The general theme for today seems to be music (Part III)

I have been severely obsessed with Voxtrot lately. Last night I listened to Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives; The Start of Something; and Raised by Wolves at least five times in a row. I highly recommend indulging in these free mp3s:

Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives
Voxtrot - The Start of Something

I really don't know what it is about them that makes them so appealing. Listen to those files and maybe you can help me figure it out.

I'm really frustrated that I didn't get to go to their show in Wellesley two weeks ago. It was pretty much the only all ages show in the area that I was remotely interested in. There isn't really much to choose from with all ages shows; they're all 18 or 21+, such as the 18+ Citizen Cope show my friend went to the other night, but of course I couldn't go because I'm five months too young. I couldn't go to the Voxtrot show because it was a school night and there was no way I'd be able to get all the way out to Wellesley, let alone get home in time. Oh well, I'm sure they'll come to my area again sometime within the next year as they are quickly gaining popularity in the indie community.

In the meantime I have been saving up money in my PayPal account, mainly by selling old clothes and other items on eBay, so I can buy a Voxtrot tee and a copy of their EP from their website. Go bid on some of my items, it's a worthy cause!

Moving on to my next musical obsession: Wolfmother. Their self-titled album is coming out this Tuesday, March 2 (the same day as the new Pearl Jam album, also self-titled), and I am extremely excited. I've already heard all of the songs on it one way or another, three of which were on the Dimensions EP that I just couldn't resist buying, but I still can't wait to own a hard copy of the full album (the problem is scraping up enough money to do so).
[photo credit]

All thirteen tracks are available to listen to on their MySpace, and I would highly recommend doing so. Only ten of the tracks are visible, but if you click on the 10th (Witchcraft [which, may I add, is an excellent song - one of the few, perhaps the only, rock song I've heard that utilizes a flute exceptionally]) and press the "next track" button, you'll be able to access the last three tracks. You don't want to miss them, because they're some of the best songs on the whole album: Tales, Love Train, and Vagabond. Hmm, apparently it's been fixed so twelve of the tracks are now showing... but they've removed Love Train! That's incredibly frustrating because that's my favorite song on the whole album (next to Woman). Oh well, you can download it for free here anyway:

Wolfmother - Love Train

Also, this week Dimension is iTunes Single of the Week, which means you can get it free - yes, free - on iTunes, so you better get on that if you know what's good for you.

Wolfmother is coming to the Paradise in Boston on May 31st, and guess what? It's 18+. I can't go. Boston venues just really want to keep me from having fun, don't they? Hopefully they will come back again soon, either when I'm 18 (which isn't too far from now) or with an all ages show (doubtful). They are gaining popularity rather quickly and I think it's only a matter of time until they blow up and gain Strokes status. The days of cheap shows at small, intimate venues are numbered for Wolfmother, which, although excellent for the band's success, is kind of sucky for the fans because this is the best time to see them; that is, when they're still playing at venues where you can stand up against the wall and they're still only a mere thirty feet away.

This blog is going to become dangerously long if I don't end it right here - otherwise I will just continue to ramble on senselessly about other random bands that I have it hard for (yes, that was indeed an inappropriate sexual reference). On that note, adieu!

A final decision

UMass Amherst
Class of 2010

It's official: I'm going to UMass Amherst next year. I sent my deposit in yesterday. Ultimately what made me choose UMass over Simmons was because my good friend Morgan (whom I've been talking about a lot lately in my college-related blogs) will also be going to UMass, and we've decided to be roommates. That's pretty much the one thing that made UMass more appealing than Simmons since they've both been equal in my mind for a while. I'm really, really excited. I really like the fact that I already know some people there, and rooming with a friend will make the whole transition so much easier.

As excited as I am about UMass, I'm still really disappointed that I won't be going to Simmons. Half of me feels like I made a horrible decision, yet the other half is completely satisfied. I keep wondering if the Simmons half of me is right - what if I did make the wrong decision? My mom told me if I feel awful about my choice and I decide that I really want to go to Simmons instead, it is possible to stop the $400 deposit check that was mailed yesterday. I keep toying with the idea of this option in my mind. Simmons has been my first choice since January and UMass was my very last choice until a month ago, so I suppose it's only natural to be feeling this way. It's hard letting Simmons go. But I keep asking myself, what if it's more than that? What if these are gut feelings that are trying to tell me that I should choose Simmons? I really don't know, and it's kind of driving me crazy.

Despite all of that, I did make a choice - I chose UMass, so I'm going to stick with it. I'm not going to stop the check unless something happens to make me decide that I really don't want to go to UMass, and I don't foresee that happening. It's safe to say that UMass is where I will be this fall.

Anyway, I'll be living in Orchard Hill because that's where the Commonwealth College is. Commonwealth College is basically a fancy name for the Honors Program. TJ and his friends all live in Orchard Hill, too, so that's a bonus. I found a quiz online that ironically told me I would fit best in Orchard Hill:

Where on the UMass-Amherst campus should you live?

You should live on ORCHARD HILL. You are smart enough to be in Commonwealth College (a.k.a. the Honors Program for us alums) and you do tend to spend too much time in front of your computer. But when it rains, you're one of the first people on campus to be in the Bowl streaking through the mud. Do I hear a Bowl War coming on?
Take this quiz!

I guess it's meant to be, huh?

Anyway, moving on from college stuff for a bit... I am so sick of this Kline character. I disliked him enough when I blogged about him a while back, but now... ugh. He just completely disgusts me. What is wrong with this man? I want to know what his life was like as a teenager. He was probably the pathetic little kid that couldn't get any, at least that's the only explanation that I can come up with. I'm glad I don't live anywhere near Kansas, and I feel sorry for those that do... especially teenagers.

Well it's time for me to get ready for bed and all that. I'd like to get a good night's sleep at least once this week (good luck). Adios.

UMass vs. Simmons

I have come up with a slightly complicated system to decide which college is best for me. I came up with twelve different categories (a sort of pro/con list) and decided which schools were more appealing to me in each category. In addition, I assigned points to each category based on how important it is in my decision. I kept it simple: 1-3, 3 being the highest. Before I show you the grid and the final result, I'll list each category and quickly explain which college won and why, and also how many points I gave the category and why. Make sense? If so, read on.

• Boys: Yes, this is an important decision factor. I like boys, and it would be cool to have them at college. It's not that important though, so I only gave this category 1 point. UMass won this one, obviously, since Simmons doesn't have any boys at all.
• Location: Extremely important. 3 points. I highly prefer Simmons over UMass in this category. I love Boston, but Farmland? Not so much.
• Money: Another extremely important factor. 3 points. UMass easily prevailed in this category, since it would cost at least $10k less per year.
• Prestige: Important, but not extremely. 2 points. Simmons, being a private school, is more prestigious than UMass.
• Dorms: A factor, yes, but the state of the dorms wouldn't highly affect my choice. 1 point. The UMass dorms were decent, but Simmons, being a private school, has more money to spend and thus their dorms are better.
• Academic Opportunities: Very important, considering I will probably change my major many, many times. 3 points. Although Simmons is very good in this category, UMass wins by a long shot. They have everything you can possibly imagine there, so you can pretty much do whatever you want, academically. Not only that, but I can take classes at Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, or Amherst through the Five College Consortium if I wanted to.
• Campus Activities: Pretty important, seeing as how I don't want to be bored on campus. Similar to the above category, there is an endless amount of things you can do at UMass.
• Friends: Not too important, since the fact that I have friends there would just be an extra bonus. 1 point. UMass gets this category since I already know a few people there and Morgan might be going as well, while I don't know anyone at Simmons.
• Campus: Again, sort of important, but it's only a small factor. 1 point. Simmons wins because it's small. UMass is really, really big... almost overwhelming. I am getting used to the idea, though.
• Atmosphere: Pretty important, because I want to feel like I can fit in and be comfortable. 2 points. UMass takes this category, basically because I had such a great time last weekend and I can see myself just hanging out like that every day in college.
• Size: A small factor. 1 point. Simmons wins because it's small, and like I said before, UMass is almost too big, though I'm quickly getting used to the concept.
• Classes: Class size and such is important to me. 2 points. I love the fact that Simmons has small, intimate classes where the professors know your name. I don't feel so great about the massive classes at UMass and the fact that the professors usually will never know your name.

Now that I've explained all of the categories, I'll go ahead and show you the points table with the final count:

	Simmons	UMass
Boys		1
Location	3
Money		3
Prestige	2
Dorms	1
Academic Opportunities		3
Campus Activities		2
Friends		1
Campus	1
Atmosphere		2
Size	1
Classes	2
Total	10	12

Well, according to this method, UMass comes out on top by 2 points. I have used this method several times already and each time it either comes out with UMass as the winner or completely even. If I go by this, UMass is the better choice for me... and I think I will. Although I'm not completely sure yet, I'd be willing to bet that I'll end up at UMass this year (I've actually known this all along, way before I started applying to colleges and even when I still disliked it there). I just can't completely tear myself away from Simmons.

Anyway, in other news, my stubborn classmate finally gave in and decided to move to another chair. Finally I'm not stuck in the back corner of the room anymore - I'm in the middle of my friends and I don't feel isolated. I was even able to safely take a little nap today during a movie. Excellent!

Well, I'm exhausted right now because I only got four hours of sleep last night (don't ask me why, I don't even know myself). I really need to get to bed. Adios!

I enjoy college weekends (and college boys)

As I expected, I had a rather interesting past few days while on my college overnight visits. Be prepared for a rather lengthy blog documenting my activities over the three days and two nights. Unfortunately, and as expected, I am now even more confused as to where I want to go to college, but I will address that later in this entry.

On Thursday afternoon my mom, Morgan, and myself drove all the way out to Northampton, or NoHo as the locals call it, to visit Smith for Open Campus. I really didn't have any intention of attending this school, but Morgan encouraged me to come along so I could see the campus and NoHo, and because it would make a UMass sleepover the next night possible. First we embarked on the requisite tour of the campus. It was rather impressive, but not quite enough to make me want to go there. Afterwards Morgan and I sat in on a 30-minute Italian discussion class, which was quite interesting. I have been wanting to take Italian in college for some time now, and after seeing what an actual discussion is like, I am even more determined to do so.

Soon after we dragged our luggage all the way to Hubbard House to meet our host, Lindsay. She was, of course, a lesbian (it's probable that half of the Smith population, at the very least, is homosexual), and, much to my chagrin, a Catholic. An interesting and rather rare combination, I would say. Her fiancé, Jess, was also staying with her that night and had been for a week or so. We ate dinner with them downstairs in their unique dining setup: instead of having the typical dining halls, Smith has a sort of buffet-style dining room on the first floor of each house (they also have houses instead of dorms). The food was actually quite good.

After dinner we joined another Smithie, Kate, who also happened to be our tour guide from earlier that evening, and another prospie (yes, I have adapted to the Smith lingo quite well) and went to two concerts: an a cappella performance by several Smith a cappella groups and a small concert by the singer/songwriter/cellist Lindsay Mac. The a cappella performance was better than it may sound, though I was still rather bored. The Lindsay Mac concert was interesting, mainly because she is creative in that she plays her cello like a guitar, though I must admit that I enjoyed the free lemon squares that were offered to us more than the concert itself. I spent nearly the entire time quietly texting friends in my seat in the back of the room.

A few hours later we returned to Lindsay's dorm room, watched a movie, and went to bed sometime between one and two in the morning. When we woke up seven hours later, I decided to take my time to shower and get ready and such because there wasn't anything important going on that we needed to attend. We had already slept through the president's address and had no desire to attend any seminars or classes (I have been to so many of those already and would much rather spend my time staring at a wall than sit through one of those again), so there was no rush. Once Morgan and I were finally dressed and ready to go, we left campus and shopped around NoHo for a few hours. I left with many useless but wonderful items such as a John Lennon poster, a box of postcards that I will never send because I love them too much, and an extremely goofy ring. Money well spent.

Finally our time at Smith had come to an end. We boarded the bus to UMass and met TJ by the Fine Arts Center with our sleeping bags and duffel bags full of clothing and other necessities. We took the campus shuttle to his dorm at Orchard Hill, dropped our things off in his room, and went to hang out with his buddies. We went to the dining hall for a quick meal and then sat outside on the lawn, a few of them playing wiffleball. After this we moved to the basketball court for a friendly game of basketball. I only stayed for a few minutes because TJ, Morgan and I left to walk around the campus for something like a tour, and so Morgan could get some sushi.

On our way back to the basketball court, we noticed something a little bit out of the ordinary. There appeared to be someone sitting on top of the basketball hoop. Before we were close enough to visually determine who this was, his identity was confirmed by his bizarre freestyling while sitting atop the hoop, shirtless and swatting the basketballs that the others threw up to him. It was none other than Luke, the same guy who, during my last trip to UMass, was greeted by TJ with the question, "are you high right now?" He had to think for a bit before he carefully answered with a "no." I'm pretty sure that describes his personality quite well right there... you probably get the point.

After debating for a few minutes on how to get Luke safely down from the basketball hoop and successfully carrying out the plan in which he was to slide down the pole like a firefighter, we went to Fitzwilly's Pub in NoHo for Andy's 21st birthday party. Not only had I never met Andy, but out of the 26 or so people that were there, I really only knew Morgan and TJ, plus TJ's friends who were mere acquaintances. That was somewhat awkward at first, but after a few conversations I became more comfortable and I ended up having a really good time.

At midnight we returned to the dorms and hung out in Pat & Luke's room. At one point Luke tried to show us all his sexpertise by enacting his favorite sex positions on a cardboard box, one of which involved sending the box flying across the room with his crotch. I am still unsure of what kind of crazy sex position would require that, but I don't think that was the point of the entire demonstration. Actually I am unsure of what the point of the demonstration even was.

A bit later Phil entered the room, the stereotypical college kid that's always completely stoned and/or drunk out of his mind. That night was no exception. Apparently he is the main supplier of pot, booze, and other illegal substances in the dorm, especially to Luke. Luke left with him for a little while to get stoned, and Phil returned with a huge bottle of alcohol. Everyone called it a "forty," but thankfully I don't have enough experience with alcohol to know what that means.

At around 3 in the morning we decided it was probably time to get some sleep, so everyone returned to their dorm rooms. I have to say I fully enjoyed lounging on a bed with cute college boys and was disappointed when everyone began filing out the door. I was tired, though, and was ready to get some sleep myself, so I put on my pajamas, got into my sleeping bag on TJ's roommate's bed (to avoid confusion I should note that his roommate was away for the weekend), and quickly fell asleep.

We got up at around 10 that morning and packed our things. We met Morgan's parents and little sister at Bertucci's down the road, and after a fulfilling lunch of pizza, began the car ride home.

I definitely had a really good time this weekend. It made me certain that I didn't want to go to Smith, but at the same time it made me even more uncertain of whether I should choose Simmons or UMass. I have made more pros and cons lists, much more elaborate than the first table I made here, and each time they come out exactly even. Morgan and my mom have both suggested that I flip a coin. It's actually a good theory, because if I am disappointed with the outcome then I know I'm not meant to go there. This method won't work with me, however, because both of these colleges are equal in benefits and disadvantages, so essentially I would be disappointed with each outcome. I really like both colleges and I would love to go to either of them, but I can't for the life of me decide which one I like more. I have to send the deposit in by May 1, so I only have a week to decide. I don't know how I could possibly make my decision in that short amount of time.

Anyway, this has been one mammoth of a post. I think it's time to end it here, also because I only just remembered several assignments that I was supposed to complete over the vacation for school tomorrow. I should get going if I want to get enough sleep to function properly in school tomorrow (like that has ever happened anyway). Adios!

Boston, the radio, and a college weekend

Yesterday I went into Boston with my mom for a meeting with the Financial Aid Office at Simmons. I heard basically the same things I had already heard a bunch of times - Simmons tuition costs, different types of loans, etc. I originally thought I might be able to get more financial aid from them, even a work study or something, but apparently the aid that Simmons offered me is final.

We were only in the office for about fifteen minutes, and we obviously weren't about to spend only fifteen minutes in Boston, so we drove over to the garage in Boston Common and walked to Downtown Crossing. First we went into So Good Jewelry (yes, the infamous jewelry store from the trip that Morgan and I took to Boston a month ago) to look for some jewelry to go with my prom dress. Despite the enormous selection, I didn't find anything great. I came up with one necklace that was decent but $30. Needless to say we did not splurge and decided to look around elsewhere. We went to Claire's and bought a few pieces for a total of $14. Now all I have left to get for prom is a pair of shoes. These are perfect, but a bit pricey. As you can imagine, it's difficult to find gold sequined strappy shoes for cheap.

We also did a bit of shopping at H&M and Filene's Basement, so after a few hours I left Boston quite satisfied with a new outfit. I will probably wear it this weekend during my excursion to Farmland, aka Northampton and (namely) Amherst. Yep, it's this weekend. I'm leaving tomorrow at 11 to pick up Morgan and then we're heading straight to Smith where we will likely skip most of the activities planned for us to run around Northampton unsupervised. After spending the night there, the next day sometime in the afternoon we'll go to UMass Amherst. We're spending the night there, too. Morgan and I staying over a Friday night at ZooMass - can you imagine? I'll probably have many interesting blog topics by the time I return home Saturday afternoon. At least that's what I'm hoping for.

I think I've found my new radio station: WBCN. Although I don't like some of the songs they play, it's the only station I can find that's closest to my taste. I listened to it all day today. Earlier they were giving away Red Sox tickets (a home game against the Yankees!) so I tried to call in to win those, but alas I didn't even get through once. Just a little while ago they were giving away Strokes tickets, and even though I probably wouldn't be able to go, I tried anyway. I actually got through that time - I was caller 12, two short of the winning number. I had my home phone up to one ear and my cellphone up to the other, repeatedly pressing redial on each one. At one point both of them were ringing at once - it would ring in one ear, then the other, and so on - but it rang endlessly so after a few minutes I just hung up since they had clearly already picked caller 14.

It's been a long time since I called in to a radio station to try to win something so I forgot how much of a rush it is. You're so used to the line being busy that when it finally rings you get all excited thinking maybe you're the right caller. I think the last time I called in was back when I listened to rap. The rap/hip hop station in Boston is Jam'n 94.5, and every Friday they had a countdown of the top songs that week. If you called in at the end of the countdown and correctly named all of the songs they had just played you would win a prize. One night I was bored (much like today) and decided to give it a try. I wrote all of the songs down on a piece of paper and, after the last song had played, I dialed the number. I expected it to be busy as usual during radio contests, but instead it rang on my first try. I asked him if he had given away the prize yet, and he said no, so I read off my list and voila! I had won, easy as that. The prize: an XBox. That was the only good thing that came out of my brief affinity for rap. A pretty good thing, I would say.

Well, it's already 10 pm and I have yet to pack for my long weekend. I should get going on that since I don't even know what I'm going to wear yet. I have to choose something cute yet seductive because, of course, there will be boys at UMass, and cute yet seductive clothing is imperative in this type of situation. I'm referring directly to the type of situation in which a high school girl visits a college and attempts to impress the older, hotter, and more mature (ha!) college boys. Yes, that would be this situation exactly.

So, enough of my babbling. I will, of course, inform you all of my (hopefully) amazingly fun-filled weekend probably on Saturday on Sunday. Ciao!

Stoned: disappointing, save one detail...

Contrary to what I implied in the previous blog, yesterday wasn't completely awful. Earlier in the day Amanda and I trekked to the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge to see Stoned, a movie about the late Brian Jones, the founding member and guitarist for the Rolling Stones who drowned in his pool only weeks after he was fired from the band.

I can't really figure out how I feel about the movie. I don't hate it, but I definitely don't love it either. It was extremely weird and confusing at parts. I quickly got used to seeing random pairs of often faceless breasts and, after being exposed to the image several times, recovered from the initial shock of seeing a flaccid penis on the big screen. Such can be expected of a movie about the Stones, especially Brian Jones, who was known for his lavish and self-destructive lifestyle in which he frequently consumed drugs such as marijuana, LSD, and cocaine.

The movie claims that Brian Jones' builder, Frank Thorogood, was responsible for his death. At the very end, before the credits, it is stated that Frank confessed to the murder on his deathbed. The truth to this has been debated, and has actually since been disavowed by several people that supposedly would know. His stated cause of death was "misadventure," probably highly influenced by his heavy drug usage. I suppose we can never be certain whether it was an accident or not. If they do open a new investigation, which the director hopes his movie will spark (though I find it highly doubtful), I wouldn't expect anything more than the usual dead ends. It will all remain a mystery.

I was also quite disappointed by the choice of music. I was expecting it to be mostly if not all Rolling Stones hits, instead most of the songs I had never heard of before. They were nearly all blues songs, which does make sense because that's exactly what Brian was so passionate about, and he had a huge blues influence on the Stones' music during his time with the band; however, somehow I don't think the song choices really fit with the movie. It could just be my own musical bias, though.

Probably the single best thing I have to say about the movie was the casting for Keith Richards' character. I really couldn't tell you if he resembles a young Keith Richards or not, and frankly, I don't care. You see... this man was gorgeous. I mean gorgeous to the point that I could have just watched him for the entire hour and forty or so minutes. There was a particular scene in which Brian was encouraging his girlfriend, Anita, to sleep with Keith (though, as you can imagine, he put it much more crudely than that), and they both embarrassingly refused (only to ditch Brian later and have two children of their own). I don't understand how Anita could have possibly refused. If I were her, I would have been in the sack with Keith before Brian ever spoke a single word. Okay, I realize that this Keith I'm talking about is only the actor that portrayed him in the movie, and I'm sure the real Keith Richards was never even half as attractive as the actor, but that's beside the point. It's unfortunate that he was only in a few scenes (one of which he was almost completely nude, save for a few unfortunate shadows in certain southerly places); I would have preferred the entire movie to be about him...

Anyway, I need to stop carrying on like a pre-teen celebrity-freak. I have to wake up early tomorrow, around 9:30. Yes, that is early. Give me a break, I'm on vacation. I woke up at 11:30 today. Anyhow I'll have another blog to bore you with quite soon, I'm sure. Otherwise you can nag me as much as you see fit. Ciao!

Depressing weeks are no fun

Last night Amanda and I were supposed to go see a concert with The Sounds, Morningwood, and Action Action (as I posted about a few blogs ago). I'm not going to explain the whole story of why I didn't get to see them, partly because I've already explained it too many times to several club bouncers, a coat check girl, my parents, and Morgan, among others. Amanda and I ended up seeing several different bands at a completely different venue (if my memory doesn't fail me, they were Anberlin, The Fold, Jonezetta, Emery, and The Classic Crime). They were exactly the type of music that I don't like: screaming rock. Apparently it's being called "screamo". Some of them weren't terrible, but Emery was completely awful, and I must have checked my watch at least every two minutes during their 45-minute set.

Anyway, I am extremely disappointed that I didn't get to see the three bands that I wanted to. Actually, that's an understatement. I'm completely devastated, and it's going to take me a while to get over it. I can't stop thinking about how I so easily could have seen them but my disgusting luck screwed up my entire night. I was having such a good day before the concert, too. I should have known something would happen to ruin it. I don't have really good days.

My entire week has been going quite badly, actually. I thought the concert yesterday would have fixed it, but instead it just made it a whole lot worse. My week started off badly because all of a sudden I was hit really hard with the reality of graduation. It really caught me by surprise. I feel like everything is moving way too fast and I need more time. Just a few days ago my friends and I were discussing our plans for after graduation and how to make the most of our last month together before we go our separate ways over the summer. I'm not ready to face the idea that I will probably never see half of my friends again. Graduation is in 47 days. It seems like a big number, but I know it's going to fly by before I even realize it. I just want things to slow down so I can enjoy what little time I have left here.

At the end of each quarter we are assigned new seats in my World Lit II class. Since this is the last quarter, my teacher decided to be nice and let us choose our own seats. Previously I had been seated in the dead center of the room, and it was awful. Usually when I want to take a little nap during class I'll turn my head to whichever direction has the least amount of people so I have less of a chance of getting caught. When I'm in the very center of the room, however, each side of the room is equally stocked with people so it's rather difficult to close my eyes without interruption. It's only natural that on Wednesday, when we switched seats again, I chose a seat way back in the left corner of the room, quiet and hidden. I thought that seat was a good choice until I'd sat there for a while, when I realized how awful that seat actually is. It represents exactly how I feel about my life. In that seat I feel alone, isolated, and completely ignored. I only see the backs in front of me, and I feel invisible. I am sick of feeling this way in my daily life and I don't want to get that feeling from where I sit in class, too. Unfortunately those to the right of me are rather stubborn and refuse to switch seats around so I'm not stuck in the back corner, alone. I'll have to suck it up and deal with it for the next 47 days.

As depressing as my week has been, I do have a bunch of stuff to look forward to over the next few days. This coming week is April vacation, so I'll finally be able to relax (even though that dreaded 10-15 page paper will be weighing on my mind as I procrastinate as usual). On Tuesday I have a meeting with the Financial Aid Office at Simmons to figure out how the hell I'm going to afford their tuition, even with my scholarship, and basically beg for more money. After that I'm going to try to get my mom to take me to Downtown Crossing and possibly the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge to see Brick. From Thursday to Friday I'll be sleeping over at Smith College with Morgan, even though I'm definitely not going there because it's too expensive. From Friday to Saturday Morgan and I will also be sleeping over UMass Amherst and will likely be doing nothing academic-related. Please, it's a Friday night at ZooMass. What do you expect? Anyway, hopefully somewhere in there I'll be sleeping over Amanda's house, going to the movies with Siobhan, and/or taking a trip to the mall.

Well, I guess I had a lot more to say than I thought, huh? Well, I hope it wasn't entirely boring. I'll probably have another blog for you tomorrow; otherwise, feel free to nag me. As for right now, I think I'm going to go watch SNL. Adios.

This is as interesting as my Saturdays get

Yesterday was a rather eventful day. My mom and I went prom dress shopping again to look for a new dress to replace the other one that I got a while ago that I no longer like. We went to a mall that I had never been to before, rather far away from us, in order to go to a specific store: DEB. I had gone to the DEB website before and found quite a few dresses that I really liked, so I figured I might as well go to the store and see what they had. I did go to that store in the mall, but it was pretty picked over so the only good dresses they had were in plus sizes. I ended up buying a dress at Charlotte Russe, pictured at left.

This dress is pretty much what I've been looking for. It's unique, it only goes a small bit past my knees, and it isn't too formal. Unfortunately I'm not sure if it isn't formal enough; I'm worried that I'm going to be underdressed. I'm going to try to dress it up with lots of gold jewelry and really elaborate, sparkly shoes, so we'll see. Another problem is the color isn't so great with my skin tone because it makes me look somewhat pasty (even more than I already am). Plus, the way it falls in the front, it kind of makes me look like I have a gut (and that's not just me being vain, it was my mom who pointed it out). I do like it, though, and I know no one else is going to have the same dress as me.

After shopping for a while, my mom and I met with my mom's close friend, April, and went out to dinner to some restaurant whose name I can't recall. After dinner we went to see the movie Thank You for Smoking. I had heard a lot of good things about this movie and had high expectations for it, which it didn't really live up to. It was good, though - funny, smart, and clever - but it wasn't really my kind of movie. There were many jokes in the movie that I found funny, but not funny enough to laugh out loud at. At least, that's my opinion. There were plenty of other people in the theater that felt differently. Although I didn't find the movie excellent, I would still recommend it.

At the start of the movie my mom whispered to me that Aaron Eckhart, the leading actor of the movie, also played Erin Brockovich's boyfriend, George. At first I couldn't see the similarities, solely because in Erin Brockovich he has a beard and a ponytail, but after a few minutes I clearly recognized him from his eyes and his dimpled chin. It's interesting to see an actor go from a rough, scruffy, and generally unkempt character to a clean-cut and conservative-looking character. I would never have known the characters were portrayed by the same actor if my mom had never told me because they are nearly polar opposites. See the visual comparison below:


At first glance they look like two completely different people. If you look closer, however, they start to look very similar. In these pictures (they were the most similar pictures I could find) I think it's the nose that gives it away.

I'm not sure why I carried on about Aaron Eckhart so much, but I think you all are used to my mundane blogs by now so I'll refrain from apologizing. Anyway, it's time for me to watch Desperate Housewives, take a shower, and do some last-minute homework (I don't think any homework isn't last-minute for me). Adios!

75 Bands

The are supposedly 75 bands hidden in this picture. I managed to find the following 56 (admittedly with a little help from some friends):

1. The Pixies 3. Dead Kennedys 5. 50 Cent 7. Seal 9. Queen 11. Prince 13. Whitesnake 15. Gorillaz 17. The Blues Brothers 19. Eminem 21. Radiohead 23. The Police 25. Matchbox 20 27. Phish 29. Jewel 31. Green Day 33. The Lemonheads 35. Korn 37. Blur 39. The Eagles 41. U2 43. Deep Purple 45. The Monkees 47. Hole 49. The Roots 51. Yellowman 53. Cypress Hill 55. Cowboy Junkies 57. The BeeGees 59. Iron Maiden 61. The Streets

2. White Zombie 4. Guns N Roses 6. The Postal Service 8. Great White 10. The Sex Pistols 12. Dinosaur Jr. 14. Led Zeppelin 16. The Eels 18. Nine Inch Nails 20. The Rolling Stones 22. The Cars 24. Scissor Sisters 26. Smashing Pumpkins 28. Garbage 30. The Cranberries 32. Blind Melon 34. Red Hot Chili Peppers 36. Alice in Chains 38. Spoon 40. The Beach Boys 42. Black Flag 44. The B-52s 46. The White Stripes 48. Ratt 50. The Subways 52. The Black Crowes 54. Kiss 56. The Doors 58. Bush 60. Crowded House 62. Blondie

Can you find any others? Comment and let me know.
Note: I have added bands in bold to the list that people have pointed out in the comments. Bands that I have discovered after the original 56 posted are underlined.

I can't for the life of me figure out the significance of the statue on the crosswalk, the acrobats, the painting by the shop, the men on the rooftop, the blonde girl chewing gum, and a few others. Someone more musically knowledgeable than I must know these.

This is why you shouldn't speed

Well, my hearing didn't go as well as I had hoped today. I went in about ten minutes early and waited for probably fifteen minutes. The actual hearing itself took only a few minutes, and it was in a small room at an oval table with a magistrate and not a judge as I had originally expected. The cop that gave me the ticket was not there, but another cop came in his place and read a statement that summarized what happened when he pulled me over. When it was my turn to speak in my defense, I said pretty much exactly what I had written in my last blog. The magistrate said that she would lower the fine to $100, and then asked if I would like to appeal and go for a second hearing in front of a judge. So, this is what it came down to:

Option 1: Pay the reduced $100 fine, while still having to wait until May to get my license.
Option 2: Wait until June 15 for a second hearing where it would be possible to not have to pay any fine at all, while still having to wait until May to get my license.

Either way I'll have to wait until May to get my license, but at least if I have a second hearing there's the possibility that I will not have to pay the fine. So, that was the unfortunate outcome of my hearing. I'm going to have to go back to court - and this time in front of a judge, not just a magistrate - in two months. This is turning into a long, annoying ordeal.

I've decided that I hate my prom dress. I tried it on again a week or so ago, and it looks awful on me. It just fits me terribly. Even if I get it altered, which I will have to do, it still won't look right. It just hangs there like a limp piece of fabric. I mean, it looks great on the hanger - it's really pretty and all - but on me it looks gross. I'm dying to return the stupid thing and find a new, better one. I'm going to try to get my mom to take me this Saturday to look for dresses again, but I'm not sure if it's going to happen. She says she doesn't know if she's going to feel like it or if she's going to have something to do. It doesn't sound too promising.

Well, that's it for today. Adios.

September 11, 2001

When I saw Inside Man in theaters a few weeks ago, one of the trailers was for the movie United 93, about United Flight 93, one of the planes that was hijacked on September 11. This was the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, supposedly headed for Washington D.C. until the passengers forced the hijackers to make a crash landing. The trailer was very intense and difficult to watch, just knowing that it had actually happened to real people. I was nearly on the verge of tears for the whole trailer, so I can only imagine what it would be like if I were ever to see the whole movie. I'm sure I won't - I highly doubt I could handle it emotionally.

According to this article, I wasn't the only one affected emotionally by the trailer. I'm not sure if the New York theater was right for pulling the trailer, but I suppose if the trailer alone would stop people from going to the movies then it would be in the theater's best interest. On the other hand, who would avoid going to the movies just because of an upsetting movie trailer? As for the movie, I can't decide whether or not it is too soon since 9/11 to be shown or even made. Many people have not yet healed and are still extremely sensitive; four and a half years is a short time for something like this. However, I think some people need to be reminded of the event and how terrorism is still a huge threat to us, even four and a half years later. Plus, the film honors the passengers of United 93, commending them as heroes for attempting to thwart the hijackers' plan.

This op-ed article brings up not only September 11 but the death penalty as well. The author, who lost her husband on United Flight 175, discusses the possible death sentence for Zacarias Moussaoui, a man whose mug shot (pictured at right) you will probably recognize as it has been shown on the news many times. Moussaoui pleaded guilty to being involved in the September 11 conspiracy. I completely agree with the author's statement that although Moussaoui absolutely deserves the death penalty, he absolutely should not receive it. To put it simply, we would be stooping to his level. She asks, "Do we want to characterize ourselves as a nation committed to pure vengeance with nothing more to be gained?" Of course not.

Not only is this true for Moussaoui's case but for nearly all criminals sentenced to death. My opinion on capital punishment has never been solid; although I have always been against it, there are often cases in which I feel whole-heartedly that the criminal deserves to die for his or her action. However, this still cannot overcome the immorality and inhumanity (yes, that's a word, I even looked it up) of the death penalty. After reading that article, I have been able to accurately state my position on capital punishment: although the criminal may fully deserve death, imposing the death penalty on him or her would be equally evil. It is simply meaningless revenge.

Anyway, I don't usually blog this late, but I'm not going to be in school tomorrow because of my hearing so I get to sleep in a bit. Speaking of my hearing, I have thought a little about what I'm going to say in my defense, and this is what I've come up with:

I had just turned onto Central Ave from Groton Harvard Road and I had only traveled a few hundred feet so it's impossible for me to have been going more than 40 mph [The officer said I had been going 46 in a 30]. Also, I had not yet seen a speed limit sign, and the officer estimated my speed as he was traveling toward me from the opposite direction.

That's a pretty good argument, no? I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to win. If I don't, and even if they offer to lower the fine, I'm going to request a second trial. I really hope that doesn't happen because I'll probably have to wait another five months, and by that time, holy crap I'll already be in college. There's no way I'll want to be pulled away from some party at UMass or wherever the hell I end up just to go to a silly hearing for a speeding ticket. Let's just hope this works out in my favor.

Well, now I'm really getting tired, so I think I'm going to get ready for bed. I'll probably blog again tomorrow with the verdict of my hearing. Cross your fingers!

I am done with track.

Well, it's official... I quit track.

Maybe it isn't official, exactly, since I haven't told any of the coaches or any of my team members that I quit. I kind of just stopped showing up.

The last time I was at practice was exactly one week ago, and that was the only day out of the whole week that I actually attended practice. On Monday, Amanda and I simply skipped. On Wednesday, I stayed after to work on a project, even though I had plenty of time afterwards to attend the remainder of the practice. On Thursday, I went out with some friends for Simon's birthday. And on Friday I wasn't in school at all because I was visiting UMass.

At first I had planned to go to track yesterday. However, we had a meet - the first meet of the season. I was unsure if I would be allowed to run since it had been nearly a week since I was at practice, plus I knew I was barely physically prepared to run. I ended up just going home instead, and that was basically the end of it. I figured, I haven't been to practice in almost a week, I've missed the first meet of the season, and I'm going to miss the next meet on Thursday (I will explain the reason for that later)... why bother continuing? Would they even let me?

Of course, the real reason why I quit track is because I'm just too damn lazy. My euphemistic reasoning, if you will, is this: why spend half of the free time I have during the last two months of my senior year doing something I usually do not enjoy doing? I suppose one could argue that I have nothing better to do with my time, so I might as well spend it doing something productive, instead of playing "Cake Mania" online for three hours straight, as I did today after school.

I admit that it probably would be a better, smarter decision to just remain on the track team and stick with it, but since when have I made better, smarter decisions? I am more comfortable with going home every day after school and sitting at the computer for hours rather than running for two hours straight every single day. Who likes running, anyway?

Anyhow, this Thursday at precisely 10:30 in the morning, I have my court hearing. Yes, I have been a bad girl. Well, it's only to contest a speeding ticket. It took them five months after the initial incident to send me the hearing date. Five months. I got the speeding ticket under my permit, and Massachusetts law states that one must have a clean driving record for six months prior to taking the license road test (so if you get your permit when you turn 16, you are allowed to get your license once you're 16 1/2 as long as you have a clean record; any citation adds six months from the date it was issued). Therefore, I have been unable to schedule a test thus far because it hasn't been six months since early November when I got the ticket. If it is stricken from my record on Thursday, not only will I not have to pay the $160 fine, but I will also finally be allowed to go for my license. Otherwise, I will have to wait until the six month period is over, which is about a month from now. Perhaps if they hadn't taken so long to send me the damn hearing date I would have my license already.

As for the speeding ticket itself, I would rather not go into detail about how it came about (not because I'm embarrassed or what not; simply because I have retold the story about seventy-two times and am quite sick of it by now), but I will say with little bias that it was unfair. I have spoken to several people - a few of them are very familiar with the system, since they were my Driver's Ed teachers - and they have all said that it is extremely likely that the ticket will be stricken from my record and that I should only have been given a warning in the first place. Overall I am optimistic about the probable outcome of the hearing.

The new Vines album, "Vision Valley,"was released today. I'm dying to get it, but I don't have much money. My first priority is to buy the newest Sounds album, "Dying to Say This to You,"as well as the self-titled Morningwood album because the concert is in a mere ten days and I must memorize the songs before hand. Plus, I'm going to need to save some money to take with me to Boston. It's unfortunate that I have so little money that I have to prioritize the CDs that I want. I need a job... but to get a job I need a car (well, and a license would be good, too), and to get a car I need a job. It's a vicious circle!

Recently in news:

• Anyone with half a brain (and apparently that does not include most people) would have known this.
• I had no idea the legal system allowed restraining orders on cats.
• Walking under the many scaffolds in Boston has always creeped me out a little... and now I have a reason to justify it.
• Apparently, due to the few hours of sleep I get at night, my mental state is similar to that of a drunk person.
• Not quite recent, but... ewww.

Anyhow, it's off to the shower for me. Ciao.

Ah, college life...

Yesterday my friend Morgan and I went to an open house at UMass Amherst. It was probably the best day we could have possibly picked to go because of the great weather - it must have been around 75° with a breeze, which is really warm considering we haven't had a day like this since before winter. Finally the weather is starting to match the season. Anyway, because it was so warm, the campus was crawling with students outside doing typical college activities such as tossing around frisbees or footballs and sunbathing on the grass. The whole thing was pretty much right out of a movie.

Anyway, when we first got there we had to go to the requisite opening ceremony/address/thing. There were booths situated around the perimeter of the room about the different majors, student organizations, or really anything else you would want to know about UMass. Morgan and I walked around the room and talked to a few of the students and faculty members that were behind the booths, but it was all about things that I had heard before. We were making our way to the chairs that my mom had saved for us when we were stopped by two plain-looking girls wearing ankle-length skirts. We spoke to them for a few minutes, and they were very friendly. As we walked away I looked at the pamphlet that they had given us, and I realized that they represented the religious organizations on campus. I promply got rid of the pamphlet as if it was coated with anthrax.

We eventually found our way back to our seats and waited for the opening ceremony to begin. There were, I think, three speakers and it lasted for about an hour. I had to struggle to stay awake the entire time. I have been to so many of these open houses that I am so utterly sick of hearing speeches by the college administration and faculty. It's always the same thing every time. Instead of paying attention to the speakers, I amused myself by looking around the room and counting the number of Hollister/Abercrombie clones I could see that were prospective students. Okay, so maybe I didn't actually keep count, but there sure was a helluva lot of them. It was kind of scary.

After the opening we went on a tour of the campus. It wasn't an entire tour since we only had an hour and the campus is so big that it would take a lot more than just an hour to tour the whole thing. It wasn't that special since I had already been on a tour last May so I'd seen everything our tour guide showed us. Like the opening speeches, I mostly just watched the students that were walking by us. There were millions of them. Well, more like 18,000, but close enough. I lost track of the number of attractive, dateable guys I saw, and it made me wonder if I really wanted to spend four years without boys at a women's college, even if it was in Boston.

We then returned to the campus center for a session about the Commonwealth College, which is basically a fancy name for the honors college. We had a little time to kill before it began, so we looked around the campus center for a while. There were more booths set up in this area, but instead they were for people selling things like jewellery and clothing and also for some student organizations. As we were walking past, we were stopped by two - yes, two, seperately - students asking us if we wanted to join the College Republicans. I politely smiled and said "no thanks," but inside I was laughing hysterically. Too bad I don't have the balls to laugh hysterically in their faces. Imagine, being stopped by religious folks and then republicans all in one day!

After shopping around for a few minutes, Morgan and I went back downstairs for the Commonwealth College presentation. I barely remember what the woman was talking about because I was dozing off the whole time. Finally when that was over we went to hang out with Morgan's boyfriend, TJ, at his dorm. I met a few of his friends, one of which Morgan decided to write a lovely message on the whiteboard on his dorm door that said, "Patricia wants your balls." Thanks, Morgan. I managed to wipe off part of my name, but the rest of the message remained, and it was quite simple to figure out who supposedly wanted his balls. Amusing, nonetheless; all in good fun.

Anyhow, we stood out on the balcony off of the common room with a bunch of people for a while. We just sat around (on the couch that they had carried out from the room onto the balcony) and laughed about random things. It was actually really cool; I kind of felt like a college student. I probably learned the most about UMass and college in general in that hour of hanging out with TJ and his friends than from all of those stupid speeches and seminars at college open houses.

Overall I really enjoyed it, and I ended up leaving with a much better impression of UMass than I had before. In fact, I actually really like it now... which I didn't expect at all. As far as my college decision process goes, I've pretty much ruled out Mount Holyoke and Smith because, although I would love to go to either of those schools, they're much too expensive. Now it's come down to Simmons and Boston. So, to help me decide, I created the graph below. I assigned points to the two schools in each category (with a maximum of 10 points per category).

	Simmons	UMass
Location	10	0
Boys	0	10
Education	10	5
Money	0	10
Total	20	25

Well, according to this graph, I would be better off attending UMass. But it's only a five point difference, and... I don't know, I really can't decide. I'm pretty sure it's all going to come down to money, and if that's the case, it will be UMass. I've actually expected to end up at UMass for a long time, it's just that now I'm more okay with it. Plus, Morgan has apparently decided that she's going there, so it would be really cool to go to college with a really good friend of mine. I just really, really want to be in Boston. That's basically what's keeping from finally deciding on UMass.

Anyway, I think that's about all for today. If I were witty, I would write something amusing about April Fool's Day... but I'm not, so I'll have to leave you with a simple "adios."