Che è la vita?

You give me something better than real life.

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 05:11:19 GMT

Help me justify getting these shoes:

Dark brown croc-embossed calf leather. Handsewn. Designed to travel. $165

I really want them.

If you can't stand the heat, then get off of my street

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:15:34 GMT

Wow, I haven’t written in just about forever. So I guess some updates on my life. For starters, I got a job! The whole process started a few weeks ago. I applied for I-Banking positions at UBS, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, HSBC, Citigroup, Barclays, Bank of America, and Lehman Brothers. I would up with interviews at Credit Suisse in LA, UBS in LA and New York, and Citigroup in Silicon Valley. I bombed the Credit Suisse interview last Monday, did okay on the UBS LA one, and had a great interview with two awesome guys from UBS NY on Tuesday. The next day, I had two more rounds of interviews for UBS NY, which I guess went pretty good too. That night, they called me and offered me a job. So now, I will officially be an Investment Banking Summer Analyst for UBS in New York this summer :) Suffice to say, I’m extremely excited, especially since UBS was my top choice firm. And if it works out, I’ll get a full-time offer as well.

Then last weekend my sister came to visit me! She also brought a really nasty winter storm with her. On Friday, we got some Indian food at New Delhi (possibly her first ever, but I swear she was with us at Kashmir in Boston’s Back Bay) and then we went to Dahlak for some alternative hip-hop and live funk performances. The hip-hop group was meh, but the funk group was great, and we had some interesting Algerian wine. On Saturday, we had lunch at Greek Lady, went shopping in Rittenhouse Square, and then checked out the Constitution Center. Then we walked all the way down to South Street in the blizzard conditions just to get some Jamba Juice. We got really wet and cold, so we finished off the night watching Wet Hot American Summer and Pirates of the Caribbean with Jeff and Dara. Sunday was lunch at Cosi, some Starbucks, and a train ride to the airport. Overall, it was quite a fun weekend.

Tonight, we’re hosting a wine and cheese dealy. Should be fun :)

OMG Fiesta en la boca

Mon, 16 May 2005 05:35:03 GMT

Wow. We ate at A.O.C. (http://www.aocwinebar.com) tonight for my birthday, and that is definitely the best restaurant in LA. Totally blows Patina, Chinois, Katana et al. out of the water. We got:

-A cheese plate (two Spanish cheeses and one French one)
-A charcuterie plate (rabbit, chicken liver pate, and pork)
-Jamon Serrano (absolutely incredible)
-Some type of halibut (best fish I’ve had in my life…way better than my John Dory at Patina, and it didn’t make me sick, which is a first in years)
-Lamb skewers with artichokes barigoule and walnuts
-Grilled skirt steak with green garlic aioli (sooo tender)
-Arroz negro with squid and saffron aioli (tasted like an embodiment of Spain)
-English and sugar snap peas with butter and mint (Incredibly fresh...don’t know how they did it)
-Asparagus with chilies and ricotta (Words can’t describe how incredible this was)
-Grilled mushrooms

I wish they would put the latest menu online so that I could get the actual names for some of the dishes. But, they were all just mind-blowingly fantastic. It really was a “fiesta en la boca.” Just simply incredible. The asparagus was just incredible…I can’t even describe it in words, and I’ve hated asparagus all my life. Definitely one of the best meals I’ve had in my life. Just so many unique interesting flavors...

Anyway, I have to go sleep now…I got a job at Macy’s Del Amo and have my orientation tomorrow!

Rien n'est trop beau pour une si belle

Sun, 20 Feb 2005 20:35:31 GMT

I’m done drinking. I think it’s sort of bad that I went from not drinking at all in high school to having a reputation for being basically an alcoholic.

On Friday night I went bowling with some friends of mine for about an hour and a half, and then we went out to an Indian restaurant, which we followed with our typical couple hours of foosball and pool. We came back to the hall, and then I went out with Devan, Max, BK, his girlfriend, Reagan, Brittany, and a couple other people. We started out at DTD, where I had 7 drinks. 2 shots of Vodka, 1 Screwdriver, and 5 cups of jungle juice. I didn’t really get drunk though cause of all the Indian food. Then we went to TEP for a bit at finished at PiKap. Came home and slept. And you know what? I had waaaay more fun before going out than I did while I was out and drunk. So, I’ve decided I’m done drinking. I tried it out for a bit like everyone wanted, but I just don’t think it’s for me. Once I turn 21 though….

In other news, I’ve decided that I’m going to graduate in three years. I had wanted to go to the London School of Economics as study abroad my junior year, but instead I’ve decided that I’m going to graduate Penn in three years and then go to LSE for a Masters (probably in Development Management or something) my fourth year. So, I suppose I’ll be graduating with the class of 2007. Anybody want to come to London with me their senior year?

