One week down...

Its been exactly one week since I moved up here to Seattle to begin my second year at the University of Washington. So far, pretty much everything has been great! Classes, people, life, it's all going good. Here's the rundown of my week:

The weekend: Basically we partied the entire weekend. Well, sort of. Gwen came over to help me move in and she stayed the night. Saturday was amazing. I won't go into too many details, but I had a really great time getting to know my roommates and their friends. Sunday I babysat for Matt and Holly while they were at work. Later that night Kimberly and Madeline picked me up to go back to Seattle. Turns out Madeline worked for the Home Owners Association in Matt and Holly's neighborhood... go figure! She recognized the whole neighborhood. Funny! Sunday night was pretty chill as we just went home and hung out until 4 am.

Monday: Crazy. Hands down, the craziest night of my life. It was amazing.

Tuesday: Getting ready for classes the next day. Slowly realizing that homework was about to consume our every waking moment as of tomorrow. Ugh. But we managed to squeeze out the remaining freedom by hanging out and enjoying Seattle. Early to bed that night.

Wednesday: First day of classes. Ugh. Well, I guess it was sort of exciting. I went to Global Warming, which is shaping up to be a great class with a great prof. Then was Space and Space Travel. I realized the prof was a total douche nozzle and dropped the class for Weather 101. It sounded more interesting anyway. I also had my first day of Italian. So far, this is my favorite class. My prof, Vanja, is superb! I am picking it up pretty quickly and can't wait to learn more! I managed to sweet talk my bosses at work into letting me start Saturday instead of Wednesday, so that was pretty awesome and gave me the evening to buy some books and do homework that was already assigned. We went to sushi that night. It was more than amazing, although, the bill made me sad. Went to the library to try and find the Global Warming book because they are sold out at the bookstore and don't expect to get a shipment in until next tuesday! Turns out they didn't even have a copy on reserve at the library. Big waste of time.

Thursday: Day from hell! I have five classes this day with one, one hour break at 11:30. It was horrible. I was totally burnt out. I came home from classes and IMMEDIATELY fell asleep for two hours. I woke up all dazed, but soon snapped out of it, because The Office premiered! It was such a great episode! Then I fell immediately back to sleep as soon as my head hit my pillow.

Friday: Classes don't start til 10:30 (as opposed to the regular 9:30). It was nice to have extra time in the morning to drink some coffee and read my email. Only two classes, so that was nice. Late lunch after Italian. Brings me to now! Blogging :)

What's to come: tonight we're going to get Bubble Tea. Been craving it since I've been back. Tomorrow is my first day of work back at the OAG. Football tomorrow and Sunday. It's going to be a pretty chill weekend! Then, back to the daily grind.

Another year at the DUB

I just packed my life up, once again, ready to move into my new dorm for the 08-09 school year at the UW. This time I was much more organized with how I packed in hopes unpacking will be a breeze. I still have a lot of crap, but there will be MUCH more space for me to put my things this year as opposed to last year. Sharing a room made for two with three girls is a challenge. Looking back on it, I'm not really sure how I did it. How WE did it. God forbid we weren't such good friends. It never would have worked otherwise. This year I'm living in McMahon located in North campus. This will be a change in scenery as last year we were in the edge of campus by the Ave. I am excited to be near more of the action and Greek Row. We still have a little less than a week until classes start and I can't wait! Although I know the excitement will die down soon after I being, I just want to live in the moment for now. This weekend and coming week are sure to be excited what with book buying, Dawg Dazing, and class going. Be sure to look back for an update on Dawg Daze!

Tomorrow Gwen will be over to help me with moving in and getting settled. Then, party! Ha ha, it's sure to be a hoot and a half with the "Ruths" reuniting. I just can't wait to be back in the city! The summer was fun, but this year is sure to be better. So here's to 08-09!

Spoiler Alert: House Season 5 Premier

Last night was the season 5 premier of House on FOX. I am excited, anxious, and little bit upset about what happened in the episode. Here's the run down of what occurred.

