Haha - my "Newsie" costume for my Halloween day classes. It was fun explaining to people that I was dressed up as a "depression-era newspaper boy from a Disney musical".

Speech and Shopgirl Review.

So... the speech went wonderfully. I was so incredibly nervous, especially after seeing the hundreds of people all dressed up, but it was fine. Funny though - first the president of the university, Amy Gutmann, spoke (and she is an awful public speaker, nice lady, horrible speaker) and then George Weiss (Penn kids - like, of the Weiss Tech House). Well at the end of his speech, George gives Amy an envelope (which of course, everyone knows is some kind of donation) - and then I have to go on. Well, I mentioned that it was one tough act to follow and that my speech would not be ending with an envelope. They laughed and the speech went on flawlessly. I was charming like you wouldn't believe (or maybe you would....). Anyhow, the DP wants to talk to me, so look in Monday's paper!

Last night, Brigit, Amy Woodbridge and I went to see Shopgirl and I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Although I would not recommend that anyone with ADD go and see it (the plot definitely was not a fast-moving one) - it was incredibly charming and insightful. Jason Schwartzman was hilarious, Steve Martin showed that he is actually a pretty good actor and Claire Danes was good as well. It was definitely worth the viewing. And you leave feeling pretty good, although a little wistful.

I heart Monk's.

Monk's Cafe, that is (although I do have a similar fondness for members of the spiritual brotherhood). The A-list of Wharton ladies (myself, Brigit, Leslie, Meghan, Michelle and Lindsey) made a special outing last night to indulge and truly celebrate our fabulousness (not to mention give us a break from our insane work schedules). It was such a ridiculously good time, I can't even explain. We all got terribly drunk off of our delicious Belgian beer; Les, Linds and I destroyed three different kinds of mussels; I have never eaten so many pommes frites; the music was absolutely ludicrous (first The Smiths, then Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, then The Postal Service); and the desserts....oh my goodness the desserts. Not to mention the glorious company and conversation. I don't think I've ever had a more perfect night out (with the possible exception of the trip to Monk's with the nametags, that was pretty great as well). Monk's Cafe is just wonderful. The staff is wonderful, the food is wonderful, and the beer is out of this world. If you live in Philadelphia and you haven't gone yet, what are you waiting for? Go go go!

For the most part, my life has been pretty tame, but busy. I'm giving a small speech tonight in front of like, 500 people, so that's got me a little nervous. I've been going to mad job interviews, but I don't know... nothing's got me terribly excited yet. I have a preceptorial (class that not's for credit) tomorrow on Harry Potter. =) Yesterday was Becky's half-birthday (her 19 1/2 birthday, I might add) and I got a voicemail from her explaining that she called me in anticipation of me calling her to wish her a happy half-birthday. This kid! Katie's going to come and stay with me in the city over Thanksgiving break, which should be quite cool.

I suppose I could give you some song recommendations:
"The Recluse" by Cursive
"Halls of Mirrors" by Louis XIV
"Cemetry Gates" by The Smiths (don't know if I've mentioned it before but it's been pretty much my favorite song as of late)
"Jenny Wren" by Paul McCartney

Hope your lives are going swimmingly as well. Ciao lovers!

This kid. Gelfand as Robin, after the dynamic duo split up (he confessed later that he had to dispatch with Batman, due to a bad breakup).

I love when friends from different parts of my life connect! Ms. Monroe giving Justine the bumblebee a little post-party loving!

Lura, exploring her inner "medieval princess".

Johanna made a lovely Greek goddess in a Gilbert family vintage costume. =) Tash, myself, and Brigit also wore costumes originating from my family.

Natasha, a sexy vampire (whose teeth were apparently stolen by "some skanky guy") and Nat, the lovely Ginger Spice.

Andrew's frat's senior brothers all dressed up as the cast from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Kaylock, the Asian Canadian, made a surprisingly good Abe Lincoln.

Justin, our resident "babe magnet", and Jason, aka The Hamburglar. For those of you who might be wondering, yes, Jason did later on go to McDonald's and try to steal hamburgers.

Roomies!! Terry is definitely the hottest nurse I've ever seen.

Haha, I actually can't NOT laugh while looking at this pic. Josh Kamins was a big baby. He even brought sippy cups!!

LANCASTER!!!

Where's Waldo? Mike, aka the Fonz, Tom, aka a huge nerd (props for staying in character all night buddy!), Amy, Kate the pink lady, and Jeff as Waldo.

Scary and Baby Spice (aka Jasmine and Amy).

Brigit, a saucy little gypsy.

Pre-party shot of Amy Schneider and myself! We are such hot stuff.

Halloween etc.

So as many of you know, my house hosted an absolutely fabulous Halloween party last Friday and, I must say, it turned out quite well (with the exception of the fog machine setting off the fire alarm). Everyone put so much effort into their costumes, it was amazing. And I want to make a big shout-out to my one-and-only mum right now for making me the greatest costume ever!!!! (there'll be pics posted, don't you lovelies worry)

Besides that, it's been the same old. I've been asked to speak at a scholarship gala next Thursday, and I'm having lunch with some trustees tomorrow, and some notable alumni on Friday. It's Homecoming this weekend, so the football game should be a good time. Brigit and I have decided that hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps is the way to go.

Besides school and interviews, nothing else is new. Life has deteriorated into an unending cycle of school work, work work, and drinking. Does anyone else's life feel like this, or just me? Oh well, things will come together eventually. Until then, I suppose I just have to enjoy the ride. Kisses.