Well, I have to read a 300 page book and write a 9 page paper on it by Thursday, so I’d better get to work!

I wanted you to see Dreams of reality.

Sun, 23 Jan 2005 07:03:04 GMT

I realize that I haven’t updated in a while…I suppose I’ll try and fix that.

Well, Winter Break was a blast. It started out in Missouri for Christmas, which was awesome because my mom’s entire family was there, and that’s only happened like four times in my entire life (and I go to Missouri a lot). Then we went up to spend a week skiing in Mammoth. It was a lot of fun. I did my first off-trail skiing and feel like I generally improved. But, it started to blizzard really bad so we had to head home a day early. Then there was New Years Eve at Becky’s, which was of course also tons of fun (I want pics!), and then the rest of winter break.

I got my grades for first semester. 1 A, 2 A-, 1 B. So, basically a 3.6. Not too bad, but I want to do better this semester. I have really awesome classes: Intro to Legal Studies, History of Law Since 1877, Macroeconomics, World Musics and Cultures, and a Writing Seminar that’s primarily about historical economics. So far, they’re all really great classes and I’m having tons of fun.

Last night (Friday night) I went to the pre-ILMUNC party. Oh man was that a blast. I went at 9:30 to help set up, but the party wasn’t supposed to start until 10:30. Around 10:15, Burns and I hit the alcohol. The IAA is the richest organization on campus (except for the frats, more on that later), so we can afford decent alcohol. I basically drank a shit load of Stolichnaya (that’s good vodka!). I was drunk before the party even officially started. I was jut dancing my heart out and having an absolutely great time. Around 11:30 I started to feel it wearing off, so I decided to go for one more Screwdriver. I wasn’t even half way done when I just lost it (I finished the drink anyway). I couldn’t even stand up. I was lying on the stairs and Alison and Kshitij were trying to feed me water. I didn’t get sick though, and I decided it would be best if I just went home, so Alison took me back. I hung out with the people in the hall for a few minutes and then just slept like a baby (for the first time in two weeks.) Best part: I never got sick, and no hangover :D

Okay, so on to the frats. These past two weeks have been rush weeks. I didn’t rush, but Tripper did (and he has accepted a bid, so he gets to pledge coming up.) But basically, Tripper has been out drinking every night for the past two weeks. And let me tell you, he does the strangest things when he’s awake in the middle of the night. One night he decided to wake up at 6:00 and break the ice that had formed in our fridge. I was just like WTF? I seriously didn’t know what to say. But, that’s all over with now so hopefully I’ll get a few nights of peace. The frats are ridiculous though. There’s one frat that flew the people they wanted to Amsterdam on a private jet so that those people can only sign their bid. Another frat rented out the entire Philadelphia Museum of Art (with the Rocky steps) for a private party. Others have rented out the finest restaurants in Philly and are letting loose with crazy amounts of good wine and champagne. It almost makes me wish I had rushed :)

Well, it’s beddy bye time for me!

Come on. Vogue. Let your body groove to the music.

Thu, 06 Jan 2005 06:29:06 GMT

Put a * next to anything that is true and leave anything that isn't blank. Add one at the end and pass it around.

* I miss somebody right now. (I miss a lot of people)
* I watch more TV than I used to. (South Park, Family Guy, Laguna Beach, Real World…)
I love oldies.
* I love sleeping.
* I own lots of books (But don’t end up reading a lot of them)
I wear glasses or contact lenses
* I love to play video games. (I don’t do it very much anymore though)
I've tried marijuana.
I have been in a threesome.
I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.
* I believe honesty is usually the best policy.

