The Aquabats!

They put on another friggin' amazing concert. They never fail, I swear. They're always energetic and fun.

But, even better, I wore my Bat Pie costume. (I'll uh, link it or something when I'm on the lappy.) Once I was in full costume and in the Avalon, I was getting handshakes and high fives. I was AWESOME, my friends. Hopefully, with ever person I made hand contact with, it will spread the love and caring that Bat Pie promotes. [/smarm] Truly though, I felt important and respected as someone awesome, not just myself. It was amazing.

Even more amazing was where I was during The Aquabats' set! Our group sneakity sneaked its way to the front but on the right (stage left). I stood on some stairs the whole time, but was in perfect view of the band 'cept Ricky Fitness. (Given. Drum kit in the way.) But! Best of all, I could make clear eye contact with Jimmy the Robot, and oh how I did. We made plenty of eye contact during the show. He was making happy little comments throughout the show, too. Friggin' amazing.

To top it all, though, Andie (Chris' younger sister) and I tooooootally shook hands with Jimmy! *fangasm* (Andie and I are pretty sure it was him, at least. Too small to be Crash, no mustache.) Seriously, after the show, there was some kind of exchange that I forgot, but he passed by us and shook our hands. I think he liked my costume. :D Most people did. I just wish I could've spread my word more. Ish. Brief encounters, what can I do.

I kinda wish I could send The Aquabats! an e-mail saying that Bat Pie thanks them, and to buy Chris Partida (the guy working the merch table) many, many beers for putting up with people after the show. I said to my Chris, "I love concerts, everyone's a big family!" and this guy said, "And I'm the angry stepfather." I couldn't help but laugh. This guy deserves a beer or some show of gratitude. I wish I had more time to just like, hug this guy or something.

I'm on a mission to be nicer to working folk. They appreciate it more when they deal with friendly, compliant customers.

After, five of us, myself included, went to Uno's. (My first time there.) It was good! The hostess recognized that we just went to see The Aquabats! and said she wished she could have gone. Totally unexpected! She also said that her boyfriend would be pissed that he missed it. Well, after dinner, we passed by her. She said she talked to her boyfriend, and he said he was disappointed that I wasn't wearing a purple suit under my cape. I apologized. :P

Dinner was good. Beer battered onion rings, some of Chris' crab 'n shrimp fondue, some potato, some nacho, and some "deep-dish" ice cream. (A cookie baked in a deep-dish pan topped with a scoop of ice cream. Holy crap.)

I have more stories about before getting there, but I wanna go upstairs, watch some "Futurama", play Big Brain Academy, and unwind.

All in all, tonight was an astounding night.

More later,
~*Pie

Torturously sick.

I feel like I'm on the verge of throwing up. My stomach is really acting up. My back is sore. I really want to go back to sleep, and get some good rest for the rest of the day, but it sounds like a distant dream. I sat in front of the toilet, and I felt a little better, though nothing happened. I move away from it, I instantly feel ill. OH MAN. I just remembered Chris has nausea tabs on top of his fridge. Lemme look.

La famille keeps a bunch of medicines up on top of their fridge, and I remember his mom telling me that they would be up there for future reference. Holy crap, I don't know if I've ever felt more relieved about that. Urf, the box says to take two tablets. I'm gonna see how one feels. They're cherry and slightly disgusting, but this is far from the worst I could be doing about it.

I wished I had known about these tablets a long time ago. I have so many nausea problems with my stomach. :( It's probably part of why I'm so thin. I've been better in recent years, but you can still feel my ribs too easily. (But now we can't see them!)

Got distracted. I'm feeling a little better.

I'm going to see The Aquabats! tonight. :) Glee!

More later,
~*Pie

Home.

Yesterday I left my house for the last time. (Well, OK, not really, but the last time that it's where I live. Ya dig?) I'm in Massachusetts for good. :) I move into my dorm on Sunday. Strangely, no one's told me ANYTHING about moving in, and I'm hella worried. I need to look into this for myself. No one's telling me things. :(

The last couple of days were spent packing and taking care of some last minute stuff. I got a state ID (non-driver) and checking account. I got a fish vase, some gravel, and a fake plant. (I'm getting a male Betta fish and naming him Orbit.) I got a pair of boots for the eventual rain and snow. They're extremely comfy.

