The Midnight Society

Dreams

2010-04-06T08:30:00.003-05:00

Thomas's most recent post inspired this post. Ever since we graduated, and more recently this year, I've been having dreams where I am back at Valley. Sometimes it's the same layout, and sometimes it's some twisted form of our former high school. The art wing has been a tall rickety tower, the auditorium has been a maze of cat walks and dressing rooms, and the parking lot has taken on many formations.

I don't usually see many student faces that I recognize, it's more often than not teachers whom I am there to see. Ms. Hansen, Mr. Murphy, and Sam show up in my dreams a lot. Also, the weather conditions in my dreams are usually raining, snowing, or it's dark. (Maybe that's how my subconscious remembers Valley being.)

It interesting that I have recurring dreams of the same place but it's never the same. There's always some reason why I am there, not just to visit. I wish it was possible to record my dreams, that would be very cool. Hope you are all doing well as we head into the final 6-7 weeks of our second years at college.

Pichler

Since no one has posted for awhile

2010-02-26T00:38:00.002-06:00

Happy New Years!

2010-01-01T09:36:00.001-06:00

Hope every one had a blast in 2009, but now it's a new decade. That sorta blows my mind. As winter break draws to a close, hope the spring goes well for everyone!

We're discussing Marx in class tomorrow

2009-11-17T23:34:00.003-06:00

and so I'm very tempted to wear this hat.

I'm moving

2009-10-23T13:29:00.002-05:00

So it's official that I will be attending Brenau next fall. I visited when I was down there for my dad's wedding and I fell in love with it and the potential that it and I have. Some facts about Brenau:

Women's college - 2200 students. There's a small 2 year vocational school a few miles away, and that's where the co-ed college is.
Class size 1:13 a lecture is 25 students.
No grad students or T.A. classes- all taught by professors
NO PARKING METERS ANYWHERE
A parking pass is $25 per year, at Iowa it $288 for 9 months and it's a 30 min bus ride away
Two theatre buildings and a theatre house where all classes are taught
No two buildings are farther than a 10 minute walk, and that's very unlikely
It's beautiful and no snow either- except of freak occasions
The down town part of Gainesville is comparable to that of Iowa City or Ames in terms of distance from campus
No shitty landlords that rip you off and no obnoxious bar scene like U of I has
With my scholarships it's cheaper than instate for U of I by almost $9,000

~Until Then

"When confronted with orgasm, m'lady farts."

2009-10-16T13:44:00.003-05:00

The title has nothing to do with the post; I just really wanted to work that in somehow. (For the uninitiated: check out the Stella: Live in Boston DVD if you get a chance.)

It's been a while since I've updated my blog blog and it's been even longer since I've updated this one. That's because I've been very busy lately. I have been doing a lot of things.

Doing a lot of things isn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, I think it's one of the reasons that I'm doing a lot better now than I was this time last year. Sure, there's something to be said about the joys of taking a nice break every now and then, but all rest and no work makes Thomas feel particularly useless. If I'm still not making sense, consider this quote by Picasso: "I am exhausted if I don't work."

Here are some things that I have been doing.

School - Obvious. The typical Shimer courseload is three classes, which doesn't seem like a lot, but when you factor in readings every night as well as the occasional paper or rewrite, things get a little more intense. The hardest part about the readings isn't the density or comprehensibility of the text itself; like a lot of things the most difficult thing is just getting started. Also worth noting are the classes themselves. I don't at all intend this comment to be self-disparaging, but I find that listening to and thinking about other people's interpretations of ideas is far more valuable than my ideas alone. (Not that that's any news to those of you who did AP Lang or Lit. By the by - totally off topic - which one of the two classes did you all prefer? My sister wants to take one or the other and she hasn't quite made up her mind. I was under the impression that it was a you-have-to-take-one-in-order-to-take-the-next-one sort of thing, but I digress.)
Endgame - Our school is doing a production of Samuel Beckett's Endgame. There are about four people in the cast. I am one of those people. I am playing a character named Nagg, an old legless man who lives in a trashbin. It's one of the more difficult plays I've ever done, but on the plus side the blocking is easy-peasy.
Neo-Futurists - I'm taking a class with them. The focus is on writing and performing the two-minute play, specifically within the Neo-Futurist aesthetic, which heavily emphasizes honesty and (for lack of a better term) real-lifeness. My classmates are all super-talented and my teachers are very knowledgeable. Two particularly moments of the last class include repeatedly rubbing my ass against a total stranger's (it involved a really challenging theater exercise that I think would make a great improv warm-up/game - email/Facebook me if you'd like details) and my pitch of a monologue that I wrote, which went way better than I'd expected it to. One of my teachers complimented my pitching ability (i.e. my ability to share the monologue to the group rather than my ability to throw a ball) and again I realized how blessed all of us were to have the opportunities that we did in high school; Baker's Dozen, IHSSA, improv with Joe, go [VERB] yourself, etc. Honestly I can't imagine what my work in said class and Endgame would look like without those experiences. ANYway, the class culminates in a 20 plays in 40 minutes performance of our own material; I'll see if I can get it videotaped if any of you are interested.
General Socialization - Kind of an obvious college thing. It's hard to pin down specifics but I think you can surmise.
Visits Home - This is my second weekend home in a row. It's not because I'm homesick or anything; it's purely circumstance. Last week was Dean's Break and a bunch of you all were in town (lovely to see you, by the by) and this weekend my cousin Dacia is getting married. I'm still recovering from a Greyhound bus ride that went from 9 PM to 5 AM.

Anyway, lately I've been kind of tired. But it's a good kind of tired. The kind that follows after a productive day. The kind that lets you sleep deeply at night.

Foundations and Funyuns

2009-10-12T23:32:00.003-05:00

Today I met with Nick, one of the founders of my improv group, Mama's Pot Roast. He's a graduate student working on getting his PhD in comparative literature, and I had so much fun talking to him and learning more about the history of the group.

Mama's Pot Roast was founded in 1993, and I realized that when I'm a senior, we might take a new member who is as old as the group itself (I mentioned this to Nick along with my own birth year and he proceeded to stop talking to me for the next minute and a half). Age comments aside, realizing this made me appreciate being part of something that started from nothing and has endured for a substantial period of time. Sure, I've been involved in stuff that's been around for awhile (I mean, Thespis was alive in sixth-century BC, right?), but I'd never had a personal connection with the group's history.

Let me see if I can explain this better: none of my other groups were "special." People have played in orchestras forever, and they're everywhere; school plays and theatre productions are the same. IHSSA had a little more meaning because it was native to Iowa and because I could see the history behind it through the photos on Ms. Hansen's wall, but it was a well-established organization to which I had few ties.

Nick told me how he wanted to start an improv group when he came to WashU and how the group formed. He told me how important it was to everyone - so important that the group thought he had been hit by a car when before he showed up ten minutes late to rehearsal. He explained some of the traditions that we keep today and talked about how other improv groups sprouted in imitation of Pot Roast.

Nick served as a link to the history of Pot Roast, a link with whom I could identify. When he talked about their first show, I could visualize the venue in which they performed, and I could feel the pre-show jitters. I could identify with how important the group was to him and how much he invested in it. What's different between Pot Roast and other activities is that with other activities, individuals sign up to do them and do them individually. With Pot Roast, individuals sign up to be part of a family and join something that was established with hopes of creating something great.

Pot Roast has a great alumni network, with people in Second City and LA, and I love being part of something (at the risk of using a cliché) "bigger than myself" To Gail, it's just an improv group, and to other people it's just some crazy theatre thing, but to me, it's home. After speaking with Nick, I appreciate the group's evolution, and I value my membership even more. I love every one of the members like a sibling, and I can't wait to see them at rehearsal tomorrow.

(Side notes only semi-affiliated with the previous post: I'm involved in our school's production of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind on 10/30 and 10/31, and I'm going to Chicago with Pot Roast this weekend. Also, Funyuns are irrelevant.)

Happy Birthday, Middy Soc

2009-10-04T16:48:00.003-05:00

To you I give a chocolate Ganesh bar! Every time Sukriti has gone to India, she has asked me what souvenir I wanted her to bring back. Every time I have asked for a chocolate Ganesh, but alas, she has failed me thus far. I just want you to have the kinds of things I never got to have as a kid. Enjoy.

Also, this song is freakin catchy. Been stuck in my noggin all week.

See most of you next weekend!

Happy Birthday Blog!!!!!

2009-10-04T08:35:00.003-05:00

I got you something in terms of the celebration! Also they should keep long, due to this crappy weather. Have some ice shot glasses...on the house!!! Hooooraaaay!!!!!!!!! Also you it's your 100th post!!! MORE SHOTS FOR ALL!!! I'M BUYING!!!

~Until Then

2009-10-02T19:11:00.002-05:00

I came across some new information today. As I was sitting at the OP enjoying my specialty pizza. The topic of buffalo wings came up and my friend Leah chimed in "Did you know that Hooters uses the same sauce as Joe's(skank bar) we all were like, "that's wierd how did Joe get hooked up with that recipe??"
"It's actually the other way around," Leah corrected "the guys's actually stole it from Joe."
(confused looks and lots of why's.)
Leah- Didn't you know? the two guys who started Hooters are graduates of Wartburg College and they worked for Joe.

NEWS TO ME!!

It fills me with pride to know that my school is affiliated with such a classy American eatery.

I heart the weekend

2009-09-20T13:35:00.004-05:00

I love college. I love college because sometimes I find myself doing really odd things with people I barely know. This weekend seemed to be full these little gems.

On Friday the theatre kids threw a pajama party at a house called Arcadia to celebrate the first week of the play "The Pajama Game". At one point I was standing in a corner with 4 guys dressed in just their boxers and one girl wearing a full bunny costume reminiscent of "A Christmas Story", all of us rocking out to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love".

The next morning I found myself at the 43rd annual Pumpkin Festival in a little town called Morton with two girls from Sigma Delta Tau (ex-sisters? weird term) and this crazy Asian guy named Kwan from the 5th floor. We saw the parade (which was Christmas themed, by the way), drank world-famous apple cider slush, and wound up at a friend of a friend of a friend's house eating homemade pumpkin pie while some dude told us about a time when he had to use tin foil instead of a pipe after his piece broke.

Today started with an omelette and will end with swing dancing but who knows what will happen in between.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Derric Comedy

2009-09-18T22:01:00.003-05:00

Hey guys, I'm not sure if you've ever heard of them, but Derrick Comedy is this sweet comedy group from pretty much everywhere. They got started in New York doing sketch and stand-up, and now live in L.A. They've got their first feature length film which is currently in theatres in Iowa City and Ames. Paperback Rhino did a show with them last night (yea that's right, we're not really anymore famous than we used to be) and some of us went go see the Mystery Team tonight. Basically how this movie is going to survive is by word of mouth. It was featured at Sundance Film Festival and is now in some theatres. It will go to New York, Chicago, and L.A. next month, and depending on how it goes there, will determine how much more nationally it gets spread. DC (one of the guys in the film) is actually in Ames and will being doing Q & A after tonight's and tomorrow's showings. Iowa City has Dominic. So go see and bring your friends, it's only 90 minutes and totally worth it!

~Until Then

Free Speech

2009-09-10T18:55:00.002-05:00

At Iowa State there is an area in front of the library called the Free Speech Zone. It is a place where anyone is allowed to come and speak their mind or share their views with the world. Normally there is a man (who often wears a blue jacket) who comes a few times a week to read the bible and share the word of God with the students of Iowa State. Today he was not alone. On the other side of the Free Speech Zone there was another man sharing important words with the students of Iowa State. These were the words of Dr. Seuss. He was reading Green Eggs and Ham. It made my day.

E-dubb in P-town!

2009-09-07T00:01:00.003-05:00

So Erin came down to P-town on Saturday to see all that glamorous Peoria has to offer. After seeing Kyle Cease's standup (you know, that guy from 10 things I hate about you? yeah, I didn't know either) and a trip to Bloomington for a very special tea party, I think we were sufficiently caught up. If anyone else happens to be in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by Bradley. I have an Ikea couch for that exact reason!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

( ! )

Moving?

2009-09-01T08:58:00.002-05:00

Hey all!!! Holy wows I'm actually able to make a post rather than have people feel sorry for me and just link to my other blog. So year two started here at U of I and I've found out that I'm rather unhappy with the school of education here. Because the state of Iowa has stopped offering a degree in just pure Theatre Education, you are now required to get a second degree in either history, a social science, or English. We I chose English and it's kicking my ass 5 ways to Friday. I can't even get into the College of Education until I have 9 more upper level English credit hours. Fuck that. I've got my other degree to work on. I don't want to be here for 6 years getting my under graduate degrees. So last week I applied to a small liberal arts college in Georgia. It's a women's college called Brenau University. The theatre programs there are fantastic and its connection to the community is even more astounding. From there I will get my Theatre major and English minor. Then I can apply to their graduate program for my Master of Theatre for secondary education. It's 1 1/2 of master level education work. It's located in Gainesville, which is also where my soon to be step mother lives. If I get accepted, I'll start next fall. The kicker, I'm moving there. Not just going to school there, but actually moving out of Iowa. The only thing keeping me at U or I is my job and Paperback Rhino. Darin would move with me and that'd be that. I haven't gotten accepted yet, but I have a feeling I'll be moving there if I do.

Hope classes are going well for those who have started, and for those who haven't. WTF? See you over break sometime.

~Until Then

Help?

2009-08-31T18:21:00.003-05:00

Hey, I'm in a class this semester where I basically write one short story and spend the rest of the semester revising it. I'm working on it now, but I need some help. I'm going to ask some questions about various topics. If you guys could give me your insight on them in the comments, that would be awesome.

1) Excluding the constantly changing economy, what is the biggest issue in our country today? It could be a political, social or even philosophical issue. There's no right or wrong answer to what this could be, but I could use answers as specific as possible.

2) What would be your solution to said problem?

3) Which religion (if any) would you say provides the most lifelong lessons? Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, even ancient ones like Greek Mythology. Which one do you think teaches us the most about life, and why?

Okay, that's basically it. Thanks again so much for helping me out, assuming someone here helps me out.

A Happening

2009-08-27T21:26:00.003-05:00

Me and my roommate, Adam, were walking to class.

"But the second chapter of Patterns of Culture was a little weird," I said to him.

"In what way?"

"Well, throughout the book she's kind of arguing against the idea of attempting to understand a culture by breaking it down into teeny tiny parts. But in the second chapter she focuses on one thing - specifically just ceremonies in cultures recognizing puberty."

My roommate is silent. Am I making sense?

"I mean, albeit she's not really contradicting herself," I realize. "I guess what she's actually doing is just trying to show how every culture has a different way of doing things and by extension that our way of doing things is in no way the 'right' or only way. But still. Kind of weird."

"I'm sorry," Adam replies. "I didn't catch that. I was watching the gorilla chase the banana."

I stop walking. "What?"

Adam is looking straight ahead like he's just seen a mirage.

"Here!" He points to a curve in the sidewalk. "Hurry."

We start running toward where he pointed so we can see around the trees and people that were in front of us. And what do you know - there is a guy in a banana suit being chased by a guy in gorilla suit. Admittedly the gorilla doesn't have a whole lot of hustle; where the banana is keeping a steady jog, the gorilla looks like he's about to cool down after a long run.

"Holy shit," is all I can say. Eventually they both go out of sight.

"So anyway," he says, "what were you saying about the Benedict reading?"

Oh hi there

2009-08-24T15:40:00.002-05:00

So I was out for a little run this morning (emphasis on little. Harden would not have been proud) and I literally ran into my running buddy from last fall. I was just heading a up a super steep trail as he was barreling down it. It was a bit awkward though because I was breathing too heavily to have a normal conversation (if a normal conversation is even possible with this guy).

The nifty thing was he actually knew where I had gone last semester and was not at all surprised to see me again. A lot of people assumed I died or transferred, leading to some very weird encounters.

I hope the first few days go smoothly for everybody! Can't wait to hear from you guys.

Time to Start the Midnight Society Up Again

2009-08-21T23:32:00.003-05:00

So.....Now that Summer is over and MOST ALL OF YOU are back at school or en route, I would love to hear how things are going!!! =D and I am sure everyone else is wondering too!!

I could call all of you individually (because I will have that kind of time after sunday) but I know how busy schedules are at your institutions of choice and I know for me the last thing I can do aat Wartburg is sit down and have a telephone convo that lasts over 3 miniutes.

Hope you are all readjusting splendidly! I'm sure you are!

Love always,
Brit

Hands on History

2009-05-19T23:30:00.002-05:00

As most of you know, my job this summer is a counselor at Living History Farms day camp. One perk of the job is getting admission passes for our friends and family. So if anyone is interested on having a super fun day learning about history at "one of the best open-air museum's in the country" let me know! It would be great to have you come visit.

"Oh...boobs"

2009-05-13T13:56:00.004-05:00

After Marianne and I finished doing dishes we were just hanging out in the kitchen, playing with this new little toy she picked up at the grocery store (ghetto netto's got everything you need to live). It was one of those digital picture frames that does a slide show of all your photos. She had flipped to a bunch of pictures from her parents' house down south when all of a sudden a picture of Marianne sun-tanning COMPLETELY NAKED pops up on the screen. Being the eloquent person I am, I came up with a witty "Oh...boobs" as the show went on to the next slide.

I think I got off pretty easy, though. A friend of mine went viking diving with her family on the 3rd day of the semester (which involves jumping into the sea naked and then hanging out in a spa with 30-40 other naked people). That's one way to "break the ice" -haha! get it? *does ted-like tapping of microphone*

Anywizzle, for those of you back home - I hope it was a happy reunion with the fam. And for those still at school, I hope the last bit goes smoothly for ya.

See you guys in 4 days!

Finals.

2009-05-05T08:37:00.002-05:00

Aaaaagh finals.

Adventures...

2009-05-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNVYWJOEy9A. Just trust me

No Shame Theater

2009-05-02T23:55:00.002-05:00

Hey all - I have much to say but I'm too hyped up on caffeine right now to write a legitimate post, so I'll just post a work I made for an artsy theater group the other night.

No Shame Theater is a recurring event at which anybody can bring anything he or she has created to be impromptu-ly read in front of an audience. One of my favorite pieces was a compilation of various Craigslist entries, including some hysterical "Missed Connections." It inspired me to write the following piece. The background I gave before I posted this went along these lines - "So when my friends and I were in middle school, we all thought it was cool to have blogs. Most of them were crappy AIM conversations and terrible 12-year-old humor, and this is a compilation of some of the entries we made."

Enjoy?

LIGHTS UP as WINDOWS STARTUP SFX plays.

MARY: VooDoodles by Mary.
BRITTANY: Just Wisdomatic by Brittany.
DREW: My Atmosphere and Whatever by Drew.
THOMAS: Ramble Away… by Thomas.
JORDAN: My Useless Rambling by Jordan.
ERIN: Rambling for the Cure by Erin.
JOANNA: Pie and miscellaneous stuff by Joanna.

THOMAS: I'm one of the first local blogs around here. Yup. My blog inspired Erin to make her blog, who inspired a whole bunch of other people to make blogs.
So, if you're wondering why there are all of these blogs in this area and you're angry about it, blame Erin.

ERIN: Wanker

MARY: Do people normally celebrate on their first post? Hmmm. Well, my computer didn't freeze in the process of creating this blog. I guess that's a reason to be happy.

JORDAN: I am such a cynical, maniacally evil person.

BRITTANY: Have you ever heard of a wise men or women? they have all these sayings that don't make sense or you can't understand them well I'm not one of them I make perfect sense all the time unless I'm stuck on a word then I come up with different words like Goodest and widomatic yea so I am the goodest most wisdoamtic person you'll ever meet. right?

JOANNA: I have this song in my head.
I have no idea what it was called. It goes like this...
dah, dah, dah... dahdahdah... (and so on) Y'all ready for this? the dah, dah thing again and... and...Well... It's too hard to describe.

DREW: Whho let the dogs out? WOOOOOOOOOOOOO OWWWWWWWWWWWW. I hit knot noe beent vert ranv verve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 HHEEEEEEEEEEE i want to every ofen looney bunny feel my... what was i sayin' again, uhhhhh burp i like PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JORDAN: Fo' sheazy my neazy queezy. Shizzle nizzle fissle wizzle. Wuzzles and noozles and snuggle wuggles. I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them sam I am.

THOMAS: According to the Urban Dictionary, the term, fo' shizzle my nizzle is another way of saying "fo' sheezy mah neezy" which is another way to say "for sure mah black brotha" which is another way to say "I concur with you whole heartedly my African-American brother".

