today, i hate my neighborhood
i was just going out to get my mom a dvd. as i approached the car, i saw cigarette butts on the ground. i enter the car and things seem amiss. i see the ashtray on the floor of the car. i look to my right and see all of my papers and things that should have been in the glove compartment sprawled all over the passenger seat. and after i replace the ashtray, i look up and it hits me - my car has been broken into. all of my cds are gone...all of my change is gone, right down to the pennies. my cd player is still there, thank goodness. at least it was amateurs. but, i honestly wish they just took the cd player and left the cds. a cd player is much easier to replace than a hundred cds or so. my cd collection is personal. as i realized what occurred, it felt like someone ripped my heart out. now, it may seem like i am being dramatic, but for me, this is serious business...

...just spoke to the cop about it and i made a report. i doubt that much is going to come of it. i just want to burn a couple of cds for the road, take a shower, get my things together, and head back to school.

there are worse things in the world. i realize this. but, i can't help but feel sad and angry about the situation.

chimay is the champagne of beer post has been deleted!
i reread that post and i didn't like it...so it is gone. highlights were, drinking chimay, going out with tami, and meeting a hot swedish guy and wondering whether i should call him or not. amazing how much better the simple version is in comparison with the tipsy, "i am awake and don't want to go to bed yet" version. clear. concise. that's the way to go.

ouch, my tummy!
i wouldn't necessarily say that i eat a ton of food at one time. it just seems like every 2 hours i eat a little something else. there is so much food in the house and it is all so yummy. i can't wait until i am out of here and my appetite returns to normal....especially since i have a tummyache. i think it is also from the soda. i normally don't drink this much soda.

in any case, i finally was able to check out marlowe's blog today, thank goodness. i may add her link, but i would like to get her approval first. i kept trying all of these different variations and i couldn't get it right. but, now i know. she's got good blog, and it is good that she allows for comments. perhaps i will do that some day...

and, even tho my tummy is hurting, i think i want to go out tonight. ?uestlove is spinning at transit. i want to call adam r. and see if he would like to hit silk city and transit, but i know he is so busy this week... i don't know, perhaps i will.

oh! and speaking of going out and silk city...i got a friendster message from this guy i have been chatting with and he was at silk city the same night helena and i were there. i wonder if he noticed us. i don't have a recent picture on friendster so i am sure i just blended in with the rest of the crowd (or not). i'd like to think that i was really something so special that night that no one could possible ignore. someone who really stuck out and made an impression, especially in light of this recent news. but, it's doubtful. although, helena and i were the only girls on stage dancing like crazy... there is a good possibility that he saw us... hmm....

anyway, time to lay down and rest. i will get some reading done before i close my eyes and enter dreamworld. naptime is so good on rainy days like today.

happy thanksgiving!!
today is the day to ask yourself, "what am i thankful for?" here is an abbreviated list of all the things i am thankful for:

1) good health
2) good education
3) a mom who helps me maintain good health and good education
4) my friends
5) my cat
6) my car (which has been fixed, thank goodness)
7) the likelihood that bush will be out of office next election
8) that my computer hasn't died just yet
9) philly night life

which leads me to the awesome night helena and i had last night. everything went smoothly and wonderfully, as i was afraid things would take a turn for the worse when helena got lost in my maze-like neighborhood as she was making her way to my house. but, everything was great. we did the energy drink/candy thing and got pumped for the night as we listened to lo fidelity all star's at the boutique album with funky and soulful grooves to keep our spirits high. our first stop was transit, but that turned out to be 99fm night and i hate to say this, but my big booty would have gotten us in trouble, i believe. so we crossed the street and headed over to silk city where the music was just right: brit-pop, 80s, early 90s...perfect stuff to bop along to and have fun. we began the night with pretending we were in london, which was fun, and did 3 shots (2 kamikazes, 1 red death) and off we went to 700 club for more fun and dancing. there were some interesting little things happening there, the boys, the girl in the corner that was so cute, the guy in the blue shirt. but, i shall move on and say that we were on our way to 2-4, but we decided to end the night on a high note with some money still left in our pockets. and we came back to my place and helena passed out while i read r.d. laing. she left bright and early in the morning...her makeup still looked good.

now it is thanksgiving and the smell of turkey is in the air. we will be having company over. no family. stupid brother is hanging out with his wife and my uncle is making dinner for his father-in-law. where is my uncle's wife, you ask? oh, she is out frolicking with her boyfriend...nevermind the fact that the 3 most darling little kids will not be with their mother on thanksgiving. i think she is going through a midlife crisis or something. the situation makes me so sad.

