Lunch at CIMBA

Just wanted to give you all a quick look at what our lunchtime looks like. Tommaso took this picture one day during a break from class. I realized after looking at it, that someone from the outside might think that this looks complicated or bizarre. I don't know how we do it, but we manage to make it work. (And FYI: The hand on the right holding the cutting board is mine.)

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Tonight, after dining out with Tommy, I came back to school and joined Lisa on the couch in the common room. We were watching a movie for awhile when in walked Tommaso. I looked up and asked him jokingly, "Did you bring me dessert?" He smiled, put down his bag and pulled out a bag which, as he handed it to me, caused me to say, "OH MY GOD. DID YOU BRING ME DESSERT?!" He had. Good Italian.

(It was a nutella filled pastry, by the way. Very yummy.)

Sunshine

Today I went out to lunch with a friend and realized, when he asked how I was doing, that I am really happy. This is a nice change, because the first few weeks back after winter break were a little rough for me. Everyone was driving me crazy, school was hard, it seemed like nothing we (as a team) were doing was right, and it felt like this was never going to end.

That has since changed. I don't know if it's because the sun is out, (it hasn't been out for basically a month straight) but either way, I am thrilled to be here. School is going really well. Our consulting project is going *fairly* well. The sun is out. I'm working out again. I love the people here. I love Italy. Starting to look for jobs. I actually am narrowing down my options and figuring out what I want to do! That, in and of itself, is a miracle.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that with everyone. Hope you are all having a fantastic, sunny day too.

P.S. Did I mention it was sunny? Because if I forgot, IT IS!

Voicemail

Here's a fun little story for you. So, as you may (or may not) know, I am in the middle of a consulting project. Basically, this project consists of calling a lot of European businessmen to get information about something. I'm not going to go into specifics because I don't want to get in trouble for saying something I shouldn't. For this story you don't need to know specifics.

Day 70 or so of our project. We had spent the first 70 days preparing, creating the schedule, the template of questions, talking with the company, going on winter break, and waiting on answers from important people etc. So, day 70 rolls around and I'm thinking, "Great! We get to actually move forward and start calling people!"

My first phone call went like this:

ring..... ring..... "Hello?" Blah blah blah, I say who I am and what I'm calling for. He says, "What are you talking about?" My first panic attack sets in. Oh my God, these people (who were supposed to know about our project) have no idea. Quickly, and calmly I try explaining the deal. "Oooohhhhh, yeah, I remember. Well, for that I actually am not the right person to answer these questions." I end up getting another number and then call that person. This time it goes well.

Next phone call:

ring...ring...ring...ring...(start mentally preparing the message I'm going to leave) ring...ring...(start thinking it's taking a long time for voicemail to pick up) ring...ring...(maybe they are on the other line or something, therefore voicemail isn't working)ring...ring... I hang up. I then say to my teammates, three of whom are Italian, "Wow, that rang forever."

Then in a joking manner I said, "They probably don't have voicemail or something."

I said this assuming that I was completely wrong because, what business person would not have voicemail? Everyone, especially people who work at important companies, has to have voicemail, right? WRONG. Instead of making everyone laugh, like I thought I would with my "probably don't have voicemail" statement I was met with three very serious faces saying, "No. No one has voicemail."

This is when I went into shock and then said, "WHAT?! They don't have voicemail?! Are you kidding me?!" No, no, no. They weren't and I knew what that meant. It meant having to call and actually catch someone while they are at their desk. It meant the project taking longer because of all the time I'm/we are going to spend hearing the phone ring forever. It meant me having to adjust to the European way.

By the way, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing. In fact, I think it makes sense. I mean, I think many Americans dread going to work in the morning for fear of all the voicemails they have. Maybe we should all adopt the no-voicemail rule.

American Idol

One of the girls in this program was watching American Idol last night on the Air Force Network. A few of us were giving her crap for watching it, and then I heard the TV announcer say something about Kansas City. Apparently the auditions from this episode were from KC! Anyway, I said, "Kansas City! That's where I'm from!" Another girl said, "Oh, you can show us your friends" (in a joking manner). Not two seconds later (they had been showing clips of people waiting in line to audition) a girl from my high school class appeared onscreen and said something about KC. I immediately said, "Oh my god, that girl went to my high school!" People thought I was joking for a second, and then realized I was serious. It was all very funny. I mean, I'm in Italy, using the Air Force Network satellite to watch American TV and I see a girl from my high school on it. Crazy.

Punto

Fiat Punto, that is.

This baby is my rental car, a.k.a. ticket to freedom, for the next 14 days. And I am so excited.

*CUT TO 14 DAYS LATER*

Obviously I was so busy driving that I couldn't even finish this post. Seriously, it was awesome. Driving in Italy is great. The other drivers actually pay attention! Kind of. Throughout my entire time driving, I would say the scariest part was driving down the ridiculously steep and snowy hill that is right outside of my school. This happened on the 26th when Alok and I were planning on driving to the train station to catch a train to Florence. As I started going down the narrow-barely-big-enough-for-2-cars-in-only-some-areas street, the Punto started sliding. On one side of me was a jagged stone wall, and further down the street (about 30 feet) was a BMW. I was just hoping that my car did not hit the BMW. After sliding for a second or so, I realized that the car did not have anti-lock breaks, so I quickly took my foot off the pedal and replaced it. This caused the car to stop and my heart a chance to not explode. I'm so happy I've had a lot of practice in KC (ice) and Denver (snow) driving.

Anyway, the rest of the time with the car was fairly uneventful. I drove all over, though, and had a great time trying to see if I was as aware of my car's size as most Italians are of their cars. (It's incredible, really.) I think I got really good with it, managing to park in some crazy areas. The best, though, is how quickly I backed down a street that was lined with cars on one side and a stone wall on the other. The reason I had to back down it is because I had to get out of the way of the car coming down the hill and towards me. This lane was only big enough for one car, and since backing downhill is easier than uphill, I basically had to back up about 50 yards down this very-windy, very-narrow street. What amazes me about that particular incident is how quickly I did the backing up.

Having mom with me was what kept reminding me how different Italian drivers are from American drivers. Whenever I would do something, or some other car would do something a little on the dangerous side (according to an American), mom would gasp or say "ooh ooh ooh!". I think she just tried not to look most of the time.

Time for bed. Hope everyone's 2009 is off to a great start!

One more time...

Just had the same issue with mom and Skype. Mute was not on to begin with, then it was. All I heard was, "I can't hear you. What happened? I don't know what happened."

Sushi in Bassano

Here is another blog I wrote for CIMBA:

Having just finished a long stretch of classes and Six Sigma green belt training, all of the MBAs were ready to have a little down time. When Tommy (the program coordinator at the undergrad campus) suggested we go to the sushi place in Bassano, I immediately jumped at the chance. As much as I love having Italian food for every single meal, something different is always appealing. Since car seats, a hot commodity here in Asolo, were limited, we used some of our Kepner Tregoe skills to decide who would go. The lucky five were Tommy, Jay, Javier, Claire and myself. Full of excitement and hunger, we made our way to Bassano, where we had one of the best meals we’ve had in awhile. Even though our outing lasted only a few hours, it was just what we needed. Instead of Human Resources Management discussions we had discussions about how we were spending our winter break as well as what we were looking forward to in our consulting projects. Instead of eating the same pasta we make for every meal, we had tuna and salmon sashimi and miso soup. Instead of Italian wine, we had sake. Most importantly, instead of learning more business-related concepts, we learned more about each other.

After stuffing ourselves full of raw fish, we took a quick walk through the streets of Bassano to digest the amazing meal we had. The guys stopped for a minute to goof around on a swing-set, and as I stood there watching and taking pictures, I realized that no matter how serious classes get, there is always room for acting like a kid. That night was perfect. And it was just what we needed to gear up for the last leg of classes and exams before winter break. It’s nights like these that really make our time here at CIMBA special.

Rogue Wave

I've been obsessed with this song recently. Enjoy!

Sometimes...

...I wonder what I'm doing here.

Don't get me wrong. I am very happy. I am doing very well in school (as far as I know). I love the people I've met. I know that this is exactly what I should be doing. But part of me feels unsettled.

Let me explain. It's just that I'm getting impatient. I'm dying to know more about my future, and all of this basically has to wait to be figured out until once I'm done with this program. That is when I'll know where I'm going to get a job, therefore where I'm going to be settling down for awhile (with all of MY things). With settling down comes meeting people. I'm ready to meet people. I'm ready start a new relationship and see where it goes. No more of this going-nowhere-dating. I'm sick of that. And most likely no one I'm really going to take into account because they will most likely be Italian and want to stay here. As much as I love Italy, I would like to be closer to my family. Anyway, I'm kind of just rambling. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel a little different.

