In my research methods class today which usually lacks in enlightening or entertaining me a fact totally rocked my world. Do you realize 80 degrees is not twice as hot as 40 degrees. Now maybe you all already knew this and maybe in some way I did too but I had never realized. I am sure I have said it before. And if you don't believe think about it this way. 80 degrees and 40 degrees are the same degree distance apart as 40 degrees and 0 degree yet you wouldn't say 40 degrees is twice as hot as 0 degrees. I don't know, this is rocking my entire day....

So I like to drive everywhere and so whenever me and my friends go out I almost always drive, unless I am planning on a night of drunken debauchery. I really like to be in control of the situation knowing that I can leave at any time but also I get car/motion sickness a lot but not really if I am driving so I like to be in control of that. But alas, my headlight was out htis week and so at night for the last week I let other people drive (thanks Jiill) and then last night my car was at the mechanic and so I needed a ride to the PMTs (thanks Chris) and then my dad to get me to school and Amanda to get me to the mechanic(thanks). All this dependence made me crazy but in all this I guess it was ok, I guess I survived, minus forgetting to pick up pizza and not being able to drive Chamille home (sorry!!!!!) and had no major bouts of motion sickness (is it all in my head?) or need to leave but feeling trapped anywhere. So maybe I am ready to let other people drive again. Or at least that is what I thought until I got my car back today. Alhtough it was only gone for a mere half a day and a few nights, seeing it again made me feel so much more secure. Like there were millions of possibilties and I could do what I want when I want. Maybe i have control issues or dependency issues or maybe I just love my car. I LOVE YA YOU CRAZY DELTA 88 OLDS.

So you may have all heard there was a drive-by in Kenmore. Ok, I coiuld take that CVS was replaced by a Dollar General, I could handle the huge influx of tanning salons, I could even deal with the large amount of people wearing wife beaters, I would even have gone so far to let W. Hazeltine and Tremaine be given over to ghetto but now it is offical, Kenmore is becoming the ghetto. There was a drive-by on Victoria I mere four blocks from where I live and about 10 houses from where I work. Insanity. And where were the police? How did they not catch them? They have what ten police cars partoling only one small square mile, they were most likely too busy pulling someone over for going 31 mph or yelling at a group of kids sitting on the lawn outside their own house. I guess those kids in Canada a few years ago were right when we told them we were from Kenmore and they were like "that's liek the ghetto isn't it?". But alas, don't worry, Kenmore has a solution. They have created new designer sidewalks on Delaware Avenue. Now that's the answer we've all been looking for.

Wow my cd collection is growing fast thanks to Matt who is computerizing his cd collection and getting rid of the actual cds. As anyone who knows me knows, I love to collect cds, and now my variety has been superly increased. Everything from Joan Jett to Jekyl and Hyde to Sonique and ATC. Hours of listening fun!!! THANKS MATT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DI!!! I HOPE YOU AREN'T TOO SICK FROM LAST NIGHT STILL AND HAVE A GEAT DAY!!

So I had my first official thesis meeting. What a crock this is. I am not interested in writing a 40 page paper just to have my diploma say with honors from Canisius. But alas I must do it. At least I have an offical advisor now, Thanks Dr. Christian! ANd I am going to write something to do with big shopping especially Walmart and its effects on communities and how people interact. Anyone wanna write it for me? lol....ok so if you are looking for me the library is where I will be for the rest of my life....or i will procrastinate and do it all in the last week.

Did anyone know that the Wizard of Oz was written as like a populist argument about the gold standard in the United States.Dorothy was the American people, Oz stood for an ounce of gold, Dorothy's slippers were origianlly sivler and walking on the yellow brick road represented the bimettacllic standard but MGM changed them to red cuz they were more flashy on the screen.
The Good WIthches of the NOrth and South represent New England and the South which were populist strongholds while the Wicked Wtich of the East was the Eastern banking and industries. The scarecrow was western farmers, the tinman was eastern workers who were so dehumanized they didn't even have a heart, the cowardly likon was Wiliam Jenings Bryantand the Emeral City was Washington DC. THe Wizard was President Mckinley.
Insanity...I always just thoguht it was a movie for kids.

I want a mansion on the beach. Last night we went to a party at a beach house mansion. It had a tennis court and gym and everything. It was quite amazing. The party was a lot of fun and slowly fell into naked water revelry. Who knew you could learn the entire history of Native Americans from someone with no pants on, or that I would give someone a piggy back ride while they were just wearing a thong. I'm not normally inot being naked but it was fun, although I did throw up from being in the water too much. I am so ridiculously weak stomached. It wasn't even that wavy and i got like motion sickness from being in the water and running around. BOnfires are so nice. Surprisingly we found our way there and home pretty without trouble. THat's all for now...

So school and my 21st birthday happened this week. My classes seem alright except I don't love 830 class on Tues/Thurs especially since it is basically a class I have already taken in another department but they are making me take again. Research Methods are research methods if you are in sociology or communications. It is so dumb that I have to take it for comm since i took it for sociology especially considering I am trying to finish two majors and the honors program and so don't really have time to waste.

Relatedly, I have a thesis I need to do with the first meeting being on Tuesday where I am supposed to have a topic, advisor, and begining bibliography and I have none of the three. The meeting is actually friday but I am sayign I can't go and am instead going to the makeup meeting Tuesday. Hopefully by then I can work something out. I am so sick of this thesis and I haven't even started it. GRrr..

On my birthday I got a huge surprise when I was blindfolded and taken to a suripsei person's house. It turned out to be my 10th grade global studies teacher. Now that might not sound so exciting but she is like my hero/idol. SHe seriusly is probably one of the people that has shaped me most in the world and that I look up to most. So yes it was a little odd to be blindfolded and brougth to her house but it was great. My face, as the pictures show which I might post later, was glowing the entire time. I will actually proibably devote a whole nother entry at some point to her but for now this is enough.

We went to Goodbar at night and I didn't drink so much b/c I was sick and had already thrown up that day just from being sick but I think i drank enough the week before at my party so it was ok. We snuck Diana into goodbar over the railing and then instead of trying to lay low since the bouncer knew we had tried to get her in and were denied before we snuck in, she decided to show her boobs sort of and win a chair. It was all lots of fun!!! Thanks everyoen for a great birthday week and then some...

So my summer is over. In less than 24 hours I will be 21 and have started my final year of college. That is quite insanely scary to me...a boy who never wants to grow up. This summer involved a lot of changes, many new friends but at the same time grew apart from some of the old. The old crew slightly crumbled but new people were there to fill in the gaps. I'm glad I've met so many new amazing people to add to the amazing friends I already had. This summer I think was the "last summer" as me and my friends know it as next year we will be college graduates going off to do our own thing be that continuting school, workiung and traveling across Europe, stripping in Mexico, or just staying at home. No matter what it will be different but I'm glad for all the summers and fun we've had.

This last week of summer was a lot of fun. Starting off with my party and continuing with copious partying every day. Saw old friends, met new friends. Saw old crushes, met new crushes. Passed out myself one night and chauffered crazy people on ecstasy the next (well they actually weren't so crazy). So much more too and then in the end, the week and the summer ended much as it began...me and jill at Spot followed by large amounts of laughter and snack foods in her living room...as if nothing had changed in the middle.