Long Post. Catching up.

I'm not even sure where to begin! I got back from Costa Rica a few weeks ago, all nice and tan. I had a wonderful time and there are millions of pictures on Facebook if you are interested. My trip included surfing, zip lining, ATV-ing in the jungle, eating delicious 5-star food, drinking heavily, and of course laying out poolside most of the time. Note to self: Don't fall asleep in the sun when you have a wristband on. The weather was perfect, the people were pleasant, and I never wanted to leave. It was my first time out of the country and what a first time it was!

Fall semester has started back up at good old VCU and I am taking 5 classes. It is pretty overwhelming so far. I am in this Mass Communications journalism class where the first thing they said on the first day of class was: "We all are professional journalists here to teach you, and if you don't bust your ass, we'll weed you out." So I am preparing to do a lot of learning this semester, which I completely look forward to. Living in Oregon Hill is convenient and I ride my bike to class (yay for some form of exercise!) but since I got a new haircut, my bangs are temperamental and usually end up looking like a 70's feathered haircut by the time I get to class. Ew. 

With all this presidential hoop-la I honestly just want the damn thing to be over with. I could care less how fucked up McCain's VP is or why Joe Biden sucks, I just want Obama to be my man. 

For Labor Day, I went to Trey's parent's cabin up in Bath County (about 3 hours from RVA) and spent the weekend with his family and their friends. What a blast. The cabin is sooo tiny. You can't so much as turn around in the bathroom without tripping over something, and majority of the vertical space is occupied by beds, lofts and stairs. With so many people (about 20) joining us, naturally a lot of us had to use tents and camp outside. Trey and I had such a fun time. I adore his parents, especially his mom. She's probably one of the nicest and silliest people I know. You never see a frown on her face, she's always got a drink in her hand (well, the only time we've hung out is when she's on vacation so that's okay) and she laughs constantly. My mood gets so goofy around her and I find myself laughing just because I see her laugh. She took real good care of us, feeding us and making yummy drinks (she has a special chocolate shooter that is to die for.) We relaxed by the fire at night while drinking, spent the days outside on rafts in the water (it was freezing) and played cards and Apples to Apples (a recent new addition to my favorite games of all time). Trey got a little too trashed the last night we were there and let's just say ground beef is the LAST thing you want to eat before a night of heavy drinking, especially when you have to share a tent with somebody else. Double ew. The last day, we floated down the river on tubes and enjoyed a relaxing yet hungover afternoon before the drive home. 

Trey wasn't feeling well still, so I drove us home. On the way, I started getting a sore throat. I thought nothing of it but by the time we got to his house, I was getting the chills and my throat was getting worse. I spent the rest of the evening sleeping. When I woke up for class, I was still in terrible conditions. I contemplated how bad the repercussions would be if I didn't go to school (being that we had already had Monday off) and realized I just couldn't do it. I went home and slept. all. day. Got up around 4pm because my entire bed was covered in sweat. I took my temperature throughout the day and from 12pm it was 101 and managed to spike up to 104.1 by 5pm. I was delirious, feverish, dizzy, and my throat was on fucking fire. Trey took me to Patient First around 7 and I got what was coming for me. Q-tips shoved down my already-painful throat, blood work (if it's anymore than 2 vials, I get woozy) and eventual test results showed that I don't have Strep (which I usually get once a year if not more) but that I had some raging bacterial infection. My white blood cell count was really high. Normal results are from 4.0-10.5 and mine came back as 18.8. The doctor freaked me out by saying that "if I don't get better by tomorrow, I will be admitted to the ER." Now the embarrassing part: I had to get two shots. In my butt. So right now I have two circular band-aids matching on either side of my ass and one big charley horsed behind. Today, my temperature was normal, and I returned to the doctor's per her request. They drew blood again and I'm now down to 15.9, but since it is Patient First and I don't even consider them REAL doctors, I let a new doctor today who had no idea what I went through yesterday bug me with the same redundant questions. He seemed perplexed as to why my doctor from last night gave me shots. He sent me home with antibiotics and (get this) codeine. Woohoo! So thus explains this post's longevity and incoherency. I am doped up on codeine. It's liquid form, mixed with tylenol, and although it kind of makes me nauseous, it is my best friend right now. Imagine if every time you swallowed (food or just saliva) it felt like you were swallowing a mouthful of razors. I can't eat, I can barely drink, and I am floating in space right now. I've been wearing the same clothes for 3 days, I haven't showered, I smell TERRIBLE, and look the part as well. Poor Trey has been so helpful and my cats have been by my side. Boogeyman has been ordained "The Littlest Prince" by my roommates because he's so dainty and agile. He is curled up next to me as we speak. So that's where I am in life right now. Broke, behind in school, and sick as can be. 

Taryn and I got our matching friendship tattoos and I LOVE IT. I miss her. See Taryn, I MISS YOU! You busy little wedding-planning bee!

Wish me luck on a speedy recovery!

Totoro!

I'm getting this scene tattooed on my leg on Friday by Jimmy at Salvation. I am SO excited! Crazy Miyazaki tattoos are addictive!

Heading South.

I'm going to Costa Rica on July 20th. It will be my first time outside of the United States. Well, I went to Accapulco when I was 6 or 7, but I don't remember much. I just remember vomiting in the hotel because I ate some potato chips from the mini-bar fridge. Dumbass.

I just got back from the VCU Student Health Services center, and boy are they fantastic. I promptly got handed a "What To Do When Travelling" packet as well as about 10 other sheets of paper with useful travelling guidelines. Then, I got two shots. One in each arm. Hepatitis A and Typhoid fever. My arms are already showing signs of soreness and weakness, and I have to work tonight. That should be interesting, seeing as how I have to hostess and bus tables. Broken dishes, here I come! I also received antibiotics in case I get the poo poos, and some Malaria pills that I have to take before, during and after my vacation. Jesus I'm only going there for a week!
If anyone that still attends VCU didn't know it, you can get over the counter drugs (generic Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, Motrin, Pepto Bismol, allergy meds like Claratin and Allegra, as welll as daily multi-vitamins) for CHEAP. I'm talking $1. Today I bought Acetamenophine (NSAID...non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drug) for $1.50. I'm definitely going there for any of my pharmacy needs!

I simply cannot wait to go on this trip. We are going to a five star resort (what, you'd rather I be inland, sleeping in a tent, mingling with the locals and contracting herpes?) called the Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort in Guanacaste. If you take a look at the pictures on the website, it's obviously bound to be an amazing time. My only regret is that I can't take Trey with me. This summer has been so wonderful to me. So many incredible things are taking place. I found a great apartment with some good people, I have a job that I love, I have friends and relationships with people that grow stronger everyday, and I can't imagine being any more grateful for what I have. I'm getting a friendship tattoo with Taryn in August (Fred Pinckard, Salvation). I'm also getting a Totoro tattoo done by Jimmy Cumberland at Salvation sometime in the next month. I'm signed up for classes and ready to dominate them, head on. Now all I have to do is get in shape before the trip.

Along for the ride.

I went to my first hardcore show yesterday in Newport News. Lewd Acts, Kingdom, Original Sin and some other band I forget were the band du jour for the evening. Liberty 4 is a craphole. It's a room with a stage. And by stage I mean something made out of plywood that stretches maybe 10 feet long. Spraypaint tags and graffiti added a lovely decor feel to the room. The weather was not in our favor (a friggin terrential downpour), as the rain made the non-airconditioned venue stink and swamp up like a humid day in Richmond. It was fun and interesting, that is for sure.

I rode up in the pedophillic "Small World Child Care" van with Larry, Trey and Brett. Observation 1: Larry is a nutty driver. Of course the second we got onto the highway, there was an accident, which caused a 30 minute delay to our destination. No biggie! Larry's van had no A/C so I drenched my shirt in sweat as I jealously watched Trey and Brett go shirtless for the entire ride. Sticky leather van seats blow!

It took a little bit of "Who's going on first? Us? I thought you were!" to figure out the schedule but the show finally started about an hour after we arrived. During this hour, Larry, Stu, Kevin, Aaron and I all sat in the pederass van and drank. It smelled like MAN in that van, let me tell you. It was awesome though. I'm a tough girl.

Original Sin is fun to watch. So is Kingdom. They just returned from a tour in Europe. Their lead singer is this tiny little unshaven tattooed vegan straight edge girl. Her appearance gives off the notion that the band is iffy, but once she opens her mouth, you are blown away by what sounds mistakenly like a large man screaming mercilessly into the mic. I was amazed. I almost saw a fight, too. Typical! It would've been too cliche to see a fight at that show though and I'm glad it didn't errupt. Original Sin played for about 20 minutes and I couldn't help but tap my foot and nod my head to Larry's pelting and gigantic performance. I felt a rush of energetic electricity vibrate through my body as Trey, Stu and Aaron shredded. I'm no expert on music, but if it makes me vibe, then it's good to me.
Observation 2: Kevin Kauffman (drummer) is badass. Kevin is like the Yanni of drumming. It comes out of no where, you'd never think it if you saw him. Jaw-dropping percussion heaven.

After we packed up and listened to most of the show, everyone became groggy and tired. Newport News' sky and air was filled with smoke and campfire-esque fragrances due to some peet burning in NC (or at least that's Larry's story). We all had humidity headaches and the lack of water and decent food (my dinner was a tabasco slim jim and a pack of peanut butter crackers) turned everyone's mood into blah. Stu and Kevin rode back with us, as Brett drove and Larry continued to drink. Trey and I sat in the back using each other's shoulders as pillows. Observation 3: Brett drives crazier than Larry. To Larry, this was funny, because how could you not laugh at a 6'5" bouncer driving a ped van at 90 miles an hour with 5 people and a whole set of instruments in the back, all the while swerving and taking exit ramps at an alarmingly fast speed.
No one barely spoke the entire ride home. Except Larry. Observation 4: Larry LOVES Tim Barry. I do too, but jesus you'd think the singer of a hardcore band, after having a show, wouldn't want to sing for the rest of the night! We were serenaded by Larry for a good hour. It was soothing and far from what he does in Original Sin. I had so much fun last night.

Ohhh Hill.

I must be sick. For the past few months, I've been feeling extremely out of it. Dazed and confused. Lightheaded. Perhaps in need of a doctor's visit. I have my speculations. I only hope...eetz naught uh tumuuuur.
I move soon to the historically loco Oregon Hill on July 1st. Whilst in Richmond I had always desired to live there, mainly for the experience, and now I'm going to do just that. Aside from living pretty much down the street from one of my ex's girlfriends, I couldn't be happier. Audrey and Chris will accompany me for a year in a 3 bedroom, 2nd floor apartment. We will be proud renters of central air, a dishwasher, washer and a dryer. Ammenities Lauren hasn't had in years. A balcony on the front of the house is shaded by a big tree and I expect to spend many a lazy afternoons on it. Come join. Bring champagne.
I never updated after Memphis, but I can tell you this much, it was fun. Lots of fun. Then I went to the beach with Taryn and that was lots of fun too. I met good people. If you're a competent facebook user, no doubt you've seen the pictures. A flash before my eyes, a quick blink, a cat nap if you will, and boom, things've changed. I think fate is a funny thing to base your life around, hell, I don't even believe in it, but as someone recently said, crossing paths with certain people just seems...inevitable. One chapter ends, the next begins. Sometimes unexpectedly sooner than later. Sometimes a collision of chapters occurs. Sometimes the title of the new chapter makes you wiggle in your seat in anticipation of reading it. Whatever the name of this summer's chapter may be, let it be known that I am wiggling in my seat.

Pussy Troubles

I want to donkeypunch one of my cats. He is such a little shit all. the. time. When he's not sleeping and being a completely worthless ball of fuzz, he's knocking things over and constantly playing in the litter box. He'll go into it and paw around for 5 minutes and just play with the little pieces of litter. Great. I raised a child whose favorite past time is rummaging around in his own feces. Way to go, Lauren! And THEN, when he gets out of the litter box, he's got all these little pieces of litter in between his toes and enjoys jumping around my apartment and sprinkling them everywhere. I mean everywhere! He makes a running superman jump out of the litter box and all you hear is bits of clay flying all over my constantly-swept hardwood floor.
He bites my toes when I'm sleeping , follows infront of me in a zig-zag pattern so that I trip over him and pees on my dirty clothes when he feels like it. My other cat (Boogeyman, the one and only) is an absolute angel. But this one, by god, he's truly a re-re. What a worthless dingleberry.

Awkward moments: Or is it spelled "akward?" I'm too lazy to look it up.

-When you're walking a dog and someone is walking right by you when the dog decides to take a huge dump. You're just standing there trying not to notice but everyone knows your dog is pooing and it stinks.
-When you are having a good day and you are getting out of your car all the while singing under your breath a favorite tune and you look up to see somebody staring at you.
-When you're at CVS buying some tampons for when Aunt Flo visits and they have to announce over the PA that they need a price check. And yeah the people in line behind you are giggling.
-When you're changing the kitty litter and you haul a big trash bag full of disgusting excriment down to the shared garbage bins and somebody walks by your alley, noticing not only that it smells like shit but that you are a busted mess, wearing nothing but a see through tank top and shorts, minus a bra, flip flops, and of course still wearing the remainder of last night's makeup as it leaks from your crusty eyes.
-When you're leaving your apartment and as you exit the door, you say something stupidly cute to your cats in a high pitched baby voice only to turn around and realize your neighbor is walking by your door and thinks you are NUTSO.
I love those types of moments. Maybe I'm just crazy.


Feel free to comment and tell me YOUR a(w)kward moments!

Breathe deep

I got my Sperry's today. They are red with little anchors all over them. I'm turning into a regular prep. I also have a madras dress that makes me look like I belong at Foxfield. Shaddap.

Taryn got most of her color done today on her ribs...and it looks ah-may-zing. Fred's really great. I just love everyone at Salvation. Jimmy is stoked to do some more work on my leg! Miyazaki, I love you. I highly recommend Salvation to anyone. Of course anyone who reads this already knows that because they go there too.

I'm turning 24 tomorrow. I'm in this weird pseudo-fantasy like dream state where I'm in between feeling blissful and depressed. I'm well beyond adolesence yet I consider my inner workings and feelings as being child-like and naive. I'm still so young. I'm still so free. I'm still so silly and unsure of everything.


Thursday we leave for Memphis in May. My camera's full purpose while down there is to show proof that I was even in Memphis, because after we set foot on Beale St, I won't remember much. Memphis is my hometown and I can't wait to see my dad and be back in the south. My heart belongs there. I don't feel like writing much... this is a pre-phenominal weekend post. Post-party posting will be published soon...