Filed under: Life
Slumdog Millionare is probably the best movie that I’ve ever seen – and that’s saying a lot.
Favorite quote (of course it’s one from the end):
Latika: I thought we would meet only in death.
Jamal Malik: This is our destiny
Latika: Kiss me
Filed under: London
Markey: Stand in the bathroom, it’s so much louder!
Amy: Haha
Markey: What if you were showering and you heard that!
—
* Weird car revving it’s engine outside *
Amy: Don’t worry, that wasn’t them
Markey: That’s not even human
—
Markey: I thought I heard a dog
Amy: You do know what it was though, right?
Markey: Yeah, but it really sounded like a dog barking
—
Amy (to Markey): Turn up your music please!
—
Amy: It’s right next door, but it seems like it’s reverberating throughout the room.
Markey: It’s upstairs too!
—
EPIC
Filed under: London
Cheers! It’s a little early for an update – but it just seems fitting to write it tonight!
When I left you last it was Tuesday and I was headed to class.
So Tuesday after class I spent time working on my research project – it’s on the EU-UK rebate – which is pretty difficult considering I don’t exactly know a lot about the EU or the UK for that matter! I also headed down to 43 Harrington Gardens and Waitrose with Mark and Andrew to run some errands and get out for a bit. Tuesday night it was off to Imperial for what we thought was going to be a pub quiz. Well guess what… no pub quiz just a bunch of “oh the Americans from Queen’s Gate” getting drunk! When we came back Tuesday night, Sophie made us all crepes – cooking for 10 that’s a lot of crepes!
Wednesday our class had a field trip to Westminister so we all got to sleep in a bit. While we were touring around we saw the Ministry of Defense, the entrance to 10 Downing Street, the Treasury, Churchill’s War Rooms, St. James’s Park, the horse guard, Westminster Abbey, and Westminster. After the tour, Nicole, Andrew, and I went to sit in on the House of Lords and then the House of Commons. The Palace of Westminster is soo pretty and ornate – it looks just like an old church. It is also really dark, which is a stark difference to the white of the US Capitol. Wednesday night, Mal and I went to Imperial with Mike, Marnie, Nika, and Sasha. After 3 snakebites, along with the 3 glasses of wine we had a dinner – we were pretty far gone. But it was nice to really bond with Mal and talk about guy issues. When we got back, Mal, Markey, and I devoured 2 bags of crisps along with some wine. There’s just something about drinking that makes you crave salty and sweet.
Today we had class late, so of course Markey and I both slept in. I managed to get a couple hours of research in before class – which was good in that I don’t have to worry about it tonight. Class was very interesting. We learned about British political parties – their set up is almost completely different that ours in the US. After class Markey and I went grocery shopping because we both basically had no food! After making dinner we decided to just spend the night in like pretty much the rest of our floor. Only Mal and her boyfriend Mark were out – I saw them come back and start making milkshakes. Markey started reading and I watched Desperate Housewives (VPN win!). However, upon the closing the video – we noticed some interesting sounds. That is the reason this update is coming so soon!
Here’s some things to look forward to:
Tomorrow: Interview and London Bridge, also more research will be done – the EU paper research needs to pretty much be done tomorrow! Cocktail bar at night?
Saturday: Fulham v. Portmouth at 3 – aka football all day and partying all night!
Sunday: Laundry! Research on the British youth vote. Other homework. British museum? Planning Spring Break in Barcelona?
Enjoy and to take a page from Larina’s book … Ciao!
Filed under: Economy
Target’s laying off 1,500 workers in the Twin Cities area. Ouch! Hope I still have a job this summer – or not.
Filed under: Life
Zac did a 25 Questions, so I’m going to build off of that and offer 25 interesting things about me that I think you should know because they help explain who and I am why I act the way I do.
1) I am the oldest – with 2 younger brothers. Aaron is one of my best friends. Adam is well Adam – can get a little annoying but is overall a good time. Because I’m the oldest, I am a natural-born leader and explainer. I am also extremely protective of my brothers, so don’t even think about messing around with them.