THOMAS: agreed
JORDAN: yes. I concur with your agreement
THOMAS: I concur with your agreement of my agreement
JORDAN: I concur with your agreement to my agreement with your agreement
THOMAS: I will concur the world!
BRITTANY: does how anybody know how the cookie was invented??? whoever it is that invented the cookie is a genius!!!

JORDAN: I heard something funny… I was watching a show about celebrity relationships, and I quote "If you want to impress your significant other, buy them lots of shiny objects."
THOMAS: Whoa. That's close to what fish think.
JORDAN: yes
THOMAS: fish think "if you want to look cool, eat shiny objects"
JORDAN: lol

MARY: I haven't posted in a while. I wish I had some spectacular reason as to why. Like maybe I was in prison, or was sent on a secrete mission for the CIA. Or perhaps Blue Bunny hired me for my professional opinion on a new flavor of ice cream. The most realistic lie would be that I was recentley admitted to the witness protection program, and had to move across the country (seeing as I come from a real high crime suburbin life*). For those of you who are not experienced in the feild of humor, this is sarcasim.

JOANNA: I have posted several things in the past few weeks, though it may not look like I did. I mimed them.

THOMAS: Jordan, don't make me give you the bird!
JORDAN: GAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
MARY: not the bird!
THOMAS: not the bird?
JORDAN: I AM THE BIRD!!!!!!!.............
THOMAS: oh yeah? I'm the eggman!
MARY: I am the walruss!
THOMAS: goo goo g'joob!
MARY: koo koo cachoo. Geez, get it right
THOMAS: I thought it was goo goo
MARY: well, you’re wrong
JORDAN: she's got you there

THOMAS: Song: "Victory in Jesus" Correct Lyrics: He sought me and bought me with his redeeming blood Misheard Lyrics: He socked me and bopped me with his redeeming club

JORDAN: I watched a show yesterday about foreign tv. The japenese have very self-abusive television.

THOMAS: New Year's Resolutions (and notes)
No. 7. The song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" has no line concerning, "please bring up the friggin' pudding", instead, "please bring us the figgy pudding".

ERIN: I have nothing better to put here so I'm gonna put one of those weird survey thingies Which friend(s) are you the most open with: I dunno. Obviously not Joanna...
Who sent this to you: I got this off of Joanna's blog who got it off of Jordan's blog.
What do you think of this person: She's pretty conceited

BRITTANY: Dancing hamsters are so much fun!

ERIN: hello
JOANNA: hewwo
JOANNA: I just got back from camp
ERIN: cool
JOANNA: that's why I haven't been updating my blog
ERIN: you think anybody's been checking?
JOANNA: hey

THOMAS: New Year's Resolutions (and notes)
No. 9. Don't laugh at the sign langauge interpretor at concerts, even if you think that they are just a random person who thought it would be fun to confuse the deaf.

JOANNA: Today... today... what shall I say...
Ooh... hey, that rhymed. I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!!!
(Sudden tone change)
Today I will plan the murder for someone who is very close to me.... He shoved a pie in my face...
He threw toast into an unsuspecting audience at a social gathering.
Yes.... I shall find a way...
Maybe I will take him to a dark, dark place where no one can hear him scream...
Maybe I will put him in a hang noose.... so it looks like he committed suicide...Maybe...
Maybe...

BRITTANY: sounds good we'll lock them in and threaten them with our annoying junior high attitude that everyone hates so much. (beat) So how do we get there?
JORDAN: dunno
BRITTANY: we could master fake drivers license and drive there
JORDAN: I can drive. Or I should be able to. (beat) I know what everything does
BRITTANY: ok so we got to kinkos make fake drivers license and we hit the road
JORDAN: yes
BRITTANY: hit them on the head ith the candle stick, drag them into the celler and Turn out the lights!
JORDAN: I like your thinking

THOMAS: New Year's Resolutions (and notes)
No. 2. The Spice Channel has nothing to do with cooking, though it involves quite a bit of "heat".

JORDAN: joanna has insulted me. I find this rude and unnecessary. if she must insult me then I will be the better person and not insult her. ( even if she is a dodo poopy head)

JOANNA: LET THE BLOG WARS BEGIN!

BRITTANY: Jordan, Thomas and Joanna are all enemies they should be feared by everyone but they are powerless, maybe scary but they are powerless. by the way I'm going to win!!!!

JORDAN: p.s. Brittany, that declaration of war was meant to be aimed at something Thomas said, not your blog. But if thats how you want it....... YOUR GOING DOWN!!

BRITTANY: I read Jordan's blog I am taking "this means war" as a threat I'll see you in court and the president shall be notified!! You have been warned. P.s. Courtney you and rocked on GOODBYE EARL!!! at the dance we left the others in the DUST!!!! lol I (heart) linedancing

JORDAN: Ok, here's the war so far. I have been called scary yet powerless by Brittany, Thomas cant find the potato chips, and Joannas in the war without knowing theres a war. Then theres me. I have said....not much. I have done....not much. The reson I'm in this war....no idea. How many times I've been called scary and evil......priceless!

ERIN: Joanna likes Thomas.

JOANNA: If you have read Erin's blog, you probably have seen her "two cents worth" about my website only being about Thomas. It is not. Okay, Erin, here's a challenge for you...
Come up with at least five GOOD reasons why I may possibly like Thomas.
Talking about him all the time doesn't count, because it is not true.
Denying the notion you have that I like him doesn't count, because if you deny it,
you might be denying it because there is reason to deny it - IT'S NOT TRUE!!!!

THOMAS: You know, over the past one and a half year's I've had a blog, I've been involved in at least two "blog wars". In case you didn't know, blog wars are when stupid people such as myself make very insulting insults to other blogs, like, "You can't write", "You smell funny", and, "You have an obsession with me, don't you?". Just to let you know, I rarely use that last insult.

JOANNA: Thomas has driven me into a new state of insanity. Words fail me.

THOMAS: Wow. I actually created a blog war. Hmm. I wonder where I left those potato chips.

BLACKOUT as WINDOWS SHUT DOWN SFX plays.

First Post Ever?

2009-04-27T11:34:00.010-05:00

So I've never actually posted anything on here before.

This semester I joined DubH, ISU's hip hop club.

Our show was Saturday and here's a video someone recorded of my dance. The quality isn't that good and at the beginning it is all black - there are actually strobe lights there, you just can't see them...so it is not as cool...anyway... we do thriller in it, so I hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3kqspkzY6o

-Caitlin.

Lepidoptera

2009-04-24T17:39:00.002-05:00

Ok heres an update,

Hello everyone how the hell are ya? Glad/sorry to hear that. So Rob needs some help. Here is the deal. I was offered a payed internship today for doing research in Wyoming this summer. It is only 3 weeks but still... I dont know how i feel about it. I would be capturing and releasing a specific species of butterflies (ya me with a big fuck off net running throught he mountains catching shit) ((literally shit flying though the air and into my hands)) It is a HUGE honor for a freshman to be approached by a staff member to do research with them over the summer, and to get paid for it (min. wage). I would be living in a cabin with 5 other scientists (all alcoholics i am sure) and every thursday we through a party and read research and "slam" results. (I am told that this is like reading poetry but about plants, bugs, and standard deviations) I just dont know if I want to go. I kind of want to chill out this summer, enjoy being lazy before tackeling next semester of hell. (3 labs...really ISU). I want ur imput. I would be gone from June 22-July 14. Plus it is over the 4th of july... ya i dont like that fact.

Shawn Johnson Fail

2009-04-15T12:35:00.000-05:00

Erm.

Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes

2009-04-13T18:01:00.003-05:00

Makin' It throwbacks, anyone?

Hello All

2009-04-09T18:57:00.002-05:00

This is Jane, writing from Emily's lovely dorm room.
We thought we'd share this short little story with you!

Emily and I were downstairs in Martin Hall and were going to attend an Intimacy in Relationships talk with Ms. Vilsack but that fell through so we were on the elevator on the way back to the fourth floor but Janes bra straps had both come undone and that was really bothering her so Emily said just take it off and slip it in my pocket or your shirt so I proceeded to. Right when the elevator opened I was pulling my black bra through the top of my shirt WHEN there were 2 old women with a girl from the floor. Their faces were priceless. Emily and i laughed for about 5 minutes...

miss you all

Jordan Pulled An All-Nighter

2009-04-06T07:17:00.006-05:00

I pulled an all-nighter, and recorded my creative process on film. So if you've ever wondered what I'm doing at 3 am, well, wonder no more.

Same Sex Marriage was Legalized Today (in Iowa)

2009-04-03T10:53:00.005-05:00

Presbyterian= britney spears

pretty cool.

Two Quick Stories

2009-03-27T02:27:00.004-05:00

1. Clubbing

I got back from visiting a club about half an hour ago. The experience was not a pleasant one. I have determined that clubbing is not my "scene," and I am glad I have come to that realization.

2. Another Costa Rican Memory

Our group was comprised of twelve girls, a female pastor, and a male pastoral intern. Poor Intern Todd had to endure many a girlish giggle and womanly woe, so I commend him for that. One night we were all sitting outside talking about our days and sipping Costa Rican beer (or, in my case, water) and Pastor Rebecca had us each pick a name out of a hat and write a note to that person about why he or she was a good person or whatever (gawd that's such a cop-out: "or whatever"). We started writing, and everyone was silent. It was a lovely moment, very calm and serene, just the sounds of the jungle and maybe a few pen scratches here and there. It was very peaceful. Then, all of a sudden, Todd, who had had a few beers, blurted out, "Mah spoon is too big!"

I lost it.

The End.

All of this. ALL OF IT.

2009-03-26T23:04:00.002-05:00

2009-03-23T13:28:00.003-05:00

Question

Has anyone ever gotten a super bad headache while taking a shit? Right now I have a skull cracking headache that is slowly working its way down from the top of my head to my neck... There is not enough morphine mixed with alcohol in the world right now... So... ya. Thought u should know.

Spring Break Escapades

2009-03-19T22:18:00.002-05:00

PART I: Emo Broodings

Hello all. As I'm sure most of you know, I spent the previous week in Costa Rica with the Lutheran group on campus to help build a library for the community. As I professed to various inquirers, I thought the trip would be perfect "because it's half doing something productive and half beaches and waterfalls."

Not quite.

Yes, we spent about half of our time working on the library, which was great, but the other half was not exactly (here comes a groaner) a day at the beach. This trip pushed all of us out of our comfort zones. We spent our afternoons hiking through the jungle and up and down the mountain, exerting more effort than we had anticipated, and we returned to our temporary home hot and smelly every single day. The first night we arrived at our room to discover a snake, and I never went to bed without first swiping away the ants. We made friends with cockroaches in the kitchen, gigantic beetles in the shower, and spiders in our shoes. And we endured 48 hours of travel on either side of our stay in La Florida, Costa Rica, bu that's just a side note.

I did much better than I thought I would. By the end of the first day, nothing fazed me. I don't know if I instantly repressed every repulsion or fear or if I simply wasn't bothered, but I managed to take everything in stride. If I thought too much about life back in the States I started to feel miserable (the word I used in my journal), but when I lived in the moment I was fine. It was all very Taoist - what came came and I just took it in stride.

I understand how this sounds - like I'm a clean-freak white girl who needs to learn to be okay with a variety of different cultures - and I don't want to be judged negatively. However, this trip made me realize that even though I can be okay with eating wild fruit cut with a rusty machete and using a bucket to shower, I truly prefer all the cushy things I'm used to.

Some people do these mission trips because they want to feel good about themselves and feel like they "made a difference," and maybe that's why I signed up in the beginning, but that's definitely not how I feel now. It's unfair for someone to put forth a week of work and then feel morally divine. Others "get a lot out of" these trips, some of the members from my group included, which is great for them, but I don't feel particularly different. Sure I'll look back on the trip and remember it but I don't feel changed.

I've come to realize that this is poor, disorganized writing, but I'm going to leave it. My efforts to fix the above paragraphs merely have convoluted the piece. I shall devote the remaining portion to my fond memories and save emo reflections for the dark and dreary depths of my mind.*

PART II: Happy Memories
Memory #1: The Waterfall

We visited a waterfall one of the last days of the trip. It was absolutely gorgeous, and the water was refreshing after another long hike. We all swam about for a bit, then some of us started to climb the waterfall. Mary and Rob, you'd be so proud - I used everything I had learned from my days at SportsPlex West whilst scaling the cliffs. Though occasionally I'm scared of heights, I made it to the top (back to the whole repressing emotions thing) and moseyed over to the edge where people were jumping into the (very deep - don't worry) water below.

The girl ahead of me took a bit to psyche herself out, so I tried to go through that whole process while sitting before I went. I convinced myself not to stop from the moment I stood up to the moment I jumped, so as soon as the other girl was out of the way, I got up and (more groaning) took the plunge.

Holy shit.

The moment after my feet left the rock, all the fears that I thought I had successfully repressed came into consciousness and I panicked. I had planned to gracefully land feet-first but my fear had temporarily disabled most of my temporal lobe and somehow (and I still can't determine the physics) I managed to hit the water horizontally, stomach-side down.

Ouch.

I just deleted the overly-dramatized paragraph dedicated to my exact thought processes after my landing in lieu of this: I was not seriously injured, save for one bad-ass looking bruise on my thigh and stomach, and I am very grateful for Todd, the intern on the trip, who helped me get back to land and catch my breath.

Memory #2: The Homestay
Perhaps the most memorable part of the trip was my experience staying with a Costa Rican family. They were so kind and so patient and so giving, and I was truly honored to stay with them. I enjoyed having the opportunity to practice my Spanish in a less-structured environment, especially with a seven-year-old girl with a similar vocabulary. Helen called me "Juanita," and she was incredibly sweet and beautiful. I will always remember her.

Memory #3: The Homecoming
As awful as it sounds, the time I was happiest was when we pulled into the driveway for the residential area and I saw my dorm for the first time in a week. I was positively giddy. I ran to the laundry room, started a load, then ran upstairs, screaming through my hall in hopes someone would share my glee. Then I took the best shower of my life.

All in all, a good experience in retrospect. I still have to sort out my thoughts toward the whole trip, and this blog has helped me, so thank you for your patience in reading (or politely skimming) what I had to say. I can't find the ability to articulate what I want to say in reference to what I believe some of you might be thinking right now, so please excuse me. I hope everyone is having/had/will have a good break, and I will see you at my birthday bash in May.

Joanna

*That's said with irony.

Chicago

2009-03-16T16:50:00.003-05:00

Visited Chicago and Shimer last weekend. It was fantastic - both the visit and the college. Consider me sold.

The other nice thing about the visit was being able to say hi to old DePaul friends. Because of the low-key nature of the visit (plus I guess because I figured it'd be more fun this way) I didn't tell anyone I'd be visiting, so every greeting ended up being a surprise. By the end of the night I had heard so many "Thomas! Is that really you?!"s that I felt a little like the Ghost of Christmas Past.

The most memorable visit was to my friend Jimmy. I knocked on his door to no reply. I knocked again. The door swings open and there he is. He looks a little annoyed for a second, like I'm interrupting him or something. And then he realizes who I am - "THOMAS! DUDE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" - and then there's the half-hug-half-lunge-half-pat-on-the-back (when guys hug there always seems to be a pat on the back) followed by a handshake.

Then the festivities stop briefly. "Just a second," he says, "I have to wash my hands."

Keep in mind we just had a brief handshake. I peeked in the door and lo and behold, there's this girl lying on the bed.

"Uh...Jimmy?"
"Don't worry!" he shouts over the running water. "It's my left hand I'm mostly concerned with!"

2009-03-08T10:26:00.002-05:00

On Saturday Vibeke and Marianne threw a fancy party to celebrate Marianne's promotion. And when I say fancy I mean bow ties, dresses, and a billion forks to chose from at the dinner table. I had been warned by other students staying with host families to be wary of Danish parties (more specifically, to be wary of how many beverages they try to serve the silly American). It's like a game to them. Anyway, people started showing up around 7. There were gifts and speeches and it was all very prim and proper. But by 4:00 am I was dancing to shakira with the town vicar leading a congo line.

Suddenly the language barrier didn't seem so big anymore.

Catching bugs/Imogen Heap

2009-02-27T18:21:00.002-06:00

Hey all!

So I just wanted to write about what has been going on lately. Today I had an interview with Dr. Diane Debinski in the EEOB (Environment, evolution, organismal biology) department to see about working in her lab the rest of the semester. She works mainly with prairie habitats and biodiversity in them. I feel pretty good about the interview and she is currently setting me up with her lab head to get into working. Otherwise she said that if she gets a good grant that she might want to send me to yellowstone over the summer to collect specimens and set up a catalogue of biodiversity in natural islands. So that will be really fun.

Another internship in the work is I might be going back to Ecuador to work on the station. It would be from right after my sisters wedding and get back about 3 weeks later. I would be teaching kids english and working with the people in Muisne to set up a renewable resource in the manglas. So I have an exciting summer planned! I cant wait to see you all in a little over 2 months! Have a good weekend!

Ps here is the coolest thing i have ever seen. So much respect for her. If it didnt show up look Imogen Heap on youtube for the song"just for now" live. will blow your mind.

2009-02-24T16:18:00.003-06:00

Sorry, all - I've been busy with:

1. Footloose!
Rehearsals have started, and apparently I can sing. It's fun being part of the chorus instead of standing in the back on piano. I also hear Dina's voice in my head talking about diction and all sorts of fun stuff.

2. DG
I think I mentioned that I'm in Delta Gamma. It's... interesting. I haven't decided what to make of it yet. I do like the girls in it and the stuff we do, but it still seems a little strange to be part of a "social" organization that doesn't seem to hold much of a purpose. Okay, that came out harshly, sorry. I guess what I meant is that I'm used to being in activities with measurable goals, like school plays (with shows on specific dates), jazz band (with concerts and competitions), and etc. Ah well - we'll see.

3. Pot Roast
I love my improv group so much. I can't say it enough - they're all like family to me. A really weird, somewhat incestuous family.

4. My real family
They came last weekend, so it was fun for them to meet the Pot Roasters and see me, but I got a little behind on schoolwork because they wanted me to spend so much time with them. Also, I was angrier than I've been in months because Dear Mother raised concerns about...

5. Costa Rica
A couple of months ago, I decided to go on a mission trip to build a library in Costa Rica with the Lutheran group on campus. My parents and I discussed it, and they gave me the go-ahead to sign up and stuff. Over the past few weeks, I've been getting to know the people who are going, and I was really excited. We're scheduled to leave a week from Friday, and of course last week, Gail called and the dialogue went something like this:

Joanna: Hello?
Gail: Hi, honey, how are you?
Joanna: Oh fine, you?
Gail: Oh I'm doing just fine.
(Small talk continues for about 30 seconds)
Gail: Honey, I wanted to talk to you about something.
Joanna: Oh?
Gail: About Costa Rica...
Joanna: Ohhh...
Gail: What do you mean by that?
Joanna: Well, now you're probably going to launch into one of your long explanations about why you don't want me to go for one reason or another.
Gail: Well, no, but

(This is where Gail talked for eight minutes [I kept track on my cell phone] straight. I said one word - "nothing" - when she thought I said something but didn't. The rest of the time was just her, ranting about Why I Shouldn't Go. She would have gone on longer, but I was trying not to scream, so I hung up the phone)

Long story short, she talked with one of the guys in charge of our trip, and now everything is dandy, but I was more than seriously annoyed for awhile.

6. Song arranging
A friend and I are arranging Queen's "The Show Must Go On" for an all-male a capella group. It's going to be fantastic.

7. The Don't Come to This Show Show
Every year Pot Roast puts on a show at midnight where virtually anything goes. Highlights from the upcoming show include "I'm Not Gonna Give You a Blow Job", which is a reworked version of "I'm Not Gonna Write You a Love Song," and a game called "Oxygen Deprivation" in which three players do a scene but one Roaster must have his or her head submerged in a bucket of water at all times.

8. Other random things
A lot of people call me "Jo" here - I didn't start it, but now I respond to it, which is confusing. The Apocalypse Song is now on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pt4VSku17g). And I finally saw American Beauty.

Good luck to everyone with midterms, and I'll see you in May (at the improv show, grad parties, or my birthday celebration - whichever comes first).

Joanna

Fancy meeting you here

2009-02-22T14:47:00.003-06:00

On Saturday a few of us went to a random bar, sat at a random booth, and started talking to some random Danes. Turns out the guy I was sitting next to was studying mechanical engineering, the girl next to him had just read a paper about Iowa, and the girl next to her is my next door neighbor.

It's a small world after all. Or at least a tiny country.