I have acne free skin. (A lot better than it used to be, but still working on this one)
I like and respect Al Sharpton.
* I curse frequently.
* I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.
* I have a hobby(s).
I've been told I have a nice butt.
I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.
* I'm smart.
I've broken someone else's bone.
* I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal. (I have lots of secrets)
I love rain.
I'm paranoid at all most times.
* I would get plastic surgery if it were 100afe, free of cost, and scar free.
* I need money right now. (I always need money)
I love sushi.
* I talk really, really fast. (I can when I’m arguing or trying to explain something)
I have fresh breath in the morning.
I have semi-long hair.
I have lost money in...Las Vegas.
* I have at least one brother and/or one sister.
I was born in a country outside of the U.S.
I shave my legs.
* I have a twin.
* I couldn't survive without caller I.D. (Although I usually pick up regardless of who is calling)
I like the way that I look.
* Have lied to a good friend in the past 6 months. (Not too proud of this, but sometimes it must be done)
I know how to do cornrows.
* I am usually pessimistic.
* I have mood swings. (On the downside of one right now. Was on the upside earlier today.)
I think prostitution should be legalized.
* I think Britney Spears is pretty. (She’s hot when she’s being managed. That new commercial? Damn. But when she’s on her own, she’s just a dirty skank)
I have cheated on a significant other.
* I have a hidden talent.
I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.
I think that I'm popular. (Gotta work on this one too…)
* I am currently single.
I have kissed someone of the same sex.
I enjoy talking on the phone. (Prefer IMing, especially when there are other people around)
I practically live in sweat pants or PJ pants.
* I love to shop. (I don’t particularly like the act of shopping, per se, but I like buying new things, and like seeing and being seen in public)
I would classify myself as ghetto.
* I'm preppy and have worn a sweater tied around my shoulders. (Haven’t done the sweater thing since I was little, but I do like my Polo shirts…)
* I'm obsessed with MySpace
I don't hate anyone.
* I'm a pretty good dancer. (Or at least, I like to think so. At least, I’m certainly way better than I used to be)
* I don't think Kobe Bryant raped the said 19-year-old girl. (The girl was a ho out for money)
I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
* I have a cell phone. (Does anyone not star this?)
I watch MTV on a daily basis.
I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months.
* I've rejected someone before. (I’ve rejected lots of people. Some were justified, some were humongous mistakes)
I've graduated college. (Give me four years…)
I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life. (I know all too well what I want to do)
* I want to have children in the future.
I have changed a diaper before.
I have had the cops called on me before.
I bite my nails sometimes.
I am a member of the Tom Green fan club.
I'm not allergic to anything deadly.
* I have a lot to learn. (Who doesn’t?)
I have dated someone at least 10 years older or younger
I plan on seeing Ice Cube's newest "Friday" movie
I am very shy around the opposite sex.
* I'm online 24/7, even as an away message.
I have at least 5 away messages saved.
* I have tried alcohol before.
I own the "South Park" movie.
I have avoided assignments at work/school to be on myspace
When I was a kid I played "the birds and the bees" with a neighbor or chum.
I enjoy country music.
I think that Pizza Hut has the best pizza.
I watch soap operas whenever I can. (I did really like Amigas y Rivales though)
* I'm obsessive, anal retentive, and often a perfectionist. (Add control freak to that list)
I have used my sexuality to advance my career.
* I love Michael Jackson, scandals and all. (Goddamnit, he’s the frickin’ King of Pop!)
I know all the words to Slick Rick's "Children's Storr"
Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.
I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it.
I have dated a close friend's ex. (Almost did once. Narrowly avoided an embarrassing moment by finding out they started going back out, about two minutes before I was going to ask out the girl)
I'm happy as of this moment. (This would be the downside of the mood swing)
I have gone scuba diving.
* I've kissed someone I knew I shouldn't.
* I play a musical instrument.
* I strongly dislike math. (Multivariable Calculus pretty much did it for me)
* I'm procrastinating something right now (Sleep)
I own and use a library card.
* I fall in 'lust' more than in 'love. (There are some things I want so bad it’s hard to tell)
Cheese enchiladas rock my socks.
I think The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest things ever
I think Beyblades is the coolest show in coolsville.
* There are more things I could be better at, if only I tried harder
* Sometimes I don't like food. (I’ve basically been restaurant hopping nonstop for the past week. I feel like I’m drowning in food.)
* I worry sometimes that I'm not being the best friend I could be to the people I care about. (I can be a terrible friend, but I'm trying to work on this)
* I desperately want people to respect me, but it rarely happens (My desire for respect is insatiable)
I have never been able to say anything positive about myself and truly believe it. (I am God)
I think Scottish accents are very attractive.
I'm very neurotic and suffer from acute paranoia.
* I speak another language besides English. (Several, to varying degrees)
* I joke about eating, shaking, and kicking babies (Oh Josh, where are you?)
I'm most likely to spend money on music.
I've had sex
* I've kissed a relative. (Obviously in the family kiss sense, but honestly, who hasn’t kissed a relative in one form or another? Even your parents?)
I don’t have many regrets because i believe things happen for a reason (I have more regrets than I can count)
I've acted depressed to get attention (That happens too much in my family anyway)
* I think that Albert Einstein is a better role model than Jesus (They both need to see hairstylists though)

My new question:
I have a secret obsession for late-90s bubblegum pop.

You Harajuku girls, damn you’ve got some wicked style.

