Queenstown

Queenstown

Thursday, November 24, 2011

An Important Message To Viewers Like You:

It is officially Christmas Season… I don’t want anyone giving me crap about listening to Christmas music… PERIOD. Full STOP. I could kind of understand it when it was before Thanksgiving (you humbug purists), but now its Christmas time, and the next time you give me some kind of scary-verbal-right hooks, because you think singing Christmas carols is “obnoxious,” I will just smile at you and sing loud enough to drown out your scrooge-esque attitude. Seriously… you don’t want to provoke me, or I could go heat miser on your patootees.

This is our time. All of us who wait all year long for pine needles, sleigh bells, wrapping paper, Rankin Bass, sparkles, the sticky bandits, and fat Tim Allen… its our time to finally be able to celebrate in peace.

And, by peace… I mean, that while Christmas lights are up, we should be allowed to not only sing our carols but also eat Christmas Tree shaped cookies, wear socks that have miniature jingle bells attached to them, and douse “fresh Pine” tree spray on our bodies as if it were the new “Britney” perfume.

I reseve the right to say things like this:

“ZU ZU’S PETALS!… CLARENCE! CLARENCE!” (Even if it has absolutely nothing to do with the conversation, which will definitely be the case).

“its beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” (even if it is 70 degrees and sunny).

“Vermont! Must be beautiful this time of year… all that snow!” (Even if I have no idea what the forecast is for the state… even if I’ve never been there before).

“you’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” (even if you’re just holding a teddy bear or talking on the phone).

“Put one foot in front of the other!” (even if you don’t have feet).

ALSO! Christmas time is the only time of the year that your SUPER HOT (used to be fat) ex-best friend from high school can try to win you over, and succeed.

Yep! That’s right. Christmas time is now. There is no more debating it. So, I will proudly light my 6ft tree in the dorm (even though I have been since Nov 7th), and I will still enjoy examining nutcrackers and will continue to be impressed by how cool they are. Snow globes: they aren’t safe either. In my opinion… they have been left dormant for far too long. Beware world… I am in my element.



So, there you have it. I am ready for CHRISTMAS… but, is Christmas ready for me?

Thanksgiving Back in America

Its pretty weird to think that this time last year, I was having Thanksgiving in Vietnam. I don't want to dwell on my trip abroad because I know that people at Harding HATE it when people do that.... SO that's all I am going to say about it.



This year, I am at Home. Indianapolis, Indiana. Best town in the world. No it's not the biggest, or the cleansest, or even the most wholesome, but its my town and I might love it a little too much. Honestly, I'm pretty lucky. Usually we'd be going to South Carolina or Virginia for thanksgiving dinner (which always ends up being around 1pm... I never understand why we call it dinner), But this year, for the first time I can even remember, Everyone... is here with us.

Uncle Stan and Aunt Gail from Virginia




Uncle Stu and Aunt Candy from South Carolina



Heather came from Kathmandu Nepal!



Amy and Brent (plus their kids Parker and Carter) are here from Virginia




Kelly and Sean are here from Park City, Utah



Megan and Pat are here from... the ocean? They have been sailing for a year? more? I honestly don't know, but I think they pretty much live on a sailboat



Lauren is here with her new baby Claire from Colorado (Matt couldn't make it).



Jill and Corey are here from Raleigh, NC



and of course there's Grandma and Boo Boo!



Plus Mom, Dad, Andrea, and me!



This is totally making up for the fact that I was eating fish and rice everyday, this time last year.... I know, I swore I wouldn't bring it up... I lied.

Right now, I am sitting in the family room with my coffee and the Macy's thanksgiving day parade. I am watching Andrea taking lint/dog hair off of the couch with this weird little brush. We're chatting about how it was a good decision for Daniel Radcliffe to go into broadway. He's dancing in the Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade.... how bizzare to see him dancing around and smiling. I keep expecting him to shout "Crucio" or something. But I think he's definitely got what it takes to make it past "Harry Potter."

Not that I'm any expert on show business. Senior year in high school I was proudly townsperson #3 in "Androcles and the Lion."

All of that aside, I am glad to be home with my family. This is a wonderful holiday... and I feel a lot of pressure to wrap this up quickly because mom keeps (not so subtly) hinting that she wants me to help her get ready for the "dinner," aka late lunch.

So, Have a blessed Thanksgiving, I will be mashing potatoes.

Ang

Monday, November 21, 2011

Too Many Late Nights!

No, I have not blogged in a while. Truth be told, I've been a little preoccupied with school. There's just so much to do all of the time. I've pulled two all nighters this semester... I've never had to do anything like it before in my entire life. There is nothing quite as dreadful as staying up all night against your will.

Remember when you were a little kid and it was always a contest to see how late you could stay up. One time I went to a friend, Stacee's, sleepover birthday party where we fought the clock and tried to stay up as late as possible. Also, we tried to give Blair a "make-over" by doing her lipstick like "Queen Amidala" from Star Wars: Episode 1. Being a little kid was awesome.



We would sing loudly, draw on the people's faces who fell snoozed earlier than the rest of us, and pretend to all be asleep when Stacee's Dad came down to chide us for 1. Being awake and 2. Being loud while we were awake.

Why can't "All Nighters" in college be as fun as the one's when we were younger?

Some of my favorite "Up All Night" memories were in high school. Lucky enough for me, I went to Franklin Central High School where we have a student run radio station. I was a member for 3 years and at the end of each spring semester in May, they would have the "Insomniac Takeover." This is where all of the radio staff members would be "on live" all night long until 6am. We would bring in junk food and play music... but we'd also roam the halls of school trying to play capture the flag or hide and go seek. One time we caught a couple getting "steamy" (literally, the windows were steamed up) in the parking lot. However, one of my favorite activities we started doing were trash can races.






For some reason our school had these huge-gray-wheeled trashcans So, we started a WRFT tradition by tossing a person in each of two trash cans and having a race around the school. One person would ride in the can while other people pushed them. It got pretty serious because we had some cross country runners on staff.

As the night would wear on, we would fight to stay awake and make it until 6am, when we would go home and crash into pillows and blankets.

This was so fun! Why is it now, the thought of staying up all night makes me want to barf up hydrochloric acid? Or lick a sandpaper popsicle for desert? Perhaps its because the last time I stayed up all night involved me sewing together books for HOURS while watching season 3 of Gossip Girl. It wasn't a particularly significant event in my life. Nothing spectacular happened... and I was alone. Just me, my thread, my needle, Chuck Bass, Blair Waldorf, and the night. How miserable.



Not that watching Chuck and Blair is miserable. The plot can be quite compelling and Ed Westwick isn't bad to look at... but still...

Now it's Thanksgiving break... I am trying to make up for lost sleep. But I am dreading going back to school and back to all of the late nights.

I am worn out with being a Residents Assistant. I am sick of working on things constantly and still feeling like my work isn't good enough. I just want Christmas Break to come knockin' on my door, bringing good cheer, Bing Crosby, and egg nog.

Yes I like egg nog. It's flipping delicious... what of it?

Ang