Panic Sets In.

Shut down the building yesterday and I am still not finished with my room. Maybe the trip to the Bahamas right before school started was not the best plan. Still, it was worth it.


In other news, Bahamas Vacations are Awesome: The Movie has finished post-production and is now in mailboxes. I have learned that giving Jamie free reign of a video camera can end in extreme levels of corniness and subsequent hilarity.

Must go finish hyperventilating now over school stuff.

You Know It's Almost Time for School...

...when I get up at 6:30am on Saturday in order to trek over to Baltimore.

Yes, the kids come on Monday and my room still looks as though a bomb has exploded in it. Because of the lameness and illogical reasoning of some staff, our school will only be opened to teachers and administration for approximately two hours today -- despite the fact that there will be people in it all day doing maintenance work in the cafeteria. I hate school politics.

Hopefully, I will have some pictures of my completed classroom for you to enjoy tonight.

PiggyBank? More like PiggyLAME.

I have to do some work tonight, so this'll be short, but I simply cannot believe that no one other than Meredith has any comments to make about PiggyBank TelephoneCar. Where are the comments filled with surprise , disbelief, and/or longing??

C'mon people! That discovery is as good as it's going to get on my blog! I am not pleased.

Back to School.

Today was the first "official" day of the 2006-07 school year. I had professional development yesterday, but apparently that didn't count for the calendar. So this morning at 6am, I got out of bed and started the ol' routine.

I'm excited for the new school year, and I'm hoping it'll be a great one. But, I have to say that I'm no where near as excited as I was this time last year. I could use a few more weeks of vacation. My room was a debacle -- I'm sorry that I don't have any before and after pictures to show -- but it's slowly coming together. I hope I can get it ready for when the kiddies come on Monday. Thankfully I didn't need to change rooms again this year.

I also just got back from IKEA where I bought 34 seat cushions for my students.
I justify this allotment of my meager funds by considering all of the saved instruction time that won't have to be spent breaking up fights and telling kids not to lie down. You will not believe how much time is wasted when Ronald sticks his feet on someone elses head or Darian sits on top of Tykia. I think it is a worthy investment.

The one conundrum: I usually end up dividing my students into four different teams. Coincidentally, there were four different color seat cushions to choose from: blue, green, orange, and psychedelic. I worry that kids will fight over the psychedelic. I'm hoping some rounds of team "Rock-Paper-Scissors" (or "Cowboy-Bear-Ninja") will settle the matter once and for all.

That, or they'll just fight over the cushions and completely defeat the purpose for me buying them in the first place. Ahhh, third graders.

Just a note: Jamie is hogging my computer for the production of Bahamas Vacations are Awesome: The Movie so I am unable to post more pictures at this time. I'll try and make up for it tomorrow.

Send A Money.

One of the greatest discoveries -- and only letdown -- of the Bahamas trip came in this little box.


I don't remember who it was that first discovered PiggyBank TelphoneCar -- I think it may have been Drew or Anne Louise. All I know is, there were many squeals of delight at the thought that we would be able to play PiggyBank TelephoneCar at some point during our trip. We assumed it was a game because it was nestled in with all of the other board games. This, my friends, is where the seed of disappointment was planted.

It turned out that PiggyBank TelephoneCar was not a game, but rather a toy. Let's investigate.


There is a picture of a confused and sad-looking Asian girl on the box playing with PiggyBank TelephoneCar. Her expression is one that suggests that someone on the other end of the line is ruining Christmas by giving this toy as her only gift.

But wait! Let's zoom in little closer...

I was very happy to learn that when pulled this TelephoneCar "may give a KA-KA sound". Add to this the fact that the TelephoneCar
may also be used as a "peggy bank" and our initial disappointment starts to reside. Never mind that they successfully spelled "piggy bank"
elsewhere on the box -- or that the name of the product is PiggyBank TelephoneCar and not PeggyBank Telephone Car.

Spelling errors aside, nothing could prepare me for the actual toy itself and its demand to:

PiggyBank TelephoneCar is genius. You can use the same contraption to call people and get them to send a money, to then store a money for later use. In addition, it is highly mobile and will make a KA-KA sound as it goes (obviously for built-in security purposes).

Ultimately, PiggyBank TelephoneCar did not disappoint me. I know that I will look for it in the game closet for many years to come and think back fondly to this 2006 trip.

Sneaks on a Plane.

I have decided that I will no longer fly through Miami International Airport if I can at all help it. On both occasions when I have flown through MIA I have gotten stuck there. Actually, this time I narrowly escaped sleeping at the airport due to a deus ex machina.

Our flight out of Marsh Harbour was delayed due to lightning storms in Miami. Our plane ended up leaving over an hour late. I was panicked since we would have to get through customs, collect our baggage, recheck our baggage, and then make our way to our gate in less than an hour. Somehow, we blazed through customs and got to the front of the baggage check line (P.S. Miami airport? MOST INEFFICIENT CUSTOMS EVER.) The guy asked when our flight left, then directed us to the American Airlines counter. Even though we had about 40 minutes until our flight left, we were being denied the opportunity to even try -- the line was to reschedule our flight. I understand that it would be nearly impossible for our baggage to go through checks and still make it to the plane in time, but STILL.

By the time we got to the front of the line our plane had departed. We were put on standby for the next flight, but were told our bags would go on that flight with or without us. Of course, we didn't make it onto that flight. Nor, did we make it on the next one. We had spent several hours in waiting rooms, watching people get more and more desperate. Every flight was overbooked according to the American Airlines people so it looked like we would have to spend the night at the airport.

