Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in John Shirley's LiveJournal:

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Monday, October 17th, 2005
6:34 pm	Growing older... I will take sometime out of my recent rambling about the past, only to reflect on some things that have been on my mind. Last Wednesday I went with Fr. James to the Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre to venerate the icon of Our Lady of Sitka from Alaska. What a beautiful experience. A cathedral full of people who really do value their faith. Not to mention a whole slew of priests from our deanery and Bishop Tikhon. I met some great priests and seminarians, and to top it off I got to meet the Bishop first hand. The reason for ranting about this is because I think the older we get the more we value the friendship and companionship of those who fill their lives with meaning outside of the everyday hustle and bustle. I am watching friends go off to see the world, go out a lot...etc. While I don't do as much of that anymore, their adventures help me to reflect better upon my trips throughout the world, and quests here on our turf in Ameica and specifically PA. Maybe at 22 I do feel like a 68 yr old, but that isn't all that bad. I had a great run when I was younger, did a lot "wild and crazy things," got in trouble, survived, and lived to tell the tells, exagerated though they may be. Just think, for those of you who are younger than me...you can count on being just like me in a few years! :o) Current Mood: accomplished Current Music: Music from the Estonian Orthodox Church (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 18th, 2005
5:02 pm	Life's changes...continued To pick up where I left off...After that first year of St. Vincent College, I moved out of my aunt's house in Pittsburgh. Well...then I decided that I needed some change in my. To be honest, up until my mother's passing I was never a wanderer, but since then I've lost my anchor. This is true, even to this day somewhat. Anyway, I moved to Reading, PA the day after I finished my finals at St. Vincent. I knew then that Latrobe, PA would never be my final academic resting place. In Reading I moved in with a dear friend, Katherine Baum. We had an adorable apartment in an old victorian house. By this time relations with my family were very nill, so in turn my friends became my family...Katherine, Liz, and Lydia....those were my girls. We did everything together. Oh all the times we would go out to Harrisburg to go clubbing, Lancaster, and various other places. I learned a new vocabulary as well...carbonated beverages were no longer called "pop" but rather "soda"...a penis was referred to as a bipper...and the list goes on. I eventually got a job with Lydia and Katherine at a company named Landau...I suppose it was and still is more or less a collection agency. The times we had at work were hysterical. New to me was the latino community, something we in Western PA did not have in the abundance that they do in Eastern PA. Nonetheless the women I worked with were outstandingly beautiful and extremely humorous. I made a lot of friends, slept with many guys, and actually dated a few. People like Tristan, my first afro-american b/f stick in my mind...honestly he had the biggest bipper I had ever laid eyes on until this past year. Then there was Clayton, a nice, also Afro-American boy, from York. He was so young and full of ambition. He now attends Lebanon Valley College, with a bright future ahead of him. Friends like Sean and Derek, both with there outstanding looks and sense of fashion hold a special place in my heart. They dated each other for quite sometime, however, as life goes...all good things must come to an end. Now they are both in happily in seperate relationships, but I hear that they have remainded, at the very least, good friends. Anyway...It was that summer that I turned 19. Now, my girls were planning this elaborate surprise party for me...they even printed out invitations and handed them out at STALLIONS in Harrisburg. Of course Liz, God bless her, left the invitations in my car by accident, and when I was cleaning it one day I found them. Nonetheless the girls figured out I knew what was going on, along with the fact that there might have been some police intervention at this party...the party, much to my disappointment was cancelled. However, a friend that I had made at home in Pittsburgh, Anthony D'Amico did come to celebrate my birthday. We all piled in my malibu and off to the club we went. Of course there was alcohol consumption in the parking lot (Cheap wine is still my secret passion). Eventually, Katherine and I,still very good friends to this day, realized that us living together was not such a splendid idea, and Lydia's mom, affectionately referred to "Auntie Liz" offered that I should move in with them until I figured out what I was going to do. All through my stay in Reading, as much fun as I had, I was horribly homesick for Pittsburgh...so one weekend I packed the girls in the car and took them to Pittsburgh (Which we have the whole trip on video)...we stayed a friend's, Trevor, apartment in Squirrel Hill. The girls loved Pittsburgh, and after that trip, I knew I would eventually return to Pittsburgh. Well, as the summer progressed my trips back home to city were more frequent...staying with Anthony and getting back into the groove of PGH. I still was a bit reluctant to move home though...not having my aunt's house as an option. So, Lydia and I decided that if we weren't able to move to Philadelphia (Which btw I HATE THAT CITY), we were going to get a place in Harrisburg, and attempt to find jobs there. We looked at an apartment, which we both fell in love with, however, a couple looked at it before we did, and they decided that they would take it. Once again, God intervened, because if we had been able to acquire this place as a dwelling I would have been stuck in Central PA. A few weeks after the apartment venture...I took one of my weekend jaunts to Pittsburgh...Anthony was persistent that I move home...so we too decided that we would look at potential aparments as an option, but I didn't like it. So, I returned to Reading...but, I knew in my heart in a few short weeks I would be home in Pittsburgh. So, I contacted my Aunt Shirley to see if my cousin Bethany still had an extra room at her house in Edgewood, as she was starting Law School at Duquesne and could use a boarder to pay some rent. Fortunately, Bethany did have a room...so the wheel started in motion...I put my two week notice in at Landau, said good bye to Clayton. I called off work one day and we went to see SIGNS, I knew that this would probably be the last time I would ever see him again. It was hard to say good bye, but I wished him luck, and I left. Then I had the hard job of saying good bye to the girls and their families, which were so kind as to make me a part of them, along with the list of other friends. I packed my car again, and drove her onto the turnpike back to Pittsburgh from Reading for one of the last times. Those girls I still talk to now, though for a few years we lost contact. I really don't see the other friends often or at all, but they still have a spot in my memory. Words of Wisdom: Cherish all of those that walk into your life, because whether you realize it or not, God places them there for a reason. there of course will be more to come, as I plan on updating this to the present day. Current Mood: listless Current Music: I think we're alone now (Comment on this)
Friday, September 2nd, 2005
3:23 pm	Life's changes... So, after finding out I have the possibility of having cancer...I sat down in my robe, listening to Ukrainian choral music, and reflected upon all the people who have who have entered, exited, or stayed in my life. At the age of 22 I'm already becoming nostalgic...think how bad it will be if I make it to 70. So, anyway, I was sipping my tea and flipping through photo albums and the great photo albums of my mind as well. I thought I would share some with you. The second summer after my mother's passing I moved in with my Aunt Ella in Mount Lebanon...I was a mere 17, almost 18...I remember driving my then new car to Oakland, and my first night clubbing with Mikey...I even remember the outfit...a pair of Express Khakis, baby blue Express button down short sleeve shirt(I was a sales associate at Express at that time), and those god-awful brown Florsheim shoes. So young and so naive. The first person to call me cute was Adam Demitrovich...I was beyond flattered...I eventually met Will Treese, a boy I fell head over heels for...the first boy to kiss me in public. Many a night was spent with him, whether at Tom's diner on the South Side or back at his room. I can also remember the smell of CURVE that lingered when I got home the next morning. I also remember the friends I made that summer JD Maxwell stands out in my mind. All those trips to Beaver to hang out, going clubbing, listening to Blue Cantrel in the car, and the fateful hot day we spent at KennyWood aiding in some form the cheerleaders of some Catholic school from Beaver. Then John Berger...wow..we spent a massive amount of time together...even after that summer. All the trips to various furniture stores, his random white-trash neighbors on the North Side, and then the following year whilst I was a freshman at St. Vincent College...skipping out on evening classes to visit him or the time we drove out the Beaver Falls to get some articles from his mother. I also can't leave out Joel...the sweet little boy who worked at GAP who went out of his way to be a good boyfriend, and I disposed of him because I was much younger, attractive, and an ass. He once gave me a gift of a small innocent looking stuffed puppy dog. I also remember the nights I spent at ALEXANDER'S in Pittsburgh's little Italy, Bloomfield, with my only other socially acceptable gay cohort at St. Vincent, Katherine Norton. We use to sneak into the basilica at St. Vincent and listen to the choir practice for