just a heads up, this entry may make me sound like i am hitting the crack pipe. don't worry, i'm not.

My mom, dad, brother, grandma, and uncle are coming to visit me this weekend. I should be really excited, but I am dreading it for some reason. Probably because that many personalities in a confined space are bound to clash sooner or later. Also, my mom is showing up on Thursday night and staying till Monday. Call me crazy, but 5 days is an insanely long time for a parental visit. I just want this to be over.

*****CAUTION--IF YOU CAN'T STAND IT WHEN PEOPLE INSIST ON DESCRIBING IN DETAIL THE WEIRD DREAM THEY HAD LAST NIGHT, DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING SECTION.*****

I had a horrible dream last night. It wasn't a nightmare or anything, just REALLY uncomfortable. I dreamt that this guy Dan who I stopped seeing about a month ago was an actor somehow, and I was going to see a movie that he was in. So I was alone, and I sat down next to a girl that I didn't know and was chatting it up with her before the movie started. Suddenly, I saw him in the audience out of the corner of my eye, and he was looking at me and motioning for me to meet him outside. I excused myself and went out into the lobby to meet him. The second I see him he asks me "so how long have you been friends with my ex-girlfriend?" Apparently that's who I was sitting next to. Then (you know how dreams jump around) we are sitting on top of an RV and watching his movie, which is now inexplicably at a drive-in theater. And the drive-in theater is at my house in TR. While we are sitting up there he tells me that he thinks we should date and I start crying and tell him that I don't want to. Then I get even more upset when he doesn't care that I said no. The only way I can accurately describe the quality of this part of the dream is to reference the part in Across The Universe where Bono sings I Am The Walrus.
Anyhoo, that's pretty much it. It actually sounds pretty lame and not upsetting at all when I read through the description, but I was really traumatized for some reason. I don't know why either, because we still talk and are friends. I'm a freak.

**************OK, THE COAST IS CLEAR***************

I am super excited about the direction that my band is going in. Emily is staying in Charleston for an internship over the summer, and the PR firm that she is working for will possibly take us on pro-bono, which is the only way we could afford to do it anyway. Also, we are doing some more recording, which I really enjoy. I was worried about where the money was coming from at first, but apparently our keyboardist Ben is rolling in the Benjamins and offered to front the money and be paid back through gigs and as each of us can afford it. The recording engineer that we are working with is now fully in charge of the studio because the owner left for 2 years to tour with some band called Shinedown (at first I was impressed because they are pretty big, but when I listened to them I realized that they sound exactly like Nickelback, which led to me becoming very un-impressed). So he is going to give us some really great prices for some very high quality demos. I would love it if this could eventually be my job. I'm just gonna put that out there right now.

Finally, has anyone ever had one of those Odwalla drinks that they sell at those overpriced organic grocery stores like Whole Foods? I've seen them on the shelves for years now but never tried them until about two weeks ago, and I am HOOKED. I have systematically been going through every flavor including the chocolate and vanilla, and none of them have disappointed. Unfortunately they are like 3 bucks a pop, but I figure everyone needs small extravagances in life. Also, the fact that I am making so little money that a 3 dollar drink seems like an extravagance is so depressing that I think I deserve it.

To my friends to who read this--boy do I miss you guys.

im gone for a month and this is what i choose to write about

I had an epiphany the other day. One of the girls in my lab was ragging on the Olsen twins because there was some picture online where Mary Kate was dressed like a homeless person, and I was defending her right be be eccentric, when suddenly I realized...I'm pretty sure that Mary Kate and Ashley are two of the most badass ball-busters out there. Think about it--most child stars react to their stardom by becoming spoiled and petulant, being uncooperative on set, becoming famous for their hard-partying ways, and then dying of a drug overdose when their fame fades because they can't cope with the anonymity. MK and Ashley, on the other hand, did the following:

1. Came out with a series of irritating yet successful children's videos
2. Started their own production company, and appointed themselves executive producers when they were like, five or something.
3. Started their own clothing line.
4. Started their own jewelry line.

And now they are starting an upscale clothing line which is expected to sell extremely well, and are billionaires at the age of 21. Or 22.

Granted, one of them had an eating disorder for a little while. Granted they smoke like chimneys and drink way too much Starbucks. Granted they go through men like I go through movies from Netflix. But I personally think they look really glam doing it.

In conclusion, the moral of the story is they have both earned their right to be weird and kind of crazy. And even if you don't like them they could probably buy your love anyway.

remember that time sean fitzsimmons and I saw tony shalhoub?

My friend Sean Fitzsimmons and I were having coffee at the Starbucks under the Westin-Francis Marion on Saturday when suddenly we noticed a flurry of activity outside. Since most of it was a bunch of frat guys acting like dipshits and hitting each other, we ignored it. After a few minutes though, Sean figured out what what going on:

Sean: "Hey, that's...HOLY SHIT, IT'S MONK!!"
Me: "What? A monk?"
Sean: "You know that show, Monk? It's Tony Shalhoub!"
Me: "No way!!! Holy crap everyone, it's Tony Shalhoub!"

Fact is, I have only ever seen one episode of Monk in my life. But that doesn't take away from the fact that I saw him. With Sean, who I hadn't seen in two years. In Charleston. It was a special moment.

In other news...
My boss is sick. Our grad student is out of town. Our post-doc is sick. It is 2pm. Would it be completely dishonest if I went home now but took credit for a whole day?

another item off the 'things to do before i die' list

I still can't believe that I actually got this thing. Every time I see it in the mirror it surprises me. It's kind of the same way I felt after I went blonde (aside from the whole irreversible thing). However, unlike being blonde, it's not really taken any getting used to as far as affection goes. This is going to sound like the most shallow, insipid, self centered comment ever and is probably an insult to mothers everywhere, but the way i felt the first time I saw the finished product of this tattoo was, I imagine, similar to the way a mother feels the first time she sees her newborn baby. It was love at first sight, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. And here's the best part: tattoos don't require 3 am feedings. Tattoos (aside from initial cost) are not expensive. You don't have to plan your life around them. I won't have to buy a minivan/crossover vehicle to drive my new tattoo to daycare. There is no "tattoo weight" to lose. It won't grow up to make bad decisions and resent me as a parent. There is just no bad side to this situation.

Sidenote: I'm not sure if its grandparents will feel as enthusiastic about it as I do. This remains to be seen.

*UPDATE*
Mom likes it. Dad, in a fit of medical paranoia, has convinced himself that I have probably transmitted Hepatitis via contaminated needle, but likes the actual design.

i love my house.

things i love about my new house:

1. there is a carport so i don't have to stand in the rain whilst struggling to find the correct key on my keychain.

2. there is space out of the way next to the washing machine for the litterbox so that when george takes one of his epic dumps it isn't noticeable to everyone within a 2 mile radius.

3. my bedroom ceiling is over 6 feet tall.

4. i have my own bathroom. i never realized the difference it could make in my overall happiness with my morning routine.

5. walk in closet.

6. middle class neighborhood. call me an elitist, but i really enjoy not waking up at 4 am to the sounds of loud cracked-out arguments, taxi horns, and gunfire.

7. BACK YARD. i havent had a back yard in five years.

8. windows. lots of them.

I could go on and on, but I won't because I'm getting bored with myself. Anyway, I'm looking forward to spending the next several years of my life in this place. It's nice to know that I wont be moving any time soon (for once).

don't you hate it when

you're listening to your itunes at work, and you've kind of zoned out because you're writing emails, but suddenly you realize that you're listening to something REALLY embarrassing. like "africa" by toto.

i think i have foot-in-mouth syndrome

It was taco salad day in the cafeteria today. I went down and ate with two med students that I recently met and hit it off with. We were sitting there gorging ourselves, and when I finished the last bite, I leaned back in misery and said "oh my god, I think I have Prader-Willi syndrome--no WAY I should have been able to eat that much." It suddenly got uncomfortably quiet, and one of the girls looked at me with a serious face and said "my husband's niece has Prader-Willi."

WHAT. WHO ACTUALLY HAS PRADER-WILLI SYNDROME? I thought that like 4 people had that. The thing that amazed me the most though, is that this girl was so dramatic about it, when it wasn't even a blood relative. I could understand if it was her daughter, and she was like "I have to live with the horrors of Prader-Willi every single day" or some shiz like that, but come on. Plus, even though the actual disease is probably quite bad, there is no overlooking the comic overtures of a condition where you can't stop eating. I feel like I should be able to say things like that without fear of retribution.

Also, she is a doctor. If a doctor can't find the comedy in an unfortunate situation, who can?