Time to be on the computer!

OBT (Orthodox Basic Training) has ended and we (interns and staff) are resting up and preparing for the next one! I got 11 hours of sleep today (as opposed to last week where I got 11 hours of sleep in 3 nights) and we went into downtown Rosarito for laundry/tacos. I now like guacamole and cheese (this is a big deal). Six beautiful homes are built in San Jose de la Zorra and we are driving down to visit them again tomorrow.

It was a really fun experience as an intern at OBT-getting to meet a ton of cool people, see a little bit of all of the sites, and knowing the boys at the orphanage pretty well. Until next Tuesday, we'll be doing prep work, hanging out with them (which definitely helps my Spanish) and doig fun things like what we're doing now- baking banana bread with a surplus of the extra bananas!

Anna, Emily and I had a fun experience at the Mexican grocery store yesterday as everything is in Spanish, pesos, and they don't have the same things we do. Ex: no chocolate chips. And pan (bread) is SO good, and much more reasonably priced than in the US.

I feel like I have so many stories to post on here, but I just blank because I've done SO MUCH in the past two weeks that I can't even remember it all (aka why I have a journal). The end of OBT was great because I can say that I met almost all of the people that came and look forward to meeting a ton more soon! And the boys at the orphanage have been awesome! We get closer and closer every day and Anna and I started a 'silly bands' trend so everyone has the bracelets with random objects-shaped-rubber bands.

Maybe I'll bring my journal here later and post a few, because the only thing I can think of as I hear the bull making noises outside is that it escaped the other day, ran around the ranch and knocked out two tents. Today the cat came in our trailer and I had to shoo it out, which took longer than anticipated. But we got everything cleaned up from OBT and are ready for another good week! The work and building process will be so much easier this time!

More to come, and thanks to everyone who sent me letters! It's really made my day!

Hola from Mexico!

Hi loves!!! I miss you all very greatly but figured that if you care, I'll let you know that I'm having a PHENOMENAL time in Mexico!! I only have 300 pictures so far (surprise there) and will try uploading some of them in the near future, I'm on my friend's computer sitting on the only steps in this area that get WiFi (which happen to overlook the Pacific ocean...ahh)

Basically, I'm with a couple of other interns and this week is called OBT, Orthodox Basic Training, which means there are 200 people sleeping in tents while the interns are in trailers, and we are building 6 houses at the same time. As an intern, instead of staying on one site, I go wherever needed (which means I get to meet a ton of random people that I somehow know from somewhere across the country)! It's been fun. I introduced a man to his daughter's boyfriend's older brother's girlfriend's younger sister. How Greek/complicated is that?!

Usually (if you stalk my FB photos from last year), we do this nearby Tijuana for local families. This year, we're trying something different and going to an Indian Reservation for the Kumiai tribe. The issue with this is that it's about 2 hours away, so a lot of people don't want to be driving through Mexico with the drug wars etc.

But Project Mexico pursued it anyway and it was the best decision that was ever made. This two hour drive goes down the ocean coastline, then into the mountains, and it's the most beautiful area I have ever seen. I feel like I'm in Greece. And the houses are coming along so well, the people are interesting and nice, the OBT interns are slowly becoming best friends and I'm really happy.

That's a quick low down, SO much more to come, I'm of course keeping a journal/quote book and each day in a notebook is about 7 pages. Crazy much?

Example before I go to bed: This 2 hour drive took us 4 1/2 hours the first time we went to the site to drop off over 2000 pounds of wood and supplies. In the middle of the mountains, one of the four trucks broke down about 9 miles from the site because it was out of propane gas, even though we filled it with regular gasoline. And noone had walkie talkie/phone reception (there's only 2 phones and a lot of times, we're using walkie talkies to communicate with the other drivers to somewhere), so we were literally just stuck in the middle of the mountains. I was wondering....wow, how will I explain this to my friends? If I were at home right now, I'd be mad over so many other random daily things, but would never had the issue of being stuck in the gorgeous mountains...caravaning wood over to an Indian reservation.

Write me, I sent you all a postcard, thanks Mom & Dad for the granola bars, I really appreciate it, love you!!

I'm at Project Mexico!

Hi! I will be at Project Mexico for the next month (there until July 12) so feel free to write me while I'm there!! I'll probably write you! Don't count on me having phone reception or internet access so snail mail will be my primary method of communication! I wish you all a happy and safe summer and will miss everyone!!