We start off with a case where a woman hallucinates ants crawling all over her body. For once, it's a case that House is interested, but Cuddy does not want to give it to him so House can talk to Wilson. For those of you who don't remember, House was the reason Amber died (according to Wilson and Cuddy) in season 4. House pretty much refuses to address anything that happened while he goes into Wilson's office, two months after Wilson's been gone, and continues to carry on like it was any other day, completely ignoring the fact that Wilson's girlfriend was killed eight weeks ago. Wilson does not take too kindly and gives House the cold shoulder through most of the the show that night. I wasn't too interested in the actual case except for 13's interaction with the patient. By now we all know 13 has the gene that causes Huntington's disease, a fatal diagnosis, and House blabs it to his team. It seems that every decision 13 now makes is tainted by her "death sentence". In the end, House seems to embrace her new outlook on her shortened life span. Wilson has decided to leave the hospital, obviously devastating House and Cuddy. And everyone for that matter.

Okay, so now for my analysis.

Kutner: Not much news on his part. Still the young, fresh face who approaches medicine from a very unorthodox point of view. A brilliant mind, but so far, not a brilliantly engaging character. I find him annoying, insensitive, and he reminds me way too much of Kumar.

Taub: Also nothing new. He has shown a very down to earth side that was always there in season 4, but the "jackassness" has been turned down slightly. He's still a jackass, but not to the degree it was before. It also seems he is highly dependent on House to make any sort of medical decision. Interesting to see where the writers take this.

13: Now that she knows her fate, her reaction to everything is a fervent attempt to make a difference in the world. She has become more like House, in my opinion, with an underlying tone of suffering and misery. At the end of the episode, House even remarks to her that he likes her more now that she's "dying". I thought that ending scene was very powerful. Dying changes everything.

Chase: I still don't like him. I actually like him even less now. He is rude to House's new team which I want to read as jealousy, because, he was fired by House unlike the other two.

Cameron: I very much like how she is dealing with House. She is firm with him, but the undertones suggest she still has some feelings. They have chemistry and the writers definitely know how to exploit it without taking the storyline anywhere drastic. I loved how she dealt with Wilson as well. She always was the master compromiser, which is directly displayed with her reaction to Wilson's leaving. She neither condones or condemns it, she simply says, "Don't think it's the right choice, because it's not. There is no right choice".

Foreman: I have always liked Foreman, and this episode reminded me why. He still works for House unlike Cameron and Chase. What I liked most about him in this episode was his reaction to Wilson. He told him he should move. He should do whatever makes him happy, even if that means moving away. This was either truly how he felt, or a manipulation. Foreman is the most like House however much he does not want to believe it. I know Foreman likes Wilson and would want him to stay which leads me to believe it was a manipulation. We'll see.

Cuddy: Obviously upset at Wilson's choice to leave the hospital, she attempts to "fix it" like she always does. She plays couples counselor for House and Wilson, but both men are stubborn as mules. She seems very desperate and more fragile than normal in this episode, especially when dealing with House. I have been a big advocate for the Huddy relationship, and this new vulnerability on her part is interesting to me.

Wilson: On the theme of "dying changes everything", now Amber is gone, Wilson has been thrown head first into a spiraling hole of misery. Not unlike House. His general demeanor is dampened and he is obviously depressed, totally understandable. His cold shoulder towards House seems like a reaction to Amber's death, but Wilson reveals his true reasons for leaving. He cannot be House's friend anymore because it leaves him unhappy and unsatisfied. House uses Wilson for his own purposes and does not really give a damn about him in Wilson's eyes (which I don't think is true). I was completely heart broken at this scene, and for once, I am actually angry with Wilson. Usually he is the voice of reason, but I believe he is being very rash and unfair. But maybe that's because I love House...

House: Where to begin? First of all, he came back with a sexy new hair cut :) Haha, anyway... This episode was very significant for House. His best/only friend is leaving him. He is masking his true emotions about Wilson's decision with sarcasm and hostility. He somehow thinks he can guilt Wilson into staying, but obviously Wilson is not going to take House's manipulation anymore. He becomes more and more desperate to keep Wilson and in turn, begins to neglect his work. It's very odd to see House have no puzzle to solve. He's like a fish out of water. Slowly he is realizing he is alone. Wilson severs his friendship even after House is honest and vulnerable to him for probably the first time ever. I was heart broken to see House after Wilson told him the real reason he's leaving, because of House. House has dug a hole he can't get out of. It makes me sad, but I can't wait to see how he deals with it.

Sneak preview for next week: It looks like House is so desperate to keep Wilson, he basically stalks him. Hires a PI to keep tabs. Wilson though does not take kindly to House's actions, pushing House even further away, or at least attempting to.

Top Ten Reasons The Late Show With Conan O’Brien Is Pure Genius (Even though this is a Letterman thing)

10. The comedy. He has realized this new brand of comedy referred to Rolling Stone as “New Awkwardness”, but refuses to abandon the punch line. And guess what? He still gets laughs. Or at least mine.