P.S. Much love to Paul, who just celebrated his 19th birthday! I love you hubbie!

100th Post on this Blog!!!

What a landmark post! This is actually going to be quite a Hemingwayesque entry - just the facts, folks.

Stars/Death Cab for Cutie concert - SUBLIME!!! In all ways. Firstly, it was great catching up with Tom beforehand, because, due to mass quantities of academics, we haven't seen eachother in awhile. Stars were impressive - get some of their music ASAP. Death Cab were as great as I knew they'd be. Ben Gibbard is my hero.

Download: "First Day" by the Futureheads (particularly Whartonites heading out into the job market soon), "Precious Metals" by the Russian Futurists, and "Casimir Pulaski Day" by Sufjan Stevens. Ciao lovers!

Music

Death Cab tonight! Yay!

I can't stop listening to "Evil" by Interpol (for some bizarre reason) or anything by The Rapture. I don't know what it is. I just love booty-shaking music.

Also check out "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" by Franz Ferdinand and the remake of "Solsbury Hill" by Erasure. I also forgot how much I looooooove John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy". =)

Good weekend, intense week.

After an appendicitis scare on Thursday night, I felt the need to go home last Friday and be waited on by my mother so I could hopefully recover fully in time for my uncle Ralph's wedding on Saturday. So my mother and sister picked me up Friday afternoon and I spent the night receiving back massages, warm Alkaseltzer, and puppy kisses. And recover I did, dear readers!

I traveled to my uncle's wedding totally refreshed and rejuvenated. It being a Keen wedding, there was an open bar even though the wedding began at 11 AM (reception was from 12-5 PM). Needless to say, there was much dancing and everyone was drunk by 5, including my darling grandparents. It was also the first time I caught the bouquet (actually I didn't catch it - I know better - but my 15 year old sister Katie did, so everyone made me go up there for the garter part - which was hilarious, since everyone in the room knew me and Eddie (who caught the garter)). What a horrible tradition!

So, it being early still, my uncle Kevin invited everyone to his house. I drove Eddie's massive diesel truck over there and the fam continued with the debauchery. Then Kevin and Ralph's friends mentioned a jazz festival in Media and wondered if I'd like to join. Well why not? It ended up being an INSANE night of bar-hopping, jazz, and computer games (has anyone else ever played them at a bar? so much fun!). Which actually meant that we had all been drinking pretty much from noon to 3 AM (we actually ended up hanging out in this one bar almost an hour after it closed). All in end, friends, it was a wonderful weekend.

Unfortunately though, all good things must end and I really must get back to studying for my real estate investments midterm. I have a TON of schoolwork this week (as usual), but a forgotten-about treasure popped up today. I had failed to remember the Death Cab for Cutie concert ticket I purchased way back in August, I think, and the concert is tomorrow! Very exciting! I can't wait - the opening band, Stars, is quite good as well.

So I'll keep you updated. Hope you are all doing splendidly.

Natasha and Natasha! (Like that Woody Allen film... you know the one I mean) ;-) I love my new puppy.

Laura was the only one who actually climbed a tree to get at the apples. She looks so happy up there too!

Brigit enjoying the sweet fruits of our labour.

I love pumpkins... a lot.

Lura and Natasha bringing home our bounty!

Fall Break

I've only been back one day and I'm already exhausted again. I can hardly believe it. But fall break had its moments.

I didn't go anywhere, but my favorite girls and I rented a car to go apple-picking. We went to Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA. Lura, Laura, Natasha, Brigit and I had a blast! Seriously, apple-picking is highly underrated. I'll put some photos on.

Then, I got a call from my parents - they got a new puppy! It's a sweet little golden retriever and so we drove to my house to go see it. My mom got it for my little sister Katie as her Christmas present, so when we got there, there was a small Christmas tree set up and my mom had gone to look for some Bing Crosby. Katie was at a volleyball tournament, so we got to play with the pup and take some pictures. Katie came home and we had placed the puppy in a basket underneath the tree. Katie came in and hugged me and started to tell me about the tournament, not even NOTICING the fact that it had turned into Christmastown at the Gilbert house. Eventually I had to guide her attention to the tree where she stood in shock as if she didn't believe it was real. But once she got it - it was perhaps the cutest thing I've ever seen. She was SOOO happy and jumping up and down and hugging everyone. It was a truly wonderful moment. She ended up naming it Natasha, which N. Fedder was pysched about. I'll put some pics up of her too.

Since then, I've turned into the same old workaholic. Ah well. Life is still pretty good and I do like my classes, I'm just afraid they're going to kill me.

This is what I got from the 45-question one, which is supposed to be more accurate! =)

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I couldn't resist. Note: I took the 9-question one because I'm short on time.

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

My poor mother. Hehe, it is funny though.

Sometimes I like to take pictures of myself making funny faces. But shhh, don't tell anyone. I'll sound crazy.

I went home recently to see Katie off to her first Homecoming. Ain't she just a beauty, braces and all?

Becky and her friend, Pia, who is from Perth (Australia, not Scotland). Becky gets to go visit her in December, which should be awesome.

I was feeling a bit defeated, and my darling Brigit went and bought me roses. Aren't they beautiful?! Isn't Brigit just a doll?!

Once again, the Wharton monster rears its ugly head.

