I haven't posted in a zillion years, but I want to mark a special occasion.

A couple of days ago, on Friday the 13th (not Valentine's Day!), Zach proposed. I had just come home from work, it was like 10 o'clock, and I was in my tired grumpy mood. Right when I walked in the door, he came over to give me a hug, and I snottily told him to give me a minute because I had to pee and wanted to change. I changed into my very stylish pink shorts and lime green shirt, and when I cam out of the bathroom he was standing in the bedroom and came over to me. Once again, I was a delightfully rude girlfriend and said, "Please! I just got home, I'm achy...I'll hug and kiss you in a minute." I went to the kitchen to put pasta in the boiling water when Zach came up behind me, grabbed my arm and said, "No, seriously." All of the sudden he was down on one knee...and I totally thought he was kidding...until he pulled a box out of his pocket. I think I said something along the lines of "Oh my god! Oh my god! Are you serious?" All my freaking out kind of drowned out the actual proposal, but I managed to make out the important words and said yes. After like three minutes of hugging/kissing, I said, "Oh my god I have to call my mom." She was thrilled, as was my sister (who was half asleep when I called her even though it was only 9 o'clock where she lived). Both of them want a wedding "sooner rather than later" which isn't going to happen no matter how wedding crazy they suddenly become.

The ring was (is) perfect. A deep blue sapphire with two smaller diamonds on either side, sort of traditional and nontraditional all at once. Zach did some serious research and found a jewelry company from San Francisco that specializes in ethically sourced gemstones - which means no one died or was cheated for my ring! It also came in a lovely little wooden box - very Ithaca friendly.

So that's our story - engaged while I was in my pjs and making bow-ties in our little kitchen in Ithaca.

So, I graduated last Friday. The weather was terrible, so there was no big ceremony, just departmental ones. So the little Art Department family of about 60 graduated in a nice little ceremony in the Music Building. I think my parents and uncle got there about 30 seconds before we walked in, so I was glad I made the executive decision that Zach and I would just take my car. The five Art History majors sat together, and I made faces at Zach while I was on stage. Some hurried pictures were taken in the lobby, but we pretty much bolted because there were a million people in a small space.

My sister sent me some beautiful flowers with a note saying she was sorry she couldn't be there, and my mom got me the most amazing bouquet of lilies that's still blooming and making the entire house smell lovely. Zach got me the big Dada book I've been eyeing for quite some time, as well as tickets to see Rilo Kiley in June. Relatives sent much needed money. I know the real gift from my parents will be to help me get set up once I move out.

My last day at work is the June 30th, so I have a full month to pack before moving to Ithaca. There are a few galleries in NY that I'm going to be frequenting a lot until someone hires me, but until then, it's gonna be retail, mainly because I need health benefits asap...also money and an immediate job once we move. I'd like to actually have two jobs, but we'll see. I need to save up to summer in Germany at some point. Also - GRE studying (blech). I think I'll do pretty well. I'm also going to tweak my thesis a bit. I got an A on what I turned in, but it wasn't all I wanted it to be. I already know what I want to add, and I'm actually looking forward to working on it in a more relaxed environment.

So, different topic. I was watching True Life: I'm Celibate...and the people for real were pissing me off. One guy got in some bad accident, and decided he was going to stop drinking and stop having sex after he recovered...because he "found God." Now, it would seem to me that this guy was self medicating for whatever issues he has with himself/the world with drugs and alcohol, and now he's replacing all that with religion. Isn't that just as bad? I mean, shouldn't you figure out a way to live where you aren't totally relying on something else. He couldn't get by without having lots of sex, and he wants to become a politician and speak out against premarital sex. To me, this just seems dumb. Am I a "lost soul" because I've had sex and I don't go to church? Cause I don't think I am. I've never driven drunk, and I've never "needed a fix," or anything like that..but because I have sex and I'm not religious, I'm just headed down a dangerous course. And it would just seem like this one dude is mad weak and always needs something to get through the day...be it "sinful" or sacred. I guess because I didn't grow up going to church or anything, I just really don't understand religion. I guess I just see it as another vice...another something that people use for guidance or survival, rather than just attempting to live your life on your own. I dunno...I just don't like when people use religion to replace something terrible and not because it's what they really want. Christianity is my uncle's life, and even though I don't get it, I see how important it is to him and how much it's supposed to mean. I just think it sucks for the people that really take is seriously.

