Thanksgiving and all the fixins!

November 28, 2011

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“Some days in life are hard. But most days are pretty good…yup, most days are pretty good.”

            Hello loved ones! I’m sorry for the delay on the blog, but I have been consumed by Thanksgiving break, as I hope you have been as well.  I have had some pretty good days in the past few weeks and once again, I hope you enjoy hearing about them.

#1: In the real world, when it is uncharacteristically warm outside, you must make it REALLLLLL cold inside.  This past week, it was pushing 70 degrees in the hill and it was no surprise to me that winter had not hit Charlotte or my thanksgiving destination, Nashville.  When I arrived in the country music capitol, I was rushed over to “Ice” extravaganza, a wonderland in which gigantic sculptures are made entirely of ice.  And if that weren’t enough, they make slides made of ice, yes slides.  While Whit and I were freezing our flippin booties off not bold enough to face the ice slide, the prospect of a frozen tush couldn’t stop the rest of the Hollingsworth-Adams-Conner-Whitsitt-Sharp clan.  Shout out to Uncle Lew for getting us tickets to the super fun, super cold kick off to the Thanksgiving celebrations, which leads me to my next real world story…

#2: There is one thing my Thanksgiving is notorious for: having the most disgusting food in the entire world…bahahhahahahah WHAT A JOKE!! I know everyone thinks their families have the best Thanksgiving feast but they’re delusional and need to be committed to an insane asylum.  My family makes the most delicious food you have ever laid eyes on and the only thing that beats the grub is the company. This year, I was sat with Whit, my aunt Stephanie 2A, my cousin Sydney, ANDDDDD a “Rhodes scholar”, our very own Forrest Conner.  The day was spent eating our weight in gourmet foods, playing Canasta, and witnessing some of the best dance moves I have seen thus far in my life, compliments of Walker and Elizabeth Conner.  The day was truly one to be thankful for.

#3: For those of you who are not lucky enough to see Whit Hollingsworth all that often because of his fairly recent relocation to Cleveland, or “Clevegas” as he fondly refers to it, I feel sorry for you.  June was the last time that I was blessed with his presence and I was well overdue for another good laugh.  The purpose of Whit’s existence is to make you laugh; sometimes I wonder if he plans it all out or if life just conveniently presents him with material for his next comedic gesture.  There is no real way to recount my time with him so I will just share a few brief moments of laughter inducing:

1.     As previously mentioned, the fam made a trip to an ice sculpture show.  While the rest of us bundled up in cable knit scarves and thick sweater, Whit donned the ever-popular khaki shorts…to a flippin ice show. The comedy was found in Whit’s sporadic sprints through the ice sculptures and continual exclamations of “It’s Cold!!”.  Brava big bro.

2.     Somehow I got tricked into was lucky enough to ride with Whit to Asheville, where Whit met some friends for a concert.  On the way there, we had to compromise on the music selection.  As I tend to listen to a lot of musicals and Kelly Clarkson, and Whit prefers the ever-endearing lyrics of Lil Wayne, middle ground is hard to come by.  Luckily, Whit and I were raised in the 90s and can therefore always be pacified by the angsty-ness of Counting Crows, the quick raps of the Spin Doctors, and the overall freakiness of “Ice Ice Baby”.  Listening to Whit sing these songs is enough laughter for a lifetime and if I can record the tunes next time, I’ll try!

Anyways, it’s hard to remember all of the things Whit does to make me laugh, but if you haven’t had a dose of him lately, give him a call! He particularly enjoys discussing the STATE of Rhode Island and the need for a 46-inch TV.

#4: Sometimes in the real world, you meet people that are truly good. From their perfectly self-manicured lawns to their coveted costume jewelry, it’s just all good.   This type of person is a rare gem and when you come across them, you must cherish their company; this is why no trip to Charlotte is complete without a visit with my truly good neighbor, Ms. Nel Nielson.  Ms. Nielson is the kind of woman who will always refer to her husband as “My Johnny” and scoffs at the idea of beginning one’s evening festivities past 11pm.  Anyway, I was lucky enough to have time to pop into her warm home, smelling of yummy orange slices, for a few minutes and listen to her compliment me, something I will never grow too old for J During my visit, I was entrusted with the quote for today’s “Real World” and she told me that most days really are pretty good…just like her.  Ms. Nielson’s refreshing message was a perfect seal to my trip and I was able to head back to the thrill with a hopeful heart and mind, ready to embrace the chaos that will be exams.

