Leaving the Garden...

This is my last post for a month (as though I was posting too regularly anyway, right?). I'm going away to Western New York for four weeks, and I don't have a computer up there. Technically, I could buy time, but one, I'm cheap, and two, I don't really need to do so. It's sort of my time away from you guys. No offense, I love you all to death, but everyone needs a break.

I finished up my school interviews. Now I just have to complete the Common Application, copy it a zillion times, and write my college essays. I kind of know what I'm going to talk about already, but I'll flush out the idea a bit more when I'm away.

So, have any of you been following the Democratic National Convention? I've been following when my dad hasn't been around, since he can't tolerate politicians. I find it fascinating, personally. I wish that I were there. I am going to be here, in New York, for the Republican National Convention. However, the conservatives scare me a bit. On September third, I'm going to be heading to the U.S. Open, so we'll have to go around the Republicans. My dad made the joke, "What's worse than a trainful of conservatives? A trainful of liberals!" I, being the liberal I am, shot him an evil look and corrected him. "What's worse than a trainful of conservatives? A trainful of Red Sox fans!" That's something we both can agree on - no offense, GOTO. Well, yes offense to the Red Sox, but not to you specifically: you're one of the good ones.

As I'm not Christian, I'm not really a praying person, but my best wishes are with Jason Giambi. I really hope they find out what's wrong with him soon. I'm starting to worry about him myself. At first he was pretty good at concealing his own concern, but now that they keep going with the tests, it's obvious he's becoming more and more concerned himself. I just hope there's nothing horrifically wrong with him. He's a great first baseman, and while I love Tony Clark with all my heart, I miss him dearly.

Dominic Monaghan's apparently going to be in a new show called Lost on ABC TV. I saw one commercial for it...looks like an awful show. It's about people getting stranded after a plain crash. Now you know what would be good (and funny)? A reality show with Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and Orlando Bloom. But then throw in: three girls that smoke, three girls that are Anglophobes (for whatever reason), and three teeny boppers. The nine girls and the three guys must survive. It comes down to who walks out alive. The trio that lives walks out with a whole bunch of money. I couldn't see Bloom lasting an hour, Dom would freak out with the smoking girls, and Billy...well, I could see him being fine. Throw in three goths that hate the other twelve contestants and you'd have a show.

Well, I'm off. Take care of yourselves. I'll leave the gate open for you to play in here while I'm away. Namaste.

Recounting in the Long Grass...

So I visited Barnard today. It’s really great: it’s small, homey-feeling, but in New York City. You know, if I do end up somewhere else, I don’t know how I’ll survive without New York a stone’s throw away. I mean how will I live without the Met, the Museum of Natural History, Broadway, Yankee games, art galleries, and everything the city has to offer? That’s why I don’t want to go to another city college unless it’s New York. My dad is actually rather uncomfortable with the thought of his little girl living in the city, actually, so I may end up not even applying. I still have time to think about that, though.
I think the fact that Barnard’s right across from Columbia is great too. You can take as many courses as you want there without having to deal with how big the college is. A friend of mine is actually going to Columbia: she wants to be an English major. You have so many resources in New York at your fingertips – that’s one of the reasons I wanted to check Barnard out. Also my friend from school’s mother works in the library there. She said, "You’re looking at all-girl schools and you’re not seeing Barnard?" So basically we had to go down and check it out. My mom also loved it.
I was describing the college process to my mother today and I came up with a metaphor that about sums up the college process. It’s like a circle of prostitution. First the college tries to degrade itself in order to get you to apply. You go on tours and information sessions and they say "such-and-such is why we’re the best school for you in the country and why you should apply – now does anyone want an application please?" So they try to get you to apply. Then you sell yourself back when you interview and apply, saying, "please, please, I am selling my body and soul to you: let me go to this college." Then they, in turn, lower themselves when they accept you, trying to convince you that they really, really, really want you to go there. Finally, you sell your physical self to the school for four years…after getting screwed by the ridiculously high tuition.
Tomorrow I also have my Connecticut College interview. Since we’re so close, we might check out the aquarium nearby, as we have not been there for years. That is, of course, if it turns out that we have extra time after the interview.
And that’s really all that’s drastically new in my life. Namaste.

