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Most Normal Girl


Monday, March 20, 2006

Miss B Goes To Washington

Today I addressed the Federal Commission on Higher Education, on behalf of the Higher Education Student Association of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. I have to say, it went fantastically well. I had support of others in my cohort and was pleased with the public response to my speech. I managed to deliver the speech without incident (YAY!) and was told that I seemed poised and confident before the panel.

The Commission will be finalizing a report that should be available in August. I expect there will be four major themes of this report (based on what leaders were saying today): accessibility, affordability, accountability and quality. Stay tuned! (You can also read more about the Commission, why it was created, what others have said, and all sorts of stuff at this website: http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/meetings.html)

Afterward, a reporter for the Harvard Crimson (the student newspaper) interviewed me in the lobby of the hotel. The article should be in tomorrow's paper. My name in the Harvard paper... kinda scary... I hope I didn't have anything in my teeth...

I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support and encouragement. Your good vibes were a great help in this process and I appreciate all your well-wishes. If anyone would like a copy of the speech, please let me know (via e-mail); I am happy to forward it along.

At least I can say I've done something tangible since being at Harvard; beyond just increase my loan debt!

Oh, and if anyone would like to be my agent for my public speaking tour, just let me know.
Posted by Jessie_b :: 2:22 PM ::
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Friday, March 17, 2006

Evacuation Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To celebrate this glorious Irish holiday, the city of Boston and Cambridge have "coincidentally" come up with Evacuation Day. School children had today off. Apparently, this is a day to celebrate the British retreat from New England. Nevermind that mommy and daddy are at the local pub getting wasted...

Gotta love these made up holidays!

PS - If any of you have found a pot of gold, be kind to your friends... some of us could use a gold nugget.
Posted by Jessie_b :: 6:20 AM ::
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Sunday, March 12, 2006

Signs Of Spring

Yep, it's happening. All around ~ SPRING is in the air. Besides the fact that the last two days have been absolutely gorgeous (and warm), signs of life are once again sprouting around Cambridge. ...There were these creatures, called people that infiltrated Harvard Square the past three days. They were sitting outside with their lunches, street performers could be heard blocks away, SUNGLASSES were being worn, smiles adorned their faces... ah, it was glorious.

Yesterday, my friend Rachel and I had to work on a school project together. While walking to the library she spotted actual flowers that were blooming. It was amazing. Who knew that such plants could exist in March? Again, another sign that Spring is on the way.

Happy, happy, happy... this is the only word that can only describe how everyone is feeling. The death of winter that has surrounded us for months is now beginning to show signs of life. I can't wait for Spring in New England; if it was as pretty as the fall, we're in for a treat.


Posted by Jessie_b :: 7:32 AM ::
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Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Doctor Appointment

Sometimes, it sucks to be a girl. We get poked and prodded all over the place.

Yesterday I had a "woman's" exam; head to toe and top to bottom (literally). My doctor was great and she was very gentle - talking to me and answering questions all the while checking me out. Even though this is a doctor and she's professional, I still feel weird about these exams. Besides being completely naked in front of a stranger and having them touch you in the most private of areas, you don't even get anything out of it (at least, I don't). I mean, at least a lollipop would be nice.

The speculum is always the device that creeps me out the most. "You're going to put that where to do what?" Ick. And it looks like a duck - I mean, who can ever look at a duck the same seeing that their beak has been in your crotch.

I'm just glad my annual visit is done and out of the way. I've been told, initially, that I'm a healthy growing girl. (Growing around the ass, mostly.) That's good... now let me go find some greasy pizza...


Posted by Jessie_b :: 12:08 PM ::
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Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Old Men

There are old people who just make me laugh. Today, as I was walking on the sidewalk in Harvard Square, I was walking behind an older gentleman. I was only 5-10 steps behind him (depending on how long your legs are - I happen to have short legs, so it would be more like 10 steps, but to another long-legged person it would only be about five. Random tangent, I know. Sorry.). Anyway, I'm walking behind him when he lets out this REALLY LOUD FART. There it was - just out there blowing in the wind. I couldn't help but make a face and start to laugh. An old guy just farted! In public! How funny and gross is that?!?!

I swear, I can't wait to get old. Good times, good times.
Posted by Jessie_b :: 12:09 PM ::
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Monday, March 06, 2006

78th Annual Academy Awards

I usually don't give a rat's ass about award shows. However, since this year, I actually saw all five movies that were nominated for best movie, I was interested in who would win. Here's how a few things played out:

Best Picture: Crash
Achievement in Directing: Ang Lee, for Brokeback Mountain
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon, for Walk the Line
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, for Capote
Best Adapted Screenplay: Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana, for Brokeback Mountain
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco, for Crash
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, for The Constant Gardner
Best Supporting Actor: George Clooney, for Syriana
Best Original Song: 'Hard Out Here for a Pimp' - Music & Lyrics by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard, for Hustle & Flow

OKAY. I've got a few things to say about this...
Best Picture: This was a super-hard one. I'm really glad to see that Crash won, however, because it was an AWESOME movie (despite being tough to swallow at times) and it addressed an issue that is still very delicate in this country.

Achievement in Directing: Again, super-hard category. While I'm glad Brokeback Mountain won in an esteemed category, I don't think this was the "best directed" among the group of nominees. Munich, Crash, Capote, and Good Night & Good Luck were all VERY well directed. Each movie had its own style; I didn't see anything all that special about Ang Lee's directing. Munich had some interesting angles (not to mention the overlap of real-time versus story-time AND all the explosions). Crash's directing made the movie very personal with close-up shots. Capote was a little bit of everything - good camera angles, wide and long shots, great acting. Good Night & Good Luck was a bit jarring in style - definitely artistic. All in all, I just don't see what stood out about Brokeback's directing...

Best Actress: Reese will always be my girl, in any competition. (Mainly because I've been told no less than two dozen times that I look like Reese. What a nice compliment, even though I don't see it.) However, the other nominees were spectacular as well - Felicity Huffman played a man for goodness sake! Charlize Theron is always brilliant when she has to look ugly. Dame Judy Dench is wonderful in any role she takes on. Keira Knightley - I give her mad props for memorizing and acting a period piece like Pride & Prejudice!

Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman DESERVED to win. He was brilliant in his portrayal of Truman Capote.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Don't know enough about this category to comment.
Best Original Screenplay: Again, don't know enough about this category to comment.

Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz. HOLD THE PHONE. Are you serious? I think the Academy awarded this to the ROLE that Miss Weisz played and not the actual acting. I truly think Amy Adams (for Junebug) or Catherine Keener (for Capote) should have gotten the award. They were brilliant. (By the way, if you haven't seen Junebug you might want to rent it. It's a quirky and weird little film.)

Best Supporting Actor: George Clooney. Brilliant, as always. Enough said.

Best Original Song: These three stuck out like a sore thumb. They looked ridiculous and their performance was NOT outstanding. I think Jon Steward summed it up best, saying "For those keeping score, Three Six Mafia 1; Martin Scorsece 0." (The song from Crash, In The Deep, should have won.)

And a final word about the host, Jon Stewart. He was disappointing, at best, but got a few good lines in there...

Anyway, there's my two cents worth the 78th Annual Academy Awards. Don't expect this from me EVER AGAIN.
Posted by Jessie_b :: 8:48 AM ::
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Sunday, March 05, 2006

What Is With Me?

I don't know why, but sometimes I just get so emotional. Today I watched one of my all time favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally. I love it. I could quote any scene, almost verbatum (I'm actually sort of proud of this - how pathetic is that?). My favorite line is toward the end of the movie, when Harry rushes into the New Year's Eve party to find Sally and to tell her that he loves her. It gets me everytime... even though I know it's coming... even though I know what he's going to say... I still get surprised over how much I cry. It's just so sweet, so honest, so vulnerable. And he knows her so well!

Maybe every woman wants her guy to come after her - to tell her that he loves her even when she's looking at him like he's crazy. The whole romantic notion that someone will GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO FIND YOU - that Prince Charming while have his whole court searching for the girl who matches the glass slipper. Maybe every woman just wants to believe that she's worth being sought after.

I don't know what it is, but it touches my heart and makes me wish I was in the movie. I know it's not real but sometimes it is just nice to daydream.
Posted by Jessie_b :: 2:25 PM :: 0 comments

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Saturday, March 04, 2006

Question

Do you ever just want to SCREAM but don't have the energy to?

Yeah, me too.

Posted by Jessie_b :: 8:25 PM ::
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Thursday, March 02, 2006

A Few People On My Mind

Carrie (and Vanessa!)
Paula, Sean, Jen, Vilma, William, Andy
Robby & Melissa
Scott - who comes home in ONE MONTH!
Mom & Dad
Allison, Joey, Sophia, Caitlin
Katelyn & Blair

Posted by Jessie_b :: 3:55 PM ::
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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

March Is Here

I'm so glad March is finally here. Not only because I can turn the page on my calendar (I look forward to that - I seriously do!) but I'm also hoping that we will soon get a 'warm up' in New England. It's freakin' cold out here and I'm starting to get tired of it. My face could really use a break, too - my skin is starting to really dry out! I want to wear cute shoes again - not just my snow boots. AND, I get to look forward to coming home again for a week toward the end of the month! Yay!

I'm just so glad that March is finally here... some might say it's MADNESS!
Posted by Jessie_b :: 10:41 AM ::
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