Live From A Shoebox

The only thing to fear is...

2010-05-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

You probably won't look as happy as this guy.
...packing. I have three (count them, three!) short weeks of this semester left and I'm starting to think about it already. I don't know how, but even though I employ the strategy of sending home boxes of stuff whenever anyone comes to visit me, I still accumulate so much in my room that it is quite intimidating to even think about packing it all up for the summer.

So I'm planning on doing a few things to expedite the process:

1.) Start cleaning early. If you're like me, "important" papers, writing utensils, and other miscellaneous things build up in places like desk drawers. Clean these out early and often to recycle as much of that paper as possible (without, obviously, disposing of anything truly important like a passport application). I tend to keep materials from classes that I think may come in useful in one of my drawers, and going through those every 4-5 weeks is definitely helpful in cutting down on stuff I have to transport back at the end of the year. Yes, the map of Ancient Greece and the surrounding area on which I've marked important cities may be useful when I'm studying for my Golden Age final. No, the study guide from first-year religion isn't necessary.

2.) Stop adding anything as soon as possible. For me, this means I need to stop walking downtown and looking around at all the little boutiques and feeling like I can't leave a single store without buying at least a pair of earrings or a $10 sale rack shirt. For you, it may mean avoiding the GameStop or not stockpiling bottled water; I'm not here to judge, just stop accumulating more once you realize the end of the year is coming. For anything you're purchasing in the last few weeks, ask yourself, "Do I really need this in the next 21 days? Could I make do without it?" If you can make do without it (even if it means a mild to moderate inconvenience), do.

3.) I mentioned this before, but if you live within driving distance of your school and family members or friends come to visit you, send stuff home with them. Before a weekend visit pack a bag or box of stuff you won't need for the rest of the semester and ask your kindly friends and family to take it home for you. The same goes for if you take a visit home (bring stuff you can leave behind). Many trips of small amounts = better than one trip wherein you can barely fit in the car with all of your stuff.

4.) Clean up and keep things neat. If you are forced to put stuff away you'll realize what you don't need. If *stuff* is accumulating on your table, you may be covering stuff you don't need (empty pop can, granola bar wrapper) with stuff you do need (spiral notebook, textbooks - don't ask me how you cover a pop can with a text book; it could happen). So take a few hours on a weekend to clean up, and afterward keep things neat. Cleaning out your room on the last day or night when you're trying to pack up all your clothes and books and small furniture is not fun.

5.) Start packing up early even if you don't have visitors. If there are things you know you won't need in the last few weeks, box them up and get ready to pack them into the car or storage or wherever you are putting them. It will feel better later than packing everything up at once. And while we're on the subject, don't pay for your boxes. A lot of schools will start selling cardboard boxes in the bookstore for $3-5 a pop toward the end of the year, but convenient as this may be it's really not worth it. Keep boxes from packages you receive at school, even if only from textbook shipments, and use those instead. Or get your boxes from the communal cupboard of discarded cardboard. Ask around at your school; someone will be able to tell you where to find boxes.

That's all I've got for now. Anything I've left out? How do you organize your packing? Or are you one of those people who always has everything in its place and takes 7 minutes to pack?

*image courtesy scoutbase.org.uk

Roller Coaster, Favorite Ride....

2009-10-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

Author: Dorian

Date: October 27, 2009
Weather: Dark... night.
Mood: Confused, hypoglycemic, spacey.
Listening to: New (or newish) Madina Lake and Atreyu albums
Should be: Writing up application to work in the admissions office

Everything snowballed out of proportion this week. Feeling like I have few to no friends, blah blah boy issues, running out of food and money, a few exams and projects due on the same day, and to add icing to the disaster, my body's rebelling and my blood sugar levels have been crashing- today, I've gotten really close to passing out several times.

In summary.... COLLEGE IS HARD.

Also, some girls knocked on my door, waking me up for my nap, ogled how big my room was, told me I should be on America's Next Top Model, and then left. It was a giant 'whut' moment. I met with my advisor and talked about spring courses. I realized that I don't have any teachers who know me well enough to be my reference...

Damn, Dorian, stop being a downer....

Fall Break!

2009-10-18T14:00:00.001-07:00

I feel somewhat cheated. Fall break at Wilson (my former school) was a week; here it's three days. Well, really it's just that we have Monday and Tuesday off next week...for me this translates to:

Friday: Drive home after class (3:00 to around 10:00 or 11:00)
Saturday, Sunday, Monday: Home
Tuesday: Drive back to school (depending on logistics, I could leave as early as 7 or as late as 1.)

It's going to be super-short but I'm still psyched to come home. I'm planning on visiting fellow Shoebox author Emily, too, on Sunday, which should be fun!!

I feel like these past couple weeks have just been building up Fall Break in my mind -- I need to remind myself that it's really not that long. It will be nice to be home, but I'll have to leave basically as soon as it gets comfortable again. But I'm hoping to stay ahead on homework this week so that I can get everything done before I leave -- if not before I leave than in the car on the way home since I'll only be driving for about half the time.

In preparation for break I've been cleaning our room this week -- dusting, vacuuming, getting rid of any accumulations of unnecessary papers, etc. It's pretty tidy at the moment, which is awesome. Personally, I can't stand the thought of leaving mess in my room while I'm away. It's kind of silly really because when I'm here stacks of books or papers can sit on the floor for days without me really noticing or caring.

I'm hoping to get a lot of things accomplished over break -- among them shopping for a few things I can't get around here and finding a better sleep schedule. But planning for break is kind of getting in the way of doing what I need to do this week -- which is quite a bit.

I still need to meet with my advisor to figure out second semester and interim classes, study for and take a mid-term in two classes, revise a paper for credit, and do a lot of reading and general homework.

I'm still looking forward to the time off -- even if it is just a few days.

Going Home

2009-10-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm going home this weekend to see my family and my girlfriend--before I went off to college, there was a lot of discussion about how often it would be okay for me to come back, how often was too soon, etc. My girlfriend and I decided that once a month visits would be okay, and we'll see how that works out. There are people at my school that live near here, so they are able to go home as often as they want. Granted, I am a four hour bus ride from home, so I am able to go home more often than someone from, say, China, but it is still a bit annoying to hear someone say breezily: "Oh, I'm going home for the weekend, I live 20 minutes away." I'd love to be able to do that. Of course, it's a good experience for me to be far enough away that I'm self-sufficient for the first time, but it would be nice to just go home, drop laundry off, and come back. Unless I want to send my laundry through the mail and deal with the shipping costs, that's not happening.
Also, I got a letter today from my girlfriend today and I don't think that things are going well with her--I feel really helpless up here and frustrated. Stuff would be happening even if I were there, but it would be more convenient to see her and maybe things would be easier. However, I don't know that. I'm going to stick this out and see how it goes. Even so, I am looking to seeing my mom and my brother again--also, the internet will be way faster.

2 + 1 =/= 3?

2009-10-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

Living with two other human beings is no joke. In addition to keeping things cool between yourself and one person, you have to worry if the other two are having disagreements, if one of them will try to pull you in on their side, or if you should just stay the hell away. There's also the slight issue of having no private time.....

Having said that, there may or may not be drama brewing between roomies #2 and 3. If I mention it too much here, I won't be able to link to this blog from facebook, which is pretty much how we get readers, so I'm not sure I want to go into detail.

.... damn I miss private time.

Well I Guess This Is Growing Up...

2009-10-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

Author: Dorian

Date: October 4, 2009
Weather: No idea. It's 4 pm and I haven't left the room yet. Roomie looked out the window and said it was raining.
Mood: Oddly energetic
Listening to: Blink-182 "Dammit" which I just learned how to play
Should be: Pretending to have a social life

Ok, so this is going to be a completely unfocused, rambly entry. First I'll tie in the title/ Blink lyrics: I was talking to a friend about affording gas for her car, and I asked "isn't it great to be a grown-up?" and I think yes, yes it is. We do have some stressful stuff to go through, like paying for gas and bills when we live off-campus, or food and books regardless of where we live, and making friends and not getting drunk, but all in all, I say it's so much better than living under mommy's shadow!

Next I'd like to make a list of all the crap that's in my bed. For your amusement and also in hopes that it will make me clean it out. My bed is lofted, so it's a good 7 feet off the ground, so it's annoying to transfer stuff from my desk area to my bed, not to mention I spend most of the time I'm in my room up on my bed.

2 Pillows, 1 Blanket, 1 Comforter, 1 Sheet, 1 teddy bear (shush)

Computer Charger/Computer, Game Boy charger/ game boy, cell phone charger/ cell phone

2 pairs of headphones

Hoodie

2 water bottles- 1 of water, 1 of ice

1 guitar (Yes, it is up here just now because I just learned to play a new song, but if I'm too lazy to move it back down, it will live up here for a few days)

2 seasons of Entourage

1 dvd binder

Plate/cup/empty popcorn bag (gross)

Essentials kit that I packed last night when I didn't know how long I'd be out (wasn't that long, I was back around midnight, which is kind of lame considering the hours Emily and Liberty have been pulling...)

Contents of essentials kit: ipod, keys, birth control (you have to take the pill at the same time every day, I made the mistake of choosing 11:11 at night, so now I have to carry it with me when I go out), sharpies, lighter, mouthwash, chapstick, gum, candy, painkillers, another thing of lip balm, ok that's it)

a lamp (just found this down by the foot of the bed, I thought I took it out a while ago...)

OH MAN THIS ENTRY HAD NO POINT!

Last night I went to a hippie/anarchist house party. They played folk music and drank homebrew. I was scared.

Random Stuff (trying to make friends)

2009-09-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Author: Liberty
Date: September 28, 2009
Weather: Drizzling and damp, but sort of warm...
Mood: Lazy but content
Listening to: Panic at the Disco
Should be: Doing my Psych notecards

I'm into my fourth week of classes and starting to get into the swing of things, hopefully. I'm trying to go to clubs to try to meet new people--I'm a member of the Sci-Fi Club and the anti-homophobia club, both of which seem to have pretty awesome people. I don't go out to parties or anything, so I think that that puts a bit of a damper on my making friends, but I am trying to go out and do things. Last Saturday, I went to an anime convention with a friend and that was a lot of fun. And I'm trying to put myself out there and not hide in my room, which I can tend to do (well, I'm doing it right now, but it is rainy and miserable.).

Classes aren't that stressful yet, but I have the feeling that work is going to start kicking in soon. I'm trying to keep ahead of my assignments, but the internet is so distracting sometimes. Plus, I really don't want to do my Psychology notecards, even though I know that they're a good idea. Oh, and I got a 74 on my first Astronomy homework, but as I'm not the best at science, that doesn't bother me as much as it maybe should. There's a quiz day after tomorrow, but it's open-notes.

Sometimes I can be really anti-social and hide from people. I'm trying not to, but it's very easy to just stay in my room and watch movies. Also, I'm going down to VA on October 16th, which I'm really looking forward to, as I'm hopefully seeing my girlfriend on the 17th. :D
Anyway, I actually should do those notecards, as much as I don't want to.

The Beginning

2009-09-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Author: Emily
Date: Sept 28
Weather: Cold & windy
Mood: Weird
Listening to: Haste the Day
Should be: Getting ready to go back to school

So I've officially been in college for only a week, and already life has become one giant whirlwind. I've broken up with my boyfriend of a year and a half (and simultaneously watched him hook up with someone a few days later). There's new faces, new people, new ideas everywhere. But yet, even in the span of the week, I've become incredibly close to those in my house. Most nights are spent stumbling into the lounge drunk by 3am and then sitting around having impromptu singalong sessions or making waffles or attempting to order pizza and so forth. Most days I'm asleep by 6am and waking up around 10am.

O-Week here is crazy, and it's meant to be. Everyone recognizes that once classes start it'll be time to buckle down, so for the entire week all frat parties were free. (Except for Friday's Blackout and Saturday's Dis-Orientation) A rundown of a few things to keep in mind about frat parties:

-Most of them are disgusting. Some smell vaguely like an unidentified mix of urine and vomit and others simply reek. Wearing close toed shoes is a must, unless you'd like to see your feet covered in what can only be described as "gunk" at the end of the night.

-In terms of dress, too dressy and you label yourself as a first year trying too hard, but not dressy enough and you simply don't fit in. Jeans are useful for their pocket space + a nice top should do it.

-Stick with jungle juice if it's an option, or a few shots. Most often the beer is disgusting, sticky, and nasty. Frat guys are cheap asses.

-Be prepared to be spilled on, be sticky, hot, sweaty, and crowded. Some people thrive off this, others would rather die.

-Don't even try to go upstairs unless you're a girl. Seriously. It's not gonna happen. And as someone who's made it up there, the "party" rooms are simply a group of fourth year frat guys sitting in a circle taking shots with first years and blasting some form of hip hop.

-Obviously, dancing is fun, and what people mostly do. I find dancing in a circle with a group of friends to be the best. If a guy comes up behind you and starts grinding on you (it WILL happen) you don't have to take it, just make it clear you are ignoring him and make your way over to the other side of the circle.

-In terms of dancing, back to back is great, but I personally enjoy front to front. However, this may occasionally give a guy opportunity to stick his tongue down your throat in the middle of a conversation on computer science as a major. (Yes, this did happen) I immediately pulled away, muttered something about finding my friend, and ran.

-If you are dancing with a guy you simply no longer want to stay with, grab one of your girlfriends and "go to the bathroom" with her.

-Don't even try to play beer pong as a girl. Badbadbad. Instead, watch the guys play and mock them. Flip cup is a better game.

-Make friends with the frat guys. They are useful people to know. Or, even better, make friends with that one girl who knows all the frat guys.

-Know your limits. This is probably the most important - already I've seen half my housemates throw up or embarrass themselves in some way. Give yourself a limit, and stick with it.

Most of all, it's about having fun, meeting people, lowering inhibitions, what have you. However, always go with a group, and keep tabs on each other. Keep each other safe and make sure everyone gets back (or where they're going to) in one piece.

The phenomenon of the First Semester Boyfriend

2009-09-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Author: Dorian
Date: Sept 21
Weather: Rainy
Mood: A little pissed, not going to lie
Listening to: Breaking Benjamin
Should be: Finishing my makeup and doing Chinese or Accounting or Math homework.

Ok, so Emily can inform us of the perils of continuing a high-school relationship through college (statistically, they don't last past November, although my roommate's high-school boyfriend proposed to hear last night) but I arrived at college 90% single. Bored (and still single) one day, I read, perhaps on collegecandy.com or one of the other great college advice websites out there targeted mostly towards females, about something called a "first-semester boyfriend."

Turns out that a lot of students cling to the first attractive person that talks to them when they arrive at school. However, the article's general consensus was that this is actually QUITE a bad idea.

Here are some reasons why getting into a relationship as soon as you get on campus is not a good plan:

-It takes up a lot of time that could be used for studying/partying.

-You will make less friends. Seriously, if you want alone time with your significant other, you're not going to be socializing with the kids in your classes, you're just gonna be counting down the minutes until you see your cutie.

-One of my friends said "I'm at my coolest when I'm single." I don't know if it's because we focus more on the impression we give others, or if we have more time to spend with our friends, but I kind of agree with him.

-You'll still be adjusting to living in the dorm, eating in the cafeteria, and classes. Do you need to try to keep another human being happy on top of all that? Be constantly evaluating the relationship, wondering if it's going anywhere?

-When the breakup happens (and it will happen) you'll want time to recover, but time is really at a premium in college. You need to be doing schoolwork or extra-curriculars, even though you just want to sit in your room and listen to Breaking Benjamin.

Now, take this with a grain of salt. If you're one of those romantics who believes that there's one person out there meant for them, sure, you might meet that person your first semester of college! My advice for that, however, is take it sloooooowwwwwww, get to know them realllllyyy well, &etc before dating. (The original article that I read suggested making out with random people, but frankly I don't agree with that one...)

To authors: Liberty, would you mind writing a few words or leaving a comment about your love life, how's that going? and Emily.... if you feel ready?

To anyone who cares: Yes, I was dumped via text message last night. Chocolate, etc, can be sent directly to my dorm, haha! No, for realz, I'm fine. =]

If it weren't for my boyfriend, I'd probably be malnourished.

2009-09-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

Author: Dorian
Date: Sept 11
Weather: Sunny and warm.
Mood: Really psyched to see Chevelle, Mudvayne, and Alice in Chains this afternoon =]
Listening to: people talking in Miss Congeniality, which I'm watching, haha.
Should be: Nothing! Thank God, it's my weekend.

Okay.... so now that I've been at school for... three weeks or so? I've gotten used to the dining options here on campus and let me just say, I am not too psyched at the concept of living (and eating) here on campus for the next three and a half years. Hopefully I'll get an apartment and have my own kitchen my junior and senior years because...

Aside from dinner at my boyfriend's house three out of the last five nights, I can't remember the last time I ate a square meal.

Boys and girls, this is not good! When you're at college, your health and nutrition are still important! With stress and lack of sleep, your immune system is not as healthy as it could be. Soo... let's break out our old friend, the food pyramid!

Ok, so let's look a little closer. If you eat cereal for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and a hamburger for dinner... WHERE ARE YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES? Seriously, kids, eat a salad every once and a while. My rule of thumb for what's "healthy" is that the less it's been touched by human hands, the healthier it is. Twinkies? Hot dogs? what are those even MADE of? I'm sure each author of this blog has their own opinion on what's good to eat, but do keep your mind on what you're putting into your body. You don't want to be missing some of your college experience because you didn't eat right :)

First Week of Classes

2009-09-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

Author: Liberty
Date: September 11, 2009
Weather: Cold and rainy
Mood: Calm, little stressed
Should be: Doing my reading
Listening to: A.C. Newman: Homemade Bombs in the Afternoon

The first week of classes is over for me and I'm not changing my schedule or dropping any classes, like I know a lot of people are. I'm pretty content with my schedule and the fact that I don't have any classes on Friday, which allowed me to sleep until noon today, although I'm still tired. There's work to do already and reading and a little 2 paragraph thing due in my Sociology class, but I'll get that done.
I drew myself a motivational cheering section, which actually really helped when I felt like giving up on my Psych reading.
Oddly enough, the class that I wasn't that excited about, my sociology class, is actually the one that's interesting me the most. We're talking about suicide for the first two weeks of class, and it's really fascinating and making me think about stuff in different ways, which I guess is what college is for.
Also, I'm learning how to stick to a budget, which I'm adapting to, and I'm trying to figure out when to go back down and visit. People go out and I'm such a hiding-in-my-room type of person, but I'd rather be in my room that out really late at night--if I go to bed later than 11, I am so tired the next day. I'm an odd teenager.
Anyway, for those of you who've had your first week of classes, how have they been? People who haven't, what are you looking forward to? What are you using for motivation?

All moved in!

2009-09-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Weather: Dark and a lovely 58 degrees.
Mood: Alright!
Listening to: "Jump" -- Van Halen
Should be: Just about leaving for the bonfire and/or sleeping.

Well I'm finally here!

Thursday (the day before I left) was all about packing for me

As you can see it was all SUPERIMPORTANTSTUFF!

The good news is despite all those shoes I need barely any room for them because of this magical device:

...which unfolds to become:

It really is quite magical.

So aside from showing you my shoes, which I'm sure was entirely necessary, I can give you a quick summary of events up to this point (though now it is midnight and alas, at some point, I do need sleep).

I arrived on campus first Friday night, and only stayed on campus long enough to sign up for a keyboard screening (required to start the major here) and check out the listing for handbell auditions...but I digress; music geekdom is not entirely necessary here.

Saturday morning I actually moved in (between my orchestra audition and "Welcome Transfers!" presentation). Since I am lame and do not feel like chronicling my surely amazing adventures is worth losing sleep, I will merely share with you some pictures; I apologize in advance for the mess -- still kind of getting settled in...

You can see my awesome lamp in this one!

"Bookshelf as nightstand" is a winning proposition...

Closet door...

...and open!

And finally, me with stuff (to show relative size?)

As you can probably tell, my roommate isn't here yet...She'll be showing up tomorrow since she's not a transfer student.

Start here bar :)

2009-09-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

Ok fellow authors, I'd like to make a sidebar that has super brief bios of each of our living situations. Hopefully we'll be getting some readers aside from ourselves/Shelly/Sabeen, and they might be too busy to go find the intro pages.

Follow my example? Thanks! :)

STUFF.

2009-09-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Mood: Stircrazy!
Listening to: Aside - The Weakerthans

As of today, I have 16 days to go before I officially move in. This makes it rather difficult to show pictures of my dorm all decked out, or to complain about classes or the food or well, anything. It does mean, however, that I have a lot of time on my hands, which has so far been filled with useful things such as TV-watching and baking cookies. Since I'm not there quite yet, I figured I would show the assortment of items, varying in usefulness, with which I plan to fill my room with once I arrive.

My wonderfully soft shag rug, 70's sitting cube that doubles as storage and a conversational piece (albeit a short conversation), and my black bookcase, which has yet to be assembled, so I'm afraid you'll have to turn your head sideways and squint at the picture on the box.

Within this mass is most of my toiletries, as well as such exciting purchases as laundry detergent and shampoo.

Yes, I did take a picture of my Kleenex boxes, because they are absolutely fucking spectacular. I mean, seriously, aside from the cute print and all, they are ovular. (Rectangles are rectangular, and thus ovals are ovular, don't question it. Spell check agrees with me, though I have a feeling not for the same reason)

My lovely bed in a bag. Well, technically, it's merely a duvet in a bag because I'm rather miserly and chose not to purchase new sheets. I did however splurge for the "gel" mattress pad, which will hopefully keep my ass sufficiently cushioned against those harsh dorm mattresses.

Decorational accents I suppose would be the best label? The standard issue bulletin board, push pins, and of course command strips to fill my walls - I can't stand blank whiteness staring down at me. Don't forget the magnetic miniature calculator for my fridge (because I will, of course, be hit with the sudden need to compute just as I'm reaching for a water bottle).

"Storage" items, including my stackable storage cubes! (Well, slightly stackable, the picture made it seem far easier than it actually is) Also, please note the CD case which I will certainly use for everything other than CDs and only purchased because it matched the brown and turquoise colour scheme I accidentally started. Not to mention, my "recharging" station, which once again was bought merely because I thought it was cute. As you can probably tell, my miserly nature extends only so far.

School supplies! For, you know, studying. And stuff. Yeah.

I am in love with this floor lamp. Seriously. If humans and floor lamps could procreate, I would have its babies in two seconds. Also, check it - fuzzy purple cow piggy bank. What could possibly kick more ass?

And just because they were lying around, my new electric (well, new to me, my boyfriend gave me his old one) and my new-ish acoustic (once again, about 15 years old in reality, but it only recently found its way into my possession).

And thus finishes my small tour of my dorm-to-be. Until next time!

My one major issue with packing

2009-09-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Weather: Clear and cool
Mood: Somewhat restless and a bit anxious about auditions on Saturday
Listening to: "The Boxer" - Carbon Leaf
Should be: Possibly sleeping. I need to get back to some semblance of a normal sleeping pattern.

This entry is alternatively titled, "The 32 books I'm bringing to school," because I'm sure I could live without them -- but they're the ones coming with me for whatever reason.

I have a lot of issues with packing, but the biggest one is definitely about books. This is mostly because:

- I really like books
- Books are heavy, even in paperback
- I really like books
- It's sometimes more about having an actual physical book in my hands than it is about the content -- e-books are unreadable to me.
- Books take up quite a bit of space.
- Have I mentioned I really really like books?

I was raised in a house with bookshelves everywhere -- two in my brothers' room, two in my sister's room, two (after a period of time in which I tried to cram all my books onto one) in my room, and three or four in my parents' room...plus ceiling-high bookshelves all around the perimeter of our great room. Books have surrounded me practically since birth; I can't imagine living without them. And not just one or two -- many.

That being said, here are the books that -- for one reason or another -- are coming with me this first semester:

1. Windy City by Scott Simon -- This book is coming with me for the simple reason that I am currently reading it. It may not come with me if I finish it in the next few days, but it is looking less and less likely. I also love this book because its casual mentions of different streets, districts, and even restaurants downtown remind me of home and I think I'll appreciate having it around.

2. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke -- After its being recommended to me by both my older brother and my cousin, this book had to be purchased and brought with me to school. Though Tyler is reportedly not a fan of the ending, he is rarely satisfied with a book and I am thoroughly looking forward to it.

3. & 4. About a Boy and A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby -- I absolutely adore Nick Hornby's books. There's really not much more to say about these choices. They're the two that I read least recently (does that make sense?) so I'm bringing them as possibly comfort food for mid-semester doldrums.

5. Project 17 by Laura Faria Stolarz -- The Blue is for Nightmares series was fun enough, and Bleed, while quite strange and ultimately not at all satisfying, was still somewhat intriguing, so I'm giving Project 17 a shot. We'll see how this one goes. It's a short read in any case, so even if I don't really like it I'll finish it quickly.*

6. The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle -- If it is possible, I enjoyed this novel even more than his Sherlock Holmes stories. It is a must-have at school, if only to loan out whenever I find a poor depraved soul that hasn't read it. Plus it's such a pretty colour with such a pretty cover illustration that it simply has to come with me.

7.-9. Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, and Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede -- The only reason Talking to... is not on this list is because I loaned it out a couple years ago and never got around to retrieving or replacing it. These books are pure fun and cleverness, distilled and printed on the page. 'Nuff said.

10. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien -- Unlike most of the people I know who have this book at school, I am not bringing it with me out of some deep-seated love for Tolkien (I have not, in fact, ever finished a work by the man). I simply have not read it yet. In January of 2008, when I started a list of 101 things to do in the next 1001 days (sort of a fun group of many small to mid-size resolutions), reading The Hobbit was one of them. I'd like to have it done by December, so in the box it goes.

11.-15. Assorted Novels by John Grisham -- Yes, I confess, I read John Grisham novels. Let the belittling commence! Seriously though, the good thing about these books is they keep my brain numb and away from boredom. They're long and the plots are somewhat complex so if I have nothing else to do at school, I'll be able to read them. Plus they're kind of fun -- even if nearly all of them end almost exactly the same way. Yay Grisham Novels!

16. The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek -- This is coming with me for quite a few reasons. I loved this book. I didn't really expect to. It was recommended to me by a friend as her favorite book of all time...and it was pretty fantastic. It has become one of those books that I like to have around merely for them to sit on my shelf and look pretty (and/or be awesome).

17. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah -- This one doesn't elicit much of an explanation. I found it in the book store; it looked interesting. I got it to bring to school. I haven't read it or reviews of it or gotten comments from friends yet, so my mind is a blank slate where it's concerned. I'll probably tackle it late in the semester.

18. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger -- I started reading this book out of the misguided notion that I remembered it being recommended by Emily (yes, one of our other authors). It turned out I was mistaken and had heard about it from someone else. Upon discovering this, I promptly stopped reading the book (because it was kind of irking me anyway). It's been driving me even more crazy ever since. As noted, I cannot cannot cannot not finish books. So it's in the box.

19. A Gentleman of Leisure by P.G. Wodehouse -- Wodehouse was recommended to me long ago by a friend. I haven't read this yet, but am looking forward to it.

20.-22. Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter, and Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay -- These are some of the few books that I need to have with me at (pretty much) all times. I left them at home while I was in Europe, but other than that we haven't been parted since I bought them. I devour them like candy when they come out and bemoan the seemingly too long gaps in between releases. Dexter by Design comes out in a week and I could not be more psyched!

23. & 24. Thief of Time and The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett -- The one Terry Pratchett novel I've read, I enjoyed thoroughly. I have no idea why I've had these two for awhile and still haven't read them. They're in the box so I finally will.

25. & 26. Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris -- I've heard quite a bit about these books from my sister and various friends. I'm finally borrowing her copies to stumble through at school. Some laughs would be nice mid-semester, yeah.

27. "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" and Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph. D. -- I found this on my sister's desk (which she uses as -- you guessed it -- yet another bookshelf) and it looked interesting...I only had 2 other non-fiction books so it hopped in the box!

28. & 29. Et si c'était vrai... and Toutes ces choses qu'on ne s'est pas dites by Marc Lévy -- French novellas, these two will hopefully help me keep my language skills up. They also sound like fun books plot-wise, and Marc Lévy comes to me heavily recommended.

30. Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers by J.K. Rowling (French Translation) -- Ditto above, except obviously I've read this in English so it should be very easy to comprehend and I might pick up some more vocab!

31. Par le feu by Viviane Moore -- another French novel. This one is a bit intimidating, but hopefully I can get through it? We'll see how that goes.

32. Les Récrés de Petit Nicolas by Jean-Jacques Sempé, illustrated by René Goscinny -- Already the proud owner of the first in this series, Le Petit Nicolas, I picked up Les Récrés... while I was in Paris. Petit Nicolas books are collections of somewhat humorous and cute stories about Petit Nicolas, a young schoolboy, and his friends. This is for some light French reading, to remind me that not everything written in French is as gnarled as Par le feu.

Well there you have it folks! This is a lot of books compared to what I brought to Wilson last year -- but hopefully that means I will buy fewer while at school, and this semester I have an adorable little bookshelf to put them all on! (and I measured already -- they fit).

Mentioning my bookshelf brings me to a quick tip that anyone leaving for school should be aware of: Hold off on assembling any furniture, lamps, etc. until you get to school. They are generally much easier to transport in boxes and should only require a hammer and maybe a screwdriver to put together. In order to tackle the problem of not having a physical bookshelf to test my books in, I simply measured them all, separated into three piles, to make sure they would fit on my three shelves, and voilà -- no harm done!

I hope those of you at school are settling in well; those of us that still need to leave -- let's get to packing!

-------
*This is another thing to know about me, I never ever can start a book and NOT finish it. Even if, after 50 or so pages, I've decided I despise all the characters, the plot, and the writing style, I still keep reading. Because the only thing worse than reading a bad book is only reading part of one.

All Moved in and Everything

2009-09-01T05:13:00.001-07:00

I moved into my dorm yesterday--it's the first time living away from home for me, and the transition seems okay so far. My college has a good system for moving in and unpacking was easier than I was expecting, although I did have two people helping me (my mom couldn't get a parking space and had to drive back to the hotel and then take a taxi back, so by the time she reappeared, we'd already gotten everything together.) And may I say that my posters look quite nice?

Things that went better than I expected: moving in, putting everything away, meeting my roommate (who seems really nice), saying goodbye.

Things that went differently than expected: Saying goodbye (the person I expected to cry didn't and the person I thought wouldn't cry did), this whole thing.

This really is like a larger version of my high school, right down to having convocation and candle-lighting ceremonies. I think that it's an all-girl's school thing, all of the candles and heart-felt speeches and goofy skits and a school song sung in very high-pitched voices, too high even for me to reach and people whooing randomly. It really reminds me of high school, just with more people and more things to do everywhere. I think that I'm finally in a place where it will be very hard for me to actually be bored. I am so happy to be out of the suburbs, nice as they are.

For those at home.

2009-08-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

So it is currently a Monday evening, around 5PM. According to their Facebook statuses/Twitter updates/what-have-you, the majority of my friends have just finished with their classes for the day, and are continuing in the process of settling into college life. At this point, most of them have met their roommate, their floormates, their classmates, and started to form friendships with these people. They’ve done their laundry, written a paper or two, gotten drunk, and attended varying types of parties ranging from foam to toga. All in all, it’s fair to say that everyone I’ve been in contact with in the past few weeks has undergone a radical change in their life, and are at the very least excited for the possibilities ahead.

But guess what? I’m sitting in the same room I’ve been sitting in since I moved into this house years ago, and I will continue to do so for the next 20 days. And you know what? It SUCKS. There, I was blunt, I said it. Quarter system, you can go screw yourself. That said, for those few of us left behind, there are still many things to be done to help keep us busy.

Create care packages for those already at college. I’ve collected several of my friends’ addresses and am currently burning several mixes and accumulating odd items I hope they will find either ridiculously pointless or useful.

Start packing and getting lists together of what you need. I’ve already done most of my dorm shopping, but I know I’m still in need of several toiletry items. Obviously, I can’t exactly pack away all my clothes yet or things I use daily, but I can begin to organize and assemble, that way I’m less likely to forget something when the time comes.

Focus on eating well and getting some exercise. Well, I’m trying. I’ll start this… tomorrow.

Get together what you plan to decorate your room with. I’ve created a folder and as I go through my old magazines and see something I like, I tear it out and put it in. That way, when I actually get to my dorm, I’ll have stuff to put up right away.

Correspond with your roommate. Whether it be via Facebook, email, or the good old-fashioned telephone, get in touch with your roommate. Discuss things such as what each of you will be bringing, (is a giant LCD really necessary?) your sleeping schedules, and even views on college life.

Tidy up your life. I know that sounds vague, but what I really mean is tie off all those loose ends we tend to leave hanging around. Finish that project you were never able to, or finally clean your room and toss all those old papers from sophomore year. Use this extra time to its fullest.

And, on that note, relax. Once college starts, I know I won’t have much time to myself to simply kick back and watch several episodes of Flight of the Conchords. Now is the time to bore myself to tears with relaxation.

As for my preparation? Well, so far I have managed to acquire a 5-bulb multi-coloured floor lamp, large fuzzy shag rug, a padded sitting cube with 70's print that kicks major ass, and a sundry assortment of other useless items (oval shaped Kleenex boxes?! heck yes) that mean I will look ridiculous in comparison to everyone else. Yay for materialism.

The heavily recommended but not mandatory roommate meeting.

2009-08-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

Author: Dorian
Date: Aug 26
Weather: Haven't been outside, but I think it's hot and humid. It's NASHVILLE.
Mood: Anticipating classes this afternoon
Listening to: "This is How it Goes" by Billy Talent
Should be: Calling or texting boys to meet up for lunch

Well, I've moved in and made friends and even developed a crush on an adorable guitarist, but I'll save that for later, yes? For now, I want to talk about something my roommates and I did last night. After our mandatory hall meeting where our RA discussed the rules (what to do in a fire alarm, no two-pronged extension cords, only hang stuff with 3M removable tabs, no boys in the dorm after midnight on weekdays and 1 on weekends, etc) she suggested that we have a ("heavily recommended, but not mandatory") roommate meeting and discuss a list of potential issues.

There was a "Roommate Agreement" in our ResLife handbook, so I'm gonna summarize it for anybody who reads this. These things are actually really important to discuss with people you're living with!

-SLEEP: What time do you go to sleep, when do you wake up, do you expect the lights to be off when you're trying to sleep, do you mind people talking quietly when you're trying to sleep?

-STUDYING: Are you going to be studying in the dorm, how much and when, do you require silence or background noise, do you mind people talking or playing video games while you're trying to study? [Note;there are people who think it's ok to study with heavy metal blasting and somebody playing drunken poker 10 feet away, and people who can only get studying done in ABSOLUTE SILENCE]

-CLEANLINESS: How neat do you want the room to be, does it offend your roommates if you don't make your bed, who takes out the garbage, are you going to recycle, if you have a bathroom, who's in charge of cleaning what, when, and how do you want to decorate the room?

-PERSONAL STUFF: Can people borrow your stuff, which stuff, when, do they have to ask first, can they eat your food, are you willing to share clothes/school books/ cd collections/etc? [In general, and I know this is common sense, but you seriously should inform your roommates that you are a chill person as long as they ASK PERMISSION FIRST. Set the example and ALWAYS ask permission, even if you've borrowed their Accounting book six times, ask before borrowing it, and expect them to do the same. Be polite and firm.]

-GUESTS: When can you/your roommate have visitors in the room, what about male visitors, what about overnight visitors, should you set a maximum number of people in the room at any one time?

-QUIET HOURS: how quiet is quiet, when will you listen to music out loud, when will you listen to the tv?

-CONFLICTS: How do you deal with conflict, how do you expect to be talked to if you've done something 'wrong,' at what point should the RA get involved?

-OTHER: Make sure to discuss locking the door, knocking, spending time with roommates, and negotiate 'alone time' if you are one of those people who needs to be alone.

Discuss your opinions with your roommate(s) about ALL these topics and I will gurantee that your roommateship will go a LOT smoother than if you just say 'ok we're living together let's not kill eachother I'm gonna go see my boyfriend now bye'. It may seem a little nerdy or whatever, but find a compromise on each of these points and you won't be stuck halfway through the semester saying "Wait, I thought we were going to lock the door" when your laptop has been stolen or "Um, guys, I'd really like to sleep" when there are 5 boys in your room at midnight or "could you please stop brushing your hair by my bed!" when there are little blonde hairs on your pillow and you are DEFINATELY a brunette.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? My roommates and I seem to be getting along swimmingly, but then again, I've only been here a few days...

Schedule

2009-08-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

I found my schedule--no classes on Friday! I'm trying to get my math/science requirement out of the way as soon as possible, which is why I'm taking astronomy. Monday looks like it's going to be a late day, though.

Fall 2009 Schedule by Day
Day	Time	Location	Class	Begin-End
Mon	11:00am-12:15pm	327 MILBANK	INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY	09/08/09-12/14/09
	1:10pm-2:25pm	202 ALTSCHUL	LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE	09/08/09-12/14/09
	7:00pm-10:00pm	RTBA	ASTRONOMY LAB I	09/08/09-12/14/09

Tue	9:10am-10:25am	310 FAYERWEATHER	THE SOCIAL WORLD	09/08/09-12/14/09
Tue	4:10pm-5:25pm	404 BARNARD	ANIMALS IN TEXT & SOCIETY	09/08/09-12/14/09

Wed	11:00am-12:15pm	327 MILBANK	INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY	09/08/09-12/14/09
Wed	1:10pm-2:25pm	202 ALTSCHUL	LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE	09/08/09-12/14/09

Thr	9:10am-10:25am	310 FAYERWEATHER	THE SOCIAL WORLD	09/08/09-12/14/09
Thr	4:10pm-5:25pm	404 BARNARD	ANIMALS IN TEXT & SOCIETY	09/08/09-12/14/09

Picture Post!

2009-08-22T12:47:00.001-07:00

I'm crunched for time for a lot of good reasons, so I'm gonna let the pictures speak for themselves.

More later, I promise!

Rock on,

Dorian

Things to stock up on

2009-08-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Weather: Semi-cloudy and a bit of wind. Nothing all that interesting.
Mood: I'm a bit tired, but doing okay.
Listening to: Cali (dog) eating...quite loudly.
Should be: I'm sure there's something.

There are some things I nearly always have in my dorm room. They're useful, particularly in a dorm setting where your room is your only room. It functions as your bedroom, kitchen, dining room, and study...so here are a few things that I find indispensable for keeping yourself sane in that type of situation.

-Good Breakfast There are going to be times that you don't get to the dining hall for breakfast. This may be because you want your extra 15 minutes of sleep, because you sleep through your alarm, because you have to finish up a paper in the morning, or because you just can't stand the over-done Friday-morning biscuits. In any case, you need something that's quick to eat in the mornings and still somewhat healthy. Something like Quaker Breakfast Cookies, or some kind of granola bars.

Mmmm....breakfast cookies!

Or oatmeal if you have an electric kettle. Also, if you have a fridge I'd keep a carton of milk around (or soy milk, or rice milk, or no milk if you'd prefer water or juice -- see below).

If you have a fridge... invest in a water filter pitcher. Around 3 filters will get you through two semesters at school, and a 3-pack on amazon is only $14. (Pitchers themselves range from $10-$30). Water is amazing -- and in the long term you'll save a lot of money using a pitcher instead of bottled water. Plus, the filters are recyclable now so what's stopping you?

Chocolate This does not need to be explained. Chocolate is necessary.

Dried Fruit I eat dried fruit instead of fresh fruit pretty often at school because it's easier to store (my fridge gets pretty full with just a water pitcher, some milk, and maybe a bit of cheese or hummus). Dried cranberries, blueberries, and raisins are easy to munch on for a late-night snack or an early-morning addition to your quick breakfast.

Sticky Tack/Removable Putty/Whatever you call it You all know what I'm talking about. Get some. Most (all) schools do not want you removing paint from their walls. Only trust those removable sticky squares if you have tried them before and successfully taken them off without messing up the paint on your walls. Sticky tack is generally a safe bet, but you might want to test your brand before you leave as well. I like the white/grey kind. Plus, sticky tack has the added bonus of not being sticky until you mush it around awhile, so it won't latch onto all your stuff when you repack it in a little ball at the end of the year to re-use it.

Removable wall hooks Again, test these before you leave for school. I can't tell you if your particular favorite brand works or not -- make sure you can get them off your walls without messing anything up. Once you've done that, realize how very helpful they are. The big ones you can use for hooks to hang sweatshirts, jackets, and bags on (just make sure you check the weight limits). The small ones come in useful for hanging calendars, jewelry, and whatever other little stuff.

One plate, one bowl or large mug, one or two cups, a fork, a knife, and a spoon ...but you knew that already. Also, Pyrex liquid measuring cups or something similar. They have saved me way too many times to not be on this list, along with lock-and-lock containers. I've used mine for leftovers, paperclips & binder clips, store-bought cookies (since the cookie packages themselves take up much too much space), baking implements, already-sliced fruit, etc. They're food-safe, microwave-safe (minus lid), and air-tight.

I will probably edit this as I think of more things, but for now this'll be it. What do you find indispensable at school?

The 30 Books That I Couldn't Live Without

2009-08-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Date: August 20th, 2009
Author: Liberty
Weather: It is so hot. So, so hot.
Mood: Starting to freak out about the whole thing
Music: P!AtD (Today, I finally started listening to them again. I suppose that I'm dealing with their splitting into 2 bands.)
Should be: Packing.

Borrowing Dorian's format, here's a list of the books that I'm bringing with me to school. I am a somewhat obsessive reader: my dad collected railroad books and books in general, and I think that he passed that on to me. I'm bringing a box and a half of books, which is a lot, but I have the belief that books are integral to my continued sanity, so I knew that there were going to be a lot of them making the trip with me. I've actually been carting a box of books around with me on the 2 road trips that we went on this summer, so I already basically had most of them packed. Anyway, here's the list:

1. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton: This is the copy that I've read probably over 9 times-I think it was my mom's, although I'm not sure. I adore this book-everything about it is just pitch-perfect, from the characterization to the action.

2, 3. Slash by Slash and Reckless Road: Guns N' Roses by Mark Canter: My favorite band is Guns N' Roses and these two books are the only authorized books about them, to my knowledge. They're both fascinating if you're really into the band. Plus, Reckless Road has loads of pictures!

4-12. On Writing, the Bachman Books (one-volume collection of 4 Bachman Books), Salem's Lot, Four Past Midnight, Dolores Claiborne, Skeleton Crew, It, The Stand, The Shining by Stephen King: Stephen King is amazing. I have more of his books than these, but these are the ones that are my favorites and the ones that I haven't read in a while. I also really want to finally finish The Stand--I got about 700 pages into it last time and then got sick, so I've never finished it. The Shining is my favorite and the one that I try to read at least once a year, although I don't think that I did last year. On Writing is brilliant and really influenced me. It's also just a good autobiography.

13-17. Assorted Warhammer/Warhammer 40,000 Collections: These are actually really good novels based off of a tabletop role playing game. I've been reading them since I was in 4th grade and recently got back into them, as they've started releasing them in collections that have 3 books in one easy to carry volume.