A few other highlights of the last couple weeks include the anxiously awaited Clef Hanger Fall Concert (yes, it was everything I hoped for!!), more attacks from domesticated Chapel Hill squirrels, and many a fiasco at Habitat for Humanity (seriously, you people gotta stop letting me use a hammer!).  I might fall off the planet for the next few weeks as exams approach and require my Christmas distracted undivided attention!! Love you. Miss you. Mean it.

WRITE ME BACK!!!!!!!!!

Kane

Mom braving the ice slide:

Me and the laughing man:

P.S: sorry no one gets too see our glorious feast.  I had all intentions to take pictures of it but my stomach was opposed to postponing the feast for taking pictures...sorry!

Week 11

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“Dawn to dawn, dusk to dusk, life is short, so party we must.”

            This week has had many causes for celebration! Once again, I hope you are all well; I have missed you all dearly! As Thanksgiving break quickly approaches, holiday spirits are high and work ethics are low…the first Christmas tree lot has even been erected in Chapel Hill, a little premature in my opinion, but nonetheless true.  Anyways, expectations of breaks have put a positive spin on my week so without further adieu, I give you my adventures in the real world.

#1: Redesign can revamp your life.  It may be beating a dead horse by restating how DISGUSTING my college bathroom shared with three other girls is, but you will hear it no more!  This weekend, I decided that I had had enough! With a ten-dollar contribution from each of my roommates I marched my little booty over to Target and bought our suite a new shower curtain, bath mat, and fragrance diffusers.  After an hour and a half of scrubbing the tile floors with bleach and a scrub brush, I am pleased to say that room 2221 and 2223 now have a beautiful and clean (for now) bathroom! Yay

#2: A spoonful of sugar does not help the medicine go down when there is no medicine to be taken.  This weekend, I had planned on making my way to Athens, Georgia to visit some of my friends at UGA.  Unfortunately, I came down with a rather unfortunate cold/stomach bug and had to tend to myself, which entails lying in bed and watching Mary Poppins.  I make it a general rule to never do anything for myself that could be done by others so when someone tells me to look something up on the internet, I usually just call my mom.  This applies especially towards the likes of medicine and its uses.  I must have called my mom four times this past weekend inquiring about what types of medicines exist out there that would miraculously cure me.  As I sit here, pretty much recovered, I can laugh at the thought of asking my mom whether or not there was a medicine that would make my eyes stop twitching.  Fever and exhaustion causes dementia, and WebMD knows there’s no meds for that…my apologies mama.

#3: Dine-in facilities are stressing the dine-in policy in the real world.  For those of you who have not experienced the pleasures of dining in my dorm’s cafeteria, the Agora, consider yourselves among the lucky ones.  While the food is generally delicious, the staff is typically less than hospitable.  The problem with the Agora, aside from the ill tempered persons working there, is that you CANNOT take food out of it-this means cookies of any type, fruit, drinks, nothing!  This is a huge nuisance and we typically try to bend the rules on this a bit by sneaking food in our pockets and book bags…it’s a hard knock life.  This week, my very bold suitemate Shannon decided to attempt the impossible: sneak out a chocolate chip waffle…on the plate.  We had almost made it to the exit when we heard an angry employee approach from behind and request that Shannon kindly not take plates.  In response, Shannon returned the plate, keeping in tow her handcrafted waffle.  Apparently we missed the memo that the Agora truly is a dine-in facility.  We’ll get ‘em next time Shan!

            This week is sure to be eventful my friends, as it is scheduled to include a few Italian quizzes, colder weather, and a climactic close: Clef Hanger Fall Concert! Yay! Until next time! Love ya. Miss ya. Mean it.

Kane

Pictures from Parents Cocktail...finally!

Some Tri Delts Tailgating!

Me with the convict suite mate :)

Happy Birthday Weeble

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“I think I’m finally growing up-and about time.”

-Elizabeth Taylor

            Happy Birthday Weeble! Yes, today is Ashley Hollingsworth’s birthday!!! In honor of her, I’d like to share a few stories and lessons, so enjoy and be sure to call my mama with a birthday greeting!

Things my mom has taught me:

•         “Failure to plan is planning to fail.” You always loved a good cliché mom…
•         Never fill the detergent compartment in the dishwasher with liquid soap.
•         Disney World makes everything better.
•         A little shimmy dance can brighten a day.