While we were checking in for our third attempt, Jamie noticed a nearby gate for a flight to Baltimore. As it was leaving in five minutes, I did not have high hopes, but I ran over anyway and the most beautiful, incredible, wonderful American Airlines agent gave Jamie and me a seat on the plane. We were told to keep it quiet so that there wasn't a mad rush of other standbys which would cause the plane to delay. Then, this angel snuck us onto the plane and we were off.

I was slightly worried that we were being shipped off to some remote part of the world, but two hours later we landed in Baltimore, MD and came home to our demanding cat.

"Bahamas Vacations are Awesome!" (tm Jamie)

Despite promises that I would write daily posts from the Bahamas, this is my first post from the island and it is also my final day in Man O’ War Cay, Bahamas. The days have been too full of swimming/relaxing/snorkeling/board gaming/laughing for me to write. But, I will try to make up for it with pictures.

The trip was “TREMENDOUS” (as Drew would say).

Let me preface this with the statement that I am blessed to have the friends that I do. I should also state that I am marrying a pretty incredible trip planner. Jamie made sure that we had at least one adventure a day and because of his impeccable planning we had so much fun doing it. I will not deny that there were moments that I giggled at his campiness, but I can safely say that we were so lucky to have him there with us.

A few (little) things that I learned on our trip:

1) I am bad at all board/card games. I will lose lose lose if anyone plays me.

2) 82 degrees is the ideal water temperature in which to swim.

3) Peanut butter and jelly tastes better in the Bahamas. Even on the fifth day.

4) It takes approximately 3.66 swats to kill a cicada.

5) Boys are a lot like Golden Retrievers when it comes to fetching playing Frisbee on the beach.

Enough talk. Here are some pictures from our trip:

A little peek at what was outside our bedroom -- we stayed at "The Bayhouse" portion of the property which meant that we had a great view of the bayside. (Also, we had central AC -- but I swear we only used it a few nights).

The weather was pretty moody while we were there. It rained a bunch on one or two days, but cleared up enough for us to get out on the water every day.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out the best way to put up pictures from our trip without the formatting getting all wonked out. I'm thinking I won't be able to get all of my pictures up in one post -- but I'll put up a bunch now and as the week progresses and I continue telling stories from our trip I will put up a few more pictures each time. For now, how about this series called: Man O' War Cay By The Hour.

This picture was actually taken around 5:20am before the sun came up. It's of a lightning storm over Marsh Harbor (it bypassed Man O' War). I spent a good amount of time futzing with the camera trying to figure out how to leave the shutter open so I could catch a fork of lightning. Unfortunately, I don't think it had the option (or at least I couldn't figure it out without turning on some lights), so I just sat around and took pictures whenever I thought that maybe lightning was approaching. Surprisingly, I actually caught one. Yes, that big glow of white light in the center is the bolt of lightning. It's kind of hard to see, but it's the most clear on the middle-to-left side of the picture. It's pretty amazing to look at when you zoom in a lot.

Of course, I also had to include a picture of our beach -- there are a lot of these. This is from the path leading from the Main House to the beach in front of the house. We also learned that this path was the choice litter box for the cat that adopted us while we were there. A lot of my pictures from the trip look like this one.

And of course, the obligatory "sunset at Man O' War" picture. In the lower-left corner you can see the boat that we rented for the week. It was a nice boat and I worried for its inanimate life. However, thanks to Jamie's savvy navigating and patient instruction it survived the week with nary a scratch.

I have plenty more pictures to share, but like I said, I'll do it in parts. There is only so much uploading of pictures through Blogger that one can endure at a time. But, I'm so excited about sharing my pictures that you can be sure that I'll be posting again really soon. Like, now.

Back!

I'm back! I will post soon. Check back in a few...

Bummed Out.

The news that Lou Diamond Phillips was arrested this morning bums me the eff out. He had always held a special place in my heart because of his role in Young Guns 2. As a little kid who probably should not be watching such an R-rated (it was actually PG-13??) movie, his character was the only one that I liked. He liked horses and I liked horses too.

Also, he was the one "celebrity" that I could see on a semi-regular basis since he lived down the street. I will fondly remember seeing LDP in his little short shorts running around the neighborhood or putting up his little Christmas reindeer.

Now I think he's a jerkface.

Home Alone.

If you have been following this blog for a while, then you are familiar with Cody:


Cody is our [insert colorful adjective here] cat. We don't leave Cody home alone often -- we don't have the funds for that -- but we do manage to get away for a couple of weeks every year. Last year when we took time to go to Peru and Alaska, we left him in the care of benevolent friends. Over the holidays, we forked over serious dollars to a cat sitter.

This time? He's in the care of Jamie's brother. In a completely good-natured way, I'm a little nervous. Mind you, the last time that Scott was left home alone in our apartment he managed to slice open his hand (which required several stitches to close again). Also, upon returning from our trip, we found that the stove and floor was completely covered in a mysterious, waxy, yellow goo. This I am sure is not Scott's fault (I think our exhaust filter needed to be changed), but the point is: bad things happen when Scott is left alone in our apartment.

I'm just kidding. I am extremely grateful for Scott taking care of our precious Cody. I am also very appreciative of him getting up (or staying up) with us so that he could drive us to the airport at 2:30am (!). That, my friends, is true kindness.

And for all the ladies...he's single.

Smack Talk.

Just got back from team "Liquor Is Quicker's" final ballgame. We end our season in the 7th spot (out of 128 -- so not too shabby), but got completely TROUNCED by the opposing team. They were all hardcore and humorless. So of course, my team takes it upon themselves to just heckle. Add to the trouncing a big ol' cooler full of beer and you get some serious heckling. Hilarity ensued.

Jamie made some impressive plays in the outfield (including a stellar doubleplay). Yours truly got an RBI (one of only two runs in the entire game for LIQ). Never mind that I struck out on my next at bat.