Packing sucks. I've forgotten so many things. Nail clippers, my manners book, Chris' George Carlin book, prom pictures (for Chris and me), my digital camera, my video camera, my razer, all kinds of miscellaneous crap. I packed my contacts, I'll need the fluid. I don't remember whether I packed my college journal into my backpack. I need more pencils and pens. (That's on me, I guess.) Just enough to bug me. So I have to call my mom and have her look into some of this stuff. So much of what I packed was clothing. I never really considered myself being bad about having too much clothing, but oh my God! I think I filled four boxes. T-shirts, blouses, tank tops, night shirts, shorts, jeans, skirts, socks, underwear, robes, etc. I just remembered I forgot to pack my underwear, bras, and a swimsuit. Cripes. Jeez, when I call my mom, I'm going to have to look back here. (Note to self: Simpsons book.)

My brother sent me off right. I spent a few hours with his friends. My friends here welcomed me right. Hookah! We smoked kiwi and mint chocolate. I think I might have smoked more of the mint chocolate. (NTS: Shower puff) Last night, I was literally laying on the floor, smoking by myself from the hookah. Chris and our friend Derek went outside, Alex and Kevin were on the computer or something. We all ended up watching Brad Neely cartoons on www.superdeluxe.com. Seriously, check them out. They are REALLY funny. I'd say, though, don't watch it if you're under 13. There is a lot of swearing and inappropriate stuff. (See: Bible History #1.)

Tomorrow night, a bunch of us are going to see The Aquabats! I'm so excited. It's my second time seeing them. I'm going in costume, as Bat Pie. I can't stress it enough, I'm really excited. It's going to rock. (NTS: Tooth brush and flosser, pinstripe jacket, ties) Oh no, I'm stuck writing in a different color. Crap. Sorry kids.

I gotta go wake up Chris anyway.

More later,
~*Pie

Good news and bad news.

Howdy! Aren't you just amazed that I'm updating my blog again so soon? I am.

Well, that's because I have news! I'll give you the bad news first.

I'm ill! I don't have a fever, and I'm not vomiting, so that's cool. Still, I'm on an antibiotic and today's just been uncomfortable. I'm hella capable, I just don't want to be on my laptop. So I've been on my dad's computer a little. Playing Puzzle Pirates helps take my mind off of the pain. Also, of course, I've been checking my facebook almost religiously. Anyway, I'll be feeling fine by the end of the week. :)

Now for the good news!

I got my real housing information! I'm in a cool residence hall. There are balconies, and they might be open! And my roommate and I might have one! I think that would be pretty awesome. I also got information about who my roommate is. She doesn't have a facebook, and I don't know what her e-mail is! Thankfully they include her phone number. I'm guessing it's her house number. Ah well. So I think I'll give her a call tomorrow, if I can. We need to talk about like, who's bringin' what, and whether she snores, stuff like that. I'm wondering when she'll get the information about me, though. Hm. I also feel bad that she'll have to call long distance to talk to me. So I'll probably call her. I'm excited. :)

I'm going camping this weekend. My mom and I are going out to the campsite on Saturday, and coming back Sunday. I get to sleep in the van! :D Seriously, there's no way in hell I'm sleeping in a hot little camper with my two parents snoring all ding-damned night. So I'll sleep in my dad's van, and listen to music to fall asleep. I've done it before, and aside from the fact that it's hella cramped, I'll be fine.

Wow, I let this go for a while. Whoops.

Well then.

More later,
~*Pie

The internet thinks I'm ugly.

:smith:

At least it was posted on 4/20. ;)

This isn't the first time members of Something Awful have seen me as ugly. They tried photoshopping me. In all of their attempts, they basically butchered my face. What does that say about messing with (near) perfection? ;) (I'll get a link for you if I can.)

Goons see one or two pictures that are flawed, and automatically think you're ugly. They jump to conclusions almost as quickly as they'd pounce on a sale of Mountain Dew, Funyuns, and Cheetos. What the don't see is stuff like this.



These people that run it don't even post pictures of themselves, as far as I know, which I find to be completely unfair. What right do they have to make fun of someone (who probably doesn't even look bad, look at the other entries) when they don't even show what they look like? Goons are notoriously fat, neckbearded, and zitty. Clearly, I go against that standard. So why point me out?

Individual goons are really cool people, I've found. But collectively, goons are assholes.

I guess this is what I get for putting pictures of myself on the internet. But y'know why I do? Because I'm no longer afraid of how I look. Something else that the mass majority of goons doesn't know is that I suffer from depression, and it's taken me a LONG time to accept the way I look. (I'm not about to change it.) I can at least say that I'm comfortable with how I look.

It's just pathetic that people judge so easily these days. Goons talk to me, and find my online company enjoyable. *shrug* To me, and I wish this is how it was for more people, appearance means very little. What truly matters is personality. (I'm not trying to hide behind this.) Because it's been my experience that the best looking people tend to be assholes. Not always, but tend to be. So why bother with them?

I could go on and on. I want to make a thread to set the record straight, but then it'd look like me fishing for compliments, which isn't the case at all! I still don't know how to take a damn compliment! I want to put this post out there on a more grand scale, but unless it happens through word of mouth, it won't.

Know a person for something more than their face.

OK! Now that I'm done being angry (thanks lexapro!) I have a spot of good news! I got my housing information today! Finally! :D As it stands, I'm in Roberts 204B-2. I still don't have my roommate information, but that'll be coming along soon. I just need to call in on Monday and confirm that that's my room, and that I'll be moving in on August 26th.

Ha ha, I also finish out therapy next Friday. :) Looking forward to that.

Alright, I'm good for now. I'll update as my worthless news comes.

More later,
~*Pie

Do yourself a huge favor.

Try to get more than five damn hours of sleep a night.

I got to sleep just around three this morning. (After trying to go to sleep at two.) I'm up right now because Sam's grandmother told her that I'd be at breakfast this morning. (My mom and a bunch of her friends get together every once in a while and go out for a meal.) So if the cinnamon toast my mom raves about isn't the best damn food I've ever eaten, then I will be quite homicidal later today.

I say later, because when we get back home, I am SO going back to sleep. I'll be surprised if I don't fall asleep in my (or someone else's) toast.

In my last blog, I mentioned something about a new job on campus. It's at the conference center. I'm sure I'll just be scheduling peoples' appointments and calling people to have them make appointments. Whatever. It'll help bust me of my phone anxiety. It is confirmed, I believe, that I'm moving in on August 26th. I'm really excited about that. Unfortunately, I still haven't received my housing information from UMass, which is quite annoying. I think I'm going to e-mail them today, asking for an e-mail copy of my housing information. Even if they sent it out by snailmail today, it still wouldn't reach me 'til late next week. I get everything late from UMass because I'm in Connecticut. From other UMD freshman, I've heard that the housing department said they wouldn't send information out 'til next week, which gives me VERY little time to prepare. I don't think housing thought this through much. *shrug*

In other news, my mission to prepare myself for college continues. Yesterday I got a large bottle of tea tree oil castile soap. This thing could last me for two years as far as I'm concerned. I also got a hammock for storing crap. My dad has prepared a toolbox for me with some pliers 'n stuff. I got my electrical stuff too. I <3 power strips. Oh! My dad also gave me this bottle/can opener. It's awesome! It's small, too. :D

Yesterday, I drove my mom and grandfather out so I could get a pair of moccasins. My mom met a woman at a local festival who makes them. We thought I could get a pair custom made, so yesterday we just thought I was going to get my foot traced. As it would turn out, this woman had some pairs already made, and one fit me perfectly. They're also a dark brown, too. They're buffalo hide. Her work is pretty awesome, and of course, yay for the "little guy", so to speak. Check her website out here.

I'm still preparing, and have a lot to do, but I'm so ready for it. Right now, the biggest thing, I think, is going to be the couple of days I use for packing. I've never moved before, so I won't quite know how to do it, but I've been working on a checklist (almost inventory!) of my clothing that I'll be bringing. I gotta do socks and the like next, but that's harder to do. I have a lot. I still have hand-washables to go through, and I'm just forgetful, but I'd have to say it's looking good.

Going to breakfast now.

More later,
~*Pie

Summer's almost over.

I can't believe it.

Let me see if I can do this chronologically.

