ahhh

TODAY is my last day of golf practice. TOMORROW is my last tournament of the season. I can't believe that I stuck with it, after all of the complaining. I was SO ready to quit, SO many times... but I knew that I would be upset with myself if I did. I just can't believe I was able to handle all of the practice and pressure that goes with being on the golf team. I can't wait to actually have free time like the rest of my friends. I'm sad that practice is ending, but relieved at the same time because now I will be able to get caught up with my school work. This past weekend I was gone for a tournament in Michigan. It seems like I missed a lot (pig tostal, blue gold, etc) but in the end, I think that golfing was worth it. I would not have this attitude if I was reflecting on this last year and I'm proud of myself for making the change.

I'm so excited for summer to come. I decided that I am going to go home to the east coast instead of staying in south bend. I can't be away from my best friends for the only three months that I am able to see them. For these younger years of my life I feel like a summer outside of Maine is hardly a summer at all. I'm planning on spending my time between NY, Boston and Maine... and growing up and getting a real job next summer. I'm going to try and work at a golf course in Andover this summer. Whatever I decide to do, I know it will be fun.

Hokies

A terrible tragedy occurred on Monday at Virginia Tech. A man killed 32 innocent students, himself and injured many others. I am still in shock that something this horrible could happen. What scares me the most is that it can happen anywhere. I do not know anyone who goes to VT, fortunately, but a couple of my friends do. My good friend Katie is from Virginia. The killer and two people who were killed were from her home town. Although she did not attend school with any of them, she played basketball against one of the girls and the other girl attended her church. The killer, incidently, lived about a mile from her house, and she had no idea. Katie knows a boy who graduated two years ahead of her that was in one of the class rooms in Norris Hall, where the majority of the fatalities occurred. He jumped out of one of the windows to save himself and broke both of his ankles. My friend Sammy played soccer for three years with a girl that was shot three times. Her friend survived, had a major surgury on Monday and has since stabilized. It is amazing how a tragedy like this can hit so close to home for so many people across the country.

Today I was given an amazing opportunity, I went to a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. The show was a special report on Virginia Tech. I feel as though it was very well done. Oprah did live interviews, via satellite, with various people from Virginia Tech, A Columbine survivor and two renowned doctors. One boy, a survivor named Colin, gave an interview from his hospital bed. He was shot three times. He was in French class, (which was the class with the most fatalities.) I was so chilled when he described what happened and I could not believe how brave he was. He said that the gunman came in and everyone hit the floor. He walked from desk to desk, shooting nearly everyone multiple times. Colin was first shot in the knee, then played dead. The killer left for about ten minutes and then came back to shoot more rounds. Colin was shot again in the shoulder, and then a third time but I forgot where. I could not even imagine having that much courage. Oprah interviewed some friends and family members of students and a faculty member that were killed. It was absolutely heartwrenching to see how torn apart many families have become after the gruesome events that happened on Monday.

After the satellite interviews, Oprah spoke with a boy and his father in the studio about Columbine. He had survived the shooting, but his younger sister had not. He has used the awful experience of Columbine to speak out against violence in schools. He travels around the country and talks to thousands of students each month about Columbine and how violence is not the answer. He spoke beautifully during the interview with Oprah and it made me so happy to see that he could turn such a horrific event into a positive thing. He said that in a couple of instances, people have been so moved by his speaking after events that they have brought forth hit lists. His program has helped to prevent so many "Columbines" and I truly applaud his efforts.

The thing about this tragedy that is bothering me is how the media is representing this story. Many people are blaming Virginia Tech for not properly notifying the students. I think that the "woulda, coulda, shoulda," aspect is being brought about too strongly when really, the media should focus on the fact that this tragedy really happened. More attention should be focused on the actual healing process rather than what should have been done to prevent what happened. I hope this tragedy will raise much more awareness towards the seriousness of this issue.

Please keep the students, faculty, families and everyone involved or affected by the Virginia Tech Tragedy in your thoughts and prayers.

-Meaghan

Cold

What is this weather? I was playing golf in shorts the other day and now I am back in Uggs. So frusturating. I was supposed to have a golf tournament tomorrow (friday) but it got cancelled because of the weather. I am so mad because I booked a flight home to Boston for Saturday and now I can't change it. Well I could, but it would cost me triple the amount to fly home a day earlier... and I would rather just buy myself some Juicy. Whatev. I DID buy myself a new golf club today and I'm pretty psyched about it! Who would have thought that I would be so into golf? I was about ready to quit right before spring break and now it is my favorite thing to do. Maybe because I have gotten so much better. Its just so nice to be able to get off campus, play 9 holes and hang out with people who are outside of my group of friends.

