Procrastination Nation

I should be finishing papers and studying for tests, but instead I have been frequenting the following websites:

twitter.com
facebook.com
textsfromlastnight.com
overheardinnewyork.com
fmylife.com

...and repeat.

If you stumble upon this, beware.

Los Angeles

Well, I did it! I am so happy and excited to have been offered an internship position with NBC Universal working on Entertainment Publicity! It is a dream job of mine and something that I have aspired to since I was young. I can’t wait to work my ass off and prove my worth.

Los Angeles is going to be fantastic! I cannot wait! Not only am I SO excited to meet new people and explore an amazing new city, some very close friends of mine will also be there all summer. Caitlin and Monica from Boston College will be interning in LA this summer, and my very good friend Adam will also be staying in LA! He goes to USC, but we grew up together in Minnesota and it has been a very long time since we have seen each other beside visits to Europe.

I am currently figuring out how I am getting to LA and where I am going to live, but pricing the situation I have found that shipping my car and flying out on my own is the cheapest option. Shipping my car from Minnesota to LA cost $600 and flying from Bos to MSP to LAX to MSP and back to Bos at the end of summer should be roughly $550! What a good deal!

As for places to live, I am not picky. I want something comparable to what I pay in Boston ($800 a month) and that is close to Universal City in LA. Meaning Santa Monica and UCLA are out and USC and Studio City are in. Adam and some of my internship coordinators have been helping me find places, but I think I stumbled upon a gem.

The Tuscany Apartments are located in LA right near USC and 20 minutes away from my job. They are very pricy and fabulous, but since a lot of students live there (think 2000 of BC but multiply its fabulosity by 10 and you have Tuscany), they are trying to sublet at any cost. Their misfortune is my advantage. I will pay $800 a month for a single and private bathroom. There is internet, cable TV and HBO, central air, a gym, spa, 2 hot tubs, pool, steam room, tanning patio, and underground parking included! JACKPOT! Plus there is a fucking Chipotle Mexican Grill attached to the building. I will have to work extra hard in the gym to avoid getting fat, but it is fate. I may actually start believing in God again!

And so there you have it. Summer 2k9: Los Angeles! It is sure to be a flashy adventure where I will bust my balls to do everything I can to help NBC Universal! Come visit anytime!

A Tale of Two Cities

I need to get better at this blog thing. I just forget sometimes (okay, all the time). I want to write that I will blog more often, but I can’t make any promises.

I am home in Minnesota for Easter break now--one of the few perks of going to Catholic university is that we get Easter break. Being home is boring, but relaxing. I honestly get so bored when I am not constantly surrounded by action, which is why I NEED to move to LA or NYC after graduating. Seriously.

In fact, I have been leaning toward LA lately. I am sick of the cold and rain. The northeast is constantly under gloomy, cloudy skies and sometimes it makes me want to off myself. I cannot stand walking in the rain anymore, not to mention putting up with snow storms that cramp my style all the time. As for the cold weather, I’m done. I grew up in fucking Minnesota, so I have put in my dues.

LA is always warm and sunny. I really don't care about the pollution. I will inhale all the smog in the world so long as I never have to trudge through five feet of snow again. Yes, I will trade in my snow days for smog days.

Currently I am bored as hell at home and watching "SouthLAnd," NBC's newest drama staring Benjamin McKenzie (of the OC--apparently he cannot get out of the greater Los Angeles area). The show takes place in LA's gritty underbelly. I loved it. It was so good. I am going to put it on my TV schedule.

It got me thinking about LA and myself. Albeit laughable, I would describe myself in two words: fabulous and dangerous. "SouthLAnd" captured the dangerous side of LA. For my fabulous fix, I'll watch "Entourage."

While NYC also shares these descriptors, it is cold and snowy. LA, here I come.

quotes

Me: "I need a bigger drink. I'm an alcoholic, not a Barbie Doll."
TPJ: "Dude, we are all someone's Barbie Doll."
Me: "What do you mean? Like, God...?"
TPJ: "Yeah man, that's what I mean. Playing with us, tellin' us what to do!"
Me: *omg*

Homeward Bound

My time in Turkey is over and I am on my way home to Boston now. I had an amazing time in Istanbul seeing the sites and experiencing the culture: a special thanks to Serin, Yigit, Will, and Jessica for making the trip all the better.

My flight from Istanbul to Amsterdam was at 5:25 am, meaning that I had to take a cab from Serin's at 2:30 am to make it on-time. Luckily, Yigit had to pick up his family at the airport at 11:30 pm, so I caught an early/free ride then. The downside to this was that I could not check into my flight and had to wait by the check-in counter for 4 hours until KLM Airlines was ready to let me through.

I had not gotten much sleep the night before so I began to doze off around midnight. Of course, my phone had died so I had no alarm and I was nervous to fall asleep for fear of missing my flight. I risked it. I passed out on top of my luggage in front of the check-in counter like one of those crazy people who camps out at Best Buy for a big sale... I woke up every hour in a thrill of panic, afraid that I had missed my check-in until 3:30 am when the check-in finally started. Thank God. I have never been so happy to be on an airplane in my life. I put on my sleeping mask and was out in no time, waking up only when my plane touched down in Amsterdam.

Initially I had planned to leave the airport and go into the city for a while since my layover was 8 hours long, but upon my arrival I knew that would be nearly impossible. The threat level had been raised (shocker) and security was taking 2-3 hours to get back into the airport...plus I would have to allow an hour to clear customs and get into the city. It was not worth it.

Condemned to the airport, I decided that I would get Starbucks and some lunch and read/do homework. And thus my journey though Amsterdam International Airport begins...

Everywhere has Starbucks, right? Wrong. The one corner of the earth that apparently does NOT have it is inside security of Amsterdam International. I scoured the entire airport (keep in mind that it is huge) and could not find a single one! My mind was so set on a venti iced coffee that I legitimately began to freak out. Where the HELL was it?! After 2 hours of frantic searching I began to act like a Heroin addict in need of a fix. I kid you not, I was jonesing for coffee...my hands were shaking and sweat was dripping from my face.

Fuck it! I was going to have to settle for a McDonalds Iced Coffee instead. After waiting impatiently in line for 10 minutes at McDonalds, I finally went up to order, "Hi, could I please have a large iced coffee? No sugar, just a touch of cream."

The man at the counter looked perplexed. Maybe he did not speak English? Wait, he did. In perfect English he responded, "Sorry, Sir, we do not carry coffee here. What else may I get you?" Um, I don't know...a gun so I can blow my head off!!!!!!!

I quickly told him I did not want anything and I asked him where the Starbucks in the airport was. He did not know.

Devastation. Complete and utter devastation.

As I sat down by my gate to weep, a young, Dutch woman came to survey me on the airport. She asked me about how I felt about the airport and the ease of getting around it. I am sure you can imagine my response. I told her that this cannot possibly be considered a real airport, let alone place in the world, since it does not have Starbucks.

"Oh," she said in accented English, "But there is one. In lounge 1 outside security."

I was up in a flash, shoving patrons out of my way as I raced toward the signs indicating Lounge 1. It was on the other side of security. I could see the green letters beckoning me...tears of joy filled my eyes as I approached a kind, old saint to ask how the fuck I should get there.

"Please, sir, I just need a Starbucks!" He told me I would have to go through and re-check in. Nothing could stop me now. I did it. After running though security like a crazed terrorist, I approached the Starbucks counter! "Venti Iced Coffee, please!"

After 5 minutes of describing to the baristas that I did not want an iced Americano, but an iced coffee, I had my drink in hand. The hour I waited to get through passport check was worth it as I sipped my ambrosia.


Suddenly, I was on the plane with a whole row to myself. I finished my book, watched Slumdog Millionaire and Twilight, and landed in Boston. It was such an enjoyable flight...but I still shudder to think what would happen if I did not get that venti coffee...the plane surely would have gone down.

