i'll get used to this eventually, i know.

I am very homesick. And pretty sick in general. I've decided I either ate something bad (which I'm sort of doubting, because I seriously have not been eating much since I've been here) or I have a small virus... I have just been really wiped out and my stomach has been KILLING me the last 3 days... Not to mention I feel pretty lonely. I just... I dunno. Let's just say I am REALLY looking forward to the next time I go home. I am looking forward to this 3 day weekend coming up...

I wish I had something happy to talk about, but I really don't.

you'll always be my thunder

So! I am officially done with all of my classes (except for one, but we'll get to that later). I actually had Philosophy yesterday, not world religions (not the first time I've gotten them confused...), and it was pretty interesting but I think it will be quite a bit of work. Today all I had was World Religions (and it wasn't til 2... you better believe I slept in like crazy haha). The teacher is HIGHLY engaging, which is good... plus the topic itself really interests me, so I'm hoping that will be good. ANYWAY, I ended up being able to drop Biology (thank God) and add an Acting I class.. yayyy!!! I'm really excited... Except for now I have an hour and a half of American Gov't every Tuesday and Thurs at EIGHT AM... noooo bueno. oh well! I'm still REALLY excited for my theatre class tomorrow... Except for that the teacher hasn't emailed me back (I e-mailed him asking what, if anything, I needed to do to catch up since I missed the first class) and soooo I dunno... But it is gonna be so fun! Anyway, I guess I actually am gonna have to hook up my printer today, I have to print out something for World Religions... Yuck. Anyway. Brittany and I are gonna work out again tonight (we did last night, and it seriously put me in SUCH a better mood... all those endorphins!) and tomorrow I have auditions for the Leramie Project at 6:30... I am VERY excited! And really nervous too haha. I don't know what to wear! Oh, also, the people at the car place called and I should be able to pick it up tomorrow!!!! Yayyyy me! Life is really taking a turn for the better. Anyway, Brittany and I are gonna do laundry! Oh, and PS... if you were wondering who Brittany is, here we are...

gravity wants to bring me down.

Jeez. First day of classes. It has been interesting. So far...

My American Gov't teacher has the most droning, soft, totally forgettable voice ever. Sooooo boring. But I still managed to take 5 pages of notes. Not sure how that happened.

I am dropping biology. It is not a core curriculum class and geared towards pre-med majors. Yeahhhh NO.

I was in Wold Civ for like 10 minutes. Basically, here, read the syllabus, bye. But I talked to a guy about his tattoo. He was like 25ish, and it meant "turbulent life". WTF...

I have World Religions at 2:30... And it's raining. I hope it stops before then, because the building I have it in is super cold. Yep. Well... that's that. Bye.

sitting here all by myself just trying to think of something to do

So. I guess I'm like a totally independent college kid now. Mom and dad and Jen left this morning... Hmph. Definitely came home and got in the shower and boo-hooed. I mean I think it's good because now I can really concentrate on like actually LIVING here (it still feels like I'm majorly on vacation)... But still. I miss them already. Counting down the days until Sept 27... I'm tempted to buy my plane tickets already just to comfort me a little bit. Not to make it sound like I'm totally miserable. I'm not. Just... I dunno. Normal I guess, considering that I just moved away from home.

So! Let me tell you about our NASTY ASS suite mates!!!

OOOOOOOOOH
MYYYYYYYYYYY
GOOODDDDDD


So! Yesterday Alyssa and I decided we were gonna clean the shower because it was mildewy and stuff... so we get in there and its like... our bathroom walls grew hair. Those nasty ass girls had hair in the drain, all over the walls, EVERYWHERE!!! We were soooooooooooooooooooooooo grossed out. So we clean the shower like hardcore... SOS pads, Mr. Clean erasers, Scrubbing Bubbles, the works... And it's like sparkling. THEN. I come home this morning (I spent the night at Mom and Dad's hotel last night) and go to take a shower... OH MY GOD. It looks like someone like shaved their head and just threw their hair in our shower. IT IS ALL OVER THE WALLS. I was so grossed out. So we left them a sticky note on their door saying hey lets have a little chat about bathroom stuff, etc... They still haven't come over, but I swear to God I will bust a CAP.

