Wednesday, May 31, 2006

*hugs*

mood: nostalgic
music: billy and more billy
random word: pickles

all i want to say is that i miss you all. so very much. and this blog is making me oh-so-happy.
love and hugs to all of you.

mood: sooooo sleepy. bed soon
music: whirring of the computer
random word: fribble

it's late. i just have one question:

anyone else look at the random letters generated whenever you want to leave a comment and desperately search for a word or at least some semblance of meaning in that chaotic alphabet stew they force you to type?

and why do they use fonts in which it is sometimes difficult to decipher the letters themselves? entirely unnecessary.

two questions. i lied.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Note to self (and free advice to all those prone to making the same mistakes as self, which hopefully does not include many...)

mood: chocolate-dipped strawberries
music: shh...everyone is sleeping
random word: It came to me but I couldn't spell it so I gave up


Have recently learned that sleeping on bed with polar fleece sheets, wool blanket and down comforter on steamy-hot summer night is not best path to restfulness and relaxation, although it may in fact be best path to waking up in middle of night thinking you are floating serenely atop cool, blue waters of swimming pool only to find you are dangerously close to drowning in pool of own sweat.

Am really excited about sleeping on cotton tonight after embarking on mad laundry spree and replacing hot, sweaty winter blankets with soft, thin Jersey-knit (almost as good as sleeping with Laura) cotton sheets. Also placed Hershey kiss pillow on bed (all other pillows being some shade of orange in color failed to match scheme of pink that was room in high school) and, besides the random and shockingly powerful cravings for chocolate at midnight, am feeling slightly more comfortable in old bed. Am heading there now in fact.

Will dream of you all.

Maybe.

Have not yet mastered art of lucid dreaming and will most likely end up dreaming about something entirely irrelevant and divorced from daily life. Am quite used to it by now.

Besitos,

Cata

Tummy Troubles

mood: wary
music: "Drops of Jupiter" by Train is in my head...remember that song?!
random word: snufflupagus


Food poisoning is no fun.

Saturday night, after a Starbucks date with Sara, I went to bed feeling a little gross, thinking "I probably shouldn't drink frappuccinos - they always make me feel icky," and a couple of hours later, at around 2:30 am, I woke up violently shaking and really, really nauseous. I then proceeded to spend the next four hours puking my guts out in the bathroom and crying and shaking on the floor as I tried to cover myself with towels to stay warm. Really, really, really awful. I eventually woke up my dad, who kept giving me ice cubes to suck on (since I couldn't keep down even a sip of water, which was terrible since it was like 90 degrees out and this was the day after my race and so I was already super-dehydrated let alone the fact that all substance was being evacuated from my body) and helped me get a couple of hours of sleep. The next day, I couldn't eat a thing, and it was about twelve hours before I could even sip water. I was too dizzy and faint and out-of-it to read or watch TV, which made for a really lonely boring day. Yesterday I did a little better - I had a piece of toast and a cookie and a couple of bites of watermelon and I felt somewhat like a human. I watched ten (count 'em, ten) episodes of Will & Grace, subsequently missed Kevin a lot, and sent Arabic online greeting cards to Cata. Today, I woke up really, really hungry, but nothing tastes good yet. *sigh* At least I'm able to walk around without getting dizzy.

I'm still not sure exactly what happened. It makes sense that it would be food poisoning, at least as far as the symptoms go - my dad (who had food poisoning about a year ago) predicted the timetable of exactly how I would feel over the course of the last few days. I can't pinpoint what food caused it; I only know that I started feeling shitty after the frappuccino, although Sara (who had the same thing) didn't get sick. Also, Michelle is home from school today after being sick to her stomach, and although her symptoms seem a lot different, I'm wondering whether I actually had something contagious.

Either way, I'm finally getting back in the swing of things, although I'm opting to take it slow and not make the three-and-a-half hour trip up to Union today (would you believe that boy is still not home?!) Not sure if I'm going to be running or gardening a whole lot this week, but hopefully I'll get some reading/unpacking/study-abroad stuff done. I miss all you kids!

Monday, May 29, 2006

Salutations

mood: full (of yummy food)
music: New York State of Mind - The one and only
random word: pigeon

Well, I suppose it is about time I started actively participating in this blog party. Let's see, this past Memorial Day weekend has been spectacular. I'll give you all the rundown

Friday: up at 7 to run the giant tag sale my family was holding until 12 to get rid of the large amount of crap we had accumulated over the years. It was a dismal failure, which was quite entertaining because of the various bets that were riding between my family members over how much money we would make and how many people would come (124 dollars and 20 people, to be clear - we only made that much money because someone paid us fifty bucks for a rug we were getting rid of). Speaking of which, I come home and find that the shutters/front door are blue not red and that the living room has a new furniture rug combo going on. Very disorienting. That's the exciting bit of Friday. Oh and I got new glasses.

Saturday: The McCarthy family annual memorial day party!!! (McCarthy being the family of my girlfriend, for any that never learned her last name) It was an awesome time, with loads of people of every age hanging out. I saw a lot of old friends that I hadn't seen in a long, long time (the ones that are now graduated from college and heading to grad school/the real world). It was really weird to see how old we have all gotten. The party went all night long and ended in a sleep over throwdown that didn't end until the wee hours of the night. Good times.

Sunday: Up from the McCarthy's and off with the gang for breakfast at...the COFFEESHOP!!! This means nothing to you at all. I know. However, the Coffeeshop is the world's greatest breakfast food and it's a requisite for consumption at least once every few weeks for the residents of Glastonbury. Then I hopped in the truck and drove on down to Becky's lake house (see entry below for glowing description - it's really quite nice). Had a splendid time hanging with her and her family (especially her younger cousins, quite a hoot some of them). I especially enjoyed the part when Bdawg's uncle made fun of her for hitting me all the time. So that was fun. Then I came back to Gtown, met up with some friends at Chili's, ate some more good food and sat around a campfire until near 2 in the morning with some old friends who left today for the summer to pursue careers and grad school and such (scary how close that is for us kids).

Today: Saw X-Men 3 with the brother and father. I was reasonably impressed, though I thought it was rushed. Since then I've just been hanging around the house, utterly destroying my family in games of cards (if you ever want intense games of gin, setback or pinochle, my house is the place to be).

Anyway, I miss you all (especially Michael :P). Hope this letter finds you and finds you well.

My Lake House

mood: relaxed, but wishing i was back in ct
music: clark gable, the postal service
random word: atlantis

let me tell you a little something about my favorite place in the world. it's a house on highland lake in winsted, connecticut. my grandparents bought it when my mom was about 9 years old, so it's been in the family forever. we go every summer, and get to go even more often now that we only live an hour and a half away. but the best part about the lake house is the sense of tradition. the lake house has a rhythm of its own, and when you go there, you automatically fall in to it. and the best part is how you can tell it has had this rhythm since my family bought the house over 40 years ago.

the house faces west, so you don't really see the sun in the morning. but at about 9 or 10 o'clock, the first rays of light hit the very end of the dock. in an hour, the whole dock shines, and the dew that's still on the grass begins to twinkle. and by noon, the whole lawn basks in the sun's glow. breakfast is served while everyone's still in pajamas, and always inside, at the big dining table right under the clock on the wall that chimes every half-hour that only my grandpa is allowed to wind. everyone changes out of their pajamas at some point after breakfast, but you always put your swimsuit right underneath your clothes. and let me tell you, there's something special about a day in which you wear nothing but pajamas and a swim suit. :)

lunch is always served out on the porch, often with a towel wrapped around your wet body, although some have waited for the full sunshine of the day before they jump in the water. lunch is usually hot dogs and hamburgers, cooked on the grill in the back that's built right into the stone. and the lake hot dogs are famous in my family. i don't know why, but it's the only place we ever buy skinned hot dogs. the kind that you know when they're cooked to perfection when their skins pop and they get a little black.

afternoons at the lake are a mixture of swimming, tanning, playing croquet and going out in the boat. the backyard is wooded, and when we were little we always made forts or houses up there, and my little sister and cousins still do. dinner is served late, just as the sun sets, and usually only finishes because it's too dark to sit outside anymore. then we come inside for dessert, to play risk and to watch tv. when you go to bed, it's knowing that tomorrow will hold exactly the same as today, only it never gets boring or monotonous, because it's just perfect.

and my favorite place in the whole lake house is lying in the hammock on the porch with a good book. usually just before dinner, when the light outside is turning from yellow to orange, and everyone's kind of doing their own thing. i could sit in that hammock for hours and read, and as a matter of fact, i did, this morning. :)

i can't even do it justice, but it's wonderful. and if i could live anywhere on earth, it would be right on that lake, right at that house.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

i'm supposed to be writing a french paper...

mood: mostly bored, a bit sleepy
music: songs for a new world
random word: restaurant

so this whole blogging thing is completely new for me... we'll see how it goes. ;)

anyway, i'm home and life is pretty normal. and by normal, i mean very boring. let me tell you, it definitely sucks when "hometown" means nothing except the fact that your family owns a house there. i do have one friend here, from when we lived here like 10 years ago or whatever, but as far as i know she's not back from school yet. whatever. i'm back off to midd in 22 days anyway.

abbey and i bought high school musical!! :D and yes, as laura said, there is most definitely a sing-along version. it's pretty much amazing. there is also a "learn the moves" DVD extra. i have yet to do that, but no worries, next time you see me i will most definitely be able to do the whole "all in this together" dance. and by the way, if you have no idea what i'm talking about, you MUST go and rent high school musical ASAP, cause i guarantee it will be the most amazing thing you have ever watched. ever.

sorry this is a boring post...i'm supposed to be writing a french paper that i got an extension on because of that whole mono thing. and, guess what! my procrastination habit seems to have followed me to new york! who would've guessed? but i mean, come on, this paper is on the history of the restaurant. bleh...

there are bluejays in my backyard. i just noticed that. there were cardinals the other day. cool. anyway, i'm going to go now so that i stop rambling. i shall talk to you all later!

bb

p.s. i hope this doesn't mean you all won't be doing highs and lows this summer, cause i like highs and lows and they're fun. so you should still do them too :)

Ah, Jersey :)

mood: sunny
music: "Statues and Stories" - The Light in the Piazza
random word: brontosaurus


Hi friends!

