with her eyes set on a southern star;

breigh @ 2005-08-30T17:51:00

2005-08-30T23:05:08Z

I want to start by saying thanks to everyone who left comments/called/imed/emailed about the hurricane, i know I haven't commented back, but things have been so hectic that the only time I've really been online has been spent talking to people from Tulane, but I really do appreciate it. I want to write more about what happened/is happening and all that, and I'm back in New Jersey now, so, here's that;

Thursday I left for New Orleans, my sophomore year at Tulane, I drove my car 14 hours to Nashville with my mom, stayed over nite, and then got up the next morning and drove the remaining 7.5 hours to New Orleans. The minute I crossed the state line into Louisiana I just started smiling, that place is my home, and I had missed it so much, more than I even knew until I got back there. Friday night we went to my favorite place for dinner, then my mom went back to the hotel and I drove down St. Charles back to Tulane to see Jenna and our room. After moving some of my stuff in we took a drive around school talking about all the things we could experience there this year, within the next few months. Looking back on it now, well, I can't really, it's hard.

Friday nite they were talking about the hurricane, but like all the years and storms before, I didn't think it would hit, we had a close call with Ivan last year, and I thought Katrina would be the same, New Orleans hadn't been hit in 40 years and I had no reason to believe it would be in the next four, I didn't think it was that probable and went to bed making a list of what I needed the next day from Target before I moved in on Sunday. Saturday, however, we woke up to see Katrina headed straight for New Orleans, and we booked plane tickets out of the city to Houston, TX, where my aunt and uncle and sarah live. I didn't have time to get what I had left in my room, and the trunk of my car is/was filled with clothes because I just put them in the trunk, I didn't have anything in suitcases. So, we went to Target before the airport and got a big duffel bag, and in the parking garage of the airport I packed what I could from my trunk into the bag.

Katrina, unlike all those that were close calls, hit New Orleans -- hard. I didn't think it would affect me as it has, I knew I would be upset, but at this point, I'm just, so, out of it. Every other hurricane, every other disaster, it has always been someone elses tradgedy in someone elses city, someone else's home. I don't mean that to sound, well, I don't know, but it's the truth, you cannot sympathize with people, because you don't understand, it is horrible and you realize that, but that is the extent of it. Last year, with Ivan, I was bothered by what had happened, but it was more of a relief that it was not New Orleans. But now, it is New Orleans. I can't watch the news, but I can't stop. I know that I am lucky and that I go to school there and live in jersey, that I have a home still, but I honestly feel like my home is ruined, my city is ruined. To see the things on tv, the people, the places, to think "i was just walking on that street" or, "we used to walk there all the time" or to just imagine what has become of a place that you love, to not know the whole story and to be getting it from the media is horrible. Tulane is giving updates, but they aren't clear, because really, they can't assess the complete damage. It could be months before we get back to school.

Last nite I completely broke down, crying and all that. I haven't slept, being up watching the news and all, I'm going to sleep tonite, if I can, but it's just so -- I didn't think I would be handling it like this, my life, it feels like, has been devistated, and I can only imagine what the people who are there, who have lost everything they have are feeling. It's almost too much to handle, but, my friends are all okay, we're all talking, and we're just trying to make sense of this, when there is none to be made. I love them all so much and am so thankful to have them, I miss them so much and hope that soon enough this is all taken care of and we can get back to complaining about waking up for 9am class or walking up 3 flights of stairs. But, for now, all I see is the city I consider home wrecked, devistated, damaged, and I can't help but thinking it will never be the same. And the worst part is, it just keeps getting worse. The levee's are breaking, and the water is coming in, the pumps aren't able to get it out, and if they could, they would pump it into the lake, but the levee on the lake is broken, causing the water to spill back into the city.

