| I have missed my cat |
[Mar. 27th, 2008|11:07 am] |
Well, it is spring break and I have made the great expedition over the mountains to my parents’ house. It has snowed every day I have been east of the summit. So much for this being the warmer side of the mountains. My mom is working on a contract in LA so it is just Dad and me running around here with our pride of cats. It does kind of suck though because it isn’t spring break at over here anymore which means that Dad has to go and deal with students and teaching and such. On the plus side, I have been able to sleep in as late as I want. Also, I saw a herd of elk, several flocks of quail, a suicidal dog and an eagle on the way over here.
As I am certain that at least some of you know, my little computer does not get online at the moment. The reason for this is that it was hacked into and now every time I try to get online, it tries to send files to some unknown party. (This little fact would explain why it is that I only get on here in the mornings before class. Computer Lab, how I love thee…) The grand news is that I think I might be in the middle of my computer being fixed! I don’t think I am going to be allowed to get online with it much until I get a new set of protective walls in place, but still, this is vastly better.
Anywho, I will be coming back home Friday night. I have work on Saturday. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 14th, 2008|09:01 am] |
Just because I have already gotten many questions about it, please note that the party on the 21st is a costume party. There is no set theme so just dress up however you wish! |
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| The Halfway to Halloween Costume Ball |
[Mar. 13th, 2008|09:52 am] |
To all interested parties,
After much deliberation, and one highly uncalled for threat upon my life and good standing, the date for the Halfway to Halloween Costume Ball has been set. We will be welcoming (or I at least will be welcoming) guests into our home on the evening of Friday, the 21st of March. The festivities will commence around the hour of seven in the evening and extend until exhaustion or prudence requires our guests to bid us ado.
Due to the unfortunate timing of Ms. Katharine’s vassals’ revolt (though I didn’t quite hear the exact reason, but I am told that this time it has something to do with some 'Nonsense' about cruelty), I am afraid that we are running low in our supply of the tributes received last spring. The vassals seem to have thought it in their own best interest to put fire to the store house. Not to fear however, Ms. Katharine has promised “quick and sharp retribution”. Sadly however, this minor incident means that I am forced (and I DO apologies for this) to request that guests bring with them a small sampling of their own chief’s glorious production. It may also be wise to bring your own fruit of the barley as only Ms. Katharine’s private stores were not lost in the revolt.
Both Ms. Katharine and I anticipate the coming of the 21st with great glee and can hardly wait for your arrival. (I do hope that all may attend this date!) A response however, with the glorious news as to you time of arrival (or the lack there of if that tragically be the case) would be much appreciated as I am attempting to arrange for the correct number of jubilant guests.
May you have a merry week and your vassals not be foolish,
Ventis Lee
Post Script: Ms. Katharine assures me that “this revolt business and those who started it shall both meet their End long before the Costume Ball begins.” So please, fear not for your safety. |
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| Collage |
[Mar. 12th, 2008|09:49 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Com Building | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  thoughtful | ] |
There are some things for which collage fails miserably to prepare you: Elections that do not occur twice because of some technical issue (okay, well maybe this one is just me being bitter), what to do when you get out of school and suddenly have free time, what words NOT to use in other countries because there they have a SLIGHTLY different meaning, or how best to make a layered cake that does not look like some version of a Frankincake.
On the other hand, there are some things for which collage has trained you in the fullest: Determining exactly how much you need to read of any given text in order to understand what is going on and contribute in a discussion, how to argue with the government about money, how to write intelligible and worthy papers in extreme time crunches, how to get a drunken friend back to their home from the party, how to make your favorite drink and exactly how much money is required to maintain the bear essentials of life.
(These categories may vary person to person, or major to major.)
Other things fall in between these two categories; things that college hints at, but doesn’t really give a full coverage of knowledge. In the last two days I have been given one of these in between things: how to play the role of a black, homosexual man having sex in the home of a couple of strangers who I am conning. The good news is that I have a wonderful roommate who was willing to run lines (what few actual ones I have) and listen to me practice moaning yes in various different tones, hopefully with a straight face, over dinner. I don’t think that I am going to come out of this with a full grasp on how to go about playing this role, but I will be leaving collage able to say that I did this in front of a class of at least twenty… |
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| Halfway to Halloween...the party |
[Mar. 11th, 2008|11:17 am] |
To whom it may concern:
Due to the prearranged family outing that one Ms. Katharine has scheduled for the latter portion of spring break, I fear that a costume ball over the weekend of the 29th and 30th is simply unachievable. (Not only is it the case that the occasion would be much cheapened by her absence, but also, as I am certain that all who are familiar with the ever charming and demur Ms. Katharine are aware, much sulking and maybe even a smidgen of carnage would likely result from any attempts to use our abode for such an extravagant engagement when she was unable to attend.) Given these restraints, the Halfway to Halloween Ball will most likely be allotted for one of the following dates: 21st, 22nd or the 23rd. The final date shall, unfortunately, not be set until I have received notice as to the times at which my presence will be required at the Noble establishment which employs me. I expect the final date and time of the ball will be set within the next two days.
It is my sincere hope that this letter has answered any lingering questions, but if by chance it has not, please do not hesitate to make them known.
Your friend,
Ventis Lee |
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| I want... |
[Mar. 10th, 2008|02:37 pm] |
I have no interest in school. I want to either go play with paints, pastels, crayons or wander off into the woods. I also want it to be spring. Though I must admit the soft gray screen that filters out just enough light so that you can gaze into the sun and make out the gentle sphere’s presence without inflicting doom upon your eyes is rather pleasant. Especially when paired with the nearly warm wind that is currently flowing through campus. Honestly it makes me long for a midnight stroll under a lightly clouded, moonlit night.
But all in all I want it to be Spring.
In more relevant news, I am trying to arrange a “Halfway to Halloween costume party” during the first half of spring break. I don’t have a clue what to dress up as, but damn it all if I don’t find something. |
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| Coming back to life... |
[Mar. 6th, 2008|10:30 am] |
Okay, I have been studying for about an hour and a half and I need a break. There is only so much Economics I can look at in one sitting and still care.
I realized last night, as I was lying in bed trying to turn off my brain, that the quarter is almost over. This means that I have managed to go almost half a year without keeping my promise to several different friends to get back on here and start posting. For that I am extremely sorry. As a result, I am going to start up again now.
General update: I graduate in the spring with IB and then I am going to come back and graduate with English in the summer. The Registrar tells me I only get one diploma no matter when I finish the two BAs. I will have both majors and both BAs completed, but they can only give me one diploma. The fuckers. The multitude of options as to what to do upon graduating is daunting. Though, I have three which I am seriously considering and I have been avoiding talking to anyone about any of them because I am trying to only think about it when I am not paying attention. Don’t ask. Other than these minner issues, I am debating what to take as my final English courses in the summer and, my stomach hurts because I did a bunch of crunches yesterday. It is pathetic how little muscle I seem to have in my abdomen. |
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| pot luck and tea time |
[Apr. 14th, 2007|11:40 am] |
Two things:
1) Kath and I are having a potluck next Monday. We were planning on having people show up between 7 and 7:30. All are welcome.
2) I haven't had anyone tell me they can make the Monday tea time, so I was thinking about moving it. How do people feel about having a tea time in the evening? We could have something like a 6 or 7 o'clock tea time at the Underground or at Barnes and Nobles or at some one's apartment... I was just thinking that if we have it off-campus in the evening, we might want to move the location to somewhere where people can park more easily... tell me what ya think. |
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| tea time this quarter |
[Apr. 11th, 2007|11:58 am] |
Sooooooo..... Tea Time
I was thinking around 1 on Mondays and noon on Thursday. Tell me if you can make on of those or not...
I promise I will start to write on here again soon Marcie... I just have class now so I have to run. |
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| POT LUCK DINNER!!!! |
[Feb. 13th, 2007|07:28 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Bellingham Wa. | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  peaceful | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | The Underground Coffeehouses' open mic nighht | ] |
Hey Guys,
I think I have covered everyone, but that means that I have most definitely missed somebody I thought I told. As a result I am posting it here on the grounds that you can just read not miss the event. This Friday, Feb 16, is Kath's B-day. To celebrate we are having a pot-luck. The pot-luck starts at 7 pm at our place. You don't have to worry about making only vegetarian dishes, I will make something Veggie. I hope to see you all there! |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 17th, 2006|04:37 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | cooking, eire | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Rod Stewart -- This Old Heart of Mine | ] |
I have been sick. I ended up skipping all three of my morning classes yesterday because I wanted to sleep. I only left my apartment to go to my Finn Cycle class (it only happens on Thursday). I paused at Centra in my crawl home. (Centra is a little minni grocery store that has the very basics and is only 3 minutes from my place.) As I was tired and felt like expending zero effort, I bought one of those microwavable dinners they sell. Four minutes in the microwave and I found myself eating Shepard's Pie. I don't know if they sell instant Shepard's Pie at home, but the one I had was surprisingly good. Homemade would have been better, but for a zero effort instant food, it was damn tasty! After that I started to feel much less drained. I think this means that I am incredibly low on iron/protein. I eat meat here, but as I mostly do self catering I haven't been eating much meat. Nothing I cook has meat in it. I really need to go back to eggs at breakfast, but yogurt is easier. So today on the way home I once again stopped at Centra, this time for sausages. Now I find myself fumbling my way through figuring out how the hell to cook them. Sigh. |
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| A response to music. |
[Nov. 16th, 2006|12:09 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | eire, music | ] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Cork | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | just remembering what I've heard | ] |
Thump. Thump. Thump. The steady heart beat of a heel against the wooden floor. A slow wailing, the whispering cry of a sweat siren starting somewhere between the cords that hold the air around us. Fluid in movement despite the mechanical nature of her rhythm, the bow manages to tie our emotions to the strings being traveled. The heart beat sits next that bow, bound to the flow of the pick. The consistency that keeps all grounded as the wailing colors the air. Sound lifts till it seems that the air will never be able to accommodate it, but the wailing recedes, changes, soothes. A song. A breeze. Luxurious in a way unknown before. The voice calms to full sound no longer harsh in any manner. Captivating. The heart beat quiets to listen, still there but so soft. Nothing may impede the bow as it plays out all emotions. All thoughts. The bow slows. Next to it the heart beat, deep voiced but mild, taps. The rhythm that has held us all though the siren's dance changes.
