I Need An Adventure...

Photo courtesy of A Life More Fabulous

Back in Oregon less than a week and I'm ready to break out again.

I'm thinking of the summer ahead of me and it makes my heart sink a little. Twenty-four hours of freedom: that's all I get between graduation and bar prep. For eight long weeks, my routine will be as follows:

• Wake-up
• Go to bar prep
• Run
• Study
• Sleep
• Repeat

...I wish I were joking...

The rational part of me knows that this will all be worth it (or at least it will be if come November I find out that I passed the bar). The other part of me wants to cry a little bit; my time will no longer be my own until July 29th at around 5:00 p.m. But this is what I signed up for, right? I can whine a little, but in the end, this is what I've been working towards since I bought my first law school sweatshirt back in middle school (seriously, and it was a UO Law sweatshirt to boot). It just surreal that it's actually almost here...

What I wouldn't give for an adventure before I'm locked away in BarBri prison...

I Tend to Think of Myself As a One-Man Wolf Pack

My college roommate, Jackie, is leaving the single life behind and getting hitched. Unfortunately for me, her wedding falls on the same day as that little thing known as law school graduation, so it was important for me to make it down for her bachelorette party in San Francisco. This trip definitely couldn't have come at a better time.

Kim and I both got into the city a day before the festivities, so we decided to wander around for awhile until everyone got in.

Later in the afternoon, we all met up at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel before we hit the town.

First up was dinner at the Steps of Rome Cafe. At first I thought we were gonna stick out like a sore thumb because it just looked like a small family restaurant, but it turns out that we were the first of three bachelorette parties to end up there that night.

Our waiters were frisky bordering on inappropriate. But if I had to choose between the waiters and male strippers, I choose waiters. At least they kept their clothes on...

Next stop: hole-in-the-wall karaoke bar!

Finally, we made it to Dragon Bar, where luckily we had bottle service, which meant we had a table to sit at. I must be getting old if this was the best part of the club for me.

Overall, it was a very successful weekend. I definitely was not excited to say goodbye to San Francisco (especially after getting 4 hours of sleep before my 10 hour drive home). More than anything though, I was happy I got to spend some time with my best friends. It's good to know that even though we can't see each other everyday like back in our 'SC days, we can still come together and pick up where we left off.

Girl Crush

Esquire Magazine

I totally have a girl crush on Christina Hendricks (Joan on 'Mad Men').

I know from interviews I've read that she was actually born a blond, but I would nominate her to be the official ambassador of redheads the world over. She is proof that we redheads can be more than just 'quirky' (which, let's face it, is just another word for 'weird'), soulless (thanks, South Park), and sickly pale, among other things. Years of being called "Tater Tot" and "Ketchup Head" have made me very sensitive on this issue (yes, it's an issue). I'd rather be called a "dumb blond" any day over "quirky." Maybe if people thought of Christina Hendricks when they thought of redheads instead of, oh, I don't know, Carrot Top or Ron Weasley, we'd be better off.

Also, it goes without saying that Christina Hendricks is no January Jones (aka, Betty Draper). I know people say she looks like a "real woman," but I've never seen a "real woman" at Wal-Mart look like that. She somehow pulls it off. Maybe it's confidence, maybe it's just knowing how to dress for your body type, but she's obviously doing something right if Esquire Magazine named her the sexiest woman alive.

Redheads represent.

Peace

Photo courtesy of {this is glamorous}

Last night was the first night in a long time that I not only slept the whole night through, but slept peacefully.

I don't think I can properly explain why, but it feels like a 10 ton weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I finally feel at peace and it feels amazing...

You Go, Coco!

The glorious day had finally arrived: the kickoff of Conan O'Brien's Legally Prohibited from Being Funny On Television tour. Monday was pretty much shot because that's all I could think about all day. I was counting down the hours and finally, 7 pm arrived and the Hult Center doors opened...it was starting...

I may be biased, but it was one of the best things EVER. Conan was amazing, the band was amazing, and as if that wasn't enough, Spoon gave an impromptu performance and then Jack McBrayer (Kenneth the Page on "30 Rock") came out at the end to pull the Walker: Texas Ranger lever (which was renamed due to "contractual issues" with NBC, but I can't think of it at the moment). I didn't want it to end. I could have listened to that towering redhead all night.

I love you, Conan O'Brien.

Weddings and Chocolate

I went to the wedding of one of my sister's friends on Saturday (I was my mom's "plus one"). The ceremony was short and sweet and the reception had a candy bar...I may or may not have left with two bags of chocolate (shh, don't tell). It was a good opportunity to take some pictures with my mom and sister. Looking through all of the pictures I have on my computer, I realized awhile ago that I don't have many pictures with them, so I've been making an effort to try and build the collection up (despite their occasional protests). I think we all clean up quite nicely. :-)

Girls Night!

The lovely Juli and Kiley were kind enough to come out with me to celebrate me being done with my thesis Friday night. We started out at La Perla for some fancy shmancy pizza. I was excited because I had ran 11 miles that afternoon, meaning I could eat to my heart's (or stomach's) content. Unfortunately, the nausea that hit me around mile 8 was still hangin' around, so I only managed one piece of pizza. On the bright side, plenty of leftovers this week!

After that, it was off to Agate Alley for a bottle of wine for Kiley and Juli and a Shirley Temple for me. It was such a relief to go out with the girls because I think we all needed the chance to just vent for a little while. It's good to hear that I'm not the only one counting down the days until graduation. And the conversation always seems to flow a little more freely when the wine starts flowing (and for me, the grenadine and soda). I still don't feel 100%, but the anxious knot in my stomach definitely felt a little smaller this morning than it did yesterday...

Hooray for girls night. :-)