Life As Of Late

2009-02-22T09:44:00.003-06:00

Here is what I have been up to in bullet point form:

Most of you are probably already aware of this, but I went through some crazy stuff not too long ago. I wrote about it here. The gist now is that things are going better than they were before thanks to life changes/medication/therapy.
As a result of aforementioned crazy stuff, my course load at Drake is a lot lighter. I'm now a part time student there. I'm taking a literature course and a psychology course, which has given me plenty of time to:
work. Specifically, at Caribou Coffee. I just recently started there. Pay is a little above minimum wage, free coffee, and the coworkers are super awesome people. They have an odd thing for "your mom" jokes and "om nom nom"; as a testament to the latter, there are little eyes-and-mouth stickers on equipment all over the store. No device is safe, may it be one of the espresso machines or (my personal favorite because it looks like it has chompy jaws) the stapler. One of the guys I work with actually labled a box of muffins as "OM-ISH (these muffins do not contain technology)"
So I'm not exactly content with Drake; as a matter of fact, being in Des Moines made the depression even worse than before. I've done a hell of a lot of independent research and come across Shimer College in Chicago, a Great Books school with a population of 200 students and a less-than-conventional structure. I actually consulted with Ramona a couple of days ago; she thinks Shimer is a perfect fit. Anyway, the point is that I've never been so excited about a college before. Perhaps some of you can relate to this - or perhaps some of you can't - but when I got out of high school I expected college to be a big release from a holding tank, but for the past few months, I've felt like I've been in an even worse holding tank. New place, same shit. I feel different about Shimer, though; I am actually really looking forward to visiting. It doesn't seem like a place that I'd be just okay with going to; it seems like a place that I would genuinely love to be.
And speaking of Ramona: we talked about random things (life/the universe/everything) for a little over two hours at our meeting. Such a cool lady. She lent me a book of Writers/Artists' Colonies and we've made tentative plans for a just-for-fun lunch date after I visit Shimer.
Took a visit to the Art Center with Emily to see American Gothic - the painting that should have been on the back of Iowa's quarter, not some goddamn schoolhouse - while it's in town.
Volunteered at State as a doorperson - yelled at people to be quiet, acted like an asshole and got approval for it - which was a neat experience. And just yesterday I attended All-State, which was a lot of fun. Sad news, though: Valley's mime banner streak has come to an end thanks to the return of Maharishi. So no banners for Valley this year, but still a fun time nonetheless. I can't even begin to express how proud I am of my sister for making it in both categories.
Attended a friend from Central's birthday party last night. Fun times; a small group, fancy dress, bizarre and at times tasteless-yet-oh-so-fun conversation, and a dance break. Think the high school dances but smaller and cooler. For an idea of what entailed during the dancing, please take a look at this brief update on Twitter from Jacob's mom during the mayhem.

Hello, People!

2009-02-19T15:43:00.003-06:00

So I have few updates, as my life is pretty boring. Anyway, here goes.

My second semester of college is rather hectic. Most of my classes are either boring or overwhelming. We'll see how it goes.

Standup Stuff is going well, but I'm getting kind of sick of talking about that. I'm starting feel douchy for bringing that up. So...it's going well. Moving on.

Edit: I'm in a relationship, and have been for a few months. I will not be taking questions at this time. Sorry, but I'm a pretty private person, and I'll be open when I want to.

Over winter break, I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While that place is starting to be political and corporate, it did remind me of how much I enjoy Springsteen, Elton John, Isaac Hayes, Queen, Bowie, Talking Heads and how much I hate Janis Joplin, Santana, Patti Smith, AC/DC, The Who, and The Doors. So it was worth seeing. No lunch with Little Richard though (heh, tv references no one else gets).

I'm taking a film analysis course, and the TA that teaches the class picks really stupid movies to watch and I cannot for the life of me understand why. See my normal blog for details on that.

I think that's all I have for you, sadly.

Discussion

2009-02-13T00:15:00.001-06:00

What is your favorite childhood memory and why?

ARoS Museum

2009-02-08T07:12:00.002-06:00

Call me nerdy, but I loves me some good museum. My program went on a study tour this weekend to a town called Århus and we happened to stop at the ARoS museum. One exhibition, called Enter Action, was the result of a collaboration of artists creating modern pieces which reflect how technology influences our world. I'm a simple soul, so that basically translates to "we get to play with stuff!" There was room of lights that flickered according to our pulse, a "listening post" which streamed live conversations from the web, a room full of black balloons, and a vibrating bed! Our professor tried out this treadmill / virtual reality thingy called "Run motherfucker run" while the rest of us chased the electric wheel chairs.

All of this brought back memories of Discovery Zone. Remember that place? Ah, it was my version of heaven when I was a little kid. If this whole college thing doesn't work out, I vote we open up an adult version of DZ. Then again, at this point in our lives the whole world = DZ (oooh, profound. We still need a ball pit, though).

A Video

2009-02-02T20:04:00.002-06:00

As college students I feel like we should be able to relate to this particularly well.

new experiences

2009-01-31T17:48:00.004-06:00

So... Rob is finding a job.

Perhaps it is due to the recent meth addiction that Rob has found himself really short on cash. Who knew that bleach, Sudafed, and drain cleaner could be so expensive? Any who, I am going in to an interview tomorrow in the College of Design to get a job as a nude model. One of my floor mates was talking about it and how he made major bank for just doing what he normally does in his dorm room. Pose in weird positions naked, save this time it is in front of a lecture hall of people. This decision has been inspired by many things over the past 1.11259 semesters here at ISU.

1. I have been looking though Audrey Giffords paintings and my favorites are all of really gross looking naked people. I always thought it cool that something normally seen as so "hideous" could be considered beautiful.

2. Biology has really changed the way I look at everything. Just think, it is absolutly outstanding and absurd that we all turned out how we are today. Every second of every day our bodies are changing. Proteins are being synthesized that are originally coded in our 4 deoxyribonucleiotides. Each of these are just made up of simple arrangements of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and phosphorus. Anything living just amazes me.

3. I have always wanted to do this. I consider myself a very open person, especially about my body. There is literally no fucking way that I can do anything about it, so why hide it?

4. Tyler (the kid on my floor who did it) said that it was always really funny to run into people on campus who had just drawn his dick. I feel like this is the greatest awkward situation on earth.

5. I want to tell my kids about this. It is just one of those things you most likley can only do during a certain time in your life. Plus I can now say that I have done something that Dan has not. (this being my life goal)

Quick Update

2009-01-29T21:40:00.005-06:00

Things that have happened to me recently...

1. Joined Delta Gamma
2. Slept on the bathroom floor due to sickness of the non-alcohol-induced variety
3. Gone to Chicago with my improv troupe
4. Received a double-edged light saber that makes sounds
5. Attempted to teach a fellow Pot Roast member how to do what is now affectionately know as The Ear Thing
6. Accompanied musical improv
7. Helped friend with elaborate "Adventure" - my part consisted of standing on some steps in a page costume and then taking the Adventurers to meet the king and partake in a subsequent laser battle
8. Tried out for Footloose
9. Gave blood
10. Got the part of "Eleanor", uptight Christian wife of the coach in Footloose

Hope things are going well with everyone else. Enjoy the remaining days of January!

This would probably make Claussen cry

2009-01-27T07:23:00.002-06:00

A few other students and I got to talking about some of the weirder food we've had so far. Then the conversation narrowed to animals we've eaten so far. I came up with 12, putting me in 3rd place.

cow

pig

chicken

turkey

salmon

octopus

herring

shrimp

duck

rabbit

lamb

and whatever anchovies are made of.

At this rate there will be no animals whatsoever left in Denmark by May. Then we all return to America. Keep an eye on your dogs.

We [don't] know how to get down

2009-01-22T20:34:00.002-06:00

So Jane and I tried something new this week. We went Iowa State's hip hop club workshop. We had some trouble picking up the moves that they teach in a crazy fast manner. Although it was fun looking extremely "cool," (you all know how well I dance) we decided it wasn't for us. Caitlin, however, was amazing at. All in all, it was fun to try something new. And it was fun pretending to be black.

Life is enjoyable at Iowa State. My classes are interesting this semester; I get to learn a lot about teaching and spend some time in after school programs. Jane is now officially declared a Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management major. She is enjoying it very much so far. Also she is ready to get a tattoo. But of what.... If you have suggestions, pass them along! now now now

Lots of Love,

Emily and Jane

"What is it exactly that you do do?"

2009-01-21T13:40:00.003-06:00

Young Frankenstein? Anyone? It was lame, I know.

I knew Marianne (host mom) worked at the hospital, but I was never clear on exactly what she did there.

"Oh, I do research about half the time and surgeries half the time"

"What kind of surgery?"

"Ah, you know. The brain and such"

Then Vibeke (host mom #2) pipes in that not only is Marianne a brain surgeon, she's also the head professor of her department at a world famous hospital. I feel quite thick for not realizing this beforehand. I should have expected no less from a lady who built a sailboat, a kitchen, and single handedly remodeled a summer home built in 1856. When she's not performing incredibly complex operations, Marianne enjoys competitive rowing. Very competitive rowing. Her crew right now consists of herself and 3 ex-olympians.

At this point Vibeke said there were some things Marianne couldn't do well.

"She's right", confessed Marianne, "I can't knit to save my life"

A Quick Question

2009-01-15T21:53:00.001-06:00

How many of you are going to be at Parents' Night tomorrow? I think I'll be there.

Thingssssss

2009-01-13T09:34:00.002-06:00

SOOOOOOOO school's on, learning is happening, and classes are taking up all that time I have been using to sleep. It was really great to see everyone over break, but I am relieved to be back in my dorm, but alas, I am without a roomate.

Charles (me roomie) decided to jump off of some sort of icey snow drift of death on Friday, and now he has a chipped bone, 2 torn ligaments, and an inner and outer ankle sprain all on one foot. He has been expecting to come up soon but so far no sign of him.

In other news our band is getting word out- we are playing the final hour of the ISU dance marathon (800 people!) and have become well known at a local 21+ venue, meaning like 6 people we know can come, but it's a start. People in the music dept. don't really care, but I stopped considering their opinions long ago.

AND IM RUSHING....... to class now, no frats for me, you should see what they did to Jordan, it's scary.

Danm, with Charles gone I missed an opportunity to naked blog. Next time friends, next time.

A declaration made by Brittany Anne Johnson

2009-01-12T11:17:00.003-06:00

ooops, well anyway,

For many of you this won't come as a shock, at all...we all knew this was going to happen since probably 9th grade.

I have declared Music Therapy as my major.
I AM REALLY REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT TOO!!!! I get to learn how to play all sorts of cool instuments!! and work with people!! Music + people= PERFECT!!!

(and I'm going for the leadership certificate as well, if my schedule allows...right now it doesn't so it might have to be a summer exucrsion.)

and then I'll probably go on and get my masters after Wartburg and the internship. in vocal pedagogy, depending on how life works out, and run a studio on the side of my therapy work.

umm so that's my update. I

What's going on with everyone else???
Love always.

A declaration made by Brittany Anne Johnson

2009-01-12T11:17:00.000-06:00

Something Random

2009-01-11T02:28:00.003-06:00

I tried to put a video together by messing around in Final Cut without thinking (plus sleep deprivation) and this is what happened. Frankly, I'm a little disturbed by the results, but I felt like they were worth sharing here. New Years kind of felt like this to me albeit for a very very very brief moment.

Update

2009-01-10T16:06:00.003-06:00

iMovie did some funky cropping action, so I am wearing clothing, but my strapless dress has been cut from view, sorry.

Back to schul!

2009-01-06T16:43:00.004-06:00

My family and a few friends from school wanted me to keep them up to date on my happenings next semester, so I made a new little blog.

I still plan to contribute to this little blog (which has become quite a big blog, actually), but I didn't want to drive a bunch of traffic here from people who are strangers to most of you (ie, my family, my Bradley friends, etc*)

Anywhosit, feel free to check it out:

thetransatlanticcable.blogspot.com.

* I have no idea who would fall under the etc. but it just felt right to put it there.

Waterslide and Round 2.

2009-01-04T18:32:00.004-06:00

So, I'm going to just go out on a limb here and assume that I am the first one to return to college. I had quite a challenge getting here though. I was suppose to leave yesterday afternoon and drive my sister over to North Liberty and from there, head to Wartburg. Instead, it took, 3 hours to get home from my grandma's (who only lives about a 1 and half away.) Once we got into Clive the roads seemed to be better, that was until we turned onto Lincoln. Pure Ice. jus for kicks, we tried to go up our street.... no success, so we turned around drove up to Clark via 100th, and very carefully tried to get to my street from the top of the hill. after turning onto sunset at the top of court.we lost control of the van. it spun out down the hill and then slid backwards all the way to 97th st. It reminded me of the really lame water raft ride at Adventureland, that you don't even get wet on.

But anyway after a long morning of driving, I made it back to Wartburg.... which is also, covered in ice, and I am ready to begin Round two of this phase in my life entitled college. I bought all new used books which ended up being under $200.00 (HELL YES) and all are appropriately highlighted, (thank you Graz) unpacked all of the shit I've carted back from Clive, ate a "good old college" dinner at the mensa, and have been reunited with majority of my friends here.
The only thing I have left to do now is set my alarm clock for 7:15 because, oh ya... class starts tomorrow. yay.

have a great rest of break everyone!! make it worthwhile, it goes fast!! ;)
Love always,

Because it's been a little quiet on here lately

2008-12-20T13:06:00.003-06:00

As of today I think everyone is home from school safe and sound. Which, considering how bad the roads were for some and how bad some of us are at driving (*cough mary cough*), is quite miraculous. Now that we've had a chance to catch our breath and adjust to the weirdness of being home, I can't help but think about all the things I'd like to do with this precious time off.

Climbing

Sledding

Ice skating

Going for a walk in Greenwood Park

Visiting the fleur, the art center, gong fu, and smash

Adding the words "om nom nom nom" to public signage as we see fit

What sort of things do you all have in mind for winter break?

carpe nivem

Because it's all so true...

2008-12-13T19:45:00.002-06:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Something To Distract You From Finals (Or: That One Game: [Or By The Way I Just Lost The Game And So Have You])

2008-12-12T15:55:00.010-06:00

Rules: Either you know how to play, or you will learn how to play. Answer as many as you'd like - better yet, make up your own, too - but give the other kids a chance to play too.

1. ~~Reggae musician on a motorcycle accompanied by Mr. Brown.~~ Marley rides a Harley with Charlie (Rob)
2. ~~Tall salt and pepper haired one causes a government employee to blush.~~ Ted makes a fed turn red (Jordan)
3. ~~Famed Alaskan unsuccessfully operating a boat (and also can't catch Moby Dick.)~~ Sarah Palin Failin' at Whalein' (Rob/Joanna)
4. ~~Heightly creature eats a portion of a wee cow.~~ Giraffe eats half a calf (Jordan)
5. ~~Celestial body softly sings a melody in a big latex thing.~~ The moon croons a tune in a balloon (Joanna)
6. Cuddly bear engages in the use of an inhalant on a narrow boat.
7. ~~Internet poster plays 80s arcade game against one who lightly runs.~~ Blogger plays Frogger with a jogger (Brit)
9. ~~Famed weird British man causes a ruckus under the influence of coffee.~~ Mr. Bean makes a scene on caffeine (Emily/Roommate)
10. Big-ass snake controls a vehicle while a particular super liberal female celebrity sits in the passenger seat.

Adeline

2008-12-11T22:22:00.000-06:00

So i was talking to my bio prof. today and we were talking about music (cool right?). He told me about this band that was from Iowa and is now in CO. They are the Mike and Amy Finder Band, and they are fucking amazing. I am no way a fan of country, but this is super good music. They sing about IA which makes them cool. But... ya they r good. Check them out on Itunes.

YAY!

2008-12-10T01:55:00.001-06:00

Ready for the finale?

2008-12-08T11:05:00.003-06:00

Just a quick pick-me-up...

2008-12-04T20:44:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone! I know we're all (save for one) going to be ridiculously busy in the coming weeks studying for finals, so this is just a quick good-luck message to keep you in good spirits. Get some sleep, eat your veggies, study hard, and just remember that we'll be done with this craziness and stuffing our faces with Christmas cookies soon!

Peace, love, and holiday cheer,
Joanna

If ice had a face, I would punch it.

2008-11-30T23:04:00.002-06:00

I know a lot of people love winter. In fact, many of you frequenting this blog do. I'm also sure that at some point or another, I've expressed my extreme distaste with the Anti-Summer. If you haven't, you're lying, I know you have. So, if you've all heard about my distaste for the snow, the cold, the wind, the rain, and the ice, why am I writing about it?

Because it took a cheap shot.

On the way back to Ames, Dora the Explorer hit a patch of black ice, lost control, and went sideways into a ditch. I'm fine, Kyle Hurst (who was with me) is fine, but Dora is, how you say, fucked. Initially, all I noticed was that the back window was broken. A loss, but nothing serious. In between calls and planning on how to get out of the ditch (Low cell battery + Tow-truck ban = mild frustration), a kindly man in a pick-up towed me through a field to the field owner's driveway. That's when I noticed the true extent of the damage. One of my axles is bent, my bumper is blown to shit, my suspension is fucked, and it looks like someone bombed my trunk. Somehow, I made it to Ames.

I guess I just wrote this to vent. It has been a really bad two days, and this was the icing, cherry, and cream-filling of the crap cake. Hope everyone had an awesome break, and hopefully I'll have a better chance of seeing you over winter break!

Three Things

2008-11-30T16:44:00.004-06:00

First
I'm very glad that I got a chance to see most of you over the past few days. As Brit mentioned earlier, yes, there was some weird vibes floating through the air every now and then, but I feel like that's to be expected after being apart for months at a time. So anyway, it was awesome seeing you. (Yes, you.)

Second
As most of you have probably heard by now, I'm going to be transferring to Drake come January 20th. In case you haven't quite heard why, it involves reacting in a surprisingly not-so-good way to living in a huge ass-urban environment and dissatisfaction with the quarter system. (I realize this is an incredibly pithy summary of the situation; if you'd like more information about it, give me a call or whatever and we can chat.)

As a result of this: I'm going to be in town until mid-January. I should have a job to occupy a fair amount of my time, but there's going to be a lot of free time to burn. So: if there's anything going on in your little portion of collegeland that you think is worth my checking out, let me know. I've had a chance to visit both Iowa and Iowa State, but the situation was a little different back then; everyone had yet to get acclimated with their new dwellings and such.

Third
I've been playing around with this thing called Twitter for the past few months - as have Joanna and Jordan. (And weirdly enough, Bouma, who I discovered in a weird sort of coincidence.) Anyway, if it interests you, take a look into it - it's a neat way to make note of the interesting moments that don't quite warrant entire blog posts. (And if you're curious and confused, check out this video that explains it a little more fully.)

Alphabet Soup.

2008-11-27T23:39:00.003-06:00

There really is no point to this post. I'm here to say I have been waiting around for 4 hours now waiting for midnight to come... during that time I have been playing the sims that Joanna so graciousl got me for my 14th birthday (thanks again joanna!!) and have been trying to sleep like the rest of the girls in my family. who are soundly napping right now...jealous....

After talking to an excellent friend last night, I realized that i think I have been expecting the wrong things when I come back for breaks and things like that, I've been expecting to not quite pick up where we left off, but for it to be an easy transition back into our old ways. I am sure we all have figured out though, that, by being immersed for 3 months somewhere completely different with a realization that this very well could be, or is our home for the next 4 years. I know i have gotten wrapped up in my little Wartburg bubble and because of that, I realize I have a hard time separating my two homes. sooo I'm really sorry that I have been acting strange.

I love all of you and if you ask any of my friends at Wartburg, I talk about you guys all the time!! ( we were walking out the door so it is now the next afternoon...and I've kinda lost my train of thought :/)

ANYWAYS!!! I just wanted to tell you all that I love you and it was wonderful to see you again!! hopefully we'll be able to spend more time together over the term break!!

Oh and speaking of break. incase you are looking for a place to go on New Years, The Johnson's are Hosting another New years party. Apparently Stace's friends have deemed it tradition. So you all are welcomed if you want.
See ya later!!
Love, Brit

2008-11-24T11:37:00.001-06:00

Christ, you know it ain't easy

2008-11-19T12:23:00.002-06:00

Well it's almost Thanksgiving and I can't wait to chill with you guys (cept joanna, i'm gonna do my best to avoid that one....). I've decided to minor in English with a focus on creative writing, that way instead of being a starving musician I can be a starving musician AND writer.

Expanding on what Joanna said- I have been going with that "try something new" attitude in college, and I gotta say it's pretty fun. It is difficult going about life around different people, people who don't find rehyphenation funny (look at that scary ass-clown!), people who ask why I'm wearing strange blue hippie glasses on occasion (most of you would probably just say "nice blue hippie glasses). Thought I expected to find these stranglings in the music hall, I found that you have to look deeper than that, let's just say I've been unsuccessful so far.