9. James Lipton. He frequently has James Lipton on. Lipton is the host of Inside the Actor’s Studio on Bravo for those of you who don’t know. He is the master of dry delivery; so dry it crumbles like burnt toast.

8. LaBamba, the band’s trombonist. Never talks, except for the occasional segment called, “In the Year 2000”, a personal favorite.

7. The monologue. He is daring on stage and isn’t afraid of the audience reaction. In fact, he plays off that reaction and makes comedy gold.

6. The blow up Conan. Or more specifically, Matt Lauer dashing Conan’s hopes and dreams concerning the blow up Conan. Personal favorite? Dart gun from 12 stories up.

5. Triumph the Insult Dog. So insulting, so crude, so unspeakable. Yet, it airs, and I love it. Recent favorite has to be the RNC. Kudos also to those guys who can take a joke!

4. Max Weinberg. Fantastic drummer. Sarcastic as all get out. Perfect partner in crime for off the wall O’Brien.

3. The guests. Even if I am not particularly excited for a guest to be on, Conan makes each interview fun and exciting to watch. And funny, even if the guest isn’t.

2. Conan O’Brien. What’s not to love? The perfect late night guy with a sort of off kilter humor, goofball stage presence and I’ll-do-just-about-anything-to-get-a-laugh then oh-God-that-went-terribly then who-cares-they-can’t-tank-me-now-I’m-taking-over-for-Leno attitude.

1. The hair. Was there any question that this wouldn’t be number one? Nuff said.

It's what's up

Here's the run down of me, my life, and what I've been thinking about all week.

I loved, loved, loved Tina Fey's Sarah Palin on SNL this week! It was brilliant! I always thought Tina Fey looked a little like her anyway. Not to mention my Obama group had mentioned in emails that they wanted to bug NBC about getting Fey to do Palin.

I had an amazing time in Pullman. It was so fun to spend time with Jimmy out in his element. I went to his Physics and Calculus class. I don't envy his work load.

I am incredibly, incredibly frustrated with football this season. The Huskies suck. The Hawks suck. My only comfort is knowing the Cougars are doing just as bad :)

I finished watching season 4 of Lost. I absolutely cannot wait until season 5 premeirs! I finally know what everybody has been talking about!

Speaking of J.J. Abrams stuff, I watched his new show on FOX called Fringe. Very interesting. Wonderful effects. So far the acting leaves much to be desired, but we'll see where the show goes after the pilot. It's on after House, which means I'll probably watch it.

I move in on Friday. I couldn't be more excited!

My last day at Fircrest was today. I am so happy! Not that I dislike my job, but I definitely burnt myself out on it this summer. I earned almost as much in three months this summer as I did all of last YEAR. I worked my butt off! But, I am going to go back for winter break :)

I hate political extremists.

I just watched a commercial on TV for men's hair dye. There were two young girls who said, "Dad, it's time". They held up the hair dye and said, "You'd be a really great catch". That commercial is such bullshit. I only reinforces ugly societal demands.

I am watching an interview on Conan with Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent. He is suprisingly witty and charming. Am I really a fan of his? I'm taking a liking to him. As an actor/person. Not really as a rapper.

Today for the first time since I started working at Fircrest Golf Club, I felt like my boss really appreciated me and the time I have spent working for him and the club. I regret not taking the time to tell him I appreciate him and what he's done for me.

Dead end

For the first time in a long time (probably a year or so) I am having intense drama within my social circle. I have done a good enough job at avoiding mostly all drama while I was away at school. Any drama that accumulated before college was either forgotten, ignored, or resolved and I lived in bliss for a year. I thought I was scotch-free, but we all know Murphy's Law.

I guess I just feel like I am being thrust into the same stupid position that I was in all senior year of high school and all the way into the summer of last year. I got stuck in the middle of two sides, being forced to choose one side, and inevitably, lose one side as friends or stay neutral and piss off both sides. I know I'm not the only one in this position, but it feels so isolating. I feel like I can't talk to one side about the issue without taking that side. Or at least the other side believing that I had. I'm just at a loss. I don't know what to do, and it's eating away at my being. Albeit, the issue has intensified only in the past few hours, but I can feeling gnawing at me already. I have butterflies in my stomach, my mind feels cluttered. I hate it.

