josh groban rocks my socks off!

that´s all that i have to say........so hope you are having a great day!
steph
(ps...josh can make it all better!!!)

it's a sad, sad day....

I have come to the realization that I don't really want to write in this blog anymore. I mean, this has always been like a diary/record of events, but I am starting to forget about it and/or not really worry about writing my stuff down....I think I have less and less time, courtesy of Homer's Iliad and now the Odyssey. Alas! Maybe I'll get around to typing up more about the last week or so later....I'm making it an early night, so I'm off to watch a movie! Good Night!
Steph
PS - I am becoming more and more disconnected to the work!!! This is so bad!! Note to Self: Self, Get out there and read the newspaper!!! I didn't even realize that it was Colombus Day until almost after the fact! Geez, I have to work on this.....

i think my brain is fried...

ahhhhhhhhhhhh! today has been an interesting day.
the good news: i survived my first econ test (and i think i did ok on it too! knock on wood!)
the bad news: i have a paper due in less the 24 hours...and i don't know what i am going to write about! after many hours of procrastination and furiously wracking my brain, i am half way done...but i still need another 2+ pages and my brain is fried! i have nothing else to write about! i don't know what to do....darn these crazy writing prompts anyway. so, i decided to update my blog while sipping my nice watery hot chocolate in attempt to figure out what else i can put in my paper. i really hadn't meant to leave it this long...i really meant to start it sometime last week, only life, another paper, and a test got in the way. ah well.....
writing some more, oh fun oh joy!
steph

i win! i win!

hey! i just got congratulated by my ra for something i didn't know about...so i went to check it out, and tis true. supposedly i won the KAOS (Killing As an Organized Sport) award for being the most elusive. I guess there were 6 hitmen after me before i was finally killed by someone after they attempted to climb through my ceiling (see earlier entry). what do you know! lol. it probably helped that i am a freshman, so most of the upperclassmen don't know who i am (yet), and the fact that i was out stalking joe all day (haha!!!)...but, hey! i'll take it. now i don't feel so bad about dying kinda soon in the game...yeah me! lol
steph

party in tricia and sandra's room!!

just thought i'd include the random picture so show that, yes, i really do have friends. my room is also a whole bunch like this...only with a lot less cool decorations.....i'm so jealous! lol.
from left to right: Ashley, Tricia, Lorea, Amy, Sarah, Steph, Anna

tuck-in

yes...this is a picture of the tuck-in. please refer to previous entry. it was a little weird, but quite funny. lol. tisn't the most flattering picture of yours truely, but ah well. i really like the kgb shirt.....

One Crazy Week...

Hi all!
Well, this last week has been charity week – which I think I’ve explained multiple times before, so I won’t burden you with another explanation. Anyway, there are these crazy things called “tuck-ins” where you pay to have a friend tucked-in in some crazy, imaginative manor….so I thought I’d be cool and give my neighbors one. It turned out that it was a guy who sang Broadway songs in a very good voice. So, they retaliated by giving me one called “happy”. It turned out that 5 senior guys came in wearing really really weird costumes (see included picture) and (1) made me put on a horrendous tiger print coat for a “nightgown” & a cut off jean pant leg for a “nightcap”, (2) gave me a teddybear, (3) handed me a teddy bear, (4) brushed my teeth FOR ME, (5) made me drink down some soy milk, (6) taped my wrists & ankles together, (7) tied ribbons in my hair, (8) gave me a sorta massage from a guy who jumped out of a body bag, and (8) put vasoline on my face and toes…..it was quite an experience let me tell you!!!! Wow. My personal favorites were “The Serenading Stalkers” who sang a song about watching you sleep from right outside your window and “Two Crazy Doctors”, a urologist and a psychologist who tried to give my female friend a prostate exam among other things. Anywho, they were absolutely hilarious and lasted all week.
Ok, new paragraph. We also played KAOS (killing as an organized sport) with waterguns. I stalked my sophomore guy for about half a day, but didn’t kill him. Well, I did kill him, but according to the rules, since he knew the answer to the 1965 trivia question, he didn’t die. Unfortunately, the only reason that he knew the answer was become some incompetent SG person cut the answer off of my sheet and on to his – grrr. I also got him another time, but that also didn’t count though for a less annoying reason that he was eating in the café. I hooked up with his roommate and hung out in his room all evening though, so he couldn’t get into his room for about 7 hours – that was great fun. Unfortunately, he kept sending someone in the see if I was still there before he would enter. Alas. I did have great fun watching him have to turn around and go out of his way because I was heading in his direction. Haha. I never killed him though, because sadly, I died before he did. I was feeling really crappy, so I took a nap. I woke up suddenly when I hear my roommate yell “Who the heck is climbing through our ceiling?” when she saw some fingers appear through the ceiling tiles. Totally confused, I went to the door, and was promptly shot by a hitman hired to kill me. I guess I should feel honored that whoever it was had to hire a hitman because they couldn’t find me (probably b/c I had been in Joe’s room all day. Lol).
Tuesday night, I went to the faculty talent show – and practically died of boredom – poetry reading etc. though the last three people were good (jokes and sing-a-longs). On Thursday and Friday, we could pay to have our teachers put in jail during the class period, and class would be cancelled. This was great fun, especially since many of the teachers try (and some succeed) to break out every year. The modern language department and my politics professor stink though, because they made us sit through class – grrrr. Saturday night was the official close of charity week with a semi-formal dance, which was much fun though a little rough on the feet. Lol. Afterwards a bunch of us went to Taco Cabana, a really yummy Mexican fast food place (way better than Taco Bell) for a couple hours and hung out…and had dance parties in the car. It was great. So now, it is nearing 3:20 am, and I really should be getting to bed soon….yeah. I should. But instead, I am writing this letter to all of you. So that was my week, and should you be interested, this is what I will be doing tomorrow…..cramming frantically for first Econ test on Monday, writing a Religion paper due Tuesday, while attempting not to procrastinate too much. Good times.

weather, movie & printer problems...

hallo!
my dad left this morning - so sad! i was perfectly fine until he was just about to leave...thanks for the nice visit daddy! yesturday we went shopping (thank goodness for rental cars!!!!!) at sam's club - which was out of bottled water, because all of the people from Houston freaked and bought them out!!!! now, i don't blame them in any way. had i lived in an area that was potentially going to be disabled by a hurricane, i would freak too - especially coming right after katrina. but geez, all i wanted was some water because i don't get off campus much! at least wal-mart had some! anywho, i bought a printer yesturday. this is really exciting because now i don't have to use the lab and/or mooch off of friends! for some crazy reason though, i could not get anything to install like it should have, causing me much vexation! grrrrrrrrr....i definitely spent a couple of hours yesturday, but i didn't get anything to work until about 1/2 hour ago. if you should happen to have a hp printer and the included cd won't install, i really suggest merely downloading the software from their website - it actually works (and goes pretty quickly), opposed to the cd. i made my dad sit through an "uber chick-flick" (his words) with me last night...hahaha. i loved just like heaven. over the years, i have come to realize that i like chick-flicks because you know that they will have a happy ending of some sort. i don't care if they have a somewhat obvious plot - you can watch it happily knowing that somehow everything will turn out right in the end. of course, i love other genres (does "chick-flick" qualify as it's own genre??) too, but these movies can usually guarantee a good mood, and are especially nice to watch after a really bad day. just like heaven was pretty amusing (even my dad admitted that). the only problem was that my dad busted out laughing during the times that were supposed to be emotionaly distressing. i can totally see his point of view, and his laughter caused me to laugh too, but i felt bad for the people in front of us who were trying to enjoy the movie. oops. twas great! off to do some homework now, for i haven't done anything all weekend...
steph

shaaaaaaaaaark!