2) Aaron is also very protective of me – being his older sister and all. If you want to get on my good side, chances are you’ll have to go through Aaron first.
3) I was born in September, so I’m a youngin as compared to the rest of my classmates, never mind the fact that I have junior standing right now (that’ll change in the fall semester though). I may be young, but I am far from immature.
4) Middle school was pure hell for me because of all of the cat fighting that occurred. Because of this, and because of the fact that I changed schools 4 times between elementary school and high school, I have never had very strong friendships – usually they fizzle out after 3-4 years either because of distance or because of a falling out.
5) My high school years were a complete mess – especially if you consider the fact that I just existed through junior year. I don’t remember much of junior except for crying all the time, being extremely stressed out (actually being diagnosed with a stress disorder), eating ice cream all the time from friendlies, becoming a mother to my father and little Adam in order to make our lives seem normal, learning how to drive to the hospital, screaming during rush hour traffic on I-84 east trying to get to the hospital, and becoming obsessed with WebMD. My favorite memories of junior year are the times during midterms, finals, and APs where instead of studying at home, I packed up my books and studied in Aaron’s dark hospital room while he slept and Mom and Dad chatted down the hall in the fish room. If there was any time in my life where I was truly peaceful, that was it – which is surprising considering I was studying for hard tests and my brother could have died at any moment.
6) My family is extremely close – a phenomenon that occurred because Aaron got sick. It was a great thing and being away from them makes me miss them a lot. I love coming home and going out to lunch, just me and Aaron. Or taking Adam to go get ice cream or steal away to a movie just the two of us. Sitting in the car with Dad driving around on errands and talking about politics. Or shopping plus Lenny and Joe’s with Mom, catching up on all of the gossip.
7) I grew up in Windsor, but moved to West Hartford in 6th grade to be closer to school. West Hartford can be pretty pretentious, but it’s my home and I will always love it.
8) I went to Conard High School – the number 1 public high school in CT my senior year. Conard is extremely diverse and all of my teachers were very interesting and loved their jobs – this might be an idealistic point of view. Enrolling in Conard was the best life decision that I’ve ever made – and yes, my parents did leave the decision up to me. It showed me that there is a world beyond girly white upper-middle class life in the suburbs. It introduced me to a wide variety of people and helped shape who I am today.
9) Mrs. Niland (aka Nicole) sparked my interest in politics when I took government over the summer after freshman year so that I could take AP Euro in the fall. I loved when we did model congress – I was chairman of the judiciary committee. Senior year, while taking AP Government, Nicole helped me, Pam, and Elam get jobs with the Courtney for Congress campaign. It was a great intro to campaign life and set me up for helping the Obama for America campaign for over a year and a half.
10) I just finished up working as an intern and a youth liason with the Obama campaign. My strongest memories are doing visibility before the Dartmouth debate on Sept. 26, 2007, standing in the cold doing visibility during GOTV weekend for the NH primary in January 2008, going to the NH equivalent of the JJ dinner in Jan 2008, phonebanking for about 4 months straight almost through the end of primary season, getting that call in July offering me a job as a intern in Indiana and having to turn it down, canvassing twice a weekend, every weekend in October 2008, crying when he won on November 4th, 2008, and watching his inaugural speech from London on January 20th, 2009.
11) President Obama is a great man. I sometimes refer to him as my second father because of all of the help, support, and inspiration he gave all of us working on the campaign – especially during that October conference call. I shook his hand in February 2008 after he came to speak in Boston the night before Super Tuesday. Joe Biden can be considered the grandfather I never had. My idealism in regards to these two men cannot be overstated – I fully intend to hold them accountable on their campaign promises and call them out over indescretions.
12) I love politics. Right now, I am fully involved with British politics – as I am currently in London. It makes me upset that I missed the inauguration and that I am effectively missing Obama’s 100 days. But that is just something to look forward to when I get home.
