Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day everybody! It may be an American holiday, but everyone should honor this great man.
Today was not so unproductive. I got a new wallet and belt at Target along with some 2-in-1 shampoo conditioner. I don't usually do the 2-in-1, but I don't want to deal with multiple bottles in traveling. Plus it's heavier. On the way home I picked up the contacts that weren't supposed to be in until Friday, so that took some stress away. Along with that, I got a new 500 GB western digital portable hard drive. It's another of my new loves. Works like a charm.
The big chore for today was cleaning out my car. That wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, but it was rather entertaining. In my car I had posters for my friend who ran for Miss Iowa, 2 toga costumes, a sailors hat, a Freddy Krueger fedora, a pair of shoes, a pair of rain boots, one rubber shoe (I should probably find the other), one wooden wand, a blue tie, a faux suede coat, two big car magnets, a dorm trash, two pillows, and a poncho but I will stop there cause the list goes on and on. I collect random stuff in my trunk it's just weird. Or maybe it's called being a college student.
Last night at about 1 am I applied for a checking account at Bank of America online. That saved a trip. Thank you technology. Only problem now is that my card may take up to 10 days to come, and as you can tell by my title I have less than 4 days until I leave. Looks like my mom will be sending me a care package earlier than originally planned. Tomorrow is dedicated to calling all my cards and visiting my bank. Then I work from 4 until about midnight. Should be fun.
Drake classes begin tomorrow. Everyone is back in town. Can't wait to see them all soon!!!
Pip Pip Cheerio!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Little Things - 4 days 17 hrs
My time in the good ole USA is coming to a close. Just under 5 days left. It's going to be a very busy time. I've procrastinated some stuff long enough.
1) MONEY: I have to open up a bank account with Bank of America. They have a European partner so I won't have pay out the nose to use ATMs over there. I have to contact my credit card companies and let them no I am going abroad so they don't cancel my cards if I try to use them. I also have to withdrawal a decent amount of cash and convert it to pounds so that I have enough cash to get by for a few days, just in case my credit cards do get temporarily canceled or other such calamities.
2) STUFF: My computer is running out of hard drive so I need to go buy a decent portable hard drive to save music, movies, and I guess school work. My mom bought a lock and a multi-country power converter for me yesterday, so I can cross those off my list. I still need a book to read as well.
3) FRIENDS: Drake starts classes on Tuesday, so that means all my college friends are trickling back into town. I hung out with one friend, Matteo, on Saturday night, and I saw my old roommate Brynne today. I've still got to see my sisters, and my fav boys before I go. There is also one friend that I met this summer on a movie set that I need to see. I keep missing his phone calls.
4) CLEAN: I cleaned and packed most of my room. I haven't touched my car yet though. That will be a fun experience.
I think that sums is up.
I'm seeing pictures that people who are already abroad are putting up. Getting a little bit antsy. Last night I had the hardest time falling asleep. I hope that's not a trend for the rest of the week because I like my sleep. I need my sleep. I'll keep you all updated on how everything goes. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Pip Pip Cheerio!
1) MONEY: I have to open up a bank account with Bank of America. They have a European partner so I won't have pay out the nose to use ATMs over there. I have to contact my credit card companies and let them no I am going abroad so they don't cancel my cards if I try to use them. I also have to withdrawal a decent amount of cash and convert it to pounds so that I have enough cash to get by for a few days, just in case my credit cards do get temporarily canceled or other such calamities.
2) STUFF: My computer is running out of hard drive so I need to go buy a decent portable hard drive to save music, movies, and I guess school work. My mom bought a lock and a multi-country power converter for me yesterday, so I can cross those off my list. I still need a book to read as well.
3) FRIENDS: Drake starts classes on Tuesday, so that means all my college friends are trickling back into town. I hung out with one friend, Matteo, on Saturday night, and I saw my old roommate Brynne today. I've still got to see my sisters, and my fav boys before I go. There is also one friend that I met this summer on a movie set that I need to see. I keep missing his phone calls.