yup, you guessed it. tonight was "movie in the pool: jaws!" and it was great fun!! i was all worried that they would have to change the location back to the mall because of safety issues, but nope! i was supposed to get there at 8 to help set up, but i arrived about 8:40ish. oops! i have a good reason though! this weekend was supposed to be parents weekend, only it got canceled because of the hurricane rita. lots of people from down south came to dallas to avoid the storm, so there are no hotels left open anywhere! so they had to cancel the events, only my dad had already booked stuff. since he has never seen ud, he came down to visit anyway. the school decided to have a small dinner at an italian restaurant nearby for anyone who still came, so i went out to dinner. the food was absolutely delish! if only i could remember the name...ah well. so back to the movie...a lot of people showed up, and people kinda came and went, but there were definitely a bunch of people who actually stayed in the pool to watch it. it was cool. my favorite part was when the sg president and some friend declared themselves the "chastity sharks" and went to go break up some couples in the back of the pool. twas fun, and i loved swimming! i haven;t gone swimming in about 2 months, so it was really exciting!!! lol. off to go fetch my bathingsuit from the dryer and head to bed!
steph

sleeeeeeeeeeeeep is calling me!

(1) bride and prejudice is an amazing movie! i don't think i laughed outloud so hard at a movie in a LONG time. lol. it was kinda cheesy, and some of the dances were kinda funny, but everything was absolutely hilarious!! plus, we watched it in the guys dorm...and we definitely got at least 4 of them to stay and watch all/most of the movie!! various other ones walked in and out. it was a great time!
(2) i actually did ok on my first lit trad paper...i was incredibly nervous becuase the professor kept saying how most of the papers were typical first papers from freshman (aka - not good). i guess we did really bad, because we have an extended time to write it and we must have a tutor or the teacher read the rough draft first. i don't want to write on any of the prompts that he gave us...bummer.
(3) it looks like jaws in the pool is going to have to be moved back to the mall. AHHHHH. this is so upseting, but no one appears to know how to work the pool lights (or they won't return calls) and for safety reasons, it will not work. it's so sad!!! but it's still going to be a pool party sans pool, so come ready for it!!!
(4) i joined Crusaders for Life today - can't wait to go and start!!! everyone should come on sat morning am to go and pray outside the abortion clinic
(4) i actually did my homework for tomorrow last night, so i have done absolutely nothing today except for take a really long nap and start at least my third reading of the princess bride...it was great!! so, now i am going to go back to my reading and actually go to sleep before midnight (maybe the 4th time since school has started...) g'night y'all!
steph

busy day

today i went "thrifting" with some new friends, one of whom owns a car (yes!!! i might have to become more friendly with said car owner...lol) and bought lots of books to add to my rapidly growing book collection. I CAN NO LONGER BUY ANY MORE BOOKS! ever! at least until it looks like i will finish the ones i currently own...and because i am spending WAY TO MUCH money on them. oops. not that i have a lot of time to read anyways...the iliad is taking up a lot of my normal, recreational reading time. alas! well, the day was fun, though i think i am allergic to some substance that can be found in most thrift stores. i also discovered that I LOVE TACO CABANA! having never heard of it before and my usual dislike of mexican food, i was a little wary. i still like really plain food, but what i did have was really good. i went out to dinner with some different new friends, and then arrived back to michelle's 19th birthday party and the last half of spy game. i thought the ending was good, but a little confusing since i didn't know how is started. so now i need to rent it to see the beginning...whoever made the cake is my new best friend though! they were quite enjoyable!!

tag, you're it!

today was another interesting day...and a very tiring one!! i went to class...always fun time. though we did get to eat food during spanish today - that was cool. i sacrificed my door stop (my case of diet pepsi) to the good of the cause. laura is an incredible influence on me...this is the second friday afternoon that i did homework!! i think that is a world record in the life of stephanie...i mean, wow. that never happens. ever. my spanish homework is officially done for the weekend. i think it's pretty bad because i was in serious need of sleep, but whatever, tis done. however, this only took a little while, so no worries, i DO have a social life. i went to check out the pool here at ud (had never been there before). i'm helping organize a movie in the pool activity next weekend...should be REALLY REALLY FUN!!! who doesn't want to watch jaws while sitting in a pool, probably with some immature guys who think it's funny to freak out the girls??? lol. it should be fun. i'm crossing my fingers that it will all work out...i talked to my mom today and she was very happy that "i am finally getting involved" yeah. now i just have to worry about not gettingtoo involved. tonight was a campus-wide capture the flag game = FUN!!! east side (catherine, madonna, theresa, oconnel) versus west side (jerome, anselm, student apps, gregory). it was great! east won the first game, but somehow there was a mix-up in the second game because no one would own up to finding the flag, so the game went to the west side. the third game got interesting because people actually made it over to the area that i was defending, but we had to end officially at midnight and an unknown girl fell and really cracked her head open....so no one won the last game, but it was still cool. capture the flag totally floats my boat. lol. i came back into the room and began reading my econ book (laura again!) and it has effectively made me very sleepy, so i'm off to bed...........snzzzzz
steph
ps - note to self, find out how anti-virus software works before pressing random buttons. some buttons cut off axis to internet, causing many hours of vexation...arrrrgh! well, now i know!! lol

you know you are having a great time when people start giving you weird looks...

