Thanks Universe

MOVED!

Why wouldn’t today, the day when I have an interview with the program manager of the LA program at 9:50 in the morning, be the day that I somehow hit “off” on my phone alarm instead of “snooze.” Why wouldn’t this be the day that, instead of waking up at 7:30am as planned, taking a shower, and leisurely walking down to the International Programs office, I wake up at 9:30, throw my hair into a pony tail and run down to the office, thankfully grabbing my resume in between running a brush through my hair and over my teeth.

Sometimes I feel like God does these weird, obnoxious things to us just so he has something to watch. I mean, watching things go right for people for all eternity would be pretty boring. It follows the same principal that says that as soon as people get together on TV shows, the show stops being interesting to watch. (Which, by the way, is totally untrue. Jim and Pam forever!) For God, though, if he can just screw things up enough for you, I’m sure it provides a little entertainment…or at least passes the time, if there is a concept of time when you never die. Or live. Anyway, I also think that after God does these weird, annoying things to you, he sends you a little gift to help you through it, because if he didn’t, it would just be cruel. Case in point, as I ran outside, looking about 10 times less professional and put together than I would have hoped, the T was coming: It was just far enough away that I could catch it without running in front of a bus crossing Comm Ave, but close enough that I didn’t have to wait at all. If you don’t live in Boston, it might be hard to understand how rare and beautiful a gift this really is. To give you a little insight into how the T usually operates, I was waiting for Lynn the other night to go to dinner. As I stood waiting for her, two T’s came and stopped right in front of me in a five minute period. As soon as Lynn got there, we waited 10 minutes for another T to come, only to have it whiz by us, probably running express to Harvard Ave. We then waited another 10 minutes. Another T appeared in the distance. It too passed us by. I started to get pissed. Neither of these T’s was particularly full nor was there another T right behind them to indicate that they had to go express to get back on schedule. We then waited another 10 minutes for a T to finally come AND stop for us. As you can see, the little T miracle this morning, which allowed me to get to my interview on time (which I would not have if I had walked), was definitely something special.

As for my actual interview, it went well. I got a few resume tips that will hopefully make it stronger, and Michael, the program manager, made me feel that I won’t have a problem getting an internship. He said that I have good experience, which is something I rarely think about myself. Basically, this interview was just to get a feel for my interests so that they can send me some leads in Los Angeles to contact about internships. I hope I didn’t look like I just rolled out of bed…even though I did. Thanks God. Thanks a lot.

Happy Birthday to me!

MOVED!

This post is completely unnecessary and self-serving. I just wanted everyone to be celebrating the fact that I am now 21. Hazzah!

I also wish to point out that I may or may not share my birthday with one John Krasinski. I wonder if this knowledge will help me or hurt me when I “accidentally” run into him in LA. Oops…I’ve said to much.

Oh well…now on to do some laundry and homework. Just what I wanted to be doing on my 21st. Later on tonight, however, I will be bar crawling around the finest family restaurants in Boston with some friends. Why? Because no one makes a better margarita than Chili’s. Not true, but it will be funny.

NPR Listening, Orthotics Wearing Old Woman

MOVED!

I’ve recently decided that I am slowly turning into a 76 year old woman.

About four days ago I was walking home, because I walk everywhere, when I suddenly got an intense pain in my foot. It wasn’t like something was breaking or bruised. The closest thing I can think of is when I had a stress fracture in 12th grade, but I hope to god that is not what this is. Whatever it is, this pain is debilitating. Nothing helps. I’ve been limping, walking on it differently, wearing my tennis shoes non-stop (thus taking my skinny jeans out of my wardrobe cylce), taking Tylenol every 6 hours, even paying for public transportation. That last one I consider the most upsetting and ironic as I have been walking so much as to avoid paying to take the T, but now that I am injured from all this walking, I am being forced to take the T even more.

Today I had to go out and buy orthotic shoe-inserts, which I’ve learned most people in my family have, but keep in mind these people in my family are all over the age of 46. I was also informed by my mom that I probably won’t be able to wear flats or heels or any type of fashionable shoe without fear of debilitating foot pain ever again. I tried to get her to understand the gravity of this statement. Half of my under bed storage is devoted to my shoes. The idea of having to choose between them and stabbing foot pain plus constant t-riding is like Sophie’s choice. I really don’t want to become an orthotics/birkinstock convert at 20. My shoes have so much life left to live.

Now shoe-inserts alone do not turn me into an old woman. My political science paper is also helping the cause. I had to pick an interest group to do field research on, which basically means I had to volunteer for them and write a paper about it. I, rather cleverly, decided to convince my teacher that the local NPR station qualified as an interest group, because it is related to my interests and is conveniently located right across the street from my apartment. Perfect. I went to volunteer one day, took some phone calls from listeners making donations, got some free books. All was good. Then I started reading their website. I got intersted in some of their programs, one of which I was already pretty obssessed with. I thought it would be good background knowledge to listen to a few other programs. Next thing you know, I’ve got NPR streaming on my computer as I work, and the Talk of the Nation podcast on my Ipod as I limp down the street. It’s good to be informed, right?

Now I know that simply wearing shoe-inserts and listening to NPR doesn’t qualify me as a 76 year old, but add in the fact that for three nights in the past week I have chosen not to go out and party with the rest of my college aged brethren, but rather have chosen to stay in with friends playing Scategories and Balderdash (which, I’m sorry, is way more fun than seeing your friends get trashed. Where else can you come up with movie plots for a film titled The “Imp” Probable Mr. Wee Gee?), and you get a pretty convincing case. Plus the fact that when I do go out, I get excited when the party I’m at has Gin and Tonic available. Sold yet?