their various concerts. St. Vincent College has many memories in and of itself. Waking up at 5:00 AM to go to morning prayers and Mass with the monks...as often as I could, while reaking of club funk from the previous night. Then vespers in the evening with Fr. Justin Nolan coming over everyday and speaking to me...he had the worst breath on the face of God's Green Earth. Natalie Monaco, Marina D'Andrea, Fr. Fred, Fr. Rene, and a host of other people made St. Vincent home. I know not much about many of these people...Will Treese is either still in Pittsburgh or on his way to Germany, JD Maxwell is and has been in an extremely successful and happy relationship with a nice boy for sometime. Mikey is in grad school, Joel moved to Florida to pursue a career, Katherine Norton graduated from SVC and moved home to Virginia, Natalie Monaco graduated from SVC and is currently attending Dental School in West Virginia, Marina D'Andrea has dropped out of my life a bit due to distance, Fr. Fred has been rather secluded to the monastery at St. Vincent due to some possible link in the current sex scandels, Fr. Justin Nolan is still the president of the Philosophy department at SVC, and Fr. Rene was promoted to a rather high ranking position at SVC.There will be more memories to come. I sit here in Bloomsburg, PA facing my senior year of undegrad...uncertian about the future, what I may or may not do, whether my health will hold out or where or if I will attend Grad school. The future is a scary concept, one each of us has to face...I give you one lesson though...get to know people, fall in love, and develope close intimate friendships...the future doesn't seem so grim if you have some people to face it with. God bless and keep me in your prayers -John (Comment on this)
Monday, August 22nd, 2005
12:38 pm	The Men in my life... You know how you date people, and then after its all over you think to yourself, "What the hell was I doing?" Sure you do, we've all done it. Then you also wonder about the boys that you let go, that shouldn't have. I was on just on the phone with my Eddie when I was thinking about how moronic he is, but how truly sincere and caring he is. Then *boom* I realized that I cannot let this one go, no matter how frustrated I get when he asks a stupid question or says something off the wall. I am lucky to have dated all people I have, and am also lucky to have the friends I have. These persons have taught me a lot, and made my life worth living...thanks guys and girls for being a part of my past, present, and future. Current Mood: awake (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 21st, 2005
2:00 am	Life's little twists... I write this at this hour in the morning, not because I can't sleep, but rather because I am irate! I'm am tired of being the eccentric gay friend...even amongst my gay peers I am the one out of the loop, the one they talk about in negative way when I leave the room...etc. Yeah, I know I'm different, yeah I know I'm not as pretty, yeah I know I'm not as thin, or as muscular...maybe I dwell on things a bit much...maybe you all perceive me as being a bit "too concerned" about you. Stop misreading my intentions, stop analyzing my behavior, stop pitying me, and for the love of god stop hiding shit....I can handle it...I'm 22 and have been on my own for some years, and have a general grasp on life!!! I am happy with who I am dating, my life is very fulfilling, I chose to transfer schools because that was my prerogative, the list goes on. Don't try and pursued me to stop being who I am....I am a massive paradox I know...but does that hurt you? I doubt it!!! Why don't you value your friends who care enough to ask. This is dedicated to all of my friends whom I still love, but managed to piss me off by being patronizing. Just because I want you in my life as pro-active peer, doesn't mean I want your cock or to fuck you up the ass! Just stop being so analytical and start being the friend you were in the first place! Current Mood: angry (Comment on this)
Friday, August 19th, 2005
2:31 am	pop culture??? What??? We have all been there...you know...when your friends know of something exciting, and you don't. However, they already assume that you know of this thing/idea. There are some of us out there...ME...who never really get it. Yeah...I manage to be two steps behind....ALL THE FUCKEN TIME! Ha...I'm getting use to the idea. I like to say that "pop culture eludes me." Because, in reality it does, I spend too much time examining the difference of the OCA compared to ROCOR...and never take the time to realize that Natasha Bedingfield has a new hit song...or in reality who the hell she is. Then when I stumble upon.."These Words are my own" I get excited and share this discovery with friends and they look at me like I'm a tool.....they've known about this stuff for weeks. Wow...how did I go from a youth that was on top of pop culture to a middle aged man at the age of 22? Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: You guessed it "These words are my own" (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 18th, 2005
11:52 am	Coffee or tea? Two entries in one day....OOOOOO My confession and mea culpa of being self-centered Anyway, I realized how meaningless and self-centered my life really is. I was on the phone, and I thought to myself, *internal monologue* "Oh my dear god...what will I take this afternoon...tea or coffee?" In my life of routine and consistency, this a big deal. Then it dawned on me....who gives a flying fuck...whether I take coffee or tea does not stop the world from spinning on its axis, it doesn't change the status of the war in Iraq,it doesn't end world hunger, and sure as hell doesn't help anyone. It made me put into perspective the sheltered childhood/adolescence I had. I was raised not really having to make any major life decisions...I knew what I would wear at least a day before I wore it, I retained the same weekly schedule, mom and dad were always there with a handout, and I knew where I was expected to go to college even before I took the SATs (We all know that didn't pan out...I lasted two semesters at St. Vincent before transferring)...nonetheless as it were I really didn't make any massive decisions. To this day...even small choices present a rather dramatic road block in daily existence. Even the big decisions in life were at least partially made by others...for example, I never had the proverbial "coming out of the closet" most people figured it out on their own, and for those who didn't my beloved sister made no effort to hide the fact that she had a gay brother...(I'm already a legend at St. Francis College and I've never even been there.) Really, even in college decisions are made for you...what classes you take, outside of a few electives, are already plotted out on a syllabus by the department you are in. Now, the only thing you really have to dwell on is picking a major...which for a lot us, myself included, still isn't set in stone once you've made the commitment. The next major step is deciding on a Grad. school or an occupation, (which, the latter, in today's job market is also narrowed down...thanks to outsourcing and some bad decisions made by past and present political leaders who will remain nameless). Eventually you have to make the decision to have a family or not. Well, while I was thinking...the epiphany of eventually completely setting down for more than 6 months and raising a family seemed way too much to grasp...after all I still had to deal with issue of what to eat with my tea or coffee. The list of options in life goes on, but outside of a few major decisions...they are all trivial. It seems that a lot of us, but not all, only see ourselves and a few close family members/friends in the world, and don't grasp the larger picture. I will admit I am just as guilty if not more than my peers in this matter. Meanwhile there are people starving in third world nations and indigenous cultures being suppressed in others...and I wonder how much longer I should let my hair grow or if I should have it cut soon. I continue with my rant. As a gay man and a student of English and Anthropolgy you would think I would be sympathetic and sensitive to other minorities (I think this applies to vast faceless members of the gay community as well)....Nope...not me, (Now I realize how horrible it is that I think like this, and now that I am conscious of this, there will be an effort to change it)...like most individuals in our community my focus is mostly on myself, and mainly on my appearance and what others think of me...whether I wear a polo or a button-down to go clubbing, or being upset that my love-handles aren't disappearing at the rate I want them to...is very shallow to as compared to..let's say...the plight of homosexuals and others in the former Soviet Block or gays in South East Asia. No, unfortunately, I like a lot of others, tend to brush those images out of my mind as I gel my hair,apply my overpriced cologne,and squeeze myself into way too expensive designer jeans to go out and try to find a boy to take home for the night. As an individual who is pursuing a career as a professor one would think that I'm doing this to better the world by presenting knowledge to others...as true as that may be on an aesthetic level...what really mattered to me before my discovery was not the transmission of concepts, ideas, and information to others, but rather the title of "Doctor" before my name and the three letters "PhD" after my surname. In the grand scheme of things I could have cared less about teaching students (Thank God I have had very few profs with that mind-set). It was more about the status...the idea that via education I could be just a bit more superior to my peers...HOW MISERABLY DISGUSTING... I know not all of you are like this; however, I know that a lot of you are, and I don't mean to point you out, but is it worth it...what do I as well as many of the rest of us have to offer to humanity and successive generations? They won't care if the Versace jeans made our ass look great or whether our faux hair was off center. We need to take time to enrich the world selflessly with our talents and skills. While we are at it we also need to take time to reflect on those persons in our lives who we regularly ignore or avoid because they try to show kindness and affection toward others, but don't fit our mold of what an attractive should be. Maybe they are a bit overbearing and by societal views annoying...at least they are able to look at the world without a mirror in front of their faces. As I say at the end of confession to my priest..."For these sins, and all sins against others I commit..forgive me!" I ended up choosing coffee and a scone... Current Mood: surprised Current Music: May it be... (Comment on this)
10:45 am	Let's be hypothetical for just a moment...but not really... Okay, so I finally get rid of Timothy....then I meet a really nice boy named Edward...well...we go on one date. The date went well, and I enjoy being with him...no big deal. So, maybe he calls me sixty times a day, and then in a loud clear voice says..."I love you." Uhm...wow, wasn't expecting that. It took Timothy and I five months to say those words, and Eddie says them after less than a week of knowing me. Normally that would be a big turn off and I would run away with my hands in the air (For those of you who actually know me it would be more a of a walk, since I smoke a pack and a half a day)...nonetheless...yes, its true I've lost weight, and yes for some reason my thinning hair is actually growing back...but come on..."I live you" after one date and a week of knowing each other is a bit to forward. Oh, I stressed that already..anyway...I actually like the kid, and want to try and make this work...but I'm not all about going headlong into this. For the few of you who actually read this, give me some advice. Current Mood: busy Current Music: my foot hurts too much for music (Comment on this)
Friday, August 12th, 2005
10:52 pm	Ethnic Pride Well...for those of you who have kept up with my life know that I have moved to Bloomsburg, PA in pursuit of various reasons...*figure it out people*...anyway! Nonetheless, much to my surprise I love it here and fit into this old Victorian college town. So, yeah I transferred schools yet again and am working as waiter at Perkins as well as directing the choir at Holy Anunnciation Russian Orthodox Church...which leads me into my title. As many of you know I am of a strong Ukrainian background...well I have composed a list of "You know you are Ukrainian if..." So it it is "YOU KNOW YOU ARE YOU UKRAINIAN IF..." 1.When meeting another Ukrainian you instinctively ask "So, which parish do you belong to?" 2. You answer the above question naming the parish you actually belong to, the parish you go to, and the one your suppose to go to. 3. Your last name ends in otko, iuk, enko, ov 4. Your last name has more syllables than most none Slavs can formulate in their mouths. 5. Your mother was actually in control of the house. 6. You were smacked by your friend's parents with the permission of your own. 7. You grow up realizing that Ukies have two moods...pissy and very pissy. 8. Guilt is fed to you like varenicki. 9. You know what varenicki is. 10. You know the difference between varenicki and pirohi is. 11. You can out do Italians with your stories about eating fish at Christmas eve dinner. 12. You know how to spell your family surname the correct way, before the immigration officials changed it. 13. You meet your future spouse at Church Camp. 14. When the family finds out your are dating, the first question is "Well, are they Ukrainian?" (This even applies to homosexuals). 15. When at Church camp...theology is rarely discussed...the main focus is on comparing what village your family came from. 16. You are deeply insulted when people ask you if you are of Russian background. 17. You get more pissed when you tell them you are Ukrainian, and they reply "oh, its the same thing." 18. Your house and church look and smell the same on the inside....incense and pirohi 19. Pepper-wiskey is as natural as milk. 20. You refer to Hutzuls as "the rednecks of Ukraine" 21 You know what a Hutzul is... 22. You survived the depression...Your mother's! 23. You are often reminded about how different it was in Ukraine by your parents...even though it was your great-grandparents who emigrated. 24. You know the difference between the Moscow Patriachate and the Ukrainian Autocephelous Church. 25. You can dance like a Cossack by the age of 6 26. You associate ethnic backgrounds that oppressed the Mother-Country by colors....(i.e. Poland = White and red). 27. You've eaten sauerkraut soup. 28. You like sauerkraut soup. 29. No one wants to come to your house for dinner. 30. Everyone asks you why you celebrate Christmas in January. If you can think of anymore just let me know...I think it would be fun to expand this list. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 25th, 2005
11:01 am	Sometimes... Have you ever had one of those days where you are bitter for no apparent reason. Well today is one of those days. I'm not sure why I feel so angry and nasty, after all I got to sleep in and I don't have class till 2pm...Nonetheless I snapped a few innocent people who got in my way, and I would like to apologize to them once again. Most of you know 98% of the time I am all smiles and cheers, but today is just one of those days... Current Mood: aggravated (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 20th, 2005
11:02 am	We're back in action! Here we are back in Clarion to face another semester of educational bliss! My life consists of never ending English classes with professors who have a decent sense of humor (i.e. Dr. Sheraw commenting that my last name sounds like it would come from a Tolkien novel). Then in the middle of it is my Anthropology class. So, in class we were discussing the mating habits of birds, this is a quote from our textbook, the article was written by Marlene Zuk. "Either the males were roaming around taking advantage of hapless females waiting innocently in their own terr- itories for the breadwinner males to come home with the worms, or else the females were brazen hussies, seducing blameless males who otherwise would not have strayed from the path of moral righteousness into turpitude." Yes, yes.........that was a social commentary on the mating habits of birds. Evidentally this is suppose to apply to humans as well, which is slightly more convincing. However, I want you all to notice those cute lil' robins or cardinals and realize that they are MASSIVE SINNERS WHO WILL BURN IN HELL!!!! What is this world coming to? Just because God gave you wings does not give you the right to be a slut! Now for something completely different I was nominated for two executive positions in my fraternity; Secretary and Inductor. Which is cool. I mean I will have to get more involved, but I suppose that will be for the best. As for the weather of Clarion I will say one phrase: "Picture this...Siberia, 1939..." Leave it at that! Current Mood: awake Current Music: How about some Verdi (Comment on this)
Friday, January 7th, 2005
12:38 am	So, I'm sitting here at home, spending a very ethnic Ukrainian Christmas with people who are like family. So after many glasses of wine, a shot of nasty vodka, sauerkraut soup, and fish....and later on church...I realized something. MY GOSH WE TAKE LIFE TOO SERIOUSLY. I know I'm one to complain....we all know I try to live my life by the book...for godsake I'm gay and still vote Republican...anyway, we need to lighten up. Laugh people!!!! Laugh at each other, at ourselves, and circumstances. Nonetheless think how much better you feel after you laugh. (Please also take into consideration that I have been drinking, and probably will not feel this way tomorrow.) John:"I'm not drunk!" Bridget:"yes you are...look you're staggering!" John: "I'm not staggering...that's the way I walk!" Current Mood: awake Current Music: "Come Sail Away" (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004
12:09 pm	Another semester ended. Alright peeps Another semester ended..which means we are all just a bit closer to Graduate School and for some of us our GREs EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. I wish you all a very wonderful (Holiday of your choice) and hope you enjoy your families and breaks. (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 16th, 2004
12:02 am	Christmas gifts! Per request by a mother figure in my life I will write a list of Christmas shopping tips. Think of it as an extentsion of my "Rules for finals." 1. Never buy gifts when you can dig through your junk drawer and wrap it in the local Jewish Newspaper (i.e. the scarf I gave to one of my fraternity brothers this year). 2. Re-gifting works, find the gift that you received last year from your Aunt Mary, and hated (whether you used it or not is null and void). In turn you give it to your Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mark (yes you read that correctly, we live in a diverse world...deal with it....they hated the gift too). 3. If you run out of ideas...a gift that was worth giving once is worth giving again. One can never have too many baby blue plungers. 4. If you must buy gifts go cheap...Seven Eleven is called a convenience store for a reason! 5. Remember buy things that are practical....for example vaginal itch cream and toe nail clippers are perfect (Also ironically for Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mark). 6. Claim to be Jewish, Muslim, or Jehovah Witness.........then no one expects a gift and they'll talk about you behind your back. 7. Prentend to forget it is Christmas...the easy claim is that you couldn't see all the Christmas lights in your neighborhood under the snow or your were in a "K Hole" the entire month between Thanksgiving and the birth of Jesus. 8. Claim poverty...this is most effective while wearing Versace pants and driving away in your Saab...Hey, the money went somewhere. 