The Sun in your opposite sign of Scorpio spotlights relationships of all types.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
10:41 pm At my desk, listening to Maria blast techno thru the wall...

Hmmm... I'm not sure how to write this. I usually make it a point to NOT discuss my romantic life in my blog so that I may protect the innocent (i.e. me... I don't care about the other guy). But by doing that, I'm not sharing a part of my life. A huge part of my life. I mean, I'm a 21 year old girl... thinking about my love life consumes about 50% of my time. You know, when I'm not thinking about schoolwork or my internship or my family or my friends or what my next nail polish color will be.

This is a tricky thing. Because when I look back on all my weekend update posts, I think they're so inaccurate! You're not getting the whole story! I want to tell you the whole story!

But I can't.

It's probably for your own good. And mine.

And my friends' because I would TOTALLY tell you about their love lives, if I could.

Maybe I could make up names?

I'm not sure. I'm going to have to think about this.

But then, what if I give a friend a fake name, tell a story, and someone figures it out?

Or someone thinks it's me?

Yeah, it can't be done.

So, there it is.

I just blogged about how I'm not telling you anything.

Frustrated?

Me too.

Love,
Tara

Just don't react.

Monday, October 20, 2008
5:41 pm My own personal hell

I CAN'T FOCUS. I've been sitting here for an hour and a half, willing myself to write. I have a story due tomorrow that I haven't started, so naturally I felt like blogging. This is after I watched every recent SNL skit I could find, and checked my email 5 times. Maybe blogging will get the creative juices flowing...or not.

Thursday night was excellent. After a good day at the internship, we got ready and everyone came over to pregame. I was still on my no drinking kick. Note the glass of water below.

An Tua Nua was pretty empty when we got there, but it quickly filled up. No one was really paying attention to the game because they were seven down in the seventh, but suddenly the DJ turned off the music and everyone started watching. Seeing the Red Sox come back was seriously one of the coolest moments in my life. Being in a crowded bar full of Red Sox fans made me feel so glad to live in Boston and to be a part of it. I had no voice the next morning from cheering so much.

Maria, Ali, Me and Erin after the win!

After they won and we all got done jumping up and down and screaming, the DJ blasted "Shipping Up to Boston" and "Sweet Caroline." It was awesome.

The rest of the night was really fun, and we didn't leave until we were kicked out around 2 am.

I woke up Friday with only 5 hours of sleep and no voice... but no hangover! Work was pretty boring (I've been doing the Art listings...), but I just kept thinking about all the kettle corn I would get to have at the Applefest. Mom and Steph picked me up from the Improper at 5:30 and we sat in traffic until we came to the first rest stop we saw for dinner.

I was exhausted when we finally got home (5 hours of sleep will do that to you), so I got into bed and painted my nails. However, I only got to do one hand before I ran out of nail polish remover, so I just gave up and went to bed.

The next morning I got all bundled up and headed to the Applefest. This weekend was absolutely beautiful, and apparently it was the "peak" for fall foliage in CT. I met up with Greg and we shuttled over to the Fest where we met up with Andrea, Kelly, Tyler, Cat, and eventually Stephanie. It was sooo good to be home. I ran into a bunch of people I know, including several of my family members.

After the Fest, Steph and I went to the toy store to visit Ang and Alyssa, and then we went home to get ready for a fam dinner at J.Gilbert's. After a huge dinner, I drove over to Kelly's to watch the Sox win, much to Greg's dismay. Then we watched Sarah Palin on SNL. If you missed it, I've posted the links below.

Sunday I woke up early with Steph so we could make an early morning Applefest run. We needed to stock up on food for school. We drove Kaitlyn to work at the toy store and then we went to CVS to pick up some prescriptions. We walked from CVS to the Fest, where I stocked up on apple cider, kettle corn, and an apple pie I'm saving for when me and my friends have our own Thanksgiving Feast before the actual Thanksgiving. I'm planning it. It's gonna be awesome.

Then Steph and I went to Garden of Light to do Dad's grocery shopping. When I got home I went back out grocery shopping with Mom, came home, ate lunch, had a financial chat with Dad, packed, and left with Steph and Dad to head back to Boston.

Dad's favorite restaurant in the world is Noodle Street, so we all stopped there for dinner before he dropped us off. It's sooo good. I think I might have my leftovers for dinner tonight...

Back at the Penthouse, I unpacked all my stuff and went downstairs to do some work with Noelle and Jess. I quickly lost interest though, because I was itching to watch the game, so I came back upstairs and watched them lose. Oh well. Thursday night was still pretty awesome.

Sweeeet Caroline! BAH BAH BAH!

