i am graduating from college. i can't even believe that this day is here. it seemed just like yesterday i was moving into fluor tower, the nervous freshman, wondering what my classes would be like and worried about getting along with my roommates. those fears dissipated into the most amazing four years of my life. i feel blessed to have been able to go to school at usc. from football games to alpha phi events, from crazy fun times at helenes events to a fantastic summer at orientation, from inspirational professors to wonderful and equally inspirational friends, there aren't even enough words to sum up all of my experiences. and there are not enough words to describe how much i am going to miss being at usc.

i think what i will miss the most will be the people that i have met. i am going to miss the people i have worked with, both at the music library and at orientation - they have made those jobs way more fun than any job probably should be. i am going to miss the wonderful professors, especially professor seip - they have imparted so much wisdom and made me feel more like a colleague, rather than a student. i am going to miss all of my wonderful friends so very much - they have truly defined my experiences and helped me to create some of the best memories. they have always been there for me whenever i needed them to listen or to laugh with and i know that i wouldn't have had half as much fun here without any of them.

i know that i will have great experiences in law school and that i will continue to encounter great friends and professors. but your "college experience" is something you only have once, and i know that i have made the most of it. i am sad to be moving on past usc and i wish i could stay, but because of these fabulous experiences, i also feel ready to move on. i am excited to face new challenges and i feel that with these past four years under my belt, i am a much stronger person, ready to face the world. and no matter where i go, usc will always be here and will always be a part of me. and by god, as long as there is football, i will continue to be at every game.

when i first started at usc, everyone went on and on about the "trojan family" and the deep connections that bind alumni, current students, and avid fans together. when i heard this, i thought it was one of those marketing ploys, to attract students to the school. but since then, i have seen it first hand, and i truly believe that i will always be connected to this amazing university as a part of the trojan family forever. now, no matter what challenges lie in my future, i will always have the comfort of knowing that somewhere, wherever i may be, there is bound to be a fellow trojan in the area.

i am currently studying for my very last final as an undergraduate student. wow.

so, my new approach to this whole graduation thing is to not cry about it. for a while i thought that this was working, but i seem to just be having chest pain instead.

to soften the blow, i have decided that i am going to buy a new video ipod, as a graduation gift to myself. i am super excited and probably a little more obsessed with this idea than i should be. in the meantime, i have been trying to expand my music collection beyond the basics that i have so far in each genre. i need to find good songs, the songs that you just can't live without. any suggestions?

reasons why today is awesome...
-turned in my honors thesis yesterday (!!!)
-turned in a take-home final this morning (and i don't have another final until next wednesday)
-got an A on my american revolution paper
-experienced a good hour of classic awkwardness (if you know me, you know this is a good thing because i love awkwardness)
-spent the afternoon sleeping and watching american dreams
-purchased several new songs on itunes
-caught up on all the latest msn hot gossip

oh, and the fact that graduation is coming closer and closer has still not hit me. this may be a problem. i may need to be forceably removed from usc.

i spent $3.30 on photocopies today. i should have just spent that money on a cup of coffee at starbucks. chances are, that cup of coffee probably would have been better.

wow. i think i might have hit the world record for the longest number of months in which one has not updated her lj. i win.

well, now that i am finished with the craziness that is applying for law school, it's about time i say hello to the world again. i've been hearing back from a ton of schools, but i still don't know where i am going to be next year. i've really liked all the schools that i have seen so far, too, so i don't think that this is going to be an easy decision. and part of me is in denial that i actually have to graduate in less than 2 months. i am considering changing my major to architecture so that i can stay another 5 years :)

i'm enjoying being a citizen of the human race again...free from the LSAT, personal statements, letters of recommendation. i celebrated my return to humanity with the bon jovi concert a few weeks ago, which was bloody amazing. those boys can certainly rock and i am already counting the days until they come back to la. what made the concert even more amazing were/was a) our kick-ass seats incredibly close to the stage (and to jon bon's ass) b) our sweet ride in the stretch limo, with a buttload of mini margaritas (thanks, andy!) c) singing my heart out with my best girls! yay for girls' night out!

this week is spring break, and while everyone is in cabo working on their tans, i am getting pastier by the day, working on my honors thesis. i know i risk being called a nerd when i say this (it's okay - i am comfortable with my nerdiness), but i am actually enjoying working without having to worry about going to class or meetings. and i am going to disneyland this week, so any break that involves a trip to disneyland is a good break.

i realize that this has turned into quite a disjointed lj post (hey, i'm out of practice when it comes to updating!) but i will close by saying that i am happy. life is good.