So, I've been telling myself, "I'll post on the MiddBlog once things get interesting around here." Then, after a couple of days of that ("Hey Michelle! It's nice out! Let's play outside!" "*grumble* Too much homework..." and "Hey Christyn! What a great day! Let's hang out!" "*groan* I'm too tired...") I gave up on waiting. Ah well. Such is summer.

Actually, I'm sort of lying. Break started off fantasmically at least with a few days at Union and then a weekend in NYC seeing shows with Shannon, Jess, and Ali. Altar Boyz? Laughed the whole time at the Catholic dance moves and the flaming pretty boy band member named Mark. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels? Missed Joanna Gleason terribly, but watching Norbert Leo Butz break character to crack up was priceless. Drowsy Chaperone? PHENOMENAL PHENOMENAL PHENOMENAL - every showtune lover (or not) MUST see this show. It's basically a musical within a comedy, where Bob Martin plays a witty and adorable sap for musical theater and puts on a record of an old 1930s musical, which then unfolds in the middle of his dingy apartment. It's corny on purpose and you laugh the whole way through as Bob adds his commentary. Plus Sutton Foster is a gem, as always. I got practically the whole cast to sign my playbill afterward and then brilliantly lost it. No points for me. We made a new friend by posting our extra ticket on broadwayworld.com half an hour before the show started and waiting at the door as "Nicole" sprinted across the city and slid into the theater as the lights were going down. Sweet. I also managed to spend ridiculous amounts of money on Broadway posters (She Loves Me and The Light in the Piazza) and magnets (Into the Woods). Sidenote: High School Musical is out on DVD, and the special features include a SING-ALONG VERSION. Rock.

All right. Then it's back to suburban New Jersey reality, the highlights of which have been kidnapping Michelle so she's incapable of constantly doing homework (I pick her up from school, she gets in the car, and I announce, "All right! We're going shopping!" "NOO but I have so much..." *vrooom*), seeing Christyn's chorus concert (a B'way medley, always excellent), and listening to myself morph into a New Jersey accent several times a day.

Ah, nostalgia. It's really been super just-like-the-old-days around here. Like, I've been RUNNING every day. Me. Running. Okay, so it might be because my dad announced the other day that he signed me up for a 5-mile race ("Uh, when?" "This Saturday!" "Uhh, great, good thing I've been running..."), but still, it's neat to be actually getting exercise and spinning around my old routes like in the good old cross country days. I also took a piano lesson the other day, and I'm playing "Statues and Stories" from Piazza and that just makes me happy :) Not to mention I always feel the need to put on matchbox twenty and Goo Goo Dolls instead of Sondheim when I'm driving up and down Route 35. Saw Sara and also my friend Christine, whom I've known since birth. Gotta love the memories.

Today's agenda: planting impatiens ("Dan, I'm not allowed to plant them in my mathematical calculated spiral pattern this year." "...You've done this before?" "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about...(twice)"), washing my car, running, and getting the long-awaited HAIRCUT! Pictures to follow. So psyched.

Boredom will, in fact, set in once it sinks in that my Chile arrival date prevents me from getting a job, doing an internship, being in a show, or doing really anything except for running errands and bumming around the shore. But hey, I guess that's not so bad :)

Sending love north, south, east, and west!

- Laura

P.S. Did anyone end up picking up my package at the Midd mailroom, or should I ask them to forward it? Thanks!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Life points

mood: pretty sunshine and leaves on green trees (first thing I thought of when I looked out the window)
music: rock102, Dan may be the only one that knows what I'm talking about...
random word: does random count as a random word?


So as the title of this blog would suggest, I'd like to offer 100 life points (mostly because I felt particularly bad for Kevin yesterday when he walked up to the flower and wanted to press space bar to harvest it) to all members of the CT Farewell Crew for the hugs and encouraging words in Spanish, Italian, French, Latin (was there Latin?!?) and a little bit in English that I had difficulty procecssing last night as I officially left the remainder of Midd behind in the little house beside the river...tears, red wine, hugs and all.

Hugs all around,

Cata

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Rocking the technology boat!!!

mood: tummy butterflies
music:


WHOA! Cata is on a blog. Can you be on a blog or do you have to be in it? Oh well...unimportant? The emphasis in that sentence is not on the preposition but rather on the subject. That's right...Cata! Cata figured out something technological while alone in her room and with no help. The apolcalypse is most definitely coming. I will not write about being sad. My walls are empty, my floor is cluttered with little piles of my life, my lamp is gone so it is dark and decidedly unsexy. I will not write about being sad.

I am in love with all of you and I miss you.

Am I supposed to sign this?

Cata