Here's the address:

Project Mexico
PO Box 120028
Attn: Katie Artemas
Chula Vista, CA
91912-3128

Ending my time in Northbrook

Upon reflection, this month has flown by and now I am finishing up my packing for Mexico!! I'm saying goodbyes, finishing up last shifts at Fridays and trying to get organized.

Maybe my life wouldn't be such a wreck if I didn't keep getting injured. First my arm (cast off tomorrow!! *God-willing*) and then I hit my head at work on Saturday night and practically got a concussion...in addition to my already-cracked left toe from Mark Twain's Homecoming barbecue, wow. I keep getting more and more stories from Fridays--from this, to our new requirement of memorizing every recipe and ingredient on the menu...only making me hungrier..., to my crazy tables. My tables have stopped reacting to the cast, which is pretty funny...like how do they know if I got injured a month ago or yesterday? Tonight I had a table that didn't have enough money to pay, some teenagers who didn't leave me a tip, and my middle school gym teacher in my section. Ohh work. But now, Maria will get to have the experiences I had as she starts hosting there tomorrow! We won't work together until late July but I can't wait to hear her reaction to the restaurant industry.

Eleni and I were going over things I will now have the capability to do without my cast. It was funny because they were all normal day-to-day duties--like wash my own hair, carry things with two hands, get dressed easily...oh the simple things in life. I get to work one shift at work cast-less, so I'll see how quickly my wrist heals pretty soon.

I began compiling another quote book- this one is just amusing quotes said this summer, so I'll post them after I get back from Mexico when there will probably be a lot more :). Example: yesterday at the Flamm household, Becca describing a situation as "sketch-a-me-street!"

I'm off to continue packing but have a good night! <3

Weekend Update: Champaign Style

Tonight is basically my first night in the house since Wednesday! Thursday morning, Helen and I began our road trip adventure to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (yes, I just typed the name for formality purposes) to stay at Elena and Alicia's summer apartment while they do research!

On the road

Walking by and posing at the alma mater

Of course, we didn't get lost or stuck by construction once we got off our feet and on the roads, but all the places we got stuck were right by here. Like at Dean's Jimmy Johns location that had 200 people in line outside, or construction everywhere on 294 south. So we ate at Potbelly's and got on the road, where we got to U of I in time to enjoy the sunny day, walk campus and hang out on the quad a bit. For dinner, everyone made these Indian eggs with a recipe from Alia, one of Elena's Presby roommates, which were really good with this warm Asian bread we had!! After dinner, we got ready for a night to go out where the whole mutual friends thing just comes into play and is laugh-worthy. At a house where we met up with some engineering friends, one of the guys just happened to live on Meredith's floor. Then, at the bars (which you only have to be 19 to get into in Chamapaign =O), I came across Lauren Spiegel and two of her best guy friends! We proceeded to catch up and hang out the rest of the weekend! Yay to the Mizzou connection/North shore connection!

Here are some pictures of me, Elena, Helen & Alicia before we went out!

Just how accurate can personality tests be?

So before I left for U of I on Thursday, I purchased a book titled Strengths Finder 2.0 where you get the access code to take the StrengthsQuest test, and it gives you five of your 'top strengths' and ways to pursue them through your actions and relationships! Sounds pretty cool, right?

So the way the test works is there are 2 statements, 1 on the left and 1 on the right, and 5 bubbles. The middle bubble is neutral, and you can strongly agree or just agree with the statement that most closely portrays you. There are about 200 questions (178 I believe), and at first I was very confused on how it could accurately estimate my five top strengths out of its 34 identified strengths.

These are: Achiever Activator Adaptability Analytical Arranger Belief Command Communication Competition Connectedness Context Deliberative Developer

Discipline Empathy Consistency Focus Futuristic Harmony Ideation Includer

Individualization Input Intellection Learner Maximizer Positivity Relator

Responsibility Restorative Self-Assurance Significance Strategic Woo

Even while taking the test, I was mad at some of the questions. I know the two sides aren't supposed to be opposites...but at first, I definitely got the vibe that this exam thinks analytical people can't necessarily be successful...because it implies that if your 'strength' is analyzing, you can't carry things out, so you have to decide which you are MORE of to identify your strength. It also implied that enjoying present successes means you can’t or haven’t figured out why you failed, which isn't necessarily true in my opinion.

By the end, I realized the exam's goal is not necessarily which you are 'more' of, but how you see you fitting into it. The most confusing questions were "I encourage others" vs. "I strengthen others", "I am reasonable" vs. "I am responsible", and "Responsibility" vs. "Striving for promotions."

