love adam brody, love him in "grind"..

Since I'm pretty much obsessed with Adam Brody and have been since I got hooked on the OC, I decided to rent the skateboarding movie "Grind," last weekend. Must say, great movie. I'm mad at myself for not seeing it sooner since it came out in 2003! Haha. Anyway, it had a lot of pro skaters in it like Bam and Ryan Sheckler which was pretty cool. Plus as I mentioned in my post about the widgets, I love watching extreme sports. I'm all about that whole scene so that's why I liked it so much I think, other than it being stupidly funny that is.

Adam played the kind of nerdy, paranoid friend and he was hilarious as usual. Then there was Mike Vogel who played Eric, the main character, an aspiring skateboarder whose one dream was to get sponsored. Mike was the eyecandy of the movie, besides Adam of course! Overall, a movie I could watch over and over again.. so I think I'm going to buy it :)

yay for devils playoff games..

So my boys have made it into the playoffs! Even if you're not into hockey, if you ever have the slight desire to watch, the playoff games are the games to watch. I'd have to say I'm a pretty hardcore devils fan. Ever since they won the Stanley cup a few years ago, I've been obsessed.

The first playoff game was on Thursday.. and what an amazing game it was. The devils won 5-3 and had some really awesome goals. Parise scored two and Elias, Rafalski and Gionta were responsible for the remaining three. Marty rocked in goal as usual even though Tampa Bay managed to get three goals by him. Overall the game was just so exciting.. full of penalties, fights and whatnot. Not a boring minute..

The second playoff game was on last night and unfortunately the devils took a sad loss. I have to give them credit though, because they fought up until the last minute (literally) almost making it a tie, but Holmqvist (Tampa Bay's goalie) brought on his A game last night and blocked both attempts just as time ran out. It was a close game though, 3-2. The devils still have time to come back with 5 more playoff games to go, so no worries!

"i need the smell of summer, i need it's noises in my ears.."

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! But then again, don't I say that every year? Wait, yes I do! Haha.

I can honestly say that this year has been my favorite year of school yet. I've met SO many new people this year and have developed friendships that I wouldn't trade for the world. Monmouth opened so many doors for me! Doors that weren't getting opened at Brookdale. Also, being part of a club with people that all share the same interest (surfing) has been really cool. I wasn't really ever involved in any clubs in high school, so joining surf club here at Monmouth has been a great experience in itself.

Before I know it, it will be summer! My favorite time of the year :) I can't wait!! This summer is going to be great. I can just feel it. Beaching it as much as possible, maybe interning with a company I've loved and have wanted to be apart of for years (crosses fingers), seeing my friends that have been away at school all year..

Oh man.. so exciting to think about!

twenty-one & invincible..

So last weekend I turned twenty-one. (On March 30th, to be exact!) And so far nothing has really changed all that much, haha. Although, I must say, it is pretty cool to finally be able to go hang out at the bars, to drink at concerts/sporting events and to buy my own liquor.

I had a really good birthday.. received lots and lots of birthday love via texts, facebook/myspace and phone calls. I also came to conclusion that you learn who your real friends are on your birthday. True story..

Since my BIG birthday plans in Atlantic City fell through, I went out at midnight the day before my birthday with Hil, Lauren and Dana and met up with Nancy and some of her and Dana's friends. It was a really good time. I won tickets to the Mets' home opener (which is tomorrow!). Then on my real birthday I went to dinner with Norma, Georgianna and Rob in Rumson, and on Saturday, I went to AC for a more mellow time - dinner and some gambling with some friends of my fam. All in all, my birthday turned out being better than I could have imagined, and it is all because I have the best friends in the world!

i live for the music..

"you're a touch overrated, you're a lush and I hate it but these grass stains on my knees they won't mean a thing.."