An Eastern European Group. They mostly played Finnish Traditional Music.
Contained three people: 1 guitar/vocal, 1 violin/flute, 1 mandolin |
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| Wet socks |
[Nov. 15th, 2006|09:28 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | eire | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | thoughtful | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Alan & John Kelly -- The Parting Glass/The Duke of Leinster | ] |
I just finished washing half my socks. In the bathroom sink. Why? Well it be simple. I determined that I needed to have clean sheets. The sheets took up all the space my socks would have occupied in the washer. As I am way to cheep to spend the 2.5 euro that a second machine would cost for nothing more massive than my socks, I choose to do the socks by hand. I made it though half of the socks before, along with the ache in my back that enjoyed slowing the process, the machine downstairs finished washing the load I had tossed in it. So now, I have feed into the belly of the dryer both the contents of the washer and the 'lovingly' hand washed plethora of socks from my time at the sink.
Moral: Laziness is thwarted by what is perceived to be excessive expense.
I will also say that while I appreciated and respected the role of the people throughout time that spent their lives washing the garb of others, I now have a better understanding of their lives. |
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| Sara's Weekend Part 3 and 4. |
[Nov. 10th, 2006|06:22 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | eire, sara | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Ben Folds Five -- Don't Change Your Plans | ] |
Okay, hiatus over.
So, Friday Sara and I went to Galway. We were planning to go to the Aran Island and the Cliffs of Moher, but do to the fates decreeing that the buses were to be the Great Bane of the trip, we could not get to both. So, we chose to go to the Aran Islands via Galway. We took off right after my last class Friday and still managed to miss the first bus to Galway. It wasn't too bad really because we then did get to sit an eat lunch. An hour later we climbed on to the bus and spent four hours getting up to Galway. We got into town at the same time the last ferry went to the Islands for the day. Thus we began our hostel hunt. In no time we discovered that the hostels were all filled. So, with a short detour to by the Visitor's Center we went to explore the Bed & Breakfasts. (At the Visitor's Center it was discovered that, once again due to the Great Bane we could only go to the Aran Islands the next day if we where willing to get off the ferry, wave at the island and then re-board the ferry. Otherwise we would not be able to return to Cork in time for Sara's flight.) We ended up finding this nice little B&B about 5 minutes from the Visitor's Center. After dropping off our stuff, we then meandered back to town and had delicious dinner in a pub. Stuffed and contented Sara and I went wondering about Galway at that point. It was cold, but quite fun. We found that the shops in Galway stay open a lot later than they do here in Cork, the main streets for any pubs, where to buy Clatta Rings, and the bay. The bay was pretty, and I discovered that if you use Sara's Camera to take pictures of Swan's in the dark waters of the Galway Bay, you will get a black image with a couple lighter black blobs.
Cold from our meanderings, Sara and I went hunting Trad music (traditional Irish music). After proving our indecision for a while, we ended up in a pub that, while it claimed Trad, was primarily CD based music. We did however, find a Canadian. She was in her upper twenties, I think, and very boisterous. She is the one that told me I came from the cultural mecha that was McDonalds and Wal-Mart. Lisa (I don't really remember her name, so we are going to just call her Lisa) and her hairdresser friend ended up taking us under her wing and leading us from that pub to another one that was said to have good music. The pub ended up being the one that Sara and I had eaten in earlier that day and the good music turned out to be AMERICAN FOLK music. We where in Galway Ireland, and we couldn't find any Trad at all. It was sad. Watching the old Irish couples and drunken twenty-something Irish women dance to southern folk music however, was hysterical. Eventually Lisa and her friend went elsewhere and Sara and I went back to our amazing room in the B&B.
The next morning Sara and I eat another Full Irish Breakfast down stairs in our little B&B before heading to the bus station. Now, as I said before, the Great Bane had conspired to be only running at a time as such, that we could not possible go to the Aran Islands and back and see anything of them. So we had decided to just go with it, and go back to Cork via the Cliffs of Moher. I must say that while the Great Bane did not thwart us in this, it did stifle us a bit. Due to the timing of the buses, Sara and I did see the Cliffs of Moher, but only had a bit under an hour in which to do so. Still, we saw them dang it!
"Through Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered" Sara and I did make it back to Cork Saturday afternoon. After a shower and a change of clothes Sara called up her French Man and we went out. Grabbing Meaghan along the way, we met Hissen and his two Swedish friends in a pub across the street from the Beamish Brewery. The night unfolded with many many good pints from three different pubs. At the very end of it all, when they kicked us out of the late bar, we (minus Meg who had the sense to go home at a semi-decent hour) all went over to the stampeding pack of chaos that is McDonalds post three am. Eventually we all called a night to it and went our separate ways.
The next morning, or more like a few hours of sleep later, Sara and I got up. Sara packed her things and I saw her to a cab. (The Great Bane does not start running to the airport until after the time Sara wanted to be at the airport.) I waved goodbye to Sara in the wee hours of the morning and then went back to bed.
The Great Bane was earning its title so well this trip mostly do to the fact that it is no longer tourist season, so the later running buses and ferries are not in service. It sucked and made traveling much less convenient. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 10th, 2006|06:20 am] |
Here are some pictures to go with Sara and my weekend to Galway. They are all taken on Sara's camera as I have not developed any of mine yet...
This is the B&B Sara and I stayed in...
Here is our dinner...it was nummy.
This is Galway Bay at night. Do you see the swans???
Here are Sara and I
Take a wild guess where this is.
Okay, well that is all for now. TTFN.
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| Benevolent or Barbarous? |
[Nov. 7th, 2006|01:23 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | eire, politics | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | amazed | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Heavyhead -- You can't always get what you want. | ] |
Last night I went to the Philosophical Society meeting. (Don't be fooled, they are more of a debating club than a philosophy club.) The topic of the night's debate was U.S. Foreign Policy. "That this house believes U.S. foreign policy is the greatest crime since WWII" was the motion that we where debating to see if it would pass. There were two guest speakers that ended up having more of a personal insult debate then actually debating the topic. That culminated when, promising a lawsuit for slander, George Galloway stormed out of the room. At least hal of the debate was over by that point, and I don't think that any more slander was laid against him verses his opponent, but still. Anyway, the reason I was posting was because I had to share the small list of things that where said about the States last night.
1) America is just doing what it is best at: bombing little country into tiny pieces.
2) No Americans say anything about what their government is up to.
3) America had good intentions when it invaded. (If they happen to get $ out of it, well that is just a bonus.)
4) America was just serving self interest in invading.
5) America couldn't have been invading on self interest because they have only lost money in this war.
6)The U.S. is just used as a scapegoat for countries that don't want to own up to dealing with their own problems. (This was said by an African man about his own country and others, specifically in Africa.)
7) The U.S. is the Great Satin.
After Sara and I where told by a Canadian in Galway "You come from a land of culture at least; I mean you have Wallmart and McDonalds," I had to just make a list of this and share. I will finish up the Sara Weekend soon. Promise. Oh, and the motion did not pass. The Philosophical Society does NOT believe U.S. Foreign Policy is the worst thing to happen sense WWII. |
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| Sara Weekend part 2 |
[Nov. 6th, 2006|06:49 am] |
Sara is the bringer of the cold and the sun. I am not certain how she manages these two things at once, but she did. Sara arrived in Eire on All Hallows Eve. That was the first day that it really got cold here. Since then it has been cold every night and many of the days. By the same token though, it has been sunny. Oh Sara, how you amaze.
The second day of Sara's stay was a bit more subdued for me. I got up and went to class all morning, leaving my friend to sleep and nurse her poor swollen foot with its blister. I felt rather badly about her having gotten a blister her first day here, but she seemed to be in fairly good cheer over the whole thing. When I came back at lunch I found Sara still here. We went into town with Christine, who had followed me home to get lunch, and put Sara on a bus to Kinsale. Due to traffic we ended up grabbing a quick lunch at O'Brien's. (I think that is the name. They are a lot like a Tully's; sandwiches and coffee on quick order in a very city type modern establishment.) After getting Sara on the bus, I meandered back home and then back to class. Christine had departed earlier due to an earlier class.
That evening I made tomato soup. It was a bit of an experience as I once again did not have measuring utensils. Also, brown sugar here is different. I don't understand how or why, but it tastes different. Same thing be true in regards to condensed milk. Anywho, Sara got an e-mail from one of the friends she had made during her bus ride to Cork from Dublin. (She had flown there instead of Cork after missing her plane Tuesday.) This man was French. We ended up inviting him over for dinner. It really was fun to watch poor Sara switching back and forth between French and English with the man while she was trying to give him directions, over the phone, to my place when I only know some of the street names and he is new to Cork so doesn't really know the streets at all. Despite the obsticals, Sara got the fellow here. We all sat around my tiny kitchen table and talked over dinner for hours. There was a brief interlude when one of my flatmates friends came in. We proceeded to discus the fact that we had never before seen someone stain their teeth purple with less than one bottle of wine. Never really seen it to be honest. My night ended rather calmly as I sent Sara and her fella off into the night. I had Irish in the morning and they wanted to go out. It worked out well I think.
'stay tuned for the next episode...' |
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| Sara Weekend part 1 |
[Nov. 5th, 2006|06:16 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | chocolate, eire, sara | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  sleepy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Eve 6 - Bring the Night On | ] |
Okay, Landon complained, so I am posting.
Due to issues with a train breaking, Sara did not arrive here on Tuesday like we thought she would. She did make it to Cork and into a hostel though. She showed up on my door step the following morning a bit bedraggled and having met many a new friend (more on that later). After a brief interlude of dropping off stuff and deciding to skip class, we walked into Cork. I walked her through most of the main portion of the city over the course of the day. We saw my campus, got breakfast (Sara had her first Irish Breakfast in one of the two bars on campus and I think she really liked it!). After this we wandered into town and had chocolate death. We meandered some shops and found the music store. I picked up a throw that I was wanting an excuse to buy because Sara would need it as a blanket during her visit. After a while I took her back to my place. By the time we returned she had a blister from her new boots. It was a nasty one.
We ended up going out that night despite the blister. Nothing fancy like. We found a restaurant near Tesco to eat in. After stuffing our gullets full of lamb, lassainia, mashers, fries, veggies, stuffing and tea (yes that is the sum of both our plates, but it was still absurd amounts of food...), we went into Tesco and acquired food stocks for me. Upon returning and storing the new stocks, we once again ventured forth into the night. We ended up in one of my favorite little pubs. The idea was to listen to trad. We got a bit, a couple of people where playing. Sara tried Beamish Red and we talked for a long time. Eventually we went left as I had class in the morning.
I will continue with the remainder of the days Sara was here later. It is, however, ridiculously late here and I need to go to bed soon. Given that, I shall part with a few pictures of us in the pub.
Oh, and these are our breakfasts in the new campus bar. Sara's is in the foreground (full Irish) and mine is the mini Irsh in the background.
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 2nd, 2006|08:25 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | eire, sara | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | random song I got in the dorms from.... someone | ] |
Okay, so, the bus station can be an interesting place if you stay there for a while. I made a list when I got home (after emailing Sara to see if I could find out where she was...) of what I saw there. Let me share:
1) A woman was hit by a car. I have to say I am a little surprised how long it took for me to see it happen. Well I didn't see it, I was inside the station and she was out front, but close enough. You have to be REALLY careful crossing the street here. Look even if you have a little green walking man. Don't worry, the woman was okay I think. She was sitting in a chair someone brought out to her and being examined when I saw her.
2) A woman had her wallet stolen while she was in the restroom. Don't ask me how someone got it out of her purse in there.
3) A drunken man threw up in the lobby. Twice.
4) I ran into Christine.
5) The janitor, a nice 60 year old man, told me all about the mural painted on the building behind the bus station. Apparently two art students came down from I think Dulin, and painted it. The janitor to whom I spoke was portrayed near a dog. Wearing his cap, that was something he was rather pointed about. He was wearing his cap.
Well, I have class, so I will tell more later. |
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| YEAH..... |
[Nov. 1st, 2006|12:31 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | eire, sara | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  energetic | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Gwyneth Paplrow -- Cruisin | ] |
Just so you all know, I got an email from Sara. She should be arriving shortly via cab. Thanks for the hug! |
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ventislee's journal
apathetic