So it turns out life is much saner without crew. I've finally found time to declare, French Major it is. and i've spent the last week making up for two months of sleep deprivation, so that was enjoyable. The fine picture that you are viewing is my friend flora and i while she waits in line for the porta potties at the head of the charles. What's amazing about this picture is the guy yawning, seriously, hi-larious.

There is apparently a tribal drumming group that meets regularly each thursday night for several hours in the parking lot outside my dorm. i say apparently because they've been constantly drumming for an hour now and my window is shut but i can soooo hear them. This has apparently been going on since school began but in my infinite inability to observe my surroundings i have not noticed until tonight. Flora and i have commiserated on this as we are both trying to get some reading done before bedtime which is fast approaching. i must go and enjoy my drumming as i read about chemical equilibriums and ther equilibrium constants. fare thee well.

boo. that's waht i feel like should be said when sneekily posting for the first time after 4 months. every time i think of posting i just think i have too much stuff to write and not enough time to make it entertaining enough to read so i won't attempt to sum up my last 3 weeks of school or anything. My own resolution to write more i think has been slightly successful, though that means i've sent approximatley 2 letters. But honestly i will get a letter to everyone whose address i have before thanksgiving, hopefully.

For those who don't know i went home last weekend and therefore had a nice 4 hours in the car this weekend- all spent during wee hours of different mornings. This time has allowed me to have many revelations- none of which will probably come to everything, but i feel i must share because then it makes the little dreams just a little more concrete. The most significant of the revelations was the idea to become a childrens book writer. I havn't decided the strategy for the illustrations yet but i think i could develop quite the unique style- i can do quite a number with crayons anyways. One possible topic for the books would be great historical stories- told perhaps with animals, definitly at some point featuring a rabbit as abe lincoln. Why? you say. why not! children like bunnies.. and old presidents. it's perfect as well as educational and would allow me to research random stories that perhaps arn't always told.



in other not totally unrelated news middlebury college held a debate amongst vermont candidates for the u.s. house of reps last night which was quite interesting as well as entertaining. The following link has a video coverage of the evening's events, and well they make it sound lame you still get to see shots of mead chapel which is exciting and of my favorite candidate- dennis Morrisseau, i can not explain to you the amazingness of this guy. i'm probably not going to vote for him since i'm not sure how into the "impeach bush now" party i am, but he was quite cunning and eloquent. Coverage of VCFA House Debate

I must run to a crew meeting. fair thee well.

3 down 1 to go

so finals for the most part are winding down and i havn't lost any limbs so i guess they went ok. My friend susanna left yesterday, she was the first to go, and my roomate left today.. tear. IN commemoration of finals we watched StarWars episode II on satuday night and episode III last night :) :) here's the funniest hting i've seen at least in the past week, and the second funniest thing i've seen. and btw i actually see some sun and blue skies outside, miracle.

Last class!!

i know this isn't nearly as exciting to all of you who are already headed home, and really was very anticlimatic to me as well but i figured it will only happen three more times so i should be pretty excited about it. My last class finished 2 hours ago and i'm free!!!! until tomarrow at least when i chain myself to a table in the library, but free!!!!! Anyways i conversed with my mother and it appears i should arrive home saturday night. My last final is from 2-5 and then we have to pack everything into ye old car and head off into the sunset: expected time of arrival.... hopefully before 9pm. I still can't believe you're all going home now!! i'm trying to make up for lack of enthusiasm about my last class by using lots of exclamation marks!! ok, enough of that.

cheers

I promised myself i would drag my butt to the library and actually accomplish something today so i decided i should get all internet behoovery (i don't actually think that's a word and if it is i don't actually know what it means) out of my system first. I'm basically done with all serious work so the next two days are just finishing up busy work and trying to remain somewhat focused so i won't be a total loon when i start studying for finals. I finally had a positive library experience, i sat at one of the tables facing huge windows and such instead of a study carol which i've done in the past. study carol's eat your soul, tables however made me very productive. I finished my greek lit paper in 3-4 hours on monday night, so i plan to return again today to find equal inspiration to finish up some french, calc, chem and greek for tomarrow and then.. well i don't know what. I pretty much don't have much to do other than study for some finals... i keep thinking that it's thursday because after finishing up my greek paper i don't feel any pressing need to do any other work.
I plan to arrive the 21st at home now that one of my finals was moved earlier.

and this is an old fave which makes me happy

oh trampolines, what fun

So i was just going to read everyone else's blogs and then go try to do some work on this greek paper but reading everyone else's blog has brought me to a stunning revelation, you all suck. I mean everyone basically gets done next friday and i will basically be here for another entire week. not only that but i just finished crew yesterday with our last regatta at New England Rowing Championships and i'm now in post season blah along with realizing the end of the year is coming and now reading everyone else's comments which are about a week ahead of my mindset has made me realize that the school year really is almost over, but it's also not because i still have work to do and 4 finals to study for and i can no longer use crew as an excuse not to do work:(. Oh and i just checked my email and Leah's message almost made me cry because the summer sounds so wonderful but seems so far away.

In other news, well actually pretty much the same news, my last final looks to be on the 20th so.. yeah. and i need to go do work. oh and about the major thing... i still don't really know but i might try neuroscience, it looks fun. I have to decide by the end of next semester, though you're alowed to change after that. and to ashley's comment yes i did mean life is beautiful.

a sketchy picture of me looking contemplative/stupid.

We watched "johnny toothpick"(it has an italian name but i don't remember it) in greek and roman comedy today. It had the main actor fromj it's a beautiful life so therefore it had to be decent, and was, tought not as good of course. I've managed to continue being extremely undecisive about what i want to major in/do for the rest of my life and have decided to narrow it down to just what do i want to major in and still have failed horribly. We have to register for fall classes next thursday and though i already know 3 of the classes i'm taking i feel the 4th should most likely have some connection to this so called major i will have and therefore much pressure is felt in trying to choose the class.

room draw was a few weeks ago. I have a really nice single in Coffrin, a predominantly sophmore building right across from my presant dorm. I guess i'm excited about having my own room especially since my roomate is living next door to me and has promised we can still have spontaneous dance parties.

(the picture has no connection to anything i just think it's funny it's from the hike i went on with my dad last summer and he's standing in a fire tower you can sort of see trees i fyou look through the fog)

After reading comments and actually looking at my blog i realised i hadn't posted since before spring break which is an insanely long time. I won't dull you all by mentioning every exploit of the Georgia trip to inane detail but a general summary might be useful

The trip set off to a great start with us meeting to get on the bus at 2:30am (that's like when most people go to bed) and a 6am flight out of burlington. the planes were so small if i stood up tall my head hit the roof, but all went well. sunday morning 6:30 am was the first practice and the cycle of 6:30 am practice, breakfast 11am practice, lunch 3pm practice dinner, meeting and sleep began. It was fun staying on the houseboats which lulled one to sleep with gentle swaying. much happened all week, mostly rowing but also good times of which i'm sure i will tell too many stories later on so i won't ruin my chances now. Saturday (the next saturday) was our regatta at the '96 olympic course on lake lanier (i have a cool t-shirt you'll have to see sometime). I was racing in a 4 and a 8 (that's how many people/size of boat) we made it to finals in our 4 and got second place which is why we have the metals in that picture.

Yesterday as i believe i mentioned in previous post was first am practice on dunmore; waking up at 4:15. practice was fine but i managed to fall asleep approximately 5 times during calc and then fell asleep in greek and roman comedy; droping my book and writing some pretty amusing notes that i can't actually interepret. today was better because i went to bed a little earlier last night and then had coffee. Our first official race of the season is tomarrow in worchester and the bus leaves this afternoon at 4 so i must be off soon. we're staying at someones house so i'm excited. :)

eww.. it's raining that's sort of icky

up and running!

Thank you leah/leah's dad for the advice, ye old template was the problem. i had my first morning practice on lake Dunmore today. much fun had by all. i'd be more descriptive but it's 11:14am and i don't become eloquent until much later in the day. Our first regatta is saturday but my boat has to race in the varsity b heat because there's not enough room in the novice heat so ahhhh! Susan (roommate) and i made up a new dance style which simply consists of keeping your elbows pinned to you sides and flailing wildely. She's much better at it, but we got some of it on video, fairly amusing. i don't know when the last time i posted was ( i could look, but eh) so in order to avoid repeating myself i'll stop there and post later when i figure that one out.

I had my last of three exams last night at 6:30 and came back to watch the OC and then proceed to stay up until 2am finishing homework. But i awoke this morning- admittedly grudgedly, but i did wake up and manage to stumble outside at 7:50 to perambulate across the moistened swamp of once snow laden paths to ye old chemistry. A day that assuredly could have been met with quite pessimism and scorn, but alas as the door fell away beneath my hands a heavenly reception of moist pleasant air stirred up my legs. IT’S WARM!!!!!!!! i wanted to shout and dance, but my groggy demeanor prevented such exuberant celebration. However i sat with a permanent grin affixed to my face and soggy socks during chemistry (where my professor eat chalk, yes chalk, apparently made of calcium bicarbonate, like Tums, he just went to write on the board and picked a piece up and eat it... we were so confused we all just looked at each other like "did he just eat chalk!?") After an hour of acids and bases and moles and Mylanta i charged off to calculus to be met by another refreshing breeze. Then after calculus it was to French and then to Greek and each time i was just in awe of how soothing the voluptuous air could be.

