Oh wait, I don't know you.

So today I think I took facebook stalking to a whole new level. I was walking with my mom through the commissary on the military base, and I saw a familiar face. It was a guy named Preston. I literally opened my mouth to say hello and then I realized: 1. I was staring at him and he was looking at me like I was a crazy person 2. I had never actually met this person before in my life... I had just seen him on facebook. Apparently I forgot that Preston is actually Caitlin's friend, not mine. Mindless clicking through other people's pictures is starting to have physical effects on my life... it's like I'm living the six degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Oh my goth! I hope you didn't pay for that.

Yesterday I went to get a mani/pedi with some friends. Wow, that is a sentance I would never say in real life, but it is fun to type it and pretend like I would. Anyway, in the spirit of trying new things, I decided to get a different color on my hands than the normal pink that I am prone to. I know...how adventurous of me. So I thought, what could be trendier than BLACK. I mean, yes its a little scary at first glance, but a second glance its like WOW, sweet nails. My parents however were stuck at first glance. The minute I walked in the door, my dad said to me, "So what are you goth now?" My mom then proceeded to tell me it looked like my nails got hit with a hammer. Personally, I think it has a very slimming effect on my fingers.

Dubyanell

Today I had the pleasure of driving my brother back to school. Yes, now usually when asked to drive 3 hours to take one's younger sibling to college there would be a lot of arguing, pleading, bargaining...anything to get out of such a predicament. I, on the other hand VOLUNTEERED. For those of you who don't know, Washington and Lee University is my dream school. I think my brother went there just to spite me. I for some reason decided to go to UVA instead...mostly because of the price tag, but I think I will always wonder what life at Washington and Lee would have been like... Hence, why I love driving Tyler back to school. Usually I wear some sort of W&L paraphernalia so as to pretend like I actually attend. My collection now includes a sweatshirt, and two hats (one of which is pink & green- prep me out) I also now know my way around the bookstorek, library, and can even find a bathroom. Obviously, I fit right in. I love Lexington.

Why be less when you can BMORE?

Currently I am relaxing in my hotel room in Baltimore, enjoying the luxury of wireless internet and a TV. The fam is here this weekend to see the Men's College Lacrosse Tournament. So far it has been HOT HOT and HOTTER. I love it. I also love the mass congregation of lacrosse boys all in one location. Anyway, yesterday I apparently left minutes before an amazing finish to the Duke vs. Cornell game... AHHH. I'll have to re-watch the game when I get home... we were sitting behind the bench on the 50 yard line so maybe I was even on TV! Anyway instead, me and Lucy cruised around Bmore to some quality music (and by that I mean: Fergie, Gym Class Heros, and a song entitled "This is why I'm hot."- an instant classic). We met up with Peyton and then went out to dinner at CPK without any awkwardness...well minus the awkwardness when I ordered a strawberry margarita from the waiter while giggling like a school girl. Meanwhile my family was at the hotel that somehow mixed up our restervation and then gave away our room... I'm very glad that I missed out on that drama mama.

Now sit back, relax, and ENJOY the flight.

Yesterday was just amazing. Let me just say that again, YESTERDAY WAS JUST AMAZING. Not only did I get to come home to home sweet America, but I had the best flight experience of my life. Once I finally made it to Heathrow with my 2 huge bags (of which one guy asked me, "What do you have in there, a body?"... he said this with a serious face, which kind of creeped me out), I checked those suckers and headed to the lounge. Thats right, business class people get to hang out in their own fully stocked lounge! Anyway, I made myself a nice cup of tea and read my newest book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" until the plane was ready to board. So when I finally get on the plane, this man comes and sits down next to me. And to fully understand the weirdness of this encounter you must have a little preview of our first conversation:

Chris: "Hi my name is Chris."
Me: "Hi my name is Katie."
Chris: "Wow, my sister's name is Katie. I'm actually finally coming home from being deployed in Pakistan and going to visit her in Baltimore this weekend."
Me: "Thats funny, my dad's name is Chris and I'm going to Baltimore this weekend too."
Chris: "Yeah, I'm excited I'm meeting up with all my family and friends and we're going to see the NCAA lacrosse championships."
Me: "What a coincidence, we are too! So where are you going to live now that you are back from Pakistan?"
Chris: "Well, I'm heading down to Georgia for a few months and then I'm actually headed back out to Japan."
Me: "I WAS BORN IN JAPAN. Both of my parents were in the Air Force."
Chris: "Alright so did you live on Yokota Air Force Base?"
Me: "YES."
Chris: "Yeah, I lived there for 8 years actually. From 1992-1999."
Me: "WE LIVED THERE AT THE SAME TIME... Alright Chris, this is just starting to get creepy!"