Love,
Tara

What I'm reading:

New York Times: Attack of the Tomato Killers: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12lives-t.html

Time: A Family Divided by Obama and McCain: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1848811,00.html

What I'm watching:

Sarah Silverman: The Great Schlep
http://news.aol.com/elections/article/can-great-schlep-help-obama-in-florida/210927

CBS News: Matt Damon on Sarah Palin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6urw_PWHYk

Saturday Night Live: Sarah Palin Live From New York: http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/gov-palin-cold-open/773761/

Mercury now goes direct.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
9:57 pm Watching the debate

I'm trying to take deep breaths. Really, I am. I keep counting to 10, but I only get to 5 before I yell at the tv again. Let's chat a little about politics, shall we?

I'm registered as a Democrat, but I like to think I have an open mind. I mean, I'll at least listen to the other side, even if it fills me with this overwhelming sense of rage. Listening to John McCain speak is seriously making my ears bleed.

At the beginning of this political season, I didn't mind him so much. I figured anyone is better than Bush, and he tended to be a more liberal Republican, so I kind of thought it was a win/win either way. I put him out of my mind.

But then he made Sarah Palin his running mate. This piqued my interest. I started paying attention again. And I kind of wish I hadn't because the thought of that woman in the White House keeps me awake at night. She has no experience. She is not a feminist. In fact, she is bad for feminism. She is against women's rights (Check out Eve Ensler's take on her candidacy: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/drill-drill-drill_b_124829.html), and she doesn't know what the HELL she is doing (Check out her "interview" with Katie Couric: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8__aXxXPVc).

Ok, hold on. I was going to continue to bitch about John McCain's rude attitude and constant interrupting and implications that Obama aligns himself with terrorists, but they started talking about abortions. I've actually done a number of research papers on abortions, partial-birth abortions, and RU-486. I'm not sure why, but it's something I've always been interested in. Regardless of your religious beliefs, abortions are necessary. Scientifically, life does not begin with conception. Sorry. Actually, I'm not sorry. It's common sense. All a "baby" is at the moment of conception is a whole mess of DNA in a bunch of cells that you can't see without a microscope. Do I think abortions should be used in place of proper birth control? NO! But abortions are necessary in a world where women are raped. Abortions are the compassionate method when an unwanted pregnancy occurs. And it should be up to the individual woman to decide what she needs to do for herself and the mess of cells latching on to her uterine wall. John McCain doesn't have the right to decide for her.

Partial-birth abortions are an ugly thing. The method is gruesome, and if, God forbid, a woman has to have one YOU CAN BE SURE she didn't just decide over night. In fact, she doesn't usually decide. Her doctor does. Partial-birth abortions are medically necessary. Mothers have been diagnosed with heart defects while pregnant. They cannot carry the baby to term because they have a weak heart. If they try, it will kill them, their baby, or both. This is where a partial-birth abortion is necessary. Mothers have been diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. They cannot receive chemotherapy while pregnant. This is where a partial-birth abortion is necessary. Because sometimes, without a partial-birth abortion, both the mother and child will die. This is why when Bush placed a ban on partial-birth abortions in 2003, judges in states all over the country found it unconstitutional.

This is so tiring. I just do not understand how anyone listening to the views of these two candidates can find themselves against Barack Obama. As a journalism major, I have been taught techniques for 4 years on how to view situations objectively. I've been taught to see the other side.

I see it, and it scares me.

Tara

For all of your experience, sometimes you forget that not everyone is great at keeping their word.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
5:39 pm Where else?


I never told you about last weekend!!! I was so blindsided by Stephanie's wisdomosity last night, that I blogged about that and totally skipped an eventful weekend. Let's go back...


...to Thursday. Because that's when it all starts, baby. Thursday night was my first night going out and NOT drinking AT ALL. We all decided to go to An Tua Nua because everyone knows it's the new J Tree. We spent the evening blasting our "Going Out" playlists as we got ready, and everyone came to our room to drink. Except me. As everyone started to get a little tipsy I was starting to wonder if I'd been too harsh in my 3 week abstinence rule, but then I decided if I couldn't even go one night without drinking, I really would be both a loser and an alcoholic, so I sucked it up and sipped some apple juice.


When we got to An Tua Nua, a guy I kind of know offered to buy me a drink as soon as I walked in. This is what I had feared.... I'm totally kidding. I loved it. And it worked out really well. I didn't really want to explain why I wasn't drinking (pretending I'm pregnant isn't so funny when the guy makes a face and walks away), so I told him I wanted a cranberry vodka, my standard drink. He gave it to me and left for a while, and I just carried it around with me the whole night. This way, 1.) no one else would ask to get me a drink because I have one, thanks; 2.) I had something to hold, and I didn't feel awkward; 3.) My friends were thrilled because I let them sip it, so the drink was slowly going down the whole night. Brilliant!