I'm off to buy some lovely spandex biking/rowing shorts in town and peruse the coblestone streets, cobblestone with flower baskets pearched above each entry and men with thier carts of bread stiring the air with whole wheats and rye la la la la......

i know you all sit at your computer desks day after day going "i wonder what laurel's up to? I just can't wait until she posts again!" so here to alleviate all the anxiety of waiting i'm writing.. blogging. . whatever. I attended my first authentique "party" at one of the social houses, don't worry-- as expected i touched absolutly no alchohal. I was just sick of watching movies and doing homework on weekends. it was fun, mostly dancing which i highly enjoy. We have guest lists to get into parties here, but of course i wasn't on one because i've never gone before- but the cool public safety officer chris said i could be his guest. This morning i was selling temporary tatoos for crew fundraising and i am now addorned with a lovely Go Midd! on my cheek, quite appropriate for the men's finals hockey game i'm going to at 7. i have to go to dinner, i'll add a cute picture later

yoodles (opposite of toodles?)

despair, inc.

Water polo is a really cool sport, i don't think i'd want to play on a team.. but maybe. I actually did ok i think for my first time and it was fun getting to finally know more people on the team. It's actually a little scary because the next few days tall men would talk to me and i couldn't remember who they were and finally realized they must have all been crew members who i couldn't recognize because they weren't swiming around in the water.

I read "peace" by aristophanes for greek and roman comedy (i will probably refer to this as "greek" in other posts but don't be confused i'm not taking greek, just a lit class). It's hilariously greek and raunchy with references to penis's being used as rudders and giant beetles named pegasus. I also finally finished The Last Battle so i've officially read the whole narnia series. dad was right they go downhill from lion, witch and the wardrobe. I love how extremely obvious the biblical references are. Mr. Bone could have a field day.

Winter carnival is friday. I just learned yesterday that a carnival is what they call a big ski meet. so winter carnival is when our ski team hosts the carnival but we get friday and saturday off. there are also activities such as the "ice show" and the winter carnival ball. we havn't exactly figured out what the other to-do's are but a day off of classes is enough for me.

Katie came to visit friday (hi katie) although many of you may have known that due to the extreme wallposting that went on on facebook last week. after finally finding each other katie was treated to the delights of Atwater dining hall, a middlebury men's hockey game and my all consuming past time of hanging out in my room with people. It's really funny when people come and visit because i tell the people here alot more than i tell you about them so they all know who you are and what school you go to and other things down to sports you played and clubs you were in, but i would be suprised if any of you knew more than a few of there names. If you're ever interested i could post a summary on ye old blog but i guess i always figured no one would really care.

Saturday i went to another hockey game and then helped clean up after with crew. I guess the school pays the club to do it so it's a sort of fundraiser. I learned a few valuable lessons: people are gross and the arena is big. then we went to Vagina Monologues at the student center (for further description see comment on sam's blog). sunday i sat in my room reading my chemistry text book (weee) and trying to figure out what deuturium was.

f.y.i. I'm planning on going home the weekend of the 10,11,12 to see my mom's play and see my brother while he's on spring break and because i won't be home for spring break.

I finally figured out my schedule as of yesterday afternoon after attending many classes that i'm not actually taking. But now i'm in Greek and Roman Comedy (that's new because my Greek tradgedy class was canceled), Chemistry, French and Calc II. So far my chem class is actually really good. they're starting with really easy review stuff like how to read the periodic table and the teacher is really nice.

Crew started monday and other than being a little sore it's lots of fun. today we're playing water polo and except for the fact that i have no idea how to play water polo it should be interesting.

It's really warm and sunny here. by warm i mean 47 F, it's a little chilly with the wind but freekishly warm for the middle of febuary. i can't wait for spring ahh....

Valentines day was fun- a bunch of boys from the dungeon were running around at 7 in the mornign giving people valentines and waking everyone up and there was a valentines breakfast in the lounge. i made people oragami balloon hearts with the oragami calender i got for christmas.

one last note i seem to have lost my address book so if everyone could please email me there address and telephone numbers i would super appreciate it.

Back to school

An update on how my week- monday through wednesday i did nothing productive which although extremly boring at the time i think it allowed me to reach a new clarancy which peaked while watching an Oprah episode inspiring me to change my entire attitude toward life. I now try to look at everything like a slightly amusing joke and am going to try to take myself a whole lot less seriously including putting on hold this whole search for the meaning of life. I'll let you know how that goes. Thursday my mom was home so we went shopping and out to lunch. I got fabric which my mom sewed into a cool new bag and a patch for a pair of jeans. I also hunted furiously for a new bathing suit- a sporty type one good for diving and swiming laps and summer camp. and after serious hunting found one that i really like. I also finally found a cheap watch and more socks (yay socks). Also went to the library and returned masses of books and rented first wives club.

Friday i finally got a sub job for the morning working as a one on one at the headstart program (preschoolers) that was lots of fun. Now i should go finish packing and try desperetly to find my address book which i seem to have misplaced (oh the horror). oh and get dressed. I can't believe i start chemistry at 8am tommarow. ahghghslkdj;fklasjf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Breaking News

I'm bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored....

Recent Epiphanies discovered while spending the last 3 days doing nothing and not leaving the house:

1. College is good, doing stuff is good, talking to people is good

2. Life doesn't have to make sense, you just have to enjoy it'

3. Having free unstructured time isn't relaxing it's boring.

4. Facebook is only interesting when used as a distraction from doing work.

5. I like cleaning, and dancing. especially dancing while cleaning.

Artsey Photos Dedicated to Jessica for being the blessed free spirit that she is and knowing that Lesusa is in fact a communist

Hooome hoome on the Raangee

guess what teacher's depicted on the left and i'll dedicate one of my artsy pictures to you!


I'm hanging it at home this week for my break between j-term and spring term. If anyone has any ideas as to what to do with myself i'd appreciate it greatly. I'm signed up to substitute so i'm currently sitting around hoping teachers get ill which must give me horrible karma. I think ill go for a walk todady and take some artsy pictures and then i can post them to prove that i havn't done nothing. their might even be some accompaning poetry. stay tuned to find out more!

sit right back and you'll here a tale, a tale of a fateful trip.... so i went to the library to work on this web page that my group decided we would have finished for tomarrow. the library closes at 1am so i gathered up my stuff and headed out the door whilst all the lights were being shut off and the automatic locks were making loud clanging noises. as soon as i got outside i had this brilliant moment of "wouldn't it suck if i forgot my keys" and then preceded to pat myself down security style and discover i had somehow managed to leave them in the library. I still needed to do work on my project and i needed a public computer since i don't have dreamweaver on my laptop, besides i wasn't sure how i would get into my dorm at one in the morning without a key card anyway. so i'm at the 24 hour computer lab and i just finished most of the project like 10 minutes ago and now i get to wait around until the dining hall opens at 7 so i can eat because i'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooo hungry and then run to the library at 7:30 to hopefully find my keys/card because i really don't want to have to pay to have my locks replaced. and then hopefully i'll get a good two hour power nap before class. oh yeah and i have a cold and my body has decided it's really sore from erging/diving/sking and decided to inform me of all these minor ailments at once.

in other news, since i have two hours to kill, i joined crew (novice) so far only had two practices with the coach. susan taught me how to dive backwards off the board today so that was exciting. My class is over on wednesday and i'm going home thursday if all goes well. I'm not sure if i mentioned this before but i developed a severe addiction to the O.C and managed to watch both seasons (that's about 56 hours of O.C.) in the span of a few weeks. not counting the two i watched on tv rather than dvds because they were on last thursday and this thursday.

I also discovered that i can't squat. or at least not properly. both my friend abby and i can't do it but everyone else can. i have to squat on my tippy toes but they can all go flat footed- but if i try to be flat footed with my feet together i tip over backwards. aiko then of course wondered how i was able to pee in the woods- i told her i'd managed just fine without proper squating technique.

i wonder what breakfast is going to be... wait hold on i think i can check they post it on the school's website.. nope didn't say, just said "chef's choice" which means they don't know.

ooo so i've been researching paris all night because that's what my group's project is on and i found an intriging article so here's a link for that oh and i watched the russians are coming, the russians are coming which is a ridiculous movie but it has this really cute part where a russian (alexai i think is his name) says "you kiss at me? does this mean same as in union of soviet?"

last night for dinner i had some pumpkin ravioli, which sounds really weird, but it just tasted like pumpkin pie and pasta.

Hello all. J-term is going swell. I got my snow bowl seasons pass yesterday. One of my friends has convinced me to watch the OC so i've started from the beginning. I'm about 8 or 9 episodes in already. Katie the cookies wer super fantasticly yummy and soft. I havn't eaten the cake yet though, that's being saved for catastrophe.