Mon, 29 Nov 2004 06:40:17 GMT

Well, this was a really fun weekend. I got my flight switched and got home on Tuesday night. I woke up on Wednesday and went to have breakfast with my sister near LMU. Then I drove up and lunch at this really good restaurant on Paseo Colorado in Pasadena with my Dad. Then that night my sister had some friends over to play videogames, and I went out to Coffee Bean with a bunch of people. Bre is so hot in uniform :P

On Thursday I went out to the desert to have Thanksgiving. Yay for Pumpkin Pie :)

Friday night was loads of fun. We had comedy sports at Garrett’s (with a little bit of pre-gaming thrown in), and then headed over to Rachel’s for a really good time. Good group of people, real Vodka. Played Kings, got really drunk, ate Skittles out of various body parts, all that goodness.

Early on Saturday morning I drove home so that we could go to South Coast. I’d never been there, but that mall is amazing. Really good Zara too :) Saturday night I was just so exhausted that I just went to bed at like 9:00.

I woke up this morning, went on a little drive, and then headed off to the airport. I saw a bunch Costa people and a bunch of Penn people there. The flight was boring. I was sitting next to this really big guy that kept invading my personal space.

Anyone heard that new Gwen Stefani song “What You Waiting For?” It’s about as close to Electroclash/Nu Synthpop as I’ve heard on the radio, and I’m really excited about that. Will this really be the retro 80s decade? I sure hope so :)

Cos’è successo? Sei scappata, e con te anche la mia vita.

Sun, 21 Nov 2004 01:25:13 GMT

Ten years ago, I:
1. sat at a table in Mr. Woods’ class with girls that had about four million Pound Puppies all over the place.
2. made a smart-ass remark to one of my teachers about the color spectrum.
3. started playing piano.

Five years ago, I:
1. was absolutely in love with Kelly but was just really really stupid.
2. thought that my middle school grades might actually matter in life.
3. actually liked the music on the radio.

One year ago, I:
1. fell in with an awesome group of friends, which I should have done a lot earlier.
2. got my acceptance letter to the best school in the whole world.
3. still thought that 65 degrees was extremely cold.

So far this year, I:
1. have made like a trillion new friends from all over the world.
2. feared for my life at a club (Chrome…*shudder*).
3. held an extremely successful conference with my fellow UPMUNC secretariat members.

Yesterday (Nov 19), I:
1. received an A- on my first college papers ever!
2. had four hours of class *ugh*
3. got a package of Hugo Boss cologne in the mail.

Today, (Nov 20), I:
1. talked to Becky on the phone.
2. read four pages of Econ.
3. passed on a Bach concert with Jeff, Jim, and Matt.

Tomorrow, (Nov 21) I:
1. will wake up around 11:30.
2. will maybe actually do some reading/homework.
3. will send e-mails to Mr. Timberlake, and a bunch of advisors here at Penn.

In one year, I will:
1. be filling out my application to the London School of Economics’ General Course program.
2. be living in a suite in a high-rise.
3. be taking five classes (*yikes!*).

In five years, I will:
1. hopefully be working as an analyst for Goldman Sachs or Lehman Brothers or something.
2. be living in New York with Rachel and Kirstie.
3. be studying for the GMAT and LSAT.

Armani, Armani, Ah-Ah-Armani. Cinque.

Sun, 17 Oct 2004 13:35:24 GMT

Last night I went to a club called Chrome with Kate, Steph, Sushi, and Emily. Well, lets just say that this was not exactly your Beat It type crowd. I had read online that it was a really good club with a Euro stuff and Hip Hop, and that it was a very good crowd and all that. That wasn’t exactly the case when we went. It must have been some sort of special hip hop night. Let’s just say that there were maybe 7 white people in the club, and we were 5 of them. We were frisked and groped at the entrance (although in retrospect that made me feel safer). When we got to the dance floor, there were only a couple people dancing, but a ton of people just standing around watching the dance floor, which was sort of recessed a bit. That was kind of weird. It was really uncomfortable to dance, because we all felt a little bit intimidated. Two of the girls had their money stolen by the guys they were dancing with, which they didn’t realize until we went to get a cab ride home. We left after an hour and a half because Emily had downed a bunch of Tequila before we went, and she’s even smaller than Kimbie, so she wasn’t feeling to well. We were all very ready to leave though.

Once we got back we chilled in Derris’s room until about 2:30, when I decided that I wanted to go to bed because I was really tired and was really looking forward to getting a good nights sleep. When I opened the door to my room, I saw that my roommate and his girlfriend were both blazed, and that she was going to be spending the night. So I was implicitly sexiled. I went over to go sleep in Steph and Sushi’s room, but we ended up taking until about 4:00 before going to bed. Then I woke up at 8:00 absolutely starving. I mean like deathly famished, so I went home, took a shower, had some food, and here I am! I have to do this staff training stuff for UPMUNC today, and I have a bunch of homework to do, but I am dead tired. *grumble*

We’re still on for New York next weekend, but nobody seems to have booked the hotel, so we’ll see how that turns out. I need to do some serious fall/winter shopping. I just ordered a pair of Diesel jeans, and I’m getting a Lucky jacket and some Armani shirts to go with them (so much for trying to restrain my clothes spending…), but I’m going to need more than that. I’m going to go buy a wool coat later this week, and I need a new pair of boots too.