I actually had a lot of fun, even though I wasn't drunk. I didn't get bored, and the next morning I woke up tired but not hung over. Hurray!

So the next morning, not hating myself one bit, I went to my internship where they let us all leave at 3 for the holiday weekend. This was PERFECT because Kaitlyn was coming to Boston for the weekend, and Stephanie was meeting her bus at 3:30 at South Station. I met up with them, and we ventured back to my dorm to drop off all their stuff. The only thing getting me down was that my foot was really killing me. I keep getting these really painful in-grown toe nails, the cause of which, I think, is wearing pointy shoes, and I was seriously becoming crippled as the day wore on. We ended up eating dinner at Sunset Cantina and then going to Shaw's to buy pumpkins. That night, we carved them and baked pumpkin seeds and put up a fake spider web in the common room. Once we were worn out from that, we pulled mattresses and my tv into the common room for a super cute sleepover. As Kaitlyn fell asleep on the air mattress to the sounds of Friends on the tv, I performed surgery on my foot with an unsanitized bobby pin and some clippers. Steph was there for moral support. It wasn't pretty, but I think it's out. For now...

Saturday we woke up bright and early, and I realized I had a head cold. Excellent. We ate breakfast and headed out to Copley Square. We wandered through Copley Mall and the Prudential Building, doing some minor shopping along the way, and then went to Stephanie's campus for lunch in the dining hall. After lunch, we went to Dorothy's on Mass Ave where Stephanie picked out a Halloween costume. Then it was off to Urban on Newbury for Kaitlyn. I was really starting not to feel good. I felt really bad I was slowing them down, but mucus was pouring from my nose at alarming speeds. After we went to So Good to buy jewelry, we decided to go back to my dorm so I could rest before dinner. I passed out on the couch while they watched tv, and when I woke up I still wasn't feeling good, so they went to dinner without me. When they got back I was feeling a bit better, but we all just chilled and watched tv until it was bed time, again.

On Sunday, we took our time in the morning and then walked down to Kenmore to get lunch at Bertucci's. After, we went to Campus Convenience to get Kaitlyn a drink for the bus (Arizona Green Tea), and then went to Barnes & Noble where she bought a book, and I looked at all the books I wished I could buy. At South Station, Stephanie and I waited with her in line for the hour until her bus came. Then we made sure she had a seat on the bus and waved frantically at her until she saw us. She seemed really happy we were doing that and not embarrassed at all.

Stephanie and I parted ways on the T, and I'm pretty sure we both just went back to our dorms and passed out. Once I woke up, I did some laundry and tried to get my life together.

We had Monday off thanks to Mr. C, so I went grocery shopping for the first time in a month and basically just enjoyed the day.

This morning I woke up, wandered into the common room, looked at my beautiful pumpkins...and gagged. Note the mold in the eyes.

Today, I'm still feeling kind of sick (my excuse not to go to cycling tonight), but I went to work this morning, and now I'm going to clean, do work, and organize my budget. Dad texted me to ask me to set aside 45 minutes this weekend for a discussion on budgeting with a special focus on "cash management." When I responded with "If I must," he texted, "It's like NyQuil. Tastes bad, but you'll sleep better." Can't wait.


Love,
Tara

What I'm reading:
Rolling Stone, 10/2/08, "Mad Dog Palin": http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23318320/mad_dog_palin/1

What I'm watching:
Britney Spears, "Womanizer" Music Video:
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1518072&vid=288244

What I'm listening to:
Taylor Swift, "Love Story":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxdrgYy_SE8

The Sun-Neptune hookup invites you to modify your attitude toward your financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual state.

Monday, October 13, 2008
11:35 pm My desk

So, I just called Stephanie because I was upset about some stuff and needed advice/encouragement. She's really good at laying all the facts out and making me feel better. Last weekend, Robbi told us that when she used to get stressed out she would make herself write a Gratitude List, with 5 things she was thankful for. Steph made me do this out loud over the phone. It's kind of silly, but it really helps. Here's the list we came up with:

1.) Fire & Ice: Tonight my friend, Nora, and I had planned an event for our freshman advisees. We were going to meet on the COM Lawn and then go to Fire & Ice for college night. It's this really fun restaurant where you pick the veggies (and meat) and sauce that you want and these chefs cook it in front of you. On College Night it's $10 all you can eat. As we had expected, none of our freshmen showed up. So, I made Maria come with us, and Nora invited our friend, Mark. We randomly saw Michelle in the street and dragged her along too. It ended up being really fun eating and hanging out with everyone. And it was cheap! It was a good Monday night.

