of week after next, and my wednesday class is Latin, in which I have a test Monday, meaning we'll probably all just go to a pub instead of having a lesson on Wednesday. (Another reason to love England-that's a perfectly normal thing to do.) Yay! Then my life becomes dissertation craziness, which I'm comfortable with. Sweet.<br /><br />OK, now that I've put you in a state of boredom worse than my own, I suppose I'll sod off and go back on Facebook or something. Maybe I'll even sign on to Myspace; who knows?! But let's not get crazy....Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-58787342941874144002009-03-04T09:18:00.000-08:002009-03-04T09:35:39.731-08:00Smelling the Roses...In case you were wondering, this is definitely going to be one of those vomit-inducingly sappy entries.<br /><br />You know when your life somehow arrives at that place where you're just inexplicably happy all the time? Where you sit back and look at the circumstances of your current situation and just smile? I'm there right now. It's not that I haven't been happy in London before now...I have been very much. However, I am one of those people whose happiness is really determined by my friends. Ever since I was a kid, my friends have been as important to me as family; once I get close to a person and really start to love them, I can't imagine my life without them. And when I get a good close group of friends that I truly love, nothing can get me down. And that's the point at which I've recently arrived.<br /><br />Of course, I've had friends since about 2 days after my arrival in London; making friends has never been a challenge for me (thank God). But it takes time to get to the point in your relationships where you are truly comfortable with people and are able to completely be yourself with them. When you're just getting to know someone, it's kind of weird to call them just because you're bored, or to tell them something trivial that made you happy, or whatever. And I never really mentioned anything on my blog about this, but I was a little depressed for the first month or so that I was here, simply because I didn't have that yet. I had friends, but I didn't have best friends, if that makes any sense. But just in the last month or so, I feel like my proverbial cup has begun to runneth over. Of course, I would be lost without Fiona, Betsy, Jeff, and all my other friends from my course, but I've also gotten a lot closer to my theatre friends, and I think that's what really cemented my current giddiness. I know for a fact that if my soon-to-be-flatmates Alicia and Joe suddenly disappeared, I would be completely lost. Also, being a complete tomboy, it's been really disconcerting not having a bunch of guys around to hang out with. However, just recently I started hanging out with the musical theatre boys, and I finally feel like myself now that I'm hanging around a bunch of men all the time. That sounds silly, but having grown up with nearly all male friends and then going through college with mostly men friends, it has been very strange to try and be myself around almost all women. I love my women friends here more than life, but there's still a sense of comfort and security and ease that comes with hanging around guys, and I think the recent deluge of male friends in my life is largely responsible for the happiness I've been feeling lately.<br /><br />Anyway. Friends are good. They make me happy. Now that I've finally found my niche, I don't think I could leave London even if I wanted to. :)Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-15352908658755070802009-03-01T14:35:00.001-08:002009-03-01T15:10:45.137-08:00Picture Time Again!So I know in my last entry I promised Amsterdam pictures, but my dear travelling companion has yet to post them up on Facebook, thus rendering me picture-less. However, I do have a bunch of pictures from this weekend's production of South Pacific. I will state for the record that as I am STILL too lazy to buy a camera, these pictures have all been blatantly ripped off of my friends' Facebook accounts, with no attempt whatsoever at subtlety. As you can see, most of these pictures were not taken during rehearsals or performances when we were all reasonably composed, but during the after-party once the wine started flowing. I, contrary to all appearances, am completely sober in these pictures. Judge me how you will.