There is something to be said for a sport with built-in beer breaks. Now excuse me while I ice my quadricep.

Excited.

So, like I mentioned before, I'm going to be leaving for Man o' War Cay this weekend. You guys, I'm so excited (click it now -- you won't be sorry). Not only am I going to this beautiful, secluded island, but I'm going with good people.


One of these people is none other than the lovely "Ms. Bananapants" (leaving out real names until I get her approval) who has the honor of being the person in my life who best impersonates Jesse Spano's freakout -- and believe me, there are many. Seriously, she has it down to a science.

Of course, we also have the infamous duo from ScoobyDrew who are leaving their adorable dog at home while they spend some quality time on the white sands of "the Cay".

And there's more! But, I'm going to leave it at that because I don't want anyone getting mad at me for spreading their secrets on the internet. Honestly though, it'll be such good times. I need to rethink going on great vacations right before returning to work -- it makes it that much harder. But, let's not think about work: here are some more pictures (that I'm sure you've all seen before) of Man o' War.

Under the Wire.

Almost didn't make it today. Truth is, I'm trying to update now because in a few days, I won't be able to update regularly. I'll be in the Bahamas with limited (read: no) internet access. But, I promise to come back with tons of pictures. Plus, I'll try to "blog" on a daily basis by writing posts, and just putting them all together when I get back.

Anyway, today a car in our parking lot got busted into! Drama! Apparently they really wanted a radio and Jamie's wasn't good enough so they got the car next to his. Seriously, when stuff like this happens, I'm always scared that I will be blamed for it. I think I've watched way too many movies where the protagonist gets blamed for things they didn't do. So, I was scared even to go outside to the parking lot and look at the car for fear that the police would roll up and start questioning me. I also fear for my car because it's my baby. Granted, I doubt anyone could figure out how to pull out the radio from a Prius, but I still worry.

So what's going on in your lives?

The Nightmare Continues.

Just when I thought that I was done with it, I got a bill for $254 from Dell. That is the cost of the memory chip that they sent to me. The refurbished memory chip...the one sent to replace the memory chip that was stolen from me by a Dell technician.

There are no words.

The Sequel.

So a while back, I posted about this video. Well, it seems as though the artists have decided to make a sequel. While not as hilarious as the original, I do feel as though you must respect the amount of time and running it must have taken to actually film it. Plus: that guy is doing it in boots...with little heels.

Well done Ok Go, well done.

Also: What is with the lack of comments, people? It's what separates the weak from the AWESOME.

BLAAAARRRGH!

Another fine day spent hiking in Shenandoah National Park. Again, it was lovely.


We hiked up to a big waterfall and some pretty views of the valley. We went with Jamie's friend Kirsten -- who just happens to a pretty avid hiker. Suffice to say I was the lamebutt of the group.


Around mile 5 of our 6.7 mile hike I experienced the most excruciating pain of my life. I'm talking bad. Worse even than that time that I tore every ligament in my left knee at once. That time when I had a papercut in my eye? Playing with puppies compared to this. I had the most incredible leg cramp in both legs. Entire legs felt like they were being ripped out. At first I laughed because I could not believe that a charlie horse could feel so bad. Then, it entered my mind that these cramps were not getting better with time and I started flat-out screaming...and although I was aware that it sounded as though I was giving birth in the woods, it felt so good to scream that loud. Kirsten dubbed it "the most pain she has ever heard in her life".

So if at 2pm you heard a someone screaming, that was me with a couple of leg cramps that would not quit. Shenandoah 2, Melissa 0.

Stranger Than Fiction.

Jamie told me about this movie and now I really want to see it. I thoroughly enjoy Will Ferrell although I have only seen in him, like, two or three movies. I think my love is rooted in those really early Will Ferrell SNL skits when he was a cheerleader with Cheri Oteri.

Who'll see it with me in November?

Fugitive.

Because I had been doing so well with updating my blog lately, I was feeling pressured to come up with something remotely interesting to post about today. Around 5pm, I was starting to get worried that nothing would happen today which would merit a post.

Then the mail came.

That, my friends, if my very first speeding ticket. In fact, is it the first of any traffic violation I have had in my almost-decade of driving. One interesting thing to note:

I am not driving this speeding car.

No, that would be my lead-footed fiance driving the vehicle. Sure he was clocked going a mere 11mph over[a 35mph] speed limit on a [six-laned] empty street, but that doesn't erase the fact that my immaculate record has been forever smudged. Okay, fine, I know it clearly states that this will not affect my record since it's photo enforcement, but I still have the right to hold it over said fiance's head.

Or at least blog about it.

P.S. Jamie's additions in brackets.

The Public Demands...

...and I deliver.

After repeated requests to post the picture of the tick devouring my head, I am going to concede. I have too many friends in med school right now...(I'll make it small to increase the opportunity to avert your eyes at the last minute).

Yes, the little pink globule in its mouth is some part of my head. I kind of wish I had something in the picture for scale -- that sucker was BIG. I should also mention that the tick is in the sink at this point.

Despite the ticks, Jamie and I (along with another friend) are actually headed back to Shenandoah this weekend for another adventure in the woods. However, this one will be limited to a day, meaning less time for ticks to burrow their way into my flesh. I hope.

Progress.

This may or may not merit it's own post, but I'm excited...so it does. I just saw the proof for our Save-the-Date cards. Despite the fact that the printing company charges a ridiculous amount of money for a proof that: a) is in black & white b) does NOT include the actual non-customized stuff on the card (ie: any designs or text that we don't put in ourselves), and c) is an online proof, I am still very excited. This is mostly because it is a sign that we are now doing stuff for our wedding beyond just talking about it.

This is big news, people.

Computer Geek.

It is freaking hot over here.

So those of you who speak to me semi-annually know that I have been having "computer issues" since May when I destroyed my laptop. Anyway, I have been having enormous customer service problems with Dell and let's just say that it has been a big ol' slab of hell (which rhymes with DELL).

The latest incident occured today when the Dell technician made his SECOND trip to fix my new desktop (which turned out to be a lemon). Despite assurances that we would have a different technician, the same guy came to try again. While he was working I noticed that they had only shipped one new memory card even though I had two memory cards. When I mentioned this to him he got very defensive, telling me that he was just installing what they gave him.

He could not leave fast enough once he had put the computer back together again -- getting all huffy when I asked him to stay while I rebooted the computer and tested it with a program. He was in such a hurry that he left his car keys. Within minutes of him leaving I realized that my computer was now short 1GB of RAM. It had started out with 2GB and now had 1GB.

The asshat had stolen a memory card.

Unfortunately, he won't even be fired since he told us (pre-discovery) that he was quitting his job and getting a new one. All I have to say is Asshat better stay away from me.

Naked.

Today was the day that I finally allowed my dad to write down the web address of this blog. It kind of feels like I'm standing in front of my middle school speech class (among the more horrifying feelings in the world). However, I am not to be "one-uped" by goody-goody siblings (ie: who call every Sunday) and will now share my blog.

My dad wouldn't let me take a picture of his "horrified face" that he made following this picture. He's shy of the internet...

(Hi dad!)

Zoo News.

We went to the zoo! I have not gone to the zoo in a long while and I have to say that despite the heat it was much fun. I also got to test drive my new camera...

The National Zoo actually holds a lot of really interesting animals that I had never seen before -- despite frequent trips to other zoos. I had never seen, nor heard of a sloth bear before (at left) but got to see the new cub that was playing around.

There was also a new panda cub (Tai Shan) but he was sleeping when we walked by so all we could see was a black and white furball curled up next to a big black and white furball.

Also we got to see prairie dogs, lions, orangutans, porcipines, etc...

...not bad for a free zoo. I highly recommend a trip to the National Zoo if you're ever in the area and want to feel like a little kid. Not as highly recommended is doing a zoo trip in 100 degree weather.

Jess: This one's for you.

I'm back! Was this my longest absence? Really, there is no excuse: I am on summer break from school/work and have spent summer hours tutoring, wedding planning, and procrastinating for nothing. At times I contemplated putting an end to the blog, but when looking back through the old entries I was energized to start writing again. (Just not at that moment).

So now I return and I bring with me pictures and tales of my first backpacking trip in the wilderness. Last weekend, Jamie and I went to Shenandoah National Park.
It was incredible. We sort of impulsively decided to make our camping trip a backpacking one, and so we scrambled Friday night to get our things together. By Saturday morning we were climbing down the mountain and enjoying some pretty photogenic waterfalls.
This somewhat dulled the pain that followed when we had to make our way UP the mountain. Seriously? I felt like a Barbie doll who's legs were being pulled off at their little anatomically-incorrect joints. Meanwhile Jamie is ready to run up the mountain with his 40lb backpack. I'm so lame.

We followed the death hike with another leisurely stroll down the mountain through some wilderness where we saw not one, but two bears. Real, living, breathing, black bears. Black bears that were, like, 15 feet away. (Note: this is not an actual picture of the black bear we saw. I was too busy peeing my pants out of fright to actually reach for my camera. All other pictures on this post are mine -- promise.) Luckily, both black bears were more scared of us and took off further into the wilderness. Still, it was enough for me to assume that any noise outside of our tent that night was a bear coming to smoosh my head like a grape.

Luckily, we were not eaten. Nor were any heads smooshed. We were rained on -- but it was actually perfect. Just as Jamie was sticking the bear bag in a tree, there was a great, big, clap of thunder and it did not stop raining until we were getting up in the morning. The reports of rain kept away the other campers. The actual rain kept away the mosquitoes.

Day two was pretty great too. Nice and cool. No other people...and we saw some beautiful deer up close.

Going up the mountain again was not death-inducing and we actually made it up pretty quickly. All in all, first backpacking trip was a success. Except for one thing.

While the rain kept away the mosquitoes, it did not keep away the ticks. Jamie supposedly "checked me" before going to bed and whatnot, and somehow I still managed to extract not one, but two ticks from my body. The first tick (which I took out of my head) was the largest tick ever. I have a picture of it -- because I wanted Jamie to feel really bad when he got home from work -- but I don't feel right uploading it to my blog. I'm doing this out of my love for you, the reader. I will inform you that this picture shows this tick in all of its HUGE glory with a sizable chunk of my head in its mouth. Absolute horror. (The picture on the above-right is not a tick, but rather an awesome-looking millipede we saw on the trail).

The second tick I found a couple days after returning. Yes, days. Not as big as the first, but more horrifying because it had clearly burrowed its way into my skin. I may or may not have Lyme disease now. Blood work will be done to be certain.

Despite the tick incident(s), I cannot wait to go backpacking again. Armed with a good set of tweezers, a good flashlight, and a competent camping buddy who will check me thoroughly.

Alright. Time for bed. I will try to post more often -- although, I think it's just you and me now, Jess.

Follow Up.

So that's what the baby would look like. Cute.

Out of the Ashes

A couple weeks ago I absolutely destroyed my computer in a spectacular display of sparks and smoke. I spilled tea and it actually blew up. In the split second it took me to recover from my dumbass-ed-ness and shock, I watched as my computer froze, the blue screen of doom flashed across the screen, and made a feeble pop sound as it shut down...FOREVER.