Things I’ve taught my mom:

•         It is ALWAYS advisable to tell your daughter when her skirt is tucked into her backpack, particularly in public department stores.
•         Snakeskin shoes do not in fact go with everything.
•        Telling waiters, flight stewards, salespersons, or any other stranger about your personal life is inadvisable.
•        The lyric people are wrong.  The words to “She’s In Love With The Boy” by Trisha Yearwood are not “Katie look at Tommy like I still look at you”. They’re really: “Katie look at Tommy like Esther look at you.”

While I believe I’ve taught you some valuable lessons mom, you have undoubtedly taught me more priceless ones.  To the best mom I ever had…

HaPpY bIrThDaY mAmA! LoVe YoU!

Week 10

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“Halloween is not the same if I can’t bewitch you!”

Two reasons for the suspense this week loved ones! 1-Halloween was yesterday and I wanted to wait until today to tell y’all about it!! 2-The blog is officially up with, which required a few tweaks yesterday! So once again, hello, hope you are all well, welcome to the real world!

#1: Halloween!!!! While some people in the 27514 area code think Halloween is an excuse to wear your skimpiest or scariest outfit, I used it as an excuse to bond some more with my awesome hall…and to have a blast of course!! My initial plan this All Hallow’s Eve was to dress up as a hot air balloon, an idea that I thought was absolutely ingenious! Others disagreed so I ended up conforming to the trend of my hall: Dalmatians. We were 101 Dalmatians and our RA was Cruella.  The costumes were precious and we instantly became a hit at school!  Fraternities even put us on their lists as “hall of spots”.  Success I think!

 

#2: Charlotte Invasion!!  This week some of my best high school friends came to visit Chapel Hill for the UNC vs. Wake Forest game and we had such a fun weekend!!!! We spent our time tailgating, cheering on the heels, and watching power walking YouTube sensations (if you’ve never seen one of these races, you MUST check it out!!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2urNVmKnEaQ&feature=relmfu The girls left me with a happy heart, an ache for home, a toilet paper-less bathroom, and a phone…uh Carter, forget something? Come back soon guys!!

I don’t want to let anyone down but I’m feeling less than interesting this week and am setting a personal goal to do something exciting between now and the next time I talk to y’all.  In the meantime, stay tuned for a special Thursday edition of the real world in honor of my mama’s birthday!!!! Happy week to all! Love you, miss you, mean it!

Kane

Week 9

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

-Maya Angelou

            Alright, I have a good excuse for the delay on the issue this week: today is my dad’s forty fifth 21^st birthday and I wanted to give a special tribute that would only make sense today…plus I spent most of last night unpacking from fall break and studying for my lit class. Er… Anyway, I’m back in action, sans blog because being the least technologically gifted person that I am, that is taking longer than expected as well! Regardless, welcome to my week:

#1: Fall Break!!!!!! After days of studying for exams, taking exams, and awaiting grades on exams, I finally packed myself up on Wednesday and returned home to Charlotte for the first time in two months!!  As I walked through the front door of 3901 Brookfield Dr., I half expected a Kane shrine to be erected in our living room, but I quickly realized nothing had changed at the Hollingsworth household: our fat yellow lab Fiona was still snoozing on the couch where I left her two months previously, and the same sound of the dryer and smell of shepherd’s pie greeted me.  While I had big plans of getting ahead on the mountain of work I brought with me, I spent my weekend watching a high school football game, eating way too much frozen yogurt with high school friends, and sleeping in!  It was just what I needed and when my friend Claire pulled into my driveway on Sunday to bring me back home (?), I bitterly loaded up my fall clothes and returned to my house at the Hill. 

#2: Working with other people can be hard in the real world.  Case in point: I had to meet with three other people for my “Intro to Fiction” class to compose a class presentation this week. While organizing a meeting around 4 people’s schedules is difficult on its own, it is particularly difficult trying to organize a meeting when one of the group’s members is also involved in “Humans vs. Zombies”.  Yes my friends, that is real thing, and before you burst out into hysterics let me give you some reasons to laugh.  First of all, when the group finally decided on a place to meet, the member in question told us to look for him, he would be wearing a yellow armband.  I thought to myself, weirdo!!!!!   alright, maybe he just wants to make it easy for us to get together.  I was wrong.  When I arrived at the entrance to Davis library, I found my yellow armband clad classmate crouching behind a column.  I wandered over to affirm that he was in my group and inquire about the odd accessory.  The spiel began: “I am participating in ‘Humans vs. Zombies’, a lively game in which three zombies are appointed to attack the humans and try to wipe out the population.  Zombies wear a brown headband and humans wear yellow armbands to signal to the others that we are involved in the mission.”  You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me.  If the initial shock of this peculiar task was not enough, my attention was then drawn to the three pairs of socks clutched in my “human” classmate’s hands.  “What are the socks for?” I asked.  “Socks are used to stun the zombies so that you have an opportunity to escape.”  Shut. The. Front. Door.  I mean this kid was being serious!  I had to resist bursting into fits of laughter as he proceeded to explain that humans would walk around campus surrounded by bodyguards equipped with nerf guns to protect against the zombies.  Needless to say, I am now an expert on this type of sci-fi enthusiast and I will be choosing my group more carefully come next time…

#3: Daddy is growing up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Happy Birthday to the best dad I ever had!  These are just a few of the things I have learned from Craig:

--Cars have this thing called oil in them…it has to be changed.

--It is never a good idea to jump the curb on your bike.  No good gonna come of that.

--It is inappropriate to talk during a NASCAR race.

--Things can be replaced.  People can’t.

You’re irreplaceable Nacho Libre ;)

(Pictures attached!!)

Ta ta for now friends!  Let me know what is the latest scoop in your lives J

Love,

Human (for now) Kane.

Dad and Whit:

Dad and Me:

Dad and Mom:

Week 8

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“Cause dreamin’ alone is a shame indeed

but if you got love that’s all you need.

So be young, be foolish, girl be happy.”

 --The Tams

I apologize dear loved ones for the delay in this week’s edition of “Welcome to the Real World”, but I was busy devoting most of my time to a lofty Italian Midterm and to be honest, I was lacking motivation.  While my week has been nothing less than stellar, I must admit my disappointment in my recent audience.  I love and appreciate each and every one of you cool cats and I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!  Serious props extend to Miss Trish Hobson for always updating me on her life back in Charlotte and to my glorious Aunt Cynthia, whom doesn’t even have a computer to read my emails from (come on guys?!?), for telling me about live in Nashville.  I have been mulling the idea over in my head for the past few weeks on whether or not to make my little weekly email into a blog and this week presents the perfect opportunity for that: fall break!!! After I make it, I will leave the ball in your courts regarding whether or not you follow the life of a UNC college student.  That being said, I really hope you are all well and that your weeks were as eventful as mine…girl sure would be lucky to know about them J

#1: PARENTS WEEKEND!!!!!!!! While this event took place near the end of my week, it was definitely the highlight and therefore deserves the number one spot!  Friday night was met with high heels, yummy food, and LOTS of dancing…for me.  The rents arrived circa 4 pm for the Tri Delta Parents Cocktail and the fun was quick to start.  After a quick fall sweep of my closet, the parentals and I went our separate ways: I to my hair rollers and “Bad Gal” mascara, them to their luxurious hotel for preparation.  Check out the hotel: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=run+down+hotel+room&hl=en&biw=1440&bih=712&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=SZXN1rilzwby4M:&imgrefurl=http://goldsea.com/Text/index.php%3Fid%3D1754&docid=kNg-zrtzW0BPJM&imgurl=http://goldsea.com/Text/images/665.jpg&w=440&h=293&ei=GaKdTvyODuKViALbhJSTCg&zoom=1 The hotel spells glamorous: G-R-O-S-S.  Anyways, despite the initial shock from the hotel, my parents showed up to dinner dressed to the nines: Craig in a new Carolina blue tie, Ash in a glam silver dress, and everyone in their dancing shoes! We ate a delicious meal at a local Italian restaurant and then were off to the Carolina Inn to make our fashionably late appearance…psyche! We were the first ones to arrive, but did that damper the Hollingsworth clan’s fun?  Have you met us?  Mom and I were singing right along to the band’s optimal choice of 70s music and Dad was wishing the bar had opened I’m sure.  After a short half hour filled with talk of dancing, the real fun started.  The room was filled with Tri Delts of all ages and while I was unable to drag daddy-o out on the dance floor, I left my mark on a few unsuspecting brothers who were in town to escort their sisters.  Can anyone say Dancing With the Stars?  After a night filled with fun, the rents and I met up the next morning for the Miami vs. Chapel Hill game which we went to accompanied by a couple of my best frandsss Elizabeth and Grace.  We ate soft pretzels, cheered on the Heels, and got roasted in the sun and then headed back to my dorm to meet my wonderful grandparents, Pop and Dolly.  We gathered ourselves once more and ventured out on a quick campus tour before arriving at the Tri Delta house for a post game tailgate, complete with banana pudding and catered barbeque.  The day could not have been more perfect for me and while my parents couldn’t face La Quinta hotel for one more night, the short time I got to spend with them and my grandparents was awesome!!

#2: Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold.  This rule has taken on a whole new meaning this week.  I cannot express to you all how much I have missed my best friends.  As previously mentioned, I was able to see two of them this past weekend and it was beyond awesome!! That being said, I have made some great new friends, and one in particular has really stuck out this week.  My suitemate Shannon is a very “suite” girl; she is typically pretty quiet/reserved/studious…perfect match for my new bff right?  As we were both bogged down with studying for midterms this week, we had little time to interact during the day, but we made up for it for sure!  Our nights were filled with popcorn, m&ms, Skype charades, and our renditions of Beyoncé’s biggest hits!  We are classy ladies.  The nighttime dance marathons were not the only reason Shannon made my list of stars though.  Earlier this week, I learned that upon first meeting me, Shannon thought I was really cool and that she was not going to be able to hang out with me on account of me being too cool for her.  This of course made me scoff and prompted me to call my friend Grace Baker, whom quickly humbled me by laughing in my face. Me…being cool.  No worries there Shann!

#3: The crying continues.  I am seriously going to have to relocate because living on a hall with all girls is not a conducive environment for a tear-free lifestyle. I mean if somebody’s not crying, something is wrong.  Andddddddd, I don’t know why everyone thinks that my shoulder is prime real estate for tear sessions. Ladies, if boys upset you, quit dating them.  If you’re tired, go to sleep.  If you have so much work that you are forced to tears, start studying earlier.  But really, despite my serious aversion to teary folk, I really do love my hall and I will really miss them as we part for fall break.

That’s all folks.  Write me back. Love you, miss you, mean it.

Kane

The fam at the old well on parents weekend!

Week 7

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“Man can learn everything if he will but try.”      

 –The Nawab Bahadur A Passage To India

Dear outside world, this week has been so uneventful I considered skipping this Sunday’s issue but as I promised from the beginning that I would update y’all every week, I am writing.  Also, I am writing in hopes that despite my anti-climatic week, I will get some responses (hint hint) and hear about what is going on in your, what are bound to be more exciting, lives.

#1: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  This weekend my roommate Mackenzie returned to her hometown of Kinston, North Carolina for the anxiously awaited homecoming football game.  While I was thrilled to have the TV, dancing area, and mirror space all to myself for the weekend, I was quickly wishing for her return.  When I found out that Mack would be gone, I told two of my stinky, loud guy friends that they could stay with me Friday night and then we would all go to the game together.  It was so great to see them after our initial college time apart but I remembered very early on in their visit that they are both stinky and loud.  Ahhh! Go back to UGA and bring me back my nice smelling, soft spoken roommate…and don’t let the door hit you on the way out J

#2: A clean room is a happy room.  This relates back to the stinky loud boys and the mess they managed to make while they were here.  I am sorry to say that my room suffered a weekend of neglect.  Boys apparently don’t have it in their abilities to clean and I was left to make my roommates bed, restore the futon to its original state, and pick up the Cheetos (?!?!?) from the ground.  After I spent a good hour disinfecting mess, some of which was attributed to me to be totally honest, I was a brand new gal and I was able to throw on my best Carolina blue and head of to the, wait for it….

#3: FIRST TARHEEL FOOTBALL GAME!!! That’s right folks; I have been here for a month and a half and have blissfully managed to avoid the blistering heat of the stadium to watch a game that I cannot grasp.  I decided to go this weekend though when the men in blue played Louisville and I am happy to say that I will be returning.  Did you know they give out free pom poms at those things? Count me in! I “ra ra Carolina-d” all quarter long then bid the Tarheels good luck and farewell!   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW93EigYMq4&feature=related

#4: Remember your lies.  Before you freak out, you should know that I had a very good reason behind lying: Clefs.  Oh yes, those beautiful eyed crooning cuties have captured my better judgment once again.  In hopes that my friend Simon would orchestrate some sort of private concert, I told him that Sunday was my birthday and that I was expecting some grand gesture from his singing buddies.  He believed me, which is awesome, but then I forgot.  So when he confronted me to ask if I was going to be available for my birthday present I stupidly replied with, “What? My birthday is in July.” Stupid Kane. He cancelled my surprise and is claiming to be mad at me.  I am not worried and have already begun hatching my next scheme for Clef presence J

*This is not worth its own number but it might be interesting for some of you so I am happy to share: if you do not know who James McAdoo is, do not feel bad because I did not either.  I am told however that he was the number one recruit this year for college basketball and he chose to go here! Yay! Anyways, Mr. Jimmy Mac decided to dine at the Tri Delta house on Friday with me and a few other Myers Park girls.  He was very nice and I have promised to cheer for him this season.  This is a small snippet of our conversation:

K: James, how tall are you?

J: 6 foot 9. What about you small stuff?

K: About the same…

I told you this week was uneventful and I am very sorry that I don’t have more to share, but please stay tuned because this coming week is bound to be thrilling.  I am looking at a week full of cute fall outfits leading up to parents weekend, when I will be joined by Ashley, Craig (fingers crossed), and my Pop and Dolly.  Things are bound to get a little wild and you won’t want to miss it! Love you. Miss you. Mean it.

Kane

He’s only 6’9

“The girls” at last weekend’s New Years Cocktail:

Hangin’ with the girls> hangin’ with the boys!

bye!

Week 6

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

Quote of the week:

 “In three words I can sum up everything I know about life: it goes on.”

                                                                                                            --Robert Frost

Yes, life goes on.  It continues past the bombed exams, the terrible dates, and the rainy days.  Once again, hello loved ones.  I hope so much that y’all have had a good week!  The start of mine had me convinced that I might be headed back to Charlotte to take classes at the local community college and be bunkin’ it with good ole’ Craig and Ash again, but things took a turn for the better and I am pleased to report that I have survived yet another week of the real world!!

Things I’ve learned this week:

#1: Babysitting is underrated.  I never thought that I would say it but I have missed the world of rugrats way too much!  This week I dabbled in the art once again and was thrilled with the results!! I babysat for a woman named Kara Kooken and her three girls Elliot, Ellen, and Franny.  They were awesome. Nuff said. I was able to spend time in a real house, with real dogs, with a real tv, making real food, watching really awesome little girls perform plays for me with dress up and stuffed animals.  My night could not have been more perfect and I left with a happy heart, a well rested soul, and a new bit of knowledge compliments of the 10 year old Ellen: “When a dog shows you their tummy it means ‘I am your humble servant.’”

#2: Always give too much detail.  This bit of advice was applied to quite a few things in my life this week.  It was first applicable when it came time to study for my very first American Government and Politics exam.  I clearly need to inquire for more deets next time I’m in class so that I will not receive a 78 (??!?!?!) on my next exam.  Yes that was bad my friends, but luckily not as bad as the class average: 74.  You win some you lose some I guess.  This advice can also be applied when giving instruction to my very lovable roommate.  I am super concerned about locking the door at night when I go to sleep.  Mackenzie, my roommate, thinks that this means lock it AND THEN close it so that the door is propped open all night. Um no…more detail next time for sure!

#3: Mustaches are bad, but a lack of personality is worse.  Tri Delta had its first cocktail on Friday and I took a boy from Beta Fraternity that is currently the “Dirty Sanchez” pledge.  For those of you who do not know what that is, I will explain.  Will, my date, has to grow out his super thick, mexi ‘stache until the end of pledging.  Can I get a catcall?  Anyway, I was super excited about our cocktail because it was New Years themed and I got dressed in my best sequined dress, most painful shoes, and donned some long, sparkly fake eyelashes.  And what do I get in return for all my efforts?  A dud date.  He did not joke about his mustache and worse, he did not want to dance.  Here is my response to that my friend: “Sorry bout the ‘stache, I’m goin’ to groove.” And groove I did! The band was awesome and I danced into the night with anyone and everyone, except Mr. Dirty Sanchez.  I will be bringing a Clef Hanger to the next Tri Delt event…sans mustache.

#4: A little sand and a lot of sugar can cleanse the soul.  This weekend my pledge class hopped on a charter bus with “Lonnie” and drove to Wrightsville Beach for our pledge retreat.  We ate lots of Greek salad, cupcakes, and pita chips, talked all night and practiced French braids of all varieties!  The house we stayed in was beautiful but not as beautiful as the beach with 50 smiling girls on it!! To top the weekend off, I met up with my parents and our lab Scarlet for a quick hug and a laugh then hopped back on the bus to come back “home”. It was so much fun and as I am sitting in my dorm with clean laundry and a brain full of saltwater memories, I am refreshed for the week, which is scheduled to include Werewolf movies, courtesy of my LIT teacher, lots of reading from A Passage to India, and hopefully lots more college memories!!

I miss you all more than you could know and want to hear about what is going on outside the old brick walls of this campus so update me PLEASE!!!!!! Love you. Miss you. Mean it. Life goes on.