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnlZP_vY5rT2xVTNFBVu5U4rdX2LrShmEdPGjLOJbB4hGQMrjeB2OvQhKMBongAdMyf12uuLgBLuo5PAc-bNr3jdlrFqfU4zAeQX7ZMRWjmJvheNElzX8dOVhnSrBB97f1MSoTCud3QNr/s1600-h/n1603110622_30135221_7045014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308354549877507506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnlZP_vY5rT2xVTNFBVu5U4rdX2LrShmEdPGjLOJbB4hGQMrjeB2OvQhKMBongAdMyf12uuLgBLuo5PAc-bNr3jdlrFqfU4zAeQX7ZMRWjmJvheNElzX8dOVhnSrBB97f1MSoTCud3QNr/s320/n1603110622_30135221_7045014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The entire cast of South Pacific. Good luck trying to find me; it's like a game of Where's Waldo.<br /><br /><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2K0wlzsf_vCVVqgi6mCT94ZjU16ipQb__TaU_H9W9hlzdZ-pQE_nXjGTj1kT1O3ZLd_OF3AVKe7irWe00HUeb0-FXK1WAksBhHjKIpjBRkJ4MouwfcKcnhleBOqYIP18y6krCb3D8FU3o/s1600-h/n1603110622_30134506_1188146.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308354533350650498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2K0wlzsf_vCVVqgi6mCT94ZjU16ipQb__TaU_H9W9hlzdZ-pQE_nXjGTj1kT1O3ZLd_OF3AVKe7irWe00HUeb0-FXK1WAksBhHjKIpjBRkJ4MouwfcKcnhleBOqYIP18y6krCb3D8FU3o/s320/n1603110622_30134506_1188146.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>My friend Rich and me backstage during Intermission</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyy2NIIHFqzoWKiKbgxm_cPQjcfK6q6phBPxrukHfEbtJQSEpuQm53JNEOs5j5VJ5yi_py8goi5qHbRRaO3Mm8Ti5Nxh6ic1iNR41miJxq5uVUnrQO8kM2EPNMdmumAm3jQ4N_NsJfOStt/s1600-h/n511714876_1481950_2219014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308354509536462754" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyy2NIIHFqzoWKiKbgxm_cPQjcfK6q6phBPxrukHfEbtJQSEpuQm53JNEOs5j5VJ5yi_py8goi5qHbRRaO3Mm8Ti5Nxh6ic1iNR41miJxq5uVUnrQO8kM2EPNMdmumAm3jQ4N_NsJfOStt/s320/n511714876_1481950_2219014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>My friend Isaac likes to pick girls up and carry them around when he's drunk.<br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqNArStyuwroIqbwqtosbQdPwjYs0zNQNYGBf5YbvCpmlbYe6g6ze_ie-YVmR3UzOQFEGdoMIin29OC2kQvxbhFnn94F-CfW71d0hi25OJvGJOvIScehk4q9VqsJOwsWETw5gl9MP0Q4_Y/s1600-h/n511714876_1481951_6490809.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308355817702173458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqNArStyuwroIqbwqtosbQdPwjYs0zNQNYGBf5YbvCpmlbYe6g6ze_ie-YVmR3UzOQFEGdoMIin29OC2kQvxbhFnn94F-CfW71d0hi25OJvGJOvIScehk4q9VqsJOwsWETw5gl9MP0Q4_Y/s320/n511714876_1481951_6490809.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>No, really. He does.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7d8kWrQZ6rnK0B1Ojs7OSrrzb2fooVH2lpUDNCwnklU-E4dncyG8BrkdUM7UjunIL-432svrZXJBzIfelzp1lJ56ICStKP071SZHqhp3FKH85hLQoFYBHtgwAP-GYwfUc0gkmgVi1x_9o/s1600-h/n511714876_1481928_7894748.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308354239668738930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7d8kWrQZ6rnK0B1Ojs7OSrrzb2fooVH2lpUDNCwnklU-E4dncyG8BrkdUM7UjunIL-432svrZXJBzIfelzp1lJ56ICStKP071SZHqhp3FKH85hLQoFYBHtgwAP-GYwfUc0gkmgVi1x_9o/s320/n511714876_1481928_7894748.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Rebecca, Asif, Rich, Helen, and myself. I apparantly didn't get the memo that we were supposed to smile and NOT look like idiots.<br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipIOWwMf9TqqEjulSDmB9z4pqegsUYXOmxGAFlAykcJkFmlzZUXcn1-p3L_h_JEIB2Hsk1se63VM6wwqrWTfNcPm9wtODfFUc0H7G3fmARpgX3u0U9mloGK1T00ojF_g6k-jbJJSQaHhT/s1600-h/n511714876_1481908_7457489.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308354233832293954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipIOWwMf9TqqEjulSDmB9z4pqegsUYXOmxGAFlAykcJkFmlzZUXcn1-p3L_h_JEIB2Hsk1se63VM6wwqrWTfNcPm9wtODfFUc0H7G3fmARpgX3u0U9mloGK1T00ojF_g6k-jbJJSQaHhT/s320/n511714876_1481908_7457489.