Many dollars (and no blog-posting) later, I got my computer back only to find that it was still broken. Needless to say, I spent too many hours on the phone with support last night. Nothing has been resolved as my call was lost as it was being "transferred" (read: they were tired of listening to me) and I wasn't in the mood to sit listening to more hold music.

If you know me at all, it will make perfect sense to you that my response to my stupidity would be to buy myself a new computer. So that's what I did. Ladies and gentlemen: I am writing this post from a computer that I purchased with my own money. Granted, it's about $1300 cheaper than the computer I destroyed (a graduation present -- only two years old!) but to me, it's awesome anyway because I bought it using the money I earned edumacating kids.

If they ever do fix my computer, I'll be able to give it back to my benefactor since he's been on the market for a new computer since 1999.

You should also know that I am drinking tea while I type this. But there is a lid on the mug...I'm back!

Breaking News.

Melissa: [looking at a picture of the Jolie-Pitts]




Jamie: Is Angelina Jolie pregnant???

Melissa: [dies]

I can't explain it, but I have an almost obsessive curiosity about this baby. It's a shameful guilty pleasure. What will it look like??

I bet it's gonna be ugly.

We Are the World.

Last week I had my students make totem poles (we had just read a story about totem poles). They drew three pictures that could symbolize things that were important to them. Here is an excerpt from Elexus:

"First, I drew a heart because of all the love I have for my family.
Next, I drew a picture of the world because we should take more care of it.
Then I drew a picture of noodles. Because I love noodles."

I love the third grade mind. Happy Earth Day everyone.

Hair.

I know I've been gone. Sorry. This is going to be a short post too...just want to let you know about the Hair Project that a friend of Jamie's is putting on for the next week. I think it's awesome.

Even if you don't feel like donating to a good cause (ahem, Doctors Without Borders) you can at least enjoy the wittiness of it all.

Peace out.

Crabtastic.

Wanna see the one ray of light in my bleak, bleak evening (okay, there were two) of writing this horrid paper for Hopkins? Here it is. If you wait around for a little bit on that page, a picture of my bridesmaid WEARING A CRAB ON HER HEAD pops up (she's the tall drink of water). It SO brightens my day/night. Yes...she ran the marathon. Yes...she's amazing and there's nothing she can't do.

The best part is...I totally stumbled upon that website by accident. Just futzing around on the internet trying to put off writing aforementioned paper...when BAM! Crabhead! Also: she wore the crabhat to school on Tuesday in a completely unrelated school thing we had going. That's two days of Crabhead in one week...good times.

Okay. Maybe I should stop overkilling the Crabhead and actually get back to work.

What an Oralist [snerk].

Before you string me up, let me preface by saying that I have been incredibly, incredibly busy these past couple weeks. Not going to bore you with details, but rather a very brief synopsis:

Hopkins Master's Project: 67
Melissa: 68

I came out on top. In overtime of course. But it's done for now...gotta present it to the board (as well as a million teachers) on the 31st...but I'm not really letting myself think about that right now. Suffice to say, I have been useless for the past few days. After turning it in I have had absolutely NO motivation to do anything remotely work-related. Too bad I am being evaluated on Wednesday.

Anyway, Friday I attended my very first (*cough* and LAST *cough*) Moot Court competition. Yes. My fiance reached the FINALS of the competition -- this is a big deal. He beat out all the other teams which had travelled from all over the country and whooped their collective asses. His team (he and one other woman) emerged in first spot after the semi-finals. The finals were actually against another GW team (go figure) and one of the guys was an HW alum who was in the same graduating class as my brother. Small world.

(This picture may not be completely legal. They were taken before we learned that photography wasn't allowed in the courtroom. As for them sitting in the justices' chairs...that's just plain wrong. Please don't arrest us.)

Sadly, Jamie's team didn't win...but second place is still amazing -- especially since it was their very first competition ever. The other team had lots of experience and the HW guy is notorious for being Mr. Moot Court around campus. Still, Jamie BEAT HIM in the semi-finals. I think they were Brokebacked, but the judges did have to deliberate for a long, long time to decide between the two it was so close. (I also want it noted that Annie Proulx felt the same way about the Best Actor nominations as I did a few weeks back. I like it when smart people agree with me...doesn't happen often.)

ALSO, Jamie won 2nd place for BEST ORALIST. Hee! He's such an amazing oralist. Also a big deal in the world of law and resumes. Very proud of the boy. Or should I say, The Man.


Yesterday, Jamie and I got up bright and early and ventured out to Virginia to look at some more wedding places. The first was a gorgeous vineyard -- it would be perfect...except that it's too small. CRY. It could fit 140 people, but everyone would be seated in two different rooms which is not what we want. The guy was awesome, though. I will totally recommend it to any person who wants a small wedding somewhere in VA. Sadly, I won't be walking through this blossom-lined (or so they say) pergola (Sound of Music Style) come 2007.

The other place was nice, but it would have needed to be perfect to merit it being so FAR. It took an hour and a half for us to get there and it's like an hour away from the nearest airport. I would feel better about not having to make people rent a car and drive a million miles. I have pictures of that place too, but Blogger is being slow and I have no patience. So those'll have to wait.

So it comes down to two places. The pops is coming this weekend to look over the options and since he's the one with the wallet I think we'll be decided come Sunday! Wee!

FYI.

I just listened to my downstairs neighbor (aka: SNORLAX) have a very long argument with someone over the phone. It went through phases like: "weepy", "angry", "shouty", and "cussy". It ended with him enraged and screaming into the phone that he was going to "kill you, you mothafucka!" because "I'm tired of your fuckin' shit!" and peeling out of the parking lot and bottoming out over the speed bump. I tell you this, in case the police need to know the exact time that all these events took place.