hallo!!
today was such an amazing and incredibly unproductive day!!! yeah!!
first, i actually went to bed quasi-early last night. my roommate went to a concert which i could not go see because (1) it was a country singer, and as we all know, i really don't like country all that much and (2)they wouldn't have let me in because i did not meet the age requirement and/or have fake id. anywhos, i went to bed early but still did not want to get up this morning. that is, until the incredibly loud ringing of the phone woke me up. but that was ok, since it was a call i had been waiting for, so all was forgiven.
after that, i took a shower, ate some breakfast, came back to my room and did some homework that i didn't feel like doing the night before etc. laura meanwhile has already finished her one class for the day by the time i am just starting to get going...it's a little weird, but i like it.
so i went to class...understanding the bible and principles of american politics. both classes were fine, except that they are 1 hour and 20 minutes long, which is way too long for me to keep still (well actually 2 minutes is kinda long...but anyways) but they were fine.
i went to lunch in the rat - have to eat there because my classes run right through lunch...incredibly greasy but really yummy pizza for lunch every tues and thurs (did someone say freshman 15??). we also had a community container of ice cream. chocolate. uuuuummmm. good.
after that, i went and hung out with some friends for a while...procrastination can sometimes be a very entertaining activity.
i get back to my room and find out that i have 2 phone messages!!! how exciting! no one ever calls, so that was fun. it's like getting mail...
then it started raining...just a little bit, but the rain drops were HUGE!!! so laura and i decided that we were going to go out and play in the rain. unfortunately, it only lasted for about 5 minutes...totally unsatisfactory. i wanted a refund. i get back to the room like 5 minutes later only to see laura outside the window dancing happily in the rain that magically appeared again...so i went out and joined her. the rain was really nice, because it's been threatening to rain for about a week without actually doing so...we went and frolicked in the rain for about an hour...walked around getting soaking wet and jumping in puddles (good fun!!!) we met up with some other people and kinda ran around campus for a while. we saw some weird looks, but we figured that (1) you only get weird looks if you are doing something fun and (2) they were secretly just jealous of all of the fun we were having and wanted to join in but didn't. it was awesome! for all of those who didn't go out and frolick, YOU WIMPS!!! lol. just kidding. ahh well, your loss.
so, went and took a shower, put soaking clothes in dryer (and then proceded to forget about them for 5 hours...) and went to dinner.
after that, i joined SPUD (student programming at UD), part of student government. i just kinda walked in and sat down. and now i am planning events for next weekend. i think you were supposed to sign up for it a while ago, but they didn't say anything, so i think it's ok! lol. anyway, it sounds like a lot of fun. and now my mom will be satisfied that i am actually getting involved in stuff...
i thought about going to swing club...but i can't dance. though it is really cool to watch the people who can...wow. i also thought about going to tigt (thank goodness it's thursday) but didn't get to either. i guess i can still go to tgit for another 45 minutes but that would involve getting up....maybe next week. i did meet a friend for some free coffee though i didn't actually drink any (see earlier note on freshman 15) wow, this computer is really distracting. speaking of distracting, it might be a good idea to actually start some homework now...especially since my roommate has already gone to bed...yeah, um, off to do some work!
off singin' in the rain,
steph

gahhhhh!

congratulations, stephanie! i have managed to begin a great start to my college carrier by finishing and turning in myy first official paper exactly 15 minutes before the deadline (the office closed at 5)....ahhhhhh! i really really really need to start working on this procrastination thing...yeah, um...speaking of which, i should probably get going on my other homework now...

sad sad day...

obviously, 9/11 is forever going to be a horrific day in the minds of Americans - that is until this generation starts dying out. then it will become more like Pearl Harbor because everyone will remember the date, but fewer people will actually remember the event. that's all i want to so, except for that we should all say an extra little prayer for everyone affected - which would be all of the USA, Afghanistan and Iraq etc- but especially those that died and their families....because they still need our prayers.......
on a happier note, i have been authorized to drive an approved motor vehicle in the state of illinois for 1 year as of today...hooray! i'm thinking about throwing a party.......

nothing to say...

hi. i have absolutely nothing to say today, and i really really should go to bed...yet somehow, i just can't make myself. giving myself a huge headache contemplating the mysteries of life...

ouch! i'm going to be sore for a week!!

tonight we went rollerskating...and it was a lot of fun! everyone was supposed to be wearing really wacky and/or tacky clothing. alas, i do not have very much taky clothing, thank you, so i borrowed a shiny gold sequined (complete with entire sections of sequins missing) dress that was a couple of sizes too small. my ra is tall, and although i like to tell myself that i am, i really am on the smaller side...anywho, there were some really crazy outfits. we pulled up into the parking lot, and everyone leaving kinda stared at us. lol. their expressions were really funny. some little girl came up to me and touched my dress...that was a little weird, not gonna lie. some outfits included: guys wearing short shorts, red suits, checkered pants and stripped shirt, sequins, multiple layers of clothing, colorful wigs, brightly-colored tights, really tall spiked hair on girls, joggin suits etc. i think you can use your imagination. my all time favorite though was the hat my friend michelle was wearing - it was lime green, looked like a swimming cap, and had large purple spikes in a mohak formation. it was hilarious. all was going well, and i managed not to fall until the last half hour when i attempted (silly me!) to play red light, green light...i don't know why i was in such a hurry - i was far behind anyway - but i tried to stop, and both of my legs managed to fly out from under me as i landed on my butt with a huge thud. OUCH!!!! i got up, and thought i was going to pass out i fell so hard. now i'm kinda sick...plus i'll probably have a blister, really sore legs, and a bruised butt for the next week...BUT i still had an awesome time, and i am really glad i went!!! whooooooooo.......zzzzzzzzzzz!
steph

happy dance!!

today i woke up sick...ugh! i really really got to get more sleep. i feel like i am at one large sleepover, and like all speepovers, i never go to bed. sigh. i need some more will power here...speaking of will power, i really should start doing some homework even though it is a friday afternoon...especially the homework that i was supposed to do for today but didn't finish...which is why i'm currently doing a happy dance! my econ class was canceled today because the teacher was sick. yeah!! i mean i guess i feel kinda bad for him because he is sick, but i'm still really happy that i'm not in class right now!!! so, now i get to procrastinate for a while before i actually start doing some homework and later get to go late night roller skating...i've heard it's kinda 80s themed...alas, i hate 80s fashion, so i don't have anything to wear...what a pity.
dancing for joy,
steph

swing, swing!

today was the second day of class...they went well, though i don't know if i am going to like the 1 1/2 hour classes. if i think 45 minutes can be too long, how and i going to survive?? and they are straight through lunch. luckily i can still pick up food at the rat. i called my dad today because it is his birthday. i love my dad. he's so cute!!! i miss him too...tear! tonight i procrastinated a whole lot, though i did get some spanish done. it took me a long time because i kept getting distracted - laura and jacob were hanging things, so lots of dust was falling from the ceiling tiles. we also found a lamp hidden up there after it almost fell on us - luckily jacob caught it. it looked like it might have been up there for a while because the white paint had turned half yellow...eww. i went and attempted to join the swing club tonight. it was really fun to watch. i think i could just stand there in awe of all of the dancers all night and still have a really great time - they were that good. i was incredibly jealous. basically, i learned one really basic step. i still have A LOT to learn, but that's ok, because i still enjoyed myself even though i was pretty bad. now i have to go and do some econ...ugh. off to read some 100+ year old book.........snore!
steph

first day of classes....ahhhh!!

today was my first day of official classes at UD, and i managed to survive....yeah!! to the left is a picture that i just stole from someone's website...this little boy just looks too cute on his first day of class. awwwww! don't you remember these pictures of yourself when you look super excited for your fist day at school?? they are the best.
i think this is a first, but i'm going to try it. i'm to use some more space, hopefully to make it a little more easier to read. let me know what you think...
my schedule is really kinda nice. first class on MWF is at 10, on TTu it's at 11...grin! little story about my spanish class...i was supposed to take a placement test over the summer so they could put me in the right class...only i kept procrastinating. i eventually did it on a plane flight from ohare to dulles, but forgot to mail it, so i took it with me on the rest of the way to germany. then i managed to miss the deadline and lose it somewheres (i think it's somewhere in my room, probably buried under something...) so i get here, and they had looked at my transcripts and placed me in an intermediate class. they wanted me to take the placement test anyway to make sure that i made it in the right spot, so i did, and got a HUGE headache because unfortunately, i don't remember a lot of grammar....but i went back the next day (twice!) to pick up the results, but they didn't have them. they told me to just register for the class that i think that i should be in...so i just registered for the class that they had already put in my schedule. i walked into my first class today (at 10...yeah! no early morning classes for me this semester!!) and discovered that (1) there are only 10 people in the class and (2) it's designed for students who grew up speaking spanish at home but who don't really know the rules or grammer. and since i am not of a bilingual/hispanic heritage, i don't know if it's the right class. 3 people ended up leaving to go reschedule a different class, so now we are down to 7. i understood everything that was going on, and i really really liked the teacher because it was obvious that he really really enjoys teaching, so i think i am going to stick with it. it might be my worst class, but if i enjoy it, hopefully it'll work out. lol. sorry, kinda a long story...
i'm not coming home until thanksgiving- it sounds like we don't have much time off. why do we have to go to school on labor day/all national holidays?? it's not fair i tell you!!
so basically i went to class, met my teachers, read the sylabus and went back to my dorm. took a nice long 2 hour nap before my roommate laura woke me up so i could actually make it in time for dinner. the sad thing is that i'm still tired. alas! off to read some of my new, really really expensive spanish book...
steph

hi y'all!!

hello from dallas y'all!! once again, i managed to tell a big fib because i promised to tell you all about germany, and then proceeded not to....oops! my deepest apologies. if and when i ever find a scanner, maybe i'll through some pictures and explanations...there are some good ones!! lol. anywho, i have officially moved to college!! whoooooooooooo!!! tomorrow is the last day of orientation - it's been cool so far. my roommate is laura = super nice and really fun. i live in the hall known as "catherine convent"...sigh. no one that lives here likes the nickname, and we are all determined to overthrow the stereotype of this hall. all of the girls and most of the guys that i've met (some at least 3 time...um, memory issues...) are really nice and welcoming. we have had various mingling opportunities, movie (american grafitti - actually quite funny. i think my favorite character was carol(?), the young girl who "goes steady" with the drag racer. ha! she's hilariously innocent...anyway, you got to see it to know what i mean), really yummy root beer social, casino night, party at the houses of the professors (which was actually fun, not dorky. we had a lot of fun) etc. the only problem is that i really gotta stop eating junk food at 10pm...i can justify healthy things like fruits/vegitables etc, but chips and m&ms has got to stop!!! ahhh!!! tomorrow i have to register...fun times. last day before the hectic schedule of classes begin...the good news is that on monday/wednesday/friday my earliest class is at 10, and on tuesday/thursday the earliest is at 11!!! wahoo!!! lol.
sleepily yours,
steph

big hi from wyd!!!

hi everzone!!!
im writing from a small internet cafe in dusseldorf germanz waiting for tonights wzd events to start, so i thought i would just saz hi. thats it because i dont have anz more time. ill fill in the stories later!!! lol. having a blast and hope to talk to yall soon (just practicing!!lol)
steph
ps the kezboards are different and thez are driving me crazy!!! not lack of punctuation and misspellings!! in case zou haven't figured it out zet, the y and z kezs are switched on german kezsboards!! lol ttzl!!

pink and orange

today i finally decided on a color theme for my dorm...well my half of the dorm anyway. yup, you guessed it, it's going to be pink and orange. i was meaning to talk to laura (my roommate) about all this, but for 3 reasons, i decided to just go ahead and start buying stuff. 1- i just got the letter yesturday letting me know who laura is. 2- i emailed laura, but have yet to call her, so i haven't gotten the change to actually talk to her yet. 3- i'll be really stressed out if i leave on friday feeling that i won't be ready for anything when i come back, so i need the assurance, that yes, i do have basic life essentials. so, sorry laura if these aren't exactly your favorite colors. but what's the worse thing that can happen?? maybe our dorm will just clash horribly...but that wouldn't be too bad, right? it will add character!
steph

happy dance

hey it's an exciting day because i finally received the letter telling me my roommate and dorm hall assignment!!! happy dance!! this is very exciting, but now i have to actually use the phone and call...shudder. i have a fear of phones. it's weird i know, but oh well. tis life. i'm just happy that i finally know who i will be living with for the next 6 months! now, if only i could figure out where i am staying in germany at the end of the week.....
steph

the previous entry made me think of this sticker....ahhhh, the sticker. although i believe the saying is true, it does have a funny memory attached to it. SENIOR QUOTE THAT NEVER MADE IT!!!! lol. but how do you try to say something like this without sounding frumpy/old fashioned/prudish/insert adjective of choice??? i don't know if you can. i guess it all depends on your intended audience. hmmmm....it's true!!! believe it, even as you remember the memories associated with it = good times!!!
me

i am beautiful, you are beautiful, this is beautiful!

hey all -
http://www.you-are-beautiful.com/ESSAYS.htm
i stumbled across this site after i stumbled across some stranger's blog (you can really find some interesting things sometimes by hitting the 'next blog' button.) anyway, i thought it was really cool...i think just stumbling across one of theses stickers would make me feel so happy inside, even though it wasn't left for me particularily or if no one else cared. it's just a happy message - kinda like a complete stranger giving you a compliment. hmmm....happy feelings....
steph

thank goodness that tomorrow's a new day, because today i feel like an idiot!!!

ahhhhhhh!!!!!! today i went to buy a new alarm clock for my soon to be new dorm (if they would let me know what it is??? i would like to know before i leave the country!!!) anyhow, after using my gift card, i still had to pay $26 something...and wouldn't you know that i only had $25 on me???? what does life do that to you?? anyway, so i went to go pay with my debit card which i carry around with me for situations exactly like this one...only i wasn't thinking to clearly (imagine that!), and i swear i couldn't remember my pin #. i know it, but for some reason it wasn't clicking, and i felt like an idiot when nothing was working!! finally the clerk just bypassed it, and i kinda ran out of the store, calling myself an idiot the whole way home. too bad there wasn't some incredibly hot guy there, because then at least i could blame my mometary stupidity on someone...though i guess that could have made it even worse...yeah! way to think on the positive side....
steph

why do i feel like the younger sister left at home?