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Sometimes my friends have naked time. I've been told that it's a chemical reaction that occurs when you mix alchohol and musical theatre boys; however, I suspect sexual repression is to blame.</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI58s_y0V5CJMDBf2-QvKREMKDVBIzviaGtvVgEureiXR_79ra_w5WOT7FZsHX9iRDnmMdo06OB-iGuH9f8TxaY_hCjBU_Isjx1RnMMToibQS3p3s-E6CqqKvrc7b93Npnqp5VZHktiflE/s1600-h/n505717478_1559250_619982.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308354230156537026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI58s_y0V5CJMDBf2-QvKREMKDVBIzviaGtvVgEureiXR_79ra_w5WOT7FZsHX9iRDnmMdo06OB-iGuH9f8TxaY_hCjBU_Isjx1RnMMToibQS3p3s-E6CqqKvrc7b93Npnqp5VZHktiflE/s320/n505717478_1559250_619982.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Naked time with my director. That sounds a lot dirtier than it actually is.<br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67VNbFIbBCnQ7r4quzKekR0W6vMCFV2bAKxbwTeNflLQS6RwkOTdSM9CY8YS_ISG596RNZ_5aqVcoumCHySYUCkZQtGT2ucUrEYgOxtsyaN5RK4whKCwbdYO-kr3lLybPwtNMFKw9_puu/s1600-h/n505717478_1558012_3408709.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308354233765525234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67VNbFIbBCnQ7r4quzKekR0W6vMCFV2bAKxbwTeNflLQS6RwkOTdSM9CY8YS_ISG596RNZ_5aqVcoumCHySYUCkZQtGT2ucUrEYgOxtsyaN5RK4whKCwbdYO-kr3lLybPwtNMFKw9_puu/s320/n505717478_1558012_3408709.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The nurses during intermission of the final show.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hChZkdIeZ5JNElpuXQvJjdHGxwpa3AaJyZxZNinDXZrsgCsfZSs4UDfIYWJtj2d6YAMxelpyLUJX3axqjDMKPeM5xZtOLa7ulKit7NJsgkijUVRS1U_z7pW1yhoSqksjlj8H4AAT5-fG/s1600-h/n202907885_35134608_3721.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308354228438221410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hChZkdIeZ5JNElpuXQvJjdHGxwpa3AaJyZxZNinDXZrsgCsfZSs4UDfIYWJtj2d6YAMxelpyLUJX3axqjDMKPeM5xZtOLa7ulKit7NJsgkijUVRS1U_z7pW1yhoSqksjlj8H4AAT5-fG/s320/n202907885_35134608_3721.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This wasn't taken at <em>the</em> cast party, but it was <em>a </em>cast party, so it counts. Obviously, my friends and I are totally hardcore. Obviously.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW1aUYa_agBqaUGyukqqB1QMBdYYCQQXdVhLa2kJPZp2pNec3-v-WIpeCY8VTvRUKZi0qH6I52hIDOXXXsbPjHz4790tsmnGG4VqCZv_XdBrJ_5TZpAveZpYCLhj27VuqAyjJLWiLLC6p/s1600-h/n105613_36467976_8246335.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308353694615791970" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 243px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW1aUYa_agBqaUGyukqqB1QMBdYYCQQXdVhLa2kJPZp2pNec3-v-WIpeCY8VTvRUKZi0qH6I52hIDOXXXsbPjHz4790tsmnGG4VqCZv_XdBrJ_5TZpAveZpYCLhj27VuqAyjJLWiLLC6p/s320/n105613_36467976_8246335.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>I made my musical theatre boys come and crash my friend Betsy's semi-formal house party. I think the level of classiness went down about 10 notches upon our arrival. </div><div> </div><div>NB: The guy attempting to lick my face is my flatmate as of this coming May. God help me.<br /></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>That's all for now. I hope that in posting these I have now provided you with sufficient fodder to take the piss out of me for at least the next few months. </div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6865952895702374543.post-66215177707154407092009-02-20T07:44:00.000-08:002009-02-20T08:10:14.026-08:00Globe-TrottingHello, gentle readers! My apologies for the prolonged absence...it's been one of those crazy months without much of a break to speak of. But I'm back now from the great beyond, and shall proceed to fill your heads with the brainless minutia of my life that I know you've come to love so deeply. :/<br /><br />First, the school update. Things are going reasonably well with my course; I've only got 5 weeks of class left, then my life becomes Dissertation Centrale. Our topics are officially due on March 2nd, which means I've really got to get on that whole picking a topic thing. I know I want to do something regarding the relationship between Judas and Satan in the Middle Ages, but I just need to shape it and sort out exactly what I need to be researching. Should be pretty interesting though-I'm excited.<br /><br />Enough of the whole school thing-on to fares of a more interesting nature. I've decided I'm definitely going to stay in London for at least another year, hopefully more. I've already agreed to live with my friends Alicia and Joe as of this May, which should be tons of fun. Normally living with a couple might be a bit awkward, but I'm really close friends with both of them, so I'm not concerned. I think it will be great fun. Now I just need to commence the job search so that I can in fact afford to live here for another year without having to set up residence in a cardboard box.<br /><br />In other more exciting news, I just got back from an impromtu trip to Amsterdam, which was awesome. I was out drinking with a group of friends last Wednesday, and one of them was like, "Hey, I've got to go to Amsterdam to do some research, who wants in?" Obviously, everyone said yes. However, sobriety-induced reason caused everyone but me to drop out afterwards, and it ended up just being me and my friend Caddy tooling around Holland for 3 days, which ended up being a lot of fun. We didn't really know each other all that well when we left, but we sure do now-being in a confined space with someone for 80+ hours will do that to you. We're both extremely easy-going, so it worked out really well, I think. We even ended up making a big group of friends in a trannie bar. Backstory: we were hanging around our hostel drinking beer and smoking some weed (it was Amsterdam, after all), when we decided that we should try and go clubbing, being on vacation and everything. So we got gussied up and went outside, only to remember that it was FREEZING at night in Amsterdam in February. Instead of wandering around looking for a club, we chickened out and ended up going into the first bar we found-which, naturally, ended up being a transexual karaoke bar. And it was awesome. We instantly made friends with a whole bunch of people who kept dragging us up onstage and having us sing with them. We then appeased them by singing some Phantom of the Opera for them, which started a trend of musical theatre-themed karaoke from there on out. One of the guys just so happened to be a salsa instructor, and he and I cut a rug for a good 30 minutes, which was a ton of fun. Another hilarity-ensuing moment: while Caddy was outside smoking, one of the men we were talking to came up to me and asked if I would mind if he flirted with my boyfriend. Now, the nice thing to say would have been either A) "he's not actually my boyfriend, but he is straight, so I don't think you'll get very far; it's not really worth trying" (the truth), or B) "Actually, I'm kind of a jealous girlfriend, and I don't really like it when people hit on him" (blatant lie, but would have achieved the desired effect). Of course, being the awesome friend that I am, I went for option C) "Of course not! I'm actually really confident in our relationship, so go ahead and hit on him as much as you want. In fact, if you can win him from me, you can have him!"<br /><br />I'm the nicest friend EVER.<br /><br />Anyway, long story short (too late), the evening was a complete drunken success with lots of fun had by all. I know there's photographic evidence of all this, but I don't have it-as soon as it goes up on facebook, I'll pirate some of the pictures and post them for your enjoyment.<br /><br />Anywho, that's about all I've got for interesting anecdotes at the moment. I promise to update more regularly; my current show closes next Saturday, so I'll have a lot more free time on my hands as of next weekend. Until then, aribaderci!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13459510065928238842noreply@blogger.com0