UI Daily Mayhem

Wide Open Spaces

2006-05-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

"Who doesn't know what I'm talking about Who's never left home, who's never struck out To find a dream and a life of their own A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone Many precede and many will follow A young girl's dream no longer hollow It takes the shape of a place out west But what it holds for her, she hasn't yet guessed

She needs wide open spaces Room to make her big mistakes She needs new faces She knows the high stakes

She traveled this road as a child Wide eyed and grinning, she never tired But now she won't be coming back with the rest If these are life's lessons, she'll take this test..." -Dixie Chicks

Even though I despise the Dixie Chicks, I feel as though this song is only too fitting for tonight. As I sit downstairs my roomies are preparing themselves for a night of celebration. Tomorrow they will all be graduating. I would be lying if I would say that I'm not beside myself with sadness...they are my best friends and we've been together at Iowa since Day 1. Oh goodness.

Jess and Kim will be kickin it here with me this summer, but it will never be the same. It will probly be a very long time before the 5 of us are in the same room again. I guess this is the first time in my life when my friends are leaving me behind instead of the other way around. I've gotten very good at leaving, but I gotta tell you guys, this sucks.

So here's to 4 fabulous years at Iowa with some of the most remarkable women I've ever known. May they go out and conquer the world.

This will be my last blog for the University, but I'll probly keep going on this for me. I kinda like the online diary thing. So long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen Good-bye!!

Until we meet again, lotsa XOXO and tons more smooches!

Then He Kissed Me

2006-05-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

"Well he walked up to me And he asked me if I wanted to dance He looked kinda nice And so I said I might take a chance When he danced he held me tight And when he walked me home that night All the stars were shining bright And then he kissed me

Each time I saw him I couldn't wait to see him again I wanted to let him know That he was more than a friend I didn't know just what to do So I whispered I love you And he said that he loved me too And then he kissed me..." -The Crystals

It seems like only yesterday my mom was driving us to school listening to Manic Monday by the Bangles...Yoshiko, Dana, and myself just singing along. It's hard to believe my best friend from high school is getting married in only 19 days!!! I am worried about finals and she's going to dress fittings! AAHHH!!! How did I grow up so fast? Speaking of dress fittings...they ordered me a size 12 for her bridesmaid dress. I kid you not, i could have fit 2 of me inside this dress. I only hope that the seamstress can fix it before I leave for North Carolina. (pictured above is the bride Yoshiko on the left and Dana on the right...this was taken in January and the first time we'd seen eachother since senior prom)

I have tried selling back most of my books and much to my dismay I have been offered less than $5 for all of them put together. Now, I must have spent at least $400 on these suckers and now I'm stuck with them. oh well. There's always E-bay.

Trying to avoid studying and I've started planning a trip to Madagascar for this December. My girlfriend Abby is in the peace corp down there. I will be going and staying in her village. Sadly, I will be going alone as my parents will be going in September and I can't go then because of homecoming (ok, and school too). I hope I don't get lost on the way over there. That's a long trip!

Ok, now i'm really going to stop avoiding studying, quit bloggin, and just hit the books.

Smooches,
Jen

Take Me Home Tonight

2006-05-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

"...I can feel you breathe I can feel your heartbeat faster. Take me home tonight! I don't want to let you go till you see the light! Take me home tonight!..." - Eddie Money

This week has been absolutely nuts! We had the Homecoming Local Establishment Tour which was a wonderful way to bring council closer together. Sadly, one of our members has the mumps and another has walking pneomonia! aahhh! They're dropping like flies! We walked around with Burger King crowns on and took Iowa City on by storm. I figured since none of us will ever be able to run for king or queen, this would be the perfect way to act like we could for a night. At first the council thought I was nuts when I whipped out the crowns (which I probably am), but they had a good time with them by the end of the night.

I also finished my last class of my first senior year. Funny, I know. Finals are next week and I will be spending a large amount of time at the library between now and then. Between two finance finals and western civ, I have a lot of work to do between now and Thursday morning.

I was also fortunate enough to spend time with my Bumpo (my grandpa) and Jan (his wife) at the Foundation Board meeting/Presidents Club meeting this weekend. My grandfather used to be the Foundation President and it just amazes me to see all that he has accomplished in his lifetime. Between he and Jan, who is a prominent doctor at the Mayo clinic (and has also received such honors in her lifetime such as "the most passionate doctor in the country!!"), I could not possibly ask for better role models in my life. I should be so lucky if I work hard enough to come into the success they have attained thus far in their lifetimes. I got to schmooz with all of the people that our buildings are named after (which I think is hysterical) and was fortunate enough to receive 2 free meals this weekend! whoo hoo!!!

I still can't believe senior year has come to an end. Holy Toledo!
Here's lookin at finals :(

Smooches!

p.s. Pictured above is a good portion of the council and myself with the assistant director Niki Branit

Two Little Feet

2006-05-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

"two little feet to get me 'cross the mountain two little feet to carry me away into the woods two little feet, big mountain, and a cloud comin' down cloud comin' down cloud comin' down I hear the voice of the ancient ones chanting magic words from a different time..." -Greg Brown

My old little sis from Chi O, Bri (pictured in the middle) is growing up!! She just had the big 21! I can hardly believe that it was just yesterday that I was convincing her that college wasn't really a scary place at all and that she was going to be sooo happy here at Iowa. She eventually decided that Chi O wasn't the thing for her, but luckily for me we have remained friends through it all. She's fabulouse! Different strokes for different folks, that's what my moo always says.

Now check it out, did you guys know that you can google maps? Get this, if you go to google "local" you can view a free satellite image of any place on earth?! This is the first time I've ever started to get a little creeped out by technology. I saw my house at home, my house in austria, people walking in front of the white house, the las vegas strip...you don't even need to leave your house to see what's going on!! What's really scary is that this is free!! Imagine what our government has the capability of doing!! Ok, perhaps I'm freakin out.

Not a whole lot going on in my neck of the woods. Just trying to finish up classes, tie up loose ends for homecoming and get prepared for summer. Graduation is just around the corner and the crew will soon be departing. Sad :( I hope you all will continue to read about my turkey-ful adventures throughout the summer.

Smooches!!

p.s. Don't go see Silent Hill. I knew that I shouldn't have gone once I found out that it was based on a video game. Ugg.

Love Vibration

2006-04-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Step out into the sun Step out into the world and love someone Save yourself from hate Save yourself from hate and all the hassle

And you people all know what I'm talkin' about Yeah you people all know what he's talkin' about

Spread the love vibration...uh huh Spread the love vibration

Now everybody's scared Scared of being lonely and abandoned If you find someone who cares Find someone to love and understand you

Then you people all'll know what I'm talkin' about..." -Josh Rouse

The STAT Ambassador local establishment tour was on wednesday night and we just had the best time. What we lacked in numbers, we made up for in spirit. I tell you what guys, these kids are some of the greatest people on our campus and I'm so proud to be able to be a part of them. And besides, Jenny Licata, one of the ambassadors is also doing an internship at West Liberty Foods with me!!! Well not with me, she's working in the accounting department. She told me that she had to go on a tour of the factory before she got the job, I was glad that they skipped that part for me.

As for yesterday, I had the most fabulous evening. We danced to that song that goes "na na na na na na HEY ..." (the one they play at all of the sporting events) on repeat for about a half hour, did the limbo, and attempted to make it to Karaoke at Diamond Dave's last night. Well on the way to Diamond Daves, Kimmy and I tried to save a cat we found on Iowa Ave but much to our dismay, we were unsuccessful because it eventually ran away from us. (don't worry, it had a collar on, I am not just petting random strays) So the crew split and we actually headed to Mickey's to people watch in the window seat which was a blast!!

Ok, well I'm off to work.

XOXO!

Teach Your Children Well

2006-04-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

"You who are on the road Must have a code that you can live by And so become yourself Because the past is just a good bye.

Teach your children well, Their father's hell did slowly go by, And feed them on your dreams The one they picks, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry, So just look at them and sigh and know they love you..." -Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young

Tonight I had my senior spotlight at Chi O. It is a special time when your parents write a letter to the chapter and it's read aloud during meeting. It contains funny stories about me when I was a kid, but most importantly words of wisdom from your parents. My family thought it would be funny to each give me a little something, so I thought that I would share with y'all what they shared with me.

Dad: It is soon time to leave the University of Iowa and head off into the real world. The world is ready to call your bluff. We have a few additional thoughts to make you successful in the future. Focus on your blessings, there are nearly six billion other people in the world that would love to have what you have. Give thanks. Be generous. Take responsibility for your life and your future. It is up to you and you have to tools to do it. Choose your battles wisely. Some things are worth the fight, while there are other things with which you just need to deal. Embrace change. You are entering the world at a time when the pace of change is only going to increase. Be honorable, how you do things is as important as what you do. Be the first to raise your hand to take responsibility or to help. Under promise and over deliver. Don't quit. Enjoy Your Life, it goes oh so quickly. Every phase and every age is a wonder...just ask your grandparents. One last thing, stay connected and stay in touch with your friends, especially your sisters.
Mom: (this is the shortened version...she wrote a really long letter telling all of the embarrassing stories) There is no place like home. Things are just things. A pen from Target works just as well as a pen from Tiffany's. It's what's on the inside that counts.
Sarah: Respect your elders (especially me).
Tristan: Plan ahead so you don't go hungry.
Chris: Vote Republican.
Matt: Tuition - $6000, Rent - $420, Spending money - $150, Jenny graduating from college in less than 5 years - Priceless

I love my family! I am the luckiest girl in the world.

(Pictured above: The Larson Fam (Kids=Moo, Dad, Sarah, Chris, Me and Matty), Papa Cool (*yes, that's really his last name), Sarah and her hubby Tristan, and the Larson cousins when we were little (I'm the one on the far right)

Dancing Queen

2006-04-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

Friday night and the lights are low Looking out for the place to go Where they play the right music, getting in the swing You come in to look for a king Anybody could be that guy Night is young and the music’s high With a bit of rock music, everything is fine You’re in the mood for a dance And when you get the chance...

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen..." -Abba

So last night was Chi O formal 2006...yes, my last senior formal!! oh goodness!! Well I had a fabulous time with Lumberjack Jeff. He was the life of the party. He tried to help the girls who were crying, shook it with the girls who were dancing, drank with the girls who were drinkin...I'm tellin ya, this guy knows how to work a crowd.

There was quite a bit of drama (which is really some of the funniest stuff about being in a sorority). We left late because one of the girl's BF's didn't show up and then as we were leaving a half hour late, one of my roomies (who will remain nameless) and a buddy of ours mooned the senior bus, pretty funny actually. We had to make a pit stop at a gas station, as they told us that we'd be taking charter busses which was not true.

Finally made it to the Lavender Crest Winery in Colona, IL and things went crazy. Boyfriends and girlfriends were fighting and get this, one guy who is currently smooching a girlfriend of mine showed up with another one of our sorority sisters, WHAT?! I know, right?

Needless to say, I had a great time and shook it all night long with the Lumberjack. By the end of the night, even our advisors knew who he was. The DJ's told us that we didn't get as crazy as the Drake sorority girls and I promptly informed them that we are simply a classy bunch.

Talk to y'all soon.

Smooches!!