Not sure exactly where this rant is going, I'll just end with saying change is good, but whenever I think of back in the day (ok, last year) I can't help but smile and wonder how I can make that happen again.

Dont Cry Out Loud

2008-11-18T11:20:00.004-06:00

So here is a clip that reminded me of all of you from Drop Dead Gorgeous. We watched it last night, and I was the ONLY one laughing, and I thought to myself, "Self, your super glad to be seeing a bunch of weird twisted fucks over the next week or so that would appreciate this."

I hope the link worked...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE3TdpJQUpk

ok so you cant have it be a hyper link, its on adderol, but just go it it. (as in do it in the butt)

No Shame

2008-11-16T21:54:00.007-06:00

Last night I took part in one of the student theatre group's events called "No Shame Theatre". A brief description:

Student playwrights show up with material they have written and would like to see performed. Additional students show up either to perform this material or simply to watch. At the start of the evening, the playwrights distribute scripts among the students they would like to see act in their works, and the actors read over the material. A show order is selected, and the plays are performed, "performed" being a loosely-used word, as actors use scripts during the "performance" and have little to no direction. The night moves casually, focused on sharing with one another and having a good time rather than the quality of a given work.

Some of the plays were better than others, but the audience was very responsive and laughed at anything remotely funny. As the majority of the attendees knew each other in some fashion, allusions to inside jokes were prevalent, and everyone was eager for their fellow playwrights/actors to succeed.

I acted in a scene where I tried to convince my friend to get checked for an STD whilst pining after my Latin professor. My favorite play consisted of a series of monologues taken verbatim from the "missed connections" section of Craigslist. An example: "You were shopping friday night and trying on sport coats. I thought you were very sexy! I kept trying to look over at you without being to strange. Let me know what you were wearing or what i was wearing. I hope to seeyou again". One actor had to read a monologue rife with typos and emoticons, which made for much entertainment.

On a semi-preachy note: I had considered not going to this for one reason or the other, and had I come to a different decision, I would have missed a thoroughly entertaining, educational experience. So for my soap box moment: I have realized that college is about trying new things, just as everybody always says, so I should never pass up an opportunity to try something, as I am likely to enjoy it and all but guaranteed to learn something from it.

See you soon,
Joanna

I like the look on peoples' faces when they put on chapstick

2008-11-13T18:06:00.004-06:00

Holy poop, it's November 13th! Most of us have been at college for almost 3 months. 3! That's the length of an entire summer. I feel like time has flown by, how about you guys?

Sometimes big exciting things happen, but most of the time our lives are filled with smaller things, subtle moments that can go unnoticed by the untrained eye. I'm sure I miss some everyday, but here are a few that have stuck out recently:

playing the dissonance game in the racket ball court (gave me chills)

swing dancing to dirty rap music

curing my stuffy nose in chem lab by accidently smelling acetone

seeing two of my friends kiss for the first time (also accidental, I swear! Me seeing them, that is. Not the kiss)

running on a freezing cold morning with the wind in my now short hair

falling asleep to "Amelie" on a cold, rainy day

I'm sure all of our days are filled with homework and exams and blah blah blah, but I'm also sure there are enough "little things" to get us through the semester.

Happy Thursday

IDEA!!!!!

2008-11-09T20:16:00.003-06:00

HEY!! What do you guys think of doing a secret santa this christmas??? we'll draw names this thankgiving when we all get together and then reveal over christmas break!! I know its kinda cliche, but its always a good time!! =)

currently...packers: 24, vikings: 21.

2008-11-09T13:28:00.004-06:00

So, I just realized that I have not wrote for awhile. Thus I decided it was due time to give you all an update on how life at the Burg of Warts is going!! Nothing too drastic has been happening... Homecoming was AMAZING!! Matt(Brother) and Stace were in town, so I had a lot of fun hanging out and partying it up at Joes and the Goat with them and their friends! ;) (the entrance age to the bars are 18 and 19 here) it was also really cool to see so many alums walking around and we won our football game vs. Loras again!! After fall break, was BEAT LUTHER week and halloween and NATS. For those of you who don't know, they are our biggest rival!! The college pretty much goes all out for this, we dress up our Dancing St. Francis Statue and chalk up the entire campus with spirit enhancing messages each... for example outside of the Fine Arts Center (choir side) it says "WE HAVE NOBLE NOW!!!" BEAT LUTHER!
Halloween was cut short for me this year, I only got to wear my Raphael costume for a couple of hours. Which everyont loved. Some memorable cosumes that I saw this year was "The firemans daughter" (the punchline in one of our cheers) a Keysone box of beer.. who was handing out beer, the olympic volleyball team, a delphamime and a SIM...which was awesome!!!
Same weekend as Halloween was NATS and singing competition for mainly vocal performance majors... and me.... In my opinon, I was the least prepared for this competition than I have been for any solo and ensemble contest in the last 5 years!! well I went straight over to the FAC after class, didn't get a chance to warm up or relaly even think...sang for the 3 judges... messed up a lot, but I guess it wasn't too noticeable... because I was invited back to semi finals. I left to go to semi finals about a half hour before my time thinking I would have at least 20 min. to do some sort of warmup!! nope. I got there and my accompianist told me they were going to try to squeeze me in next!! (which they successfully did) this time around went a 100 times better. and at 10 o clock, I was invited into the finals... when I was told this, I was currently in a car on my way to the haunted house. I was shocked! out of 36 singers.... all of which are music majors, I made the top three!! part of me was a little upset because that is where my night unfortunately had to end because the finalists concert started at 9 the next day and for any of you who know about STP for singers, your suppose to wake up 5 hours before you sing...I chearted and woke up at 6... which is the earliest I've had to wake up yet at college,(with the exception of outfly ;P)
DisneyFest Members: The tradtition has expanded! we already have planned here a night where we are watching disney movies but the 'GOAL" is to find all of the senaky perverted stuff Disney sticks into movies!! We've printed off a list so we are devoting an entire night to doing just that!! ummm.....Courtney lives ten feet away and I get to hear her joyous cackle 70 kabigillion tiems a day!! She says Hello too!!
For all of you who I saw last night it was soooooooo good to see you!! I'm sorry I was really tired and not very talkative but really was Wonderful to see you!
Can't wait to see ALL of you at Thanksgiving
Love, Brit

I'm Coming Home!

2008-11-07T00:22:00.001-06:00

The Midnight Society = Microcosm?

2008-11-04T20:33:00.002-06:00

Just for kicks, we should each leave a comment (just one, this ain't Florida) recording how we voted today.

Be sure to make it anonymous! I'd hate for some kind of tussle to ensue.

I Just Blue Myself

2008-11-01T01:10:00.003-05:00

Also: No-Shave November began a couple of hours ago. If you have managed to not shave in the past two hours: awesome! You are on the road to victory.

I expect to see some curly mustaches come Thanksgiving. Especially you, Mary.

Six Degrees

2008-10-28T18:56:00.004-05:00

Today I went to the doctor, and, as I don't have a car, I had to take the bus. While waiting at the stop on campus, a kind-looking, older man came up to me and asked me for the time. I responded, inquiring if he was waiting for the same bus as myself (he was). The bus arrived and our short but pleasant conversation ended.

Some hours later, back in my dorm, I decided to borrow a friend's bike to pick up my prescription. I called Walgreen's to see if the store facility had bike racks, and "Michael", as he introduced himself upon answering the phone, replied that they did. So, I got on my friend's bike and went to the pharmacy.

After paying for my medication, I went to leave Walgreen's. On my way out the door, I looked at the gentleman behind the cash register. His nametag read "Michael", and he was the very man I had met at the bus stop earlier today.

This experience unnerved me a bit. I had encountered this man not once, not twice, but three times over the course of the day, and I know nothing about him, save that he works at Walgreen's and that he doesn't wear a watch. I can't quite put into words the other things I want to say about this, but I just found the experience rather odd.

Hello! I am Rabbi Isador Chemowitz!

2008-10-27T13:22:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!!!!

So im glad that you all are doing well, or at least appear to be. So life has been hectic here at good ol ISU. Actually this has a point. So yesterday for my script class, we went over to our profs. house and had pizza and read Angels in America... All of it. Ps it is a really long play. We started at 2 and got done at 8 with no breaks. And now we come to the moral, it was FUCKING AMAZING!!!!! I am going to buy a copy of it up here in Ames, and I think we should have a marathon over Thanksgiving. It is about 6 hours long, but we can break it up into sections. It was written in two parts, so that is easily solved. Its a nice mix of Crash, RENT, and Requiem for a dream. I know right, raceism, AIDS, homosexuality, and just a whole shit tone of weird shit. Like chewing down a pine tree in Auntartica... But it is really good! So if u like this idea...

Post Poast Poste

2008-10-26T18:42:00.001-05:00

If you hear icky "boop boop" noises during this video, they're from my computer. I thought about not telling you guys, resulting in confusion among Mac users, but I'm just too nice, I guess.

Thomas Meets His Namesake

2008-10-24T22:36:00.003-05:00

I intended to do a few more clips, but the light sucked. The funny glances were fun, though.

This is premature

2008-10-23T13:07:00.002-05:00

Not the baby. Little Edith is doing just fine. Anyway, I think I'm going to spend next semester studying in Copenhagen! It's a bit early to say anything, since I still have to file everything, but I was so exited to post this. From what I can tell from the brochure, Copenhagen is a tiny town near the southern tip of Madagascar. The native language is a unique mixture of Japanese and Canadian and the local cuisine is known for its unique take on French bread. The town is also entirely populated by good-looking college age people who all buy their clothes at the gap.

I can't wait

mmmmmm fire alarms

2008-10-22T23:11:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Good news, I finally figured out how to post on blogger. I would like to start by saying that I love this blog and I love being up dated on the goings on in everyone's life. Its fun to stay connected.

I am loving my classes; it is so much fun to learn about education. You would think Math for Elementary Teachers would be a super easy class, but actually it is not. It's still fun though. I also get to do fun things like observe little kids as a class assignment. One conversation I observed was particularly amusing,

teacher: look, you have enough to build two houses!

little boy: a tornado is coming! a tornado is coming!

(About 2 minutes pass. Both teacher and boy are engaged in other things)

little boy: look! the house is all the way up on the shelf!

teacher: did the tornado put it up there?

little boy: no, it climbed up.