Dancing in the Rain

Wow, it looks like they really updated the site since I was last on: I can put images and quotes in and stuff. Where was this when I wanted to upload a picture to this site in order to put it on another webpage? Oh well, such is life.
 
I got new glasses. I got my last pair when I got my glasses when I was like ten, and haven't changed the prescription in them since I was like twelve or thirteen. In other words, finally, I have cute glasses that I can see through! Actually, I really like them.  Here's an image:

The frames are actually a sort of blue color. It was between a pair with purple frames and a pair with blue frames. My mom said, "I love the purple; purple's my color," but when she said that, I realized that blue was really my color so I went with the blue. 

I just came back from my friend's pool party. She threw the party for another friend of mine named Andrea that was in the country for just a little while. Andrea moved to Uruguay in Junior High school and I haven't seen her since then. I don't know whether she was looking at colleges here or just visiting, but it was nice to see her again. Actually, we got along better today than I believe we ever did when she lived here. We were discussing what happened to other people, Carson moving to Italy and the like, while she wasn't here. She was talking about how she comes back, hears that our old school principal died, and how they're demolishing the old Elementary School. It was like destroying her childhood. However, the new school buildings are going to be great. She won't really be there to see them though. Come to think of it, I won't really get to appreciate them really either, as this will be my last year at the school. They say that it will be done by January, but the originally said by the end of last year, by the beginning of this year, and now January. So, basically I'll believe that they will finish it when I see it.
 
I've done three of my six college interviews. I just have Barnard, Connecticut College, and Yale left. Amherst doesn't do interviews for whatever reason, so I don't have to think about that. You know, with only 1600 undergraduates one would think that they would do interviews and the like. Three or four of the six or seven schools (depending on my impression of Barnard) that I'm applying to are all female. That's kind of odd, if you think about it. It doesn't really matter to me, though.
 
My friend Moira was in Texas in the El Paso region for four weeks. She came back with a really dark tan and a lot of scratches. Apparently all the plants where she was have thorns and attack humans. She has a huge scratch on her back.
 
The pool party itself was good, though. Only Moira, Laura, Chris D., GregL., and I actually went into the pool, but that's okay. And by "go into the pool," that means that Laura sort of stood on the edge and occasionally cuddled with Chris while Moira, Chris, Greg, and I tried to dunk each other. When Moira got out and Chris and Greg started making "Water Techno" (you don't want to know), I decided to climb out too. Sascha, a girl that used to go to my school, was also there. I hadn't actually spoken to her since she left school. She visited, but I never really had a chance to talk to her.
 
I mention "dancing in the rain" because it was raining here a lot today. It waited until I finished horseback riding, but it rained during the party. People kept saying, "I don't want to go in! It's raining!" Moira and I kept responding, "What's rain made out of? And what fills a swimming pool? It's water either way." After we went inside it started raining harder, so Michelle, Laura, Chris M., and I went out in the rain. Basically I've been soaking wet since 12:30 this afternoon, when I took a shower after horseback riding. I didn't dry off before I jumped into the pool. Then I wandered out into the pouring rain just as I was about to dry off after that. Then I went home and took a shower to wash the chlorine out of my hair (that stuff is lethal to hair texture). I like water though, so it's okay.
 
I was discussing the swimming tests at some of the schools I'm applying to with Moira. It came up because she was talking about how she can't float. I mentioned that a lot of the schools make you float for two minutes, along with demonstrate two strokes and treading water for a minute. I can do all of that, obviously, but I might start getting a little lower in the water by the end of the two minute float. My parents once asked me why they have the swim test. I answered, "Um...in case you're on an important business meeting and you happen to fall off the yacht? I don't know." I guess swimming is a pretty basic skill to have. I was speaking to a girl from China on one of the Forums I go to, and she was saying that she can't really swim. I was thinking about it and that's rather odd. I sort of take swimming for granted because, at least on the East Coast, it's one of "those" things that every small child learns for the most part.
 