I had a great post. I was writing it not ten minutes ago. Every word was pure poetry. It was witty, insightful and optimistic. Then my computer froze. All was lost. Felt a bit like my life as of late. I've been trying so hard with academia, but every time I think I've caught up, the rug is pulled from under me. Sigh. I guess I'm the one who signed the roster, I'll deal. I used to have all these theories on living. Want to know what it is now? Do what you have to, go to bed, get up, do it all over again. That's all my brain can handle right now. I feel like some sort of possessed learning robot. Maybe I've turned into Hindin. Nah, never!

Anyhow, I'm not even going to try and get back what I had in the previous post. It's gone, I suppose it wasn't mean to be. I'll boil down the important points though.

My house is hosting a kickass Halloween party on the 28th. You're probably invited. And believe me, you're going to want to be there.

Concert reviews:

Sufjan Stevens...is gorgeous. The show was fab. His music is beautiful. See him if you can, listen to him either way.

Across the Narrows festival...I'll go by group:

1. Polyphonic Spree - insane, optimistic, lots of bubbles, literally.

2. Belle and Sebastian - musical ecstacy. Played lots of stuff from the new album, kids, it's gonna be a barnburner. One particularly good song used the phrase "white collar" a lot. Trust me, you're not going to be disappointed.

3. Beck - the most fun I've had at Coney Island this summer. There is a man...aviator suit, aviator glasses, dances better than anyone I've ever seen. He's touring with Beck, and that's his primary job - to dance and look cool. I think I might be in love with this aviator man. Was it the outfit, the dancing, or his face? That's one riddle which will never be solved. Beck was extraordinary. He played lots of Guero stuff, I danced the whole time, he played Loser, everyone sang, he played Two Turntables, I danced some more. We had to leave a bit early and he was playing Mixed Bizness as we pushed through the crowd (we had a great position about 30 feet from the stage, right in the center - I could actually see him the whole time, which is a big accomplishment for someone 5'3" tall). As Johanna followed me out, I started dancing like a fanny, mostly because I was so filled with joy, and as we got towards the back of the standing area, I noticed Johanna was not following me anymore. She had stopped to say something to some guy, I figured it was someone she knew. So I pointed at her, laughing and shimmying, and turned to continue vacating the stadium, ass shaking the entire time. I turned back again and the guy she was talking to smiled and waved at me, I just kept dancing. Then I saw who she had stopped to talk to: the lead singer of the Polyphonic Spree. Good thing I didn't look stupid.

Wow. Those show descriptions got much longer as I went on. Ah well.

I've been hit with a swarm of good news lately. A bit is highly classified, but one thing that's not, is I received an e-mail this morning from the Daily Show - I got tickets for a taping in January! That should be fun. I can't really complain. I mean yes, school is hard, but I knew that long ago. I'll survive. I hope you are all doing fine. And if you're not, please come and talk to me. Maybe I can help. But if not, I can promise you one hell of a dance party, and we all know that can fix just about anything. Have you ever seen that one Father Ted...

Restaurant Week: Leslie and I at Cuba Libre. As always, the food was magnificent and it was soooooo lovely seeing Leslie again! Isn't she gorgeous? (Please ignore my cleavage!)

Restaurant Week: Amy and I at Zanzibar Blue. I'm smiling way too hard. But the food was great! (Mac n' Cheese with BBQ beef - who knew?!)

Justine, Tash and Lura at Zanzibar Blue. Note the mirrors and the picture of the half naked woman.

"A dreaded sunny day."

Actually, not dreaded at all - but more than welcome! It is 1 PM on a Saturday and already it's been like, the greatest day ever! I woke up early (as I opted to stay in last night and watch 80s film classics, due to my extreme state of exhaustion), showered and decided to go pick up eggs and milk. I walked outside at around 10 o'clock and was confronted by the most gorgeous day one could imagine. I do hope all of you are out there enjoying it.

Anyhow, I came back, fixed myself some scrambled eggs, called my sister, and watched an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. That show is hilarious. Thank god for Video on Demand. Then I decided that I just needed to get out there and do something. So I hopped on my good ol' bike and went for a spin around the Schulkyll (is that spelled correctly? God, I should know this...). It was BEAUTIFUL (yes, the Schulkyll, despite the sewage, can be beautiful sometimes). Everyone seemed like they were in a really good mood. I had my iPod, which kept fortuitously turning out Stevie Wonder tunes - which actually went fantastically with my mood. Then, as I was biking back to 4238 Spruce, Life is a Highway came on - and my goodness, I cannot even describe how perfect it was. I believe everyone's life should have a soundtrack - all the time.

Now I'm here, and deciding what I should do next. I do have a lot of work to do. Plus interviews coming up. And my room could use a good cleaning. But jesus, the weather is SO NICE! Whelp, what I am sure I am going to do is pull up the blinds (actually they are already up, that's a big lie) to my bay window, let the sun shine in, and put on some Belle and Sebastian. If She Wants Me will do quite nicely. Perhaps a walk then. With my camera. Ah yes. Good plan.

Enjoy your day!

p.s. Title of post is from Cemetry Gates by the Smiths - get it now!!!

Musik - nochmals!

Ben Folds concert at the Electric Factory

Download some Tegan and Sarah - "Where Does the Good Go" and "City Girl" are a good start

Loving the Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg duet - Bonnie and Clyde

More concerts!

