Without further delay....

Things I Learned On My 30 Hour Road Trip To Massachusetts

1. Use the bathroom every opportunity you get.--I found this one to be of importance when I saw the sign that said "180 Miles to next rest area." That's a lonnnnng ways away. Like, two and a half hours away. Think about it: If you have to pee when you see that sign, you're basically have to have an extraordinarily strong bladder, or you're going to be peeing in the woods.
   
2. Eat when you see places to eat, whether you are hungry or not.--On a slightly related note, when you drive through many states, you tend to take the not-so-scenic route. This means that places to eat could be few and far between. From my personal experience: On day one, we were driving through Meridian, MS, and we were stopping for gas. It was about 7 amish, and I, personally, was hungry. There was a McDonalds at this particular exit, but it was up the road in the opposite direction on top of a hill or something, so my dad didn't want to eat at it. He said we would stop at the next one. Well, there was no next one, not for about 70-80 miles, and then it was a Burger King, who has inferior breakfasts to McDonalds. Anyway, moral of the story is: eat when you see places to eat, whether you are hungry or not.
3. Bring earplugs.--This one only applies if you are stopping to sleep at a hotel and sharing the room with someone. People snore. My father (and let's be honest, my mother, too) snore. We stopped in Virginia for the night, and I shared a hotel room with my parents. Well, I hardly slept at all because of the chorus my parents were putting on in the other bed. It was awful. (Again, to be honest, my father was MUCH worse, MUCH louder, MUCH longer, than my mother.) Basically: If you want to sleep, bring ear plugs. You may not need them, but then again, you may. Edit: They would also come in handy if you're trying to nap in the car. They would definitely block out the noise from the interstate and whatever music the driver is listening to.
4. Avoid greasy food whenever possible.--I know I was just whining about having to eat Burger King, but this point is of special importance. If you are eating breakfast, lunch and dinner on the road for two days, at some point in there, pass up the Whoppers and Big Macs for Subway, Quiznos or something of the like. Trust me, your stomach will seriously thank you. All that greasy food definitely makes the trip an unpleasant one.
5. Even if you have a GPS, a back up map is essential.--We found this out in New Jersey. Since my parents have made this trek many times before, they wanted to go a speficic way once we hit New Jersey. Thus, we took a different route than what the GPS wanted. Naturally, the GPS had a shit fit, and while it was "Recalculating" it froze. We couldn't get it to turn off, restart, anything. So, for a few miles, we were sans GPS until my mom found the reset button. If she hadn't found that, or perhaps it hadn't worked, we would have been up shit creek without a paddle if we hadn't brought a map with us. Luckily, we only had to fully rely on it for a little while, but it pays to be prepared.
6. I learned how to read that map.--Anyone who knows me knows I am a self-proclaimed awful navigator. Put a map in front of me and the best I can do is find you all the silliest street names. However, on this trip, I was taught, and successfully learned, how to read a map. I even know how to use those mile marker thingys now. I know, I'm smart.
7. You can drive with you fingers!--Only if you have cruise control. My mom taught me this one. Apparently, if you have cruise control on, you can hit Accelerate or Decelerate and control the speed of your car from the steering wheel. Of course, this doesn't really work in heavy traffic, but it was good when we were following my dad (whose rental truck had no cruise control, so he couldn't keep the speed really steady).
8. New Jersey SUCKS.--I think most people (except for people from NJ, and to those of you who are, I am truly sorry) know that NJ is America's armpit. It is an awful state to drive in, first of all, and when I was driving in it, it was raining. It pretty much rained from the time we hit the border till we crossed state lines. Four plus lanes of traffic, with a visibility of about a car length in front of me, it's not a drive I wish to re-experience.
9. New Haven, CT, sucks too.--New Haven is basically a suburb of NY. It is also a college town (Yale and Rory Gilmore are there). This plus that equal TREMENDOUS TRAFFIC. The drive through CT should only take 45 minutes or so, but it took us close to two hours because we were stuck in traffic from hell. This is what prompted me to exclaim, "I don't care if it's good enough for Rory Gilmore, New Haven is the pits."
10. There's a bridge in New York called the Tappan Zee Bridge.--And it is truly frightening.
11. People are shitty drivers. EVERYWHERE.--I think this one speaks for itself.
    

My first days as a Southern transplant in the North

Well, I made it alive.

I have a nice outline of an entry to be entitled "Things I Learned on my 30 Hour Road Trip to Massachusetts," but unfortunately I don't have regular access to the internet right now (and I left my notes at my Noni's. Oops.) so it'll have to wait. Also in the works: "Things I Learned my First Week in Massachusetts," to follow.

So, this is to let everyone know that I am alive, I made it and yes, it's weird being up here. I keep thinking I'm going to be leaving soon, so I have to keep reminding myself that I'm here for a while. WEIRD, I'm telling you. I'm so thrown off, even though I knew this was coming.

Also: For the first time since freshmen year at LSU, I'm looking forward to starting school. Simply for the fact that it will give me something to do. No friends = constant boredom. I did however, start knitting, so there's that.

The BIG Day Arrives

Tomorrow is day one of moving day. Already, we have experienced a problem.

My dad went to pick up the rental truck this morning. With the help of John, we were able to get everything loaded fairly quickly earlier today. Upon further investigation later this evening, my dad discovered a blister in one of the tires. Apparently, this translates to, "The truck will definitely not make it to Boston and may even blow up. Who knows." in truck speak. I was unaware of this.

So, my dad called the 24 hour road side assistance, who said someone was going to come fix the tire. I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm a little nervous to hit the road now, though.

Getting Down to the Wire

Well, as of Thursday, July 3oth, I am no longer a resident of Baton Rouge. It's pretty sad, actually. Some of the best memories I've ever made were in good old BR. For what it's worth, I'm going to miss it.

For the next nine days I'm back at my parents' house. I don't mind it because my parents aren't so bad now that I've been out of high school for half a decade; in fact I might go as far as to say that I appreciate and enjoy their company. Getting older is weird. But, it's only temporary because pretty soon I'll no longer be a resident of Louisiana, which is even weirder. Even though I was born in Massachusetts, I really feel like Louisiana is my home. Probably because I hardly remember Massachusetts.

Anyhoo, I only have a little over a week here. In the mean time, my stuff has taken over my parents dining room:

Another excellent view:

And still:

It's a little hard to tell, but the perimeter of my parents dining room is my stuff. And the sad part? This isn't even all of it, because John had yet to deliver the last of it which was being stored in his car, as The Little Civic That Could was filled to capacity on move out day. Also, the little bit of furniture I have to my name is in my room, which is currently a disaster area and not conducive to photo sessions.

So, I ask of you: How does one person accumulate so much crap? (And I promise you, a lot of it is crap, at least in the eyes of the general population. I own nothing of worth.) In four years at LSU, I have lived (officially) in four places (if we're factoring places I lived between leases or during hurricanes the number goes up). When I started at LSU, I had around two boxes of belongings, plus a mini-fridge. That's reasonable for a college freshman. When I left the dorm, I had around four or five boxes. Ok, not so bad, my stuff doubled. But, figuring that each time I moved (and the summer in between my sophomore and junior years I moved four times, which explains my loathing for the packing/moving process) my stuff doubled...well, I guess that explains how I got so much stuff. I'm beginning to worry that it won't all fit in the U-Haul. Oh well, if it doesn't fit, it isn't going to Boston.

Keep in mind that when I was packing up my apartment, I threw out at least twenty bags of stuff that really was worthless that I had held on to (when I cleaned out my dresser at home, I found the schedule I filled out in eighth grade for what I wanted to take in ninth grade, as well as notes from sixth grade and up, which was, oh, about ten years ago; I am a pack rat to the extreme) as well as gave away something like 15 bags (it may have been more, I'm estimating; I stopped counting at nine or ten) of clothes/shoes/accessories that I have not worn in four years, that I basically hauled around to different residences for four years. Most of my packing process was like this, "OH MY GOD WHY DID I KEEP THIS?!" Yet I still brought home 20 boxes/bins of stuff, plus three duffel bags, one suit case and three garment bags of clothes, two lamps, two TVS and an end table.

It's like a really retarded version of "12 Days of Christmas." And looking at it with numbers makes me want to go purge something.

Less than one month to go!

As of Sunday, I have less than one month till the big movin' day. I am nervous and excited! Every now and then I wake up in a panic; there's nothing specific that I'm concerned about. More than likely, it's just the overwhelming fear of starting a new chapter in my life. Also, this will be the first time in almost 23 years that I will be more than a couple hours away from my mother for an extended period of time (excluding my summer in Europe, which I do not count because I always knew I was returning home). This time, I will not be returning to Mandeville in a couple months. This move, likely, is permanent. It's more than a little frightening!

Also, everyday my move and life in Boston gets more and more real. I received my schedule this week, as well as my "bill". Seeing the classes that I will be taking as well as how much I owe them makes everything more realistic and palpable. It's like all of a sudden I realized this is really happening (as if it was pretend before, I know).

In unrelated news, I am going to learn to knit. I really need a hobby, and since I have been told by my lovely boyfriend, John, that shopping is NOT a hobby, I've picked knitting. I have a few reasons: 1) It's cheap(er), in comparison to other hobbies I dabble in, such as scrap booking, 2) I can make my own scarves and hats for the cold winters, which makes it economical, 3) My noni can teach me, making it a Grandmother-Granddaughter bonding experience. So, basically: I get to make things, and John has to wear them. Everybody wins!

The Macintosh Experience

Anyone who knows me knows how badly I've wanted a Mac. Ever since I got to LSU and saw all the shiny apple computers scattered across campus, I've desired one over my silly Dell laptop. I felt inferior. I felt less tech savvy. I felt nerdy. I know this is ridiculous, but again, anyone who knows me knows my desire to have what everyone else has. It may be one of my greatest personality flaws, but I don't really care.

I knew I was going to make bank in graduation money. I also had a good excuse as my inferior Dell has been slowly and surely dying since last year. I decided that now was the time to leap onto the Mac bandwagon. I wrestled with the pros and cons of the varied Macs available, and eventually decided (after the new line with the price cuts was released; I am also cheap) that the 13 inch MacBook Pro was the right Mac for me.

I ordered it on June 11 along with an iPod touch (I took advantage of the student discount which not only knocked off $100 from the Mac price, but also offered a free iPod touch* *restrictions applied). I also paid $15 for two day shipping, because I knew that I would be going out of town, and I wanted to make sure I would be around when it arrived.

On June 13th, I recieved an email from Apple saying that my Mac had been shipped. "Oh joyous day!" I exclaimed. Apple ships through FedEx, so I was provided with a tracking number. My Mac's estimated delivery was June 18, 2009. "OK, that's fine. A little longer than two days, but whatever, it will be here before I leave." I thought. Oh, little did I know that God had different ideas.

For ease of reading, I have provided a timeline:

Jun 13, 2009 12:09 PM: Picked up in Shanghai, China. It was picked up after FedEx cut off, which apparently means it has to sit around while FedEx employees are unproductive.
Jun 13, 2009 12:21 PM: Left FedEx origin facility. Allegedly.
Jun 16, 2009 9:51 PM: In transit. Three days AFTER FedEx reported it as hightailing it out of China, it was moving. Somewhere. Now, granted, one of the days was Sunday, but I digress.
Jun 16, 2009 2:34 PM: Arrived in Anchorage, AK. Where it proceeded to sit around while FedEx employees twiddled their thumbs or watched sindicated tv sitcom re-runs, I'm sure.
Jun 16, 2009 2:51 PM: In transit. At this point I thought it had left Alaska. I was wrong.
Jun 17, 2009 8:12 PM: Int'l shipping release. IT WAS IN CUSTOMS FOR 5 HOURS. OH MY GOD.
Jun 17, 2009 4:00 PM: In effing transit. Probably being used as a soccer ball, or something.
Jun 17, 2009 5:01 PM: Departed Anchorage. Well, it's about time.
Jun 18, 2009 2:09 AM: Arrived in Indianapolis, one of my least favorite cities, even though I've never been there.
Jun 18, 2009 4:53 AM: In transit. At this point, we (and by we I mean my dad) called the FedEx customer support people, who basically gave us the finger and said it wouldn't arrive until tomorrow even though I PAID EXTRA for two day shipping because, get this, a volcanic eruption in China had caused their freight to be delayed. A volcanic eruption. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? God, why do you hate me? We end up moving it's delivery date to Monday, when we will be home. Screw them, too.
Jun 18, 2009 4:53 AM: Leaves Indianapolis.
Jun 18, 2009 11:10 PM: Arrives in Memphis. Good for it.
Jun 19, 2009 3:18 AM: Leaves Memphis.
Jun 19, 2009 4:08 AM: The Mac is officially instate.
Jun 19, 2009 7:35 AM: In Covington.
Jun 22, 2009 8:45 AM: DELIVERED. Victory is mine!

Granted, they probably would have had it to me on Friday, which only put it about a day behind schedule (their schedule, not mine; it was never on time according to my schedule). But it's the principle of the matter. Oh well. At least I have it now. It arrived well traveled, at least.

And in case you care, it is everything I ever imagined it would be and more.

My first impression of BU

So, I finally have a little more Boston action to report:

I spent the past week in Boston/Plymouth. On both Saturday and Monday my parents and I took the "T" (for those of you not accustomed to MA mass transit, the "T" is the subway, but also encompasses the commuter rail) into Boston.

On Saturday, our day mostly consisted of getting a little of the lay of the land. I accepted BU's admission offer sight unseen, so I was pretty keen to see the campus I will be calling home for the next year and a half. I have to say, it was pretty damn impressive. It's a totally different type of campus than LSU is. Obviously, it is located in a real city (let's face it, Baton Rouge was built around LSU; BU was built within Boston), and it looks like it. Boston is a really old city, so naturally, BU has acquired some really old buildings. Lots of elegant brownstones that they have converted into offices and classrooms; in fact, I have been told that Alden Hall, one of those brownstones, houses many PR classes. The only downside? No AC! In fact, I found that many buildings on campus do not have AC. I guess that's part of what they call culture shock.

On Monday, we actually met with a couple professors. When I say that they are as different as day and night, I mean it. However, both were really helpful, and I really look forward to working with them. After my visit, I actually feel smart enough to go to BU. For a while, I was under the impression that I didn't really deserve my acceptance, and that I was not quite up to par. I don't have that feeling anymore. And let me tell you, it is a nice feeling! In fact, all of my worries about school, internships and jobs have evaporated. I feel really good about my future. I know that I made the right decision and the best decision. I can't wait to start!

In the meantime, though, I have a lot of packing to do...