Oh man, I forgot how much I love Taking Back Sunday! Last night I went to see them, Underoath and Armor For Sleep at the House of Blues in Atlantic City with Chris, his girlfriend and some of his friends. It was such a great show! Armor For Sleep opened which was cool since I was looking forward to seeing them the most out of the three. They played a bunch of songs from "What To Do When You Are Dead," which is my favorite cd of theirs, so I was stoked about that. Then Underoath came on and Chris and one of his friends decided to brave the "pit." His other friends wanted me and his girlfriend to go in, but we passed.. didn't feel like dying! Haha. It's good we didn't either because Chris and his friend Brian were both pretty banged up afterwards. Taking Back Sunday came on last and seriously.. amazed the hell out of me. I used to listen to them so much when I was in high school and it was cool to hear them perform a bunch of their older songs live. Brought me down memory lane!

Good times without a doubt.

learn to love UGGs..

What did the world do before UGGs? Or "Uglies" as some people refer to them as. I want to say I was a Sophomore in high school, when UGGs emerged in the U.S. or at the very least, when they became "must have" footwear. As a laid back beach kid, I was totally thrilled when I first laid eyes on a pair of "UGGs." They were the perfect substitute for my flip flops, which I would usually wear until I couldn't get away with wearing them anymore.. like say for instance, in the winter! UGGs to me were a lifesaver. That is from wearing sneakers, heels or any other footwear besides flip flops, which I wasn't particularly a fan of wearing. So needless to say, I purchased my first pair of UGGs soon after I started seeing them around the halls at school. "Women's Tasmans" in sand.. and let me tell you did those babies last. I JUST got rid of them this year. So let's see, they lasted me.. five years? Pretty impressive if you ask me. Since then, I've purchased and owned numbers of pairs of UGGs in different colors and styles. Besides maybe two pairs of sneakers that I've come to love over the past couple years, my UGGs are all I wear until it's warm enough to bring out the flip flops again.

Even though I started out only wearing "Tasmans," I've come to really like the "Classic Short" boots as well. I might even like them more than I like the "Tasmans" actually. The boots cost a little more, but since I wear a size 7, I can get away with buying a kid's size 6 instead, and they fit me exactly the same. Ladies, I recommend doing this if you have small enough feet, because it's sure nice to save yourself $20 when you can. But, to make a long story short, if you're looking for comfortable shoes to get you through the winter blues, UGGs are your answer.

Get your own pair of:
Women's Tasmans  Kids Classic Boots  Woman's Classic Short Boots

winter, winter go away..

Winter proved us wrong once again this weekend.

On Friday, the weather was absolutely terrible. The only reason I left my house at all was to give Hilary her birthday present and to spend a little time with her on her birthday. I had no idea it was going to get as bad out as it did though. The roads were a mess, and my jeep had a tough time making it home. It was scary to say the least, skidding all over the place and whatnot. I'm lucky to have made it home in one piece. Thank goodness for that.

Yesterday, the roads were pretty much cleared, and the snow or whatever you want to call it, had melted for the most part. Our club held a "learn to surf" clinic in the MU pool, but because of the weather and the fact that there were waves, not too many people showed up. It was Hil, Olivier, Norma, Dana, John Brown, this other kid John, and myself. Not the turnout we had hoped for, but still a good time. We had lunch at surf taco afterwards, which might I add was amazing. Hit the spot totally.

Unfortunately, since I am a mere 12 days away from being 21, I didn't go out last night. I did however bake some St. Patrick's day cupcakes! Which kept me entertained for a little while. I was bummed a little, since I'm a big fan of the holiday normally, but there's always next year.

Today, I woke up relatively late. For me at least. I talked with a friend of mine online for a little bit and then Lauren called inviting me to lunch. I picked her up and we ate at the Broadway Grill by her, in Manasquan. I had a vegetable omlet, which was very tasty. Then we hung out for a little longer. Browsing in a couple stores. And now I'm home, ready to get some work done!

"i say salt, you say PEPPER.."