In other news, last night I got an email saying my 9:00 class was canceled. This prompted me to make the decision to go to my 8:00 class or not. I mean, we get two excused absences and it is so far away. I decided it would be best to wake up at 7:10 and decide then. Morning dawned cold and rainy. I decided it would be a good day to sleep in. But noooo. At 7:33 the most horrid alarm went off and then there was a mans voice telling me to proceed to the nearest stairwell and outside. I stumbled out along with the rest of my floor into the cold, windy and rainy morning. After turning into a popsicle, I was sure it was definitely a good day to sleep in.

I hope everyone else is enjoying college and making lots of new friends. Can't wait for Thanksgiving to see you all again.

oops

2008-10-22T22:50:00.004-05:00

ya so that post below is blank.... careful pushing enter when you are writing a blog.

So updates in that therrrrr music dept. It seems my drumming vigilantyism that served Ms. V for all those concerts is about to pass on to Ames. Some choir director (dont know where, doesnt matter) asked our orchestra director if she knew and percussionists who could play bongoes and she gave her my name! The better news- she be payin fo my services.

Also the ISU homecoming battle of the bands is tomorrow, and yours truly and the rest of TR will be playing at it, wish us luck!

so much drumming!

2008-10-22T22:50:00.001-05:00

It's so cold you'd think it was October

2008-10-22T14:41:00.003-05:00

I am bored.

2008-10-21T20:04:00.003-05:00

Hey Guys!

So I am chilling out in Ohio, NOT Florida... though I wish the weather was similar. So yes... I am college. Partaking in college festivities and just enjoying life. However, I am currently on crutches... yes, once again. Its my ankle this time. Sprained it and snapped my ligament. Miami is a walking campus too... crutches for 30 minutes its fabulous... I highly recommend it. I have a choir concert this weekend. Whoot. So here are some funny quotes from Miami that I thought you might enjoy....This is me wasting time instead of studying:

"I lost my key and my virginity last night"- a girl across the hall

"No more than four in two hours."- referring to drinks and boys

A poster in our hall read "Sex in the Basement... Free Pizza"

There are more... I cant really remember the rest.

Love you all

Stephanie

Holidays

2008-10-20T00:40:00.003-05:00

One for every day of the week!

October 20th (Monday)
Birth of the Báb
A holy day in the Bahá'í calendar that is celebrated by members of the Bahá'í faith during which work is suspended. The Bahá'í faith originated in Persia in the 1800s and emphasizes the underlying unity of the major world religions.

October 21st (Tuesday)
National Talk Like Sarah Palin Day
Use this opportunity to showcase your best vice-presidential accent while perfecting your winking ability. Make sure to tune into the ever-popular "Roasts, toasts, and boasts" at eleven.

October 22nd (Wednesday)
International Stuttering Awareness Day
I'm not k-kidding. This is a real holdiay.

October 23rd (Thursday)
Mole Day
Yessireebob, 10/23, symbolizing Avogadro's infamous number, 6.02 x 10^23, is a celebration dedicated to mols, moles, and all things chemical. This year's theme is "Mole of Fortune", so keep your mole wheel spinning from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm.

October 24th (Friday)
Lung Health Day
The American Association for Respiratory Care encourages Americans on this day to consciously think about the health of their lungs and what they can do to decrease their chance of acquiring lung diseases like lung cancer or pneumonia. Celebrate by not smoking or by not standing outside in the cold while wearing a wet t-shirt.

October 25th (Saturday)
Thrill the World
"Thrill the World" is a festival of sorts during which thousands of people across the globe get together and perform Michael Jackson's "Thriller" choreography simultaneously. Many colleges and community organizations have set up locations at which to perform Thriller, though I am not aware of any at ISU, WashU, Iowa, DePaul, or Miami. In the Central Time Zone, "Thrill the World" takes place at 1:00 pm.

October 26th (Sunday)
Mother-in-law day
Similar to Mother's Day, this holiday was started in 2002 to celebrate those special women we all adore. Go out and give your mothers-in-law a big hug.

Happy holidays!

"The Unwanted"

2008-10-18T10:28:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!!!!

So yesterday was my audition for the 10 min. play festival. The story is that the Directing I class has to direct a 10 min play for their final, and they were casting for it last night. So went in and did my cold read, and then they asked us to do it in really odd ways, so that was really fun. But the list was posted late last night, and I got into a show! My director is a total hippie with massive dreds and looks like he doesn't shower, best day ever. I am in the shoe "the Unwanted" no smart ass comments... I am in it with two other girls... so ya. I guess there is nothing else to talk about, I'm super excited for it. VEISHEA is really gettin goin so that is fun as well. Peace, around the world, for generations!

Rob

Jazz, Etc.

2008-10-16T17:39:00.001-05:00

Last night I went to a jazz show. I was thinking about not going - thanks to laziness and tiredness and some homework that I had to do - but I eventually decided on going.

At one point, while I was convincing myself not to go, I argued with myself that it'd be boring. Why go see a live jazz show? It's not like a rock concert where the performers are jumping around and the crowd is going nuts. Jazz shows are typically a lot less engaging, I thought. The most activity you see from the performers is when they stand to play a solo.

(If Joanna and/or Erin is reading this, she is probably going to beat me with a piano/disembowel me with a trombone the next time she sees me.)

I was proven wrong, though. I did end up going. Three groups performed - DePaul's band, a professional band (called Jazztech) and another area college band.

They were all fantastic - I don't regret my decision to go - but the group that stood out to me the most was the last band.

The drummer in that last band was one of the few girls who performed that night. Not only was she a fantastic drummer, but she was gorgeous, too. She had straight, dark hair and a confident face.

The most remarkable thing about her, though, was the look on her face when she'd play. You could tell she was really getting into it. It was almost like she was on the brink of having an orgasm when she played. I realize that sounds incredibly comical as you read it on your screen, but there was nothing comical about it. She made it look like playing the drums was the best thing there was in the whole world.

At this point, I began regretting that I had even considered not going to this show. True, none of the musicians hopped around or caused the crowd to have a riot, but their energy was certainly contagious. Each performer was so good that you couldn't help but feel half as into the music as they did.

In less abstract, more mundane news: despite having found plenty of awesome people to hang out with, I am realizing that there is something that is fundamentally depressing to me about living in a big city. (Not depressing in a casual "boo-hoo" way, nor depressing in a homesick kind of way [trust me] but rather depressing in a difficult to concentrate/melancholy/feeling guilty for feeling guilty kind of way.)

We'll save that one for another day, though.

Smells like diesel, and trouble

2008-10-15T16:00:00.002-05:00

For those of you who went to Indian Hills, you may remember the egg drop (come to think of it, Stilwell may have done this, too). As I recall my egg went the way of the Mohicans. No one actually saw it splatter, it just sort of disappeared. Sucked into the ether, a 17th, exclusively egg-filled dimension. Anyway, I get to redeem myself this month with the Mechnical Engineering 101 version of the egg drop. Dr. Deller gave it the far catchier name of "Short Distance, Vertical Obstacle Clearing, Safe Passenger Transport Vehicle". This time around we have to do more than fling the egg from the roof of the math wing, but I'm sure the smell of rotten eggs on the pavement will still fill the air.

In other news, I was driving back to Bradley after fall break with Sarah Horton (Possibly the only other girl from Iowa here, did drama stuff in high school, very cool chica) when we started to pass a semi on the highway. For reasons unknown to us, the driver started honking like mad. I thought maybe he wanted to get over, so I dropped back behind him. A few minutes later we went to pass him again, and again creepy-mc-trucker honked up a storm, flashed his lights at us, and started speeding up! Fortunately I beat him to the next bridge and he vanished in a white cloud, leaving no trace save for his pumpkin scented air freshener.

On Behalf of Jane

2008-10-11T23:40:00.004-05:00

In case you haven't been digging through the comments: Jane made a video post on her own blog.

Tomorrow I have my improv callback, three papers to write, and I'm waking up at 7 AM to watch my roommate run the Chicago Marathon. It will be a busy day.

Stop the Bop

2008-10-10T23:59:00.004-05:00

Things Joanna does when she's bored:

A Post from Pichler

2008-10-10T17:26:00.002-05:00

Thanks to some screwy signup problems none of us have been able to completely figure out, Pichler and Jane are unable to post things to this blog.

Here's a video Pichler made that would be fitting amongst the other posts here.

Sabre. Dance. Sabre Dance.

2008-10-09T13:58:00.002-05:00

So in orchestra we've started playing Khatchaturian's Sabre Dance. Chances are you guys don't know what that sounds like (hence the link) - I was in the same situation until we started playing it and the melody came in (violas just have the icky off-beat stuff throughout the whole piece. Such is our burden). Anyway, the whole time I just kept imagining various comedic scenarios involving the piece, including a wild duck running through the orchestra whilst its trainer attempts to coerce it back into its cage.

...

Right. Well, my improv troupe puts on a huge improv/sketch show twice a year called Knight of Komedy (KoK. Cock. Ha-ha.), and this year's theme is "Mama's Pot Roast, End of Days: Death, Science, and the Apocalypse". I wrote a sketch for it, and the group loved it, and it's going to be in the show, so I'm really excited.

So that's that. Hopefully my anecdotes will improve as time goes on.

A Video

2008-10-09T13:16:00.003-05:00

For some reason this made me think of both Rob and Kyle.

Shout out from P-town, Illness

2008-10-09T12:33:00.003-05:00

Going for a ride on the bandwagon

2008-10-09T02:15:00.002-05:00

I've changed so much.

Update and VEISHEA!!!!!

2008-10-08T20:39:00.005-05:00

JK Thomas and Joanna!!! LOVE U GUYS!!!

So this is going to be really neat, I think those of you in the area should most def. come!!!! VEISHEA is literally the reason that I came to ISU. Though the Bio and Theater departments are really good, VEISHEA was the deal maker for me!!!

In other news, I am adding a major in a week or so. Currently I am a Biology major with an emphasis in marine studies. I am adding a Theater major with emphasis in acting/directing/scriptwriting. Wish me luck, somethin' tells me its gonna be a bitch. I am also plannin' on auditioning for "A Christmas Carol" later next week. Also I am going to audition for a show called "Ten Min. Plays" I think it is a lot like what mary is doing actually. But I am excited so...ya. I have also talked to a few faculty members about starting up a mime troupe up here. Hopefully that will get off the ground in the next few weeks! Hope everyone is doing well and living the dream!

Love,

Rob