Storytime with Vicky

Hey All! It's been a while, but I thought I would do a brief update, while I'm waiting for an ad to be finished so I can send it off to the pub., and while I wait till its time for me to walk to the train station. So what's new with me? Well first and foremost: I AM MOVING OUT!!!! I got an apartment on Spruce Street near Rittenhouse Square, for those of you that don't know Philadelphia, that's a really nice section of the city...so come and visit! It's a studio apartment on the first floor of a brownstone and it's great. I cannot wait to move in, especially after this morning (just another reason to add to the list of why I'm happy to move- not something I'm going to share, I'm trying not to dwell on the past). But anyway, I move in May 1, which is in exactly 3 weeks...and how much packing/cleaning have I done...nothing! So, I'm starting tonight, which should be interesting....I DESPISE PACKING! And while I hated it while I was living in dorms, at least then you were only moving stuff that had been there for less than a year. I'm moving out and I've lived in this house for 2 years, but ah well.

The family is great. I spent this whole weekend with various family members. I was with Dan on Friday night and Saturday morning- we had a great time. Then I spent Sat. night/Sunday with the Fennell/Diodato family...also great times. Oh news about Dan- he was thinking about spending a semester abroad in Ireland this fall and has decided against it because........he was picked to be the assistant director for NYU's mainstage production. This is the biggest show that NYU puts on, and this year they are doing "Hair" and the director who is an NYU professor also directs Broadway shows, so this is great for Dan.

We're going to Scotland in June (Dan and I for 5 days, my parents for a little longer)- to celebrate my parent's 25th anniversary and to spend some time together, since we do less and less of that lately. The whole time Dan and I are there, we'll be in Edinburgh, Scotland...I'm so excited, another country to cross off my list- YAY! Dan won't be coming home this summer and I of course have to work, so this will be a good time to just chill together. And ironically/scarily the day we get back will mark my 1 year anniversary at CHOP (wow, that time went fast), and right before that will mark my 5th year out of high school (wow, getting old).

I can't wait for the summer...this weather is insane, it freaking snowed here last week. I can't wait to hang out on the lake on the weekends, eat ice cream, eat Rita's, party at the lake, go to the ocean and just be able to not wear a jacket. I LOVE THE SUMMER! and it's almost here. We were talking about the beach last night at dinner, and this year Dan and I are going to go to LBI for a couple of days to spend time with everyone (and I mean EVERYone...when Dan and I are there, they'll probably be as many as 20 of us there, ranging in age from 70 something to 2...but that's what makes life exciting.)

Alright, I'm still waiting for this ad and getting annoyed at a certain someone. Alright now it's finished, except I doubt I'm going to make my train, but let's see how fast I can walk.

Peace out!
~Vicky

Last Day on Earth
Imagine this is your last day to live...
What movie will you see?:	All 5 of the Rocky movies
What friend would you hug?:	All of them
Whom would you profess your love to?:	The one
What country would you visit?:	Italy or Ireland
What food will you eat?:	Anything I want (Lasagna, Pizza, Steak, Ice cream)
What shoes will you wear?:	My adidas sandlas
Whom will you kiss?:	All the ones I love
Whom would you kill?:	No one
Whom would you cuss out?:	The people that put me down
What sport will you watch?:	The Olympis
What book would you read?:	700 Sundays
To whom will you apologize?:	All the people I've made fun of (alright well the day isn't that long...so I guess, all the ones I made fun of in high school)
Will you wonder why this day is so long?:	No...b/c i'm sure it wouldn't be long enough
Will you tell anyone that you're about to die?:	Those I am closest to....but I would tell them verbally that I love them and then write them a note to explain that I was dying and that's why I told them everything I did
What type of music would you listen to?:	Rock n' Roll
Would you try skydiving?:	Yes
What tv show will you watch?:	Friends, ER, The West Wing
What shirt will you wear?:	Any hooded sweatshirt
Do you smell iodine? Cuz I do....:	LOL
Did that last question freak you out?:	Yes
Will you do/try any sort of drugs?:	I might smoke pot
Will you go on a drinking binge?:	Maybe
Would you take up a new hobby?:	Why bother...if I like it, it'll be the last time I get to do it, if I hate it I'll be mad I spent part of my last day working on something that i hated
Okay, you're down to five more minutes till you croak...
What soung would you like to hear?:	Good Riddance by Green Day
Where would you go?:	To the lake, the Ritz or the basketball court
What will you be doing?:	laying on the dock, standing at center stage or standing at the foul line
Who will be the last person you say goodbye to?:	My mom and dad and Dan
Do you think anyone will miss you?:	I hope so
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Your house
Your Bedroom
Is it big?:	Yes
what color is your carpet?:	Blue
what color are your walls?:	White
tv?:	Yes
cd player?:	Yes
DVD player?:	Yes
phone?:	My cell
seating.... couch, chairs?:	No, well there's one couch
what color are your linens?:	my sheets? green with tan squares
do you have blinds on your windows?:	No
curtains?:	Yes
is there a computer in your room?:	Yes...2
under your bed... is it messy?:	Yes
is your closet messy?:	Don't have one
what is in your closet?:	see above
do you clean your room?:	No
Your Bathroom
does it match your bedroom?:	No...there's only 1 bathroom and 4 bedrooms
what is the theme?:	There isn't one
what color are the walls?:	White
do you have a shower curtain or doors?:	Doors
do you have a jacuzzi tub?:	HA...I wish
how many windows?:	1
separate shower & bathtub??:	No
rugs?:	2
# of sinks?:	1
your kitchen
wall color?:	white on 2 of them, and then one is periwinkle and pumpkin panelling
cabinet color?:	Brown
what kind of drinks are in your refrigerator?:	Beer, Milk, Water, Soda, Juice, Wine
what snacks do you have in the refrigerator?:	Don't know
any icecream in the freezer?:	I think there's one gallon
do you cook?:	No
do you have an island?:	No
do you have a separate dining room?:	No, we have a "section" of our front room
do you own a george foreman grill?:	No
do you use it?:
your living room
what sz tv?:	I'm not sure, but it's quite big
chairs?:	there's 4 dining room chairs, 2 sitting chairs and 1 recliner
color of couch.:	We have a black leather couch and a blue futon
color of carpet?:	Well there's a green area rug and then there's an orientalish rug
wall color.:	Interesting question: one wall is sunshine yellow, the front wall and part of the side wall is blue and the other walls are dark red
lamps?:	3, but I'm not sure we ever use any of them
computer?:	No
pictures on the walls?:	Yes
how many?:	2
outside
how many cars in the driveway?:	No driveway, but all of us have cars, so that's 4
fence?:	Yes, in the back
pool?:	No
hot tub?:	No
garage?:	No
storage buidling?:	No
ponds, lakes?:	The Schuylkill isn't that far away
pets?:	Heather has a dog
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Bedroom Survey
What is the theme of your room?:	Well its a mess, I'm not sure if that's a theme
What color are your walls?:	Philly- White, Paupack - Green
What color would you like your walls to be?:	They're fine
Do you have wallpaper?:	No
Do you have posters up?:	Yes to both
If yes, of what?:	R.E.M/Finding Nemo/Grateful Dead (3)/The Goonies, Shrek, Bob Maley, U2 (2), The Rolling Stones, Ocean's 11, Tom Cruise (Top Gun), Sean Connery, Smiley Faces, Romeo/Juliette
Bed:
What color are your sheets?:	Home= snowmen, Phila- green checkered
What color is your comforter?:	Home- Purple/black, Phila- blue
What size bed do you have?:	Home - Twin; Phila- Full
One pillow or two?:	2
What do you sleep with on your bed?:	Huh? I usually sleep with 2 pillows and about 4 stuffed anilmals
Do you make your bed?:	Well here's how odd I am...I make it before I get into it...aka...right before i go to bed
What's in your room:
VCR?:	Only in Philly
DVD player?:	Same
CD player?:	Yes to both
Any game system?:	Super Nintendo in Philly
Computer?:	2 - both in Philly
Mini Fridge?:	No
Any Animals?:	No
Any trophies or awards?:	At home
Closet:
Do you have a closet?:	At home I do, in Philly I have a sort of carved into the wall shelf sort of thing
Is it clean or messy?:	Well actually my mom just cleaned it for me (at home)
Is it a walk in?:	No
Is it color coded?:	HELL NO
What is in it?:	A lot of old clothes and shoes on one side and a lot of old toys on the other
Other:
How many windows?:	2
Is your room messy or clean?:	Messy
Do you have any cool lights or lamps?:	I have a lava lamp at home and I want a black light for here b/c i have a black light poster
Do you have any cool chairs or bean bags?:	No
What color is your carpet?:	Paupack- Green, Philly- Blue
Do you have any rugs?:	No
Do you have a phone in your room?:	Well I have my cell
What is on your nightstand?:	I don't have one
Are there any pictures of you and your friends up?:	Yup...tons
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family and friends
FAMILY
Parents name(s):	Tony and Debby
siblings name(s):	Daniel
aunts and uncles name(s):	Aunts- Jeanne, Lisa, Susan, Marilou and Margie Uncle- Marty, Peter, Kenny, Mark and Gerry
cousins name(s):	Ryan, Mary Kate, Matthew, Joseph, Miranda, Luke, Jacob, Tyler, Kevin, Rachel and Jacqui
grandparents name(s):	Maternal- Eleanor and Martin, Paternal- Raymond Anthony, Rosemary and Edward (step-grandfather)
who do you hate the most?:	What is with these questions, I love them all...of course only 2 are alive
who do you love the most?:	All of them
who would you most likely live with other than ur parents?:	Well when we were kids my parents will said we would live with Gerry and Katherine
who is the craziest?:	LOL...the Fennells
who do u fear the most?:	I don't fear my relatives
who annoys you the most?:	None
who do you trust the most?:	All
FRIENDS
What does friendship mean to you?:	I think friendship is measured in quality not quantity
would you rather have alot of friends or a few close friends?:	A few close friends
who is your best friend?:	Sarah, Vanessa or Jess
who knows you the best?:	One of the above three
who are you closest with?:	Same
who do you trust most?:	Same
who would you die for?:	All
who is the last person you've seen?:	Well I saw people at work. Friend wise, I saw Caroline
who is the last person you hugged?:	My parents
who is the last person you kissed?:	My parents
who is the last person you talked to on the phone?:	Rick from work
who is the last person you talked to online?:	Well Mike left me a message that made my week
have you ever dreamt about a friend?:	Sure
have you ever had a friend let you down?:	Yes
have you ever hurt a friend intensionally?:	Not to my knowledge
ever knew a friend was lying to you?:	I don't think so
have you ever lied to a friend?:	No
what would be the best thing a friend could do for you?:	Be there for me when I need them
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--THEATER KID--
[X] Ever been in a play?
[X] Have you ever seen a Broadway show?
[X] More than 10 Broadway shows?
[X] Have you ever been/Are you in school shows?
[] Does your current job involve theater in some way?
[X]Want to end up working in/for theater
[X] Can you recite all of the lyrics to your favorite play/musical?
[X] Do you break out into random songs whenever/wherever!!
[X]Do you like the Sound of Music?
[] Did you like the Broadway show?
Total X: 8 (was there really a doubt here?)

--REDNECK--
[]Do you have a couch in your front yard or porch?
[] Do you drive a four-wheeler?
[]Do you ride four-wheelers?
[x]Do you like to get dirty?
[]Do you like country music?
[] Do you have a broken car in your back yard?
[x] Do you own a cowboy hat?
[] Do you live on more then 1 acres?
[] Do you have more then 4 different animals at your home?
[]Do you watch Larry the Cable Guy movies?
Total X: 2

-GOTH--
[] Do you wear black eyeliner?
[]Is most of your clothing dark?
[] you think about death often?
[] Do you want to die?
[] Are you a social outcast?
[] Are you pale?
[x] Do you like Hot Topic?
[X] Do you enjoy Tim burton movies?
[X] Are you mean? (well i'm sarcastic, but i'm sure it comes across as mean)
Total X: 3

--PUNK--
[] Can you skateboard
[] Do you wear vans?
[x] Do you do stupid stuff with your friends?
[] Have you gotten in trouble with the Cops?
[] Do you watch the x-games?
[x] Do you have any piercings?
[] Do you like/wear a mohawk?
[x] Do you wear Band t-shirts?
[] Have you called someone a poser recently?
Total X: 3

--PREP--
[] Do you say the word "like"?
[] Do you shop at Hollister/Abercrombie&Fitch/AE/Aero?
[] Do the people in Hot topic scare you?
[x] Do u giggle alot when your with your friends/boyfriend?
[] Have/do you watch LAGUNA BEACH?
[x] Do you like pop music?
[] Do you want/have a little dog?
[x]Do you smile & laugh a lot!
[]Do you spend more than 10 minutes picking out an outfit?
Total X: 3



--HIPPIE--
[] Is your hair long?
[x] Do you own a tye-dye shirt?
[x] Do You want to save the animals?
[x] Do you think war is unnecessary?
[x] Do you like classic rock and trippy music?
[] Have you ever participated in a protest?
[]Have you ever been overcome with a desire to hug a tree?
Total X: 4

--GANGSTA--
[] Do you act ghetto?
[] Do you wear do-rags?
[] Do you like hip-hop?
[] Was Tupac truly the greatest rapper in the world?
[] Do you believe he's alive?
[] Do you like afros?
[]Have you ever said "Fo Shizzle"?
[x] Do you like to dance?
[] Do you own any Baby Phat or G-Unit?
Total X: 1

--EMO-
[] Do you cry often?
[x] Do you wear hoodies?
[] Do you like soft music?
[x] Do people not understand you?
[] Do you write your own poems?
[] Ever dyed your hair red, black or dark?
[]Do you cut your hair?
[x] Are you lonely?
[] Is "Ohio is for lovers" a good song?
Total X: 3

--SURFER--
[] Do you surf?
[] Do you wear flip flops year-round?
[] Is your hair shaggy?
[] Do you wake up before 6 every morning?
[x] Do you own any pairs of shorts?
[x] Are you tan?
[x] Do you want to be at the beach right now?
[x] Do you hate tourists?
Total X: 4

--GEEK--
[] Do you wear glasses?
[] Do you get good grades?
[x]Do you use an inhaler? this question pisses me off...it is not GEEKY to want to be able to BREATHE...it's called LIFE or DEATH...idiots
[] Do you stick pens and calculators into your shirt pockets?
[] Does your mom pick out your clothes?
[x] Are you on the computer often?
[] Do you ever get picked on?
[] Do you look forward to going to school?
[] Are you shy around the opposite sex?
[] Do you play video games?
Total X: 2


Well I'm sure no one is surprised by this, but I thought it was fun.

I was just reading my old entries and I noticed something amusing. On the entry from January 19th, I did a survey (i know shocking) and on question 17, I wrote something about how my grandparents have been dead for a while and they are still sitting in my aunt's basement. To those of you who just read this for fun and don't know me (which I think is a little strange, but whatever)...I would like to stress that they both were cremated and that they are sitting in the original boxes that they came in. So to re-cap they aren't a) sitting decaying in her basement and b) we didn't get fancy urns, they are in the sealed shut tupperware like boxes that they came in.

~Vicky

1. WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING? flannel snowman pants
2. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Gilmore Girls and the guy next door who is sanding or drilling something and its making my teeth hurt (it sounds like the dentist's drill...that's how you know you've had to much dental work)
3. WHAT ARE THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER? 9776
4. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? a piece of pizza
5. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue
6. WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Cold and windy
7. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Aunt Jeanne and mom's voicemail
8. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS? I copied it from myself and if you don't love yourself than you have issues
9. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? I'm sick...but I'm used to it, I've been sick for a week (this is interesting, b/c this is the same answer I had from 2/25/04)
10. FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Coke (yup still the same)
11. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK? Long Island Iced Tea
12. FAVORITE SPORT? basketball
13. HAIR COLOR? dark blonde
14. EYE COLOR? blue
15. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? nope
16. SIBLINGS AND THEIR AGES? Dan: 20
17. FAVORITE FOOD? Lasagna
18. LAST MOVIES YOU WATCHED? The In-Laws (1979)
19. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? March 4 (we go to California), April 1 (my birthday)
20. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? I like summer and winter
22. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Vanilla
23. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO WRITE BACK? Nah
24. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No one
25. LEAST LIKELY? Everyone
26. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? I just finished 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal
27. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I have one of those laser ones, but its sitting on a movie case
28. FAVORITE BOARD GAME? Cranium...haha

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~*~* Top 10 *~*~
---10 Firsts---
First Best Friend:::	Laura Peoples
First Screenname:::	still is mine, ask and i'll tell you
First Pet Name:::	Pixie
First Piercing:::	In my right ear, quickly followed by the left
First Crush:::	I don't know, maybe some kid in pre-school
First CD:::	Green Day
First School:::	Serendipity (pre-school), Wallenpaupack North Elementary School
First House Location:::	Well we don't do box numbers in Paupack, but it's on 507, and its the same house that my parents still live in
First Kiss:::	I prefer not to share this information
First Car:::	1991 Subaru Legacy
---9 Lasts---
Last Time You Smoked:::	I smoked a cigar in September, and i've never smoked a cigarette
Last Food You Ate:::	Pizza
Last Car Ride:::	Coming home from West Chester on Saturday
Last Movie You Watched:::	The In Laws
Last Phone Call:::	Aunt Jeanne (like 2 minutes ago)
Last CD You Listened To:::	Well I've been listening to my ipod, and the last song I heard was Layla from Eric CLapton: Unplugged
Last Bubble Bath You Took:::	I'm not sure I've ever taken a bubble bath, but if I did it was at least 15+ years ago
Last Song You Listened To:::	Layla by Eric Clapton
Last Words You Said:::	Talk to you later
---8 Have-You-Evers---
Dated A Best Friend:::	No
Been Arrested:::	No
Been On TV:::	Yes
Eaten Sushi:::	Yes
Cheated On Your B/F or G/F:::	No
Been On A Blind Date:::	No
Been Out Of The Country:::	Yes...Italy, England, Bermuda and Nassau
Been In Love:::	No
---7 Things You Are Wearing---
1:::	Hooded Sweatshirt
2:::	Underwear
3:::	Socks
4:::	Flannel pants
5:::	That's it
6:::	That's it
7:::	That's it
---6 Things You've Done Today---
1:::	Rode the train to and from work
2:::	Gone to work
3:::	Walked from 36th street to 30th street
4:::	Sat in a status meeting
5:::	Ate lunch
6:::	Slept
---5 Favorite Things (not in any order)---
1:::	Friends and family
2:::	Sleeping
3:::	Hanging with friends and family
4:::	Traveling (going to the shore or skiing)
5:::	Community Theatre
---4 People You Most Trust---
1:::	Mom/Dad
2:::	Dan
3:::	Sarah
4:::	Vanessa
---3 Things You Want To Do Before You Die---
1:::	Bungee Jump
2:::	Go back to Il Latini's
3:::	Find the love of my life
---2 Choices---
Vanilla or Chocolate:::	Vanilla
Hugs or Kisses:::	Hugs
--1 Person You Want To See Right Now---
1:::	Sarah or Vanessa
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Well I see that I haven't done a real update in a long time so here it is...enjoy!

Honestly there hasn't been much going on. I had a very nice Christmas...it was weird to go right back to work afterwards, but it was fine. Apparently absolutely NOTHING happens during the week in between Christmas and New Years. Then I came home on the 30th of December and I met up with my brother and parents in Scranton, where we went to Cooper's for dinner (so good...even though I can't eat a lot of the stuff). Then Dan and I went to the Chierichella's for New Year's Eve and since most of the people that read this were there that night I won't go into detail, but I had fun and apparently passed out in the middle of the floor..so I'm sorry to those that had to climb over me. Also we found out that Ryan is a flip cup master! And although I had been drinking I don't believe I was so drunk that I forgot this next bit...I think I was upstairs. Apparently my favorite person EVER has decided to move to Israel...that's right Michael Weiss, I'm talking about you. He said he made the announcement to everyone, but I really don't remember this and I'm sure I would have...anyway, I'm upset about this. But I'm proud of him too. So in exactly 5 weeks Sarah, Vanessa and I will be in California...perhaps even at the Oscar's...but even if we're not it'll be awesome. We got VIP passes to the Ellen Degeneres (our favorite lesbian) show. I can't wait, we're gonna have so much fun! So that's all that's been going on in my life. This Friday I went out for happy hour with people from work and next Friday I'm going to a black-tie-affair at the Auto Show for work, which should be cool.

Well that's it...nothing else. Hope everyone is enjoying their second semester (for a lot of you, your last semester...*hums JAWS theme song*...haha. Seriously, it isn't that bad. I know I complain about work sometimes but honestly you couldn't pay me to go back to school right now...maybe in another year or two...but right now the stress and headaches and sleepless nights and worrying is still to fresh in my mind. With that said I'm going to continue my weekend of doing nothing and loving it.

~Vicky

How many songs: 174
Hours Of Music: 12.5 hrs...there'd be more if my computer would stop being such a pain

Sort by song title:
First Song: 10th Avenue Freeze Out by Bruce Springsteen
Last Song: Your Song by Elton John

Sort by time:
Shortest Song: I Saw Three Ships by Sting (1:44)
Longest Song: 10th Avenue Freeze Out by Bruce Springsteen (16:08....that's b/c it's the live version and he does his introduction of the band in that song)

Sort by album:
First Song: Tiny Dancer by Elton John
Last Song: I Don't Wanna Go Home by Southside Johnny

Top Five Most Played Songs:
1. Have I Told You Lately by Van Morrison
2. Casey Jones by The Grateful Dead
3. The Old Apartment by Barenaked Ladies
4. Break on Through by The Doors
5. Dig a Pony by The Beatles


First song that comes up on Shuffle?: Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton

Search ....
"sex", how many songs come up? - 4
"death or dead", how many songs come up? – 13 (Thanks to the Grateful Dead)
"love", how many songs come up? - 5
"you", how many songs come up? - 19

40 Questions You've Probably Never Seen Before
Which is longer: your Big toe or your 2nd toe?:	My 2nd toe
What brand of Toilet Paper do you use?:	I'm not sure, but I know there's a cute little kid on it
Which do you prefer: Target, Kmart or Walmart?:	Target
What color chair are you sitting on?:	I'm sitting on my bed, but if i were on my chair it would be a dark shade of gray
My Little Ponies or Care Bears?:	Care Bears
Crayola or Roseart?:	Crayola
Go in your room, turn Left and keep walking. Whats do you run into?:	The wall
What kind of lighter would you be if you were one?:	I guess a bic...i don't smoke, and the one time i tried i got hit
How many scarves do you own?:	3
What was the last picture you took of?:	I'm gonna say it would have been this summer...nothing photo worthy has happened in a while
Whats your computer desktop look like?:	It's a picture from the summer: Sara, Will, Jaime and I
what color is your bathroom?:	White
How many rooms are in your house?:	8
What was the last thing you smiled at?:	When I was watching Will & Grace
What was the last thing that confused the hell out of you?:	Some of the phone calls that came into the front desk today
Whats the last movie that you watched and hated?:	ummm...I don't know, I don't tend to see movies that i think i'll hate
Spongebob or Patrick?:	Patrick
Which Beatle are you? (Paul, John, George, or Ringo):	Ringo
If you could be related to anyone in the world, who would it be?:	Bruce Springsteen
What kind of laundry detergent do you use?:	Cheer
What color is your front door?:	Blue
When you give presents, do you wrap them in a gift bag or wrapping paper?:	Wrapping paper
Crayons or Markers?:	Markers
Would you rather prance or hop?:	Hop
Starbucks or Caribou Coffee?:	Starbucks or Bucks County Coffee
If you have a cell phone, what color is it?:	Gray
Have you ever changed a light bulb?:	Yes
Can you make an omelette?:	Well yes, but I always have trouble getting it to fold correctly
What is the most boring dream you've ever had?:	I once dreamed I would get a new mattress for my birthday b/c there were springs poking out of the mattress and they were hurting me
If you wrote a song, what would you call it?:	Change
Blue, Black or Red pen?:	Black
What teacher do you want to punch in the face?:	I don't have anymore teachers and although i've not liked teachers i would never hit one
Did the notebook make you cry?:	No, but it was sad
Where did you get the pants you are wearing?:	My mom made them
If you were a magnet what would you look like?:	I like those kitchen magnets that have moveable parts
If you were a mix tape, what would the first song be?:	The Rising by Bruce Springsteen
What's the most boring color?:	Grey
Have you ever wanted to go cow tipping?:	No, that's very mean
Which one do you like more: Waynes World 1 or 2?:	Waynes World 1
Have you ever gotten into an intense argument with an inanimate object?:	Yes...the remote and my computer
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Before I put the survey in I would like to announce that today marks my 6 month anniversary at CHOP...see how quick time flies.

1. What time is it? 12:39 AM
2. Name: Vicky
3. Nickname - Vick, J (double) G, and Ron
4. Piercing: Ears
5. What is the most recent movie you've seen in the theater: Rumor Has It...the movie was cute...Shirley MacLaine is brilliant
6. Eye color: Blue
7. Place of Birth: Carbondale, PA
8. Favorite Food: Chicken Paprika or Lasagna
9. Been to Africa: no, but one of these days I want to go on a safari sometime
10. Ever been toilet papering: No
11. Love someone so much it made you cry? yes
12. Been in a car accident? yes
13. Croutons or bacon bits: I'm more of a crouton person
14. Favorite day of the week: Friday and Saturday...although I do like Wednesdays because I get to teach swim lessons...and actually I don't mind Tues-Sun (till like 4...and then reality starts to set in)
16. Favorite Flower: Daisies or tulips
17. Favorite sport to watch: Pro-Football or College Basketball
18. Favorite drink: rum, long island ice teas, or diet coke, cranapple juice or chocolate milk
19. Favorite ice cream: Mint Chip or Vanilla Bean
20. Disney or Warner Brothers? I don't know
21. Favorite fast food restaurant? Wendy's
22. What color is your bedroom carpet ? in Paupack- Green in Philly- blue
23. How many times you failed your driver's test: i failed my permit test 3 times but i passed the actual road test on the first try
24. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail: someone at CHOP
25. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card: Barnes n' Noble, Gap, Sport's Authority
26. What do you do most often when you are bored: read, surf the net, sleep or if it's the summer go swimming or go out on the jet-ski
27. Bedtime: Essentially when I feel like it...but usually btwn 12am-2am
28. Who will respond to this e-mail the quickest: I'm putting it into the livejournal b/c i'm bored
29. Favorite tv shows: ER, The West Wing, Law and Order: SVU and Will and Grace
30. Ford or Chevy: VW cars
31. What are you listening to right now: ER
32. What is your favorite color: Blue
who ate question #33?? not me, I ate #15!
34. How many tattoos do you have: None yet
35. How many pets do you have: two cats...so soft!
36. Which came first: I think God attempted to make a rock and he messed up and it was an egg
37. Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride or Mary Poppins
38. Favorite place to Vacation: The shore or Utah/Colorado for skiing
39. Favorite Season: I like them all...but spring is tough on my allergies
40. Favorite Holiday: Christmas...and no it's not b/c of the presents..it's because now that we're older its more fun. For example, this year we were up till like 3 am on Christmas morning...playing pool, smoking cigars and drinking brandy- i mean who else does that? Then we woke up, did presents and spent the rest of the day with the Fennell side of the family. That's why I love Christmas...all family...all day!

Ok- just for the record I am NOT drunk nor have I even touched alcohol in the last week...maybe more...i just think the icon is hillarious.

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
Willy nodded shyly and went after Sammy

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
I did that...now what?

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?:
I'm watching ER: Season 4 on DVD right now

4. Without looking, guess what time it is:
10:25 pm

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
10:25 pm....Damn I'm good

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The tv and my stomach is growling

7.When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
When I came home. I walked up the street from my car.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Yahoo

9. What are you wearing?
Purple fuzzy socks, snowman flannel pants, white long sleeve t-shirt and Captain Morgan Tattoo Rum t-shirt (that I got from the cell block)

10. Did you dream last night?
Yes but I rarely remember

11. When did you last laugh?
When I was watching "The Golden Girls"...I love that show

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
(in order around the room from where I'm sitting): Grateful Dead poster, mask from Nassau, Sean Connery poster, R.E.M. poster, another Grateful Dead poster, Finding Nemo poster, The Goonies poster, Destiny poster, Shrek poster, yet another Grateful Dead poster, Bob Marley poster, U2 poster, song lyrics, Stephen King's commencement speech, Rolling Stones poster, pictures of friend and family

13. Seen anything weird lately?
Not that I can recall, I'm sure there's something though

14. What do you think of this quiz?
It's random

15. What is the last film you saw?
On DVD, 'March of the Penguins'; in the theatres: "Rumor Has It"

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you do?
Buy a house on Lake Wallenpaupack and another one downtheshore, pay off my car and buy another one, send my parents on one hell of a 25th anniversary vacation, cure my allergies, pay off Dan's college loans and go on a shopping spree...and i'm sure i can find some other things

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
My grandfather died 8 years ago and my grandmother died 3 years ago and they're still sitting in my aunt's basement and have yet to be burried.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt
or politics, what would you do?
I would make it a rule that all families(not necessarily your biological parents, but those people that you call home to), regardless of size or separation should get together at least once a month and have dinner. I firmly believe that spending time with these people will make people look at the truth and maybe then they wouldn't make such rash decisions...not good spontaneous...bad spontaneous...alright that idn't make sense but the beginning part i think is true.

19. Do you like to dance?
Yes! It's my favorite part about weddings...when people have had a couple drinks and the bride and groom have loosened up...ahh i love it.

20. George Bush.
Doesn't deserve a positive number....he should be like -13859303458754387 That's what I think of him...he should be put in a jail cell that is plastered with pictures of all the troops that died in Iraq and of all the Katrina victims and 9-11 victims.

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Samantha, Lauren or Michele.

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Christian, Carl or Jake.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Not permanently.

24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly
gates?
We've saved a room for you...it's called the sarcasm room!

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Graduated from college and got a REAL job and bought my first car.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year's resolution: "lose some weight and be overall nicer to people" - failed on the first part, succeeded on the second part. This year's resolution my mom and I decided should be for me to start living an overall better life (health wise but also socially and physically)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, although a colleague of mine did.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nathan's brother, Joel. I was also VERY upset about the death of John Spencer.

5. What countries did you visit?
Nassau in the beginning of 2005.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
More of a social life

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
5/19- Graduation
6/20- 1st day of work at CHOP
the entire summer of 2005 was amazing

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Graduating from college and working in the real world

9. What was your biggest failure?
I'm not sure that I had a failure this year.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major, although my allergies and asthma are acting up.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought a car in July.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My parents first of all and my brother for helping me to get as far as I did in college and being there for me on graduation. Also my friends both from home and from Philadelphia that made this summer a great one.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
President Bush and other members of the political system that were part of the reason that the Hurricane Katrina/Rita problems were such a disaster.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills, car insurance, car payments, the actual car, taxes and transportation.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Graduation and every Thursday night throughout the summer I would get really excited about going home on Friday.

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
Umm...I'm going to have to go with Bruce Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"...the reason is because I would listen to the all Christmas music channel throughout December at work and I think I would hear it at least twice if not three times a day. Luckily I LOVE this song.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? about the same.
iii. richer or poorer? richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Traveled

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Working- but not really, I enjoy my job. I wish I had driven less.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent Christmas morning with my parents and brother and then Christmas evening in NJ with my mom's family. (this is the exact same statement as last year)

22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Nope.

23. How many one-night stands?
One.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Law and Order:SVU, The West Wing and ER

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate is such a strong word. But no, I don't think there are many people that I dislike

26. What was the best book you read?
"It" by Stephen King and "A Long Way Down" by Nick Hornby

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
In one year I got to see: The Rolling Stones, Live 8 AND U2 and I got tickets to see Billy Joel in March.

28. What did you want and get?
2004- An internship at CHOP. 2005- A job at CHOP.

29. What was your favorite film?
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Family Stone, Prime and I'm sure there were others.

30. Did you make any new friends this year?
I have more acquaintances at work now.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 22 and went to Tiki Bob's with Daniel, Brianna, Danielle and Kara

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
It was a really good year, it would have been hard to make it better, although a boyfriend would be nice and it would be nice if the President would learn how to act like a leader and stop lying.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
(January-June): Jeans/sweatshirt; business casual and a bathing suit/ June-December (Mon.-Fri.): Business casual EVERY day. The weekends: the most comfortable clothes I can find

34. What kept you sane?
CHOP, The thought of graduation, my brother, my parents and the shore

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't know there were a lot to choose from this year...but none of them really "fancied" me.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The war in Iraq, Katrina, the earthquakes and gay marriage and Live 8 (I WAS THERE!)

37. Who did you miss?
My family and friends

38. Who was the best new person you met?
All the people from CHOP (same as 2004)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
That if you work hard and never give up it is possible to get what you want. Also, once you start working the real world you will be more tired than you ever thought possible.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like no one is watching"- Bono

My computer at work is annoying when it comes to bolding things, so I'm putting an "X" next to the ones I've read:

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien X
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen X
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling X
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne X
8. 1984, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis X
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier X
15. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger X
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens X
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott X
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling X
23. Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets, J.K. Rowling X
24. Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling X
25. The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien X
26. Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy X
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck X
30. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll X
31. The Story of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
33. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl X
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson X
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert X
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery X
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell X
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens X
48. Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian X (LOVE THIS BOOK)
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett X
52. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl X
57. Swallows and Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell X
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts and Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord of the Flies, William Golding X
71. Perfume, Patrick Susskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl X
75. Bridget Jones' Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl X
82. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On the Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan of the Cave Bear, Jean M. Auel
93. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
98. Girls in Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men in a Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day of the Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 1/2, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A.S. Byatt
130. The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny, the Champion of the World, Roald Dahl X
133. East of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl X
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls in Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque X
142. Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King X
145. James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl X
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King X
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men at Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master and Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville X
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According to Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R.D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte's Web, E.B. White X
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used to Play on Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway X
174. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl X
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery X (do NOT understand the hype of this book)
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon Gross-mith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R.L. Stine X
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri X
190. Sons and Lovers, D.H. Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man and Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once and Future King, T.H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers in the Attic, Virginia Andrews
201. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
202. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan
203. The Great Hunt, Robert Jordan
204. The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan
205. Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
206. Lord of Chaos, Robert Jordan
207. Winter's Heart, Robert Jordan
208. A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
209. Crossroads of Twilight, Robert Jordan
210. A Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
211. As Nature Made Him, John Colapinto
212. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland
213. The Married Man, Edmund White
214. Winter's Tale, Mark Helprin
215. The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault
216. Cry to Heaven, Anne Rice
217. Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, John Boswell
218. Equus, Peter Shaffer
219. The Man Who Ate Everything, Jeffrey Steingarten
220. Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
221. Ella Minnow Pea, Mark Dunn
222. The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice
223. Anthem, Ayn Rand
224. The Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson X
225. Tartuffe, Moliere X
226. The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
227. The Crucible, Arthur Miller X
228. The Trial, Franz Kafka
229. Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
230. Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles
231. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
232. A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen X
233. Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen
234. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
235. A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
236. ALIVE!, Piers Paul Read
237. Grapefruit, Yoko Ono
238. Trickster Makes This World, Lewis Hyde
240. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
241. Chronicles of Thomas Convenant, Unbeliever, Stephen Donaldson
242. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
242. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
243. Summerland, Michael Chabon
244. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
245. Candide, Voltaire
246. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, Roald Dahl X
247. Ringworld, Larry Niven
248. The King Must Die, Mary Renault
249. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
250. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle X
251. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
252. The House of the Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne
253. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne X
254. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
255. The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson
256. Chocolate Fever, Robert Kimmel Smith
257. Xanth: The Quest for Magic, Piers Anthony
258. The Lost Princess of OZ, L. Frank Baum
259. Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon
260. Lost in a Good Book, Jasper Fforde
261. The Well of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde
261. Life Of Pi, Yann Martel
263. The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
264. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Michael Dorris
265. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder
267. Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
268. Griffin and Sabine, Nick Bantock
269. Witch of Blackbird Pond, Joyce Friedland
270. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Robert C. O'Brien X (LOVE it...bring me back to my childhood)
271. Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
272. The Cay, Theodore Taylor
273. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
274. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
275. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
276. The Kitchen God's Wife, Amy Tan
277. The Bone Setter's Daughter, Amy Tan
278. Relic, Duglas Preston & Lincolon Child
279. Wicked, Gregory Maguire
280. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
281. Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry
282. The Girl Next Door, Jack Ketchum
283. Haunted, Judith St. George
284. Singularity, William Sleator
285. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
286. Different Seasons, Stephen King
287. Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk
288. About a Boy, Nick Hornby X
289. The Bookman's Wake, John Dunning
290. The Church of Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns
291. Illusions, Richard Bach
292. Magic's Pawn, Mercedes Lackey
293. Magic's Promise, Mercedes Lackey
294. Magic's Price, Mercedes Lackey
295. The Dancing Wu Li Masters, Gary Zukav
296. Spirits of Flux and Anchor, Jack L. Chalker
297. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
298. The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices, Brenda Love
299. Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
300. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
301. The Cider House Rules, John Irving
302. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
303. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland
304. The Lion's Game, Nelson Demille
305. The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, Stephen Brust
306. Cyteen, C.J. Cherryh
307. Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco
308. Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
309. Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
310. Camber of Culdi, Kathryn Kurtz
311. The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
312. War and Rememberance, Herman Wouk
313. The Art of War, Sun Tzu
314. The Giver, Lois Lowry
315. The Telling, Ursula Le Guin
316. Xenogenesis (or Liliths Brood), Octavia Butler
317. A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
318. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
319. The Aeneid, Publius Vergilius Maro (Virgil)
320. Hanta Yo, Ruth Beebe Hill
321. The Princess Bride, S. Morganstern (or William Goldman) X
322. Beowulf, Anonymous X
323. The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell
324. Deerskin, Robin McKinley
325. Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey
326. Passage, Connie Willis
327. Otherland, Tad Williams
328. Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
329. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry X (GREAT book)
330. Beloved, Toni Morrison X
331. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
332. The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon, I mean Noel, Ellen Raskin
333. Summer Sisters, Judy Blume
334. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
335. The Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev
336. Midnight in the Dollhouse, Marjorie Filley Stover X
337. The Miracle Worker, William Gibson
338. The Genesis Code, John Case
339. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevensen
340. Paradise Lost, John Milton
341. Phantom, Susan Kay
342. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned, Anne Rice
343. Anno Dracula, Kim Newman
344: The Dresden Files: Grave Peril, Jim Butcher
345: Tokyo Suckerpunch, Issac Adamson
346: The Winter of Magic's Return, Pamela Service
347: The Oddkins, Dean R. Koontz
348. My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
349. The Last Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
350. At Swim, Two Boys, Jaime O'Neill
351. Othello, William Shakespeare
352. Poems, Dylan Thomas
353. Poems, W.B. Yeats
354. Sati, Christopher Pike
355. The Inferno, Dante
356. The Apology, Plato X
357. The Small Rain, Madeline L’Engle
358. The Man Who Tasted Shapes, Richard E Cytowick
359. Five Novels, Daniel Pinkwater
360. The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Juliet Marillier
361. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
362. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
363. Our Town, Thorton Wilder X
364. Green Grass Running Water, Thomas King
335. The Interpreter, Suzanne Glass
336. The Moor's Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
337. The Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson
338. A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
339. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
340. The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
341. Pages for You, Sylvia Brownrigg
342. The Changeover, Margaret Mahy
343. Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
344. Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
345. Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo
346. Shosha, Isaac Bashevis Singer
347. Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
348. The Diving-bell and the Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby
349. The Lunatic at Large, J. Storer Clouston
350. Time for Bed, David Baddiel
351. Barrayar, Lois McMaster Bujold
352. Quite Ugly One Morning, Christopher Brookmyre
353. The Bloody Sun, Marion Zimmer Bradley
354. Sewer, Gas, and Eletric, Matt Ruff
355. Jhereg, Steven Brust
356. So You Want to Be a Wizard, Diane Duane
357. Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
358. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte
359. Road-side Dog, Czeslaw Milosz
360. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje
361. Neuromancer, William Gibson
362. The Epistemology of the Closet, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
363. A Canticle for Liebowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr
364. The Mask of Apollo, Mary Renault
365. The Gunslinger, Stephen King
366. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare X
367. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
368. A Season of Mists, Neil Gaiman
369. Ivanhoe, Walter Scott
370. The God Boy, Ian Cross
371. The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King
372. Finn Family Moomintroll, Tove Jansson
373. Misery, Stephen King
374. Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters
375. Hood, Emma Donoghue
376. The Land of Spices, Kate O’Brien
377. The Diary of Anne Frank
378. Regeneration, Pat Barker
379. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
380. Dreaming in Cuban, Cristina Garcia
381. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway
382. The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg
383. Dealing with Dragons, Patricia Wrede
384. Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Lynne Truss
385. A Severed Wasp, Madeleine LEngle
386. Here Be Dragons, Sharon Kay Penman
387. The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte E. Guest
388. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
389. Desire of the Everlasting Hills, Thomas Cahill
390. The Cloister Walk, Kathleen Norris
391. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
392. I Know This Much is True, Wally Lamb
393. Choke, Chuck Palahniuk
394. Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card
395. The Memory of Earth, Orson Scott Card
396. The Iron Tower, Dennis L. McKiernen
397. Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
398. A Ring of Endless Light, Madeline L’Engle X
399. Lords of Discipline, Pat Conroy
400. Hyperion, Dan Simmons
401. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, Jon McGregor
402. The Bridge, Iain Banks
403. How to Be Good, Nick Hornby
404. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields
405. A Map of the World, Jane Hamilton
406. Eragon, Christopher Paolini
407. A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket
408. I'm a Stranger Here Myself, Bill Bryson
409. The Neverending Story, Michael Ende
410. The Shining, Stephen King
411. The Alien Chronicles, Deborah Chester
412. Redwall, Brian Jacques
413. Mossflower, Brian Jacques
414. The Iliad, Homer X
415. Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes
416. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain X
417. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
418. The Odyssey, Homer X
419. Pure Sunshine, Brian James
420. Doomsday Book, Connie Willis
421. Voyage of the Fox Riders, Dennis L. McKiernan
422. Freedom's Landing, Anne McCaffrey
423. Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey
424. Shadow Mountain, Renee Askins
425. Tithe, Holly Black
426. Wolfwalker, Tara K. Harper
427. Shadow Leader, Tara K. Harper
428. The Daughter of Fortune, Isabel Allende
429. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami
430. The Wasps, Aristophanes
431. Poetics, Aristotle
432. Confessions, St Augustine
433. Decameron, Boccaccio
434. Poems, Catullus
435. The Bacchae, Euripides
436. The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer X
437. Praise of Folly, Desiderius Erasmus
438. The Histories, Herodotus
439. The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli X
440. Metamorphoses, Ovid
441. Canzoniere, Francesco Petrarch
442. Secretum, Francesco Petrarch
443. The Symposium, Plato
444. The Rise and Fall of Athens, Plutarch
445. The Quest of the Holy Grail
446. Poems, Rumi
447. Antigone, Sophocles
448. Antigone, Jean Anouilh
449. Giovanni's Room, James Baldwin
450. Collected Works of William Blake
451. Nadja, Andre Breton
452. A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
453. Poems, Paul Celan
454. Confessions of an English Opium Eater, Thomas de Quincey
455. The Wasteland, T.S. Eliot
456. My Brilliant Career, Miles Franklin
457. Helen in Egypt, H.D.
458. The Last Temptation of Christ, Nikos Kazantzakis
459. Zangezi, Velimir Khlebnikov
460. How Green Was My Valley, Richard Llewellyn
461. Delta of Venus, Anais Nin
462. At Swim-Two-Birds, Flann O'Brien
463. Poems, Wilfred Owen
464. Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak
465. Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Edgar Allan Poe
466. Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys
467. Poems, Rainer Maria Rilke
468. Le Bateau Ivre, Arthur Rimbaud
469. Le Fleur de Mal, Charles Baudelaire
470. The Ghosts of Sodom, Marquis de Sade
471. The Red and the Black, Stendahl
472. Poems, Cesar Vallejo
473. De Profundis and the Ballad of Reading Gaol, Oscar Wilde
474. Orlando, Virginia Woolf
475. Arthur: The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland
476. The Silver Pigs, Lindsey Davis
477. The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B, Sandra Gulland
478. The Many-Coloured Land, Julian May
479. Fire from Heaven, Mary Renault
480. The Persian Boy, Mary Renault
481. Funeral Games, Mary Renault
482. Seventh Scroll, Wilbur Smith
483. The Crystal Cave, Mary Stewart
484. Silk, Alessandro Baricco
485. The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
486. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
487. Lost Souls, Poppy Z. Brite
488. Liquor, Poppy Z. Brite
489. Cathedral, Raymond Carver
490. The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
491. The Vintner's Luck, Elizabeth Knox
492. The Reader, Bernhard Schlink
493. The Passion, Jeanette Winterson
494. Kappa, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa
495. Confessions of a Mask, Yukio Mishima
496. Sputnik Sweetheart, Haruki Murakami
497. Almost Transparent Blue, Ryuu Murakami
498. Ten Nights' Dreams, Natsume Soseki
499. The Makioka Sisters, Junnichiro Tanizaki
500. Kitchen, Banana Yoshimoto
501. Ruby, V.C. Andrews
502. No Logo, Naomi Klein
503. The Fox in Socks, Dr. Seuss
504. Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut
505 Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters!, J.D. Salinger
506 Franny & Zooey, J. D. Salinger
507 Time's Arrow - Martin Amis
508. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini


64 out of 508

I'll probably do a real update later about my wonderful Christmas but in the meantime I'm doing this survey I got from Vanessa's journal. Yeah so, I'm at work now and we just had our status meeting, and its supposed to be the whole team of 20 people and today there were 7 of us, so it's a slow week. Enjoy the survey, hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that everyone has a Happy New Year! ~Vicky

January
1. Did you have a new year's resolution this past year? I don't believe so...it might have been to graduate on time.
2. Who kissed you at midnight? I was on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean...but unfortunatly my plan didn't happen and so no one
3. Does it snow where you live? Yes
4. Do you like hot chocolate? Yes, with marshmallows
5. Have you ever been to times square to watch the ball drop? No

*February

1. Who was your valentine in 2005? No one
2. What did your valentine get you? I believe my dad got me chocolates
3. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class? Yes

*March

1. Are you Irish? Yes I am
2. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day? Yes I do
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2005? It was a Thursday this year and I had to work from 6-10:30, so I didn't really do anything

*April

1. Do you like the rain? Yes I do, and I even like it in the spring if its on a weekend and I can just relax
2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year? No but I did go out and drink because it was my BIRTHDAY!
3. Do you get tons of candy on easter? I used to, but this year I just got a few things, but it was a really good Easter


*May

1. What's your favorite kind of flower? Daffodils
2. Do you like the spring? Yes, but it does make my allergies a lot worse
3. Finish the phrase: April showers bring may flowers, what do may flowers bring? the beginning of summer
4. What would you think of as a spring color? blues and yellows


*June
1. What year did/do you graduate from school? Wallenpaupach HS '01/ Temple University '05
2. Did you go on any vacations last June? I went to the shore with my mom for a weekend


*July

1. What did you do on the 4th of July? I went swimming with the Gabrielsons and watched the fireworks at the Clauss's and then drove back to Philly VERY late
2. Do you go on any vacations during this month? I went home every weekend and I went to LBI for a weekend

*August

1. Did you do anything special to end off your summer? Not really, I went to the shore with my parents, brother and Jaime for a weekend and we went to a Phillies game.
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '05? The weekends- going out, campfires, etc.
3. Do you go swimming a lot in the summer? I tried to swim at least once a weekend
4. Do you go to the beach a lot? Well i'm at the lake "beach" at least once or twice a weekend, and I go to the jersey shore about 2-3 times a summer

*September

1. Did you attend school/college in '05? From January - May 2005, then I graduated
2. Who is/was your favorite teacher? My SCUBA prof, whose name has escaped me
3. Do you like fall better than summer? No

*October

1. What was your favorite halloween costume ever? This year I went dressed as Mickey Mouse
2. What's your favorite candy? Skittles
3. What did you dress up like this year? Mickey Mouse

*November

1. Whose house do you usually go to for thanksgiving? Our house or once in a while my Grandmother Waldron's
2. Do you like stuffing? OMG yes
3. What are you thankful for? my friends and family

*December

1. Do you celebrate christmas? yes
2. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe? No, although we have had mistletoe hanging at the bottom of our steps since last December, so you would think I'd been kissed by now
3. What do you want this year for christmas? I got an iPod and a lot of movies and billy joel tickets...it was a great Christmas
4. What's the best present you ever got for Christmas? Not being sick...except that didn't happen this year
5. Do you like cold weather? It starts to get old by middle March, but I like it because it means I get to go skiing!

Stole this from Vanessa:

* (X) If you have heard of the show
* (CD) If you own/listen to the CD
* (Seen) If you have seen the show (professional, civil lights, community theatre, etc.) If you've seen it more than once write the number after seen
* ("Your Part") If you have been in it (put your particular part

Leave it BLANK if none of the options apply...

Here we go. Let's see how much really love Musical Theater/Broadway.

Be HONEST. Not very many people have ever heard of the show "Flora the Red Menace." Don't get down to the results and se you're only 5 away from being a "Musical Theater Master" and change a few of your answers! Just own up, and if you make yourself more knowledgeable. Go listen to the ones you haven't heard of.....

Avenue Q: X, SEEN (2), CD
Chicago: X, SEEN, CD
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: X
Fiddler on the Roof: X, SEEN, CD
Lestat:
Beauty and the Beast: X
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: X
Hairspray: X
Mamma Mia: X, SEEN
Sweeny Todd: X
The Color Purple: X
The LIght in the Piazza
The Pajama Game: X, CD
The Producers: X, CD
Movin' Out: X
Rent: X, SEEN, CD
Spamalot: X, SEEN, CD
Sweet Charity: X
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: X
The Lion King: X, CD
The Phantom of the Opera: X
The Threepenny Opera: X
The Woman in White
Little Shop of Horros: X
Wicked: X
Annie: X, SEEN, CD, Stage Crew
Joesph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat: X
Sunday in the Park With George
Into the Woods: X, Seen, CD
Jersey Boys: X
In My LIfe
Ring of Fire
42nd Street: X, CD
Brigadoon: X, CD
Cabaret: X, CD, SEEN
Carousel: X, CD, SEEN
Cats: X
Chess
A Chorus Line: X
Evita: X
The Full Monty: X
Grease: X, SEEN, CD
Guys and Dolls: X, SEEN, CD, Ensemble
Jekyll and Hyde: X
Jesus Christ Superstar: X
Loot
Oklahoma: X, CD, SEEN, Ensemble
My Fair Lady: X, CD, SEEN, Ensemble
Nunsense: X
Rocky Horror Picture Show: X, CD
Seussical: X
South Pacific: X, CD, Island child
Stomp: X, SEEN (2)
Fosse: X
Blast
Sweet Smell of Success: X
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: X
Working
The Who's Tommy: X, CD
Victor/Victoria: X
West Side Story: X
La Boheme: X
The Wizard of Oz: X
The Wiz: X
Wonderful Town
You're a Good Man Charlie Brown: X, Seen
Les Miserable: X, CD, Seen
Oliver!: X, SEEN, Been in twice: Orphan and Chorus
Pippin: X
Pirates of Penzance: X
Tick Tick Boom
The Boy From Oz: X
Gypsy: X
Throughly Modern Millie: X
Altar Boyz
Annie Get Your Gun: X, CD, townsperson
Anything Goes, X, CD, SEEN
Aspects of Love
Barnum: X, CD
Big: X
Bombay Dreams
Bye Bye Birdie: X, CD
Hair: X
1776: X, CD, Seen (x2)
Footloose: X
Once Upon a Mattress: X, Stage Crew
Allegro
Camelot, X
Children of Eden: X
Cinderella: X, CD, Seen (1st show at the Riz I ever saw)
Damn Yankees: X, CD, Seen
Dreamgirls
Fame: X
The Fantasticks
Flora the Red Menace
Flower Drum Song: X
On the Town
Follies: X
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Nine: X
The Music Man: X, CD, SEEN, Chorus
The Most Happy Fella
Miss Saigon: X, CD
Man of La Mancha: X
Mame: X
Kiss Me Kate: X, CD, Seen (x 2)
The Kind and I: X, CD
Irene
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change: X
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: X, CD, Seen (Whoopi Goldberg)
Parade
Peter Pan: X, CD
Ragtim, X, CD, Seen
Riverdance: X
Saturday Night Fever: X
Smokey Joe's Cafe: X, CD
Showboat: X, CD, Seen
The Sound of Music: X, CD, Been in twice (Maid and played in the pit)
The Secret Garden: X, SEEN
Ruthless
Sunset Blvd: X
Swing: X,
Taboo: X
Titanic: X, CD
Triump of Love
The Wild Party
The Scarlet Pimpernel: X, CD
Company: X
Contact: X
No, No, Nanette: X
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
High Society:
Kiss of the Spiderwoman
A Little Night Music: X
Urinetown: X
All Shook Up
The Baker's Wife: X

I know I already did an update, but the radio station I listen to at work, does this beatle break every day from 3-4, and so today they've been doing tributes to John Lennon, with famous musicians talking about where they were when they found out or what impact he made on their lives and the future of music. And it just got me thinking. Why is it impossible for everyone to live in peace? Why does there have to be war and why can't all the countries of the world join forces to create a world of peace?

So, while I'm not one of those people who thinks that John Lennon's birthday should be a national holiday, I do think that this man had so much to offer to the world, besides an amazing musical gift. I think that anyone who is brave enough to stand up in front of the world and declare his beliefs without fear of rejection deserves to be respected. So, to all the politicians out there, "imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, no religion too, imagine all the people living life in peace, imagine no possesions, I wonder if you can, no need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man, imagine all the people, sharing all the world--you may say i'm a dreamer, but I'm not hte only one, I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will live as one."

Now, those of you who think you know me so well, probably think I wrote that in defiance of the Republican party because its rather obvious that I'm a democrat, but here's where you're wrong. If we followed John Lennon's thoughts, there wouldn't be Republicans or Democrats, there wouldn't be wars. I don't think he's saying that there wouldn't be disagreements, there would be, but perhaps some day (probably not in my lifetime) people will remember what they taught their kids about fighting and will take the time to sit down and disect the problem. Anyway, just wanted to share my opinion on that.

The real truth is that 25 years ago a great man was taken from this world with no rhyme or reason and he will always be remembered.

John Lennon
(1940-1980)

~Vicky

FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE
1. Busperson at Settlers (age 14-16)
2. Housekeeper at Settlers (age 17)...worst job ever!
3. Lifeguard/Swim Instructor (age 18-present)
4. Account Manager at CHOP (June '05-present...real job)

FOUR MOVIES YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER
1. The Princess Bride
2. Mary Poppins
3. The Great Muppet Caper
4. The Rock

FOUR CITIES YOU'VE LIVED IN
1. Paupack, PA (we use the term 'city' extremely loosely here)
2. Philadelphia, PA (North Philly...aka...the ghetto)
3. Philadelphia, PA (Manayunk....the complete opposite of North Philly)
4 That's it.

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH
1. The Late Show with David Letterman
2. Law and Order: SVU
3. West Wing (but I liked it better before this season)
4. ER

FOUR PLACES YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION
1. Colorado (various ski resorts: Breckenridge, Vail, Steamboat Springs)
2. Disney World
3. Italy and London
4 Nassau

FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY
1. TUmail
2. CHOP mail
3. SRDS...for work
4. Yahoo

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS
1. Wawa pretzels stuffed with sweet cream cheese
2. PBJ sandwiches
3. Lasagna
4. Cereal

FOUR PLACES YOU'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
1. At home, so I wouldn't have to drive in the snow and so I'd be around people who don't freak out over a snowstorm
2. In bed, sound asleep.
3. Skiing at Steamboat Springs, Colorado
4. On the beach at the ocean in the middle of summer

Well, here I am at work...but there's only 5 minutes left in the day. But, I'm staying late today, because there's no internet in our house so I'm hanging out here, doing some stuff on the internet and doing some Christmas shopping as well. But, that's not really why I wanted to write in here. I'm not sure who all reads this, if anyone, but I need to say something and I'm going to try and keep it as anonymous as possible. So, as we all know Vicky isn't a big fan of change, but then again who is? So, I've been working at CHOP now for about 6 months and the job is great and there is nothing for me to complain about in terms of the job itself. However, the situation that I've been put into is not a fun one. See, I miss college, but what I miss is what happened every night and on the weekends and the friends that I had. There is not one part of me that misses actually being in college and if you were around me during my last semester you knew I wanted to graduate more than anything. All the people that complain about having to go into the real world and they wish they could stay in college forever, that wasn't me. I do miss the social atmosphere but I would trade that in for not having to do homework and dealing with all the crap in a second. And while, the real world isn't always fun (although this week I was introduced to the wonderfulness of holiday parties) it is much better than college, because for the first time in your life you are 100% independent. So I guess as I type this I realize I don't really miss college I just miss the friends that I had last year, while I was in college. And there's another situation that is starting to brew and its getting to be that point when you're boiling water and there are little bubbles before the water begins to overflow. Basically, I'm not happy. I'm happy with my career and I'm healthy so I know for many people that would be enough and some days that is enough. But I'm unhappy because I've gone back to not having any friends. Sure, I have the people I work with but they're your "friends" from 9-5 and they have their own lives that are busy leading. And then I have my roommates. And if any of you do read this, this doesn't have to do with you, it is my perspective. Anyway, I have 3 roommates, but because of the events that are occuring in all of our lives there is not nearly as much time for one another as there once was. I used to think that just because I was working it wouldn't mean that I was any different than when I was a year older in school. But it does, everything changes when you start a new job. You have to be somewhere by 9:00 am and you can't look like you did when you would show up hungover to your 9:00 classes. You have to look presentable and you have to be able to operate in a working fashion. Therefore, the nights of going out drinking and getting 4 hours of sleep can only work once in a blue moon. I still don't go to sleep until 2 in the morning but I'm sober when going to bed and I sleep soundly. You care more about the little things than you did while in school. And it is quickly becoming relevant (although it was last year too) that the location in which I live in is not the place that I should be living in if I want to meet other people. I can't afford to go out every night in Chinatown, let alone a place like Manayunk, where it is much out of my price range. Oh, right that's the other thing that I can worry about now...money! Where I once was slightly careful about how I spent my money, I'm now extrememly careful. I have car payments, rent, utilities and insurance to pay for. And while I understand that various friends are going through their own problems, I just don't know how to react because we're all going through a lot of change right now. It's like when someone would come into a room 1 week before the semester was over and complain about their work load. Well HELLO...it's finals time, everyone has a lot of work to do. Get over it. So, that's why i'm writing in here, because i figure hardly anyone if no one reads this and that way I can complain about my problems and not annoy anyone. And as much as my life has changed in the last 6 months, its bound to change even more by next June. For the first time ever, the friends that I have are going to be my friends only if both sides of the relationship work on the friendship. It was different when we were all in college and even if we didn't talk for 3 months it wouldn't matter b/c we would pick up where we left off when we saw each other over winter break, well that's not going to be the case now, and that is something that I am experiencing right now. And some of the relationships will disappear and although i'll miss them at first, i'll have forgotten about them in a couple of months. I don't wish anything bad for these people, its just time for change. We'll each go into our seperate directions and live our lives the best we can. And there's a lot of other stuff going on but its not stuff I can share in here, because if people do still read this it would hurt feelings and I don't want that to happen either. And besides this entry is getting long enough. I have to catch the shuttle to the train station. If you do read this, I don't have internet at home, so if you want to talk you have to call the cell or stop bye the house.

PEACE OUT!
~Vicky

Dear President Bush:
Could you go at least one day without annoying anyone? Seriously, yesterday you spoke about Veterans Day, an important holiday and an already overlooked one. It has already been commercialized by car dealerships and malls with huge sales and now you take a speech that should be about recognizing and remembering all the veterans this country has and continue to try and convince people that your poor decision to go into Iraq was a good idea. Political views aside, that's just not fair. I am the granddaughter of 4 veterans. Both my grandfathers, my step-grandfather and my grandmother were all in the armed forces and my brother and I were one of the few people who knew when Veteran's day was. We grew up hearing stories about the wars that they fought in and the things they did for our country. They are all heroes in my book. When I was in high school every year on Veterans day I would leave school and go to a Veteran's day program to play patriotic tunes. Most kids (including myself at times) would complain because it almost always rained and/or snowed...but our director (the son of 2 veterans) would always say, "the troops didn't stay home when it rained or snowed..and neither are we" We would go and listen to a local veteran talk about the importance of veterans and what they did to protect the security that we Americans have come to expect. That's what Veterans day should be for. It should not be about continuing to impress people or convince people that you are not as bad as your polling data says you are. It is not too much to ask to take one hour long speech out of your year to thank people. Thank them for allowing to have more freedom than anyone else in the world, thank them for protecting our rights and thank them for joining the armed forces so that others were not forced to. Especially as we have just surpassed the 2,000 Americans killed in Iraq this would have been a good time to thank the families of those men and women for allowing their children, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles to continue to protect our rights even though it meant leaving an empty hole in their lives forever. That's all I wanted to say. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,

Victoria Waldron
Philadelphia, PA

To my readers: I didn't actually send this but I'm seriously considering it.

So, for those of you that don't live in Philadelphia, SEPTA (the mass transit association) is on strike. Well, all of it except for the regional rails. Wanna know why they're on strike. There's actually a couple of reasons. One of them is because they haven't had a wage raise in over 2 years. If this was the main reason I might be tempted to agree with them. However, their main reason is the medical insurance. Now, unless you've been living under a rock you know about the medical crisis going on in our country. There are thousands of people that do not have the money to get medical insurance, it is very expensive and it is even more expensive if you have to go to the emergency room or to the doctor's office. However, when you are living paycheck to paycheck as a lot of people in this country are, it is a "luxury" that many can't afford. Now, I'm not going to go into why this is the President's fault and why I don't like him. But, SEPTA Union 234 is striking because their new contracts would require them to PAY SOMETHING for medical insurance. This would mean a deductible from their paycheck and/or a co-pay. I have $10 deducted from my paycheck every time and when I go to the doctor I pay $20. This is NORMAL! There are very few people that pay nothing for insurance. Instead of finding the uninsured medical insurance, why don't you just let them drive a bus or a trolley...apparently they can get it for free. And the best part is SEPTA is surprise that they aren't receiving support from the community. Well, let's look at the situation. The only form of transportation that is running in Philadelphia and the suburbs are the regional rails (commuter trains). There are no buses, subways or trolleys to get you from your house, your office to the train. You have to figure that out on your own. There are over 400,000 people who have to seek alternative transportation. So what does that leave? Well, a) you can drive, but of course then you have to park your car in parking garages that were full before the strike AND gas isn't exactly $.99 a gallon anymore or b)you could walk but of course it is getting colder and it also gets dark at 5:00 now and let's face it, Philly is a big city and although techinically everything is within "walking distance" things are still spread out. I read a story today about a mother and her son that walked to his preschool...it took 2 hours! THat's a long walk. So, now the train stations that were at one time a well run building is now absolute chaos...they have anyone who works for the station collecting tickets, because when you get on the train there is no way passes will be checked. You have to wait in lines that are wrapped around the building and in some cases out the door. And if you can't get on your train because its too packed...that's too bad, you can wait for the next one. My usual 25 minute commute on the way home today took 55 MINUTES. Why you ask? because it takes 10 minutes at each station because, of course the trains are like 7 cars long and there are only steps or platforms at 3 of those cars. I'm miffed that I have to wake up and take the 7:25 train (usually I take the 8:23) so that I can be slightly early for work, because of course once you get off the train at 30th street...you can catch one of three shuttles (that are still running) but ooh shocking, there's long lines there too. But, I'm just miffed because I have to wake up early, this does not come close to the people that have to walk for 2 hours just to get to work, where of course employers aren't going to cut you a break that you can't get to work; schools aren't allowing students to be late because of the strike (oh right, Philly schools they don't have buses for the city students). And SEPTA wonders WHY they don't have community support??? Anyway, just wanted to share that. I'm not even sure if anyone reads this anymore, but I wanted to get that out of my system.