Kimmel Center concerts:

Bright Eyes with Feist and the Magic Numbers!
Emmylou Harris
Brad Mehldau
The Black Watch (British Isles theme - pipers, Celtic dancing, etc.)

Check the Kimmel Center website.

I can bust on Wharton because I have to deal with this shit.

Haha, I find this school more ridiculous all the time. A poll, located on MySpike (Wharton's student portal):

What emblem do you prefer on your shirts?

Alligator
Flag
Golden Fleece
Moose
Pony
Sailboat
Tiger
Whale
Wharton
Anything, as long as the collar's popped


Clearly, these are the vital issues facing tomorrow's business leaders.

The birthday kids! Justin and my old roomie - Terry Shu!

Jason, pitching his "short shorts" party idea. It's funny, right?

Terry and Justin's Party: This is the most pissed-off I've ever looked in a picture. If you have details pertaining to why I was so angry at Josh, please relay them to amelinda@wharton.upenn.edu as soon as convenient, so I may properly address the night's proceedings. =)

Tom molesting Mike at Justin and Terry's party.

My life has been consumed by the Wharton monster!

Clearly, I haven't written for awhile and the title explicitly states why. My classes seem great, but hard as balls, so we'll see how I manage. Plus - it's recruitment time, yippee!! Haha, there was some seriously heavy sarcasm there.

I have tons I need to write in here: my trip to Connecticut, hearing from an old flame of sorts, Jason's birthday party, Justin and Terry's birthday party, etc. etc. But unfortunately, I don't have the time to now. I have posted pictures from some of these events online, you can check them out at http://photos.yahoo.com/melindaupenn.

What I am going to do right now, however, is some music updates. I just got the new Blender and have lots of thoughts on their Top 500 songs lists (which I won't go into now), but I would recommend those of you who are interested, should take a look and let me know how
you feel about it.

Upcoming concerts (I am SO excited for these):
Sep. 28 - Sufjan Stevens at the TLA
Oct. 2 - Beck, Belle and Sebastian, Polyphonic Spree, and others at the Across the Narrows Festival at Keyspan Park, Coney Island
Oct. 25 - Death Cab for Cutie at the Electric Factory

Those being already purchased and confirmed, I would like to present some ideas for future concerts, which, should anyone want to go, I would be happy to attend. So let me know if you are interested in going to any of the following:
Oct. 14 - Franz Ferdinand at the Tower Theater
TLA Concerts: Broken Social Scene, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (for charity), Richard Lewis (could be fun), Gang of Four, Echo and the Bunnymen
Killers/British Sea Power in Atlantic City

I feel like there were more but I can't think of them now. Anyhow, I'm always up for live music, so get in touch if there's something you want to go to.

Anyhow, artists/albums y'all should check out.

1. The Magic Numbers, The Magic Numbers
Extremely popular in the UK right now, highly pleasant, recommended by Chris Martin - I'm loving this band.

2. Bang Bang Rock & Roll, Art Brut
Not for everyone, that's my disclaimer. Described in some review I read as "art punk". I dig it though. Here's a quick excerpt from some lyrics "My little brother just discovered rock and roll; there's a noise in his head and he's out of control." Lots of rhyming, lots of statements, not necessarily a lot of singing. I would download "Emily Kane" and if you like that, then download more.

3. Illinoise, Sufjan Stevens
I mentioned this, but I felt I should reiterate how wonderful and beautiful it is. Gorgeous, touching, extremely easy on the ears. I love it. He's a genius.

4. Plans, Death Cab for Cutie
Another stellar album from Seth Cohen's favorite band. There's really no more to say.

5. Black Sheep Boy, Okkervil River
I find his voice soothing and the lyrics quite clever. King and A Queen is my favorite song off of this one.

6. Albums to check out soon (but that I haven't yet)
Takk, Sigur Ros - supposed to be amazing
New Franz Ferdinand - coming out Oct. 4, I think
New Kanye West - Tom, can I borrow this?
Twin Cinema, New Pornographers - I haven't had any downloading success with this yet

Now, artists that you, my faithful audience, should explore, for one reason or another. (Intro song is in parentheses)

Grand Buffet (Americus or Benjamin Franklin Music)
Andrew Bird (50 Pieces)
Dresden Dolls (Coin-operated Boy)
Erasure (Stop! or Take a Chance on Me or Always)
The Rapture (House of Jealous Lovers or Out of the Races and onto the Tracks)
Spoon (I Turn My Camera On or The Way We Get By)
Sleater-Kinney (Modern Girl)
The Russian Futurists (Two Dots on a Map)
The Go-Betweens (Born To a Family)
Amos Lee (Arms of a Woman)
Stars [opening for Death Cab] (Set Yourself on Fire)

Other stuff I've been listening to lately: a lot of White Stripes, Supertramp, the Pixies, Elvis Costello, revisiting some Weezer currently, Goldfrapp, the Libertines - the Futureheads cover of Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love" is great. I don't know. Tons of stuff. Have I mentioned how much I love my iPod? *Thought you might be wondering about the flourish of music stuff and its catalyst.*

So that's it for now. Please feel free to comment on this and any other of my musically-inclined posts (or any posts, really). I would like to hear what you liked, loved or hated. And I sincerely welcome any recommendations of your own.

Ugh. So back to work I guess. Ciao!

Are these really today's role models for little girls?

I received a sample of the new Paris Hilton perfume today at Douglas and was both shocked and appalled by the "description" of the scent. Here goes (directly copied from package - including caps):

Paris Hilton

Paris is sharing the spotlight with her first Perfume.

Like Paris herself, it is Mysterious, Intriguing and Beautiful. Rich in its appeal, it defines that moment in time when powerful sensuality and breath-taking beauty are captured in a way that all can enjoy.

Share a bit of the magic that is Paris Hilton. Find out what it smells like to be a Star.




That's right kids - find out what it SMELLS like to be a star. I don't even think I really need to comment here. Just thought I'd share that with everyone. Honestly I cannot read it without simultaneously laughing at the ridiculousness of the present and weeping for the future. Cheers, Paris.

I know, I know...

...it's been ages since my last update! Sorry, my loving readers, I've been preoccupied. I'll briefly comment on the more interesting events of the past week or so.

The Aristocrats plus drinking with the gang: Fantastic! Laughed my ass off. Pretty sure Natasha was scarred for life by Bob Saget. Drinking was insane, as usual. I found out that every now and then, I turn into a ridiculous compulsive liar.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Grand Buffet and Magnolia Electric Co. show with Tom: was a bloody good time. I knew the first band would be great, I'm a big fan. You could really tell they loved playing. Grand Buffet was absolutely hilarious (I especially loved the part where they blamed Dave Matthews for ALL of South Africa's problems). And Magnolia was quite good as well. You can see Tom's blog for a more detailed synopsis.

Wine bar in my room last Friday: Olivia came down and Kamins moved in - so that was nice. Kate and Jeff joined us for arse-loads of alcohol plus a game of drunk Jenga, which led to some pretty crazy stuff (and also some pretty crazy pics - hopefully those will be up soon).

Cousin's wedding on Saturday: Typical family wedding - although I didn't drink (due to my intense hangover), inebriation abounded and wackiness ensued. Left a bit early, but heard that my uncle and (male) cousin did a striptease to Nelly's Hot in Here and then danced sexily (and I use that word very loosely) with eachother, to the delight of the dj and all of the guests. Love my family.

That's the short of it all, anyway. I'll post more soonish. Best wishes for a splendid end to each of your summers. XOXOXOX

...more likely to buy SUVs...

This is such an amusing study and the results do not surprise me at all.

Music Music Music!!!

New Death Cab album = AWESOME!!!!!

Men Women & Children show = Dance-tastic!

Sufjan Stevens album = Beautiful to the max!

I'm at work, so I'm going for brevity. It works, no?

Songs to download:
"Summer Skin" Death Cab for Cutie
"Stop!" Erasure
"Seven Nation Army" Nostalgia 77 feat. Alice Russell
"Dear Scene, I Wish I Were Deaf" Nightmare of You
"Marching Bands of Manhattan" Death Cab for Cutie
"Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" Bob Dylan
"Get Big" Okkervil River
"People Are Strange" The Doors
"Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL" Sufjan Stevens
"Debra" Beck

Speaking of Beck - - - www.acrossthenarrows.com

E-mail me or comment if you want to go. I want to go so bad. I can taste the desire. Oh, the anticipation. Shivers.

Cautious

Check this shit out.

This could go so wrong in so many ways. Pray for Kerouac's ghost that they manage to squeak out something brilliant. How can you take a book that good and expect to meet the quality on the screen? I don't know how I feel about this. That's a lie. I do know. Cautious and a little sad. I hope I'm proven wrong, but some books, I feel, just aren't meant to be movies.

Pretty mommy by the Garden Railway.

Those are my gigantic devil horns. I'm a bad, bad girl.

I'm going to attack your tiny tiny village!

My mom as Tree Woman.

Blarneys, Mum, and Oompa Loompas (sp?)

It seems like Sunday. Genuinely. But, fortunately, it is only Saturday. Perhaps that's one reason I'm not in the mood to party. I feel that my body honestly believes that it is Sunday. Ah well. My weekend started on Thursday, so I suppose some R&R is probably in order.

Recap:

Thursday night we all went out to celebrate Natasha's last day of classes for her first summer session as a working woman. She handled her 2 1/2 drinks brilliantly - which, for Tash, means she got smashed. I believe that paucity was involved. It was my first trip to the Blarney Stone (I've actually kissed the real Blarney Stone!), a well known campus watering hole. 50 cent drinks and lots of cute boys contributed to one hell of a night. I think all who were present feel the same. I had the delight of talking to one particularly attractive specimen (Justine, I believe you received a call). I, naturally, had more than 2 drinks. =)

Friday, after work, my mom came to visit. I had missed her a lot so I was really looking forward to spending the weekend with her. We went out to Mixto, which was on Antique Row and which I highly recommend. The Latin fare was excellent and the prices quite reasonable. We then headed to Natasha's beloved gayborhood for some well-deserved gelato. My mom had never had gelato before and I had never heard such orgasmic noises emitting from her mouth before (thank the lord!). It was actually a very pleasant night and so great to just sit and chat with her again. I haven't really made it home much this summer.

Mum stayed over and this morning we woke up bright and early and headed for beautiful Chestnut Hill and the Morris Arboretum. It was spectacularly gorgeous and my mom loved it. She's very into plants, she's even a member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. What a nerd. =)

Unfortunately, mom had to head back after lunch. I was pretty exhausted (I think that's the first time in monthes, nay, years that I'd gotten up at 7 AM on a Saturday) so I pretty much chilled for the rest of the afternoon. I did get to view a bit of Kate's Indecision 2004 dvds which were both incredibly wonderful and incredibly tragic (because we now know how the story ends). Sigh. I'm glad they decided to do this dvd collection because I missed all the good election Daily Shows due to being in the UK at the time. I should send them a thank you.

And then tonight, I FINALLY went and saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. While it's hard not to feel....errr... squeamish about a few elements when mentally comparing it to the original - when I thought about it and totally wiped the original out of my mind - I really really loved it. Not that I didn't think there were parts that were maybe better than the original, and parts where I enjoyed the original much more - they were just very different. As were Depp's and Wilder's interpretations of the Wonka role (although I do believe undoubtably that this Charlie is far superior). I just got back though, so perhaps I need a bit more time to mull it over. But VERY enjoyable, very visually exciting, very funny. And I do stand by my previous statement of Depp making any role sexy. =)

Anyhow, I think I'll be taking it easy tonight. I hope you are all having glorious evenings in your respective locations. Good night, faithful audience.

I found this picture whilst perusing my photos. In case anyone was wondering, this is what Scotland looks like from an airplane. Note the wing in the upper left corner. =)

Brigit and Andrew are housesitting in Mt. Airy this week. Lucky bastards!

Self Betterment Week

Hello everybody! Welcome to Melinda's first self betterment week of the summer. Typically I would have had one way before this, but I was having too much fun. So it goes.

Feeling pretty good about things. Made a trip back to Huntsman for the first time in awhile - actually realized that I do miss it, quite a bit. Strange, huh? The building that's caused me so much agony in the past...

Anyhow, after work I came back for a little bit to chill, and then biked down to Huntsman. It was my first bike ride in, literally, years. It was great, although I was a bit scared at first, cars can be quite intimidating. But I think I've got my technique back. It's like... err... riding a bike. =)

My purpose in going to JMHH was quite nerdy - I want to teach myself to use ARGUS, real estate valuation software, before the whole recruiting process begins in the fall. And actually, it's pretty fun! At least I think so, which means that probably most of you wouldn't feel the same way, but I suppose that's what makes us all different, especially in our little career pursuits. Still thinking about eventually getting a PhD though. PhD's are so sexy.

After JMHH, I had the good fortune to run into my lovely Natasha. I was going to go to the gym, but instead, I walked my bike down to her apartment for some well-deserved gelato. We chatted a bit and then I biked furiously back - it felt Fabulous.

Now it's a shower, strawberries, soda and a little downtime before bed. I felt like writing too.

Yesterday was Deanna's birthday. We all went to the Olde City Continental for drinks and dinner which was very enjoyable, despite the dim-witted waitress ("Can I get you some Fiji water?" "You don't have to wink at me!").

Sunday was my darling little sister's 15th birthday - she's getting so old! I can hardly believe it (nor do I want to). I got her a Penn hoodie (such a cop-out, but she liked it nontheless) and she earned some dvd's and video games as well. It was nice spending this weekend with the family. I do miss them a lot sometimes, although I am enjoying living here very much.

Saturday my parents came to retrieve me from the city and we went to my grandparents' house in South Jersey to acquire Katie. My grandmother told us all about her very obscure and slightly frightening dream involving an abandoned house, a sport cars, orders to murder, and a man exposing himself. I adore my family so much.

I finished Harry Potter 6 sometime over the weekend, which was quite an emotional ordeal. Rowling's writing has improved so much - I was very impressed by the political and social commentary contained within, for a children's book, it is very well-developed, or so I think.

That's about it, I suppose. The self betterment should continue through the week and my mom may come visit on Saturday. That will be nice. So I shall say Good Evening, dear readers, and wish you all the best while I drift off to sleep.

sane

Love will come through by Travis

Yeah, I know he looks much younger, but we're actually the same age! Last Saturday at Monks.

Waiting for the Man

Today was a really great day, in all senses of the word. I mean, work was eh, but not bad - I got some really good stuff done, at least in the first half of the day, and I worked in some time to chat with my mom. The weather was absolutely PERFECT - you could not dream up better.

It was just filled with random nicenesses. Chatting with mom was one. Receiving praise from the boss was another. Receiving two cds from two different people. Buying Katie's birthday present. Happy hour at New Deck. Walking to South Street with Tom. Buying concert tickets (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! at the First Unitarian Church). [Finally] buying The Velvet Underground & Nico (from which the title of this post comes). And tomorrow is Friday!

The day was honestly spectacular. I think it was mostly because of the weather. I am realizing how much the weather affects my mood lately. More the intense heat than anything else. Although intense cold has just the same effect. I hate weather that makes you just want to stay inside. Although I like rain... But anyhow, today was just wonderful.

And it was preceded by a rather decent week and a great weekend. My darling Olivia had come to visit on Saturday. We had a big dinner party in her honor, I made green and white lasagna (which turned out great, quite unexpectedly, as it was my first try), Kate made breadsticks, Deanna made salad, the boys brought wine, we listened to the Amelie soundtrack as we ate, there were namecards involved - it was lovely!