Anyway, this conversation took place within minutes of sitting down and already I had made a friend for the flight. We both enjoyed our welcome on board beverages and made mimosas from the little champagne orange juices they were handing out. Everything was downhill from there. I had my wine glass filled everytime it got below some imaginary line... the flight attendant would just show up out of nowhere! I indulged in my 3 course meal, and even had afternoon tea and sandwiches. AND I got to watch 2 amazing chick flicks: Music and Lyrics & Catch and Release. I could not have asked for a better flight. We touched down in the land of the free, and a huge smile seem to be plastered on my face. It feels great to be home!

Cheerio! Cheers! Ta!

So that's it folks. Today is my last official night in England. It's weird to think that at this time tomorrow I will be back in good ole' Northern Virginia. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm a little sad to leave. I almost feel like things were actually just starting to click here... But then again, thats how life is. Just when you start to get the hang of things it throws something new your way. I will say that my life has turned into quite an adventure. No, maybe not one of those thrilling Indiana Jones adventures, or Paris Hilton party girl adventures, but my very own Katie Chapin adventure. I just hope that I can keep it going. That I find entertainment in my life wherever it takes me... (HELLO Bath County, Virginia- I'm heading your way!) Goodbye Bath, England: thanks for everything...especially my brilliant British accent!

"That girl has a lot of wishes."

Man looks at wife holding a single penny. Man then points to me and says jokingly, "That girl has A LOT of wishes."

It all started last weekend when I was complaining to my accounting group that pennies (or in the UK, pence) are so worthless. Instead of carrying around hundreds of 1 pence coins in my purse, I've been throwing them into some makeshift coin holders I made out of plasic candy containers. So literally I had about 2 pounds of 1 pence and 2 pence coins saved up and nothing to use them for...and no, I prefered to spare myself the embarassment of handing over a massive pile of change at the cash register. So anyway, I'm describing the problem to my group [it was on the topic of money problems, so I figured it was accounting related] and one guys says, "You should throw them in a wishing well!" I'm thinking in my head, "Ok great idea...minus the fact we are in Bath and I haven't seen any wishing wells just lying around." Meanwhile hes thinking and then suddenly exclaims, "THE ROMAN BATHS!" Now, I'm pretty sure my group was joking, and didn't actually expect me to take this rather eccentric advice... but they might not know me well enough. That was it, it was decided. I was going to dump a big chunk of change into the Roman Baths wishing well.

Today was the day. Bored with studying, all packed up to go home, and 2 full canisters of international change sitting on my desk, I decided it was time. I grabbed my purse, loaded up and headed for the Roman Baths museum. After sifting through the crowds of tourists I finally made it to the wishing pool and set up camp. At first I started to throw my coins in one by one, actually making wishes. Then after missing on one throw and having a whole class of what looked to be 5th graders start laughing at me, I started to throw them in quick succession. I wished for everything and everyone I know. Then I kind of ran out of wishes, so I was trying to offer my coins to other people around me. The first lady I offered a coin to, declined... WHO declines free money? or better yet a FREE wish. Anyway, second person I offered it to didn't speak english, so she took it and said "grazi" because I don't think she knew how to decline politely in english. I figured I should probably target non-english speakers from there on out. Anyway, I am proud to say that all my coins are now resting safely on the bottom of the wishing pool :) In terms of them coming true... I'd say my odds are looking pretty good!

One day I'll get a real life. Until then...

