mr. bear goes to washington

Check out this literary masterpiece:

(Note: my mom does this thing called "Buddy Bear" for her kindergarten class every year. He goes home with a different kid every night and they read, etc. It is quite an honor to get Buddy Bear and write the story of him for the year [I did it when I was in Venice a few years ago]. This year, Buddy went to D.C. for Christmas and my mom thought it would be a good idea for me to write the story. I have a feeling there might be some edits...)

One day, while Mrs. Lykes’ class was at P.E., Buddy Bear was enjoying his usual afternoon tea. As he sipped his Earl Grey happily, the secret Buddy Bear Phone Line (B.B.P.L) started ringing. Buddy knew there must be an emergency, for the B.B.P.L. only rang when something important happened.

“Yes?” Buddy answered the phone urgently. He nodded his head solemnly and listened to the response on the other end.

“Of course. If America needs me, you know I’ll be there,” Buddy told the voice on the phone confidently.

“Mrs. Lykes!” Buddy yelled across the classroom to his trusty sidekick, who was diligently grading papers.

“Yes, Buddy?” Mrs. Lykes responded questioningly.

“I have been called away to Washington, D.C. on urgent government business,” before Mrs. Lykes could respond Buddy put his paws up and continued explaining, “I know, I know, it’s the holiday season, but I just can’t let President Obama down. He needs me now more than ever.”

“I understand, Buddy. You are truly an inspiration,” Mrs. Lykes replied, “I’ll help you in any way I can!”

“To the airport!” Buddy cried triumphantly.

(A few hours later)

“Buddy, we can’t thank you enough for taking time out of your busy schedule,” President Obama told Buddy as they shook hands/paws.

“Don’t mention it, Barry. I owe you for that thing you did for me in Chicago last year,” Buddy told the president with an easy smile.

“Michelle, the girls and I will be back soon. Again, I can’t tell you how much it means to Bo that you made the trip down to spend time with him.”

At that moment, Bo came bounding down the hall and knocked over both President Obama and Buddy!

“Bo! Old chap! It’s been too long!” Buddy laughed as he and Bo played together in the oval office.

“Woof! Woof!” Bo responded.

“Haha! You get me every time with that joke!” Buddy wiped a tear of laughter from his eye.

Buddy and Bo had a wondrous visit in D.C. for Christmas. They visited all the monuments, rode the toy train around the white house Christmas tree and roasted chestnuts over an open fire. The time flew by and before they knew it, it was time for Buddy to go back to New Jersey.

“Woof, arf,” Bo told Buddy as they shared a hug.

“Don’t make this harder than it already is, Bo. You know I hate goodbyes,” Buddy squeezed Bo around the neck one last time and left the white house.

Buddy was sad to leave Bo, but he was also excited to see Mrs. Lykes and her class. Luckily, Mrs. Lykes and her husband got to the airport before the blizzard! They got him home safe and sound and told him some wonderful news. Jeff, Mrs. Lykes’ son, was engaged to his girlfriend, Amy!

“Congratulations, m’boy!” Buddy clapped Jeff on the back.

Buddy Bear sure had an exciting and fun holiday vacation!

Sometimes, I'm overwhelmed by the amount of people I won't get to meet.

shambles

Things I forgot* to pack for my week and a half break:
+ computer charger
+ deodorant (this word ALWAYS looks misspelled to me)
+ toothbrush
+ razor
+ more than 4 shirts and one pair of pants
+ running shoes/sports bra
+ my dignity



*forgot = got drunk and packed in 8 minutes

parents say the darndest things

On the phone, my mom told me to, "check yourself before you wreck yourself." I asked her where she learned that, but she laughed and didn't answer.

25 things to do during 25

So, I made a list of 25 things I want to do while I'm 25. I might be having a quarter-life crisis. Whatever. Don't judge me.

Without further ado, the 25 things (in no particular order) I want to do while I'm 25...

