Been there, done that, messed around.

Seriously, this won't get out of my head. I needed a song to pick me up and I've decided this one is it. Hopefully it comes on at Stroblight next Thursday night! That's where I'll be ;]

Haven't Felt Like It

Yes, I did take a vacation from blogging. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with work and my homework load, but when I'd have a minute to write, I didn't want to say anything in particular.

Life as a freshman is winding down. Four more weeks of being here, four weeks with Lauren (my roommate) who I will definitely miss living with next year, and it's all done and gone.

This weekend was supposed to be one of excitement since I was taking My Twins (Lauren and Cooper) to Disneyland's Club 33. We couldn't make it after all, but we WILL make it happen.

Spring Break was not exactly what I had expected, but I still had a lot of fun. I paid a visit to the Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage area with the Najarian's minus Paul. I love my second family :]

The rest was a lot of running around town visiting people. Wednesday night was especially fun hanging out with Lilly again! Only we would have PG dates of Color Me Mine and sushi and still have a blast. I wish I could've hung out longer but, when I'm back home, I have curfew again.

For now, I'm just beginning another great weekend at LMU full of parties, underwear, The Tudors with Bob, and more pictures from Dad's camera phone of all the wonderful things I don't get to see with the parents in New Orleans. Until then, "stay classy San Francisco."

Drinking and College

Almost everyone does it. Drink in college, I mean. Partying/drinking/greek life, they all go hand in hand. Sometimes drinking does not require the drinker to be in a frat or sorority. Maybe drinking helps take the edge off for the people with majors more difficult than others, say like a Pre-Med Bio major, for example. This weekend I got to see both the benefits and the consequences of drinking alcohol, not first hand, but in the presence of those who did drink a lot. Yes, I have had my experiences with it, but that's not the point of this post.

Drinking often enhances some features of the drinker which can be both good or bad, sadly never both good and bad. I've seen people do funny (sometimes stupid) things while drunk, and I must say it has helped in making some of my freshman year memories so far. Others choose to drink more than they should and can become too emotional, stubborn, or act in a way that is completely unlike their usual, sober selves.

Another problem here at LMU is that freshman, who of course want to drink with the "big boys" have to sneak their alcohol into the dorms. Sadly, this is where LMU freshmen shine, with their crafty ways of getting past those on duty in the lobbies of their buildings and getting liquor in their dorm rooms. Whether it be in a backpack, purse, laundry bag, or pillow case, it gets in and people drink it.

I will keep you all posted about some stories I have and the things I have seen people drink. Sure, if you want to think of me as the new Zane Lamphrey, go for it, I'm flattered. I won't necessarily drink and film it but I will share my drinking experiences with all of you. Before I go, I will leave you with the first drinking story...

My good friend Najarian and I went to visit our friend Danny in Bryan's apartment across campus. There was beer of course, the man's drink of choice, which i strongly dislike so luckily for you, I wasn't drinking that night. There was also a handle of Smirnoff and at LMU especially, Smirnoff = TROUBLE. One of their good friends, Michael, was there and had been drinking quite a bit. Bryan, known to encourage binge drinking, began to shout at Michael, trying to get him to drink. Before we know it, everyone is chanting "FRANK THE TANK!" making him take double shot after double shot. Pretty soon he was DRUNK and lying on the floor in me room, quiet and to himself. Danny and I notice a stain on the floor that wasn't there before. I immediately think it's pee and look at his pants and sure enough, there was a small stain on his crotch. The stain got progressively bigger until finally he ran out of the room out of embarrassment. Turns out the stain on the floor was only drool, but he still peed on my rug.

Some of My Adventures at LMU... so far

I thought I'd share some of my favorite pictures of my life as a freshman at LMU.

First game of the season!

Andrea Najarian and I in a UCLA frat bathroom... eew.