The Gaurdians of Istanbul

Istanbul is the most unique city I have ever been to. Ever. I had a lot of assumptions as to what the city would be like before I came, and I must say I was way off. I knew that East and West would juxtapose each other in the people, culture, and architecture of the city...but the vibe of the city is mostly Eastern: more conservative, religious, and extreme. Unlike other European cities, it can take hours via public transportation to get from one side of Istanbul to the other...as for walking--forget about it.

It may seem like I am harping on about Istanbul in a negative manner, but I am not. The city is fabulous and has so much to offer. The history here is magnificent, the people charming, and the food extraordinary. It is due to the slacking economy here that the old has been built upon and surrounded by the new so thoroughly. Of course, Old Istanbul is a presence everywhere, but modern buildings are pushing the city out even farther. That is what I mean when I say juxtaposition of East and West...it is amazing.

Other large cities in the world, notably in Europe and the Americas have a pigeon problem. I loathe pigeons. I think they may be the worst animal on the face of the earth. Seriously, when I think about them I think about that freak pigeon-lady in "Home Alone" and shudder. Like, the diseases the all carry...ugh, I don't even want to go there. But Istanbul is relatively void of these nasty, winged creatures from Satan! The reason being is that Istanbul has another animal that is prevalent on the streets: cats.

Normally, I don't like cats either. Mostly because I am allergic to them, but I love all of these cats! They kill pigeons, rats, and mice. The are pretty (not nasty) and they add a nice decor to the city! The watch over everything, especially in the grave yards, which I will get to later.

My week has been amazing thus far. Serin works most days, but I have been fortunate enough to meet up with her friend, Will, and be shown the city by someone who lives here, too. Will and I have seen a lot of the ancient sites here, including the 3rd most holy place in Islam--the Tomb of Mohammad's Staff bearer. No, I do not know what that means either, but it was cool to see. The tomb was ornate and detailed as anything and there were countless people surrounding it in prayer. I have never seen Christians pray like that. The devotion to religion here is awe-inspiring.

The tomb and mosque is surrounded by a giant graveyard that stretches up a mountainous hill. Will and I climbed it and had tea overlooking the city. The view was amazing, but the weather sucked so I did not get any good pictures. The cats of the city danced along the tomb-stones keeping them clean of birds, rats, and anything else that might harm those who rested below the soil. It was fascinating. If it were not for the fact that I demand cremation, I would like to have a cat guard my rotting corpse, too.

The city is so gigantic and the history so rich that it is hard to see everything here--even in 9 days. I have 3 full days left in the city and a lot more ground to cover, so I hope I can see some more historic sites. Of course, everything here is a historic site, so that should not be hard. Our good friend from Minnesota, Lauren, is flying in today from Barcelona to join us for the weekend. There should be some crazy stories coming up soon.

Obviously, the night life has been a bit insane, but I will write about that later. Lauren just arrived so it is off to see more of the city!

Impressions of Istanbul

I have successfully adjusted to the Turkish time zone and I am ready to update everyone on Turkey thus far (and by everyone, I mean the 5 people who read this). So last night Serin, Yigit and I went out to an early dinner at a nice restaurant. I sat helpless as Yigit and Serin ordered our food. The only words in Turkish I know are mersi (meaning thank you...the only reason I know it is because it is also French) and Kebap (meaning a delicious kebap), so I was at the mercy of Yigit's order. Luckily, Turkish food is generally delicious and I loved everything that was delivered to our table. I made sure to say "mersi" before leaving. Although my stomach was full, I was still exhausted--having lost 7 hours and not getting much sleep on my flight--but I knew that my life would be better if I went out to rage in Istanbul regardless of sleep--I can sleep when I am dead.

Serin and Yigit had arranged for us to meet up with some of their friends in a neighborhood called Taksim--the young, fun party area of Istanbul. It's wild, crowded streets are lined with bars, restaurants, clubs, and young people. Since I still did not have my luggage, I went out in my travel clothes. Thank god I dress well for every occasion, because I did not seem to be under-dressed for the evening. I was, however, freezing. We met Yigit's friend and decided on a bar. The bar had a sweet vibe and was blasting an awesome mix of traditional Turkish music and Euro-Trash techno. All I could think was that I wanted every song on my Euro-Trash Birthday Bash play list for next week!

