yuck. i'm sticky. i'm hot. it's humid. yes, the summer has finally arrived in boston! jenny and i refer to the heat as "blazing saddles". it's definately blazing saddles in boston.
i just returned from a little trip to the cape to visit a new friend....we chilled, drank beers, played frisbee, and well....drank beers! it was soooo nice being on the ocean. it smelled like santa cruz, and i began to reminisce about the good ole days in the cruz....i didn't realize just how much i miss california. don't get me wrong, boston is a great place to be! but ahhh, to be chillin' on the beach in the SC, having a bonfire at twin lakes beach, and eating sushi at pink godzilla sounds just too damn good right now!
other than that, nothing new to report on shannon's whereabouts. i'm about to start writing this huge community assessment paper on tuolumne county (which is going to take up all of the 3 weeks i have left here). as is to be expected, i am DREADING going to the library tomorrow. oh well, at least it will be air conditioned....
for now, i'm gonna go change my sheets. i think it's time to get rid of the flannel sheets for some soft cotton ones. oh yeah, and i had to break down and buy a fan today. it's just too blazing saddles in this apartment!
June 26, 2005
June 22, 2005
focus, focus!
whew!
it's been an INSANE past couple of weeks....and i've been a bad blogger. i'm sorry :( i promise i'll be better! i've just returned from my short trip to california...back to boston where the weather is nasty and people look at me strange because i have a nice tan!
the flight out home was rather interesting....i swear there were 15 babies on board, all with dirty diapers crying there eyes out! needless to say i got zero sleep (plus, the baby poo smell was just a little too much for me). definately made my uterus say "yeah, not ready for that yet!"
my pops picked me up in pleasanton after a nice lunch with my grandmother. once home i got to see both my stepbrothers whom i haven't seen in a long time (one is in the coastguard stationed in oregon, while the other is in the army stationed in washington). i always joke with my hippie stepmom tish - "you're a hippie, how come your sons are in the service?" there's just somethings you can't figure out! after that, we had a nice bbq at my mom's house. i invited my guide friends who had just gotten off the tuolumne (high water trips at 10,000 cfs make me wanna shit my pants, but they think it's fun!) my mom, kevin, and my friend matt braved the rain and bbqed the shish kabobs i made. it was great to get caught up with them on all of their winter travels. made me jealous, and made me feel like i had a lazy winter!
my bro's graduation in davis was great....jason, matt and i pounded beers in the parking lot before the (yawn!) LOOOONG ceremony. someone had to be drinking! but i don't know if that was such a good idea, since i started to fall asleep during the ceremony! (no offense aaron, i'm sure you started to fall asleep during mine!) the party/bbq afterwards at my aunt and uncles new house in folsom was great. good food, family....played in the pool and the hot tub, did sake bombs with the 'rents....you know, just like any other trip home!! the next day we went out on folsom lake in my aunt and uncles new 24 ft boat. yeah, it's frikkin' HUGE! i was just trying to soak up the sun, since there's not much of it here!!
so...now it's time to FOCUS. only 3 weeks left of summer school (hahaha, bet you forgot i was in summer school!) and a few papers left to finish. i've already got summer running through my veins, so a little support from you all to stay focused would be appreciated :) hope all is well!
it's been an INSANE past couple of weeks....and i've been a bad blogger. i'm sorry :( i promise i'll be better! i've just returned from my short trip to california...back to boston where the weather is nasty and people look at me strange because i have a nice tan!
the flight out home was rather interesting....i swear there were 15 babies on board, all with dirty diapers crying there eyes out! needless to say i got zero sleep (plus, the baby poo smell was just a little too much for me). definately made my uterus say "yeah, not ready for that yet!"
my pops picked me up in pleasanton after a nice lunch with my grandmother. once home i got to see both my stepbrothers whom i haven't seen in a long time (one is in the coastguard stationed in oregon, while the other is in the army stationed in washington). i always joke with my hippie stepmom tish - "you're a hippie, how come your sons are in the service?" there's just somethings you can't figure out! after that, we had a nice bbq at my mom's house. i invited my guide friends who had just gotten off the tuolumne (high water trips at 10,000 cfs make me wanna shit my pants, but they think it's fun!) my mom, kevin, and my friend matt braved the rain and bbqed the shish kabobs i made. it was great to get caught up with them on all of their winter travels. made me jealous, and made me feel like i had a lazy winter!
my bro's graduation in davis was great....jason, matt and i pounded beers in the parking lot before the (yawn!) LOOOONG ceremony. someone had to be drinking! but i don't know if that was such a good idea, since i started to fall asleep during the ceremony! (no offense aaron, i'm sure you started to fall asleep during mine!) the party/bbq afterwards at my aunt and uncles new house in folsom was great. good food, family....played in the pool and the hot tub, did sake bombs with the 'rents....you know, just like any other trip home!! the next day we went out on folsom lake in my aunt and uncles new 24 ft boat. yeah, it's frikkin' HUGE! i was just trying to soak up the sun, since there's not much of it here!!
so...now it's time to FOCUS. only 3 weeks left of summer school (hahaha, bet you forgot i was in summer school!) and a few papers left to finish. i've already got summer running through my veins, so a little support from you all to stay focused would be appreciated :) hope all is well!
June 14, 2005
Recovering....
So, there's just no possible way to describe the incredible weekend I just had. Let's just say, Jenny and I are EXTREMELY sad to have left the farm. But we made tons of friends, saw some incredible musicians, and soaked in lots of sun (and rain)! This blog would be way too long to describe the whole experience, but here's some highlights from our 4 days at Bonnaroo:
-hippies EVERYWHERE. you think that they no longer exist, but they do! and they walk around naked! and roll around in the mud after it rains! and have children with dreadlocks!
-our camp was located in "camp happy gilmore", and we made friends with some FUN people. the neighbors we got to know were from california and north carolina. bubba (from NC) thought it would be a good idea to cook hot dogs in beer instead of water. they became our neighbors after their campsite was flooded and their car had to be pulled out of the mud.
-let's just say, it was a "introduction to the drug culture 101". yeah....people sucking on nitrus filled balloons, peddlers selling mushrooms and weed...and well, a whole lotta other things i had no CLUE about :) oh yeah, and a man dressed up as santa claus approached our tent and declared, "get me high, dammit!"
-"swamp music" became the song of the weekend. because it rained so much, everything was muddy. this became a problem for jenny, who only had flip flops. she slipped a couple times in the mud and had to be rescued by our california friends.
-outhouses for 70,000 people? yeah, i don't need to provide a visual for that one. you get it?
-AMAZING performances by jack johnson, alison krauss, ray lamontagne (check this guy OUT, he's absolutely incredible), the john butler trio, citizen cope, galactic, jurassic 5, and de la soul.
-the "karnival" parade. my costume consisted of angel wings and a halo, while jenny was decked out in lots of mardi gras beads. our friend paul was dressed up like jesus, and his brother Sean was wearing a prom dress. When we got separated from each other, i wandered around asking people, "have you seen jesus?" (yeah, i had had a couple beers for SURE!)
....and so the recovery begins!!
-hippies EVERYWHERE. you think that they no longer exist, but they do! and they walk around naked! and roll around in the mud after it rains! and have children with dreadlocks!
-our camp was located in "camp happy gilmore", and we made friends with some FUN people. the neighbors we got to know were from california and north carolina. bubba (from NC) thought it would be a good idea to cook hot dogs in beer instead of water. they became our neighbors after their campsite was flooded and their car had to be pulled out of the mud.
-let's just say, it was a "introduction to the drug culture 101". yeah....people sucking on nitrus filled balloons, peddlers selling mushrooms and weed...and well, a whole lotta other things i had no CLUE about :) oh yeah, and a man dressed up as santa claus approached our tent and declared, "get me high, dammit!"
-"swamp music" became the song of the weekend. because it rained so much, everything was muddy. this became a problem for jenny, who only had flip flops. she slipped a couple times in the mud and had to be rescued by our california friends.
-outhouses for 70,000 people? yeah, i don't need to provide a visual for that one. you get it?
-AMAZING performances by jack johnson, alison krauss, ray lamontagne (check this guy OUT, he's absolutely incredible), the john butler trio, citizen cope, galactic, jurassic 5, and de la soul.
-the "karnival" parade. my costume consisted of angel wings and a halo, while jenny was decked out in lots of mardi gras beads. our friend paul was dressed up like jesus, and his brother Sean was wearing a prom dress. When we got separated from each other, i wandered around asking people, "have you seen jesus?" (yeah, i had had a couple beers for SURE!)
....and so the recovery begins!!
June 10, 2005
bonnaroo BAY-BEE!!!
yeah!!! we've arrived!!! (and it's just kinda weird that i'm blogging in the middle of a field in tennessee surrounded by lots and lots of fellow festival folk!) anyway our flight left at 6am and my friend annika graciously brought us to the airport at 4:30. yuck! layover in detroit for an hour (that wasn't so bad, we got to catch up on the sleep we didn't get the night before). made it to the humid state of tennessee, and was greeted by hundreds of other bonnaroo goers at the airport. the bus ride here was a breeze, and we got to bypass all of the traffic (which was INSANE! people waiting in line for literally hours just to get through the gates. it was basically a parking lot).
we were dropped off near the camping only section of the "farm" which is great because it's super close to "centeroo" (where all of the stages/food/games/vendors are). we set up our tent, made our little site and introduced ourselves to our neighbors. the crowd here is SO diverse. aaron (brother), i thought of you because you would be having a BALL people watching. seriously, there are hippies, wookies, frat boys, bohemian girls, naked girls, yuppies, old people, young (and i mean young!) people. yeah, it's great. i think the best part so far has been jenny and i people watching. we drank some beers, walked around and got to know where we were situated so that when the shows start today we know what stages to go to. there are literally 80 abnds playing on like 5 different stages, so we're carefully planning who we're gonna watch, when. there's also a beer garden, a air conditioned tent that plays movies 24 hours a day, batting cages, a game room, an autograph place, vendors, a general store just in case you forgot something. oh yeah, and an internet place with free internet and free use of phones in the US...it's CRAZY! soooo much fun! 70,000 people all living together for 4 days....i love it :)
today we have a packed schedule of band after band....starting with joss stone, then jurassic 5, ray lamontagne, dave matthews...tonight there's a "mardi gras" dance that we might get dressed up for. though people here have some crazy costumes that i don't think we can compare to.
the weather is humid, and it sprinkled a little bit but it felt SO good.
have a GREAT day!
we were dropped off near the camping only section of the "farm" which is great because it's super close to "centeroo" (where all of the stages/food/games/vendors are). we set up our tent, made our little site and introduced ourselves to our neighbors. the crowd here is SO diverse. aaron (brother), i thought of you because you would be having a BALL people watching. seriously, there are hippies, wookies, frat boys, bohemian girls, naked girls, yuppies, old people, young (and i mean young!) people. yeah, it's great. i think the best part so far has been jenny and i people watching. we drank some beers, walked around and got to know where we were situated so that when the shows start today we know what stages to go to. there are literally 80 abnds playing on like 5 different stages, so we're carefully planning who we're gonna watch, when. there's also a beer garden, a air conditioned tent that plays movies 24 hours a day, batting cages, a game room, an autograph place, vendors, a general store just in case you forgot something. oh yeah, and an internet place with free internet and free use of phones in the US...it's CRAZY! soooo much fun! 70,000 people all living together for 4 days....i love it :)
today we have a packed schedule of band after band....starting with joss stone, then jurassic 5, ray lamontagne, dave matthews...tonight there's a "mardi gras" dance that we might get dressed up for. though people here have some crazy costumes that i don't think we can compare to.
the weather is humid, and it sprinkled a little bit but it felt SO good.
have a GREAT day!
June 8, 2005
get me outta here!
allright, well as you all know....jenny and i board the plane bound for tennessee tomorrow morning at 6am. yes, that's pretty damn early, i know....but at this point i'm seriously counting down the hours til we leave. i'm already on "bonnaroo time" (have been for months!) so anything i attempt to do today takes a little bit longer to get done. i was supposed to start writing a paper that's due next week (thought i'd get a jump start on it)....figured i'd try to pack first, pick up the tent, and get that all outta the way so i could "focus" on writing the paper. but no, after i finished everything i just sat staring at my computer screen. "i wonder how hot it's going to be?"...."so how are we gonna make shade out of a 8x10 foot tarp with no poles?"...."hope someone will let us borrow some ice"....yeah, couldn't concentrate on ANYTHING.
i guess the most exciting part about this for me is the fact that it's the beginning of my summer travels! after this it's on to california for my bro's graduation. (round 1 of the cross-country summer trek). and really, i mean next year i'll have to be looking for a job....so i might as well enjoy the summer of travel, right?
ok, well i can't even concentrate on finishing this blog so i'm gonna go for a run (make that a jog)....
i guess the most exciting part about this for me is the fact that it's the beginning of my summer travels! after this it's on to california for my bro's graduation. (round 1 of the cross-country summer trek). and really, i mean next year i'll have to be looking for a job....so i might as well enjoy the summer of travel, right?
ok, well i can't even concentrate on finishing this blog so i'm gonna go for a run (make that a jog)....
