Hunter is throwing a formal party this weekend, in honor of Emily being away at Randy’s formal in Kansas City.
I still don’t have a date, but I am expecting him to get around to asking me at any time. I’ve been teasing him about it all week. It’s going to be like prom, only better. Because I’m sure you remember my prom experience. I looked great, but had a fail date. Ugh. So hopefully, my dress will arrive in time, and if not, it’s cool, because I’m going to wear my Halloween costume dress all over again.
So either way, I am going to look awesome and have a great time!

Also, I’ve been sick this week, but I have been in a great mood.
Next weekend, after all of my midterms, Hunter and I are going to head up to Wisconsin and hang out at his cabin for the weekend, and then I’ll fly back to Denver and then hang out for a few days and then fly back to Chicago and then finish the semester.
I’m sort of doing PR for Emily’s Randy’s production company. I mean, it’s not a huge thing, but it’s going to get me a little bit of experience.
I NEED to find an internship. I’m nervous. You know how scared I get about new things. It’s ever-present, breathing down the back of my neck kind of fear. I’m anxious. So let’s hope for the best here. I have zero idea what I want to do with my life.
As soon as I get my computer back, a romance novel will be in the works, but I don’t feel as though that will be getting very far very fast. Hopefully by the end of the summer, I’ll have something to show for it.
I’ll be taking summer classes, obviously, and living here and doing some traveling and hoping to head to Africa or South America and get some volunteering in. So here’s to me finding an internship, building a resume, somehow managing to create a career path while making enough money to travel a bit and get back to Denver to hang out and then building a life.
UGH.
Good news, though, I found some houses that I love.
So you know, that’s a plus.

I hope your day has been filled with love and peace!

What do you think of the stimulus bill??

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation’s mosques. Quote: ‘IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.’
‘This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom’
‘We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!’
‘Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.’
‘We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.’
‘This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,
‘THE RIGHT TO LEAVE’.’ ‘If you aren’t happy here then LEAVE. We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.’
Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths.
If you agree please SEND THIS ON…IF NOT, DELETE!!

I worry about the state of our country when I find things such as the one posted previous in my inbox. I get several emails a day preaching Christian beliefs and how they should be tied in with government, but let me remind you of a simple fact, one that I hold dear to my heart:

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
Now see, the things that you believe may be one thing, but this is NOT a Christian country! No matter how hard you try, you still have to coexist with people who share different beliefs! GASP! oh no! Muslims? God, save us all!
We good Christians killed the Native American’s in order to become the “Americans” that we are so proud to be.
So while I support everyone being able to speak English, I won’t support this (or Australia’s) right to push people away based solely on their “immigrant” status.
And this “backbone,” you wish you had…trust me, if you had it, you’d be shuffling away from black people on the bus, making Jews wear stars of David on their coats and burning mosques.
Let’s not, really.

We’re all transplants. We share the world. Let’s share our lifestyles and our love. Let’s end hate and discrimination….isn’t that what Jesus would do?

Oh, and by the way, I deleted the email. Perhaps I should have deleted this post, but I felt that it deserved some attention.

With the fever came the tears. Great hiccuping sobs that wouldn’t stop. My eyes were red, full of water, my body ached and burned, my head was throbbing. He brought me tea and held me until I stopped crying and even then nothing felt better. The heat was quickly replaced by the cold, the feeling that you’ll never be warm again, which was quickly replaced by the feeling that you are cooking, baking from the inside, which was quickly replaced by the chill….
I felt no better this morning and as of 8:30 tonight, I am feeling the same. Terrible.
This flu-like bug is hurting me. I missed class (no surprise) but for the first time in a long time, I had a legitimate excuse.
So here’s hoping that tomorrow I’ll wake up and be magically healed, some sort of gift.

Valentine’s Day was uneventful.
We passed the four month mark.

Emily passed her test with flying colors (98%) and is currently serving customers as I type this.

It rained in Chicago and I was able to remember what Simon looked like. He needs an official car wash but something tells me that it’ll have to wait until April.

I need to get a summer internship.
Or a job.
Or something.

I am stressed out.
The other day, I spent the entire afternoon cleaning my room. It felt nice. I put up some new pictures and stuff, and I was hoping that it would stay clean for awhile. It didn’t, but you know…It was worth the effort.

Thanks so much for the Valentine’s Day cards. I bought some, but haven’t sent them out. Ha, don’t think you won’t get them though, they are beautiful.

Pictures from the day at the lake and subsequent party.
Today, Tuesday, it’s supposed to be 65 degrees here in the Windy City and I, for one, am thrilled. Football is supposed to be happening this afternoon after class. Emily is taking the test for her new job today, and if she gets above a 90%, she gets to keep it. She’s serving at a little family-style restaurant called Leona’s.

The last week has been the most intense of my life.
Let’s rewind.
Friday night. Emily and I pick Hunter up from work and we head downtown to a party. We all have a great time. I pull him outside at some point and we are talking to each other, and I couldn’t help myself, I told him I loved him. He made this funny face and wouldn’t look at me and I asked him what was wrong and then apologized for telling him that if it made him uncomfortable. He promised me that it wasn’t the case and that he’s actually been wanting to tell me that he loves me for awhile.
Awesome!
He also tells me that he’s been reading some of my latest stories and that he really enjoyed them.
More awesomeness happened Saturday night. Hunter and Jake (Emily’s sort of boyfriend-person at Loyola) put together a band specifically for this HUGE party that was happening. The name of the band is Velociraptor. Well, the show was amazing. Two girl singers, Jake playing the bass, this kid Derek on guitar and Hunter on the drums. Emily and I got dressed up and danced and socialized and mingled and danced more. It was literally one of the best parties I’ve been to during college.
Okay, so Emily’s feet hurt and we’re looking to throw an afterparty at my house, so we go home. Hunter and Trifilo and I go to DunkinDonuts by the el. Hunter gets a call from Ian’s dad.
Where’s Ian?
No one knows. He was at the party.
And then he wasn’t.
So then we start getting all these text messages from Ian, who won’t respond to us or answer our phone calls and then we get a call saying that he’s been at his apartment and that he left a note.
Okay, so suicidal Ian is on the loose in Chicago and now he sends his sister a message telling her he’s at Bryn Mawr and Lakeshore Drive. Ok. So we get there, the cops show up, we’re all looking for him. We get another message that he’s somewhere else.
Ugh. My feet are soaking wet and freezing. His parents are there too, so Emily and I decide to head back to the boys house. We get there. Hunter, Little Emily, Coupe and Kyle are there so we all sit for awhile and then decide that we need to go to bed.
Forty five minutes after that decision, at 5:30, Kyle comes in to tell me that Ian is here. I go in and demand all of his pills (all of his Adderall were missing, and we suspected that he may have taken some). He tells me that he doesn’t have them. I watch him as he gathers some things and then listen as he tells me that he’ll be moving out and that he’ll be back.
And then he’s gone.
8:30. We’re all sprawled around the apartment, having improvised beds and sleeping arrangements. The doorbell rings. I’m the one that answers the door. “Chicago Police.” Great. I fill them in on the developments and then go back to sleep.
Turns out Ian was picked up by his parents and then taken to the hospital of apparent Adderoll overdose.

That morning, me, Emily, Hunter, Kyle and Coupe all went out to breakfast. It was nice to be able to have all of us there and to be able to be close with everyone. We were all exhausted but it was wonderful to be with the crew. Everyone laughed and lingered until we all felt alright.
That night, we convened at our place. Another gathering filled with the closest of friends and love.
Monday morning I was taking Hunter to school on a very narrow street when, out of nowhere, a man threw his door open. Slam! I heard a crunch. My side-view mirror was cracked and I could see a man climbing out of his car to check the damage.
“I don’t want to get you in trouble, or anything, but this is a rental car.” I’m freaking out and after we exchange information, there are tears. I go home, Hunter misses class because you really shouldn’t leave me when I’m in that situation, and then we go to the police station to make a report.
The police officer is upset because the other guy didn’t come in to file the report, but tells me it’s alright, because the accident was his fault. Also, the dent that was in his door doesn’t quite match my damage, so that’s a titch suspicious.
Okay. So then Tuesday rolls around. I’m in class with a teacher who for some reason seems to have it out for me, and I pull out a bag of grapes.
“Katie,” she says, interrupting lecture, “we don’t eat grapes in this classroom. Drinks are okay, water is fine, but eating isn’t allowed.”
I mumble something about thinking that grapes didn’t count since they are water based and all of sudden, I burst into tears and have to leave the room.
Great. I spent the entire class period freaking out in the hall about everything.
I go back in and actually stood up for myself, which was cool.
And then the week got moderately better.
We played football during the warm weather that Chicago got on Saturday and then all went to dinner at Chilis and then threw an impromptu party last night, complete with our first attempt at margaritas.
The weekend flew by, and things are shaping up.

Expect the unexpected
in the places
that you haunt.
Never give up hoping,
or maybe just don’t start.
Instead of wanting desperately,
wait patiently to find,
that some of the things
we discover
were right there all along.

*I wrote this poem sometime in July of 2007. I found it tonight and thought you might like it.

Illness=coughing.
Ugh.

Meeting the parents went well, I think.

I’m tired.

Tomorrow I meet the parents.
Yesterday he remarked on the fact that we’ve been together almost four months and it’s probably serious.
Ha, nervous.
He told me all I have to do is talk and they’ll like me.

Thrown headlong back into what is possibly the busiest semester of my life, I found myself staring at the pile of dirty dishes and bottles scattered over the kitchen this morning as I watched my necessary cup of tea circle the microwave.
We’re sick. Something is going around between all of us. Ian has been carrying an orange bottle of cough syrup around for days. Emily, Hunter and I have sore throats. I am exhausted.
I woke up yesterday and my throat didn’t begin to relax nor the pain to ease until I’d had three cups of hot tea.
I sat with Hunter and Coupe in Coupe’s room as we watched the inauguration. I can honestly say that my eyes almost teared up. The fact that there was stumbling during the swearing in was endearing. The worse the wedding, the better the marriage, right?
Today, there are whispers of the closing of Guantanamo. People all over the world have a sense of relief. They’ve exhaled, finally.
Last night, I threw the best party I’ve ever thrown. Emily and I used our crock-pot for the first time to create a simplistic stew. I threw in a large piece of meat and some broth and as it slowly cooked, I added potatoes. Emily’s contribution was onions and at seven, we spooned it out into bowls for everyone. It was delicious. Hunter cut the meat and divided it amongst us.
We dressed up. I wore my suit. Emily wore a black dress. The boys wore suits. It was a classy affair at the beginning. The amount of people in our apartment swelled and swelled. People from Loyola came as did people from Columbia. Emily’s dad dropped in with some wine. I had two glasses, but as the exhaustion overcame me, I felt the need to police the party, which I was told could be heard down the street. I closed the windows, though, which seemed to help and denied all requests for music.
I kept an eye on the recycling and on the guests, making sure that everyone had what they needed.
We bought a cheesecake at Costco the other night, and I cut up strawberries and blueberries to put on it. The top of the cheesecake became a peace sign crafted out of strawberries and the sides were ringed with blueberries. How patriotic.
Cheese and crackers completed the attempt at mild sophistication.
I tried to go to bed at 11.
The party was raging on the other side of my wall, though, and at one point, I was called back into the chaos. My mood shifted and I found myself cranky. As everyone left, I played mom and began cleaning.
Overall, however, one of the best parties of the year.

I hope you found Aretha Franklin’s hat as amusing as we did.
This week has killed me. Since I got back, I haven’t had a chance to breathe. Classes, work, so much work, Simon, Hunter, Emily, the apartment…time is moving quicker than we’d like to think.
Soon enough I’ll be 21.
The invitation is still standing. My apartment. Chicago. May 18, 2009.
And there may be a chance that Hunter will join me for Easter. Slight because he will most likely be on family vacation, but still a chance.
ugh.
Upton Sinclair calls.

Well that was fun.
I got to the boys house the other night and realized that someone had hit my car. Great. Smashed it.
The entire bumper is shattered and I’m a little upset.
It happened between leaving the restaurant for dinner and me getting to the boys house. In that time, I parked one block north of my apartment. I also had people in the car the entire night, so it’s not like I hit something and just bailed.
I didn’t hear any crunching and when I parked, there were no cars behind me. I drove to the boys and when I got there, I noticed the damage.
It doesn’t add up to me, but I’m really frustrated that someone would hit my car and then not leave a note.

ugh.