Midwest is Best! (but actually, not.)

Hello! I'm back, for the first time really, in Illinois.

And since I was awaken at 8.30 this morning to my sister screaming like someone had LITERALLY ripped out a body part off (she fell down the stairs), I decided I may as well write an overly-long blog to inspire other people to write.

First of all, I have a few closing comments on Princeton. Their student center is way better than ours, featuring a consistant selection of Special K AND Red Bull in their convenience-esque store (as well as a legit choice of non-candy products, such as CONDOMS! - that aren't locked up behind a glass case). And speaking of Red Bull? The party-esque get-together that Derek and I went to on Thursday night had Red Bull! So that was very exciting for me.

Anyway, as Edna says (If you don't know Edna, run - don't walk - to your nearest cinema and see The Incredibles ... it is, in a word, incredible): I never look back. It takes away from the NOW.
So true. But I'm going to look back for a minute.. sorry.

Okay, so last Monday (a week ago!), Derek and I went into New York on a mission of pseudo-stalking Mary-Kate and Ashley. We ate at Pastis, one of their favorites. It was very incredible, from the very hot, very gay maître d to the incredible socialite girl sitting next to us who gave her also very gay best friend this bizarre Gucci keychain for Christmas. It was by far one of the most exciting things I've ever done. And Derek even made this nice thing to prove that we went there:



I know this is probably exciting to none of you, but it really made my life complete.

After that, we met up with my friend Parvin (who goes to NYU) and we went on a Lane-inspired trip to 53 Christopher Street.



For those of you that don't recognize the address, it's the Stonewall Bar. I gotta say, it was pretty uneventful. We actually walked by it once before we even noticed it was there. A slightly more exciting gay-themed moment? Passing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, as seen on Will & Grace! (Specifically, for those of you who care, on the episode when Jack tries to join the Gay Men's Choir.)



Anyway, THEN we walked practically forever to the West Village to see this:



That building behind us? Morton Square. Recognize it? It's where Mary-Kate and Ashley live!!! So that was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life; they only reason my friends were able to pull me away is because it was about 11 degrees out.

The only other thing I have to say about our trip to the city (other than the fact that I bought upwards of $30 worth of complete CRAP - aka sunglasses and earrings - in Chinatown) is that NYU officially has THE best dorms in the country. I don't care what you say - not only are theirs big and very nice, but they're in New York!! Incredible. Except my friend lives across the street from a homeless shelter on one side and a prison on the other. Oh well. They also have insane security, so I suppose it's okay.

The rest of the time I spent in New Canaan was, I must admit, slightly less eventful. It involved lots of exciting meals (my favorite pizza place twice, my favorite Indian food, the New Canaan Country Club...). It was highlighted by a trip to my alma mater, St. Luke's School.

It's very sad because we just (two years ago) got a new Headmaster, and he came from Exeter. SO he has this huge "vision" for the school of being this uber-elite high-end prep school... as opposed to what it really is, which is a kinda lame prep school where kinda stupid yet successful parents send their children who have anger-management/getting kicked out of boarding school issues. But oh well. As a result of this vision, he's implementing all kinds of weird changes. For example, he changed our phenomenal school song last year (the old one was written by Bill Murray's ex-wife, who writes weird off-Broadway plays in her spare time - and all of her time is spare time). Anyway, I'd be happy to sing the old one to you. It was absolutely phenomenal. There are also now rumors circulating that he's trying to change the name of the school, or at least the mascot, because of the religious sound. (The Saint Luke's Crusaders.)

The only change of his I really support is the addition of squash courts. They totally rock.
But all the teachers are kinda angsty (rightfully so) at the administration, so that's sad. I also learned that my favorite Conservative history teacher (if I haven't told you about him, remind me to - he's CRAZY) has left our school to go teach in East Hampton. That entertained me a lot.

So that's all I'll say about New Canaan. I got back Friday night, and Saturday morning my family and I were off to the Wisconsin Dells for our family Christmas-reunion party. The good thing is that my aunt had brought a huge stack of magazines, so I basically read Condé Nast Traveler all afternoon. I got a $20 J.Crew giftcard, which is going to off-set my holiday self-shopping, so that's good. And after I went to bed, my relatives all played drinking games!! And Flip Cup! And I mean, from my cousins my age and younger to my 40-50 year old aunts and uncles!! Weird, huh? All I have to say is that I'm glad I was asleep.

Anyway, if any you are really interested in my life, I would encourage you to check out my pictures.
And now, I'm going SHOPPING! Yay! I hope all is well with everyone, and if it is BLOG! And even if it's not, what better place to air all your dirty laundry??

One more thing:

CHRISTINE'S HOLIDAY ENTERTAINMENT SUGGESTIONS
book: Wicked by Gergory Maguire. For those of you who don't know, it's a biography of the Wicked Witch of the West. It's one of my favorite books ever, and re-reading it has only made me love it more. As an added incentive, it's also a Broadway show that they're bringing to Chicago in April! (Anyone - who is a member of this blog, at least - is welcome to come with me.)
tv show: Love is in the Heir on E! It's on Sunday nights 11/10c. It's about this Persian princess, Princess Ann Claire, who was raised in London but wants to be a country singer. So she moved to LA under the conditions from her parents that she find a husband and become successful. She has an AWFUL voice, cannot write songs for her life, and is dating her kinda-gross trainer. She's also mildly brain damaged. It's entertaining to the nth.
music: The Cheeky Girls. I think that Matt and maybe even Christopher can back me up on this one. The Cheeky Girls (I briefly discussed them in an earlier post) are twins - Gabriela and Monica - from Romania, and they epitomize trashy. Their album (Party Time) is incredibe, and way too fun. I really feel as if you should all devote your breaks to learning their dance movies so that we can dance/party with them when we get back. If you want me to file-send you their hit single, Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum), just let me know. It will change your life. And WATCH THE VIDEO!!!
DVD extras: The Stepford Wives - that movie is so insanely good. And the extras are even better. So entertaining.
TV show on DVD: Popular! Did any of you watch this huge guilty-pleasure in early high school on the WB every Friday night? Well, even if you didn't, you can now purchase it on DVD! Melissa Etheridge's wife has an almost-starring role, if that's any added incentive (other than my glowing recommendation, obviously).
movie: Well, to anyone who hasn't yet seen Finding Neverland, I highly recommend that. It's beautiful, and really a theatre-movie. As far as other movies go, I'm just now entering into the movie-viewing part of my vacation, so I'll be sure to keep you updated.

And that's it for now. If anyone else has recommendations, by all means, post them!! And now I'm really going. But if this blog doesn't get hopping, expect some harrassment!! (Especially if you live in the SAME ROOM AS ME!)

lots of love and holiday-themed cheer!
Christine