today my younger sister left to check out a boarding school in rhode island. i was looking for a link to a website that i could put here or at least read about, and i only keep finding negative links that were only slightly related. honestly, there are times when i really do not understand the human race...these people seem so bitter and confused about small really stupid things. (if this isn't making sense so far - feel free to tune out and just ignore this entry, because it's mostly a rant, and it's not likely to get any less confusing unless you have any idea what i am talking about...and i bet most of you don't. i don't want to explain in detail in order to make any misconcepts worse. i guess this is just me talking outloud to an myself and an audience that won't listen. anything in the smaller type and different color you can just kinda ignore if you get really confused.) i just don't get it. yeah, there are things i don't always like, but i logically know why - it's because i might know what's right, but i have this tendency to just ignore it because of my feelings usually laziness or just plain stubborness. yes, sometimes i feel guilty about it, but i don't blame others for putting positive pressure on me to do the right thing. ok, i might feel an extreme sense of annoyance at the time, but usually in hindsight, i understand. gee i wish hindsight worked the same way as foresight, only then i guess it wouldn't be hindsight. sigh. i also don't see it as a cult. if you could just step back and look at all of the positive outcomes instead of merely focusing in on the negatives. look at all the good that is being done. yes, maybe there have been some mistakes in the past, and there probably will be some more in the future, but i hate to break everyone's personal bubble of anger & bitterness, but they are humans. i really don't see the perfect human anywhere. everyone makes mistakes, and mistakes can sometimes have a positive outcome if the lessons learned are taken to heart. i just don't understand. so maybe you had a bad experience with a particular group of people - that doesn't make everyone bad!!!!! i had a bad experience once with taco bell, but i still go there and enjoy their food (without thinking too deeply on all that heathly nutrients that i am forcing down my throat....ha!). so maybe it's not quite the same, but you just have to forgive and forget sometimes - give people a second change. it really bugs me when i read that people are just trying "to protect others from making the same mistakes" by loudly defaming this group of people who are really just trying to grow closer to God. last time i checked, this was supposed to be the goal of all christians. i just really don't get it - why do people refuse to see the good in others? why do they feel the need to defame or even ban good people from trying to help other good people? i think it is sad. where is the love? ok i'm done for now....back to the original topic. so my sister flew out today for the next 6 weeks. now if it was only for a short time, it wouldn't be a big deal, but because it is so long, it feels so weird. i am always the one going of for long trips alone. what if she decides to stay? it will be really weird thinking about her not being at home. i can't imagine what it must be like for my parents or the rest of my family to think of the 2 oldest being gone. maybe i'm just jealous. it steals away my glory about being the first to leave the nest. hmmmm...although i would firmly support her decision should she decide to stay out there, i kinda hope she doesn't. i mean the idea of her living in RI is a little strange still. also, i really loved my 4 years at the academy, and i know she would too. (why would you want to go to an all girls school far away when you could go to a really good coed school here?? i mean, hot guys can be a very big incentive!! haha. though according to julia, there are a lack of them at the academy. alas! anyway, i digress) i didn't ever want to go to school there, so maybe that's another reason why i don't really want her to stay. note to self: nicole is her own person with her own life/ideas/needs who might really like it out there. i guess, it would just take some getting used to - it wouldn't be bad, just strange in the beginning. i guess it hasn't really clicked yet. or the fact that i am leaving (forever!) the academy, and i'm not quite sure i'm ready to do that either. i mean, i am, but i did like it, and i am comfortable there...i do have a fear of the unknown - that is until i get comfortable there too - but that's another topic that i don't need to delve into right now, because i honestly think this one is long enough. geez, sorry, but sometimes i just helps to talk/write it down/let other people know what i am thinking. thanks for listening friend!
steph
ps - now that nicole's gone, i'm going to become the big focus here....2 big questions: (1) what do i need for a 2+ week trip to germany, and (2) what the heck am i supposed to bring to college anyway????? ahhhhhhh!!!!
ps2 - ewwww! i had this tingly sensation that a bug was crawling up my leg....and it was true!!! ewwwww!!! i hate spiders!!!!!!! i'm now going to be scarred for life! ew!

he he i lied

for some reason i've been in kinda a depressed mood. i think it's because of the weather. it rained today! yeah because we need the rain (and i am really really tired of seeing all of the watering ban signs around - ugh!) but rain can also be sad. blah. i got my retainer fixed the other day....but it really REALLY hurts because i haven't worn it in like a year and a half...oops. i was very mad at my dvd player yesturday because i had rented a movie romancing the stone and i wouldn't work!!!! grrrr! i watched the first 3 scenes and then nothing!! it was all scratched! i think i am going to demand my $1 back from the library.....grrrr. i know i promised to write about my vacation but i haven't done it yet because i simply don't want to yet....i know i know i could be writing it now instead of ranting here, but nope. no can do. sorry. it might still be a while but maybe eventually. ok, i'm done now. thanks for the rant....i feel better now.
steph

back from florida!

hello! just got back from florida this afternoon....it was great!! luckily dennis did not do any damage to central florida (aka - disney world). the nice clerk at publix (publix is a grocery store for those of you who do not know. it's ok to admit it...i had no idea. i live off of jewel and the occasional forages to walgreens and the family run store, so i had never heard of it.) told us that some people had freaked on saturday, but everyone had come back by sunday afternoon. so the good thing was that the flight/parks/etc were all up and running; the bad news was that there were still way too many people there! sigh. we flew into tampa because it was cheaper, and the water was really high, but other than that, some slight turbulence on the flight, and news coverage, i did not see much storm damage. so it was good - for us anyway...not so good for the people who lived in the panhandle areas. hurricanes do have the right of way i guess...speaking of the right of way, i was informed that all disney parking trams have the right of way before pedestrians. what every happened to the defense driving a la drivers ed?? geez. so far we have made it with only 2 lost bags (1 from each flight...but good news! they have been found!!! one just hasn't made it home yet.), some extremely lumpy & uncomfortable beds, lots of hot, sweaty, and rainy days, and incredible amounts of walking! but it was fun. so, i've decided to kinda give an overview of each day (maybe with a picture or 2 later if we ever get them developed! see previous entry somewhere about getting pictures developed...) liberally strewn with my random comments and opinions - should be good fun! so scroll down because i'll enter the actual dates, not the dates that i typed the entry, so it might be a bit confusing at first. but you are smart people, so i am sure that you'll figure it out. it just might take a while because my computer is still holding its little revolt...it will work for about 3 minutes before it shuts down and refuses to do anything more. curse you aqua scum! (not really related, but a good movie quote nonetheless!! lol) so enjoy at some future date!
steph

hurricane dennis

of course there would be a hurricane that's supposed to hit florida at the exact same time that we are supposed to be going to orlando for the first time in about 10 years! tis not fair i tell you!!! sigh. oh well. we might actually still be going...it all depends on what dennis decides to do between now and our flight tomorrow morning. anyone want to fly into florida in the middle of a hurricane?? anyone? maybe it will just mysteriously wither up and die in the next 12 hours....probably not, but one can always hope!! lol. ok, off to pack....
steph

old friends!