Work time!

We shall then go a discotheque and have some fun.

Tue, 12 Oct 2004 02:45:24 GMT

Well, unfortunately the Dodgers lost to the Cardinals yesterday, so they’re out of the playoffs won’t make it to the World Series :(

Anyway, last night we also had our Econ Scream, which is a Penn tradition where everyone who had the Econ midterm today gathers on the Junior Balcony in the Quad and screams at midnight. It’s so loud that you can apparently hear it for a mile or two away. The Scream was fun, but short. Afterwards, with all the people on the balcony, like six people went streaking across the quad, including one guy on crutches. It was amusing to watch the security guards chase after them.

So yeah, today was my Econ midterm. I was going to spend the whole day studying for that, but that didn’t happen. I ended up just chilling out and listening to really kitschy, cheesy 80s Euro Disco, and I’m totally not kidding when I say cheesy.

Speaking of good music, a bunch of us are going to hit up the clubs this weekend. We’re thinking Shampoo on Saturday night.

The 23rd through the 26th is our Fall Break. A bunch of us are planning to go up to New York City for a bit.

Now I just have to go to bed.

It gets in your eyes. It’s making you cry. Don’t know what to do.

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 01:54:30 GMT

The Dodgers clinched the NL West title last night. This means that they are going to the playoffs, and hopefully, the World Series. If they make it to the World Series it will most likely be against New York, Boston, or the Angels. If it’s against New York or Boston my parents are going to fly out and I’ll take a train up to go to games 1 and 2 with them. If it’s against the Angels, then they’re going to fly me home for the games. Luckily, that’s the weekend of my fall break, so even if the Dodgers don’t make it to the World Series, I’m going to go up to New York with my friends (the weekend of the 23rd).

I saw online last night that we had won the game by scoring 7 runs in the bottom of the Ninth. I called my parents and my mom was actually crying because she left the game in the top of the Ninth to beat the traffic, thinking that we would lose. Then, as soon as she leaves, we score the seven runs to win it :) She hasn’t been there when we’ve won the division since 1988. I think we won it in 95 and got the wildcard in 96, but she wasn’t there for either of those. The Dodgers haven’t made it to the World Series since ’88, when we won it. When we did, all the players and executives went to Italy to celebrate, but my parents couldn’t go because they couldn’t get a babysitter for my sister and me. I don’t think there would be any trips to Europe if we won this year, but it would still be nice to win nonetheless.

I have my first midterm this Thursday, so I have a ton of studying to do now!

Ciao!

Mi-amintesc de ochii tai

Sun, 26 Sep 2004 22:21:27 GMT

Okay, its been a while since I last updated, but I promise I’m going to try and get back into the swing of it.

On Friday night a bunch of us went to this little Cuban-restaurant-turned-jazz-club in Center City. It was really cool. The jazz was a bit more modern, with some funk and hip hop influences, which was really nice.

Then yesterday our GA (who has spent more time at Linguistics conferences in Europe so far than he has in our hall) took us to an Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant in West Philly called Dahlik. It was really good. You eat it with your hands out of this big tray that everyone shares. What you do is take a piece of this bread (I think its called Ingama or something), which is like a really moist sourdough crepe and then pick up the meats and things with that. It’s amazing. It is really tasty and filling, but it doesn’t weigh on you. Someday when we’re all back in LA I demand that we go to a restaurant in Little Ethiopia up near Fairfax.

I had to make a little visit to the hospital last night. I was just about to leave to go to the football game, so I was in a hurry. I opened the door right into my face, which cut a little gash above my eye. It wasn’t too large, but it started bleeding all over the place so I walked over to the hospital with my face in a bloody paper towel. That got interesting looks from the passing cars :) It ended up being one of those things that wasn’t quite bad enough for stitches, but was too bad for just a bandaid, so they sealed it up with some medical super glue and put a little surgical bandage over it. Then they handed me a bunch of papers about head trauma (read: “if you fall asleep in the middle of a conversation or pass out while you’re eating, get your ass back to the hospital”) and sent me on my way. The sad thing is that this definitely wasn’t the first time I’ve opened a door on myself. The only difference is that my doors at home are light enough to bounce off my head, but my dorm room door is very solid and just bashed it.

So then I went to the football game versus Villanova. We lost 16-13, which ended our 2 year undefeated streak and our 4 year undefeated streak at home. Apparently we haven’t won a football game against Villanova since 1911 or something like that, so I don’t feel too bad about it.

Today I went to the King of Prussia mall. It’s about 30-45 minutes each way by bus. But seriously, this mall is the hugest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It is just massive. I got lost looking for the SETPA pick up point, and literally spent like an hour just wandering through tons and tons of parking lots and stores and stuff. I picked up some jeans, a shirt, and a jacket at Macy’s, which was having a sale. I was sort of pissed because after I bought all that I saw that Bernini was having a half off sale on Hugo Boss and Versace. But oh well, I can always get more clothes later :)

Before you know for sure, this is what you were waiting for.

Fri, 03 Sep 2004 18:20:18 GMT

Well, I’m all moved in at Penn now, and its awesome. I took some pictures out my window of my gorgeous new home, the Quad:

The weather has been perfect so far, not too hot at all, and it hasn’t been humid either. In fact, its feeling a bit like LA right now, weather-wise.

I flew in on Wednesday and we spent that night at the Sofitel, which is a really nice hotel. We ate at this restaurant called FriSatSun, which was pretty good. Then we just walked around the city that night, stopping for this little concert thing that was going on in Rittenhouse Square. Speaking of which, there is a Zara about to open near Rittenhouse Square! I’m really excited about that. It’s just too bad it couldn’t be a bit closer to campus, although its only one or two subway stops away.

Yesterday we woke up early, dropped my stuff off at my room, and headed out to the suburbs to go shopping for some stuff for my room. The area around Penn is okay, but it gets pretty bad just a few minutes away. “West Philadelphia, born and raised…” and all that. Then we got back, set some of that up, and then some of us went to some meetings and then just chilled out in some people’s rooms. Then we had a few more meetings and dinner and stuff, and headed out to the parties. There were probably seven or eight parties going on in and around campus (lots of upperclassmen rent houses just outside campus), so we stopped by a bunch of those and met a ton of people. Everyone here is really nice and approachable, even upperclassmen. And, oh, there are actually REPUBLICANS here! I think for the first time in my life I am in the majority politically, or at least we are a very sizeable minority, probably thanks to Wharton. Anyway, its really nice and all the people here are really great. I can’t even think of the names of all the people I’ve met so far.

I do miss you all dearly though! And I’m gonna try and figure out some dates when I can go to New York or DC pretty soon here. Ciao!

You're the object of my desire.

Tue, 31 Aug 2004 07:30:47 GMT

Well, today is my last day here in Manhattan Beach. And as much as I love it here, I’m really ready to go. I mean, I’m hardly packed at all or anything like that, but its getting kind of lonely here now that most people are gone. And I need people! I move in on Thursday, but I’ve already talked to my room mate a bunch, and have met a lot of people thanks to Pennster. I think I’m supposed to go clubbing with Varty and Kelly this week too. We have a bunch of various activities for the next week, such as a proseminar (mine is on the role and necessity of cities in the modern age), our Penn Reading Project Seminar (yeah, gotta read the book….), various tours of Philly, a reception at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the famous one, whatever its called), and a bunch of parties, movie nights, etc. Then classes start on the 8th. I got exactly what I wanted:

ECON 001 – Introduction to Microeconomics
ITAL 110 – Elementary Italian I
PSCI 130 – Introduction to American Politics
MATH 114 – Calculus II

Math 114 is actually third semester Calculus, but Penn calls first semester Calculus (covered by the AP Calculus AB exam) Pre-Calc for some reason. The Politics class is taught by the guy that wrote our Honors Government book this year, and in fact we’re using that same book in this class, which is convenient since I already own and have read most of it.

I’m off to bed now…I suspect that my mom will be evil and wake me up early (read: 9:30) to pack.

Your body is always on my mind.

Fri, 20 Aug 2004 07:18:15 GMT

The new 2005 US News college rankings came out today. Penn moved up to fourth place (from fifth last year)! Now we’re behind only Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, and we aren’t tied with anyone (we were stuck in ties with Stanford, Duke, and CalTech for years). Unfortunately I think it will be very hard for us to rise any further, and very easy for us to slip down.

In more important matters, I actually passed my Certificate of Merit evaluation. My ten years of piano study have come to a definitive close. I haven’t even told my teacher yet that I passed….it might be a good idea to do that….

And I wonder if you know how it really feels to be left outside alone, when its cold out here.

Mon, 16 Aug 2004 04:56:23 GMT

Now I have an LJ and a MySpace, and I’m not really sure which to post to. LJ is the better blogging system by far, but MySpace is definitely the better social networking site. So I guess I’ll just cross-post for now.

Last night was Tani’s birthday shindig at Joe’s Crab Shack. There were a lot of people that I didn’t know, and a lot that I’m not really friends with, but Kimbie and Kelly and I had lots of fun over in our little corner. Kelly made lots of jokes about Kimbie: “Kimbie’s hair is like Baskin Robins. 31 Flavors and most of them fucking suck.” But we all had a good time. In partial celebration of Tani’s being 18, and just for the fun of it, we are going to Beat It this Sunday, the 22nd. Anyone who wants to come is invited! Just let me know so that we can figure out the carpooling thing.

I switched over to Verizon and got a new cell phone today, but I’m keeping my old number. My text messaging doesn’t completely suck now, but I lost my web abilities, which I didn’t really use very much anyway.

I practiced piano for about six hours today. I have my CM evaluation at 10:00 tomorrow morning, so I’m gonna wake up at 5:00 and try to squeeze in another 4 hours of practicing before I do it. I’m completely expecting to not pass. My Moszkowski Etude is decent, and my Brahms Intermezzo and Scriabin Prelude are pretty good, but my Mozart Sonata sucks ass big time and my Bach Sarabande only sounds good when I play it in the Romantic style instead of the Baroque. If I pass, it will be just barely. Oh well, I don’t think it’ll actually matter to me in the grand scheme of things.

Okay, off to bed now!

The ringing in my ears....

Mon, 02 Aug 2004 20:08:31 GMT

Wow...fun weekend :) On Saturday I went to a little party thing for Lizzy Shelton, and who should show up but Michael Schmale. It was the first time I had seen him since 8th grade, which was a very pleasant surprise. After the party, Michael, Lizzy, Claire, Jessi and I went and saw "The Village" which, well, sucked. It wasn't particularly scary (you know its bad when you start laughing during the parts that are supposed to be scary), and it was extremely predictable. I had the entire movie figured out not even half way through. And my biggest mistake was I expecting a larger road. After the movie, I took Lizzy and Claire home, and Michael had to drive back to La Jolla that night, so Jessi and went to Coffee Bean and had our typical insane conversation on the pier bench.

Last night Rachel, Kirstie, and I went to P.F. Changs for dinner, and then went to Club Beat It, which was insane amounts of fun. It's way better than Bang, and the music was totally awesome. Pretty much spent the whole night up at the front of the stage (You really have to fight your way up to the edge). That was insanely fun but in retrospect maybe not the best idea, because the music was really loud, and my really sensitive ears are still ringing twelve hours later. We stayed until about 1:30. Then on the way home Garrett asked about the La Brea tar pits, so we drove past those and took Wilshire all the way to downtown. It was insane. There literally wasn't a single car out, which is crazy because Wilshire is always just completely grid locked. Anyway, we decided to go back to Beat It next week instead of Bang, so we will be going on Sunday, but the same leave at 9:30 type thing. Now if only my ears would fix themselves...

Eek. I have to go get a Meningitis shot in like 45 minutes :(

Another night another dream, but always you.

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 06:14:30 GMT

Okay, its been too long since I updated last, so I suppose I'd better get to it.

I started working on this new design for my LJ, which you can see now, but I never got around to finishing it, because my laptop came and I've been fiddling with that for the past week or two. I suppose I'll get around to finishing the design one of these days.

Yesterday I went to the Desert. It got up to 118, but was 111 for most of the day. It was hot, but it actually felt kind of nice. We went to P.F. Changs for lunch. Yay for Mongolian Beef, Honey Chicken, Garlic Noodles, and Chicken Fried Rice. Got my grandma all set up with a CD burner.

I have to wake up at like 4 in the morning on Wednesday to take my family to the airport. They're all going first to Fort Lauderdale, because my sister is playing in the Junior Olympics. Then she's off to the Bahamas with Alex Wike, and my parents are going to go visit family in Missouri and Iowa and friends in New Mexico. That means I get the house all to myself until August 8th! Luckily I have lots of things to do, including seeing Lizzy this weekend, a Penn day at the beach and the following clubbing nights:

-August 1st - Beat It
-August 7th - Bang

Ibiza

Wed, 14 Jul 2004 06:50:19 GMT

I got an awesome letter from Lizzy Shelton's mom today (For those of you who don't remember her, Lizzy went to Grandview and then MBMS with us, but moved to Indiana after 8th grade. She was a really good friend of mine). She basically proclaimed herself to be my East Coast mom, which is totally awesome :)

My dad's monitor came in today, and it totally kicks ass. It's hooked up to my computer for the moment (the parts for his arn't in yet), and I'm gonna have to find a way to steal this thing and bring it to Penn with me, because I absolutely love it. The colors are great and the viewing angle is amazing. It has two dead sub-pixels, but my dad can hardly notice them so we decided not to RMA it. In other news, my laptop seems to have dissapeared. It checked out of UPS's Pennsylvania station like three days ago and hasn't been checked in to any other stations yet...

I didn't get the BofA job because they didn't have any branch managers looking for summer employment. It's kidna discouraging to know that I would have been hired like 7 times by now if I was just going to ElCo instead of heading back east.

My parents are planning to go to southern Spain over spring break. I'm jealous :)

I'm going to try and go to bed now so that I can wake up early enough to have some waffles for breakfast!

Now lend me your soul....it seems like I'm losing mine.

Mon, 12 Jul 2004 06:29:50 GMT

Picture du jour:

I've got broken bones, not from the sticks and stones, but from the words that you call me.

Sun, 11 Jul 2004 17:26:25 GMT

I read today that the average American has 5 credit cards. Five???? Who needs five credit cards? It's a good idea to have two, in case one of them doesn't work in an emergency (we used to do this, until the bank actually cancelled on us sicne we hadn't put a single charge on the second one for 3 years). But, if you need to have 5 credit cards, wouldn't you realize that your spending is a bit out of control? Why don't people have red flags in their mind when the realize that they can't cover the payments each month? Boggles the mind....

Another interesting thing I read this morning:

Next, Camarota noted that Mexican immigrants pay significantly less in taxes compared with native Californians but use disproportionately more welfare benefits than those born in the state.

Camarota's data showed that the average taxes paid by Mexican immigrants in California amount to about $1,535 per year, while native-born Californians pay $5,600 in taxes.

While Mexican immigrants pay one-third the taxes of native Californians on average, they also consume roughly three times more welfare, Camarota said.

The CIS data showed that 41.5 percent of Mexican immigrants used "major welfare programs" like Medicaid and food stamps, while those same welfare programs were used by only 14.2 percent of native Californians.

Its good to see some hard numbers to something we've known all along. It's time to stop playing around and really lock up our borders. Round these people up, get them out of here. And then make them immigrate legally, at a controlled pace.

Another study showed that illegal immigrants cost Arizona $1.3 billion per year, amounting to $700 per year per legal household. That is a crime.

On a lighter note, this is an exciting week comming up. My laptop (IBM T42) should be comming in, as should my sisters (IBM T41), as should my dad's new monitor (Samsung 193P), and all the parts for his new computer. I should also be finding out if I wil be hired by Bank of America. I will also be talking to Trip to figure out what to bring to my dorm. And today I'm going to the IMAX and a museum exhibit. Fun times.

Walk hand in hand... and one day you too can live in harmony.

Thu, 08 Jul 2004 07:20:12 GMT

Can't Sleep

Loving you forever, I'll be waiting for you.

Sun, 04 Jul 2004 06:29:57 GMT

I'm pretty sure that my room is the one exactly between the two trees, on the second floor :)

Ware - Butcher 0214

Stanco di me, stanco di tutto, stanco di questi giorni....almeno dormiro.

Sat, 03 Jul 2004 03:08:46 GMT

Well, no keys no credit card kicked in today. Luckily, I have an interview with a temp agency on Tuesday and with Bank of America on Thursday, so hopefully something will come from those.

We were talking about Polo shirts in the car yesterday, and how that whole Preppy look is back in style. So, after arriving in Mammoth today, Kirstie bought me an orange Polo shirt! :) I can't wait for her to get home so I can see it. I absolutely love my blue one.

If only I could get my mom to think like Lauren:

"Went shopping with Mike and Garrett in Santa Monica. They certainly are stylish, they have very European tastes, which is good, because European men look good, although in America, they would be dressed "gay." America hasn't gotten past the skateboarder look yet, which is apparently what real men should be wearing. Mike & Garrett, I like your style better."

Thanks, Lauren! We should go up there again (and show Garrett how to get to Malibu)! Maybe I won't get rear ended next time :)

Ciaociao!

I've got the brains. You've got the looks. Let's make lots of money.

Thu, 01 Jul 2004 03:28:36 GMT

I went up to the 3rd Street Promenade with Garrett and Lauren today. Bernini had a half off sale. It was quite tempting to pick up some Versace jeans for $120, but I passed. Instead, I picked up a shirt at Armani Exchange. We visited a bunch of shops and had lunch (at 4:00) at this Italian place. Then on the way home, I got in my first car accident.

We were comming home on the 405, and it was stop and go traffic. The person in front of me made an abrupt stop, so I had to also. The person behind me didn't though and ended up rear ending me. Luckily, my car hardly even has a scratch on it, cause my tow hitch completely owned the bumper of the woman's 1994 Camry. I used to hate my car, but now I like how tough it is. As I told Rachel, I should get one of those bumper stickers that says "If you hit me, may you rest in peace."

I think I'm about to be summoned for a game of tag now. Ciaociao!