June 6, 2005
the Bonnaroo countdown begins!
so i know that everyone i talk to is SICK AND TIRED of hearing me talk about bonnaroo....(i think jenny has even come close to strangling me a couple times!) but how can i not be excited?? 4 days of camping, sun, beer, and music? jack johnson? jurassic 5? iron and wine? dave matthews? joss stone? allison krauss? ray lamontagne? a beer garden? a cinema tent? not to mention lots of southern boys with nice twangy accents! hahahah.
in preparation for the event, jenny and i headed off to good old target (tar-JEY) to get the needed supplies. and yeah, it was on a whim so we took a cab there. classy, huh? i wandered the store aimlessly and piled the cart high with unneccesary supplies (like a good mother figure, jenny made me put many things back)....but we ended up with cowboy hats, a solid tarp, a few bungy cords, and lots of granola bars. sweet! and no, we didn't take a cab home, but trekked to the nearest bus stop. (and what a ride THAT was...stuffy bus + lots of passengers + no air conditioning+dirty diapers = eeew, sick i think i need to barf!)
now all that's left is to sit through 6 hours of excruciating pain (also know as summer school) tomorrow, and wednesday is dedicated to baking snacks for the trip. our flight leaves at 6am thursday morning (good god!) but that's okay....
3 more days, whoohooo!
in preparation for the event, jenny and i headed off to good old target (tar-JEY) to get the needed supplies. and yeah, it was on a whim so we took a cab there. classy, huh? i wandered the store aimlessly and piled the cart high with unneccesary supplies (like a good mother figure, jenny made me put many things back)....but we ended up with cowboy hats, a solid tarp, a few bungy cords, and lots of granola bars. sweet! and no, we didn't take a cab home, but trekked to the nearest bus stop. (and what a ride THAT was...stuffy bus + lots of passengers + no air conditioning+dirty diapers = eeew, sick i think i need to barf!)
now all that's left is to sit through 6 hours of excruciating pain (also know as summer school) tomorrow, and wednesday is dedicated to baking snacks for the trip. our flight leaves at 6am thursday morning (good god!) but that's okay....
3 more days, whoohooo!
June 3, 2005
down for the count!
It's Friday night, the weather has been great, and there's a Sox game on. And I'm curled up on the couch with a giant headache!?! AHHH! It appears as though I've come down with a sinus infection, which has proven to be very annoying considering the fact that I'm leaving for Bonnaroo in less than 6 days (whoohoo!)
Anyway, Jenny and Stephanie (an old friend from high school) got sweet tickets to the game tonight. they luckily get to partake in the hot dog eating, beer drinking, and cheering festivities. and i'm jealous :(
So I'm just gonna curl up on the couch, make some popcorn, take my amoxicillin, and watch a movie. Hopefully this time tomorrow I'll be drinking beers and watching the game....
oh yeah, this pic was from the last game Jenny and I went to in May.
June 2, 2005
help me find a home!
....so i've realized that i've seriously taken my living situation for granted. i mean, who could compare to my current roommate, ms. jenny cole? she's clean, does her dishes, has a wonderful array of hairproducts, an even larger collection of earrings...and even lets me snack on her trail mix! but alas, this girl is headin' back to the greener grass of california, and i'm stuck looking for another place to live. now, this wouldn't be so hard if our landlord wasn't a dick and i wanted to find a new roommate. nope, i'm off searching for some poor souls who will let me call their house my new home. the past few mornings have begun with a search on craigslist. (FYI, if you don't regularly check out craigslist, it's an ABSOLUTE MUST!) a hilarious community website where you can find a roommate, red sox tickets, free sofas, and even boyfriends! so anyway, i've been replying to ads looking for roommates for september 1st. and these ads are few and far between, because everyone is looking for roommates for the summer. i've responded to about 10 ads, and have received only 2 or so responses.....friggin' craigslist. anyway, i checked out a place last week and was greeted by a small man named jerry**. jerry was looking for a roommate to fill an empty room (that was currently filled with loads of shit). he proceded to show me around the disgusting apartment, complete with a fooseball table, 3 aquariums with tropical frogs (cool!), 2 hookas, and many mexican jesus candles. all the while, there was this weird christian chanting music going on, and i felt like i was at a mass or something. yeah, i tried to make small talk and pretend like i was interested in the place, but it was so hard not to , say "look jerry, this place is a fucking pigsty, and i don't think anyone in their right mind would live here!" but no, i held my tongue, asked if heat and hot water were included in the price, and how nice the landlord was. then i grabbed my purse and took off! so tonight i'm supposed to check out another place....this one is with 2 guys and a girl. the place is really close to my old deli job (grrrrr.....) but very close to the T. i'm keeping my fingers crossed.... ** name changed to protect jerry's privacy :)
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