My kickoff weekend to Spring Break was pretty jampacked.. if I was home for a total of 10-20 minutes over a course of 3 days, that was a lot. So Monday, I figured I'd slump into the week by hitting up the MU gym, getting some lunch and going tanning. I had no idea I'd end up going to a Pepper concert at the Stone Pony last minute that night, but it was a pleasant surprise.. that is until I actually got there..

We got there around 6:30 and again, it was freezing cold. So we decided to wait in my car since we already had tickets and because most of the people waiting outside were waiting to buy tickets at the door. At 7:00, we went in and then proceded to wait probably an hour, for them to open up the coat check. Lauren ran into a friend of hers, so we stood with him and his friend until we were able to check our coats. As I was walking over to the coat check when it was time, I stopped dead in my tracks as I rounded the corner.. for I almost bumped into someone from my past who I would have never expected to "run into" -literally! My reaction said it all. After that, my night was just all around awkward.. at least Pepper was cool.. haha.

13th avenue freezeout..

Last Saturday's warmth fooled everyone into thinking spring had finally sprung. I know it sure fooled me.. I dug out a mint colored short sleeved shirt, capris and was ready to spend the day by the beach. Once I got down there though, I realized it wasn't quite as warm as I thought it was. Give or take it was still warmer than it had been, but not warm enough to hang out on the beach.

Sunday was the St. Patrick's Day parade in Belmar, which I hadn't gone to since I was younger. Lauren, Nancy, Norma, Hil and I all decided to brave the cold (it was snowing!!!! only flurries, but still! crazy..) and head down to the parade. We got there and stood by 13th ave. Norma, Hil and I lasted about an hour before we couldn't take the cold anymore. We saw firetrucks from different areas of Jersey, some bagpipe players and some interesting folk, so it was a good time while we were there.

I guess winter's not over yet.. dang.

spring break in jersey.. i'm stoked..

So instead of going away this spring break, I will be working everyday and applying for internships! Can't wait.. -sarcasm-.. nah, it's not so bad. Afterall, I did go away for winter break, I really can't complain. Plus I could always use extra money, so it's cool.

I'm thinking of applying for a whole bunch of internships. I applied to two last year and didn't get either, but I also didn't know how to really make a resume last year either. Now I have more of idea of what employers look for when it comes to resumes, so maybe I'll have better luck this time around. Who knows. All I know is that I kind of have to do one this summer, so I have to get a move on.

As for this break, I'm mainly looking foward to having some downtime, not going to lie. I have two magazines sitting on my nightstand, that I have yet to read as well as a bunch of dvds that I've been wanting to watch. I just haven't had the time to do either lately, I've been a busy girl, haha.

Another snowboarding trip might be on the agenda as well and a trip to the city one day.. I guess I'll just have to wait and see though.

snowboarding & surfing = love.

After years of staring in awe, admiring those who could surf and snowboard, I have officially tested my own ability at the two. Yesterday I went snowboarding for the first time ever and what can I say, I loved it. Unfortunately it wasn't in Vermont as I had hoped, but Mountain Creek did the trick. Afterall, it was my first time on a mountain, I was probably better off starting small.

I had some gnarly falls, but all in all I did pretty well. I was impressed to say the least.. with my determination especially. I was a real trooper. One thing I have now realized about both sports, is that in order to be any good, you have to clear everything other than the sport itself from your mind and concentrate 100% on what you're doing.. because when I did that yesterday, I killed it, which is pretty sweet if you ask me.

Almost all of my friends surf, and they all have told me that when your out there it's one of the most amazing feelings in the world. One even described it as getting a "natural high." I have yet to experience this, since I'm am still learning the ropes, but I'm pretty stoked to see what that feeling is like and to experience it for myself.

britney has.. lost it.

The other night my friend and I were chatting online and she mentioned that Britney Spears had shaved her head. Of course my immediate reaction was "WHAT!!!" Apparently, according to an article on Z100's web site, she showed up in a tattoo parlor after checking herself out of rehab, with her head completely shaved. Although it might sound crazy, it's completely true. Here's a link to the article, which includes pictures of the "new" Britney Spears.

