Wandering Aimlessly

I had a white chocolate mocha last night at about 7:30. Who knew that kind of caffeine could STILL be having an effect on you EIGHT HOURS LATER? I think I finally fell asleep sometime between 3:30 and 4:00. Not a happy Kate. I had to get up at 7:30 this morning. Well, stayed in bed until 8, but still. Grr.

The cat and I had some quality time, though. You know, when we (both Speckles and I) were younger, he used to sleep by my feet. Not on them, just by them. I suppose I didn't take up as much bed then as I do now, either. He's gotten a lot friendlier in the last few years, though, and now, if I'm laying on my side, he comes and snuggles right up against me and purs. If I'm on my stomach or my back, he comes and lays on me. Lol. Silly kitty. If he tries to share my pillow, though, he's history. No cat by my head. So anyway, in the two hours I laid awake last night, he and I bonded. =)

Yesterday, my parents and I saw The Emperor's Club. Good movie. I'd highly recommend it. It's got that Dead Poet's Society feel to it WITHOUT being a rip-off of that movie. It's quite good. And I like Kevin Klein a lot. Go see, go see.

Today, we got our tree and decorated it. We usually go up to Wisconsin and cut one down ourselves, but this year we were on a bit of a time crunch, so we just went to the Jaycees lot and picked one out. The people there were so funny... we were the only ones buying a tree, so they were all EXTREMELY helpful, and a few of them had antlers on. *giggle* Very cute. One lady had the kind of antlers the dog wore in the Grinch... one antler and doggie ears. heehee. I told her it was cute. My grandparents also came out, and my grandpa taught me how to make his famous Rainbow Cake. I think we're celebrating my mom's birthday tonight. Better get out and get the rest of her present... eeep! I've had NO TIME.

Posted by kate at 04:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And a very happy birthday to mi padre. *g*

We had Thanksgiving here, so all morning was cook, cook, cook. I was in charge of the green bean casserole and the mashed potatoes, Jess did the dip and the salad, Mom did the turkey and the stuffing and the Hawaiian salad, and Grandma brought the sweet potatoes and pie. We had both sets of grandparents, my uncle, my aunt and uncle, and my cousin. My cousin was actually really cool to hang around with. He's a junior in high school now, so we got to have a real conversation. He kept asking about college. Fun to share my experiences. heehee.

I watched the Macy's parade... I was SO SAD they didn't show Joey and the cast of Rent. =( I SWEAR I heard they were performing, and Jess said that on CBS, they had mentioned it, but CBS was showing the parade real-time and NBC was on a taped delay, so since I woke up and missed the first part of the CBS parade, I thought it would be the same on NBC so I watched that. Grrr. Ah well.

Tomorrow is my interview downtown. EEEP! I forgot to copy my transcripts, so I either have to go to my mom's school tomorrow or run to Kinkos before I head downtown. I'm a bit scared of the interview. Ahhhh!!! This is pretty much my last chance at having a job for when I graduate. And they're looking for business majors, so I'm not even sure why they're interviewing me, but yikes. Scary. Plus, I have to do a writing sample AT the interview. PRESSURE!

Anyway. That's about all that's goin' on in my life at the moment.

Posted by kate at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You know, twenty felt really old. Older than 21. At 20, you're not a teenager anymore. That's pretty big. By the year 2000, I was going to be married, have a job, a house, three kids and a cat. At the time, I didn't realize that at 20, I'd still be very much a college student, and very much too young for all of that. But 20 still felt old.

Twenty-one was like being a kid again. It's the last "cool" age to be, the last one you really look forward to. You have the chance to be the cooky college kid you always saw in the movies. You get to feel all grown-up when you order wine with dinner, but the waitress calls you "honey" when she asks for your ID.

Twenty-two, though, that's old. That's a real adult. At 22, you're graduating from college. You're getting a "real" job and starting your adult life. You're very much not a kid anymore. You have responsbilities and have to make life-altering decisions. You're a grown-up. I'm not sure I'm ready for that! I have no more birthdays to look forward to. I mean, at 25 I can rent a car. And then there are the milestones, which no one's particularly excited for.

This morning, I woke up early, and found "Happy Birthday" napkins taped EVERYWHERE. The mirror, the computer, the walls, everywhere. My grandparents came out because they'd forgotten to send my card, and they said I HAD to have it today. They also brought out three kinds of cookies: two chocolate chip (some turned out too flat for Grandma's taste, so she had to try again), and sugar cookies with the frosting separate as to leave the "happy birthday" imprinted on them visible.

Then I went to lunch with Tammy in Evanston. We have fond memories of singing in Northwestern University's Solo and Ensemble competition in high school. We wandered around a bit (cute town) and ate at a Mediterranean restaurant. It was yummy. Before we left, she had a bowl of ice cream with two and two candles in it. Heehee. So fun!!

Tonight, my family went out to celebrate The Birthdays. Three-fourths of us have birthdays within six days. Not counting the extended family and friends... I know about a dozen people with birthdays in this two-week span. We had steak and I got my wine and I was NOT carded, and that made me feel OLD. We came back and had ice cream cake. Yummmm.

And a post like this wouldn't be complete without mentioning again that I have the GREATEST friends. Seriously, I love all of you. All of the birthday wishes really made my day. And fitting, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving... the things I'm the most thankful for are the people in my life. You really make it all worthwhile. ::HUGS::

Posted by kate at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was really productive today. I got up early to work on stuff (and had to kick my poor kitty off my bed... I love my kitty, and he is being so friendly lately! But in order to get up, he had to go). I had an orthodontist appointment, and then a hair appointment (too short, but got highlights I like). THEN I got mt oil changed (MUCH needed), and tried to shovel the driveway, but could NOT find the shovels. So I swept the step with a broom so my parents could get into the house without walking in the snow, and left the rest for dad to snowblow.