today i(right) had dinner with annie (middle) and meggie(left)....good friends that i haven't seen in YEARS!!! ok, i saw meghan once last year (ouch!), but i haven't seen annie since maybe a year after she moved to ohio....which would be what - 6-7 years ago??? ahhhh!!! i forget when exactly we took this picture, but i must have been around 9 or 10....wow. i have changed a lot thank goodness!! lol. i don't think this picture was taken at the time, but do you remember when we decided to wash our hair with the backyard hose? we thought your mother would get mad at us, so we snuck outside with the shampoo & conditioner and tried to be quiet. i just remember the water being freezing!! and your mother could see us from the kitchen window the entire time. and then there was the time we painted our nails...and annie & meggie decided to use the nail polish as face paint. it looked really cool, but it wouldn't come off!!!! lol. good times. anyway, after playing phone tag for about a week, we finally got together at buffalo wild wings - i'd never been before, and it was really good!! anyway, we just ate and talked for a while, but it was so nice to see you guys!!! (please try to ignore the fact that i am sometimes writing to them as well as writing to the general reader...sorry!) anywho, thanks! it was fun! and we now have to get together way more often!!! thanks for the memories and all of the good times!
steph

tis dangerous!

hola! went to the indiana dunes again today!!! whooo...this was actually a lot of fun because it was really windy, so there were LOTS of waves!! it was only 2 hours after we (and everyone else on the beach) had been swimming that my mom noticed the DO NOT SWIM/DANGEROUS UNDERTOW sign...oops!!! i did notice an undertow a couple of times, but at the same time, it is like impossible to see all of that lovely water and simply not go in it!!! as i was falling asleep on the warm and suprisingly comfortable sand, i was thinking about the kinda cliché (but still doable i guess) romantic date of walking along a beach at sunset (or some other romantic time) while holding the hand of your significant other....well i came to the realization today that this might be all well and good, but i think i would have a way more enjoyable time if i could "accidently" or otherwise manage to push my significant other (i love that phrase "significant other"...i don't know why. i just like the way it sounds...like "parental unit". anyway, i digress...) into the water. because swimming is so much fun - especially when suprised or wearing street clothes. somehow that makes it that much better...i think because it is somehow rebelious in a not very scandalous manor....ok, getting yelled at by the parental units to go to bed because i have to get up early tomorrow and clean house...ugh!
sore from climbing dunes and covered in sand,
steph

ahhhhhhhhhhh!

my computer is broken again...what a surprise! arrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhh!!! our internet is forever breaking down and absolutely refusing to not work as i sit here and type on a public computer at the library....we're thinking of getting a new server....hmmmmmmm....
me

hi hi (to borrow a phrase from mr. h!)
i stumbled across this site while looking for pictures related to stress and depression etc...go figure! anyway, it was pretty amusing, especially since i am working on finalizing my tickets to germany....oh, the possibilities. ha ha. www.airtoons.com yawn. i have to go and finally start reading the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne...what possessed me to try to read a bunch of classics this summer??? so far, i have 2 down.....ahhhhh!!!!!
stephanie

oooooh ahhhhh

hey! just finished the computer game Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (hence the picture...) - it was good!! we (nicole, michelle, sean & i) have become quite addicted to these nancy drew games - they're so much fun! thanks alicia for first introducing us!!! lol. anyway, the first one took us about 3 months to finish because we kept getting stuck. then we discovered the message boards and finished the games in like 3 days...bad us. so i was determined to do the game without cheating...and i did! i am so proud of myself, especially the times when i resisted temptation. lol. i really really recommend these games - they're fun, challenging, and if you take the time, they can be a somewhat of a learning experience. you should try them sometime!
steph

happy summer!!

happy first official day of summer 2005!! yeah!! so go outside and enjoy this lovely weather!! i realize this statement is kinda hypocritical of me as i sit here at my computer writting this while listening to fountains of wayne, and making copies of my graduation powerpoint to give to all of nicole's friends (3 more to go!) I KNOW!! but oh well...do what i say and not what i do. anyway, as soon as this is over, i think that i am going outside to help my dad plant flowers. so there!! lol. enjoy!!
steph
ps - my keyboard is acting weird today...the caps lock and shift keys have decided that they no longer want to work for me. ahhhh! it's getting quite annoying.

sand, sand and more sand!!

g'day!! ok, but now it really should be g'night but whatever...
last night after work i went to a sleep-over at the co-workers' house. it was a blast!! i think that i was the first sleep-over that i have been to in the last 4 years. wow. anyway, it was a lot of fun - we had a toga party (which i missed the majority of), way too many desserts/junk food, watched the spitfire grill (it's an ok movie in a retreat/moral lesson kind of way) and our favorite clips of phantom of the opera since only 3 people wanted to really watch it, and stayed up talking for a couple of hours. it was fun!!! then today we went to the indiana sand dunes. at first i was unsure as to whether or not i was going to go because my mom was nervous - how are you getting there, who is driving, you're not driving, how long will you be...all those type of questions - and i was supposed to be going to a wedding. i kinda didn't want to go to the wedding because although i had met everyone in the family (about 4 years ago!!), i didn't think i would enjoy myself because we aren't really friends anymore and i wouldn't have known anyone. now i am really glad that i didn't go because (1) i had a really great time at the dunes, and (2) my sister said that the wedding was boring because she didn't know anyone. the dunes were awesome though - i am soooooooooooooo glad that i went!!! lol. by the time we got there (we had gotten lost a little), we didn't have much time to spend, but it was still a lot of fun. first we had to climb this mother of a sand mountain!!! i was HUGE and very very STEEP! it was almost impossible to stand straight as well as keep moving - the sand was super hot and really hard to walk on! kayci and i held a little rebellion once we finally got to the top - we declared that we weren't going to go down the other side to the water and that we were going to simply sit there all day. the view was gorgeous!! the water was such a vibrant color blue-green, tons of boats were out, and there was a neat view of the chicago skyline. well our rebellion didn't last all that long - maybe 10 minutes - before kata dragged us down the hill to eat lunch. we all decided to put some lemon juice in our hair...let's see if it works. then we just kinda sat around, talked, and ate some more. caroline was the only one to bring a bathing suit, but lauren went in the water anyway. they said it was nice. so i decided that i was going to merely get my feet wet. the water was a little cold, but once i got used to it, it felt great! after deciding to move just a little deeper, i accidently got the knees of my jeans wet, then my thighs and butt - i was just a teensy little bit wet. after caroline saw how wet i was, she suggested that i might as well just get all the way in - and so i did! it was really worth it because the water felt so nice. plus, i haven't gone swimming in a lake in clothes for a long time (i wear a bathing suit you idiot! get your mind out of the gutter!! lol) so it felt pretty cool. i think i gained at least 10 pounds because of the weight of my wet clothes!! lol. it felt so weird. kata wanted pictures so we all laid down in the sand - i stood up and my wet clothes were plastered in sand!!! lol. i think i looked silly. ah well. luckily i had planned ahead so i had a change of clothing...but i was still wet and sandy the entire ride home!! poor car - i think we made an enormous mess. oh well. the entire ride home we sang/danced along to the radio - it was fun but i caught some people driving along giving us some weird looks...yeah!!! it was a blast! we all have decided that we are going to take another trip back for a longer time sometime later in the summer, so if you missed it, you can come then. now i am really tired - blah! i think i am going to go watch robin hood with errol flynn and oliva de ha...something or the other and fall asleep. night!
steph

phantom of the opera continued...