I havn't posted on here in a while... I've been busy with golf and what not but it's been good. Golf has been really enjoyable since spring break. Instead of DREADING going to practice (which I used to) I am now excited to go. I think its because I have gotten a lot better. I bought myself a new driver last week and played really well with it in my tournament in Kentucky last weekend.

I started reading this autobiography on Byron Nelson for my project in this class. Its really awesome because Byron designed the golf course that I learned how to play on in Texas. I like it a lot so far.

I was really bummed out about missing last weekend here in South Bend but I had a good time in Kentucky. It was really hot and sunny, which I loved. During the first day of my tournament I played with these girls that were amazing at golf. I got so intimidated!! This one girl asked me what my major was and I was like.. "communications.. what about you?" and she told me that she was majoring in golf... figures. Playing with them was good for me though because I learned a lot and improved a ton on my second day in the tournament.

I have another tournament next friday and then I am flying home to Boston for Easter. I am so excited because it has been so long since I have been home!! I'm not sure about when the next time I will be home will be because I am pretty sure that I am staying in south bend for the summer... I'm going to work at a golf shop and play summer tournaments. My parents are letting me fly home 3 times though so that will be fine with me.

Roompicks were yesterday. What a hassel. I didn't do them last year because I went abroad. I am moving off campus my senior year so I will never have to deal with dumb roompicks ever again. I am living in LeMans with my roommate from Rome, Mary Kate, and I am very happy about it. Most of my good friends are living in my hall which will be a lot of fun. I'm just glad that the picking process is OVER. So many people get stressed out about it and it is completely unnecessary.

That is about all I can think about for now. I'll leave you with this clip though... it proves that golf is NOT boring!!

Cheers, Meaghan

I want to retire in NC

OK, tonight is my last night in NC and I am kind of sad. I have had so much fun here, and I didn't even expect it!! Today we played a course that was only par threes. We had carts AND it was a scramble so we all had a really good time. We went to the Pinehurst clubhouse and took pictures with the famous Payne Stewurt statue. I don't know if I spelled that right because I am still a bit toasty from dinner. We walked around downtown Pinehurst, did some shopping and then our coach cooked the most amazing chicken parmasian EVER. Tomorrow we are playing 18 holes at CCNC Dogwood and I am excited because I heard that the course is BEAUTIFUL. After that, we are driving down to Myrtle Beach which is where our tournament is. My dad is coming down on Friday which will be awesome because I never really see my family. I could definately see myself living in Pinehurst someday when I am all old and retired. The only priority the people have down here is to golf, which is sweet because I LOVE golfing! I hope everyone else is having a fun and safe spring break!

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers, Meaghan

Pinehurst

I am in Pinehurst, NC and it is GORGEOUS here!!! I played my first round of 18 holes yesterday and I was actually ok! This town has 42 golf courses within a 10 mile radius, it is absolutely insane. I am playing 4 courses here, then I am going to Myrtle Beach on Wednesday to play in a tournament. I am surprisingly having a really good time, despite all of the complaining that I did. I hope everyone else's spring break is going well.

CHEERS, Meaghan

Jesus Cab

I am about to embark on my golfing adventure in the Carolina's. I don't think I will be able to update my blog when I am away, BUT... I made a movie that will hopefully tie you over until I get back. Happy Spring Break!

Cheers, Meaghan

Let's Hug It Out

Entourage is my favorite show on television, hands down. Not many people watch it because it is on HBO, which kind of sucks. Then again, if it wasn't on HBO, there would be commercials and half of the show would be cut out because it isnt exactly appropriate for network TV. Whatev.

The show is produced by Mark Wahlberg and it is a semi-autobiographical version of his career in Hollywood. It follows a group of guys from Queens who move out to LA after Vince (Adrian Grenier) starts to persue his acting career. The casting is brilliant, from the flamboyant Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) to the hilarious charactor of Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon.)

