Kickin back UMASS Amherst style!!

Hey guys: I love the blogs. Keep them coming!! I'm on my second day of orientation as an RA at a high school pre-college program way out west at UMASS and it feels like i've been here for weeks, or months even. Everyone on staff is super friendly, outgoing, funny, and a blast to work with. With only 15 of us, I can tell that we are going to be very very close by the end of this crazy month. The highschoolers get here on Sunday, and we are preparing for them, becoming acclimated with all the nooks and crannies of the dorms in order to bust their favorite hook up spots and so on. Just went out to dinner in Northhampton. Tomorrow we're actually going to Boston to practice for when we take the campers, which should be fun. But i'm doing well and the dorm suites are fucking gorgeous, as is Amherst. It's only 10 but it feels sooo late.

Best part so far: the reslife director is a conn alum!! Reminiscing with her has been very therapeutic!

Love
Rose

Seeing You. Yea, YOU.

Well, in light of Drew's last entry, I've decided to write a nice, long update.

I've had a lot of fun in the past few weeks, due mainly to my many visits with all of you! First, there was George's wonderful graduation party - which, I have to say, was one of the best put-together parties I have ever attended! I got to spend time with Rachel, Drew, Michelle, Jess, Justin, and (of course) George. A picture from around the campfire:

Somewhere in there, I also got to see Mollie when she and I met up halfway in between where each of us live so that we could get lunch!

And then, last weekend, there was a night in New York City. It started with dinner at a restaurant called Gente, complete with lovely waiters. There, the group consisted of Amanda R, Mollie, Rose, Nick, and Jess. Afterwards, we did some walking around and took a trip to the Apple store before Mollie and Nick each went home. The rest of us then headed to the Village to go to a bar with Meri Friedman and her friend Jenna, and Justin met us there. A picture from the bar of us holding up our bracelet-clad wrists (look what you've done, Amanda!):

Then, this past weekend, I took a trip up to Massachussets and Rhode Island! On Sunday, I went up to my friend Adam's graduation party, where I got to spend time with Rose. Afterward, she and I went to Lexington for a while and I got to see her beautiful town and house. Then, I left for Pembroke to visit Kim and Allison. I first went to Janelle's house, where I saw not only Janelle and Jordan, but also a number of other friends of Kim's (and now Allison's!). On Monday, I got to visit Allison at work (it's so cute), and then the three of us took a mini road trip to Connecticut for an amazing concert put on by the band "Old Crow Medicine Show", who Kim and Allison are obsessed with. We danced up in the front, and each of them got amazing souvenirs - Kim got the scarf off of the head of the guy she loved, and Allison got the set list! She also got it signed afterward when we met all of them, which was really cool. Kim and Allison with their souvenirs:

Finally, last night the three of us traveled down to Providence to have dinner with Seth and Rachel. We had a great time in Providence (even if Allison, Kim and I had a lot of trouble actually finding Seth and Rachel at first)... it was even complete with some crazy guy beating some random kid up and threatening to kill him and everyone else in the area, a conversation with the friends of this random kid (who were deserting him!) , and some crazy lady begging Seth for money. After all of these events, we decided to go to Rachel's house, where we played a thrilling game of Scattegories. An incredibly attractive picture of Seth, Rachel and Allison posing with a stick sculpture we found while walking around Brown (sorry it's blurry):

All in all, it's been wonderful seeing so many of you and I'm hoping to see the rest of you soon! I'm looking forward to seeing some of you at Mollie and Amanda's in a few days.

Much more to update, but I figured I'd let this entry sit with the theme of "visiting Conn kids." I'll fill you all in on the rest soon :)

Missing you all!

Four Days Of Floralia

... aka Bluegrass in Telluride.