Anyway. I haven't really done much going out... It's just not so much my scene. It will be even easier to resist when classes start tomorrow I'm thinking. I need to get my books... I dunno. We finally went grocery shopping (though I'm not sure why... it's like I think I'm just nervous or whatever, but I'll get like REALLY hungry for about 30 seconds... and then I have like absolutely no appetite. It's obnoxious, but at least I'm not eating everything in sight. Just drinking A LOT of water. It's insane.), so I have like PB&J, crackers, juice... I worked very hard to not just get everything fattening in sight. And I think Zack (my friend from orientation) will be good motivation for going to the gym, because he likes to work out. ALSO, Alyssa, Brittany (another friend from orientation, she and I get along very well), and I want to take this weekly class at the Rec center called Stretch & Tone... We're thinking it's gonna be a cross between yoga and pilates. Could be fun. ALSO, we had a floor meeting and we're talking about taking a self-defense class like as a floor, because apparently the number of rapes of college students here has gone up 4x. No bueno. However, I feel bad for whoever would try to rape me, because Lord knows I would open a can. So... No freshman 15 in sight... yet. I've gone out to eat a lot since mom and dad have been here though... We went to Pascal's Manale and like 3 other places.... that I can't remember the names of. We also went to Hemline, Ah-Ha, and Frock Candy (shops on Magazine St.) and splurged a little bit. I got 2 dresses and a few shirts.

I dunno. It has been hectic but at the same time I have had a lot of free time... and you know what means... soul searching!! I am very much looking forward to classes starting... because, truth be told, it kind of makes me feel like a big loser / lonely when I don't go out... But I just reeeeeeeally don't want to! I am just so determined to keep a good rep and get my shit done and be on top of everything... So I think having classes and having stuff to study for will make that a lot easier. We looked at apartments (just from the street, didn't go in anywhere..) for next year. There is this one building called Octavia... it's cool. The apartments look pretty big, and all the balconies are screened in... which I think is kind of cool you know, you can keep your door open and not worry about bugs or anything. I dunno. Just a thought. Jen and I want to move in together when she graduates... whenever the hell that may be. Anyway. I'll try and summarize the rest of the weekend. We had an opening convocation in the chapel in the front of the campus... BEAUTIFUL church. But boring speeches. We also took our infamous class picture... Zack, Brittany and I are standing in the back totally not paying attention... though the guy probably couldnt see us anyway. It was just soooo hot. Yesterday Zack and I walked around Audubon Park a little bit, then I came home and went out with the family.


Basically, I REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYY miss my besties and my family and my puppy... But I think I will be ok. For now, at least. :)

Song for today: "These Streets" by Paolo Nutini
And some random pictures...






I love my beautiful best friends. And I miss them. A lot. A lot a lot a lot.

these streets have too many names for me.

Yep. I'm here. Annnnd thats my dorm. I am done unpacking and stuff, but I still have about 50 pictures to put up. Other than that, home sweet home!! It has been quite a day... We left Houston this morning around 8 (after Sarah came over and said bye... not fun.)... About an hour out of town (on the east side of Houston... Chambers county to be exact...), and you won't believe this... I GOT PULLED OVER! Dad was in the passenger seat telling me to go 70 (it was a 65) and so I was on the cruise control AT 70... Regardless, I got a warning (thank GOD there was no ticket... that would have been a HUGE mess. Including a $3,000 bond for me to keep my driver's license.) Anyway. We got to New Orleans around 2 and came straight to Loyola... oh, did I mention it was like 100 degrees outside? No fun... Got my ID and keys, moved in... it took me about 4 hours to get unpacked and organized and everything, but I'd say it's looking pretty cute in here, right? Mom, dad, Jen, Matt, and I went to Pascals Manale tonight for dinner... SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good, I was STUFFED! I can feel the freshman 15 already... I was thinking of getting up early to work out tomorrow, but I don't think I can until Monday (I don't think any of my stuff goes into effect until then, like my meal plan, etc...) We are picking up our microwave/fridge tomorrow, and my parking decal... and then I think I will be all set. We're also taking my car to a collision shop tomorrow to get it fixed... FINALLY!!!! Then we are going to go to Target and pick up some last-minute stuff, and then mom, Jen, and I are going shopping in the quarter while dad eats lunch with Joe. It should be fun. Anyway... I am absolutely EXHAUSTED!!! Buenos noches.

it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.

Well. Here it is. Tomorrow is my last day in Katy. I feel like a scared little kid who's like clinging to the door frame at the doctor's office because they're not ready to get poked and prodded just yet. Chels left Monday... jeez just saying that brings tears to my eyes. We had a good day Sunday, though, a good farewell... We ate sushi, played laser tag, and had a HUGE whipped cream fight in Christy's backyard. We also went and saw Superbad that night. And then we hugged and cried and said goodbye to one of the best friends I've ever had. Chels amazes me because she never ceases to open my mind to something new or cause me to seriously rethink something I had grown comfortable with. She is so brilliant and so passionate, and I am comforted by the fact that I know she is going to go so far in the biz. It still sucks to say goodbye though.