On my birthday, I traveled back home from Chris'. We stopped at Tim Horton's, which I must say is a small highlight. We got home and went out to dinner with my parents. We went to my favorite Japanese restaurant. :) Salmon sashimi and miso soup. Yum! On the way home, my tummy hurt, so when I got home, I just crawled into bed and chilled for a while. When I came down, my parents gave me my birthday presents, and we had pie. Naturally. I got a new alarm clock from my mom. I'm really happy about it. Now I can listen to a CD to fall asleep instead of having my computer play the music. For some reason, when I do that, the screen stays on all night, which I don't like. So, problem solved. My dad also gave me some money, The Who's "Endless Wire", and the DVD "The Kids Are Alright". Yay!

The following Sunday, I went to a Grad pool party for my friend Kaylyn. It was pretty chill. :) We hung out in the pool and talked about college. Later that day, Chris got me.

Tuesday, we went to Maine. Saco, to pick up Dan, and then to Portland. We walked around the city a bit. We went into a comic shop, a candy store, a wine and cigar shop, and a small adult shop. (The adult shop had incense that smelled like Ramune! Way too damn cool! I didn't get any, though.) Chris and Dan got tattoos! They got trees that hold a bowl of flames. It's supposed to represent a chalice. They came out really well! The tattoo artist was also very friendly.

I believe the guys made the appointment for four o'clock. Dan went first. Downstairs from the tattoo parlor, there's a hookah bar. I couldn't get in, though, because I didn't have a valid photo ID to verify that I'm 18. I was really upset. This was supposed to be one of the awesome things about turning 18. So I went back up to watch Dan get his tattoo and sulk while the others did stuff.

I think Dan and Derek came in while Chris was getting his tat done, or about to. They whispered to each other, and told me to stay put where I was.

Later, just when Chris' tattoo was being finished, he just about passed out. The tattoo artist asked me to run out and get him a candy bar. So I did, and Chris munched on it. His blood sugar was hella low.

After we were done at the parlor, my friends told me that they were going to try to buy a hookah. Before that, we got dinner at this place called Henry VIII's. Oh my word, they have roast beef sandwiches down to an art. All I had was a plain roast beef sandwich with some au jus, and it has to be one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. When we were done, we trekked about Portland, looking for a place that'd sell us a hookah. We found one on the edge of the city.

I gotta say, while we were walking back to the car, everyone but Kevin and I smoked cigars that they bought. It was a sight. A group of young adults, and by young I mean none of us older than 21, smoking cigars.

Back at the camp where Dan works, we tried the hookah out with some blackberry tobacco. It was so much fun! I felt like a dragon, blowing smoke out of my nose. The hookah's name is Mjolnir, like Thor's hammer. The different hoses have names of mythological creatures, except for one. It's named after a favorite adult of ours in the UU community.

We got back hella late, but it was fun. :)

Wednesday we saw The Cat Empire at Lupo's in Providence. They were awesome! They got everyone dancing. :D They didn't do much in terms of banter, which was a little unfortunate, but they're still incredible. I highly suggest checking them out. Their website is www.thecatempire.com

Fast forward to Friday. Got to therapy late. Chris left immediately. My mom hasn't seen the tattoo yet. :D

Saturday and Sunday I hung out with Abby and Sam. We saw "The Simpsons Movie", which was pretty funny. Then we slept over at Sam's. We tried to do s'mores over this little grill thing Sam bought. It worked for a little while, then the fire just kept dying. And I fell out of my chair.

I believe on Tuesday morning, I got a call from a woman at UMass. Back during orientation, I applied for jobs at the student center and events office. Well, I'm pretty sure the woman was calling from the events office, and I was one of the people chosen for a job there! :D I'm really excited. I'd get to move in a week early and use that week for training. It sounds way too cool. I'm not so sure about specifics just yet, though, but I'll be getting them by e-mail in the coming weeks.

Yesterday I went out. My mom, Abby, and I had something to take care of. Then Abby and I went to Payless, where holy crap I got new shoes. Lemme tell ya, I haven't bought new shoes since 8th or 9th grade. Not everyday shoes, at least. These things are hella spiffy. They be's here. I also got sheets! Here and here. Yay dorm sheets!

Other than all of this, I've just been laying around, melting. :) Oh! And waiting for housing information from UMass. What the hell, I wanna know who my roommate is, and where I'm rooming. As far as I can tell, all of we UMD 2011 students are anxious about it.

By the way, Jon is not a dork. I just wanted to let the internet know.

Alright, that should be good for now. :)

More later,
~*Pie