So, what does this have to do with LA? Only the fact that I’m excited to go to a place where I can drive…less foot pain.

Too much TV? Never…

MOVED!

In the last two days I have watched 6 hours of prime time television. Sometimes I think about the amount of time I spend sitting in front of the TV, and I think I should be worried about myself, but I’m not. Then I start to worry about the fact that I’m not worried about myself and my excessive television watching, and that makes me even more worried. Or not worried. I’m kind of confused at this point. Probably because of the fact that my eyes are blurred over from watching too much TV…and then moving over to the computer to write about it.

To give you a quick taste: Yesterday, I watched America’s Next Top Model, because a girl who acts on Bay State is on this season (!!), while I was taping Pushing Daisies. I then watched Pushing Daisies, which I LOVED. I was worried that all the hype would make it an automatic letdown, but I don’t think I have genuinely “Awwed” at a television show more than I did in that hour. It was beautiful and whimsical and genuinely funny. Fabulous. After that, I went back to reality television to watch the Top Chef finale, which was heartbreaking. Can’t a girl just keep it together ONE time on that show and win one for the team? I mean, I get that Hung was the best chef, blah, blah, blah, but come on, Casey! Needless to say, things were thrown in anger during the lame live announcement. The knife twist: Marcel from last season was Hung’s friend. Surprising? Not in the least. Erk. After that upset, I was more than happy I had taped Dirty Sexy Money to lift my spirits like only Peter Krause can.

Today was a bit happier overall with the premier of 30 Rock and a new Office. 30 Rock wasn’t the best episode, but it did have some classic Alec Baldwin moments, thanks to Milf Island, and I never say no to Jerry Seinfeld since his stand-up has provided inside jokes for my family to last us years…and years. (“I don’t want to be in the luge!”) The Office then continued to warm my heart with Jim and Pam, especially when Jim noticed that perhaps Ryan couldn’t get any girl he wanted. I was very surprised, however, by how sad the break-up of Dwangela made me. Not that I think it will stick, but their dysfunction brings me so much joy. What other couple could bring in a cat named Garbage? I didn’t quite need to see Micheal and Dwight freaking out and driving into a lake, but I did laugh out loud, so I guess I can’t be too annoyed with the over the top antics.

Alright. I guess after boring everyone with all this television talk, I could give some real life news. This is like every conversation I have with Stephanie. We talk about television for an hour, then briefly recap things that have actually occurred, get bored and hang up. I actually know very little about what goes on in her life, except for what my mom tells me, which is usually grossly exaggerated to the point where I have visions of her stumbling down the street, disheveled and surrounded by floating papers. Anyway…real things: Jillian, one of my best friends, was officially accepted into the LA program two days ago, so we are both actually going. We were a little worried there for a while when COM was giving her a hard time about her GPA, but things have worked out. We can officially start planning our takeover of the west coast. We may or may not be making lists every time we watch The Hills of the places we need to hit up. (If we could ever actually get in, which is an entire discussion in itself that probably doesn’t end in our favor.) Every time something happens, the entire thing seems more and more real. There have been some moments where it is real in a sad way, like when we’ll talk about things that might happen on Bay State next semester or about Spring Break. I realize I won’t be here, which feels like I’m moving again for the 800th time. I am a little scared it’ll feel like the last two years of high school again, where my life is kind of going on with out me in a place where I no longer am. Then I think about LA and how many different and amazing experiences I could be having there, and all my sadness goes away. I mean, if you are going to leave your life for a while, what cooler place to go. For me, anyway.

My whole life plan kind of hinges on this semester too. I’ve been saying I’m going to move out to LA after graduation since I came to school here, but it is really based on this experience. If I love it, then that just solifidies it. I’ll move out there. If I hate it, I will kind of be left with an empty slate. I’ll have no idea where to go, except maybe New York, but I don’t know if I could really live there. Stephanie and I were talking about future plans today. We think we would make an awesome producing partnership, as we both came up with the same pilot idea for different classes about two weeks ago. We both encountered the same problems from other people with it, but both argued the same way as to why it would be SUCH a cool idea! Have I mentioned that we are the same person? After that talk, it became weirdly real. If I graduate early (which I’m really considering…) I’ll be done with college in a year and three months. That is nothing. Then I’m grown up. Like a real person. And I can only hope and pray that I can have someone like Stephanie with me when I have to actually face that, because if I end up on the opposite end of the country from BU, my parents, AND my sister, I think I might melt down.

Ok. This is way long. Like, I’m frightened for your sanity if you finished reading this long, so I’m going to go take in my 7th hour of television with some Daily Show and Colbert.

Forms: Check

MOVED!

Today I somehow made it out of my room by noon, after a taxing morning of working out and showering, to get to the post office and finally mail in all of my forms. My place in the program is now officially confirmed…or will be in three days when the folks running the program actually receive them. Until I get any more word about it, though, all I can do is wait and obsessively read internship postings at entertainmentcareers.net that will be filled before I even get out to LA. I’m pretty amazing at finding ways to procrastinate that somehow seem productive but in actuality are a huge waste of time.

For instance, I’ve a good chunk of time today researching CSS, thinking I will use these skills to spruce up this website, knowing full well that I don’t have the time, the necessary software or the real skill level to actually do anything worth while. Oh well…I got everything done today that I actually had to. It’s not my fault that I am freakishly productive, leaving me with hours of time to wander the internet in search of useless information. Maybe I’ll take redesigning this site on as a little project over winter break, as I am done with class on Dec. 11th and have no finals. We’ll see.

I should probably head out to my Bay State director’s meeting. When you only have one real commitment in a day, it probably reflects badly on you if you can’t make it.