The thing is, too, that we didn't get hit like they thought we would -- we were SPARED the eye of a category 5 storm, and this is what happened. I don't want to consider other alternatives, I want to go to sleep and wake up and see everything is okay again. The bridges are back on the lake, the roads cleared, homes are okay. My uncle is a rescue swimmer in the coast guard and he's there getting people off their roofs and stuff, today he was on the news with an ax cutting into someone's roof to get them out. My one friend and her family didn't leave (I don't know why, but that's besides the point now) they are in her father's office building, their home is under water, ruined, and the conditions in the city are deteriorating so I don't know if she will be okay. Everyone else, thankfully, is safe and just waiting.

All that's left to do now is wait.

from now on;

2005-07-06T05:57:38Z

"i'm not promoting drinking, oh no, rather, socializing -- with alcohol"

2004-08-24T17:31:41Z

college life. damn. i don't drink, thus this whole people being trashed 24/7 is a little overwhelming. I've found some cool people, though, so that's nice. orientation is boring, but they give you free stuff, so i guess that's positive. and my bed is kick as comfortable. oh, and my room is pretty. not the actual room itself, which is more of a box. (I have to strategically manuver my chair so that i can get in and out of it). However, my decorations have livened up my humble abode.

tomorrow classes start, and i'm excited about that. I want to get into some kind of routine. however, i don't really want to do any work, thus, there is some sort of disconnect there. I do love Tulane, though. The campus is awesome. I need to go to the gym later. oh, and it's really humid. i don't know why i bother to shower. it was 85 degrees at 9 this morning. that, my friends, is heat.

i want my yearbook, too. but i won't get it until next week sometimes when my mom sends some stuff down. boo. ah well.

she gets her first sleep in days under starry skies

2004-08-20T02:16:10Z

I'm in New Orleans. Not at school yet, but rather hooked up to dsl through the spiffy hotel box thingum. Tomorrow I need to go out and find an ethernet cable for my room because this shit is sweeeeet.

Anyways, after a lovely 22 hour drive I'm finally in my new home. The drive actually wasn't THAT bad. I don't know why, but it seemed to go by pretty quickly. We went through ten states, including Jersey and Louisiana, and I think my favorite was actually Alabama. It was nothing like I expected. (Also, it was where the time switched from eastern to central, and as I set my watch back and hour my mom burst into tears. OH YEAH. It's gonna be fun when she has to leave!) But yeah, as we drove through Alabama the sun was setting and it was gorgeous. I really really liked it. I want to live there, or at least go for a weekend or something. It was pretty awesome.

The first day of our drive I was kind of, not really upset, but just in a state of "what the fuck am i doing?". I've never been away from home for more than a few days, and here I am moving over a thousand miles away. It's a completely different world down here, and I was just kind of freaked on the first day.

However, when we got here this morning, and I got out of the car and just took it all in again I realized how much I love it here. I really do. It feels like home, and I love that. It is everything that I ever wanted, it's near the city, but not in it. There are palm trees and it's tropical and different and I'm worlds away from Philadelphia. I'm not as scared anymore, but rather really, really, really excited. I feel settled here, and I guess I needed that reaffirmed, which it was. I just, I can't explain it. I'm nervous, but not as much as I was. New Orleans is an awesome place, and I love the school and the people and I'm just so -- I'm really doing this, and I don't think I can express how that feels.

Patrick also emailed me, and it threw everything off. Guess some things won't be staying in new jersey.

I also went out tonite and got a new change purse/card holder and a new cell phone holder. I got my tulane card today, I actually like it. And, I got my mail key, so send me stuff. my box is the size of a pnut, though, but alas, it will work.

so, this is it.

2004-08-17T04:11:53Z

I leave for Louisiana in less than seven hours. This is my last nite at home for three months, and thus my last entry from home for three months. Fuck. It's so surreal that I don't know how to feel about it. I don't know what to expect, I don't know how to act or feel or anything like that. I think I may be freaking out, wondering how everything's going to go and all of that. I'm worried about the energy it's going to suck out of me over the next few weeks, to meet new people, to adjust.

