My Declaration

It's kind of pathetic how few times I've posted this year. I'm averaging just over once a month. Not cool. I remember when I started this blog for my class last year by posting a short story. Back then I would look forward to my weekly postings, and sometimes even post more than my assigned amounts. I just had to write. Had to get my word out to the world. Even if nobody was reading. I think it's obvious to everybody who knows me that I've lost myself this past year. Due to this huge hole in my heart so many of the important things that make me who I am have suffered, most notably my art. I don't really know what to write and I just haven't felt the inspiration to draw or paint. I've done some small crafts. More shoebox collages, knitting scarves in the middle of 90 degree weather. Shopping. Shopping is sort of an art... it's definitely a craft. Anyways I'm setting out to change things little by little. My "Summer of George" isn't just about being lazy. It's about enjoying myself. And in order to enjoy myself fully it's time to go back to the fundamentals of who and what is Maggie.

Here I am talking about returning to myself yet again. This seems to be a bit of a cycle. I guess as we experience more of life and get older we grow farther away from certain aspects of ourself. I think it's time to make sure that I don't lose that person entirely, because let's face it, she knew how to have a good time! So from here on I will start writing weekly blog posts (if not more, hopefully, but let's not push it) and maybe my creative juices will start flowing again.

If you Wubba me then I will Wubba you

It's amazing how I've probably gone AT LEAST ten years since hearing this song (if we're being realistic it's closer to fifteen-twenty) and it came to me out of the blue. So of course I youtubed it. And of course it was there. So let's all sing along...

Getting Old

Since the start of this blog I've talked about how I'm not ready to come to terms with the fact that I am indeed getting older. With age comes responsibility and all that other stuff that freaks me out. Like the fact that I now have friends who are getting married. Creepy man. I briefly considered re-celebrating my 21st again last week, but let's face it, you can't go back in time.

The day started out amazing, when I was finally allowed to open the box my mom had mailed to me a few days earlier. With her on the phone, I began unwrapping, only to discover a dress that I had been dying for in the stores (see left image). She had called me a few weeks ago and had me convinced that they were sold out everywhere. I screamed when I saw the dress, so I'm pretty sure she knew I liked it (not to mention the fact that I wore it home that weekend, too). My mom always tries especially hard to make my birthdays wonderful, and I'm looking forward to being home next year for the first time on my birthday in four years.

My friends were set on me not crying on my birthday this year (as I have on every birthday since high school for some reason or another). Maybe the original song lyrics were meant to be it's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to. Either way, this year was monumental, because I did have two briefly moody moments, I DID NOT CRY! Whooohooo!

Unfortunately, I had an unmissable class the night of my birthday, so I wasn't able to go out for dinner with my friends. Instead I was under a strict timetable to come home and be changed for McMurph's in under 15 minutes. It was "Return of the Dudes" so we wanted to get there early to get a table. I picked out my outfit beforehand (a pink satin top, my true religion jeans {they're lucky}, and black slingbacks) so I quickly rushed home and did my makeup. Sadly, both the Laurens were unable to come out (too much school work and not feeling well), but I still had a wonderful group with me. Sam and I were the first ones there because Cobb, Kate, and Katy all had art class, and Kathleen wasn't ready leave early with Sam and I. We got there at about 9:30ish, but unfortunately the tables were all taken already. I appreciate the Guitar Dudes wanting to celebrate my bday with me, but I would've appreciated a different night so that I'd have room to breathe.

Sam and I were hanging out, rather than get me a shot she bought a pitcher for the two of us to share. I was a little nervous about the beer before liquor, but what the heck? It was my birthday, I'd probably be sick ANYWAYS. I got very mopey when I discovered that there was a tall skinny Blonde girl who was 21, wearing a cute teeny red dress and a tiara, taking away from my birthday glory. Yeah, I'm honest enough to admit that. I'll share the attention any other night (and I always do) but that was MY night. The other girls arrived just in time to lift my spirits. I made them proud by actually taking shots like a champ (something that I usually am ridiculously and humorously terrible at). The Dudes were back in full force, doing a great job, and they even wished me a happy birthday! I would have preferred the crowd to not be there, but whatevsies. Yeah, I said whatevsies, you got a problem with that? I had plenty of friends there to dance with, and it was a great time. Many drinks were given to me, but still not as many as 21, which is definitely good because I didn't get sick this year! I came home, collapsed into bed, and put on my iPod (it prevents the spins that living on a lofted bed seem to cause). The next day I had to pretend to look fresh faced for my composite picture (which is ALWAYS the day after my birthday, ughhh!)

All in all, it was a great birthday, I just still am in major denial that I'm no longer 21. I still write down 21 a good chunk of the time. Oops!

all smiles for 22 (really?!)

Hi! My name is Maggie and I am a CREEP!

Okay, so maybe I'm not a total creep, but I do look pretty creepy in this picture. In the past week I've had so many photoshoots, that on Friday night I came to the realization that my friends and I are out of our minds. We were at Panda East and I looked around the table to realize that at least five of us had cameras with us. Come on, why take all your pictures on one camera and pass that camera around afterwards to share the pictures when you can try to compile two or three pictures from four other cameras? That's silly. Nobody thinks like that.

I'm not sure what my point was, but Friday was about reclaiming that lost youth from Thursday. Maybe I should go back a few steps, since I seem to be into telling stories completely backwards. How very artsy of me.

Thursday we had bid day, and then a party later on to celebrate the new girls/the end of recruitment. That's when it occurred to myself and a few other seniors that we are OLD. It's been three years since I was a new member watching all the older sisters talk about how excited they were to get to know us and be done with the hell that can be recruitment. THREE YEARS. Even three semesters ago feels like yesterday. This was too scary. Not to mention all the guys that I spoke to were freshmen and sophomores. This led to a minor anxiety attack the next day.

My dad told me a story about how one of his most depressing moments in life was when he realized he was a senior in college. And that's when I said WHAT? I'm a senior in college? I thought I was a senior in high school! Actually that's not what I said, but I do sometimes feel that way. He then proceeded to tell me that it's been eighteen years since he graduated law school, something i remember fairly well seeing as I was three or four at the time. This only made me feel older. In a wow, I'm old enough to remember eighteen years ago kind of way. Thanks for the pick-me-up Dad. Eventually he calmed my nerves a little bit by reminding me how young I still am, and to enjoy every moment of it.

That's the cue for Panda East to enter the story. My friend Cobb decided we'd celebrate her 22nd birthday by starting with Scorpion Bowls at Panda and then moving up to McMurphy's (our perpetual hangout). First of all, I just want to state for the record that the service at Panda sucks. It has in the past and it did again last night. But where else can you get Scorpion Bowls? I split two big bowls with my friend Lauren, and it ended up that each of us basically drank an entire large scorpion bowl. On my hunt to reclaim my lost youth I found myself opening up a tab at McMurphy's (no cash makes getting drinks feel like freebies at that particular moment, therefore you end up buying more). I purchased a shot (what was I thinking?! I hate taking shots!) and two drinks. This doesn't sound like too much, but let's not forget the giant punch bowl of rum and 151 I had guzzled down an hour earlier. I was so drunk that I forgot to take a million pictures! How ever will I remember such a crazy night years from now? That's what this amazing blog is for! Why else would I announce to the world that I am very much a lush?

I arrived home to find three lost boys with a 30 of beer. Which I proceeded to happily drink. This morning I woke up and my head did not feel so good. All day. And even a little bit at night. As my roommate Courtney likes to say, "Oh My."

AND YET... I felt like I reconnected with my younger self of about two years ago. Crazy nights aren't as common once you're too old and too cool for frat parties. Money runs thin, tolerance grows stronger, and last call is at 1am. There is more of a limit. Last night I not only took it to the limit but went above and beyond. Sure I paid the price the next day, but my anxiety over age seems to have calmed a bit, and I had A TON of fun. I just wish there were more pictures :-P (which brings us full circle again to why I'm a creep).

Let's check back in and see how I'm doing in two months when I'm 22!