BECAUSE I'M BORED IN STUDIO:
Describe your...
[ x ] Wallet - big, brown, old lady's wallet with an extra section for your check book
[ x ] Hairbrush - always carried with me...frizz ensues..
[ x ] Toothbrush - white with bright green grip ridges...
[ x ] Jewelry worn daily - my star ring...very very high sentimental value
[ x ] Pillow cover - white.
[ x ] Coffee cup - brushed silver and black
[ x ] Sunglasses - brown paparazzi glasses
[ x ] Underwear - maroon VS
[ x ] Favorite shirt - have too many favorites...would depend on my mood and the occasion...
[ x ] Cologne/Perfume - don't have my signature currently available...i hate you katrina...
[ x ] CD in stereo right now - driving music from my friend esther
[ x ] Tattoos - small fluer de lis-esque at lower back
[ x ] Piercings - ears
[ x ] What you are wearing now - jeans, white short sleeve sweater, green courduroy jacket
[ x ] In my mouth - my tongue
[ x ] In my head -thesis,
[ x ] Wishing - that i had a tape measure right now...
[ x ] After this - go out to my site, eat dinner on the ship, work on diagrams back in deming...[ x ] Fetishes - you'll have to ask me personally, since a lady never kisses and tells
[ x ] If you could get away with it and murder anyone, who and for what reason? Hmm, i can only think of 3 right now, one of which is frank baneker of Upenn's financial aid department because he still hasn't sent back the fax that i sent him LAST FREAKING WEEK!!!
[ x ] Do you like incense - yeah...but candles are better
[ x ] Do you like the taste of blood - i guess...
[ x ] Do you believe in love - Yes.
[ x ] Do you believe in soul mates - Yes
[ x ] Do you believe in love at first sight - Not really.
[ x ] Do you believe in Heaven - Yes.
[ x ] Do you believe in God - Yes.
[ x ] What do you want done with your body when you die - I want to give away my organs.
[ x ] If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be - i would have a tamed panther...sounds cool right!!??
[ x ] What is the latest you've ever stayed up - refrase the question...when was the last time i slept...
[ x ] Can you eat with chopsticks - Sort of...
[ x ] What's your favorite coin - Italian Lire...
[ x ] What are some of your favorite candies - JUNIOR MINTS ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!
[ x ] What's something that you wish people would understand - that i am always right...just kidding...
[ x ] What's something you wish you could understand better - patience, i wish i had more patience..
[ x ] Who is someone that you really wish was still around - i wish jim morrison was still around...
moved most of my stuff off of the ship and now have some of it set up at the new place...
still need to get my computer hooked up and one last car-full of stuff from the ship, AND have the stuff from rosen sent over...this was my weekend...
got a pin up on wednesday and between the non-school to-do list and senioritis setting in i'm thinking that at this point i'm going to be pulling something together at the last minute...
i'm hoping i haven't lost my bullshitting skills to pull this one off...
i've been in a bit of a funk for the last two days...not sick or anything, just stressed and a little nervous about the up-coming amount of work for thesis...those overwhelmed feelings of listing all of the things that you have to do over then next couple of months....so right now i feel like a deer on a back woods highway with a semi-truck coming at me at approximately 75 mph...
i've got to get out of the road, fast....
Song of the Day: Frou Frou/Let Go--Garden State Soundtrack--the line i identify with most right now..."there's beauty in the breakdown"....
with the sound of jingling keys, i am moving once again....a studio apartment in downtown NOLA. i'm
it's actually the dorm that the medical students lived in before katrina, so the building is actually attatched to the abandoned tulane hospital via a little bridge over the narrow street used for deliveries to the hospital. my room is small, but no where as small as the ship, and i can hang pictures, store my stuff from studio, eat off of my own dishes, watch the local and nightly news, use the internet...it's all about the little things that a cruise ship can't give you...
am currently sitting at my desk in studio waiting--patiently as i needed to catch up on my current event topics via the news media and blogging activities--to speak with my advisor...i get the sneaking suspicion that he neither knows my name or the fact that he is advising me for thesis...
until he comes over to my desk i will continue to dream about my new place, chat online, read about sean penn's brother being found dead in his apartment at the age of 40-something...
awww school days....