Our House

2006-04-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

"...Our house it has a crowd There's always something happening And it's usually quite loud Our mum she's so house-proud Nothing ever slows her down And a mess is not allowed

Our house, in the middle of our street Our house, in the middle of our..." -Madness

Just though y'all might wanna see some pix. Just got them back.

Smooches!!
The pic to the right is across the street and to the left is next door. how lucky did we get being able to sit and have a bagel break

Platypus

2006-04-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

"I could be a dolphin in the sea a squirrel flying through the trees I could be a spider in your glove but I'm a lonely man in love

I couldn't be without you I couldn't be without you if I...I couldn't be without you if I tried and I don't wanna try

I could be a platypus in the pond if ponds are where they swim if some day you will be the best mom I couldn't know a luckier kid

He couldn't be without you just like me I couldn't be without you if I...I couldn't be without you if I tried...I don't wanna try..."-Jake Dilley (and myself...I helped write this one)

So I haven't blogged in while and it's about time I catch y'all up. I went to my first meeting at the River Music Experience which is when I decided that that is really what I'm supposed to do with my life. I need to be involved in the music industry or with festival planning or something, because there is a fire inside of me that just comes alive when I'm doing it. I had more passion on Wednesday night for something than I can ever remember having.

The roomies are doing well. Jessa got a job as the red bull rep...pretty funny story actually. We thought that she should where my angel wings to the interview and say, "red bull gives you wings!"...well she brought them but didn't wear them, but got the job anyway. She told him that she was going to wear them and he told her that it wouldn't have helped her get the job. The boss needs to lighten up I think, I would have given her a job in a second!

Well I have to work tonight bartending....by the way, I'm starting to get really good at making martinis and margharitas!! Thirsty? Then I'm going to stop by a Mary Kay party for a bit and head to an old friend's senior thesis presentation. Jake and I dated for the first 2 years of college (the kid/song above) and during that time he was pretty big with his band, but I helped him write this one. My friends and I always used to ask people if you were a land/water/air animal what would you be and why...I'd be the animals above. Jake got the idea to write this song after I asked him what a platypus would sound like on his guitar.

In any case, tonight he is performing his senior thesis project...my idea, naturally...which is the last 45 min of Willi Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to music that he's written. Similar concept to Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz. We'll see how it goes. I haven't seen the kid in over a year and it's probly going to be an interesting encounter. But y'all should come check it out: 8 pm in the international building

Smooches!!

Irish Blessing

2006-04-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

"May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand." -An Old Irish Blessing

So the tornados devastated Iowa Avenue and the surrounding area last night. (Yes, the picture above is my street. I live 3 houses down from the one on the far left) I am not sure why, but God decided that we were best left untouched. I was at work while the roomies were holding down the fort. Jessa actually got caught in one of the tornados and looked like a mud woman by the time Kim was able to pry open the door and let her in the house. Kelsey, panicked by weather, was having a most horrible time. Needless to say, the tornados swirled around our house but never touched ours. The cars are still in ditches and flipped over, windows blown out, houses destroyed, and people without a place to go. Due to the gas leak which occured, we were left without shelter last night. We won't have power for another 4 days so I'm shackin at a fellow Chi O's apt. currently. I think Kim's daddy was watching out for us from up above. Say your prayers for those who are without a place to go.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~ournews/2006/april/041406tornado.html

At least people are having a sense of humor about it all now. The car in the creek behind our house has a For Sale sign on it for $14,000 and there is another squished car that has a sign that says For Sale: Price Reduced. There's another tornado watch currently, I hope this one skips us. No more F2 tornados for me please!!

Amen!
Jen

Our Time

2006-04-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

"There's a rule in the book that says It's got to be fun I hate to admit but my feelings have changed Everybody expects to hear a love song Love can't come from something baby that never was

And I'm leavin behind The you in my mind Though I know it's new It's something I'll try And I'll always remember The way that we cared for Our time, our time..." -Tyler Hilton

Ok, FYI I really love Ryan Adams, and I really like Tyler Hilton and Tim McGraw, but everyone makes mistakes sometimes. So Ryan decided it would be a good idea to let both Tim and Tyler cover Where The Stars Go Blue!!! Their versions are just horrible!! I thought I was going to faint as I heard each of these covers. Decide for yourself, download all 3 versions and you let me know which one you like the best.

Smooches

Sparkle

2006-04-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

"The pressure builds, you buy a gift You’re hoping that your dread will lift It glitters on her like a glass You shudder as it comes to pass Apologize to luce and lil’ Converse with ed, a drive with jill Your friends confine you in their worlds One by one, a string of pearls Confused you say, this isn’t me You hover in their unity Ashamed, you slowly lose your grasp Release the links, undo the clasp The skin that drips down off the tree And peels back slowly from your knee Erupts into your lung and heart You laugh and laughing, fall apart Laugh and laughing, fall apart..." -Phish

So here's the latest at 832. Kelsey got her dream internship in Chicago for the summer, but it only pays $200 a month and it's full time..oops?! The kids are all planning their trip to Vegas, Kels and I are the only ones not going, sad, yes it's true. I don't ever see Kimmy because she lives at the library. Jessa is applying to be a red bull rep tonight. She has to go to an audition, yes that's right, not an interview but an audition. I have no idea what that entails, but I wish her luck. Christine just finished her big studying and can often be found in front of the Sopranos or at Sam's pizza with Tom and Dustin.

As for me, I start bartending this week! Yes, it is very exciting, but I only got one training session and I'm a little nervous. We also had our senior ceremony for Chi O on Monday (that's a pic of Autumn, Linz, and I after the ceremony). I am a little sad now that I'm an alum, but I also think it's kinda cool. I've now officially completed 2 of the 3 phases of being a Chi O. I'm not ready for the 3rd though, because that means that I become a member of the Omega Chapter....the Omega chapter consists of all of the Chi O's who are no longer with us. Kinda creepy actually. Oh well, formal is next weekend. I fit into my little red dress and I'm taking Lumberjack Jeff. Should be an amazing time. We are heading to a winery in Kolona, Il (no, not Iowa) and the evening should be filled with dining and dancing.

It's 75 and sunny and of course I waited until the last minute to do my real estate project. I just can't seem to get motivated. Only 27 more days of school left. Amen!! Get me out of here.

Smooches!

Father and Daughter

2006-04-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

"...Trust your intuition Its just like going fishing You cast your line And hope you get a bite But you dont need to waste your time Worrying about the market place Try to help the human race Struggling to survive its harshest night

Im gonna watch you shine Gonna watch you grow Gonna paint a sign So youll always know As long as one and one is two There could never be a father Who loved his daughter more than I love you..." -Paul Simon

I love my dad sooo much!!! I didn't think that I was going to be able to go to Colorado because of the transportation issue, but my dad, seeing how important it was to me, helped Jessa and I rent a car!!! I know, right? (Well, Jessa and I are already experienced Enterprise Rent-a-car car renters)

This means one of two things, we're moving again (*he always does nice things for me when he's about to drop the bomb that we're moving again) or he can see how much seeing John meant to me (*which would be fabulous, but kinda odd considering my father has never liked any guy I've ever dated...I think that's a father's job though, right?).

Anyway, my dad paid for half and Jess and I hauled our blue neon rental car out to Boulder/Denver for the weekend. We made the trip in 11 hours despite the weather. I'm talking, we went throuch rain storms, fog, snow storms, wind advisories, tornado watches, and even tumble weed before we rolled on into colorado. And p.s. I didn't know that baby cows were as ever-present in spring as they are. I could have had an easter egg hunt for baby cows...I thought only rabbits pro-created that quickly. Mother nature is OC.

I climbed one of the flatirons on Saturday, went to the most romantic place in the entire world called the moon rock on Sunday, and saw first-hand what a movie-esque college campus is like. The kids at Boulder were slip'n'sliding in the middle of the campus, playing golf with tennis balls, having concerts, laying out, playing sports...it was like a movie!! The list goes on and on.

In any case, the weekend was fabulous. 30 days left in the semester. Holy toledo where did the time go?! Jessa told me today that each year of your life goes by faster and faster. I must say that she is absolutely right, because it seems like just yesterday we were sledding behind Burge on the cafeteria trays.

Keep on, keepin on
Smooches!!

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

2006-04-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

"...The silence of a falling star Lights up a purple sky And as I wonder where you are I’m so lonesome I could cry..." -Hank Williams

All right, it's about 70 degrees and sunny outside and I'm stuck studying for an exam tomorrow. Hence the reason why I'm blogging right now and not studing, I'm very sad. I had my first final exam yesterday. AMEN!!! No more Tuesday and Thursday night classes! Just need to get through these finance classes this semester and I'll never have to do it again.

Yesterday the roomies and I were just hanging out on the couch and Kelsey said a pretty funny thing I thought I'd share with y'all. "Do you guys think that some day we'll be able to just snap our fingers and go from one place to another? Hey, I mean anything is possible." I think the $3 bottle of red wine we were drinking was going to her head. I mean perhaps in millions of years it could be possible, because that's some Harry Potter talk if I've ever heard any. But hey, I guess it could happen, maybe...hmm.

Just found out that I won't be going to Colorado this weekend. My ride left me in a lurch once again. Why does this always happen to me? I took off of work, I was way excited to be able to help John celebrate his b-day and now it isnt going to happen. Well, if any of y'all are headin out that way, let Jessa and I know.

Oh well, I'm not holding my breath that things are going to work out, so I'll probly be heading to UNI on Friday night to see an awesome salsa band coming to town. Lumberjack Jeff always seems to pull through with a great concert invitation. I can't salsa dance, but there's no time like the present to learn!

Happy Greek Week!!
Smooches!!

Please Do Not Let Me Go

2006-04-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

"...You were sweet enough to sing, Oblivious to melody Red suitcase full of clothes Washed up on the shore of memory I'm all alone now and I feel just find I don't feel much like doing anything True love ain't that hard to find Not that either one of us will ever know Would you lay here for awhile? Please, do not let me go..." -Ryan Adams

So here goes nothing. Back into the thick of things. John came and went, the weekend was fabulous, and I believe my stomach muscles are going to need at least a week's recovery because I was laughing so hard. I am going to miss him very much, however, I don't have to wait long because I'm heading out to CO this weekend. Yes I realize, I don't see him in a month and a half and now I get 2 visits in 2 weeks, it doesn't make much sense. No worries, I don't think that I'm gonna get to see him after this until graduation. Long distance relationships suck, especially when you have so much fun when you're together :( My dad continues to think it's the best relationship a father could ask for.

Our house was full of guests this weekend from the QCA, Colorado, Chicago, and Dubuque, including 2 dogs!! It was so crowded in our living room in face that someone slept in the giant bottle cap that came from RT's. I'm talking this thing is a 5' bottle cap, 1 foot deep and someone made a little bed in it!! I think it hung on the walls there for 30+ years, I don't think you could have paid me to sleep in it, I hardly want to touch it.

I went at it pretty hard this weekend. Show at the Yacht Club on Thursday night, 808 on Friday night, and I went to the opening of a new venue in the QCA called The Redstone Room on Saturday with John and his moo. This is the venue where I'll be working this summer (in addition to West Liberty Foods). Long story short, this venue is so beautiful and I think it's going to do very well. Couldn't be more excited to help out with this project, please check it out! Grand opening with Martin Sexton in a couple of weeks.

All right, I have a Real Estate Final Exam tonight (amen, night class is over for the rest of the semester!!!!!) and another test on Thursday for Intro to Financial Mngmt.
The Homecoming budget is giving me massive heart burn (Did anyone read the article in The Daily Iowan Yesterday?! They paid for their inaugural ball with leftover HC funding, but I'm not sure how we had leftover funding from UISG when we had to use over $20,000 of our own money!!! Touchy subject with me right now, I have to do some digging. But I tell you what, Jenn Powers and I are about ready to form a picket line in the IMU blocking off the UISG office...they are on my list!!!!!!!) Could I have any more of a downer after having such a great weekend? I dont think so.

I'm out like trout.
Smooches!!

I Love the Rain the Most

2006-03-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

"Well, I love the rain the most when it stops We can see the big white houses, yeah, and the docks And we can jump in the river, don't know if the water or sky is clearer But I know that I love the rain the most when it stops Yeah, when it stops

No more grey today, we gonna celebrate You know Miss Sunshine, she starts to paint a perfect picture of this river parade And I know that I love the rain the most when it stops..."-Joe Purdy

This morning I got up to go to work and it was snowing or was it raining? I'm not really sure. All I know is that I don't think the seasons can make up their mind. It is sort of like my friend Yoshiko's philosophy on clothes. She doesn't wear capris or 3/4 shirts because she doesn't like things that can't make up their minds. Food for thought.

In any case, I just realized that I forgot to write a paper for German that is due tomorrow. I also made a "To Do" list and realized that it took me a long time to write it, which means that it is going to take an even longer time to complete it before Thursday. I gotta get busy and quit bloggin.

Lotsa smooches comin atcha!!

p.s. Ah yes, I uploaded an image of where I was exactly this week last year. Let me tell you how excited I am about being in Iowa right now. Check it out. Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. I rented a motorcycle with my honey at the time and we just drove down the coast. It was fabulous!

Moondance

2006-03-26T21:04:00.000-08:00

"Well, it's a marvelous night for a Moondance With the stars up above in your eyes A fantabulous night to make romance 'Neath the cover of October skies And all the leaves on the trees are falling To the sound of the breezes that blow And I'm trying to please to the calling Of your heart-strings that play soft and low And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

Can I just have one a' more Moondance with you, my loveCan I just make some more romance with a-you, my love..." -Van Morrison

So I know this kid named Lumberjack Jeff. He's the big furry man in the pix from spring break throwing me in the water. When in doubt, he always manages to say something that sticks with you...be it "I love everything!" or like yesterday "Keep on keepin on, JJ." (He calls me JJ Stokes, after the football player, don't ask me I have no idea)

Keep on keepin on. I love it. I'm not sure what it really means and I don't think it's the sort of phrase one should think about too hard. For me today, it meant finding something to do for 3 hours as I was locked out of my house. I went home to surprise my family who was coming in from NYC to find that the key I had on my key chain which I thought went to my house, actually opened nothing at all. I did a little shopping, ok a lot of shopping, recycled some cans my mom gave me 2 weeks ago that have been sitting in my trunk, and went and picked up dinner at papa murphy's !! (Fabulous pizza by the way, did you know that they were voted best pizza chain in the country the past 3 years?!)

Tonight it meant that I had to haul it from the QCA back to IC in order to make my HC meeting. Can y'all keep up with all of those acronyms? (*Quad City Area, Iowa City, Homecoming respectively.) But I made it to the meeting, my council is absolutely fabulous, and we are going to have the best Homecoming ever!!! I want to start a tradition while I'm here and I guess I've decided its going to be HC. I love it, I love it, I love it!!

Ah yes, and I dont have to work this weekend, so I just need to make it through another week of classes, produce my financial business plan, start on my real estate project, study for upcoming tests, and when all is said and done my honey is going to be here from colorado! How lovely. My dad thought he was being cute and said we should all go to dinner together. I said, who should all go to dinner together. And he said, why us, you, John and his parents!!! I think he just wanted to see the look of sheer panic on my face. Mind you, my dad and his mom have been friends since they were about 4 years old. Still though, not funny dad.

Alright. Off to watch the episode of sopranos I missed tonight.

Keep On, Keepin On!!

Delicate

2006-03-25T12:49:00.000-08:00

"...We might live like never before When there's nothing to give Well how can we ask for more We might make love in some sacred place The look on your face is delicate So why do you fill my sorrow With the words you've borrowed From the only place (that) you've known And why do you sing Hallelujah If it means nothing to you Why do you sing with me at all?..." -Damien Rice

Life. It ain't easy. It's so tough. This week has been filled with all sorts of new stuff.

I am finally starting to bartend at The Edge!! No more $3.09 an hour...I'm banking on a pay increase to $5.15 an hour!!! Amen!!!

My family is in NYC. I wanted to go, but my dad told me that I wasn't invited. Sad :(

I cleaned my room!! You can see the floor!!!!!!! Amazing.

I met with the whole HC Council and they are doing fabulous. Next year's Homecoming is going to be the biggest celebration this campus has seen in a long time! I'm talking a huge game of capture the flag in the pentacrest. Come one, come all!!!

This has also been a weekend of great contemplation for me. The older I get the easier it is for me to cope with my faults. As my friends prepare themselves for graduation it has really made me analyze where I want to be one year from now.

Thus, here are my goals for 2007--and yes I realize that it's too early for new years resolutions...so these can just be considered spring thoughts for next winter.

I will keep my room clean.
I will stop ordering take-out and start cooking my own food. (That doesn't mean that I'll stop going out to eat though, that's possibly one of my most favorite things to do.)
I will work out on a regular basis and drink more red wine. (Doctor's orders, I have to get my good cholesterol up)
I will no longer be waitressing/bartending. I will have a real job lined up.
I will be a better correspondant. (I just talked to my friends from austria for the first time this weekend...we left eachother last July...am I a horrible friend or what?!)

Just a few thoughts.

Hope all is well with y'all.

Smooches!!

I Love You

2006-03-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

"...So we seem a little young we have fun We're friends we're lovers Who cares about those others Already got fathers and mothers Two can be a crew got plenty to do something to see Look in my eyes baby Believe me I know it sounds old But I love you I love you I love you..." -G. Love & Special Sauce

Ok guys, so I've been bragging about how I was going to party with G. Love and although it didn't happen, I did get to meet him. I just thought you might like to see the picture that has brought my life full circle.

It has been hard getting back into the swing of things. Senior-itis is kicking in and I'm really ready to be done with everything. Unfortunately while ALL of my roomies and our friends are planning a trip to Vegas, I'm planning my summer internships. I'll definitely be working at West Liberty Foods, while helping out with the River Roots Festival in the QCA. Our Homecoming budget proposal is being reviewed today, so we'll find out whether or not I'll be receiving my $3000 stipend. Cross your fingers!! Sadly though, I can't go to Vegas with everyone else. Someone has to bring home the bacon :( I can't feel too bad for myself though, after all my rents are sending me to Madagascar for graduation next December. (again, cross your fingers)

Finals turned out all right...1 A, 2 B's and a C...I'm very happy with the C because it would have been an A if I hadn't missed an 18 point problem. Ok, I told you that finance wasn't my thing.

I've also been chosen to host one of our Distinguished Alums for the 2006 Summer Reunion!! His name is Shanto Iyengar and you can check out his bio at http://www.iowalum.com/daa/2006.html . The awards ceremony for the distinguished alums is by far one of the most interesting events that takes place on campus. You are surrounded by people from Iowa who have done incredible things with their lives. Some day, I want to be one of those people honored at that ceremony. It's absolutely awe-inspiring to hear their stories. I'm really excited!!!

Ok, this has been long and boring. The only reason I really wrote a blog tonight was to show y'all my pics with G. Love!

Smooches!!!
Jen

p.s. Did you know that you have Karaoke on your TV if you have Mediacom?! Let's just say that last night we had a very fun night. Guys vs. Girls...Sweet Home Alabama vs. Feel Like Makin Love respectively...we kicked their butts!!!

Do You Realize?

2006-03-19T23:03:00.000-08:00

"Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face Do You Realize - we're floating in space -Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know You realize that life goes fast It's hard to make the good things last You realize the sun doesn't go down It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round..." ~The Flaming Lips

Ok, how to sum up an amazing spring break so that all age groups might grasp the incredible amount of fun I had in the last 10 days:

Finding out the G. Love show had sold out in St. Petersburg...yes, we were crushed but everything happens for a reason
Cowboy hats in the airport at 5 am (big hats were necessary to hide our tired faces which got 2 hours of sleep the night before)
Arrival in Ft. Lauderdale at 3 pm not having a plan or a hotel room reserved. The rental car was really all we needed though, it took us straight to the Aventura Mall
Renting a car at age 22 is possible for a small fee and more fun than you can ever imagine!!!
Cheesecake Factory
Staying in a fabulous apartment in North Miami Beach. I'm talking palm trees and a court yard!!
Maybe we didn't get to see G. Love, but we definitely hit up the late night show of the Disco Biscuits at The Revolution!!!!! A great introduction to a weekend of shakin it at the festival.
Alex gets an ear infection...don't arrive at the festival until 4 pm, but no matter because the hospital wasn't even able to see him in the 2 1/2 hours he sat in the emergency room!
Umphrey's McGee & The Flaming Lips & Ben Harper.... Flaming Lips had by far the most entertaining show I've ever been to. Picture dancing animals on the stage and Wayne rolling around in a large blow up ball over the entire crowd. (See pic above)
Arrive early to the festival on Sunday morning preparing for our encounter with G. Love. Jessa and I make our way up to the second row. I get thrown a tshirt, G Love & Special Sauce play their hearts out, do a duet with Slightly Stoopid, and we get to meet him after the show!!! AAHHHH!!!
Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Wilco (most moving show of the festival), The Secret Machines (wouldn't bother me if I never saw these guys again), and The Black Crowes. Now I know why Kate Hudson married Chris Robinson...he's amazing!!!
Have a dance party next to the van trying to leave the park. We waited for 2 hours...yes, it was one heck of a dance party.
Wake up and head to Pompano Beach where we spent the next 3 days in the Budget Inn. All I know is that the room next to us had a family in it and the room next to that was rented by the hour if you know what I mean.
Think cold beverages, great music, fabulous friends, bad seafood, partly cloudy skies, beaches, and an un-chlorinated swimming pool and that pretty much wraps up our vacation.
Ah yes, two more things, the best seafood we encountered was in fact at the local red lobster and if your plane is ever delayed, you should seriously consider visiting the airport bar. The drinks might be expensive, but it sure makes being stuck in an airport a little more fun.

The only thing that can really sum up this trip is the phrase "I love everything!!" This trip wouldn't have been as amazing as it was without the crew, so CHEERS to The Family Wook!!

Hope y'all enjoy the pix!!

Smooches and Happy Spring Break!!

Your Song

2006-03-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

"It's a little bit funny this feeling inside I'm not one of those who can easily hide I don't have much money but boy if I did I'd buy a big house where we both could live If I was a sculptor, but then again, no Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show I know it's not much but it's the best I can do My gift is my song and this one's for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song It may be quite simple but now that it's done I hope you don't mind I hope you don't mind that I put down in words How wonderful life is while you're in the world..." -Elton John

This is possibly one of the best love songs ever written in the entire world. It doesn't matter what sort of mood I'm in, I can always pop it in and just smile. It just reminds you that you don't need money to make you happy, as long as you've got love in your life, everything is going to be just fine.