4) CLEAN: I cleaned and packed most of my room. I haven't touched my car yet though. That will be a fun experience.
I think that sums is up.
I'm seeing pictures that people who are already abroad are putting up. Getting a little bit antsy. Last night I had the hardest time falling asleep. I hope that's not a trend for the rest of the week because I like my sleep. I need my sleep. I'll keep you all updated on how everything goes. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Pip Pip Cheerio!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Leap Year - 7 days and 18 hours
There is a reason that I have decided to study abroad in the UK. Long ago a seed was planted deep within me. It could have been Disney implanting the idea princes, castles and knights. But as I have grown, so has my Love for the Kingdom. The landscape, the history, the great minds that have been produced. Ask my closest friends and they will tell you that I am stuck in the past. Some say I belong in the 80s and others believe I belong way back in the 19th century.
One of my best friends pinpointed who I am once while describing my perfect (in theory) amusement park ride: "The concept of your favorite ride seems simple... Start going up Harry Potter mountain, take a quick pirates of the Caribbean loop into a spice girl museum while simultaneously reaching the end at a a boring 19th century book sale...." - Ike
Let's go through each of these things. First, Harry Potter: British and magical. Second, Pirates of the Caribbean: British and adventure. Third, the Spice Girls: British and Girl Power. Fourth, a 19th century book sale, the best writers were British. Case and point Jane Austen. All these things have something and common, and what they don't describes different aspects of my interests.
Tonight, I went to see the new movie Leap Year with bestie Jenny. If you don't know, Leap Year is about a girl who decides to follow an old Irish tradition that a woman can propose to a man she is dating on February 29th of a leap year. Her boyfriend is in Dublin and but her unfortunate travels to him bring her closer to her "guide". Anyway, in the movie there is romance, spontaneity, hilarity, and heart break. Not to mention a great scenic tour of the Irish country side.
While watching the movie I could feel my heart swell. Not necessarily for the love story involved (but I am sure it was a factor) but for the love I feel for this magical place. I told Jenny that I think my heart is going to burst when I get over there. There are so many amazing, incredible experiences and people awaiting me. I hope I can contain myself.
Basically, one of my lifelong dreams and goals is about to be accomplished. I have all these emotions coming to me, nerves and excitement being the main ones. I hope to make the most of it. From here on out, I guarantee that my heart will continue to swell when I think of the Journey I am about to embark on.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
One of my best friends pinpointed who I am once while describing my perfect (in theory) amusement park ride: "The concept of your favorite ride seems simple... Start going up Harry Potter mountain, take a quick pirates of the Caribbean loop into a spice girl museum while simultaneously reaching the end at a a boring 19th century book sale...." - Ike
Let's go through each of these things. First, Harry Potter: British and magical. Second, Pirates of the Caribbean: British and adventure. Third, the Spice Girls: British and Girl Power. Fourth, a 19th century book sale, the best writers were British. Case and point Jane Austen. All these things have something and common, and what they don't describes different aspects of my interests.
Tonight, I went to see the new movie Leap Year with bestie Jenny. If you don't know, Leap Year is about a girl who decides to follow an old Irish tradition that a woman can propose to a man she is dating on February 29th of a leap year. Her boyfriend is in Dublin and but her unfortunate travels to him bring her closer to her "guide". Anyway, in the movie there is romance, spontaneity, hilarity, and heart break. Not to mention a great scenic tour of the Irish country side.
While watching the movie I could feel my heart swell. Not necessarily for the love story involved (but I am sure it was a factor) but for the love I feel for this magical place. I told Jenny that I think my heart is going to burst when I get over there. There are so many amazing, incredible experiences and people awaiting me. I hope I can contain myself.
Basically, one of my lifelong dreams and goals is about to be accomplished. I have all these emotions coming to me, nerves and excitement being the main ones. I hope to make the most of it. From here on out, I guarantee that my heart will continue to swell when I think of the Journey I am about to embark on.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
Preliminary Packing - 8 days
This last week has been a little nuts. In the past few days I have been packing up my room in boxes, making a website, working and packing. Yesterday I completed my preliminary pack job. I say preliminary because my school recommends that you pack once, weigh it and all that jazz, then cut your items in half and pack again. I find that odd because I will be living in a completely different country for 4 months and I must pack for both winter and spring in under 50lbs and they still want me to cut what I have in half. They say it's because London is a shopping capital and I will have a whole bunch of goodies that I will want to bring home. This is true, but since London has a 17.5% sales tax (CRAZY!) I think I will keep clothes shopping to a minimum.
In my preliminary pack job I managed to get everything that I think I need or will want in my new suitcase. The weight, according to my bathroom scale, is 44.5lbs. I was hoping it would only be 35-40 because I did want to leave room. My carry-on is still rather empty tho, and that's a good sign. I'm currently in the market for a good book to read while I travel. If anyone has any suggestions, I am very open. I was thinking maybe The Host by Stephanie Meyer or Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. I love both of those authors.
Just a few minutes ago I changed one of my outgoing flights. It was scheduled for 6:50 departure, leaving me 54 minutes at O'hare to get to the international terminal and go through security. My mom wasn't very enthused by this so she had me change it. I now leave at 4:56 and will have 3 hours at O'Hare. JOY! I guess it's good not to be rushed though. I will appreciate being able to take my time.
The next few days still hold a lot for me. I plan on continuing to clean and organize my room, and I must get a hair cut before I leave. I also need to convert a few more DVDs, but that shouldn't take too long.
It's weird that I leave so late. Drake will have started before I leave, and everyone I know that is studying abroad through different programs is already over there. For me, it's a waiting game. Good thing I love games. That's all for now. I'll check in again soon.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
In my preliminary pack job I managed to get everything that I think I need or will want in my new suitcase. The weight, according to my bathroom scale, is 44.5lbs. I was hoping it would only be 35-40 because I did want to leave room. My carry-on is still rather empty tho, and that's a good sign. I'm currently in the market for a good book to read while I travel. If anyone has any suggestions, I am very open. I was thinking maybe The Host by Stephanie Meyer or Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. I love both of those authors.
Just a few minutes ago I changed one of my outgoing flights. It was scheduled for 6:50 departure, leaving me 54 minutes at O'hare to get to the international terminal and go through security. My mom wasn't very enthused by this so she had me change it. I now leave at 4:56 and will have 3 hours at O'Hare. JOY! I guess it's good not to be rushed though. I will appreciate being able to take my time.
The next few days still hold a lot for me. I plan on continuing to clean and organize my room, and I must get a hair cut before I leave. I also need to convert a few more DVDs, but that shouldn't take too long.
It's weird that I leave so late. Drake will have started before I leave, and everyone I know that is studying abroad through different programs is already over there. For me, it's a waiting game. Good thing I love games. That's all for now. I'll check in again soon.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
Friday, January 8, 2010
I Begin to Pack - 14 days
Well by the time I post this it will be 13 and a half days, but who is really keeping track anyway? O that's right, I am. I can't believe it. Two weeks. TWO WEEKS! I do not have a lot left to do, but it feels like a whole lot. I want to really finish everything that I need to finish by the end of next week. That way I can hang out and have fun as everyone comes back to school during my final week in the USA this semester. So basically in the next week I need to finish and publish a website, get in shape, clean my room and pack 90% of the stuff I will take with me.
You probably don't think that cleaning my room is that big of a deal. How long can that really take? I mean, it's just a room right? Wrong. Not my room. It's an explosion of clothes, gadgets, and random whoseits and whatsits. Do you remember the little cave that Ariel kept all her human stuff in? That's my room, but less organized. When I am done, it will look like that cave.
Here's how I have decided to approach this task:
I will pack and clean together. I will use this opportunity to purge my wardrobe of the random things that no longer fit or the stuff that went-out-of-style-5-years-ago-but-I-kept-them-around-because-they-kind-of-fit-and-you-never-know-when-you-might-need-that sort of clothes. If you haven't guessed it yet, I am a complete pack rat. I have a really hard time throwing things away. To me, everything has a memory or emotion attached to it. That is why it is so hard to throw out. I don't want to loose those memories. But sometimes you just have to let go. Plus, when I move into my new house/apartment when I get back, I don't want to lug all that crap around with me. My mom says that she will store stuff for me, but not in the fashion of keeping my room around. That means that part of cleaning my room actually means packing it up in green plastic containers.