I kind of miss those screaming kids that used to be my neighbors now. ("I LOVE NOISE! I LOVE NOISE!"

P.S. mmmmmmm...pineapple.

Work Break.

Wolverines are open-minded. That is all.

Contender Number Two.

Yesterday one of my dear bridesmaids (aka: Eileen) took me venue shopping. Coincidentally, it is where she got married last summer and knowing how hard she is to please, the place definitely came with a very comforting stamp of approval. (Just kidding about the "hard to please" part -- she just learned about the blog and I wanted her to yell at her screen.)

Anyway, place number two was great! And I'm not just saying that because she got married there...it actually is great! Much more affordable and very high quality. I definitely feel like we would get a whole lot more for less there. Me, being a total doofus, left the camera at home...but they sent me home with a DVD. I will steal some pictures from Eileen and put them up (if she doesn't mind, of course. *pretty please*?) It is very different from the first place we looked. A very different ambience, but it is more what I envisioned for myself at first. I have a feeling that Jamie will agree when he sees it (the punk is in Minnesota right now).

Anyway, I'm sorry for the lack of posts -- I have been extremely stressed out about my Hopkins portfolio (our big masters project) that is due this month. But, once it's turned in (March 17th) and once I give my presentation on it (March 30th) I'll be back in full force.

Brokeback City.

Okay...this is the last one of these...but I had to link to this one because it was Jake's breakout role. Also, a favorite movie from my childhood. To this day, I very vividly remember my dad buying tickets for us at the theater ("...four for ceeeety sleeeeeeeckers" -- David knows what I mean).

Law Revue Review.

Yesterday was the culmination of many, many weeks of Jamie-less nights. The Law Revue's opening night/final performance (approximately 1,000 tickets sold!). You wanna see some pictures of Jamie wearing more makeup than I ever do? Of course you do.

Here's my man as a Backstreet Boy. This number (which Jamie wrote and directed) was one of the biggest hits of the night: "I Want to Get Paid"(based on that unforgettable ditty, "I Want It That Way"). The group of guys sitting behind me kept on calling for "MORE BOY BAND!!!" the rest of the night. All 2 1/2 HOURS OF IT. I think the sweatband is a nice touch. But, I think Jamie went a little nutty with the lipstick.

Or perhaps you'd prefer this one which I like to think of as "Three Guys Trying to Look Manly with Lipstick On".


The show was great and I'm very proud of my man for all that he accomplished. He sang, he danced, he directed, he wrote...he was responsible for the opening act AND the grand finale (a Rent Medley which. was. awesome). He also proved to me that he is capable of doing the Napoleon Dynamite dance quite hilariously. I doubted him...but I will never doubt the dancing skills again.

He also pulled off a funny impression of one of his professors. Although I don't know what the real thing is like, he got lots of laughs from the crowd, so I think it's safe to assume it was spot on. Plus, someone behind me said (and I quote), "That was the best impression of Fredenthal I have ever seen in my life. Ever." So, Jamie, you get a thumbs-up.

After not having him around for the past few weeks (I saw the man for a cumulative 30 minutes the entire week last week -- and he was unconscious for 25 of those) despite the fact that I live with him, it was going to be hard to convince me that it was worth all the work and hours he had been putting into it.

It was.

Return of the King.

A truly wise and wonderful woman Meredith is. OF COURSE, I'm not mad! Except of course now everyone who reads my blog (all two of them) will not tolerate my lameass posts. "MORE Drewie!" they'll clamor...and sadly I won't be able to satisfy their procrastination needs.

Anyway, Jamie is kicking me off the blog because he wants to read your post. It begins...Welcome back Drewie.

[Uninvited] Guest Post: Rudy! Rudy!

It feels like Breaking and Entering. Or maybe, just simple tresspassing. Or perhaps, I've invented a new crime, let's call it "Grand Theft Bloggo". Either way, I desperately feel like this is against the rules. Then again, maybe it's a cry for help...

Despite my unforgivable absence (mostly signified by my loss of "link" status from this blog), "Rudy! Rudy!" of Death Cab for Drewie is alive and well, although being held captive by the IT Forces of his Employer. "Don't post your opinions on the Internet" they said. And I listened. Yet another form of Corporate America stifling the creativity of the very cogs that keep the gears turning. What a fool I am.

Incidentally, should DCFDrewie ever resurface, I should probably change the name to "Drew's on [Arcade] Fire". I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more "Funeral" (not to be confused with what happens should you actually forget to fill a prescription. That would be an unfortunate irony, wouldn't it?) Which also reminds me that I've had the most perfect. idea. ever. You should come to Chicago for Lollapalooza. You know you want to.

And now, I must run, before I've said too much. Venue #1 looks beautiful, but more importantly, regardless of location, you're wedding will be the most perfect day ever, and I will be honored and touched to witness it.

Cheers.
Blogger's own Rip Van Winkle

PS - To everyone who has no idea who I am, Melissa will be back for her regularly scheduled programming soon.

PSS - I will not be offended if you cut me off. Seriously, you should probably cut me off. I'm not kidding. I flunked "self-restraint" all through school. I'm like the kid who couldn't stop eating the glue stick, even though I knew I wasn't supposed to.

PSS - I never ate the glue stick. That's just gross.

PSS - [smacks lips] mmm... glue-y.

PSS - Mere said you wouldn't get mad...

The One with A Lot of Hyperlinks.

Just changing gears here. On Friday, Jamie and I went to see Capote. While I could see why people thought it was a good movie -- and I thought it was a good movie -- I just wasn't very entertained. There was great acting...the story was interesting...but for some reason I kept on waiting for it to be over.