The Bluegrass Festival in Telluride is one of the biggest around, drawing tens of thousands of "festivarians" to Town Park to see artists like Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Allison Kraus, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, and other blue grass celebrities (also Guster and Counting Crows, not sure how they fit into that particular musical bracket). People lay out on the huge green, drinking, smoking, dancing, and spraying people with squirt guns. Plum Telluride had exclusive rights to film the show, so Lauren and I had 4-day press passes that put us in the pit right up against the stage, where when we weren't filming we could sit and enjoy the show. We worked (16 hr?) very long days and got almost no sleep, but it was absolute heaven and I wouldn't have traded for anything.

I have a new favorite band. They are called Crooked Still, and they are FANTASTIC. I liked them even better when I found out that the lead singer is from Newton, and then even more when I realized that I was friendly with one of her brothers in high school. Here is a picture of the crazy cello player, Rishaud Eggleston, taking a bite from Lauren's ice cream (she made me lop off the part he'd bitten later. Germophobe).



I have some pretty good backstage stories (well, press tent, really), but I don't want to be spreading gossip publicly so maybe I'll just send a mass email later. Suffice to say that I was running high on adrenaline and that my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Way cool to be sitting behind some random person in the pit and then realize that they are in fact the banjo player for the How to Grow a Band or that the guy with long dreads holding the beautiful little girl next to you is Futureman from the Flecktones.



The last day, Sunday, we only filmed for a few minutes and then had the rest of the day to do whatever. Lauren and I even left for a very floralia-reminiscent nap period before coming back to watch Bela Fleck w/ Chick Corea and then Allison Kraus w/ Union Station. She is hilarious on stage. If she ever loses her voice, she should totally go for stand-up comedian.

Anyhoo, I didn't mean to write a book, but I hope you enjoyed it, anyway. I miss you all, and will in all seriousness repeat my invitation to come visit. Winefest is next weekend, then Bob Dylan, then Jazz Fest, etc etc. And I hear we have some of the best 4th of July fireworks in the nation. Also, if you want to see something I've put together, go to plumtv.com, then Telluride, then videos, and check out Wash N Watch dogs.



Ciao for now,

Amanda

holy pink pagoda*

Ahh, so let me start off by saying I have less than 27 minutes to type and post this, since my computer battery is going to die. So here goes...

Seth is arriving at the Providence airport in a little more than 5 hours, and I can not believe we are heading to Wediko tomorrow. TOMORROW! I can not even fully articulate all the emotions I am currently feeling, but to give you all a sense it is somewhere between nervousness and excitement. (ah, now I only have 16 minutes, since I had to deal with the plummer)I know I will be fine once I settle in, but I also know I am going to to have those awful "pulling up to Conn for the first day of orientation" butterflies when I am pulling on the Wediko site.

To calm my nerves, I have been continuously listening to the Spring Awakening soundtrack. The end of last week, dad and I spent a few days in the city, and saw that musical along with 110 in the Shade, and the Van Gogh and Expressionism exhibit at the Neue Galerie. All three were pretty good, but I know when I truly love a fantastic musical is when the soundtrack is the soundtrack to my life for a good few weeks, and that is clearly happening with Spring Awakening. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Ok, 11 minutes. Hmmm....I really should be packing. Oh! that is this what I wanted to tell you all--I was cleaning out my plastic drawers and I recovered my infamous iodine pills. Thank the lord we never had to pop those suckers. Oh no, I just got a message saying that the comp is going to shut down any minute now.

I need to run last minute errands anyway, but you all should write me at Wediko! I am going to post my address on my facebook profile, so no excuses that you "lost" my address. If you write, I will try my very best to write back in a prompt manner, and I have some cute stationary.

Does anyone else think they feel more like a new yorker when they are on the subway alone and are listening to their ipod?

With 3 minutes to spare, I hope you all are having amazing summers and doing crazy things every now and then.

Love to you all!
Rach

*Disclaimer: this post was not written because of Drew's guilt trip...but you all should succumb.

Hemlock of the Internet

To the Constant Bloggers,

It's hard to really pinpoint what I enjoy so much about this blog. It's funny to hear people's stories, and sappily emotional is a way only Connecticut College can be, but most of all I think its the fact that the blog is the last tangible thing that connects us outside of the decliningly enjoyable facebook, and an occasional reunion or floralia. There is a certain appeal in belonging to the "Conn Coll Cool Kids (no apostrophe, of course) Club" that makes it one of the four websites I check when an opportunity to play on the internet arises (Gmail, Facebook, and SomethingAwful.com, in case you were curious).

I'm not delusional enough to believe that all of us will stay in contact forever, or even for that long. That's the way life works, and we can either like it or lump it (as my dad has been known to say, though I'm still not sure what he means by "lump it"). This blog, however, is one of the rare opportunities we have to (almost) effortlessly communicate with a substantial group of friends who we know are all eager and interested to read what we have to say about our lives.

We've been thrown into mature positions of self support and responsibility after what I might consider the 4 least mature and responsible years of my life. Whether we drift away from our hometowns, friends, and families, or not, sooner or later things are going to be different from our recent relatively stable lives at Conn. I guess to me this blog acts as a cushion. When I have trouble transitioning into "the real world", it makes my heart happy to be able and reconnect with everyone by signing onto the blog and remembering that I'm not the only one going through this strange part of my life. The blog helps me deal with that fact that we won't see each other on a daily basis anymore, but don't have to quit cold turkey.

You might have guessed what I'm getting at by now with all this melodramatic sentimentality. Yes, I'm asking people to post more. Yes, it's a guilt trip. And yes, I've fallen victim to the "I'm too busy" mentality that I just now realized is hurting me more than it's helping. We'll all be strong, motivated, Nobel prize winning individuals soon enough, but for now, if any of you feel similar to me, just post, if not because you have some great, important story to tell, do it because people want to hear from you and it will make them (or me at least) happy to read it.

Ok, enough of that. For now, I'll leave you with a segment I made for Plum this week. Enjoy, and good luck with all of your individual transitions!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EF6gixoofHk

Drew

Huzzah!

i have a gorgeous new apartment in virginia! it is mine! all mine! the 14+ hours in the car were totally worth it. i am a very happy camper...

there are pics up on facebook of it if you wanna see. though the current tenant is still living there, and will be taking all of her furniture and stuff with her...

also, my landlord is pretty damn hot. major bonus.

I just lost the game.

Cooked Spaghetti!

Well thats what my legs felt like. We learned in Behavioral Neuroscience how even after a very long time of not doing it, you can still hop a bike and have a fairly good understanding of what to do. What Prof. Grahn forgot to tell us, though, was that your body may not have the energy to withstand such actions over such periods. On a good note, I made it a solid 20-25 minutes with no falls. And don't you worry, I wore my helmet.

I got more applications out to grand bahama, Minnesota Zoo, and oklahoma city zoological park. Give it some time. I'm sure all of you have read about the time capsule discovery at conn and now they are looking for new suggestions. When I asked my mom, she knew exactly what she would put in the, "my tuition bill." What a great idea...Imagine its discovered in another 50 years and tuition has doubled or tripled. Now thats a lot of money.

-Justin

No Rain

Hey real quick,

Arrived at the intern house saturday with Meghan, Jessie, and Spencer, three other Plum Hamptons interns to find a house that seems a little too nice for some scrubby college kids (or graduates), but its becomeing apparent that the flies also have a key to the house and roam freely. The hamptons seems VERY different from Vail. Much busier, much bigger office, though our weekly show seems just as bootleg as it was in Vail. Can't complain though; the Hamptons are certainly beautiful, if not a little congested.

Oh, we don't have any internet in the Intern house so my visits to the world wide web will be brief and infrequent, mostly during shortened lunch breaks. In fact, gotta run now!

Well as many of you know, I applied for a seasonal position as assistant trainer, working with the California sea lions at mystic aquarium. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful but there are several other positions out there. Theres even a paid internship in alaska I am researching right now for the fall. A bit colder, I am sure, during september through january but I wont mind I'm sure. Of course it had taken much time for a decision to be made at the aquarium and I had a second job on the side working as marine science educator for a summer camp in my hometown. It'd be great and I love working with kids. After finally hearing back from the aquarium I finally tell the guy with camp and he says he interviewed somebody else while he was waiting on me and wont get back to me for a couple days (hopefully find out tomorrow). I will be very upset if this camp also screws me over. Following this summer there is no telling where I will end up in this country or in the world as I continue to find facilities with open trainer positions! Only time will tell.

I wish I had a better understanding of how to work it at the bar scene. Several nights throughout the week i go into town (i happened to come across a fellow camel btw! who would've thunk?) and go to the bars where its expensive as fuck and 20 bucks later I start to get tipsy. However, for those of you that are having as much trouble changing the environment from what we grew up in for four years to this as i have, I have a recommendation. This of course goes out to all the guys because ladies, you got it easy! Get around for all the friends youre there with and then you will get drinks in return as I have. It just sucks to spend twenty bucks on 3-4 drinks where I had become so adapt to 14 bucks for a handle of 100 proof Majorska or a case of Busch Lattes...

Im going fishing again tomorrow so wish me luck! And I know i have not yet posted more pics on facebook but they will be uploaded in due time. Gnite all!

-Justin

To-Hell-U-Ride

If you go on Craig's list and try to find a way to get to Telluride, that's what they'll tell you. But honestly, I think the nickname is meant to scare off potential tourists so that the locals can have the place all to themselves.



I've never felt so at home so quickly. People here are just really, really friendly, and they've managed to break through my usual cloak of shyness so that I feel completely comfortable. I live in a very spacious two-bedroom apartment in Mountain Village with the other intern, Lauren, and we can take free transportation (either the gondola, which feels like riding in the Great Glass Elevator, or the bus) down to work or to the main town.



Today, I traveled with two of my co-workers to the Wash and Watch dog boarding place, where we filmed this amazing couple and the 20-odd dogs at their place for a business spot that will be run on the station as soon as I finish editing it. This huge great dane named Spook decided that I was his new best friend, and kept leaning against me and making me trip over the tripod. They raise Bracco Italianos, which are amazingly soft and friendly. I'd get one, only they are so rare they run you 2500 buckaroos. Ouch.

Anyway, other than finding out that the apartment was completely unfurnished, overflowing the dishwasher, and losing power yesterday, I've been having a really amazing time. And I take that back; even the three inches of foamy bubbles on the kitchen floor, driving an hour and a half to get to the nearest Walmart/thrift store, and having everyone crowd into the only office room with windows was fun. I really, really love it here.

I suggest that you all come and visit, ASAP. I can swear that you won't regret it, and you many never want to leave.

Love you all and miss you.

Amanda

Vineyard Madness

Hey all:

I'm on the Vineyard now with friends from high school. The weather's been shit, so we've been doing activities that one might not associate with college-aged students who spend a few days on the Vineyard. For example, we went on the Flying Horses Carousel, desperately trying to beat a 6 year old kid to win the bronze ring (and my friend did win!). We went to the arcades and played hours of skee ball and that game where you hit the crocodiles on the head (really easy with three people playing at once). Also, one of the machines broke while we were using it, so not only did the guy working there give us free tokens, but he let us have the 200 tickets that poured out of the machine. Obviously, we got plastic friendship bracelets, candy, and toy guns. Then we played mini golf and I lost horribly. And there's been Scattergories, Monopoly, pool, and loads more rainy day activities. We tried to go to the beach, but it was too cold after an hour. So I'm off for more fun but I thought I'd update myself to you all. Hope everyone is well,

Love Rose

Deep Thoughts by KayDubs

Ok, so I realize that my far-too-frequent posts may make it seem like I don't have much of a life... but that's because I don't.

I do, however, have a lot of thoughts that need to get out, and I guess I'm sort of starting to understand the benefits of an online journal - when I write it all down in my own little book, nobody responds, and it just sits there.

I find it really interesting that as kids, we just wait to grow up. We count down the years until we can get our ears pierced, our curfews later, our drivers licenses, our first dates, until we finish high school, until we can be in college, until we can drink, until we can live on our own, until we can pursue our careers. And now we're here, and we - well, at least I - just don't want to grow up. I don't want my career yet. I like it much better when it's some wonderful idea for the distant future. I don't want to live on my own. I like living in a dorm with some of my friends down the hall and the rest less than a five minute's walk away. I miss my friends. I miss calling myself a college student. I miss Williams Street Mix rehearsals and beirut nights and the ability to put on a play whenever I want. I miss getting a little too drunk for a Monday night and I miss making last-minute dinner plans with some of my favorite people. I just don't want to be done. I don't want to be an adult yet. I'm too busy being in the preparing-for-my-future phase to actually be in the future.

Luke: I am your fathah

So I was at this INTENSE high school graduation party yesterday. I was at a "cousin's" house in my big, extended, not-really-related-to-you family. GORGEOUS house, TONS of land, a million people and some interesting stories. First: the toilets were all non-functional, because they operate out of a well and it was low or something, so the open bar and delicious margaritas were putting a lot of people in a tough bind. I agreed to share a flush (each toilet had a flush or two) with my aunt and i'm waiting outside the bathroom for her to finish and James Earl Jones walks in. In my I'm-too-cool-for-bothering-famous-people/not wanting a liev schreiber re-do way I was like, ooooh, uh... hey. just uh... waiting for the bathroom... yeah. and then he went and schmoozed with my fam. APPARENTLY some of those mysterious cousins built his huge house and one of their moms was his interior designer. kind of cool. his son and wife were there, too and they were all very nice.

what else? this was one hell of a high class party and apparently it cost like 15K. There were flamenco dancers, amazing catered food being served by waiters and waitresses in sombrero hats, valet parking, and a mariachi band.

Having said all this: Mollie and I are classy broads, but don't go getting your hopes up for our partay. We're talking more like picnic by the pool, though I've been told that Mark Hamill might make an appearance...

ok, back to sending out resumes. love you guys! -- a

Procrastinating my life

So, I'm not only the first to post in June, but I'm also the first to post twice. Both, clearly, are things to brag about.

While we're on the subject of things not to brag about, I guess I should talk about how I've been spending my summer vacation. Every night, I watch "The O.C." (I've gotten through a season and a half since I've been home) until about 2:00am, when I set my alarm for 9:30am. Every morning, I wake up to the alarm and then I promptly set it to snooze. And then every five minutes until either 10:45 or 11:00am, I continue to press the snooze button until I finally decide to pull myself out of bed. Once I do that, I pull my bathing suit on and head outside to swim.

I've decided to swim 25 miles this summer, which I think will be really nice. It means I'll have to swim about 100 laps a day, which is strangely exciting to me. I love swimming laps - it's the time of the day during which I hear nothing but my own thoughts.

After swimming, I proceed to read for a few hours. I've gotten through a few books now - most importantly, I am rereading all 6 of the released Harry Potter books. Now, some might say it is somewhat obsessive to read these books for a fourth time, but I prefer the word "intense." I am now taking notes to predict what will happen in the 7th book in an organized manner.

No, I am not kidding.

If any of you would like to discuss said theories, I clearly do not have a life and you should probably call me to save me from myself.

Ok, I'm making myself out to sound much worse than I am. I have actually seen a few people. Mollie and I got together for lunch the other day, which was wonderful, and I visited Conn last night to have dinner with Rose and Katy Whitney, who are there to work the alumnai weekend. I stayed with my friend Will, which was wonderful. Of course, these Conn people reunions have been the highlights of my break. I have seen a bunch of friends from home, but I think I'm still mourning my college career too much to immerse myself in home life yet.

In happier news, I got accepted yesterday to the Production Assistant Training weekend at the place that wants to hire me for the Production Assistant job for the next year. It's the biggest step in getting this job, so I'm pretty excited for that.

MTV has also contacted me to hire me for a job. I kind of don't know what to do. Am I supposed to go to grad school this year or not? All of this future stuff is so intimidating. Can't I just continue to read Harry Potter, watch television series on DVD, tan by the pool and continue to pretend that the real world doesn't exist?

Miss you guys.