Today I successfully packed a pair of running shoes, black high heels, a black leather jacket, pjs, and workout bottoms. I still have to find out what kind of outfit I need for my internship so I can pack that. I also successfully purged 10 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of khakis, 3 dress shirts and a $2.50 basketball clock that I never opened. This is going to be a long process. I'll keep you updated.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
You probably don't think that cleaning my room is that big of a deal. How long can that really take? I mean, it's just a room right? Wrong. Not my room. It's an explosion of clothes, gadgets, and random whoseits and whatsits. Do you remember the little cave that Ariel kept all her human stuff in? That's my room, but less organized. When I am done, it will look like that cave.
Here's how I have decided to approach this task:
I will pack and clean together. I will use this opportunity to purge my wardrobe of the random things that no longer fit or the stuff that went-out-of-style-5-years-ago-but-I-kept-them-around-because-they-kind-of-fit-and-you-never-know-when-you-might-need-that sort of clothes. If you haven't guessed it yet, I am a complete pack rat. I have a really hard time throwing things away. To me, everything has a memory or emotion attached to it. That is why it is so hard to throw out. I don't want to loose those memories. But sometimes you just have to let go. Plus, when I move into my new house/apartment when I get back, I don't want to lug all that crap around with me. My mom says that she will store stuff for me, but not in the fashion of keeping my room around. That means that part of cleaning my room actually means packing it up in green plastic containers.
Today I successfully packed a pair of running shoes, black high heels, a black leather jacket, pjs, and workout bottoms. I still have to find out what kind of outfit I need for my internship so I can pack that. I also successfully purged 10 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of khakis, 3 dress shirts and a $2.50 basketball clock that I never opened. This is going to be a long process. I'll keep you updated.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Winning Moments in 2010 - 16 Days
So far this year has been awesome. The teams I'm rooting for are all winning. The Chiefs gathered their 4th win of the season against their rivals the Denver Broncos and staggering odds, and the Iowa Hawkeyes kicked butt in the FedEx Orange Bowl. Then, last night, while I was filming high school basketball games, a very famous coach popped in to watch his star recruit play. That's right, Roy Williams was there. People were pretty respectful during the game, but before, after, and during halftime, they all came crawling, asking for pictures. I was one of those people thanks to my friend Shay who talked me into it. Need proof?Luckily my new phone has a 5mp camera for emergencies like this. It was a pretty good night. In case you don't know who Roy Williams is, he is the head coach for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Basically, he is a legend. Today I have been working on my brother's senior video for his graduation party. It's basically done. Next week my project is to make a website, and the week after is all cleaning my room and packing. Should be an adventure.
Friday, January 1, 2010
National Hangover Day - 21 Days
Happy New Year and National Hangover Day!
That's right, today is the first ever National Hangover Day in the US. Don't believe me? Google it. But the new year means a lot for me. This is the year I go to London. This morning I started reading about Britain with my cup of coffee. I'm hoping my research will help me avoid culture shock. I've got tons of books that people have given me about Britain, England and the UK. They are all different by the way. England is a part of Britain which is a part of the UK. Along with making my bros senior video and designing a website my other side project will be reading those books. Anyway, Happy New Year!
Pip Pip Cheerio!
That's right, today is the first ever National Hangover Day in the US. Don't believe me? Google it. But the new year means a lot for me. This is the year I go to London. This morning I started reading about Britain with my cup of coffee. I'm hoping my research will help me avoid culture shock. I've got tons of books that people have given me about Britain, England and the UK. They are all different by the way. England is a part of Britain which is a part of the UK. Along with making my bros senior video and designing a website my other side project will be reading those books. Anyway, Happy New Year!
Pip Pip Cheerio!
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