Anyway, seeing that movie got me thinking about the upcoming Oscars. More specifically, thinking about the Best Actor nominees. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He made me cry like a baby in Magnolia and I can't look at him without thinking about Boogie Nights (even though he had a teeny part in it), but I'm rooting for Heath Ledger.

While Hoffman does a phenomenal job capturing Truman Capote's emotions, mannerisms, and "that voice", I think it's somewhat easier to adjust your acting when there is an eccentric person who really existed for you to base it upon. In contrast, Ledger had to create his character -- granted there was a script and a rough outline of the character -- but he has to bring Ennis Delmar to life. Not only that, but he needs to play a subdued character that has "penned-up-angry-bull" emotions and I think that's really difficult to portray. And he does it! Amazingly well! Heath Ledger for Best Actor!

Ultimately both actors did amazing work -- and I'm sure Joaquin Phoenix, David Straithairn, and whoever Terrance Howard did too. So I guess the message to take home is that this was a good year for acting.

Oh, and congratulations to Jake for winning the BAFTA. Go Wolverines!

Finding "The One".

Today Jamie and I got up bright and early to do some reception site shopping before we strapped ourselves to our computers to get some work done. It was our first official wedding venture. We drove 40 minutes to Annapolis, crossed the Bay Bridge, and braved the cold...I loved it.

Since it was our first time we weren't all that efficient with our time -- we only ended up seeing one place...but it was one of our favorites from our preliminary searches online. Wanna see? (Wait, is it bad luck for guests to see the reception site before the wedding? Whatev. We probably can't afford it anyway.)

The first one is of the "altar". The second is of the ballroom. I am a fan of this place, but the wallet is not. I look at this one as my ideal venue -- it even had rocking chairs on the porch outside of the ballroom! Dream come true! I love love love the altar -- I think it has a Shinto temple quality (okay, just the shape) that my dad would appreciate. Plus, the bridal suite was awesome.

Okay, I'm done gushing about the expensive place. To tell the truth, this is actually in the middle of the spectrum (maybe upper-middle) available to us. There are some really, truly, crazy expensive places to get married around here! I'm talking $8,000 to get married places (I'm thinking I shouldn't visit those places). I can't imagine what it would be like trying to get married in a city like Los Angeles or San Francisco would be like.

So...what do you guys think of contestant number one?

"You Hold the WooKEY to My Heart."

Happy Valentine's Day!

And of course, we all deserve a little geek lovin' so...

hee hee hee.

Just got back from a lovely night on the town with the fiance. We went to see some Shakespeare at a playhouse in D.C. after he cooked me some yummy risotto. (Which I just burped). He's a good man. We saw Measure for Measure -- Shakespeare's last comedy...ever! It was good -- I had never heard of it before, so it was nice to get some fresh Shakespeare. It was also law-related so Jamie got a kick out of that. There was also sex in it...so you know, I liked that. Kidding. Sort of.

So I have to complain a little bit about my neighbor. I'm not exactly sure which neighbor it is, but ONE of my neighbors has a severe snoring problem. So severe that it keeps me awake at night. At first I thought it had to be a television, but its regularity and the fact that it's. every. NIGHT. led me to believe otherwise. I don't mind loud neighbor sex (that at least has some entertainment value -- especially when it shakes the walls). I can stand the bad hiphop music every once in a while. I tolerate the loud t.v. BUT THE SNORING???

Seriously. He snores so loudly it keeps me -- in a completely different apartment -- awake. I was thinking about writing a note to him pretending to be a doctor and saying "as a doctor, I feel as though you should have your sinuses checked. You got problems." I thought that might be unethical. Also, I'm a huge coward that I'm unable to confront my neighbor about the fact that his snoring sounds like a garbage disposal.

Suggestions?

Charlie Brown Happy Dance.

Literally the second I published that post, my phone rang and it was my teammate, Eileen. This is our conversation (which may, or may not be slightly dramatized for the occasion):

Me: [frustrated] What??

Eileen: How long ago did you refresh the website?

Me: [frustrated] two seconds ago.

E: I want you to go to this website, http://wbal.com and click on the School Closing button...because WE'RE CLOSED, BITCH!

M: NU-UH!

E: YUH-HUH [screaming]

M: [screaming]

E: I'M CALLING ALL MY FRIENDS NOW AND RUBBING IT IN THEIR FACE!

M: IN THE FACE! IN THE FACE!

There is no one on God's green earth that can convince me that kids get more excited about snow days than teachers. No way.

Charlie Brown UUUUUUUUUUG!

That's how I feel every time I check the school closings website and see that five more schools are closed for tomorrow and Baltimore City schools are not. I think every school district around Baltimore City is closed tomorrow -- or at the very least delayed for 2 hours.

Perhaps the superintendant likes to torture people. Or at least torturing me. The tally is up to 74 school districts closed for tomorrow. UUUUUUUUG!

Cross your fingers for me.

It Snowed!

But, first things first: CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Jamie and Joel on their engagement. They are the first of my friends to get engaged, and I think the feeling that I got as soon as I heard the news was one of the most overwhelmingly great feelings I have had in my life. It puts everything in perspective.

Another reason it's a good day? I looked out the window and saw this:

Our first big snow of the season. Probably will be our last too. I love waking in warm bed and looking out and seeing a fresh blanket of snow. Cody liked it too...

"Some Play the Game, He Changed It!"

Just got back from a yummy seafood dinner with Jamie for and early Valentine's Day celebration. Really yummy. The dinner was originally scheduled for yesterday, but we had to reschedule because of car trouble. Jamie's car died so I had to buy some jumper cables to try and rescue him. No luck. So we waited for the tow truck guy.

A conversation with the tow truck guy revealed that he worked the 12 hours between 6pm and 6am. Yikes. How does he keep himself entertained if no one needs a tow? I wondered. Jamie's ride with him to the gas station answered my question. Apparently, he watched DVDs. WHILE HE DROVE. He had his laptop hooked up and on the dashboard so that he could watch Boss'n Up with Snoop Dogg. With Jamie in the car. While towing his car. Needless to say that guy was weaving all over the road.

Seriously, people.

It's that Time Again...

...another pressing due date...another set of procrastination tools.

Here's one I have clicked on a couple times for a few chuckles. I enjoy the "Email from God" one. Oh, and this one.

Weekend in Review.

I decided for sure that my next cell phone has to have a built-in camera. Friday, on our way home from our party, Jamie and I witnessed a hit-and-run. Some guy bashed into a car...paused...and then sped off. In front of a ton of cars. That guy probably got off completely scot-free. I just hope someone had a cell phone camera to take a picture of loser's license plate. When I got rear-ended last year, the guy sped off and all that was going through my head was that I wished I had a digital camera.

Verdict: next phone will have camera.

Also on Friday, I saw a friend from elementary through high school. Jamie happened to bump into her on the street while walking from our parking space (over a mile away) to where our cocktail party was. He brought her up to see me and it was so surreal! I hadn't seen or spoken to her in 5 years, but it was so great to catch up with her and reconnect. It really inspired me to do a better job catching up with old friends that I know are in the area...

Quickie.

My feet are about to fall off. Just got back in from a nice night of dancing with Jamie...so I guess that makes it worth it.

Here is a new one of those recut movie trailers. They seem to be all the rage now...I dedicate this one to my dear friend, Abby. Oh, and another one for my dear friend, Jess.

G'Night!

Hi, Pop!

So I may not "get" White Ninja (is he a person? how old is he? what's the point?) but I still think he's funny.

In other unrelated news (that got lost in the posting debacle at the old site), my dad is in Arizona right now. He's being interviewed for a position with Medecins Sans Frontieres (aka: Doctors Without Borders). As of right now he is tentatively placed somewhere in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At once I am terrified and I am in awe. For years I have thought that MSF has been one of the best humanitarian organizations out there. It is one of two organizations that I have actually donated money to on more than one occasion -- still, I never thought I would be able to donate something as precious and valuable as my dad.

While I know their doctors are well-protected (and very much needed), I worry more for his health. It's hot...The medication he'll have to take before he goes there for malaria and whatnot will wreak havoc on his body...It's a conflict zone and undergoing a lot of civil unrest...He will be out of contact with us for weeks at a time....The minimum commitment is 6 months. Whenever I think of it I get teary-eyed and I can't tell if it's because I'm scared or because I am so proud.

When I was growing up (and sometimes still) my dad always said that the main goal in the life of a parent is to raise their child to be a better human being than they ever were. He never mentioned how hard he was going to make it for me. The day that he told me that he had applied for the position I knew that I would never be able to catch up to him. I guess I get all misty because I'm proud of him.

A New Record.

Last night I peed four separate times within half an hour. I have been trying to drink more water lately and I think it is to the point where it just runs right through me. All Jamie could do was laugh and laugh...

Tomorrow is a day off of the kiddies. "Professional Development". What that really means is hours upon hours of sitting in frustrating meetings where all we can do is feel sorrier and sorrier for ourselves. But...it's amazing to not have to worry about planning for tomorrow. Hooray.

Hey! You people who actually read my blog. You need to start leaving comments...NOBODY reads this thing except for people you already know and love. SO COMMENT. Also: I need to start hearing about possible date conflicts for a wedding. Is mid-May 2007 a bad time for people? (looking at those people in Med School) Let me know so I can bully Jamie into planning something (anything) with me...

Pick Me Up?

So I just realized what a downer that last post was...so a quick-pick-me up is in order:

These are the rubber duckies that Jamie put on the Whirlpool tub that was in our engagement suite. Makes me happy to look at them.

P.S. You like my new look?

Crawling Back to Blogger.

After my sad stint at another blog, I decided to come back to Blogger. It's more reliable, and they've added on a lot of features that were missing before. Also: for some reason a whole bunch of (read: 3 or 4) posts that I made at the last site were lost. I'm thinking some problem with my account -- it's enough for me to come back to my old website.

I swear I had been better about posting.

Nothing super going on in my life right now -- same old. I'm overwhelmed and underrested, but I love my fiance and most days I love my students. They like to keep me manic depressive: one day I'm laughing at them, the next I'm fuming at them, the next I just want to hug them all, and the next day I'm just so sad for them.

A couple of weeks ago I actually saw a boy get beaten to a bloody pulp on the street. I was driving home from work and about three blocks from our school I saw that traffic had stopped. I mean, even the public transportation had stopped and busloads of people had gotten off to watch these teenagers fight. Three or four boys were all attacking one and I immediately called 911 (they had already been called). Then I called Jamie to cry to -- I had never felt so helpless. I couldn't bear to watch after that so I drove around the traffic and passed the police cars and ambulances coming from the opposite direction.

That was on a Friday. On Monday morning when I was driving to work there were crosses and flowers laid on the ground where the fight had been. When I saw them there, I had a wave of regret that I am not a more religious person. My students walk to school not far from this street. Sometimes when I drive home at 6 or 7pm I can see first graders playing on their own in the alley. It scares me to think that once my students leave the elementary school, they are completely out of my hands. They go off to middle-school...they turn into teenagers, and some of them might fight in the street and stop traffic. And others will cheer them on like those busloads of people.