Tonight we got Heng Wing for dinner. YUM. My FAVORITE. Then Mom and I went to see Fiddler on the Roof at one of the elementary schools. It was really cool. They were excellent. There were adults and children and teenagers and everyone in it, even though it was done by the elementary school. They wanted older people to be mentors to the little ones, etc. Very cool show.

And that was pretty much my day. Tomorrow I get up early because my grandparents are coming for breakfast, and then Tammy and I are going out to lunch in Evanston. Then dinner with the fam. I'm going to be eating ALL DAY. Ha.

Posted by kate at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I left school four days ago. I am FINALLY home. From Michigan I went straight to my grandma's. We put up her Christmas tree, decorated the whole house for Christmas. My cousins were down from Wisconsin, so it was really good to see them. Today, we went downtown to eat breakfast under the giant tree in the Walnut Room in Marshall Fields. I love doing that. We used to do it every year, and I think I've had to miss it since I started college. I might have made it one year. We saw the windows (Paddington Bear this year) and stopped at the huge Old Navy. Then home.

Not much more to report. It SNOWED. Pretty. Supposed to snow some more in the next few days. Yippee!! Cold without snow is just plain pointless. I do hope it warms up, though, because it was FREEZING today. Like, painfully cold this morning. The thermometer said 12 degrees, which may or may not have been truthful, but it was DARN cold.

Came home to walls missing in our house. This is not an unusual occurance, but it's been a while since it's happened. My dad has been working on this addition since.... well, he drew up the plans when I was in eighth grade. It was a year or two before ground was broken, but it's been probably six or seven years since things really started to get underway. Anyway, aside from "finishing touch" type things, the only major thing left was the entryway. From inside the house, it looked finished; from outside the house it looked finished, but we had two front doors. Anyway, the inside front door is finally gone, and the entryway is open to the rest of the house. Drywall still needs to be put up, but it's gonna look nice! Whee! Exciting.

Posted by kate at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fun little survey. Does driving through count?

Alabama: no
Alaska: no
Arizona: no
Arkansas: no
California: yes. Twice; once over Christmas 1997 to LA and San Diego with my family, once in January 2000 to visit a friend in Santa Monica and another in Bakersfield
Colorado: yes, took a vacation to Estes Park. And I have a cousin who lives there.
Connecticut: no
Delaware: yes. My godmother lives there; we visited.
District of Columbia: yes. Twice. Once circa 1990 and once in 2001.
Florida: yes. Visited WDW and Ft. Lauderdale a few times, lived in Orlando in the spring of 2000 and this past summer, 2002.
Georgia: yes. Used to have cousins living there, which we visited, now C lives there and I've visited her a couple times and driven through on the way to Florida a few times.
Hawaii: no
Idaho: no
Illinois: yes. I've lived here for 22 years.
Indiana: yes. Living in Illinois, you drive through Indiana to get to a lot of places.
Iowa: yes. Visited whatever college is in Iowa City.
Kansas: yes. Have cousins living in Kansas City, whom we've visited a number of times.
Kentucky: yes. Drove through on the way to FL a couple times, stayed in Bowling Green on the way HOME from Florida a couple times, stayed somewhere in the east of the state on the way to Hilton Head.
Louisiana: no
Maine: no
Maryland: yes. Godfather lives outside of Washington DC. We've visited a few times.
Massachusetts: no
Minnesota: yes. Used to go to my cousin's cabin up at a lake there in the summers when I was real little.
Mississippi: no
Missouri: yes. Have cousins living in Kansas City, MO; have visited a few times.
Montana: no
Nebraska: no
Nevada: no
New Hampshire: no
New Jersey: yes. Had a layover at Newark airport Thanksgiving week 1993 on the way to Puerto Rico for our cruise.
New Mexico: no
New York: yes. Was there in 2001 to see my sister's choir sing at Carnegie Hall
North Carolina: yes. Drove through on the way to South Carolina.
North Dakota: no
Ohio: yes. Drove through.
Oklahoma: no
Oregon: no
Pennsylvania: no
Rhode Island: no
South Carolina: yes. Went on vacation to Hilton Head a couple times.
South Dakota: yes. On that trip to Colorado, we stopped in the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore, so we stopped in a lot of these states in the area.
Tennessee: yes. Drove through on the way to Florida and back a few times; I think we stayed in a hotel there on the way to Georgia when we were little.
Texas: no
Utah: no
Vermont: no
Virginia: yes. On that Washington, DC trip, we toured a lot of the area.
Washington: no
West Virginia: yes. Drove through.
Wisconsin: yes. Went to horse camp there when I was in sixth or seventh grade; have cousins living in Green Bay whom we have visited numerous times.
Wyoming: yes. I just remember the rest stop there.

Posted by kate at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm in Michigan visiting my sister. It was a looooong drive, through some not-so-pleasant weather, but I made it. Last night we went bowling! At an AMF Lanes!! And they had KARAOKE!!! Except Jess and her friends weren't old enough to get into the bar where the karaoke was. It brought back such fond memories, hearing people singing. Someone sang "Sweet Caroline," which, of course, reminded me of Carolyn, and two other girls were singing "I Love Rock and Roll," which reminded me of Britney, which reminded me of "Sometimes." Awwwww. MEMORIES!!!

I'm totally sick right now. It's awful. I have a cough and my nose is all stuffy and running and my throat HURTS. Ow. I took Nyquil last night and it totally knocked me out and made me have cracked-out dreams. Ha. First, I dreamt that I was sleeping, and this big fat guy got in bed with me and wanted to have sex, and he was trying to force me and I wouldn't let him, so I got up and ran away, and everyone was talking about me as "the girl who almost got raped."

