I don’t go to College, I go to Uni

Once again, I’ve neglected my blog. Which makes me, to quote Liz Lemon, the worst. I don’t have anything topical to discuss or rant about or write a poignant essay about. For now I’m just going to play catch-up and ramble about what I’ve been up to lately.

But, hey, remember when I was all “I’ll never have the perfect college experience?” and went on whinging about that for an entire blog post? Yeah, well I apologize and am currently retracting that statement. Kind of.

I’m 3000 miles from home and I found what I was looking for. When I was but an ideological high-schooler, dreaming of the perfect college  I pictured sprawling rural campus. I ended up in the middle of a city. Whatever, you know all this. But do you know how perfect the Sussex Uni campus is? It’s exactly what 16-year old me envisaged. Green everywhere, enclosed so you still have a campus feel but surrounded by bountiful (and beautiful) parkland. 20,000 students, but only about a third (all first years) live on campus.  The classrooms are mostly lecture halls, but instead of individual desks, they’re elongated and look like this picture, which I absolutely adore. And, AND, there are two pubs on campus. Yes, two. So close, so convenient, so deliciously cheap. So, no, I’m still not getting to tailgate, or go to football games, or whatever, but I actually feel like a college student. Going to lecture, taking notes in a notebook (not that many students use laptops in class), writing essays, and going out on the weekends! Unlike the States, where I can’t go out to bars or clubs and drink, I can do that here. I can, and do, go on pub crawls. I can now say that I’ve been to a house party. I’m meeting people! I’m getting drunk and attempting to navigate the bus system! And it’s legal! For the first time ever, I’ve been to a bar and had a cute guy buy me a drink (my tiny triumph of last weekend). So, despite the fact that I’m really looking forward to getting back to GW, I’m absolutely loving my time here. I’m really finding myself, getting comfortable in my own skin and just having fun.

Other little things:

• I saw a fox! On campus! On the way to a bar! Everything about those statements makes me giddy. Foxes are my favorite animal. The fact that they run around campus just thrills me to death. It was a fun little surprise passing one on the way to Falmer Bar last weekend.
• I got a job! Okay, to be technical, an unpaid position. But I’m writing recaps/reviews of one of my absolute favorite shows, Parks & Recreation. I adore both the show and the site that I’m writing them for, Off Color TV. It’s a really fun site to troll. I’m now a frequent reader and commenter. Everyone should definitely go and check it out. For those of you who know how much I love tv and recaps, you should know that I’m over the moon about doing this. Unfortunately there wasn’t a new Parks & Rec last night, but there will be a nice new post (by me) next Friday. I urge you all to read and comment on it.
• This one’s a little old, but I organized a beer pong tournament on campus a couple weeks ago. I imagined we’d have ten people show up, but around 30 exchange students packed into one of the dorm kitchens and hung around for a few hours. Not too shabby.
• I’m taking an archery class! That puts me one step closer to becoming Katniss Everdeen. 
• You might’ve noticed that I posted a recap of the season premiere of “The League”. I’ll be doing that weekly. They may be a little late, but they’ll get posted, regardless. It’s just a little something I’m doing to contribute to my family’s fantasy football newsletter. Whatever keeps me writing.
• I’ve been attempting (and mostly succeeding) to keep up with US television shows. Despite the fact that I have to watch them next-day (and avoid spoilers on Twitter) it’s been working out. I figure it’s acceptable since I’m still a social creature and not a complete recluse. Right?

Of the White House Correspondents Dinner, circa 2011

I think it’s a bit of an understatement, but I’m just going to put it out there. Last weekend was pretty eventful. Seriously, jam-packed. Friday was “bandquet” at the Prime Rib. It was as fun as it was delicious. Sunday night the world at large received the news that Osama bin Laden had been shot and killed in a mansion outside of Islamabad, Pakistan. And then there was Saturday…

I think there should be an actual holiday declared for the last Saturday of April, because it was wonderful and magical and exhilarating. While I’m not actually one for celebrity gossip, I had an amazing time running around DC. Because, governmental or religious recognition or not, Saturday was a holiday and the best one of them all: the day of the White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

The day began with Amanda and I running (figuratively) from campus to the White House all the way to Georgetown to see if we could spot Matthew Morrison with his bff Chace Crawford. Amanda is a little bit in love with Matt Morrison. And, though we scoured the city for the two gorgeous fellows for a good part of the afternoon, we did not find them. But not for lack of trying.

In the evening, Rachel, Amanda and I started walking towards Dupont Circle so that we could hang out at the Washington Hilton, for that’s where the dinner is held.  A surprising number of attendees don’t get dropped off in front of the hotel, but actually just walk up Connecticut Avenue, in gowns and tuxes alike.

The event was exciting for me because for one I was included. I got to spend a wonderful evening with Rachel and Amanda. Also… I’ve never really seen famous people before in real life (discounting politicians, just because.) In the end, this is a list of those stars we saw that I was able to identify. Just for kick’s I’ll compile subgroups:

• Political – George Stephanopolous’ hair, Bristol Palin, Newt Gingrich, Donald Trump, Colin Powell, Madeline Albright, Bill O’Reilly
• SNL – Andy Samberg, Bill Heder, Jason Sudeikis, Amy Poehler & Fred Armisen
• The Hangover – Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifinakis, the groom
• Other: Chris Colfer, Nina Dobrev & Ian Somerhalder, Omar Epps, Jeremy Piven, Mila Kunis, Jon Hamm, Chelsea Handler, Selma Hayek, Alisa Milano, Michelle Trachtenberg, Rashida Jones, Kenneth the Page, Paula Abdul, Rosario Dawson, and Ryan Kwanten

The most frustrating part of the evening probably came from having to wait for the President’s motorcade. No one can enter the building and the entrances have to be cleared. This happened not only when he arrived, but when he left as well. And, sure, it’s cool to see the President, but we really only end up staring at his motorcade, willing it to just move already. Regardless, it was a fun night. We’ve got big plans for next year and even grander for 2013.

For your entertainment:

I Basically Just Guess When I’m Using Semicolons

Guys, not to brag or anything, but I’m a wealth of knowledge when it comes to non-religion based faiths of the Enlightenment (you know, natural religion, deism, atheism, etc.). Jokes. If only. You’d think after my working on a term paper about that very subject for roughly 27 out of the last 48 hours, that may be the case. But, alas, it isn’t.

Okay, in fairness I wasn’t working that entire time. But I also didn’t procrastinate as much as I could have. How I didn’t break Twitter with all of my dilly-dallying, I’ll never know. Also a miracle: my Pride and Prejudice DVD hasn’t quit on me yet; that has been my go-to homework movie for over 3 years. (Excuse me while I reminisce about the marathon of AP English lit. homework that I did until 5am the night before senior year of high school. Ah, memories.)

For those keeping score at home, I’m 2 term papers down, with 2 to go. One of which I only found out about yesterday. (It was a sneak attack, I swear. There was only an oblique reference to it in the syllabus and no hint as to what it will be on.) It’s okay, though, because it means that this semester’s wrapping up. I’ll miss my friends and DC, but I won’t mind skipping out on the oppressive heat and humidity. Why subject myself to it here when I can have it in more sporadic doses with less air conditioning at home?

Here’s something to break the monotony:

Aww, GW

For as much as I love GW, sometimes I kind of hate it. Not in the “I need to transfer” way or even the “I can’t wait for Spring Break to get out of here” way. More in the, “Really? These are the people I chose to go to school with?” way. Because, honestly G-Dub. Sometimes you’re kind of repulsive. (**cough** Losing to St. Joe’s last night. **cough**)

This last month, however, has brought a string of things that make me proud to go here. Instead of the richy-rich, over-privileged, uptight Greeks with their Crackberries and Longchamps complaining about the lines in Starbucks, a bright burst of genuine quirkiness was exposed. Some people are clearly after my frigid, geeky, pop-culture obsessive heart. Aww, you guys.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m never up to date on the newest music. Well, that’s not necessarily true. I’m rarely up to date on Top 40 music. Especially rap. Just a character flaw, I suppose. So, while I knew the song “Shots” existed, I wasn’t all too familar with it. Now I am, thanks to a certain president of a private university in Washington, DC. That’s right, Steven Knapp. (He’s in the light grey suit.)

They even used that clip during a dance contest at last week’s basketball game. GW for the win. Speaking of music videos and basketball games, one student made this video to get us pumped for our shot of going to the A10 tournament. (Sigh.) It’s kind of my favorite song, even if I can’t recall having heard “Black & Yellow.”

But maybe the quirkiest development is our movement to have Charlie Sheen deliver the Commencement Address for the Class of 2012. And yeah, you read that right. At last count, over 1700 people had joined the group of Facebook. I’m just saying, that’s more than 15% of our student body. And the seniors that aren’t joining don’t really count, because they won’t even be here. There is also a Twitter account for the movement as well as a blog. I’m not the biggest Charlie Sheen fan, but I do have #TigerBlood. Besides, what college graduate doesn’t want to bi-win? They could bi-win here (on campus) and there (in the real world).

I’m Terrible at Birthday Wishes

Mid-January is always a bit of a busy time for me. I have to readjust to life in DC, start all my classes, figure out my work schedule, celebrate my birthday, and this year go to GW basketball games as a member of the band. To make matters worse, this is a 17 credit semester. That’s the most you can take. I’m not complaining, I like all of my classes.

But. Anyway. January, right. Birthday-times. I’m now 20. I’m not sure how I feel about this. It’s kind of blowing my mind. I’m not a teenager anymore. I’ve officially embarked on the third decade of my life.

At the same time, 20 seems to be the most useless age I can imagine. 16′s cool because you get to drive. 17′s nice because it’s your last year at home, last year to pull shenanigans without the repercussion of being arrested and charged as an adult. 18 you get to vote!!! 19 is good for getting drunk in Canada. And everyone knows that at 21 you can drink. But at 20, well, there’s really nothing beneficial being thrown your way. It’s just a big milestone number with no milestones associated with it. At least I got a good birthday and two cakes out of the bargain.

I had a great time. I brought in my 20th birthday playing Mario Kart and Super Smash brothers with some friends and my “exuberant” RA. Then we watched Family Guy. When I woke up again after officially turning 20 (January 17, 10:01 am) I went to see my advisor to get the greenlight for my study abroad plans. Then Amanda and I played Mario Kart for a solid 4 hours before heading to dinner with a huge group at Fuddruckers, eating a special-made triple-layer heart-shaped chocolate chip cake with chocolate icing. It was heaven.

But maybe the best gift that could have been given me that day (aside from Anne’s wonderfully beautiful birthday card) was getting a happy birthday tweet from Joshua Malina. He has the same birthday as me, don’t ya know? (So do Muhammad Ali and Michelle Obama, but Josh Malina, guys!!!) I mean, Will Bailey himself tweeted me happy birthday.

Best day ever. Honestly, it was a great day. I even got to make ridiculous birthday demands and vetoes. For a person who doesn’t like the spotlight all that much, the power was kind of fun.

Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful day. Now, a gift for you:

I have big dreams for this year. Let’s hope that at least a few of them come true!

Adulation: My love letter to Community.

2010 wasn’t completely terrible. I had some good times. I mean, of course some really, really terrible things happened, too. I could waste your time by listing them all, but someone’s already done it, and I promise, she did a much funnier job than I ever could. Check it out.

Anyway, I’ve had a few good discoveries of 2010. One of my favorites was Twitter. It’s not that I didn’t realize that it existed, so much as I thought it wasn’t for me. Boy, was I wrong. I love that site.

Two of my other great discoveries were both Community related. I don’t know why I didn’t give it a chance before, but I wish I had. It’s hilarious. I guess it was because I never really watched The Soup, so I had no appreciation for Joel McHale. And the latest project I’d seen of Chevy Chase’s was, quite possibly Caddyshack. (That’s not counting Hot Tub Time Machine, because he wasn’t a main character. And, for the record, I love Caddyshack.)

But now that I’ve seen it, I’m sold. Joel McHale. Love him. Donald Glover. Love him. Danny Pudi. Love him. And all the rest? Love ‘em. I mean, you stick Jon Oliver in your pilot episode, it’s pretty much destined that I’ll love the show. You make an episode entirely claymation? I’ll write you an ode.

The characters are all fantastic. I especially have a soft spot for Abed, with his intensive pop culture knowledge. And Britta was dear to me as soon as she admitted that she dropped out of high school because she thought it’d impress Radiohead. Troy is just adorable and Jeff is quite possibly the coolest guy at Greendale.

I’m also thankful that Community gave me another new discovery: The 88. They do the theme song for the show and I kind of love it. They make a halfway decent Pandora station, too. (Pandora, another new discovery of 2010. Thanks to Amanda.)

Okay, love letter over. But I will gift you with a compilation of end-tags from the show.

How to Survive Finals… without really trying

Once again, it’s finals week on the GW campus. For some that means writing scores of pages for papers, cramming for exams, moving into the library, and getting off campus as soon as possible. I take a slightly different approach to my end of term exams. Here’s my handy-dandy list of finals’ week must haves.