18. Assorted Topics in Calamity Physics: This is not by choice-the school assigned this book to read. I'd read it before and thought it was okay, but the 2nd time through was somewhat excruciating. I'll save the rant on summer reading for another time. I have finished it again, although I hated it.

19, 20. Time out: New York and 50 City Walks: New York: My mom got these for me for Christmas-I think that they'll come in handy.

21. Into Temptation by Penny Vincenzi: The 3rd book in a very addictive trilogy that I need to finish reading. It's girlier than I tend to read, what with all of the high society shenanigans, but it's actually very well written and, again, very addictive. I have trouble putting them down.

22-28. Assorted Books by Tad Williams: Classic fantasy. I've been trying to finish his trilogy/tetralogy (Which is a book series made up of 4 books. It depends on which format you have it in. I have it as a trilogy in hardcover and a tetralogy in softcover. I'm bringing the softcovers.) for what seems like forever, but has been since 8th grade, I think. He's an incredible writer, his books are just very dense, with 4 maps and 50 characters, and it takes a while to get through them. Also, I'm easily distracted. I did finally finish the first book this summer. I'll amend that to *very* easily distracted.

28, 29. Faction Paradox: Of the City of the Saved and Faction Paradox: This Town Will Never Let Us Go: I got these this months at Gen Con. They seem like fantasy and looked intriguing.

30. American Pictures by Jacob Holdt: This book changed my life in ways I can't describe. I've been reading it since 7th or 8th grade, maybe even before that. It's non-fiction, by a Danish man hitchhiking through America in the late 70s. It's just...remarkable, made me want to go out and experience life, made me believe in people, made me want to walk across the US, made me want to help people, to be better.

Also in the boxes: Stationary, letters from my girlfriend and another person I correspond with, a booklight, scissors, blank paper just in case/to doodle on, and a documentary about MGM that I want to watch. I haven't chosen the DVDs I want to bring, so that might be another post. Definitely Series 1-3 of The Mighty Boosh, though. Brilliance in pure form there.
What's weird about this is that I didn't pack any comics, considering that I want to work in the comic book industry. Hm.

((Also, I'm sorry this is so small, I can't get the font to get bigger, even though I changed it...mutter))

The 17 Books I Could Not Live Without

2009-08-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Date: August 20, 2009
Author: Dorian
Weather: Donno, haven't been outside
Mood: Eager to get out of here
Listening to: "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse
Should be: probably last-minute hangouts with boyfriend?

So I just packed a box of books, actually that's a lie, I just unpacked it to count the books.

I've had varying amounts of books traveling with me through the past 4 years (Reminder: this is the author who went to boarding school) and I have recently realized that as amazing as books are, it's kind of foolish to bring a whole library with you wherever you go. Reasons:

-Your school probably has a library you can borrow books from

-You can get a library card to a local public library and have nearly-unlimited access to books

-With modern technology, you can carry hundreds of books around in your pocket or purse: on your iPod or an e-book reader, or failing that, in your laptop, on a thumb drive to plug into a communal computer, the opportnities are endless. (*cough* plug for http://www.gutenberg.org/ *cough*)

-You will probably not have as much time for 'free-reading' as you think. Remember, you're living in a dorm with dozens of potential friends. Unless you're really anti-social (nothing wrong with that) you're going to sometimes give in to the calls of "hey, let's go do XY or Z!" that you don't quite get when living at home.

BUT. In spite of all that. I love my books and there are several I really, really want to have with me. I've limited my book-taking to one small box this year, I'd estimate it's about 20 inches by 12 inches by 8 inches. I'm sure I'll accumulate more books as the year goes on but here's what I'm shipping out: (In no particular order, actually the order's the order I put them in the box haha)

1, 2. City of Evil and Avenged Sevenfold songbooks by Avenged Sevenfold I really like to learn the solos, ok? TABs on the Internet are sometimes accurate but these are written by the guys themselves.

3. The Great Shark Hunt (Gonzo Papers, Volume 1) by Hunter S. Thompson This is one of a couple books I'm bringing that I haven't quite finished yet, and it's for those times where my attention span is less than lengthly. Each article has something to say, and his writing style is excellent.

4. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Haven't finished- hell, I've barely started this one. It was given to my by one of my friend's moms, after having dinner at her house and discussing books. She wrote a very nice note to me in the front cover, which is why I'm bringing it instead of borrowing another copy from somewhere. The general impression that I get is that it has a Venn-diagram style philosophy overlap with Fight Club, but it also has more to say on dystopian society, etc. I'm excited to read it. It's also very effing LONG.

5. The New American Bible Um, I'm Christian? Even though I have a Bible on my iPod (yeah, I do, I'm just that cool) there's something about marking your favorite passages and flipping thru the whole big thing. This is a copy I got during religious ed in 6th or 7th grade.

6, 7. Haunted and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk I loved Fight Club, if you've read it, you know why, and Haunted is also a good one for those short-attention-span times when I'm not ready to dive into Atlas Shrugged.

8, 9. Harry Potter et la Chambre Des Secrets and Harry Potter et le Prisonnier D'Azkaban by JK Rowling So I speak fluent French, but I'm not taking it as a class any more. I've read both these books in English so I'll at least have some idea of what's happening. My goal is to read, talk, or watch something in French every week, if not every day.

10, 11. A Dull Roar and A Preferred Blur by Henry Rollins (I'd bring Get In The Van too, but I haven't had enough time to absorb these two) Henry Rollins is probably best known for being the singer in Black Flag for a few years, if you travel in hardcore music circles, or perhaps you've heard his name because of his TV and radio shows. But for all these seemingly 'people-person' jobs, he's actually really anti-social, depressed and struggles a lot with... everything. These books are his journals from '06 and '07, and he has a lot to say about travel, politics, and a LOT of other things. I HIGHLY reccomend his books.

12. A Little Piece of Heaven by Dorian McQ Ok, that's narcicisstic. Yeah, I wrote a book. I need to bring it with me (Actually I have 3 copies of it but only one of them is with me at the moment) because I'm planning on editing it and trying to get it actually published, instead of the self-published 'vanity press' it's on now. The copy that's in my box has my French teacher, my ex-roommate, and my boyfriend's comments in it. I have another copy that will eventually have all 3 of the other authors on this blog's comments in it, but ONE OF THEM HASN'T GIVEN IT BACK TO ME. The third copy is somewhere in Virginia.

13. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Another book that has meaningful comments in it. I love this book and have read it several times, and each time I discover something new or something that makes me think in a different way, but the reason this copy is so special is because it has my dear friend Sabeen's comments in it. We both took a class on "Comparative Religious Ethics" and there are a LOT of Ethical dilemmas in F451. I find her insights very enilghtening :)

14. Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas by Sempe/Goscinny Again with the practicing French, this is a children's book, "Little Nick's Vacations". My French teacher, who is one of my favorite people in the world, gave it to me. Again with the note in the front cover making it special.

15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller My good friend and 'pretend older sister' gave this to me, and although it doesn't have a special note in it, I love that it's from her. I haven't finished yet. But I love it so far!

16. The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx If you haven't read this, you really, really should. By turns terrifying and awesome (meant in the original sense of the word, the jawdropping, "I can't freaking belive that" sense, not in the "man, that is an awesome hot dog" sense) this book, Nikki Sixx's (The bassist from Motley Crue) journals for a year or so, shows things you've never even dreamed about. From world tours to overdoses- hospital trips, near-death, then leaving and shooting up again, this book is an absolute roller coaster. And you know what? Not to spoil the ending, but he's completely clean, married with 3 or 4 kids now, and is a stronger person because of it. Seriously, read this book, and it will change you. If I had to cut my library down to 3 or 4 books, this would still be one of them.

17. The Musician's Guide to the Road by Susan Volez It's important to keep an eye on where you're going. I'm going into the music industry. This book does not glamorize touring, in fact, quite the opposite. It shares the dirty details, the rules you've never thought of (nothing except pee in the tour bus bathroom), packing lists, and coping mechanisms. If I ever get too deluded about what an adventure my life's going to be, full of 5-star hotels, I laugh at myself and pick up this book... and reaffirm that this is where I'm going, where I want to go, where I need to go.

what books are you bringing?

In 48 hours, I will be in my dorm room.

On Packing

2009-08-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Date: August 14, 2009
Author: Dorian
Weather: Comfortable, sunny.
Mood: Slightly Overwhelmed
Listening to: "Strobe Lights" by Kill Hannah
Should be: See title and topic

I wish it was this easy:

"I`m more at home with my backpack, sleeping in a hotel room or on a bus or on an airplane, than I am necessarily on a bed." -Henry Rollins

Ok.

I'm no stranger to the suitcase. I've been to more foreign countries than US states. I've already lived in a dorm, packed out of my house and into a tiny room for four years. I've even been known to say that I enjoy packing. I consider myself to be a transient person.

But last night as I began choosing the books that would go with me to college, a very very strange thing happened to me. I began to cry.

I'm not sure if it's because of hormones, the stress of leaving my friends and boyfriend, the fear of not fitting in at college. But for whatever reason, packing everything you own, or perhaps just everything you need and love, is really hard.

I'm not gonna lie, my mom's packing for me right now, getting my towels and sheets and pillows and comforter into boxes to be shipped.

I pause and take a sip of ice water, not quite sure where this entry is going. Let's make it useful. I know there are a million and two lists of things to pack for college out there on the Internet, I'm sure everyone has something to say, but here's mine.

ESSENTIALS:

Sheets, pillows, blankets.

Towels, SHOWER SHOES, shampoo/soap/razors etc.

School stuff: backpack, binders, paper, pens/pencils/calculator.

Clothes: pjs/sweats, workout/sports/swimming stuff, everyday stuff, religious-occasion stuff, clubbing stuff.

Padlocks. For bike, lockbox, whatever.

Electronics: laptop/printer if you have them, music player/CDs/records/tapes, whatever floats your boat, HEADPHONES, personal gaming device.

Books/journals/magazines you cannot live without (no more than one box!)

Dishes/cutlery/ my pyrex measuring cup has saved my life on many occasions

LARGER STUFF TO WORK OUT WITH YOUR ROOMMATES:

Fridge? Microwave? TV? Large stereo/ mp3 player speakers? Coffee maker?

STUFF TO BUY WHEN YOU'RE THERE:

Food: peanut butter/bread, ramen ramen ramen, mac & cheese, big bottle of water, ramen, soda, cheese or yogurt if you have a fridge. Ramen.

Necessities: feminine products if you're a girl, toilet paper and hand soap if you have suite or apartment style bathrooms.

Time to finish these boxes. I'll probably update/fix this entry later. Just felt the need to get something up here.

Wow, I Haven't Posted in Forever.

2009-08-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Author: Liberty
Weather: Gorgeous (I'm in Chicago and it is so nice outside)
Mood: Happy
Should Be: Typing this, I suppose.

Hello there, I realized that I haven't posted since before school let out. I didn't have any news or anything going on (sat on the couch for a month reading fanfiction and am now on a road trip), so I really didn't have anything college related to talk about. However, I am now the proud recipient of a dorm room and a roommate! Exciting news for someone who has lived in the same room by herself for her whole life. She contacted me on Facebook and we've decided to rent a fridge together and wait until we see the room to get a lamp or a rug, although a rug seems like a good idea as the floors are possibly tile. I'm really happy about my dorm, Sulzberger, which is facing the quad and has air conditioning. Some of the other dorms don't have air conditioning, from what I understand, so I'm grateful. Also, I'm on the 2nd floor and am far enough from the bathroom that it won't wake me up.

My Dorm!

I'm in an in-residence seminar, which means that other girls on my floor will be taking a class with me. They say that you can take the class discussion back to the dorm with you, and I like the idea of other girls on my floor definitely being in at least one class with me. My roommate isn't in the seminar, but that's fine.
I'm going to have a week when I get home to get packed...I'm interested to see how that will go. Hopefully I can do it. I'll try to update more and I think that I shall as things start speeding up. Right now, I'm in a weird in-between time where I'm away from home, haven't started packing, etc, but I'll be in school 227 miles away from home in 3 weeks.

Hey there.

2009-08-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

Listening to: System of a Down
Should be: Doing absolutely nothing. Ah, summer.

Hello there, I figured it was high time I went and introduced myself. My name is Emily, and I enjoy long walks on the beach, pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain. I'm headed off to the University of Chicago this fall, where I intend on studying Economics, Computer Science, and who knows what else.

So I finally know which shoebox I'll be in next year - Pierce Tower, Shorey House. Dorms at U of C are arranged into houses, yes, just like in Harry Potter, and yes, the campus does look like Hogwarts. It was my first choice, and has a reputation as one of the friendliest and most tight-knit dorms around. However, it also has the smallest rooms of them all, and communal bathrooms on co-ed floors. As one of those odd only children, I've never shared a room, much less a bathroom in my life.

I also received my roommate's information, and proceeded to friend her on facebook and send a slightly awkward and creepy message in which I assured her, in fact, that I was not a "random creeper," but her roommate. She accepted my friend request but has yet not replied to my message, to which I am not sure how to respond. I mean, it's not like I expected us to become best friends, but I'd really like to get the whole fridge situation sorted and cleared away.

As for my dorm room, I've got basically everything all squared away, though I have a feeling I'll get there only to realize in a moment of panic I've forgotten tissues or extra razor blades or whatever it is I'll be needing. I'm one of those people who has this gorgeous, perfectly laid out, coordinated dorm room in my mind, but who in reality has managed to purchase a blue mesh garbage can and one storage container from Walmart. Most likely, my dorm room will end up being a pile of odd knick knacks and worldly possessions, just like my room at home.

45 days and counting.

My Lovely (?) Building...

2009-08-03T15:30:00.001-07:00

Date: August 03, 2009
Author: Louisa
Weather: Clear and cool. (still in London)
Mood: Content
Listening to: Watching "Blood, Sweat, and Takeaways"
Should be: Probably sleeping

Unfortunately I still haven't heard back from my roommate, but that's okay because I do know where I'm going to live!

Thorson Hall, where I'm living next semester!

The Good News is that it's one of the three that I picked on my housing form, which proves that they actually look at it. The other good news is that it's one of the larger rooms in the hall (~12' by 15'5"). It has a sink, which is a big advantage over my room last year, and also the furniture is separate, so now my desk will not be a section of a counter.

More good news: it has spaces like this.

The Bad News is only that I didn't end up in one of the suite halls, but that's only to be expected -- I'm transferring in and very few transfer students actually ended up in Rand or wherever.

...but at least it has a cool lounge!

We're also on the 4th floor which should be interesting.

Coming up: An entry on Overpacking, Packing, and Things You Would Not Think To Pack But Are Very Useful.

In other news, the tube during rush hour is not my favorite.

If possible it was more tightly packed than this. Lovely.

Roommate Update from London

2009-08-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Date: August 02, 2009
Author: Louisa
Weather: Clear and a nice 68 degrees (I'm in London! :D)
Mood: Content
Listening to: Nothing at the moment
Should be: Psh, doing nothing, I'm on vacation.

I'm in London now, staying near St. Paul's for a few days before we head over to Paris and thought I'd give a quick update on the roommate situation.

I ended up getting my roommate information the day after a girl contacted me on Facebook to say we were roommates (and thankfully we were, or that would be a really awkward conversation). I haven't learned all that much about her except that she has an Aussie Shep and a couple of siblings, an older sister and a younger brother. She's also a Chemistry Major that might be double-majoring in Environmental studies. (On an unrelated note: Why do I always end up with science majors as roommates? (Well except for Rei, but she was a special case.)) This doesn't really tell me that much about her, however.

It is true (or so I've found) that the first introduce-yourself e-mails roommates exchange don't really tell you anything. They're great for hobbies and family, sure -- you could learn that your future roommate has four sisters or a maniacal 6-year-old brother -- but you don't really learn much about what living with them will be like.

They don't tell you "Oh, I walk around whistling all the time," "I spend a lot of time on my hair," "I laugh really loudly when I'm on the phone," or "I have a habit of doing Tae Bo every morning at 5 AM." Okay, maybe they'd admit the Tae Bo thing since it seems it would directly affect you as well, but you know what I mean -- people tend to not think of their little habits and ways of existing as significant, because (most commonly I've found) either:

a) it's considered normal where they come from (clothing styles, hairstyles, eating pizza in bed, being cold all the time)

b) they don't have to share their room/bathroom/hallway (Talking/laughing loudly on the phone, eating pizza in bed, stuff spillover)

or

c) it's considered normal by the people they live with (the whistling thing, wearing velour yoga pants all day, eating pizza in bed)

Pizza in bed...no, thank you.

And yet these are the things that you would like to know if you're going to be living with them for the next few months, at least if you're anything like me. Whether or not my roommate listens to my favorite indie band or likes the same movies or TV shows as me doesn't really matter, at least personally. I'd rather know what time she likes to get up in the morning, whether she spends all her free time with headphones on or playing video games, if she's a nut about schoolwork or sings loudly & off-key along to her favorite show tunes...

So how do you find out what living with your roommate is going to be like? You can't exactly directly ask, "Do you have a habit of [insert pet peeve here]?" Well perhaps you can, but I can't.

"Why yes," she'll say, "I do hum the theme to 'Gilligan's Island' every night precisely at 11:23."

I do so apologize if it's now stuck in your head.

Fellow authors, guests, and everyone else, what would/do you do to better know your roommate before you meet him/her?

The Importance of Having Places

2009-07-29T21:07:00.001-07:00

Date: July 29, 2009
Author: Louisa
Weather: Clear and a balmy 65 degrees.
Mood: doing alright
Listening to: The brothers and I are watching News Radio
Should be: Sleeeeeeeeeping

It's vital, at least for me, to have a place to go at school: somewhere where I can be alone, read, write, whatever...and a dorm room (with all that comes with it -- like a roommate) doesn't exactly count.

For me at Wilson, it was a tree: a short and stocky maple with branches perfectly spaced until you got about ten feet up. There, three branches nearly as wide as most tree trunks on campus formed a perfect cradle, with a fourth providing a foot rest.

Of course the only reason I had a tree instead of somewhere else was because WWC does not have many common areas. Ours was comprised of 10 or so folding chairs, a plastic table, a threadbare couch and a 14-inch TV. The floor was linoleum with no rugs and the ceiling was so high that it was pretty creepy in there at night; the dim lighting did not help.

So I liked to spend time in that tree. Also on the bench by the print shop, and the grass platform by Glad...

...Unfortunately for me, all of these places were outside -- meaning I could only take advantage of them during the warmer months. In the winter, I was pretty much stuck in my room, which was especially unfortunate due to my roommate situation. I spent many an uncomfortable evening in my room while my roommate sat on her bed playing Persona 3 with wireless headphones, eating ramen or pizza in yoga pants and leaving moldy dishes everywhere.

I could have probably spared myself the annoyance had I found somewhere earlier. If you're inclined to want some alone time, find somewhere nice, clear, and not your room. If you're like me, you'll want to get comfortable with that space, enough so that you can just bring a book, your iPod, a notebook, or anything else to pass the time and de-stress without the demands of a classroom, a club, or a roommate.

So pick a particular lounge, bench, alcove, or library table and get to know it. Your temper, sanity, and probably your roommate will thank me.

Guys! I still don't know anything about my Shoebox!

2009-07-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Date: July 27, 2009
Author: Louisa
Weather: Clear and pretty warm.
Mood: Okay/tired
Listening to: "This Show is So Gay" podcasts :D
Should be: Probably sleeping, blehhhhh.

I hate deadlines.

Most of the time when I say this, I mean ones that I have to keep.

I can't live without deadlines, because without a concrete date I never get anything done. This is demonstrated by the number of half-finished projects currently scattered about my room: a hufflepuff striped scarf I've been knitting for the past six months that's still only 8 inches long, the countless writings on my computer, my never-quite-consistently-working weight loss, the hoodie that still needs six or seven patches sewn onto it.

I also can't live with them. I procrastinate like crazy, thinking 'oh, this isn't due for another month/week/few days.' until the day, night, or minute before, wherein I think something to the effect of, '!' and stay up however late and rush around however crazily I have to in order to finish.

However, in this case, it's really not my fault -- for once it's not my deadline.

The housing department was supposed to mail out rooming information last Monday. They sent us an e-mail to that effect, saying they were planning on sending assignments out on Monday and they would e-mail us again if they were sent out earlier.

I started checking my mail with somewhat more anticipation than usual on Tuesday, with a bit more hope on Wednesday.

And it's still not here; and I have no e-mail.

So apparently the housing department is horrid with deadlines too. Hey look, we have something in common!

Guys! There are going to be three people in my shoebox! (Dorian)

2009-06-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hey friends and readers,

The other day I learned that the shoebox I'm going to inhabit next year is called Maple 607 and inhabiting it with me will be 2 other girls! Hannah and Shelby. They're both from a lot closer to my college than I. We're all different sects of Christianity. Hannah is a Music Business major like me and Shelby is double-majoring in Math and Education. We've traded cell phone numbers and plan to run up to eachother, screaming, like we've known eachother forever, at Orientation in a couple weekends.

Also, I am in my hometown for the summer! I discussed boarding school with some new friends and made the unfortunate realization that EVERYONE HERE knows my last-year-summer-fling ... and knows that he's a complete asshole. (Terrible tattoos, terrible music taste, terrible skateboarder, terrible kisserIMEANWHAT.) Oh well, what can you do?

I also realized how incredibly racist everyone in this town is. It's not just the use of the n-word and the 'Asian people have small.... parts' jokes, either... there's a lot of hatred 'round here. There's also a lot of calling gay guys (or even guys who act slightly gay) "faggots" . I'm lucky that the kids who know about my orientation have been pretty accepting of it... did see a couple of thugs threatening a 'fag.'