Can't responsible people strive for promotions? But what it wants to know is if you SEE yourself as responsible or if you just see yourself as striving for promotions, because your 'strengths' are different depending on how you see it. So that's why I found the Strengths Quest test interesting, besides the fact that the 2.0 version gives you an online access account and a 21-page-PDF personalized summary based on what your responses were, as well as actions you can take to utilize this strength. It was VERY accurate in my situation, and yes I know from AP Psych that psychologically, you try to find yourself when reading generalized descriptions...but a lot of these are still extremely fitting. Maybe you would share some! Enjoy!

My Top 5 Strengths

COMMUNICATION

You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. This is your Communication theme at work. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You believe that most people have a very short attention span. They are bombarded by information, but very little of it survives. You want your information—whether an idea, an event, a product’s features and benefits, a discovery, or a lesson—to survive. You want to divert their attention toward you and then capture it, lock it in. This is what drives your hunt for the perfect phrase. This is what draws you toward dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to you. Your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to act.

FOCUS

“Where am I headed?” you ask yourself. You ask this question every day. Guided by this theme of Focus, you need a clear destination. Lacking one, your life and your work can quickly become frustrating. And so each year, each month, and even each week you set goals. These goals then serve as your compass helping you determine priorities and make the necessary corrections to get back on course. Your Focus is powerful because it forces you to filter; you instinctively evaluate whether or not a particular action will help you move toward your goal. Those that don’t are ignored. In the end, then, your Focus forces you to be efficient. Naturally, the

flip side of this is that it causes you to become impatient with delays, obstacles, and even tangents, no matter how intriguing they appear to be. This makes you an extremely valuable team member. When others start to wander down other avenues, you bring them back to the main road. Your Focus reminds everyone that if something is not helping you move toward your destination, then it is not important. And if it is not important, then it is not worth your time. You keep everyone on point.

WOO

Woo stands for winning others over. You enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you. Strangers are rarely intimidating to you. On the contrary, strangers can be energizing. You are drawn to them. You want to learn their names, ask them questions, and find some area of common interest so that you can strike up a conversation and build rapport. Some people shy away from starting up conversations because they worry about running out of things to say. You don’t. Not only are you rarely at a loss for words; you actually enjoy initiating with strangers because you derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection. Once that connection is made, you are quite happy to wrap it up and move on. There are new people to meet, new rooms to work, new crowds to mingle in. In your world there are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met yet—lots of them.

RESPONSIBILITY

Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. Your good name depends on it. If for some reason you cannot deliver, you automatically start to look for ways to make it up to the other person. Apologies are not enough. Excuses and rationalizations are totally unacceptable. You will not quite be able to live with yourself until you have made restitution. This conscientiousness, this near obsession for doing things right, and your impeccable ethics, combine to create your reputation: utterly dependable. When

assigning new responsibilities, people will look to you first because they know it will get done. When people come to you for help — and they soon will — you must be selective. Your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should.

INDIVIDUALIZATION

Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or “types” because you don’t want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person’s style, each person’s motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a- kind stories in each person’s life. This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and why you tailor your teaching style to accommodate one person’s need to be shown and another’s desire to “figure it out as I go.” Because you are such a keen observer of other people’s strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive teams. While some search around for the perfect team “structure” or “process,” you know instinctively that the secret to great teams is casting by individual strengths so that everyone can do a lot of what they do well.

Another urban week

After the concerts weekend, I had a fun week around the Chicagoland area! I started up meeting up with Shaina at Woodfield where we walked around and it was great catching up with her. The next night, I took the Metra to visit Meredith downtown where we shopped Michigan Avenue (I finally worked up the energy!) and ate at Grand Lux Cafe (mmm)!

I had a fun experiencing purchasing the Bombshell and it was a good investment! On the train, I had some good reading time and in my planner, began a list of my favorite newly-coined words.

• Slacktivism: Established in a Chicago Tribune article in the Live! section, this is a word to describe the act of people thinking they are activists doing things like joining Facebook groups or internet communities for causes they may or may not care about, but encompasses how the act of joining really is not activism because it provides no real action. The example is how on Facebook one day last year, it became a pattern to post your bra color as your Facebook status to support breast cancer. But what did that do for breast cancer? Raise money? Help find a cure? That type of support isn't always enough, and doesn't even require much effort, and is thus...slacktivism.
• Interfriendtion: Straight from Sex & The City 2, I define this as being blatantly honest with your friends where they need to hear it most, and feel like it could be a fun word to use :)

Thankfully for me, it has been one of those weeks where everything timing-wise when it comes to meeting up with people has worked out in my favor. Wednesday, I got to see and catch up with Brooke, Jackie, Helen, Elena & Alicia, where we discussed our plan to visit U of I this weekend, which should be really fun! I even got to go out to family dinner at Pizano's, and it was our first family dinner since I've been home!

Thursday, I took the L after work to meet up with Stacey in the area of downtown closer to Lincoln Park and we saw Comedy Sportz and went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant..which made me a ton more excited for the rice and bean breakfast, lunch and dinners in Mexico!!!! Here's us at intermission:

The next evening, after working a double, Jessie, Hannah and I went to Evanston and saw the Purple Haze concert at Northwestern then went out with Becca and Ceri! Look how pretty everyone looks!

After waking up at 6 am in Ceri's dorm room, I went to Thea Tula & Uncle Bill's 50th Anniversary party in Vernon Hills and had a fun afternoon with Lena and the family! We had as many adventures 'stealing' golf carts, running around the golf course and playing with zuzu pets, the new most popular kids toy haha. Lena looked absolutely adorable and finally opened up to taking some pictures after awhile.

Later that night, after I finished watching season 2 of the OC :), Meredith and I bought some awesome headbands at Northbrook Court, one of which I'm wearing below :P, and then Helen and I met up with Elizabeth at DePaul. I can officially parallel park in the city in tight spots =O. Who knew. We went to a pasta restaurant for dinner and had amazing cupcakes and cookies for dessert at Swirls! It was fun for all us to be together again and here we are at Swirls:

That's my life and hope you're having fun! <3

Public Apology Notice

Dear friends,

I would like to formally apologize for pursuing one of my pet peeves and often, in front of you guys...texting. As some of you know, junior year I wrote an opinions article in Torch about how much I hate texting. And I am glad to say that in an effort not to be a hypocrite, I reread it and completely agree with all of the statements I make there. Something about college and mass communication combined have made me more of a texter but have not taken away from my habit of talking with others on the phone when matters are discussable and not brief, making plans or finding people.

I feel incredibly rude when I do it (send text messages) especially when I'm with friends or family, texting other friends or family. Part of me tells me to put my phone on silent and stop (yes, I am human), but the other part of me can't lose that communication with the rest of the world. It's the societal norm. But that does NOT mean you are not a priority if I'm with you and texting someone else. It means that other person might have a question/be trying to figure out plans for tomorrow.

Back to hypocrisy, when I am with friends and they are texting others, I obviously wonder who it is and what they could be talking about. Or why they can't just focus on our conversation. And now I know the answer: they are keeping in touch with their other friends/family, just as most of us do. And can they wait? Can I wait? It's probably possible, but just not probable or actual for that matter. So I am writing this to let you know first, that I have discovered it as a problem and am not oblivious to the fact that I text too much when with other people, because recognition is the first step to realizing any issue. And when I'm with you, maybe you'll empathize when I text other people because I probably made plans with you via text while I was hanging out with someone else :)

So after realizing texting as a hypocritical pet peeve, I made a list of more and their explanations. Some explanation is more elaborate than others.

Pet Peeves I am guilty of but in an attempt to stop because I dislike these habits so much

Disclaimer: if I am with you and commit any of these, feel free to inform me :)