Dear Nick,

How can I begin to put into words what you mean to me? The simple answer is there is no clever, elegant or graceful way for me to describe it using merely words. For me to describe what we have would do it no justice, because you are a more beautiful person than any beautiful word can describe. You, my closest friend, my best friend, my brother, have made me a stronger, more outgoing, happier human being. So even though there’s no way I can fully get all of my feelings down into this simple letter, I’m going to try anyway!

Do you remember how we met? I know we have totally different stories on how we became friends, but I think this is the first time I met you. Bus number 18, Evergreen Primary, kindergarten. So if you think about it, we’ve known each other for nearly 15 years. That is almost 75% of our life! You are my oldest friend, by far. I think however, we became friends in the 2^nd grade, Mrs. Cook’s class. That was when our friendship grew. I can’t actually remember what grade our Saturn project was, but I do remember that was the first time you came over to my house. My mom adored you (and still does). We worked so hard on that silly little tri-fold display board! If I do recall, ours was the best looking one of the bunch. We were friends throughout elementary school, discovering we lived literally blocks away from each other. Middle school rolled around, and we became even closer friends. I remember in seventh grade standing outside the construction portables just bullshitting our recess away, and honestly, there is no other way I would have liked it. I remember coming to your place ALL the time. We’d play Mario Kart on the 64, your dad would barbeque, your brother would have Dominic over, your mom entertaining other guests. Those are memories I will forever and always keep. I think it was the eighth grade when you moved away, to the far off land of Yelm. To a 13 year old kid without a driver’s license it seemed like you moved totally out of the state! I was devastated at even the thought of not seeing you everyday. But both our parents were so accommodating when it came to us being able to see each other. I remember your dad would pick me up at the Du Pont gas station and drive me the rest of the way to the house. Then sophomore year (at least I think that’s when it was), you did a student exchange program to Australia. I was totally excited for you, but at the same time, again devastated because I wasn’t going to see you for 10 months. This was an eternity for me! I recall nights were I would be inconsolable (usually after we had the chance to talk on the phone) because I couldn’t see you and spend time with you. I never thought of myself as a codependent person, but I literally could not function in these moments. But when you came back, we picked up our friendship like you were never gone. More years went by and we finally find ourselves on the brink of independence. Both of us have wonderful lives, jobs, and responsibility making so hard to see each other, but our incredible bond is still there. Every time we are in each other’s company, nothing can stop us from being like carefree children again. We’re totally free to be whatever we want to be in each other’s presence.

All of those years, making what we have stronger and more special, has been the one constant in my life. You have been my saving grace in times of trouble, my shoulder to cry on and my best friend to share my life with. I often try and describe to other people our relationship. I say it’s sort of like having a twin brother who understands you down to your soul. You get me. You know who I really am, and I am totally comfortable with that. I can honestly say, you are the only person who has ever tapped into that side of me. You bring out the best in me. I could not live without you. When we move away from each other and start lives of our own, you will always be with me, and I hope I with you. Although we don’t see each other like we used to, you mean the world and beyond to me. I would never trade what we have in for anything. Ever. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I want you to know that. I will always be here for you. I want to be everything you have ever been for me. You are my brother, my role model, my inspiration and my best friend. I love you forever an always.

With undying love,
Crystal, your sister, your best friend

There's more to life than you think...

I have noticed lately how much resignation and cynicism there is in our world. It seems that at the base of everything, what people do and say, there is this underlying tone. It's something that must have always been there, but I'm just now beginning to notice it. I'm annoyed by it. I don't want to be surrounded by it. Everything is about looking good, and avoid looking bad. Anything that is out of the norm, anything that's different, anything that makes others happy but makes you sad makes the cynicism so apparent. It sickens me. What's the point? To be admired? To make other jealous of your perfect life? To punish your enemy? To make those who have hurt you wrong? Why are you wasting your life with these games? Your life is consumed by a game that will NEVER make you happy. Just me writing about this has made me cynical and resigned. What a vicious circle.

But then there are people I have surrounded myself with in my life who can genuinely live life without the cynicism. Or at least be open to the idea that there's more to life than always looking good. These are the people who I can feel 100% comfortable with being 100% myself. With out these people, I think I'd go insane. There's nothing more empowering that being around others who give you the power to be yourself. No judging, no bullshit. Just being present in the moment. It's beautiful. So thank you! Thanks for being there. Thanks for being open and honest. Thanks for trusting me. Thanks for having fun. Thanks for being yourself!