ten thousand maniacs.

Talk about the ultimate lazy day.

Gosh. Can I just say how much I LOVE laying around all day with nothing to do? Well, I love it a lot. It doesn't happen to me very often. I feel so sluggish today. Get this, people; I slept in until 10:30 am! That is like..amazing. I was knocked out. This morning I bummed around and played some hardcore drifties (fading in and out of sleep; basically avoiding waking up). I made a mediocre lunch around noon and decided that I needed to get out and enjoy this wonderful weather that we have been graced with. You wanted a steady breeze, folks, you got it! I took an hour long walk around my neighborhood and loved it. I felt so much more tired when I reached the homefront, but it was all good because I could go home and nap and do whatever I wanted. Plus, I need physical activity in my day and not having much these past days has been wearing me thin. So I went home after my walk and drifted off for two hours. Earlier in the day I had asked my mom to get me some tomato soup and all the fix-ins for Grilled Ham and cheese. I never have ham with the grilled cheese, but once in awhile I go a little nuts and add the ham.

I am now sitting watching shitty E! news specials and listening to Ray Lamontagne. If you haven't heard him, you should check him out. My grandpa told me about him years ago. I really like him and always go back to listening to him. My God. I would love to see him live. HEY NATALIE MERCHANT (that's technically 10,000 maniacs, but whatever), THOM YORKE, AND RAY LAMONTAGNE!? HELLO! I have just set up the dream tour '09!..or '10. I can be patient...

So-- A very cool thing happened today! I got a call from Melissa, my old manager at Jamba. I am so glad we have still kept in touch, but anywho she asked me my opinion for a musical selection for her wedding. I was so excited! I love putting music to occasion! I think of it as one big movie scene and what would be most appealing and what would hit what emotions. I sent her 22 songs that I thought would be good for her wedding music. Hopefully it will be something she likes.

I have a long night of nothing ahead of me. I think I will enjoy the pure laziness while it is here. I am kind of worried of how tired I am and how out of it that I am. Have a great night, drink lots of water, stretch, and sleep well.

sincerely,

tessabee.

"review the press & tell it like it is, your life is hype, your love is hype."

I have no clue what this post is going to say or be about.

This weekend was a whirlwind. I had work on Thursday and Friday and got out at 7:45pm both nights. This huge change in schedule is still so unusual for me. I am really glad that I get to enjoy my summer nights though. Both Thursday and Friday I hung out with Meredith and her friend/roommate Stephanie. We had a really good time and it was fun hanging out with them because I never see Meredith that much anymore and it was good to meet someone new. Basically we just smoked hookah both nights and hung out.

Can I just note this amazing weather right now? 25-30 mph winds, blue sky, 82 degrees. Cannot beat that. I wish I could be enjoying it. What a great day for a long long walk :( The sad face is because I have been feeling sick all day. I'm not pushing it. I had the chills last night and felt sick then so I am glad I have nothing to do today and nothing for tomorrow except skating (If I go).

So a few random things to note about the weekend.

1) I starting outlining a week or two ago at my cookie job: I decorated this whole tray on my own! I'm proud because I was so nervous to start outlining orders. I guess I have really learned how much strength to use for what and how to be steady. I love outlining. My favorites are the turtles for SURE. ha ha. The lone turtle on the stick was one I just decorated for fun and ended up giving it to Josh at work. I decorated it and didn't know who to give it to. I called Jamba to see who was working and Josh was convincing me to come in and visit. So I decided he deserved the cookie. I wrote his name on it and dropped it off at work. I think he was pleasantly suprised :)

2) Other big exciting news!: I'm seeing PHISH again in August! I am so excited! I fell in love with this band even more after I saw them about a week ago at Deer Creek. Clarissa confirmed she got the tickets today :)

3) I have to go get more barrettes to bead!

4) I saw Transformers 1 on Wednesday...I know. I'm behind.

5) Did anyone else have Mrs. Grass soup when you were kids? I haven't had it in years..and now that I'm sick, I am thinking tonight might be the perfect night to have some.

6) I had Spaghetti-o's & Meatballs the other night in the shape of Disney princesses. No regrets.

Okay. Well that is all I've got in me. I am very tired, I have an un-read Vogue sitting next to me that wants to be read. Have a good day. Go outside and enjoy this sunny Sunday for me!

-Tessabeebop.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEREDITH!

YAY! It's Meredith's 22nd birthday!

Already to Wednesday. One of my days off from work. I guess you can say it was well spent. These past two days have been pretty good. Let's go!

Yesterday (Tuesday): This was my first day of ballet class in 13 years! How exciting! I've been so into it for the past two-three years. I just love the whole movement and the amount of strength it takes. I also like to dance to unconventional "ballet music". I like things that exude strength, beauty, and grace; so ballet and figure skating are where it's at. Anyways, the class went really well. It was at the rink I skate at so it's aimed at figure skating as well. I'm definately the oldest one in there...by quite a few years. That's okay. It's sort of funny.

After ballet class, I went straight to work at cookies. I loved it! We got out so early too (7:30!) I cannot believe I actually got to see the sun after getting off work. Normally it's time for the birds to start thinking about their morning chirps by the time we get out of there. So after work I headed over to Clarissa's house and we just hung around for a bit. Matthew met us there where I got a sudden, overwhelming craving for Chipotle. I swear to god they put cocaine in EVERYTHING there because it seems like everyone is addicted. I got three delicious little tacos and donated one to Matthews hungry stomach. We went back to my place and watched Weeds and called it a night.

Today (Wednesday): It has been going well. Got up today, layed around in bed watching Emeril and catching my forecasts for the day. I went to skating for an hour. I did a low freestyle for an hour, came home and got ready, and did a bunch of errands. The errands resulted in me purchasing a pack of large purple hangers (SCORE!), Transformers (I have not seen it yet), new sunglasses, a small notebook, and some eye cream. I am pretty excited about these things! I am looking forward to a nice Italian dinner tonight at home. Capellini! It is my favorite kind of pasta. My mom also is using the homemade gravy. When I say gravy, remember that I am Italian..ha ha. It's most offen called pasta "sauce". So no worries, I am not eating spaghetti with the same kind of gravy you would use on biscuits or the other kind you would put over dumplings and pork. However, my mom forgot to get the pasta so I am going to have to make a jewel run. I am not sure what is on the agenda for tonight; that is not a bad thing, I suppose! Enjoy the night!

Check out the band Phoenix on Pandora! They are great and it's a great station!

-Tessa Erin.

"..race and never waste the day"

So. Today is Monday. In two minutes it will be Tuesday. Hm.

Today went well. I woke up at the grand hour of 6:15 (I actually woke up 1 second before my alarm went off) and I opened Jamba Juice. The good news here is that I worked with Ambre and we are pretty crazy so shifts are fun and very spontaneous. I only worked until eleven and after my shift I headed over to the rink. Today it was interesting because I did freestyle skates. I never ever do these. First off, they are most likely all competitive skaters who know what they are doing. So unlike public skates, I have the advantage of knowing my edges and I'm aware of others and other are aware of me. On freestyle, everyone has that skill, so everyone is just all over the place jumping and spinning and getting lessons. I don't really like it. Sometimes, it makes me nervous as hell to be on freestyle. Sometimes I look around and wonder what is happening to the sport. Quality seems to be barely there and the lack in emotions in their skating. Ay yay yay! However, it was a decent skate. I cannot be too disappointed. I have not been on the ice in a week and underwent a long weekend of camping and laziness. I cannot go in expecting to be my best, but it was satisfying overall.

I came home from skating and went to lunch with Ambre at Noodles. I was craving a greek salad and it was the only place I could think of in a 4 mile radius where I could get a cheap fix. I went home and just hung around and filled time until 7:30 where Matthew picked me up for dinner. We went to Stir Crazy. We go here every so often. Most of the staff knows who we are including the manager. I enjoy getting a good amount of food for a reasonable price. I also like choosing everything that goes into my meal (they have a market bar). A lot of people that live around here will tell you Mongolian BBQ is the way to go. By the way everyone, that place is god awful. Ugh. I'm not saying Stir Crazy is the best, but Mongo is the worst. Just saying.

After dinner we went to Le Chocolat so I could get my chocolate fix. Matthew tried out the new location for the Gelato place. MAN OH MAN! This place is so good! It's on Jefferson in downtown Naperville. We originally wanted to rent Transformers (I have not seen it yet) to end the night with but they were out so we lucked out with Weeds Season 4! We had no clue it was out yet! We only were able to watch 2 episodes, but I cannot wait to finish it!

I work tomorrow at 2. I havent worked in a week! How odd. I am looking forward to decorating again and getting out some creativity. So....speaking of the weather channel... I have to vent about the new little line up they have going on. For all you non-weather channel watchers, I'll give you the scoop. Stephanie Abrams and Mike Bettes are definately the best two on the channel. They both have high energy and wit. I like that. They were on at 6pm-8pm. Jen Carfagno and Nicole Mitchell were on in the mornings at 6-9am. Paul Goodloe and Alexandra Steele were on from 9pm-12pm. Something like that. I posted once before about the late team acting pretty loosey goosey while they were informing us about the latest conditions...WELL they changed all of this around and I don't really like it. They is, I'm not used to it. Stephanie Abrams and Mike Bettes are now the new morning tag team. The good news about this is that Atleast I will always get to catch them. They are a good energetic team too for wakin up the people. Paul Goodloe and Alexandra Steele are spilt up and Paul is still on late nights but now with Nicole Mitchell, which I do not enjoy, and Alexandra Steele is now on in the afternoon with Jim Cantore. BLAH. I liked to watch wasted weather! Now that the good ol tag team is split up, I'm not sure if 10 pm weather is as fun anymore. ha ha.

Also! I was sent some pics today of the Phish Concert!:

Matthew and I

Gosh! What a great weekend! I am off to bed. I am so tired. Have a wonderful night! Remember to drink tea and water tomorrow! (Atleast one or the other--do your body a favor)

-Tessa

GONE PHiSHING.

Wow! The past few days have been jam packed with a bunch of different events. We shall start off with Wednesday...

My Malta party ended up being really great. Mostly everyone was here by 4:15 and we just socialized and ate, as planned. I really like being around them because they are the only people I know of that have some of the same memories as I do. We all absolutely loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. There is "always that draw of Malta" when deciding where to travel next. I topped the night off with seeing Matthew and meeting his good friend Adam, who I have only been hearing about for two years. It was good to put a face to the name.

Thursday is when it all really started. Anticipating rain, everyone was pretty geared up and prepared. Keep in mind, it was supposed to rain Thursday, Friday, & Saturday. We ended up leaving for camp around 11:50 am and headed to Noblesville, IN. We made a pit stop at the beloved Fair Oaks Farm and got our fixes for some damn good cheese and ice cream. So delicious. It makes all other grilled cheeses a waste of your time. We ended up getting to camp around 3. We found a great spot around some trees and some other established camping sites. We got things set up pretty quickly and started our fire. To our luck, the weather was perfect. Clear skies, sunny, no rain. It was all we could have asked for. The campers were all excited and getting into the groove of camping; listening to music, makin fires, walking around greeting people, the works. It was a good atmosphere. Looking back, it seemed like all we did thursday was have a lot of good laughs and walk to the bathrooms. Or should I say the nasty portable johns lined up across the campsite. It was actually a little muddy in certain areas before we got there so this made it harder as the night progressed. None of us carried out a big urge to sleep so we all pretty much were coherent till 5am. Some of the party opted not to sleep, however, I need a few hours to keep me going. We had two tents, one for John & Brian (a 3-4 person sleeper) and one for my John (my brother), Clarissa, Matthew, and I (which was three rooms). Needless to say, everyone was damn comfortable where they were. We were ultra prepared too, making it all the easier.

On Friday, I woke up around 11. It was nice to get a few hours of shut eye and boy did I sleep well. Everyone was getting excited for Phish, especially since we woke up to clear, sunny skies. How great! We hung out, made a fire for breakfast and made some donuts and eggs on the grill we brought. Good stuff for sure. Oh! We even made coffee! It was like luxury camping ha ha. The doors opened at 6:30 but we got there early- around 4:45pm. There are always a ton of vendors outside the show selling a whole bunch of things. Shirts, food, jewelery, you name it. We strolled through that and poked around until doors opened. Matthew had a meeting back home at 11am the next morning (saturday) so he knew he was going to leave the show at 9:30. So we all get settled and wait for Phish to start jammin. The weather was still really holding up. It was perfect out. A good breeze with a few clouds in the mix. It looked a little messy, but weather patterns are so unpredictable, so something off in the distance doesn't necessarily mean it will effect you. They came on around 8 and played a great set; AC/DC Bag > Limb By Limb > The Moma Dance > Water In The Sky > Split Open and Melt > Lawn Boy > The Wedge > Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan > The Connection > Ocelot > Fluffhead. I was pretty happy with this. They sounded GREAT. The stage effects were great and I got what I expected. I held high standards since, like I said, I enjoy their live stuff the best. I really wanted them to play Weekapaug Groove, The Divided Sky, Golgi Apparatus, Bouncin Round The Room, Character Zero, or a Sweet Jane cover (& many others). But I liked what they played. Their Fluffhead performance was pretty much an encore kind of performance, which was good for what happened next. So I walked Matt out at 9:30 (2 songs before set break) and got re-aquainted in our spot...

At this point, the lightning really started to flare up. Not vertical lightning, horizontal. It was so crazy. People were applauding each time a huge number of bolts made their way across the sky over us. It was really beautiful, but a little threatening looking. Instead of Phish coming out to start playing again, they announce that all people in the lawn area (that would be us) had to go back to their cars because a severe storm was just about to hit us. They also informed us that they would be restarting the show at 11pm. It was expected to move through quickly. We all slowly made our way out to the car (just the people in the lawn, people in pavillion got to stay). We were like cattle trying to make our way through and once we got back to the car, we decided, soaking wet, that we were all really happy with the set we saw and did not want to have to deal with the large mass of people once again. So we played some live Phish in the car and headed out. I am happy with our decision and am so glad I saw them. We oddly enough ended up going to Red Robin for a dinner. Ha Ha. It was SO odd going from a Phish concert to a chain restaurant. The rain ended up taking a pause for an hour or two. As we got back to camp, Brian & John decided to hit the road instead of waiting till morning. Off they went, and then there were three.

I am glad I didn't go with Matthew back home. I was able to help John and Clarissa out with anything in the morning. Once we were all parked and settled in the tent, we heard a few rumbles of thunder. This was followed by some really really bad downpours. The winds were really strong too. I cannot even beleive how hard it was raining. It was terrifying at one point because Clarissa and I literally heard "the train sound". It sounded like a tornado was going through that place. Luckily the rain died down and we were all able to take off our ponchos and relax. We ended the night with a game of war.

This morning /daywas pretty whatever. I slept like a lamb and then got up around 7am helped clean up. Drove home (left around 8:45am) We ended up making decent time and got home around 1. We sat down to eat and hit some traffic. When i got home I hung out with Danielle and we finally caught eachother up on our busy lives, and then I hung out with Matthew. We ended up meeting up with Eric and that was fun. However, I am VERY tired. I need more sleep! Sorry for making the longest post around, just wanted to dish about the concert! What a great weekend! I am so so so glad the weather held off. All we really wanted to do last night was just kind of lay low anyways. I HOPE PHISH COMES AROUND NEXT YEAR!

-Tessabee

mesocyclone. alright.

Why, hello there.

So, originally I was not going to blog, but before I hung up with Matthew he asked "Are you going to blog tonight?" I replied, "Nah, I will tomororw, I do not have anything to write about." But low and behold, I have decided that tomorrow might just too busy to sit down and catch up on the week. Tomorrow is quite the day! These past two days have been nice.

Monday was monday. Opened--atleast it was with Ambre. I like working with her a lot and am so glad she got hired there a few months ago. I went on a long rollerblade after work, went home, showered, went to lunch with Matthew! (Butterfields) You cannot beat that! After I went on a walk with Ambre (funny seeing her twice in one day) and then the day just kind of went along from there. Dinner, hung out with Matthew, the usual. You know how it goes.

Today(Tuesday)--really yesterday: all I did was go on a long morning walk with Ambre and go to work. Work was very productive. Did a lot of glazing along with doing more detail and outlining. It feels much more satisfying to have completed more of a cookie than just filling it in. It seems to go faster if you're outlining and filling in, because you have the color in your hand and can just go from there. Work got out at 12:45ish tonight. Not too bad, although I will have to admit it was way later than I expected. I guess I cannot be too upset because I have the rest of the week off.

The rest of this week brings great things. Great things planned I should say. I cannot put too much into anything. I AM HAVING MY MALTA REUNION PARTY TOMORROW! Wow--you know I mean business when I do all caps. I am so excited. All the people (well, some of the people) I went to Malta with are coming over tomorrow night for a few hours to eat, drink, socialize and spill our memories of the fantastic little country. I love those people so it will be a really nice time tomorrow.

However, I have other big news! SEEING PHISH ON FRIDAY! This is a great crowd we have put together. Matthew, myself, My brother (John), My sister-in-law (Clarissa), Brian, and some people my brother knows. It is supposed to rain, but hopefully it will stay clear of us. I am really excited. I love Phish live, they are so great, so it will be great just to hear them and watch them play their music before our eyes. That's such a satisfying feeling. We are also going to camp at an onsite area. I've only been counting a handful of times, but I am expecting this to be the best. I really just hope weather is tolerable. It would be crummy to have some bad storms hit the area. We come back Saturday. It will be SO nice to get out of here. Sometimes I feel so trapped in suburbia. I hate that. Especially in the summer. I'm outdoors alot, but I'm always doing the same stuff. I want new terrain. ANNYYWAYSS. Matthew and I have to drive seperately down to the camp but we plan on stopping at Fair Oaks Farm on the way for an even settlement. I LOVE that place! GRILLED CHEESE LIKE WHATTTTT!?! My mouth is literally watering for a FOR grilled cheese sammer! It's a great place in Indiana. You all must go.

Well, I am very tired and have a longggg day ahead of me tomorrow. Getting my liscenced renewed tomorrow in the A.M. I hope you are all enjoying sleep right now! Don't forget to stretch and drink lots of water!

-Tessabee

It's just a shot away.

We are wrapping up a weekend and I'm sad to see it go. It was jam-packed. Maybe too jam-packed. However, it was a good time. I just wish I wasn't so tired through the whole thing.

Like I said, I did a lot. On Friday, I slept in a little bit and took it easy. I didn't work out. Instead I headed over to my brothers house, dropped off his cookie bouquet (which he liked) , I went to Target, and then headed to Chipotle to get lunch for my bro and I. It was fantastic. When I crave Chipotle, I REALLY crave it, so it's always nice to satisfy that. I went off to work at 2 and got off at 12:30. I then went home where I got up at 6:25 am on Saturday and went to Jamba where it poured for the majority of my shift. I left there at 10:30 and ran an errand with Matthew. After I arrived home around 12, I met up with Danielle and we went to Quiznos for lunch. I NEVER eat at Subway or Quiznos, and I have eaten at both in the past week. Go figure. It always makes me feel like shit, but despite knowing this, it always goes down so nicely. I never actually get sick, but I mind as well with how crappy it makes me feel. I have sworn off awful fast food sandwich (and mostly all other fast food chains. For good.) Ick.

After I ate there, I hung out with my neighbor, Jordan for a bit. We don't hang out too often, but once in awhile we both sit down and just chat. Mostly about the old times and old neighbors and current neighbors. It's nice to have someone that you've known for a long time and knows your surroundings just as well. I love showing off my 3-D chalk too. It blows peoples minds. That is a great 15 minute amusement. But it is a great one. After I hung out with him, Julie came over. I met Julie at skating about a year and a 1/2 ago. She's fourteen, but we have gone through so many similiar things already (competitive skating world and all it goes along with). It's a oldersister/youngersister relationship for sure and I like that because learning goes both ways. She ended up going to dinner with Matthew and I. We went to Greek Islands. It was an incredible dinner--as always. Everyone enjoyed their meal. It was fun to take her out with us. We got all dressed up so that was fun. We dropped Julie off after dinner and headed over to pick Meredith up where we made s'mores and had a bit to drink. Later in the night Matthew and I hung out and watched a pretty good South Park (Make Love, Not Warcraft). We called it quits because I was beat for sure.

Sleep was pleasant. But landscapers at 9:30 on a Sunday? Really?? I was annoyed, but I layed with my eyes closed till 11:22 am. Danielle came by at 12 and we rollerbladed until 1:15. I'm glad I atleast got a workout because all I did was make s'more after s'more in the microwave ha ha. It's amusing and works quite well! I ate some healthy things today, but man did I indulge. THEY WERE EXCELLENT though. I haven't had s'mores (except for last night) in a long long time. It's always nice to have s'more of a s'more... right?

"CHEF ROSS, YOU'VE BEEN CHOPPED." sorry. I love when Ted Allen tells someone they are chopped. I am watching it now. I have been watching the Food Network almost all day today. I want to bake something really soon. It's been too long. I used to cook for my weather class. I miss them. I miss how emotional we all were about that class. I believe everyone had a good cry about that class. Ha ha. Man, oh man. I am so glad that is over.

I open Jamba tomorrow. Getting up early. That is okay though. I am going skating tomorrow and I hope like last Monday, that it is a great skate. I always do better at the start of the week because my body is more well rested. I have to nap tomorrow though. I need sleep. I want to be in bed by 11 tonight. I am glad I was actually able to incorporate my long, exhausting weekend into a few paragraphs, but I am glad that I did. So random tangent. You know what I was thinking today? I was watching a little bit of E! and they were talking about celebrity mothers who have had Post-Partum Depression and how they came public about it. Some of these women (including Brooke Shields & Gwyneth Paltrow) go really public saying things such as wanting to "throw her baby out the window." I understand the kind of depression that can follow, it just sucks that it is so public because when they [their children] get older, they (and everyone else) will know that they caused their mother great distress. Kind of a bummer, huh?

Off to bed. Thank goodness. I think I will read a few pages of Slaughterhouse-Five and get my 7 hours.

-tessa

laugh out loud.

My. God. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

The time now you ask? Why, it's 2:53 am. What time did I get off of work? 2:15am. A LONG DAY. I am not complaining, because the fact that the only thing I have left to remember the shift by is the phat cash I made while working the 12 hour and twenty minutes. There were many moments of frustration by everyone, but in the end, I have to say that everyone deals with it well. We all have our meltdown moments but in the long run we all care about each other and respect what the other person has to offer. Poor little girls (and one boy) in bakeries till the wee hours once again.

Earlier in the day I received a lesson. I was very, very inept. I didn't hit anything. I knew that having such a fantastic skate on Monday and pretty good ones Tuesday and Wednesday would have its repercussions. I am not going skating tomorrow. No way in hell. But I wasn't planning on it anyways, but the god awful skate today also is a big factor in that very decision. Tomorrow, you will find me in bed past 9:50 am. This is major sleeping in. I prefer to be up and about earlier to get more done, but I could lay in bed till the later part of the morning if allocated. It is, though, a late night tonight and I should get some rest because I know tomorrow will be another long night at the cookie shop. I hate not being able to have any physical activity planned for tomorrow. I suppose I burn sick amounts of what I like to call "mental calories"--you know, burning just from concentrating and studying. Also known as "Brain food". Sure, I'll go with that. I also do a bit of running around, especially near the end of the shift. But the longer I can go without a break [to get food/eat a big dinner], the more efficient things will be. Call me Frederick Taylor, but I love efficiency! Therefore, I have to sacrifice a workout because I don't want to be super hungry every three hours. More physical exertion = faster metabolism = more frequent hunger = no bueno!

I have a few errands to run in the morning and have work at two. I can tell you one thing for certain; Chipotle will be in my life tomorrow. IT WILL BE, PEOPLE! I neeeeeed a burrito accompanied by a side of chips! Man, oh, man! I need big meals before work. As you read, the shifts are long and I need my energy, damnit.

I am Tired. You know when I mean business when I go and start throwing capital letters in the middle of sentences. GOODNIGHT! Don't forget to bring your 50.7 water bottle to work/class/social gatherings!

Hello, my name is: Asset.

Good Afternoon!

I delayed blogging until today. I had a good day yesterday, but nothing really over the top. Therefore, I waited until I felt creative enough to start my blog endeavor. THAT TIME IS NOW!

Today I skated. It was a longer day to skate. I love Wednesdays for that reason. I was really happy with it. Axels, Sals, and EVEN DOUBLE TOES were landed. I even got bold and did some double loops. All which were landed only then to fall. I'm just glad that I tried them. The responsible side of me took over and I headed over to C.O.D to register for my fall term. My last term at the community college. For now. Maybe I'll do some culinary up that way later on. I went there with 3 classes that I wanted. They all go together so well. I got what I wanted and got lucky with the others. I could be like everyone else and take a few simple art classes and film classes to knock out these credits. Screw that. I'd rather do something more engrossing, something that provokes conversation and provides me with knowledge I'll use later on. This is kind of why I took that Severe & Unusual weather over there when I didn't need the science. I kind of got kicked in the ass with that one, but it was worth it. So needless to say, I'll be starting my M/W/F off at 9 am in the autumn months. Kicking it off with Cultural Geography, Business Math, History (starting from 1945), Nutrition for food professionals (only once a week), and Ethics! Best part?! M/W I am out by one! It's miraculous. Kind of sucks because I only get two days to skate, but that is okay. It will only be temp, and come Winter break I will get to skate every day.

I am releived that I got those classes scheduled and done with. To make my mom happy, I'm finally going to try and order my books online. She has been telling me to do this, but I never do. I will. My fingers hurt from decorating. They have been bothering me lately. I shall soak 'em in ice water later (best way!) Tonight I'm going out with matthew. I am looking forward to it, mostly because I do not know what we are doing. It's fun when we just go with it.

I have taken some random pictures over the past few days. I thought I'd share and explain:

This little fishy is my background on my phone. He is adorable. He looks so curious and puzzled. It's kind of the look I get on my face when someone asks me a math problem.

On this napkin you see a game of hangman, minus all the rules in hangman (aka you guess a letter and it's not there, it doesn't matter, you just keep guessing). Matthew and I like to do this when we are waiting for a meal or a drink. Most of the time, I'm the one coming up with the most off the wall phrases or sentences for him to guess. Like the one below. I mispelled poodles. Hangman is a tough one because you find yourself forgetting a space or adding one. It always ends up more funny that way though.

To some, this hair craze went out with they were 12 and no longer own scrunchies. BOY DO I FEEL BAD FOR YOU! I love these things. This is what was in my hair today to hold up my landmass of it. They make me feel like I was nine and competing and they are everything girly. Which I do enjoy.

My beloved frosting tower! How I love you so! So, at work we have saran wrap that we have next to us to get the first pump of frosting out. I go all out. I love gathering my frosting in odd ways or making large and tall towers sometimes even with bridges. I then like to boast to everyone else that my tower "trumps" theirs. It's always a good laugh. This one was a good one, but since this I have done better. I know--the whole thing is very odd.

Welp. I really have nothing else for you. I hope you have consumed atleast 60 oz of water today or more. I am off to shower! Enjoy the night!

Tessa.

singing what I'm saying.

WOW! I have to say, after the really good day I had today, I'm worried what tomorrow will bring. One good, one bad. It's all a balance. So, here goes the day!

This morning I got up at 6:15, got ready, and scooted off to work. A short shift, leaving even earlier than anticpated (10am). ha ha! What a joke. However, I am not complaining. I went skating directly after and I could not be happier that I did. It was one of the best skates of my life in the technical department. My jumps were so spot on. It scares me for tomorrow's skate (again with the balance of performance). I have been working a lot more on centering spins differently and am able to muster a different position in the air than usual. I landed my double toe today! Ugh, what a weak sauce accomplishment. I mean, a double toe is really nothing and I was aware of that when I had it consistantly a year ago. I lost the jump completely and have not landed A SINGLE ONE in about 5-7 months. It disappointed me beyond belief. Today I landed it like it was nothing and was able to do them one right after another coming down with a great ease. Wow, I just totally sounded like Dick Button. ha ha. That man is a commentary wizard for the sport. Sometimes his comments are so damned tacky. It's all good though, no hate. True fact about the man. My former coach and the former Doris Bodmer was actually friends with him. She was from Switzerland and always had such wise things to say that I couldn't fully understand because I was 8. It was like back in the day when my family used to watch "Roseanne" (such a hilarious show--white trash, but fabulous) and so many comments go over your head. When I watch it now, it's hilarious because you pick up on everything. Ah, advantage to growing older!

Talk about tangents. Really though, that was all that I did that was productive. Work and skate. When skating was over, I met up and I had lunch with Matthew at Butterfields. After that, I had to come home and grab a cat nap. When I say catnap I mean a solid 2 1/2 hour nap. It was delightful and necessary. I went out with Matthew at 7:45, we hit up Red Mango, the hookah bar for a bit, and then headed over to The Hilton so I could actually eat a dinner instead of real frozen yogurt. The mango brie quesadillas were quite delectable tonight! Speaking of tonight, let's talk about the unstable weather that we did not get. This really pisses me off. The fact that meteorologists have to go through all this bullshit (all math and science courses) to get their degree and they hold so much knowledge in their field and their accuracy is sometimes (mostly) so awful. It was supposed to Thunderstorm "all weekend". We barely got drops of rain when we were supposed to. Of course, weather is a constanly evolving chain of events and can change in the drop of a hat due to a simple front. It is just a let down when I'm looking forward to a grand storm. One funny thing about the weather channel, is that if you watch it past 11pm, the anchors seem loaded. It is hilarious to watch. They get so loopy. Alexandria Steele and Paul Goodloe are the hosts. So if you want to know your weather for tomorrow, watch channel 57 (for all you chicagoland comcast users) past 11pm.

Man, oh man. Last year this day I'd be heading back from Germany and my Malta field study would be complete. How sad to think about.

My goodness. Even though I got a little shut eye today, I'm so wiped out. I have felt thirsty all day today despite drinking quite a bit of water. Tomorrow I work at cookies. I like working there on Tuesday because it gives me Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to heal my hand. Also, by that time I really miss it and want to get some sort of creative edge going. I love developing a technique with decorating. Anywho, even though it is only 12:45, I can hear my bed serenading me to hop in and drift off to sleep. So I shall.

Have a fabulous night America. I hope you get your 8 hours of sleep!

Good morning Europe! Hope the day will go well for you! (6:45 am there)

Don't forget to stay hydrated! (stock up on TEA & water!)

; tessa

Weddings Albanian style

**see bottom** 

EDIT!

(since I posted this this morning, I have decided that this post is not complete. I forgot a picture and wanted to talk about something exciting!)

A lazy Sunday afternoon--good stuff. I just threw in the movie "Clerks" and I have fantastic plans for this afternoon. I'm going to my brother's later. I cannot believe that Phish is coming up so soon! The $150 shell out is a bit extreme, but it should be worth it and it's going to be quite excited to see such a talented band. 

Yesterday went well. Went to the farmers market in the morning with Clarissa. I got some strawberries, apricots, and some cheddar/raspberry cheese. Then we got the usual scones and got cinnamon buns from this awesome vendor there. We had quite the breakfast. Danielle came over around 12:30 and we went to the mall. I ended up finding a great outfit for the wedding. We hung out till about 5:30 when Matthew came to pick me up for The wedding. It was a big wedding. 500-600 people. The hotel was really nice! Mostly everyone except for our table of 9 (compared to the normal 10 table setting) was Albanian. It was really unique. I haven't been to something like that. I loved the music. Very ethnic and the dancing was different too. Every holds hands and goes around in a huge circle (I got this on video to share) and it was funny because almost everyone in the wedding was a part of it, so eventually we did it too. Our table was really fun. Everyone was different ages, but everyone really got along. What amused us the most was how they were throwing money around. It littered the floor by the time we left. We made some friends out of the night. Needless to say-- I am exhausted. We left the wedding around 1 I believe. I didn't get much sleep. I should prooobbbably take a cat nap!

Some videos and pictures from the wedding!

The videos audio is fuzzy. The music was great but it was just REALLY loud. You get the idea.

**EDIT:

The money shot! ha ha!

So onto my exciting news! My mom purchased 3D chalk for me! I am so excited! Danielle and I used it yesterday and it is really just the coolest thing ever. Some of the colors stand out and some are supposed to accent the pop out colors. Hop scotch is crazy with this stuff! I HIGHLY recommend getting some ASAP!

Gosh I have an early morning tomorrow.  Really sucks, but it is only a few hours. I work a lot of hours during the week when it comes down to it, but it never feels like it. I open Jamba tomorrow. It should be okay. I am going skating right after. That will be good. Then it is always nice to have a weeknight off to just relax. I really am enjoying my summer work hours. They work well for me. I am trying to get my schedule for school into place. I like school but I hate it. When I get A's it makes me feel damn productive and worthy. I just hate the fact that I am still just at C.O.D and still have nothing to show for that mediocre....accomplishment? It is really irritating. I feel like I have dabbled in a lot here. I'm glad I stayed home, but I feel I get discredited when I tell people.."Yep...still at C.O.D.." I don't like it, but hey, whatever.

I AM TIRED, PEOPLE!

-

tessabeebop

blackbird singing in the dead of night.

TOO FUNNY; watch this clip

What long days lately! Not a bad thing, just a fact. My lesson went very well on Thursday. New spin concept. I enjoyed it and got it down pretty well. Things are coming along. I'm happy. Work got out at 2 am that night! No one thinks that when they are ordering these cookies for friends and loved ones that there are girls in bakeries till the wee hours decorating them. We all love our jobs, it just gets to a point where your focus, hand strength, and motivation start to dwindle. It was good money though and we had some really good laughs. Boy, oh boy! Even though work got out so late, it was almost completely worth it for the fact that I saw this fantastic infomercial (they do exist!) It was about music videos--the best of our times. Mostly 80's smash hits and one hit wonders. Needless to say, it was phenomenal to hear amazing songs by great artists (Ah Ha, Gloria Estefan, Huey Lewis and The News, Phil Collins...etc) and you were able to see their music videos. It just kept showing clips of great videos and playing great music. What else is better when you're complacent in bed after a long night? NOTHING. Basically the commercial was pitching a set of DVDs with all these music videos that defined "our time" being the eighties and ninties I suppose. It is restored with interviews and behind the scenes making of. I totally want it. They call it "The Music Video Experience" ha ha. I think it's be the perfect thing to have on. Speaking of all this music video business, I must say that I am thoroughly disappointed that there is no channel devoted to music anymore. MTV, the former leader in bringing the artistry of music to the masses has taken America to the lives where pure stupidity resides. Shows like "The Hills" and whatever else shit they play is not enjoyable or enlightening. There was this channel that I watched every chance I got when I was a kid. Channel 107 "The Box". 24 hours of music videos. It was amazing. They cancelled it, moved it's accessability to the UK & Ireland. I still miss it even though that was about 12 years ago. Oh, how sad. Dear American cable companies; Please bring back the box.

Today, due to me drifting off so late, I wanted to get some extra shut eye. Woke up at 11, met Matthew for lunch at Butterfields and reluctantly headed to work. I say that because I just wanted a break. After having only hours off between shifts, it was hard to go back so soon. But I had a great time tonight :) I really like the people I work with. We have the right personalities for one another. Matthew came by after work and we just hung out and listened to Pandora. I am so tired. The weekend hold good things.

Tomorrow morning I'm meeting up with my sister and we are headed to the farmers market! I love going and I'm so glad her and I have similiar interests. She also is going to give me more information about a cookie contest! I'm excited. I'm not sure if I will participate, but I make a mean cookie! ;) Matthew and I are also going to a wedding tomorrow night. I am not sure about the wardrobe situation. I feel clothing is very hard to pick out because it has to go with your mood. They definately effect one another. Its hard to say who wins the battle. Does the outfit create the mood or does the mood create the outfit? Hm. Hopefully I meet up with Danielle tomorrow for a walk or some frisbee!

I must be off to bed! Bonne Nuit!

-tessabeee

talkin only me and you.

Song of the moment: Young Folks

12:34 am! Good Thursday to you all. Thursday holds good things. Lessons and work. Both of which I enjoy very much. These past two days have been good. Nothing out of the ordinary or crazy. I have been very content with each day of summer so far. I hope good things continue to go well, but you just gotta go with the scheme of things. I skated on Tuesday, Wednesday, and I am going today. It's odd that I'm already talking about today as well..today. Because to me it's not the start of morning, it's the end of night. I remember when staying up till 12 seemed SO late to you as a kid. It's funny how that's an early time for me to go to bed these days. Anywho...

Speaking of skating, I had pretty decent skates the past two days. I hope my lesson goes well tomorrow. I just have to get some good rest and eat a fantastic breakfast (which always hapens anyway). Cookies tomorrow at two. I am very excited because on Tuesday I started writing and outlining a few things. I like my steady rate of progression. Big fan. I kind of miss Jamba though and the people and I really just mean the people that work there. I guess that is when it's the best.

Skating video from today. Not the best quality, but it will do.

(notice the fantastic music in the background -Airbag!)

Today was a good day. Very pleased. I woke up, went skating, went to Butterfields with Matthew, went with him to a showing in Westmont, and went to Old Navy and made some great purchases. Old Navy is really just OK. Nothing spectacular. They have simple clothes, safe bets; which is good if you want to look for cardigans or flipflops in every color. I got none other than caridgans and flip flops. Go figure. It was nice to hang out during the day. Normally we are both too busy to hang out during daylight hours, so it was a nice change of pace. We went our ways and I went on a long walk with Danielle and we played some frisbee. I went over to Matthews around 7:15 and hung out and we got Milkshakes at Steak N Shake. I have not have a milkshake in a long long time. It was FANTASTIC. We hung around the hookah bar for a bit before heading back to my house to hang out. I have been so tired these days. I got out of work Tuesday at midnight. I do not mind at all, it's just late and it pushes back my sleep. Oh well, gotta make that paper.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring good things. I found a heads up penny today! You know what that means!

-tessabee

objects of affection.

Bonjour!

Ah, Monday. You can never expect too much, but today really wasn't that bad. In fact, even though I worked at 7:00 am this morning, I still feel like I had a day off. Monday is one of the only days I work at Jamba. I can deal with that. My other job is spoiling me because I don't have to deal with anyone. I had this phenom breakfast planned out only to get spoiled by me setting my alarm at the wrong time. I set it for open time if it were a Saturday (we open 30 mins later). Oh well, needless to say I made it to work on time and had a good shift.  So there are these duckies that come to Jamba (they are quite the couple) and they literally peck on the doors with their beaks.  They live a good life..a mystery life away from the other ducks where they are fed great food. I love these little guys.

Left work at 11 and headed to Trader Joes, got some necessities, and headed home. After my lunch (which was my planned breakfast) Danielle came over and we attempted a Rollerblade even though her wheels were shot to hell. Oh well. We made the adventure to Sports Authority to get her some new ones. I want to get new rollerblades too. I cannot decide between a new bike or new rollerblades... hmmm.

Awesome storm today! I thoroughly enjoyed the downpour. I got invited last night to go storm chasing in NE MO and I didn't go. I really wanted to but it was just too last minute. Some real good storms rolled through there today. It's unfortunate, but there will be other times to chase the unstable!

After Danielle and I hung out, it was a pretty mellow night. I ate dinner with the folks (hardly a common occurance these days) and went out with Matthew. We went to the hookah bar and then to the Hilton. I sent him an emergency text this morning around 10 informing him that the mango brie quesadillas needed to be in my life very soon. My wish was granted as I enjoyed every bite this evening. We met Caz there along with his friend Laura who we had never met. I sipped on water tonight. A good change of pace from the ever so tempting booze that makes conversation that much easier. It was fun though, good to see him again.

I am excited for a new purchase I made today. I was stumbling again today and I came across 100 Must Read Books. Keep in mind...it says this list is for males, however, I think everyone should read these books. I ordered Slaughterhouse Five today. I'm excited. Atlas Shrugged is my next purchase--both are on that list. They all have a brief synopsis :)

Tomorrow I am skating and I have cookies at 2! YAY! If anything, tomorrow will be my earliest night. Thursdays and Fridays usually run a bit later. Matthew and I are attending a wedding on saturday. Topshelflikewhat?! I'm looking forward to it. I always like to bust a move out on the ol' wedding dance floor. It's getting late!

Bonne Nuit!! Enjoy the rain tomorrow! Get crafty! :)

-Tesss uh.