but, you know what, everyone should have at least three things to be thankful for on this day. i don't care what situation you are in, there will always be three things, if not more, that you have to say, "hey...thanks! life isn't so bad after all!" we all get so stressed out and things can bring us down. our energy can be low, our mind may be scattered, we may think or do bad things. but, when you get to the core of it, we are who we are, we are all here, and so we make the most of it. we have fun. we learn and grow. we become better people. and we help those around us to do these things as well. so, i am just going to give a shout out to everyone and say, "hey! thanks! happy thanksgiving day!!"

gobble gobble gobble.

as i wait for the iron...

helena will be over soon. we're going to hit some places in philly for the "biggest club night of the year!" tribecca and 700 club are on the to-do list. when she gets here, i'll show her the list i got from city paper online. this damn iron is taking forever, i wonder why. it just won't get hot. i need to iron my skirt. stupid iron.

goodbye, goucher...hello, rest and relaxation!!
sort of...this is not 100% relaxation time, this girl has work to do.

but, the fun has already begun. as i was driving into philly, i finally got a hold of miss tami and after some conversing, we made plans to hit woody's, my favorite gay bar/club. it was karaoke night and we hung out with her jean madeline friends who were so drunk and messed up, they didn't even notice when the most divalicious drag queen gave them a shout out. so, i screamed and clapped for them instead. and made out with a drunk gay boy. then tami and i sang, "groove is in the heart" karaoke and we headed over to 2-4 club and danced and danced. and i danced with the hottest guy i ever danced with...in my entire life...even hotter than the guy in rio...who was pretty hot. but, alas, he was a homosexual.

now, tami is passed out in my living room for the 2nd night in a row. she takes pills to make her fall asleep and last night, as i was looking at her california pictures, i commented on how much i liked her picture of pink flamingos. "whaaaat aaare flaaamiiingooos?" she asked. "oh, you took your sleeping pill already..." i say. "huuh? hooow caaann youuuu teeelll?"

that's all for now. tomorrow i visit the dentist, the most awesome and wonderful dentist in the entire world, DR. GANDEL! if you ever find yourself in philly, and you need a dentist, go to dr. ronald gandel on castor ave. i love him so. maybe i will bring him flowers. i should bring him a present of some sort. ooo, i am so excited. i hope i have no cavities, tho.

au revoir.

perhaps the most intense weekend of the year
i have been a very busy girl this weekend:

friday: kaiju battel in brooklyn w/nishi and lisa and then sleeping over lisa's in pa

saturday:driving to my house in philly and hanging out with my mom, helping her with things and switching cars and then heading back over to lisa's to say goodbye and get nishi to drive back to bmore...then, dance concert, greg wolff band, and owen's party

sunday:getting up and reading paschler and going to class and then off to dc to see le tigre...and then passing out like there's no there's no tomorrow for i only totaled 10 hours of sleep for the weekend...

and so, i missed my french class this morning and found a progress report waiting in my email box letting me know that i have gone over the number of excused absences (3) and that each subsequent absence will result in a 2% reduction of my grade. i now have a B-. things started off so well, now, they look bad. the most annoying part is that the class is 5 credits. i should be aceing this. no joke. blecch.

but, whatev. the concert last night was great, except for the spazz and her friend behind me singing and screaming in my ear and doing choreographed dances...on my back! i love le tigre, but i now know that some of the fans can be downright annoying. however, the best part about the night was the last song. i was totally feeling it. it's called, "keep on livin'." i will leave you with some of the lyrics...

Look up to the sky sky sky.
Take back your own tonight.
You'll find more than you see.
It's time now now get ready.
So you can taste that sweet sweet cake
and feel the warm water in a lake (y'know).
What about that nice cool breeze?
And hear the buzzing of the bumble bees.
Just live beyond those neighborhood lives
and go past the yard outside
and push through your greatest fears
and live past your memories tears
cuz you don't need to scratch inside.
Just please hold onto your pride
and...so don't let them bring you down
and don't let them fuck you around
cuz those are you arms, that is your heart
and no no they can't tear you apart.
They can't take it away, no!
This is your time this is your life and...
this your time this is your life and...
You gotta keep on(keep on livin!)
Gotta keep on(keep on livin!)

adios. i'm off. it's breaktime.