i'm too tired for an especially descriptive post, but here's an update:

orientation is over until august and all of the "big stuff" (i.e. freshmen sessions) are officially over. all of the wonderful oa's have moved out of troy and we have all parted ways from each other for the first time in 2 months, and it's sad. i'm happy to be back at home and i am enjoying seeing all of my friends and family and ross, but i feel kind of lost knowing that all of the oa's aren't down the hall anymore. i must say that i am glad that i will not have to wake up at 5am again for a VERY long time, but it was an amazing summer.

the fam is leaving for graeagle on friday, which i am most excited about. i am definitely in need of some r & r in the mountains and i need to take a few deep breaths of fresh mountain air. i can't wait to get out on the golf course and hike 8 miles to rock lake and sit on our deck, reading or sleeping, or whatever. freedom. what i have been looking forward to for what seems like forever. i can't wait. (but i still have about 5,782 things to do before departure friday morning).

one of the reasons why this week has been fabulous is that i have seen ross pretty much everyday, which is how it should be. seeing him only once a week was not a good thing, so i am glad that things are pretty much back to normal. and sleeping til noon, staying in my pj's all day, and lying on my ass hasn't been bad either ;).

and finally, it's that time of year again -- the countdown to christmas. yes, i know it's early, but y'all shouldn't be surprised, knowing me and my IMMENSE love for christmas. i don't know why this happens every year around this time, but i am anxiously awaiting the christmas season, peppermint mochas, my scarves and hats, and twinkling lights. looking at my scarf collection and listening to christmas music on my computer is DEFINITELY not helping. must stop now.

p.s. i love sky for giving me an echo mic. it is amazing.

update: i LOVE harry potter.

my life is almost complete now. i finally saw wicked last night, which was definitely one of the most incredible experiences ever. the best part was that i didn't know what to expect from the show. i've had the soundtrack for ages and have been listening to it nonstop, but there is only so much the cd can do for me. finally seeing the acting and the visual effects that go along with the live performance brought everything together and was truly amazing.

the cast was so strong - the singing and acting were both fantastic. kendra kassebaum was an awesome glinda - so spunky and bubbly, and i loved all of her sparkly costumes (you know how much i love sparkly things). jenna leigh green filled in as elphaba, which i was really worried about at the start of the show. i kind of doubted her abilities to truly grasp the show and belt out "defying gravity" like idina does. but, she certainly held her own and her rendition of "defying gravity" was so powerful. derrick williams was a great fiyero and i loved the energy he brought to that role. and i love the special effects and sets - they were perfectly orchestrated and complemented every aspect of the show.

all in all, i was beyond impressed with the entire cast and production. it was one of the best productions i have seen in a very long time and i highly encourage everyone to try to see the show - even if you have to rush for tickets. i wish i could see it again about five more times.

while that was a highlight of the weekend, it was not the only highlight. early saturday morning, after braving the crowds of 600+ people and playing many hours of the movie game with amber and ross (and the throng of chaminadians :)), i got my copy of harry potter and the half-blood prince. definitely an exciting moment, but i have not had much of a chance to read it yet, like i did with hp and the order of the phoenix. it's almost embarrassing for me to say, but i have only read the first 2 chapters, and i have already had it for almost 48 hours. but, what i have read so far, i really love and i can't wait to read more.

to round out the weekend, all of the usc oa's played a fun, friendly game of softball against the ucla oa's. it was really hot and disgusting outside and ucla had like 50 people on their orientation staff there. joy said it best, they need such a large staff to orient students because they let anybody into that school :). well, we didn't exactly win the game - it came out 20-12, which pretty much sucked. but our team did an amazing job and we're still better than ucla anyway.

this is our last week of orientation, which i have mixed feelings about. i'm sad that this is it because even though sessions are tiring, we have such a good time and i'm going to miss hanging out with all of the oa's and being crazy together. but, i am so excited to be done with the 5am calls and i can't wait to spend time with my friends back home - i miss them all and i don't get to see ross nearly as much as i would like. orientation has been a fabulous experience with many memories, so i guess this week will be bittersweet.

kind of a catch-all lj entry, but i am just so excited about wicked that i needed to get it all out :).

a must-watch for anyone mildly amused by napoleon dynamite.

http://www.collegehumor.com/?movie_id=106148

we finished f6 today. i can't believe we only have one more freshman orientation session -- i feel like the summer has flown by. i am going to miss hanging out with all the oa's all the time. but i am not going to lie, i am very much looking forward to more days in which i can sleep in past 5am. and i am looking forward to heading up north with the fam for some much needed vegging in the mountains.

so jon and sky pulled the best prank on emily today. i am not even going to go into detail about what they did, because whatever i write would definitely not do it justice. it was way too intricate and perfect to even begin to tell you about. but it was awesome. kudos, jon and sky.

update: 4 days until wicked!! and 3 days and 6-ish hours until harry potter and the half-blood prince is released (wow. i am a nerd.)

question of the day: your pick for the next supreme court justice?

a random, disjointed lj post today, but i am in a random kind of mood.