I got turned on to this show by a couple of my friends from New York. I started watching it during the second season, (the show is about to start its fourth) and became completely addicted. Its good because no matter how "Hollywood" the boys seem to get, they stay true to their roots in NY. They work, they party, they make movies and then... they party. The guest cameos on the show are hilarious. Everyone from Pauly Shore to Gary Busey to The Girls Next Store have played theirself on Entourage.

The show is good to watch anytime. The story lines are so funny and believable at the same time. Whenever I want to watch something good, and nothing is on TV, I can always rely on my Entourage DVDs.

Cheers, Meaghan

AverageJosie got me thinking... I knew that I had been to a lot of states but damn, according to the map-link thing on their blog, I have visited 78% of the country. That's pretty sweet. The only places that I have not been to are the states in the North west, minus Washington. I have lived in 6 states: NY, NJ, IL, TX, MA, and ME. I have only been to Europe once, which was my time abroad. Now I am completely obsessed and want to go to Europe every year from now on. If I stick with golf, then I might be going to Ireland next year for fall break which will be amazing. I absolutely LOVE Ireland. I spent my past Thanksgiving vacation in Dublin with some friends. The people there are so friendly. I also love Dutch people. I went to Amsterdam for a weekend and it was insane. The people (who didn't work in the red light district) were so genuine and nice. I felt like I was in a completely different world when I went there. Weed was legal, which was just so weird because people smoked it out on the streets in public which was so different from what I am used to. Coffee Shops were sweet because you could just chill out there all day and talk to interesting people from all over. The red light district at night felt like sin city. I couldnt believe a place like that really existed. I also went to a few museums: The Anne Frank House, The Van Gogh Museum, and the Heineken Factory to name a few. I loved my time there and I will definately go back some day.

With this ramble about Amsterdam and legalized MJ, I just started thinking about this thing that I watched last night that I was really disturbed by. It was called True Life: I'm Addicted to Meth and it was on MTV. Seriously, what the hell. The two people it focused on were complete wastes of life and just didn't care. This one guy stayed sober for 2 days and treated it like it was the biggest accomplishment of his life. I didn't even feel bad for them because they completely ruined their lives by theirselves. It is so scary how something that is "fun" can destroy your life so quickly. I could never let a recreational drug control my life. The only thing that the the people on the show worried about was how they were going to get their next buzz and it was really quite disgusting. I don't have a problem with marijuana use because I think it will get legalized in the states some day. I saw how the system worked abroad, which was pretty much the same as alcohol. The emergence of Crystal Meth scares the hell out of me because it is seemingly easy to make and so much more dangerous than what people think. My younger sisters are only 5 years younger than me and the things they are experiencing in high school, as far as what their classmates are doing, seem soo much different than when I was in high school. I just hope to God that they make good decisions and don't get sucked into the bullshit that is high school. Sure, I wasn't the best kid in high school but I would never, EVER even THINK about doing meth, or anything along those lines. Yeah, thats about all that I want to talk about publically on this subject.

Cheers, Meaghan

MAC Attack

I am having a hard time finding things to post on here that have to do with me. A huge part of my life is make-up, as shallow as that sounds. I used to work at MAC cosmetics as a make-up artist. I don't want to be a professional make-up artist though, I just do it for fun. I love the weekends because my friends pile into my room and let me do their make-up however I want. Sometimes they look at me like, "Are you serious Meaghan?" but I do a good job for the most part. The thing about MAC is that you do not have to be a professional to work there. One day when I was feeding my obsession and buying eye shadow, the girl at the store told me that I had good insight and that I should apply to work there. With that, I got a bunch of my friends together, did their makeup and took some pictures. The rest is history. I like to think of makeup as an art form because there are some really amazing looks out there that people have come up with. Since this class has to do with blogs, I found this blog:
http://community.livejournal.com/mac_cosmetics/ Its cool to look at and see what other people have come up with. A source that I used before I discovered "blogging" is called Specktra.net.

As far as news in make-up goes, MAC has recently put out a line called "Barbie Loves M.A.C." and it is absolutely adorable. I love that this girlie, barbie-esque look is coming back. It reminds me of old-school glamour, which I definately prefer over the "neutral" look that has been popular lately. Don't get me wrong, too much pink can definately get tacky, but the way I look at it, why not just have fun? Its better to be bold than boring.

I'll try and post some pics of the work that I have done but I am a bit challenged at using apple computers... so it will have to wait until my next post.

Cheers, Meaghan