Kane

Pictures from this week:

Elliot, Franny, Ellen, and their panda family!!

Pledge Retreat!! (I’m in the back row, middle, in the Carolina blue!)

Week 5

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

“Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.”

-Nelms

While I would care if each and every one of you were miserable, I am trying to take this quote for the bigger meaning by greeting each day with a certain preconceived happiness.  After all, I’m here to make me happy so here are a few of the things that made me happy this week:

#1: I don’t know how many of you are familiar with “big/little” in sororities but they basically pair the new girls (me) with an older girl that will be your “big” for the rest of your time in the sorority.  This week we were matched with our bigs and I quite possible have the greatest big of all time and the greatest family of all time because her big and grandbig are equally as awesome!!! The theme for the reveal was “rocker/groupie” and what else would I wear but shiny leggings, a cut up wolf t-shirt and red lipstick?  Nothing but a studded bracelet!! The reveal was so much fun and I could not be more excited to have Amy as my big.  Here is a link to her blog about the festivities: http://gilmer-girl.blogspot.com/2011/09/rockers-and-groupies.html

#2: The elevators are broken in Granville Towers, my home away from home.  Before you call me crazy for thinking this is a source of joy let me elaborate.  First of all, I live on floor 2 so I don’t use the elevator that much anyways and end up taking the stairs so the broken elevator has not hindered me all that much.  It has however trapped its first victim. Bahahah Now I know that it is a bit cruel for me to take pleasure in someone else’s embarrassment but they got him out and he was fine, but during the period of time where he was stuck in the elevator, we yelled encouraging things to him through the shaft.  What a trooper!

#3: I have inadvertently incurred a lot of injuries this week.  While I’m not thrilled about the injuries, they make good stories and I had fun doing them!!

·      I LOVE to groove!! I am a dancer at heart and when an opportunity presents itself, I am the first to step onto the dance floor…or fall.  Oh yes, I took quite a tumble this week while walking onto the dance floor.  For all you skeptics out there, no drinking was involved.  It was just an ordinary night down an ordinary flight of stairs with a not so ordinary hip thrust that ended with me and my booty on the floor.  My elbow may never return to its original color…

·      I did habitat for humanity for the first time since I’ve been in Chapel Hill on Saturday and it was AWESOME!!  My church is sponsoring a house in a habitat community and we are working (through the rain I might add!!!) to get the floors installed.  I arrived on sight eager to get started.  And then they put a hammer in my hand and boy was I excited!  Turns out, hammering is not my forte and I was quickly staring at a mangled mess of blue foam board insulation with nails going in at every angle but the right one and what was I left with?  A blistered hand and a smile J I told the site manager that the next time I come back, it might be in everyone’s best interest if I am in charge of  a non hammering aspect of the build.

#4: For those of you who don’t know, I applied a few weeks ago to a program called “Best Buddies” that pairs college students with adults who have both high and low functioning mental disabilities. I wasn’t expecting to get the opportunity but I did and today was the first event for the program: a leisurely picnic, animal crackers and soccer balls galore!! Unfortunately, my “best buddy” Brandy was sick so she couldn’t make it to the picnic.  I did get to hang out with another buddy named Katie though and she was great!! We bonded over our love for dogs.  I told her about my yappy Toto dog, Bonkers, and she told me about her imaginary dog named Buddy.  She got him 7 years ago at the pound and he sleeps in the bed with her…but only if he’s been good of course.  Buddy doesn’t get along that well with her cat Cheyenne but Katie thinks that Bonkers and Buddy could be good friends because they both bark a lot.  Katie and I both dislike loud noises so we are going to let the dogs bond outside we think!  Anyway, I will keep y’all updated when I found out more about my own buddy Brandy; I can’t wait!!

#5: Serenading sweethearts…oh the UNC Clef Hangers.  Loves of my life.  My friend Simon promised me that he would bring me some of their CD’s for me to burn onto my computer and he finally came through!! You know how bees swarm to honey?  Well girls swarm to a sweet singin’ boy in a similar manner and when the girls on my hall found out he was here, my room became the place to be! I’m still working on finding a cute Clef date to my upcoming cocktail, but until then I will have their sweet voices to keep me company.  If you want a CD just let me know!

Another week down, now I’m on to the next.  I have my first exam Tuesday in Costume History and then another one on Wednesday in American Government and Politics.  Also I am babysitting on Tuesday, something that I miss sooooo much!  I am seriously hoping that the night’s festivities will provide me with some interesting commentary that I can relay to you all.  Please please please let me know what’s going on with y’all so I don’t feel like I am boring a cricketing crowd!! Love you. Miss you. Mean it.

Kane

Dressed for big lil' rocker reveal!

Week 4

Greetings lovelies!  I am SO SO sorry that this week’s edition of my update is a little late.  I had a very important Italian quiz this morning that I could not have done enough studying for and I also had to read 62 pages in “The Good Soldier”, which might quite possible be the densest book ever.  Anyway, while I would have much rather been writing about my weekly experiences, I was committed to the library for a good three hours late last night.  Better late than never I guess though, even if this week was a bit anti-climactic for a college student…haha enjoy!

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

#1:  I’m not entirely sure my first point applies to the entirety of the real world but it is common in Chapel Hill and it has been something that I have had to err…”adjust” to.  What is it? Domesticated squirrels.  In Charlotte, the squirrels are skittish and we steer clear of each other; if my memory does not deceive me, I believe I was even told rumors of rabies when I was a kid.  This is not the case for UNC schools.  Not only are the squirrels here not afraid of people, they are actually a little invasive in my opinion.  I will sit down in the grassy area of the quad with my thermos and homework and next thing I know a fluffy-tailed squirrel is pawing through my $200 textbook and indulging in my homemade coffee cake.  Note to squirrels:  I ain’t afraid of you now either and next time you interrupt my Monday morning lounge time, I’ll throw ya.  So there.

#2: Living in the real world has presented a people-watching lover like myself with a wonderful opportunity.  This campus is very conducive to sneaky surveillance and these are just a few things that I blissfully (and sometimes not so) observed this week:

·      People walk to class.  They bike to class.  I have even seen a few rollerblades in my days here, but not until last Wednesday did I receive my first real treat to class transportation: a Segway. Oh yes, this is real life we’re talking about.  I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, and subsequently attract curious looks, when I saw a helmet-clad girl leaning through crowds of innocent college students on her red Segway.  All I can ask is “do you want to be that girl?”  I sure hope so because I thoroughly enjoy watching your escapades.

·      The boys here are truly idiots when it comes to dressing themselves and I tend to think that no one should leave the house without consulting me first but this next trend is truly terrible for anyone’s standards and I feel personally offended.  Today in class I saw a boy, a lumberjack bearded boy I might add, wearing a madras plaid short-sleeved button down (shout out Craig Hollingsworth!!) with a mesh jersey over it.  But wait, there’s more!!  Both of these things were tucked into belted jeans atop white reebok sneakers.  Uh uh my friend!!!

#3: There is a LOT of crying in the real world and this week in particular I have experienced unprecedented amounts of waterworks.  I won’t harp on it, but I really do hate to see people cry.  It makes me so terribly uncomfortable and I tend to avoid having to witness that kind of emotion all together.  Someone must be out to get me because both of my suite mates broke up with their long time boyfriends this past week and along with that came rivers upon rivers of loud tears.  I just cannot handle that.  I am very sorry for your heartbreak but take care of that in the solitude of your own room…not in mine…not on my bed…not with my tissues.

#4: There is no concept of a “week night” in the real world.  I am certain that I am the least cool person in my family and this new tradition of going out EVERY night, and I am not joking here, has been truly upsetting to me!  Someone somewhere always wants to go out.   Excuse me but I have classes, don’t you guys ever sleep? No.  I’m sorry party people but I do not want to join your club.  I will not drink the Kool-Aid. 

#5: Visitors are awesome, even in the real world.  Saturday my mom came bearing homemade coffee cake, promises of pedicures, and warm winter sweaters!  Could you ask for anything more?  I submit that you could not.  I welcome anyone else that might be passing through the 27514 area…I’ll give you the grand tour of the campus, dorm, and tri delt house, and who knows? We may even be serenaded by some Clef Hangers ;) A girl can dream.

I am shamed to say that last week’s edition passed by without any mention of the date that it was sent out on.  I was in the third grade during snack time eating string cheese and pepperonis when I found out about the first plane crashing into the twin towers.  It didn’t mean a whole lot to me then, but it is amazing to think that 10 years have passed and the impact is still powerful in our nation. Never forget.

That’s all folks.  I hope you are well; I’d love to hear from you!

Until next time,

Kane

P.s. HAPPY 22^ND BIRTHDAY BIG BROTHER!!!! “80’S BABY, 90’S MADE ME!” LOVE YOU!

Happy Birthday big brother!