• Food. Not snacks, meals. There’s simply too much going on to take the time to go to the grocery store and prepare all of your meals. Especially since you’ll be going home in a week and you don’t want all of the food to spoil. So, if you’re like me, take-out will become your best friend. Chinese and Italian are always good choices. Chipotle, too, of course.
• Munchies. Load up on the quick-fixes. My must-haves include Joe-Joe’s from Trader Joe’s, cherry & s’mores flavored pop tarts, and lots and lots of Diet Cherry Pepsi.
• Distractions. Procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate. This is when your laptop knows no other screen than Twitter, Facebook, or your favorite blogs. This is also a great opportunity to break out that book you’ve been meaning to read but never found the time. For me, it’s Catcher in the Rye.
• Socialize. There are no classes, meaning you, and everyone else on campus, has suddenly been gifted with downtime. Organize movie nights. We’re watching one a night for the rest of the week. So far, we’ve watched Pride & Prejudice and Love, Actually. Tonight we’re curling up for Gone With the Wind. If studying really is a priority for you (which, honestly, I can’t fathom), form a study group. I know my university band is holding a private study party in the band room.
• Stretch your Legs. Being cooped up and studying non-stop will drive you up the walls. I know, I’ve witnessed it. Besides, ’tis the season to be jolly. Take a walk around campus or through the city (a field? Is that how rural campuses work?). Last night after work, some friends and I celebrated the first real snow-fall of the season by taking a stroll down to the Lincoln Memorial.
• Avoid the Library. If your undergrad library is anything like mine, it is unbearable at the best of times. Make it ten million times more crowded than normal, fluctuate the thermostat, and put in those god-awful florescent lights, and it’s impossible to get any work done. If, for some odd reason, you must go to the library to work, make sure that you pack water, snacks, and some noise-canceling earbuds. Permaybe some sunglasses, too.
• Holiday Shop. What better time to get your holiday shopping out of the way. Plus, if your school, like mine, waits until the last possible moment before Christmas to send you on your merry way home, this is the only viable time-frame for getting those gifts. Also, what could be easier than slapping down and dishing out your pre-paid university money at the campus bookstore? Who doesn’t love a shirt/coffee mug/stationary set with your school’s logo? Crazy people! That’s who.
• Have Fun! It’s very rare for an undergraduate course to put all of the weight in grading the class on the final. That kind of shenanigan is generally saved for law school (oh, goody. I can’t wait.). If you’re really freaking out, go ahead and calculate what the worst-possible grade you can get on the final while still doing well in the class. That’s why I’m not studying for Arabic as I type this. That’s being saved for Gone With the Wind-times.

I’m not saying that finals aren’t a stressful time – for most sane students, they are. But balance your nose-to-the-grindstone study habits with some relaxing activities. You deserve it! I just choose to save my major stress-related meltdowns for more important things, like the day that Stargate SG-1 finally stops streaming on Hulu and I have to shell out the big bucks for the actual DVDs. (It’s a legitimate concern, guys! 10 seasons of awesomeness really adds up.) And, remember, as my good friend Amanda said: ‎”It’s ok because remember you only need like a 3.0 to get a job, right?” Is that how that works?

Cheese Kills!

What kind of lives are we living? Anne and I were just mentioned by the New York Times via Twitter. This is the coolest thing ever!!!

So, when I woke up this morning (read: noon), Anne burst into my room complaining about the New York Times expose on cheese usage in America. Apparently, the government is concurrently warning Americans that too much cheese in a diet is bad for you (sodium, fats, whatever) while also pushing restauranteurs to add more cheese to their meals. The day anyone figures out what the government is trying to accomplish there I’ll worry about it.

Anyway, Anne does ridiculous things like this all the time. This article, combined with her severe disdain for cheese, made for a hilarious moment. She was all afluster and began gesticulating wildly and speaking emphatically about, well, cheese.

Of course this prompted me to tweet about it. Because, you know, just saying:

Roommate just burst into my room screaming: “Molly! There is an expose in the New York Times about CHEESE!… Cheese kills!”#whatismylife?

is not really worthy of its own blog post. Agreed? Well, it wasn’t until I was retweeted by the New York effing Times!!! That’s right, check it out:

@NYTtweets: RT @MollytheGhost: Roommate just burst into my room screaming: “Molly! There is an expose in the New York Times about CHEESE!… Ch …

Okay, well it turns out that the guy who retweeted dear Anne and myself does not actually work for the New York Times. In fact, he is a newsroom developer at the Denver Post. But still, kind of cool.

Happy Anne-iversary

You may not believe it (I sure as heck don’t), but today marks the one year anniversary of my blog’s creation. Where has the time gone? In the past year, I’ve had a lot of new experiences, including:

• living away from home for the first time
• completing my first year of college
• going to a party with alcohol
• trying hookah
• tweeted
• gone camping
• traveled by myself (by air and train)
• interned
• attempted to learn Arabic
• mastered the Metro
• committed myself to studying abroad
• gone to New York City
• survived snowpocalypse
• auditioned for two tv shows (Skins & Jeopardy)
• entered my last year of teenager-dom
• gained confidence
• made friends
• solidified my plans for world domination – er, uh, I mean what I want to do with my life.

Open the F*cking Gates and Seize the F*cking Day!

First off, Friday morning movies was a great idea. Flavor of the day: Newsies.

Secondly, bad things happen when Anne leaves the dorm. Seriously, with no parent-like supervision, I go bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. I mean, seriously, did I need to create a twitter. No, I did not. Have I previously said that I dislike twitter? Yes, I have. But when Anne abandons me, so do my scruples. I am a hypocrite. A hypocrite who really likes her twitter. Best decision I made all day.

So, my faithful readers (all two of you), I now award you with my twitter page: The Best Twitter in All the Land => Molly the Ghost

And, for your loyalty, here’s a little something extra: