tara and seal: a love story

I know we're in college, but it's not THAT weird to remain attached to a favorite childhood object, right?? Some people keep their teddy bears or baby blankets. I don't have one of those, but I do have Seal.

Seal is a white (okay, more like a dingy graying) stuffed animal that I got at the Baltimore Aquarium when I was about nine years old. Ever since then, he's slept in my bed every night. My mom made fun of me when I packed him for college, but I'm not ready to be separated from Seal just because I'm approaching adulthood.

Tracy objects to Seal because he's gotten a little worse for the wear over the years -- I would call him "well-loved," but she would call him "disgusting." Once during fall semester, she gave Seal a long-overdue bath. Because I wouldn't let her put him in the washing machine in case it destroyed him forever, she lovingly scrubbed him with laundry detergent in our bathroom sink and blow-dried his fur.

Despite his questionable hygiene, it's pretty clear that Seal is a hit. Visitors always enjoy playing games of "Seal ball" in the hallway, nuzzling Seal to their chests, and hiding Seal in secret spots around the room. The Erics (both Modrak and Piccirelli) love to find creative places to put Seal, which never fails to send me into a panic as I frantically search for him right before I want to go to sleep. I have discovered Seal on top of my lamp, behind my printer, and at the bottom of my laundry basket after having small panic attacks.

This past weekend, when Alejandro visited me in DC for a couple days, he had all the usual criticism -- Seal is gross and dirty, Seal is a ridiculous thing for a 20-year-old to keep in her bed every night, blah blah blah. I didn't care. I love Seal and I ignored all of Alejandro's threats to steal him away from me.

When Alejandro left to drive back to New Jersey, my room seemed like it was back to normal. It was finally clean and contained only one person's personal stuff. But when I went to get ready for bed, THERE WAS SOMETHING VERY WRONG. I couldn't find Seal ANYWHERE, even though I was sure I had put him on the end of my bed that morning. Alejandro and I had a ridiculous text message exchange while I tried desperately to find Seal:


Tara: WHERE IS SEAL WHERE IS SEAL WHERE IS SEAL WHERE IS SEAL?
Alejandro: Somewhere special.
Tara: I hate you. I HATE YOU. Tell me where he is right now.
Alejandro: Oh, just guess.
Tara: OH MY GOD. If Seal is in New Jersey, I WILL KILL YOU. Do you hear me??? I will come there and kill you.


Luckily, Seal was not all the way in New Jersey. He was hidden on a top shelf next to my Swiffer (and now he smells a lot cleaner than he used to). It was the closest call yet. I don't know what I would do if Seal was all the way in a different state from me. I'm going to sleep with him forever and I don't care what my future husband has to say about it.

<3tara

memorial day weekend with roxanne and eric

My weekend in photography and song!

Antiques at Savage Mill.


Ghost hunting at the Patapsco Female Institute.


Backyard show with Man and Dog.

Whistle Dawn - Man and Dog


All Day with No Rest - Man and Dog



BOLT! Dance Party at the Hexagon featuring Ten Elevenths.


Perchance to Dream (Mastered) - Ten Elevenths


The Facts (Mastered) - Ten Elevenths


And of course, Eric's excellent thrift store find.

<3tracy

live from roxanne's house

epic

weekend

photos soon.

<3tracy & eric

newsflash: even when you speak in spanish, sometimes there are gringas like me who can understand you.

"A no alcohol policy? Seriously? When you get this many Hispanics together, you can't expect them to stay sober."

"If you girls ever want to come to Mexico, you have a house to stay in. ...My house."

"They can't get us in trouble. We'll just say we don't speak any English. Why isn't there a translator here? Can we get a translator? That's what we'll say."

<3tara

everything is relative...

Today when I was in the shower I was thinking about how much I hate communal bathrooms. Then I remembered that if I had gone back to work at summer camp this summer I'd still be using communal bathrooms and at least when I use the communal bathrooms at school I don't have to worry about finding dead chipmunks in the toilets...

<3tracy

EPIC FAIL

I don't know what it is but lately I have been failing miserably at life.

Tonight I broke the lid to my pot. But it's not like it fell and cracked into a few pieces. No, it SHATTERED and suddenly my floor was covered in teeny tiny very sharp shards of glass. Like we're talking thousands of shards. I spent the better part of an hour on my hands and knees with a roll of duct tape trying to get all the broken glass out of the carpet.

Last weekend I broke a light bulb. But not an ordinary lightbulb, no sir. A CFL. The difference? CFL's have MERCURY in them. So of course I have a MELTDOWN trying to figure out how I'm supposed to clean it up and whether or not I'm in compliance with EPAs hazardous waste disposal guidelines. I actually googled "signs of mercury poisoning" because I thought I was going to die. Thankfully I didn't, but I still had to clean up a million shards of glass and some scary powdery stuff.

Today I tried to go grocery shopping and I put in the wrong PIN for my debit card. On Monday I walked into Whole Foods and it was beautiful and sunny. Fifteen minutes later I walk out and find myself in a TORRENTIAL downpour. Did I mention I had 3 bags of groceries and no umbrella?

My sewing machine was delivered on Tuesday but when I went to get it they told me I had to have a package slip. I went to check my mail only to realize that instead of turning in my old mail key I accidentally turned in the key to my desk at work. Not only that, but they new key they gave me for my new room was THE WRONG KEY. So I go to the desk to get a new key OHJKWEDON'THAVEAKEYTOGIVEYOUCHECKBACKINAWEEK. So I borrow my roommate's key OHJKYOURMAILBOXISJAMMEDANDTHEKEYWON'TGOIN.

Oh and then there was the matter of getting promoted at work. Yeah, I know that sounds like a good thing, until you find out that I'm doing twice the work and not getting a pay raise. Oh and then I found out that my job is basically a dead end and they are going to kick me to the curb the DAY I graduate.

I can't sleep at night because my back hurts so badly from sitting at a desk in front of a computer for 40 hours a week. As a result, I oversleep and am late to work.

My cuckoo clock is broken. I lost a button on my jacket. I can't fit all my clothes into my drawers in my new room. Broke my new brown heels. I can't solve the USA Today crossword puzzle if my life depended on it (so embarassing).

I really really miss my suite. I'm becoming a recluse.

FUCK MY LIFE.

<3tracy

i can has chocolate?

I'm working in Commissioner Moeller's office today and I just signed for an enormous package. Upon closer examination, I saw it was from Godiva.

MMMMMmmmm....

<3tracy