It's been a long week!

Went to a club called Accent on Saturday night. It was craptastic! Lol. Seriously, really bad. And hour to find parking, overly squishy, two tiny levels both playing the same bad music. Whoo! Party! Lol. Plus the people I went with weren't much fun.

So the family got back on Monday. It was good to see them all again, especially cos I hadn't seen S in a month dure to her going away to camp and all that. It was fun.

Tuesday night was tough for me though.

Remember in one of my first posts when I got here I mentioned a Swedish girl named Josephine? Well, she was only here as a summer au pair, and on Tuesday night we had her farewell dinner because she was leaving Thursday.

Pretty much all day Tuesday I was feeling a bit weepy, as Emma can attest to because she called me. :P Jose and I didn't spend much time together while she was here. In fact, we saw each other a total of 4 times in the last three months and spoke on the phone and net a bit more than that. But we just totally clicked from the word "go" and I consider her a close friend. When I saw her Tuesday night it was really hard for both of us. We went to dinner with a big group of her friends (many of whom are also my friends) and it was good. Unfortunately though, I had to work the next day, and since they live a solid half-hour's drive away I needed to leave straight after dinner and couldn't go on partying with them.

I think it really drove home how hard this whole experience is. I mean, it's hard leaving everyone at home behind, but in the back of your mind you know that they're still going to be there when you get back in a year. Jose lives in bloody Sweden! When the hell am I ever going to go there?

Also that night it was Maren's birthday. She was at the training school with Jose and I. She turned 21 the next day, but didn't tell anyone!! Lol. I found out on the way over there and felt terrible cos I didn't even have a card.

School started on Wednesday. They only went for an hour though. It was still good. Their first full day was Thursday. J-dad also left on a business trip that day, so now when they're at school I'm at home doing a whole lotta nothin'.

At least now though, I have my own school work to keep me occupied. I started my course on Thursday night at Harper College. I'm doing Women in Literature. I'm starting to wish I'd chosen an easier subject! You wouldn't believe the reading I have to do. But at least it'll keep me occupied. When the weather clears up I want to walk to the park and do my reading there, just to get out of the house for a bit.

Went and saw World Trade Centre (or Center here) with Lara and two other girls last night. Lara and I were in tears the whole way, but the other girls seemed unaffected by the whole thing. I dunno, it was weird. I didn't want to see the movie at all, but Lara's wanted to see it for ages. I actually didn't mind the movie. If they wanted, they could have made it even sadder and depressing. It was about 2 police officers that were pulled out of the rubble. I think the thing that was saddest was that they had some facts about the day at the end of the movie - did you know that only 20 people were pulled out of the rubble alive? That's so terrible. These guys were number 18 and 19.

So that was my fun Friday evening! Lol!

I'm going Downtown with Lara today to apparently try "the world's best capuccino", or so her guidebook says. :P Should be interesting...

Too funny.

This has a bit of swearing in it so watch with caution. Oh, who am I kidding - everyone watch!!!

Feeling Homesick

I need ideas for a CD I want to make to make me feel even worse. :) So far I've downloaded a punk version of I Am Australian. I also have Working Class Man and Land Down Under.

I dunno. I think I'm homesick cos I'm lonely. I just realised that my friend Josephine is going home this week as well. :( I'm actually looking forward to the family coming back from camp today or tomorrow. I can't remember when it was.

So yeah. Suggestions for my CD.

Ta.

Vermont and Movies

Yo yo, peeps.

Got in from Vermont yesterday morning.

Didn't have the best time. Don't get me wrong, it was great to see Jen again, but unfortunately for me, part of my visa was lost on the way to Vermont (my guess, the guy who checked my bag. Bastard spent too long looking at my passport. I think he lost the piece of paper when I wasn't looking...) which prevented me from going to Canada. :( Not happy, Jan.

Jen did the best she could to keep me entertained though. Only problem was that there's not too much to do in Vermont. Seriously. There weren't even shopping malls to occupy our time!!! I think Chi-town has spoilt me :).

One thing Vermont does have though, is BEN & JERRY'S icecream. Unfortunately for me, during the three days I was with her, Jen got me totally hooked on the stuff. Very bad. But oh, so tasty! The first B&J shop was actually opened in Burlington, VT, so there's a factory there and everything, which we did a tour of.

I met her friend Rhea who was really nice too. She's leaving for home in October.

Not much else to say about it. It was just very relaxed. I had my first Martini at a bar there. Yeah, first and last. YUCK.

So onto the second topic: MOVIES.

I've been to the movies a lot lately. It's pretty much the only thing I can do with all my friends who are under 21.

First movie:
Talladega Nights. This movie was just so funny. It's also very, very, Anchorman. That's fine with me.

Second movie:
Clerks II. Also friggen hillarious. Seriously, I was crying I was laughing so hard. Good times.

Third movie:
Step Up. One word:



I went with a group of au pairs to see this last night. Most cliched movie I've see in a long time, but I knew that going in. Loved it! God he's so hot! And I left the movie wanting to go out dancing cos the music was so much fun.

I'm sorry? What did you say?



Ah, I see. :)

The Lolla Post

So last Saturday was Lollapalooza!!! In one word?? FANTASTIC. Seriously. But my GOD, it was a long day!

EDIT EDIT EDIT

Lolla was held at Grant Park and was HUGE. The size of the park dictated most of what I would see for the rest of the day because it literally took 20mins to walk from one side to the other. Luckily though, the acts that I came to see were all on the same section of the park.

I only saw three acts in full (saw lots of bits of different ones) but the three I saw were amazing.

ACT 1- WOLFMOTHER!!!!!



They went OFF!! Oh my god, they were awesome!! The crowd was insane and the band was so GOOD. Proud Aussie moment for me. :) There were people on the other side of the crowd and they were draped in Aussie flags and kept doing the Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie chant. I felt like a tool, but couldn't help joining in with the OI OI OI! Seriously, it must be built in or something- they start, I respond. The guy next to me goes, huh? And I'm like, "sorry, it's an aussie thing" and he's like, "oh, I thought you were Jewish or something." :P Hehehe. He was kidding. But then later he pokes me and yells, "Aussie Oi Aussie Oi!" Lol!! I obviously had to correct him.





It was great. I wasn't too far from the front- close enough to see them all properly, but not be in the mosh pit. Seriously, there were people with bloody noses and stuff. They were crazy.

Straight after was Gnarles Barkley. Everyone knows that they get dressed in costumes for every performance, so I was expecting something cool, but they were just dressed as 70s tennis players. Yawn.



You can't see anything really but their backdrop cos of the distance (and crappy camera). I dunno. Their set didn't really interest me too much. It's hard to get into it when you're so far away and the people around you aren't all into it.

I decided to leave after 15 mins and then I realised that Wolfmother were signing autographs in 45mins. I thought, great! Enough time to buy their album and line up. Apparently everyone else had the same idea. I went to the Virgin store tent to buy their CD and it was NOWHERE. I searched high and low, and then I overheard someone asking about it and they were told there were none left. Well, I wouldn't stand for that! I kept looking and finally spied one on the stand at the counter and nabbed it! I was so happy, and it only took me 15 minutes. :P So I took the CD and joined the line and waited. That was until one of the girls that worked there said that only people with blue wristbands could be on the line. I asked where I could get a wristband, only to be told that I needed to have bought their album today but they'd run out. I felt so bummed. :( It's all good though - I still managed to get their album for only $10!

So I hung around awhile more watching some random bands. My head was killing me though and my feet and legs ached. I was covered in dirt, and it was such a humid day that I was so sweaty and most likely covered in everyone else's sweat. So nasty. :S

The next act was Common.



If you squint, he's the guy in the green shirt.

Honestly, he was FANTASTIC. He freestyled so much of his act, it was awesome. He is very skilled. :) I just wish I knew more of his songs so I could have gotten into it more, but there were a couple I surprisingly knew. I didn't know they were by him.

There was an hour between his set and Kanye, so thinking I was brilliant I decided that instead of going to see the other bands, I would start making my way to the front of the stage and wait out the hour before Kanye.

It seems that everyone else that had gone to Common had the same idea. Lol! In the end, I got closer to the stage, but was still quite far back. But I was still closer that the THOUSANDS of people behind me. :) Unfortch, everyone infront of me was taller, and when their hands were all up I could only catch glimpses of Kanye.



That's not from my camera. That's from the Lolla site. My camera cannot take photos at night. they just come out all blurry and weird, even in night mode. Luckily during the hour-long wait I got chatting to this girl named Jill who was so nice and had a good camera, you know, the type that can actually take photos? Here is the link to the photos she took. To see the rest you'll need to use the linky thing on the right of the photo which has little caps of the photos and click more, then click on the photo itself. Note how red my face is. THAT IS SUNBURN. Lol. Andrea had these wet towelettes to refresh ourselves. It also took my sunscreen off. Lol. You can kind of notice that only half my cheeks are red due to my sunnies.

Did anyone else know that Kanye West has a signature hand thing? Everyone in the crowd knew this and acted appropriately:



That's also how he opened his show: just the camera zoomed in on his hands like that and the first song was Diamonds from Sierra Leone. Love that song.

The set got off the a rocky start cos his mike wasn't loud enough. He was so cranky and kept hitting it and saying, "Turn my f**king mike up!" After the first song it was all fixed, but he was saying, "Someone here won't have a job tomorrow." ;) The best quote of the entire day was when Kanye was talking about how when he wanted to go from producing to rapping his own material, "No one wanted to sign a guy that dresses like Carlton." [Banks, from the Fresh Prince of Bell Air.] Too funny.

I cannot stress enough how awesome Kanye West was. After the initial hiccups he did all his most famous songs and others that I didn't know cos I don't have his albums. Note to self: go to library and put on ipod.

Oh! And he brought Lupe out with him and he did Kick, Push, as well as Touch the Sky with Kanye, and he also brought Twista out. He also played a lot of the songs he's written an produced. I didn't know he did half of them, like Izzo by Jay Z, Encore, Slow Jams among others.

Honestly, even though I felt like I was going to throw up from the nastiness that was me by the end of the night, I was picked up so much by seeing Kanye. He is just AWESOME.

So yeah. That was last week.

This week is my holiday of sorts. J and his dad drove to Pennsylvania yesterday and the family will be at camp there for the rest of the week. I'm off to Vermont tomorrow to see my friend Jennifer.

Ciao!!

Quick update

I don't really have time for a hell-long post atm, and frankly, my weekend deserves one. :) Went to Lollapalooza on Sat. Hopefully I'll be able to post a long one towards the end of the week with pics. Too many things going on.

Ciao peeps!

Funniest Conversation to Date

This took place on the phone to a guy at Target:

Me: Hi, I'm just wondering if you sell shin pads?

SA: I'm sorry, what?

Me: Shin pads. You know, to protect your shins when you're playing soccer?

SA: Oh, shin guards?

Me: (thinking HUGE diff) Those are the ones.

SA: Ok, which sport?

Me: Soccer (soccah)

SA: Soccah? I'm sorry, what?

Me: Um... soccah? Soccah?

SA: Err... soccah? Which sport?

Me: Sah-kerrr?

SA: Oh, soccer.

Me: laughing hysterically.