promises for thursday

1) I promise to blog about the Striking Viking Story Pirates soon. Very soon.
2) I promise to stop kidding myself by setting my alarm clock for 7AM (sorry Tara!)
3) I promise that I will never were spandex as pants. Ever.

<3tracy

Obamarama

Time we woke up this morning:  3:00 am

Metro fare at rush hour rates:  $4.50 round trip

Average temperature in DC:  22 degrees

Length of time we stood on the National Mall:  7 hours

Number of people on the mall:  over 2 million

Number of tries it took to peel Lauren's blanket off of the icy ground, where it was firmly frozen in place:  8

Number of times we vocalized our concerns about frostbite:  75

Amount of clothing I wore:  6 layers, 3 pairs of socks, 2 scarves

Number of granola bars I ate to sustain myself:  4

Level of exhaustion I am currently experiencing, on a scale of 1 to 10:  15

Witnessing the historic inauguration of the United States' first African-American president:  PRICELESS

<3tara

: )

Despite all the little annoyances (read: fire alarms, cold cold cold, too much homework) this weekend shaped up to be pretty fantastic.

Next on the blogging agenda: STRIKING VIKING STORY PIRATES: a theatrical review

<3tracy

party like a Barack star!!!

Inauguration Weekend madness has finally descended on DC -- complete with millions of people, serious gridlock, lots of fancy balls, and (best of all) a free star-studded concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Since the temperature has been hovering around a RIDICULOUS 10 DEGREES lately, I was going to be a wuss and skip the concert. Luckily, though, Steph and Rachel convinced me to suck it up, put on 6 layers, pack a granola bar, and trek out to the mall for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Famous people that I was really excited to see:

- KAL PENN. It's kind of embarrassing that I was most excited to see him, but I love him beyond compare.

- Beyoncé. Although I have one complaint: I know this was supposed to be strictly patriotic, but would it have killed her to break out into "Single Ladies" at the end???

- Shakira

- Denzel Washington. Badass.

- Bruce Springsteen

- Bono. I felt like a better, more-likely-to-save-Africa person in his presence.

- Sheryl Crow

- and, of course, my man Barack Obama, whose voice I never get tired of listening to. Seriously. Is that creepy?

Best parts about the day:

- overpriced hot chocolate that kept us warm

- three-way spooning that also kept us warm

- riding the metro back without getting trampled

Worst parts about the day:

- potential frostbite (I was really afraid that my toes would fall off)

- the VERY obnoxious tweens who were standing in front of us

- spending way too much money on hot dogs

- hearing the name "Lincoln" 3746586 times (Tom Hanks, I'm talking to you)

Stay tuned for reports of our adventures on the mall on Inauguration Day!

<3tara

to my beautiful roommate

Tara,

Tonight you established yourself as the greatest roommate of all time. Thank you for everything. I am forever indebted to you. Like for the rest of eternity. I know you said you didn't want my first born child, but if you change your mind, it's all yours. And I promise to do the dishes all the time. And bake you a giant cake. You rock. I love you more than you can imagine.

<3tracy

open letter to the girl sitting across from me at the dav

You are the most obnoxious person I've ever encountered. Just because your professor is German does not mean that he cannot talk about morals or pacifism. In case you hadn't noticed, being German and being a Nazi are two different things. I kindly request that you please shut the fuck up and let me do my reading in peace.

<3tracy

a typical horrible evening at TDR

It's 7:00 pm, and Lauren and I are among the swarm of students crowding the dining hall.

Everything looks gross, so I toast some bread for an egg salad sandwich. Of course, the toaster is perpetually broken and barely warms my bread, but I'm too lazy to put it in again.

There is no egg salad. I am distraught. I resign myself to peanut butter and jelly, even though I could have eaten that in the comfort of my dorm room.

There is no peanut butter. My world is crashing down around me. I create the most pathetic sandwich ever with strawberry jam and barely-warmed bread. 

As I head for my seat, I see a fresh container of egg salad! After a few tortured minutes of guilt over my wastefulness, I throw away my sad excuse for sandwich and make a new, far superior dinner.

Lauren and I have chosen a table right next to a guy I made out with once. He probably doesn't recognize me, but I sense awkward vibes. Note to self: stay away from rugby parties.

After one bite of my egg salad sandwich, my mouth is burning. There is so much pepper in it, I think I might die. After drinking an entire glass of water, I have to throw away yet another sandwich. I am convinced that Jesus hates me.

I eat an apple and call it a night. It's ramen for me from now on, baby.

<3tara