Today, in all my spare time not studying, I came up with my personal Summer 2007 theme: "The Pursuit of Interesting." For some reason I am just a theme person. I like to go through all types of phases and try them on for size. Last summer was the granola mixed with SAT word prep phase [don't ask why I had an SAT word book still in my possession at age 20]. Anyway, lately I have pondered often how TO BECOME interesting. I read a blog (http://russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/2006/11/how_to_be_ inter.html) that laid out how to be interesting in 10 steps...therefore sparking my inspiration to create my own list. Now, I figured since I am a camp counselor, aka supreme ruler of the universe (and by universe I mean my cabin), we could journey down this path towards interestingness together. So, I came up with an Interesting list of 50 things to do or discuss during devotions that will hopefully shape us into more interesting (weird) people. [If you are thinking in your head right now: "This girl has way too much time on her hands, I'd have to agree.] Drum roll please:

PURSUIT OF INTERESTING 2007
1. You have just released a CD soundtrack of your life. What are the top three songs and why?
2. Write a love letter. Make it as passionate/cheesy as possible. Send it off to a friend.
3. Come up with a jingle for a person, product, or place.
4. Write a haiku and leave it for someone anonymously. (5-7-5)
5. Talk to someone you’ve never talked to before. Jump right into a deep conversation, skip the small talk.
6. Take a picture of someone else. Try to capture the essence of them.
7. Put something subtle on your face/ tape toilet paper to your shoe/ leave some conditioner in your ear. Count how
many people actually tell you about it.
8. Everyone pick an object. Swap with the person next to you. Come up with a completely new use and name for this
object.
9. Come up with your own hand symbol/ gesture. It can be for anything.
10. What is your favorite word? Why?
11. If you had to pick a song to describe today, what would it be?
12. Describe an object using 5 words.
13. Read a page/poem/excerpt from a magazine out loud in the most expressive voice possible. Think DRAMATIC.
14. What was the funniest thing you overheard today?
15. Draw a picture of the person to your left. [creative embellishments encouraged]
16. If your life was turned into a TV show, what would it be called? Would it be a drama, sitcom, reality tv, sci-fi, cartoon?
Give us a basic plot.
17. What is your favorite 'bored' game [pun intended]. When is the last time you played it?
18. Pair up. Name one thing you wish you had that your partner has.
19. Write a note to yourself. Don’t open it until the end of the summer. Say anything.
20. Write out your name. Scramble the letters to say something else. Spelling can be an interpretation.
21. If you could bring back any fad, what would it be?
22. You’ve just won an award [of your choice]. Write an acceptance speech.
23. Make a list of why you are cool. Don’t ask the person next to you.
24. If you were to pick your own name, what would it be? ex. Princess Consuela Bananahammock.
25. Make up the name of a new rollercoaster.
26. Give a sales pitch for a product in your general vicinity. [toothpaste, crocs, shampoo]
27. What does, “Bring the funk.” mean to you?
28. If you were trapped in a library for the night, what would you do?
29. What is the most random useless fact you know?
30. Write the first letter of your name in LARGE print on a piece of paper. Now draw a picture that incorporates the letter.
31. Name your most irrational fear.
32. Share your favorite facial expression. Now let everyone imitate it.
33. Make up your own quotable quote.
34. What TV/book/cartoon character do you most resemble? [can be in terms of looks, lifestyle, humor, mindset, etc.]
35. Make a suggestion about anything in life.
36. You have 5 words on a napkin to convince McDreamy YOU are the one. What are they?
37. Make a top 5 list. It can be about your life goals, most awkward moments, favorite The Office scenes, hilarious jokes,
weird people you know, highest hit count songs on your ipod. SURPRISE ME.
38. Make a list of guidelines on how to survive awkward situations. [on a date, public transportation, interactions with
teachers, parties etc.]
39. If you had a tag line, what would it be?
40. If you could have any .com name, what would it be?
41. Make a list of all the people you talk to in one day.
42. Come up with your own greeting card.
43. Make up your own word. MAKE it happen.
44. What is the most overrated thing you can think of?
45. What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten? Who gave it to you? Did you take it?
46. What is your biggest regret? Did you learn anything from it?
47. Give us your best motivational speech or pep talk.
48. Have you ever started a trend? If so, what was it? If not, make one up.
49. Define confidence. [Don’t limit yourself to words.]
50. Reenact your favorite scene in a movie.
51. What are two words that should never be used in the same sentence?


If you are wondering why I stopped at 51 items instead of an even 50, its because I want the list to keep growing. Stopping at 50 was just too perfect a number, so I went ahead and added 51 so that in moments of inspiration I can add to the list without feeling the need to fill a quota. [Feel free to throw in any suggestions!] If you think I'm a complete loser at this point... wait till I make a t-shirt.