another picture of erica and val dancing...oooh they are going to love me!! lol.

a butt?? what's so scary about a butt?

good news everyone!! good news!! i actually got some pictures developed in a relatively short time after i took them!!! whooo!!! ok - it's been about a month, but since i am a person known to not develop a disposable camera in 4 years (seriously! i've done that! anyway...) and i found a bunch of pictures from senior outing, baccalaureate, last day of school...and this one! lol. this would be on may 20 after val, talie, erica, megan and i finished watching phatom of the opera. yes...we were listening to music in the credits or something and val and erica were "dancing" haha. talie is sitting in the background looking like that little monkey music box. anwho - that was such a great night!! lol. i loved that movie already but now it will be even more funny!! lol. there were so many different reactions...erica was gushing (i was going to use a different word here...if you were there you know what it is...erica you dirty person you! but i thought i would try to keep it moderately clean. use your imagination) over the music while megan was randomly laughing at the storyline or making comments...HILARIOUS!!! lol. i think you kinda had to be there to get it...it's not quite as funny merely hearing about it but let me say you really missed out. lol. maybe i'll post some more pictures later.....ha ha guys! bet you love it!! lol.
steph
ps - i'm not in any of the pictures because i was the one with the camera....muahahahaha!!!

last night i saw "star wars episode III: revenge of the sith". it was quite good - i really like the fighting and the anakin's struggle between the good and the bad. but it was also sad!!!! you sit there watching knowing the whole time that anakin is going to turn, yet the entire time you keep hoping that maybe at the last minute he will change his mind....sigh. it's too bad, but i guess if he didn't, we would not have the other three movies. the good news is that now i have officially seen half of the star wars movies - now i only have to see I,V, and VI...i don't know why i haven't gotten around to seeing them yet - someday i think i just may have to sit down and have a star wars marathon - watch them all in a row....hmmmm. also! i thought the timing of this was really funny...i get home from the movie, check my email, and find that megan has sent me a link to store wars. omg! i laughed through the entire thing (please keep in mind that i am really easily amused - life is just better that way!) anyway, here's the link www.storewars.org so check it out!! lol. i thought it was very clever. ok, off to villa........ahhhhhhhh!! ok it's really not that bad. i have this tiny tendency to exaggerate things. oops. hey - how many of you get paid to play uno for 3 hours??? yay!!
steph
ps - thanks for going to see it with me julia!!!

if the thin wire can hold back chickens, it can surely hold back ducks...

hello!
we went to the wisconsin dells on sunday and monday as a graduation present to my sister...stayed at a hotel with a waterpark. it was fun! i love swimming! the water is always so relaxing - i think my favorite parts are always the lazy river, wave pool, and the really tall slides. they had a new 4-person tube ride called the cyclone - it was great! there were times when we left the "ground" so to speak. i love water!!!! whooo!! anyway, we only spend most of our time in the 4 indoor and outdoor waterpark areas. though we did play one round of lazer tag. you should of seen dave play! he insisted that he could carry the vest/gun - and so he played! he actually didn't do too badly for a 5 year old who has never played before!! lol. we also went on the "original wisconsin ducks" not to be confused with the army ducks or any others that they may have. anyway, that was actually quite fun. i've never done anything like that before - car/boat thingy. it was nice and it started to rain so the weather was nice and cool too. we also tried to visit one of our old neighbors from hinsdale (from about 15 years ago!!) but they weren't home. there was some major work going on the house so we think they sold/moved or something oh well. i enjoyed it. and we even got to eat at culver's!!! lol. i know it's not that big of a deal but i love that place!! lol. after that we basically went home....and then cleaned out the car which by that time was a total mess!! lol. fun times.
steph
ps - the title was from the duck rides as we passed some chicke wire.

phew, tis done!

i'm so happy because i finally finished the wpa graduation powerpoint...it only took like 5 hours a day for 4 or 5 days...you know, no time at all. i'm just glad that everybody seemed to like it and that it worked! for a couple of minutes i was freaking out because it refused to go, but thankfully it changed its mind and decided to be nice to me. plus, i learned how to do things too...like use our scanner and how to put music in the powerpoint...there! two new things that i've learned since school got out. that sounds good for the summer...anyway, now i just have to figure out how to transfer everything to cds because everyone wants a copy...hopefully it shouldn't be too hard. nicole's graduation was nice...a nice little ceremony in the middle of mass. not too crowed, but so HOT!!!! omg, it must have been about 100 degrees in there!! set up was fun too...ahhhhhh!! oh well. as long as all of the kids enjoyed themselves and have a happy memory of the day - i guess that is really all that matters anyway. i had to go to work afterwards...blah! but justin is back (the maintenance guy who gives me my lunch break and kills the last half hour or so by talking with me) which is good because once again i am guaranteed to eat dinner...for a couple of weeks it was a little iffy. yeah! that is really good news!! lol. i'm still playing about 3 hours of uno every saturday with this group of ladies (as justin pointed out - "you have it so bad") i know that i shouldn't be complaining because i basically get paid to sit around, play uno, read my book, paint my nails, watch old movies etc, but sometimes it can get a little boring. ok ok, i'm done complaining for today! yeah! got to rush of and do some unspecified chore now...guess i'll find out what when i figure out where my mom is yelling (for future notice - i tend to insert the word "yelling" for other words like "talking" or "correcting" so it's usually not as bad as i make it seem! most of the time anyway). be back later!
steph

tomorrow, tomorrow, i love ya tomorrow...

'lo
last night i went to see my younger siblings in their school play: Annie (Annie Jr. to be accurate). it was pretty cute - like all grade school plays are, complete with not so perfect singing and sound. still i am impressed for what they did...i'm sure it was way better than anything that i ever did while i was there. but it was sooooooo hot! either (1) there is no air conditioning - wouldn't be a big suprise, (2) the air was simply not turned on, or (3) the air was broken or not strong enough. basically everyone was melting. everyone felt really bad for the two girls who had to sing while wearing really heavy fur coats - ouch! but it was nice...haven't been to an all-school production there in a while so it brought back some memories that aren't too old. my mom is always talking about organizing an all class reunion (because even if everyone came there would only be about 40 of us. ha ha.) and it's starting to sound like a really good idea since many of us haven't talked in 4+ years....time to see really old friends, crushes - do you think they've gotten cuter? or are you painfully ready to admit that they were ugly the entire time??? i am thinking of a certain person in particular...meghan9loves etc. lol. fun times! now i'm going downtown to deliver some food to some friends who are organizing/working a missions week and summer camp...it makes me sooooo glad that i have air conditioning (spoiled me i know) because i bet they don't have any.
rushing off,
steph

shake that thing!