Tequila seemed to be the drink of the night and we all ordered a couple of shots. You know what they say...One tequila, two tequila, three tequila...great night! After dancing, talking, and getting our drink on in Taksim, we left for our next destination: a posh club called Ulus-29

here is the link: http://www.group-29.com/

It was so much fun! The club doubles as a restaurant during the day and it is easy to see why. It is beautiful and over looks the Bosporous (the strip of water that separates Turkish-Europe from Turkish-Asia), the whole city is visible from the club's windows and it looks like a thousand stars glowing at night (overboard analogy? maybe). The music was even better than in Taksim and we partied until 5 am. We then cabbed it back to Serin's where we slept until 2 pm waiting for my luggage.

Sunday was more low-key. Serin's grandparents live on the Asian side of Turkey, so we crossed the Bosporous on the ferry to visit them. It was an interesting visit because they do not speak a word of English, so Serin had to translate everything for me. They were exceptionally hospitable and made us eat way too much! It was not hard because the food was so good, but I was very full. Serin and I went to coffee (I ordered a traditional Turkish Coffee, which is very small and very strong) and we made our way back to Europe. It is crazy that Istanbul is one city in on two continents. Fascinating.

Serin worked all day on Monday so I took the opportunity to venture into the city on my own. I am generally very comfortable being alone in foreign cities, but Istanbul is very different. It is the fourth largest city in the world, and unlike New York or Paris, there is not logical grid system to be seen! The public transportation is hard to use, too. Another handicap I discovered was that very few people in the city speak English unless thay want to trick you into buying something. Therefore, whenever someone asked me something in English, I would respond in French, Spanish, or German to throw them off. One man called me a "tricky bastard!" Whatever, I was not going to buy the cheap crap he was trying to sell me with his broken English!

I went to Old Istanbul and saw the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sofia,the Yerebatan Sarayı, the New Mosque, and various spice markets! I did not buy anything today...I am waiting to go to the Grand Bazaar, but I was tempted! The sights were amazing and so beautiful. While the ancient churches of Western Europe are gorgeous, these Mosques were breathtaking. The detail covering every inch of these massive buildings is awe-inspiring.

I was proud of myself for navigating the city all alone and went back to Serin's to meet her at 8:30 pm after her day of work. The only problem was I could not call her, she could not call me, and I was stuck outside her apartment building for an hour. Freezing, pissed, and a bit nervous (I seriously considered taking a cab to the US Embassy), I stormed off to a nearby restaurant I remembered seeing called "The Wrap." I busted through the door and snarled "English!" to the person behind the counter. He obviously understood my urgency, because he rushed off to get someone to help me. I asked for a phone to use and called Serin. Finally able to reunite with her, I was happy. Now I am warm and watching Turkish TV...ah, the life.

Jumping the Pond (and the European Peninsula)

My travel from Boston to Turkey was relatively smooth. My flights were on-time and there was not much turbulence, with the exception of a brief spout over the Atlantic Ocean that scared the shit out of me. My policy on plane crashes is this: I would rather perish on the way home from a trip than on the way there. That way, I at least get to enjoy the place I am traveling to.

Obviously, I did not crash (praise Allah) and I arrived in Amsterdam for my short layover. I had to pull a "Home Alone" and sprint blindly through the airport hoping that I arrived at the proper gate. I did. The flight from Amsterdam to Istanbul was quick and nice. I ate a delicious breakfast and was offered something "sweet and savory" from the flight attendant. I ate my Mars Bar with great satisfaction and landed in Turkey.

Of course, Northwest Airlines lost my luggage (fuck my life), and I waited around with some gargantuan Dutch man who was also screwed by NWA. I was so excited to see Serin so my anger passed and I ran out to meet Serin and her boyfriend, Yigit. We drove to Serin's house and I tried desperately to take in the city. It is awesome. I took a power nap and we went to a mall to shop. I needed some clothes seeing as I did not have any (Thanks again, NWA), and then we preceeded home.

I am legit starving now, so I am going to update more later on my night (which was SO ridiculous and fun), so stay tuned. My luggage just arrived so now I don't smell like a jetliner...Thank God.

I'm Leaving on a Jet-Plane...

...And I cannot wait! I am heading to Logan International Airport (aka- Hell on Earth) in 10 minutes. Ah! I cannot wait to see my friend, Serin, and to explore the ancient an fascinating city of Istanbul, Turkey. I have a short layover in Amsterdam on the way there (one of my favorite cities) and then I will be traversing old Constantinople!

The week will be rich with opportunities for outrageous events and tales, so stay tuned! Now, I need to get to airport.

Midnight Madness

While my day may have been normal, I did witness a calamity this evening shortly after midnight.

After working and working out today, I decided to see meet some of my friends at Roggies for happy hour. After calling to make sure that happy hour was in fact happening this Sunday (and getting confirmation) I made my way over to the bar with K. ANS met us there shortly after and we began ordering drinks. We sat and talked for a little over two hours when the bill finally came. Apparently I had been lied to because our bill did not indicate the happiness of our hours spent there with reduced prices, but rather was steep. Justifiably pissed, I told our waitress that I had called in to confirm happy hour and that there must be a mistake with our bill. She responded, "When we run low on beer we don't have happy hour."

Oh, I get it. You are a bar that is running low on beer! Wait, that makes no fucking sense. Anyway, I maintained my composure and graciously still left her a 20% tip (hey, I've been a waiter before too).

K and I said goodbye to ANS and went back to K's to drink wine, eat cheese, and watch the Oscars. Kate Winslet finally won the statue she deserves and the night was wrapping up. Our friends L and Kel were also with us. L had to leave before the end of the night to write a paper, but Kel and I stayed long enough to see Slumdog Millionaire win Best Picture. We said our goodbyes to K and left.

Okay, here is where the story picks up. We were on our way home causally gossiping when we heard a gigantic crash. We turned our heads to the right and saw that a car had railed into the median that borders the T tracks on Comm. Ave. We ran over to the site to see a car in ruins. Like, completely fucked. We yelled at the man who had just emerged from his car to see if he was okay and if he needed us to call anyone. He responded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. Could you call my boss?"

Okay, bud. We were inferring that we should obviously call 911 seeing as your car is totally fucked and your face is covered in blood, but what is his number? We dialed his boss just in time for him to tell us, "Never mind, don't call him." Dude, make up your mind.

The man was clearly intoxicated and I suggested that he turn his hazard lights on to avoid further catastrophe. I dove into the car to aid him in doing this when I discovered pill bottles littering the car. Granted I did not know if they were for Claritin D or Vicodin, but my imagination was obviously running wild. Apparently, his ghetto-ass car is not equipped with hazard lights and the car sat motionless on Comm. Ave blocking traffic.

Kel and I were talking to the man about what happened and he expressed his concern over the police coming because, "Ya know, I've been drinking and all. Okay," he said, "I'm drunk." Really? Duh, I was not born yesterday. Our only words of comfort were, "Well, at least you did not hit another person or car..."

A brief glimmer of hope flashed across his face when he said, "Well, maybe the cops won't come at all!" Without missing a beat, sirens wail throughout the crisp air and the glimmer of hope on his face vanished, only to be replaced by grim understanding. Yeah, buddy, your ass is getting a DUI. Sucks, but we told you.

Boston police, an ambulance, and two fire trucks (excessive? yes.) were on the scene in no time and Kel and I waited anxiously in the wings praying for an interview/witness testimony. I was cold and to expedite the process I asked the police officer if there was anything she needed from us--she said no. Damn.

Kel and I went our separate ways. Poor guy, he totaled his boss' car, got a DUI, and did not even have a cell phone. This should be a lesson to everyone: DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.

Extra Time

Time to get this ball rolling. Although not swimming in a championship meet this year (my first year ever not swimming in a shave/taper meet), I cannot deny that having more time on my hands is nice. I am getting more sleep, being more sociable, and getting more work done! Holler! I even get to leave early for my spring break adventure to Istanbul, Turkey. The perks are nice, but I would still rather race--but for now I need to focus on the good.

This was an easy week for me academically. While I had a lot scheduled, I had nothing actually due. That being said, I decided to start my weekend early: on Tuesday. My social schedule for this week was as follows: Tuesday- Mary Ann's, Wednesday- Trivia, Thursday- A Tua Nua, Friday- the usual, Saturday, the usual. Like I said, I'm done swimming, so why not?

My Tuesday night class was canceled for an event so I called up my friends to go to Mary Ann's--Boston College's unofficial bar which is prone to outrageous behavior on Tuesday nights. I met up with a friend who I volunteer with, C, and a friend of hers. They came over to my house to enjoy a few drinks and watch American Idol before we went off the MAs (no, I do not watch American Idol, but it is always good to have on when you have people over because no one needs to pay attention to it and it brings up a topic of conversation when the social atmosphere begins to lag).

We got to MAs a bit early and grabbed some drinks and a place to sit. We gabbed pleasantly for a while, saying hello to people we knew that were coming into the bar. It was fun, but after a while it felt like we were mafing* (Mafing*- Ignoring social obligation at a party, usually by sketchily texting in a corner or by being anti-social in general) so we got up to mingle.

MAs was getting sloppy and crowded. I was excited when I saw my friend M surrounded by a bunch of mutual girlfriends. M was ecstatic about her new fake ID which worked like a charm and I was happy she was there, too. Unfortunately, I lost track of C so I jumped over to M's posse. Around 1:45 am we decided to call it a night and grab a slice of pizza. Of course, Boston being the city that always sleeps, everything was closed. We hailed a cab and ordered dumplings from New Hong Kong. We arrived at M's house and devoured the sinfully delicious Chinese food. We finished the night watching clips of the best show on TV--Summer Heights High--and I retired to my home. All in all, it was a fun and carefree evening.

Wednesdays are always busy for me. I exorcise, go to work, and go to class. Today I also had a networking event that I needed to go to. I was exhausted, but I knew that trivia would be a blast. My friends and I arrived at trivia and promptly began our domination. While I was useless at sports questions, my knowledge of pop-culture and the environment proved valuable and we ended up getting second. While I am sure the other team cheated, we still won a prize. Holler.

Thursday night was bound to be fun. I was going to a fun dance bar called A-Tua-Nua with two of my close friends, Arc and Kry. We all met up at Kry's house to have some drinks before our cab arrived at 10:30 pm. We got in the cab and I found $5! Obviously, this night was going my way. Suddenly, disaster struck as we arrived at ATN: the line was stretching around the block, it was snowing, and it was freezing. For some odd reason we decided to brave the cold, long line for the promise of a sweaty, hot dance floor.

God works in mysterious ways, and suddenly we spotted one of our senior friends outside the bar looking confused. He saw us and swiftly escorted us inside! Hooked-up. After buying him a drink, I rushed to the dance floor where I saw my friend, C. The night progressed like a drunken prom. It was so much fun and the dance floor was bumpin'. We left at bar close and swore to go back--so much fun.

After such a wild week I am thinking about a more low-key weekend. Last night I chilled with some good friends and I did a lot of work today--lame, but fun all the same. I have a busy week ahead of me and I need to finalize some things before I leave for Turkey.

To Blog or Not To Blog?

I have been debating whether or not to create a blog for a while now, but I have finally come to my decision: I, too, shall blog. Recently, many of my close friends have traveled over-seas to study and work. With their departure from the United States came their assault on cyberspace in the form of blogs. These have sustained me while I have remained in Boston. Sitting in class reading about "Adventuras en Madrid," Middle Eastern Gyms, or Turkish Drama beats listening to some woman harp on and on about a single page in a tiny book any day. Who cares? Not me.

While I may be bound to the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, I still think that my life merits a site on the web. Of course, my normally ridiculous stories will have to be toned down a bit to ensure I eventually get a job, but I will try to keep all of the details juicy, the drama fresh, and the attitude strong for everyone.

Keeping that promise in mind, I will be back later with a sizzling mishap and outrageous calamity that the world should know about (so they can learn and grow from it).