Anyhow, so after dinner, Tom, Andy, Olivia and I decided to go to Monks and we brought our namecards with us. We got seats at the bar and started the fun. I decided to drink scotch instead of beer, as their selection is quite intimidating, and I had my first taste of an Islay malt (Laphroaig 12 year) - which made me realize that I'm not a huge fan of the Islay. It wasn't bad, just VERY flavorful and peatish. So then after I had finished I took another look at the selection. I saw a "21" among the bottles and was quite intrigued. I queried the bartender, Bernadette, about the bottle and found out it was a 21 year old from the Orkney islands. It was a merchant label (The Glenhaven) which means that they buy surplus casks of a whisky and sell it in the States under their name. I wish I knew which distillery it came from, but I didn't examine it closely enough. Anyhow, I knew I wanted some. It was $15/dram but weeeellllll worth it. I was drinking a scotch as old as I am, fer Christ's sake! It was really gorgeous and definitely the best I've had thusfar. Smooth, slightly fruity, stimulating, light color, definitely full-bodied and robust. After that, although I did want more, my pocketbook was still scolding me, so I got a dram of a 12 year old MacCallan, which was quite nice as well. But the 21 year old was fabulous! While I was drinking, I struck up a conversation with a man behind the bar, who turned out to to be Tom, the co-owner, and a lovely person. We chatted about wine, Scotland, and of course, scotch. He also complimented us on our namecards! It was a really fantastic evening.

Well, I have been indulging in my Harry Potter habit and Tom just brought me the most recent publication, so I think I'll go start it. Have a splendid night, friends and lovers.

The Way I See It

I found this on my Starbucks cup this morning:

"The Way I See It #37
Embrace this right now life while it's dripping, while the flavors are excellently woesome. Take your bites with bravery and boldness since the learning and the growing are here in these times, these exact right nows. Capture these times. Hold and kiss them because it wil soon be very different.
-- Jill Scott"

Ok, so this was shocking enough - Starbucks advising me how to live my life, attempting to be inspirational, yet numbering their little stolen "insights" etc. But whatever, that I can deal with. What really got me was what was underneath said quotation:

"This is the author's opinion, not necessarily that of Starbucks."

Ok - WHAT exactly are they afraid people are going to believe here?? What do they envision might happen if someone believes this is actually the opinion of Starbucks? Are they afraid that someone is actually going to find life, take bites out of it, lose some teeth, and sue them?! Some days I feel that my father may just be right about a couple of things.

*Octuple (??? Is that real???) sigh*

Buy this!!

I always mean to write album recommendations on here, but I forget so here is a couple OUTSTANDING (and I don't use the capitalization lightly) albums:

1. Buy immediately - Funeral by the Arcade Fire.... I think they are my favorite new band of the year. Amazing. And beautiful.

2. Also buy immediately - Demon Days by Gorillaz... loving it. Hard to not dance to. Get it.

Songs to download (not all new songs but all good) - basically it is a "what is Melinda listening to these days" sort of list: Colours by Donovan, A King and a Queen by Okkervil River, Sexx Laws by Beck, Lost and Found by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Cocaine by Eric Clapton, Banquet by Bloc Party, Night Moves by Bob Seger


GO, MUSIC LOVERS, GO AND FIND YOUR FORTUNES!!

"Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm..."

...I know! It's been comin' for some time."

Note to readers: Be careful what you wish for!

Sisters! At the Zoo!

Katie, kissing one of her "guns" in the bird house.

Welcome home Johanna!

Fireworks!

The boys (or boyz if you'd prefer to match the wording to the decor) at the after party.

At the after party - I may have had a few....

Yeah.... did someone order their Melinda well done?

Tash and I boogeying at Live 8.

Massive update.

So it's a long and boring Saturday night. I was supposed to go to a Phillies game with the family, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it did not happen. And since my awesome, athletic little sister has a double header of super important softball games tomorrow, it also did not make sense for me to make the trip back to Lancaster. So thus, I'm in my room. I just finished watching Bridget Jones' Diary, which is of course, a single girl's reassurance that she will not die unfulfilled and unloved - thus also explaining its extreme popularity. All I can say really, is Colin Colin Colin Colin Firth. That reminds me of a conversation I had with Tom the other night about my few and far between celebrity crushes. Typically it takes more than good looks and on-screen charm for me to fantasize about these surreal personalities but I usually have about a handful in reserve. My current ones are (in no particular order):
Ewan McGregor - bonus points for being Scottish and having a gorgeous voice
Dylan Moran - Irish, hilarious, with shaggy hair - plus is a total chain smoking, wine-drinking scoundrel in Black Books - how can one resist? (Actually I did steal this one from Paul, but we've agreed to share him - I get him nights and every other weekend).
Johnny Depp - a little more typical answer (although Ewan McGregor isn't exactly obscure), but his acting is phenomenal, so ridiculously talented and for some reason, he can make everyone from Edward Scissorhands to (yummmmm) Captain Jack Sparrow extremely sexy
Stuart Murdoch - lead singer of Belle and Sebastian, boyish charming Scottish... clearly one can see a pattern here....

That's it for now anyway. Those are my boys in reserve for when the real world doesn't cut it. Which, right now anyway, it doesn't. *Super duper quadruple sigh*

Anyhow... so I haven't written for awhile. Sorry about that. I've had things, but haven't been exactly what I would call terribly busy. Just haven't been in the mood for writing. But now, at 11:58 Saturday evening, I have both an abundance of time and a desire to exercise my fingertips. God, that could be taken in a really wrong way. Ah well.

Let's start from the last thing I remember not writing in here. Tash and I (see picture below) decided to have a ladies' night out. We got all dolled up and went down to Olde City, only to be a bit disappointed in the insane crowds and lack of proper dancing. So where to head? The gayborhood, of course, the sight of Tash's new apartment! We had a few gorgeous drinks (and one gorgeous and fabulous waiter) in Bump (which is also, by the way, famous for its happy hours - $3 martinis!) and then were directed to find some Euro-style dancing in a club called Pure. So we went to Pure, only to find an outrageous cover and a members-only bar. So, naturally, what did we do? Became members, my dear readers, naturally! The dancing was fabulous though, and due to the location of T.'s apartment (right across the street), I have a feeling the membership will pay itself off quite quickly.

*Side note: Although it was a great evening and I truly enjoyed Tash's company, I missed Paul like mad!*

The weeks generally sort of pass, so let's skip on to the next weekend, which was quite exciting - Live 8! There were a million people in the house, but they were all pleasant and it was really nice to have some new faces around. We started the morning with a breakfast consisting mainly of Peach Schnapps and headed down to the Parkway. We got there to find a truly MASSIVE crowd and opening remarks by Will Smith. We edged our way into a decent position and continued to enjoy the show. We lost Tom and Adam pretty much straight away, but the rest of us (Tash, myself, Kate, Jeff, Dave, Cathy and four of Kate's friends - including one girl from N. Carolina named Jessica who I really got on with) managed to stay together for the rest of the day. Tash and I danced pretty much throughout. Everyone there was very nice and even the heat wasn't too bad (although I did acquire an awesome sunburn, I'll post a picture so you can really imagine the experience).

Highlights:
Black-eyed Peas doing Bob Marley's Stand Up For Your Rights (at least I think that's title, I mostly just remember singing Marley around a campfire - you can imagine the circumstances...)
Jay-Z's set was actually a lot of fun - Tash and I went to work making each and every passerby dance with us
Will Smith doing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song was CLASSIC
Josh Groban just being Josh Groban and letting me look upon his beautiful face
Stevie Wonder - Superstition was great! Dancing to the max!

So an all together enjoyable day and memorable! Then, as you do, I had an after party to go to at the boys' house. Sunburn comparing and lots of liquor later, a handful of us ended up on the front porch taking many many ridiculous pictures of eachother - it was great (I'm a total narcissist so pictures of myself really get me off). I'll post a few of those too.

Next day = recovery.

Monday was July 4th, so no work and all the essential ingredients to a proper American Independence Day --- beer, a barbeque and fireworks. Oh, and an Elton John concert. It was fabulous, good friends, good food, and all the other cliches. Rufus Wainwright also played too, which I really enjoyed. Elton was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC though. Highlights: Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, Philadelphia Freedom (duh!). Good fireworks display too, right behind the Art Museum - I'll post a pic of that as well.

I just got a drunk phone call from Tom and the others in Lancaster. Absolutely hilarious. Especially when they all tried to do Boston accents. Brilliant guys. =)

Actually the next week was a bit exciting because JOHANNA CAME BACK!!! I was so excited, due to opposite Study Abroad schedules, I hadn't seen her in almost a year. We had a cute little wine and cheese party (where J. and I actually ended the night smashed and dancing in my room) and it was just SO NICE to be able to see/talk to/dance with her again. I really did miss her a lot, but soon the whole family will be together again - hip hip hooray!

Alright so last weekend... my adorable little athletic sister Katie came down for the weekend. My mom dropped her off on Friday and we went with Brigit, Deanna and Deanna's little sister Chelsea to see March of the Penguins - this absolutely ridiculously good documentary on penguins narrated by Morgan Freeman. Honestly, I laughed, I cried, see this film.

Then Saturday, we had a big barbeque at our house to celebrate Kate's 21st which was chill, but fun. The rest of the gang went out to party, but I was obliged to stay home, so me and Katie watched Edward Scissorhands and then played a rousing game of Cranium with Daniel, Deanna and Chelsea. Very charming night - very home-feeling.

Sunday Katie and I walked all the way to the Philadelphia Zoo and spent all day viewing the various animals. It was actually a lot of fun - Katie's such a great kid. She's hilarious and I would adore her even if she weren't my sister. We were comtemplating getting our faces painted (I was going to be a leopard and she was going to be a tiger) but we decided against it because it would be a little awkward trying to get on a Philadelphia bus with that getup (ie. I'd get my ass kicked, or at the very least, harassed).

We actually ended up walking back though because I couldn't figure out Philly public transportation. Katie wanted to murder me. Then I made dinner for us and for my mom who came to pick Katie up. Once they left - I shouted I'm footless and family-free - let's get drunk! We got some wine and relished in Moran's charismatic glow ("Which one of you bitches wants to dance?") for a Black Books / Melinda's Pub session.

This week and weekend has been fairly tame. We all went to see Wedding Crashers last night which I felt was quite good - in the way that you would expect. Funny, charming, a little raunchy at times. Vince Vaughan is amazing though.

Oh shit, I put White Rabbit on this playlist? God, it just makes me feel like watching Fear and Loathing. If I ever go to Vegas... hahaha, nevermind.

Well I think that's about enough for now anyway. I always have things I want to put in here, you know, like deep thoughts, revelations, theories etc. but I always forget them before I get to it. I'll try and do better in the future. Well I suppose that's good night, gentle readers, hope you enjoyed the little update and are having more fun than I right now.

Oh and if you're bored, I would highly recommend reading Dylan Moran's articles for the Irish Times.

Cutest picture ever! Tash and I before going out last Saturday.