It's sad to think that even with all that money, she still isn't happy. Parts of me feel that maybe she in the midst of having a nervous breakdown.. or that she has just lost it altogether. All I know is that it's hard for me to picture her this way, considering I was a big fan of hers when I was younger. I guess the paparazzi can really get to someone.. it's almost as if she couldn't take her life anymore, so she decided to go nuts. It really just seems unreal to me..

future surf promoter.. i like :)

After I graduate, which who knows when that will be.. hopefully next spring or possibly winter '09, I hope to land a career right away.. although reality tells me I might not necessarily be able to do that. But, I'm a wishful thinker, and pretty ambitious, so I'm determined to make that happen. I need an internship first though.. so that's what this summer's all about.

For the past couple years, I've been toying around with a few possible career ideas, and I think I've finally found one that would suit me well, and that is doing PR for a surfing company and/or being involved with promoting surfing competitions. Obviously, I will have to start at the low end of the totem pole, before I make my way to the top, as with almost every job, but I'm pretty driven, and feel that I can achieve this career goal. So we shall see.

I've also thought of starting off as a brand rep for one of these companies.. which would be a good way to get my foot in the door. Plus it would allow me the opportunity to have a better chance at getting a job right out of college, since doing what I'd ultimately like to do (PR for a company), probably takes a little more work and effort to acquire.

All I know is whatever I end up doing.. I want to love every minute of it! :)

opinion piece.. phys. ed mandatory in schools?

How many of you were required to take Physical Education classes in high school and middle school and truly hated it? For those of you who can relate, how many of you feel that having taken these classes, although you were miserable at the time, helped you on some level to form a healthy exercise and living routine or at least made you more knowledgable about how to do so? There have been very mixed emotions when it comes to the issue of whether or not Phys. Ed. classes should be mandatory or optional in both high schools and middle schools as well as elementary schools and even college. Although a good amount of people feel that these types of classes are taking time away from academics, a lot more feel that without having Phys. Ed. classes in school at all, children and young adults will not only be unexposed to learning good exercise and eating habits, but may actually suffer physically in the long run. Physical Education in schools should be mandatory.

Physical Education in schools should be mandatory for the following reasons: 1) Most children don't get the right amount of physical activity needed for a healthy lifestyle on their own. 2) Childhood obesity has increased dramatically, leading numbers of children to experience major health risks later on in life. 3) Exposure to physical activity has been found to actually help classroom performance and behavior.

Going back to my first reason, according to a survey mentioned in an article from USATODAY, "more than 75% of U.S. children are not active 20 minutes a day.." 20 minutes being a bare minimum of course. Having Phys. Ed. classes in school gives these children who are not getting physical activity on their own the opportunity to get some type of exercise at least. Another survey performed by the Massachusetts Department of Education in 2001, found "in an average week, one third of students did not participate in Physical Education class, and as they advanced through the grades, their activity level decreased." Mandatory Phys. Ed. classes can play an important roll in building the foundation of a child's physical well being, and exposing them to these types activities at a young age can help them to develop a routine that they can carry on for the rest of their lives.

My second reason involving the problem of childhood obesity, suggests the obvious need for Physical Education. According to an article on childhood obesity, "policies and programs implemented in public schools hold the greatest promise.." With the proper guidance, these children can learn the right way to go about eating and exercising to improve their current health. Schools are the perfect place for this action to take place, since they "have frequent contact with parents and may be able to influence their understanding of the importance of physical activity for their child's health." Childhood obesity can also eventually lead to long term health risks. An article from "Physical Education News", lists these risks as the following: "heart disease, type II diabetes, and other obesity related diseases." It is important for these children to change their lifestyle before it's too late, and it is clear that they need all the help they can get.

Finally my third reason and probably most debatable reason, links physical activity with positive acceleration in both the classroom and behavior. Although, people in a Texas debate, "felt schools should focus on academic subjects instead of helping kids get fit..," many people choose to believe otherwise. According to P.E.4Life, a group that advocates Phys. Ed. in schools, "90% of teachers and 86% of parents connect physical activity with improved academic performance and behavior." If children are given the opportunity to run around and move their bodies for a little while each day, it only makes sense that they would be more willing to pay attention in class and be on better behavior. It's tough sitting in class for even a college student, think about how tough it must be for a child in elementary school, who is full of energy waiting to burn. Honestly, what would be a better way for them to burn that energy, than by exercising. Even though it might be taking some time away from academics, having some type of Physical Education class at least two to three times a week doesn't seem too horrible. Afterall, the children would still be learning and they'd be learning skills that they will need later on in life as opposed to certain academics which have no real relevance to everyday life.

Now that you have heard my reasons I hope you will agree that Physical Education in schools should be mandatory. We need to keep our future generation going by keeping them healthy. So why not make Phys. Ed. mandatory? It's the only class that doesn't require homework, and hey if it can better your child's health and knowledge, that can't hurt either.

so much for emergencies..

There's nothing like going to the movies on a Friday night.. I like to do it every once and awhile. Last night was one of those nights.. Hil, Katie & I saw the new Jennifer Garner (I love her!) film, "Catch and Release." It was such a good movie and it was a fun time. We went all out, getting popcorn and candy. I haven't done that in quite some time, so it was pretty cool.

Afterwards, since we went to a relatively early movie, (early meaning before 10 o'clock), we went back to Hil's and watched "In Her Shoes," with Cameron Diaz (who I also love). Mid-way through the movie I want to say, Hil got a phone call from her brother Matt saying that he needed her to come get him because he burned his face at a party. So Hil, being the good older sister that she is, picked him up, and we all took a trip over to Jersey Shore Medical Center, where we thought we'd be in and out..

Boy were we wrong. We got there around 12:50 and left at 4:45, without Matt getting seen. Apparently the hospital was 7 hours behind schedule and filled with patients waiting to see a doctor. Nice of them to let us know.. we would have went somewhere else. So Matt ended up driving himself to a clinic in Point Pleasant, and Hil and I went back to her house and passed out.

All and all I'd say last night was an adventure.. I won't be going back to Jersey Shore anytime soon, that's for sure.

beggars can't be choosy..

On Sunday, Hil, Norma and I were on a quest to find little boy jerseys to wear for the Superbowl party Hil's having. We figured we'd be able to snag some for possibly $20, afterall isn't that how much clothing for children should cost anyway? We browsed the net the night before, looking for an idea of how much kid's jerseys went for and the cheapest we saw was $55. There was absolutely NO way I was going to pay that much for a jersey, especially for a team that I don't even follow, but we decided to look around a little at the slim chance that we'd find a deal.

Now you would think that since the Superbowl is.. what like six days away.. that stores would carry Colts jerseys or at least a t-shirt with the team's logo.. suprisingly they don't. Apparently, Sports Authority only carries NY team jerseys. To make a long story short, we weren't very successful. We ended up going to the Rag Shop and buying white t-shirts, blue iron-on letters and blue puff paint.. which works.

I'm excited for Sunday. Should be good times.

thursday is the new friday..

This week was a huge improvement in comparison to last. I guess it takes a week to get back into the whole school routine.. at least for me anyway. I saw and talked to more of my friends this week, so maybe that was the case. Monday night was fun.. wing night at Leggetts with the girls & then guitar hero & the hills over Lauren's. Tuesday I felt like I was back in high school, talking on AOL instant messenger for practically the entire day/night. Made tentative plans to visit a friend in Vermont to go snowboarding sometime next month, so that's exciting. Wednesday I had classes with Norma.. always fun, then went to dinner at Surf Taco before the surf club meeting.. found out that next year we're doing Puerto Rico for 2 weeks, which pretty much made my night/week. Today I only had 2 classes, which was wonderful and now I'm about to hop in the shower so I can head over to Hil's to watch grey's and go out to karoke a little later. good times. without a doubt.. i definitely live for the weekends.