My life has been a bit hectic lately, working late nights at The Edge and visitors from out of town. Homecoming is culminating into a fabulous celebration for next year and I can hardly wait!! I think I should have majored in Homecoming instead of majoring in German, yah right, try explaining that one to my dad. I almost missed a mid-term this week too. I've discovered that I'm getting progressively worse about waking up to my alarm. I need to invent a bed that throws me into a big puddle of water when it's time to get up. Perhaps that is how I'm going to make my millions.

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day. I have HC meetings all day, class at night, and I still have to find time to clean my room (which will take hours by the way), pack for spring break, and still have time to help my buddy Eamonn celebrate his birthday. Oh goodness!! At least I got all of my mid-terms over with (although I still don't know my grades) because all of my roomies are freakin out with tests right now.

Alright, sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I promise I will keep y'all more updated on my mundane Iowa City life. Ah, yes, one very exciting thing has happened this week...I found out my honey is coming to visit me in a couple of weeks!! I called my rents to tell them that he was coming but before I could get the words out my dad said to me, "Jenny, I really like the fact that you're dating a guy who lives 1000 miles away from you. It's an ideal relationship from a father's perspective for his daughter." Too bad a I had to crush his dreams and tell him John would be coming up to visit for a weekend. The only thing he could say was "Oh." I thought it was all pretty humorous.

Then I think he tried to get back at me by telling me I would have to switch Buicks with my little brother this summer. He wants to donate mine to the kidney foundation (yes I know it's a good cause, but I love my car no matter how crappy it is!!!) and replace it with my little brother's Le Sabre. Now, I am a huge fan of GM and the Buick in particular, but he is not as gentle with his Buick as I am with mine. (Perhaps I should mention that each kid in my family owns a Buick...I have the Regal and the other 3 have Le Sabres....my grandparents gave us a really good deal.) The bumper is duct taped to the rest of the car and there is a bumper sticker on the back that says "This is an anti-theft protection sticker," not to mention a bullet hole license plate holder. AAHHH!! Uh no i don't think so dad. Until my Buick starts on fire again (ok, my car started on fire already once this year, I think that's what has him so nervous) I will not be switching cars with my little brother. I mean come on, it's hard enough to parallel park a Regal let alone a Le Sabre!!

Smooches and G'Nite!

(Please refer to pic above where my little bro Matty is sitting in his Buick with our dog Schatzie...now check out the pic of my Nana and I and imagine how much harder he is on a car than she was...yes, now you guys are all on my side aren't you!)

Everyday Good!!

2006-03-03T23:11:00.000-08:00

"Don't give up the fight no no Everyday is good, because of being alive -from the day I was born till the day that I'll die.

In high tide and in low tide I know that Jah will always be by my side. He is the one that carries me through the night. Everyday he makes me open my eyes, and I will never give up the fight. no, I'll never give up my pride and if tomorrow I shall die, I know that today is good because I am alive..." -Patrice

Amen!!!

Mid-terms are behind me and I'm not sure how I did on any of them, so at this point I am very happy! (We'll see how things are once I get my grades)

I work like a maniac so I haven't been able to go out with my roomies recently. However, tonight as I was driving home I received a text message from a buddy inviting me to a party at my own house! Rediculous, yet fabulous, I know!! I walked in and was greeted with familiar faces and lots of laughter.

The weeks are flying by and I can't believe that next weekend is spring break. I just want to cherish the time I have left here at Iowa with my friends. Perhaps working every weekend isn't such a good idea, although I did make amazing tips tonight.

Tons of smooches comin atcha!!

Widerstand

2006-02-28T23:21:00.000-08:00

"Today is such a lovely day, stand up and fight again, We and Babylon at war until we a gon sleep at night again The only way to live up bright again is to lift up your voice now!

Ich bin für Liebe, ich bin für die die’s lieben zu leben, ich bin für die, die Liebe geben auch wenn’s schwer ist im Leben Ich bin für die die’s erst erleben, dann denken, dann weitergeben, statt los zu reden und bloß zu erzählen um sich groß zu geben Ich bin für die, die sich Blöße geben, damit wir sehen und verstehen dass die echten Weisen in Schwäche zeigen die Größe sehen Ich bin für die, die uns konfrontieren mit uns selbst, bin für den der Versprechen hält, bin für den, der beißt wenn er bellt Ich bin für Menschen die sich angekettet auf Gleise setzen, rebellieren statt zu sehen was passiert und’s leise zu fressen Ich bin für Nachbarn die helfen, Picknick im Park, für Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen, Klar bin ich für Peace im Irak, ich bin für CD’s für weniger Geld im Media Markt damit jeder sich’s leisten kann was ich sag und nicht bloß dein Arzt Ich bin für mehr Jobs, mehr Plätze, mehr Stellen, mehr Arbeitsmarkt Ich bin für alles was Hoffnung macht und Kräfte schafft jeden Tag..."-Curse ftg. Gentleman

While most people were out tonight for Fat Tuesday, I was sitting in the library and the only thing I was consuming was knowledge. I should have been a Journalism major, Kelsey does all of her work during class :( College without homework would be priceless!! Hence the reason I used the German song for this blog. If I have to use my brain a little harder than most right now, so you do.

Ok, if I had a good translation to the song I'd give it you.

Smooches and G'nite!

p.s. I guess I'll see some of you at F.A.L., no not F.A.C., Friday At the Library, FREE COVER!!

p.p.s. Ah yes, since I haven't made much mention of my Western Civ mid-term, I decided to put up a picture of me in Pompeii last semester. Don't ask what was going on...ok, we were running around in the field of the gods.

Streets of Philadelphia

2006-02-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

"I was bruised and battered and I couldn’t tell What I feltI was unrecognizable to myself I saw my reflection in a window I didn’t know My own face Oh brother are you gonna leave me Wastin´away On the streets of philadelphia I walked the avenue till my legs felt like stone I heard the voices of friends vanished and gone At night I could hear the blood in my veins Black and whispering as the rain On the streets of philadelphia

Ain’t no angel gonna greet me It’s just you and I my friend My clothes don’t fit me no more I walked a thousand miles Just to slip the skin The night has fallen, I’m lyin’awakeI can feel myself fading away So receive me brother with your faithless kiss Or will we leave each other alone like this On the streets of philadelphia" -Bruce Springsteen

I stopped at Brueggers on my way to the public library today, which by the way is absolutely fantastic, and got a bagel to munch on before finishing cramming for my financial management exam. Long story short, the public lib doesn't open until 10 and even though it was freezing outside, I sat on a bench in the ped mall to eat my breakfast.

I was about to spread my cream cheese when I realized that I had lost my knife and I heard a voice say, "What do you need?" It was one of the many homeless dwellers of Iowa City asking me if I needed anything. He looked like he was in his mid-40's with a wool cap and a beard, someone not too much younger than my own dad. I shared with him that I was looking for a knife and he told me he always comes prepared and offered me a spoon that looked as if it had been used for months without it being washed. Although I didn't accept, the gesture was appreciated.

We got to talking a bit and he told me that it gets cold sleeping in the ped mall every night and I told him I didn't know how he did it, as I was freezing just sitting there for a few minutes. I asked him where he was from and he said that he's been here for the past 2 years. He told me that he'd been in and out of foster homes when he was younger because his parents got divorced when he was 4, and since then has been in and out of detention centers and prisons. He told me I was pretty and said that he can't wait to meet a pretty girl like myself and find a job and have kids with her. "There's just no work around here," he stated.

He looked at me with the most lost eyes, and I asked him if he had eaten today. He shook his head and I offered him the other half of my bagel and headed into the library.

Even with 3 crappy financial mid-terms that I probably won't do well on, I've got it pretty good. I am so thankful when events such as these happen and it makes me realize how fortunate I really am. So what if I don't understand financial management?! I could be a lot worse off.

Take care of those around you. Everyone needs a little help sometimes. You never know when a cream cheese bagel might be all it takes to get someone back on their feet.

Lotsa financially filled smooches comin atcha!

My Baby's Got Sauce

2006-02-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

"Cooling out cooling out Waiting for my lady got the special sauce that's why she's my baby my baby My baby And of course I'll do anything for her anything she wants It's sure honey sure Got a sharp mouth a sharp tongue gimme gimme gimme some Don't take to that gimme gimme none You gots to work and deserve it earn it to own it Once you got it you never ever going to leave it alone don't take wise cracking or Forgetting never been stood up She does the stepping

My baby got sauce Your baby ain't sweet like mine She got sauce Your baby ain't sweet like mine She got sauce Your baby ain't sweet like mine Naw, she ain't as sweet..." -G Love & Special Sauce

Both Jessa and I now have our plane tickets and our concert tickets and we're heading to Langerado!!! (not to mention a G Love show in St. Petersburg the Friday before the festival.) We don't have a place to stay, we don't have plans, all we know is that we are going to see a bunch of awesome shows and have the time of our lives!! Sunrise, Florida here we come!!

My Generation

2006-02-25T11:27:00.000-08:00

"People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation) Just because we get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation) Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation) I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation) This is my generation This is my generation, baby..." -The Who (written by Pete Townsend)

So my sister calls me "Jen-eration" and often sings this song to me. Adorable isn't it?! I often sing to her "Sarah, Sarah No time is a good time for good-byes!!" Come on, everybody loves Starship. In any case, that was really the only reason that I used this song for this blog. (This is a pic from my sister's wedding this past summer...and yes, I will be this tan again after spring break. I can hardly wait!!)

I'm studying for midterms. Yuck! I have 3 next week: Intro to Financial Mngmt, Capital Aquisition and Cash Flow Mngmt, and Western Civ. Oh yes, and I also have a 3 page fill-in-the-blank quiz for Commercial Real Estate. Now, if there is anything that I hate more in the world than math/finance, then I haven't encountered it yet. I tell you what, when I'm old and filthy stinkin rich after creating a wonderful entrepreneurial creation, I will hire myself an accountant and a financial manager. That's why I'm getting my certificate in Entrepreneurship, so that I can make millions on my own and pay someone to do all of this awful stuff for me.

In any case, I'm living in financial "H E double hockey sticks" for the next 5 days.

I'm feeling very un-smoochful right now!!

p.s. Aren't y'all sad that the olympics are over tomorrow? I'm seriously worried about what I'm going to watch on TV now before I fall asleep. I had just gotten myself into a routine!

Happy Hour Hero

2006-02-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

"A pint of beer and a pretty girl...a pack of Camel Lights Another night, another bar green neon lights Smoke acts as a camouflage for every lizard with a line Forget about the pretty girl a Saranac will do just fine...

A pint of beer and a shot of Jack a pack of Camel Lights Some days don't see the day and some don't see the night Damn barstool wobbles, ain't no footrest at the bar When I pass through my water glass I can, I can see who you are...

...And we play from ten to two, but we work from noon to four Try to make a guarantee, try to make points on the door No one tells us what to do, no one tells us where to go One more bottle for this happy hour hero..." -moe.

Last night Kim, Jessa, and I helped Alex (featured in the pic with me, he's also my roomie for next year) celebrate his 22 birthday at the Field House. (For those of you who don't know, after you turn 21, if you have a birthday in Iowa City, virtually every bar gives you 21 pitchers for about $25...pretty good deal! That way everyone always wants to come out and help celebrate birthdays, because no one ever ends up spending much, if any money.) We baked cupcakes and sang happy birthday, we shook it on the dance floor (even when no one else was out there, and trust me, being 5 ft tall I don't have what it takes to shake it on an empty dance floor), and laughed with old friends!! What a wonderfully fantastic evening. Even the RT's crew gathered together for Alex's special day!!

I have just one thought for you though. Have you ever seen people around campus that you've had classes with forever but never introduced yourself? I mean those people that you know, but don't really know? Well Kim met up with one of those guys last night and after 4 years of having class together, they had their first face-to-face conversation. Wierd, isn't it? Shouldn't it be easier to just talk to someone after having classes with them for 4 years? Or does it just get to a certain point and then it's even more difficult to start up a convo because you waited 4 years to do it?. I don't know. Just a thought.

Smooches!!

Love Handles

2006-02-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

"...I'm packing the love I don't think its a bad thing It keeps me warm in the winter It makes me sweat in the spring It's a double chin love I have grown to accept it..." -Keller Williams

Ok, so this song as absolutely nothing to do with what I'm about to ask you guys. It was just the song playing on itunes as I was writing this blog.

As I was sitting in my capital aquisition and cash flow management class this evening, my professor Rich McCarty asked us this question:

What are the 2 (or 3) things in life that you can bet big on and always win?

Death
Change
(Taxes) -- This doesn't always count because there is always the possibility of going to jail (very reassuring).

He told us that people change drastically approximately once every 7 years. That means that techically I've already been 3 different people!! Pretty cool, huh?

Smooches!!

p.s. The pic above is the Black Angel of Death located in the Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City. This statue represents both death and change. If you want to know her mystery, check out this website: http://www.mysticalblaze.com/GhostsIowa.htm . It's definitely one of the spookiest things in Iowa City, you couldn't pay me to go there at night.

Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

2006-02-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

"...Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks. Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such. Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. 'Cos they'll never stay home and they're always alone. Even with someone they love..." -Waylon Jennings

So last night I discovered a few things...

Boys are able to spend hours in Wal-Mart and Best Buy. (Never make the trip with them, trust me you're better off staying at home.)
If you know that your guy friends are making a trip to Wal-Mart and Best Buy, they are bound to come home with toys.

I arrived over at Grant and Kip's place last night just as they were walking in the door from their Coralville shopping adventure. I knew it was bad when I saw brightly colored boxes sticking out of the bags and then shortly after heard the cocking of a plastic gun. Grant bought a Nerf gun that holds 6 different darts. Naturally, I was his squeamish target all evening...ok, I admit that I still duck, even if it is just a nerf dart. You could put an eye out with that thing! Kip, however, bought some interesting stuff called Flarp. I am not sure if y'all remember Gak, but it is similar in nature. Only with Flarp, you stick your finger inside of the jar and it makes farting noises as you press down. You'd think as a group of 22 year old kids, it wouldn't have amused us for very long, but between Grant, Kip, Alex, and I we laughed for a good half hour while playing with this Flarp stuff. If you're looking for a good time, I suggest you check it out. (No, I don't know this little boy in the corner. But I can only imagine he's trying to make his grandma mad, because trust me, this stuff is abnoxiously rediculous.)

p.s. If you have HBO on Demand, the new Entourage season is now available!! E's my favorite.

It's Hard For Me To Say I'm Sorry

2006-02-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

"Everybody needs a little time away I've heard her say From each other Even lovers need a holiday Far away from each other Hold me now It's hard for me to say I'm sorry I just want you to stay And after all that you've been through I will make it up to you I promise you, baby And after all thats been said and done You're just the part of me I can't let go..." -Chicago

A few days ago on the morning news the weather man on KCRG actually admitted that he'd over-estimated the intensity of the winter weather heading through Iowa. Oops! I couldn't believe my ears. It's hard to say you're sorry, but I was glad he did. He made it up to me with the A-Ok weather check for Iowa-80. What a fantastic weekend!

p.s. Are you allowed to apoligize as a meteorologist? Can't you be fired for something like that?

Mellow Mood

2006-02-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

"I'll play your fav'rite song, darlin'. We can rock it all night long, darlin'. 'Cause I've got love, darlin', Love, sweet love, darlin'. Mellow mood has got me, So let the music rock me..." -Bob Marley

Things That I've Learned This Weekend:
*Anything that is worth while is not going to come easy. It doesn't mean that it isn't meant to be.

*Nebraska is an ugly state, but a lot of fun if you're with friends (especially when wearing matching aviators and mullet wigs).

*If you meet someone and have amazing chemistry the first time, it's not going to go away. So go out on a limb and give it a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised like me! (He's absolutely wonderful)

*Wear a hat if there is a high of 7 degrees and a low of -20. Otherwise you'll forget that you have ears.

*Hot cocoa is always a good choice.

*It doesn't take half a bag of spaghetti to feed two people (Now that I'm 22, I think I need to learn how to cook. Hamberger Helper just isn't cutting it anymore.)

*It's not worth giving up beer just to avoid a beer belly, you only live once and a few extra calories aren't going to kill you.

*Some things just take too much effort and I'm not always willing to put forth a constant effort, no matter what my rents tell me to do.

*I'm an Olympic maniac...once every 2 years just isn't enough.

*I like the winter games better than the summer games.

*Ghosts and aliens really do exist. Just ask Dustin.

* The smallest Best Buy that I've ever encountered is located in Council Bluffs.

*The Mountain Dew Extreme energy drink commercial with the singing nocternal animals is the best commercial on TV!!

*If there is a 365 million dollar powerball jackpot, it's not going to kill you to throw down a few dollars at the chance of winning. It will kill you however, once you find out that you didn't follow through with your initial plan of purchasing lotto tickets along the way at each gas stop when you find out that the winning ticket was purchased in Lake Nebraska at 3:09 pm and that you could have purchased that ticket!! Why did I only buy a ticket in Altoona?! They think that perhaps a homeless person purchased the ticket though, and if that's the case, I'm sure they need it more than I do. Although 146 mil after taxes would have been lovely.

*Just like they say in the Dodge commericals, you just gotta grab life by the horns.

Smooches!!

In My Mind (I'm Going to Carolina)

2006-02-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

"...There ain't no doubt in no one's mind That loves the finest thing around Whisper something soft and kind And hey babe the sky's on fire, I'm dyin' Ain't I goin' to Carolina in my mind In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina Can't you see the sunshine Can't you just feel the moonshine Ain't it just like a friend of mine To hit me from behind Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind..." -James Taylor

Anyone else see the winter storm advisory for tonight and tomorrow? I'm actually so sad that the weather forecast this evening on the 10:30 news was humorous. The weekend road trip is probably off. (But hey, I've been wrong before) Everyone please pray that the roads are okay tomorrow night. Otherwise, I'm going to Colorado in my mind.

Y'all don't even understand how this week has culminated into a nasty number of dramatic events. I'm done with this week. I feel like I just skipped Christmas and Christmas is my favorite holiday.

G'nite

The Lucky One

2006-02-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

"You're the lucky one So i've been told As free as the wind, Blowin' down the road Loved by many, hated by none I'd say you're lucky 'cause I know what you've done Not a care in the world Not a worry in sight Everything's gonna be alright Cause you're the lucky one..." -Allison Kraus and Union Station

As I was sitting in class today watching the minutes tick by in my hour and ten minute lecture, I was pleasantly surprised to get a text message from Kelsey. She told me that I had a surprise waiting at home and she wouldn't tell me what it was. My first thought was my daddy. I called him and asked if he had sent me dozens of roses for Valentines Day and his reply was, "Jenny, most men spend an average of $130 on their woman, but dad's don't spend anything on their daughters." Very funny dad.

As I walked into the tiki lounge (our porch) I picked up the mail and received a lovely valentine from my Bumpo and Jan. Bumpo and Jan both went to medical school at Iowa and I must say that I am their favorite grandchild because I'm continuing the family tradition as a 4th generation Hawkeye. It only gets better from here. There were 5 individually wrapped roses from our friend Ben, with a little card that said, "Happy Valentines Day Ladies! Love, Ben." How absolutely adorable. Each of the roses were a different color for each one of us.

But the big surprise greeted me as I walked through the door. There sitting on our coffee table were a dozen yellow long stem roses!!!! John, my guy out west, sent me a valentine!!! What an absolute darling, but now I feel bad that I only mailed his valentine this morning and it probly won't even get there til Thursday. I gave him a call and he said, "well I had to send you yellow roses, I remembered that yellow was your favorite color." I feel like the luckiest girl alive! My friends, my family, and my honey all sent me a valentines, and I thought that this was going to be a depressing day, I've sure been wrong a lot lately. I need to get a magic 8 ball or something to start helping me out.

Smooches!!

Be Mine

2006-02-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

"...If I had some influence girl With the powers that be I'd have them fire that arrow at you Like they fired it right at me Maybe when your heart and soul are burning You might see That everytime I'm talking with you It's always over too soon That everyday feels so incomplete Till you walk into the room Say the word now girl I'll jump that moon... yea...

Come on baby it's OK Rainy shiny, night or day There's nothing in the way now Don't you see Be mine, Be Mine! Winter summer, day or night Centigrade or Fahrenheit Baby till your heart belongs to me Be Mine, Be Mine! ...Jumpin' Jesus holy cow!What's the difference anyhow Baby till your heart belongs to me" -David Gray

Love's kind of a crazy thing, don't you think? We look for it 364 days out of the year and the one day that love is celebrated in a Hallmark sort of way, us single people detest all of those people who are in love in the world. Ironic, don't you think? Shouldn't it be easier to be happy for all those folks who can walk around holding hands with their honey on Valentine's Day? Being single on V-Day (or D-Day as my girlfriend Lindsay says, in fact, her current away message states, "preparing for tomorrow. the lamest day of the year.") has made me somewhat reminiscent of all of those Valentines Days I spent with someone at my side.

When I was in the 3rd Grade I had the biggest crush on Ben Prince. He of course didn't know that I existed and therefore my "best" valentine was wasted. (Don't you remember, you always get 2 big valentines in a box, one for the teacher and one for your crush.)
Next we have my best friend in the 7th grade, who now attends UNC Chapil Hill. He brought me a half dead rose. I'm sure he bought it at the gas station the night before, but just the same, it was wrapped in tin foil and it was all mine.
Quick skip to the first time a guy actually noticed me...(yes it was a while)....Middle of my junior year of high school I met a fantastic guy, who I ended up dating for the next 2 years. He was a great cook and invited me to go on a picnic, but sadly it started raining and I figured the date was off. Boy was I wrong, we picniced on his living room floor surrounded by all of his house plants!!
Middle of freshman year in college I was swooned with guitar playing and stuffed animals and yet another indoor picnic. (I don't like to talk about this one, we're still on bad terms)
Sophomore year one of my best friend's Steve (the guy who drew Herky on his bar) took pity on Jessa, Leah, and I and we were invited to a Sigma Nu date party. He showered us with roses and chocolate. What a sweetheart!! (He had a girlfriend at the time too if my memory serves me correctly, he just didn't want us to be sad)
Junior year of college I spent V-Day in Vienna with the guy I was dating at the time and had the most incredible evening. I mean it was movie-esque. We did dinner, ice-skating in front of the capital, and a midnight stroll through downtown Vienna in the snow.

I know that we've all got someone special out there, but I'm still not sure what senior year will have in store for me. Only time can tell. (I think that was possibly the cheesiest crap that I've written in my blog)

The clock just turned 12 a.m. and it has started out with me sitting at my computer. Hmm....

The America Song

2006-02-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

"Well I live in America And here is how it lies Underneath my pillow Are plans that God passed by She said it’d be all right If I had to walk away The greatest view is from the edge It’s always been that way And I’m becoming, beautiful So much harder than I thought It only feels like losing now I guess I’ll understand someday..." - Stephen Kellogg

Stephen Kellogg rocks my world!! Tonight Jessa and I were supposed to go and see him in concert in Cedar Rapids, but sadly I just checked his website and the show was canceled :( This is the saddest thing that has happened to me all week (granted it's only Monday, but that just means that I'm not off to a very good start). Oh well, the show has been rescheduled for this weekend, but I won't be able to make that show either. Thus, there is a road trip in my future. He's playing at Iowa State on Sunday the 26, if you've never heard him then I suggest that you check him out (I mean seriously, you can listen to every cd he's done on his website in addition to watching videos and all sorts of fun stuff.) He has an alternative country, rock-n-roll sort of a sound. They describe their latest album as follows: "Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers" is a rock album, but it’s a rock album that replaces attitude with sincerity. Imagine The Band performing vignettes of modern life, Van Morrison with better articulation or Elvis Costello without the vitriol." Seriously guys, check them out. I might possibly be their biggest fan, I just don't have the money to be a part of their street reps. http://www.stephenkelloggandthesixers.com ....so I guess, Ames here I come!!

Down Home

2006-02-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

"...Down home, where they know you by name And treat you like family Down home, a man's good word and hand shake Are all you need Folks know if they're falling on hard times They can fall back on Those of us raised up down home..." -Alabama

And next year's Homecoming Theme is......

Home Is Where the Hawk Is (front)

New Stadium, New Season, Same Old Traditions (back)

Time in a Bottle

2006-02-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

"If I could save time in a bottle The first thing that I’d like to do Is to save every day Till eternity passes away Just to spend them with you If I could make days last forever If words could make wishes come true I’d save every day like a treasure and then, Again, I would spend them with you But there never seems to be enough time To do the things you want to doOnce you find them..." - Jim Croce

I was looking through old pictures from summer of 04 after spending a weekend with the old roomies and realized that we've grown up. Maybe some of us more than others, but just the same, we're getting old!! Check these pictures of Tom and I out, for example:

Just a thought. How old do you have to be to start considering yourself old?

p.s. Now you see what happens to your guy friends when you've been a consistent picture taker all of the years that you've known them. They stop cooperating after a while.

I Love This Bar

2006-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

"We got winners, we got losers Chain smokers and boozers And we got yuppies, we got bikers We got thirsty hitchhikers And the girls next door dress up like movie stars Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

We got cowboys, we got truckers Broken-hearted fools and suckers And we got hustlers, we got fighters Early birds and all-nighters And the veterans talk about their battle scars Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar love this bar It's my kind of place Just walkin' through the front door Puts a big smile on my face It ain't too far, come as you are Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar..." -Toby Kieth

So much for thinking that this was going to be a mundane weekend. There is this song that goes "no no drama, we don't want no drama" and I almost used it as my song for today but decided that the title wasn't very appropriate. I think this song fits much better anyway. I think that Toby Kieth wrote this song about RT's. Last night was the "grand vanilli" (as my little brother used to say about fireworks displays) of RT's and lets just say that I'm really sad that it won't be around anymore.

I've met some of the most interesting folks in the world just sittin at the bar talking to everyone that strolls through those doors. For example, I put up a picture of Kieth and I. Kieth looks identical to the lead singer of Alabama, Randy Owen. (You be the judge, Randy is the guy in the front) In fact, the first time he came into the bar I almost fell off my stool because I really thought it was him. Yes, I can be a little flighty at times. He is actually a carpenter who comes riding in on his Harley every night. I once asked him how he handles the cold on his bike, and he told me that as long as it's above 20 degrees he's fine. He's always got a great story about Sturgis or his girlfriend Essi.

Last night I was fortunate to have the best of both worlds. All of the kids that work at the bar came down to have one last hoorah, in addition to the regulars and my closest friends. We had a revolving door all night long and everyone I know just kept streaming in. At one point I looked up and saw the whole crew just laughing together at the bar while Tom and Dustin (I think it was) were trying to convince girls that the last night of RT's was like Mardi Gras.

As much fun as it was though, that place was filled with drama!! There were bartenders arguing with other bartenders, ex's bumping into each other, people smooching, and people fighting (literally). I tell you what, if someone gave me a dollar for everytime I've broken up a fight or almost caught a punch because I wasn't paying attention, I'd make a lot more in tips each night. But worst of all, I saw an old friend last night. I used to be best friends with the guy freshman year and then he got a girlfriend and forgot that the rest of the friends in his life existed. Now, I'm not saying that he just ignored us, I'm saying that I tried calling him once after he started dating her and he said to me, "Jenny, Jenny who?!" and hung up the phone. Gimme a break!! In any case, we hugged it out and who knows, maybe I'll hear from him sometime in the near future.

We had tons of visitors this weekend too. It was the roomie reunion for the summer of 2004. Let's hear it for the crew...Shout outs to Christine, Jessa, Ali, Leah. Ali surprised Christine with a visit and Leah and Megan came down from Cedar Falls. (Kim and Kels went home for the weekend to see their bf's.) So Jessa, Christine, and I held down the fort. We knew we were in for a big weekend. After all, they weren't here for a long time, they were here for a good time. I believe everyone dispersed by 5 am on Friday and don't ask me about last night, because I was asleep by 3 and I know there was a pizza delivery after I went to bed. (Just found out that Kels and Kim aren't coming back until tomorrow morning, which is good because it gives us more time to clean. Especially my room, I think it's going to take a couple hours.) So today's been a pretty lazy day with just Jessa, Leah, Christine, and I hanging out discussing all of the funny things that happened over the weekend while looking at all of our pictures. (At some point, I must have left my camera out because there were a lot of random pix on there, like the one above.)

All right that's all for now. If you've made it all the way to the end of this tremendously long blog, then I salute you.

Smooches!!

Good-bye RT's!!! We'll all miss you...(Ok, well at least I will)

Midnight Rider

2006-02-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

"Well, I've got to run to keep from hiding, And I'm bound to keep on riding. And I've got one more silver dollar, But I'm not gonna let them catch me, no, Not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider..." -Allman Brothers Band

Jessa and I finalized our spring break plans. We are flying into Fort Lauderdale on the 10 of March and renting a car to drive to St. Petersburg to go see G. Love and Special Sauce, driving back and meeting up with the crew. Everyone else is driving down in Kip's bus. We will be spending the next 2 days in Sunrise, FL at Langerado (http://www.langerado.com) and then just winging it from there. Then we are just going to drive down the coast with everyone until we find a place to stay. I'm amazed that my rents are cool with this!!! They are the best!!

In any case, this is going to be a pretty mundane weekend for me. I am working tonight and tomorrow night at RT's....RT's last night is on Saturday! The Topeka Shiners are playing for the last time and it should be an excellent time. Come down and bring me tips so that I can buy a new pair of shoes please!!! (See picture above for instructions)

Smooches!

Life Is Beautiful

2006-02-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

"...Close my eyes, see the glorious sunset Through the windows of a store and I want it Anyway, if I ever felt haunted You were there for me These angry people who are waiting to judge you Have their own judgment that they'll have live up to

Open your mouth And if nothing come through Remember You're the one that sings And it's a gift And life's a beautiful thing Oh, don't waste it doll You build a house and if the house comes up You gotta work on that house If you want to make it your home' Cause everything inside that's not something you own Is what you're taking with you

On the day that you go And oh, what a beautiful world when we sing Hear all them bells ringing out in the street Hammer strikes the metal and it makes me believe Hear all them bells ringing out in the street Oh, hammer strikes the metal and it makes me believe' Cause if I don't believe in love Then I don't believe in you And I do." -Ryan Adams (definite download!!!)

Geeze guys, it's been a while since I've updated you on my day to day. So Financial Management sucks! My roomies are great. Christine continues to be the life of the party reminding us that this is our senior year. Kim is studying like a mad woman trying to get ready for her OAT (that's the optometry test) and all of her crazy biology classes. Kelsey is a dancing fool and continues to have a new bodily ailment each day. If you didn't know better, you'd think she was 80 years old with all of the hip, leg, back, and neck problems she has. Jess and I are busy planning our spring break trip to FL. We don't really have enough money to make it work at this point, so it's gonna be a close one. (If any of you loyal readers out there want to make a donation to the "Send Jen on Spring Break to Florida" Fund, that'd be absolutely wonderful!! All forms of payment accepted.

Last night I met up with my old little sis from my sorority. She dropped before she initiated, but we are still great friends. You know it's a true friendship when you can meet up with someone you haven't seen in ages and it just feels like no time has passed at all. Well I love her and couldn't have asked for a better night. But between the two of us things were a little funky. I think I got food poisoning yesterday from my taco salad at the IMU so I had an awful tummy ache and she had a cold so bad that she went through an entire roll of toilet paper in the few hours we were out. Needless to say, no one hit on us last night. (That's Bri and I above)

Tonight's a big night though. Umphrees McGee is playing at the IMU in the 2nd Floor Ballroom. I'm meeting up with the boys after my Cash Flow Management and Capital Aquisition class (yes, this would almost be as bad as Financial Mngmt except for the fact that the professor is 10x cooler...Rich McCarty rocks my world!! He's just a really nice understanding, good teacher.) and we are heading to the IMU together. Show starts at 7:30. Be there or be sqare!

Smooches!!

We Built This City

2006-02-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

"...Someone's always playing corporation games Who cares they're always changing corporation names We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage They call us irresponsible, write us off the page Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll..." -Jefferson Starship

Ok guys...So here's the deal. These are the HC themes that we have it narrowed down to. Thank you all for all of your requests. Now let me know what you think.

Smooches!!

Possible Themes
Homecoming ‘06

Hawkeye spirit…not just a __________
Hawkeye spirit lasts a lifetime
Stay classy Iowa City
Hawkeyes…we give you wings
Black and Gold Nation
Celebrate Good Times
Soaring Over the Competition
Flying High
Good Times in ‘06
Want all that life can give, be a Hawkeye
Soar for the gold
Hawkeye Gold Rush ‘06
You’ve Got A Hawkeye in Me
We Will Hawk You
Simply the best, better than all the rest since 1847
We built this city on Hawkeye Pride
The best stories always begin with black and gold
Iowa Homecoming…bringing Hawkeye fans together
…keeping the tradition alive
…tradition starts here
Always coming back for more
U of I: Flavor of Life since 1847
Home is where the Hawk is
Hawktober (Fest)
Look what’s cooking…Hawkeye Football
Renew…(can we use this with something??)
A new stadium, a new season, a new game
Hawkeyes…a tradition since 1847
Iowa City…that’s where I want to be
New stadium, new season, same old tradition

Banana Pancakes

2006-02-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

"But baby, you hardly even notice When I try to show you this song It's meant to keep you From doin' what you're supposed to Like wakin' up too early Maybe we could sleep in I'll make you banana pancakes Pretend like it's the weekend now And we could pretend it all the time Can't you see that it's just rainin' There ain't no need to go outside..." -Jack Johnson

So the weekend has been absolutely nuts and I probably shouldn't have gone outside. It all began on Friday with my job interview. The plan was to pick up and head to Chicago for a show, but sadly my homecoming meeting ran long and the boys had to leave without me..oh well, at least they shook it for me. It's fine though, I was more amused by Christine's dinner fiasco. Kelsey knocked the bowl out of her hands and we spent a better portion of the hour picking asian noodles up off of the floor. Who needs moe. when you can clean floors?! I mean come on guys.

I headed to work at RT's where I was faced with the most awful night of work that I have ever had. I was sexually harrassed and had to deal with more biggots than I would have cared for. You know, as fun as it is to work at a bar like that, it also collects the scum of the earth. Thank goodness my boys were there to watch over me. They are all twice my size and always have my back. I came home from work so tired that all I could do is sit down on the couch. I woke up at 11 am on Saturday still wearing my coat. Oh goodness. (Pictured below, the RT's staff)

Saturday Christine and Kelsey took Kim and I to the work out center...yes that's right...I lifted and did cardio!! Let me tell you, I have a whole new appreciation for the word fire hydrant. Headed straight to work out at The Edge where I made tons of tips, but didn't get to keep any of them because I am training...bogus! Oh well, today is my last training day.

The real fun began when I got off of work last night. I met the girls at home where they were having fun with our recycling money. They saved up 2 months worth of recycling and bought a case of beer. We headed down to College Street and then I went over to Field House and met up with my Vienna boys (kids that studied with me in Vienna). It's makes me very sentimental whenever we all get together. Man I really wish I was there right now. Drinking wine in the garden and climbing mountains. Not to mention the incredible shopping, good beer, amazing food, and speaking German!! Austria for me is heaven on earth...oops, sorry for the tangent. The party ended back at my house with me falling asleep on the couch again with my coat on..do we see a pattern here? (Pictured below: John, Dave, and Kevi...John once asked me to marry him, but only if I could pee outside at a Hungarian rest stop without being embarrassed, who's he kidding?! Peeing outside isn't the problem for me, but I'm not saying yes without a big fat rock)

Well I'm off to work out (yes i know!! 2x in one weekend, i'm on a roll!!) and then straight to work and a homecoming meeting...I have a feelilng that this is going to be my life for the next year. But if that's the case, I will soon have a tight butt, money in my pocket, and a whole lotta hawkeye spirit!!!

Smooches!!

Working 9 to 5

2006-02-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

"Tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen Pour myself a cup of ambition And yawn and stretch and try to come to life. Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumping Out on the street the traffic starts jumping With folks like me on the job from nine to five. Working nine to five what a way to make living..."

I GOT THE JOB!!! Whoo hoo!! Off to celebrate with the girls. We're heading to Wig'n'Pen for some pizza...yes, I'm breaking my diet already...oh goodness.

If I accept the position, I'll be working 40 hrs a week over the summer for West Liberty Foods in either their Marketing or Sales Dept. Thanks Uncle Ron!!

Let's Get Physical

2006-02-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

"...Let's get physical, physical, I wanna get physical, let's get into physical Let me hear your body talk, Your body talk, let me hear your body talk..." - Olivia Newton John
Had my first fitness evaluation today. Look guys, I hate exercising more than anything in the world and if I'm going to be running a half marathon with the girls, I need to know how to train for it. And while I'm at it, as long as I'm going to see the fitness specialist, I might as well see the dietician. She is going to help me eat healthy regardless of time and money. You see, the other night I was out with some friends. My buddies told me Ineeded to lose some weight...ouch!!! I mean come on guys, I've always been pleasantly plump, but gimme a freakin break. They said that they were jokin and that they meant everyone referencing the fact that the car wouldn't make it with all of our weight, but I think that there is always a hint of truth in a joke like that. See that pic? That's me after my 2nd year of college....I want to be there again, so here goes nothing...

I have my interview for West Liberty Foods today. I am a little nervous, but also very excited. I'll let y'all know how it all turns out.

Smooches!!

p.s. Anyone going to see moe. tonight in Chicago? I am...if you are, see you there!!!

Iowa Hawkeyes Fight Song

2006-02-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

"What's the word? FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! The word is fight fight fight for Iowa, let every loyal Iowan sing; The word is fight, fight, fight for Iowa Until the walls and rafters ring. Go Hawks! Come on and cheer, cheer, cheer for Iowa, Con on and cheer until you hear the final gun. The word is fight, fight, fight for Iowa, Until the game is won!!"

Ok, check it out everyone. I need your help. I am currently working with the homecoming executive council to find a theme for next year. Now, last time I was on council they picked my theme. It's not really important to me whether my theme is chosen or not, it's just that as director I don't wanna come to the meeting empty handed. I need some help. Anyone have any good homecoming theme ideas?! If so, please please let me know and if your theme is chosen, I'll be sure to hook you up with a free HC t-shirt or something.

Examples I've come up with so far...yes I know they're bad:
Think Big, Be Bold, Support the Black and Gold
Peace, Love, & Hawkeyes (I love Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Half Baked is my favorite)
You Can't Always Get What You Want...Unless You're a Hawkeye

HELP ME PLEASE?!!

See the pic above? That's my brother Chris and I at the bowl game a couple of years ago. We don't necessarily want to put down Purdue (like he's doing in the picture)...we just want a little something to build up the Hawks. It won't take much, we just need something clever...be a pooh bear and "think think think"!

Blackbird

2006-02-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise..." The Beatles

(Orginal Artwork: Steve Schwar)

Out watching Project Runway on Bravo with the men of 421 Governor. Yes, it's so good that we can even convince our guy friends to spare an hour of their time each Wednesday night.

The Rescue Blues

2006-02-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

"Everybody wants you to be special And everybody wants you to be high They throw you down a rope when you're in trouble, baby Screamin', "Save me" Then they charge you with the rescue blues..." -Ryan Adams

So here's the story from A to Z, I have tons of stuff surrounding me. I am currently juggling 2 jobs (RT's and The Edge), Homecoming, and 16 hours in school. Not to mention, of course, STAT Ambassadors (where I'm an alumni correspondant and a blogger...obviously), Chi Omega, and Make-A-Wish. Holy Toledo!! Lucky for me I don't really have any classes on M, W, F (but it's not like a I have a break, I usually work on those days and take care of HC stuff), but my Tuesdays and Thursdays are hell. I go from 9:30 am to 8:20 pm. I'm always working on the weekends now that I'm working at 2 different bars and I feel like I don't have any down time. My friends always call me lame when I don't wanna go out, their excuse being "Jen, it's 2nd semester senior year, get off your butt and have some fun." But come on guys, I can only go for so long before I lose my mind. I need a vacation!!

This time last year I was leaving for Vienna for the semester and part of me wishes I was leaving again. Because I've never lived anywhere longer than 3 years in my life (with the exception of Iowa City), I tend to get a little stir crazy sometimes. Thank goodness I'm heading out to Colorado in a couple of weeks for the weekend.

All in all though I'm very thankful for the cards life has dealt me. My friends are always there for me when I need to vent or study or party. I have an adorable guy in my life and although he's not here, I look forward to talking to him whenever I can. My family is the best though. My Moo (I don't call my mom "mom" because Moo seems more fitting. I think my sister started calling her Moo first, shortened up from Mutti in German, just spelled differently) is always there to talk some sense into me when I need it and give me personal advice. For example, she called me the other day concerned that my roomies and I were getting depressed. She explained to me that because it is so dark in the winter, a lot of people suffer from short term depression. Not that this is funny, but I don't really think of my roomies and I as a depressed group. Moo told me that I need to make sure to surround myself with as much light as possible, if the sun isn't shining then artificial light is my friend. Ok Moo, whatever you say. My dad travels a lot so he isn't around much, but he stops by Iowa City whenever he can and takes Kim and I out to dinner (a tradition we've had since freshman year, she's a good eater he always says). Although, he told me that he hasnt been answering my phone calls lately because it says "Money pit" on the caller ID when I call...how rude!

To sum up this very very long post (that is if any of you have made it all the way to the end) I'm a very lucky girl, even if my life is a little hectic right now. Things will turn around. RT's closes in 2 weeks and I aced 2 quizzes yesterday. HC is going to be an absolute blast and I can't wait to throw the biggest shindig this university has ever seen. Watch out everyone, Jen Larson is comin atcha!!

Smooches!!

p.s. That picture was taken of me running across clinton street and almost getting decked by a cambus!!

Stuck in the Middle With You

2006-01-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

"...Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you, and I'm wondering what it is I should do. It's so hard to keep this smile from my face. Losing control yeah I'm all over the place. Clowns to the left of me!Jokers to the right! Here I am stuck in the middle with you..." -Bob Dylan

This Weekend's Events as Follows:
*Had our Homecoming retreat yesterday at the IMU. I stuck all of the members in my council to the wall with duct tape during a little ice breaker excercise! They must think I'm nuts and can't believe that last year's coucil selected me as their executive director.

*Made enough money this weekend to buy my ticket for the spring break break concert Langerado!!!

*Explained to my roomies that due to frequent viewing of The Velvateen Rabbit as a child, it is very difficult for me to believe that my stuffed animals don't have real feelings.

*Sent a package to my girlfriend Abby who is currently doing health extension education for the peace corp in Madagascar. She is going to be there until December of 2007 and her dad is the one who got me the interview at West Liberty Foods...see what making a mix cd for someone can get you? She also wrote me this, "I live in a village with about 400 local Malagasy people. To answer many questions.. No, I've never seen a lemur. No, I've never seen sand. And no, I've never seen the ocean or even a coconut tree. It's summer here in the high plateau and sometimes I wear a scarf during the day and long underware at night... the movie lied! My village is called Antsampanimahazo and I am working on "Mother and Child Survivial". I have e-mail access once a month when I do my banking so e-mail and OF COURSE write me and send CDs, DVDs, oatmeal, books, and magazines!"

*Stayed up late on the phone with John! Ok, so perhaps things are going to work out between us. My buddies invited Jessa and I to join them on a weekend escapade out west so I can see him and she can see her bf Craig. Can hardly wait!! (See pic above, this is right when we found out we were going!!)

*Ok, I'm off to the lib. the only downside of having all Tues/Thurs classes is that they all seem to schedule quizzes on the same day. I have 4 back to back quizzes tomorrow and although I vowed not to step foot in the library until finals in May (because of how much time I spent there in December) it looks like I'm going to be spending the day in the reference section.

Smooches!!

Honkytonk Bedonkadonk

2006-01-28T10:01:00.000-08:00

"We don't care bout the drinkin' Barely listen to the band Our hands, they start a shakin' When she gets the urge to dance Drivin' everybody crazy You think you fell in love Boys, you better keep your distance You can look but you can't touch That honkey tonk badonkadonk Keepin' perfect rhythm Make ya wanna swing along Got it goin' on Like Donkey Kong And whoo-wee Shut my mouth, slap your grandma There outta be a law Get the Sheriff on the phone Lord have mercy, how's she even get them britches on That honky tonk badonkadonk..." -Trace Adkins

Had to work last night at RT's. Seeing as it was friday, the regulars were all still in the bar from happy hour. I'm talking 50 year olds dancing on the bar...you've never seen anything like it. But they tip well, so I don't much care where they dance. We had a band play last night. They are called the Topeka Shiners, from Cedar Rapids. They do great Beatles covers! The roomies came down and things got a little out of hand. Jess smooched the drummer, Kim fell over in front of the band, Kelsey was chill because Dan Lempa (her bf) was in town, and Christine was nuts as usual. She tried to hit on the drummer by having him autograph his drum stick (trust me, they are fun, but they don't play that well). By the end of the night we had the whole bar on the dance floor, all thanks to my beautiful roomies.

Long story short, the girls ended up staying til bar close and I told them that if they stayed they had to help me clean the bathrooms and then we can all go to afterhours together. (Bad idea!) They thought it sounded like a great idea at first. Jess did the porcelain and Christine swept. After they finished the girl's bathroom I told them to head into the boy's and that's when their jaws dropped. Jess walked in a screamed (trust me, there is definitely a funk coming from that bathroom) and Christine refused to do it (that is until I started sweeping and she told me that I didn't do a good enough job, took the broom away from me and finished it...so that's how reverse psychology works).

In any case, the girls headed to after hours at Nick's place and I quickly snuck out the back door. They were all tipsy and didn't realize that I wasn't with them. As they were making a munchie stop at the BP I made a quick dash for Alex's car. He drove me home and the night ended with a little peace and quiet and a bowl of velveeta shells and cheese. What could be more perfect?

Didn't get to sleep until around 3:30 and had to be at Chi O by 8:00am dressed for pin for initiation (in other words, showered with nice clothes on). Too bad I woke up at 8:15 still smelling like the bar and had to just throw on "heavenly" (i.e. white/light) clothes and run next door. I work a double shift tonight and am not looking forward to it, although I am using this weekend's cash to buy a ticket for the Langerado music festival (where Jess and I are going for spring break)...but that's another story in itself. Smooches!!

The Kiss

2006-01-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

"Well I can see you on the horizon like a storm that's soon to be and is it so bad to be in love with a memory of you smilin back at me and it was subtle but it was sexy. And I suppose I could you tell you how I feel, but even I don't know if it's really real...one day I'll show you so you can see the secret behind the mystery. You see baby it's like this, I think I kinda just want your kiss...you know love's just a hit and miss...and I suppose I could tell you how I feel, but see I'd rather play cool than keep it real..." -Tristan Prettyman

If you all couldn't tell by the titles of my posts, I'm really into music. My dream job is of course working for a record label or planning concert tours and festivals. I couldn't imagine anything more perfect. But I often find myself spending way too much time listening to music which gets me thinking about what's really going on in my life.

I had my first boyfriend when I was 17 (yes, I know I was a late bloomer, but come on, trying being 5' and overweight in high school, the boys don't come a runnin) and since then my love life has kind of been a complete rollar coaster ride. Over winter break I met an amazing man! And as wonderful as it is/was with him, it has completely flipped my semester upside down. I only got to spend 3 weeks with the guy until he had to go back to school. Our chemistry was absolutely fantastic, but try starting a long distance relationship after having spent less than a month with someone. Pretty impossible. And thus, here I sit writing about how great I think he is, sadly realizing that despite how wonderful things are/were between us, they probably won't ever materialize into anything. And like the song above, I'd love to tell him how I feel, but I'd rather be cool than keep it real. I probably shouldn't be sharing all of this with all of you, but the roomies are asleep and I don't have anyone else to talk to.

I guess there is one good thing that happened to me this week though, I did get an interview at West Liberty Foods, the turkey processing plant! whoo hoo!! Summer internship 2006!! Sounds exciting doesn't it? Well trust me, finding any job in Iowa is a pretty exciting thing. I love this place and I am willing to work practically anywhere in order to stay here. (Besides, I am very impressed with their recycling tactics!! It is a very earth friendly company!!) The interview is next friday, I'll keep y'all posted. Smooches and dream sweet! Heaven knows I'll be trying my best too.

Hound Dog

2006-01-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

"You ain't nothin but a hound dog crying all the time..." -Elvis

"Jen! Samson's going crazy!!"

These were the first words out of Jessa's mouth when she called me at work tonight. She and Kim were watching over our friend Ben's dog while the rest of us were out and about.

So I saw Ben in the IMU today and he asked if I could watch the dog while he was at night class. I knew I had to work tonight so I told him to give Jess a call, I know how much the girls love the dog. They wouldn't mind, right? (This after Samson peed on Christine's floor last night while I was helping Ben with his german homework.)

According to the girls, things started off fine. Jess took Samson for not just one, but two long walks trying to calm this 5 month old pitbull/lab pup down. (Coming over for a visit to the girls house can be a bit stressful. After all, Samson does live with 2 guys.) But as soon as Kim came through the door he went nuts running through the house and nipping at Kim's jeans and boots. Kim fed him some ham (unseasoned of course, one of Ben's main rules on feeding Samson people food) in hopes of giving him something besides her legs to chew on, while Jessa stood on the couch feeding him pieces of bread. I can only picture how this mid-sized harmless looking puppy had Jessa and Kim on our couches screaming as he terrorized through the house.

I left RT's, the townie bar where I work, with $15 bucks in my pocket! Oh yah, that's a pretty decent afternoon at RT's. (I'm sure you wanna know why I still work there, and I have to say that it's just the closest thing to Cheers that I've ever come across in my day. I love it there!) In any case, I walked into our house only to find Jessa and Kim curled up on the couches with Samson at their feet. They shot me "the look".

And the most important lesson I've learned today is that perhaps I shouldn't volunteer my roomies for Samson-sitting anymore.

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

2006-01-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

"What would you think if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song I will try to not sing out of key. Oh I get by with a little help from my friends..." -The Beatles

The night began as any other Saturday night. I was driving back from the Quad Cities where I was visiting the fam and Jessa called. I was going to get back into Iowa City around 7:45 and she informed me that "everyone" would be coming over around 8. That left me with exactly 15 minutes to find the perfect outfit...impossible!! We had decided to go to the Yacht Club seeing as our buddy's band, The Jenson Connection, was playing. We gathered in the living room around 9 (yes, I think most college students move in rewind...in other words, punctuality is not really our thing) and Christine started to throw a fit. 3 years ago she kissed the drummer of the band and there was no way we were going to get her to the Yacht Club. She blames it all on me, because he told her to call him and she asked me if she should and I told her yes. I mean honestly, why wouldn't I have told her to call him, he asked her too! Well Christine called him all right, and when he didn't answer she left him a message. He never called her back. I am not sure why she's embarrassed, he's the jerk for asking her to call and not answering. She's only seen him one other time since "the incident" as we were grocery shopping and she hid in the walk in freezer. Oh well, the only thing I can figure out is that there's more to the story than she's telling us. I still think it's all pretty humorous, but we decided to hit up the Atlas instead, better food, better martinis. However, Atlas is also 10x more expensive than anywhere else in town, hence the reason why I'm writing this blog on a Sunday afternoon instead of doing something fun, like going to a movie. I'm heading to the library after this, free cover!!

I realize that I'm only 22 and I have a lot of life left to live, but I found myself in a deep period of reflection last night. After the girls and I got to Atlas, it dawned on me how fast my college career has flown by. Just 4 years ago we were running to the Union without coats on for $1 pitchers, and now here we were just sipping on mixed drinks enjoying the pleasure of each other's company, rather than trying to get drunk and shakin it on the dance floor. What were we thinking back then?!

The boys started yelling at us because we were taking too many pictures, that is until Jessa said, "In 5 months we won't be able to take this picture." As sad as it is, it couldn't be more true. Life's short, so live it up and take as many pictures as possible. Needless to say, we took our time together very seriously last night. The night ended with us gathering back at 832 around 5 am with heaping bowls of spaghetti and meatballs. Delicious!

8 Days a Week

2006-01-20T12:56:00.000-08:00

"...I ain't got nothing but love babe 8 days a week..." - The Beatles

I never thought the week would end. Finally, I can sit back and relax dwelling on the first week of second semester of my senior year. Amen!! Although classes are going to be tough, I just know it's going to be a great semester. After all, even a blind squirrel has to find a nut sometimes. On Iowa, go me!

Ready to Run

2006-01-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

"I feel the wind blow through my hair I'm gonna be ready this time I'll buy a ticket to anywhere I'm gonna be ready this time You see it feels like I'm starting to care And I'm going to be ready this time Oh yeah Ready, ready, ready, ready...ready to run All I'm ready to do is have some fun..." - Dixie Chicks
So Jessa (front left), being the amazing influence that she is, has decided we will be running a "roomie half marathon" in Des Moines at the end of April!!! Holy Toledo!! Can i just say that I've never run more than 7 km in my entire life and that was when I was 9 and I ran the Bix with my cousin Kristen. I didn't even make it through the whole race without having to stop for a bathroom break! This thing is going to be a real stretch for me. We are great tailgators, why don't we stick to what we know? Jessa also informed me today that I have to be able to run 3 miles in a month. Possible? Yes. Am I excited? Heck no!! But I am going to do it just to prove to myself that I can. You only live once right? Besides, what could be cooler than running 13.1 miles with your best girl friends at your side? (Ok, a lot, but I am going to humor them and do it just this once.) The things you have to go through when your roomie is a personal trainer.

Hello, I love you won't you tell me your name...

2006-01-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

"Hello I love you won't you tell me your name Hello I love you let me jump in your game..." -The Doors

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live with 5 beautiful ladies their senior year of college in Iowa City? Well you're in luck. Just keep reading over the next semester and I promise you will not be disappointed.

The girls and I met freshman year of college. We all lived next door to one another on the 4200's of Burge. I met Kim first (third from the left). I thought that she was a total jerk and she of course thought I was the RA. Kim is from Prospect Heights, IL majoring in pre-optometry. Next we have Jessa (third from the right). I refer to her as cheese more often than not. She is a health promotions major from Dubuque, IA. I don't think that we really knew what to make of eachother either at first. Then we have Christine (second from the left), who we call Cake (because her last name is Hake and she likes to eat Cake). She's a firey red head majoring in history and pre-law. Although, we have recently learned that she'd like to be a historical consultant for tv shows like Rome. Last but not least, I live with a beautiful norwegian named Kelsey (blonde in the middle). She is a PR/Journalism major from Oak Park, IL. We like to refer to her as the Kelsenator.

You might be wondering who the other 2 lovely ladies are. We have Leah to the far left who lived with us until Junior year when she transferred to UNI. Casey, on the far right, is my roomie for next year. (You might recognize her from the campus access magazine...she was december's cover girl). As for me, I've decided to take a victory lap at the U of I and will be here for an extra semester while I complete my homecoming obligations.

There's always something crazy going on at our house. Now that you know the crew, I hope you'll keep stopping by to see what's new on Iowa Ave.

Smooches!!