ALSO there's this lady that comes into Staples...Miss Liberty. She's a beauty queen from like, 30 years ago. Also, she's a mess. As I was leaving today, she was just walking in...wearing a tube top over he MASSIVE fake boobs, and a sarong over her...Hanes underwear . Seriously...Google her, because she is so the ultimate mess.

In every episode of Tila Tequila, she says "I really have a lot to think about." I'm betting that girl does not have that much to think about on a daily basis beyond what color streaks would best match her pleather crotch length shorts.

It's 2:41 in the morning.

For whatever reason, I can't sleep.

After religiously checking my thesis grade for three days, it's posted. I got an A!

Because of the absurd time I made this discovery, my parents, Zach, and Gabby (my kitten) are asleep...there is no one to be excited with.

So, I celebrate with you, my little livejournal.

YAY!

So I'm officially 100% done with school. All my papers are in, my finals are taken, and I graduate next week. It's totally bizarre.

My thesis presentation went well. I got an 95, and the class average was an 89 (also the class is 5 people)....soooo I guess I kinda rule. After the first presentation, I think everyone was MAD nervous...Dr. Joyce (she teaches the classics ) had this list of scary critiques, and those of us that had not presented were a little freaked out. All I kept thinking was "she doesn't know anything about modern art....she won't be able to tear me apart." The next presentation ended with discussion instead of an actual critique, which is kind of what happened with me. When I got up to present, I was shaking for about five minutes, and my nerves made me completely forget what time it was when I started talking. As a result, I know I went over 20 minutes. I got really good feedback and everyone else said I did a good job, which I didn't know was legit or just polite until I got my grade. There was some more argument later on, which was pretty uncomfortable, but we all survived. When I was saying goodbye to my medieval art professor after the final (she'll be in Greece when we all graduate), I got totally choked up and wanted to cry when I was leaving. I don't think I really felt like a student at TCNJ until this past semester. In my heart, I was still the NJIT girl, but having a class with my fellow art history seniors made me feel a part of this little family.

I turned my thesis in this morning (WOOOOO!). Much thanks goes to Zach for being my official proof reader and staying up mad late to help me stay focused. I'm pretty confident about it, but I'm really just glad it's done. All the research was actually a lot of fun. I think grad school will be pretty boss, and getting my phd sounds better and better. My adviser told me I MUST go to Berlin and see what's what in the modern art scene, so I think I'm gonna try and make that work - maybe next summer. It's probably the best way to learn German.

First thing on my list of things to do now that I'm not swamped with work - WORK OUT!

So for my Politics of Sexuality class I did some work with the League of Women Voters. On Monday, I was doing voter registration at the local community college. There were people who refused to register to vote...refused. Like, even if you register, you don't have to vote, but at least you have the choice. I really couldn't believe what I was hearing about "it doesn't make a difference." That just makes me so sad, and I can't believe that some people just don't care about what's going on around them. One of the kids was like "I don't want to vote and you can't make me," and his friend was trying to convince him that he was crazy. Also, the non-voter wants to be a cop...a cop. So essentially, he just wants to live his life following every order given to him and never questioning a thing. Sick sick sick. With such a strong voter turn out this year, I was totally surprised that some people just could not care either way. Not to sound cheesy, but our votes are the ones that matter the most. I don't want a lot of senior citizens choosing my future for me, because not for nothing, young people are going to have to deal with all the fucking problems that are around us now. Nothing is ever ever going to change if people don't form an opinion and do something about it.

also, this entry had no spelling errors - a first!

It's spring - it's warm, baseball is on all the time, our front yard looks so so pretty. I wanna be outside playing so so much, but for the next two weeks my life is my thesis. Chapters are a must, and I know how it will flow - other then that I've got my work cut out for me. I turned in my exit exam on Tuesday, after having both Zach and my mother proof read it. I also read the entire thing aloud as I wrote it to see how it sounded (bless my mother for putting up with that for five hours straight).

I talked to my adviser about what I should do grad school wise. I told her I want to be more involved in academics, and she told me PhD is the way to go. She said I should find a direct program that will only take three years and result in my PhD. She also recommended that I take as much time as I want off because it's lonely, intense, and life filling once I start working towards being Dr. Croisier. I go back and forth trying to decide what I want to get a masters in. Last week, my Medieval Art professor told me I got the only A on the midterm, and that I know what to look for when examining art and that I'm defiantly in the right field. That seriously made my day, esp. because 1- I don't totally love Medieval art, and 2- I thought I bombed that midterm. I don't want what I've learned to go to waste, but I'm still sort of lost as to what to do with it. My adviser told me that during my time off (be it one year or many) I should perfect my French, learn German, and travel to where modern art is hopping. I have no issues with any of that. All I know is I don't want to jump into more debt after I graduate, so grad school will have to wait till I pay off some of my loans.

I'm graduating in a month...ONE month. I couldn't be more excited. The Art Department gets to graduate in the beautiful Music Building, and all my family will be here. I'm seriously inviting anyone and everyone to come, since my bestest friends don't even go to TCNJ. I get to pick up my cap and gown soon, and I'm just super jazzed. I'm going to leave work at the end of June (I'm transferring to Ithaca so I'll have a job and health benefits right away before I start looking for more interesting work), and I'll have all of July to buy stuff for the new apartment and enjoy my last summer living at the beach.

I've been a student for almost twenty years, and I'm a little afraid to not go to class anymore. What will I do with my time? I've already decided that volunteering and writing are musts next year, in addition to becoming multi-lingual. I'm going to get in fantastic shape, rock my GREs, and take mad time to figure out 100% what I want to do. Once I'm in Grad school, that's it. That will decide what I'm going to do for decades after. For now, I'm going to think of nothing but what I want to do...and maybe puppies.

London (in bullet form)

The Good
-free room
-chicken enchiladas
-free coat
-my nephew, Vic (a greyhound)
-pregnancy announcement (not mine or my sisters)
-fish and chips
-cadbury cream egg mcflurry
-the tate
-the victoria and albert
-the tube (7th-14th of march)
-virgin air (newark to london)
-aero bars
-sandwich shops
-coke with sugar
-peter pan
-my duck
-my nook
-no country for old men
-motown in london
-picking out a bag so amazing that the girl in front of me at the checkout had to go get one after seeing mine
-goat cheese fritters
-seeing Vic sprint
-being with my sister for a week with NO fighting (a record)

The Bad
-the weather
-Italian high school students
-the tube (March 15th)
-virgin air (london to newark)
-no fish and chips on the last day
-everyone on the Picadilly line March 15th
-not seeing the terra cotta army (3 failed attempts)
-not seeing the reading room
-day trips cancelled due to worst weather in months
-not buying the green shoes
-guy eating on the tube
-guy wearing red sox hat and nascar jacket at tower of london
-german football fans clearly talking about me on the tube
-leaving

what did i miss?

paris - if you read this, you read zach's lj, so you know we went and that it was great.

extra paris stuff:
Courbet room was CLOSED at the Musee D'Orsay, which I was bummed about. But in the best karmic event of the month, the Met just opened a Courbet exhibit. Yays. Also closed in Paris was the Islamic Art wing in the Louvre. The collection at the Met has been closed for years and isn't opening any time soon, so I was jazzed to see stuff in the Louvre. As it turns out, you can't see either of the largest collections till next year...LAME. My adviser joined me in hating on the lack of Islamic art available to the public. Bonus? When I was checking to make sure nothing was CLOSED at the British Museum, I found out that I get to see the Terra Cotta Army...soooooo cool! I told my adviser (who was also my East Asian Art prof) and she said she saw it over winter break when she was in London. Just when I thought I was art-ed out after Paris, I'm already looking forward to more museums. Nerd alert. Oh, also, Sainte Chapelle is BEAUTIFUL!

So my sister and Jordan are moving back to the states (!!!) in July. Not only that - they'll be living in New York. I don't remember the last time that Em lived so close. It was probably when she was in high school. Weird. I thought my mom was going to tell me that she was preggos, which would have resulted in my totally flipping my shit. Instead, there it was totally awesome news that means I get to see my sister lots more. Yaaaaay.

In other sister news, I was watching an old home movie, and Em used to REALLY treat me terribly. She called my ugly all the time, and would totally lie about stuff that I did. Example: she and I were sitting in my grandfather's chair. She was in front of me, and I guess my chin grazed her back when I turned my head. This resulted in Em saying, "OW! She just bit me!" What?! So yeah...my sister...DOCTOR Emilie Croisier used to lie about me biting her. I think if her coworkers knew this they wouldn't believe the things she says about genes.

I graduate in May....weird.

So it's my last semester (awesome), and it should be a pretty good one. My I'm actually interested in all my classes (for once!)

Arts of the Islamic World - taught by my adviser (whom I've had twice before) who's awesome. Cool subject matter, and cool approach to the topic. Our paper is to design a mosque, which is so much more appealing then the classic "Pick a piece of art and discuss it" that usually comes along with these "Arts of _____" classes.

Medieval Art - now, it's widely known that I don't really care about medieval art. I wouldn't go as far as saying I don't like it, but it's really just not my jam. It all kind of looks the same and I can't get into it. What's cool, is that my prof. started off the class by saying that historically, art writers don't like medieval art because they don't see it as proper art. I don't think this is cool that they thought that, I think it's cool that she's all about showing how they were wrong (which I'm always a fan of). Additionally, in this class the semester long paper is "pick a piece of art," but do MAD research on it. I was feeling very blah about this until I told my prof. that I would be missing two classes next month when I go to Paris, and she responded with: "Paris! Oh, if you're going you can do your paper on one of the churches!" And BAM! I don't mind writing this paper.

Politics of Sexuality - I took this course because it sounded cool and I needed the credits. There's no book....no tests...and it's being taught by a guy who is at the most 30. This all equals an awesome class.

Senior Capstone - So I was initially bummed about the fact that my thesis had to be limited to a museum study. That's what happens when there's only 5 art history majors. Since we're still building the major at TCNJ, it means that we have to all be working on similar projects to show "what we've learned" so that they'll stop cutting our budget. But then I brought up writing about the Tate Modern, which I've been to before and will see again on spring break. My adviser loved the idea of talking about the unique qualities of the Tate, and now I just have to formalize a thesis and I'm set.

So far this semester looks as if it will be amazing. Zach and I go to Paris in two weeks. Then at some point I'm donating my hair (something I'm terrified/excited to do). Then I'm visiting Em in London over spring break. Then like, a month and a half later, I'm graduating. I'm coming up on some amazing trips, the end of undergrad, the end of working at staples, and the end of living in Toms River. It's pretty exciting.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
-went to Europe
-watched my sister get married
-made out with my best friend

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
i think my new years' resolution regarded losing weight (which i did) and feeling better about myself (which i mega did)...i think for next year it will be decide on what to do for grad school

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
ummmm....my brother-in-law's brother's girlfriend?

4. Did anyone close to you die?
my 2 am buffy buddy

5. What countries did you visit?
i went to london!!!! soooooo amazing...can't wait to go back

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
i can't imagine having more...i'm pretty lucky.

although i would like a little nikon

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
feb 17th - my sister's wedding - i cried the whole time, then made everyone else cry during my speech
sept 8th - zach and i kissed, surprising no one


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
passing french?
also, feeling amazing about myself for the first time in yeeeears

9. What was your biggest failure?
not being with my friends more
not making out during aqua teen


11. What was the best thing you bought?
well, i'm the the process of paying zach back for paris....by tomorrow, i will have paid for it making it the best thing i bought


12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
my sister...i've never seen her so in love and it's made her such an amazing person

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
those that know me know the answer to this....

14. Where did most of your money go?
paying for gas because i did a LOT of driving....also travel


15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
em's wedding
senior year
seeing my friends every weekend
zach

16. What songs will always remind you of 2007?
o valencia
i'm going down, thunder road, badlands, born to run, dancing in the dark
GIRLFRIEND

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
I. happier or sadder? SO SO SO SO SO MUCH HAPPIER
ii. thinner or fatter? thinneeeer
iii. richer or poorer? same?

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
seeing my friends

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
being less of an idiot

20. How did you spend Christmas?
christmas eve was spent reading oscar wilde, then dinner at zach's godmother's house w/his family....christmas morning was spent in summit, then the rest of the day was spent in toms river w/my parents and zach...we took the dogs for a walk, played the movie game like crazy, made cookies, and were just plain adorable

22. Did you fall in love in 2007?
to be fair, i fell in love with zach awhile ago...but it was FINALLY declared in 2007 and it's amazing

23. How many one-night stands?
zero

24. What was your favorite TV program?
wow...none? i guess the office

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
yes

26. What was the best book you read?
picture of dorian gray

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
rediscovering rilo kiley
hold steady

28. What did you want and get?
happiness

29. What did you want and not get?
ummmm...nothing?

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
aqua teen for what it meant
superbad, because it's awesome
3:10 to yuma, because it was sort of a first date

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
went to dinner...missed zach

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
not getting smacked

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
i got some amazing boots and lost weight...which has made my clothing choices much classier

34. What kept you sane?
my mom, my kitten, my friends (zach, ali, andre - the best people i've ever known)

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Jake Gyllenhaal
OBAMA

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
ron paul is a moron

37. Who did you miss?
my sister...old friends

38. Who was the best new person you met?
carmen's friend will...for his hair alone

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
don't wait to get slapped in the face to get your shit together

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
smack my bitch up --> i love the way you say good morning

41. where did you begin 2007?
meh

42. what was your status by Valentine's Day?
i was in london and dating matt...both of those things are no longer what's up

43. were you in school (anytime this year)?
yesssssssssssssssssssssssss...but i wrote some really badass papers and fell in love with my french teacher

44. how did you earn your money?
staples yo...being a sexy copy girl


45. did you have to go to the hospital?
i was going to say i just visited my mom...BUT THAT'S A LIE. i also busted my wrist last week

46. did you have any encounters with the police?
nope

47. where did you go on holiday?
london for a wedding
disney for a trainwreck
richmond for some massive nights
summit for...i don't care if it's lame...summit for zach


48. what did you purchase that was over 500?
paris ticket

49. did you know anybody who got married?
my sister!!!!


51. have you run into an old lost friend?
sooorta

52. did you move anywhere?
home...always home

53. what sporting events did you go to?
yankee games!!!

54. what concerts/shows did you go to?
decemberists in jersey city...hold steady in richmond....BRUCE TWICE IN OCTOBER (philly then jersey)

55. are you registered to vote?
yeah, but i have no memory of doing it

56. where do you live now?
1197 dell st
tr, nj

57. what's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2007?
end my previous relationship...something i thought i would never be able to do

58. what has been your favorite moment?
giving my speech at my sister's wedding

59. what's something you learned about yourself?
i'm a lot stronger then i thought i was

60. any new additions to your family?
jordan! my new brother-in-law

61. what was your best month?
i went to london in february, and that was pretty amazing

62. what music will you remember 2007 by?
bruce bruce bruce

63. who has been your best drinking buddy?
my mom and sister

64. made new friends?
sure

65. best new friend?
i think cait at work

66. favorite night out?
em's hen party
first date w/zach
tailgating for bruce
drinks with mom and em

67. any regrets?
if i think about what i regret, i get pretty down on myself. there's some things i wish i could have done differently, but in the end, everything came out really well

68. who was your favorite summertime buddy?
my mom...we hit the gym hard

69. which season was the best?
fall


70. if you could, would you redo the whole year?
to go to london again and to feel amazing...but that's all happening next year too!