And a note, I totally live in the super-safe, semi-rich suburbs of Chicago. This stuff isn't just for inner cities. One step at a time, gotta change one mind at a time... Who should I start with?

Are there any subjects anyone would like to see entries about? This blog's gonna be a little slow over the summer, I'm afraid.

Advice From my Mummy

2009-05-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

My mother is intrigued by this whole blog thing and so she has a bit of preliminary advice:
"Mom says: 1. Find out which national bank has the nearest ATM on your campus. Open a checking account (interest bearing, if possible) with them before you leave for school. You'll not only save yourself one more hassle the first week of school as well as a ton in fees every time you take out money for pizza but your parents will not have to send you checks by snail mail or wire you money -- they can just go down the street and deposit it into your account.
2. Check with your parents to make sure you'll continue to be covered by their health insurance (and whether time off or light loads will void coverage). If not, find out what kind of coverage your school offers and, if it's not adequate, buy catastrophic coverage at a site like ehealthinsurance.com. It's cheap for healthy young people. If you think college is expensive, hospital bills for a major injury will kill you."

She's full of quite excellent financial advice--is anyone adverse to her posting (through me) advice and such? Because I do think that she knows what she's doing at this point, one would hope.

Dealing With the "I Hate Everything" Blues (Dorian)

2009-05-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Date: May 20th, 2009
Author: Dorian
Weather: Sunny.
Mood: Head-achey
Listening to: “Seeing Red” Mix
Should be: Studying for Stats exam, writing TechApps paper.

Guybrush Threepwood can hold his breath for ten minutes. Can you?

Can you hold your breath for ten days?

The end of my school year is quickly approaching and I’m starting to be bothered more and more by the people around me. Could be that I’ve spent so long with them, could be that I’ve lived in such close quarters, hell, it could be that it’s girl time; but little habits, mannerisms, and attitudes are starting to piss me off. I feel like I'm having to hold my breath (hence the analogy) to keep myself from exploding.

I’m gonerally a pretty chill, easygoing person. But I’m at the end of my leash.

I guarantee this will happen to you- unless you’re so chill you don’t care about ANYTHING, you’ll start to get annoyed by the people around you. You’ll look through your dorm and see human waste, complete losers, jerks and assholes who won’t go anywhere in life. You’ll see women who will get married and sit watching Lifetime TV for the rest of their lives. You’ll see people who don’t seem to have any hopes or dreams, you’ll see people who spend money like water, and you’ll see people who complain that their Sushi wasn’t fresh enough as they walk by a person begging for spare change for food. You’ll see people who neglect personal hygiene, people who don’t eat enough to keep their bodies running, and people who eat their feelings until they feel so disgusting they cry and eat some more. You will wonder to yourself, “what the hell am I doing here?”

Take a deep breath. You don’t need to hold it for ten minutes or ten days, but hold it for a moment and let it out.

Everyone has different ways of dealing with this kind of stress—here are a few I’ve found helpful:
- Take a walk or drive, listening to music or nature: physically distance yourself from the situation.
- Meditate, do yoga, or watch a movie: mentally distance yourself from the situation.
- Go running, swimming, or lift weights: the endorphin rush helps a lot of people get their mind off things.
- Hang out with someone who feels the same, someone who’s really chill, or someone who you can rant to—if you don’t know anyone of these; try hanging out with someone new! (Just be careful not to be too grumpy when you’re talking to someone new- first impressions are important!)

If you come up with another suggestion, feel free to add it in the ‘comments’ section.

Just keep in mind that this feeling will pass… tomorrow is another day, and there are some really cool, unique and diverse people around you. Enjoy them!

Because I "have it a bit more together" than Liberty... (Dorian)

2009-05-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Date: May 18th, 2009
Author: Dorian (Should probably mention at some point that my real name is Dorothy so sometimes Liberty and Louisa refer to me as Dorothy)
Weather: Sunny and cold...?
Mood: Bored. Ready for school to be over.
Listening to: Liberty watching a movie, but I've been listening to "Son of a Gun" by Nirvana all day.
Should be: Uhhh.... Statistics packet(s)

Prompt...You have a roommate and everything, and it seems like you have it a bit more together than I do going into college. Are there any issues that worry you? Like classes or getting around? B/c you've already dealt w/roommates and living away from home. Hopefully that's a decent prompt.

I know a lot of girls who are boarders here at MAD are worried about living with a 'dorm virgin' next year. We've been washing our laundry, making our beds, eating ramen, and cohabiting for four years. Would I want to live with my freshman self?! Would I want to live with someone who's used to having their own bedroom, their own bathroom, someone who has no respect for my space? HELL NO!

(Also, embarrassing story: my roommate our freshman year [yes, of high school, when we were 14] had to teach me how to do laundry. My mom had tried to teach me before I went off to school, but I was too cool to pay attention. I was a pretty awful roommate freshman year… but my roommate was pretty awful too. I’ll write some summaries of my roommate-ships sometime this summer if there’s interest.)

So there's a certain amount of trepidation there. Living with a dorm virgin… yeesh. But I’ve dispelled a certain amount of that, because I met my roommate over Facebook (which I HIGHLY recommend, the concept of moving into a room with a complete stranger really squicks me out!) and she seems to be pretty rad. You never know until you meet them in person, though.

What worries me the most about college… frankly, I’m anxious there won’t be a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance.) Tennessee is pretty far south and Christian schools tend to be a little more close-minded than non-religious schools. I’m bisexual and while I don’t go around screaming about it (I’M BI!!! I LIKE GIRLS AND BOYS!!! VAGINA AND PENIS!! AND BREASTS!!! MOUNTAINS OF BREASTS!!!) I feel more comfortable in an accepting environment. I’ve wandered around my college’s website, looking for a list of clubs, and the only “partial list” doesn’t include any sort of GSA. I’ve avoided asking about it or looking too closely because I fear the worst- I’m worried that there isn’t one and it’s against the rules or something.

I’m also worried about making friends with boys.

That sentence looks like the most stupid thing in the world… if you know me in person, you probably laughed out loud. I’m really outgoing and make friends anywhere. Last summer I decided that I wanted friends in my hometown, so I walked up to a big group of scary punks/skaters, introduced myself, and made a TON of friends. But I’m worried about being able to make friends without being A) one of the boys or B) a sex object. I seem to fall at those ends of the spectrum when it comes to my relationships with guys: either I give them relationship advice, join their band, and skateboard with them; or an hour after meeting our tongues know each other better than we do.

So yeah. Despite my immense capability to live in a dorm and charming, outgoing personality, I’m still worried about some major things.

Also, I have lists coming: Packing and FOOD.

On desks (Louisa)

2009-05-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

Date: May 17th, 2009
Author: Louisa
Weather: Sunny and warmish.
Mood: Accomplished (because of the layout upgrade, woohoo!) but also a bit restless -- hoping to play tennis later.
Listening to: "Iris" -- Goo Goo Dolls
Should be: Maybe making dinner, but I'm not all that hungry.

This was written a week ago while I was still at school -- the prompt was "Describe as vividly as possible the place where you study/your desk."

At school, my desk is everything. It's my kitchen table when I peel oranges and make the occasional sandwich. It's my bathroom counter in the morning when I dry my hair. It's my bookshelf and my coffee table, and somehow in the midst of being all these it manages to also be the space I have for my ideas: my triumphs and failures, my frustrations and successes, my tears and my angry mutterings – I am speaking, of course, of my schoolwork.

Physically, my desk is actually half of a counter that runs along the windowed wall of my room. My side has five drawers – three smaller ones and two larger ones that look as though they actually belong on a dresser. (Meanwhile, the drawers of my dresser belong on a file cabinet – but that's another story.) My desk is flat and, aside from the edges, is free of most clutter. On the left against the wall, is a wicker basket lined in linen full of any and all office supplies that may come in useful: a stapler, a tape dispenser, glue sticks and removable wall hooks, a pencil bag of writing utensils and assorted binder clips.

Adjacent to the basket and forming a right angle is a small wire box turned on its side to function as bookshelf and DVD holder. It houses The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Scott Westerfield's Peeps, assorted John Grisham novels, and season six of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, borrowed from my cousins months ago.

In front of the makeshift shelf is a mug full of pencils, pens, and expo markers for the small whiteboard hanging on the wall. On top of the shelf is a framed picture of my family, a hardcover copy of Meg Cabot's Jinx that wouldn't fit with the others, and a box of Kleenex. My electric kettle sits snugly in the corner, all but forgotten since it is spring and I have almost altogether stopped drinking tea or hot cocoa.

Next to the shelf and against the cinderblocks is my printer, a small HP model inherited last year from my brother's roommate, Chief. Its bright purple cord hooks up to the USB port on the back of my laptop, which is also connected to a microphone, miniature speakers, and a Cat-5 cable since WWC has yet to discover the joy of campus-wide wireless Internet. This laptop appears to be the centerpiece of my desk. It is in fact where I type my essays, research my projects, and look up obscure facts that I may or may not need for a class. (Did you know there is such a thing as a pink dolphin and it's called a Tucuxi?)

Most of my schoolwork is done on my laptop, but obviously not all. Small assignments and mindless activities, such as those often required for language classes, are completed on the desk's surface after scooting the computer and its various accessories out of the way.

Powerpoints and papers, movie screenings and perusals of the latest Newsweek, all are completed at my desk. Its frequent uses also include being a surface for yarn and sewing projects and holding all the stuff that has nowhere else to go at the time.This may be anything from the latest mass mailing from my campus PO box to a brand-new pair of strappy sandals to my roommate's damp laundry if the dryers are on the fritz again. At school, my desk is everything.

Answering Dorothy's Prompt (Liberty)

2009-05-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Date: May 17, 2009
Author: Liberty
Weather: Sunny. It looks nice out but I haven’t been outside yet.
Mood: Sort of sleepy, but in an okay mood.
Listening to: Mummy watching CSI
Should be: Studying or something.

So Dorothy prompted me to talk about people’s expectations about me going into college. My mom and my therapist both really want me to fully experience college and not come down more than once a month. It’s stressful because I want to come down probably more than once a month so that I can see Dani. The thing is that I don’t know what my schedule is going to be like, where she is going to be, anything, so I can’t make promises and say that I won’t come down or that I will be, etc. The last time we talked about it, Mummy said that she won’t come and pick me up if I come down because she needs to focus on my brother and give him the attention that I got sophomore year…or something like that. My therapist thinks that I’m really sheltered and naïve, I think. I don’t think that she sees that I can take care of myself, so she wants me to go and figure out how to live on my own. I admit that I have been a bit sheltered and everything, what with living at home, but I’ve worked on Capitol Hill and I think that I know how to look after myself. Of course, having made this statement, it’ll probably come back to haunt me. On the other hand, I think that people also assume that I’m going to be fine in college and that I have it all together, so I feel a bit like I’m stuck between these two points of view: either I’m going to fail to properly care for myself, or I’m going to be fine. I see myself somewhere in the middle: I’m going to be okay, stressed out at first and probably freaked out with figuring out where everything is, but I’ll get it. Just give me a little time. I’m the sort of person that takes a bit to get used to things; I can bluff being immediately fine with the situation, but I really do take time to think things over before being fully comfortable. I guess that the pressure from them has made me more stressed about going to college, but it’s also made me think about what this fall is going to be like and how often I want to be traveling up and down the coast. On the other hand, I feel like they need to back off a bit and figure it out for myself. I appreciate their concern, but my college experience is my college experience, not theirs. So we’ll see how that goes. I probably won’t end up going down every week, but it really all depends on what’ll be going on. Anyone have other prompts for me? I do like answering questions, and I can’t always think of what to write.

"Assignments" a note to/from authors.

2009-05-16T22:51:00.001-07:00

Hey Louisa and Liberty,

So I just commented on both of your intro posts with little requests, entries I'd like to hear from the both of you if you're in the mood to share. I called them assignments for the lack of a better word. You are both, of course, welcome to give me assignments as well.

Perhaps as people who aren't us begin to read this blog, they'll have requests as well.

Maybe requests is a better word than assingments?

Your opinions?

ALSO Louisa your assignment (no ifs, ands, or buts,) is to fix this fug layout. Maybe a shoebox motif? :-D

PS If either of you saw this when all the :"assignments" were "assingments" SHHH DON'T TELL ANYONE THAT I'M DYSLEXIC. It might ruin the impression that I'm a high-functioning individual.

Intro Post (Louisa) (Who is really lame about not having pictures at the moment)

2009-05-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

DATE: May 15, 2009
AUTHOR: Louisa
WEATHER: Crazy thunderstorms, flash flood warnings, tornado watches...you know, the usual.
MOOD: Alright, though I'm quite tired.
LISTENING TO: Nothing at the moment -- I know, it's a crime.
SHOULD BE: Sleeping, also potentially unpacking the car

I don't think that it would've been possible to pick three more different authors, in terms of our living/school situations. We've got Dorian, having lived in dorms for 4 years but not yet at college; Liberty, who's lived in one house her whole life, and...well, me. How do I explain my whole school situation to the world? Well, let's go from the beginning to make things easy.

I started out at a small private (non-religious-affiliated) school from preschool through 8th "group." After that I went to a public high school -- but only for two years. After my sophomore year I withdrew from high school and took classes at my community college and homeschooled a bit for a year...then I went off to college.

"But wait," you say, "That's only three years before you left -- what?"

So yeah, I basically skipped a grade. Hope that's cool with everyone. If you've done your math, that means I'm 17, and I've just finished my first year of college (at Warren Wilson College, in North Carolina).

My experience at Wilson has taught me a lot of things; one of those things was that I don't want to spend my next three years at Wilson. So I'm transferring to this little ol' college in Minnesota where I'll be majoring in Music Education (assuming I pick up my viola and start practicing this summer...since I've been pretty lame about it these past few weeks).

That tells you one thing about me, anyway, I'm a huge music geek in every sense of the word -- classical and modern, archaic stuff and the newest in both fields, you know. I listen to everything from Bartok to Billy Joel to Billy Talent and beyond. I was in a handbell ensemble for 6-7 years, I've played viola for 11 years, piano before that and a bit now, and I can figure out 'twinkle, twinkle, little star' on just about any instrument I can get my hands on.

I also read and write a lot. When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian and a recent lecture at Wilson (WWC from here on out) convinced me that maybe (maybe) I still want to be a vet -- a zoo vet that is. Maybe. I've also always wanted to write fiction, but we'll see how that works out. (Other interests/possible majors include psychology, English, etc.)

I have two brothers and a sister and I'm really close to my extended family.

I'm definitely a dog person.

I think that's really all I need to say for now. Sorry if this is somewhat disjointed; I just got back from school literally half an hour ago and 700 miles in a car can do that to my brain.

Peace out.

Intro Post! (Liberty) (In Which I go on for WAY Too Long, Sorry)

2009-05-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

So Dorothy very kindly asked me to contribute as well, so here goes!
Hi, I’m Liberty—18 years old and leaving home for the first time. As opposed to Dorothy, I’ve never lived away from home and I’ve lived in the same house for my entire life. I’m going to be going to Barnard in the fall, which is an all-women’s college in NEW YORK CITY. ((Sounds of my brain exploding.)) It’s right across the street from Columbia University, and it’s really closely entwined with it. As in, your diploma comes from Columbia.
Where to start? Well. Interests spring to mind, as do a whole host of other things that quantify who I am. I could go by the VAIS identifiers that we hear so much about at Madeira (ripping off of Dorothy, I will likely shorten it to MAD from here on out.) So:
Sex: female
Ethnic makeup…that’s sort of complicated. My dad was white (we’ll get into why I’m using the past tense in a bit) and my mom is black (present tense for her, thank goodness). My mom’s side of the family also has some Indian/White (from when my great-great grandmother was raped by the master of the plantation) bits to it. So basically, I am mixed and sometimes I get weird looks from people when I walk with my mom and my brother.
Sexual orientation: I identified as gay, then straight (fifth grade was a weird time), then bisexual, and now I think that I’m going to stick to pansexual. I feel like everyone should love whoever they want and I don’t want to constrain myself to just men and women. If I meet some nice intersex person and we get along, then fine. But for right now, I’ve been going out with my amazing girlfriend/brainclone, my Dani, since the end of August 2008. I think that dealing with how to see her is going to be one of the biggest issues of my college transition. Yeah….I see lots of bus rides in my future. Fortunately, the Bolt Bus is only $15 one-way, 4 hours, and has wi-fi.
…And I’m blanking on the rest of the identifiers, so I’m going to switch to things that are more applicable.
The biggest, most important thing that you need to know about me is that I love, love, love comic books. I’ve wanted to work in the industry in some capacity since fifth grade and I’ve settled on editing. I can’t really draw, and the stories I come up with aren’t ones that Marvel of DC would ever publish. However, I can read other people’s work and tell them what would make it better and proofread it. I want (Long-term life goal here) to be the first female Editor-in-Chief of Marvel. If I can’t, I at least want to work at Marvel in some sort of editorial capacity. That’s the goal, at least. Basically, I’m a huge geek. Expect lots of geekery and fangirling over a variety of things. (Aside: Other possible jobs: therapist, history professor, proofreader. Or something)
I read all the time. My dad was a book collector as well as a railroad lawyer, so I grew up surrounded by books. I have seven bookcases in my room and they are all full, as well as 15 or so longboxes for my single issues of comics. There are stacks of books all over my floor. It’s a bit ridiculous.
I listen to a wide variety of music. If David Bowie were a band, he’d be my favorite band, but he’s a solo act. So, despite the 16 albums of his that I have, my favorite band id Guns N’ Roses. I am obsessed enough with them that it’s a bit insane, but that’s how I get obsessed with things.

And after that lighthearted look into my likes, I put in the disclaimer about myself. My dad died of cancer when I was nine, on December 5, 1999. I don’t talk about it a lot because a) I get tongue-tied and have trouble explaining about it (I can be rather awkward sometimes), and b) I’ve sort of blocked most of that year out of my memory. He died slowly over the course of 1999 and he refused to admit that he was dying, so instead of spending the last 8 months or so of his life with us, he insisted on going to work and acting like everything was fine. As a result, neither he nor Mummy told us that he was dying. I came back home from a birthday party and was told by Mona (babysitter/family friend) to go upstairs. When my brother and I got upstairs, Mummy was in bed and she told us that Daddy was dead. I remember just immediately bursting into tears, nearly screaming, and my bother looking at me for how to react and then starting to cry as well. He was only five and his birthday was the next week. I didn’t deal with this well at all. I was really close to my dad. We had the same sense of humor, same interests, everything. He got me. So I just repressed what I was feeling. This came back and bit me (hint: deal with hard things!) and I got really depressed freshman/sophomore year. I got a good therapist and I’m mostly better now, but I do have depressive tendencies and I don’t have good coping mechanisms. I.e., I self-injure. Well, I didn’t for a year, did again this January for a few weeks, and stopped again because it’s a bad idea and a bad coping mechanism and just. Bad. I don’t want to make anyone think that I’m looking for pity or anything. If you know me, I am the sort of person who will never tell you that she is in pain. I just want to give people a heads up that there may be some entries that I will post that are not going to be the most cheerful things. I’ll tag those so that if you don’t want to be triggered or if you just want cheerful entries, you can skip them.

I’m sorry for babbling on and on, sometimes I talk a bit too much. Hopefully I didn’t overwhelm with information or anything! I’m excited to do this, definitely.

Intro Post (Dorian)

2009-05-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

DATE: May 14, 2009
AUTHOR: Dorian
WEATHER: Meh
MOOD: Sore
LISTENING TO: Tiger Army: “Moonlite Dreams” [Davey Havok background vocals = LOVE]
SHOULD BE: Packing, making my PPT presentations pretty, laundry

Hello there!

The purpose of this blog is to reveal the adjustments that teenage girls have to make when leaving home for the first time. When Louisa (my co-founder, there may be guest bloggers in the future but at this very moment it’s just the two of us) went to her first college (she’ll explain this later) we wondered why there wasn’t a good guidebook (or if there was one, why we hadn’t heard of it) of how to survive away from home as an impressionable young girl. So this blog may remain just a blog, or it could possibly turn into a little guidebook.

I recognize that May is a really odd time of year to start a blog pertaining to moving, living on your own, and going to college. But hang with me for a minute; I’ll explain some background information.

My name is Dorian. I’m 17 years old and about to graduate from high school. (Actually, in a matter of days!) I’m from Chicago. I got into my first choice college and will be attending it next year. It’s in Nashville!

This is me RIGHT AT THIS VERY MOMENT AS I TYPE:

(I am listening to a mix called “Join the Cult, do not pass Go, do not collect $200,” on my lovely Skullcandy headphones)
And this is me doing what I do best, also, when my hair was AWESOME:

(Don’t worry, the bass is fine, I just had to take off its’ neck to adjust the tension. I pretend to know what I’m doing.)

You probably haven’t guessed, but maybe the cinderblocks gave you a hint: I already live in a dorm. My high school is an all-girls boarding school near Washington, DC, and while it’s been amazing to be here, I’m ready to move on. Many people would say that college is going to be an easy adjustment from Boarding School (hereafter referred to as BS or the MADhouse or just MAD) because I already have vast wells of dorm-life knowledge, but I feel differently. Here’s a Venn diagram.

This is probably the worst Venn diagram you’ve ever seen, and I’ll try not to inflict my MS Paint skills on you again (but I probably will.) So basically, even though I’ve lived in a dorm, had a roommate, and survived off cafeteria food for the past 4 years, there’s a LOT of the college life I haven’t experienced. There are a few things I can speak from my wells of knowledge about, though.

I'll get into those later. This is enough for now.

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