am planning a low-key drink night with the "ship" mates...get it, shipmates...to continue our bitch session/getting off the ship conversation topics...
song of the day: Making my way Downtown-Vanessa Carlton
Soooo, i'm trying to "jump ship" by this weekend to a grad dorm in downtown NOLA...now i'm waiting for the email confirmation about a 1 bedroom 410 sq. ft. with kitchenette!! SOO Excited to be able to do my own laundry again!!!Deming Pavilion Student Housing 2005*
Conveniently located in downtown New Orleans , next to Tulane University Hospital & Clinic, across the street from the School of Medicine and two blocks from the School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. Deming is a new building with walk-overs to the Hospital, School of Medicine and parking. On the first level you will find Hibernia Bank and Walgreen's. We offer a sense of privacy and security in fully furnished studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments, In addition, the famous French Quarter, museums, and art galleries are all just blocks away.
* some services above are being repaired and may not be available.
AmenitiesSecured access entrance systemFully equipped kitchen (microwave) Utilities (included) Free basic cable (included) High speed internet access (included) Wireless access in public areas (included) Washers/dryers on each floorExercise room/sauna/steam room (included) Affordable parking (thru Parking Services) Study room on each floor Free shuttle service
Furnishings Desk, chair, lamp, dresser, night standFull size bed in all rooms except studio(XL-Twin) Sofa and chair in all rooms except no sofa in studioKitchen stools, TV stand with drawers,Floor lamp
I was assigned Graham Owen[very thourough and rumored to be difficult professor--university of toronto for one of his degrees] as thesis advisor which i am very pleased about--if i'm dealing with complex concepts and developing them into a built form i really wanted to have a professor that would KNOW what he was talking about and how to guide me through it
today we are meeting with him to give him a status of our paper--as he was not the advisor to some of our papers--and wednesday we are bringing him samples of our previous work[a portfolio or images of our last couple of projects] to review so that he can also guide us on what we need to work on for the semester to be ready for the final presentation of thesis[april 26th through april 30th--happy birthday to me when i pass this!!]
he never actually got around to me, but i'm looking forward to wednesday...
still don't know what dynamic system i'm going to use...
one of my first meetings with verderber regarding LEEDs is tommorrow morning, after my breakfast date with helen...i miss my roommate
song of the day: Nina Simone/Just Like a Woman
I am pleased to inform you that the Thesis Faculty have determined that, on the basis of your performance in DSGN 511, you have been admitted to DSGN 502, Thesis Studio. If you have signed up for a Platform Studio as a backup, please let me and Associate Dean Berman know today, January 19th, whether you intend to continue with Thesis or the Platform. This will enable us to distribute students among the Thesis advisors.Please note that because Byron Mouton is now teaching a Platform Studio, he will not be teaching in the Thesis Studio. Doug Harmon has offered to take on those Thesis students who would otherwise have wished to work with Byron. Scott Bernhard’s participation as a Thesis advisor will be determined by the overall number of students in 502. However, we will still endeavour to respect your ranked preferences as much as possible, in conjunction with the other factors I mentioned in my earlier e-mail.
Congratulations on your performance during a challenging fall semester, and we look forward to working with you this Spring.Graham OwenAssociate Professor
OH MY GOSH I AM SOOOOO EXCITED AND AM CURRENTLY DOING MY HAPPY DANCE!![a mixture of the classic robot with a dash of an attempted moon walk, a bit of jumping up and down and a couple of high-fives!!] OHHH YEEAAAAHHHHH BABY, CAN YOU FEEL THAT?? HUH? HUH?? WHO'S YOUR MAMMA NOW HUH??I am pleased to inform you that the Thesis Faculty have determined that, on the basis of your performance in DSGN 511, you have been admitted to DSGN 502, Thesis Studio. If you have signed up for a Platform Studio as a backup, please let me and Associate Dean Berman know today, January 19th, whether you intend to continue with Thesis or the Platform. This will enable us to distribute students among the Thesis advisors.Please note that because Byron Mouton is now teaching a Platform Studio, he will not be teaching in the Thesis Studio. Doug Harmon has offered to take on those Thesis students who would otherwise have wished to work with Byron. Scott Bernhard’s participation as a Thesis advisor will be determined by the overall number of students in 502. However, we will still endeavour to respect your ranked preferences as much as possible, in conjunction with the other factors I mentioned in my earlier e-mail.
