Sorry I'm such a failure at this...I've been busy? Ahh that's no excuse.

As far as soccer goes, we had a really big couple of conference wins and then lost a doozy. That put us in a scary position for the conference tournment, but after some other loses by teams we officially have a bid. I'm so excited because I know we can beat every team in our conference. If we play well. That's a big IF.

School has been pretty nuts lately... 4 am, 6 am, 4 am nights. So i turned in two papers and then did absolutely no work yesterday because I could. Today it's back to the old routine, though. The leaves here are amazing by the way. Just glanced out my window and it's pretty freakin incredible. Fall in an arboretum? Can't get much better. Everyday there are more students here infected with the swine flu. There are a couple in the basement of my dorm and one on my hall, that I know of. It's freaking me out. If you are confirmed to have it you get quarenteened in a room in the health center. No way am I doing that so keep your fingers crossed for me. 

A couple nights ago I went to the opening night midnight showing of the Michael Jackson "This is it" movie. It was pretty incredible- the background dancer's saying what it meant to work with him, all of the rehearsal footage, seeing the artist in his element doing what he has made such an impact on. It was awesome. Now in the next couple days I'll be finishing up work and getting my Halloween costume together. The seniors have decided we are going to be S.W.A.T. team officers, like the cute play on words because our school is called Swat. The idea is a lot better than the costume is going to look. A couple freshman and I walked to Target yesterday and bought black gloves and hats and t-shirts while we ran into a few girls from our school not on the team who had legitimate S.W.A.T. gear in their Toys-R-Us bags. So basically we're going to be shown up hardcore. But whatever. I'm going to see if I can make one of those bullet belts and maybe a few other accessories. We'll see.

Off to the dining hall and then borrowing a bike to go on a little ride with a friend.

Love and miss you guys.

Jeez it's hard getting back into the study mode. Luckily I can afford to have a sluggish start because I don't have much work to do.

A couple weeks ago one of my hall mates, Mariam, and I made a list of things we want to do this year. One of them is to get on top of every roof of every building on campus. So she came to my room last night dressed in black and Emily and I got into similar apparel and went out into the night around 11. We passed the dining hall first and giddly attempted to boost each other up but the gutter was too flimsy and we were giggling too much. We downsized with a roof I've been on before of one of the dorms. It was easy because you can climb out of this one window right onto the roof. However we had to endure some embarrassment as there were a bunch of kids sitting in the lounge. We debated for awhile whether or not to do and finally without a word just opened the window and walked right out, being as inconspicuous as possible. The black outfits didn't help with that, however. The next one was trickier. We found a staircase in the main building in campus that led to another and eventually to metal stairs on the side of the building, and there was number 2. Number 3 was the Science Center which we conquered easily. After that we called it a night. We want to knock out a few more before it starts getting cold.

Haha and also tonight I was leaving the dining hall and I saw my roommate some distance over at the chocolate milk with her back to me. I was eating an orange and about to climb up the staircase when I decided it'd be fun to hit her with a slice of orange. Surprisingly I nailed her in the back of the head and as she turned her head to look for the culprit...it definitely was not my roommate. I casually proceeded up the stairs. Ahh. Good times.

We have a big game tomorrow that I really want to win and I'm off to practice.

Love.

Hello and goodbye Becca. It was a short visit but we loved every minute of it. I tried to get her to write a blog but she wouldn't. Typical.

Sooo. NYC. After we got in and stayed that first night with Jess at her Uncle's in The Brox we slept in and were off to Gisa's house. Freakin public transportation. We got on the bus, got on the subway and then got lost. And it was freeeezing. Not snowing but pretty dang cold. Gloves and hat and coat cold. But of course we had fun nonetheless. Jess and her friend Jane were with us and while we were lost Jane taught us the moonwalk. I'm actually pretty good and Becca's getting there. I already showed it off in the dining hall the first day we got back to Swat. So we finally just grabbed a taxi to get to Gisa's little brownstone- thanks dad- and then she wasn't home. After a little moonwalk practice Gisa came home. She had gone to the bus stop to wait for us :/ It worked out though. 

Gisa is one of the most incredible people I think I've ever met. She ushered us into the basement apartment of her little house, showing us everything- "This is my boiler room." "This is my closet" "This is my bathroom. I have toothbrushes. Do you need a toothbrush?" Gisa, her husband Benek, Becca and I sat through a lunch of bread and cheese for a good couple hours talking. Benek has dementia and it made me pretty sad but he would laugh when we'd laugh so that was happier. But Gisa makes sure she talks enough for both of them. Stories started pouring out with philosophies and theories and conclusions. It was too good not too get out the video camera. A little inappropriate for the dinner table, I thought, but too good to not tape. She doesn't seem to mind, though. For the rest of the day and the next morning we listened to story after story and saw pictures and letters from an unimaginable past. We did run out of tape but there's got to be some good stuff in what we have. We spent a lot of the time at the dinner table eating cucumber and cheese and meatballs and for breakfast, lat and bagels. I can't bring myself to think of that meal now but Becca really liked it. It was all in all an amazing experience. Once in a lifetime.

We said our goodbyes and spent our last day roaming around Manhatten, doing really nothing to mention. We took at least 5 different subways all over the city, thank goodness Jess knew what she was doing. We finished the day off with pizza and hot chocolate in Brooklyn. Jess's uncle dropped us off at 5 and we found a cute breakfast diner downtown to burn time before our bus came. My friend drove Becca and I to the airport to drop her off this afternoon. It was unbelievably good to have her here. I miss her already.

Love ya'll.

In Neww Yorrrk. We made it!

Becca took a cab from the airport to swat and after a little walkie talkie-ing we found each other. I threw clothes in a bag and my roommate Emily picked us up to take us to where the bus was picking us up. Traffic was insane and I think it took around an hour to get there so we had to grab a quick dinner and boarded the bus. Everything went so smoothly that I was suspicious. The bus ride took around 2 hours and when we pulled onto 34th street, New York City my friend from Swat and her friend were there to pick us up. We walked a ways to grab the subway and then got on a bus to walk a few blocks to my friend, Jess's, aunt and uncle's  house. I was a total noob on the bus and got barked at by the driver because I was putting my coins in one at a time. All I can say is I'm learning. Jess's uncle made us rice and soup when we got there and Becca and I went over some of the questions we want to ask Gisa. Gisa is a Holocaust survivor my dad met at a conference who Becca's connected with and decided to make a documentary about, tying her story to similarities in Darfur. I don't think we really know exactly where we're going with it but I'm pretty excited.

Everyone's still sleeping now...I got up and showered and am trying to get a little work done before we take the subway to Gisa's and Becca and I spend the night there. It's going to be awesome. Love you guys.

Feeling a little under the weather today. Woke up with a heck of a tummy ache, fever and stuffy nose. But we had a game so I dragged myself out of bed to the co-op and onto the bus. The field we played on was so crappy and it was pretty rainy the whole game. We came out on top, though, 2-0 but it should've been way worse. Enough of the depressing shtuff.

Last night I went with a couple people into Philly and it was so nice to get off campus. We took the train out to Center City and walked more then I thought possible. But it was so sweeet, I felt like I was in a different country. The streets were narrow and full of people living; eating, yelling at each other, walking. It was so cool. We came across a chocolate restaurant called something like Chocolate by the Bald Man or something and it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Chocolate pizza, waffles, milkshakes, cake, shots. I shared a chocolate peanut butter banana pizza with a girl on the soccer team and it was a work of art.

Being done with midterms is sooo nice. Although I'm definitely still recovering from them. But that's not to say I get a break from work for awhile...I have a few books to read plus some other readings and a paper to edit. It never ends. 

I can't wait for Becca to come. It's seriously going to be awesome. We're taking a bus out to NYC and hopefully my friend who lives in the Bronx will meet us there and we'll stay with her a day and our interviewee a day. Don't know exactly what to expect on either accounts but that's the best way to go. Complete spontneity. AKA the Ross sisters. I love it.

Loveyouguys.

Midterms are allllmost over. I'm sitting in the library avoiding editing my final paper that's due tomorrow. Gah I can't wait for fall break.

Because I've had a more relaxed week then most other students (bc my hell week was last week) I've gotten to relax a little more which is nice. Two nights ago a couple girls on my hall stopped by my room and asked if I wanted to go to this sushi-making event and then tango. I accepted and we walked to this little makeshift tent in the middle of the lawn on campus. It looked a little sketchy but we went in and the tent had definitely reached capacity long before we got there. The guys there were all wearing yarmulkes and upon inquisition I figured out the sushi-making was sponsored by the Jewish group on campus. Odd combination I thought. People were gathered around a small table rolling their chosen type of sushi, avocado and celery for me! They passed around a tray of cookies and we echoed a Hebrew blessing on the cookie. Sort of a twilight zonal experience but pretty fun.

One of the girls and I proceeded on to tango and we were a little lost because of all the classes we've missed. We were learning really hard stuff like close embrace and the lean your body's supposed to have while dancing. Pretty tough stuff when one imperfect step screws everything up.

Okay I gotta revise this paper. Love!

Mm I love late night studying. It's daa best.

My past couple days have been crazzzy. So i had those two papers due Friday, right? That put me at a bed time of 7:30 am to sleep for an hour before class. And then it didn't even feel liberating to turn them in. Probably because I know I have to revise them in a few days. Friday night was awesome...there's an old building called Old Club that hosts dances and concerts. It's really cool lookin with a windy staircase, balcony, and dusty chandeliers. But anyway, there was a line up of student musicians, everything from an acoustic guitar rap group to an electric guitar/cello combo. I was really impressed with what I heard but I guess I should've expected there to be some musical talent here.

Saturday we played our game in Maryland and won in a nail biter. They shouldn't have had a chance against us but I guess we like to give the crowd their money's worth. I spent all day today doing work and I'm pretty much spent. I Sunday night skyped with the fam tonight which I loved. All of us right there on the Family Bed. haha. Aaaand it looks like I'll be able to watch the Husker game Thursday! I'm going to e-mail the person in charge to reserve the TV for that time period and I don't even care if I'm hogging the tube. I have yet to watch TV here and after all it's 1/80 mine. (I have no idea if 80 people live in my dorm.)

Becca and I have no idea what the heck we're going to do in NYC over my fall break but I couldn't be more excited about it. It's gonna rockkk. The plan is to take a bus from Philly to New York and then stay with my friend from school who lives there and she's going to help us get where we need to be. Wherever that is. Ahh I'm excited.

Love you all and miss you allll.

Hiii there.

Well I just woke up and took a shower and have a little time before my 9:55 class.

I've been busier then the word gives me credit for. Mel, Nonna and Dad left yesterday :/ but it was soo good seeing them. It just so happened that the weekend they were here is going to be my heaviest workload until finals, but it was actually perfect timing because without them I would've been so stressed, probably taking no breaks from work. Plus it was just great to see familiar faces. From what they told me they had a great time, dad said he thinks they saw every tourist attraction in philadelphia (and nonna disagreeing). But they did do alot- they saw the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, a couple winerys, the Phil Museum of Art, me, of course, and had cheese steaks. I was bummed I couldn't spend more time with them, especially because I'm just as unfamiliar with the city as they were. They got to see two of my games where we went 1-1 with a loss to Johns Hopkins. I unexpectedly started the second game they saw so that was kind of a nice surprise. We got a few games of Manipulation/Shanghi(Gin) in and I gave them a pretty pathetic tour of campus. Overall I'm so thankful they came, nothin' like family.

I hope the rest of you are doing well and I wish everyone could come and visit me!

I've got to get dressed though and then finish two papers today so wish me luck.

Loveee.