And then there is Christy, who in 9th grade I was pretty sure I was never going to be friends with again, and yet somehow we managed to perservere like crazy. I guess we go all the way back to... what... 4th or 5th grade? You can't ever thank the people enough who went through your terrible awkward angsty years with you, or forget them either. And though I've drifted away from almost everyone else who surrounded me in those terrible years, there is still a friendly face in her direction and I am so thankful for all of our memories. She has been the biggest constant in my life all these years... and I am so proud of her for not letting anyone (including me, because, unfortunately, I tried) keep her from doing what she wanted.

So of course, I couldn't have a sappy ridiculous blog without mentioning my best friend of all, Sarah Rabie. Because, lets face it, I definitely would not have made it this far period without her. She has been my best friend and my confidante and my support system and my shopping buddy and everything in between. She is so strong and has had to deal with so much, not only within her own family, but within the post 9/11 conservative town and world we now live in. She has taught me so much about life and people and the world outside of Katy, and she has always been there to put a smile on my face (and make me laugh when I'm trying to make a post-intermission announcement... jerk.) and I am so eternally grateful to her AND her immensly huge-hearted family.


I think it's hard to explain why I value my friends as much as I do. I guess a big part of it is the sheer amount of time we are confined to the black box or the PAC or something... I mean, the amount of hours we spend at school together with theatre are astounding. It's like... I feel like I've grown up with them more than I have with my family, only because there have been so many late nights and early mornings and hardships and good times and tears and awards and defeats and everything you can think of... I just know that my friends have seen me in every state of mind possible and they love me regardless, and I think that is very hard to find in life. I am just stricken with how much I am going to miss the people in my life.

BUT. There is a silver lining. I REALLY like my roommate, she is pretty fantastic and I think we will definitely get along. I have stayed in touch with the friends I met at orientation and we get along pretty well. It is like a roller coaster I think... on the really long, slow stretch going up your stomach is in your throat and it is so easy to look back and wish that you'd never gotten on in the first place... but once you're over the first hill, it's usually the ride of a lifetime. That's what I'm looking forward to.

So, adieu, Katy. You have served me well and we have had some fantastic times... and, now, it's time to go home.







"You and I will meet again. When we're least expecting it. One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face. I won't say goodbye, my friend, for you and I will meet again." - Tom Petty

Hey, man, now you're really living.

So, naturally, nothing is ever easy. Right? Right. Last night, Chelsea, Sarah, Mike, Charlie, and I decided we wanted to go to House of Pies, sort of as a goodbye thing or whatever. Yeah. Well at around 11 o'clock we were leaving to come home, and we were close to the 610 loop and so we just decided to take that instead of taking Westheimer the entire way home. WELL. Long story short, we got in a wreck on 610 (a road I have NEVER driven on before... go figure.) Anyway. Everyone was ok, I hit got sideswiped when I was switching into another lane... luckily we were ok, the other guy swerved and hit the barrier. He was okay too, though, which is clearly the most important thing. It was a huge nightmare and the cops came and I got a citation for unsafe lane changing (and BY THE WAY, I checked both my mirrors AND turned around and looked... the guy could not have been any more in my blind spot if he tried. Obviously not a very defensive driver...).. now we're just dealing with the insurance and getting my car fixed. Suuuuuuuuuch a nightmare. It really freaked me out. Last night I could hardly sleep, I just kept thinking about how much worse it could have been... We could have swerved into traffic or something... my 2 best friends were in the car with me... I just don't know what I would have done. I am feeling incredibly guilty and haunted by how careless I was. I am SO thankful to God that He was there and protected not only the five of us in my car but the other guy I hit. I just feel really bummed out. But I am so glad that everyone is okay.

when you need a friend, you could count on anyone.

One of my biggest fears when I go to school is not making friends. I really do wonder how I will ever find someone who can even begin to compete with the amazing friends I have now. I worry about finding friends who I can hang out with and trust and who know how to have a good time without having to drink (so stupid. seriously, who invented alcohol? dumbass.) I guess I don't care if people choose to drink on their own, I just don't want to get dragged into it as well. I think I have too much riding on my education... not to mention my reputation. While I may not inhale, we all know that those kind of things follow politicians around like nobody's business. (haha... don't worry, I don't plan on inhaling much of anything.)

Jen and I went shopping for dorm stuff the other day... bought some washcloths, a matching toothbrush holder & bathroom rug, a mattress pad, some loofahs (haha), an alarm clock... some other random stuff. Tomorrow I think we are just going to bite the bullet and finish buying everything. Then we can start packing things in boxes and stuff. Jeeeeeeeeeeeez. I can't believe it is so close!!!

Song of today: "Things are Lookin Up" by Marc Broussard

my dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room.