Congratulations on your performance during a challenging fall semester, and we look forward to working with you this Spring.
Graham Owen
Associate Professor
wow do i have some news, and since there is so much of it i'll keep to bullet point format:
-was approved to continue thesis--even though i haven't recieved my paper back with comments...don't quite know what to say about that
-still no internet on the boat
-found out that one of the grad students--jon hagar--dropped out of tulane altogether...kind of sucky...he had an undergrad degree in art(i am pretty sure or graphic design)
-most people are doing the platform(an advanced studio option) instead of thesis--all of the platforms are taking on the rebuilding of nola, cool but a little generic to me...all about housing...
-TANIA NUNEZ EMAILED ME!!! am glad to hear from my previously MIA friend....
-the financial aid graduate advisor is hiding from me....i've shown up at their office twice now and am starting to harass via phone....I NEED TO PAY OFF MY TUITION THIS SEMESTER!! i really didn't expect that tulane would be dodging me on this issue....but whatever...
-am finally getting over the "New Orleans Funk" which is basically a list of symptoms that stem from inhaling or coming into contact with mold stuff....in other words living in the present state of the city!! doctors are the one that coined the phrase...funny right!!
-am starting to get over my bitching about the ship since i don't have to live with three 18 year old sorority girls in a freshman dorm sharing one bathroom...."OH MY GOD!!! So Billy asked me out and i was like WHATEVER because he is totally rushing our hated male fraternity....so we just did shots and then played strip poker, made out and then he took me back to my room.....i am soo glad i am not living with my stupid parents anymore....they are sooo lame."
-am realizing how much of a movie freak i am as i tend to reference movie quotes at least once a conversation....i really need to get out of my cabin....not good!!
-i heart my ipod nano, as i can ignore the world(more anti-social behavior) and jam out to Micheal Jackson's Billy Jean....oh sooo cool...really...
going back to school tommorrow....am excited to get updates on everybody!!
song of the day: "i'm hot for teacher"...
sorry about the double posts....still no wireless on the ship and there is a shaky connection at zotz(coffee house where i've ended up coming almost every day...)
i've tried to make deal with the fact that i have only one plug in my room and one in the bathroom, but do you think this is a fire hazard???
this last photo is of a sign outside my cabin door, and i honestly have no clue what the upper part of it means....any suggestions???
you are here....
spa is not open but i would LOVE if it was: facials/massage/mani-pedi's....
there are 3--yes three--different languages on random signs around the ship....some with hebrew, some with greek, and some in norwegian....haven't found the norwegian signs yet, but i'm on my own personal scavenger hunt for them....
dining room, veiws from smoking perch,
photos of the cabin...cozy....
drank alot last night...personal reasons, somewhat fueled by a mini-reunion with the philly roommates...hung over today...low-key activities and big dark sunglasses...
should have wireless on the boat pretty soon so that i can finally upload the photos i've taken onto the blog....
classes start on the 17th, there is a "white party" on the 16th thrown by some of the students "stationed" in the northeast--white to counteract all of the dark colors seen in the region....
SOTD[song of the day]: i have 2 today--foo fighters/best of you & phil collins/philadelphia freedom
I REALLY CAN'T COMPLAIN....EVER AGAIN....
well, i'm settling into the ship and am getting all of my stuff working again...but still no wireless or cable(even basic cable--just static) so all i have is my movies and dvds...not too bad since i really hate commercials anyways....
i have also started driving around the city and am taking some photos...the amount of damage that is still here is unbeleivable, and the 9th ward is still completely flattened....it seriously looks like a bomb went off and wiped everything out....
i was talking to this girl last night who is orginally from new orleans(family based here...or more like WAS based here...) she evacuated to houston and her parents stayed in nola for the hurricane....she went for three weeks thinking that they were dead and later found out that her mom was alive but was apparently shot, along with her dog....her dog died though...their house was flooded and they pretty much lost everything...she has no birth certificate...
her dad is a doctor and stayed in town to help everyone he could at the time....he apparently had 4 doctor friends that simply committed suicide because they just couldn't take the lack of control in helping people and not having any of the supplies to do so....unbeleivable...she attended 4 funerals last week....
she didn't live with her family, she had an apartment....that was also badly flooded and molded over....so now she is living on the ship with the rest of us and she is so pleased with just having a roof(or what would constitute a roof) over her head....she is currently on medication for depression and post traumatic stress disorder...but she never cried during telling her story....i can't even imagine what i would do if i were her, and i honestly think this girl must have such a strong character to still have a smile on her face, which she does....
her parents are now living in new york because that was where her parents found employment...they are both doctors.
hearing this story over dinner really put things in perspective for me and honestly her strength and determination to stay positive really made me embarrassed about all the bitching i've been doing recently about the accomadations on the ship.....and if i compare it to my own, much less traumatic experience, times were more stressful in philadelphia for the first 3 weeks when i was close to homeless, almost completely broke(less than 50$ in the bank), and starting classes at a new school....
that girl is seriously amazing to me and reflects the character of the city at large...determined and dedicated, come hell or high water, to rebuild new orleans...
TAKE THAT BUERACRATS AND NAY SAYERS THAT KEEP SAYING THAT NOLA ISN"T WORTH REBUILDING OR IS TOO EXPENSIVE!!!
Bush is visiting with Mayor Ray Nagin today and has "dedicated" the nation to rebuilding the region, but even getting the requested FEMA trailers down here is slow-going....i was listening to a local radio station interviewing a councilman for NO and he was saying that over 65 percent of the requested trailers still haven't come in yet...and it is unknown when they arrive...
katrina's rath is still being delt with both physically and emotionally here, and i truly hope that the nation has not forgotten the people and what they are having to deal with because it's still really fresh in the people's minds...
i'll upload the photos she took of the 9th ward asap...you have GOT to see to believe...
AND SHE SAID COME SAIL AWAY, COME SAIL AWAY, COME SAIL AWAY WITH ME....ok, so i am now back in new orleans[i'll post some photos of how i found the city as soon as i can...but you'll have to hold your breath for a while since i don't have a way to transfer them from my digi camera to my computer yet...]
the ship is okay...
free laundry service and they are talking about opening a bar...theyhave strict meal times, and are pretty hard core about security measures, but so far i don't have any of my stuff from the grad dorm[no tv/dvd/vcr players-all my clothes and shoes and books that i left here, etc] they have no wireless internet, no tv in the room, 2 plugs total in my room--and one is a european outlet, the gym/convienence store/ pool/and other cool parts aren't open yet, no smoking on board--half the crew smokes though so everyone just sneaks around, and it's a good 20-25 minute drive from the school--but only about 5 minutes from the french quarter....
AND i'm slightly claustriphobic, so even though i have a window in my room it doesn't open so i don't spend much time on the ship...it's just boring right now because i don't even have internet games to play at night....
alot of it sucks right now since not much is available, but i'm sure that i'll feel more settled in a week or so when more things open up...
its just more funny to me right now....it sounds great to live on a cruise ship because of the amenities that you have access to, but it really isn't as cool as it sounds...but then again it could be worse...
i'm just trying to stay positive about it for now...i know that it just takes time...
in other news i've seen a couple of the other tulane students around town--helen[my best friend at tulane] started back up at the law school today, and it seems that alot of people are planning to be back by this weekend by the latest[we are starting classes the 17th] so i also won't feel so alone in the city as i kind of do right now...
i don't know what i expected, but the city seems pretty dead except for the most obvious parts--french quarter, and yet it's still not all that busy, magazine street--the locals hangout is REALLY busy, and downtown CBD--central business district..
i won't be able to keep up with the postings too much until they have the wireless on the ship, but i'm definitely going to try since the city does have wireless and i'm really not planning to spend much time there...
i am also considering volunteering with some of the rebuilding efforts around the city since i might only be taking 12 hours this semester...but then again i don't know how intense the thesis studio is going to be...i might be in over my head, but then again when HAVEN'T i put myself in over my head...
hope that's enough for now...
oh, but i didn't ever post my new years resolutions:
1. not to curse as much
2. to be more financially responsible--an attempt to save money for post graduation plans
3. to be more positive
4. to quit smoking after i graduate...seriously....no really, i plan to quit...for good...
SONG OF THE DAY: "House of the Rising Sun"