Then (and this may have been a continuation of that dream), I hadn't showered and my hair was in a ponytail and not looking all that cute, and I was wearing this red and white dress that I had when I was a kid, only I was my age now and it fit me. And I had on green and grey striped socks. I was all mopey (perhaps from being almost raped?) and I went outside, and JC was there. Only he had looong hair. Like down past his shoulders. He was just sitting on a planter, so I went by and pouted, because I was in a pouty mood, and he didn't say anything, so I walked away and pouted somewhere else, and then came back and pouted some more, and he was like "What's wrong, Katie?" And I was so surprised he knew my name that I didn't even mind that he got it wrong and called me Katie. Ha ha. So we walked and chatted over to a food court, got some Taco Bell, and came back, just talked the whole way. And I kept thinking about how I hadn't taken a shower and my hair was gross. And that was that.

THEN I dreamt that I was maybe Hawaiian? Not sure. I had looooong dark hair and darker skin, and I was supposed to be getting married. We were doing this wedding dance where we were dressed up in bright colors and on stilts (told you I was cracked out on Nyquil), and just as I was going to the altar, I realized my older sister was not married yet, and I couldn't get married until she was. So I gathered all the single guys who were there and lined them up to try and find her a husband. And then it got REALLY, REALLY cold, and we were at the groom's house, and his parents had this pool. They got into the water because they said it warmed them up, so I got in, too, and ruined my wedding outfit. But they were right, it was warmer in the water.

And that was my night, folks. But Carolyn, I slept until almost noon!! Eastern time, so that's only 11 my time, but still. I was impressed. <.g>

Posted by kate at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Can I see your wrist band? Thank you. Can I see your wrist band? Thank you. Can I see your wrist band? Thank you. Can I--

Needed to have that recorded so I could just play it on repeat. I got to work the floor again! Woohoo!! Twice in two nights. *g* I was at the down aisle closest to the wristbanding station, though, so 95% of the people came by me. Whew. Everyone else on the floor was laughing and lounging and basically proving to me how EASY their positions were while I got EVERYONE. And people are very clever when they want onto the floor. I was flirted with, begged, people tried to make deals with me, tried to sneak by... but I held them off. I done good. Plus, I had a personal security guard. Kevin was my buddy all night. He backed me up, yo. Stuck to me like glue. Having a big huge guy behind you is quite convenient sometimes!

The show was great. Lisa Loeb opened, and she was SO FRIENDLY! I loved her. She sounded awesome (we got to hear her soundcheck, too, and she was just so nice), she joked with the crowd, she talked, she laughed... liked her a lot. And Goo Goo Dolls were wonderful, as well. Johnny Reznick was also very personable, interacted with the crowd a LOT. I like that. I knew a lot of their songs, and I even liked the ones I didn't know. GOOD show. Glad I worked it. And my headache went away before it started, which was good. I used the ear plugs anyway. Didn't want to kill off those little hairs along the basilar membrane (or whatever... my perception teacher has been scolding us (as a collective group of "young people") all week for listening to music too loudly. *giggle*)

Good show, good show. ANd off to Michigan tomorrow. Fun stuff.

Posted by kate at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So sleepy. My exam was "eh." I didn't fail, but I probably didn't get an A. Oh well. My quiz was kind of poopy, too. It took an hour and twenty minutes. A QUIZ! And I was NOT the last to leave. Hmph. It was one of those cases where I was pretty sure I was supposed to get a significant answer and reject the null hypothesis, but I didn't, so I worked the problem out two different ways, one of which worked and one didn't, but I think the first way and the second answer were right. <.shrug> Anyway, I was like "this is what I think the answer SHOULD be, even though I didn't get it."

Then Aarti came over for dinner, and we ended up taking a nap. <.giggle> Sleepy girls, we were. Are. Am. I am sleepy. Very sleepy.

Worked Bear in the Big Blue House today. SUCH a cute show. I was on the floor, which was both a blessing and a curse. I got to sit, which was nice, but I was HOPING to get my floor rotation TOMORROW at Goo Goo Dolls, because it's going to be such a loooooong night, and I could really use a sit-down. Heehee. No sitting at other locations. Anyway, Bear was adorable. The "humans" were REALLY perky, but they did a good job. It was funny, though. On the left side of the stage, the kids were going NUTS. Dancing, laying on the floor, jumping around, being crazy. On the right side of the stage, nothing. The kids were in their seats, totally transfixed on the show. It was so odd! But really cute. Seeing the kids boogy to the Cha-Cha song was soooooooo totally adorable. <.g>

JC's song made it onto the voting for the Top 9 at 9!! Go vote: http://www.kiisfm.com/top9.html (feeling extraordinarily lazy and tired right now, so not making that a link, although with all the typing I did to explain that, I really could have just done it. Hmm. Sorry. <.g>)

Mmmm. SLEEPY. G'night!

Posted by kate at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Really don't want to study. I've been home for almost three hours and I've only gotten through about seven pages of notes. I have 37 to go, plus four book chapters to go over again. Ack! Exam in T-14 hours. Eeep! And I must sleep in there sometime, too. Lol.

Had my second interview/office visit. Was basically told I'm overqualified for the job. They're a really, really excellent company to work for (rated, like, top three) and their benefits are fantastic. But the job... less than exciting. It's customer service, and very, very entry-level. My interviewer even asked that, based on my resume/experience/interview, if I was AWARE that I was applying for an entry-level position. I said I was, and then asked about opportunities for advancement. She told me that should I accept the position, I would be committed for a year, but after that, I could look elsewhere within the company. So that's good. Becuase I would like to be challenged in my career, ya know? So who knows. I guess what happens, happens.

In the nsync news of the day, Justin broke his foot. =( Oww. Poor Justin. You can't very well perform a dance with a broken foot. Thumb, sure. Arm, yes. But foot? Not so much. I guess he had to cancel all his Canadian appearances. That sucks on a lot of levels. Really hurts your promotion efforts when you can't reach an audience, and even moreso if you're disappointing that audience on top of it all. I'd really like to see the boy succeed, so I hope this doesn't hurt him more.

Can you tell I don't want to study? Yeesh.

I guess Nick released a new video. Will have to watch TRL tomorrow. Anyone have any word on when Blowin' Me Up will be released as a video? Looking forward to that quite a lot. Anyone have any word on when Onlyartist.com will be released as more than a splash page? Looking forward to that quite a lot, too.

If it wasn't painfully apparent before, I REALLY don't want to study. I can't wait to not be a student anymore. Everyone tells me I'll wish I was back in school when I'm not here anymore, but really... let me remind myself of this:

Dear Kate,

Sincerely,
Kate

Okay, really going to study now.

Posted by kate at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Got in the car. Radio was on a commercial. Decided (for no reason at all) to continue listening to commercial, as it sounded as if music would be starting soon. I never do this. I am a compulsive channel-changer. "God Must Have Spent" came on. Song over, Kate happy. Change station. "Bye, Bye, Bye" is just starting. Go to mall. Walk into Bergners. Tell mom "I like this song" without really listening. "Music of the Heart." Leave mall, go get food, leave restaurant, head towards movie theatre. "Pop." Yeah, for some random reason, I was TOTALLY *NSYNCified. Ha!

Took Mom to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding. (Don't know why I'm not using subjects to start my sentences.) She loved it. I loved it again. This is getting ridiculous. I think that was time #5. Ah well. One more time on the 7th when the Union Board has it for $2 at Greg Hall. After the movie, we went to Blockbuster and rented Murder By Numbers. Odd movie. Really strange seeing Ryan Gosling as a somewhat psychopathic teenager, rather than a twerpy little Mousketeer. He's really good, though. Talented, that boy.

What else? I got lots of new stuff. Shoes which I LOVE and have been looking at longingly for weeks. Heehee. Got a pair of nice pants and a nice sweater, then another sweater that can be dressed up or dressed down and I'll probably wear on either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Got one last Illini t-shirt. Got some awesome new minimizer bras. Whee!! All in all, had a great weekend with the madre.

Other than that, I studied ALL afternoon. Got two and a half chapters read, have one and a half more to go. Must do that tomorrow evening, while at home. And then I'll be leaving straight from Lincolnshire after the interview Tuesday to come back down here, so hopefully I get here in enough time to go through my notes two or three times before meeting with a girl in my class to study at 7. Then exam at 9. Eeep!

Okay, off to either finish reading or get some sleep, whichever comes first.

Posted by kate at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...you have a dream about not finding a job. In my dream last night, I went to the office visit that I have over Thanksgiving break, and I was talking to the woman who was interviewing me, and the interview was going REALLY well. At the end, she thanked me for coming and said "I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, but we're not actually hiring for this position. You're definitely qualified, however, and we will keep your resume on file. We may be able to offer you a customer service position."

This is really combining two of my not-so-goods: 1) not getting a job at all, 2) getting that customer service job that I don't need a college degree for (although I'd rather be in that job at the company I'm interviewing for it with than a different company, because the company is really, really good to work for, so even if the job sucks, it won't be the be-all, end-all)

So I said to her, "I thought you said you were hiring eight people for this position." She said, "We were, but we went through and looked at our books, and we really don't need anyone new this year. But I will keep in contact."

How sad is it that I'm DREAMING about this?? Ack. I need a job. ::bites nails::

In other news, I got my tired self out of bed at 9 (after not falling asleep until 2:30 or 3) and vacuumed the apartment. Yes, the apartment is spic-and-span spotless now. *g* I keep cleaning this or that as needed, but this is the first weekend in a LONG time that I just got down and did it ALL. Scrubbed tubs, sinks, floors, appliances, everything. Dusted, too. It's all 100% presentable. Whee! And my mom just called and said she's stoping at Perkins to get muffins. YUM. I'm starving. I had time to clean, but that's because I didn't take time to go to the grocery store. So I've got a spotless apartment but no food. *g*

Posted by kate at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Went to see Harry Potter today. It was so good! So cute. I liked it better than the first. Amy came by on her way home, so she, Shelley, Meghan and I went together. Yay for Harry Potter!

I also got called for a second interview. It's Tuesday. Here's my life for the next two weeks:
Saturday: Mom comes.
Sunday: Mom's still here; when she leaves, group project
Monday: Class, then leave straight from class for Chicago
Tuesday: Interview/Office Visit. Back to Champaign
Wednesday: 9:00 in the morning, HUGE exam. Ack! When am I gonna study? Don't know. I was thinking of trying to get a conflict, but when else would I study? Because Wednesday night, working Bear in the Big Blue House
Thursday: Class all day, then working Goo Goo Dolls
Friday: Leave for Michigan for the weekend, then home for Thanksgiving break
Next Friday (day after Thanksgiving): Office visit with another company.

So, it's gonna be BUSY.

I'd like to give a big CONGRATULATIONS to JC for "Blowing Me Up" debuting at #1 on KIIS FM's Top 9 at 9 in LA! Song's not even officially released yet. It's not on their voting page yet. That's all from call in's. Go vote at the website here or email JoJo here GO JC!

"It is our choices that show what we truly are far more than our abilities." ~Albus Dumbledore

Posted by kate at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It was Pick on Kate Day. Apparently, I have phrases in my vocabulary that NO ONE uses anymore, and they just fly out of my mouth like they're the most natural things in the world. Some examples:

- Jeeze Louise!
- ____ gives me the willies.
- Goodness gracious.
- Oh, for crying out loud...
- She was really tickled by that.