2.) Maria's Mom's nail polish: Stephanie came up with this one because she is amazed at the fact that every time she sees me (about once a week) I have a different shade of nail polish on my finger nails. Aptly named "the caboodle," Maria's mom passed on to her this giant case filled with like, 50 shades of OPI nail polish. I get excited just looking at it. Maria shares her goods with her roommates and friends, so I take full advantage. There's nothing like beautiful nails and the smell of nail polish to put you in a good mood. My current shade is Royal Rajah Ruby.

3.) Manageable work load: I'm on top of things! My To-Do list isn't out of control. My assignment calendar has things crossed off. My weekly budget is planned out, if not exactly followed. I'm not feeling very stressed at all. This may be due to the fact that...

4.) I have no class this week!: Thanks to good ol' CC (that's Christopher Columbus), we got Monday off. Tuesday then became a Monday schedule. I don't really understand the logic behind BU's decision to do this, but I don't care because I have all of my classes on Tuesdays. Therefore, I have NO class this week. I'm lovin it.

5.) I can go to COM Prom: Stephanie was iffy about whether this one counts, but here's the story. I wasn't sure when COM Prom was this year, and I was afraid I might not be able to go because Kaitlyn's play is in early November, and I have to go home for that. I found out COM Prom is Nov. 14 while I was at dinner. At first, I was thinking it was a Saturday. I'm going to Kaitlyn's play on a Friday, so I was like, okay, I'll just have to rush back to Boston Saturday morning. Then I looked at the calendar in my cell phone and realized Nov. 14 was a Friday and freaked out (to myself) because I was sure that was the Friday of Kaitlyn's play. Then I realized that it is the Friday of Kaitlyn's play, but she's performing on two Fridays, and I'm going to the first one (i.e. Nov. 7). Phew! Get it?

So, there it is. It might not seem like much, but talking about it made me feel better. And Stephanie said something that made me happy. She said that even when things are kind of tough, she's impressed that I don't give up. She said something along the lines of, "And if you do give up, you give up for like a day, and then you're like 'Okay, I have to get back to my to-do list.'" I liked that. It's nice to think that even when you're being hard on yourself there are still people who think you're doing a pretty good job.

Love,
Tara

Regarding a long-term goal, you've got the edge on your competitors.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008
9:11 pm My messy room

I'm conducting an experiment.

I'm going to stop drinking.

...

You can pick your jaws up from the floor now, thanks.

I have decided that for the next 3 weeks, I am not going to drink. I decided this today when I woke up with yet another hangover and felt disappointed in myself, yet again. I don't really know what it is, but no matter how many times I tell myself, sober, that I am only going to have say, 3 drinks that night, my drunk self always comes up with a reason for drinking more. I'm pretty sure that's a sign of alcoholism - making excuses to drink. That's a scary thing.

I don't like myself when I drink, and I don't like the way I feel the next day. I always wake up feeling kind of sad. And disappointed. And then I lunge for my phone to see who I called and/or what I said while I was on my 4th and 5th drink. I just want to wake up in the morning and not feel like crying.

This has been a long time coming. No one thing triggered it. I went out last night and drank more than I had said I would, but by some miracle I was relatively well behaved. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm just kind of sick of myself.

So, I think it's going to be hard, but I'm not going to drink for the 3 weeks, and then I'll reassess. Maybe I'll never want to drink again, or maybe I'll think I can start drinking responsibly. I'm not sure. But I do know that as a 21 year old college senior living in Boston, I'm in a pretty difficult position. Somethings gotta give, though.

Potential Perks:

1.) Weight Loss - I eat garbage when I'm drunk, and there's like 100 calories in each shot. Ugh.
2.) Saved $ - Maybe this is why I can't seem to keep money in my bank account... hmm....
3.) Less Stress - I won't wake up freaking out about what I did or said the night before.
4.) Health - My body will stop hating me.
5.) Lower Phone Bill - AT&T will surely go out of business now that I won't be drunk texting.
6.) Less Lectures - My mom won't call to ask me what/how much I drank the night before, and I can skip listening to the lecture.
7.) Saner Parents - They won't worry so much.
8.) Increased Self-Esteem - It's hard waking up hating yourself.

Potential Issues:

1.) Temptations - I going to go out, and I'm going to want to drink.
2.) Explanations - It's going to be annoying explaining why I'm not drinking. Maybe I'll just tell people I'm pregnant for fun.
3.) Turning Down Cute Guys - Guys offer to buy me drinks. I mean, TONS of guys. I'm kidding. No, I'm not. But seriously. I'm kidding. (No, I'm not.)

So, there it is. I'll keep you posted...

Love,
Tara

Jump wholeheartedly into the pursuits and company that stimulate you, of which there are many and much.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Happy 23rd Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

5:01 pm Back in my room

Phew! Just woke up after quite a coma. I literally passed out on my bed and didn't move for over an hour. Having kids will do that to you, I guess. Or just being around them...

Usually when I write these blog posts I find I have to be very selective in what I choose and choose not to include. Whether it's for my father's peace of mind or to prevent my own embarrassment or to protect the privacy of my shameless friends and roommates, I censor myself. Hard to believe, I know. Anyway, as I report on the past weekend I am happy to say I can tell you the whole story: The story of how I love my cousins, but I don't think I can ever have children.

This weekend Stephanie and I went to visit Robbi and the fam. At 5:45 pm, we met at the Park St. T station on Friday and hopped a train to Braintree. There, Jon picked us up (Olivia and Julia were in the car), and we went to Siros to meet everyone for dinner. As soon as I got there, John ran at me at full speed, grabbed my hand, and told me he wanted me to meet his Grandpa Leo. I calmly explained that he was my grandpa too. I'm not sure he understood because he just started laughing hysterically and asked me if I wanted to race. Then I started to explain that I was in flats that pinched my feet, but he was just laughing again.

At dinner, the whole family caught up. Grandma and Leo, upon hearing that Stephanie and I would be staying at Robbi's, leapt at the chance to spend time with their two favorite grandchildren...no, I don't mean Olivia and John. Robbi and Jon are partial owners of Siros, an Italian restaurant that Tom Brady is rumored to frequent (don't worry, I kept my eyes peeled for a cute guy hobbling around on his one good leg). John asked to sit next to me (Olivia dibsed Stephanie), and tried to eat entire packets of butter, plain. When we explained that this was not proper dining etiquette, he grabbed an entire loaf of bread and stuck it in his mouth. He had me cracking up all dinner.

Stephanie and I stayed in the basement, as Grandma and Leo had one of the guest houses, and the other one is full of furniture while they remodel the kitchen. The basement is like a dream apartment. Robbi doesn't know I plan on moving in after I graduate. It has a movie theater, a full gym, a jukebox, an elaborate bathroom/spa/sauna thing, a wine cellar, a juke box and more. It was glorious.

After a restful night in the basement, Stephanie and I went upstairs and ate bagels with everyone. Then, it was off to the Renaissance Fair. Olivia dressed up as a princess, and John wanted to be a farmer, but was eventually convinced to be a pirate. They had a blast. See the pictures below. The fair was pretty elaborate and kind of cool, but Robbi and I are convinced there's some sort of freaky, fetish thing going on in the woods there after hours. Some people were just WAY too into it. Leo tried to get Stephanie and I to dress up as wenches. We absolutely refused.

Robbi on the slide at the Fair.

On the way to the Fair.

We got back from the fair pretty exhausted... however, the children were not. We all went for sushi at Fujiama's and did a little shopping at Bo Line, a cute boutique near the restaurant. Robbi bought Stephanie and I each a pair of pants, which was pretty sweet. After dinner, we went back to the house, and I interviewed Robbi for a story I'm doing. Then we all carved the pumpkins we had picked out that day. I'd forgotten how much fun that was!

After we'd washed off all the pumpkin guts (John and Olivia's favorite pumpkin carving song, by the way, is singing "Scoopin' out the guts! Scoopin' out the guts!" over and over again), Grandma read us all a couple bedtime stories. See below.

Then, Stephanie and I retreated to our basement to do some work while taking turns in the massage chair in the bathroom. We tried to stay up to watch SNL but passed out around 11.

This morning we woke up and made our way upstairs for another family breakfast of yummy bagels and fruit. After breakfast, Grandma and Leo took off in the T bird for the Catskills, and Robbi drove Stephanie and I back to our dorms. It was such a great weekend!

Even though I was pretty exhausted when I got back, and all weekend come to think of it, I feel strangely refreshed. I think it's something about being around little kids and your family that can really ground you. It feels good.

Love,

Tara

What I'm reading:

http://www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2008/11/middleton200811

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/books/review/Gallagher2-t.html?_r=2&ref=books&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

http://www.minonline.com/mb_topstory.htm

What I'm watching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8__aXxXPVc
http://www.popeater.com/television/article/snl-sends-up-vp-debate-with-fey-queen/192515?icid=100214839x1211152444x1200672990
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgW5M08GQ8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivgJbtvrQ28

What I'm listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWDnQdvWogQ