| travel log 3 |
[Oct. 25th, 2009|03:10 pm] |
Wales: it was awesome. I have a cousin who lives there so I got to stay with her. Even though, we were never really very close (I barely knew her, actually) it was SO good to see family. Just hearing a NJ accent was very comforting. Being so far away from everyone I love in this place where nothing is familiar is pretty tough. We talked about the family, shed some tears about the tragedies that have befallen the Stephen's line (My aunt Tracy, My brother,etc.) and commiserated about adjusting to life abroad. She moved to Wales a few years ago to live with her husband and had a rocky start at first as well. Her husband is cool, he plays D&D and like Battlestar Galactica so we got along just fine. We went to Liverpool the first day and explored the Beatles museum. It was pretty cool but not mind-blowing. The city was really nice though, lots of cute shops and harbors. The next day we explored some Welsh countrysides and they were absolutely beautiful. My cousin made some delicious food, which put my meager dorm room meals to shame.
I went to York with the international society. It was a nice city, but I ended up spending too much money because all we did was shop. I did get some really cute stuff though! York-minster was cool but we couldn't go inside because someone was getting married in the cathedral (bet that cost them a lot).
Right now I am in London again. We went to Covent Gardens and watched all the street performers which was great. Then we hit up the British museum. My favorite exhibits were a series of relief sculptures that featured centaurs fighting humans (I will post pics on Facebook, keep a lookout).
Scott is coming to see me in 8 and a half days!!!! This makes me very very very happy. We are going to go to Edinburgh if we have the money. Wish us luck!
More on this later.
-K |
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| Travel Log 2 (continued) |
[Oct. 8th, 2009|04:00 pm] |
Where was I? Oh yes, London! The park was very refreshing because, as you can imagine, I don't see very much nature in a big city like Manchester and I miss it terribly. Plus the weather was gorgeous so it was a very nice day. I fell in love with the London underground, it's not as sketchy as the New York subway system but provides the same kinds of conveniences. Not to mention the amount of performers who set up shop in the station trying to make an extra buck. I saw a man who played the didgeridoo with a sweet techno beat behind him and it was pretty much the best thing ever.
Dublin was beautiful, they keep that place pretty clean. I met some Norwegians who were there to protest the Lisbon Referendum (look it up, because I still can't tell you exactly what it was about) so it was really awesome to talk to them about politics and such. It was kind of invigorating to be a passive bystander of the political unrest in Ireland. It was a great way to really experience culture. Even though my companions didn't care too much for our ranting (they are fashion majors, and as such, do not give a shit about anything important), I had a great time, and I made sure to talk about the Lisbon Referendum with everyone I met that weekend. The next morning we took a walking historical tour. Ireland has a hilarious history of failed revolutions and our tour guide took the opportunity to poke fun at his ancestors every chance he got. Even though it was freezing and raining, this was very enjoyable.
We hit the town later that night, drank some Guiness, and had to pry Camilla (one of the girls I traveled with) away from her "soulmate", i.e. a random man that she met on the street who gave her attention and thus 'deserved' a make out session while we waited for her FOR AN HOUR. I'm still slightly peeved about this, but I'm glad that we didn't leave her alone with him, despite her protests.
The next day we took a tour of the countryside which was breathtaking. The tourguide played the Braveheart soundtrack on the way up to the mountains which filled me with a happiness that I cannot describe. Ireland is in fact very green, and very lovely. I will post pictures to facebook, so have a look if you have an account.
This weekend I am going to Wales to see my cousin. It is really exciting to see family over here and I think we are going to Liverpool to go to the Beatles Museum. Should be a blast. I will talk more of my adventures later.
Cheers!
-Kristen |
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| Travel Log 2 |
[Oct. 5th, 2009|03:46 am] |
So right now I am in Dublin, at a hostel, watching the minutes tick by until I have to brave the cold and catch the bus to the airport. Ireland has been completely amazing, but let's go chronologically and talk first about life in Manchester.
Most of the people in my dorm are in the age range of 18-19. This means that they want to party CONSTANTLY. It's a little bit difficult to keep up, which makes me feel old, but then I remember that I was never into the club scene that much even at that age. I do enjoy pubs though. Anyday, I would take a cold beer and a good conversation over a loud club where you don't make eye contact with anyone. That being said, I spend some time with my flat-mates (Birthday party at Baabar last week) but not too much. I hope they don't think I am being unsociable.
London! How grand! Saw Big Ben and the other touristy things, but I spent Sunday in St.James Park which was absolutely gorgeous. My friend Martin and I fed animals.
Well, it seems that I am running out of time on this card thing, so I will have to finish this entry when I return to Manchester. Until then....
TO BE CONTINUED..... |
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| Travel log: entry 1 |
[Sep. 20th, 2009|02:26 pm] |
Apologies for making anyone wait for a summary of my journeys, it's been a busy week thus far. In the future I will do my best to update at least once a week, in case anyone is interested in reading about my trip. Let's start with the flight:
11 hours is a long fucking time. My first plane was cramped and commonplace, but as I spent merely two hours on it, it really wasn't that bad. Philadelphia airport is very charming: lots of tiny art collectives scattered around and a plethora of movie posters plastered the walls (films that were shot in Philly, of course). Then I boarded the HUGE international airplane (British Airways) and met this adorable Italian boy named Yuri. He was very shy. That plane was awesome. It seems that they have replaced the "in-flight movie" with an interactive touch screen media center on the back of every seat (Emily had a similar experience when she flew to California). I watched that movie "The Hangover" which was actually kind of funny, despite it being very bro-ish. Sleep did not come easy because the chairs did not lean back very much, but I managed to nod off for the last three hours of the flight.
We landed in London and the chaos began. First of all, the shuttle buses were running behind schedule because it was a busy hour when we landed, so we had to wait 20 minutes or so before we could get to the airport. Immigration and security took forever. I had nothing questionable on me, but they are very careful about what they let into the country, so it took a while to get through. Comparatively, I accidentally managed to sneak a lighter on board in Raleigh, it was in my jacket, which went through the x-ray.
So of course, I missed my flight to Manchester. After breaking into tears, I received help from one of the flight attendants and got a ticket for the next flight. Exhausted, jet-lagged, confused, and homesick, I waited the two hours and boarded the next flight.
Manchester:
When I arrived, a taxi was arranged to bring me to my dorm where they kind of just dropped me off without any advice as to what to do next. By this point I was a wreck and I wanted nothing more than to talk to Scott. The exchange program gave us phone cards to use so that we could call home... but cell phones work very differently in the UK. Instead of a contract, you buy a "sim card" which fits in the back of the phone. Then you "top up" by putting 10 pounds or so on it at a time. I had no idea how any of this worked, so I bought a pay-phone card and phoned home. I told my dad I was safe and left Scott a desperate sounding message.
Because the international students move in earlier than the UK students, my dorm was a ghost hall. It was very lonely and I had no advice about where to go to buy necessities (I wanted to sleep so badly but I had no bedsheets or pillows). I somehow managed to find the ASDA which is the Wal-Mart of the UK. Then I slept for many many hours.
Orientation:
It remained lonely for the next two days until International orientation. I met two other Americans, fashion majors from North Carolina! Their names are Amanda and Camilla and they go to NC State. We shared complaints I showed them where ASDA was and we decided to go out for drinks later. We ended up at an AWESOME underground club downtown... it was 80's night: wicked. We learned about Carlsburg- the English equivalent of PBR and danced with a huge group of Brits.
The next day we visited Didsbury, a small town outside of Manchester, and had fish and chips at a local pub. I had a Red Guinness, which tastes like a Guinness but is much lighter in it's consistency and I actually really enjoyed it. Later we hit up a bar called "The Font" which was cool, but filled with sleazy guys, so we ended up at subspace again.
"Fresher's Week":
All of the UK students moved into the halls yesterday. Within one hour of the move-in, there was already a party on the fourth floor. I hung out there for a little bit and followed some folks to the Student Union, which is a big club for MMU students. It was kind of cool, but we ended up waiting 45 minutes for a drink so we went to a pub and played pool. Funny thing about British Billiards: everything is small scale. The tables are half the size of our pool tables and even the billiard balls were tiny (and they didn't have numbers, just two different colors). Anyway, we went to Dominoes (we had coupons for free pizza) and hung out in Camilla's dorm room until 3 or so, when I skyped with Scott and then went to sleep.
Well, that's what's been going on so far. Classes start Tuesday and I am hoping to take a trip to London on Friday. If you don't already have Skype, you should download it. It's free and I can use it like an internet phone to talk to you for free from the UK (did I mention it's free?). My skype name is Kakorkowski.... get in touch!
Love,
Kristen |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 18th, 2009|03:06 pm] |
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Pro-Lifers are starting to get to me again. For a long time, I could just ignore them and their stupid bullshit but it's starting to piss me off again whenever people talk about the "right to life" and other such nonsense. I wish I could just turn the politics button off in my head and go back to not giving a shit. |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 15th, 2009|11:53 pm] |
If your city was a house, which would it be? I think Greensboro is Hufflepuff. Which means:
Chapel Hill is Gryffindor. Charlotte is Slytherin. Boone is Ravenclaw.
Think about it. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 29th, 2008|05:25 pm] |
So I talked to Matt and we somewhat collectively decided that we should stay apart for a while. However, he called last night numerous times at 4 am to tell me "I've made a mistake" and other slurred drunken messages so I don't really know what he wants to do. That's exactly the shit that I dont want to deal with anymore. If he really does stop drinking, then maybe a reunion could be in order, but otherwise... this shit is draining me.
P.S. FUCK THE POLICE |
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| Christmas... shitty as usual |
[Dec. 26th, 2008|06:38 pm] |
My fucking selfish asshole parents are really driving me crazy. Like... rubber walls and straight jacket crazy.
So... they hate each other, everyone knows that. But they can't even PRETEND to be nice to each other for the sake of the holiday? Normally it's my mom who's a crazy raving bitch, but it seems that my dad is now taking over. He picked her up from the airport and didn't say a fucking word to her the whole time on the way back (a 30 minute drive to Newark airport). My dad is so self-righteous right now, he thinks of himself as the model parent compared with my mom (who let's be honest, is a pretty terrible mom). So now my dad thinks it's right to ridicule my mom in front of her family and say mean things under his breath and start fights and yell and assume that everyone's gonna take his side. Yeah my mom is a jerk, but my dad being a jerk DOESNT HELP.
I know that they are both really upset because this is the first christmas without Micheal. But they aren't even taking each other's feelings in account, much less those of their kids.
My emotions are on edge because I just stopped taking my medication.
My boyfriend just broke up with me.
My brother is dead.
I want to punch both of my parents in the face.
I think I'm justified in saying "Bah Humbug" to this whole fucking season. |
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| sororities |
[Dec. 22nd, 2008|04:28 pm] |
So I hung out with some friends of my cousin last night. They were cool at first, however they immediatley began binge drinking, taking a double shot of tequila about every five minutes... these kids have never even heard the word "pacing". Then some sorority chicks showed up and got drunk and loud and tried to outdo each other in the recaps of their sexual escapades. One of them was passed out by 12, when she woke up she said "I don't remeber, oh I don't remember what happened!" Nothing did happen, she just fell asleep.
My point here I think is that I'm glad I never joined a sorority. It seems a very lonely and exhausting lifestyle. |
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| over? |
[Dec. 16th, 2008|11:55 pm] |
so, for forshadowing"s sake, I think Ill start this entry by stating what happened at Portifinos tonight:
I discussed my problems with this documentary that was submitted to our film festival entitled "Why We Smoke" which was basically a 30 minute anti-smoking ad. I feel as though smokers are being turned into criminals. I know, I KNOW smking is bad for you, who doesn't? Yet I choose to do it anyway, because I believe that it shouldn't be up to other people to dictate what you put into your body.
later we went to Boon Saloon. We played a game of pool and all was well and fine for about an hour. The clock ticked on and I found myself getting quite bored. I think that I am uncomfortable in your average bar setting because to me the most fun part about being drunk is having drunken conversations. In a bar, especially a bar as crowded and noisy as Boone Saloon, conversations are limited to what you can yell into each others ears, So, naturally I wanted to go back to the red house and hang out. Specifically I wanted to hang out with Matt. However, he insisted on staying because "everyone else was there". He did not, however, take into account the fact that I was not at all interested in what everyone else was doing.
Finally we left, and I asked Matt to stop at the gas station (he was driving my car, you see, because I was too drunk to drive). He refused, claiming over and over again that he would not stop because he knew that I wanted to get cigarrettes as well. The rest of the ride home was spent in silence, except for Matt's continuing arguments about how he would not support my smoking habit(All of you who know Matt Soucie know that he is cartainly in a position to judge other people based on their addictions). Because I felt like I was being treated like a 15 year old, I left as soon as we got back. When I returned (with cigarrettes) Matt told me that he was going to sleep on the couch that night and that I should be gone by the morning.
I don't know what will happen from here, maybe Matt will sober up and try to make peace. Maybe this is the end. I cannot figure out what he wants from me. Most of the time it seems like he wants me to be his mother, taking care of him and waiting on him hand and foot. Other times, like tonight, it seems he wants a daughter to contol and protect. Regardless, I don't think he wants merely a girlfriend that loves him. |
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| Vacay |
[Dec. 1st, 2008|01:24 am] |
Disney world park hopper passes- $0
Seaworld passes- $0
Being a Korkowski- Priceless
So we went to three parks in one day yesterday- Animal kingdom (Everest is amazing), MGM- which is now called "Disney Hollywood Studios" did Metro Goldwyn Meyer and Disney split or something? I don't know how this works, and Epcot. The night ended with my dad and I drinking around the world, I was trashed by the time we got to Norway. DISNEY FIREWORKS ARE THE SHIT!!!!!
Today we went to the ghetto. There is an auction there (a.k.a. flea market) and I bought many things, including a really creepy picture that I will have to find a place for. My brother bought a unicycle... bitchin.
I miss everybody. We are coming home tommorow, so I'll be in Greensboro for the week and I'll probably go to Boone on Friday or sumthin.
Also... something creepy! My grandmother told me that she recently drove by my old house in NJ (we lived there for about 10 years) and the people who live there now had a sign out front that a new baby had been born. They named him Micheal. |
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| taken from fink |
[Jul. 16th, 2008|03:03 pm] |
This is called “FIRST REACTIONS QUIZ”. You have to type the 1ST thing that comes to mind whenever you hear these 31 things. You can’t think and go back and change your answers. TIP: erase all of the other persons answers first..that way u can think in blank
Beer:MMMM
McDonalds: Supersize
Relationships: Rewarding
Purple: holler!
Power Ranger: MASTADON
Steroids: Roid Rage
Cartoons: anvils
The President: doesn't know how to rock
Florida: Where you from, you don't know gators?
Santa Claus: Made out with mommy
Halloween: Incredible
Alice: Bread and butter flies
Myspace: stain
Clowns: Makeup
Marriage: uneccesary
Paris: penis statue
Blondes: eyelashes
Donald Trump: canned
Neverland: indians and whores
Pixie(s): glitter
Vanilla ice-cream: spoon
Hooters: awesome rockin tits
High school: trainwreck
Pajamas: everyday
Woody: allen
Both of my roomates and the dog are out of town. Matt is in Boone til Friday. I am sooooooooo bored and I miss them. |
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| The Journey is over |
[Jun. 30th, 2008|01:05 pm] |
I just got back from an action packed week in the garden state. We did more things than should conceivably fit into 6 ays, and the best way to summarize the trip is to take it a day at a time.
MONDAY:
Got to my aunt's campsite pretty early. Perhaps campsite isn't the right word, it was more like an outdoor house. For those of you who know my aunt Karen, you are aware of her creativity and the her summer home at Timberland Lake Camping was clearly indicative of it. Not only was there a full size trailer with a kitchen and sleeping room for nine, but there were also two gazebo canopies, one containing a FULL living room set (including cable television) and the other harboring 3 picnic tables, complete with tablecloths and flatware. Next to that was the fire pit with eight or so lawn chairs and a hammock surrounding it, and an eight person tent. They also had a dock with a beautiful view of the lake and another full patio set. It was ridiculous. I'll post pics when I get them developed.
We stayed there for a few hours and napped before going to my grandparent's house, which is normally considered HQ for every trip to Jersey that we take. My grandfather recently aquired a computer which he still doesn't really know how to use, other than to make a slideshow of his powder flask collection (which is 700+, and is probably worth a mil. by itself). My cousin is setting up an ebay account for him and it won't be long before he realizes how much money he can actually make with all that stuff. He also gave me some really sweet new camera equipment, including the manuals, which makes it much easier to operate than just messing with it. We then went to my dad's parents to swim and play in the giant human gerbil ball (which was awesome). We hit the campsite late at night and crashed pretty much immediatley.
TUESDAY: Six Flags Great Adventure! We rode all the roller coasters including Kingda Ka... the tallest and fastest in the world, and stayed at the park all day. Later, Wally came by and all the kids got drunk. The twin's friend Westly was truly the most hilarious kid that I have ever seen, as he muttered on about the crevices of the moon and how we should all learn to dominate our bottles. Wally drank too much and fell flat on his face, taking his chair with him.
WEDNESDAY: Six flags again, but this time not so exciting. We were all pretty hung over, so we stuck to the low-key rides like the teacups and the Merry-go-round. Later we went to my aunt's house and had hot dogs and hamburgers and then I hung out with Wally and his friends and girlfriend,,, who are all really awesome. They all have the "it" factor that Derek and I have talked about.
THURSDAY: Went to Barnegat to see George and Sue, ended up at the beach, with cold water on a cold day. Afterwards we hung around the house and had hamburgers and hotdogs again. Wally, Erin (his gf), and I went to a party and I introduced his crew to tequila... it went over pretty well, and I had a blast.
FRIDAY: Finally we get to sleep in. Later that day we went home to Keansburg and had a little pool party at Doug and Nicole's house while they made hamburgers and hotdogs for everybody. Then we went to THE BOARDWALK!!! YAY!!! We got the wristbands that allow you unlimited rides and I made the mistake of riding the Tilt-a-whirl after drinking a rum and coke. We stayed till midnight and then crashed at my uncle's house.
SATURDAY: The big memorial party, the entire reason we came. Despite the fact that there were like 60 people there and it was supposed to be for Micheal, there was an obvious apprehension to talk about it. Every once in a while someone would ask me how I was holding up, but there were no speeches and no toasts and honestly I am glad it was that way. The funeral was hard enough to endure, I wasn't looking forward to part 2. We had a keg of beer, a bandstand with mics and guitars (my family likes to perform), and plenty of food including, you guessed it, hamburgers and hotdogs. My cousins and I played a drinking game in the basement, and we eventually got rained out. Regardless, it was good to see everybody.
Overall, it was one of the best trips to NJ I have ever had. There was some arguing in the first few days, but we made an effort to talk it out and actually found ways to resolve the problem in a way that everyone was pretty much happy with. My cousin and I are best friends again and he may come down sometime in August, so stretch out your party muscles folks, cuz we've gotta show him a good time. I really really miss life in the north and am pretty sure that I want to move back there for a little while after college. I want to work in NY city, but I don't want to live there because it's too expensive, and frankly, it kind of sucks. I'm hoping that maybe my grandfather, who does real estate in Keansburg and Asbury Park will let me stay at one of his houses for cheap (or possibly for free). We will see what happens. Right now I am working on finishing up the work week so I can go see Matt and working on these awful tan lines that I aquired at the park (I have sunburn in the shape of a big square on my chest). |
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| I'm at work!!! wooo! |
[Jun. 14th, 2008|12:01 pm] |
I don't update enough. Here is my life right now:
-I have a job and an upcoming role in a movie. It's good because I no longer feel like such a bum. Of course, I will bitch amd complain every time I have to wake up early to go in, but I'll have cash in my pocket and a way to keep busy. It's not that awesome to be 21 and not be able to afford to go out.
- I just got my own four wheeler. If anyone's ever interested in hitting the trails, let me know.
- My boyfriend is wonderful, but now he has a job too, so we will see each other less often. I believe though, that we can make it work. Especially since we will both actually have money to travel the distance between us.
- The shock of Micheal's death is slowly being replaced with a sporadic realization that I will never see him again. It's the difference between "My brother is dead" and "My brother is gone", the latter being the more painful of the two. I have moments where I foget about it completely and expect to see him around, but I am always met with devestating dissapointment. My dreams feel more real and make more sense than my waking life. I resent the memories of days spent with my brother. They are like ghosts, haunting and prodding, constantly reminding me that I took that time for granted and that someone who was a huge part of my life for 18 years is suddenly not. It is harder to accept Mike's untimely end because it makes the things around me seem so fragile. It's hard to deal with people sometimes because their problems seem so insignifigant. I know that they aren't, and that I kind of sound like a bitch right now, but I know from friends who have lost someone that anger, however unjustified, is just part of the game. For now, I'm trying to handle it as an experience and do my best at judging whether a situation is actually desrving of my emotions or if it's just a fit brought on by subconsious happenings. I know that logic and emotions rarely work well together, but I am doing my best.
- I have become quite the social butterfly as of late, truly enjoying the company of my friends and family and shunning alone time. I miss Steph and James and Brett. C'mon guys... we need to hang out.
That's all, I guess. |
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| grief |
[Apr. 1st, 2008|08:25 am] |
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My little brother committed suicide yesterday. Now everything feels so quiet and empty and unreal. He was only 18.. my baby brother... god I miss him so much |
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| spring break |
[Mar. 20th, 2008|12:00 pm] |
Spring Break
Highlights:
-Injuries were sustained due to a plummet from the pestiferous cliffs of the Hebron Rock Colony into a careening river of death. I fell down a waterfall, and it hurt a lot, but I’m suprisingly ok. Kristen:1, Waterfall:0
-I almost finally beat Matt in a game of chess. There were three rooks and a few pawns left on the table, it was the closest I’ve ever gotten. I think this means improvement. Your ass is MINE, Soucie!
-Florida was awesome, especially near the hours of breakfast. My aunt gets up early and cooks so there was feast layed out for us everyday upon waking. I felt like I was at Hogwarts.
[link]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkMUMb87v4A&feature=related[/link]
"If ever a room full of children has looked like little hyenas that have come upon a dead family of zebras, it is now."
-I missed Disney World’s "Voyage of the Little Mermaid" audition by four days, so that’s out, but I think they are looking for musical theatre people soon, so maybe my grandmother (Who wants me to work at Disney so that they can get free tickets) will fly me down so I can get a summer job.
- Matt and I gave a homeless hitchhiker named Joshua and he gave us a free story for driving him to Wal-mart.
Overall it was a pretty laid-back vacation.
[Edit] I will post pictures when I figure out how. |
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| Salutations Friends! |
[Mar. 3rd, 2008|12:00 pm] |
I'm gonna try to use this thing more.
Things are great. We are going to Florida for Spring Break, my writer's block is starting to crumble away, and I got to see my boyfriend in velour leopard print pants. I couldn't ask for more really. |
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| Fall Break |
[Oct. 17th, 2007|12:55 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  apathetic | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Mix that James made for me :) | ] |
We went to Boone. The mountains were awesome, but our friends are more so. I had a wonderful time and hope to visit again soon.
And now back to mediocrity. Not much happens in Greensboro so I've nothing to write about, however, I should announce that I finally jumped on the facebook bandwagon, so add me if you wish.
The End.
xoxo
-Kristen |
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| School's out! |
[May. 9th, 2007|04:30 pm] |
No more pencils, No more books and god am I glad it's over. Anyway... official notice:
May 19th- Super party at my place. It's my birthday, so bring presents (kidding... well, half kidding) and feel free to chip in for alchohol or bring your own. Everyone's invited, so clear your schedules.
It's at my place, if you don't know how to get there just give me a ring and I'll give you directions.
Hope to see you there!
XOXO
-Kristen |
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