• Texting: explained above.
• The use of "we": Kara pointed this one out, but sometimes I tend to say 'we' leaving others wondering- who is we? Is it YOU, you and who you were with, and if you aren't saying who else you were with, why is it a secret? These are all what I wonder when others say it. Usually, I am referring to a group, but story. At work today, I walked up to a table of just one man and asked, "Are we all set to order?" This helped me to realize that Fridays is probably where I gained this habit. Because when I address a table, I speak in the 'we' for more convincing techniques and somehow, carry that over to my conversations with friends. Sorry, because if someone spoke to me in the we, I'd be angered.
• The phrase "It's fine": Is it really fine? Does fine mean good, or that you settled? The tone really matters on this one. My biggest reciprocation to this phrase is would you have initiated this yourself, or are you just following what someone else did because 'it's fine'? No one knows. So stop getting everyone else mad by saying this and just say something like "That's a good/bad idea, I like/dislike this" or some type of more descriptive word on the yes-no black-white scale rather than "fine". Thanks :)
• When I say- "I'm going to let you go": I think this one started during college. Or summer before that when I started to juggle a lot of things. This phrase is a problem. Sherman pointed it out over winter break on Skype, and the rephrase was: 'I'm going/need to go.' So I tried that the week later, to which the person I was conversing with replied "I'M NOT DONE YET!" This was depressing so I reverted back to saying it. Why do I say it? Because I feel like I am ending our conversation with you on top. We got to catch up (we the two of us), and now you get to go continue on with the rest of your day and be productive and all that jazz. And I don't feel guilty catching up with you because now I wasn't a waste of your time if you get to keep doing what you would have done. So basically, my apologies for using this phrase, I will no longer attempt to use it for others' benefit, and will just say when I need to go and not 'leave the blame' on the other person. Sorry friends, I love you all :).
• When you are conversing with someone and they cannot look you in the eye: This is key to human communication. Why can't you look at someone in the eye when you talk to them? It's not only a sign of respect, but active listening. What else are you staring at? Or what's going on with that person that you physically can't bring yourself to looking at them? Ahhh.
• People that mumble: How do you expect someone to understand what you are saying? Just speak clearly and this could be easily avoided.
• Condescending people: What puts you above someone in a particular situation? Think before you speak down to someone, and ask yourself what you did to put yourself above them that makes you more authoritative. Even if addressing the problem and/or talking about it or writing about it in a blog post is the answer.
• Bad driving: this encompasses a lot. Whether it's people who brake and accelerate quickly, can't merge, talk on the phone and drive, text and drive, we've all done it. We know it's not smart, it just happens. WOW, I have already spoken in the we. Failure. So to answer my own question, we means society here.
• Figuring out the we complex: After already failing at one of my vows here, I realize that the reason I say 'we' besides addressing tables is because I think my thoughts are similar to society's norms and what conformists would do, which to some extent, is true, but to some isn't. So sorry, and yay for recognizing that fail.

Therefore, my apologies for all of the listed things and hope everyone's having a great summer :)

Love from Northbrook,

Katie

A Weekend of Concerts

If Glee wasn't enough, I had a busy schedule the rest of the week consisting of work shifts and fun events in the city!

Thursday night, I took the Metra downtown to visit Robin and Betty for a brief Phi Mu reunion and Sex and the City 2 night! The train broke down on the way there and I spent a lovely two hours on the unairconditioned train while the passengers waited for another train to push us all the way from Forest Glen to Union Station. I saw someone from church on my train cart and was able to chat with her and her coworkers after finishing two newspapers on the ride. Robin and Betty's apartment is by Columbia-Chicago's campus so I had the opportunity to see that area, explore Michigan Avenue with them, meet other people living in their building and even spot a Phi Mu lion!

On the way out of the second Sex and the City movie, Betty took the Jake Gyllenhaal cardboard cutout to furnish their apartment! It initiated comical reactions on the street as we walked two miles holding Jake.

As bad as reviews were for the movie, I thought it was hilarious. As an 'I resorted to watching Sex and the City last summer to watch a trashy tv show while being productive' kind of fan, the movie contained a lot of funny inside jokes that fans enjoyed but still dragged on as the girls ventured through Abu Dabhi. I would not exactly call myself a feminist, but there are definitely aspects of Sex and The City that anger me for how degrading they are toward women. I love the show and storylines, but Carrie's relationship where she is demeaned by her husband Mr. Big is just disappointing. He bailed on her perfect wedding because it was HIS 3rd and her 1st, calls her 'kid' and not in a cute way, in a condescending manner, and the second movie basically shows that in order to maintain a marital relationship, you have to come up with things to do to get your husband off the couch and away from the television, and if you can't do that, you don't only fail at marriage, but at life. So in conclusion, I think shows like Sex and the City are fun to watch but we can't let the media sink the messages they portray into their head and should instead, overcome them with our actions in relationships.

Friday night, I saw DePaul's campus for the first time for Fest with Irina! We heard Ludacris and Guster in the tight moshpit of mainly Luda fans and had the typical being-shoved-around concert experience, but both bands performed really well live which was great to see.

Guster!

Ludacris!

Irina and I on the quad

Getting to see Elizabeth around!

After Fest, we went to our first jazz party with some fellow DePaul friends and the hosts happened to not only be from Kansas City, the Kansas side, know a lot of people at Mizzou and KU (University of Kansas...our arch enemy), but they went to high school at Shawnee Mission Northwest with Laura!!! What a small world!