you know you heart blogging when...
you are at a party and you have the desire to blog about it. i am not having a terrible time. thank you to vodka and grape kool aid, i love you so. i am listening to the most chill, beautiful music ever. thank you, owen. and, of course, the beautiful inscense, nothing is better. i look forward to going to sleep tonight and getting a whiff of my hair and that awesome nagchampa smell. gorgeousness.

btw - pillow talk by sylvia was just playing. totally rad. and now the clash. no complaints here.

oh god, it just hit me that i need to mention the fact that the kaiju battel was the most awesome thing ever. hanging out with nishi and lisa was awesome, even though it probably seemed like i wasn't having fun cuz i was sleepy, i had the best time ever once i got my energy up. the battels were insane and perhaps i will talk about that experience again some time in the future. in fact, i know i will because i plan on seeing them again.

AND, once last thing. the dance performance was completely amazing and mindblowing and i have a million questions to ask my dancer friends (mostly jess s.) to tell me all about the symbolism and all the crap that happens in ballet that i have no idea about.

AND, one more thing. russell emailed me from england and it made me happy because i thought he forgot all about me. he said that he missed me, or something, and that he was happy that i was getting a lot of use out of his chair. he doesn't seem to realize that his old green chair is actually the dulaney throne and i have been crowned queen of dulaney by josh kanter. i love that chair like it's my pet and i spend much time in the chair doing homework, chillaxing, smoking, blogging and internet surfing, reading, and stalking. i have even slept in it! so, thank you russell... you beautiful person, you.

and, virginia and helena have left the room and now i am stuck in this room and it's not awful, but there are only 2 people left! ack! hahaha! okay, that's it.

green is the new red. i learned this lil tid bit from katherine. which made me happy because i have been really into green lately. sooo, note to self: buy more green clothes!!!!

ciao ciao.

what a day
sigh.

i am back from target and although that is not particularly exciting, i will tell you something that is:
the water is back

last night, around 10pm, the water came back on and helena, emily c. and i rejoiced for one hot minute, but then, helena and i went out in search of chocolate (for me...in pearlstone...which was closed...). when i realized chocolate was not happening, i said aloud, "ohhh, how i wish the gopher hole was open!!" for some reason since the g-hole doesn't really have chocolate, and then matt w. (employee of said establishment) walked by and so the night began with helena, matt, and i harassing various managers in person to open up the gopher hole. we couldn't convince anyone, so... no gopher hole. instead, it was hanging out time with helena, matt and aran and then later, helena and tim, and then sleep.

okay, so that wasn't particularly exciting... but here is a haiku about someone who IS!

NISHI
she's sharp as a tack
a sexy mama freak-out
hilarious girl

it is nishi's birthday on saturday. i just went out into the world in search of a gift for her. i couldn't find anything that was truly "nishi." i hate giving lame-o gifts. i would rather give none than one which is rushed and unthoughtful. case in point, when virginia's b-day gift didn't happen, i didn't freak out and just get her any stupid present. no, i am waiting until i have the opportunity to get what i had originally intended. she may have thought i forgot or something, but, i didn't. so...yeah. no lame-o gifts, OKAY???

bonnie just called and we are going to drink beers and listen to virginia's radio show. i am so happy she called and we are going to be doing this. i can't remember the last time i saw this girl. it's been too long. thank goodness for virginia hawthorne and goucher college radio show. oh, and thank you goucher college for the fresh sushi tonight. that little japanese man who made the sushi was so nice. i loved him. please bring him back soon.

one last, but very important, note. this weekend is the weekend of NIHSI. as mentioned earlier, it is her birthday. but, it gets better. FIRST, tomorrow, friday, nishi, lisa, and i are going to brooklyn to see a kaiju battel (yeah, that's how you spell it). it's going to be the most awesome kung-fu cage match between vegetables and aliens ever!! you should be jealous. it will be great. and then it's nishi's birthday on saturday, and although she said she will just be hanging out and keeping it on the dl, i think that we will need to do some celebrating, stat. i would hand this girl the world on a silver platter, if i could. i love her and i want her to have a great birthday day AND night. and THEN, on sunday, nishi, lauren, and emily s. and i will be heading to LE TIGRE, motherf*ckers! yeah!! oh man, my heart is going to explode over that one. the best weekend ever. shouldn't get too excited now... but, it will be.