So. I now only have 2 weekends left before I leave. Isn't that weird? It's almost like an out of body experience, like... I KNOW I'm leaving, but I don't really get that it's ME. It's weird. It's sad and almost unfair, but I find myself kind of drifting away from my absoltue best friends in the world and feeling closer to like my friends from orientation or my roommate. I think it's because subconsciously I want it to be easy to pick up and leave. And I think I know deep down that it's not like the end or anything... I really can't wait to come home and see the THS shows next year... Matt told me what they were, but I've already forgotten. I know Loyola is doing the Leramie Project (a drama written about the Matthew Shephard tragedy of... the late 90's? Not sure exactly when)... I am almost positive I'm gonna audition for it. (Go figure, right? Can't even avoid the stage for a few months. What have I gotten myself into?)

Actual Countdown: 17 days
Soung of the Day: Lily Allen - "Knock Em Out"

Oh. And mom was pissed that she wasn't in any of the pictures recently, so here's some pictures. (And I'm not leaving Papa out of the graduation picture on purpose, I promise, he just happened to be TAKING the picture.)

You thought maybe I'd died?

No such luck. Just been enjoying the summer. So! Let's bring one another up to date, shall we?

I recently finished my work at Falcon Point Dental... It ended up being a great summer job, though I didn't love the hours as much as I thought I would. (It was nice having my nights free, but what fun is staying out late if I have to be at work by 7 the next morning? Somewhat of a catch 22.) But the pay was nice, and I think it really helped jumpstart me to getting over my fear of the dentist. (I actually got my teeth cleaned for the first time since I think I was a freshman... before I could use theatre as an excuse for never going to the dentist.) That was only a slightly expensive endeavor... I needed a filling (I am proud that I only needed 1 though) and a crown (which definitely hampered the whole not-being-afraid-of-the-dentist thing, but it's finally on and done with and you had better believe it takes me about 10 minutes to brush, floss, and mouthwash every morning and night). It also, I think, will look better on a resume that making sandwiches (not to say that is not an absolutely respectable career!). Perhaps I should quit it with the parentheticals? Regardless, my last day was last Thursday, so I have been thoroughly enjoying going out until 1:30AM every weeknight and sleeping until noon. I knew I always loved my parents - I, unlike most of my friends, have no curfew. We also recently got back from Florida... what an AMAZING trip.





(Just a few of the pictures... I look like HELL in most of them)

Danielle and I got our belly buttons pierced, too! Everyone (the younguns at least) got pierced in some manner, but let's keep it polite. :) I think it was definitely the best vacation I have ever been on. It was the happiest I had felt in so long. It was just incredibly pleasent, and everyone was so wonderful to be around. It was a terrible shame to have to come home. I wish my entire life could consist of Ft. Walton beach, amazing food, and the best people ever.

And so what am I doing now you might ask? Spending a lot of time with Chelsea (Sarah has been in the middle east for more than a month, and I am going absolutely CRAZY without her! She gets back next Wednesday, and that poor girl is going to be bombarded.), sleeping until 11 or noon every day, and spending a lot of time thinking. I guess I am finally going through the actual realization that in less than a month I am going to be finally living on my own. I already feel homesick. I just try to keep focusing on my dreams and how good it will be for me to have to make my own decisions. Oh! I also got a new car!! A black 2005 Toyota Corrolla (My camera is currently being fixed at some shop on Eldrige, but when it gets home, I will be taking many pictures of my new baby). So it will be great to have a car in New Orleans. I guess I am just overall nervous. I want to make friends and I want (read: NEED) to make good grades, and I really want to get more out of college than I did out of high school. I want to really LEARN things. Not just memorize them.

I guess everyone feels that way about college, right?

We leave Thurs., Aug 23rd. Move in is from 9-3 on the 24th... Alyssa (my roommate, whom I absolutely ADORE) gets there on like the 19th or something for her orientation (Mine was june 24-26, and it was a BLAST!), so hopefully it will be easier with us not trying to move in all at the same time. I feel like eventually I need to think about starting to pack... I think my biggest focus will be pictures. So expect me to be taking plenty in the upcoming days. I think that I will try and come home the weekend before Mom's birthday (the 22nd and 23rd, her b-day is the 25th). That will be almost a month away, so maybe it will be a good weekend to go home... besides, if it's only for 2 days, I might be able to convince them to let me fly (screw driving 6 hours both ways! haha) We also have a "fall break" in October (oh, the joys of going to a private school), so I hope at least in the beginning I am able to come home once a month. I think that won't be nearly enough, but I guess it will force me to be independent and crap like that. I am going to miss my dog.

Alright, enough rambling for now!!!! I will update this a lot more as d-day gets closer.


PS: Song of the day: "Last Request" by Paolo Nutini
And a lovely picture or yours truly.