1) get a tattoo
2) run a half-marathon
3) create design portfolio website
4) take more photos
5) create an art collection/show
6) learn at least 5 songs on the guitar
7) put away clean laundry right away
8) restore something old/antique
9) go to the doctor and get a physical
10) go to the dentist
11) work out at least 4x/week
12) communicate much more regularly with people who are important to me
13) have short quiet reflection every day
14) write a novel (or at least a novella)
15) read/watch the news every day
16) try to always maintain my patience in difficult situations
17) be ok with not being perfect
18) take criticism better
19) sketch more often
20) explore more of DC/surrounding area
21) spend more time outside
22) strive to have good conversations and get to know people
23) dance more
24) brush dr. pajama cat more often
25) make it to 26

oh hai.

Ceci n'est pas une post.

I just wanted to say, "what up" and let anyone who might care (all 3 of you) know that I will get back to semi-regular posts soon. Life has been busy, but I do have some posts almost ready- such as:
+ "She's Crafty" (a post about the headboard I built)
+ "Food stamps" (title to be reworked)
+ "Making friends after the age of 5" (that shit is hard. I realized it when I went to college and I realize it now.)

Get excited!

things i thought when i was young: Chilean sea bass

When I was but a child, I thought Chilean sea bass was the spiciest food ever. I'm pretty sure I only based this off of two things:

1) Chilean sounds spicy. Maybe like chili? I'm unsure of the thought process.
2) In Jurassic Park, they eat Chilean sea bass (right after they feed the raptors, REMEMBER?!?) and it looked really orange-ish and, therefore, obviously spicy.

In completely other news, I need to see live music soon. I miss Boston and going to The Middle East and Paradise fo' free.

Moving Day, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Truck

Oh, why hello there. It's been quite a while since I blogged it out. Been busy, ya know? We're here in DC, getting settled in. I start City Year tomorrow and Steph has law school orientation. (She has a quiz the first day. Isn't that fucked?) The apartment looks less like a disaster area than it did when we first got here, but we're still not completely done. (I'll post pictures soon.)

Moving day itself was quite a challenge. I was so proud of us because we were basically completely ready the night before. We finished packing and called it an early night (even though I was so nervous/excited/etc. that I didn't really sleep much). I strolled on down to Budget in Allston the next morning at 9:30 to pick up the 16 foot truck we had reserved.

Summary: BUDGET RENTAL TRUCKS ARE THE WORST. EVER. They didn't have a truck for us and they also didn't know when they would have one available. I understand that sometimes people are assholes and don't return things when they are supposed to, but there were like two other groups waiting for trucks. What a shitty way to run a business.

We ended up taking a 24 foot truck (which we had to go to Braintree to pick up [so we couldn't sing "We're Not Going to Braintree," the drunken hit sung to the tune of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It"]) because they had no idea when a 16 foot truck would be available. We had already lost several hours of packing time at this point because, let me say it one more time, BUDGET RENTAL TRUCKS CAN SUCK IT.

After packing up, it was up to me to drive that bad boy down to New Jersey. The stress of driving that truck easily took three years off of my life, but we made it. We listened to soft rock almost the entire drive down, which was awesome. We heard "In the Air Tonight" AND "Somewhere Out There" from Fievel, which made me tear up a little.


There we are in our moving truck. With our two cats. And Steph is wearing a bandana. ... ::sigh:: Lesbian cliche.

it's so haaaaard to say goodbyeeeee to yesterdaaaaaaaaay

It's getting close to moving day, which is weird. We're going to Punter's tonight with some friends for our last big night out. So, I choose to compose a list of things I will miss about Boston.

Things I will miss about Boston (in no particular order):
+ Punter's. I spent a good portion of my time and money in that fine establishment this past year. I think the highlight (or possibly lowlight) was bringing a group there during class time to discuss projects.
+ Knowing where to go to eat/drink/hang out/etc. in a lot of different neighborhoods.
+ My friends.
+ Football Sundays with the crew.
+ Boston sports teams losing.
+ Coolidge/Kendall movie theaters
+ Ryder Hall, because I was there when I wasn't at Punter's.
+ Navigating the MFA like a pro because of all the Art History classes I had there.
+ Never going to Faneuil Hall, because it sucks.
+ Flann's, specifically karaoke at Flann's. Is it bad that I have two bars on this list...?
+ Watching SYTYCD (and other ridiculous shows) with Molly.
+ Autumn and going to Salem.
+ Making fun of the T for being so shitty.

Okay, I have to get going to Punt's now. Perhaps I'll add to this list later.

trashy tv

I'm totally eating dinner alone and watching Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family. Before you judge, just know that my other option was "Mannequin," the 1987 gem with Andrew McCarthy about the mannequin (who is, apparently, Kim Cattrall, which I totally don't remember) that comes to life.

Okay, never mind, you can judge me.

things I thought when I was young: parsley

New installment idea: posting the ridiculous things I thought when I was younger.

I was confused and disgusted by parsley when I was younger. To be fair, I was a picky eater all around but I think parsley was really the most extreme thing I disliked. When I used to go to dinner with my family the only thing I would order was buttered noodles. Aaaaand I was adamant about "no green stuff" on the pasta. Parsley. My nemesis.

I can trace the stem of this hatred back to a conversation I had with my mom.

Me: "Mom, why do you put parsley in stuff?"
Mom: "For flavor."
Me: "What does it taste like?"
Mom: "Nothing."

... you can now perhaps see why I was suspicious of the green stuff. How can something be used for flavor and taste like nothing?!

I have since grown up and now eat buttered noodles with parsley. Among other things.

Resource furniture

Okay, how badly do I want all this furniture?




I'll tell you how much. A whole lot.

It's kind of annoying though because the video makes claims such as, "now you can save money and live in a smaller space!" However, the website doesn't even have prices for the big stuff (like the beds, etc.) so I think it is safe to assume that my small space will not be this badass.

goosebumps

Whenever I watch Wheel of Fortune, I see R.L. Stine in the letters for the bonus spin round.



Man, those Fear Street books were racy, right?

ps- I totally solved that puzzle using only my intelligence and cunning. Suck it, Sajak.

a case of the post-drinking up earlies

In bed after 1am and up before 6am. I can just feel the hangover coming.

Anyway, I'm going home to the magical land of New Jersey tomorrow. It should be nice because:

a) I'm broke and my parents will feed me.
b) I haven't been home since Christmas.
c) I get to see/hang with my friends.
d) I get to cuddle with Dakota! (who is the best dog, if you don't know me that well.)

Steph and I hopefully found an apartment in DC! (All thanks to my lovely, wonderful, amazing, helpful sister-in-law and [kind of] brother!) It's in a super great location (just outside of Dupont Circle, funz!) which happens to be really close to the City Year office (we're talking around-the-corner-close). It's a "junior" one bedroom. This means the bedroom is pretty tiny, but there is space in the rest of the apartment and it's cheaper than a regular one bedroom. Fine by me.

I'm now going to go edit west coast photos and wonder why I'm awake.

shipping up to boston

Laterz California/west coast.

napa hotel

Check out the swanky digs we stayed in while we were in Napa. Baller.

a day in the life of Jenna

(please note that all times are approximate)
12:45 am - Stumble into hostel room and attempt to quietly make bed. This is made difficult by the fact that I am on the top bunk of a rickety bunk bed and am drunk. Apparently, I shook the bed enough to give Steph the spins.
12:55 am - Set three alarms on my cell phone for the morning: 6:22 am, 6:52 am, 7:32 am. I have decided I am nothing less than a true patriot because I'm getting up for the USA World Cup soccer match.
12:56 am - Pass the fuck out.
5:44 am - Wake up. Look at time. Wonder why I woke up. Notice that I somehow bunched all the blankets into a mountain on the side of the bed.
5:48 am - Decide that I have to pee really badly and need to get up soon anyway so I just get out of bed.
6:00 am - Stumble into common area and drunkenly write my dad's father's day card while watching the World Cup.
6:30 am - Eat some leftover cheeseburger and fries from the night before. Cold.
6:45 am - Stumble to post office and mail my dad's card. Head to bar I was drinking at the night before because they have beer specials during the soccer matches.
7:05 am - Enter bar and sit down. I order a pitcher of Bud Light sheepishly and the waitress laughs and says, "I love it."
7:45 am - Am starting to feel rather intoxicated and self-conscious that I am drinking an entire pitcher of beer alone before 8 in the morning. Text friends to seem less like an alcoholic.
8:30 am - Have become a huge soccer fan and am horrified by bad calls. I am starting to yell at the TV. I text Steph to see if she wants to wake up and join me and get no response.
9:00 am - Call my dad on the walk back to the hostel and rant about the soccer match. I am drunk.
9:10 am - Fall back into hostel bed and pass the fuck out.
11:00 am - Wake up still drunk. Steph has showered and is ready to greet the day. I slur at her to look at ESPN.com and make her watch video replay of the shitty soccer calls. She humors me.
11:15 am - Eat more of my cold cheeseburger and fries (with ranch).
11:30 am - Walk to quaint seaside village with shopping/food. Am starting to get hungover.
12:15 pm - Order another Bud Light to take the edge off.
12:45 pm - Roll up my jeans (which I will later regret, as I now have ridiculous lines on my shins) and pass the fuck out on some grass by the water.
2:00 pm - Start harassing Steph to amuse me.
2:30 pm - Eat clam chowder (even though it was like 80 degrees) and pound some water.
3:30 pm - Lay back down in hostel. Decide to go see Toy Story 3.
4:25 pm - Watch Toy Story 3, which is awesome. Get choked up at beginning and straight up cry at the end. Steph mocks me.
6:45 pm - Go to Petco Park and watch the Padres play. We decide to sit in the all you can eat ticket section. I am probably too excited.
7:00 pm - Consume two hot dogs with the works. And popcorn. And sprite. Try a piece of Steph's veggie dog and decide it is weird.
8:30 pm - Get one more hot dog and hoard popcorn/peanuts/water, as the all you can eat food is ending soon.
8:40 pm - Regret getting last hot dog about two bites in and stop after 1/2.
10:00 pm - Padres pull off walk-off win in 9th. Fireworks! Flames!
10:30 pm - My body hates me for what I did to it today.

vino!

'Bout to get our wine tasting on in NAPA, bitches. I wish people could just bring us wine in our hotel room because it is a heavenly oasis (especially compared to hostel life).

Rest of San Fran was sweet (but I never got any Rice-A-Roni; SUPER SAD). We went to a free comedy show at The Purple Onion, which, if memory serves me correctly, is the club featured in the DVD of the Zach Galifianakis Comedy Hour. If I'm right, I'm totally awesome because I watched that DVD while I was rather intoxicated (thanks for being a good influence, older brother who supplied me with said intoxicants).

We drove up yesterday through Muir Woods (fucking huge Redwoods all up ons) and took the Shoreline Highway, also known as California One. If you love The Decemberists, like I do, you will know that they have a song about that (from the album Castaways and Cutouts, I believe). My brilliant plan was to listen to it as we drove, but the iPod connector in the car was complete shit. (Damn you Zipcar!!! ... just kidding, I love you. You complete me.) I had to settle for FM radio in the middle of nowhere. Hellooooo country music.

Anyway, the drive was gorgeous but a little scary because the road is really curvy and it basically drops off to a sheer cliff like a foot off the side of the road. Steph navigated it with caution and care, however, and we survived.

I hate to leave you all but I just have to go taste a lot of delicious wine. Life is so hard.

rainbows, sunshine and foreign friends

Sorry I haven't posted in a while (okay, I bet no one cares), the internet at our SF hostel is being stupid and I didn't want to blog from a shared computer. Yes, I'm ashamed of you. You're like my bastard child.

Anyway, San Francisco is cool. I was disappointed that no one offered me Rice-A-Roni as soon as we set foot in the city. What can you do? I kind of want to buy some and make it in the hostel, but I haven't had it since I was like 12 and I can't remember if I actually like it. I probably do, it's just kind of rice with other shit. End Rice-A-Roni talk.

So this hostel is way different than the last one. If the last one felt like staying in someone's house, this one feels like staying in a friend of a friend's college dorm. I can't tell who actually works there and it's just generally not run as well (in my opinion). That being said, it's still totally fine and I'm enjoying myself.

We've done a bunch of exploring: Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach (where my I-talian people live), the touristy piers, the Mission, the Castro, Lombard Street (ridiculously designed "crookedest street") and probably other things I'm forgetting. We're still here a while so we're going to do the Golden Gate Bridge and other key SF things. Castro was super gay, of course, which was neat. Huge rainbow flags everywhere and lots of other homos hanging about. We passed by the store front where Harvey Milk based all his stuff out of, so that was neat.

The weather here has been the most consistently good/sunshine-y of our trip which is super duper. We've just walked around a ton and I love it. Steph, being too Irish, got a nasty sunburn already. Then she got a sunburn on top of her sunburn: now that is talent. Speaking of Irish, I've gotten really into the Celtics. This stems more from my hatred of the Lakers (and Kobe/Artest/Gasol), which seems to have trumped my hatred of Boston sports. For now.

Anyway, we watched the game last night with some new friends (British chick and two Swiss guys) and that was fun. The British chick LOVED my British accent (suck it, Steph). Highlight of night: Steph got the hiccups and the two Swiss dudes picked her up, flipped her upside-down and shook her on the sidewalk. Unconventional, yes, but it did cure her hiccups so I call it a win.

Last thing: dude in my room was snoring so loud last night that the management actually made him go to a private room. I slept through it. YES EAR PLUGS.

letters to Molly, part two

My dear Molliford,

How are things in New England? I hope this letter finds you in good spirits, though I'm sure you are sorely missing our company.

We finally had nice weather today! Barely a cloud in the sky, around 70 degrees (Fahrenheit) and no humidity. Fabulous.

Fun fact: hippies love Portland (this may not be shocking news). Steph received the following psychedelic postcard today (the dude referred to her as "sister" when he handed it to her):

"Please join your friends and FAMILY (family was in all caps, not a typo) for a surrealistic solstice celebration and cosmic Kool-Aid experiment of EPIC (again, all caps) proportions.... Come prepared to stay on site for the duration from 4:20pm on June 19nth (this was a typo... proofread, people!) until well after sunrise. The SPIRAL shall swizzle and swirl all night long!!"

Of course, I wish we were going to be here for this amazing event. Alas, we're moving on to San Francisco tomorrow. I feel like Sal from On the Road (except for the hitchhiking/beat generation/etc.). I am planning on enjoying a lot of Rice-A-Roni in Frisco, though, and I think Kerouac would appreciate that.

Welp, I'm going to go help Steph pack (first time I've really done that on this trip...). I miss you ever so much and wish to receive correspondence back from you within the fortnight.

Yours in faith,
J-Bomb

midnight moooovie

Okay, okay- Steph is informing me it is actually an 11 o' clock movie. But still.

We're seeing T2: Judgment Day at a Pub/Theater. $3 tickets. BOOM.

hostel life, part two

Things at the old hostel got way better last night. We made friends and played Trivial Pursuit and Apples to Apples while drinking cheap wine and PBR. (fun fact: people LOVE PBR here. There are artistic billboards depicting PBR cans. Also, I got a 6 pack of 16oz. cans for $4.99. $4.99. And there ain't no tax to trifle with either.). I always forget how much I love Apples to Apples until I play again and things like "friendly AIDS" happen.

Today it is actually not raining, so we might go check out a mountain/volcano thingy. Then the Celtics are on and I am actually going to root for them because Kobe can suck my balls. Steph is pleased.

Dunkleman OUT.

hostel life

People we've met in our hostel:
+ Dude with a missing front tooth, homemade cross from sticks/string who said "blessed" when he shook our hands. He told us he was here to clear up a little incident where he stole from the Safeway and yells (yells- not talks) in his sleep.
+ Old guy who kind of looks like the Six Flags old guy. He just sits and reads all day.
+ Two chicks from Germany who took our food without asking literally right in front of us. (edit: bitches stole the last of our cream cheese, some blackberry jam we had JUST bought and the rest of apples. I hate people.)
+ A guy who I think bought some drugs outside on the porch.

In other news, Portland is cool.

updates

I need to blog more often because I hate that I always have like 5 things to talk about on each post and then it just seems kind of like a list. However, that is what this post will be.

On Monday, we explored Ballard (another community like Wallingford or Fremont). There were some cool little shops/restaurants. We walked down to the Ballard locks. Locks, for those of you unfamiliar with maritime life, are devices for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways (thank you, wikipedia). The Ballard locks are fairly famous (for locks...) and they are also where the salmon swim through every year, which is apparently a big thing. We were a little too early in the season to catch the salmon, but the locks themselves were kind of cool (for locks...).

We also got a fantastic cupcake at this place called Cupcake Royale (it was salted caramel, if you were wondering). The walk home from Ballard also marked the start of my Seattle photography project. There are more Vanagons per square mile in Seattle than in any other place in America (fact.)


As you can see, Vanagons are super hippie cars, which is probably why there are so freaking many in Seattle. Steph gave me the idea to photograph them (above photo is not one I took) and so I've started doing that. I think I've already shot at least 10.

On Tuesday, Steph, Hill, Vanessa and I hiked up Mount Si. This was way more intense than the last hike (Mount Si is a 4 mile hike up to 3000 ft. el.). My outer thighs are literally still hurting. At the top, it was balls cold. It was cool because it was a clear view for the first 10-15 minutes, but then all this fog/mist rolled in and it looked sweet. I have some awesome pictures that I can't wait to edit. At the top, there was a chipmunk who kept trying to kill me. It was literally circling us and it totally had shifty eyes. Steph protected me.

On Wednesday, the four of us went to a Mariner's game. Shockingly, they won the game comeback style in the 8th inning. This did not feel like a professional baseball game; the stadium was barely half-full. We got $8 bleacher seats and then moved down pretty close to the field.

Wednesday evening Steph and I took advantage of the non-puritan/New England craziness and went to happy hours! Drink specials = awesome. We hung for a while at this place called the Seamonster Lounge. The bartender was playing bass in the live band. Luckily, it was a wireless bass and he would just come up to the bar and serve people while playing. Badass.

Yesterday, Steph and I wandered around the U District (area where the University of Washington is). It was cool and I bought new sneakers because they were on sale (I have a problem). We also went to the first ever espresso bar in Seattle. Fun fact: people in Seattle love espresso and teriyaki. Who knew? We later played Scattergories with some people and I was totally reminded of many, many high school nights. What a great game. I came in second, though. Boo.

Until next time, I bid you all a fond farewell.

letters to Molly, part one

(Note: this is the first of a (hopefully) weekly series where I write letters to Molly [based on her urgings and my love for her]. For best results, imagine that I'm reading it out loud with a very serious tone.)

Dearest Molly,

We've only been apart for less than a week and, already, I miss you so. How are things with Flapjack and Ellie? Have you had any exceptional towel-times recently? I dearly miss your occasional nonsensical outbursts. (ie: "You know what are weird? Houses.")

We've been keeping quite busy out here. We went to a lesbian bar on Friday night; you would've loved it (because you're at least 2/5 gay). I embarrassed Steph by dancing like an idiot and we made friends with a Canadian woman in the Navy who bought us all "peach bombs" (they tasted like cough syrup).

We made friends with an outlandish dude on Saturday afternoon and I think you would've loved him. He was pretty drunk at like 2pm and was making friends with everyone. He was 34, though, and I think he felt old when he realized he was ten years older than us. He had a deep love for the old 90210.

On Saturday night, Steph and I went to this ridiculous place for dinner called Elemental. Funny story: we were reading yelp reviews to find somewhere nice-ish to go and saw that Elemental had a more casual wine bar next door called END (Elemental Next Door). So we were like, sweet, let's go. Well, it turns out that I'm dumb and we accidentally went to straight up Elemental and by the time I realized it, we couldn't leave.

Anyway, this place was craaazy. They asked if we had any foods we don't eat (Steph, by the way, failed to mention that whole not-eating-meat thing. I had to remind her to tell him.) and then started bringing out courses of food paired with wines. We had EIGHT courses and we were never told once what we were eating. It was a 3+ hour meal but it was pretty fucking cool. Steph got kind of drunk.

Yesterday, we went hiking with Hill's friend's Melissa and Quinton and their friend Burle (sp?). Everything is very green and lush, especially on the mountain. We saw some waterfalls and hiked almost 3 miles each way. I felt very outdoorsy.

It was very sad to not watch the LOST finale with you, even though I know you were probably yelling at the TV a lot. I'm sure the wound is too raw to talk about now, so I'll just leave it at that.

Please give my love to the gang. You should all think about coming out here and meeting us for a long weekend at some point (probably not going to happen, I know).

Hugz 'n kissez,
Jenna M. Lykes, esq.

rain and food stamps

I realize that the title of this blog post sounds like an emo poem, but, I assure you, it is not. Rain and food stamps = the two biggest things I have to talk about! First, food stamps.

I have been accepted as a corps member for City Year Washington, DC. As you'll recall from a previous post, I was slightly nervous that I wasn't going to make it. I should have remembered how awesome I am, though, because I totally got in. Starting in mid-August I will be dedicating myself to full-time service (probably mostly in DC public schools).

I'm really excited for this experience even though I've heard it can be pretty tough. I have talked a big game in the past few years about how committed I am to public service, etc. and now I have the opportunity to back that up.

Where do the food stamps come in? Well, I'm going to be making an alarmingly small amount of money next year and will most likely get food stamps so I can buy groceries. It's a glamorous life, I know. Hopefully this will teach me to be even more creative with meals/cooking. Steph and I are going to look for an apartment in DC once we get back from our west coast adventure. This brings me to...

Rain. We're in Seattle! We're staying with our friend, Hill, in a house in Wallingford (which is basically like one of the communities in Seattle... think like kind of how Boston has Mission Hill/Allston/etc.) Seattle is really fucking cool because there is a downtown area with big buildings and urban life, but then a lot of Seattle (including where Hill lives) feels like a small beach town and is mostly blocks and blocks of cute little houses.

Hill shares the house with six other roommates, so there is always someone coming or going. There are also two dogs, Olive and Mika, and I love them already. They both kind of remind me of Sadie, my brother and Susanna's dog. Olive comes up on our bed (and by bed, I mean pull-out couch) in the morning and cuddles.

No one exaggerates about Seattle's rain. It has rained, at least for a little bit, every day we've been here so far. I don't really mind it though, there is almost no humidity. The temperature is on the chilly side, though. I need to remember to bring a hoodie with me even if it is super beautiful out when we leave for the day.

So far we have explored: gas works park, Wallingford/Fremont (two cool communities near each other), Pike Place Market (where they throw the fish!), the original Starbucks, Seattle Public Library (which I am in love with) and the Columbia Tower (tallest building in Seattle). Main thing I have left on my list to check out: Real World Seattle house. I still can't believe he slapped Irene.

We don't have to the connector for Steph's camera so I'm not sure how many pictures I'll be posting. My camera takes big RAW files, so I'm not sure if I can get those on here. I will investigate further.

things I learned on a six hour flight

1) Elliott will always get too emotionally connected to cases that hit close to home.
2) Olivia can connect to the victim better than anyone else.
3) Munch is a crazy bastard.
4) Ice-T is THE MAN.
5) Usually, if a case can be solved in only half an hour... it is, in fact, not solved. (Though sometimes it is, but there is another aspect of the court case that is interesting.)

Oh, by the way, there was an SVU marathon on USA while we were flying.

We're in Seattle! It is awesome! More on that later.

post-graduation: new beginnings?

Hello. So, I graduated from college (Northeastern University, if you were wondering- yeah, NorthEASTERN, not Northwestern) last Friday with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design. Fast forward to now: sitting on my girlfriend's couch, feeling congested and cranky, I have decided to start a blog.

This blog will chronicle my summer travels (west coast for 6 weeks with Steph, the previously mentioned girlfriend), my employment status (currently: un, but hoping to hear back in the next two days about City Year [Americorps program]) and my housing situation (I still have a room in Boston through August that I won't need and we haven't started looking for apartments in D.C. yet).

Basically, I have no idea what I'm doing with myself and my life and thought that writing about it might help me. Or at least be interesting? Or make other people feel better about themselves?