I ♥ MU..

Coming to Monmouth last semester as a transfer student seemed a little scary, but I was still excited. After two years at Brookdale, a community college, I was ready to take on the real deal. As summer came to an end and September emerged, I started to prepare myself for this big transition. I went to the orientation for new students and was really blown away by how many activities the school offered. I found myself circling numbers of organizations I'd like to get involved with. Unfortunately, once the semester started, I found myself facing problems with time management. Since I was taking 15 credits besides working 3 days a week, that didn't leave very much time for anything else. I did although, decide to attend the first meeting of each of the organizations I had been interested in. After doing that, I was able to choose one that I really wanted to join, and that was surf club.. joining surf club not only allowed me the opportunity to meet people who shared a common interest of mine, but also made my first semester at Monmouth, my best semester of college thusfar. I highly reccomend to anyone coming to Monmouth for the first time, to get involved on campus and to find an organization that involves something that interests you. It was the best decision I ever made and honestly I couldn't be happier.. I ♥ MU!

just a few of my favorite things..

As a huge fan of chick flicks, I'd have to say that my three favorite movies are the following:

1. Clueless (I can quote almost every line!)

2. How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days (Love Kate Hudson and who doesn't love Matthew McConnaughey! :P)

3. 13 Going on 30 (Chick flick to the core. Nuff said.)

Now my love for Clueless dates all the way back to my pre-teens, when the movie first came out. My friends and I used to actually play our own version of "Clueless," on the playground and at summer camp.. not to mention I had the dolls, the book & the soundtrack, besides a copy of the movie that is.

As for How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, I never realized how much I loved Kate Hudson up until this movie. She is now my favorite actress and her character, Ande Anderson, is what inspired me to get into the journalism field. Her life and mainly her career just seemed so cool. Watching it, I found myself saying.. "that's definitely what I want to do someday."

13 Going on 30 just makes me happy after watching it. It's such a cute little movie with an 80's feel about it. I mean, Jennifer Garner does the "Thriller" dance and sings along to Pat Benatar. How much more 80's could you get? She also works for a magazine in the movie, again something that triggered my interest in the field.

Gotta love movies..

there's a real lack of motivation in the air..

My room is in shackles. I still haven't unpacked, there's stuff EVERYWHERE, my mail is piled up and yet I can't seem to do anything about it. The thought of exerting myself any more than I need to right now seems tedious. I guess you could say I'm just a little lazy.. but can you blame me? I just spent a week of doing nothing, but relaxing.. so why should I start now? Haha. I'll get around to it.. I don't know when, but I will. Probably when my room gets to be so bad I have no choice, but to clean it. That's usually how it goes anyway. I have my last class of the day in a little less than 2 hrs. It's a PR related class, so it should be interesting. I just wish it wasn't so late, I could easily go for a nap right about now. At least American Idol is on tonight, so I have that to look foward to.. that and dinner. Knowing that is enough to get me through the rest of the day I suppose.

rincon, puerto rico.. might as well be called paradise.

This time last week, I was in Rincon, Puerto Rico, on a catamaran with 9 of my friends, sipping a rum punch, and honestly having the time of my life. The weather was perfect, my surroundings were absolutely gorgeous.. it was like heaven. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. I had the best time with the best people. I wish I never had to leave. The funny thing is that a lot of the people we met down there did just that.. they never left. One guy we met said he came down there 5 months ago, got a job and never went home. It must be nice to have no responsibilities..

It was rough coming home to rain and cold weather.. depressing almost. I had about 2 days of break left after I got home, and both might I add were spent catching up on some much needed r&r. Yesterday, reality really sank in; two classes and work til 7. Although my body made it to both places, my mind was definitely still in Rincon. Today I started getting back into the swing of things though and by the end of the week I should be good to go.. just in time for the weekend ;)