smooth sailing

yeah. right. not only did we come close to capsizing our boat about twenty times, leading to the collection of a huge puddle of water that we had to sit in for an hour and a half, but i also got hit in the head with the motherfucking boom countless times as well. it was a ton of fun though. we laughed the entire time we were banging our knees and lacerating our hands with the ropes. i also ran into the side of another boat when it was my turn to till. (i think that means steer – i haven’t quite gotten the sailing lingo down yet. i’m working on it.) it was pretty intense. i think i may have gotten whiplash from sailing today. i've also got a ton of knarly bruises to accompany the badass one on my shin from the barricade. remember that? the boats are getting out of control…we’re now sailing with the main sails, whereas before we just worked with the jibs (the smaller ones), so now they’re moving insanely fast. so is my life nowadays. i had to race back and get to the “poetrython” in white plaza and read a bunch of stuff i had written. it was so nerve-racking!!! i was so scared, especially since i felt like such a dumbass reading a bunch of poetry i wrote three years ago. i had decided that everything that was more recent was a little too close to home, so i read all my cutesy little girl stuff. i felt like a sadistic dr. seuss, as my poems were all awkwardly depressing. i was in a huge rush to pick stuff out though, so i didn’t realize it when i grabbed all my stuff. i had to read for twenty minutes too – it was hard!!! oh, and “white trash bowling” last night…amazing. i rocked the beer, the music, and the axl look. i even had his michelle tattoo. (i’m guessing that’s who it is…?) apparently i listen to white trash music too because i knew every song that came on. we partied at sigma chi and then went over to the bowling alley with them, so now i’m “ms. hardcore” because i kicked ass in triathlon, or just played too much, and then rocked out to the music. even more awkward is that i’m probably the shyest girl in pi phi, but stick me in my element (which is apparently quite trashy) and i’m down.

addenum

i just found out that the crowbar things are called billy sticks. just thought i'd share...the more you know.

kid being arrested. when: 4:00 in the afternoon; why: protesting george bush; how: dragged across the pavement and tackled by two armed policemen; where: stanford university, united states of america...

kid being dragged across pavement 

my new friend - we grew quite close throughout the afternoon 

this is what democracy looks like 

more policemen called in for back up 

bush protest 

hi!

i'm a bit bored right now, and kind of at a loss for what to do...so i thought i'd write to you! you're probably having a lot of fun and doing something exciting, and when you're bored, you'll stumble across this. i feel kind of stupid, addressing you like this, so i'm going to stop. goodbye.

anyways...(wow i'm a loser) i just got back from the san francisco museum of modern art. i have a lot of thoughts surrounding the whole experience, but i'll hold back, because that would take way too long. i really do love modern art - i actually went with the modern art class that i'm taking. the day was marked by a quite nostalgic feel, because a lot of the pieces were borrowed by the tate modern a few years back, and i got to see them when i went to london a couple summers ago. actually, it was when i went to the tate that i really became intrigued by modern/abstract art, so the sf moma brought back a lot of the excitement from before. aside from the tour guide bugging the shit out of me, however, i had a wonderful time. it's really interesting, because i've been reading a lot of art reviews and essays lately, and we even touched upon the subject today, but art really does affect people. not really to the same extent today (or maybe just not through the same mediums); but especially at the turn of the century when new art forms and methods were coming into play, people really became outraged and threatened by a lot of what they saw. certain exhibitions were cancelled, various works were censored, etc. there was even one guy who brought a urinal to display in his own art show and the whole show was called off because the very act of him producing it was bombastic to the public eye. i can't help but think that perhaps just a small part of him was trying to be a smartass, but that's just my hopeful and immature mind wandering. it's funny though, because it shocked people when someone came forth and broke the mold. funnier still, is that "breaking the mold" was painting in unbounded colors and forms. think about it - people were so much more innocent back then! i've had a hard time drawing the line in my mind, though, between innocense, ignorance, and conformity. there's a part of me that wants to be innocent. i want to be shocked by a toilet! it's neat that it didn't used to take all that much. i think i would have liked living back then because i love being shocked so much. then again, maybe not so much shocked, as surprised. surprises are the best. yet i don't ever want to be ignorant or a conformist. but now stuff like that is commonplace, and just think how much more it now takes. perhaps snuff films and child porn are our modern day toilets. okay, that was extreme, and i don't mean to be crass, but i hope it's clear what i'm trying to say. i don't want to talk about this anymore.

i had something else i wanted to say but i forgot what it was. so.......i'll tell you about my mad guitar playing skills. (nathan - if you are reading this, please feel free to vouch for me ;-) i now know parts of TWO iron maiden songs (aces high and phantom of the opera), and i pretty much kick some harmonious ass. (because there's a lot of harmony in them and it sounds wicked awesome.) you'll just have to hear one of these days. i missed my lesson yesterday though because i was at a protest. good ol' georgy w decided to visit our campus to consult some of our economic advisors so our central campus was shut down. it was pretty intense though. they had the entire santa clara police force dressed in riot gear, swat team members all over the place, and snipers on the roofs, among other things. there were a bunch of helicopters flying overhead as well - i'm guessing one of them was marine one. there were people gathered all around where he was supposed to meet, which logically would have covered all possible routes into the building, yet needless to say, no one saw him. apparently there's a secret entrance into hoover tower though, which is where he supposedly had his meeting, so perhaps he went in that way. or maybe he went through the steam tunnels! hell, if i were president, that's the way i'd do it! it was scary, though - all the police were in a line with their huge samurai-looking sword crowbar things (i don't know what they're called). when we refused to get out of the street though, they shoved us back yelling, "MOVE BACK! MOVE BACK!" i was in the front, so i got to get shoved with one of the crowbars. it was pretty awesome - highlight of my day. i was really hoping to get arrested - seriously, that would have been an awesome story! three kids did, too, for refusing to move out of the way from some firetruck so they got dragged across the pavement kicking and struggling, strapped into some sort of plastic handcuff device, and driven away. the whole thing went quite overboard. then another line of police came in with teargass, paintball guns, and sandbag guns. not gonna lie...i was REALLY hoping for the teargass. that would have made this story so much better. i did get hit with a metal barricade though! again, i was in the front, so i got in on the action, but one of the guys put it up and nailed me in the shin. it was so sad though - he was so serious until that happened, and then he was very quick to say "i'm sorry!" in a really genuine tone. he was an old guy too so i felt bad. lol. anyways, i have pictures from my phone that i can post, but i had someone take some actual photos, including some of me with the crowbar guys, so hopefully he'll send them and you can see those.

anyways, my hands and eyes are tired, and i really want to go do something fun, so i've gotta go. but thanks for reading this far! i tend to ramble.

kaitlin's flip flop fund

due to the recent loss of my brand new black flip flops, i am starting a flip flop fund. yes, as pathetic as this may sound, indeed, it is a flip flop fund. you see, round about last summer...oh, say june...julyish?...my wonderful pair of black flip flops we're unexpectedly devoured by a dog. this posed a huge problem for me, as i wore my beloved black flip flops everywhere. they went with everything - swimsuits, dresses, a nice pair of slacks. hence, in my dutiful effort to rectify this great devastation, i searched the stores far and wide, scourging the racks for a brand new pair. but no. did i find those flip flops i so desparately needed? i think not. as the year progressed, the weather grew colder, and i began to don warmer shoes. the flip flops were pushed to the back of my mind for the time being. but as spring approached, they once again made their way to the forefront of my concerns, and my tireless efforts yielded a nice, shiny pair of reefs at a quaint little store in a local new york shopping mall. but lo and behold, as fate would have it, i happened to lose this pair of flip flops in the commotion that was unofficial bid night, not four weeks after i had purchased my lovely pair of thongs. shocking, i know. so why not simply venture out into the fully-equipped, california board shops and grab me another brand new pair? i'll tell you why not! you see, as of a few days ago, i am literally broke. people. read: LITERALLY BROKE. thus, in one last feeble attempt to make it through the year without having to be a multi-colored flip flop clad hussy (for that is all i have as of now), i am starting a special fund. a charity, so to speak, to raise the money that i need to buy some new shoes. if any of you would be so kind as to send $1 - that's right! ONE DOLLAR - to the following address, i would be most grateful. seriously, it only takes a dollar on your part, and it will make a world of difference to me:

PO Box 14751
Stanford, CA 94309

and if nothing else, wouldn't it be just loads of fun to participate in my little thought experiment? come on people, i constantly prostrate myself in front of you each time you visit this page. is one dollar (4 quarters!) so much to ask? i trust you'll do the right thing.

regards,
kaitlin

yOu CaN rEaD mY jOuRNaL!!! tEe-HeE!

Wow. I can’t believe I’m finally in New York. The plane ride was only a little horrible – I thought I had overcome all of my air sickness earlier on, but the turbulence was a bit much for me at times. Nothing I couldn’t handle though. I amused myself with the shitty in flight network, which really wasn’t shitty at all considering it was a PLANE, or even shitty in comparison because I really haven’t watched t.v. at all for the past 12 weeks. But I like to call it shitty. I tried watching The X-Files and Popeye the Sailor Man, but then had to settle for some relaxing computer games. Including Space Cadet Pinball, serenaded by The Who’s Pinball Wizard. I’m sure Tyler’s probably thinking I’m a freak. The guy sitting on the other side of me was a bit crazy as well. He had some ipod he was listening to for the duration of the flight – I was shocked at the fact that the batteries lasted the whole time, especially considering mine (but not really mine) loses a charge after two seconds. I think I broke it. It’s kind of my style. Anyways, he must have been listening to some porn soundtrack or something, because every time I would glance slightly in his direction, perhaps to look out the WINDOW or something along those lines, he would swiftly, but very sneakily, tilt the ipod away from me so that I couldn’t read what it was that he was listening to. There was also another strange man on our flight, who I didn’t see on the plane, but who I had the pleasure of observing in his every day interactions with the workers in the airport bagel shop. He was very distraught that he did not get the right amount of pastrami, or something along those lines, on his bagel, and spent a very long, loud time complaining about it. I think he even attracted a crowd. I had almost forgotten about him on the five and a half hour flight out when we met again at the baggage claim at JFK. People these days! What are ya gonna do with ‘em?! Ahahaha. Hahaha. Haha. Ha…

Oh…ANNNNNNNNND…I added a slideshow to my "putfile" account! PACE, brothas.

p.s. we ended up seeing the pastrami guy in times square. weird…

why i'm ticked off:

AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! i'm so angry right now! the people here are kleptomaniacs. i'm already missing a pair of pants, three shirts, and 27 pairs of underwear. okay, not really the underwear, but who knows? some of it could be gone - who keeps track of that stuff? and coincidentally, they were my favorite pair of pants - they were white and pink :-) - and three of my favorite shirts. literally. this is not just me being pissed off. so if you are reading this and it was you who stole my stuff, you are an asshole. go steal from somebody else. and i hope you get soriasis. haha - i just think that's a funny word. but on a serious note, you really do deserve it - an extremely horrible case of it. well...goodbye.

this makes my day...

"Youth minister smites dodgeball opponent" (courtesy of CNN)

LIBERTY, Missouri (AP) -- A youth minister was charged with assault for allegedly knocking down a 16-year-old boy and kicking him in the groin after taking a head shot from the teen in a dodgeball game.

David M. Boudreaux, 27, was charged Wednesday with one count of third-degree assault. According to court documents, the incident happened in February at Crescent Lake Christian Academy.

Authorities said the teen missed Boudreaux with one throw but then knocked the youth minister's glasses off with the next.

The boy apologized, authorities said, but Boudreaux pushed him backward, and when the teen got up again Boudreaux kicked him in the groin and left.

The teen suffered whiplash and post-concussion syndrome and had blood in his urine after being kicked, according to court records.

Boudreaux later apologized, prosecutors said.

Jeanne D. Hewitt, administrator of Crescent Lake Christian Academy, said Boudreaux had been placed on administrative leave.

i remember it

lost and confused
my wings are broken
i don't even know how to fly
a worn out feather
will serve as a token
to tears i cannot spare to cry

grounded again
my mind is aloft
my solitude causes this pain
i long to be high
where fears here are soft
for down here i'm caught in the rain

pondering now
my heart seeks reprieves
from troubles that branched out from mine
i grasp to let go
of lost make-believes
and stars that lost sparkle and shine

C.2004

hi again :-D

Now that I’ve had a whole day to cool off, I think I’ll be able to write with some better perspective. (God, I even called myself a “sod”.) I’m feeling very over the top right now, but it’s probably because I’ve had some sort of blogging withdrawal, which really is quite sad, and this is one of the last times I’ll have so much free time on my hands. So deal, yo. Hence, in an attempt to bring this back down to earth, and to redeem myself, I’ll talk instead about what I did today. But who am I kidding, to think that I need redeeming? I mean, c’mon, I’ll probably just end up getting pissed off again or find something hilariously pathetic to make fun of later on anyway. But that is just the nature of me, Kaitlin, so fuck off or read on.

The day began with me waking up and wandering the halls of my empty dorm. Then, to my great joy, I found someone to drive me to In-N-Out where I proceeded to get sickly full of all of that wonderful fast food. It had been way too long. I also made my way over to a track meet and a baseball game. I almost broke down at the track meet, as I stood there, feeling all nostalgic, and pining away for all of the wonderful memories of getting my ass kicked (and touched) throughout the wonderful track practices of yesteryear. But seriously, I really do miss it. I was totally reminded of the crowd, the yelling, the gun, the butterflies, the asphyxiation…and I yearned for it more than ever. Truly, track was my chance to shine. It was my high school claim to fame. I was the track star for sprinting and jumping and shit. And I bet you never knew that. My coach hated me though. I ditched so many practices over the years, particularly throughout my senior year. (Excuses ranged from family deaths to traumatic car accidents.) Despite all of this though, I really did love it, and I want to start running again. I talked to some people, and I found out that I could be a walk on, but my broken leg really set me back. I’m thinking typical. And I’d just like to interject into my little monologue right now and say that I’m listening to The Doors right now, and I really really really want to hear Peace Frog, but I don’t have the bloody song. So I’m pissed. So now I’m listening to Ordinary World. (Think Duran Duran, and suck it hard.) Where was I…I miss the past. I miss the seconds in my life that slipped by while I was dicking around and hating the moment because I was being pushed beyond my limits. But that’s not going to happen anymore. So the baseball game – I froze my ass off. And that’s pretty much all I remember.

Then I saw V for Vendetta for the second time. I have now seen it on two opposite sides of the country. That’s so cool! It was still good. The movie really had it all – a nice dosage of action, a philosophical outlook, the comedic relief, and even a chance for each guy to get his required hard-on when good ol’ Natalie kissed a plastic mask. Damn. Was that hot. I loved the indictment too. You see, High Chancellor Sutler, the extremely religious, conservative prick (ahem…throat clearing…furious coughing – please rest assured that that is the first time I have described a noise that way) and his main advisor, the henchmanish asshole nazi bastard Creedy (rhymes with greedy, eh? Eh?) showed ME the consequences of giving in to the man, and not letting my voice rise above and be heard. Funny thing is, a majority of this country can’t see the beautiful satire that lies within a beautiful action movie filled with beautiful roundhouse kicks and headbutting. No wonder, everyone liked it! Now we’re all friends! And maybe the movie is the reason for my calling myself a sod. You see, the movie was entirely in English accents. (Imagine that!) Except for Natalie Portman, whose linguistic coach made her sound strikingly similar to an Australian stripper (criminals). It was all there though. I felt it. I was even drawn back to stories of my Papa’s British military days where he said things like “diZgusting” (Creedy), and “orrible” (not from the movie, but British military guys rarely pronounce their h’s apparently.) Bollocks!