OUT AND ON MY OWN

For a girl who's basically been a sheltered LA princess all her life, I think I'm doing quite well on my own now. But these past couple of weeks have definitely opened my eyes to all the things my mom does for the family on a daily basis. My mom is such an amazing person and I'll be happy if I can even be half the woman that she is. However, all the cooking and cleaning that I've done around the apartment has led me to one conclusion... I KNOW I'm gonna make a great wife and mom one day. For anybody's who has ever doubted me, I'm proving you wrong now. I DO NOT put work before my family! My family ALWAYS comes first, and it just so happens that my family has now been extended to include Gabs, Caroline and Zairel.

I'm gonna make it, and I'm gonna do great....

AMELIE AND LENTIL SOUP

Amelie is the strangest, silliest movie I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, it was a good movie... very funny with a very hot guy at the end, but the things that go on in the movie are so random! Emma, our ex-hippie-Berkeley-Farmer's-Market-worker next door neighbor, came to "check up" on us mid-way through the movie... very nice gesture, brought *the three of us* bowls of lentil soup. Very tasty, with a nice spicy kick at the end of each spoonful. So remind me why are all three bowls still full sitting on our dining table? Oh yeah... WE DON'T WANNA DIE DUE TO A POSSIBLE POISONING!!!!! (And no, I'm not being paranoid, just being safe....)

Zairel, Gabs and I went to the AT&T wireless store earlier, where Gabs bought a new faceplate and tried to use her charms to garner a discount from Randy, the salesman. We then shopped around Ross. Boo... nothing good in stock today!!!! We waited for the 65 to bring us back to our apt. where we prepared some vegetable lasagna. Meanwhile, Gabs pretended to be Zairel while Zairel pretended to be her mother. (I know, strange, don't ask...) All in all, mission accomplished, Zairel is now the proud owner of the Nationwide Calling Plan. (Huh... such a productive day.)

Rant of the day: I woke up WAAAAAY early today for my 9am class only to find out that class was cancelled! Could've slept in....
'

PASTA AND BACON DIP

The boys are so sweet... they made us dinner last night!!!! Check out Gabs' Blog. (We do everything together that it almost feels redundant for me to have a blog also.)

I have a new goal in life... I want to be the spokeswoman for Sky Flakes... Yum, lifetime supply of Sky Flakes! Thanks Ben, Paul and Derek for coming to visit our humble abode.

BOWLING WITH WEIGHTS

It's never a dull moment with the Hot Mamas of #101... Gabby has invented a new Olympic game... yup, you guessed it, Bowling with Weights! Gabs rolled the dumbbells down as Caroline and I cheered from the sidelines. An uproar burst out when the weight finally reached the kitchen ::highpoint of the event:: Watch for it during the summer of 2012, when the Olympics should be up here in the Bay Area. Caroline attempted to outdo Gabs, but to no avail. Caroline's weight went crashing into Gabby's makeshift metal chair and rolled to a halting stop. By default, Gabs remains the reigning champ...

Rave of the moment: Rhetoric 20 combines two of my favorite pastimes... movies and the law. The point of the class is to try to understand why law movies make so much money and why Americans possess such an obsession for our justice system. One of our assignments is to watch "Twelve Angry Men." I LOVE that movie! I think I'm DEFINTIELY gonna like this class. Plus, our professor is really cool, kinda reminds me of Glenn Close.

Chi Phi guys are the best!!

I've always believed that life was like one long journey. It's kinda interesting the way life hands you twists and turns... keeps you on your toes. But life also plays games with you and will occasionally hand you a hairpin turn, and the only thing you can do is to bear yourself for the inevitable crash...

JUSTIN IS REALLY SIDESHOW BOB!!!

Just watching American Idol (like every other American sitting at home tonight) and I've come to the conclusion that Justin looks like Sideshow Bob... no offense, he's a good looking guy, kinda reminds me of Abie Northy, but at the same time, he also looks like Sideshow Bob. (Whoa... too much Simpsons!)

The Poli Sci-ers have been reunited... Caleb, Paul, Gabs and me. Poli Sci 3 will probably end up being my favorite class this semester mainly for the reason that we will all be together. I think I now unofficially have 16 units, which should make me a legitimate UC Berkeley student. (So much for my Rio Hondo dream.) But as of right now, the girls of #101, instead of being good Berkeley students and reading our extremely expensive and over-priced books, we are watching the news and boo-ing at the TV. The Summer Olympics of 2012 are up for grabs between San Francisco and New York. San Francisco seems to be in the lead, which we don't object to... BUT... they're thinking about holding most of the events at Stanford. STANFORD?!?!?!??! What's wrong w/ Berkeley???? Apparently Stanford has become the Golden Child of the Bay Area. The channel 2 news anchorman reassured us that Berkeley will host "a couple of events." Quoting my new roommate, Zairel, "What events are they gonna hold here? Underwater basketweaving?!"

Sometimes I think my head might explode with all the thoughts that race through my head. Topic of debate right now: Why are 4 very smart/funny/attractive living single here? Digging deeper, every night before I go to sleep, I lie awake pondering life's harder questions. I'm not even the one in the limelight and yet I battle through tests of morals everyday. Politics is definitely not my thing.... I'm like the Little Engine That Could, I just keep chugging along.

Teresa came out with her first column today... IT WAS SOOOO GOOD!!!! I swear people in my sociology discussion think I'm some sex maniac. In my defense, I was just very eager to read Teresa's Sex on Tuesday column. It was a very innocent thing!!!! Shoot... darn people giving me strange looks... Check out Teresa's column, you might learn something! =)

I'M A HICK

My name is Jamie Jane Lou Davis.... or so the chicas now call me....

Tonight, I went to an O-Town concert, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I've realized that the boys of O-Town aren't all they're cracked up to be. But it's okay, I was there for Dan Miller, and that's all that counts. Thanks to my new roomies and old roomie, they managed to convince Caleb to take me. (Thanks girls!) Caleb, my new hero, graciously drove me to Paramount's Great America to see my future husband, Dan Miller. Okay, so here's the deal: they're really not as good as I imagined they'd be. Jacob looks like a freakin' girl now w/ his LOOOOONG dreadlocks, Ashley's a HORRIBLE speaker, and Eric's voice REALLY was NOT there tonight. On the other hand... Trevor was quite the dancer, reminded me a lot of my old boyfriend. And of course, Dan... he was an amazing performer! All in all, I can't be categorized as a teeny-bopper for the simple fact that I realize their weak points.

The ride over was quite interesting. We managed to inadvertently drive through Milpitas three times without even looking for it! Furthermore, while trying to get milkshakes from In 'N Out, Caleb managed to get lost in a shopping mall parking lot!!!!! Fun night... now I must go tend to my throat... and NO! it's not because I was screaming during the entire concert, but due to my outrageously thick chocolate milkshake!

And on one final note... our summer is over, classes begin tomorrow... God says it's 11:52, it is time for bed... good night!

It was Gabby's turn to blog about our day... check out her site. Click me!

"WHAT'S FOR DINNER?"

It's been a long time since Gabs and I have hung out together, just the two of us. I've forgotten what fun she is. We both slept half the day away and didn't wake up until way past noon. After feasting over a couple of bowls of cereal, we debated whether or not we wanted to make a trip out to Target. Since it was so late into the afternoon already, we decided to hold off on the excursion. We ended up being quite productive, all while sitting on our buns in our pjs on the couch. Gabs managed to fix my blog (please use my comments page!) and reinstate my links (read about my friends!). We also "shopped" around for new furniture for our apt. Internet is grand! I can shop in my pjs!

After devouring burritos that taste like chimichangas, Gabs finally got around to unpacking. However, we were very distracted w/ Caroline's Bun and Thigh Rocker. We could have very easily watched the informational video that comes along w/ it, but NOOOO, we HAVE to do things the hard way... so right now it's just sitting in our living room. Extra chair, anyone?

When our tummies finally grumbled for the 3rd time (dinner), we finally decided to get dressed to go out. Where did we go??? Only where true nerds hang out, at Barnes and Noble, of course! Using our wondering gift certificates (thanks, Ford of Montebello!!!!), we purchased a couple of books. The fact that separately, we each only ordered one book, and that they happened to be the same book, is a completely different story and irrevelant to the point that we were actually productive today. And I think both our parents would be happy to know that we ate like queens tonight -chicken w/ potatoes and vegetables!!! Even while waiting for chicken, Gabs and I managed to totally confuse each other by using dimes to represent the 3.5 guys that were in the restaurant. (Hey, that "guy" by the window really looked like a fat woman!) Dime #2 was a cute guy though... wonder why he was sitting all alone. We should've invited him back to our place. (Just kidding, Mom.)

However, if there's one thing I love the most about Gabs, it's that she keeps EVERYTHING! Her backpack is such a freakin' time capsule. She still has Talent Show tickets from senior year, which I distinctly remember yelling at her for not selling. Unpacking, she managed to find all these notes we passed to each other in class. We had quite a laugh over them. "Who's John? Who has facial hair???"

Random story #1: Gabby's desk will provide her with a net profit of $5. Considering that the desk was free, I think that she's getting quite a good deal! The desk comes with a makeshift printer stand (old floorlamp box) and one locked drawer. All yours for just $5!!!! What a bargain!

Random story #2: So, I admit it... I'm officially a fat chick! I discovered this while watching CMC this afternoon and snacking on apple chips. You know you're a fat chick when you try to salvage the crumbs at the bottom of the bag by pouring the remnants into your mouth and it ends up in the rolls of your sweatshirt. ::flashback to Saved by the Bell episode where Zack goes out w/ fat chick and she swallows whole bucket of popcorn in one gulp::

Random story #3: While watching TV (yes, I know I watch WAAAAAY too much TV) this afternoon, I happened to catch a clip commending Mr. Tommie Lindsey and his awesome speech team. (Yay, Logan!) Gabs' and mine's first reaction was one of nostalgia, but then nostalgia quickly turned into frustration. How come LA doesn't pay tribute to "heroes"?! There's lots of people also VERY deserving back home!

Burned the midnight oil last night finishing up a presentation board for the ASUC w/ Rebecca. But today was not a day for sleeping in. I woke up bright and early for Calapalooza, ready to recruit eager new Freshmen. I was met by Brett on the lawns of Memorial Glade, where we schmoozed with the various campus community organizations. I ran into a lot of hallmates from last year (yay!). As lunchtime rolled around, Brett and I cruised into the Asian Ghetto, scavenging for food. We settled on Japanese food (hey, I wanted rice!) and had a nice meal and break away from work.

After lunch, we strolled back to Calapalooza, where I found Teresa. FYI: Teresa (my roommate from last year, and perhaps one of THE best roommates in the world, next to Zairel, of course) will be the new Sex on Tuesdays' columnist! I think I'm more excited than she is! Brett and I finally parted our separate ways, while Teresa and I continued to admire all the different tabling groups, with the company of Paul and Derek.

As soon as Calapalooza was over, I called Caleb, who was kind enough to drive me around for the day. We ended up taking a nice scenic route to go pick up my free concert tickets. (Yay, Dan Miller!) The place was so freakin' ghetto that we kept missing it. But FINALLY, with tickets in my hand, we headed over to Whole Foods Market where Caleb picked up some lunch. He actually trusted me to drive Constantine while he ate!!!! I managed to maneuver the car over to IKEA by following commands barked out by Caleb from the passenger side. IKEA was fun; Caleb spent nearly 15 minutes trying to decide if he wanted to buy a catcus plant for his room! We rummaged around some more and ended up only purchasing a nice quilt for his full-sized bed.

After freshening up, we reconvened, this time with Paul, Ben, Caleb, and me, for dinner at Mel's. It was nice seeing Ben again, I hadn't seen him in ages! Despite the disappointing jukebox songs (I wanted Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman"!) and the tasteless steak sandwich, dinner was very fun. Still dragging Ben along against his will, we went to go pick Gabs up from the Oakland airport after dinner. Driving at 2 mph off the freeway to get to Terminal 2, we finally met Gabby at baggage claim. The boys gave her grief over the issue of tipping. Hey, if the guy hit on her, why should she tip?! He got his tip just by staring at her amazing beauty. ;) Meanwhile, I received a random phonecall from a couple of the senators, passing the phone around, all pretending to be "Kris." ::very random:: I wonder what they were up to....

We finished off the night with a trip to Ghirardelli Square. (Check out Gabs' Blog.) All in all, it was a fun night. I think the boys were pretty pooped after all the festivities...

Random story of the day: Won tickets, picked up tickets, lost tickets, found tickets...

*See guys, told you I blog about you guys ALL the time!*

Good things happen to me when I stay at home; I really oughta stay in more often. Random occurrence with CMC, dialing phone and winning tickets. Reaffirms my belief that I truly am the LUCKIEST girl in the world. Now all I need is a car... I am such a walking contradiction...

Dreams that occur right before your conscious state awakens you are always the strangest. How dreams choose one landscape over another, or horror over happiness, will always be a mystery to me. Sometimes I wonder if dreams are a way for my subconscious to taunt me of what's to come. But if tonight is a re-run of last night's dreams, I fear that I will not sleep well...

You know that feeling you get when nothing in your life seems to go right? Yeah... that's me right now. Today just had too many ups and downs with nothing in between for me to fall back on. I used to think that free time was a good thing, but I've now come to the realization that free time is just dangerous. It causes the brain to dig up feelings and emotions buried deep inside the heart, unearthing a myriad of skeletons in the closet. Just when you think that you could get away without confronting life's daily dose of stress, an invisible wall seems to stop you in your tracks and remind you that you're human, which means that hardships are sure to follow. Classes haven't even started yet and I already feel like I'm having trouble with school. I just feel so torn... I know my head should be here, so I can get educated, but why is my heart someplace else? Talking to Kristen only makes me miss home even more... if I only had a couple more days back in LA....

I sure hope Allison is doing better than me up at Syracuse.

Yummy food... Cheesecake Factory tonight w/ Caleb... very fun!!!!! Random conversations about everything and anything.... including a list of all the things we PROMISE to do this year. (Mamma Mia this Thursday, hopefully!) Anyway, gotta wake up early tomorrow... more fun Welcome Week stuff. It's so great seeing such eager Freshmen. They always have so much energy and they wanna do so much to help the ASUC. (Such great attitudes!)

Last night, Paul graced me with his presence! It was so great seeing him again. I've forgotten what great friends I have here at Berkeley. Paul and I stayed in last night and I made chicken pot pies and left-over pizzas. (I'm getting to be quite handy around the kitchen!) We concluded our "date" by making it a Blockbuster Night, and watched the Mothman Prophecies. The movie was kinda strange... there were so many loose endings, making it hard to follow. (And no, it wasn't cuz I didn't understand the movie! Paul didn't get it either!) The only good part to the movie: Richard Gere! Need I say more? (Quiet Gabs... you're in love with a dead guy. At least my men are alive and breathing!) On a side note: Derek's finally back in town! Yay, another friend for me to hang out with!

I spent all night chatting w/ my new roommate, Zairel! She's THE best story-teller I've ever met! She's gonna be an extra on Will and Grace. It's so exciting! Just you wait... Apt. 101 will have "Must-Watch-Zairel TV NIghts." I JUST know that we're gonna have tons of fun!

I received a wake-up call from Pablo at the butt-crack of dawn today (okay... 8:30, it's still early!). Unit 3 people have finally arrived. Guess where he's living next year? Priestley Hall, 4th floor! (The BEST floor in the BEST hall at the BEST unit!) Such a momentus day... the Schurr fridge has been passed down to yet another lucky Schurr alum. Pablo is now the proud owner of the fridge that was once Gabs', that was once Adriana's. Pablo and I conversed over a bowl of cereal and then Takashi and Stephen came a'knocking. They all agreed that our apartment was real snazzy. (Okay, so they didn't use the word "snazzy" but I'm sure that's what they thought!) Hmmm... I wonder who will drop by tomorrow....

New Discovery: Alloy sells shirts that read "I ::heart:: Zack Morris!" I know what I want for Christmas!!!!! ::hint hint::

My first night alone in the apartment... and I've already been offered services from a personal bodyguard. =O

The apartment really isn't as scary as I imagined, or dreamt about... it's actually starting to feel quite comfy and cozy. People have been exceptionally nice to me since I've been back. My family has been totally awesome, just helping me move back in. Thank God for little brothers. Jerry plugged in my computer and basically put my whole room together for me. (He's my little Hercules!) Then there's my daddy. I have to admit, I'm still Daddy's Little Girl. It's amazing the way he drives 400 miles each way just to make sure that I'm all settled in. My mommy made sure that I had everything that I needed to survive basically the whole year. I feel like I can go w/out shopping for food or essentials 'til next year! The fridge is all stocked and ready to go! And who can forget my little sister. Haha, even if all she did was lounge around, watching Jerry put my computer together, her presence here was much appreciated. I miss them even as I'm typing this. (And I just talked to them like an hour ago!) My sister is the funniest person I know. She gets lost at the buffet lines in Vegas. (She's done this twice already!)

It's been great getting into the swing of things and going back to the office. Training has been fun, lots of good bonding time w/ next year's senior staff people. It was especially great seeing Wally and Karen in the office, even if they were only there to stop by and say hi. Working with Rebecca and Jesse has been awesome. Rebecca's always so enthusiastic and eager to work, I LOVE that about her!

After training today, who should happen to call, but Kristopher! It was so great meeting up with him and just catching each other up about what we each did during the summer. This guy is so awesome... he's such a hard-worker! He finally got to see the apartment, complimenting our nice hardwood floors. We made dinner plans with Nick. And then, such a lovely surprise... Teresa called me! So our party of three quickly turned into a foursome. Another quick phone call, and Mika joined the festivities. Dinner was great with crepes. With that note, I'm off to sleep with a full stomach and a smile on my face...

*Sometimes people surprise you and can change your attitude on everything. Playing House was fun, even if it was only in my head.*

Whoo-hoo... all done with my class!!!!! Edited my last research paper while sitting in Dodger Stadium. (Brett was right, I should've started yesterday!) Dodgers won today, 4-0! Take that Pirates!!!! Milestone... I actually drove all the way to the Dodger Stadium!

The day started off with me scrambling to finish up my essay. Quite typical of me, I was the last one to arrive at Allison's house (meeting place). I'm so Berkeley that I even run on Berkeley time when I'm not there... only 10 minutes late. (Yay! That's early for me!) It's so great being a girl and driving down the 101. You stick your arm out to change lanes and men graciously let you in. =) We picked up Allison off a street corner (literally) and headed over to the Dodger Stadium. Yes! Girls beat the guys! (Or maybe I'm just an awesome driver! Muahahhaa!)

Okay, so the funniest thing happened tonight... (I feel like I'm getting ready to do a stand-up routine.) Isak had free Dodger tickets... TOO BAD THEY WERE FOR LAST NIGHT'S GAME! We all get to the ticket booth, only to be shoo-ed away. Not to fear... Shirley's quick thinking had us formed into two "families," scoring us some nose-bleed seats with a couple of Dodger dogs and drinks. (My first Dodger dog! Ehhh... Top Dog is still better.) Crazy boys!!!! They actually scalped 4 extra tickets for $10 to one of those guys standing outside with the signs that read, "I Need Tickets." Sheesh, it's always the smart ones that do bad things!

So recap of game... Allison made friends with random people and told EVERYBODY about her dream marriage proposal (a homerun ball batted out for her to catch with the words "Will you marry me?" written on it). Derek almost had a throw-down with some lady while April and I acted like nerdy school girls and did our homework. We did the wave maybe 3 times and then agreed that the usher guy should be replaced by Allison. I managed to hit the beachball twice before some loser in the front knocked it into the middle section. Shirley had a peanut thrown at her, and lucky Allison had a baseball bat thrown at her (don't worry, it was a minature one) with the words "I LOVE YOU" scrawled on it.

So what ACTUALLY happened IN the game... Shawn Green hit another homer today and Gagne closed out the game during the last two innings, completely shutting out the Pirates! Dodgers win 4-0, with us cheering "Krispy Kreme!" and "Dooooough-nut!" in the last inning. Guess where I'm going tomorrow? That half dozen box of Krispy Kremes has my name written all over it!

*Somebody thinks I'm PERFECT!*

Telebears suck!!!!! I HATE being categorized as a "Sophomore!" Only 3 units away from being a Junior, I just had to get one of the last Telebears appointment and get all the crap classes! I'm wait-listed in 3 courses with only 8 real units. If I don't get into my wait-listed classes, Berkeley will kick me out! (Maybe not such a bad idea, I could just go to Rio Hondo...)

Highlight of my day: Allison Mac... Need I say more? When we get together, it's non-stop laughter. While out boy-hunting at In 'N Out (the one in Pico), Allison managed to catch the attention of all. Who knew this psycho guy would come in barking like a German Shepard! Our random conversations even caught the attention of a retired police officer, who informed us to take classes on how to use pepper spray and mace, especially since we are "beautiful, young women attending school in Berkeley and New York."

New revelations have developed after talking to Allison. We now both know what we're going to be in the future... we're gonna be First Ladies! I'm going to marry the President and Allison is going to marry the Vice President. Who would be better First Ladies than us?! We're classy, yet down-to-earth. Come on... we're from Monte-ghetto with roots in Crenshaw and Hawthorne, but we shop for "power suits" for fun. Anyway, here's the plan... I'm gonna meet my hubby at Yale Law. He's going to become a Democratic presidential candidate. He's gonna win the election (with my help, of course) and Allison's husband is gonna run on the same ticket as VP. My husband will then run for re-elect, with Allison's man by his side again. Then after the two terms are over, her man is gonna run for President and my man will step down to be VP. Who knows, maybe I'll even run for Governor of NY. (No, I'm NOT the next Hilary Clinton!) But hey, I figure my dream is pretty plausible. Sharon Davis didn't meet her beloved hubby until they were in their forties! I'll never forget when she gave me a hug, all I kept thinking was, "Dang, you are the luckiest woman in the world!"

Anyway, an outing out w/ Allison wouldn't be complete if we didn't make a stop at Starbucks or Baskin Robbins. She's too chummy w/ the workers at the Montebello Baskin Robbins (2 visits a day will do that to you) so we drove to the one at Atlantic Square. Who do we run into, but her boss!!!! Crazy, he doesn't even live around here! What a coincidence! We proved to be the center of attention, once again, at Starbucks by laughing really loudly. It's not our fault if we kept reminiscing all the funny moments that we lived through together. Believe me, there were A LOT!!! (Guy tripping and falling down the stairs at Cal State Long Beach! That one takes the cake.)

Lastly, on a serious note... It's a sad day in the world of basketball. The Lake Show will never be the same...

Date #1: Out with the girls...

Date #2: Out with the boys...

Two outings in one night, not too bad for a Nerdy-strawberry-digging-Carrow's-pigging girl! =)

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT! FUN FUN!

My summer vacation is going by WAY too fast!!!! I hate how I still have a huge list of things I need to do before I go back to school. Looks like it's back to living 26-hour days, it's the only way to accomplish anything! Unfortunately, I've pouted away half the night already. Kris has, once again, left me for Arizona. By the time she gets back, I'll be back at Berkeley. The good news: we'll be reunited for Thanksgiving, and we both promised to visit often. (It's only a 3-hour bus ride!) But 'til then, Kris says I gotta stop whining... boo!

Here I am... Day 5 of being sick, with no idea of what kind of sickness I have. Symptoms: dizziness, light-headedness, stomach pains, occasional urge to vomit... Haha, believe me, it's not great! I've been stuck at home for days on end, with only the Internet as a window to the outside world. (Somebody, please save me!) I had to break two dates today! (No, not the romantic kind!!!!!) Kris, we'll definitely hang out this weekend before you leave. I can't believe that our summer is almost over!

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride....

Roommates are the best! Past, present, and future... I am TRULY blessed! Teresa and I were finally able to catch up on everything that has been going on. She's such an amazing person! She can make a simple IM sound like a chapter outta an Ernest Hemingway book. Makes me so nostalgic... I'm definitely gonna miss our late-night talks, our rants on guys being stupid (Haha, nothing bad about Daniel, of course! Why, he's a perfect angel!), our philosophical approaches to The Simpsons, and most importantly, simply her presence. Even in my most stressful days, I knew I was able to go back to my dorm room and find comfort and solace in Teresa. She knows exactly what to say in every situation. She stood by me through everything, the good and the bad. Nobody can replace her, but I'm hopeful... my three new roommates are pretty kick-ass, too. Here's to new memories in Apt. #101. (Sounds like a sit-com name! "Apt. #101, now starring Gabs, Caroline, Zairel, and Jamie! New, on the WB." Shoot, move over Kristin Kreuk, there's some new hotties in the block! Yeah, Caleb, you heard me, best recognize!!!)