Tomorrow we're driving 11 hours and staying in south carolina at a friends house. Then we're heading down to Biloxi for two nights, then over to New Orleans on Friday. This summer when by so fast. Christina and I went for bubble tea today. Then we went to cosi and she came over and my family came over to say goodbye. my grandmom cried. i got some money and cards and stuff.

i'm going to miss my bed.

i'm going to miss doing what i want when i want. my privacy. my bubble baths.

i'm going to miss my dog.

i said goodbye to christina without saying goodbye to christina. i don't know if that is possible, but that's what happened.

well, this is it. next time i update this puppy i'll be in new orleans. in college.

i'm old now. when did this happen?

but all she ever wanted was someone to adore

2004-08-15T17:44:07Z

more wedding pictures here.

My aunt got married yesterday. Married. It's so -- strange. My aunts and I are really close (they're twins). They've been more like my sisters than aunts, and it was just, I don't know how to describe it. It was strange to be helping her get dressed and watching her say her vows and everything. Made me realize that things really have changed, and it freaked me out some.

The wedding turned out to be a lot of fun, though. My mom and I got up early and had to get our hair done, then my cousin jessi came over and we drove to my grandparents where everyone was meeting/my aunt was getting ready. My aunt's hair was awesome. We all got changed into our dresses, then we helped her get dressed, the photographer came, and we took some pictures.

We took a limo bus to the church, and my grandmom was SO freaked out. She hated it. I had to hold her hand. And, the driver didn't know where we were going, so my aunt started freaking out. We got to the church at 1:25, and the wedding was at 1:30. It was perfect.

There was a lot of crying at the church. It was really pretty, though. And I didn't mess up. Oh yeah, success. It ended up raining, though, so we had to stay at the church to take pictures. It really wasn't that bad. But we had a lot of time left before the reception so we got back on the limo bus with all the groomsmen and everyone and drove to payless to get shoes that were comfy. There was a lot of alcohol on the limo bus, so that was sweet. I had two smirnoff ices. I've never had them before, but they were really good. Everyone else was 75% gone by the time we got to the reception, so that was really funny. They were all singing and shit. Hillarious.

The reception was my favorite. Brandon was my "date" and he was actually pretty cool. My uncle wanted to get my drunk so he would randomly give me stuff to drink. Cranberry vodka is nasty as hall. I liked malibu baybreezes, or something like that. I was cool, though, just a wee bit tipsy, but so was everyone else. It's like a wedding rule. My family was going crazy after a few drinks. These ultra conservative people were dancing like maniacs. It was great. At the end my mom was crying about me going to college while I was dancing to New York, New York with my grandmom. Then she tells my grandmom, who starts crying. At the end of the wedding I went to my aunt to say goodbye, and she wouldn't let go of me and she was sobbing crying saying "Bre Bre's going to college, oh my god, oh my god". At first I thought she was laughing, but she was FREAKING OUT. She was crying so damn hard. Note, she had been drinking and shit, but still, I didn't know what to do.

At the end of the nite brandon was our designated driver, he took us all home and then stayed for a bit. My aunt kathy, uncle eric and sarah are visiting his family for tonite, so they'll be back tomorrow, then i leave tuesday. wow.

bring it on, crazy family.

2004-08-12T19:10:29Z

tonite starts what has become the three day wedding festivities for my aunt's wedding. Tonite is the rehearsal and then a gathering at my aunt's house, tomorrow my aunt kathy, sarah, and my uncle eric are coming in and there's random crap to be done, and then saturday is the wedding. I have to get up early, get my hair done, and it's just a lot of effort that I really don't feel like putting out at the present. I still need to finish packing before tuesday.

my only happy place is the new lacoste shoes that i got to wear to the rehearsal. they're pink and i love them oh so well, like a kid loves candy or fresh snow ;P

oh, apparently that hurricane/tropical storm is supposed to hit saturday, during the wedding. i'm excited.

i have to take maddie to the "pet country club" tomorrow. it will be the last time i see her until november. damn.

i got my nails done today. like two hours ago, and i'm still freaked out about doing anything. i already messed one up, becaue i'm just that smooth.

let the fun begin. ugh.

but your smile is a drug that i can't afford, anymore

2004-08-11T04:17:01Z

I leave for Tulane in one week from yesterday. My aunt is getting married on Saturday, so I'll be doing wedding stuff from Thursday-Saturday. Where has everything gone? Damn.

Life has become recomplicated, thank you very much. I'm trying to figure out what I want to do about some stuff, and while I know what I should do it's not what I really feel like doing. Biotch.

Saw Napoleon Dynamite tonite. I don't know how to feel about it. I laughed, a lot. But at the same time I laughed mostly because Napoleon is Patrick. At least his hair. And he said sweet. Christina and I nearly died. The movie itself was pointless, however we did laugh like idiots, then ask each other while we were laughing.

Tomorrow I'm waking up early to go back to school and break into our old calc room to retrieve the rock that we left there. Hopefully I don't cry. Hopefully I can walk back into that room. I think this is a bad idea. If I do cry I'm going to beat the shit out of Christina.

that is all.

breigh @ 2004-08-06T00:00:00

2004-08-06T04:00:47Z

breigh @ 2004-08-05T21:23:00

2004-08-06T01:25:51Z

I just officially closed Flying Without Wings, the fanfiction site I had since I was 13 years old. Wow. There's a notice up on the site, a little explanation of sorts, I suppose. I just don't have the time or the drive anymore, but I was fighting so hard to keep it open. I didn't want it to end, that thing was my baby. And it lasted for forever. It was a nice run. Fantastic fun while it lasted, but I needed to end it officially as opposed to just letting it die out. I know that in two weeks, when I'm in college, I'll never get around to it, so, yeah. It's done.

Hm.

i like my hair, just not on my head.

2004-08-05T15:46:03Z

It's really cold out today. Like, jeans and a sweatshirt -- at the same time. In August. What?

Last night after talking to Christina I couldn't sleep. At 3:15am I got up and got a shower, shaved, did my hair, and then laid in bed some more until finally falling asleep around 4:30. Hello insomnia, my old friend. See, I didn't want to be up, I laid in ben=d from 1:30-3:15 TRYING to sleep. Stupid mind and not shutting off and circular motion and bitterness and idiots.

I think I'm going somewhere with Christina. Our time is winding down. Holy Hell. I don't know how I'm going to function without her. It's going to be like functioning without my right arm, all the fingers on my left hand, and my left leg.

My cell phone bills are going to be tragic.

I cleaned my entire room out yesterday. I'm almost completely packed. Wow. College is really soon.

decisions, decisions.

2004-08-02T22:02:12Z

i could either (a) post something meaningful, or (b) quote elan.

I choose b.

LoniGurl830: u guys would have the coolest family
LoniGurl830: ur kids would be home schooled and they would refuse to cut their hair or wear shoes

breigh @ 2004-08-01T19:48:00

2004-08-02T04:08:53Z

LoniGurl830: but yesterday was a good day at target
LoniGurl830: when they turned out the lights i rode this bike around the store
LoniGurl830: with no air in the tires

breigh @ 2004-08-01T17:45:00

2004-08-02T02:08:06Z

'and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awwww!".'

Today I had four margaritas and a pina colada.

2004-08-01T05:06:42Z

Today at my house was the luau for my aunts wedding. It was crrrraaaazzzzy. People were EVERYWHERE, and I was the designated bartender. It was funny. I was good at it. My frozen drinks were blended perfectly. Good deal.

I also go my housing info today for this year. I'm with Kristen!! I met Kristen at the Tulane dinner in Philly, we got along, and requested to room together. They weren't sure if it would work, but it did. She's cool, we have the same major, and we're pretty similar. It's cool, man. I'm really happy.

I also got a call from Christina today. They were on the beach. It was funny. And I talked to Andy. He spoke some spanish and said he was taking me back next summer. I'm holding him to it!

Brandon came over after the luau and cooked he and I dinner (it was 10:45, but, ya know). It was funny, actually. He's a fireman and the grill was FREAKING OUT. I have a massive fear of fire and was sitting in the far corner, but he had it down. We had burgers and burnt hot dogs, which he prepared like Emril, or something. Haha. We then sat out at the pool and talked until like 12:30ish. We're old, is what we've decided. Damn.

"Today I gave a penguin a bath".

2004-07-30T03:17:33Z

I love 50 First Dates. I bought it today and watched it like two times. I almost started bawling the second time. Ugh. Stupid Boys. Seriously. Stupid.

Today was ruined by my mother's determination to spend time with me. I sound horrible saying that, I know, but today was a day that I just wanted to be alone. I woke up in a very introspective mood, and on days like that I'd rather just be in my head. So, I was going to lay out at the pool (because there was SUN today! gasp!), then go over to Penn and get a bubble tea and then just sit on campus and read. Because it was nice out.

My mom, however, didn't want me to go alone, so she made a list of things for me to do with her, and said we would then go get a bubble tea, which is all I wanted. But, first I had to drive her to three stores, sit in traffic, and tolerate her complete indecisiveness, which is hard enough when I'm in a good mood, but today -- today was not the day. She spent 20 minutes in one store trying to figure out which flowers she wanted. Then, after 25 minutes in Pottery Barn she decided on a fake plant, waited in line, paid, and decided maybe she wanted wine glasses. At this point I just walked out of the store and went back to sit in my car.

Finally go to Penn and got my bubble tea, and it was SO nice, I just wanted to sit there, but not with my mom because today she insisted on asking me all these questions that she knew i had no answers to. Yeah. Boo.

Tomorrow I have to go with my aunt for the final fitting of her wedding dress.

Christina needs to come back because there's a shit load of stuff I need to talk to her about. Now I'm talking about it in my head. And some to Elan. Elan rocks.

I'm listening to Westlife.

I miss...yeah...damn...

drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door

2004-07-28T18:07:08Z

New Jersey weather deserves to be kicked in the face. Uck. It's so gross here. I feel like running or something, but I'm pretty sure that the minute I go outside it's going to start raining. Plus, the ground is all wet and there are, undoubtably, puddles everywhere.

This whole election thing, while I am horribly impartial, is pissing me off. It's an oxymoron. I swear, if I have to hear one more time about Kerry serving I'm going to cut my ears off. I get it. I understand. He fought for his country. That's a good thing, not saying that, but I am a casual observer of politics, one of the undecided people they keep saying they need to sway, and quite frankly, whenever I turn on any interview about him that's all I hear. And there's that commercial with Edwards saying to talk to the people who served with him. How am I supposed to do that? I have no phone numbers or anything.

I should study french so that I can get out of my requirement at Tulane. I should also finish The Color of Water. I should do both these things, but I doubt that I'll do either. Maybe I'll read some. Maybe.

i <3 conan obrien.

2004-07-28T04:44:24Z

christina's in costa rica and i'm not because of stupid shit. she cannot get in touch with me because she's in the rain forest. This is not cool, man. I've got so much random shit I need to tell her, and yet, I can't. So I'm just randomly texting her and leaving her messages, so when she gets in a plaace where she has a signal, she can know.

I bought the BEST shirt today. I have to wear it next time I see her, because it is AMAZING, and only she will appreciate it. Oh yes. It's hot.

I talked to my old friends tonite, Lauren and Jen. Lauren was kind of, I don't know. She used to be my best friend, but conversation with her was a bit stretched. She didn't contribute a whole lot. She was never very talkative, though. Jen, though, man. I missed her. We talked for like two hours. We're talking tomorrow and we're gonna go out some time soon. Should be fun.