9. Run away...just say you were in the Holy Land looking for the babe, when you actually met a Jewish babe, named Moisha, on his way to a kibbutz and you got sidetracked in a citrus grove for two weeks. 10. Pretend to die....then when Easter comes around you can "resurrect" and surprise everyone. Remember, What Would Jesus Do? 11. Marry a convict...hey they can't get gifts in prison, so they'll never know you didn't buy one. 12. Lie....just say you forgot your gifts in your dorm room or they were chocolate and your dog is at the vet. for eating all of it. 13. Claim to be Eastern Orthodox so that if you have to celebrate Christmas you can buy all the stuff on sale then give on January 7th. 14. Move to Boston....You'll be lost in the masses...enough said 15. Enter a monastery/convent....the vow of poverty comes in handy sometimes 16. Lastly, claim the true meaning of Christmas never involved gifts...this only works if you don't want to give presents, but you need to pissed when they use that excuse on you. Sorry, this list was a bit short notice, but what the hell........isn't Christmas always just a "bit short notice!" Current Mood: amused Current Music: What music? I'm trying to study for my finals! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 15th, 2004
11:56 am	All of these goings-on! You know, after every semester we deal with them. We pretend they don't exist or ignore they are going to happen. No, I'm not talking about the occasional outbreak of herpes, but rather finals. I'm sure most of you, like me, seem to forget from the end of one semester to the beginning of the next, the trauma of finals. As I sit here and type this entry I know I should be scanning my British Lit or working on a Folklore take home essay exam. Instead I prefer to listen to Bach, suck down tea, and piddle on the puter. Anyway, the purpose of this entry was how to deal with the stress of finals. I have contrived a list that I practice, without fail, every semester. 1. Plan to study with friends, but get sidetracked making fun of the professor or fellow students, and never actually accomplish the task at hand. 2. When studying do it in the noisiest place possible, so you can fool yourself into thinking you really learning. 3. Pretend to study while in public places (i.e. Michelle's Cafe or Eat'n Park) because if other people see you studying and they are not, you make them feel like shit, and increase your ego just a bit. 4. To build on the last rule...it is even much more effective if you pretend to study while in a large group in a public place. (i.e. last nights venture with five of us at Eat'n Park, but hey at least I now know Matthew Subel is Slovenian). 5. If you are in a Greek organization, wear your letters while studying. There is a small chance that someone from the interfraternal council may see you and say "Hey look at that Phi Sigma Kappa (or any other Greek organization or your choice)he is givin' it hell with those books. THIS ONLY APPLIES TO SOCIAL FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES. NOT TO HONOR FRATERNAL GROUPS. YOU'RE A BUNCH OF TOOLS AS IS AND EVERYONE KNOWS YOU DO WELL. 6. While studying often remark how different it was at the college you attended before transferring to your current location. (i.e. How finals were much better when I attended St. Vincent as opposed to Clarion). 7. Smoke at least one pack of cigarettes per 5 pages of notes and/or 10 pages of text read. 8. Drink at least two beers or 3 glasses of Merlot per 5 pages of notes and/or 10 pages of text. 9. Stay up till 6 AM, all the while making enough noise to piss of your roomate so that he/she knows you are trying to study. (Benny 6 AM is a bit excessive, and I had to pay the price for your late night printing experience). 10. Take the plastic cover off the text book. This only applies to the text books that come covered in plastic, because I know sure as hell there a few out there who haven't even had the drive to make it look like they try. 11. Act smart...or in some cases be a smart-ass (Sorry Dr. MacD. you really don't have a fat ass, I was just joking with you, but still you knocked over my menorah). This works even better if you have no idea what you are talking about. And better still if the person you are speaking with knows you have no idea about the given subject. 12. Lie to your professor....say your computer crashed, the disk didn't save your paper, or you cat died...do everything you can to postpone the inevitable. (Rachael you uphold this rule to a T). 13. Dress well..........hey you may be stupid, but you can be sexy in the process. Better dumb and beautiful than dumb and ugly. 14. Two major food groups....coffee and cigarettes. All the calories you need and you get those sexy dark circles under your eyes...........purrrrrrrrrr. Wanna hump Peter? 15. Lastly, Don't show up to the final. Just stay in bed.....hey if you're gonna fail do it while sleeping...no sense in fucking up something your good at (sleeping), for something you can't even comprehend. My rules for finals week. Keep those in mind and you will be as big of a success as I am. Hey don't question it...for some fuck up reason I seem to make the Dean's List Current Mood: pessimistic Current Music: Anything Enya (Comment on this)
Friday, October 22nd, 2004
11:09 am	Speeding tickets So, here I am cruising along, trying to make it back to campus in time for my Anthropology mid-term. When I look behind me and I see a police car with its lights on. Well I pull over like a dutiful citizen, low and behold I was speeding. Yes, I was speeding and not lightly either. Well the officer was extremely nice, and he inquired if I was a student and if I was heading back to campus. So I said yes, and told him I was running late for a mid-term, and that is the only reason for my speeding. Nonetheless he gave me a ticket for $153.00. So this is tacked onto my already acquired 5 points from the speeding ticket I got while I was late for church back in May. In turn I have to take a written form of a driver's test to keep my license. So, I don't think I will be able to afford to go to Ecuador this summer as I had planned. When I returned to safety of my dorm roomate I called my insurance agent, Theresa (wonderful women who knows my family)....She scolded me and said I better becareful because the company may or may not pull my insurance. Then she told me I will be covered, but just have to pay out the ass for it. So, in turn that will cancel me studying abroad in Scotland. It is as if I am ruining my life by driving a car. AUgh!!! So my children, give me some words of wisdom and encourgement. (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 3rd, 2004
10:15 pm	ALF!!!! I hope you are all well! I'm enjoying the wonderful leafs of Clarion county. Busy with school...fraternity...a whole shit load of social obligations...boyfriend...but what the hell..why not be involved, after all it looks good on a resume when I go to apply for a job. We had our yearly Autumn Leaf Festival in Clarion this past week...I very successfully avoided all the chaos "uptown" and only had to deal with a slew of people whilst working. Hmmm....what else... we had the assistant to bishop come to church today, that was exciting, and for some reason he knew my name. Oh, last weekend Tim and I had a wonderful romantic weekend. School is getting numbing already, but whatever...! That's it for today. (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 19th, 2004
10:42 pm	OYI!!!! So, there I was teaching my class on Catholic Church History at Immaculate Conception Church, when my students seemed to go into a catatonic state....yes I believe I actually saw druel coming out of their mouths...I realize that Church history lacks a certian exciting element...However, it seemed rude that they didn't even pretend to be remotely interested. On a happy note I finally got Timothy to settle down completely...yes that means that after five months of wooing we are finally an offical couple...(Though most, including Tim and I, assumed we were anyway). Clarion is gearing up for its Autumn Leaf Festival, though it seems that we at Phi Sigma Kappa haven't started our float for the parade that is two weeks away. Nonetheless the show goes. The days are getting shorter and the nights longer and there is a bit of a chill in the air. No doubt snow will be here shortly. I wish everyone the best and let me know how things are going with all of you! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 15th, 2004
8:52 am	Happy Rosh Hashanah Another new year...also another day of classes. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 14th, 2004
10:17 am	OUR summer of '69 Angie and I were out last night for the first time in over a year...it is truly ridiculous how we all seem to grow apart, rarely is this done intentionally...it's just a fact that we must face as adults. However, we were reminiscing about the summer of 2002...Some of you will remember all the fun we had...every night there was a designated place either officially or unofficially and we were all there. Monday nights were at NYNY..Tuesdays at Pegasus...Wednesday (I forget, but something was going on) Thursday back at Pegasus..Friday we usually went out with friends or Vice Versa in Morgantown...Saturday back out with friends and Sunday was toss up for whatever. We all became so close that summer, and I can speak for myself when I say I met and made some amazing friends. Many of whom I am still friends with today even if we don't see each other often. It seems we have all grown up and started our lives...most of us graduated college by now or are very close to...many have moved away or settled down in relationships. Still, it is hard to periodically go out and one assumes that they will see these individuals doing the same thing with same people at the same place, but as the saying goes "time marches on." Things change and so do we, but I wanted to remind all of you of that great summer....remember the fun we had. Take care with your lives and keep the memories alive. (Comment on this)