Au Revoir, Paris

Well, it's over. Summer has offically come to an end. I am moving back to Chattanooga today, and school starts on Monday. Since I am leaving Paris for a few months, I have decided to showcase the a few of the 'landmarks' of this one horse town.

how many places do you know of that greet you with a giant catfish?

my crib

the piece de resistance... our own Eiffel Tower

This is my last post of my summer blog. Wipe those tears away, children, there will be a fresh, new fall blog full of excitement!

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." (Sam Keen)

"Summer Nights" - Grease

The Last Night

My last night of the summer was spent at Jenn and Chuck's new house in Murray, KY. They had some people over, so of course I came with a camera. My good camera is packed away, so I was frantic to find another one to use. Luckily, my parents' ghetto camera was available. I couldn't stay as long as I would have liked, because I do have to get up early tomorrow and make my journey across the state.

Jenn's hammock was hungry
(Kara is the current meal)

it is rare to find celebrities in these parts...
but sure enough, good ole Winnie decided to stop by

Josh, Brad, fire, and an umbrella... oh the possibilities

our sing-a-long was lead by Ryan and Brad

"There are 13 bathrooms in this place, and I threw up in the coat closet." (Phoebe, Friends)

"3 am" - Matchbox 20

New License

To avoid creating unnecessary stress while I'm back at school, I decided to renew my driver's license today. Meredith came with me on the trip to Dresden, TN (the nearest DMV). One would hope that a five year time period would be ample time to improve one's appearance and ensure the next several years are spent with a good license picture. I'll let you decide if I have changed for the better since 2000.

from back in my childhood :)

see what a tan can do for a person?

"Things do not change; we change." (Henry David Thoreau)

"As Good As I Once Was" - Toby Keith

Ode to Robin

My good friend / former roommate, Robin George, is about to start school at Hunter College in NYC. This is very exciting for her, and I am so glad that she gets to have this experience. I will of course visit her once or twice during her nine month stay. She and I had a lot of memories last year, and this is why I give you my tribute to Miss George.

last August we went to see John Mayer and Maroon 5 at Amsouth

Robin was wonderful and threw me a birthday party!

me, Robin, Alicia, and Kaitlin enjoying downtown Chattanooga

we all went camping this fall and found new, exciting ways to ingest marshmallows

a trip to the corn maze would have turned disastrous without Robin's expertise

she's classy too! we went to see the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra perform

one of several movie nights

we took a trip to Mississippi State to visit Henry

at the Opryland Hotel, she was caught harassing the elves

guess what this was...

Robin, me, Alicia, and Amanda at the Acropolis
(one of our favorite restaurants)

she joined the club soccer team

probably the best picture ever :)

I have recently developed this amazing new talent of acqurining pictures from the future. No, I'm not crazy, just skilled. Anyhow, I have images of Robin's stay in NYC that I would love to share with you all. Please keep in mind that the quality of pictures from the future is not 100% and other people will seem smaller, but that is only because I was focusing on Robin in these pictures. Click them to enlarge and get a better view. Enjoy :)

Robin will be desperate to take travel into her own hands,
which result in chaos in Times Square

being nostaligic of her Coolidge Park days, Robin will enjoy
many warm afternoons in Central Park

after finals in December, Alicia and I will visit Robin
and take the inevitable trip to Rockefeller Center

I love you Robin! I'm gonna miss you this year... Have an awesome time!

"Salad doesn't taste good warmed up." (Alicia Dumont)

"Stillettos (Pumps)" - Crime Mob

Rant

Ok, guys and dolls. I'm fed up. Most of you will have no idea what I'm talking about here, I just need to rant. For those who think it refers to you, get over it and don't think about making me feel bad for writing about it. I need to vent, and blogger is my method of choice (which I think is good because the ambiguity is kept).

Rant I: My Personality
Some people cannot accept the fact that I have a dry sense of humor. With that comes the fact that I don't split my side laughing at everything that everyone does. Apparently, I don't smile enough which gives the perception to some that I am always mad or unhappy. Did you maybe consider that I might not find you or what you have to say overly entertaining? Or are you so conceited that you feel that if I don't grin from ear-to-ear while in your presence, then I must be in a bad mood. Bottom line: learn that people act differently (it's this crazy new concept of individuality).

Rant II: My Personal Life
Guess what? If I want you to know about my personal life, I will 95% of the time tell you about it. The other 5% includes extenuating circumstances where it is difficult to tell you certain things or I was requested not to do so. Either way I am catering to your feelings and / or requests. So assuming that you have some right to know every little detail in my life is probably giving yourself too much credit. Unless you fall into that 5%, then I will excuse your boldness. Bottom line: let me bring up details about my life.

** Side note: If you do have the balls to ask me about my life, and you get the truth, don't even try to make me feel bad about it. You asked, now deal with it.

Rant III: Assumptions
You know what they say about people who assume? If you don't, well, then ask someone, dummy. Point being, it makes you look foolish. Just because you think you know something, does not give you any right to fill in the blanks about what happened. So before you get all high and mighty assuming things, why don't you ask me about it? Bottom line: get a life.

Rant IV: Returning E-mails, Phone Calls, Etc...
This one should explain itself. But if I have the courtesy to take time out of my day to contact you in some form (e-mail, phone call, etc), then the very least you can do is reply in a timely manner. Now, I understand sometimes you're busy. But postponing it for weeks is ridiculous, and not replying at all is just plain rude. Bottom line: make time for your friends if you wish to keep them.

Rant V: Leaving things Unsettled
One of the best ways to really tick me off is to end a conversation where we're arguing. No joke, that bumps the severity of my anger way off the charts. If we are in a discussion, there is only one way our conversation will cease: a resolution. That may sound like it's going to take an eternity, but I hate having things unsettled. It simply leaves time for my anger to boil over, and that just doesn't fair well for you. Bottom line: finish what you started.

Rant VI: Lying
The number one thing you can do to send me into a furious rage is to lie to me. Think I'm bluffing? Ask those closest to me, they'll tell you of the fury. Guess what? I'm a big girl, I can take the truth. If you don't fess up, then odds are, I'll figure out your lie, and then you'll really be in for it. Bottom line: give it to me straight.

Rant VII: The Curse of the Blog
I should have known this when I started my blog; I was actually warned by Robin. But I insisted upon doing it anyway. I thought a blog would be a fun way to let people read about me and see recent pictures as well as keep a kind of online journal for myself. It didn't take long for people's feelings to be hurt in one way or another. I post what I do, and with that has come a tremendous amount of guilt from other people. They see me doing something with a certain person, and the next day I get a phone call for one reason or another that puts me being the bad guy. I love my blog, I truly do. But when I have to think very carefully about what I post and what I don't because of whose feelings will get hurt, it makes me want to throw in the towel on my wonderfully delightful blog. I mean, I am never on here (this post aside) complaining about people or saying anything bad about them. I am simply publishing my life. I guess there's a reason why I never went around blabbing my business to people before. Just know that I can only take so much of the "make Mal feel bad" crap. Bottom line: tread lightly when it comes to my blog.

I would like to reinforce that I am not going to put up with anyone bringing this post up with me thinking it's about them. That will lead to a fight. Also, it probably isn't about you, and you're just assuming (see rant III). Believe it or not, I have had each and every one of my rants happen to me on numerous occasions, thus making it blog-worthy. So chill out.

"Privacy is not something that I'm merely entitled to, it's an absolute prerequisite." (Marlon Brando)

"Cool" - Gwen Stefani <-- not a huge fan of the song, but the lyrics are great

Six Flags - St. Louis

Ok, I lied. I went on one more mini-trip this summer. It wasn't planned really. I just asked my family if they wanted to go to Six Flags St. Louis, and they agreed, haha. We left around 6 am, which put us in the park around 10 am.

what's better than a mascot?
a cartoon character!

why pay $7.99 for one of their pictures when you can make your own?

some of you might wonder why I take goofy pictures...
just look where I get it from :)

For the first time in over a decade, we all got caricatures made. I thought everyone else's was hilariously dead on. There's something about mine, though, that doesn't quite seem like me. It feels like he was drawing someone else. Maybe it's just me... you be the judge. I have provided our "pose" as well as the actual drawing.

my super-excited brother / me cheesin' it up

again, no one in my family knows how to smile

Brian was no help as I tried to save Mom

Dad was able to get around quite well with
the motorized wheelchair we rented

Overall, the trip was great. My dad got to ride a couple of roller coasters, but it was too hard for him to get in and out of them. So he decided to sit things out after riding Batman and the Screamin' Eagle. We left around 5:30 (right as it started to pour), ate at Fazoli's, and got home around 11 pm. Dad said he had a good time, which was all I really wanted.

"A cariacture is putting the face of a joke on the body of a truth." (Joseph Conrad)

"Dancin' in the Streets" - Martha and The Vandellas

McCaslin's

This week at work has been absolutely crazy. Each day we'd have nearly twenty people come in, and it's a struggle to keep up with all ten kids in the pool. I mean, after you lay out all day, play underwater charades, and go up once every hour, you get to be quite exhausted. Uhm, yeah, this week rocks. It'll all be over tomorrow, though. I'm not ready for summer be over. I thoroughly enjoy sleeping until 9:00, getting a paycheck, and most of all, not having any studying to do. All good things must come to an end. I move back to Chattanooga next Friday.

Tonight, I went out to Josh McCaslin's. They were grilling out and had a few people over. Here are pictures of this glorious event.

Ryan, Jenn, Josh, and Matt in a bundle of excitement

Ryan, Josh, and Brad, showing off their muscles . . .

Jenn and me, the epitome of intimidation

"On the other hand, you have different fingers." (Jack Handey)

"I Hate Myself for Loving You" - Joan Jett

Chicago

My final trip of the summer was to Chicago. It is a 7 hour drive from Paris. The weather was great: 85 degrees, sunny, no humidity, perfect breeze. I just about got to do everything that I wanted to do; I simply ran out of time.

Friday: Navy Pier

We left Paris around 7:00 am which put us in Chicago around 3:00 pm. We went to Navy Pier first. There we got to walk around and look at the shops, see a great view of the city, and even ride the Ferris Wheel.

Navy Pier

Chicago skyline with yours truly

our view from the Ferris Wheel

After Navy Pier, we eventually found a hotel. Jennifer and I went to Chinatown to eat dinner and then walked around downtown for a few hours.

Saturday: City Pass + Fire

Our hotel concierge suggested that instead of going to the Sears Tower (more money, longer lines) that we go to the John Handcock Observatory and see an even better view of the city. So that's just what we did. We bought a 'City Pass' which allowed us to see all of the museums as well as go to the Handcock Observatory. Check out the amazing view we had of the Windy City.

north

southwest

south

southeast

as soon as we got there, they put us to work

we finally got a lunch break, but it seemed a little dangerous to me

Jennifer, me, Pat, Elise
(this is a prime example of my 'take a picture of the picture' trick)

We ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then made our way south to the Museum Campus. There we went to the Field Museum, which was a part of our pass. It was an alright museum, didn't quite knock my socks off or anything. We also had just enough time to see the Adler Planetarium.

further proof that Jennifer is tiny

Adler Planetarium

We went to get a quick bite to eat before the MLS soccer match at Soldier Field between the Chicago Fire and DC United. I was able to get us discounted tickets so that made things even better. Freddy Adu (16 year old, soccer marvel) plays for DC United, but he was hurt in the first 10 minutes and wasn't much to watch. The game started out to be a blowout, with DC up 3-0. With just under 15 minutes left, the Fire managed to score two goals. They couldn't pull off a win, though and lost 2-3.

Soldier Field

the view from our seats in the "Firehouse" section

the Fire had several scoring opportunities, such as this direct kick

no game is complete without a picture of:
me + who I'm with in front of the field we're at

Chris Rolfe took this shot to score the Fire's 2nd goal

Sunday: City Pass Cont'd + White Sox

We got up early to make the most of what time we had left. On the way to our subway stop, we saw the Chicago Theatre.

the famous Chicago Theatre

We went back to the Museum Campus and went to the Shedd Aquarium. I love aquariums, zoos, etc... so this was my favorite part. They had everything from crabs to dolphins: it was great!

Jenn was feeling a little lonely on this trip

I got to experience life as a sea otter

you just gotta love trained dolphins

After the aquarium, we made our way to the south side of Chicago to see a White Sox game. They played the Seattle Mariners and came out with a 3-1 victory. It was Carlton Fisk appreciation day. I had no clue who this guy was, but apparently he was a famous Red Sox catcher in the 70's and joined the White Sox in the 80's.

This field was nice and all, but it made me mad, here's why:
We got upper level seating (of course), but in this park, they don't let you go to any other levels. They have guards that prevent you from even getting close to lower seating. Normally, I would just shrug this off, but this very day was Mascot Day. They had every mascot from the Chicago area here in one place. I was so excited, haha. Only one problem... I can't get to them because we were locked away in the upper sections. It's just my luck, though. Besides the upper level discrimination, I had a good time at the game.

US Cellular Field

Mascot Day :(

our view

Jon Garland improved to a 16-5 pitching record

Jenn and I did manage to sneak down to the lower level to get a picture, but it was in the 8th inning and the mascots were long gone

After the game, we met up with Pat and Elise to eat at Portillo's, a famous Chicago restaurant. We were out of the city by 9:00 pm which put us in Paris around 4:00 am.

"I trust that everything happens for a reason, even when we're not wise enough to see it." (Oprah Winfrey)

"25 or 6 to 4" - Chicago