Hello, Providence!

My mom and I flew into Providence, Rhode Island today. All went well--unusually smooth, actually, for a connecting flight, two checked suitcases, a massive tennis bag, and a fully-packed carry-on bag. We checked the bags, went through security--without being scanned through the humongous x-ray machine--and boarded our flight to Dulles airport. Then, we met a really nice young lady on the plane who walked us most of the way to our next flight--and saved us about fifteen minutes of direction-lacking confusion (we had to take a clever little bus that was called a "train"). After three mini delays (about ten minutes each), we finally boarded our plane to Providence! I got to practice mi espanol con una mujer de Peru, which was super-exciting because I actually helped someone and did something useful with the language, rather than asking "Donde esta el bano?"
Anyways, we got our rental car and checked into our hotel. The man at the check-in desk got terribly confused when he asked my mom's name and she gave him her middle name, which she goes by daily; it--not surprisingly--is not the same as her first name, and so after some brief mistrust and heavy-eyebrowed looks, we made it into our room. Then we bolted for the car and to an area called ____ Hill. We found this cute place to go into and requested a table. Naturally, it took ten minutes to get a table, where we were abandoned for five more minutes! I realize this isn't a dreadful amount of time, but it is if you have my metabolism and have been hungry for the better part of three hours. I devoured the bread and olive oil, which was yummy--I think--haha I ate it pretty quickly. Despite all my complaining, my mom and I were having a lovely evening. We were enjoying the yummy bread and waiting for dinner. Then she took the calm opportunity to give me a Vitamin B pill. In the middle of a restaurant! As I was waiting to eat! GRRRR. But I took it anyways. We seemed to descend into hysteria from there....
I tried to drink my water but failed.
I tried again and failed again.
Then, when our food came, my mom asked for two spoons to demonstrate for me how to correctly eat pasta with a spoon and fork (I have been having a problem lately where I only use a fork and am only able to eat pasta when I make a mess). She twisted her fork around her tagliatelle and took a perfectly twirled bite. I took my spoon, too, making sure to have it even in the correct hand as her--!!-- and got a piece of pasta with my fork. Then I realized it was bowtie pasta! Ooops. At least I Got TO watch how it's done! :) xoxo mom.
Then, we decided that I'd drive back to the hotel from dinner. My mom had found the most amazing parking spot, and parallel parked perfectly. I got into the car, expecting to have to shimmy out of there in the most embarrassing of manners as the good citizens--and tourists--of providence looked on, but I actually got out on my first try and this really cute guy driving a car yielded and let me go in front of him! He didn't even honk his horn :) I was so flattered.
So, under the watchful guide provided by the Hertz Neverlost system, I drove us back to the hotel! I didn't see a single speed limit sign, so I improvised, but I did it well, don't worry! When we were stopped at a stop light on Smith or some other Providincial road like it, I saw the most amazing sight: The Rhode Island version of Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan walked right by! She had on the perfect trench coat that was the perfect color, and a similar face, but it had short sleeves. Bummer. But it was still cool!
So now, I'm actually in the work area of the hotel posting this post to my blog--I've never blogged in a hotel before. This is so exciting!! Brown and Spain and London, here I come!
:) :) :) :)

Diet? What's a diet?

I have two of the sweetest black labs ever. Henry is 7 seven years old, a glorious 90 pound--and fit--waddling love machine. Beau Jangles just had his 10th birthday (happy birthday Beau!!), and has the internationally loved traditional face of a black lab. They're both super fast runners, adorable, and affectionate. They also have a certain fetish for food. Dog food, people food, squirrel food--it doesn't matter; they're not selective. They just love it all! They could eat it all up (mind the pun) in a heartbeat.

Henry's Food Accomplishments
Dear Doggy Diary,
          I love food. It's so yummy. Something about the fragrant smell of barbecue chicken, steak, sweets, and practically everything else just gets me so excited! I can't help but lick my lips whenever I'm in a six-foot radius of food, or if I'm thinking about food....(lick) It's my favorite part of the day, and so naturally one of my favorite rooms in the house is the kitchen. You see, when my owners remodeled the house they made the islands and counters higher than usual; I am so lucky that I am a dog who can reach higher than usual. Here are a few of my most memorable encounters--and just so you know I AM SO WOOFING PROUD OF MYSELF!!! 


BBQ chicken
I've had a long, complicated relationship with chicken. You see, sometimes it's just sitting there waiting for me in the trash can that's at just the perfect height for a tall dog (shoulder level, to be exact). It's not even slim pickings! Something about the delicious taste of BBQ sauce on a perfectly cooked partially-eaten chicken leg/breast/drumstick is irresistible. Even when the chicken is hiding out on the counter, I scramble up, smooth as a rock climber until I reach my goal. Usually, I have time to lick a drumstick or two before my owners catch me, and I've even grabbed a chicken breast and kept it safely in my jaws for a perfect four seconds before graciously surrendering it to a tugging hand. 
Tartettes
Jordan had a "Pi Day" pie/tart/torte contest at her school. She made apple tartettes for it, and worked long and hard to make them under a time crunch, and high quality. After the baking, Jordan made two plates: one plate had all the perfectly baked, lovely tartettes on it, and the other had all the ones that were slightly misshapen or epitomes of decimation. When she went upstairs to put on pajamas, I saw my chance. Lunging to get my front paws on the counter I gobbled up as many tartettes as possible. I was fast and efficient; my mouth is so big that I could snatch up the tartettes easily. If my mommy hadn't heard my two (yes--I'm that efficient) slurps, I might have had time to get to the mess-ups too. Bummer. I guess I only took the perfect ones. Jordan was furious at me, and a few minutes later I came away with a really good feeling in my tummy and a really ominous one in my head regarding my portion size in upcoming meals. When I rolled on my back and showed Jordan my (tartette-ed) tummy, she got a little less angry but still delivered a lecture on my being a bad dog and, of course, only eating the good tartettes she wanted to turn in to her school. She didn't win the contest, but I should have told the teachers how yummy the tartettes were!
Steak
Steak is super yummy. My daddy is really good at grilling and he likes ribeye a lot. My mommy was starving when she got home a couple of days ago, and so she did something she usually never does--she made a steak and a big meal for lunch. She only had a little tiny piece of the steak, and then went upstairs for three minutes to ask my daddy if he wanted any. He said no, he'd already had lunch, but then when he was walking into the house he changed his mind. Too bad. When my mommy was upstairs, I seized the steak and ate the entire delicious, juicy, big piece of meat. My mommy came back into the kitchen and went to the plate where she'd put the ribeye. 
"Did you eat it already?" she asked my dad. 
"No," he replied. 
"Then where did it go?"
I gave myself away, I admit it. Well actually for some reason she looked right at me and I just can't poker face my mommy ever because I love her way too much and I don't play cards. I ducked my head and wagged my tail nervously between my legs, unable to stop myself from licking my lips as I thought about the yummy juiciness of the ribeye. I always seem to drool when food's involved.... the end of the story: Daddy was hungry and I definitely was not. 


While I was writing this post, my mom was very very nice and fed the dogs for me. I saw Henry waiting outside the door as she was getting ready to put down the two food bowls. He was jumping three feet into the air. Oh, how food can motivate..... WOOF!

A Well-Deserved Complaint

My problem began in the middle of winter. Apparently, I was too stressed out. I mean, all I had to worry about were my grades, lots of big tests, tennis, speech and debate and therefore somehow keeping up on current events for about thirty countries of note--as I shall call them--for tournaments, friends, family, those super-scary words time management....... I believe I was so stressed out one week of school that I rewrote two essays and convinced my teacher to let me take a test a week later--at my school that is no small feat. Somewhere between writing a terrible essay on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (the second draft was better, don't worry) and everything else going on, I decided I needed to relax a bit so I could actually get something done. My mother recommended Vitamin B pills. And while they do release stress quite well,  they're disgusting.
In fact, on several occasions I have tried to convince my mother not to have me take them on the grounds that they add more stress to my life--the terror of taking the most yucky-tasting pills in the world-- than they take away. We found a solution: compromise. We now own somewhere between three and five  types of Vitamin B and they're all terrible (psht why would you ever think I hide the pill bottles where no one can find them? I would never.... well actually...).
They taste so bad that I now have a stockpile of chocolate bars. Thank you, Chocolove! Without you, I would have no cure for the yucky aftertaste of Vitamin B! However, after a while they actually work, so despite your taste and appearance, dear Vitamin B, I appreciate you.
One kind is supposed to be "chewable". NO. Don't chew them, don't swallow them, don't even look at them!! They're too scary.... They're all this revolting sort of moldy yellow/orange color that reminds me of a sort of spoiled weed's pollen packed into a pill capsule. And a lovely side effect? They all turn your pee highlighter yellow. No kidding. So, don't be embarrassed--if anyone has found a Vitamin B pill that does not taste horrible (if it's not so ugly that would help too), please comment and tell me what brand it is!!!!
And if you don't comment, you'll only add to my stress (and yes I'm allowed to use your guilt against you).....

Vous aimez Paris? Un film fantastique!

Midnight in Pairs is a great movie for anyone who likes laughing, Paris, the 1920's, or Owen Wilson. It follows a writer (yep-- a blonde and rather cute writer) and his fiancée to Paris. Owen Wilson, being the curious, adventurous chap he is, gets lost one evening among the Paris streets, and soon finds himself in the company of the living luminaries of the 1920's. This movie is hilarious for anyone who has heard of such figure-heads as, for example, Ernest Hemingway or Picasso. Directed and written by Woody Allen, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Marion Cotillard. Also, for those of you who find this interesting (I certainly did): The tour guide at the museum (if you see the movie, she's giving a tour of statues outside) is the French Prime Minister's wife. It's a great movie, and definitely take the 94 minutes one night to see it!!

This painting is A Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

After all, who doesn't want to be en Paris a minuit?

Africa Part II

So, now we're moving on to Africa Part II: the logistics and transportation. A humble suggestion: if you're packing to go to Africa, take a patience pill and get a light-weight suitcase. Each of us was allowed to take a suitcase that weighed just 27 pounds! The weight of an empty suitcase is quite a bit of this total weight, so my parents and I researched luggage for the lightest kind possible. Our end result: our star suitcase (1 of the 3 we as a family brought) weighed 7 pounds empty. The night before we left on our trip was stressful to the max. After countless trips to the bathroom scale to weigh our suitcases after every pair of socks was put in and every unnecessary shirt was pulled out, the panicked chaos of packing finally subsided. 
         I must throw in a thank you right here: Thank you REI, for having all the waterproof pants that shorten into shorts, all the sun-protective shirts that coincidentally weigh about four times less than a normal shirt, and for having all the fast-dry clothing that becomes imperative for anyone who wants clean clothes out in the wild!! Another little thank you: to Victoria's Secret, for the sole reason that they have underpants that are quick dry which, for anyone who hasn't either washed their clothes camping or in the middle of nowhere in Africa, means that you not only get to have cute undies--you also get to have clean ones. We still have a box in my mom's closet with AFRICA written over the top, full of all these useful pieces of clothing. Packing was an affair that lasted over a week; between our several trips to REI, Target, Sports Authority, and our closets, we finally completed our packing list and had appropriate clothing, gear, bug repellent, sun protection, and just about everything else--including lots of memory cards for cameras!!
         Packing was also complicated by our trip schedule; the three of us were flying into Amsterdam first for a few days--which, might I add, is FREEZING during this time of the year--before flying to Tanzania--which, not-s-shockingly, has average temperatures in the nineties or higher with baking heat, hot savannah, and a slight lack of rain... 
The short story of Amsterdam: we froze. With our ration of about 8 pounds of winter clothing--for me, this was ice skater leggings (sooooo useful if it's cold, especially when you have zero packing space), a winter Primp shirt, one other shirt, socks, a (too)-thin little sweat shirt minus a hood, a windbreaker (that doesn't break the cold), a scarf, a hat, and fuzzy pink gloves. Our daily strategy in Amsterdam: wear every piece of clothing at once, have a hot coffee/ hot chocolate break every two hours, and see as much art, city, and Dutch culture as possible. Despite temperatures just over freezing with no winter coats, Amsterdam was super-fun! 
          After easing into our jet lag slightly, we caught an eleven hour plane ride to Tanzania, our ticket to an opposite climate, adventure, and animals!! Amsterdam and Tanzania are almost on the same time zone, so the flight to Tanzania was basically an all-day flight down South and over a bit. It was the first international flight I've been on that was in the air when it was light out the entire time, but it was a fun plane ride!
         Out of a taxi-filled city, our transportation through Tanzania and Zanzibar was slightly less mainstream than that in Amsterdam; during our vacation there, we travelled in Toyota's equivalent of Land Rovers, small planes, and smaller planes.
         Two new truths we all discovered in Tanzania:
Small planes aren't always as glamorous as they look.
When you see a truck/car/ land rover with two tanks to fill with gas--BE THANKFUL!!
SAFARI SAFARI SAFARI SAFARI SAFARI SAFARI

Africa Part I

A couple of years ago, my dad's side of the family and I all went to Africa during spring break. It was TONS of fun, and an amazing experience I'll never forget and I recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to go. And, yes, it was totally worth the jet lag. 
I decided to blog about our trip to Africa in different Parts, in no particular order, and this entry is Part I, the basics. To give you a vague idea of what vacation dynamics are like in my family, I'm providing three facts:

1.  13 of us went; my parents and I, grandparents, and two sets of aunts and uncles w/ two of my cousins in both families.
2. to go to Africa, particularly Tanzania and Zanzibar (the two places we visited), we all had to renew our tetanus shots, get a yellow fever vaccination, take two malaria prevention pills daily, and take preventative means to not get sleeping sickness.
3. The Serengeti's beauty, animals, landscape, and exotic habitat totally make you want to forget that angering the wrong kind of animal or being bitten by the wrong kind of insect could kill you--which, I PROMISE, is good!!
4. (and, okay, I'm adding a number four to this list, so just pretend I never said there were only three facts I'm giving you) My family and I had so much fun on this trip, regardless of being half way across the world from our home in a country with foreign traditions and possible dangers that under no circumstances would we ever take back going there. It was one of those great adventures of a lifetime, when you go to some exotic, different place and have experiences and make memories that will last a lifetime and not be forgotten. Kudos to my family--not only for agreeing on a vacation to a place that at least the greater majority of us wanted to travel to, but for choosing such an amazing adventure: nearly two weeks of safari, travel, wild national parks, amazing animals, and so much opportunity for adventure and fun!

If Google says it, then it's true...

For those of you who haven't checked out Google's homepage today, check it out! (And, just in case you don't feel like typing in the website, I've included the Google doodle in this post--yes, I'm THAT nice)
Today, June 21, 2011, is the first official day of summer! Woohoo! Also, tonight's the summer solstice, so make sure to spend some time outside and enjoy the longest day of the year! For all the kids and teens out there: school's out!! And if it's not out yet, it should be, so don't worry I'm sure you'll be out soon and have a GREAT summer, even if you're still in school :P   . For all the adults out there: I have no idea if you get time off of your job! From what I've learned, summer vacation depends on one's job ect, but regardless, have fun, put your hair up, and go outside!! 
I know summer means a lot of different things to different people, but here's a list of memories and all the things that summertime means to me :)
Summer is:

• swimming in the pool, cool water rushing over my eyes and enveloping my body
• loose, fun time with friends
• playing tennis 
• traveling
• time with family, time with friends, and time to relax, rejuvenate, and have fun
• going to a local Jewish deli and ordering a turkey sandwich on rye, and drinking cream soda
• taking walks at night, on my street or in the city, and walking because we want to in the smooth night air
• lots of sunscreen, bottles and tubes and sticks and pots and lotions
• biting into watermelon and having the sweet juice dribble down my chin and probably make a mess of my clothes
• planning things an entire two hours in advance, and having more fun just because it was spontaneous
• knowing there is nothing--no rule, no expectation--that implies that we should ever hold ourselves in because of a test, or a class, or a due date
• at the beginning, an endless stretch of days so free and flexible that there is a small eternity just waiting to be molded, used, and lived
• in the middle, the nostalgic realization that it has gone by so quickly--in a way, the summer has already lasted forever, but in a way, it has only just begun, but what if? What if the summer ends too soon? What have I done that only serves to initiate more barriers, or be too defensive which drives away sponteneity? Then, the summer becomes a new time to take chances and, hopefully, live and enjoy it to the max!!
• at the end, we can always look back to it happily, and it stays with us for a long time--in summer tans, in natural highlights from the sun, in freckles and shorts and dresses and swim suits and the rosy glow that emerges on our cheeks, a happy reminder of fun and games and love and sun and smiles

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a Match...

I LOVE the musical Fiddler on the Roof, especially the song when Tevye's daughters sing about the matchmaker.  I believe it goes something like this:
Matchmaker, matchmaker, 
make me a cake,
Find me a find, 
get me a date!
Matchmaker, matchmaker
look through cookbooks,
and make me a cake--
of my own!


Okay, maybe I took some liberties, but it was a perfect match, I promise! My cousins were staying with us a summer ago or so, and one of my cousins had her birthday while they were staying with us. To celebrate, we all went to The Makery--a bakery where you get to decorate your own cake with frosting, sprinkles, and whatever else strikes your fancy. So, in a simple mathematical statement, 
family+birthday+The Makery+frosting+lots of cake=lots of fun! (and of course no calories)
The Makery is a great place to have any sort of party; we went for a birthday, but people also go just for fun or out a school dance. The Makery is a perfect match for anyone who has a sweet tooth--and don't try to hide because I know you're out there!!!--because not only is it fun, yummy, and the perfect opportunity to pursue your inner talent as a cake decorator, but you get to make each cake all your own! Order ahead and choose the type of cake batter, filling, and base frosting, and then decorate your dessert just the way you want. 


The cakes were delicious, but after three days of eating cake, we needed to find something else to do with them--there simply wasn't any way that we could eat them all. My cousin and I solved the puzzle--a cake fight!! Needless to say, before this I was the girl who had never even had a food fight, and only a handful of water fights--much less a cake fight!--so I was completely unprepared for the first blow. "Come here!" my cousin told me, "Look at this cake!" Of course I did, and the cake looked back at me--and flew into my face. But don't worry, I passionately avenged the attack. Before our cake fight began, my cousin and I dressed carefully; armed in shower caps, flip flops, and T-shirts, we made our way to the newspaper covered battlefield. I had lent her a T-shirt from a tennis tournament I had been in, but didn't care for--an extra little motivation to cover her in cake! (And before you ask: No, I couldn't find a picture of my cousin and I after the cake fight, but if I do, I'll be sure to post it!)
Post-cake fight, my cousin and I were coated in a sweet layer of white, pink, and orange frosting. It was basically a full-body frosting mask. I had never had such a messy, sugary, crumbly, fun time! Really, maybe cake fashion will be the next hot trend--one can always hope, right??
After the cake fight, I smelled like frosting for a week, and the shirt I wore still sometimes smells like cake batter. Oh, well, I suppose there are worse things one can smell like.... But now I love cake fights! Woohoo! And making cakes, too! And, now that I mention it... eating cakes....
My final feelings regarding the wondrous time that summer we had with cakes? Y-U-M.


Here are pictures of the cakes we made :)  but first I must clarify two things:
1). Yes, we are THAT GOOD at decorating cakes--don't even try to insult our amazing innate artistic abilities
2). We all had tons of fun making, eating, and admiring the cakes. :)


Also--for anyone who has a raging curiosity regarding the real lyrics from the song Matchmaker, I've included the real verse below the photos!

Matchmaker, matchmaker
make me a match.
Find me a find,
catch me catch.
Night after night in the dark I'm alone
So find me a match--
of my own!

A Summer Dinner :) Yum Yum

One question it is possible that no one will ever ask: Is it possible to barbecue without barbecue sauce?


The answer to a question that no one will ever ask: Yes! 


Last summer on one inspired evening, the realization dawned on us that one can barbecue without barbecue sauce--or any kind of sauce, really--just so long as one is grilling. So we set out to grill up some shish kabobs. 
Shish kabobs are notoriously dry, rough, and rather devoid of any flavor whatsoever. Under my careful watch (and of course it was very careful becuase I was completely confident that, try as I might, I'd end up with blackened skewers and a sort of uncontrollable fire raging through the barbecue), however, the shish kabobs did not end up dry, rough, or flavorless. We paired the shish kabobs with deliciously refreshing watermelon with mint, and had a tasty, colorful, and not-at-all overcooked or dry summer dinner!


Here's the ingredients list for a summertime shish kabob dinner with watermelon
(and feel free to read them loosely):
For the shish kabobs (makes about seven)

• beef, cut into pieces about the size of the circle you can make when you put your thumb and middle finger together
• red onion, cut into pieces about as long as the beef, from two to four layers thick
• tomatoes, either cherry tomatoes or a meddly of small tomatoes to vary shape, taste, and color
• another vegetable, probably zucchini or mushrooms
• sticks for making the kabobs! We learned later that if you soak the sticks in water before grilling the shish kabobs, the sticks won't burn--the water's not necessary, but helpful if you hate the look of black sticks

For the watermelon

• a really yummy watermelon cut into slices
• mint leaves, cut into thin little strips and sprinkled onto the tops of the watermelon slices
• two slices per plate

Bon appetit!

A Certain Talent in Seeing the Future

You know how a couple of posts ago I revealed my theory about my lovely shoes boosting my finals grades by around 5%?
THEY DID!!!
I took my Eastern Religions final with them on my feet, and I got an A+ on the final!! Unfortunately in the class, we didn't get to talk about magic, but from what personal knowledge I have accumulated, they're definitely magic!! :)  I must, however, also thank my parents for quizzing me extensively on the major tenets of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Zen, ect..... Especially mom!! The night before, I spent a quality hour and half delivering her a most wonderful monologue about these faiths. And had the strangest dream because of it. It went something like this:
We were living in our old house, using watering hoses to water a vegetable garden in the front yard. For some reason, there was going to be an epic battle, and the fate of the battle rested on our hands--and how well we could nourish the vegetable garden. The more watered it was, the greater power stemmed from our home. We waited for powerful beings to begin to pass through, but for some reason, all we could get were flying lions and giraffes dropping pink little bags of animal waste into our garden--they wouldn't stay. Then a mystical spirit approached me and explained how these beings were all on their way to heaven, but she kept saying Hertz the rental car brand instead, but she and I had a mutual understanding regardless....
I'm sure this dream got my brain all thinking about religion and mysticism and the nature of ultimate reality, while I slept, and helped me do so well on the final! Funny how that works.
Anyways, thank you mom and thank you dad and all my friends for studying with me for finals so hard!!  Woohoo we're done! And, on another note, I can't wait to wear those lovely neon shoes again....
:) :) :) :)
But yay!! I did it!!!

Picture Book

 I took this picture--everyone please

write a comment and guess what it is!

Fashion: The coolest shoe on the street

During the aforementioned finals, I had another very important thing going on: my mom got me this amazing pair of shoes! So, naturally it wasn't at all out of the ordinary for me to wear them during my final on Eastern religions or my final for math. In fact, I have this theory that they raised my grades by 5%.... but I must wait to find out.


Let's get to the important stuff:  the New Balance 870 women's running shoe in rainbow. In honor of these shoes, the rest of this post will be posted in neon colors. These sneakers are  super-comfortable, and I think those New Balance guys were on to something--having ridiculously cute shoes does make you want to run more and be active. 
Maybe New Balance can single-handedly solve America's obesity problem.... or maybe not but at least they have the right intent!! These shoes, while obviously made for running, are shoes that anyone can wear if they like neon--they're each so many colors that they go with everything! So far, I've worn them with shorts and black yoga pants :))
If it's any indication, these are athletic shoes that even Elle Woods would wear! These are awesome shoes--so comfortable, they feel like they cushion every step-- and so cute, you don't want to take them off. 
I love them so much that I won't put them in my closet--when I'm not wearing them they're right by my bedroom door so I can always see them! And believe me, you would do the same thing....

Summer!!

What is the most dangerous kind of natural disaster?
A). Earthquake (Hello--umm, Japan and Haiti!)
B). Tornado (ever seen the movie "Twister"?)
C). Tsunami (Thailand...)
D). Lightning storm (Have you ever seen what it can do to your hair??)


The answer: none of the above. In fact, it is my pleasure to tell you that the most dangerous kind of natural disaster, according to Jordan's Completely Legitimate Although Officially Nonexistent Case Study, is a teenager. And the worst season (aside from the years of 13 to 18) for this new kind of natural disaster is during Finals. I can quote my highly esteemed Mother--"Jordan, it looks like a hurricane went through this room!" Of course, my natural response (in my head of course) is something along the lines of "how could you actually feel that way???!!??" How could anyone not understand my reasons for the carnage of papers, the mountains of textbooks, and the disarrayed piles of pens and pencils strewn all over the place--the island in the kitchen, trickling down onto the floor, the wreckage of Tornado Jordan masking the carpet in the guest bedroom, and the odd collection of notecards and notebooks that have been popping up at random intervals.... 
Clearly, there is no explanation for this trauma except for Finals. If only I could have been paid something around minimum wage for all my studying efforts--over Memorial Day weekend I was putting in at least ten hour days!! Regardless, there leaves no room to blame me for the mess that somehow materialized in every place I have studied over the past week.... 


xoxo Mom and Dad. I apologize anyways, because I'm just that happy that FINALS ARE OVER, SUMMER HAS BEGUN, and I'M LISTENING TO LADY GAGA RIGHT NOW and that makes everything okay!!!!


Have a great summer, all!! Don't forget to turn on some good pop music and dance!!