13) I am an avid reader. The amount of polisci books that I will read over the summer is just too much – but they are so interesting. I am also actively working on my work for distinction research (and have been since Spring 2008) even though I won’t even being to write it until late 2010 or early 2011!
14) My favorite fiction books are by Nicholas Sparks. If you want to understand how I view relationships or why I really love North Carolina, just pick up one of those books – like The Notebook or The Chosen.
15) Another reason I like North Carolina is because that’s where I have my favorite memories of the Spellman family. Aunt Julie and Uncle Joe’s lake cabin is at Lake Lure in North Carolina and my favorite family reunions are there. Finally stood up on my skis this past summer!
16) My mom’s family is completely different than my dad’s, but that’s ok and I’m working on trying to live with each different side. I would definitely say that I’m closer to my mom’s side, even though we really only get together once a year at a family reunion (it’s hard when you have family in Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Connecticut).
17) My family and friends have shown me that there’s nothing better in this world than the people that love you. I have personally gone through enough to know that life is short and you need to make the best of every moment. If you see me constantly laughing or smiling – that’s just me. I have a eternal optimism that takes a lot to tarnish. There is just so much good in this world to walk around with a frown.
18) Don’t get me wrong, when I’m sad or angry, you will know. I can be down, I can be mad at people, I can dislike people, I can be mad at situations, etc. But normally, my glass is always half-full if not overflowing. A bad situation can always turn good, even in a matter of seconds. It’s important to remember to keep your head up and “if in the end you are still upset, know that it is not the end.”
19) My optimism translates into idealism when it comes to how I view the world. I am a grounded person by nature, that’s what I get for having a Type 1 personality and OCD, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t dream and hope for the best.
20) From a politics point of view, I am a mix of idealism and realism. Things may look bad now, but the world has always been through crises like this. In order for the world to become better people need to stand up for those who have fallen. The poor need to be helped back onto their feet. Children need to be given the correct care and education to make them ready to take over the reigns of power. Politicians need to work hard for the average person. We need to take care of the world that we’re living in. We need to stay at peace with our neighbors and help ensure peace throughout the world through diplomatic efforts. It’s idealistic, but it can happen with dedication and hope.
21) From a relationships point of view, my idealism translates into hopeless romanticism. This is a product of Nicholas Sparks book and the way that I have been treated by the people that I love (or used to love). When you get a dozen roses as a way of asking for a first date, not even a relationship, the people that come after have a lot to live up to. I am also good friends with all of my ex-boyfriends. It is important to me that we be friends first and then be in a relationship second.
22) From a friendship point of view, my idealism means that I will trust you to a certain extent until you betray my trust or show that you truly are a good friend. I will listen to your problems and offer advice, even if you fail to reciprocate. There is nothing that interests me more than helping out those that I love with their problems. I will always be here for you, at any moment in time, day or night, if you should ever run into a problem and need some help or advice.
23) School is always something that me and my friends seem to need advice on. For me, I am currently a Sophomore at BU. I will finish up my BA and being my MA in political science next fall. When I graduate in May 2011, I plan on heading to law school to get my joint Masters of Public Policy or Masters of Public Administration and JD in Constitutional or Family Law. It’s ambitious and it means that I’ll be in school for another 6 years at this point, but I love learning, so it should just be an adventure.
24) When I graduate from law school, I do not actually plan on practicing law in the average sense. I would much rather write policy – that means working for a non-profit or an interest group. Should I go the policy route I would like to work on youth policy, welfare policy, voting policy, or developmental policy. If I decide to go for my Masters of Public Administration, my ideal job would be a Chief of Staff to a top politician. I am extremely organized and would have interesting ideas on policy ideals and preferences. I also need to live in a city when I “grow up” so my job needs to be located in the city – preferably D.C., but Boston, Chicago, SanFran, or Charlotte would also be okay.
25) While I do want to be successful in whatever job I have in the future, once married, my top priority will be my family. My mother says I shouldn’t marry for another 10 years – so I can finish school and be well placed in a job with my loans paid off – that would put me at 29 and it seems a little too old for me, but at this point, I don’t exactly want to be married! The early 20s are a time to have fun! However, once I am married, I do want a large family. Having a large extended family has been amazing for me and I know that my mom enjoyed growing up in a large family. Plus, I love kids – as evidenced by the amount of babysitting I have done and the strong connection I have with some of the kids that I have basically raised (Bella, Trey, CeCe, Ellie, John, Anna, Brian, Matty, Toby, Mackey, Grace, Jack, Alex…). Something to look forward when I get married are children!
I hope you enjoyed learning more about my life, I certainly enjoyed writing it all out – plus it really helped me get my mind off of some issues that are bringing me down right now and that I really don’t know exactly what to do with. Cheers!
Filed under: Life
According to Leslie Jones
- The Ho
- The Drunk
- The Driver
- The Bitch that Don’t Like Shit
Think about how you would fit into this situation…
Filed under: London
Alice: So I’m walking down the street and some guy comes right up to my face and yells, “Gorgeous!”
* Laughter *
Mallory: It must be mating season!
—
Prof. Cousins: The English don’t get excited or enthusiastic like you Americans. When we say something like “It’s alright,” it means we’re enthusiastic. ”It’s fine,” means we hate it.
—
Aussie 1: Where’s my flag? Where’s my flag?
—
Aussie 1: Do you know where Tasmania is?
Amy: No, Americans are bad at geography.
Aussie 2: Here I’ll show you. *Grabs her hand*
Amy: Umm, no. Ask Marnie.
Aussie 1: Do you know where Tasmania is?
Marnie: Nooo.
Aussie 2: We’ll show you. *Grabs her hand*
Marnie: Oh I see!
* Laughter *
—
Aussie 1: I play Australian football.
Amy: No you don’t!
Aussie 1: Yes I do.
Amy: Oh yeah and your parents are convicts.
Aussie 1: How did you know?
—
Aussie 1: He’s gay (pointing to Aussie 2)
Tulsi: You’re gay?
Aussie 2: No!
Tulsi: Yes you are! You’re wearing a pink shirt and you just sang and danced to Womanizer!
Aussie 2: No, I’m not!
Filed under: State Politics
Imagine my surprise as HuffPuff reports that Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez is being charged with bribery in regards to the $20,000 home renovation he had done while the contractor was working on contracts within the city of Hartford.
Here’s what the Courant says:
State criminal investigators have circled Perez since early 2007, seeking documents and secret testimony on issues ranging from the city’s nearly $1 billion school construction project to parking lot deals for an aging North End politician. In October 2007, the state formed an investigatory grand jury to probe allegations of political corruption in the mayor’s administration.
In an interview in the office of his attorney, Hubert J. Santos, on Monday, Perez said the state’s case against him appears to be related to the roughly $20,000 he paid city contractor Carlos Costa for a new kitchen counter and a renovated bathroom with two sinks, a whirlpool tub and a steam shower.
Costa, who has done millions in work for the city on a troubled and long-overdue streetscape project, was arrested Monday and charged with bribery, fabricating evidence and conspiracy to fabricate evidence, according to his lawyer, William Gerace. Gerace said Costa is charged in connection with Perez’s home renovations.
Filed under: London
Cheers! – Ok, if you haven’t already realized by now, cheers can be used as “cheers” the way we use it in the States, and as “Hello,” “Goodbye,” “Thanks,” “Yeah,” and “Okay.”
Saturday Markey finally woke up. We headed out to the Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill. A place that is usually only 3 stops away on the Circle Line of the Tube was now a 45 minute Tube ride away because construction on the tracks closed both the Circle and the District lines. Let’s just say the Tube was a little packed. The Market was soo much fun! There were tons of people, great smelling foods, cute clothes (except for that same dress we kept seeing over and over and over again!), good deals, and cool antiques. We just took time to soak it all in. The best part was went the Jackson 5 started playing over the intercom and everyone started dancing in the middle of the road! After shopping the whole afternoon – and yes, it would take the whole afternoon because the street is so long – Markey and I headed off to the 2nd pub in our triple of favorite pubs in Notting Hill. We ate chilli (her) and fish and chips (me) along with our pints in the back Beer Garden under a heat lamp. The bartender recommended that I get Fruli – a strawberry flavored Belgian beer. It was really good, but as the guy next to the bar warned us – “Don’t drink it too fast or else you’ll be stripping and climbing on the bar naked.” Thankfully, I know my limit! After Notting Hill, we came back and met up with everyone else. Tulsi, Marnie, Vanessa, and I then went off to Imperial for a few pints. Vanessa ended up getting some cute Brits’s number – of course the Paris girl would do that! In the drungry state that we were when we got back – I ended up making stir fry for about 9 people! Fun times – don’t worry, nothing got spilled!
Sunday we slept – until like 1 pm! It was soo nice and relaxing! After getting up, I ventured down to Sainsbury’s to pick up the necessities for the week – bread, bananas, pesto, pasta, fizzy orange drink, crisps, etc. Did some homework, or at least tried to. Markey and I made pesto chicken for dinner again – soo delicious, especially with our new favorite Aussie wine! The night entailed more homework – I had reading and a research proposal! That was followed by tons of iChats and Skyping – parentals and really good friends! Overall, it was a very relaxing day.
Monday we had class 10:30-2:30 – kill me now! Our professor announced at the end that we had another research proposal due tomorrow (i.e. today)! After class I went for a 10k (that’s a little over 6 miles) run in Hyde Park. I mostly stayed around the edges of the park and enjoyed the scenery of the city buildings – next time I’ll do sprints in the middle of the park by all of the gardens. But let’s just say, today, my legs are killing me! After more homework and dinner (pesto pasta), Marnie, Tulsi, and I headed out to the Walkabout for Australia Day. It was really fun – although we know now we have to pregame before going out! We hung out with three Aussie boys – 2 footballers – Bruce and idk – on summer vacation (remember- Southern hemisphere) and another guy – Christian – who just moved here. Watching Bruce sing and dance along to Womanizer was hilarious! When idk lost his Australia map and went looking for it – “Have you seen my map? Do you have my map?” – we all almost died. Marnie ended up getting Christian’s number and they’re going to get lunch! Yay Marnie!
Today I have class in t-minus 20 minutes. Then I’m probably going to lie low and get some work done before pub quiz night at Imperial! Another 50 quid is heading our way!
Tomorrow, I have class again but we’re going to Westminister for a tour – can you tell the politics nerd in me?? Tomorrow night is rugby night at Imperial so we’ll probably stop by and get some cheap drinks.
Thursday we have more class. Then we’re hopefully going to go see Les Mis down at Covent Garden. Or we’ll just go to Covent Garden and hang out.
And Friday is interview day – yikes! – for my internship.
Filed under: London
It was Sunday yesterday so it was Skype Chat night with the parentals and the brothers back home in West Hartford, CT.
Here are some interesting things from our conversation:
Mom – feeling better but her car is still in the shop from last week when some guy hit her. Her new car!!
Dad – working hard on taxes and Little League registration. The best thing about having an accountant as father is the fact that you know that your taxes will get done even when you’re abroad in England!
Aaron – got into Bentley with half-tuition!!! He knows I want him to go to a Boston school – Bentley and NEU are in, but there’s not quite enough money in either of those pots; we’re still waiting on BU and Tufts. He starts midterms this week – good luck! He’s feeling better – had a really bad cold this past week. Thank god – three years out and stuff like that still worries me like hell. Can you believe that three years ago I was in Italy reading CaringBridge posts about how he was seizing for hours on end. Such a long way away! Aaron’s also possibly going to start babysitting for Maeve and Caroline on the weekdays – those are my baby girls, Aaron, be careful!
Adam – our little 8th grader is living it up in West Hartford with his Duffy posse. His basketball team won (I know, shock!) and he even played for a decent amount of time! Adam also made some big money this weekend walking dogs – keeping up the A&A tradition I see!
That’s my family in a nutshell… a London update will follow later in the week!