Okay, so apparently people don't say those things anymore. According to my classmates. They were finding it QUITE entertaining to listen to me talk, and I wasn't even trying. I was actaually trying to stop myself from saying things that would get them to snort with laughter, but if you get me frustrated on a statistics problem, "Oh, for crying out LOUD" is just... natural. ha ha. I think I got most of those things from my grandma. Love my grandma. Don't strive to speak like her, but I love the woman. <.g>

Posted by kate at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I had Amie today. In my car, I had the CD with JC's Blowing Me Up, Joey and Wayne Brady, Chris's I Will and Justified. We were listening to Justified (I'd started the CD there, thinking she probably didn't want to hear the first three songs since she'd been talking about Justin's album for weeks), and I mentioned that my Kazaa doesn't work anymore. She said "But what if JC comes out with a new song and you want to download it?" I laughed and said "Did you know JC DID come out with a new song?" She hadn't. I didn't let her listen. She's twelve. That's pure sex, yo.

So she said "Well, what if CHRIS had a song?"
Me: "Um... one sec." [rewind to I Will]
Amie: "Okay, then what if JOEY had a song?"
Me: [laughing] "Here, it's not a solo song, but it's him singing without nsync..."
Amie: [exasperated and cracking up] "Okay. LANCE. Does LANCE have a song?"
Me: "You got me. Lance, to my knowledge, does not have a song." <.g>

Kid's a lot of fun. I'm gonna miss her when I graduate.

Going to see Harry Potter tomorrow with Amy Jo and Meg and Shelley! Whee!

Posted by kate at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Men's game tonight. MUCH less painful than the women's game was last night. I had 141 people come through my door, as opposed to the, like, 15 from yesterday. Still not a lot, but hey, the crowd was into it tonight. And they won. Go Illini! AND, to make things better, the music before the game started was a LOT better than last night. Last night they played this one awful song (it almost sounded like Michael Jackson, but not one I'd heard before) THREE times. In a row. Dude. VARIETY. Please. Tonight, they had good music. Usher, Destiny's Child... they played "Pop." Twice. This cracks me up a bit, because the players give the sound guys CDs to play. That means that one of the basketball players requested nsync. Which, good for him! Makes me want to get up and dance, so it probably puts them in a happy, energetic mood to start the game, too!

Not much with the exciting these days. I left my CD in my car. ::pouts:: No Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love) for me. No I Will, no Joey on Wayne Brady. No Justified. Apparently JC released another version of BMU today. Want to hear. I'm so in love with the first version that I'm hoping these changes improve upon it, because I'll be sad if I don't like it as well and this new one ends up on the CD.

Anything else going on in my life? Not so much. My mom's coming to visit this weekend. That'll be fun. Oookay. I'm so interesting. I'm so entertaining. See, Carolyn, you begged and begged for me to blog, and I got nothin'.

Lance asked me to write him a letter of recommendation for a teaching award he's nominated for. Dude, I don't know how to write a letter of recommendation! I can't very well say "Lance is the coolest. So cool, in fact, that Meg and I bought him a picture of Jude Law as a thank-you gift. Now how many TA's do we do that for?" Ha. Yeah, that wouldn't go over real swiftly with the review board. I'll do it, but I hope he can give me a little guidance. I do NOT want to write him a crappy letter.

Note to self: Don't write a story involving a gay character and give it to a class made up almost entirely of freshman guys. They just can't get past that one little fact and move on. The whole workshopping-my-story thing kinda came out of left field and smacked me with a bit of a surprise, because I wasn't in class on Thursday and didn't know it had been handed out. And we hadn't finished the stories that we'd gotten BEFORE Thursday. Guess he was really itching to discuss it. <.shrug>

Okay, for all that rambling, I said not a thing of real interest. =/ Sorry, dudes.

Posted by kate at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

For the record, wheat thins with garden vegetable cream cheese is a YUMMY snack. I may or may not be addicted.

Got my perception exam back. Got a perfect score! That may be the first time ever. I was quite the shocked one, let me tell you. I'm a good guesser, I suppose, because there were lots of questions I had little quesiton marks next to. But yay. A B+ on the last exam plus an A+ on this one will put me in a decent position for the final.

It is the start of a loooooooong afternoon. Yeesh. I'm nearing the end of my hour break between classes. I'll leave for the next one at 1:30, RUN home at 5, to be out the door and at work by 5:30 for the basketball game. Which will HOPEFULLY be over no later than 9:30. That's about the time I got home from the women's game yesterday. And I hope that the men's game is more exciting. I mean, it was a really close game and the women won, so in that sense it was a good game, but there were less than 1,000 people there and in an arena that holds 17-18,000, that few people just can't come off as terribly enthusiastic. I was falling asleep. It was an exhibition against the Dominican Republic National team. I wonder who the men are playing... at least the crowd should be larger tonight.

Oo, quick amusing story. Walking home from class this morning. Someone is playing "Bye, Bye, Bye" on the quad. I look around to see where it's coming from. It's up by the union, where tables are set up to sell tickets to things, promote this or that, whatever. Anywya, at one table, there's a CD player and two guys doing the dance in front of it. <.giggle> They were pretty good, too! On my way to my next class, I'm gonna try to find out what organization that table was there for.

And I'm off.

Posted by kate at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's coooooold. Again. It was like this early last week, and then it got up to SEVENTY. That was wonderful-fabulous-spectacular. It wasn't even bad yesterday, but today... ::shivers::

Work tonight. First basketball game I'm working of the season. Hmmm... don't even know if it's a men's game or a women's game. Must check. Women's. Blah. The women's games I worked last year always ended in an autograph signing, which is sweet and all, but that sticks me down on the floor holding ropes against all these people pushing to get to the front. NOT my idea of fun. I'm no security guard, yo.

And tomorrow I'm working a men's game. Yippee. It's money. That's all I have to tell myself. It's money.

So today I feel all productive-like. I think I spent the entire day in labs, but that's okay. Class, then up to lab for an extended period (we got out of class early, so I got LOTS of transcribing done, and it was mostly bedtime story, which was really easy to transcribe, being that only one person was speaking at a time for the most part). Then I went down to 333, and we did some class stuff, then she took us up to the computer lab so we could start entering our survey data. I have 18 surveys done! YAY! And a big THANK YOU to everyone who completed one. <.g> I need 15 minimum, and every two after that are worth one extra credit point, up to 25 surveys. I have now entered all 18 into SPSS, and all I have to do before Friday is get a couple more surveys and enter them, then clean the data. BIG relief to have this much done, because it was really, really time consuming. And the survey SUCKS because it's really long... takes 10-15 minutes, and NO random stranger wants to sit there and do that. Got plenty of comments to put on our class evaluation sheet at the end of the semester.

Okay, to continue with my productive streak, must get work done.

Oh, Brittany Murphy is too cute. She was on TRL and was SO excited to be there! I've enjoyed her since her days on the "Torkelsons" (or whatever it was called when she was on it), and Clueless, and Girl, Interrupted and yes. I'm glad she seems like a really nice person. <.g>

Posted by kate at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday, went to Chicago. Meghan, Namita and I drove up. We got there pretty early, and so we went to Ed Debevick's for lunch/dinner (it was 3-ish). Namita is from Pennsylvania and had only been to Chicago a few times, had NEVER been to Ed's, so that was fun. For the uninitiated, Ed's is a 50's/60's/70's diner where all the waiters and waitresses are professional actors, they wear costumes, they're rude to you (in a good-natured way) on purpose, and they get up and dance on the counters. It's a FUN place to eat, in my opinion, and they have good food. Since we were early, there was no wait (thank GOODness... it can be hours if you hit there at the wrong time of night). Got my butt smacked by a waiter. Lol.

I was so proud that I was able to navigate us from McCormick Place (south) all the way to Ed's (north), and back again. Go me! We didn't even get lost.

So after dinner, we were headed to Fusion, the Indian-American cultural show Aarti danced in, at McCormick Place. They (Aarti's group) did Like I Love You mixed with an Indian song (think it's called Sharara? Probably not spelled like that?). It was AWESOME. They were excellent. ::claps proudly for Aarti:: Two other groups ended up using LILY in their routines. By the third group (whose male dancers were also wearing almost exactly the same costume as Aarti's group's male dancers) it was almost humorous. Aarti's dance was the best of the three, and not because I'm biased.

The whole show was very good. Most of the dances were pretty American, with some Indian influences in about half of them. Only two or three were actually traditional Indian dances. And they had two a capella groups. The one, Chi-Town (men's group from U of IL), was really good.

After the program, we went to Nocturnal, a new club that I wasn't entirely impressed with (take me back to White Star, thanks), and then we decided that 2:00 in the morning is the PERFECT time for Taco Bell. The one Neha knew about was in Boystown. I'd been there before, namely in high school while attending Mr. Greene's plays, but apparently I hadn't really noticed stuff. Or else it's new. Or else I was 17 and just plain oblivious.

So, streetlights. Phallic symbols? I think so. They were these large grey structures with rainbow rings about halfway up. Very interestingly shaped. There were signs with rainbow penises on them. There was one club, Manhole, whose sign read "Encumbent Manhole Wins Erection." I laughed at that. I really didn't know having all of that blatant signage and whatnot out and about on the streets of Chicago was allowed. But, you know, it put a little color into my night. I was amused.

I also may have scared Neha (who knows NOTHING of nsync) with my random babbling about JC. She turned around (while driving, mind you) and said "Who is JC? Your boyfriend?" ::snort:: Dude, I was just sharing the information that he'd shaved! Lol. And when I went back to Smita's apartment (Smita is a JC fan), and Neha shared the how funny it was that I talked about the man like I knew him, Smita exclaimed "He SHAVED?!? WOOHOO!!" Lol. See, I'm not the only nutty one!

Posted by kate at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ugh. What a MESS. Aarti's dancing up in Chicago tonight, which I'm really excited about seeing. I've seen snippets of her dance for weeks, and I can't wait to see the whole thing. But this weekend has just turned into the biggest mess ever. They cancelled the bus, so no one has rides. I'd drive, but Meghan needs her car and does NOT want to drive in the city by herself, as she has never driven in the city before. I understand... I wouldn't be too thrilled about trying to find someplace I'd never been to in a city I'd never driven in by myself, either. No one else seems to have cars, and Aarti's getting totally frustrated (which is really understandable as well). So it would be all fine if Meghan was coming back DOWN here on Sunday, but she doesn't have school on Monday, so I don't blame her for taking her extra day off to spend with her family. Pretty much I understand where everyone is coming from in their reasons for doing or not doing or feeling or not feeling however it is. It's just... not easy. For anyone.

There is a bus back down to campus, but it goes from the suburbs. I'd be totally fine with taking it, but that would mean I'd have to go out to the subrurbs with Meghan after the show tonight in order to take the bus back tomorrow morning. Which would blow the plans of going out after the show. Basically, Aarti's weekend is being ruined by all of this pain-in-the-ass-ness, and I feel awful. =( I feel like I'm being a big pain because I'm not driving, but Meghan is already REALLY nervous about city driving, and she just doesn't want to do it alone. Understandable. Ahhhh!!! EVERYTHING is "understandable." No one is being ridiculous in their needs here. It's just a sucky-ass situation. There's no one I can point at and be like "they're just being selfish" or "why can't they do this?" because there's a reason for EVERYTHING. Ah well. <.sigh> It's working out because Brandon is driving, but his car is unreliable and he didn't want to drive it into the city, which, again, is understandable. So I feel really bad that he's driving now, because I'm FINE with taking the bus back, but Aarti wants me to go out in the city and I can't do both. Ugh.

Okay, I'm totally shutting up about that now. Done complaining. FInished!

So, Justified. I finally listened to it. I'm not going to say I don't like it because I'm sure I'll get used to it and love it and all will be good. I've only heard it twice, and as of now, there are a handful of songs I like, and the rest really aren't up my ally. But again, I'm bound to get used to it and love it lots and lots and rain praises on Justin for his talent and abilities and all in the world will be right. Er... something. I'm going to have to wait until Christmas or after to actually buy my own copy, but I will do that because I don't like the idea of burning CDs in place of buying them. So I have it to tide me over until I get my own copy.

But on the other hand, JC's song.... HOT. I can't say that enough. I love it to bits and pieces. And I don't usually go for over-produced stuff except to car dance to, but there's the whole smoothness of it over the bells and whistles (some literal, some not), and somehow it works. Like Carolyn said, it doesn't sound like anything else. It's not a copy of someone else's style or anything. Which is not to say modeling your work after your influences is a bad thing; I like "Like I Love You" a lot, and it's very MJ. But still. "Blowing Me Up" is unlike anything else.

And a quick comment on all these rivalries people are trying to start... I don't think liking or not liking JC's song, Justified, or Now or Never has ANYTHING to do with liking or not liking the rest of them. They're all their own, separate pieces, and really, because I bought Now or Never and have not bought Justified is not a comment on anything other than I had money a week ago and don't so much now. <.g>

Posted by kate at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have been listening to this song on repeat all day. Well, not literally. I downloaded it first time this morning and listened to it a good half-dozen or so times between getting ready for class and all. Then I came home and immediately stuck it on repeat. It's been going like that since just after 2. It's 3:23. Heehee. I can't get over it. I love it. He sounds so smooth and sexy and yes. I am left without the ability to form coherent thoughts.

I haven't just been sitting here staring blankly at the computer screen and drooling while listening to this (although I'm sure that if I didn't have a billion things to do, that's exactly what I'd be doing right about now). I have this exam in Perception tomorrow, which I just can't make myself care a WHOLE lot about. I mean, I got a B on the last exam. It seems kind of unlikely that I'm going to get an A this time because the exams are a little tricky, nor is it terribly likely I'll do worse than a low-B because I've been to all the classes and such. So, motivation to study is about nil.

I also have this 383 syntax worksheet due tomorrow. Also am not terribly motivated to put lots and lots of effort into it, because there is always the option to redo it and fix any mistakes. So. Whatever. What else do I have to do for tomorrow? Oh, read stories for 144. That's an enjoyable task. I'll save those for later this evening when I'm burnt out on the "real" homework.

Posted by kate at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday. Went to class from 11-5, went straight to the polling location to vote. It was much more of a fiasco than it should have been. See, I registered two years ago in Champaign County. I voted then. Last year, they automatically updated my address when I moved. This year, everything got messed up. I got a voter registration card for Cook County (aka home, where I have never registered OR voted), and I did not get one for Champaign county. When I went to vote, they had last year's address, and the lady yelled at me for not updating my registration, when I hadn't had to do it last year... and she wouldn't tell me HOW to do it, just that I should have done it. Grrr. She was mean. I was like "Last year it happened automatically. What should I have done this year?" and she was all snappy. Whatever. She wouldn't believe me that I live in the same precinct, even though I live a block from where I did last year, and the year before. Ah well. She wouldn't let me vote in the full election, just the federal. I tried!!

So after THAT fiasco, I had to rush home and make it to the mall, to Borders so Shelley could get Justified, and to the grocery store so that I could make dinner for Aarti, all in an hour and a half. Everything went smoothly, until it got to be time to make dinner. <.sigh> Disappointing. The cake, which I left in for NINE minutes SHORTER than it should have been, got a little overcooked. We have this little half-size oven, and I think things cook faster in there. Grrrr. And then the fondue... the cheese wouldn't melt for ANYTHING. It was tasty, but there was no dipping. We had to just take a chunk of cheese and put it on bread. <.giggle> ah well. I tried, man. That's the theme of the day. I tried.

THEN. I got a link to the KIIS FM webcam, where JC was spending the evening. And Joey was there!!! Joey AND JC in LA last night together... oh, it was so fun. I couldn't get the audio because my computer SUCKS ::pets computer nicely:: But I watched JC and his entourage an hour and a half. <.g> And then, the nicest thing ever... Aarti called because she COULD get the audio, and she held the phone to the speakers and let me hear JC talking, and Joey telling a story about when he totally froze and blanked in RENT the other day, and then they played JC's SONG. His solo song, from Drumline. It was soooooo good!! I loved it. I can't WAIT until it's released. Decemberish, they said? I want it to come out sooner! Man. SO cool. It's not even finished yet. They had to get all this special permission to play it, which took forever, but they finally did and AHHH!!! He's so talented. He really is. He sang lower than he usually does, and it was just really smooth and sexy. Ha ha. I hope someone recorded it....

Off to see if I can find it somewhere....

Posted by kate at 07:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I really, really thought I'd started blogging on November 4th. Apparently, I got it all set up on November 1, 2001. So, I missed it by two days. Ah well. I've been blogging an entire year. I wonder what I've had to say in that time.

Here is what I would consider my first "real" blog, where I actually had something other than "I'm trying this out" to say:
From November 2, 2001

Did you know that you can't receive mail if your name isn't correct? Which is odd, based on the masses of mail we still get addressed to the people who lived here last year, but perhaps things are different with junk mail. I could SWEAR that I have gotten mail sent to Kate Starbuck before (when I lived at home), but again, maybe things are different for a house than for an apartment? Who knows. But apparently putting fun last names in place of real last names is something the post office frowns upon. Which is such a shame, because fun last names are so much more... FUN!

On a different note (yes, more random musings...), why does MTV feel the need to inject conflict into everything? I'm taking a persuasion and the arts class and we're talking a lot about MTV lately. The main subject here is how indentities are created, and it was brought up that the Real Wold and Road Rules aren't exactly what they seem... that a lot of the conflicts brought out in those shows were not big deals and were just expanded upon and highlighted, or else they were created by the directors. That seems just wrong. And then I was watching TRL yesterday and they had this whole "Battle of the Boy Bands" thing going on. Nsync and BSB were competing for first place, and they had this girl on the phone who was all "The battle will only end when people stop buying nsync CDs" and "Nsync will break up first because they were just thrown together... BSB is a family" yadda yadda yadda. Why can't we all just get along?? They're not the same. Get over it. Yeesh. I am a pretty solid Nsync fan, but I like a lot of Backstreet Boys songs. Nsync doesn't seem to dis BSB... at least not in what I've seen. So why is it a big deal? I'd expect BSB's song to be #1 being that it just premiered like two days ago. Gone has been on the countdown for over a month. Anyway. Just thought that was funny how TRL is making it into a huge Battle and everything. Pitting NSYNC fans against BSB fans.

And that's that. Started straight out with talk of NSYNC. <.g> And Miggie! That was when you tried to send me happy things to Kate Chasez. <.giggle> Memories!! In actuality, this and this came before the one I just posted and were slightly (although not by much) more than "test" posts, but yes. Anyway. Happy anniversary to me!

::throws self mini-party::

Posted by kate at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My mom brought home pictures of her class on Halloween, and this one was stuck in there. She found it so amusing, she had to take a picture. <.g> This woman is another fifth grade teacher that my mom works with.

Posted by kate at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Went in to my grandparents' today. They have lots and lots and LOTS of leaves. The trees are soooo pretty in the spring, summer and fall when they're all autumny colors, but when the leaves fall, I just wish those trees away. Ah well. It was good to see my grandparents. My grandma is such a funny woman! Picture this: She is 5' tall. 77 years old. We have to put the leaves into these tall paper bags, and to get them open, she puts it on. Like a dress, without arm or head holes. So there she is, the bag over her head and down to her knees, wiggling around inside of it to poke the corners out. She pulls it off and I just burst out laughing.

She is also horrified by her neighbor's kamikaze leaves. Mabel has yellow leaves. Grandma and Grandpa do not have trees that produce yellow leaves. Somehow, their yard is full of yellow leaves. Every year this happens. The leaves creep out of Mabel's lawn, sneak across the alley, and make their way into my grandma's lawn. Grandma is convinced Mabel purposefully doesn't rake her leaves because if she waits long enough, they'll all be in Grandma's lawn and Mabel won't have to. My grandma gets very passionate and on the verge of being infuriated over it. When she talks about it directly following the leaf bag wiggle dance, it's hard to keep a straight face.

But then we made cookies, which are yummy. And it was good to see them.

And I'm Belle.

Which Disney Princess are you?

You are a true bookworm and dream of a life better than the simple, quiet one you lead now. Your good looks can attract the town jerks, but you manage to ignore them most of the time. Sometimes you feel like you're surrounded by idiots. So what are you waiting for? You don't need your father to be kidnapped to get out and see the world. Although you can be stubborn, you're also very compassionate and see beyond people's façades.

Posted by kate at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy belated Halloween, y'all. I did nothing yesterday. No costumes, no going out, no nothing. I had class, and then I came home, and that was that. Watched some TV, yadda yadda. I lead such a thrilling life, aren't you all jealous?

Today, however, was a bit more exciting to me. First, it's COLD as a... I dunno, what's really cold? It was just freaking cold this morning. I think Shelley said like 18 degrees with windchill. Brrrrrr. So then I went to class. My teacher was really cute. He read my comment to him (from our midterm evaluations of the class) to the whole class. Heehee. He didn't know it was me who wrote it, and neither did anyone else, but he said it made him the happiest of any comments, so that was nice. I also gave him suggestions... wasn't a big praise fest or anything. I just like the way he teaches.

When I got home, there was an email from the woman I interviewed with on Wednesday. I GOT A SECOND INTERVIEW!!! It's an office visit. I have to come up to Chicago and spend an afternoon being interviewed by I think three different people and such. So that'll be a bit stressful, but also exciting. They only have I think 24 slots for office visits out of all the schools they interview at, so that's a big compliment in itself. I'm still not sure why they think I am a good candidate for a managerial/financial job, since I have NO business classes or anything, but I'm not going to question it. I'm sure I could do the job, so if they want to take a chance on me, fine by me. And if they suddenly come to their senses and realize I'm NOT a business major, this is all great experience. It's win-win. <.g>

In honor of my exciting job interview news, and in preparation for my three-hour solo drive home, I kind of made a detour to Best Buy, and might have possibly picked up Now or Never. But it's good, yo! I'm very impressed. I liked almost all the songs by the second time through. (Sorry, Carolyn <.g>)

And then, tonight, I went to the musical at my high school. Fiddler on the Roof, and it was wonderful. Their shows always are. Meghan's little sister had a big role, and she was awesome. Almost made me cry. Everyone was just great. The one thing that made me sad, though, is that our high school was KNOWN for its awesome sets. We had AMAZING sets. Mr. Greene is a technical WIZARD. And that was always a really good feeling, because I always helped build the sets, I was on the running crew quite a few times, so I was always proud of the awesomeness that was the sets. I mean, for Music Man the set got a standing ovation mid-show. Sound of Music, the mountain at the end got another standing ovation. I'm talking REALLY impressive. And Mr. Greene quit last year, for good reasons. But the whole thing was just missing something, without him there to do the sets. =( Made me sad. The set was good, but it wasn't like, knock-your-socks-off, ya know? Ah well. Such is life.

And that was my day. Oh, and we went for pie afterwards, my parents and I. Isn't your life fuller for having that information? ;)

Posted by kate at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)