Shoo fly, don't bother me!

So today at around 10:45 I decided that I needed to go to mass at the Abbey one last time for the sake of closure. I hurriedly threw on a some slacks and sadly a wrinkled shirt due to the fact that I still have yet to fold the laundry I did a few days ago... [one day I will learn] Anyway, I was sitting in church in awe of the choir when all the sudden this fly starts to distract me. It was flying around the row ahead of me, and for some reason it slowly started to consume all of my attention. It was hovering around the two ladies in front of me, who seemed to be unaffected by its scatterbrained nose dives. I give them credit, because they were able to stay completely still in spite of this annoying little bugger. SO STILL in fact that the fly decided to land on the head of the woman directly in front of me. At this point I have lost all track of what is going on in the mass and my eyes are glued to the tiny black specimen seated in the mass of shiny grey hair in front of me. Finally when the woman lowered her head in prayer, the fly lept off... only to JOIN my row. This was something I hadn't counted on. For the first 10 minutes of its visit, I attempted to be the sensible, mature young girl who could sit quietly and not let it bother her. However, at about minute 11, I started to break down. I did not want to be the one with a fly sitting in my hair. As subtly as possible, I started to nod my head after every sentance the minister said in hopes that at least this would protect my hair. However, the bobble head approach only lasted so long due to the fact that I realized I must look like an idiot. Then I caved and went with the full out SWAT approach. While everyone else was seated with their heads down reverently, I was swatting away at a fly that seemed to be magnitized to me. It had a whole church with some of the highest ceilings in town, and it decided to pick on the poor American in the crowd. The only thing that made me feel better about myself was when this touristy looking lady, wearing jeans and some fake D&G sunglasses on her head, had her cell phone go off in the middle of the choir's main song. It echoed throughout the whole church... she promptly left the mass- stilettos clanking and all. At least I stuck in there :)

The Pen Pal Experiment

Last semester one of my friends and I decided to be 'pen pals,' well I guess you couldn't call us real pen pals because we email and don't actually use pens, but same concept. Anyway, I've decided that I should enact a pen pal experiment with my brother. First, I should probably tell you that the other night, instead of cramming for my 2 exams the next day, I decided to enlighten my mind and actually read my YES! Attitude book [if you don't know what I am referring to, go back a few posts.] Yes, I know what you're thinking, two self-help books in one week, this girl has gone bonkers. Well, yes I probably have, but in a good way. So I was thinking about some of the negative things I'm always saying, and one of them is that me and my brother NEVER talk apart from when we are trapped in the same house. I don't know how many countless people I've told this to, but I realize now that I've never actually done anything about this understood silence that somehow exists when me and Tyler go our separate ways. So now I'm on a mission to break the barrier. Today I am going to write my first email, and hope that I'm lucky enough to get a response. [Sidenote: My mom writes us all a morning email, and doesn't get any response, so I won't be easily discouraged.] PERSEVERANCE is the name of the game.

PS: I just had to google my own brother to get a picture of him. How sad is that.

Whatever you think, think the opposite.

I am in love with this book.

So I've been meaning to read this book for awhile now, and I just got around to it. I looked all over the bookstore today to find it and eventually stumbled over it in the "Popular Psychology" section. I think popular psychology is code word for "Self-Help," but hey I wasn't embarassed, I'm always in need of a little self-help.

Anyway, Paul Arden, who is a former creative director in British Advertising, basically compiled some great life advice [complete with pictures, and for some reason British people always feel the need to stick in a few naked people... I don't know how he figured out how to connect naked people to life advice, but he did]. My favorite advice came from his comparison of the phrases "I wish" and "I want." The distinction describes my constant inner conflict perfectly.

Here's an exerpt for you:
"I wish means: wouldn't it be nice if...
If you always make the right decison, the safe decision, the one most people make, you will be the same as everyone else. Always wishing life was different.

I want means: if I want it enough, I will get it.
Getting what you want means making the decisons you need to make to get what you want. Not the decisions those around you think you should make. Making the safe decision is dull, predictable and leads nowhere new."

The book then goes on to describe ME on each and every page as it refers to the "average" person, "most" people, "steady eddie." Obviously I need to work on breaking the mold and avoiding the herd. Baa.

Way better than an ice cream truck...

So today I was out wandering around Bath *surprise surprise, yes I left my room* in search of my next big read. I finished The Shining, thank goodness. Anyway as I was coming back from the book store, I laid my eyes on the most amazing vehicle I've ever seen: A MOBILE LIBRARY. It was like I was walking in a dream. A library on four wheels that not only is stocked with amazing books, but it COMES TO YOU! Amazing. I actually recall my mom telling me that these actually existed in her childhood days. But being that I never lived in the 'good ole days' I didn't really believe it. Now, I know the truth. They DID exist. They DO exist.

Stranded... in my room.

I am embarassed by my current existence. For starters I am beginning to look like Tom Hanks in Castaway. During exam time I always seem to get into this weird state of living where I feel the need to confine myself to my room to study [or not study] or else I am overcome by a sense of guilt. This morning I woke up, rolled out of bed, traveled the the kitchen [the farthest I've been from my bedroom all day] to get my cereal, and then managed to make it back to sit down in front of my computer... At which point instead of opening my books, I managed to check all three of my email accounts, facebook, and then get hooked on this bubble game widget that has become almost a drug. Here I am in this little room with no TV, and I managed to waste a whole day with about 3 total hours of good solid studying. All motivation has been drained from my body. Seriously, I am thinking right now in my head, "You have nothing better to do with your time, you SHOULD study" but nothing happens. I just go back to mindless mouse clicking. I think if I stay in this room much longer I might go crazy. My eyes keep glancing to the countdown on my dashboard that reads: 8 days, 6 hours, 38 mins, 24 secs. I feel like I'm in my own episode of 24. Now I just need Jack Bauer to show up and save me.

Eurovision, Helsinki.

Last night was the world airing of "Eurovision" a song contest that spans all of Europe. All of the contries have competitions to select a band to send to the Eurovision finals, so think: American Idol but make it Euro Idol with bands. Anyway, so since I've been deprived of TV for the last few weeks, last night I find myself sitting in a hotel room watching Eurovision, completely sucked in. I have been listening to BBC radio 1 for the past week and apparently tons of people across Europe throw Eurovision parties to celebrate this show... With all the hype, I'm sure we'll be hosting an Americanvision in no time. Anyway, the acts were completely hilarious, not in a good way. Most of them were so bad, they were good. The best part was that the British guy who was narrating on our channel was the most cynical guy you've ever met. It was like all the things I was thinking in my head, were coming out of his mouth. A scantily clad girl would come on stage and he'd say something like, "Would someone please tell her to pull her knickers up?" I wish that man could narrate all TV shows. Anyway, my favorite band was the Ukraine, singing "Dancing Lasha Tumbai." The main singer was a cross dresser and the British narrator described him as a "christmas tree wrapped in tin foil." He was great. The whole band was ridiculous. I'm praying that they put up that music video on YouTube, because it was possibly the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. They should have won...

Highland Cattle [aka Hairy Coo]

This is my favorite new animal. Yes, I did take this picture of Hairy. No, it is not a coincidence that Hairy is sticking his tongue out at me. To be honest, I think he was mocking me. Despite his mockery, I am in love with this weird Scottish breed of cattle that somehow seems like some modern day Wooley Mammoth. They have great hairdos, and their horns appeared to be the perfect back scratcher. Not to mention they stand around all day and eat grass. You would think they would be quite boring to watch, however I assure you, with some side commentary and interpretations of their mundane activities, Highland cattle can be quite an entertaining spectacle.

Father Daughter Pub Crawl

One night last semester, a myself along with a few other girls in the house decided to indulge in our cheesy side and we got out lots of markers to make "life lists." You know, a list of all your goals and dreams written out in a multicolored check list that in all honesty you write knowing you probably won't do half of them. Well, my mother got a hold of this list when I was moving my stuff home in December, and since then she has had it posted on the refrigerator for the whole family and vistors to see. A little embarassing, yes. Anyway, she has decided to keep me to this list, and checks items off for me. Her most recent endeavor has been to check off: "Have a beer with my Dad." I secretly think she was jealous that I didn't write, "Have a beer with my Mom." But, whatever the motive, I think she must have sent my Dad over here to England to make sure this item was carried out. With thousands of pubs over here, this was easy cheesy. We actually eneded up going on our own little father/daughter pub crawl. I think the names were just so entertaining that we just wanted to go to all the pubs we saw. Some of the good ones we hit inlcluded: The Huntsman, the Sheep's Heid, the Mitre, the World's End, and the Fox. My Mom would be proud. Sidenote: I am definitely going to frame this picture. Classic.