I don't really have much else to talk about. There are towels inside when you get tired of the rain. Namaste.

Making a Bouquet to Replace the Withered One...

Do I sense a little bit of hostility from Isabel in that last Comment? Is someone a bit oversensitive about her Red Sox? What's that I hear? The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are catching up to the Red Sox? Really? And why did the Rays fall another game behind the Sox? Oh, that's right: the Yankees beat them last night and are therefore six games ahead of the Sox. Heehee...love you too, Isabel.

Apparently someone got injured and can't play in the All-Star Game. For some bizarre reason they decided that the Yankee pitcher, Javier Vasquez, was a good choice to replace him. Of all the players in the American League, why Vasquez? As happy as I am that it brings the grand total of Yankees on the AL All-Star Team up to eight, Vasquez is not an All-Star.

Derek Jeter got the stitches on his chin out. Now he's back to his beautiful self.

But away from the Yankees (also known as my fifth oxygen), I made my interview dates for colleges. I am going to have what is known as no life until August.

Have you ever seen the MTV show "Your Face or Mine"? It's one of the more amusing things on out there. First they (a couple) compare random celebrities and try to match the majority of the audience selections as to which is more attractive. Then they have to guess which of their moms the audience will think is better looking. Then they compare themselves to pictures and holograms. They then have to compare their boyfriend/girlfriend to best friends/ex-girlfriends/ex-girlfriends' best friends/etc. Finally, they have to figure out between the two of them which one is more attractive. If they match audience selections, they win money. On the final question, if they mess up, they lose all their money. If they get it right, they double it. It's becoming one of my "guilty pleasure" shows...along with Boy Meets World reruns.

I forgot to enter my Spain Trip quotes, didn't I? Well, here are some of the top ones:
Erin: Ooo! Do me! Do me! (Actually said when Darren was taking pictures in the elevator. The phrase Erin was looking for was, "Ooo! Take a picture of me in the elevator!)

Laura: Her boobs look like Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. (In reference to a Miró painting)

Harrison: (Jumps out from behind a wall at the Spanish Civil War Memorial, in the shape of a giant cross.) Boo!
Soyoung: Jesus Christ!
Harrison: Haha! Nailed it!
Jennie: Erm...did anyone else notice that?

Tim: Jennie, why are you such a control freak?

Jennie: Let me see your ticket.
Harrison: No.
Jennie: I just want to see it.
Harrison: Here. (Shows the ticket.)
Jennie: Let me hold it.
Harrison: No! You can see it.
Jennie: (Unsuccessfully grabs for the ticket) I want to touch it!
Harrison: You can't touch it! You can see it! Are you blind?
Jennie: Yes I am, I need to touch it!
Harrison: Well you can't touch it!
Jennie: Let me touch it!
Harrison: No!
Jennie: I need to touch it!
Me: (Just beginning to listen at the Let me touch it! No! part) Uh, do you know what you sound like? What are you trying to touch anyway?
Jennie: The ticket! Give me the ticket!
Harrison: No!
Jennie: (Turns to me) Can I see your ticket for a second? (Grabs my ticket without asking)
Me: Ummm...
Jennie: (Looks briefly and hands it back) Thanks.
Harrison: That was it? Why couldn't you just see it? Why'd you have to touch it?
Jennie: Well, I could have just looked at it, but you were so uptight about letting me touch it, I just had to touch it.
Harrison: You're making no sense! You couldn't touch it so you had to touch it because you couldn't touch it?
Jennie: Uh, yeah.
(This took place in the theater in which we saw a Flamenco-Ballet Crossover...was interesting, to say the least. Jennie and Harrison were bickering like this the whole trip. It made for some amusing intertainment.)

Jennie: So then we went up...
Alex: Wait! Up where?
Me: The stairs? To heaven?
Jennie: To Vermont!
...
Jennie: So then when we went down...
Alex: Down where?
Me: The stairs? To hell? Something sexual that I don't even want to imagine at the moment?
Jennie: To Hawaii! Okay: New York is the central location in all these stories
Me: That's not really down.
Alex: It's more over, really.
Harrison: It's West-Down.
Alex: Okay, so you went West-Down, then...

Laura: (Wakes up on the plane.) Are we there?
Kat: No, we made an emergency stop in Newfoundland.
Laura: Where in Europe's that again? Wait. Oh fuck. You're kidding. We're still in Canada?
Kat: Yup.
Laura: No. We had to have crossed an ocean. Why are we in Canada?! Hasn't it been like five hours?
Kat: Umm...no, it's been two hours.

Whole scene: It's about three in the morning. I'm sitting next to Sarita and Chris is across the aisle. We're flipping through the radio stations. Chris finds a club mix station. He indicates that we should all change. We sit there in the dark, with the rest of the plane asleep, dancing in our seats. I change the station and find Winnie zie Pooh in German. I have them change their radio stations. The demonic sounding voice comes on as Pooh's voice. Chris's eyes go wide and he throws his earphones off. Then we change the channel and find the Therapeutic channel, where they talk about visualizing a field of calm daisies. Then we go back to the club mix and dance some more.

Our Tour Guide: It is the most beautiful painting in the world...except for France.

So, that's my trip to Madrid in one page. Hope you can come with me next time! Namaste.

Re-entering the Garden through the Back Gate...

I'm back from my last overnight college visit! So my list stands as follows:
Yale (a reach)
Amherst (a reach)
Connecticut College
Wellesley
Bryn Mawr (a safety)
Mount Holyoke (a safety)
The last three are all-female, but you know that doesn't really matter to me. I'm still into International Relations, and though only Mount Holyoke, Connecticut College, and Wellesley have actual majors for that, the others have Political Sciences and Government and the like, which concentrates on International Relations. Yale has International Studies for undergraduates and International Relations in its graduate school. Yale is really beautiful, though. I think it is my first choice at the moment. It's ridiculously hard to get into though: only like an 8% chance - 16 if you have a legacy, which I don't. The way the Connecticut College guys eyes nearly popped out of his head when he heard what school I go to, I think I have a pretty good chance of getting in there too.

It's not that the all-women's colleges are bad: in fact they are voted some of the best colleges in the country. However, the fact that they're single-sex eliminates about half the applying body. A lot of girls won't apply either, because they need boys. As I said, that doesn't really matter to me. Smith College - another all-female school - is also pretty nice (and it has horseback riding), but it would be at the bottom of my list, and it's another safety. Two safeties are enough. In my opinion, the Holyoke girls sounded more intelligent than the Smith girls (they're in the same area: near Amherst; there's a five-college consortium that they're part of).

Of the schools that I'm thinking of, it seems that Connecticut College has the best Study Abroad programs. That's what I'm really interested in too. All the schools have Study Abroad, but Connecticut College has some great program options. Yale actually discourages Study Abroad. I mean they wouldn't not let you, but they prefer you to stay on campus all four years. With all the things that go on for those four years, I actually don't really blame the kids that stay. The college-housing system is really cool.

Oh, my friend that wasn't at his house anymore e-mailed. He's okay, which means that I don't have to worry anymore. Don't you love how I can meet someone, know them for half a week, then freak out when something happens? Oi vey.

Speaking of "oi vey", the Yankees need to start winning. We've lost five out of the last six games. Sweeping the Red Sox (haha!) doesn't count for anything if we lose first place to them. I really hope that Tampa Bay catches them too. Imagine Boston if the Red Sox didn't even get Wild Card?

Actually Wellesley and Tufts aren't too far from Boston (two schools I looked at). I'm really not a big fan of Boston, though. It's an okay city, it's just not my type of place. It's just not...New York. That's why I couldn't go to a college in a city other than New York: I'd be comparing it to New York the whole time. Suburbs are fine: as long as there's a larger town or city nearby I'm happy.

Well, I'm off, as there's no more to say! I'll leave the gate open so you can stay in the garden as late as you want. Namaste.