i forget the name of this song...but it's playing at the pool across the street...pool! you have no idea how good jumping in the pool sounds right now...this house is so hot but my dad won't put the air on yet. ooooooh water...ok for the third day in a row i am working on this wpa graduation powerpoint. i love these baby pictures!! i don't think it is possible to be an ugly baby, but geez, when you grow up you can have some problems! lol. ok ejoy the warm summer weather while i sit here if front of my computer for hours....
hot and frazzled,
steph
ps - look no picture!! i resisted the temptation to put in a random picture that i steal of the internet or elsewhere...i think all of the pics in the powerpoint are starting to mess with my brain!

today i was working on the deadly, super top secret, hadardous to my health, extremely important mission involving foreign policy and national security...ok, ok, i was really working on the wpa 8th grade graduation powerpoint. this was one of the pictures of my sister Nicole (and me too...i am so special because i will show up 3 times in this powerpoint. look what you can do when you control what pictures are used...muahahahaha!). anyway, i thought this picture was really cute (and more flattering than some of the other ones! lol) and i had to post it. this is nicole and i - i am obviously the cuter/taller/older one - in hawaii in 1992?? i think. it was fun...don't remember much about that trip except being afraid of the ocean, spending hours building sandcastles, and snorkling in the pool. fun times! maybe i'll post some of the others later. shhhhhhhhh!!! don't tell her about the pictures until after she sees them on saturday!
steph

bu ha ha...i love this picture!! anywho i am working on the wpa graduation pics.......trying to find all of those embarrassingly cute pictures of graduates when they are babies, naked in the bath, or making weird faces. it's fun! lol. last night my mom and i were digging through some old pictures of her...in saddle shoes, purple paisly minidresses and bellbottoms...wow. can't wait for the day when i look back on old photos and wonder what the heck i was thinking when i bought/wore that outfit!! lol
happy reminiscing!
steph

today's little art lesson

hola! nothing noteworthy happened to me today, so i decided to post this picture. first of all, it's called "charring cross bridge" (in london!) painted by andre derain (de-RAN...i recently found out that i had been pronouncing his name wrong, so i included it to avoid future confusion). he was a fauvist. fauvism began aroun 1905 when art critics compared the art to wild beasts (fauves in french). they are famous for the shockingly bright but usually happy colors. anywho, i really really like the colors in this picture because they are so different and bright! i am a fan of bright colors as long as they are not too obnoxious. i don't like all of derain's paintings, but i think this one is cool. and to think, that i probably never would have heard of this guy if i hadn't dropped ap english and taken humanities instead. moral of the story= take humanities!! it's an awesome class...and you get to paint (even on the final!!)! ok - i was looking through all of the pictures that i have saved on my computer, and this is one of my favorites, so i posted it. then i had to give a little explanation, so here's your 30 second art history lesson for today...
colorfully yours,
steph

ok now that it is summer - well it's been summer for the last week, but whatever - it is time for me to come up with my first annual (ha) summer book and movie list! since i will be away from home soon (shout of happiness + tears!), i need an official list of all the really really great movies that i have missed due to mother censorship. that sounds kinda harsh on my mother (sorry mom!), and while it definitely could be really annoying, it wasn't all that bad. but i am going to fix that now!!! soooo...and kind of suggestions on what i should read and/or watch this summer would be greatly appreciated - let me know!
in a rit of fealous jage (a shot in the dark!),
steph

Team America: World Police....funny movie!
i figured out how to post pictures!! wow...that was complicated! lol.

we've lost intelligence! we have no intellegence!

herro...
just got back from erica's party...yeah graduates! anywho, we watched "team america world police" - an absolutely hilarious movie!! oh i loved it!! besides our complete laziness, the chair stealing, the ball jokes etc, i think that was the best part!! lol. great times. i think my favorite character was kim jong il...still laughing 45 minutes after the movie ended.
i'm so lonrey and arr arone,
steph

It's official!!

ok everyone! it's now official! i am a graduate of benet academy!! yeah!! can you believe it!! tis soo exciting! watch out ud, here i come...well in august i will come. lol.
once again a freshman,
steph

it's a hard-knock life

today is friday (yeah!) and here are the last three days of my life in abstract...
wednesday - had two finals: español and america since 1945....they were ok. let me rephrase that - spanish wasn't so good at all, but i have decided that it is not a big deal and that i don't really care how i did since it is now over. i didn't think 45 was too hard -which is really good since i didn't study a whole lot because i was working on my bio lab all day on tuesday........AHHHHHH! that wasn't fun because i didn't finish it until about 6pm (i had been working on it since monday and noon when i got home) when i just kinda declared myself done...i'll just take the 50 points that i will lose for not doing a section...ah well. woe to me. but then my grandma came in from boston - very good news!! i love nana! anyway, i no longer have a room since she invaded but that is ok. obviously i have survived.
thursday - nay 26 is my little brother's birthday - he just turned 5! anyway, we threw him a party - sorta a the incredibles theme, but mostly not. anyway, there were about 13 little 3-5 year olds at my house for 3 hours yesturday = fun! at least they were very cute. lol. i love little kids, but i would never be able to handle more than 1 at a time, and sometimes even that is a little iffy. i have a HUGE respect for anyone who can babysit/teach preschool and kindergarden aged children. wow. anyway, that was fun but very tiring. i took like a 4 hour nap that afternoon. haha. in the evening, i went to honors night...yeah! everybody be proud of me because (up to this point anyway...not so sure about 4th quarter...) i am going to graduate with first (A) honors...yes!! i am just too damn smart. lol.
friday - i was dreading today because my dad kept insisting that i had to go and get my car tested (emissions test and all that). and i really really didn't want to because i have this huge fear of the unknown! but i did it on tuesday...ok, should you be interested - there's nothing to it. you wait in your car in a line for about 1/2 hour (well you do if you catch the lunch crowd like me!) and then do exactly what they tell you to do: stop the engine, turn off the car, step out of the car etc. (ie. pretty basic stuff). well that was a breeze except that my car's gas cap failed. i guess it was emitting toxic wastes into the atmosphere. so i had to get that replaced = another scary experience!! i really was afraid of the dodge dealership because that is where we bought my car and then towed it there 5 mo. later after my accident (ouch!). but it all worked out really well. the gas cap takes all of 30 seconds to fix, and then my car successfully passed!! yeah!! oh another thing completely unrelated...should you be curious about "little black book"...i didn't really like it. the last scene was the only really good one...twas funny! but the rest i didn't like. ok this is enough for now because it's only like a bajillion words long. talk to you later!!
sleepily yours,
stephanie

Congratulations to me!

hellooooooo world!!
kudos to me for figuring out (sorta) how this thing works - well at least the basics anyway. i'm going to have to play with it still...how fun!! anyway, now would probably be a good time to go back to my crazy bio lab that is due on wednesday and worth 450 points. ouch! well, at least it is started now, unlike it was at 3:30 pm. la de da de da. it will be a party and a half. happy finals to seniors!!!
basking in the adoration,
steph