From hostel to HOTEL. The journey.

I just spent the past week driving around England and Scotland with my Dad, and boy was it an experience. We departed from Bath in our little black Ford rental car complete with a GPS system. In case you were wondering, yes, the GPS lady did have a British accent. My Dad was actually quite good at driving on the other side of the road, which took me by surprise. I had no idea that for 3 years of my life he had driven on the other side of the road. Apparently they drive on the other side of the road in Japan and I was just an obilvious child. Anyway, after a six hour drive up north we arrived at our first destination was Edinburgh, Scotland. My Dad had made a reservation at this hotel called Prestonfield because he had memories of going there with his family when he was a kid. It turns out that since he was last there, some 40 years ago, they have redone the place and it is now a 5 star luxury hotel that is "dangerously decadent" (as stated in their brochure). If you don't believe me, you can ask the cast of the 2003 MTV Music Awards, they've been there along with Joan Collins, Minnie Driver, Billy Boyd and Vin Diesel... the A list goes on.

Anyway, so here we are pulling up in front of this fancy hotel with peacocks roaming freely (interesting note: peacocks make noises that sound like an alarm AND they sleep in trees) , and all I can think about as I walk into the entrance is that this place is the CREEPIEST place I have ever been in my life. The inside literally looked exactly like the Disney World ride "Tower of Terror" in the Twilight Zone Hollywood Tower Hotel (the only thing missing was a floating candelabra). Everything inside the hotel was dressed in red and black: black candles, black flowers, plush red curtains blocking out the sun. The lighting was dim throughout the whole place, which appeared to be empty the whole time we were there... scary? I think so. The lady at the front desk showed us to our room, and we got in there and there was only one bed... She looked at us and said, "Do you like your room?" And we looked at each other and said, "Where is the other bed?" The lady looked kind of embarassed, and apologized. Eventually after a lot of awkwardness, she agreed to give me my own room down the hall, no extra charge. So now, up to this point, my Dad's room had been upgraded to a suite, I got my own room, and we were still only paying the price for the advertised twin bed room they had online. Quite a steal. I wish I could describe the rooms for you, but I don't think even my description would do it justice. They were so ornate, but in that haunted mansion sort of way. I honestly thought I might not live through the two nights we stayed there. It didn't help that I was in the middle of reading The Shining at this time. I think The Shining could have easily taken place at Prestonfield. I actually was curious and asked my favorite Scottish bell hop, Barry, if he knew any good ghost stories about the place. He said he'd done a few night shifts and the only thing he found was a few doors that opened on their own. But then he said (without me mentioning I was reading the book), "The place does kind of remind you of The Shining doesn't it?" AHHHH. I almost went running out the front door.

Best snuggle buddy ever.

I want to start off by apologizing to those of you who may have read the title of this entry and thought that I had FINALLY found a cute british boy to gallivant around England with for the rest of the semester. The prospect of that actually happening before I come home is becoming slim, especially since I will be traveling around this coming week with good ole' Dad. But, despite the obstalces, I have found a lovely snuggle buddy: [please don't laugh, this is my real life] my laundry bag. Ok, now before you judge, today I was doing my laundry in preparation for my Scottish adventure. I went down to take all my clothes out of the dryer, which is located in the building next door. Of course, I went down there with a t-shirt on, and I was instantly freezing as I stepped out of the building. Anyway, I made it to the laundry room, and I loaded my clothes into my laundry bag, steaming hot. I actually had to pause for a little break because the skin on my palms were burning. By the time I made it up to my room, I collapsed on my bed with my huge bag of laundry. It didn't matter that my head was at the wrong end of my bed, or that my feet were dangerously close to my pillow, with my arms wrapped around the warmth of my laundry bag, I was genuinely happy. I ended up taking a nice nap and woke up thinking that if anyone had walked in the room with me tightly hugging my laundry bag, they probably would have died laughing. Luckily, I'm in Bath, and theres not much to do, so everyone else was probably taking a nap too.

The Slug and Lettuce

This is perhaps the best name for a bar I have ever encountered. We were studying outside in a lovely park today, unfortunately the weather wasn't so lovely. As much as we tried to ignore it with our sunglasses and flip flops, the wind was cold and kept rustling all our papers. So, when someone mentioned hot chocolate, it was hard to recover any sort of productiveness. After about 50 minutes, we decided that we had ALMOST been studying for an hour, so we deserved a break. This is when I was introduced to the Slug and Lettuce. We went inside and in the front of the bar was a room with that relaxed coffee house atmosphere that I have always dreamed of spending hours in having intellectual conversations. [However, I must point out: 1. I don't like coffee and 2. The most intellectual claim I have is "I read the Washington Post," which really means "I read the comics section"...yes, at age 21. So, I don't know if I will ever graduate to that intellectual level of conversation. Anyway, we decided to order our hot chocolates in shifts to guard our coveted seating. Two of the girls went up to the bar to order their hot chocolates, and came back with barely any whipped cream or marshmellows...as well as a pocket full of coins since they had apparently run out of bills. They sat down, a little disappointed, while we went up to order ours. I felt bad [but not too bad] when we came back with the most delicious looking hot chocolates I have ever seen. I'm talking a mountain of whipped cream & marshmellows, drizzled with cocoa powder. And not only that, but somehow miraculously, they gave me back bills as my change. I think that I will have to go back to the good ole' Slug and Lettuce, and maybe wear my glasses next time so I can maybe at least look intellectual while drinking my 'oh so grown up' hot chocolate with marshmellows :)

Which is cooler, rocks or balloons?

Today I went on a field trip to Stonehenge. I don' t really know what I was expecting, but when I got there, there was um Stonehenge. Rocks. I think I took about 20 pictures because I wasn't really sure what else to do. The best part about Stonehenge is that they actually have an audio guide to explain the ROCKS. I'm sorry that just made me laugh. I barely made it through the first track on the audio guide because it said something like "The corner stone is the one to the left, in the far back, however, you might not be able to see it from this angle..." I couldn't figure out which stone they were even talking about, since the formation is a circle... so I gave up, but I would really like to meet the person who made up that audio tour. I bet they have about as much of a life as me. We would probably have a lot in common. I think the best part of the day was actually when we returned home from our field trip. We saw all these hot air balloons taking off from a rugby field in Bath from the window of the bus, so when we got off we all immediately ran over there & whipped out our cameras. Sadly, I think I have more pictures of hot air balloons than I do of Stonehenge.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Last year, my brother graduated from high school and brought home all of his books from his senior year English class. I hadn't read any of them and started to freak out that I wasn't well educated. This is when my read-a-thon began. My first task was to conquer the classics. I think I would have to say that reading Crime and Punishment during camp last summer was my biggest hurdle, but after that it was smooth sailing through: Mrs. Dalloway, Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, The Invisible Man, The Good Earth, The Mandarins, Wuthering Heights...

Anyway, recently I've tried to broaden my scope to start covering the MUST READs. Lately I've read some easy cheesies: The Bell Jar, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Angela's Ashes, Angels & Demons... Today I decided it was time for a bold, gutsy choice: THE SHINING. My Dad has actually been telling me to read this book for years, but he was also the one that recommended 'Salem's Lot' to me, my first Stephen King experience...that I still haven't quite gotten over. Obviously if I'm afraid of a book, I am the biggest scaredy-cat alive, but I feel like I need to conquer my fear and just 'git 'er done'. I took the first step today by actually purchasing it, but I can't say I've gotten much further than that. I tried to start reading it..TWICE, but I kept thinking that if I read too far then I would surely reach something scary. Then I decided I couldn't read it because I was alone in my room, so I went outside to the local park and gave it another shot, no such luck. For everyone else, the first chapter or so of a horror book is all fine and dandy, but for ME, my mind starts thinking of the worst possible scenarios and then freaks me out before I even get to the bad parts. Anyway, its almost midnight now and I'm thinking the third try's a charm. What better than a creepy nightime setting to set the mood. Nightmare central here I come.

Giving Miss Cleo a run for her money.

Ok, I am a natural born skeptic, but I think whoever puts together www.quotationspage.com has some weird psychic ability. I started checking the website's Daily Motivational Quotes page about a week ago so that I could put some quotes in my email messages to the madre. For the past 4 days, the first quote listed has had some connection to my life. Obviously anyone can have a connection to a quote, but REALLY 4 days in a row? I mean couldn't they just write a quote about a giraffe or something, just to throw me off? Anyway, enough chatter, lets get down to the cold hard evidence:

May 2, 2007: "It is not enough to aim; you must hit." -Italian Proverb
*Katie Chapin Life Translation: Obviously, this is telling me to PICK a damn career path already.

May 1, 2007: "Whenever it is in any way possible, every boy and girl should choose as his life work some occupation which he should like to do anyhow, even if he did not need the money." -William Lyon Phelps
*Katie Chapin Life Translation: Do what you LOVE... thus fueling my whole law school vs. no law school inner conflict.

April 30, 2007: "Don't try to solve serious matters in the middle of the night." -Philip K. Dick
*Katie Chapin Life Translation: Go back to being a GRANDMA... your life isn't going anywhere at 2AM anyhow.

April 29, 2007: "[Water is] the only drink for a wise man." -Henry David Thoreau
*Katie Chapin Life Translation: So the quote tells me to drink water and then later that day I win back my money from a walking tour by dueling the tour guide in a water drinking trick he tried to play on me...Needless to say, I was wise and beat him at his own game.


I hope tomorrow's quote provides some criptic guidence motivating me to study for my final exams.

I'm a lost sheep.

It's officially 1:37AM (WAY past my bedtime) and I've already attempted to go to sleep once tonight. However, there is a problem. I don't know what I want to do with my life. For some reason, instead of putting off this question and enjoying a carefree existence like every other third year student, I think about it every waking moment. This question burns in the back of my mind, distracting me from everything including my beloved sleep. The other day I decided that I wanted to go to law school. It sounded like such a great decision, so definite. Then tonight I'm lying in my bed thinking, law school? That is so not me. For the past year of my life I have had my heart set on the world of advertising, a land far away from the stress of the law library. I mean we are talking a place where you can wear jeans to work. Now, I dont' know what spurred this sudden turn around, but whatever it was I think it had something to do with fear. We are entering into the part of our lives where decisions seem so LIFE CHANGING. I play out "what if" scenarios in my head like I've got nothing better to do... which might not be too far from the truth. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you all, loud and clear, that I, Katie Chapin, have absolutely no clue what I want to do with my life, so if ever at any point I tell you I do know, then you know I'm lying.

Big Daddy duck & his little ducklings too.

I found it impossible to sit within the confines of the library today. Instead, I took advantage of the beautiful weather and made my way down to the lake area on campus. There were students scattered in different areas, so I picked the least populated patch of grass that was slightly in the shade, and claimed my spot. I opened my book, and lay down with my head on my highly uncomfortable substitute for a pillow, my backpack. As I'm lying there trying to work out the logistics of holding my book at just the right height to block out the sun, I see a mother duck and her ducklings coming my way. I inwardly 'ooooed' and 'ahhhhed' as they passed by me, waddling towards a nearby tree. How adorable, I thought. Then, out of nowhere comes Big Daddy Duck. Big Daddy isn't quite as hesitant towards people, and makes a B line right towards me. He gets an inch away from my hand, and I start to check out the size of his beak. It's pretty big. I've never even considered being afraid of a duck before, but here it was staring at me straight in the eye, and it sensed my fear. My fight or flight reaction kicked in and I jumped up and grabbed my backpack and started to walk away to a nearby rock. I was kind of mad about having to get up and move because of a DUCK, but I mean, at least I wouldn't be known as 'the girl who got attacked by a duck' for the rest of the semester. However, I turn around and Big Daddy is still on my tail. BD must have had it out for me. Here I am in the middle of a nice grassy area, zigging and zagging trying to get BD off my tail. After a few bob-and-weave manuevers, BD got bored with me. Thank goodness. I was starting to look like an idiot.

Oh by the way, I decided yesterday that I want to go to law school. This has nothing to do with ducks, but I thought if I threw it in after talking about Big Daddy, it would make my decision seem less real and scary.