Conan O'Brien is my new crush. I love him. Haha.

breigh @ 2004-07-25T20:36:00

2004-07-26T01:19:41Z

I’m in purgatory. That’s what this is. Actually, I’m sitting in my backyard. It’s wet because my mom was watering the plants; only she can never only water the plants. She also waters the pool chairs, the pool area, the diving board, and the patio set, as if it will grow or as if it needs water or life or something. It’s cold out, too cold for a summer in New Jersey and I’m thinking an apocalypse is coming. This is definitely not global warming. Maybe hairspray in those big aluminum bottles wasn’t as dangerous as CNN made it out to be. Maybe it was a myth, like slap bracelets killing you. Someone once told me they were illegal, and I believed them and thus abided accordingly. I haven’t owned one since. I’m too good.

There are no clouds in the sky tonite, it’s not dark out either, almost a grey blue. There are some little wispy things off over my neighbor’s house. I don’t know if they could be classified as clouds. They’re red. Red sky by night, sailors delight, red sky by morning, sailors head warning. I’m a boater at heart, I am. I swear. I listen to Jimmy Buffett and wear boat shoes and know what port and starboard are. At least, I did.

My stream of consciousness, which this is, could easily be classified as some sort of mental thing and I could be medicated accordingly, probably. Who knows? I don’t know if I believe in the whole medicating thing anymore, anyways, but if I did I could buy it on eBay for 10.99. Full serious. I’m, as Martha Stewart would say, a conundrum.

I changed a lot in three weeks. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s Patrick being back within a 20-mile radius, or my mind finally going where it wants instead of where I direct it. Maybe it’s that I’m finally letting myself feel instead of just think. However, I am thinking too. I think, perhaps, that I’ve stumbled blindly across the cohesion of the polar opposites. Feeling hurts. A lot. I had a dream the other night, and I woke up physically hurting from it. It ruined my day, but at the same time it made me really happy. I’m not dormant, I can feel. And I hate it and I love it and it drives me nuts. I thought I was failing at emotion, too. Apparently not.

I was rereading some of my school papers that I had moved from my old computer. And in one I wrote about failure. Failure is my new favorite thing. Everybody needs it. Honestly. It’s affirming, in some fucked up way. Someone told me that I failed this year. Flat out, right to my face, with an unrelenting smile and it was the best thing that I’ve ever been told. Because, they told me that I tried, too. You can’t fail at something unless you try at it. Failure requires some sort of undertaking, and the acknowledgement of my failure was enough to make me love the person for forever. Damn. That’s gonna hurt.

It’s getting really dark. I should turn on a light. Or go inside. But it’s actually nice out. And, my mom just turned on the spotlight. Not sure how much good it’s going to do, but it’s something.

Something is everything. My mind is distorted in my break from everything. I become completely disillusioned by things when I’m not in contact with them. Then, when I come in contact with them I experience something similar to being hit in the head with a blunt object at full force. I always end up with some sort of bruise.

This really does seem like some sort of psychotic break. But it’s not, I swear. I don’t know what it is. My mind is just going and my fingers are trying to keep up and I know that it makes no collective sense, but it’s what I’m thinking when I’m thinking it.

Bed of Lies, by matchbox 20 just came on. I like this song. I do. Well it’s not enough just to be lonely/I don’t think that I could take another talk about it. Good stuff. And there’ll be no rest for these tired eyes/I’m marking it down to learning.

I’m not bitter anymore. When did this happen? I don’t know. I would like to think I’ve reached this closure, but maybe it’s apathy? Maybe I’m just tired and have finally realized that putting things in a box on a high shelf with their purpose to be nothing more than to collect dust could be a good thing. My mind has taken months to catch up with the rest of my body, but after once last bruise, I’ve moved on.

There are lighting bugs over in the corner of my yard. When I was younger my aunt used to catch them, rip off their glow thing, and make me jewelry out of them. I thought she was so cool for that.

My feet are freezing. The pool light is on. My mom changed the burnt out light so I have more light. I’m still in purgatory, though. I want out of here. I need to move on, instead of just waiting around. I keep buying stuff for next year and getting things ready and everything, but there’s nothing I can do for another couple of weeks. I’m just, waiting, it feels like. I’m in the middle of two different lives. Just, waiting. Tick tock.

Only half of the moon is out tonite. Christina is in the rain forest. I wonder if she can see it. How Fival is that?

when i look into your eyes now i don't see the love, i see the lies

2004-07-26T00:08:08Z

i had an entry, then i erased it. words are hating me at the present. bitch.

oh, and you're not crazy, it's just one of your lies.

oh oh, and i got a spiderman toy at burger king today.

it's all right, the sunlight on my face

2004-07-22T15:35:56Z

pool randomness here and painting pictures here.

Too much physics ruins your life.

2004-07-21T20:47:00Z

I went to the doctors today because I had this thing on my arm, it was a wart/mole/growth thing and I didn't like it. It came around about 3 weeks ago, and I personally enjoyed it better when it was not there. I had to first, however, make sure it wasn't something that would cause my death. My doctor man was cool, he looks like Bill Cosby. Sounds like him too. I wanted to ask him for jello

but I didn't.

i got needles in my arm, and then he sliced it off. and then burned the rest off. then they bandaged me up and sent me on my way. i'm not supposed to get it wet until tomorrow, but i went in the pool. However, I'm slick and didn't get it wet at all. oh yeah. i rock. hard.

after the doctors I went to Franklin Mills Mall because I wanted to go to the Polo Outlet and get some shirts. I drove out there, got a navy blue polo and a light yellow with blue stripes oxford. I love them both very much.

re: my subject line. While walking out of the mall I mistook the door hinge part for the part that opened, and pushed the wrong side of the door. My first thought was not, "dumb brittany" or, "wrong side of the door" or "people are waiting and you just walked into a glass door" but rather "i cannot open this door because my lever arm is too short and thus I do not have enough force, or torque to get the door open". WOW. Physics has taken over my life. I wish I could erase it.

I took a lot of pictures today. I'll post them later.

I'm off to my grandmom's to eat pizza and help her paint her bedroom. Hopefully my wound won't cause my arm to fall off. I don't think getting paint in it would be a positive thing.

oh, and Jimmy Buffett's new album, License to Chill, is my new best friend (sorry Christina).

oh oh, and Elan is forever my hero because of Paul.

ten things to do in each city before you die

2004-07-18T16:44:21Z

msn has this list of ten things to do in something like 39 US cities before you die. I've done more/will do more of the New Orleans ones than the Philadelphia ones. Although, the Philadelphia ones are retarted, they're all like, bars, which is odd because New Orleans is not. Strange role reversal there. They do have Pat's Steaks on the Philly one, which I am determined to go to before I leave for school. I've never been there, but I'm in Philadelphia all the time. I need to fix that.

The ten must do things in new orleans:

1. Mardi Gras <--- I'll be there this year. Should be nuts.
at Greater New Orleans Area
Grab all the beads you can; if you snag a coveted Zulu coconut--the holy grail of Carnival catches--you can claim a perfect Fat Tuesday.

2. Jazz Fest <---- I'll be there this year, too. Heard it's better than mardi gras.
Fri Apr 29-Sun May 1, 2005, 11am-6pm Thu May 5-Sun May 8, 2005, 11am-6pm at New Orleans Fair Grounds
Soak up this annual, full-contact right of spring, which showcases local musical legends, road-tripping headliners and some of the best food on earth.

3. Bourbon Street <--- Been there, and it's nothing short of crazy insane. ah.
New Orleans, LA
With so many attractions--decadent, historical or both--an evening on this venerable strip can be whatever you want to make it.

4. Galatoire's Restaurant <--- haven't done yet.
209 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA
Nothing says "Old-line Creole" like a four-hour Friday lunch at this Bourbon Street stalwart; feast on seafood-stuffed eggplant while watching the city's upper-crust get pleasantly rowdy.

5. Pat O'Brien's <--- i've been there, but i didn't go in because i was under 21. i looked inside and crap, it's pretty.
624 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA
Hurricane in hand, indulge your inner tourist with a trip to the raucous piano bar, where the request line is always open.

6. Commander's Palace <-- want to go. school is in the garden district, or right near it.
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA
Weekday lunches shine at this Garden District landmark with quarter martinis, reasonably priced Creole classics, and a picturesque cemetery across the street for post-meal constitutionals.

7. Preservation Hall <-- nope.
726 Saint Peter St, New Orleans, LA
Line up for a trip back to the Crescent City's musical roots; a rich history lesson in bare-bones surroundings.

8. Jackson Square <-- christina and i got pictures here. it's really pretty and cool. painted people and stuff.
St Peter St and Decatur St, New Orleans, LA
Have your fortune told or portrait painted, and watch mimes and street performers do their stuff on the city's original town square.
Go to Website

9. Tipitina's <-- I'm living in uptown. I'll get here.
501 Napoleon Ave, New Orleans, LA
Hit this Uptown nightlife mecca and boogie to a cross-section of New Orleans sounds past, present and future.

10. Camellia Grill <-- This place was AWESOME. Pecan Pie was great, the atmosphere rocked. I love it.
626 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA
Chili-drenched omelets, creamy mocha freezes and apple pie warmed on the burger griddle--midnight (or 2am) snacks don't get any better than at this character-filled Riverbend diner.

yeah, so, i need to work on Philadelphia. It's boring, though. At least compared to New Orleans.

my turn this time, they cried

2004-07-15T04:38:05Z

I'm getting insanely excited about college, prompted by my suddenly large pile of new college things. I got my laptop. It's a 12 inch mac powerbook and there are few things that i love more than it. It's small, has kick ass battery power (about 4 hours), is really fast and it's very pretty, also. It's silver and just, yes. I'm in love.

I also got my comforter. It's the harbor view by Ralph Lauren. It's striped, but it's lighter colors and not too crazy. I <3 Ralph Lauren. I wouldn't object to marrying him, or any of his products. I still need sheets. I'll have to go to Target this weekend

There's also all of the essential college stuff; I got a desk lamp (a nifty green one from Target), a hamper, shoe hanger thing, table top ironing board, stuff for my desk, cork board, massive amounts of picture frames, plates, a shower tote, and other stuff that i'm forgetting. College is close, man. I can feel it now. Not that I couldn't before, but my dorm room is sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor, I registered for classes this morning (no classes before 9:30 or after 1:50, except for tuesday, which is lab day), and everything is just falling in to place. I have a dinner tomorrow night for Tulane in Philadelphia. Hopefully that goes well. I'm ready to go. I miss New Orleans. A lot.

But for now, still in Jersey. Boo. Tonite Christina came over and we watched our senior video. Some of the highlights include: the 13:57 mark (good things linger in the back), Christina trying to decide who her favorite teacher was, Mr. Kern falling asleep during graduation, and Mr. Crews not going in the right direction at the end of walking in during graduation. After watching it we then decided we wanted to go out, and ended up at Target. We bought One Flew Over the Coo Coo's Nest (young Jack Nicholson is hot). I also remembered that I had an unopened Easy Bake Oven in my closet, so we riped that thing open and tried to bake us some chocolate chip cookies with a light bulb. The instructions said that after 15 minutes of the "oven" heating up we could put our batter in and the cookies would be ready in 7-8 minutes. One hour and three minutes later our cookies were STILL not finished. Oh well, we tried.

I'm now watching the Law & Order: SVU that I taped earlier. sweetness.

breigh @ 2004-07-14T23:39:00

2004-07-15T03:40:15Z

EASY BAKE OVEN MY ASS!