The darling Mr. Cooper McKenna and I at the first annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Mr. Frog, who always found a way into our windows/beds

My roommates for this year, Lauren and Taylor

Holy Ess

I am rather sorry to say that I did not end up joining or rushing SLG, and I'm better off for it. My schedule would have been so much more hectic if I had interviewed with them, leaving me no time for homework and studying. This week was already stressful enough, and a sorority to give some of my attention to would have added more stress.

This week began the intramural basketball season, well preseason anyway. I worked two nights this week for a total of six games. I only got to officiate four games, being that the other two games were spent at the table, putting numbers on the scoreboard. On top of all that work, I had several assignments due, one of which was a partner project for psychology. It felt so good getting out of Biology lecture - not being asleep after - and heading to my room to pack up some of my things and head home.

The cold, rainy weather is putting a slight damper on this great super bowl weekend, but, I have to make the most of it. Monday starts my first exam of the semester, and guess what... ... it happens to be for chemistry.

For now, all i want is some rested sleep in a warm comfortable bed, although I do miss my LMU padded bed!

Greek Life?

Now that Spring Semester has begun, I have seen a vast majority of the women of the freshman class here at LMU rush for the sororities of their choice. While they were busy with the difficult decisions of what shoes to wear to the "parties" and which sorority to put as their top pick, I was sitting in my room, doing my reading assignments for my Psychology and Biology classes. I was all alone that weekend and it got me thinking; is this what the rest of Spring Semester is going to look like? Am I going to be in my room while my new friends and old friends are having a ball? So I thought to myself "Eh, maybe next year." Then I received an email about Gamma Week here on campus hosted by the sorority Sigma Lambda Gamma, a Latina-based multicultural sorority at LMU. I saw all the events they had planned and was interested in attending, but my work schedule would not let me attend any of the events since I have training all week long for officiating basketball. Now basketball was my sport in high school and I had been waiting all year for the season to finally come, but I wished a little that I could check out this sorority. I'm not the type to consider myself the ideal sorority sister, but I want to be involved on campus in a fun way. Hopefully I'll figure out if SLG is the right way to go before Sunday's interviews. I'm just not quite sure what to do.

http://www.sigmalambdagamma.com/

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Thanksgiving has finally come and I have one thing on my mind, home. I couldn't wait to have more than one day to stay at home and attempt to relax while having to manage homework, grocery shopping, and going to Mass with the family. This Thanksgiving we were minus my famous Auntie Sue, since she decided to spend the holiday with my Auntie Rose and the Oliver's in West Jordan, Utah. This time my sisters and I had to step up and prepare some of the meal. Of course I was planning to cover dessert since I have a little bit of a knack for baking. I made s'mores cookies the night before that I has stumbled upon online on stumbleupon.com, which is my new favorite website! The cookies were half gone by Thursday morning! I did have a back up plan for dessert, since my mom stresses to me all the time that I should always be prepared. I didn't want to make a pumpkin pie, not very original. I didn't really want to make a pie in general. Pies are quite the challenge, especially with a crust made from scratch. Still, I like a challenge, but pie just didn't feel right this year. I had made a cheesecake earlier in the year for the 4th of July that everyone liked. I wasn't too pleased with it, since I strive for perfection when it comes to baking. I thought why not combine the traditional flavors of Thanksgiving with the richness of a cheesecake and make the best of both worlds - pumpkin cheesecake! I had found a recipe from Ms. Paula Deen online and went with it. I had to give priority to all the dishes served with dinner so my cheesecake was put on hold until about 4 PM. By the time is was done baking, we were already sitting down eating dinner! I figured my grandma and Uncle Lou who had come over for dinner would not get a piece of this thing since it would take a good hour to cool on its own then had to be refrigerated for another 4 before it could be eaten. That darn cheesecake is still chilling. I guess I won't get to enjoy the fruits of my labor until tomorrow. Now I know, I must make cheesecakes the day before the big meal so that everyone can eat them the day of the holiday. Better luck next time I hope.