Week began with a roadtip up to St. Joesph, MO with Kim and Elizabeth. Then came finals week and checking out residents.
Saturday night this week involved the un-official staff closing activities. You can read about it on the RA Stories page. However, one highlight: I did my "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta" dance. Privileged few ever see this dance.
Flew up to UP for a week.
Best part of the trip: Hanging with my parents at Safeco Field watching the Seattle Mariners. Good times.
This week I enjoyed a lovely raw meat BBQ with some CA's (don't ask), a festive little birthday celebration--at Eliza's summer home-- involving many things (but primarily me getting a nicotine hangover thanks to some Lucky Strikes), and my truck getting hit. Also this week: an Ice Blocking Adventure (see Ice Blocking Page for details).
Strangies (weird folk) come out and play at the drive-in movies. To see the marvel, plus try something new, this week Kim, Elizabeth, and I piled into Elizabeth's Jeep and went out to drive-in in Aurora, MO.
Mid-way through the movie, I went to the restrooms. Kim and Elizabeth, however, got bitched out by some psycho lady who claimed that we were blocking her view. This nearly resulted in a large scale brawl. But, hey, we've done the drive-in movie thing!
This week was all about Kim, Elizabeth, Shawn, and myself getting together and having some home cooked meals at Elizabeth's Summer Home. After dinner? Watching Ozark's finest Auction TV Show: "Bid N Time" (those of you who know what I'm talking about are probably laughing outloud right about now).
This week's best story comes from my trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, with friends Kim and Adam. We fondly remember it as our "Pilgrimmage to see the Big JC." Loaded into Kim's car, we headed down there, hoping to tour the Crescent Hotel (reportedy haunted). Unfortunately it was closed for tours. So we went to see the Christ of the Ozarks (or the Big JC) instead. Highlights (courtesy of Adam) included: big pink scary rabbit outside hillibilly restaurant, an overgrown rummage sale that'd been there for years (maybe it was their yard??), "Old people dressed in Biblical clothing," an incident with Adam and a Heintz 57 ketchup bottle, a fiasco involving Kim's car de-ordorizers, signs advertising, "Legal Marriages Preformed!" and a Michael Bolton song that brought back memories and lots of laughter.
The Big JC himself was interesting. Then again, I have this notion that Arkansas itself is interesting. Check it out, people, check it out.
The only major event this week was yet another Wells House Fire System malfunction. The story is highlighted on the RA Stories page. Basically, after I'd cleared several floors, as I was going around to the back of it where all the staff members were, my socks got the better of me, and I promptly slipped and fell quite hard directily on my ass in front of all my fellow Wells CA's, assistant hall director, his wife, area coverage, the Simplex man, all the evacuating campers, and a few random security guys. Yet another un-graceful Briana moment (of course witnessed by many).
The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. Seriously, fireworks make me happy. Kim made us some AMAZING chicken tetrazini, and a bunch of us caught the fireworks courtesy of James River Assembly. It wasn't blowing stuff up like I used to when I was a kid (yay for Jill and me with our illegal Indian Reservation fireworks!), nor was it Lake Tapps ("party cove") with the family but it sufficed.
Took another group of virgin iceblockers to Cooper Sports. Read about it on the Ice Blocking Page.
Made my comedic debut with fellow CA Leslie, as we told semi-funny jokes at CA Talent Night.
Two lawbreaking events happened this week: first getting booted from TGI Fridays for being underage after 10pm, and second playing in the big John Q. Hammons fountain after being sober driver for Kim (her 21st), who talked me into it. (She's very convincing).
Spent the weekend in Waynesville, MO at Kim's river place, continuing the 21st B-day celebration festivities. The river involved a leech sighting, canoeing, a great campfire, and some good, much needed, chill time outdoors.
Spent the majority of the week reading a novel for my summer British Literature class. Malcolm Lowry's novel, "Under the Volcano." It's about a guy who's perpetually drunk and the impact that has on his life.
For the record, I greatly dislike British Literature.
This week I did numerous amusing things around Springfield: went to the porn store, went to the rooftops of almost all the residence halls on campus (even Freddy, which was a bit tricky!!), and killed a spider for Kim in the middle of the night after driving over to her apartment because she said there was "an emergency!".
However, also this week, I flew down to Atlanta. You kno, "where the playas play." This wasn't a social visit, nay, I was there as one of CFUSA's YAC reps at the youth leadership forum (200 youth hanging out in GA). Saturday was the eventful day. I started it at 6:15am. I hopped in a van and did a service project, which involved moving mulch and sweating buckets for three hours in the GA humidity. Hot, sweaty, and frankly really gross, I piled into a fifteen passenger van and headed downtown back towards where we were staying. Of course the van broke down in the middle of downtown traffic. So we waited, tried to think about ways to feed the kids we were transporting, and eventually were picked up (only to sit in traffic awhile longer). Later that day I hit Stone Mountain, going to the top to sight-see (you have to take pictures of yourself when vacationing alone) and then later watching a laser show (with RAD AMAZING fireworks!!!!!!). For my last YAC gig, this trip was a winner.
The first event this week was another ice-blocking excursion. Read about it on the Ice Blocking page.
However, the major event this week was when Kim, Elizabeth, and I began our journey to Seattle. This started in St. Joesph, MO, where we played some Phase 10 and joked about camels (the horse of the desert).
Early in our Seattle trip we also hit Ocean Shores and Jack in the Box, both of which don't exist in Springfield.
I embarrassed myself eating an ice cream cone atop Mount Rainier with my dad, Kim, and Elizabeth as I explained, "It's so cold up here!"
My Grandpa died this week, so instead of returning to MO straight away, I headed down to La Jolla, CA for services.
I enjoyed flying first class back from my Grandpa's funeral in CA. Turns out they don't card you in first class. Wine at that altitude, and when you're underage, is the coolest. Actually, first class in general is the coolest.
This culminated my summer. The summer was a rad one, but one unlike any other.
Until Summer 2003--Take care and be of good cheer!!!