The next morning, after a long day at work, Hannah and I went to Northwestern to meet Becca for the school's "Dillo Day." What is Dillo Day exactly? I'm not too sure, but essentially it's a day for their campus to relax with free concerts in a carnival-type atmosphere on NU's field on campus by the beach. I didn't get to see Regina Spektor or Guster perform (yes, they played again haha), but we saw Super Smash Brothers (an excellent mash-up DJ like Girl Talk) and Nelly!

Not only did we see them, but basically every teenager on the North shore was at Dillo Day! Becca, Hannah and I saw a ton of GBN people and random other people we knew that didn't attend Northwestern around the crowd. And I'm sure they would all agree that Nelly is a horrible live performer and that it was a great thing this concert was free.

Super Smash Brothers on stage!

me, Hannah and Becca

Molly, Emily, Leigh, Michelle, Hannah, Katelyn, me and Becca!

Nelly!

Four performances in four days was definitely exhausting, but it was quite nice to return to the the college-student lifestyle for a few days and enjoy time with students. The Junior Olympics followed the next day along with more fun plans. Hope you enjoy the concert photos!

The Cast of Glee!!

Last Wednesday on the 26th, Meredith and I headed to Rosemont Theatre to see the cast of Glee- live!! And they sound just as amazing live as they do on the FOX television show!! We enjoyed all 23 songs from the balcony seated in the diverse crowd of teenage girls, adolescent boys, parents, 20somethings and families.

Maria and Eleni convinced us to stay after the show and see the actors walk onto the bus and sign autographs/take photos, and met us there with their signs pictured below. It was definitely a success and I have never been so excited to see people from a tv show! Waiting in the sweaty crowd and talking to Cory Monteith (Finn), Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Santana's character was totally worth it! Now here's some photos for jealousy purposes (especially Finn) and so you can see what a humble sister I was taking a picture of Eleni and him!

Meredith and I on the balcony!

Bad Romance

The girls mashup: Halo/Walking on Sunshine

Ending with True Colors/Somebody to Love

Waiting in the crowd and finding Kurt/getting his autograph

Lea Michele is gorgeous!

Eleni and Finn!!! Every girl's idol!

Maria and Eleni with their signs that drew the cast to our side of the crowd!

Maria's: Finn- you wished you'd have Jessie's girl. I'm right here! Now grant my wish...picture?!

Eleni's: Puck- I'm captain of the abstinence club...now puck me?

Puck (Mark Sailing) who was unable to be photographed skipped over our side of the crowd, but Eleni's persistent and determined efforts allowed security to take the poster onto the bus where Mark proceeded to write: Oh yeah baby. Have u seen my guns? -Mark

What a night!

The Cast Life: One-Handed Waitressing

It has been over a week since I've updated this and I have so much to say! This is one of many posts with a quick update before I post photos and some recent revelations.

The cast life has been treating me in an interesting manner, and I'm getting more and more used to it by the day. It hasn't held me back from any adventures I wouldn't have been on in the first place, which is good, but I have to say it does legitimately depress me to not have the physical capability to do things I usually would- like pull my hair back, cut food, text and type normally, hold plates at work, put on jackets...etc, but 2 more weeks until it's off!!!

At my doctor's appointment, the doctor sawed off my purple cast for a check-up a week after the rollerblading fall and put on a new one for the rest of the time. Now, I have a red cast with the sole purpose of it being able to match my Fridays uniform. Like it?!

After being someone who had never broken a bone, I was wondering what it would be like to be 'crippled', and get to see reactions from the public on a daily basis as a one-handed waitress! Some of my tables ask about it right away, some tip more, some tip less and get upset that I can't carry five drinks to the table at once, and some have lame attempts at jokes.

"Were you punching some guys too hard?!", "Rollerblading...who does that?", "Can I sign it?!", and "I told you to stop rollerblading drunk!" are only a few comments I have gotten. In a non-judgmental manner, you can really can tell a lot about people based on the way they stare at it, whether they ask about what happened or if they roll their eyes when they realize they have a one-handed teenage girl serving them their food. I did have one very kind table who came in one evening and returned a few days later to eat lunch and asked me how my arm was feeling and why my cast changed colors. I love nice people.

I've only had two big spills- one where I dropped a pile of plates on myself and covered my apron in sour cream, and another where I spilled four alcoholic drinks on the stairwell. I'll keep you posted with more funny stories as they come!