Skype

So I'm trying to call mom and dad on Skype and start having a ton of problems. First, my laptop in my room doesn't have a strong enough signal to get onto Skype. I then moved myself downstairs to the computer lab. After plugging directly in with the cord, it still didn't work. Next I tried one of the computers in the lab. On my end it seemed to work just fine, but they could not hear me. So, I moved to the next computer, which didn't have Skype. Then I tried another. Got online again, managed to call, but still mom couldn't hear me. I could hear her just fine, but she could not hear me. Running out of options, I then decided to try calling her cell phone. That worked just fine and we were talking for awhile when we decided that we should all (mom, dad and me) be on the line.

Before hanging up and calling her computer, I said, "wait". When I had originally called her computer and had it not work, I could hear her perfectly, but she could not hear me. A thought then occurred to me. If she could hear me on her cell, but not on her computer, maybe it was her computer's fault. I then asked her if her computer was on mute. She said she didn't even know where the mute button was. I told her and she told me to try calling. Sure enough, that was the problem. Now mom knows where mute is. And just so everyone knows, she thinks it's dad's fault because supposedly he's "always playing with the sound". Goodnight.

Blog for School

We are all taking turns updating a blog that CIMBA has. It is my turn right now, so I thought I would share my first entry. Enjoy!

Having been at CIMBA for several months now, I'm learning to just go with whatever is thrown my way. First, it was LIFE (Leadership Initiative For Excellence), a program that helps prepare your mind to thinking like a leader. Next was the high ropes course in Slovenia, two days of adrenaline-filled experiences eight meters up in the air. After that we started our classes and were immediately being challenged to do well in school all while learning how to act as a team outside of class.



For me, someone who has one undergraduate degree in French and one in International Studies, every single class I encounter is brand new. Before the first statistics class I had a small anxiety attack thinking that there was no way I would ever be able to do the class. Luckily, some of my teammates calmed me down saying that learning statistics is just like learning another language. They told me if I could learn French and Italian, I could definitely learn statistics. Having already completed and received our first statistics test I can tell you that they were exactly right. Not only did I learn a whole lot, I did extremely well! With every curve ball thrown my way, I take that same rush I got from receiving my first grade in statistics and use it to remind myself that if I put my mind to something, I can do it.



This brings me to our consulting project. My group is the first group to get their assignment for one of the two consulting projects we do throughout the year. We already had one meeting, for which I was extremely nervous. I survived and actually feel that I did a very good job in that meeting. Tomorrow two of the five group members are traveling to Trieste (where our company is located) to have a second meeting. I am one of those two people. Up until about one hour ago, I thought the meeting was going to be with the same man with whom we met last time. We are, indeed, meeting with him, but thanks to an email I just received, I found out that we are also having a conference call with the head of this project. Had it been two months ago, or even one month ago, I would not have had a clue how to handle meeting with such an important man. I probably would have asked one of the other group members to go in my place. But now, thanks to all the preparation this program has already given me, I'm surprisngly calm about this turn of events. In fact, I am almost excited about it. Not only will I be able to prove to myself that I can handle this, I will be able to prove to my group that I am flexible and ready for anything this project presents to us. Considering we are barely a third of the way through the program and I already feel prepared to take on anything, I cannot wait to see how I feel at the end of these eleven months. I have a feeling it's going to be quite the experience.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

(I was going to try to upload a picture from Thanksgiving to this, but it is taking way too long. Maybe next time!)

Just a quick update:

Have taken 2 more tests since my stats final. Am in the middle of Production and Operations Management, Human Resources Management, a consulting project (that's going to take me almost all year), about to start our Six Sigma green belt training, and I have to read about 1,800 pages before next week or something. Yay! This is why I haven't been updating very frequently. I'm going to try to do shorter, but more frequent posts. Let's see how this works out! Also, don't forget to check my twitter account.

More stats

About to take a stats final. Wish me luck! For those of you who are like, "why isn't Jennifer updating this more frequently?", please take advantage of this. Maybe that will help satisfy your desire to learn about what's going on in my day. Right now this is easier for me to update, since it requires you to be less than 140 characters.

Rain, rain go away

This week was our fall break. One would think that maybe I would have updated this since I had an entire week without classes. Of course I didn't, though, because the week completely escaped me. It was full of shopping, and sleeping, and relaxing, and having fun with friends, and going to the gym (that is a blog all to itself). I just wanted to write a quick post explaining something I learned this week.

Tuesday night Claire, Javier, Jay and me wanted to go out to eat. We had planned on this with some of the other people who were still here, all of whom were Italian. It happened to be raining that night. When Claire went to ask if they wanted to join us, as originally planned, and they all responded like this: "What?! Go out?! But, it's raining!" I'm not joking. So the 4 of us went out and they thought we were crazy. Then, the next day, one of the other Italians who hadn't been there the night before asked what we had done the previous night. When I told him we'd gone out to dinner, he also responded with, "But it was raining last night!" I don't get it. Also, everything seems to shut down when it rains. As if it isn't hard enough already to plan your trips to the store when they are actually open, you throw rain into the mix and it is impossible. God, I love this rain-fearing country.

Spider

You know those times when you have a very lucid dream? The one where you wake up, and actually see a spider the size of your hand on your bed? And when you scream and fling your covers away, the spider goes flying into the wall? Then you turn on the lights, stand in the middle of the room, and search for the spider that you are 100% sure you saw smash into the light fixture on the wall? The same spider that you never find because you are obviously just losing your mind? Yeah, that happened to me last night. Needless to say, I went back to bed with the covers over my head. Oh, and I'm crazy. I blame stats.

Stats Exam

Today was our stats test. It was 38 pages and we had 4 hours. And I wish I'd had a little bit more time. Both my head and hand are pretty much close to dead. I don't even know where those 4 hours went, but they are over, and I'm done with that test, so I'm happy. We decided to go out and celebrate with some spritz and dinner and dancing at club CIMBA. Perfect end to a crazy few weeks of studying. Time for bed.

Italy

Today is one of those days where I just wish there was a Target. Or that I had my own car. We have to rely on those who have cars to take us to the grocery stores. For starters the grocery stores (like all stores) are closed from noon until 3:30 or so. That's fine. But apparently, after attempting to go yesterday afternoon, they are only open Wednesday mornings. Again, fine. Irritating, but fine.

We absolutely had to go today, since our group had absolutely no food. First I had to wait until Gigi was available to go. This wasn't until about 3:30. I would have preferred going earlier in the day, but it wasn't up to me. Before leaving, I asked Tommaso if they took credit cards (our bill is usually a big amount that one person pays and then we all split). He said they only take ATM cards. I said "That's fine because I have an ATM card."

Fast-forward to Bingo!, the grocery store we go to. After dealing with a packed store, and the line that took just as long as the grocery shopping, we finish bagging our groceries and I hand the cashier my ATM card. She tries to run it and asks me if it's an ATM card. I said yes. She tries again and it doesn't work. Then she asks if it's both ATM and credit card, and I said yes. She then said that they only take cards that are only ATM. (Who even has cards that are ONLY ATM anymore?!)

I then look at the 2 guys with me. One American and one Italian. Out of the 2, the American only had his American Express, which is hard to use anywhere here, and the Italian had left his ATM card at home. (I'm not even going to say something about him leaving his card at home when he knew we were going grocery shopping.) Between the 3 of us, we did not have enough cash. Luckily, the cashier was really nice and let us leave the cart completely packed with the already-bagged groceries, go get cash, come back, cut in front of the entire line, and pay. Frustrating, to say the least. Now I'm going to go study. Oh, and yes, I dreamt about stats AGAIN last night. NOT. COOL.

Stats

Let's see. Starting on Saturday I've had 3 8-hour classes of Statistics. In the "free-time" (I use quotes because it's not even remotely close to free) we have between the end of class at about 5:30 or 6 and bedtime, I study. We have covered 9 chapters (almost 400 pages) of stats in those 3 days of class. It's no wonder I was dreaming about statistics last night. Probably will again tonight. This is also my way of saying: "Sorry I haven't updated anything about my life, but my life is consumed with the wonderful world of statistics right now."

I'm now going to go to bed. What do you want to guess the margin of error is of me falling asleep before I even hit the bed? I'm so funny.

My last 2 weekends

Wow. I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll just go in chronological order.

Last weekend my classmates and I went through a program here called LIFE (Leadership Initiative For Excellence). I'm not going to write about it here because it wouldn't do it justice. I will say that it was life-changing (no pun intended) and that the group of people I will be with for the next ten months now is more bonded than I ever thought we would be. These people are great and I am so happy that we went through this experience together. One last thing about LIFE is that everyone came out of it with a hoarse voice, and hurting hands. The voice was gone from all of the yelling we did, and the hands hurt from hours and hours straight of clapping for each other.

This past weekend was spent in Slovenia. At Adrenalinski Park, to be exact. This was more bonding for the group. It was a low and high ropes course. I've done low ropes before in elementary school and through girl scouts, but never high ropes. The high ropes were amazing. First of all, I will be sending pictures out (if my connection ever actually lasts long enough for my pictures to upload (I'm trying for the 5th time right now)). If you are interested in getting these pictures, and you don't already, send me an email and I'll add your name to the list.

OK, the first element I did on high ropes was climbing a pole, basically a telephone pole, that was 8 meters high (about 26 feet). By the way, during all of the high ropes elements I was harnessed in and attached to a rope that would save my life if I fell. Once on top of the pole, we had to stand up on it, turn about half way around, and then jump off. I don't really have a fear of heights, but I do hate, with a passion, the feeling of my stomach dropping. As I was standing on the top of this pole, which was furiously shaking, thanks to my trembling legs, I had to convince myself to jump off. So there I am, standing 8 meters in the air, on the top of a pole that is not even big enough for both of my shoes. And, I'm shaking because I realize the only way for me to come down is by jumping off. I don't even remember if I counted to myself, but somehow I found the strength to do it. I free-fell for about one second and then my the rope tightened and caught me. What a rush that was. And that was the first of about 5 million rushes for that day. The next event was something called the "Career Ladder". This was a bunch of wooden slabs that were hanging by ropes. I think there were maybe 8 or 9 in a row. The object was to get on one step (slab), have your teammates raise you to the next one (only one meter at a time was allowed), and work your way up to a platform so you can ring a bell. I was elected stunt-woman for this element. I believe it's because I was one of the smaller ones of the group, and not scared of heights. This was a very taxing element. We did it over and over and over (I think I did it 4 times) so that we could try to beat the other teams record. Our best time, which did beat the other team, was 57 seconds.

At the career ladder, I had a high ropes instructor belaying me the entire time. The first time I got to the platform, he instructed me to turn with my back towards the open air, and just sit down into nothing-ness. He then lowered me down very quickly. Too quickly. And I yelled at him for it. He basically called me a wimp, but I told him how much I hated when my stomach dropped. The next time around, he lowered me insanely slowly, so I told him he could go a bit faster, and of course it scared the hell out of me. After the second time, he introduced himself to me. His name is Marko, and I kind of fell in love with him. (Probably just because my life was in his beautiful hands for about half a day, but still.) Throughout the day he basically just enjoyed torturing me. I think the best thing he made me do was what I'm about to explain.

The second to last activity we did for the day was climb up to the top of the high ropes and do as many elements (walk across a log that is 8 meters high, cross tires that are just a bit too far apart, walk a tight rope etc.) as we wanted to (or could) do. I walked across the log, then crossed some ropes that were hanging so you could step into them, walked on a tight rope (with ropes to hold onto), did the tires, and crossed three logs that were suspended separately. The tires completely wore me out. It took me awhile to figure out how to do it, and with a little coaching from Marko, I finally made it across. Basically, you had to get one foot in the tire, swing a little bit so that you could grab the next hanging tire with your hand and then stick your free foot in it. The point is to keep two feet in two separate tires at all times. This keeps you from spinning in circles on one tire. It was insanely hard, and when I finished I realized how exhausted I was.

So I went back to the initial platform and told Marko I was done. He smiled and said that he was going to let me get down from the top of the high ropes in a fun way. I asked him how, and after he told me I told him I hated him. Marko wanted me to stand a few feet back from the edge of the platform, get a running start, and jump off of the platform into nothing-ness. I could tell that he was not going to go easy on me, and to be completely honest, I kind of liked being pushed to my limits. So, there I was, standing 26 feet up in the air, trying to make myself jump off of the platform. After some encouragement, Marko decided to count to 3. Once he got to 3, I don't know where I found the courage, but I did it. And it was awesome. I free-fell again, but this time for a bit longer. Probably twice as far as when I jumped off the pole. What a rush.

The last element was something called the "Giant Swing". This works by you being strapped into a lot of ropes, having your teammates run holding one of the ropes that hoists you up into the air, probably right around 30 feet. Once at the top, the instructor (in this case Marko again) tells you to pull the cord that will release you and let you fall into a giant pendulum motion. Once again there is a horrible free fall, but then it is awesome. I actually let go, but did not lean back like they told me to. Maybe next time I'll be brave enough for that. Needless to say, it was an amazing weekend.

*The picture I've included shows the platform that I jumped off of (the one with the people standing on it on the left). It also shows on the lower right corner, the Career Ladder. About halfway up the picture on the right is the other platform that I was supposed to be raised to during the Career Ladder. You can also see the 3 suspended logs that I crossed, but not the log, or the tight rope, or the tires.

Cimba Place?

As I was walking from one side of the courtyard to the other tonight, I had a strange feeling that I was on a t.v. show. And not just any t.v. show, but Melrose Place. I never really watched it when I was younger, but do remember that a lot of the show focused on this nice apartment complex, where everyone seemed to always be hanging out in the center of all the buildings. That's similar to how Cimba is. There is a courtyard where (after class today, for example) many of us were hanging out and talking, with others coming and going. Some of the guys were playing with a soccer ball, some others were smoking, some of us were just talking, but we were all in the courtyard. What makes it even more like Melrose Place is that many of the bedroom windows/balconies look down onto the courtyard, so those in their rooms can come hang out and participate from the 2nd level. This is not the best picture (it was raining when I took it), but you can get the idea:




Alright, I must go back to my primetime soap opera life.

Grocery shopping

Today we had a group meeting (those of us living on campus) about group dinners. The past few nights we have just been going out to eat because we haven't really had groceries, nor have been brave enough to use the industrial kitchen that we have at our disposal. We decided to split up into 3 groups of 6; plan our meals for the week, go shopping, split the cost, some of us cook and some of us clean. My group is 3 Italians (Gianluigi, Tomasso, Alessandro) and 3 Americans (Josh, Claire and me).

After we broke off into our small groups, we made a shopping list, made our meal plan and decided to go shopping. Well, I decided I definitely wanted to go because it would mean leaving Asolo, in a car, with Italians who knew where they were going. It was pretty uneventful, but I had a lot of fun. I got to speak tons of Italian, and listen to even more. They speak really fast and with some slang that I don't get. Also, they have some different ways of saying things that people in Florence don't say.

Anyway, we drove about fifteen minutes from Asolo to the cheapest grocery store they knew of. I basically let the guys take control, since they are more familiar with brands etc. It turned out to be really funny watching the guys discuss whether they should get the extra virgin olive oil, or just the regular one or which gnocchi has the best flavor.

Overall, it's experiences like those that I want to have here. I want to feel like this is my home, like jumping into a car with a few Italians and going to a grocery store is completely normal for me. It seems like I'm on my way, now all I have to do is stay on course.

Weekend update

Yesterday we had a class about the neuroscience of many different things. It was very interesting. I'm not going to try to describe it for you, because I think I would butcher it. After class we grabbed something to eat and then went to the mall in Castelfranco, which is about a 30 minute bus ride away. They have the equivalent of a Target there, so all of us stocked up on some bare necessities (toilet paper, school supplies, some food, etc.). After that, we came back to CIMBA and relaxed until dinner. We had decided to all go out (minus the Italians, since most of them aren't actually staying with us yet). We ended up at a restaurant (1 of the 5 restaurants in Asolo) that was very yummy. The owner and one of the guys in the program (the Brazilian) have already become friends, so he was bringing us all sorts of drinks. We all got a little drunk because we knew it was one of our last nights for awhile to do so. Ended up having a great time.

Today we all woke up late. I went for a jog and then did some of the really lame weight machines that are in our "exercise room". After that I kicked around the soccer ball with some of the guys and then got ready for dinner. Today was the birthday of one of the girls, so we all went out to a nice dinner. It was also very yummy. After that we came back to CIMBA, and now I'm going to bed. This is kind of a boring entry and I think it's because I'm tired, so please pardon me. More soon!

Orientation

Today was the first day where everyone was together. It seems that there are about 7 or 8 Americans, 1 Canadian, 1 Indian, 1 Brazilian and 8 or so Italians. I'm pretty sure there are 19 people in this program all together. When things get going, and I know everyone's name better, I will be able to give a more exact headcount of where people are from.

I was able to speak a ton of Italian today, which was awesome. Of course, none of the Italians are scared about speaking up when I say something wrong. This is definitely fine with me, because how else would I improve? I honestly don't know how much Italian I'm going to be able to speak because a lot of our classwork is as a team, and half of the people here don't speak Italian. Hopefully I'll get some one-on-one time so I can practice my Italian.

Orientation was intense. Doctor Al (the guy who created the program) seems incredibly intense and scary, but I suppose that's a good thing since this program is supposed to be demanding. Anyway, during orientation, the Doc said that in 11 months we are going to spend more time in a classroom than people who are in 2 year MBA programs do. EEK! He made a good point though, that this program is not for patient people. Perfect for me!

Tonight we all had a welcome dinner at a restaurant in town. It was good food, and a very good time getting to know everyone. I sat in front of the guy from India, the Brazilian was next to him, with an American on the other side, and next to me was an Italian. Great conversations. Interesting trying to translate the Italians' english for some of the Americans, and the Indian's english for the Italians. Reminds me of Stacie and Enrico. Sigh.

Tomorrow we are actually going to a store that has food and supplies! This town is teeny tiny with very limited shopping(food-wise). Will write more soon. Haven't taken any pictures yet, but hope to do so soon.

Sleeping with the window closed tonight

Was about to go to bed with my window open so I could get some fresh Dolomite air until I saw the praying mantis on the inside of what one might call a "screen". Yes, a praying mantis much like Zorak from Space Ghost Coast to Coast, only not animated. He would have been much cuter (maybe) if he had been. By the way, anyone know if they can hurt humans?

I'm here!

After 3 plane rides, 1 crazy car ride through winding backstreets (roads that look like they are only wide enough for 1 car, but surprisingly fit both a car and a truck, thank god), a small bout of illness (bad cold or flu or plane germs?), and a day of lugging my suitcases up a big hill (where am I, on KU's campus again?!), I am finally in my room! And I have wifi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't describe to you how happy I am to have internet. I mean, this tiny little town doesn't even have an internet cafe. In fact, I am pretty sure that the store where I bought my apple yesterday, the one that was 5' x 7', is probably the only grocery store in town.

Just wanted to give a quick update. I'll be taking pictures soon and will most likely be uploading them soon after that. Hope everyone is doing well!

In the words of one C.A.G. "Chow Mein!" (haha, get it?)

Losing my mind

First of all, it's 57 degrees outside. I really hate the whole 30-degree-drop-in-one-day thing that Kansas loves to do. Not quite ready for cold weather yet.

Second, this morning I went into the kitchen to enjoy a nice, yummy, bowl of cereal. I ripped the bag open (destroying the bag in the process), poured the banana-flax-almond cereal into a bowl, added some milk, grabbed a utensil and started eating. The first bite I didn't really pay attention to, but noticed that something wasn't quite right. The second bite caught my attention a little more, but still not enough. It was the third bite when I realized that I wasn't getting any milk and the utensil wasn't quite shaped like a spoon. That's right, I decided to try to eat my cereal with a fork. Sometimes I amaze myself.

Third, I leave in 4 days and I haven't started packing. Wish me luck.

Catching up

OK. I have had a few things on my "Blogs to write about" list. I was planning on dedicating a blog each to all of them, but realize now that that is just not going to happen. I probably could make it all more entertaining, but just don't feel like it, you know? So, here are some quasi-entertaining things that have happened to me over the past couple months.

#1 I had to take my car in to the dealership, and instead of waiting around I hitched a ride home with the Toyota guy who was stuck driving everyone around town. While in the car (van, actually) with one other woman and two guys, the driver and the guys were talking about an expressway that is supposed to be built in Lawrence. People have been protesting this expressway because it will destroy Lawrence's wetlands. So the guys are all talking about whether or not they think it's going to happen, if it would be good, why it should not happen, why the Native Americans are pissed and the driver decides to bring up something that would have been a good point, had he not misspoke.

He was planning to say "eminent domain" (the state or government taking your land, for just compensation, if it will benefit the city or state) (I learned that in Business Law last semester). But instead of "eminent domain", this is what he said:

"Yeah, well, I guess the land owners should be worried because the state could always use the inseminate domain law."

I really had to bite my lip to keep from laughing after he said that.

#2 While driving through my parking lot one day, I was passing some guys with my windows rolled down. Normally I listen to my ipod through my tape adapter, but that day it was a short drive so I decided to just listen to the radio. Many times when I switch from "tape" to "FM", I forget to adjust the volume that is usually blaring. I forgot that day, and right as I was passing these guys, I hit the "FM" button and (with my windows rolled down) "It's A Small World After All" came blaring out of my car's speakers. Pretty sure they were laughing as I drove away.

#3 One night I was at a favorite hangout with a friend. While enjoying the beautiful night on the front patio, we saw a spectacular thing happen. It was pretty late, and basically out of nowhere came this woman. She was pretty big, had curlers in her hair, and was obviously in pajamas including some sweet, fuzzy slippers. She was walking in such a determined fashion that my friend and I were both a little scared to laugh at her and her awesome outfit. It was apparent that she was on the hunt for a cheating boyfriend or something, and that she wasn't going to let anything get in her way.

I've finally updated! Woo hoo! I feel better. And now that I've done this, I promise I will keep up with it. By the way, I leave in less than 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, if your last name rhymes with Schmargrave, will you send me a text with your email address? Thanks!

Yesterday was my birthday...

...so you can't be mad at me for not updating this blog. That works, right? The truth is, I don't have internet at my place of residence right now, so doing anything online has been a pain in the ass. Luckily, I quit my job, so after Monday I will have all the time in the world (until I leave the country) to update this blog.

Until then...

Lost Helmet

I saw this flier right outside the coffee shop I frequent. I am not making this up. Happy weekend!



By the way, the writing surrounding the picture says, "LOST HELMET. My fellow Lawrencians- Have you seen this helmet? Please respond with any relevant information. This is an EMERGENCY. I need my helmet immediately for my next live action role play guild gathering. Last seen early morning June 29th near Maine St."

64 hours in

Physically, I've had a slight, lingering headache the past day or so and have felt a little worn out. I don't know if the lack of energy has to do with this cleanse or with the hot and humid weather we're having. Or with the fact that our apartment is a black hole and when Stacie and I are there we can't make ourselves do anything (except watch Dexter) or gather the willpower to leave.

Tonight I'm going to a BBQ and I'm going to bring myself a veggie burger. I'm going to another BBQ on Friday and will be doing the same thing. Oh yeah, and then there is 4th of July. Apparently, I did not do a good job planning this out. Oh well. If I had waited until all of those things had passed, it would have been "Well I can't do it now because Meghann's wedding is soon" then "Well I can't do it now because my birthday is coming up" and then "Well not now because I'm leaving for Italy". I'm glad that I chose to just do it, with the help of my roommate. She has also decided to not drink while I'm on this cleanse.

The only issues I'm having so far are that I don't think I'm completely grasping this. I am eating only the things allowed, but I think I might be eating too much, as in all day long. Maybe that was just yesterday, because today has been OK. I had breakfast (2 pieces of gluten free bread with avocado on them and half of a mango) and that has held me over pretty well. I'm just now starting to get hungry, so I think I'll have a snack before the BBQ and then have my veggie burger. My biggest problem is my nighttime eating. Whenever I'm watching t.v. after work (usually 10pm or later) I get a little hungry and I start eating whatever is in the kitchen. I don't need to be eating, I could just go to bed and wait until the next morning, but usually I can't stop myself. It was the same last night, only everything I was eating followed the strict diet of the cleanse. Anyone have any advice as to how to avoid this nighttime eating? And don't suggest giving me a time to not eat after, because I've tried that and it just doesn't work with my schedule. Work puts me on strange eating habits.

Alright, that's all for now! I'm going to go have some falafel and hummus. Ciao!

Day 1

I made it one day. Actually I've made it 23 hours and 49 minutes. Yes, I was tempted by EVERYTHING IN MY KITCHEN. Yes, I was tempted by all of the crackers and chips I normally munch on at work. But, I hope that this will help me stop that bad habit I was starting. So far, I feel fine. I mean, it's only been one day, so I didn't really think I would see/feel too much difference. I am exhausted, so I will be going to bed now. Buona notte!

21 days left

I've decided to do a 21 day cleanse. My favorite blogger is doing this, and it made me feel like I should do it. I've been pretty good recently: eating fairly healthily, exercising fairly regularly and eating ice cream way too regularly. Also, I've been drinking more than enough. Last summer I went 2 months without drinking thanks to a medication I was on. I figure that 21 days will not be too hard, except for the fact that this time I'm giving up other things in addition to alcohol. Sugar, caffeine, gluten and animal products are also on the list. Even typing the list makes me doubt my decision. Am I crazy?! But, then I think about it, and remember that it is only 21 days, and it will probably make me feel awesome. So, I'm copying Heather and writing it down so that everyone who reads this (i.e. Jonathon, Stacie and Diana) can help encourage me or remind me that I'm supposed to be doing this. Also, if you see me out and about, don't offer me a drink! I might just take it.

Alarm clock

This morning I awoke from my slumber to an extremely annoying noise. I sleep with my window open, and everything that happens on the walkway between my building and the building across from my window is amplified thanks to the echo. Well, our neighbors are getting their A/C fixed and one of the guys working on it has to clear his throat every five minutes or so. The horrible thing about this is the way he clears his throat. Instead of the typical "ahem", this guy has a piercing half-clearing/half-screaming noise that he makes. I don't understand how the screaming helps his throat. It seems like it would make it light years worse. Either way, it was a horrible thing to wake up to. And it's still going on.

Kraft

Macaroni and cheese crackers seems like the weirdest idea ever.

TV shows

I like a lot of shows on tv. The usual suspects include Boston Legal, Dexter, Weeds and 24. Some new favorite shows that I have, really intrigue me. One is How It's Made, which takes every possible thing you could think of and shows you how it's made (duh). One of my favorite episodes is the one that shows how records are made. Another show that I've recently gotten into is Ice Road Truckers. It's insane. Basically, truckers have a short period of time to drive across some road in Canada. This "road" is actually just a river that has frozen enough to support the weight of their semis and whatever they're carrying. Not only do they drive up this frozen river, their trips can include crossing ice covered seas. Apparently this season, the ice road is longer and thinner than wherever last season's "Ice Road Truckers" took place.

Part of why I love this show is because they scare the hell out of you by saying things like, "This truck is carrying the heaviest load by far and will be testing the strength of the road" and "If this happens,the truck will then plummet straight into the ocean below." (Oh yeah, and if they do end up in the water, they have less than a minute before they freeze to death.) And of course, the things that the trucks are carrying are vital to, oh I don't know, THE ENTIRE WORLD.

Every little thing has to be considered when it comes to the ice: how much the truck weighs, how fast the truck is going (vibrations from the waves caused by driving to fast can cause cracks in the ice), how slow the truck is going, cracks in the ice, the fresh water from the river mixing with the salt water from the sea, etc. Every once in awhile they casually mention the temperature, and it's usually -40 or so. Did I mention that this is also a race against time? Yeah, they try to get as many loads across the ice road before the ice melts and the road disappears. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow.

Update: No Walk of Shame

Awhile ago, I wrote a blog about a walk of shame, even though I had done nothing to be shameful about. A friend (Ross) responded to my post in an email, and I liked it so much I decided to write another blog sharing his response. You should read all of the comments on that blog to get other people's bits of advice.

Anyway, a few days ago, almost a year to the date of my original post, Ross wrote me an email sharing a video with me. Apparently he thought of me when he saw this commercial. I can't imagine why. I wanted to share it with all of you. It's worth the watch. Enjoy!

Macchiato and lingerie

Monday afternoon Mom and I met to do a little bridal shower shopping for my friend Meghann, whose shower is this Saturday. I had been up pretty late the night before and was kind of dragging. (Un?)luckily, we were in an area of southern OP with lots of shopping and restaurants and therefore a Barnes and Noble which houses a Starbucks. Gross, I know, but it is caffeine, and that's what I desperately needed. I'm going to describe for you my conversation with the "barista" who was working. I don't think I even need to describe how much this frustrated me. I'm sure it will be obvious just by my responses to her.

Jennifer: Hello. My mom would like a nonfat latte, and I would like a macchiato.

Barista: OK. A nonfat latte and a caramel macchiato.

J: No. A latte and a regular macchiato. Just a double shot with some milk.

B: Do you want to try our espresso on ice?

J: Can you describe that for me?

B: It is a double shot, shaken over ice with a shot of milk.

J: That sounds pretty good.

(Barista grabs a 12 oz. cup)

J: Uh, what's that for?

B: That's for the espresso on ice.

J: But why is it such a big cup?

B: Because it's a double shot plus milk.

J: So, it's basically an iced latte?

B: No. It's shaken on ice first.

J: OK. (pause) No. (pause) That's not what I want. I just want something that comes in a small cup. A double shot with a little bit of milk on top. That's it.

B: (Barista grabs the 12 oz. cup again) So you want this with milk on top?

J: (at this point, I'm having to pause and take many deep breathes) No. Do you have any cups smaller than that? Do you have a cup just for espresso?

B: Yes, we have this. (pulls out an espresso cup.)

J: Perfect! I want that cup. I want a double shot in there, with a little bit of milk on top.

B: But is that big enough?

J: Yes. I don't want anything bigger than that.


When I go to pay, I try to use the Starbucks gift card that I was given at Christmas. I thought, perfect! I can finally use this card! I pull it out to give it to her and she says, "We don't take those cards. We're not really Starbucks, we're Barnes and Noble and we use Starbucks coffee." I started pointing to the Starbucks logo on the cup, but decided not to argue and just paid so I could get the hell out of there.

By the way, this entire conversation took so long that my mom was able to walk across the entire Barnes and Noble, go to the bathroom, walk back, and I was just then starting to pay for the drinks which took me so long to order. When mom came up to me, she asked if I wanted to sit down and enjoy the coffee, but I looked at her, said, "No. I need to get out of here." She responded with, "Oh no. What happened and what did you say?" She knows me so well. Though, I would like to point out that I was polite the entire time. Mainly just astonished that I was having such a conversation.

Cut to the next store we were in: Victoria's Secret.

I'm dragging mom around the store trying to find something for the bachelorette party. As I'm trying to explain to my mom what this present was for, a saleswoman, better yet, a salesgirl comes up to us. I'm holding what I've chosen already, am in the middle of telling mom what lingerie is for, when this girl comes up and (interrupting me) says, "Are you looking for a strapless bra?"

I was a bit confused, thinking that maybe she was talking to whomever might be on the other end of her headphone, so I said, "Are you talking to me?"

She said, "Yes."

I said, "No. I'm not. This is what I want." (holding up the piece I'd found.)

She said, "OK. Well, if you want any strapless bras they're over here, and if you want we also have these pieces over here."

Me: "Thanks, but we've already looked around and this is what I want."

I really don't like being mean, so I'm just going to be honest here. This girl was an idiot. There is no better word to describe her. I left feeling completely astonished with how stupid she seemed. I really don't think any amount of schooling would help her. She is just screwed, and I'm so thankful that I'm not her. At the end of these two experiences, I left feeling like I wasn't communicating very well, and that maybe my English was failing me. Later on that night, I went downtown where my desire for a vodka soda was immediately understood. I now think it's just southern OP that is the cause of my difficulties. That's fine with me, I don't really like it down there anyway.

Language barrier.

Every time I hang out with Stacie and Enrico (he's Italian), I am constantly stuck translating for the two of them. Not Italian to English or English to Italian, as you might think; but Stacie's English to Enrico's English and vice versus. Most of the time Enrico misinterprets something Stacie has said. When he looks confused, she repeats it in the exact same way, usually with him still not understanding what she has said. After a few rounds of this, I step in and say the same word or sentence and almost inevitably he goes, "Ahhhhh... squirrel (or whatever I repeated for Stacie)."

As I said before, the miscommunication usually comes from Enrico not understanding Stacie. Well, last night, Stacie did not understand Enrico and it was one of the funniest exchanges I've heard between them. Enrico was talking about some Italian composers/singers and at one point he said, "Giovanelli" (referring to an Italian composer from the 16th century) (and yes, I had to look that up).

Stacie looks confused for a second and said, questioningly, "Juggernaut?" And this is what I pictured. Priceless.

At the gym

Today, while at the gym, I saw something very, well, gross. I'm going to do my best to describe it for you. You're welcome.

So, after finishing my cardio on the elliptical, I went over to the mats for some ab workout. The way the mats are set up is like this: a mat on the left, walkway in the center leading to the bathroom, and two mats on the right. So if you're working out on one mat, you are directly across from the other mats. Today, I sat down and across from me were two girls. They decided to start their sit-up routine right when I sat down to do a little stretching. I watch as they both lay down, and lift their legs straight up in the air. Neither are that skinny, but one weighs a little more than the other. Both are wearing shorts made for 8 year olds. The bigger one, the one on the left, has obviously been fake baking. Something that was made even more apparent the second she lifted her legs. With her legs straight up I see, close to the bottom of her butt, white marks that are not exposed to the UV rays due to her butt creating a fold in her skin. Since it is very hard to explain, I drew you a picture.



Needless to say, it was not attractive. And with that, I leave you. Sweet dreams of weird fake-bake tan lines!

Summer's here

It was brought to my attention the other night, by one Mr. Hargrave, that I am very bad at updating this blog. My apologies. To say that the last few weeks/months have been busy/emotional would be a bit of an understatement.

I'm not going to talk about my future plans yet, mainly because I STILL DON'T KNOW. I don't know anything. I do know that it is completely out of my hands now. I did absolutely everything they asked of me. This includes the MBA application (including the GMAT) and MBA essays, one interview for the job I've applied for, one interview for the program, and 8 essay questions for the job. Probably more, but I can't remember right now and that's where I'm leaving it. Please, if you see me, don't ask me about Italy. I'm getting extremely frustrated with not having an answer, and I am reminded of it every single time someone asks me if I've heard yet. Thank you, in advance, for refraining to ask. I promise you all, I will be shouting it from the rooftops when I do here. Even if I'm not going. I will tell everyone just so I can avoid ever hearing the question "Have you heard yet?" again.

What else? I have a new job, which I love so far. The people are cool, the food is awesome and half priced! How can you go wrong? School is over, I did pretty well in both of my classes. I'm proud of myself. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed both accounting and business law. It made me feel smart again. I guess I enjoy learning. So far summer in Lawrence has been fun. The past couple days have reminded me what hot summers in Lawrence are like. And it hasn't even been that hot! Maybe all of the eating I've been doing will be counteracted by the sweating I'm going to be doing very soon. Fingers crossed!

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of Caleb's death. I haven't thought about it too much yet, but I'm wondering what's going to happen when I stop distracting myself. I still think about him every single day. Seriously, not one day goes by when I don't think about him. I miss him and can't believe it's been two years.

Sorry to end on a somber note, but I don't really have anything else to say right now. Actually, I thought about something the other day to write about, but I can't remember it right now so I'll have to just keep you in suspense. I'm pretty sure I'll remember it because it was on my mind for a few days straight. Anyway, hope everyone had a great Memorial Day! I promise I'll be better about updating this during the summer. Now if only we can get Diana to start updating hers again! I'm so evil.

Question

Is it bad that I keep almost washing off my apples with 409 instead of Veggie Wash?

My asbsentmindedness

I'm frequently absentminded. Almost every single day I get to my car, or outside of my apartment building and remember something I've forgotten. Usually it happens before I've gotten too far from home. Yesterday, though, was a different story.

I woke up, prepared some cereal and realized we were extremely low on milk. I enjoyed my cereal, and then got ready to go workout. Oftentimes I read my homework while elliptical-ing. I got my notebook ready, put it next to my keys, my towel, and my water-bottle. Then I changed into my workout clothes. After changing, I came back into the living room, moved my notebook so I could grab my keys, towel and water-bottle. Then I left. The first sign that this was going to be an absentminded day was when I turned out of my parking lot. Instead of going towards the gym, I went the other way. And then I turned again, even more in the opposite direction. About a half mile later I realized that I was not at all going the right way. That's also when I realized I'd forgotten my notebook. So, I turned around, went home, grabbed my notebook, and started towards the gym (again). This time I went the right way. So I get to the gym, start working out, and 3 minutes into my workout the fire alarm goes off. Instead of hanging around to see how long it would take for us to get back in, I decided to go for a run. There is a trail kind of close to the rec center, so I drove my car to that, parked and went running.

While running I thought about things I needed to do, homework, groceries etc. I remembered that we needed milk, so I decided to go to Target after my run. I got to Target, was proud of myself for remembering the reusable bag I'd bought for grocery trips, and started wandering Target remembering other things I needed to get. Bread, turkey, broccoli, salad, bubble wrap etc. Then I checked out. About 45 seconds before I arrived home, I realized that I'd forgotten to get milk: the only reason I'd gone to Target in the first place.

Checking the weather

Is it bad that, after having already put my laptop away, I pulled it back out of my bag, opened it up, waited for firefox to load, went to weather.com, and found out what it was like outside when I could have (probably much quicker) just opened the balcony door and stepped outside?

Chipotle

I had some Chipotle a few days ago and thought it tasted funny. A little sweeter than normal. My theory was that the boric acid that Stacie and her mom put all over our apartment (we have creepy cockroaches) was somehow screwing with my taste buds to make the Chipotle taste weird. I told Stacie about it and that was it. Then today, I get home from studying and Stacie says to me that she had Chipotle for dinner and she, too, thought it tasted weird. She believes they put nutmeg in the beans. I'm going to start doing research. If anyone knows what the change in taste might be, let me know.

Starting the day off on the wrong foot.

I came out into the living room this morning to tell Stacie about my night, not noticing the outdoors. As I'm in the middle of the story, I stop because I finally look outside. And see that it is SNOWING. SCREW THIS.

Oh yeah, and last night at work I kept getting a foot cramp in front of my tables. This dropped me to the ground, grabbing my foot, in front of my tables. Grabbing foot + serving food = horrible customer service. Needless to say, I ended up going home early. I just kept picturing myself falling down the stairs, with a try full of hot plates, due to a foot cramp. Let's hope tonight is better.

Hot Sauce

Stacie introduced me to this amazing hot sauce when we moved in together. I was a die-hard Tabasco fan until this. It is amazing. I crave it, much like I used to crave Tabasco. I try to think of things to put it on. The latest thing is crackers. Crackers + hot sauce = yummy!

Anyway, today I went to Chipotle. After receiving Frank's Red Hot Chile Lime Sauce today from UPS (it was NOWHERE to be found in this city), I decided Chipotle would be perfect for it. I had to eat in the restaurant though, because I was on my way to work, so I decided to bring my hot sauce with me. I feel like I just aged 50 years by doing this. Although, if I was my grandma, I would steal everything Chipotle had to offer.

Seriously

Where are my stamps?!

A few things

1) I think I may have accidentally sent out my new sheet of stamps with my energy bill. Yes, I still pay my energy bill by check. Shut up.

2) If I'm hungover and want a bagel toasted well with cream cheese: TOAST IT WELL AND PUT ENOUGH CREAM CHEESE ON IT TO COVER THE SURFACE. Is it really that hard? Apparently so.

3) I'm so sick of Lawrence.

4) I can't wait to have a baby and spend all day feeding him/her different types of food just to see the reaction.

5) I hate being in limbo. There is one trait I recently read of Leos that says they hate change. Man, do I fit that to a T.

By the way...

Who's idea was it for girls to wear white-button-down-long-sleeved-shirt-with-ties? It is extremely unflattering. I loathe wearing this fucking tie.

More vodka.

Real Housewives...

Yes, I've been watching this show. It makes me feel better about myself. These women are IN. SANE. Insane in the membrane.

And yes, I'm drinking.

I'm ready to go crazy.

There are multiple reasons for this. The first is that today is the first day I might find out about my MBA program. (Haven't yet, by the way.)

The second is that I haven't gone shopping in a long, long, long, long, long time. I cannot emphasize this enough. I haven't been shopping due to a lack of a job for, oh, I don't know, TEN MONTHS. Now, if you talk to my parents, they will say, "Your job was studying for the GMAT, and you did that, and you did well! You shouldn't feel badly about that." Yeah, my response to that is: MY BOOKS DIDN'T PAY ME. Oh, and you know something else? I can't study in my apartment, or at my parent's house (where I lived while studying for the GMAT). I have to be in a public, not-quiet, place that has caffeine. This usually means a coffee shop. Seriously, I hate libraries. I need stuff to be going on around me. I have come to the realization that this is due to the open-classroom elementary school I attended. (It was built in the 70s, what can I say?) Anyway, my point is, the places I usually ended up were coffee shops. And coffee is not free. So, those many months whilst studying, I was charging coffee onto my credit card. Oh, and food and drinks, because seriously, I needed a break every other night. And those breaks usually included vodka. (Just realized that perhaps the contrast of caffeine and alcohol may have made my studying take so long.) Oh well.

Anyway, now I have a job. YAY! So far it's not that good. I'm a waitress, and I know that when you're new, you have to deal with the crappy shifts for awhile, but come on. If this lasts too much longer, I'll need a different job. Even though the shifts have been crappy, I've still been making more money than I did while not working. This means I have almost completely paid off my credit card. YAY! This is relieving for a few reasons. 1) Mom and Dad won't be disappointed in me for actually having a balance on my credit card. 2) My mom's mom was Jewish, which means I'm technically Jewish. Because of this, I become extremely anxious whenever I have a balance on my credit card. I HATE not being able to pay it all off at the end of the month. Interest is stupid and I hate myself for having had to pay it. Anyway, I'm almost balance-free, and once I am, look out. Mama's goin' shoppin' with some of her hard-earned-interest-free-cash.

John Legend

I have a gigantic crush on John Legend. Stacie sent me this link the other day, and I cannot stop watching this. I really love two things about it: 1) the black jeans Stephen Colbert is wearing and 2) the look that John gives Stephen at the end when saying "Don't wast your time". He really looks pissed. It is hilarious.

I need one.

And so does Stacie. Why didn't I think of this?! Amazing.

Cadillac commercials

Cadillac, I love you. Would you like to know why? Because you use awesome music in your commercials. First, you used Hum. I love Hum. The song you chose is an amazing one. Then, as I recently found out, you decided to use Justice. Good for you, Cadillac. If I had money, I might actually use the music you have in your commercials to help sway my opinion as to which car to buy. That's awesome. And so are your commercials.

Ice.

I'm sick. And I'm sick of this F-ing weather. I was so happy the other night because I looked around and didn't see any snow. The next day, after waking up and walking into the living room, I greeted Stacie with "What the hell?!" (having seen the freshly fallen snow. It made me angry. On top of that, the temperatures keep going from warm, to cold enough for there to be snow, to a little warmer so it starts melting, to really cold so that the snow that started to melt instantly turns to ice. For the past 5 weeks, I've been walking to school (or should I say skating) constantly having to navigate ice. This is a picture taken with my phone of ice. Basically our entire parking lot is covered in ice. Several inches thick of ice.



SCREW THIS WEATHER. There really is no reason for me to be living in weather like this for the rest of my life. I believe I may have to move to a warmer climate.

OK. That's all.

I remember now.

Do you know how (in my last post) I said I thought there was something I wanted to say? Well, the instant I signed off and left the apartment I remembered. Do you want to know how I remembered? Well, I got in my car, turned it on, and listened to the radio. On the radio was a certain band called Radiohead. Don't know if you've heard of them. Anyway, the second I heard the song, I remembered that that was what I had forgotten to write about. So here it is:

Radiohead is coming to St. Louis! I believe that is the closest show to KC. Anyway, they play on May 14th. From KC, it is about a 4 hour drive. I was extremely excited when I found out, because that is actually a pretty close show, considered to where I've driven before for Radiohead. Yay! So all was well in my world. And then I thought, "Hey! I should make sure that I don't have any finals, because the show is during finals week." I have only one (1) final because my other class does not have a final. This final is from 7:30 -10:00pm. I imagine that you've already figured out what I am going to say. Yes. You're right. My one and only final is the exact night of the only Radiohead concert remotely close to where I live. I'm so upset about it that I haven't even let myself think too much about it yet. The end.

My 100th post!

Yay for me! This is my 100th post. (Not counting all the posts I wrote while on diaryland.com.) Anyway, I think I may throw a party in celebration for myself tonight with a bottle of vodka and a boy named Kenn. Or maybe I'll do homework.

OK, the other night, around 2 30am, I was getting into the shower and found the 2nd cockroach I've found in this apartment. The first was found during the initial cleaning of the apartment before Stacie and I moved in. It was in one of the kitchen drawers and was stuck on its back. (Sucka! That's what you get for being gross.) Anyway, I vacuumed it up, and hoped that I would not see anymore.

You need some background. I've lived basically my entire life surrounded by recluses. For some reason, this doesn't bother me at all. I've woken up with them crawling on me, I've taken baths with them, and I've drank from the same glass (i.e., it was dead in the glass that I was drinking out of). Whenever I find one, I put a cup over it, slide a piece of paper under it, and take it outside. I never kill them, because I believe that I shouldn't. Well, this theory apparently does not apply to cockroaches or house centipedes. Only a small part of me felt bad the other night, when I pulled out the vacuum cleaner once again to suck up that gross (GIGANTIC) cockroach that was in my shower. I don't know why I'm not bothered by something that can poison me, but I am bothered by harmless bugs. EWWW.

I thought there was something else I was going to say, but Stacie and I had a long conversation while I was in the middle of this, and I have since forgot. Happy weekend!!!

Heavy sleeper

Many of you have probably heard about how heavy a sleeper I am. I was also quite aware of it, but had thought having a puppy a few years ago ruined my ability to sleep through anything. Well, last night, that opinion changed.

I went to bed around 1:00 am, thinking I was going to wake up around 8:30ish for school. Instead of waking up to my alarm, I woke up to two sets of knocking. One sounded far away, like on the front door to the apartment, and another sounded closer, like on the door to my room. I'm a little delirious, but I realize that it is all kind of bizarre. I think I rolled over and fell back asleep though. Then I heard more knocking, and I heard Stacie say, "Jennifer. Wake up. It's an emergency." I freaked out. At this point, I thought she was somehow talking through the wall that separates our rooms, trying to warn me that someone was in the hall. I bolted out of bed, threw some clothes on (thinking to myself I need to sleep in more than what I normally do so I can be prepared for things like this), and realized that she was outside my bedroom door. I opened the door, and she says, "Someone has been knocking at our front door for a long time, and I can't tell who it is because he's sitting on the ground. Could it be Kenn?" The second she said that, I thought maybe I should check my phone. Look at my phone and there are about 12 missed calls. Mostly from Kenn, some from Stacie.

At this point you have all stopped panicking and probably have realized it was Kenn. I take my phone and call him as I'm looking out the peep hole. I hear his ring outside, and open the door. Little did he know he was going to be welcomed by two girls who were completely freaked out, one who was wearing curlers (me). So, after he comes inside, and Stacie tells him she had thought about calling the police, he asks why I didn't answer my phone. I said that I turn it to silent when I go to bed. Then he says he had been knocking for probably two hours or so. I tell him that both Stacie (who happens to be half deaf in one ear) and I are heavy sleepers. He has decided never to do that again.

The story is not over though.

After we all calm down, Stacie says something about a fire alarm. She says that a fire alarm was going off for an hour. At first I thought she said it was in a neighboring building, then I realize she said it was in our hallway (of the building, not of our apartment).

Moral of the story: I can sleep through anything. Last night there was some type of noise going on for at least 3 hours straight, and I slept straight through it. Luckily for me and Kenn, Stacie heard it. (I doubt she would have heard the knocking, had she not already been awaken by the fire alarm, by the way.)

Hopefully, I'll be living with someone if ever a fire alarm goes off and I really do need to wake up and escape.

Blah.

I just checked the 10 day weather forecast, and it says we're going to have snow showers 7 out of the next 10 days. Sad. And yesterday it was 70! This does not make me happy.

And this is why I read the Wall Street Journal

The article I read today, "New Dealer, Same Deal" by Rob Cox made me crack up at one point. About a little more than half way through the article he says, "When things really hit the fan in the markets, chillax."

Chillax.


Awesome.

Random things

1) I checked the temperature before walking to school on Thursday of last week and it said it was -4. As a visual for how cold it was, here is a picture of my car door tied shut. It was so cold that the latch was frozen open on my door, keeping it from closing.



2) Overheard on campus: (sorority girl to another) "He said the only thing he hadn't done in a sorority was throw up."

3) Stacie's response to a commercial showing children trying to make orange juice with fresh (un-cut) oranges and a manual juicer: "Are these kids idiots? You have to fucking cut it in half first."

iPod

Well, I'm having some issues with my shuffle that I've only had for a few months. A week after I got it, I tried connecting it to switch out some of the songs I had on there, and it just stopped syncing altogether. I went to the Genius Bar, and they told me to do things I had already done. I decided to let it just sit for awhile and not be bothered, which seems to have worked. For the most part. Now it syncs, but not the newer songs that I've imported within, oh 3 or 4 months. Anyway, a friend told me to check out the forums on Apple.com and while doing so tonight, I found this one:

"Went swimming with iPod Shuffle in pocket
Posted: Jan 6, 2008 12:30 PM

Appeared to be history. Let it dry for 4 days. Initiated charge; light came on. After an hour on the charger it was the moment of truth. Green light and works like new. Wish I could same for past experience with cell phone."

I <3 Apple.

Maybe I should start going to church

One of my favorite blogs is dooce.com. Today, I had my eyes opened to the wonderful world of church. You must check this out. It is worth it, I promise.

She's smiling, can't you see?

Well, thanks to all this wonderful, warm, 60+ degree weather we've been having, I was able to wash my car today! She (yes I call her "she") is so happy and sparkling. If you look closely*, you can see a pile of gross snow in the background that has yet to melt. Unfortunately, I believe it is supposed to snow tonight, so my clean car won't last that long. That's OK though, because for now, she's happy. And pretty.

* This picture was taken with my phone, thus the not-so-great quality.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Stacie and I just burst out laughing while watching the news because of this. Too bad my ribs are killing me from all the coughing I've been doing...

And in case you're confused, we were laughing at the one, named Kumari, on the left.

Larryville

Well, Stacie and I have gone back in time. We have decided to move to Lawrence together for the next 8 months. She needs to take some pre-reqs for her Masters in Nutrition, and I decided to take some business courses to prepare myself for the MBA program that I am currently applying for. And when I say currently, I mean as I type this, I actually have my word application open with one of the four essays I have to write. Yippee. Who's jealous? Didn't think so.

Hmm, so update:

-Met a boy and really like him. (Of course this happens as I plan my move to Italy, right?) Grandma Glory is also very happy. I talked to her today and she said she's glad I finally have a boyfriend again. And I said, "Grandma Glory, he's not my boyfriend, we're just dating." And she said, "Dating means he's your boyfriend." We went through this a few more times and then I gave up.

-Went to Daytona with my parents, the Jones's and Lee. Got to drive a fast car. Got to watch lots of fast cars being driven.


-My friend Peter came to visit for a week. Always fun hanging out with him. Had a great night of dancing one night.

-Went to DC to help Stacie pack her belongings and move back to KS. Packed the truck. On our drive west, we stopped for a night at my aunt and uncle's new place in Columbus. Very convenient, very well decorated, very yummy food, very fun bunnies to play with! Thanks again, guys! Also, Stacie pointed out some similarities between mom and Aunt Laine that I hadn't noticed before. I have a feeling I will one day be doing the same things Stacie pointed out.

-Stacie's truck arrived. Unpacked it one day. The next day, I got many of my things that are in storage. Loaded a rented truck for said things, drove to Lawrence, unloaded truck. I think my body is still recovering from all of the moving I've done this month.

-Managed to throw a couple parties and go to a lot of bars in between all of these activities.



I actually feel like things are kind of starting to calm down. But, I desperatly need a job. And I need to sign up for classes. And finish my application. And... And... And...

Like You Stole It?

My updates have been lame recently. My apologies.

For some entertainment, check out this pair of underwear I found while in Florida last weekend. Any ideas what exactly the quote means?

Kiwi

Jonathon sent me this link. I almost started crying. It is extremely bittersweet.

Thanks Roxie!

While preparing to study today, Roxie sent me a gmat chat message that had this link. And all she said was, "you must go to this, I promise you will enjoy".

So I did, and started laughing like a lunatic. Seriously, the people in this coffee shop probably think I'm crazy and belong in a psych ward because of how hard I was laughing. And I haven't even gone through the whole page yet. I decided I had to instantly share this wonderful site. Enjoy! Be prepared to look like a lunatic.




Have you bought In Rainbows yet? If you haven't, you're not my friend anymore.

I don't want to be your friend...

...I just want to be your lover.

This is a lyric from Radiohead's 8th song, House of Cards, on In Rainbows. I feel like I should write a proper blog about this cd since last night I was a bit delirious when I posted.

Ok, so I bought the discbox about a week ago. And had been waiting patiently for my email from w.a.s.t.e which was to give me the code or whatever it was I needed to get the newest album. I was with a friend last night who, when he found out I was waiting for said email, insisted we find wireless internet so we could access the new music. We ended up at Latte Land.

So there we were, sitting in my car, outside Latte Land at about 2 in the morning. I was hoping that the now-failing battery on my laptop would last, and that there wouldn't be any problems with the download. Amazingly so, everything went perfectly. In fact, when the little thing that popped up on my screen, right before the last song started, that said, "Your batter is low and will go into sleep mode to preserve battery", I kept saying to myself, "Please last 4 minutes and 40 seconds. Please last 4 minutes and 40 seconds." It did. I heart my laptop.

The second the first song came on, my jaw dropped. This was what I have been waiting for. This album is awesome. Absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for it to be any better than what it is. And with every song after, I felt the exact same way. The last song is a perfect ending to an album. I believe I teared up a little bit. (Don't tell...)

What I'm trying to say is, Radiohead is the best band in the entire world. Go buy their download. And don't be skimpy with how much you pay.

In Rainbows

In Rainbows is the newest Radiohead album. I'm just starting my second listen through of it. It is amazing. Buy it now.

I Heart Radiohead.

First of all, if you haven't heard, Radiohead have decided to release a new album without a label. They are awesome. You get to choose how much, or how little, you want to pay for the downloads. I have already bought the discbox, of course.

Secondly, while reading Sunday's comics, I ran across this comic. Good ole Get Fuzzy. Enjoy! Check out the guy's shirt*. Radiohead love is everywhere.



*After adding the comic, I see how small it is. The shirt has a picture of one of Stanley Donwood's bears he created for Radiohead.

Hello

This is an exchange that Stacie and I had today, which I thought was really (realy?) funny. I hope you all enjoy it. (I had asked if she listened to LCD Soundsystem much.)


Stacie: not realy
realy
really
why do i hvae so much trouble
typing really?
realy
realy
i swear i'm hitting the l twice
realy
me: hahahahahahaha
Stacie: really
really
me: this is reallllllly funny to watch
Stacie: realy
me: really
Stacie: i think my keyboard is messed up
me: that word is starting to look really weird
Stacie: i refuse to blame myself.
me: is there really an "a" in really?
the more i stare at it, the weirder it looks
Stacie: don't you hate it when that happens?
there is really
an a
in really
I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want
yo tell me what you want
what you really really want
i wanna
i wanna
i wanna
i wanna
me: now tell me what you want what you really really want
Stacie: i really really realy wanna zig a zag ahh
me: if you wanna be my lovah
Stacie: you've got to get with my friends
(which makes no sense)
silly brits
me: i don't know anymore to that song



The End.

Amazing

Best video ever. Especially if you like Daft Punk as much as I do.

Martha and Usher

Does anyone else think it's weird that Martha Stewart and Usher are in a commercial together?

Ahhh old people

Yesterday, my mom asked me to bring some fruit (a musk melon (blech) and some grapes) over to our neighbor's house. Our neighbors are Joe (92) and Martha (85). When I knocked on the door, Martha answered with yellow stuff all over her fingers. I didn't question, just followed her to the kitchen where Joe was sitting. Apparently they were fixing a broom. Now, for those of you who don't know, Joe recently, last week, had a stroke. On top of that, he can barely see, and can only recently hear because of a fancy hearing aid he just got. I kept forgetting that he could hear me now, and continued my yelling at him. "LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB WITH THAT BROOM!" Stuff like that.

Anyway, watching them work on this broom was awesome. Joe was sitting. Martha was standing. Joe was holding the broom, but Martha would basically set him up with everything. She put the screw in the hole, lined the screwdriver up into the screw, and then let Joe start his attempt at screwing in the screw. Every so often, the screwdriver would slip out of the screw, and Martha would have to put it back. About every 5 seconds Joe would ask, "Is it working?". Martha would respond with "Yes, it is. Slowly." Seriously, they said those exact sentences 15 times.

The entire time I had to keep myself from laughing, because I kept thinking about what I would do if I had a broken broom. I would throw the old one away and go buy a new one. I think most people under the age of 80 would do that. It's kind of sad, I guess, but true.

Oh yeah, in case you're wondering: the yellow stuff on Martha's fingers was carpenter's glue that they had used to glue the broom head back into the thingy, so that it could then be screwed in place.