now, time to read the most boring book ever created - paschler's the psychology of attention. you would think "automaticity" would be the most awesome chapter out of the whole thing. but, guess what. somehow, paschler has taken the fun out of it. gawd, i hate paschler!! i can't wait until this class is over and i can be rid of this stupid book forever.

i have just had a fantastic dinner with jeffery and josh. perhaps the best moment of all was when the two girls behind us were discussing a certain boy. one girl asked, "do you know his name? i think he has a twin brother." and of course, jeff knew this boys name and so jeffery and i found a million and one ways to (loudly) say this boy's name and mention the brother.

example:
me: oh jeff, i loooove BRIAN wilson.
jeff: me too!! doesn't he have a TWIN BROTHER, named keith??

and, so it went. however, i don't think these girls got it. stupid girls.

anyway, so my next door neighbor is going to get drunk tonight with her friends. i don't know what i want to do with myself. on one hand, i want to drink and have fun too. on the other hand, i would like to just clean my room, snuggle up in bed and read something for class. god knows i am behind on everything. on the other hand, it would be nice if i had a nice boy to snuggle up with as well... hmm, perhaps i will call a friend to see what they are up to.

and, of course, i need to pee again. argh. stupid bladder.

wow. class has been cancelled due to a water main break in lutherville, wherever the hell that is. i find it ironic that while there is no water to drink, cook, or flush, there is plenty of water all around me from the rain. i wonder if i were to fill up a bucket of rain water and after i do my business and flush, if the toilet will actually flush, like it did at my homestay in ghana. my family did not have running water so whenever i needed to shower, use the toilet, wash my face, or brush my teeth, i had to fetch water from the backyard. it was quite an interesting experience. my homestay buddy and i coordinated our bathroom schedule for the same time so that we wouldn't use a lot of water.

but, here i am, squirming in my seat because i have to go to the bathroom so badly. they say that port-o-potties are coming, but i don't know if i want to go outside in the pouring rain just so that i can pee. i think i will take my chances with the bathroom in my hall. (sigh) god, if you are out there, please bring back running water to the goucher community. with much love and appreciation, jaime

This is my first blogger post. Oh my, I have waited so long for this moment to gather up the courage and energy to make this dream a reality. Thank goodness. Speaking of thanks and goodness, I have nearly completed my literature review on the effect of brain damage on artistic ability. I know oh so much about this topic now, so if you ever want to learn about this or talk about this matter, I would be happy as a clam to do so.

HAPPY
This is what I am right now. It may have something to do with (nearly) being through with this paper (must add some things which can only be accomplished by a visit to the library). It may also be the lingering of joy I felt this past weekend when I went to the Ottobar and beat not only the high score of Ms. Pacman, but also beat my all time best. I got to 120,000 or something ridiculous before I even died. I reached the high score before I died. And, in case you were wondering, my high score was over 170,000. I feel like a queen. Thank you, Ms. Jessica McD for pulling me out of my misery and making me come out into the real world. I enjoyed our talks afterward, even though I was so sleepy, and listening to that beautiful music you played for me. And, of course, Happy Birthday to Laura.

Happiness may have something to do with the fact that I have overcome my fear of sparks and electrocution and welding. I am now a WELDER. Yesterday in class I welded for 3 hours straight. Practiced welding, I should say. I didn't make anything spectacular. I mean, I jumped for joy when my weld was straight and shiny, for goodness sakes. The welding I am doing is with a MIG welder, which uses electricity and oxy-acetylene. The welds come out shiny and silver and if you ever looked at the connections between, say, a metal chair or table, you will know what I am talk about. My fear has been conquered and now the world of metal possibilities lays before me. I feel powerful and humble at the same time. Where this will take me, I have no idea. But, it is still exciting, nonetheless.

I want to give a shoutout to Miss Virginia Hawthorne, the best blogger I know. She has undoubtedly been a great influence in my life concerning blogs and I look up to her in awe of her awesome power of words and storytelling and life experiences. No one is better, or comes close, unless your name is Helena Flint.

Farewell, first entry. Perhaps I will put on some music and clean my room. I believe a messy room is congruent with a messy life and a messy schedule and a messy head. Sometimes it is necessary to let things slide and be a certain way. But, when you gather up the strength to take care of these things, you should do it because the power of a clean room is akin to the power of eduction (boundless....so says Goucher College).

Ciao.

AND, a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sam! I am sorry I wasn't able to celebrate your 21st tonight. This paper needed to get done. I will make it up to you somehow, probably in the form of some alcoholic beverage.