"Look who's laughing now that you've wasted How many years and you've barely even tasted Anything remotely close to Everything you've boasted about Look who's crying now." ~jack johnson

I can't believe I leave tomorrow. Last night was my last night with my friends, and tonight is my last night with my family. Kim, Betsy, Sam, and I had a great time hanging out. It was a very entertaining and memorable evening (and hopefully Sam will send me blackmail pictures of Kim, because I know there are some good ones). I'll miss them. I'm jealous that they have the rest of the summer to hang out and I won't be there.
I saw War of the Worlds yesterday, which was really good. Dakota Fanning continues to amaze me; that girl is so talented. And I'm not crazy about Tom Cruise as a person (his Scientology obsession and general intolerance for perspectives other than his own bothers me), but I really do think he's a great actor. I think some of his standout performances were in Jerry Maguire, Magnolia, Rain Man, Vanilla Sky, and Collateral, and this one is right up there. So I liked it. Go see it.

My mom and I went shopping today; just what I need, more stuff to pack. And there's so many little things that you don't even think about. I need plug adapters and converters (got those at the mall) and all kinds of various forgettable but necessary trinkets.
I keep putting off packing; I still have a lot to do in that department. I'll do that now (or right after these Wimbledon semi-finals that I'm watching are over).

"Take your records, take your freedom. Take your memories, I don't need'em. Take your space and take your reasons, But you'll think of me. And take your cat and leave my sweater, 'Cause we have nothing left to weather. In fact I'll feel a whole lot better, But you'll think of me, you'll think of me." ~keith urban

Why are they playing that song on the radio all the time now? It's 3 years old. I know it's on his new anthology of songs (old songs from Be Here and Golden Road), but isn't that only a European release? I don't get it. Anyway, I love those lyrics. It doesn't get much better than "...take your cat and leave my sweater...", now does it? You think I'm kidding.

Went out for dinner with the fam last night. I've been really moody lately, especially around them. I'm always moody, but now moreso than usual. Thankfully they've been putting up with it, I think because they know I'm leaving in 3 days. I'm really gonna miss them. I think that's why I've been acting strange. I have a weird way of showing people that I care about them. Anyway, dinner was okay; I tried to be sociable and I guess I didn't fail miserably, which is good. The waitress accidentally dumped a plate of bread on my brother's lap, which was funny. My dad's going to try to get off work early on Friday to see me off at the airport. That almost made me cry.

"Don't move Don't talk out of time Don't think Don't worry Everything's just fine Just fine Don't grab Don't clutch Don't hope for too much Don't breathe Don't achieve Or grieve without leave Don't check Just balance on the fence Don't answer Don't ask Don't try and make sense Don't whisper Don't talk Don't run if you can walk Don't cheat, compete Don't miss the one beat Don't travel by train Don't eat Don't spill Don't piss in the drain Don't make a will Don't fill out any forms Don't compensate Don't cower Don't crawl Don't come around late Don't hover at the gate Don't take it on board Don't fall on your sword Just play another chord If you feel you're getting bored I feel numb I feel numb Too much is not enough I feel numb Don't change your brand Gimme what you got Don't listen to the band Gimme what I don't get Don't gape Don't ape Don't change your shape Gimme some more Have another grape Too much is not enough." ~u2

I love that song. Best song on Zooropa (although I guess that isn't saying all that much, since Zooropa isn't exactly the best album U2 has released). But anyway, The Edge is amazing and that's his song and he just blows me away. I wish they had played it at MSG. Oh well. Maybe in November. I've still got 2 more chances to hear some more of my faves on this tour. But I won't let myself get my hopes up, because that didn't work so well last time.

This weekend I got to hang out with my girls. Me, Kim, Betsy, and Sam managed to eat 2 pizzas on Friday, and it was great to talk and just hang out with them. I just kept thinking, I'll miss this. I know it's only 5 months and it's not like I'm leaving for good, but I'll still miss my friends. I'll get to see them again at least one more time before I go; Kim and Sam have some adventurous plans that Betsy and I will enjoy watching from the sidelines. :-)

I started packing, and I think I'm doing a pretty good job so far. It's hard to fit 5 months of your life into 2 suitcases, but I'm trying. Oh, they have a mentor program for International students at Otago and I heard from my mentor. She's lived in Dunedin her whole life, so she'll be able to show me around town and stuff, which is good. And she mentioned a ski trip with her friends, so I might be able to tag along. I'm bringing all my gear. I haven't been skiing in a while, but I miss it. I've been on skis since I could walk (I was one of those little 3-year olds on the slopes, with the harness around my body and one of my parents holding onto the leash attached to me. Good times). So I'm a good skiier and I'm excited to check out the slopes in New Zealand. 5 more days!!!

"Hey, what else can we do now except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair. Well, the night's busting open, these two lanes will take us anywhere." ~bruce springsteen

I finally got some info on where I'm living in New Zealand. I was a little worried because I'm leaving a week from tomorrow and it would not have been cool to get there and end up sleeping on the street or something. Especially because the temperature is in the 30's there. So I'm living in a 5-bedroom flat. I love that word, flat. Much better than apartment. Anyway, 2 of my flatmates are guys from New Zealand and the other 2 are international girls. I don't know anything about them other than that, but I'll meet them soon enough! I'm excited. Knowing my address makes it more real to me.

I got to spend time with Kelly yesterday; I'm pretty sure it's the last time I'll see her before I leave because she's leaving for a mission trip on Saturday. I'll miss my roomie so much. :-( We went swimming in her pool, which was exciting because I haven't been swimming since...March? (unless you count my adventure in the James River a couple weeks ago). When I start synchro again at Richmond in January, I'm seriously gonna drown. Oh well. I wish I had a pool. I would live in it, I really would. I just love being in water.

Okay, that's all for now. Today I'm making myself think about packing. Not start just yet, but think about it. So off I go.

"And so it is, Just like you said it would be. Life goes easy on me, Most of the time. And so it is, The shorter story. No love, no glory, No hero in her sky." ~damien rice

I love music. In case you haven't figured that out about me yet. It's strange how lyrics can look so empty when they're put down on paper or on a computer screen or whatever, yet when they're sung and turned into notes and enhanced with instruments, they can just turn me into an emotional mess.
Anyway, you don't want to hear me rambling on about the strange things that go through my mind, so I'll move on to my update. Unfortunately I'm a very boring person and don't have much to say. My friend Kim stayed with me this weekend, which was fun. We saw Batman Begins, and I really liked it. Christian Bale is pretty hot. A much better Batman than Michael Keaton. And we drove around for a couple of hours getting lost. But it was an adventure. We have a lot of those when Kim's driving. I don't know what I'll do without her (and all my other friends) for five months. I'm excited and terrified to go. I leave in 11 days and I keep thinking of things I need to do before I go and what I'll be missing while I'm gone and what might go wrong and how I don't even know where I'm living when I get there...but I'm ready for a change. As much as I've loved bumming around this summer, I could probably use a new scene. I've been making a few final changes with my schedule, and it's looking interesting right now. If all goes as planned, I won't have class on Fridays, which would be great for exploring the area on the weekends. Okay, I guess that's all for now, I've bored you enough.

"Glamorous Indie rock'n'roll is what I want. It's in my soul, it's what I need. Indie rock'n'roll, it's time..." ~the killers

My summer's been going pretty well so far. It's gone by so quickly, though. I can't believe I'm leaving for New Zealand in two weeks. Basically this summer I've spent lotsa money and haven't made any. I'm trying to justify it by reminding myself that I worked the past two summers and I'll be a substitute teacher for a while when I get back from New Zealand. So let's see...here's a recap of my summer. I went to four concerts, all amazing. Here's my abbreviated reviews (in chronological order):

Coldplay. MTV Studios. 5/18/05.
This was quite an experience. I won a contest that got me and my friend into this concert. We were also among the first 20 people in the world to hear their new album, X&Y, about a month before it was released. At the concert there were only about 80 people, and we were right next to the catwalk. I was less than a foot away from Chris Martin. It was so surreal. The concert aired on MTV (MTV LiveLeak: Coldplay), so if you happen to catch it, you can see me drueling as I stare up at Chris. Or ask me to see the video. They played all the best songs from X&Y. The downside was that the only old song they played was Clocks. They were supposed to do Yellow but they bumped it because they had to do 3 tracks from X&Y over again. We were pissed. But it was still awesome, and I can't complain because it was free.

U2. Madison Square Garden. 5/21/05. Opening act: Kings of Leon.
Absolutely amazing. They're my favorite band in the world, so it was such a thrill to finally see them live. I'm seeing them again in November (hopefully twice) because I can't get enough. They played some classics that were great to hear live like Pride, One, Where the Streets Have no Name, Running to Stand Still, and many more. They also did a lot of my favorites from HTDAAB. So yeah, it was great.

The Killers. Central Park Summerstage. 6/4/05. Opening act: Louis XIV.
Best concert I've ever attended (sorry U2). I was in the front row, so I had a perfect view of Brandon (with whom I am madly in love). I can't even explain the energy in that place. I was surrounded by cool people who were going crazy, so I went crazy with them. I've never screamed so loud in my life. It was just perfect. 'nuff said.

Alanis Morissette. Radio City Music Hall. 6/15/05. Opening act: Jason Mraz.
Another awesome experience. I was pleasantly surprised by Jason Mraz (usually I can't stand him). Alanis was...I've run out of favorable adjectives, so pick one you like and insert it here. She played every single song from Jagged Little Pill, which I thought was so cool. If you don't know, she's on her Jagged Little Pill Acoustic tour (she's releasing an acoustic version of the album in honor of its 10-year anniversary). I like it better acoustic, and I love hearing the changes she's made. It's fun to revisit that album, because I remember listening to it constantly when I first got it 10 years ago.

So those concerts have been the highlight of my summer. I've also seen a ton of Broadway shows, but I know most of you don't care about that, so I'll just say that this is an awesome season for Broadway.

Kelly and I drove down to Richmond for a weekend and we stayed with Jenn, which was fun. It was great to see everyone doing research there for the summer (which is a lotta people). Chris took me kayaking and that was quite an experience. I'm not so good at padaling against the current, so I ended up getting out of the kayak (while still in the middle of the river) and dragging it upriver behind me. He must have gotten quite a kick out of watching that. And of course I wasn't exactly dressed for a trip in the river (jean shorts, tank top, sneakers, no bathing suit). But it was fun. And I loved spending time with some Richmond friends.

I'm scared to be away from NYC for five months. I seriously don't know if I can bear it. The city is my life. I guess I'm trying to soak it in as much as I can before I go. Hopefully I'll be too busy having fun to think about it when I'm in New Zealand.

Please write to me, because I'll miss you all when I'm there! Here's some pictures detailing the highlights of my summer:
U2:

The Killers:

The Killers:

me and Christina Applegate:

me and Billy Crudup:

trip to Richmond: